Griping about Slahdot will only get you a "so why do you come here then?" answer.
Instead, take the time to point out specifics in a way a non-attorney will understand. In case you think that can't be done, have a look at Groklaw. Heck, maybe contribute there.
They died when the wide carriage inkjet arrived (which meant you could also do A0 posters), but the standard XY pen plotter is no more. I preserved one 4 years ago (Roland A3 flatbed) but I'm going to have to work out where to get the pens now..
Correct - but that involves the police, who has a legal remit.
AFAIK Amazon hasn't quite turned into the police with all the special privileges (and controlling obligations) that entails. That's why I said "shop keeper", not "police"..
Depends a bit on volume. I can't be asked to look up how many customers were affected, but I would have examined if there was a way I could REPLACE the illegal copy with a legal one, even if I (as Amazon) would have to buy it.
I'd throw those costs at the vendor, but even if I had no recovery it would be a nice marketing exercise: "Amazon does the right thing, but does its best to help the end users regardless". Heck, you'd throw out more on one single ad in a decent paper.
Instead, it reverses an already executed transaction because it happens to be able to do so - if you buy something at a shop which turns out to be stolen I'm not sure the shop owner can just barge into your house and take it back, even if he leaves an envelope with the right cash behind. It exhibits an amount of control over content - post purchase! - which I would find unacceptable, that's why I'm not impressed with DRM either.
To give you an idea of how unacceptable, it totally nuked my considerations of buying a Kindle, and I don't think I'm the only one. I was already unsure about the decision because of it's restricted network support (I'm in Europe), but this went *way* too far. If Amazon resorts to such brutal methods without any notice or dialogue whatsoever it tells me it has zero interest in me as a client.
Well, I can afford to buy elsewhere, and I will. I rather pay a bit more at a place where there is still interest in a relation between client and customer. It helps the shop sell (lower barriers) and it helps me buy (more trust someone will care about problems).
Some companies become so big they lose sight of the basics. It's a shame this appears to be happening to Amazon, and no chest beating can wipe that away. What they did was incredibly stupid in my opinion, and they will need to learn a lot about crisis management and client care - it will take months for this impression to vanish, if ever.
1 card per trader - I think you'd need another skyscraper per trading exchange to fit them all on a global basis.. And someone would work out a way to make bus contention work for them..
I think it would be a bit unfair singling out Facebook without highlighting another major offender in that category. You really ought to spend some time reading Terms of Service because they can contain the most horrendous rubbish.
Let me show you a bit of text from the Google Terms of Service that more or less appropriates *anything* you post. It's not that they claim copyright (they acknowledge that, probably because there's no legal way around it), but see what you make of this:
11.1 You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive licence to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. This licence is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services.
11.2 You agree that this licence includes a right for Google to make such Content available to other companies, organisations or individuals with whom Google has relationships for the provision of syndicated services, and to use such Content in connection with the provision of those services.
IANAL, but as far as I can tell this means in layman's terms "it's yours, but we'll use it any way we damn well please, including and not limited to handing your content to anyone else who pays us enough for it".
Keep in mind that this is the general license to all Google services, as far as I know this governs your use of email, Google docs, Picasa web albums - in principle they have turned their services into a sort of private version of iStockphoto where they can just take and use ANYTHING published without as much as acknowledging it - let alone pay for it.
That they haven't done so yet is either a function of them not needing to do it - or we haven't discovered it yet. But the door is wide open due to the Terms of Service their users accepted.
Now, do you still feel like keeping all your holiday snaps online?
I know some of the people doing this work, and they really trade in nanoseconds and clock cycles.
Some of the things relevant: - level 3 switching, routing is out for these speeds - performance measuring has a heavy impact on throughput and is thus rarely done - they use mysql as postgresql appears to able to keep up - market data processors run Linux - doing it right means a full factor difference in speed, I believe this means an algo fed by this can acquire data, analyse it and post a trade before others even see the data
Yes, but is it anywhere near secure?
on
Gaming On Windows 7
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· Score: -1, Troll
It's going to be pointless to have a blazing system if you end up having it saturated with virus infections in a week - or suffer the slowdown of an anti-virus scanner..
