Well, I would be pretty disappointed if the FBI couldn't do this. I'm also pretty confident that if they are publicly announcement a 3-minute crack, they've probably got a 30-second cracking process down in the basement. Of course, that won't be announced until the 10-second one is working...
My respect for the FBI borders on paranoia because it is their job to have access to things that I do not. I'm pretty sure it's human nature (at least for -this- human) to keep a respectful, watchful eye on those with more knowledge than I have.
If you want real authentication, take a page from Pournelle and Niven's book.
"Hi. Your name?" "Kevin James Renner." "Do you eat live snails?" "I'll eat anything." "Where were you born?" "Dionysius." "Are you alone?" "Quite alone." "What's the word?" "Hollyhocks." "Are you sure?" "Sure I'm sure, you stupid machine!" "Let's try it again. What's the word?" "Hollyhocks." "Sure it's not rosebuds?" "Hollyhocks." "My instructions are to be sure you are calm and uncoerced." "Damn, I AM calm and uncoerced!" "Right. If you'll attach me to the message cube recorder..."
Follow this with a 7-minute brain scan.
Of course, if you use Windows, you can just tell it to "Remember my script and brainwave pattern" so you don't have to go through that every time.
You could do that. But then someone would come out with a gaming card that had a slot for upgrading the GPU. Then there would be competing GPUs. Same for the SPU and the PPU... then someone would come along and say, "Why not just craft an entire game console into a single gamecard upgrade and be done with it?"
A corporation is a single entity the way an ant colony or beehive is a single entity.
It is composed of many individuals working together for the benefit of a select few under penalty of expulsion, oblivious to the effect its work has on the world around it.
A corporation creates an environment where a person is told to place profits ahead of legality, the global environment, human rights and its workers' quality of life. Those who make those types of decisions are difficult or impossible to punish.
No faceless robots make up a corporation, but a publicly-held corporation is certainly a faceless thing. It is a single entity with an incredible amount of resources and concern for nothing other than short-term profit.
The validation is useless only if you assume that fighting piracy is their motivation. It probably isn't.
I bet if you dig through their patent portfolio you'll find that they have a patent on whatever method they're using to validate the copy of Windows.
The moment WINE supports validation for MS's download site, Microsoft summons forth the army of undead lawyers to gnaw the tender flesh of the WINE people.
No, they can't. But they can make expulsion the penalty for giving away/trading your badge. Then you'll have to go to a different school, presumably one without tracking devices. Mind you, the buses won't get you if you're outside the school's district, so you'll have to get a ride or drive yourself there.
If you can't get to a different school, you and your parents will be called to appear in court and explain why. Unless the reason is provably medical or financial, you will then be ordered to attend school. This order does not mean you will be re-admitted to your own school again, it means you have to find a way to get to some school that will accept you from outside its own district. In addition, the state will fine you (and your parents) and assign you (and your parents) community service.
If you fail/refuse to do this, you will face further fines, more community service hours AND you will be forced (as in police coming to your house and physically carrying you if neccessary) to go to a special truancy school filled with recovering druggies, violent kids undergoing therapy, and anyone who doesn't (or can't) conform to "the system" at their own expense.
Peaceful protest is always an option for a student. Unfortunately, the consequences are unpleasant not just for the student but for his entire family. Your best bet is to attact a lot of media attention while going through the process outlined above. Public outcry usually gets some kind of action taken.
You might be able to fight the tracking system if you can pass off your refusal to use it as a "free speech" right, but don't bet on it. Read up on "Tinker v. Des Moines (393 US 503)" if you're interested in this.
In order to attract attention from anyone not already familiar with the concept of a software roadmap, you need pretty pictures. Think corporate decision-makers, executives, rich people that want to give Mozilla some money, that sort of thing. Presenting yourself and your product professionally is important, even if it means extra useless charts and diagrams.
An interesting concept. Most people only have "room" in their minds for 1 religion. It would be curious to tally up the religious beliefs of really "devout" OSS supporters and see how many are atheists. Perhaps OSS is being dropped into people's "worship" slot.
>>Despite all the (mostly incompatible) flash memory/card formats out there already
>Yet another of in a long series of illiterate articles. Not everyone was born to be a writer, but illiterate individuals should observe utmost care when submitting articles.
My word, you are absolutely correct. In my rash haste to compose a brief summary of a press release, I allowed an unclear parenthetical clause to escape my extensive proofreading. How could I have been such a fool?
