This brings up an interesting point. It seems that Gmail is trying to make a "best guess" as to who should receive these messages.
For example, (actual account names changed) say I had a Gmail account of "user.name@gmail.com" I would receive spam to "used.names@gmail.com". The interesting thing is that when I click on "Show Original", there are zero references to "user.name@gmail.com".
So why is this email getting routed to the "valid" address? Why is it not just bouncing? Is Gmail just making a "best guess"?
I have a 300MHz Dell laptop with 128MB RAM, running Windows XP Pro, with a W-Fi card, and it performs just fine for Web browsing and such.
Bootup takes way, way too long, so I use Windows' "Hibernate" feature which has proven to be a Godsend. Windows XP finally got Hibernate right--coming out of Hibernate far, far less time than it takes to boot normally making this "obsolete" laptop worth much more than I ever anticipated.
The kicker is that I tried quite a number of Linux distros, but I had horrible problems with WiFi compatibility. But once finally I got that solved, I realized that it still took forever to both boot and shutdown--something I really hate with laptops. I need fast startups and shutdowns, and Windows XP's Hibernate clinched the deal for me. When Linux gets a decent Hibernate function build-into the distro without having to jump through install and configuration hoops, I'll definitely give it another look, but until then, I'm staying with XP Pro...
I can understand the "special" discs with the reactive coating and all, but according to their site, you also need a "special" CD/DVD burner as well.
This also if the label-side coating is heat-reactive, what happens if the CD/DVD gets near a heat source that isn't hot enough to "damage" the disc, but hot enough to "affect" the labeling? Is this an issue?
Ummm - Didn't you just restate the problem without offering a solution?
"...if their work is stolen and ends up in the public domain without their credit or consent, then they'll be the ones asking why IT isn't doing their job."
Correct, that's why he's asking for help - So he doesn't get fired when they come asking why he isn't doing his job... Your advice is that it's a vicious cycle?
My "advice" was more of a comment than advice. That said, the fact remains that many organizations have very sketchy authority structures and it sounds to me that in Rob's case, IT security policy authority needs to be defined. What Rob describes is a situation of very demanding colleagues. The professors, though highly paid and highly regarded are hired to teach, not dictate IT security issues. That's what IT people are paid to do. But this is the real world, and thus his question.
Probably the most important thing Rob needs to do is to determine once and for all who has final authority on IT security issues and then take action based on that authority. And get that in writing if possible. If it is determined that IT has final authority, then it is up to IT to enforce these issues, regardless of what a high-paid professor says. Unfortunatly, Ron only mentions a Novell network, but does not describe the clients. Are they Windows? Linux? etc. Many of the specific issues Rob describes can easily be managed by implementing very common security policies.
The difficulty comes when IT simply does not have the final authority in these matters. My guess is that the professors technically do not have the final authority to determine security policies--they just appear to have authority by being vocal in their positions. If IT does not have final authority on IT security issues, then it it up to IT to present a convincing case to those with the authority to try to get proper security policies in place and enforced.
I think we can all agree that the professors should not be the ones calling the IT security shots, but again, if they technically do, then it is up to Rob to take all the necessary proactive IT security measures and document everything he does. He needs to cover his butt.
"...highly paid, highly respected professors do not like to see the words 'Access Denied', not even on their secretaries' screens.."
...that someone has to break. Depending on the political environment, IT may or may not have the authority to impose such restrictions. If IT does not, then it would be prudent of IT to inform those who do have the authority of the risks, consequences, and measures that can be taken to ensure a secure computing environment. When a virus or a rogue program infiltrates the mailboxes or directories of these "highly paid, highly respected professors" and destroys their work, or better yet, if their work is stolen and ends up in the public domain without their credit or consent, then they'll be the ones asking why IT isn't doing their job.
Though I love bleeding-edge technology, the things that have intrigued me over the years is not so much the new cool stuff that's coming out daily, but those "foundational" products upon which the new, cool stuff was built. For example...
Talk about Internet Radio and then show them a short-wave radio and explain the differences and uses of both.
Talk about convergent PDA/phones and then show an Apple "Newton" or or a "bag phone" and explain how these old devices helped propel the technology we enjoy in today's new devices.
