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User: ImaLamer

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  1. 2003? on FBI Sought Approval To Use Spyware Through FISC · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'm betting this is about the same time that people like Ted Kennedy were showing up on the No-Fly list.

    They say it was a mistake, but I still doubt it. Might have saved his life though; I once maintained a list, on a now defunct site, that listed Senators killed in plane crashes. Oddest thing, almost all Democrats and the Republicans were pacifists or otherwise "left-leaning" (Paul Wellstone [D] and John Heinz [R] for example).

    Sure, all just a coincidence, I'm sure of it. Well, pretty sure. Maybe we should be putting spyware on the FBI's machines?

  2. Goatse.cx on First Amendment Ruling Protects Internet Trolls · · Score: 1

    In Soviet Russia, government trolls YOU!

    In South Korea all trolls are robots!

  3. Re:Information warfare? on Millions in Middle East Lose Internet · · Score: 2, Funny

    *snip*


    How apropos!
  4. Who comes first? on New Findings Confirm Darwin's Theory — Evolution Not Random · · Score: 4, Funny

    A chicken and egg are lying in bed together. They are both smoking.

    The chicken leans over to the egg and says; "I guess we answered that question."

  5. Re:Asking slashdot? on Down Time At Work — What Do You Do? · · Score: 3, Funny

    Your answer:

    5,462 replies beneath your current threshold.

  6. Re:What is the crisis? on Gentoo in Crisis, Robbins Offers Solution · · Score: 1

    He's worried that the Gentoo product will move to a pay system, where you've GOT TO FREAKING PAY TO COMPILE SOFTWARE YOURSELF!!

    How could the product change, by losing its non-profit status, as the summary says? Does someone think I'd like to pay to do all the work on my machine? Just rename the project Ubuntu, that seems to be pretty popular.

    (All this is just a joke, god i need to refill my coffee)

  7. Re:Any way to... on NSI Registers Every Domain Checked · · Score: 1

    And get it from them for double the price!

    (After a search does anyone notice that they offer misspelled domains? Isn't this against the rules, typosquatting? So I just need to search Google.com and they'll generate misspellings for me to register? Hrrmmm... doesn't sound right to me.)

    Good thing their whois search is about to be slashdotted in 3... 2... 1...

  8. Re:Solve the address book tower of babel on Google and Facebook Join DataPortability.org · · Score: 2, Informative

    Wait there. To be fair you can export data from Outlook. Outlook will let you export your address book, mail and calendar, Google will not. Google will let you download all of your mail, but there is nothing for exporting your address book. (And to be fair, you really don't have a Google address book do you? It just caches the names of everyone and uses an autocomplete feature to make it feel like you do.)

    I keep a Google Calendar for personal stuff and one in Outlook at work for scheduled meetings and so forth (Fortune 500, so I can't just tell everyone I'm not going to use Outlook anymore). Once I decided to export my Outlook calendar and import it into Google's so I could see my upcoming meetings from home later that day and plan my next month's schedule. Worked great, no problem at all. Then about a week later I decided to do the same thing backwards, export from Google and load that data into Outlook. Well, Google offers no such feature. I *could* "share" my personal calendar (give it an address that anyone can view) and import it that way, but I don't like the idea of making my calendar viewable to the world while I do the import.

    And this is coming from a Google fan who has four Google related Firefox Prizm icons on his desktop (Gmail, Calendar, Reader and Docs).

  9. Re:Great News! on Interview with Red Hat's New CEO · · Score: 2

    SuSE trying to grab some piece of the servers pie (although I don't think they will after the Microsoft deal)

    That's crazy talk. Novell, remember they own Suse, was the major networking infrastructure player before Microsoft got into the mix. To say that they don't want to return to their former glory is to ignore that they've bought a Linux company for dominance of both aspects of the overall corporate business software market ([directory and rights management] servers and desktops). Novell has made huge strides with their latest versions of Netware (eDirectory), that even run on top of Linux (if you didn't want to just install Netware/eDirectory running on top of, ahem, UNIX). Their eDirectory product kills Active Directory on so many levels that it would be dumb to just dump the development now (it scales better, their escalation of privileges and rights, overall a better product, look at/Google their comparison to Active Directory for example) and all the money spent on it.