Allow me to offer my sincere apology for this heinous transgression. That I have sullied, nay, tarnished the otherwise pristine linguistic landscape that is Slashdot through simple carelessness is all but unthinkable. My irresponsible actions surely herald the imminent transformation of this last shining bastion of syntactic excellence into a darkened cesspit of uncontrolled grammatical chaos.
Your accusation of illiteracy is well-founded, but falls far short of revealing the full nature of the crime I have committed. While I cannot hope for redemption, I shall seek to atone for my grievous sin. I write this in the hope that others may be warned and so avoid my fate. Hark, ye rash article submitters! Seek not to compose your summaries quickly, that they may be posted for the enlightenment of your fellow Slashdotters. The wrath of Donny Smith and others who cherish grammar above all else awaits those who follow my path. Avoid unclear parenthetical statements at all costs!
MS has a toll-free hotline to call. I believe XP gives you the number if/when activation fails. The system was completely automated the one time I used it and gave me a new key without any hassle (beyond that of reading off the current product key, waiting 4 seconds between each letter for the speech recognition system to catch it).
The first game I really had this happen to me recently with was Metroid Prime. Wolfenstein, Doom, Quake, and Half-life made me jumpy, but after Metroid Prime I found myself actually trying to scan things for info in real-life. Animals, cars, computer screens, just about anything. There would be this moment of cognitive dissonance as I realized I didn't have an L button...
.. unless you marry a girl who loves games. My wife and I play everything from Tetris Battle Gaiden (via ZSNES over our network) to Ragnarok Online (wizard+priestess == ownage) to Wheel of Time (with friends) to Tales of Symphonia (on the Gamecube).
A non-trivial percentage of our monthly budget goes into games and gaming simply because it's something we both enjoy doing. I can't imagine being married to someone who -didn't- love playing games...
Slashdot Mirror
Well, I would be pretty disappointed if the FBI couldn't do this. I'm also pretty confident that if they are publicly announcement a 3-minute crack, they've probably got a 30-second cracking process down in the basement. Of course, that won't be announced until the 10-second one is working...
My respect for the FBI borders on paranoia because it is their job to have access to things that I do not. I'm pretty sure it's human nature (at least for -this- human) to keep a respectful, watchful eye on those with more knowledge than I have.
Actually, Stardock's WindowFX has been doing translucent, wobbly windows under Windows for at least 2 years now.
Since prior art exists, I suppose that pretty much guarantees someone will successfully patent it.
Or maybe I'm being too cynical.
Earth was also destroyed by a mini black hole in Dan Simmon's "Hyperion" series.
If you want real authentication, take a page from Pournelle and Niven's book.
"Hi. Your name?"
"Kevin James Renner."
"Do you eat live snails?"
"I'll eat anything."
"Where were you born?"
"Dionysius."
"Are you alone?"
"Quite alone."
"What's the word?"
"Hollyhocks."
"Are you sure?"
"Sure I'm sure, you stupid machine!"
"Let's try it again. What's the word?"
"Hollyhocks."
"Sure it's not rosebuds?"
"Hollyhocks."
"My instructions are to be sure you are calm and uncoerced."
"Damn, I AM calm and uncoerced!"
"Right. If you'll attach me to the message cube recorder..."
Follow this with a 7-minute brain scan.
Of course, if you use Windows, you can just tell it to "Remember my script and brainwave pattern" so you don't have to go through that every time.
You could do that. But then someone would come out with a gaming card that had a slot for upgrading the GPU. Then there would be competing GPUs. Same for the SPU and the PPU... then someone would come along and say, "Why not just craft an entire game console into a single gamecard upgrade and be done with it?"
Pak. Chooie. Unf.
It's perfectly possible to get an OS-free machine from Dell.
Now we know where Samus kept popping off to through those damned portals.
A corporation is a single entity the way an ant colony or beehive is a single entity.
It is composed of many individuals working together for the benefit of a select few under penalty of expulsion, oblivious to the effect its work has on the world around it.
A corporation creates an environment where a person is told to place profits ahead of legality, the global environment, human rights and its workers' quality of life. Those who make those types of decisions are difficult or impossible to punish.
No faceless robots make up a corporation, but a publicly-held corporation is certainly a faceless thing. It is a single entity with an incredible amount of resources and concern for nothing other than short-term profit.
Bastard. First Coke of the day and you made me blow it out my nose.
The validation is useless only if you assume that fighting piracy is their motivation. It probably isn't.
I bet if you dig through their patent portfolio you'll find that they have a patent on whatever method they're using to validate the copy of Windows.
The moment WINE supports validation for MS's download site, Microsoft summons forth the army of undead lawyers to gnaw the tender flesh of the WINE people.
