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User: Rolan

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  1. Not to mention that it's not a zero-day.... The vulnerability has already been patched and the patch pushed to users.... Of course, if it's not a zero-day and it's not "completely compromised" it's a lot less interesting.

  2. Re:Media companies lost the war on US Survey Shows Piracy Common and Accepted · · Score: 4, Interesting

    One major exception: People don't mind paying their Netflix subscription fee to get better service than piracy. But selection is still a big problem.

    This is really the key, and the media companies don't seem to get it. People are willing to pay for content, if it is provided at a reasonable price and reasonably easily obtained. If they want to "defeat piracy" they need to make it easier (and cheap) to get the content legally. As a business, "cheap" money coming in is far better than nothing. Add that doing this (providing content easily and cheaply) would improve public opinion of them...

  3. Re:My prediction on CCP and White Wolf Games To Merge · · Score: 1
    We'll get an EVE tabletop RPG, and CCG. They'll be supported for a couple of years, and then abandoned due to poor sales.
    There's already a CCG, and if I recall, it's second set of cards are out.
  4. Re:Does anyone else see a problem with this? on Second Life Database Intrusion via Web · · Score: 1

    Seems e-mail addresses were gotten, too. Hope nobody used the same password for their e-mail address as they did their SecondLife account..... If they did, then that e-mail link is pretty useless.

  5. Oops.... on CEO Shawn Hogan Takes on MPAA · · Score: 1

    Well, it was only a matter of time before they sued a millionaire, lawyer, or politician.... I'd be surprised if it ever makes it to court though. They don't want a legal test of what they're doing.

  6. Re:Awesome on Cutting out the Naughty Bits Ruled Illegal · · Score: 1
    It's because the other companies (such as the wal) have enough purchasing power to make the record company release a "clean" version. If the video stores in question were actually a 300 billion dollar chain, they could have just asked the studios nicely for a "clean" version and gotten it.
    In this case, that's not likely. The core objection here was from the directors who were having their movies edited. It wasn't like they weren't making money from these sales, it was they didn't want the content edited from their movies.
  7. Re:scary on FBI Password Database Compromised by Consultant · · Score: 2, Informative
    How many FBI agents were on board the planes that crashed into the WTC? How many people would whine about invasion of privacy and wasting tax payers money if the government put FBI agents on every single flight inside, or into the US?
    This is called the Air Marshall system (yes, I know they're not FBI), and nobody has ever griped about it being an invasion of privacy or a waste of money.
  8. Re:Gads on Lessig, Stallman in New Documentary · · Score: 4, Insightful
    (BTW, Michael Moore made like $12 million on that film -- has anybody else profited more from the war in Iraq?)

    Haliburton comes to mind easily.... Add A few dozen politicians, just about anyone in the "defense" industry.....

  9. Re:No multiplayer! on EA Announces Open-Ended RPG · · Score: 1

    Those two are certainly not mutually exclusive. I fall into both those categories.

  10. Re:Which one is it? on Mysterious 'Forcefield' Tested on US Tanks · · Score: 1
    Okay, so your "half a sphere from the bottom up"... is it protecting all of the vehicle or just half of it. That's my point. A quarter of a sphere protects half of the vehicle, not a hemisphere. The text contradicts itself.

    Obviously, if it is protecting from "the bottom up" it is not protecting from "the bottom down"; so it is protecting half the vehicle, the top half, not the bottom half. The text is not contadictory.

  11. Re:Tags? on Slashdot Bookmarks · · Score: 1

    You probably installed a buggy version of the Slashdot Firefox plug in which keeps them hidden. Get a new version and they'll be there.

  12. Re:Which one is it? on Mysterious 'Forcefield' Tested on US Tanks · · Score: 1
    It's not as though our vehicles in Iraq are largely being blown up from below; oh, wait...

    And other than trolling your point is? Besides the fact that you're wrong, the system doesn't deal with non-moving threats, which is what the IEDs in Iraq are. It would also do nothing for mines, or a person walking up to the tank and droping a grenade in the hatch. It's meant to deal with RPGs, Artillery, Rockets, etc.

    Going back to the fact that you're wrong... Most of the vehicles damaged or destroyed in Iraq are by IEDs placed beside the road, so the vehicles are being hit from the front, back, or sides, not from beneath. That's why they're generally refered to as "roadside bombs."

  13. Re:Which one is it? on Mysterious 'Forcefield' Tested on US Tanks · · Score: 1

    Half a sphere from the bottom up.... Since you wouldn't genereally find a rocket coming from below.

  14. Money/Value on Teens Losing Interest In Gaming? · · Score: 1

    I'm guessing that money and value for the money are two big reasons they're planning to play less. The average price of a game they'd want to play is way to high.

  15. Re:Math? on First HD-DVD Player Goes On Sale · · Score: 1

    That was a quote from the article....which has since been changed to remove the $800 price mentioned...