Talk about the Internet and its high-speed capabilities like VoIP, streaming video, virtual worlds, etc. and them show them how a 300 baud modem connection was the life-blood of BBS users.
Talk about the latest in video recording and editing with a current video camera, and then show them some 8mm film reels without sound.
My point is to provide them with some historical foundation contrasted with new technology. It's one thing to provide them with the latest and greatest technology, but getting them to also understand and appreciate the devices that sparked the innovation will challenge them and hopefully interest them.
My main problem with Palm platforms is that out-of-the-box, they are inherently limited in function. They are quite powerfull, don't get me wrong, but they just lack what power users need. Enter the third-party market. After years of using PalmOS devices, I've had a lot of experience trying out the myriad of applications, and after all these years and applications, i came to the conclusion that you really just need some basic add-ons to really make your PalmOS device powerful.
First, purchase and install ZLauncher as an Application Launcher replacement. Yes, it's full of more features than you could possibly need, and its default configuration, in my opinion, is not ideal, but it's a very powerful launcher. Spend some time getting to know it and tweak it to your preferences, and you end up with an environment that is top-notch. And it sports an integrated file manager that is almost second to none.
Next, purchase and install CardExport. When you connect your Palm via USB cable to your PC and run this program, your WIndows XP PC sees the SD card as an external drive with no additional drivers needed--truely plug-and-play. You can now copy files to and from your PC to your heart's content and manage the directory structure to your needs.
Third, purchase and install the latest version of your choice of Documents To Go to manage Word, Excel, and optionally PowerPoint presentations. The latest versions work with native Word and Excel files. This is an excellent tool, and combined with CardExport, you can move files in and out in a heartbeat.
OK, so you have to spend some money, but you end up with a system that is very flexible and very powerful.
And yes, Palm shoule include these features by default, but since they don't, your best bet si to turn to third party apps.
When I am on a plane flight, especially a long one, there is an expectation that most people are going to be quiet and many people will be trying to sleep. The absolute last thing I want is for a bunch of cell phones to be constantly ringing and a bunch of lame-asses endlessly talking.
I'm sorry, but in my opinion, no one who flies on a commercial flight is that important to need constant cell phone connectivity. Get over it, and unplug for a while. Your life, and the lives of others will be better off for it.
I have a DHCP Server enabled on my Router, so why would I need to do this? Maybe for a large-network business application, but for the majority of network applications (read home and small business) what's the point other than an academic lesson?
(OK, so I didn't actually read the article because of the requried registration...)
I think you may be missing one point. The problem comes when the guide says program A is on channel 6 from 9:00 to 10:01, and program B on channel 10 from 10:00 to 10:30 you simply can't (easily) record both unless you have a dual-tuner box.
But you are correct in that if it could be proved that the guide data they provide says one schedule and they actually broadcast another schedule, that seems like the seed for a nice class action lawsuit...
If the networks are publishing accurate Program Guide data, the problem is that single-tuner DVR's can't cope with the overlapping shows. (However, if they are publishing Program Guide data that differs from their actual broadcast schedule, then NO DVR or VCR could cope with that, and that seems like grounds for a lawsuit.)
We have a Digeo Moxi DVR through Charter Cable, and it is integrated with two Digital Cable tuners, so conflicts like these are significantly reduced. ReplayTV or TiVo, on the other hand, are "standalone" boxes that only have one tuner, so coping with these kinds of conflicts is much more difficult.
There are perfectly reasonable "Slashdot-friendly" reasons to provide such a setup. For example, say you have a company with different departments and you want to charge the individual departments for wireless access based on their usage. Just set up a system like he is describing but allow for billing based on cost centers or some such instead of charging credit cards. It would provide controlled access, nice security, and let the company distribute costs as needed.
Another example would be to provide a "limited" free, public access, while also providing for additional features and services to "subscribers". It could even help "novice" users by providing instructional "splash" screens while providing controlled access.
Just setting up an open access point would certainly provide access, but providing a richer system would help promote the company providing the access and provide more reasonable control to the access.
