Re:This is NOT right - Please DONATE to his fund
on
Adrian Lamo Pleads Guilty
·
· Score: 2, Informative
It doesn't matter if the ammount of damages are right or not. The fact is that Lamo broke into computers that were not his. That is illegal. He deserves to be punished. Now that all being said, because of him owning up to what he did, I agree that the maximum punishment is too harsh, but he does need to be made an example of.
Hell, now that I was thinking about it (and reading down some more) - this is more complex than it needs to be.
Heck, I would just provide the access via a solid wireless router. I would make it free and open to all. Block ports of known things you don't want running (KaZaa etc). That is all I would do. I would also do the tip jar just to get some extra cash to help pay for the access (but don't expect too much). And finally I would put up a clearly visible, but not obtrusive, sign that says "Free internet access provided. Security not provided." Or something to that effect that would basically let people know, if you use my access, I am not responsible what you do or what happens to your computer.
I would not worry too much about quotas or stuff like that.
One more thing - I would spend some solid money on the router - the coffee house I go to (JPs) sometimes will choke up and need to be restarted. They just have a simple Linksys one.
I go to one of these places listed (JPs Java House) - they have free unlimited 802.11b access for anyone. Very nice.
Overall, I think that your idea is great. I think you are making a bit more complex than it needs to be. If you want to have quotas that is fine, but why not just put up a 802.11g router (they are cheap) and allow open access. If you want to make sure that people buy stuff to get access - they do what another post says - WEP key on reciept, changed daily (sure, not hard to get around, but more of an honor system). And sure - put up a tip jar - clearly labeled with something like "FOR THE SUPPORT OF OPEN INTERNET ACCESS" or something like that. Heck, with this setup, you could be ready to go tomorrow (not next summer).
I say just go simple. If you make access easy and pretty much open - people will come in just for that. Especially in a college campus area - simple and pretty much unlimited will probably draw a solid crowd.
It was SpyMac that announced and had forged VIDEO (not just pictures) of the fake Apple PDA (called the iWalk). Looking at their site now doesn't turn up much of any news, fake or real.
This is not to say that ThinkSecret is clear of wrongdoing. They did post about an Apple PDA called the MacMate back in 1999, but obviously that never came to fruition.
Seriously, Fry's sells a crappy $37 camera that you don't have to go through all this to get the pictures off of. I think the additional $10 is worth the convenience of NOT having to hack the damn thing.
Hell, spend an additional $40-$60 and you have a camera that takes really NICE pictures and you don't have to hack.
This doesn't even take into account VERY QUICK picture download.
Maybe this is one of failing of IPv4 - not the fact that we are going to run out of IP addresses, but the fact that we are starting to run out of BIG blocks of addresses. Most companies like to have their computers on a single block of addresses, makes for cleaner setups.
And honestly, who really cares about the fact that someone is planning ahead for IPv6 and IPv4 is going to last a while? I mean, maybe the sky isn't falling, this is just a way to make sure that we never get into a bind where it is. Look at the (totally bogus) Y2K bug: we THOUGHT it was a problem, and were running to the zero hour to fix it. While it ended up being a dud, if you have the foresight why wait that long?
Besides, lets say the numbers are right 2 decades for IPv4. That means at the current rate we would have 1.3 MILLION years for IPv6. Then there is no worry whatsoever. I guess the question is, what kind of adgenda would be pushed by everyone moving to IPv6?
This does raise a good point. I pointed this out later, but the Linux community is VERY VERY happy to support those who take time for them. Your right about what you say "you make a game for us, we won't forget." Then again, it is not like Valve doesn't care about this segment of the market, it is a case where they have only so much time and they are doing what they can to get what they can out there. Who knows, maybe we will see a native Linux version, but you can't hold your breath for it.
Well, I don't know if I totally agree. But I will say this - if you want to play games, use Windows. I mean, we are not talking rocket science here, while Linux is a great OS for things like development, etc, it just isn't the system of choice for gaming. Honestly, how many games are really out there, especially compared w/ the number of games in the Windows market?
Then again, this article does talk about the state of Linux gaming. Which is slim right now. But then again, look at the user base.