The comment "Find geniuses who work in a different area" is probably your best bet here.
Start with a decent NDA with followup clauses, so if someone does a Microsoft on you (like Stacker) you can at least go after them.
Having an idea isn't worth much unless you have also a path to turning that idea into benefit or profit (the latter is required if you want investment). Get hold of a business plan template because it gives you an idea of what to think of. It's OK if you don't know everything, try to fill as many gaps as you can and be honest about what you can do.
Oh, and be realistic in your expectations. Too many good ideas are thrown out because the inventor wants to be rich overnight. That's rather rare:-)
There, fixed that for you. For Chissake (cough), get your facts right.
Personally I can't see myself using it (I'd feel inhibited swearing at my computer), but the idea opens up a whole array of questions: what would other religious themed distros be like?
Note to the humour impaired: stop reading, NOW. I am only jesting - or trying to insult everyone simultaneously - take your pick..
Amish distro: black & white, terminal mode only (loved because it gets so much more work done on very basic kit) Jewish distro: needs 7 monitors, which the supplier will gladly sell you Calvinistic distro: will install Windows instead. Life is suffering. Muslim distro: based on vast scientific knowledge well preceding other distro's but webcam support doesn't work for female users - a problem that slowly disappears. Scientology distro: auto-edits Wikipedia entries, and the DVD is hard to use as it keeps hovering in the air - which makes for a great coaster.
If you buy yourself a couple of industrial ducts (the "open slot" version) you end up with a sort of long box (they come in 2 and 3 meter lengths where I buy them). Take the lid off, run cables in and out at the places they need to go and put the lid back on - ready.
The nice thing is that it allows you to change your mind later, and they have a near eternal life.
You're also designed out of the engine compartment. I have a car that states in the manual that you have to go to the garage to replace any bulb! OK, I may do that if one of the Xenon headlights packs up, but there is no way I am going to a garage just to replace an indicator or a break light, so when the management system flagged a broken bulb I worked out how it was mounted and did it myself.
I recall having to carry spare bulbs in some countries. Fat lot of use if you can't replace them..
I have heard that some of the newer models now have an engine compartment that is so full, bulbs can only be changed by taking out the entire headlight unit as there is no space under the bonnet to reach them..
With respect to engine management - I stay well away from that. The only thing that has changed there is that the speed limiter has been disabled. Not that I have much opportunity to get anywhere near even 50% of its top speed, I just didn't like the idea:-)
Umm, huh? I think we should be told about this hazard. I mean, I'm used to exploding batteries since Dell, but choking? Did you tell Fox? Or KiroTV?:-)
Barcoding is one of the simplest ways to do quick physical asset logging. You can get free Code 39 fonts which allow you to use even the most basic labels if you're stuck, and a decent CCD barcode reader is dirt cheap these days.
The only thing I find exceptionally annoying is Microsoft not putting the license codes in barcode format - it would be much quicker to log and enter - but I guess that's to stop people from copying them. They have obviously not heard of camera phones..
Just imagine, you're locked up in a tube full of explosives for a whole year with no option of getting some emergency delivery and you suddenly discover you have nowhere to go in more ways then one.
If it was just a randomised serial number as is used to detect fake drugs (AFAIK the idea behind aegate.com) it would still not be OK as that implies a mother of all databases with personal details and biometrics which are accessible by any idiot with a border.
The chip holds data, data that can be accessed and even changed without the owner knowing (except mine, it appears the lack of shielding makes it very sensitive to being accidentally passed over a microwave comms dish. Funny that..).
Probably the best example if what they got up to in what is apparently the poorest region of the country, Extremadure. I think the Debian conference link will give you enough to find out more.