THAT's what I'm looking for: some simple system that fits "in-between" the AP and the Internet....
But then, shoplifting is a criminal act and copyright infringement is civil, not criminal, so you're comparing apples to oranges anyway.
I'm not so sure. IANAL, but if all the person was doing was copying a CD or copying a file, then it might be a copyright infringement issue. But in this case, I think it goes deeper. Were they not using bogus keys to connect to the activation servers to gain access to an application? How is this any different from logging into a bank with bogus information and transfering money? We're not talking about a crack here that circumvents authentication, but actually faking an identity to provide activation of an application. More generally, they were using fake information to fraudlently gain access to something they are not otherwise entitled. I would think that certainly goes beyond simple copyright infringement.
No one wants hosted crap. Recurring fees, no applications if you are somewhere w/o an Internet connection, you never really "have" the software, etc. Its frickin rent-a-center.
The problem is in the implementation. I, for one, am very patiently awaiting decent hosted applications. The problem is that no one has created them yet. Additionally, I'm awaiting a decent implementation that would provide tightly integrated offline and online solutions. Solutions that would be tightly integrated together and seamlessly synchronizing in the background while I'm working. My vision is that I should be able to go to ANY Internet-connected workstation regardless of operating system and be able to access and work with "my stuff". Then when I get to my "home PC" or my "work PC", I should be able fire up offline versions that can auto-synchronize keeping me fully up-to-date. Providing both would let me taking advantage of the offline speed and capabilities while still maintaining an online backup and working environment.
And I'm not just talking about the typical "colaboration" applications like email, calendaring, and file sharing. I'm awaiting full-blown office applications like Word Processors, Spreadsheets, Databases, Presentation programs, etc. But the problem with current standalone versions is that they are so bloated with crap that there is no possible way to make them "online-available". What we need is some lean, mean, online-available applications that provide "essential" functionality. All the "extras" either need to reside only on the "offline" version or need to be eliminated alltogether.
We have come to a point where software companies are doing nothing but "one-upping" each other causing huge feature bloat, and it is this bloat that is preventing effective online-available applications. We need to ask ourselves "Do we really NEED all the bloated features just to convey our personal and business information?" As time goes on and technology improves, then we can add back in some of these "extras" but until then, give us some solid, reliable, online-available applications that seamlessly synchronize with offline versions.
Will these be free? probably not, and I personally wouldn't expect them to, but they should be competitivley priced so that just about anyone could afford them.
Yeah but my.yahoo (for example) gives you a 100 megabytes of storage space for email, 30 megabytes for random online storage, contact list, calendar, and notepad for free (you can get higher quotas for pay). So you've already got the basics of hyperoffice (i.e.; online email, file storage, contact list, calendar and the applications to manage them); hyperoffice just adds a couple of applications and gives you a simulated desktop in a browser window to use them in.
I personally think Yahoo is an excellent service, but my fundamental problem with Yahoo is their ad model. I personally find their ads annoying, intrusive, and more often than not, completely irrelevent to me. Google, in all its services that provide ads, does it in a way that does not offend me as a user. Their location is predictable, and you know that they will almost always be relevent to what you are searching or viewing, and they are not distracting from the content I'm trying to view. Yahoo's ad model on the other hand is frankly insulting. And to make matters worse, short of paying for an expensive business account, even PAID mail accounts must endure ads. If I'm paying for a service, I do NOT expect to be paying to see advertizing. If Yahoo would offer a reasonably priced service that was ad-free, or implement "decent" ads like Google/Gmail has, I would embrace it in a heartbeat, but until then, I'll stick with other solutions.
Um, hello? Did you RTFA? TiVo is not filtering out the original advertizing and replacing it with their own! They are providing an "overlay" banner paid for by the advertizer of the commercial being aired. They aren't doing ANYTHING new except increasing the size and interactivity of their existing "Thumbs Up Tag", and this certainly isn't IP theft. Please RTFA before you accuse TiVo of doing something they are not doing.
We used to bounce SuperBalls around the playground when I was a wee one, and were totally fascinated by the "accellerated double-bounce" effect: Throw the ball, it bounces once and nicely arcs, but when it bounces the second time, it "rockets" much farther. Still stumps me to this day...
