Anonymous is not an Organization, anymore than the Internet is.
They are Collectives. Controls are only followed when consensually agreed to with no real external enforcement. Damage is routed around, and there is no real Central Authority so much as a collective of groups/individuals who sometimes happen to be moving in the same direction when the mood takes them.
If someone got root on Sony's update servers, you'd better believe those are staying offline.
Then feel secure that those aren't the problem.
I was playing a Demo recently and it informed me there was an update available. System downloaded the update and loaded it, even though PSN is still down and I still can't log in.
I heard a rumor that they found people circumventing the checkout/purchase system in some way. If that is true, then they may be keeping the system down while they fix that.
Two more plausible explanations:
1) someone used the fact that PS3s internal key has been exposed to try to craft code to go after the Login/Pay servers through the PS3 directly, on the idea that Sony programmed those interfaces on the assumption that they are secure, and only produced well formed code, leaving a chink in the armor. If that IS the case, then Sony may have shut down the whole system rather than letting it sit open and exposed once they detected the intrusion, in an effort to head off data theft (while they rewrite the interface?).
2) someone could have been performing a Denial of Service attack, again through internal PS3 calls which were expected to be well formed.
USB is not the worst but it's pretty darn close. USB 3.0 (which I currently use) sucks because they decided to keep that same connector computer side (they fixed the side that didn't need fixing).
I'd agree with all of that, except that (last I checked) USB 3.0 was also backwardly compatible with earlier versions (they just added a few extra pins that earlier connectors couldn't mate to). That being the case, as much as I hate to admit it, keeping the plug pretty much unchanged is a requirement to keep the backward compatibility.
For example, I wanted mega-mind - and figured I might want to put it on my android so my daughter can watch it in the car.. But, unlike the 5 other DVD's I purchased with this combo, the ONLY one available to me on discount day (the day the DVD is released and thus sells for $8 under retail) was the full on 3D + Blue-ray + DVD + digital-copy.. It was only like $4 more, but I felt a certain anger that I was being force to subsidize this.
I agree that Hollywood would LOVE for people to repurchase their collections. They would also like to close the hole that DVDs are (ubiquitous format to rip/transcode from), both of which are why they are pushing multi-format packs.
I would also point out though, that "Discount Day" is not the day a movie is released. In fact, it is NEVER the day a movie is released. The Blu-Ray+DVD combo pack for MegaMind is currently running $13 on Amazon (okay $12.99), with a suggested retail price of $50 (okay $49.99). That certainly sounds a heck of a lot better than $8 under retail.
Even if it doesn't include Digital rights, you can either transcode it from the DVD for your portable player of choice (not terrible thanks to utilities like http://handbrake.fr/ ), or buy the Digital version of your choice for another $10 (Amazon's price, I'm assuming Apple's is comparable).
Total cost: $13-$23 instead of $50, and waiting 1-2 months (release date end of Feb), versus instant gratification.
(heck, forgo the Blu-Ray version and you can get the DVD stand-alone for $7 dropping the cost further, but I think DVDs must ultimately give way to Blu-Ray or some other optical format in the same form factor)
And does it really matter in the end? Whether they are being deceptive assholes by nature or if they had a reasonable idea at first and then worked really hard at being deceptive assholes afterward, the result is the same.
I look at it more as either "Deceptive Assholes by Nature", or "Incompetent Idiots by Committee".
Yeah, it might not make a difference in the outcome, but it COULD make them less "evil" and merely more "idiotic/incompetent/corporate" (which would actually be a step up from where they are).
I didn't RTFA because I just don't care what Greenpeace has to say anymore (as far as I'm concerned, their recent actions have alienated the mainstream and they've lost their mandate). Is it possible though that the article was originally envisioned as a "lets go after the energy producers" piece, but got reformatted/edited into an "internet problem" piece in the mistaken/misguided belief that it would get more publicity (which it is)?
One core running governmnent spyware. One core running phone maker's bloatware One core running MAFIAA trusted computing DRM/spyware One core running the user's apps.
