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User: sphealey

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  1. Re:Middle Earth Atlas on The Atlas of Middle Earth · · Score: 2

    "Delorme will also be offering Middle Earth Atlas 1.0 for Windows which will enable you to navigate through middle earth easily and accurately. It has a GPS option for realtime tracking, but they haven't quite figured out how to make it work underground yet."

    Technically not impossible, since JRR said that the Shire is located in north-central England. However, that would put Isengard about at the endpoint of the boot of Italy, meaning most of the interesting parts are underwater today. Perhaps this occured at the time Atlantis sank? Hard to say.

    sPh

  2. Re:Cool! on The Atlas of Middle Earth · · Score: 2

    I agree with Captain Frisk that this appears to be a bad take-off on a bad parody of a flame-baiting troll, but it is amazing how many readers of fantasy (even high-quality fantasy) don't know (a) how much modern fantasy owes to JRRT and TLOTR (b) how incredibly detailed the world of TLORT is in terms of history, politics, economy, etc.

    After I gave my 10 y.o. LOTR, his first comment was "it's a lot like Redwall". It took me a while to convince him that LOTR came first, and that without it Redwall probably wouldn't exist. (Luckily he saw the light and now counts RotK as one of his favorite books).

    Similarly, while George Lucas acknowledges many sources for SW:ANH, Tolkein is not least among them.

    sPh

  3. Sad technical loss on File System Round-Up Interview · · Score: 2

    One of the highest-performance, most managable, most securable file systems on the market for the last 15 years has been Novell's NCP file system for Netware (I am sure it has a name but can't think of it at the moment!). The current versions (Netware 4 and 5) are supurb techncial achievements.

    Now, it seems pretty clear that Novell is doomed, and when it goes Netware and NDS will evaporate. I just hope that whoever turns out the lights in Provo has the foresight and generosity to release the details of those two technologies under some sort of open source license, so that even if the products disappear the technology might be saved.

    But I doubt that will happen.

    sPh

  4. Re:*sigh* on Carnivore Goes Wireless · · Score: 1

    "I think most people wouldn't consider police and judges/lawyers as coming from anything close to similar backgrounds. Police are generally come from working-class backgrounds, while lawyers (and especially judges) are generally more upper crust"

    If you are talking about original background, perhaps, although in Chicago policeman => watch officer => night law school => assistant prosecutor => judge is a pretty common life path. Supreme Court justices probably went to Yale, but there are a lot of judgeships in the nation and most of them are local in scope.

    However, by "background" in this case I ment a career of dealing with "perps" and "mopes" in very a lengthy series of very unpleasant encounters, building a shared worldview of us-against-them. See _Bonfire of the Vanities_ for a good ficational description.

    sPh

  5. Re:Carnivore FUD on Carnivore Goes Wireless · · Score: 2

    "It does not capture and save every packet going across the wire - that would be illegal."

    It is also illegal to fail to respond to a legitimate Freedom of Information Act request, yet the FBI and CIA do it all the time. What is your friends' justification for that behaviour? If the FBI won't follow that law, why will they follow the law where Carnivore is concerned?

    sPh

  6. Re:mmm... cookie... on Carnivore Goes Wireless · · Score: 2

    "Do you have any idea how strict the regulations are regarding intelligence collection and dissemination? Do a little research and you'll find out that someone working for the government can go to jail for a very long time for collecting information illegally"

    Sort of like the Detroit police department? While what you say is technically true (a) the perp would have to be discovered (b) the crime would have to be reported (very unlikely due to the "code of silence" in all tight-knit professions (c) management would have to take action {see (b)} (d) the action would have to be prosecuted.

    I do see the need for law enforcement, and I do respect the job that most law enforcement officers carry out.

    Unfortunately, the power inherent in law enforcement is so, well, powerful, that when it is abused the results are very bad for the victim. And I am afraid there are quite a lot of documented abuses (Richard Nixon, J. Edgar Hoover, and the IRS anyone?).