It is a tough argument to make. On one hand you have the masses that will buy your games no problem. On the other hand you have this small, but VERY thankful group who will not forget the fact that you put out a game for them (or that you didn't).
But I still have to go back to the fact that if you really really want to play latest games, have a Windows partition so that you can boot to just for that. Compatibility will never be an issue.
What does a fission breed reactor get you in a scavenger hunt? Not much more than 3 points. I think girl's panties are worth 10, and they are quicker to get (well for some).
Bogus argument. Fact is breaking into my car is ILLEGAL. If I walked up and he was breaking into my car, do you think I would care or not if he said he was doing it to show the problems with my car? No, I would bust his skull open with my tire iron, then call the cops.
I have said it before (and others have too) - YOU CANNOT BREAK THE LAW, EVEN FOR GOOD REASONS! IF YOU DO, EXPECT TO GO TO JAIL!
Drago - you are a fool. If you are hacking people's systems without their permission, YOU ARE BREAKING THE LAW. PERIOD. END OF STORY. If people were allowed to say "Well, I was doing it so I could help their security", then you would have all sorts of Blackhats hacking systems, and then claiming, "I was going to help, but you arrested me first." No.
Look, there are ways to do security checks like this, without the security teams knowing that you are doing it. Get permission, make sure that no one is tipped off, and then test the systems.
If there is one thing I can't stand it is people doing illegal actions and then claiming they are doing it for the greater good. This type of action cannot be condoned. Sure, you might be doing help, but you also might not.
We are talking water. Water is very heavy. It is just that water in a cloud is in vapor form, and also floating in the sky that we sort of forget that it is still water.
And to be honest, the numbers (200,000 elephants in a storm cloud) don't shock me. Think of the destruction caused by floods, which are caused by rain. In some ways, it makes sense.
That is how I knew this was bogus. Did you see that asteroid? It didn't look anything like the one in the movie!!! Where is the razor sharp rocks? Where are the gasses jettisoned from geysers in it? This just looked like a lifeless rock!!! Everyone knows Armageddon looks like it came from the mind of Jerry Bruckheimer.
If anything, I'd take a lesson from big city messengers: use a mountian bike. While i will agree with what you say here, as a guy who uses a bike for most of his commuting, I don't agree with the rest of your post.
It's bunches smaller True. IMHO, the 2 major failings of the Segway are the price and size. Smaller is better when you are talking individual transport.
can go between cars to get around the trafic While this is true, it is not a good idea. I take my life into my own hands when I get on my bike, but I make it 100 times worse when I start doing stupid things like break traffic laws. Plus it draws the ire of some drivers, and with road rage now a days, you could end up with something like this. (however, I will say that this was a VERY EXTREME case and the bike riders involved were being very militant toward all motor vehicles on the road, but that would never justify the actions of the driver)
and is pretty much acceptible to use on sidewalks. Tell that to the traffic cop who will stop you and give you a ticket. We see bikes as ok for the sidewalk, but they are not supposed to be used there. While the dodging of traffic pisses off driver, use of the sidewalk will generally piss off pedestrians. It is like above, just try not to do anything that is too stupid, and you should not get people TOO mad.
It uses your own power (get in shape at the same time), is pretty light, etc etc. Some more valid arguments. I agree with these.
Personally, if I can tinker with the answer even more, I always felt that the Segway was a bad solution to a problem that the BEST answer was a bike. While they do have their issues, and the user base is at odds with other people on the road, it is still the best solution for personal transportation.
This is kind of the gist of the article. Gates talks about how people have to be accountable for their own machines. This is true. I mean, how many people out there run Linux servers unpatched allowing hackers to gain control of the machine and do far worse damage from it? Who's fault is that? Linus because the problems were there or the end user who didn't patch his system?
However, this is where M$ has to step up. They have to realize as the biggest makers of software in the world, their software has to be MORE secure than everyone else's. They have to take bigger, more progressive steps to ensure security and reliability. I think the issue w/ AutoUpdate is a good one. However, what about other new features they have put into Windows? The built in messenger service that allows people top drop spam on your desktop? Universal Plug and Play? The security holes that allowed worms like Blaster etc to propogate? This is where M$ is striking out. These are pretty easy to see as problems or better yet, security issues. Why not leave THIS stuff disabled by default and then allow users to turn it on when they a)need it and b)know what the hell they are doing!