You forgot "One core running distributed Zombie client". I guess we'll have to ditch the "User Apps", its not like they'll be missed.
Also forgot the "Extended Life Battery" kit it will need (100" extension cord in an easy to manage case).... do not use in inclement weather.
Re:As long as I can still play my old favourites
on
The New Commodore 64
·
· Score: 5, Informative
According to their site, you can "Play all your favorite 8-bit era games within seconds... by selecting the C64 icon from the boot menu to run a C64 emulator directly".
Yes, but they also say:
ote: Commodore OS 1.0, along with emulation functionality and classic game package, will be mailed to purchasers when available. In the meantime, units come with the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS operating system on CD ready to install.
So it doesn't sound like they've worked out all the details yet, and don't expect to be able to just pop in your old Floppies and run the programs (hey, I still have my old Amiga Floppies somewhere... probably time to get rid of them though).
So when a man goes bald, the hair follicle is still there, it's just not producing hair anymore. According to TFA, researchers have managed to chemically 'trick' the follicle into producing hair again - but this will last only as long as the chemical is present; in its absence, the body will go back to its 'normal' pre-programmed (bald) state. In other words, if you stop taking the drug, you lose your hair.
This sounds like $$$ to me.
Yes/No.
From The Fine Article
Hair follicles express receptors for CRF. Over-activating the receptors leads to follicle atrophy: the hair stops growing and eventually falls out. The exciting news for the hairline challenged is that blocking CRF actually reversed the atrophy and the mice regrew all of their hair back, a feat that both Rogaine or Propeciaâ"â"the leading pharmaceutical hair loss treatmentsâ"â"do moderately well. In addition to the amazing amount of regrowth observed in this study, an added benefit might be the duration of the CRF blocker effects. After only five days of injections, hair regrowth lasted for over four months. In contrast, both Rogaine and Propecia require daily treatments, and stopping treatments will result in any hair gained to be lost.
So basically it seems to do the same thing as current treatments like Rogaine or Propecia, except without being hormone based, and needing to only be administered 3-4 times a year instead of daily.
So while it is certainly a $$$ thing, it DOES seem like something of an incremental improvement over existing treatments for those who chose to spend the money on it.
This sounds great for women who can't use current treatments (due to hormone issues), and who are unduly effected by going bald in our society. Face it, there are lots of example of Bald Older men who are viewed as "Sexy" (Patrick Stewart, Sean Connery, LL Cool J), and much fewer of women with thinning hair.
And its also less restrictive than a Slingbox, you don't need to dedicate a Stream from your Cable Co. (either hijack your main video feed, or pay for/use a secondary feed).
Agreed. If I had mod points I'd throw in a +1, since I don't, I'll add my $0.02.:)
Besides the resale value of the card, you have to take into perspective the life expectancy of the card, and the relative purchasing power to other means of access.
For the relative life expectancy of the card, if you are going to have the card for 4 years, then the question is, how much is it going to be worth in resale in 4 years after the next X releases by nVidia/AMD?
For relative purchasing power, you can almost buy a 360,PS3 and Wii for the same $700. Yes, the graphics won't be as cool as whatever is pushing the state of the art, but for the majority of people, it should be enough. The console will also probably have a longer lifespan and better resale value.
The downside of course is that the same "Enthusiast" crowd that must have a $700 video card, also feels console gaming is antithetical to the experience (usually due to the lack of Keyboard/Mouse). Can't say they're entirely wrong for some genres, and using a Game Controller certainly took some getting used to, but I think its all a bit overblown.
First of all, there is no stealing. Also, if the patents being infringed by android took billions in R&D to make, then perhaps you need to change your R&D strategy..
Or lower/eliminate the cost of Patent Filing...
Or sue your lawyers for wasting your fees with irrelevant frivolity...
Or reform Patent Law so you can not file for algorithms, which is in large part all most computer programs are.
To me, this looks like android is spreading like wildfire in the tablet space. It snatched up more than 20% of market share in ONE QUARTER. While it is doubtful that growth like that is sustainable, even modest growth after a spurt like that could really put the screws to Apple.
