Right now I'm paying quite a bit of cash for my internet service and cable TV; I've got most of the trimmings. This isn't because I watch cable a lot (well, I watch it SOME, and used to watch more), but because I like the uplink they give me. If Roadrunner decides to cap my service, I won't only be switching to another provider for net access, but I'll also be dropping them for a satellite dish. I suspect they know this, because I tend to abuse my connection pretty badly.;-)
A circular polarizing filter might be the solution to the display problem, but there's a catch: LCD screens emit polarized light, so the linear polarizer must be matched to the LCD's polarization after it has traveled through the circular polarizer.
Anyone know if circular polarizing filter material is available in sheet form?
I second the motion. Sometimes people go too far overboard with technology.
Modern polycarbonate lenses are thin and lightweight; it shouldn't be difficult to produce double-lensed reading glasses, designed to help those with even the most awful eyesight. I'd suggest designing it so the front lens can be installed by an optician, so that a pair can be customized to that person's prescription.
Is there someone who's got SCO's Linux distro available for download? I'd like to get a copy. The fact that it was officially distributed by SCO under the GPL makes a wonderful defense against their IP claims, whether I'm using SCO's product or its "derivative works" in another OS.
"Dear SCO: This may be your intellectual property, but you've given it away via the GPL. Yes, I know you're arguing the GPL is invalid, but that's the contract you issued it under, and you can't just change a contract after the fact. Go ahead and sack your due diligence department, but if you sue me, I'll charge you with barratry."
Web pages are, in essence, word-processed, and they were one of the first demonstrated uses of the XML format. They include all the features word-processed documents would require, including formatting and font information. I can't see how any judge could overlook this as prior art.
Many IRC servers, such as DALnet's, have nickname reservation systems that validate nicknames aren't used by other people. By setting up your server with a similar system or using a server with the system you can have people verify their nicknames via other, more secure means.
"The internet treats censorship as damage, and routes around it."
Lots of MP3s were shared via FTP in the past, until the RIAA began a campaign to root out and shut down pirate MP3 servers. Then people jumped to Napster, but were eventually frustrated first by the forced filtering of some searches and then the service's discontinuation. Now supernode-based P2P networks like Kazaa are being used, and the central company can't be sued Napster-style because they never see any search data. When they are forced to change their code to allow searches and data to be filtered, users will jump to another service designed to avoid the law.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Short of locking down every computer in the world, there is no way of preventing the digital trading of copies of information. Entities like the RIAA, MPAA and MPA know this. They may try having everything locked down via Palladium or something similar, but knowing they may not succeed, they are trying to fight a holding action, to keep the cash flowing in as long as is possible.
The music and movie industries didn't exist a hundred years ago; I sincerely doubt they'll exist a hundred years from now, no matter how hard they try.
You'd have rules about the dimensions and thicknesses allowed, classes of competition where metallic/ferric keys are or are not allowed... This thing has more angles to it than a crumpled piece of paper.
I think this would be a more interesting game if you could make your own keys. Geeks around the world would be doing huge amounts of materials research trying to devise the better key. Something useful might actually come out of it.
Ouch! That sucks. The new discs are magneto-optical just like the old ones, which makes them ideal for archival use. But with that DRM you wouldn't be able to back anything up onto them.
The title of this article says "banks" -- but in actuality the Patriot Act II refers to any business whose product could conceivably be used for money laundering. This means all financial institutions, gold dealers, pawn shops, hell, you could theoretically launder money through Wal Mart so they could look up your transactions there. Credit card records are included.
Since 98 is going to be abandoned, I suspect some people will be installing Windows ME on that old hardware. Does anyone know of ways to srip ME down so it's somewhere near as efficient as 98?
I had a lot of problems with ME on this one machine; despite boosting its RAM to 512 megabytes, after running for a matter of minutes it consistently slowed to a crawl. Running RAM Idle helped things considerably, letting me leave the machine running and only needing to reboot occasionally. Still, this was on a machine with a 700 MHz processor, and I shudder to think how ME would perform on a poor little 200 MHz with 64M.
There's a market for a program that will give people choices on what to rip out of ME to reduce its profile. Anyone game?
Since the box is based on Linux, I don't think it'd be a lot of work to split the function up among two or more "Pluto Core" units of varying capacity, or to even create an air gap by sticking a box with a different OS in front. Go send Pluto some feedback.
I doubt you'll see any good HDTV tuner boxes for a while, because the FCC recently mandated that HDTV will be encrypted all the way to the display. Eventually I'm sure you'll see tuners with DVI outputs, but most people don't have monitors with that connection.
Because of the way the brain stores its memories, aside from whether you could read someone's entire brain structure, edit it, then replace it completely, it would be impossible to erase several months worth of memories from someone's brain completely without causing some serious side effects. So many associations would have to be broken that the person would be reduced to a babbling idiot.
Now, if you wanted to erase someone's memory of the last few HOURS, that's a whole 'nother matter.
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Yes, and we must all protest against Microsoft's Ununpalladium!
Right now I'm paying quite a bit of cash for my internet service and cable TV; I've got most of the trimmings. This isn't because I watch cable a lot (well, I watch it SOME, and used to watch more), but because I like the uplink they give me. If Roadrunner decides to cap my service, I won't only be switching to another provider for net access, but I'll also be dropping them for a satellite dish. I suspect they know this, because I tend to abuse my connection pretty badly. ;-)
A circular polarizing filter might be the solution to the display problem, but there's a catch: LCD screens emit polarized light, so the linear polarizer must be matched to the LCD's polarization after it has traveled through the circular polarizer.