That all being said, M$ is getting better, but they still have a ways to go. What I wish is that Bill Gates would step up and have accountability on these issues and more importantly give better answers. Sure these are ok answers that he gave, but they are really nothing more than company line. When asked:
Q: You have enemies who are in a crusade to undermine Microsoft. How do you cope with that?
A. I'm not aware of any systematic attempt by any group.
That isn't the answer I am looking for. I am looking for something more along the lines of: "We understand that as the largest maker of software we are going to be an obvious target for hackers. As such we have to do better in the future to secure our software from such breaches." True Gates did say some of this, but I think he is foolish to say that there is not an actual effort to undermind his company. Slashdot alone is full of people who don't use M$ products out of shear distain for Gates and the flaws of Windows etc.
Still, as I said a few times already, M$ is getting better. But they still have a lot of work to do before the stigma of poor software writing is off them (his claim that "Microsoft's reputation for doing great software research is very strong" was extremely funny and again is that company line that I am not looking for).
Well, someone has started an open source project on this: EVM Project so maybe your are onto something here. I can really see the benefits of this project. Free, open source, anyone can look into the code and see the problems and fix them. It is a solid idea.
Hell, you would think that Georgia (and any other state) would have a "Hack the System" type contest. Considering what this is being used for, finding and, more importantly, fixing all the flaws should be of high importance.
For what you do, it might be useless, but for people in Engineering and other fields, calculus is a VERY important subject. As a current CS major, I agree with what you say about descrete math and linear algebra, but I think you are discounting the need for Calculus.
All this takes is discipline. There is no real secret to this. We are not talking just deciding to do things better, we are talking about actually making a shift in how you focus on your goals. I hate to say it, but it will mostly come with maturity. All you need to do is decide, "It is time to get serious about this all. I will do my work now and not put it off for later, I will not procrastinate, I will not surf the net or play doom or anything, I will get my computer work done." It just takes some dedication and dicipline.
Sorry, I know you are looking for that magic pill that is the solution for this, but there isn't one. This just takes a shift in the fundamental way that you see your priorities.
I think you are right, when you say technology can sometimes make sports worse. But I think it is fair to say that Technology also makes things better. Lets take a look:
Golf - While they have done a nice job reiging in club technology, you have ball technology going through the roof. Golf courses are being made obsolete. Expect the governing bodies to put in restrictions very soon to level things off.
Tennis - Due to new racket technology, it is possible to just crush the ball. Because of this new technology, the game is just turning into serve-ace or serve-return-point. Wimbledon, which is played on a very fast surface, has become very boring to watch. Unless this trend is reversed, expect tennis to become extremely boring with all surfaces rendered obsolete.
Swimming - With the new swim suits everyone has started wearing, you have seen records just start to fall like rocks. At first this seemed like a joke, but if you realize it, this is taking away factors that in many ways could be considered unimportant to the sport, like drag in the water. Of course, you could also think of it in a way that the most prepared (ie, do all you can to reduce drag) wins.
Track - new surface technology as well as wind suits (similar to the swimming suits) have allowed people to run faster. Still, you have to accelerated your body to be that fast, and world records are not falling at any serious rate (the world record has only changed.1 seconds in about 15 years).
The list could go on and on. These are just technologies that have improved or altered the ways that athletes interact with the sports. Other things have been done to make the sports more accessable for the viewer. HDTV is probably the most pronounced, but other things (many of which have been mentioned) - constant scoreboards on the screen, 1st and 10 lines in football, glowing pucks, and even instant replay have done a lot to improve what the viewer knows about what they are watching.
It all depends on your point of view. However, when talking about improvments to the game (for the players), IMHO, it all comes down to this: If technology begins to have a bigger impact on the sport than the people who are playing; ie- you hit the ball further because of technology, NOT your skill; then technology is a bad thing. If all it works to level out factors that should not be included in the sport, then it is a good thing.