You're kidding right?
There wasn't really a tablet market of measurable size until the iPad.
The growth of Android in Q4 is other manufacturers getting into the game and offering alternatives (a good thing for the consumer).
I'm actually more surprised that Apple has managed to hold onto ~75% of the Tablet market. If Apple can hold onto 60%-70% of the market, then they are doing Just Fine and have nothing to complain about as the market grows and heads toward saturation (at some point in the future).
and that Google tends to ignore patent issues because Google itself is rarely sued: in most of these cases, Android device makers are under attack.
This is probably the single most important bit. Not whether it is correct or not, but for what is implied in the statement.
I imagine if a phone distributing Win-WOMPIT (Whatever Our Mobile Platform Is Today) gets sued, MicroSoft would probably be target #1, or at least an often named Co-Defendant. With the iPhone the manufacturer of the handset and OS are the same, and Apple has (and is/will) field these sort of things on its own.
With Android, if people are going after the Handset manufacturers independent of Google, then they might feel it opens them up to too much individual liability (wether or not it is true). If that happens, then no one will want to make Android devices, since they will just cost more in legal fees.
Maybe this is yet another reason for Google to buy out T-Mobile instead of AT&T. Let them take over a Cell Carrier, open up their air-waves, and provide a "foundation" to start actually making 'native' Android phones for their own network?
Sponsored by: Customers against the AT&T/T-Mobile Merger
AT&T recently announced a deal to purchase T-Mobile for $39 billion. The acquisition will eliminate a large competitor in the wireless provider market, limiting consumer's choice in provider and service plans. Worst of all, AT&T, the worst rated of the wireless providers, will take over and eliminate T-Mobile, the highest rated in customer satisfaction and service. We as consumers want to be able to choose a provider with high satisfaction ratings, low rates, and high quality wireless service. This acquisition will allow AT&T to move towards monopolizing the wireless service industry at the expense of consumers. The only way to prevent this is for the FCC to not approve this deal. Please act now to keep an option of excellent quality and service in the wireless provider industry.
Maybe, but I see this as an example of why we need to find a way to rekindle the ideas of Freedom and Justice that seems to be withering away in this country.
No additional knowledge, but I assume they were used because they are both applications that the exploit writer can assume are installed on the machine.
I'm not condoning the abusive labelling of "meatpuppet" on interested participants that have opinions of their own.
I'm just quoting the rulebook. I give no assurance that they're actually following their own rules, however.
The fact that (some of) the editors seem to jump to calling any non-regular participant a pejorative or derogatory term, essentially acknowledging their presence while denigrating any comment or contribution to the discussion, diminishes even the appearance of their impartiality.
That they chose to use this name toward their USERBASE is personally shocking.
If Congress had wanted to, they could have included "the request would reveal sensitive information about a corporation" in the list. This case just holds that Congress did not in fact include such an exception, implicitly or otherwise.
Don't worry. I'm sure a new revision of the FOIA is being hammered out by the Corp lobbyists for the Congress Critters to pass in the next session.
Oh, and re-installing the machine means 24h of downtime
I am with you except here. If re-installing a machine incurs 24h of downtime, you do not have a suitable contingency plan. Most environments I deal with are 15-20 minutes from offline to production on reinstall at the long end.
I agree that if the system is as critical as they say, they should have a better failover in place, however in a lot of companies, very little importance is placed on Live Failover systems. More than likely he's including lots more than the OS/Application build in that 24 hour timeframe.
Probably database reload/recovery time, or file system initialization (inadequate RAID controller to Disk design?).
That may be, but for product last sold 9 years ago, when the Average cost of the "Lifetime" worked out to about 2-3 years means they at least got their moneys worth.
Slashdot Mirror
Anonymous is not an Organization, anymore than the Internet is.
They are Collectives. Controls are only followed when consensually agreed to with no real external enforcement. Damage is routed around, and there is no real Central Authority so much as a collective of groups/individuals who sometimes happen to be moving in the same direction when the mood takes them.