    Novell isn't stupid, and might just be trying to beat Microsoft at its own game. People here say that it can't be done, that there are too many examples of people being crushed by doing business with MS, but Novell is wiser now than they were before Netware was originally extinguished (and MS isn't going to be the top dog forever, they also aren't wielding Excalibur here). They've opened up their server software to be multi-platform, for your own choosing, and have allowed any type of client to play on their network (got MS beat right there). The idea behind buying Suse is two fold; it's a desktop platform that allows your clients to pay next to nothing compared to Microsoft (and finally gives them a choice) and also allows you to offer server solutions based on a variety of platforms. You can mix and match as much as you'd like, and Novell has given you that choice. You can decide to have 100% Novell software or only one piece. They can be everything to everyone. (You'll argue that Linux isn't ready for the desktop, but in the corporate environment there is nothing better than Linux. You can modify every part to lock down or open up anything you'd desire, without necessarily hacking the code, just modifying the configurations. Linux is stable, secure and lets you control your deployments better than anything Microsoft is going to offer. MS still has the final word on what you can do. Linux might be weak for average joe sixpack user, but for people who simply need to come into work and get their job done... it's the best choice.)

    Maybe my analysis is off, I'm not able to put all of my thoughts together correctly at this point (too much coffee and nicotine). I'm sure I'll be corrected. One thing doesn't change in my mind: If this community would back Novell and encourage the use of their products in their environments we could all benefit and throw off the MS yoke. Would it be trading one tyrant for another? Maybe, but at least the new tyrant likes us and sees us as customers and users and not just potential rape victims (they'll let you run eDirectory on Windows and your clients be Ubuntu, so a horrible tyrant if one at all). Novell is a corporation and the most important thing to them is their fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders - but they know that the best way to achieve higher profits is to play nice instead of attacking your customer base (DRM, licensing nightmare, etc... remember who's side they were on in the SCO debacle).

  10. Re:So long, Vista on Vista SP1 Guides for IT Professionals Released · · Score: 1

    I'm with you buddy. I'm a computer geek without a lot of money, so when I got a new position at work (and higher pay) I jumped in and finally got a laptop.

    To be totally honest the copy of Vista the machine came with was a big draw. I surely wasn't going to go out and buy a copy to 'try out' so it was a great opportunity to have fun with new software (you can be a geek if you aren't at least interested in playing with Vista, or *BSD, SGI workstations from ebay, slackware, ubuntu, etc). The machine was refurbished and that discount was enough to negate the price of the Vista tax imposed by HP (I'm still reeling from the deal I got).

    I found the shiny new dual core machine to be way too slow. For the first two weeks the laptop sat on the living room floor because it took to long for the machine to boot into a usable state. Hibernating didn't really help because some hidden process would start thrashing the disk on resume - to be fair this was most noticeable when the machine was hibernating for 4+ days. I caught the Ubuntu bug from Slashdot readers (and obsessed editors) and after running the Live CD I was hooked. It booted much faster, everything ran much better and the laptop replaced my desktop and HTPC as the go-to machine in the house. The oddest improvement came from running World of Warcraft under Ubuntu compared to Vista. The memory and video power used Vista itself made the game run choppy even on the lowest settings. Sure a laptop video card is usually weak, but I picked this laptop because of its touted dedicated nVidia card. Warcraft under Ubuntu was super simple to setup (copied the files over from the Vista partition to my /home/ and edited two ini files) and it ran with the options maxed out, beautifully. On my XP based HTPC (a powerhouse machine) there was such a delay alt-tabbing out of WoW that I tried not to do it much. On Ubuntu the WoW window just disappeared when I asked it to.

    It just works better. I want to try this service pack though. Vista can play nice once you get under the hood, but IIRC, XP was the same way (and to be honest I like 2000 and XP cause they can behave nicely and are built well, on VMS of course. Their architecture is pretty strong, ignoring the security issues that come with proprietary kernels).