...and it hasn't been the same since. It became a pleasant routine for us (yes, for bot me AND my wife--lucky me!) We would watch "The Screen Savers" with Kate and Leo, and it was fun, fresh, we learned a lot, and we had a good laugh. Heck, we even attended to a taping of TSS while visiting San Francisco.
Yes, we KNOW there are PocketPC versions of VoIP solutions, but NOT PalmOS ones. That's the point. There are a number of PalmOS devices that lend themselves to a VoIP solution, but development is lagging...
A version of Skype for PalmOS PDA's was forthcoming, but now it looks like it may not surface. This REALLY sucks, because it would rock on my Tungsten C. Probably won't happen because the numbers probably aren't there, but it would still be a great app...
WordPerfect... The OTHER Monopoly. Several Law, Insurance, & State departments are still forced to use WordPerfect because they archived in WPDs.
I really don't feel for WordPerfect's side on that suit
Um, that's not WordPerfect's fault. Maybe the several Law, Insurance, & State departments that chose to archive using WordPerfect should have thought out the process a bit more. Maybe if they had relied more on function than form by using something a bit more portable like standard ASCII files, they wouldn't have this problem. That's the problem with standardizing on a proprietary format. Don't forget that Word is still aproprietary format--it's just more popular. Besides, there are quite a few avaiable.WPD viewers and.WPD to.DOC converters. I don't know the legality of converting archived documents, but there certainly seems to be both migration and access paths....
President Bush guarded nothing in Baghdad except the oil refinery
Guarded nothing but? Don't believe everything you read. OIL is needed to rebuild Iraq (it's the cornerstone of Iraq's economy afterall).
I have to agree 100%. This notion has been thrown around again and again, and it's very short-sighted. The inference typically made from this is that the only reason President Bush guarded the oil fields was for personal or for U.S. gain, and that is plainly absurd.
Had the U.S. not guarded the oil fields, Iraq's chief source of revenue would have been destroyed. President Bush wanted to oust a dictator, not destroy an economy. Were there OTHER things that chould have or should have been guarded? Probably, but then we all know about hindsight...
Slashdot Mirror
This brings up an interesting point. It seems that Gmail is trying to make a "best guess" as to who should receive these messages.
For example, (actual account names changed) say I had a Gmail account of "user.name@gmail.com" I would receive spam to "used.names@gmail.com". The interesting thing is that when I click on "Show Original", there are zero references to "user.name@gmail.com".
So why is this email getting routed to the "valid" address? Why is it not just bouncing? Is Gmail just making a "best guess"?
I have a 300MHz Dell laptop with 128MB RAM, running Windows XP Pro, with a W-Fi card, and it performs just fine for Web browsing and such.
Bootup takes way, way too long, so I use Windows' "Hibernate" feature which has proven to be a Godsend. Windows XP finally got Hibernate right--coming out of Hibernate far, far less time than it takes to boot normally making this "obsolete" laptop worth much more than I ever anticipated.
The kicker is that I tried quite a number of Linux distros, but I had horrible problems with WiFi compatibility. But once finally I got that solved, I realized that it still took forever to both boot and shutdown--something I really hate with laptops. I need fast startups and shutdowns, and Windows XP's Hibernate clinched the deal for me. When Linux gets a decent Hibernate function build-into the distro without having to jump through install and configuration hoops, I'll definitely give it another look, but until then, I'm staying with XP Pro...
I can understand the "special" discs with the reactive coating and all, but according to their site, you also need a "special" CD/DVD burner as well.
This also if the label-side coating is heat-reactive, what happens if the CD/DVD gets near a heat source that isn't hot enough to "damage" the disc, but hot enough to "affect" the labeling? Is this an issue?
My "advice" was more of a comment than advice. That said, the fact remains that many organizations have very sketchy authority structures and it sounds to me that in Rob's case, IT security policy authority needs to be defined. What Rob describes is a situation of very demanding colleagues. The professors, though highly paid and highly regarded are hired to teach, not dictate IT security issues. That's what IT people are paid to do. But this is the real world, and thus his question.