If someone got root on Sony's update servers, you'd better believe those are staying offline.
Then feel secure that those aren't the problem.
I was playing a Demo recently and it informed me there was an update available. System downloaded the update and loaded it, even though PSN is still down and I still can't log in.
I heard a rumor that they found people circumventing the checkout/purchase system in some way. If that is true, then they may be keeping the system down while they fix that.
Two more plausible explanations:
1) someone used the fact that PS3s internal key has been exposed to try to craft code to go after the Login/Pay servers through the PS3 directly, on the idea that Sony programmed those interfaces on the assumption that they are secure, and only produced well formed code, leaving a chink in the armor. If that IS the case, then Sony may have shut down the whole system rather than letting it sit open and exposed once they detected the intrusion, in an effort to head off data theft (while they rewrite the interface?).
2) someone could have been performing a Denial of Service attack, again through internal PS3 calls which were expected to be well formed.
I wonder if Tidal Turbines might be useful in Hawaii (lots of coast / near coast to work with).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_power
USB is not the worst but it's pretty darn close. USB 3.0 (which I currently use) sucks because they decided to keep that same connector computer side (they fixed the side that didn't need fixing).
I'd agree with all of that, except that (last I checked) USB 3.0 was also backwardly compatible with earlier versions (they just added a few extra pins that earlier connectors couldn't mate to). That being the case, as much as I hate to admit it, keeping the plug pretty much unchanged is a requirement to keep the backward compatibility.
For example, I wanted mega-mind - and figured I might want to put it on my android so my daughter can watch it in the car.. But, unlike the 5 other DVD's I purchased with this combo, the ONLY one available to me on discount day (the day the DVD is released and thus sells for $8 under retail) was the full on 3D + Blue-ray + DVD + digital-copy.. It was only like $4 more, but I felt a certain anger that I was being force to subsidize this.
I agree that Hollywood would LOVE for people to repurchase their collections. They would also like to close the hole that DVDs are (ubiquitous format to rip/transcode from), both of which are why they are pushing multi-format packs.
I would also point out though, that "Discount Day" is not the day a movie is released. In fact, it is NEVER the day a movie is released. The Blu-Ray+DVD combo pack for MegaMind is currently running $13 on Amazon (okay $12.99), with a suggested retail price of $50 (okay $49.99). That certainly sounds a heck of a lot better than $8 under retail.
Even if it doesn't include Digital rights, you can either transcode it from the DVD for your portable player of choice (not terrible thanks to utilities like http://handbrake.fr/ ), or buy the Digital version of your choice for another $10 (Amazon's price, I'm assuming Apple's is comparable).
Total cost: $13-$23 instead of $50, and waiting 1-2 months (release date end of Feb), versus instant gratification.
(heck, forgo the Blu-Ray version and you can get the DVD stand-alone for $7 dropping the cost further, but I think DVDs must ultimately give way to Blu-Ray or some other optical format in the same form factor)
And does it really matter in the end? Whether they are being deceptive assholes by nature or if they had a reasonable idea at first and then worked really hard at being deceptive assholes afterward, the result is the same.
I look at it more as either "Deceptive Assholes by Nature", or "Incompetent Idiots by Committee".
Yeah, it might not make a difference in the outcome, but it COULD make them less "evil" and merely more "idiotic/incompetent/corporate" (which would actually be a step up from where they are).
I didn't RTFA because I just don't care what Greenpeace has to say anymore (as far as I'm concerned, their recent actions have alienated the mainstream and they've lost their mandate). Is it possible though that the article was originally envisioned as a "lets go after the energy producers" piece, but got reformatted/edited into an "internet problem" piece in the mistaken/misguided belief that it would get more publicity (which it is)?
There was a time, long ago, when I supported Greenpeace. But now... they ARE the problem.
Feel the same way about Greenpeace and PETA too.
Maybe we should start an Anti-Faux Environmentalist group?
P.U.T.E. (People for the Unethical Torture of Environmentalists)?
Soylent-Greenpeace?