Basically (as far as I remember), they created their own distro for schools, and subsequently it went into gov use as well, with a small group of techs doing the support for the whole region. Running a business? Get your own CD and have a direct interface with the local government, I think for taxation etc.
It looked like a sterling effort of the type that must have left MS grinding its teeth. Simple, functional, focused, effective. Sterling effort IMHO.
Actually, people only give you half the story. Not only can existing keys not be revoked (serves you right for not setting a timeout), you can also not create new keys.
The second part is where it gets entertaining. In order to cure that problem (which is something you want to sort if you're about to waste a lot of money on issuing certs) you will have to generate a NEW root certificate. However, there can only ever be one root, putting a new root key in the system means you have just broken the chain of trust for all existing keys.
As oopsies go, this one is of a good quality.
What I personally find totally spectacular is the use of PKI for this. There are now better solutions, but I guess they will take some time getting known. PKI on such a scale is begging on your bare knees to be allowed to waste a Godawful amount of taxpayer's money (with, of course, the provider drooling all over you) on a system that is so inflexible as the rigor mortis it will introduce into other identity requiring E-Govenment efforts. I can imagine Germany now have plenty cash after breaking international law and paying someone for stolen data (Liechtenstein) to recover taxdodger funds, but that's not a reason to waste it.
I shall have to stock up on popcorn - this promises to get interesting.
Slashdot Mirror
ONE instance of someone breaking a leg or having an emergency and not being able to dial 911 and they'll have a lawsuit pending. Dumb.
It actually may have dual impact:
1 - good PR for Amazon
2 - Amazon pressuring MS - no way they will take teh hit for multiple refund requests.
Let's see how this develops.
Griping about Slahdot will only get you a "so why do you come here then?" answer.
Instead, take the time to point out specifics in a way a non-attorney will understand. In case you think that can't be done, have a look at Groklaw. Heck, maybe contribute there.
They died when the wide carriage inkjet arrived (which meant you could also do A0 posters), but the standard XY pen plotter is no more. I preserved one 4 years ago (Roland A3 flatbed) but I'm going to have to work out where to get the pens now..
Correct - but that involves the police, who has a legal remit.
AFAIK Amazon hasn't quite turned into the police with all the special privileges (and controlling obligations) that entails. That's why I said "shop keeper", not "police"..
I must say this is about the best summary of quite a few business changes since the Internet came along:
"What happens when you're selling bottled water in the desert and it starts to rain." - Nesson.
Absolutely awesome metaphor of losing a monopoly..
Depends a bit on volume. I can't be asked to look up how many customers were affected, but I would have examined if there was a way I could REPLACE the illegal copy with a legal one, even if I (as Amazon) would have to buy it.
I'd throw those costs at the vendor, but even if I had no recovery it would be a nice marketing exercise: "Amazon does the right thing, but does its best to help the end users regardless". Heck, you'd throw out more on one single ad in a decent paper.
Instead, it reverses an already executed transaction because it happens to be able to do so - if you buy something at a shop which turns out to be stolen I'm not sure the shop owner can just barge into your house and take it back, even if he leaves an envelope with the right cash behind. It exhibits an amount of control over content - post purchase! - which I would find unacceptable, that's why I'm not impressed with DRM either.
To give you an idea of how unacceptable, it totally nuked my considerations of buying a Kindle, and I don't think I'm the only one. I was already unsure about the decision because of it's restricted network support (I'm in Europe), but this went *way* too far. If Amazon resorts to such brutal methods without any notice or dialogue whatsoever it tells me it has zero interest in me as a client.
Well, I can afford to buy elsewhere, and I will. I rather pay a bit more at a place where there is still interest in a relation between client and customer. It helps the shop sell (lower barriers) and it helps me buy (more trust someone will care about problems).