  7. Re:*sigh* on Carnivore Goes Wireless · · Score: 3, Interesting
    I think most people in the Western world understand court orders and the need for law enforcement. There are two minor problems, however:

    * Law enforcement and the judiciary form a pretty much closed loop system. They come from similar backgrounds, they consider themselves the "good guys", and they prohibit investiations into their own motives/failures/biases. So when there is a problem with a request for a warrent the odds are that the judiciary will approve the request anyway.

    * If you have spent much time with law enforcement people, you know that the "observe crime/gather evidence/make arrest" model isn't the only one they use. The "suspect crime/fish around for something/use something to get warrent/intimidate person into confessing or giving up someone else" model is pretty common, too. And the methods used to find "something" are not always pretty, legal, or constitutional.

    In the past, while this behaviour may have been bad, it wasn't totally corrosive, because the ability to fish around for "something" was limited by the overall difficulty of gathering information.

    The technologies being develped today, in contrast, make it quite easy to fish for whatever one wants to find. And since there are laws affecting just about every action (I am willing to bet you have violated 5 federal laws already today), the widespread availability of this technology gets more than a bit scary.

    sPh

  8. Re:Linux Today... on ESR Writes About O'Reilly and FSF Differences · · Score: 2

    "For those who want to call it Linux, I'd just suggest this: try running your favorite distro after subtracting all of the GNU system. Have fun."

    Um, then why isn't it called Plato/deMorgan/Turing/vonNeumann/Hopper/Kernigihan /Ritchie/~others/GNU/Linux ??

    sPh

  9. Spam faxes considered harmful on IETF on DRM, Internet Faxing · · Score: 2
    Of course, you might want to look at Ed Foster's discussion of blast spam-faxing and ask yourself if we want better ways of automatically producing more junk mail?

    sPh

  10. Re:A good thing? on Sklyarov Case Exposes DMCA Contradictions · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "I wonder if there's a way to write to Sklyarov and to donate money for his defense? Even if the charges are dropped, which I certainly hope for, I'd consider that money well spent (a small compensation for mental pain and suffering)."

    Since the Internet started to become widely popular (say around 1994-1995) I have watched a number of on-line political hoo-haa's. The furor over the Communications Decency Act I & II comes to mind.

    In all of these cases I have noticed a common thread: lots of people are willing to hit the "R" key in the e-mail program and contribute a fresh rant to the discussion. Very, very few people are willing to actually DO anything that might make a difference.

    OK guys, this one's important. This is pretty much a key battleground in the future of on-line rights.

    In that vein, here's a suggestion: (a) get out your _manual_ typewriter and write a letter to your three members of Congress explaining your views on this situation (b) contribute $100 each to DS's legal defense fund and a fund for his family's well-being (c) write out 3 checks for $50 each to your congresspeople's re-election fund.

    Now, if in 6 weeks or so I see $10 million in DS's defense fund and 150,000 letters received on Capitol Hill, then I will think that on-line activitism means something.

    My prediction: $10,000, a couple of hundred letters (remember - typewritten, hand-signed, stamped, and mailed). Net effect: ZERO.

    sPh

  11. Re:Let my people go on Sklyarov Case Exposes DMCA Contradictions · · Score: 2

    "And I realize the DMCA may be an unconstitutional law, but unfortunately the system is built to allow such laws to pass and requires that court cases be tried in order for the judicial branch to find otherwise. Generally laws are only subject to judicial review after such time as they have been enforced. If not, they should be, since issuing injunctions against the enforcement of laws until such time as they have undergone judicial review is in itself a subversion of the Constitution (as it essentially adds another layer to the veto process)."

    Of course, the oath of office for a congressperson requires him/her to 'support and defend the Constitution of the United States' and 'bear true faith and allegiance to the same'. One could argue that passing a bill which is known in advance to contain unconstitutional language is a violation of this oath.

    I know - politicans don't think that way. Or as Boss Tweed used to say, "an honest politican is one who stays bought". But it does bother me just a bit.

    sPh

  12. Re:Adobe and other corporations wat him let go. on Sklyarov Case Exposes DMCA Contradictions · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "Adobe no longer wants Sklyarov prosecuted. And I'm sure, neither does the MPAA or RIAA"

    This is more than a bit naive, I am afraid. Adobe is trying for the best of both worlds here: intimidating anyone who seeks to reverse-engineer their code, AND endear themselves to the anti-DMCA crowd as being "reasonable" and "open to negotiation". An iron bar wrapped in a happy-face marshmallow.