  16. Re:One-Click Activation on MS Gives 60-Day Deadline to Web Devs · · Score: 1

    The chaotic part is the users who don't know what's going on and call the helpdesk to complain, or so something stupid because they think they have a virus or something. You'd be amazed at the number of people who simply won't click "ok" on anything that pops up from a web browser. You can thank the crap advertisers for that.

    The change isn't anything more than an annoyance if you know what's going on. Users thare are more ignorant (and that's the vast majority) are going to be highly confused until someone clues them in.

  17. Re:the question isn't CAN you do it.. on Automating Future Aircraft Carriers · · Score: 1
    The age of ship-to-ship combat is over. The nations that have surface ships generally don't use them except as a platform for deploying land forces.

    Ship-to-ship conflict is only rare because of the types of conflicts. "Modern" "wars" haven't been against enemies that had fleets, and that is the only reason there hasn't been much in the way of ship-to-ship fighting.

    As far as the usefulness of the Navy.... I suggest you look up some statistics on recent conflicts re: the source of the cruise missles that were used as well as the source of fighter aircraft that were used. Aircraft are typically used more for deployment of ground forces than ships.

  18. Re:Sites that require cookies just to read them su on What's up with Star Trek Online? · · Score: 3, Informative

    arg...that came out crappy, I hate missing the preview button and hitting submit.

    An interview with the driving force being Perpetual's flagship title

    Daron Stinnett is the Producer of Star Trek Online. This industry veteran was previously the subject of a developer profile on our site. Today, we have an interview with him that focuses in on what you truly want to know: Star Trek Online. To go with the interview we also have two screenshots from the game (which are also included in this article).

    MMORPG.com: You're obviously a long way away from retail launch. Can you give us a general update on where you are in production and when in a general sense you anticipated major milestones (alpha, beta, launch) will come?
    Daron Stinnett: We are an early phase of development where we are working on our design, prototyping our new ideas, laying down foundation for our tools and technology framework, and doing a lot of planning. We have quite a bit of company technology, tools, and processes to draw upon, so we expect to be in full scale production by this summer and begin our initial public beta tests in the summer of 2007.

    MMORPG.com: The Star Trek universe is filled with unique races and passionate fans will undoubtedly be extremely upset if any are skipped at launch. With the realities of a production in mind, obviously you cannot please everyone. What races are you going to concentrate on and why?
    Daron Stinnett: Playable races are those that you might expect to see on a Starfleet starship and will likely include Human, Vulcan, Klingon, Bajoran, Bolian, Trill, Tellarite, Andorian. The controversial issue is our decision to have Star Trek Online focus exclusively on Starfleet at launch. The immense scope of MMOs means that if you want to build a multi-faction game, then those factions had better be carbon copies of each other from a game mechanics point of view. But the "coat of paint" approach just doesn't work with Star Trek. Starfleet is very unique, as are the other factions and we didn't feel that anyone wanted a watered down experience in order to achieve a multi-faction game. Starfleet, with its focus on starship life, space combat, exploration, and away missions, presents a challenge to MMO conventions that has pushed us to come up with fresh ideas that will give players a very new online experience. And ultimately, innovative gameplay and respect for our license are the things that will provide the greatest value for players.

    MMORPG.com: By choosing to do space and land-based content, you're essentially making two games. Can you talk about your general goals in regards to the land-based aspects of the game?
    Daron Stinnett: We're committed to doing both space and ground for Star Trek Online because it is the right thing to do. But you're right to point this out as a challenge for the development team. Building two games at once is hardly a recipe for success, so we've put a lot of effort into figuring out how to unify the mechanics between the two environments, while maintaining the unique flavor of each.

    We also want to avoid creating two kinds of games from the player perspective, so we are building a world where players will feel equally capable in either arena. Just as it is in the series, we expect player characters to move freely between the two environments. This will enable us to weave space and ground gameplay together in a single mission. For example, its not hard to imagine mission that takes place within a derelict Borg Cube that allows the player to complete that mission either on foot or by ship, or a combination of both. The possibilities are endless and we're planning on giving players a lot more mission variety than they are used to.

    MMORPG.com: And in space?
    Daron Stinnett: Both space and ground combat have similar RPG style combat mechanics, but the similarities end there. Like a mount in land-based MMOs, your starship will speed you across the galaxy to destinations unknown. And of course starships are so much more than mounts since they a