Slashdot Mirror
It doesn't matter if the ammount of damages are right or not. The fact is that Lamo broke into computers that were not his. That is illegal. He deserves to be punished. Now that all being said, because of him owning up to what he did, I agree that the maximum punishment is too harsh, but he does need to be made an example of.
RonB
Hell, now that I was thinking about it (and reading down some more) - this is more complex than it needs to be.
Heck, I would just provide the access via a solid wireless router. I would make it free and open to all. Block ports of known things you don't want running (KaZaa etc). That is all I would do. I would also do the tip jar just to get some extra cash to help pay for the access (but don't expect too much). And finally I would put up a clearly visible, but not obtrusive, sign that says "Free internet access provided. Security not provided." Or something to that effect that would basically let people know, if you use my access, I am not responsible what you do or what happens to your computer.
I would not worry too much about quotas or stuff like that.
One more thing - I would spend some solid money on the router - the coffee house I go to (JPs) sometimes will choke up and need to be restarted. They just have a simple Linksys one.
I go to one of these places listed (JPs Java House) - they have free unlimited 802.11b access for anyone. Very nice.
Overall, I think that your idea is great. I think you are making a bit more complex than it needs to be. If you want to have quotas that is fine, but why not just put up a 802.11g router (they are cheap) and allow open access. If you want to make sure that people buy stuff to get access - they do what another post says - WEP key on reciept, changed daily (sure, not hard to get around, but more of an honor system). And sure - put up a tip jar - clearly labeled with something like "FOR THE SUPPORT OF OPEN INTERNET ACCESS" or something like that. Heck, with this setup, you could be ready to go tomorrow (not next summer).
I say just go simple. If you make access easy and pretty much open - people will come in just for that. Especially in a college campus area - simple and pretty much unlimited will probably draw a solid crowd.
RonB
It was SpyMac that announced and had forged VIDEO (not just pictures) of the fake Apple PDA (called the iWalk). Looking at their site now doesn't turn up much of any news, fake or real.
This is not to say that ThinkSecret is clear of wrongdoing. They did post about an Apple PDA called the MacMate back in 1999, but obviously that never came to fruition.
RonB
Seriously, Fry's sells a crappy $37 camera that you don't have to go through all this to get the pictures off of. I think the additional $10 is worth the convenience of NOT having to hack the damn thing.
Hell, spend an additional $40-$60 and you have a camera that takes really NICE pictures and you don't have to hack.
This doesn't even take into account VERY QUICK picture download.
RonB
Maybe this is one of failing of IPv4 - not the fact that we are going to run out of IP addresses, but the fact that we are starting to run out of BIG blocks of addresses. Most companies like to have their computers on a single block of addresses, makes for cleaner setups.
And honestly, who really cares about the fact that someone is planning ahead for IPv6 and IPv4 is going to last a while? I mean, maybe the sky isn't falling, this is just a way to make sure that we never get into a bind where it is. Look at the (totally bogus) Y2K bug: we THOUGHT it was a problem, and were running to the zero hour to fix it. While it ended up being a dud, if you have the foresight why wait that long?
Besides, lets say the numbers are right 2 decades for IPv4. That means at the current rate we would have 1.3 MILLION years for IPv6. Then there is no worry whatsoever. I guess the question is, what kind of adgenda would be pushed by everyone moving to IPv6?
RonB
How about a Sound Card? It is not in my primary machine, but I have a Gravis UltraSound (GUS) in my secondary computer.
I also have a P120 in my Tertiary computer.
We are talking like Circa 1993 on those.
Man, forget the resizer - what is the first thing I am greeted with? THE EROTICA PACKAGE What kind of clientel do they have?
But you are right - that resizer blows.
The hotel does look really really nice. Actually sounds like a cool place to stay. ($250 and up a night)
RonB
This does raise a good point. I pointed this out later, but the Linux community is VERY VERY happy to support those who take time for them. Your right about what you say "you make a game for us, we won't forget." Then again, it is not like Valve doesn't care about this segment of the market, it is a case where they have only so much time and they are doing what they can to get what they can out there.
Who knows, maybe we will see a native Linux version, but you can't hold your breath for it.