It is a testament to the sad state of the software industry (and my personal paranoia) that I actually did a double-take on TFA when I read that.
Don't forget alpha-channel transparency in PNG files.
(without the nasty DirectX hack)
... is to kill this guy's productivity by encouraging him to get a Slashdot account.
Devilishly clever.
I know everyone always says this, but... it happened to a friend of mine. I stayed in school, he didn't.
No, they can't. But they can make expulsion the penalty for giving away/trading your badge. Then you'll have to go to a different school, presumably one without tracking devices. Mind you, the buses won't get you if you're outside the school's district, so you'll have to get a ride or drive yourself there.
If you can't get to a different school, you and your parents will be called to appear in court and explain why. Unless the reason is provably medical or financial, you will then be ordered to attend school. This order does not mean you will be re-admitted to your own school again, it means you have to find a way to get to some school that will accept you from outside its own district. In addition, the state will fine you (and your parents) and assign you (and your parents) community service.
If you fail/refuse to do this, you will face further fines, more community service hours AND you will be forced (as in police coming to your house and physically carrying you if neccessary) to go to a special truancy school filled with recovering druggies, violent kids undergoing therapy, and anyone who doesn't (or can't) conform to "the system" at their own expense.
Peaceful protest is always an option for a student. Unfortunately, the consequences are unpleasant not just for the student but for his entire family. Your best bet is to attact a lot of media attention while going through the process outlined above. Public outcry usually gets some kind of action taken.
You might be able to fight the tracking system if you can pass off your refusal to use it as a "free speech" right, but don't bet on it. Read up on "Tinker v. Des Moines (393 US 503)" if you're interested in this.
Your name isn't Ann, is it?
</KSRref>
In order to attract attention from anyone not already familiar with the concept of a software roadmap, you need pretty pictures. Think corporate decision-makers, executives, rich people that want to give Mozilla some money, that sort of thing. Presenting yourself and your product professionally is important, even if it means extra useless charts and diagrams.
An interesting concept. Most people only have "room" in their minds for 1 religion. It would be curious to tally up the religious beliefs of really "devout" OSS supporters and see how many are atheists. Perhaps OSS is being dropped into people's "worship" slot.
>>Despite all the (mostly incompatible) flash memory/card formats out there already
>Yet another of in a long series of illiterate articles. Not everyone was born to be a writer, but illiterate individuals should observe utmost care when submitting articles.
My word, you are absolutely correct. In my rash haste to compose a brief summary of a press release, I allowed an unclear parenthetical clause to escape my extensive proofreading. How could I have been such a fool?
Allow me to offer my sincere apology for this heinous transgression. That I have sullied, nay, tarnished the otherwise pristine linguistic landscape that is Slashdot through simple carelessness is all but unthinkable. My irresponsible actions surely herald the imminent transformation of this last shining bastion of syntactic excellence into a darkened cesspit of uncontrolled grammatical chaos.
Your accusation of illiteracy is well-founded, but falls far short of revealing the full nature of the crime I have committed. While I cannot hope for redemption, I shall seek to atone for my grievous sin. I write this in the hope that others may be warned and so avoid my fate. Hark, ye rash article submitters! Seek not to compose your summaries quickly, that they may be posted for the enlightenment of your fellow Slashdotters. The wrath of Donny Smith and others who cherish grammar above all else awaits those who follow my path. Avoid unclear parenthetical statements at all costs!
(unless you really feel like it)
MS has a toll-free hotline to call. I believe XP gives you the number if/when activation fails. The system was completely automated the one time I used it and gave me a new key without any hassle (beyond that of reading off the current product key, waiting 4 seconds between each letter for the speech recognition system to catch it).
The first game I really had this happen to me recently with was Metroid Prime. Wolfenstein, Doom, Quake, and Half-life made me jumpy, but after Metroid Prime I found myself actually trying to scan things for info in real-life. Animals, cars, computer screens, just about anything. There would be this moment of cognitive dissonance as I realized I didn't have an L button...
This is true of Spanish TV in the USA as well. No language censorship at all.
Of course you have to want to watch the Spanish TV in the first place....
So that's massive amounts of money, countless hours of research... for what. An eggdrop bot?
.. unless you marry a girl who loves games. My wife and I play everything from Tetris Battle Gaiden (via ZSNES over our network) to Ragnarok Online (wizard+priestess == ownage) to Wheel of Time (with friends) to Tales of Symphonia (on the Gamecube).
A non-trivial percentage of our monthly budget goes into games and gaming simply because it's something we both enjoy doing. I can't imagine being married to someone who -didn't- love playing games...