Some companies become so big they lose sight of the basics. It's a shame this appears to be happening to Amazon, and no chest beating can wipe that away. What they did was incredibly stupid in my opinion, and they will need to learn a lot about crisis management and client care - it will take months for this impression to vanish, if ever.
1 card per trader - I think you'd need another skyscraper per trading exchange to fit them all on a global basis.. And someone would work out a way to make bus contention work for them..
I think it would be a bit unfair singling out Facebook without highlighting another major offender in that category. You really ought to spend some time reading Terms of Service because they can contain the most horrendous rubbish.
Let me show you a bit of text from the Google Terms of Service that more or less appropriates *anything* you post. It's not that they claim copyright (they acknowledge that, probably because there's no legal way around it), but see what you make of this:
IANAL, but as far as I can tell this means in layman's terms "it's yours, but we'll use it any way we damn well please, including and not limited to handing your content to anyone else who pays us enough for it".
Keep in mind that this is the general license to all Google services, as far as I know this governs your use of email, Google docs, Picasa web albums - in principle they have turned their services into a sort of private version of iStockphoto where they can just take and use ANYTHING published without as much as acknowledging it - let alone pay for it.
That they haven't done so yet is either a function of them not needing to do it - or we haven't discovered it yet. But the door is wide open due to the Terms of Service their users accepted.
Now, do you still feel like keeping all your holiday snaps online?
OK, so if I translate this correctly I may actually be typing on the most powerful part of my PC?
Thank God they didn't base this on swine flu - it's going at a rate as it is .. :-)
I know some of the people doing this work, and they really trade in nanoseconds and clock cycles.
Some of the things relevant:
- level 3 switching, routing is out for these speeds
- performance measuring has a heavy impact on throughput and is thus rarely done
- they use mysql as postgresql appears to able to keep up
- market data processors run Linux
- doing it right means a full factor difference in speed, I believe this means an algo fed by this can acquire data, analyse it and post a trade before others even see the data
It's fascinating stuff.
BTW, I suspect the code that was alleged to be stolen from Goldman Sachs was just that, an algo..
It's going to be pointless to have a blazing system if you end up having it saturated with virus infections in a week - or suffer the slowdown of an anti-virus scanner..
Just wondering..
The comment "Find geniuses who work in a different area" is probably your best bet here.
Start with a decent NDA with followup clauses, so if someone does a Microsoft on you (like Stacker) you can at least go after them.
Having an idea isn't worth much unless you have also a path to turning that idea into benefit or profit (the latter is required if you want investment). Get hold of a business plan template because it gives you an idea of what to think of. It's OK if you don't know everything, try to fill as many gaps as you can and be honest about what you can do.
Oh, and be realistic in your expectations. Too many good ideas are thrown out because the inventor wants to be rich overnight. That's rather rare :-)
Good luck :-).
There, fixed that for you. For Chissake (cough), get your facts right.
Personally I can't see myself using it (I'd feel inhibited swearing at my computer), but the idea opens up a whole array of questions: what would other religious themed distros be like?
Note to the humour impaired: stop reading, NOW. I am only jesting - or trying to insult everyone simultaneously - take your pick..
Amish distro: black & white, terminal mode only (loved because it gets so much more work done on very basic kit)
Jewish distro: needs 7 monitors, which the supplier will gladly sell you
Calvinistic distro: will install Windows instead. Life is suffering.
Muslim distro: based on vast scientific knowledge well preceding other distro's but webcam support doesn't work for female users - a problem that slowly disappears.
Scientology distro: auto-edits Wikipedia entries, and the DVD is hard to use as it keeps hovering in the air - which makes for a great coaster.
etc etc. I need more coffee for this..
If you buy yourself a couple of industrial ducts (the "open slot" version) you end up with a sort of long box (they come in 2 and 3 meter lengths where I buy them). Take the lid off, run cables in and out at the places they need to go and put the lid back on - ready.
The nice thing is that it allows you to change your mind later, and they have a near eternal life.
Example: see RS Components online.