I was under the impression that the disk drives themselves were different (controller wise) between IBM and Amiga.
One core running governmnent spyware. One core running phone maker's bloatware One core running MAFIAA trusted computing DRM/spyware One core running the user's apps.
You forgot "One core running distributed Zombie client". I guess we'll have to ditch the "User Apps", its not like they'll be missed.
Also forgot the "Extended Life Battery" kit it will need (100" extension cord in an easy to manage case). ... do not use in inclement weather.
According to their site, you can "Play all your favorite 8-bit era games within seconds ... by selecting the C64 icon from the boot menu to run a C64 emulator directly".
Yes, but they also say:
ote: Commodore OS 1.0, along with emulation functionality and classic game package, will be mailed to purchasers when available. In the meantime, units come with the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS operating system on CD ready to install.
So it doesn't sound like they've worked out all the details yet, and don't expect to be able to just pop in your old Floppies and run the programs (hey, I still have my old Amiga Floppies somewhere ... probably time to get rid of them though).
So when a man goes bald, the hair follicle is still there, it's just not producing hair anymore. According to TFA, researchers have managed to chemically 'trick' the follicle into producing hair again - but this will last only as long as the chemical is present; in its absence, the body will go back to its 'normal' pre-programmed (bald) state. In other words, if you stop taking the drug, you lose your hair.
This sounds like $$$ to me.
Yes/No.
From The Fine Article
Hair follicles express receptors for CRF. Over-activating the receptors leads to follicle atrophy: the hair stops growing and eventually falls out. The exciting news for the hairline challenged is that blocking CRF actually reversed the atrophy and the mice regrew all of their hair back, a feat that both Rogaine or Propeciaâ"â"the leading pharmaceutical hair loss treatmentsâ"â"do moderately well. In addition to the amazing amount of regrowth observed in this study, an added benefit might be the duration of the CRF blocker effects. After only five days of injections, hair regrowth lasted for over four months. In contrast, both Rogaine and Propecia require daily treatments, and stopping treatments will result in any hair gained to be lost.
So basically it seems to do the same thing as current treatments like Rogaine or Propecia, except without being hormone based, and needing to only be administered 3-4 times a year instead of daily.
So while it is certainly a $$$ thing, it DOES seem like something of an incremental improvement over existing treatments for those who chose to spend the money on it.
This sounds great for women who can't use current treatments (due to hormone issues), and who are unduly effected by going bald in our society. Face it, there are lots of example of Bald Older men who are viewed as "Sexy" (Patrick Stewart, Sean Connery, LL Cool J), and much fewer of women with thinning hair.
And its also less restrictive than a Slingbox, you don't need to dedicate a Stream from your Cable Co. (either hijack your main video feed, or pay for/use a secondary feed).
Oh I will walk, through the fire.
Agreed. If I had mod points I'd throw in a +1, since I don't, I'll add my $0.02. :)
Besides the resale value of the card, you have to take into perspective the life expectancy of the card, and the relative purchasing power to other means of access.
For the relative life expectancy of the card, if you are going to have the card for 4 years, then the question is, how much is it going to be worth in resale in 4 years after the next X releases by nVidia/AMD?
For relative purchasing power, you can almost buy a 360,PS3 and Wii for the same $700.
Yes, the graphics won't be as cool as whatever is pushing the state of the art, but for the majority of people, it should be enough.
The console will also probably have a longer lifespan and better resale value.
The downside of course is that the same "Enthusiast" crowd that must have a $700 video card, also feels console gaming is antithetical to the experience (usually due to the lack of Keyboard/Mouse). Can't say they're entirely wrong for some genres, and using a Game Controller certainly took some getting used to, but I think its all a bit overblown.
First of all, there is no stealing. Also, if the patents being infringed by android took billions in R&D to make, then perhaps you need to change your R&D strategy..
Or lower/eliminate the cost of Patent Filing ...
Or sue your lawyers for wasting your fees with irrelevant frivolity ...
Or reform Patent Law so you can not file for algorithms, which is in large part all most computer programs are.