  11. Where your flying car is... on Boeing 787 May Be Vulnerable to Hacker Attack · · Score: 2, Funny

    As described on a Seinfeld episode:


    GEORGE: When are they gonna have the flying cars, already?
    JERRY: Yeah, they have been promising that for a while..
    GEORGE: Years. When we were kids, they made it seem like it was right around the corner.
    JERRY: I think Ed Begley Jr. has one.
    GEORGE: No. That's just electric.
    JERRY: What about Harrison Ford? He had one in, uh, Blade Runner. That was a cool one.
    GEORGE: (Sarcastic) What's the competition, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?
    JERRY: Well, what do you think the big holdup is?
    GEORGE: The government is very touchy about us being in the air. Let us run around on the ground as much as we want. Anything in the air is a big production.
    JERRY: Yeah, right. And what about the floating cities?
    GEORGE: And the underwater bubble cities?
    JERRY: It's like we're living in the '50s here!

  12. Re:Google Browser Sync on Weave... Mozilla Is Trying To Be More Social · · Score: 1

    I found the Browser Sync to be good for Firefox installs on new computers around the house. Besides that I didn't want it to actively update my bookmarks, I wanted to just copy the essentials over.

    But on the note of encryption... Yeah, Google could never have the computing power to break that encryption! I'm betting they are few years off from running their own distributed cracking program that can break pretty strongly encrypted stuff (all in house). Imagine if they used the browser sync install base (or better the Google Toolbar install base) to use just one percent of your CPU cycles (dual core computers anyone hehe, 1% of each core...) to crack your own bookmark files. And why do they need to bother anyways? Got a Google account? Then they know *some* of your personal information, even without it they can figure out who you are and what you are into.

    Well combine your search history with their Google Analytics data (that no doubt is connecting that your IP searched for "Big Cocks" and then your IP visited the "Mr. Big Dicks Hot Chicks" site). Google Analytics is being used by enough sites for them to already connect the dots. And one of the Google Analytics largest customer segments is the porn industry. Great, just great huh?

    Just forget it, Google knows who you are and knows everything about you. And you didn't have to anything but use the free service and visit a few sites that you've searched. Pretty soon people will Google themselves and find out things they never knew about themselves. Who needs talk or psychotherapy? Just ask Google what your hang ups are, it knows.

  13. Re:Really? on Researchers Say Wi-Fi Virus Outbreak Possible · · Score: 1

    As an owner of, and now a hijacker of, Linksys wireless routers I must say: Wha???

    I've only used the ethernet ports once or twice, and have always been able to administer it over the air. It's the default settings. Also, two of my neighbors have unsecured AP's, both Linksys, and both allow WLAN configuration. One is setup to allow remote configuration by default (the owner has never edited a setting, I doubt he/she has turned this, of all features, on - it's hidden in the advanced setup pages).

    AP's that have never been setup certainly allow you to do so via WLAN. I think disabling this would defeat the purpose of a wireless router. At the same time though, the best measure would be to change the admin password (from U:Admin P:Admin) when you get the damn thing home. It would be a shame if I blocked your MAC address because my torrents are downloading fast enough (I've come close).

  14. Re:MAD PROPS on Trekkie Sues Christie's for Fraudulent Props · · Score: 1

    This generation of 7 digit slashdot user's talk a language I don't understand.

  15. Re:Oh, I dunno. on Notebook Makers Moving to 4 GB Memory As Standard · · Score: 1

    You forgot the biggest benefit: once the average user is inundated with all that spyware and crapware he's installed he'll head up to his big box store and ask about an upgrade. If he's got the two gig's-o-ram he'll be able to wait much longer and avoid being ripped off by someone who took a computer class during their drive for a communications degree.

    Joe sixpack is tossing out good PC's left and right. If he got a real system then he'd be able to do this a lot less. (Big box stores sell you the pricetag and not specs. You end up with something shiny that is beaten by the cheaper machine next to it. Sure it doesn't have Office, but has twice the ram.)

  16. Exactly on Colorado Decertifies E-voting Machines · · Score: 1

    When I walked into my polling place in 2004 and found a computer to vote on, I flipped out. Albeit inside, but I flipped. There was *no* mention that our county would be a place where they would be "testing" these machines, so I was really surprised. The first two things I was suspect of (just based off raw emotion): Won't someone be able to tie this directly back to me, making it a non-secret ballot? and How can I be sure my vote is counting for the right person?