    Same with RIAA: if charges are dropped now, intimidation is successful without taking the risk of the law they purchased being overthrown.

    sPh

  13. Re:You work for a Government Contractor don't you? on Rise Of The 15-Year Olds, Part II · · Score: 1

    "You know, the kinds of companies that are subsidised by the taxpayers so that they don't actually have to compete against other faster moving companies?"

    Faster moving companies such as eToys, Webvan, and MetalSite perhaps?

    I am not unaware of your point, but it would have been more compelling a year ago. The company I described (which is not a government contractor BTW) has never been as profitable as Cisco (say) once was. Then again, it has never been as dis-profitable as the "fast moving" dot-coms, either, AND it is still in business.

    Perhaps you should think a bit about why all those "fast-moving competitors", staffed with 26 - 18 y.o.'s, failed the way they did?

    sPh

  14. Some reality, please... on Rise Of The 15-Year Olds, Part II · · Score: 5, Informative

    "Despite the widening cultural gap, I still think older people have some things to teach them."

    At a heavy industrial engineering firm where I once worked, we had a **7 year** development program. That is, we took new hires, age 21-24, who had already completed degrees from top engineering schools and had at least two summers of intern experience, and put them through intensive real-world OJT. At the end of that time, _some of them_ (some!) understood enough about customer requirements, interpersonnel relations, project management, and engineering to make significant contributions to the company.

    Along the same lines, I have seldom met a successful project or program manager under the age of 40. No matter how smart you are, or how much you "know", there is just too much that only experience can teach you.

    Example: unless you have been through the hope/pitch/buy/implement/disappointment/CLEANUP/re ality cycle of purchased software once or twice, you just don't know how the real world works. And that cycle takes 5 years for a big organization, not to mention the $100M or so that a 15 y.o. won't have.

    Nothing against kids (I was one once), but let's get back to reality.

    sPh

  15. I just can't resist... on The Rise Of The 15-Year-Olds · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "There can't be a better place on the Web to have this conversation than here."

    For those of us who were using computers before there were PC's, much less an Internet, the irony in this statement is just too rich to pass up...

    sPh

  16. Re:Journalistic integrity pays on LinuxToday Astroturfing Explained · · Score: 3, Informative

    Of course, a couple years ago Consumers Union had a bit of a problem where their Director of Purchasing was found, and prosecuted for, taking kickbacks from vendors. This is exactly the sort of corporate governence and conflict of interest problem that "Consumer Reports" claims should be fully reported, and which CR blasts corporations for regularly.

    So - where did we read about this little embaressment? In the Wall Street Journal, of course. To this day not a single word has been published about it in CR.

    Integrity is a great concept - for the other guy.

    sPh

  17. Re:Ahhhhhhhh! on The Death Of The Open Internet · · Score: 2

    "The best analogy to this is the highway system, especially in cities. The internet today is like the open road, whereas a tightly controlled network would be like the subway system. Most people prefer the open road, I know I do"

    So it might seem at first glance, but if you dig a little deeper (particularly back into the 1950's - 60's), you will find that the North American road network is pretty tightly controlled by the politicians, and the road builders and real estate developers who fund them. There may be freedom to use the roads, but where the roads go was decided upon by those who stood to reap the most profit, not by "greatest good for greatest number" or by those who used them at the time.

    sPh

  18. Re:This, Is Stupid. on The Death Of The Open Internet · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "its more like the Airlines getting together and asking for more business friendly laws of physics."

    Rather than the laws of physics, think of the practicalities of flying. The art and science of flying and the airways were developed by what today would be called "general aviation" flyers

    Over the last 20 years general aviation has been pushed to the margins of the airways, and at this moment the airlines are pumping various ATC privitization schemes which would essentially lock general aviation out of any airspace more crowded than Montana. "Thanks for the memories, but you are in the way of maximum profit".