Well, I don't know if I totally agree. But I will say this - if you want to play games, use Windows. I mean, we are not talking rocket science here, while Linux is a great OS for things like development, etc, it just isn't the system of choice for gaming. Honestly, how many games are really out there, especially compared w/ the number of games in the Windows market?
Then again, this article does talk about the state of Linux gaming. Which is slim right now. But then again, look at the user base.
It is a tough argument to make. On one hand you have the masses that will buy your games no problem. On the other hand you have this small, but VERY thankful group who will not forget the fact that you put out a game for them (or that you didn't).
But I still have to go back to the fact that if you really really want to play latest games, have a Windows partition so that you can boot to just for that. Compatibility will never be an issue.
RonB
What does a fission breed reactor get you in a scavenger hunt? Not much more than 3 points. I think girl's panties are worth 10, and they are quicker to get (well for some).
I know it is off topic, but why waste time (and Mod Points) moding up Anonymous Cowards?
Bogus argument. Fact is breaking into my car is ILLEGAL. If I walked up and he was breaking into my car, do you think I would care or not if he said he was doing it to show the problems with my car? No, I would bust his skull open with my tire iron, then call the cops.
I have said it before (and others have too) - YOU CANNOT BREAK THE LAW, EVEN FOR GOOD REASONS! IF YOU DO, EXPECT TO GO TO JAIL!
Drago - you are a fool. If you are hacking people's systems without their permission, YOU ARE BREAKING THE LAW. PERIOD. END OF STORY. If people were allowed to say "Well, I was doing it so I could help their security", then you would have all sorts of Blackhats hacking systems, and then claiming, "I was going to help, but you arrested me first." No.
Look, there are ways to do security checks like this, without the security teams knowing that you are doing it. Get permission, make sure that no one is tipped off, and then test the systems.
If there is one thing I can't stand it is people doing illegal actions and then claiming they are doing it for the greater good. This type of action cannot be condoned. Sure, you might be doing help, but you also might not.
We are talking water. Water is very heavy. It is just that water in a cloud is in vapor form, and also floating in the sky that we sort of forget that it is still water.
And to be honest, the numbers (200,000 elephants in a storm cloud) don't shock me. Think of the destruction caused by floods, which are caused by rain. In some ways, it makes sense.
That is how I knew this was bogus. Did you see that asteroid? It didn't look anything like the one in the movie!!! Where is the razor sharp rocks? Where are the gasses jettisoned from geysers in it? This just looked like a lifeless rock!!! Everyone knows Armageddon looks like it came from the mind of Jerry Bruckheimer.
If anything, I'd take a lesson from big city messengers: use a mountian bike.
While i will agree with what you say here, as a guy who uses a bike for most of his commuting, I don't agree with the rest of your post.
It's bunches smaller
True. IMHO, the 2 major failings of the Segway are the price and size. Smaller is better when you are talking individual transport.
can go between cars to get around the trafic
While this is true, it is not a good idea. I take my life into my own hands when I get on my bike, but I make it 100 times worse when I start doing stupid things like break traffic laws. Plus it draws the ire of some drivers, and with road rage now a days, you could end up with something like this. (however, I will say that this was a VERY EXTREME case and the bike riders involved were being very militant toward all motor vehicles on the road, but that would never justify the actions of the driver)
and is pretty much acceptible to use on sidewalks.
Tell that to the traffic cop who will stop you and give you a ticket. We see bikes as ok for the sidewalk, but they are not supposed to be used there. While the dodging of traffic pisses off driver, use of the sidewalk will generally piss off pedestrians. It is like above, just try not to do anything that is too stupid, and you should not get people TOO mad.
It uses your own power (get in shape at the same time), is pretty light, etc etc.
Some more valid arguments. I agree with these.
Personally, if I can tinker with the answer even more, I always felt that the Segway was a bad solution to a problem that the BEST answer was a bike. While they do have their issues, and the user base is at odds with other people on the road, it is still the best solution for personal transportation.
How about the even more Segway-esque: "Who cares?"