Probably the most important thing Rob needs to do is to determine once and for all who has final authority on IT security issues and then take action based on that authority. And get that in writing if possible. If it is determined that IT has final authority, then it is up to IT to enforce these issues, regardless of what a high-paid professor says. Unfortunatly, Ron only mentions a Novell network, but does not describe the clients. Are they Windows? Linux? etc. Many of the specific issues Rob describes can easily be managed by implementing very common security policies.
The difficulty comes when IT simply does not have the final authority in these matters. My guess is that the professors technically do not have the final authority to determine security policies--they just appear to have authority by being vocal in their positions. If IT does not have final authority on IT security issues, then it it up to IT to present a convincing case to those with the authority to try to get proper security policies in place and enforced.
I think we can all agree that the professors should not be the ones calling the IT security shots, but again, if they technically do, then it is up to Rob to take all the necessary proactive IT security measures and document everything he does. He needs to cover his butt.
Though I love bleeding-edge technology, the things that have intrigued me over the years is not so much the new cool stuff that's coming out daily, but those "foundational" products upon which the new, cool stuff was built. For example...
Talk about Internet Radio and then show them a short-wave radio and explain the differences and uses of both.
Talk about convergent PDA/phones and then show an Apple "Newton" or or a "bag phone" and explain how these old devices helped propel the technology we enjoy in today's new devices.
Talk about the Internet and its high-speed capabilities like VoIP, streaming video, virtual worlds, etc. and them show them how a 300 baud modem connection was the life-blood of BBS users.
Talk about the latest in video recording and editing with a current video camera, and then show them some 8mm film reels without sound.
My point is to provide them with some historical foundation contrasted with new technology. It's one thing to provide them with the latest and greatest technology, but getting them to also understand and appreciate the devices that sparked the innovation will challenge them and hopefully interest them.
Palm really
My main problem with Palm platforms is that out-of-the-box, they are inherently limited in function. They are quite powerfull, don't get me wrong, but they just lack what power users need. Enter the third-party market. After years of using PalmOS devices, I've had a lot of experience trying out the myriad of applications, and after all these years and applications, i came to the conclusion that you really just need some basic add-ons to really make your PalmOS device powerful.
First, purchase and install ZLauncher as an Application Launcher replacement. Yes, it's full of more features than you could possibly need, and its default configuration, in my opinion, is not ideal, but it's a very powerful launcher. Spend some time getting to know it and tweak it to your preferences, and you end up with an environment that is top-notch. And it sports an integrated file manager that is almost second to none.
Next, purchase and install CardExport. When you connect your Palm via USB cable to your PC and run this program, your WIndows XP PC sees the SD card as an external drive with no additional drivers needed--truely plug-and-play. You can now copy files to and from your PC to your heart's content and manage the directory structure to your needs.
Third, purchase and install the latest version of your choice of Documents To Go to manage Word, Excel, and optionally PowerPoint presentations. The latest versions work with native Word and Excel files. This is an excellent tool, and combined with CardExport, you can move files in and out in a heartbeat.
OK, so you have to spend some money, but you end up with a system that is very flexible and very powerful.
And yes, Palm shoule include these features by default, but since they don't, your best bet si to turn to third party apps.
When I am on a plane flight, especially a long one, there is an expectation that most people are going to be quiet and many people will be trying to sleep. The absolute last thing I want is for a bunch of cell phones to be constantly ringing and a bunch of lame-asses endlessly talking.
I'm sorry, but in my opinion, no one who flies on a commercial flight is that important to need constant cell phone connectivity. Get over it, and unplug for a while. Your life, and the lives of others will be better off for it.
I have a DHCP Server enabled on my Router, so why would I need to do this? Maybe for a large-network business application, but for the majority of network applications (read home and small business) what's the point other than an academic lesson?
(OK, so I didn't actually read the article because of the requried registration...)
...some of us could have some fun again!
You are correct, but unfortunatly, the DirectTV HD TiVo's are about a grand while the Moxi box is about 10 bucks a month with no equipment costs...
I think you may be missing one point. The problem comes when the guide says program A is on channel 6 from 9:00 to 10:01, and program B on channel 10 from 10:00 to 10:30 you simply can't (easily) record both unless you have a dual-tuner box.