  19. Sites that require cookies just to read them suck on What's up with Star Trek Online? · · Score: -1, Redundant

    Apparently the site won't even let you read an article without it being able to set a cookie, so here's the article, and delete goes the cookie. An interview with the driving force being Perpetual's flagship title Daron Stinnett is the Producer of Star Trek Online. This industry veteran was previously the subject of a developer profile on our site. Today, we have an interview with him that focuses in on what you truly want to know: Star Trek Online. To go with the interview we also have two screenshots from the game (which are also included in this article). MMORPG.com: You're obviously a long way away from retail launch. Can you give us a general update on where you are in production and when in a general sense you anticipated major milestones (alpha, beta, launch) will come? Daron Stinnett: We are an early phase of development where we are working on our design, prototyping our new ideas, laying down foundation for our tools and technology framework, and doing a lot of planning. We have quite a bit of company technology, tools, and processes to draw upon, so we expect to be in full scale production by this summer and begin our initial public beta tests in the summer of 2007. advertisement MMORPG.com: The Star Trek universe is filled with unique races and passionate fans will undoubtedly be extremely upset if any are skipped at launch. With the realities of a production in mind, obviously you cannot please everyone. What races are you going to concentrate on and why? Daron Stinnett: Playable races are those that you might expect to see on a Starfleet starship and will likely include Human, Vulcan, Klingon, Bajoran, Bolian, Trill, Tellarite, Andorian. The controversial issue is our decision to have Star Trek Online focus exclusively on Starfleet at launch. The immense scope of MMOs means that if you want to build a multi-faction game, then those factions had better be carbon copies of each other from a game mechanics point of view. But the "coat of paint" approach just doesn't work with Star Trek. Starfleet is very unique, as are the other factions and we didn't feel that anyone wanted a watered down experience in order to achieve a multi-faction game. Starfleet, with its focus on starship life, space combat, exploration, and away missions, presents a challenge to MMO conventions that has pushed us to come up with fresh ideas that will give players a very new online experience. And ultimately, innovative gameplay and respect for our license are the things that will provide the greatest value for players. MMORPG.com: By choosing to do space and land-based content, you're essentially making two games. Can you talk about your general goals in regards to the land-based aspects of the game? Daron Stinnett: We're committed to doing both space and ground for Star Trek Online because it is the right thing to do. But you're right to point this out as a challenge for the development team. Building two games at once is hardly a recipe for success, so we've put a lot of effort into figuring out how to unify the mechanics between the two environments, while maintaining the unique flavor of each. We also want to avoid creating two kinds of games from the player perspective, so we are building a world where players will feel equally capable in either arena. Just as it is in the series, we expect player characters to move freely between the two environments. This will enable us to weave space and ground gameplay together in a single mission. For example, its not hard to imagine mission that takes place within a derelict Borg Cube that allows the player to complete that mission either on foot or by ship, or a combination of both. The possibilities are endless and we're planning on giving players a lot more mission variety than they are used to. MMORPG.com: And in space? Daron Stinnett: Both space and ground combat have similar RPG style combat mechanics, but the similarities end there. Like a mount in land-based MMOs, your starship will speed you across the galaxy to destinations unknown. And of course starships are so much mor

  20. Re:Education on What Corporate Email Limits Do You Have? · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Gmail accounts are totally inappropriate for business use or even near business use. ~ Saeed al-Sahaf (665390)
    Correct, which is why the suggestion was:
    My other suggestion is to register everybody a Gmail account for personal use and then have a special talk with the biggest inbox abusers. ~TubeSteak (669689) [Bolding Mine]
  21. Re:more sensationalism on Google Copies Corporate Data to Google's Servers? · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Well...isn't that what this article is about? Sounds like you agree with the CIOs.

    Not really. The CIOs in the article are saying that it shouldn't be installed at all. What I'm saying is that the product itself is not "harmful", but simply a feature of the product that is turned off by default. So, there's no problem with allowing people to use the product, so long as they do not turn on the feature. The policy you write is that the feature can not be enabled, and that is what you audit.

    If Google wanted to deflect this criticizm even more, they'd do a bit of extra code to allow Group Policy to disable the feature and keep users from enabling it. However, there's not much to criticize about it in the first place. It clearly states what happens if you turn on the feature (some files are stored on Google's Servers) and the feature is off by default. People who turn it on know what they're getting into here; it is very clear. If corporate IT/CIOs have problems with their users, then it is the user to blame, not the software feature.

    This is like saying that Microsoft has overstepped the bounds by installing solitare and other games with Windows XP Pro, because it would be harmful to productivity.... The software's not the problem, the user is.

  22. Re:more sensationalism on Google Copies Corporate Data to Google's Servers? · · Score: 1

    Write policy that says the feature can not be on. Audit the settings randomly and when someone has turned it on, rake them over the coals for it.

  23. Lack of Responsibility on Teenage Blogger Finds Gmail Hole · · Score: 1

    This error should have been reported to Google and the appropriate mailing lists, not posted on a blog. Fortunately, Google responded quickly to resolve the issue before it caused damage.

  24. Re:You think it's bad *now* on College Student Receives Email of the Lost · · Score: 1

    Odd, my bill says Verizon, and it charges me for incoming text messages.... Must be more than one Verizon....

  25. Re:You think it's bad *now* on College Student Receives Email of the Lost · · Score: 1
    Still, it was pretty irritating to see an address I had been quite careful with destroyed because the Slashdot editors didn't consider carefully what they were doing.
    You mean, because you didn't consider what you were doing.... You entered your e-mail address, they didn't go look it up and enter it for you. You should have considered the fact that, if the story was accepted, it would be posted, but you failed to consider that. It is not the editor's place to go and edit someone's e-mail address or homepage link that was entered. If you don't want your e-mail published, then don't publish it. The field isn't even required, you could have left it blank.