    I am old enough to have actually seen the first "coming death of the Net" message on netnews. This time it may actually happen, I am afraid.

    sPh

  19. Ironic on Sony Sells Defective, Damaging CDs in Eastern Europe · · Score: 5

    Ironic since in the Supreme Court decision known as the "Betamax" case established the consumer's right to make copies for permitted use (in the USofA) and allowed the VCR market to develop. Sony was the party trying to establish the right to copy in that case. Now that they own the market....

    sPh

  20. Re:Why continue using Outlook? on Another Nasty Outlook Virus Strikes · · Score: 5

    >This isn't a problem with Outlook, it's a problem with idiot users clicking on every damn thing they're emailed.
    >>Furthermore, Outlook actually helps out the "idiot" users.

    There is a principle in the Toyota Production System that goes something like this: "If a worker makes a mistake once, it may be the workers fault. If a worker makes a mistake twice, it is the supervisors fault. If a worker makes a mistake three times, it is management's fault".

    Most human beings on the face of the earth are not technically minded and DO NOT WANT to understand the details of how the tools they use work. If every time Joe Homeowner flipped on a light switch there was a 1% chance of a nuclear power plant melting down, we wouldn't be using much electricity, now would we?

    While Microsoft is to blame for creating insecure tools (keeping in mind that larger market share means more attaraction for attackers), responses along the line of "stupid users don't understand how to use e-mail" are not acceptable, either.

    sPh

  21. Hope this isn't a put-up job... on EFF Gets Meeting With Adobe · · Score: 3

    The EFF is staffed by some pretty canny people, so I wouldn't think they would be fooled too easily. But this sounds like a sop being thrown out by Adobe to quiet things down until attention moves elsewhere, after which the process will start up again.

    sPh

  22. Re:Yeah, and? on IBM's Virtual Helpdesk For The Masses · · Score: 3

    "From the article, it sounds like this doesn't provide just an automated answer, but an automated fix. So instead of telling users how to add a printer, it will actually go in and configure the software on the users machine! In the future, they even plan on automating OS patches."

    Yeah, I can just see it now. A vistor from a remote office or small division shows up, plugs into the network, printing doesn't work, so he contacts this AI. The AI notes a problem and helpfully downloads all kinds of fixes for Microsoft-based printing, blowing away the carefully crafted Novell/Linux/other-OS printing system that IT has spent years tuning to perfection. Yep, that'll be the cat's pajamas.

    sPh

  23. Re:Copyrighted Laws on Publishers vs. Libraries, round 2 · · Score: 5

    It might be funny if it weren't happening today. Various municipalies in Texas have outsourced the drafting to technical laws (e.g. building codes) the 3rd parties, typically contractor's associations. These third parties have copyrighted their work, and claim that citizens must pay to make copies of the law. Although a copy is on file at City Hall, citizens are not allowed to make copies of the master document. Citizens of course _can_ be put in jail for violating that law.

    Peter Veeck (son of the late baseball maverick Bill Veeck) is fighting this through the courts at the moment.

    sPh

  24. Re:not another freeper?! on "Opt-Out" Of Financial Data Sharing · · Score: 2

    "Not really. You cannot own information, since it is not a tangible thing. Even normal ownership of physical things are just a social contract we mostly abide by. However, as a social construct I agree that corporations shouldn't share or sell information about their dealings with you"

    The problem being that the same entities which lobbied hardest for the DCMA are the ones which want to buy and sell information about you and me. So if they claim to own information, it is a bad thing to violate that claim and anyone not following rules must be prosecuted under the DMCA.

    But if I claim to own information about myself, that is also a bad thing, and I must not be allowed to place limitiation on the above organizations making use of it.

    Not sure I follow the logic there, toodles.

    sPh

  25. Re:What's wrong with this? on "Opt-Out" Of Financial Data Sharing · · Score: 2

    * You work in Los Angeles, and your employer's bank is in New York (or San Diego for that matter). Pretty long walk since you don't have a car.

    * If you establish a pattern of withdrawing cash or money orders on a regular basis, that will be classified as "suspicious activity", and you will be reported as with the single $10,000 transaction.

    Sorry.

    sPh