However, this is where M$ has to step up. They have to realize as the biggest makers of software in the world, their software has to be MORE secure than everyone else's. They have to take bigger, more progressive steps to ensure security and reliability. I think the issue w/ AutoUpdate is a good one. However, what about other new features they have put into Windows? The built in messenger service that allows people top drop spam on your desktop? Universal Plug and Play? The security holes that allowed worms like Blaster etc to propogate? This is where M$ is striking out. These are pretty easy to see as problems or better yet, security issues. Why not leave THIS stuff disabled by default and then allow users to turn it on when they a)need it and b)know what the hell they are doing!
That all being said, M$ is getting better, but they still have a ways to go. What I wish is that Bill Gates would step up and have accountability on these issues and more importantly give better answers. Sure these are ok answers that he gave, but they are really nothing more than company line. When asked:
That isn't the answer I am looking for. I am looking for something more along the lines of: "We understand that as the largest maker of software we are going to be an obvious target for hackers. As such we have to do better in the future to secure our software from such breaches." True Gates did say some of this, but I think he is foolish to say that there is not an actual effort to undermind his company. Slashdot alone is full of people who don't use M$ products out of shear distain for Gates and the flaws of Windows etc.
Still, as I said a few times already, M$ is getting better. But they still have a lot of work to do before the stigma of poor software writing is off them (his claim that "Microsoft's reputation for doing great software research is very strong" was extremely funny and again is that company line that I am not looking for).
Well, someone has started an open source project on this:
EVM Project
so maybe your are onto something here. I can really see the benefits of this project. Free, open source, anyone can look into the code and see the problems and fix them. It is a solid idea.
Hell, you would think that Georgia (and any other state) would have a "Hack the System" type contest. Considering what this is being used for, finding and, more importantly, fixing all the flaws should be of high importance.
I guess not, if it was, this question would have never been posed.
For what you do, it might be useless, but for people in Engineering and other fields, calculus is a VERY important subject. As a current CS major, I agree with what you say about descrete math and linear algebra, but I think you are discounting the need for Calculus.
RonB
All this takes is discipline. There is no real secret to this. We are not talking just deciding to do things better, we are talking about actually making a shift in how you focus on your goals. I hate to say it, but it will mostly come with maturity. All you need to do is decide, "It is time to get serious about this all. I will do my work now and not put it off for later, I will not procrastinate, I will not surf the net or play doom or anything, I will get my computer work done." It just takes some dedication and dicipline.
Sorry, I know you are looking for that magic pill that is the solution for this, but there isn't one. This just takes a shift in the fundamental way that you see your priorities.
RonB
Golf - While they have done a nice job reiging in club technology, you have ball technology going through the roof. Golf courses are being made obsolete. Expect the governing bodies to put in restrictions very soon to level things off.
Tennis - Due to new racket technology, it is possible to just crush the ball. Because of this new technology, the game is just turning into serve-ace or serve-return-point. Wimbledon, which is played on a very fast surface, has become very boring to watch. Unless this trend is reversed, expect tennis to become extremely boring with all surfaces rendered obsolete.
Swimming - With the new swim suits everyone has started wearing, you have seen records just start to fall like rocks. At first this seemed like a joke, but if you realize it, this is taking away factors that in many ways could be considered unimportant to the sport, like drag in the water. Of course, you could also think of it in a way that the most prepared (ie, do all you can to reduce drag) wins.
Track - new surface technology as well as wind suits (similar to the swimming suits) have allowed people to run faster. Still, you have to accelerated your body to be that fast, and world records are not falling at any serious rate (the world record has only changed .1 seconds in about 15 years).
The list could go on and on. These are just technologies that have improved or altered the ways that athletes interact with the sports. Other things have been done to make the sports more accessable for the viewer. HDTV is probably the most pronounced, but other things (many of which have been mentioned) - constant scoreboards on the screen, 1st and 10 lines in football, glowing pucks, and even instant replay have done a lot to improve what the viewer knows about what they are watching.
It all depends on your point of view. However, when talking about improvments to the game (for the players), IMHO, it all comes down to this: If technology begins to have a bigger impact on the sport than the people who are playing; ie- you hit the ball further because of technology, NOT your skill; then technology is a bad thing. If all it works to level out factors that should not be included in the sport, then it is a good thing.