To me, this looks like android is spreading like wildfire in the tablet space. It snatched up more than 20% of market share in ONE QUARTER. While it is doubtful that growth like that is sustainable, even modest growth after a spurt like that could really put the screws to Apple.
You're kidding right?
There wasn't really a tablet market of measurable size until the iPad.
The growth of Android in Q4 is other manufacturers getting into the game and offering alternatives (a good thing for the consumer).
I'm actually more surprised that Apple has managed to hold onto ~75% of the Tablet market. If Apple can hold onto 60%-70% of the market, then they are doing Just Fine and have nothing to complain about as the market grows and heads toward saturation (at some point in the future).
and that Google tends to ignore patent issues because Google itself is rarely sued: in most of these cases, Android device makers are under attack.
This is probably the single most important bit. Not whether it is correct or not, but for what is implied in the statement.
I imagine if a phone distributing Win-WOMPIT (Whatever Our Mobile Platform Is Today) gets sued, MicroSoft would probably be target #1, or at least an often named Co-Defendant. With the iPhone the manufacturer of the handset and OS are the same, and Apple has (and is/will) field these sort of things on its own.
With Android, if people are going after the Handset manufacturers independent of Google, then they might feel it opens them up to too much individual liability (wether or not it is true). If that happens, then no one will want to make Android devices, since they will just cost more in legal fees.
Maybe this is yet another reason for Google to buy out T-Mobile instead of AT&T. Let them take over a Cell Carrier, open up their air-waves, and provide a "foundation" to start actually making 'native' Android phones for their own network?
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/stop-t-mobile-from-being-bought-by-att/
Target: FCC Chairmen
Sponsored by: Customers against the AT&T/T-Mobile Merger
AT&T recently announced a deal to purchase T-Mobile for $39 billion. The acquisition will eliminate a large competitor in the wireless provider market, limiting consumer's choice in provider and service plans. Worst of all, AT&T, the worst rated of the wireless providers, will take over and eliminate T-Mobile, the highest rated in customer satisfaction and service.
We as consumers want to be able to choose a provider with high satisfaction ratings, low rates, and high quality wireless service. This acquisition will allow AT&T to move towards monopolizing the wireless service industry at the expense of consumers. The only way to prevent this is for the FCC to not approve this deal. Please act now to keep an option of excellent quality and service in the wireless provider industry.
Maybe, but I see this as an example of why we need to find a way to rekindle the ideas of Freedom and Justice that seems to be withering away in this country.
No additional knowledge, but I assume they were used because they are both applications that the exploit writer can assume are installed on the machine.
I'm not condoning the abusive labelling of "meatpuppet" on interested participants that have opinions of their own.
I'm just quoting the rulebook. I give no assurance that they're actually following their own rules, however.
The fact that (some of) the editors seem to jump to calling any non-regular participant a pejorative or derogatory term, essentially acknowledging their presence while denigrating any comment or contribution to the discussion, diminishes even the appearance of their impartiality.
That they chose to use this name toward their USERBASE is personally shocking.
If Congress had wanted to, they could have included "the request would reveal sensitive information about a corporation" in the list. This case just holds that Congress did not in fact include such an exception, implicitly or otherwise.
Don't worry. I'm sure a new revision of the FOIA is being hammered out by the Corp lobbyists for the Congress Critters to pass in the next session.
Oh, and re-installing the machine means 24h of downtime
I am with you except here. If re-installing a machine incurs 24h of downtime, you do not have a suitable contingency plan. Most environments I deal with are 15-20 minutes from offline to production on reinstall at the long end.
I agree that if the system is as critical as they say, they should have a better failover in place, however in a lot of companies, very little importance is placed on Live Failover systems. More than likely he's including lots more than the OS/Application build in that 24 hour timeframe.
Probably database reload/recovery time, or file system initialization (inadequate RAID controller to Disk design?).
That may be, but for product last sold 9 years ago, when the Average cost of the "Lifetime" worked out to about 2-3 years means they at least got their moneys worth.