You're also designed out of the engine compartment. I have a car that states in the manual that you have to go to the garage to replace any bulb! OK, I may do that if one of the Xenon headlights packs up, but there is no way I am going to a garage just to replace an indicator or a break light, so when the management system flagged a broken bulb I worked out how it was mounted and did it myself.
I recall having to carry spare bulbs in some countries. Fat lot of use if you can't replace them..
I have heard that some of the newer models now have an engine compartment that is so full, bulbs can only be changed by taking out the entire headlight unit as there is no space under the bonnet to reach them..
With respect to engine management - I stay well away from that. The only thing that has changed there is that the speed limiter has been disabled. Not that I have much opportunity to get anywhere near even 50% of its top speed, I just didn't like the idea :-)
"ipod related choking incidents"
Umm, huh? I think we should be told about this hazard. I mean, I'm used to exploding batteries since Dell, but choking? Did you tell Fox? Or KiroTV? :-)
Barcoding is one of the simplest ways to do quick physical asset logging. You can get free Code 39 fonts which allow you to use even the most basic labels if you're stuck, and a decent CCD barcode reader is dirt cheap these days.
The only thing I find exceptionally annoying is Microsoft not putting the license codes in barcode format - it would be much quicker to log and enter - but I guess that's to stop people from copying them. They have obviously not heard of camera phones..
The hot air produced by bankers, consultants and the current government alone must be able to power a few datacentres..
Just imagine, you're locked up in a tube full of explosives for a whole year with no option of getting some emergency delivery and you suddenly discover you have nowhere to go in more ways then one.
"Oh shit" doesn't begin to cover it, I think..
After the "interesting" US results, Diebold renamed itself to Premier Election Solutions.
In short, same sh*t, different name..
If it was just a randomised serial number as is used to detect fake drugs (AFAIK the idea behind aegate.com) it would still not be OK as that implies a mother of all databases with personal details and biometrics which are accessible by any idiot with a border.
However, have a look at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,431701,00.html and others, a Dutch group CHANGED the data on the chip which implies (1) it's on the chip and (2) it's changeable ON REMOTE.
The chip holds data, data that can be accessed and even changed without the owner knowing (except mine, it appears the lack of shielding makes it very sensitive to being accidentally passed over a microwave comms dish. Funny that..).
Probably the best example if what they got up to in what is apparently the poorest region of the country, Extremadure. I think the Debian conference link will give you enough to find out more.
Basically (as far as I remember), they created their own distro for schools, and subsequently it went into gov use as well, with a small group of techs doing the support for the whole region. Running a business? Get your own CD and have a direct interface with the local government, I think for taxation etc.
It looked like a sterling effort of the type that must have left MS grinding its teeth. Simple, functional, focused, effective. Sterling effort IMHO.
Hah. Why do you think the consultants were thick as flies in government during New Labour's reign?
Yup, the Shaggie defence (it wasn't me)..
Actually, people only give you half the story. Not only can existing keys not be revoked (serves you right for not setting a timeout), you can also not create new keys.
The second part is where it gets entertaining. In order to cure that problem (which is something you want to sort if you're about to waste a lot of money on issuing certs) you will have to generate a NEW root certificate. However, there can only ever be one root, putting a new root key in the system means you have just broken the chain of trust for all existing keys.
As oopsies go, this one is of a good quality.
What I personally find totally spectacular is the use of PKI for this. There are now better solutions, but I guess they will take some time getting known. PKI on such a scale is begging on your bare knees to be allowed to waste a Godawful amount of taxpayer's money (with, of course, the provider drooling all over you) on a system that is so inflexible as the rigor mortis it will introduce into other identity requiring E-Govenment efforts. I can imagine Germany now have plenty cash after breaking international law and paying someone for stolen data (Liechtenstein) to recover taxdodger funds, but that's not a reason to waste it.
I shall have to stock up on popcorn - this promises to get interesting.