But you are correct in that if it could be proved that the guide data they provide says one schedule and they actually broadcast another schedule, that seems like the seed for a nice class action lawsuit...
If the networks are publishing accurate Program Guide data, the problem is that single-tuner DVR's can't cope with the overlapping shows. (However, if they are publishing Program Guide data that differs from their actual broadcast schedule, then NO DVR or VCR could cope with that, and that seems like grounds for a lawsuit.)
We have a Digeo Moxi DVR through Charter Cable, and it is integrated with two Digital Cable tuners, so conflicts like these are significantly reduced. ReplayTV or TiVo, on the other hand, are "standalone" boxes that only have one tuner, so coping with these kinds of conflicts is much more difficult.
...that PriceWatch and Price Grabber are subject to this patent? Seems like they achieve similar functionality in concept.
There are perfectly reasonable "Slashdot-friendly" reasons to provide such a setup. For example, say you have a company with different departments and you want to charge the individual departments for wireless access based on their usage. Just set up a system like he is describing but allow for billing based on cost centers or some such instead of charging credit cards. It would provide controlled access, nice security, and let the company distribute costs as needed.
Another example would be to provide a "limited" free, public access, while also providing for additional features and services to "subscribers". It could even help "novice" users by providing instructional "splash" screens while providing controlled access.
Just setting up an open access point would certainly provide access, but providing a richer system would help promote the company providing the access and provide more reasonable control to the access.
THAT's what I'm looking for: some simple system that fits "in-between" the AP and the Internet....
And I'm not just talking about the typical "colaboration" applications like email, calendaring, and file sharing. I'm awaiting full-blown office applications like Word Processors, Spreadsheets, Databases, Presentation programs, etc. But the problem with current standalone versions is that they are so bloated with crap that there is no possible way to make them "online-available". What we need is some lean, mean, online-available applications that provide "essential" functionality. All the "extras" either need to reside only on the "offline" version or need to be eliminated alltogether.
We have come to a point where software companies are doing nothing but "one-upping" each other causing huge feature bloat, and it is this bloat that is preventing effective online-available applications. We need to ask ourselves "Do we really NEED all the bloated features just to convey our personal and business information?" As time goes on and technology improves, then we can add back in some of these "extras" but until then, give us some solid, reliable, online-available applications that seamlessly synchronize with offline versions.
Will these be free? probably not, and I personally wouldn't expect them to, but they should be competitivley priced so that just about anyone could afford them.
Um, hello? Did you RTFA? TiVo is not filtering out the original advertizing and replacing it with their own! They are providing an "overlay" banner paid for by the advertizer of the commercial being aired. They aren't doing ANYTHING new except increasing the size and interactivity of their existing "Thumbs Up Tag", and this certainly isn't IP theft. Please RTFA before you accuse TiVo of doing something they are not doing.
We used to bounce SuperBalls around the playground when I was a wee one, and were totally fascinated by the "accellerated double-bounce" effect: Throw the ball, it bounces once and nicely arcs, but when it bounces the second time, it "rockets" much farther. Still stumps me to this day...
...and it hasn't been the same since. It became a pleasant routine for us (yes, for bot me AND my wife--lucky me!) We would watch "The Screen Savers" with Kate and Leo, and it was fun, fresh, we learned a lot, and we had a good laugh. Heck, we even attended to a taping of TSS while visiting San Francisco.
At least we have the memories...
Yes, we KNOW there are PocketPC versions of VoIP solutions, but NOT PalmOS ones. That's the point. There are a number of PalmOS devices that lend themselves to a VoIP solution, but development is lagging...
A version of Skype for PalmOS PDA's was forthcoming, but now it looks like it may not surface. This REALLY sucks, because it would rock on my Tungsten C. Probably won't happen because the numbers probably aren't there, but it would still be a great app...
Had the U.S. not guarded the oil fields, Iraq's chief source of revenue would have been destroyed. President Bush wanted to oust a dictator, not destroy an economy. Were there OTHER things that chould have or should have been guarded? Probably, but then we all know about hindsight...