    I'm a computer nerd at heart, and maybe my views on politics, free (libre) software and the tendency to think Orwell was an optimist skews my view... but walking in as a layperson I was upset to find centralized machines taking over the process. All I wanted to do is refuse to vote, get pissy, and have them remove me from the building so I could fight the whole thing in court. Sometimes someone just needs to make that stand and start 'the good fight'.

  17. I hate to do this, but too easy to pass up... on OpenOffice Online Goes Beta · · Score: 1

    Maybe your version will highlight your lack of punctuation I can't read your message I find it hard to know when things end or begin I am not one of those grammar or spelling Nazi's I just noticed that somethings ran together I couldn't understand what was wrong with my brain

    I like starting sentences with "I" also because it's always capital (and I like that the Firefox spell check yelled at me for not capitalizing Nazi)

  18. Re:Why choose? on Microsoft and Google Duke It Out For the Future · · Score: 2, Interesting

    And for some people, they can see the value of both.

    I can create and edit documents at home and *put* them online if I choose to, through many different outlets. Private or shared. And applications like Google Docs can help in a pinch when you just want to keep a silly spreadsheet of something, or a portable document to print. You can access it at work, at home, and now on your mobile device. I can keep a running spreadsheet from anywhere - that's the point of this connected office. Microsoft just better catch up, if they even want to compete in this space (anymore, I thought this is why they crushed Netscape).

    There is no reason to give up one for the other. Maybe OpenOffice can directly upload to Google Documents when it's wanted? And the opposite? There are times when someone wants to keep a local document local, and Microsoft and OO.org can battle it out. However, Google could release a web appliance for corporate clients once their platform becomes viable in that market. I suspect that behind the scenes there is a much nicer version, but this is speculation. Their Blogger interface hasn't seen any *major* improvements in a while. Time will tell.

  19. Re:Slight problem with this approach on Microsoft Wants To Give You A Rorschach · · Score: 1

    That's why I used song lyrics for a while.

    "wecandanceifyouwanttowecanleaveyourfriendsbehind"

    Then sweeten it up with leet stuff like:

    "w3c4nd4nc31fy0uw4ntt0w3c4nl34v3y0urfr13ndsb3h1nd!"

    It's not only strong, but catchy!

  20. Re:Did that 14 times last weekend... on Fighting Back Against Ghost Calls · · Score: 1

    Hey, I got locked out of my phone once when I was drunk and dialed 911 5 times.

    To be fair, it was because the menu options were ambiguous and it looked as if I would have been calling the cell phone company. Oddly, they don't give you the option of calling them and getting the damn thing unlocked.

  21. Re:Liberty and justice on White House Lauds MN RIAA Win, Analysis of Victory · · Score: 1

    Really!

    For god's sake, they were made in Italy.

  22. Re:I felt it too. on Powerful Blast Confuses Astronomers · · Score: 1

    It was another big bang! Another universe is growing inside us, and will grow to be the same size as ours eventually, but by then we shall be bigger. It will be amazing to see how we coexist.

  23. Re:My World Museum Future Tour on Google Testing "My World" Second Life Rival? · · Score: 1

    And if he comes back, I say we try him again!

  24. Re:Hopefully they fix... on New Version of Gmail Being Tested · · Score: 1

    It should be at the bottom! And if you are replying to someone, via e-mail, do you really need a signature? Are you trying to advertise your free web based e-mail service (hotmail, et. al.)?

  25. Re:Armed Citizens In the Modern World on Iran Blocks, Unblocks Access to Google · · Score: 1
    And what you are saying exactly explains why terrorists are doing what they are doing; because they don't have many other options left.


    She had grown up since the Revolution and was too young to remember the ideological battles of the fifties and sixties. Such a thing as an independent political movement was outside her imagination: and in any case the Party was invincible. It would always exist, and it would always be the same. You could only rebel against it by secret disobedience or, at most, by isolated acts of violence such as killing somebody or blowing something up.

      1984