Anyone know if circular polarizing filter material is available in sheet form?
I second the motion. Sometimes people go too far overboard with technology.
Modern polycarbonate lenses are thin and lightweight; it shouldn't be difficult to produce double-lensed reading glasses, designed to help those with even the most awful eyesight. I'd suggest designing it so the front lens can be installed by an optician, so that a pair can be customized to that person's prescription.
I do *NOT* staplegun the wires to my desk. I staplegun the TWIST TIES to the desk, then hang the wires on them.
For heavy wires, doubling up the staples and doubling or tripling up on the twist ties is a good idea.
If you can't be trusted with a staple gun, you'd better stay away from them wires, then. Some of them carry lethal voltages, you know!
To organize cables, I usually use my staple gun and a bunch of twist-ties. It's (to some extent) adjustable and reusable, and certainly effective.
...I lost my coordination about a hundred pounds ago.
Is there someone who's got SCO's Linux distro available for download? I'd like to get a copy. The fact that it was officially distributed by SCO under the GPL makes a wonderful defense against their IP claims, whether I'm using SCO's product or its "derivative works" in another OS.
"Dear SCO: This may be your intellectual property, but you've given it away via the GPL. Yes, I know you're arguing the GPL is invalid, but that's the contract you issued it under, and you can't just change a contract after the fact. Go ahead and sack your due diligence department, but if you sue me, I'll charge you with barratry."
Yes, add the word "SCO", pronounced "sue". That way when people talk about the company they already know what business it's in.
Web pages are, in essence, word-processed, and they were one of the first demonstrated uses of the XML format. They include all the features word-processed documents would require, including formatting and font information. I can't see how any judge could overlook this as prior art.
Many IRC servers, such as DALnet's, have nickname reservation systems that validate nicknames aren't used by other people. By setting up your server with a similar system or using a server with the system you can have people verify their nicknames via other, more secure means.
"The internet treats censorship as damage, and routes around it."
Lots of MP3s were shared via FTP in the past, until the RIAA began a campaign to root out and shut down pirate MP3 servers. Then people jumped to Napster, but were eventually frustrated first by the forced filtering of some searches and then the service's discontinuation. Now supernode-based P2P networks like Kazaa are being used, and the central company can't be sued Napster-style because they never see any search data. When they are forced to change their code to allow searches and data to be filtered, users will jump to another service designed to avoid the law.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Short of locking down every computer in the world, there is no way of preventing the digital trading of copies of information. Entities like the RIAA, MPAA and MPA know this. They may try having everything locked down via Palladium or something similar, but knowing they may not succeed, they are trying to fight a holding action, to keep the cash flowing in as long as is possible.
The music and movie industries didn't exist a hundred years ago; I sincerely doubt they'll exist a hundred years from now, no matter how hard they try.
http://www.spamulator.com
You'd have rules about the dimensions and thicknesses allowed, classes of competition where metallic/ferric keys are or are not allowed... This thing has more angles to it than a crumpled piece of paper.
I think this would be a more interesting game if you could make your own keys. Geeks around the world would be doing huge amounts of materials research trying to devise the better key. Something useful might actually come out of it.
Ouch! That sucks. The new discs are magneto-optical just like the old ones, which makes them ideal for archival use. But with that DRM you wouldn't be able to back anything up onto them.
No, but you might get tagged as a terrorist for buying an unusual amount of household cleaner, for instance.
Don't let your models wear green.
The title of this article says "banks" -- but in actuality the Patriot Act II refers to any business whose product could conceivably be used for money laundering. This means all financial institutions, gold dealers, pawn shops, hell, you could theoretically launder money through Wal Mart so they could look up your transactions there. Credit card records are included.
Since 98 is going to be abandoned, I suspect some people will be installing Windows ME on that old hardware. Does anyone know of ways to srip ME down so it's somewhere near as efficient as 98?
I had a lot of problems with ME on this one machine; despite boosting its RAM to 512 megabytes, after running for a matter of minutes it consistently slowed to a crawl. Running RAM Idle helped things considerably, letting me leave the machine running and only needing to reboot occasionally. Still, this was on a machine with a 700 MHz processor, and I shudder to think how ME would perform on a poor little 200 MHz with 64M.
There's a market for a program that will give people choices on what to rip out of ME to reduce its profile. Anyone game?
Since the box is based on Linux, I don't think it'd be a lot of work to split the function up among two or more "Pluto Core" units of varying capacity, or to even create an air gap by sticking a box with a different OS in front. Go send Pluto some feedback.
I doubt you'll see any good HDTV tuner boxes for a while, because the FCC recently mandated that HDTV will be encrypted all the way to the display. Eventually I'm sure you'll see tuners with DVI outputs, but most people don't have monitors with that connection.
Why am I reminded of badgers and mushrooms?
Because of the way the brain stores its memories, aside from whether you could read someone's entire brain structure, edit it, then replace it completely, it would be impossible to erase several months worth of memories from someone's brain completely without causing some serious side effects. So many associations would have to be broken that the person would be reduced to a babbling idiot.
Now, if you wanted to erase someone's memory of the last few HOURS, that's a whole 'nother matter.