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User: mulhall

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Comments · 101

  1. Where's the HowTo? on Students Take Pictures From Space On $150 Budget · · Score: 1

    Mostly joking, but have these kids put their project online? I'd love for my kids to get this kind of project going at their school.

  2. Re:Economic benefit vs economic waste on The "Copyright Black Hole" Swallowing Our Culture · · Score: 1

    "By what means would authors and songwriters make money if copyright ceased on exist, or even was much more limited?"

    Did authors and songwriters exist during the Renaissance?

    All discussion and arguments around this issue assumes that the status quo is good, has always been good and would continue to be good if not for those darn pesky kids on the internet.

  3. Re:Here's your warning: on London Lawyers Demand £600 For One Game · · Score: 1

    The parent is quite right.

    There is so much wrong here it's untrue. This is essentially a threat, unknown evidence (that most recipients wouldn't even understand) that you are liable for something you didn't do. And the implied threat that denying it will cost you a good deal more than £600.

    I don't see how ISPs can provide irrefutable "forensic" evidence in any case.

  4. Firing Squad on What Should We Do About Security Ethics? · · Score: 1

    Unfortunately we can't have them summarily shot, but the next best thing is to have one or two of the worst offenders in a given area marched out of the building.

    Softly, softly goes only so far, and when there are legal and regulatory requirements turning a blind eye should not be an option.

    Ensure your contracts of employment specifically support your security policy.

  5. Other grains... on Schoolboy Corrects NASA's Math On Killer Asteroid · · Score: 1

    So all these calculations assume Apophis has no other impacts, whatsoever, of any kind, of any size, in the seven years it's wandering around lining up with the Atlantic?

  6. Lawyers on South Park To Be Available Online Free and Legal · · Score: 1

    Like we didn't hate them enough already, they came up with "intellectual property". Can't we just set fire to them all?

  7. I don't care... on Microsoft Singularity Now "Open" Source · · Score: 1

    ...if you dismiss me as a grammar nazi.

    "Doesn't quality"

    Doesn't qualify

    "They are trying to confuse the market into a non-understanding of what open source means."

    They are trying to confuse the market into misunderstanding what open source means. ...and so on.

    Your post was good, great points, a valuable contribution, but reading it made me feel like my brain was being whipped with a spatula.

  8. Re:Logical reasoned debating skills on Correcting Misperceptions About Evolution · · Score: 1

    ...And there I was wondering why nobody invites me to the pub anymore, thinking it might be the Grateful Dead T-Shirt I wear to board meetings.

    Apply plan B: Shout louder than they do. :p

  9. Logical reasoned debating skills on Correcting Misperceptions About Evolution · · Score: 1

    The problem is not evolutionary theory or his understanding of it.

    People everywhere need to be educated in the various logical fallacies that they apply in everyday conversations, let alone debating theories and the nature of life.

    Wikipedias entries on logical fallacies is a good starting point.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logical_fallacy

    Recognise when people throw up strawmen, apply the fallacy of the consequent, or simply commit ad hominem attacks and you can soon break down their arguement and get to the root cause of their misconceptions.

    It's not easy, but it's the only way....other than shouting loudest.

  10. MisCONceptions on Correcting Misperceptions About Evolution · · Score: 1

    "Misperceptions"

    Give up now, you've already lost.

  11. The difference between t-shirts and jeans... on Gaffes That Keep IT Geeks From the Boardroom · · Score: 1

    If you get turned away from local drinking establishments due to your lack of dress sense, what makes you think it's good enough for work at all, let alone a boardroom..?

  12. New != Two years old on Microsoft's "Source Fource" Action Figures · · Score: 1

    Source Fource is from 2006, FFS.

  13. Re:Tough project on Best Practices For Process Documentation? · · Score: 1

    Your seing a catch where there isn't one;

    Where people refuse or simply do not document processes, come hard times and looking for redundancies, the guys who aren't tied to any processes are seen as unecessary...i.e. redundant.

    Documenting processes isn't about providing an idiots guide to anything and everything, it's about making sure your departments are open and diligent about how they work.

  14. Assumption of rights on The Pirate Bay Tops 10 Million Users · · Score: 1

    "...you don't have any inherent right to watch movies"

    Quite true but there is similarly no inherent right to remuneration for the artists/industry either.

    Because society has recently created a movie industry does not mean that the industry has any right to exist, or that the products should be paid for - it's entirely substantiated on the weak premise that "hey we can sell copies of this stuff!".

    Simply put when you decide to base an industry on a product that is *childsplay* to duplicate for *free*, you either accept that a certain number of people *will* duplicate for free or you fuck off and do something less stupid.

    Will the world end if you can't run a multi-billion dollar industry on selling DVDs?

    I hate you guys, really I do.

  15. "abnormally strong response " on NASA Vets & Administration Clash Over Moon Plans · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Not unusually strong but "abnormally strong"?

    One can only imagine Michael Griffin gurning, blood vessels popping, perhaps some sort of fit...has someone got the utube clip?

  16. Advice: I've been around the world on Gadgets You Backpack Around the World With? · · Score: 1

    Advice is worth exactly what it cost you, so IF YOU INTEND TO DRINK AT ALL, here's mine as someone who's backpacked around the world and had a tipple or two.

    Before you leave home:

    1) Take a backup of all the data
    2) Locate a large hammer and smash the MacBook to pieces
    3) Scatter the pieces at a nearby bus or train station

    Now set off on your journey and enjoy it!

    In three easy steps you have achieved the same end, and without any of the hassle of heaving a laptop around with you. :)

  17. Publish all votes on Man's Vote for Himself Missing In E-Vote Count · · Score: 1

    Sure you sacrifice anonymity, but you gain accuracy and accountability.

    Anyone got a set of scales..?

  18. Status Quo not imperative... on The De-Evolution of the Ocean · · Score: 1

    ...but desirable.

    And I don't mean the aged rock band.

    Aside from the implicit assumption that evolution has a direction, the article is misguided in the assumption that the current state of the planet is either supposed to be the way it is now, or will remain in any state permanently.

    The world changes.

  19. Failing on The Failure of Information Security · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "We as security professional are drastically failing ourselves, our community and the people we are meant to protect"

    BS

    You cannot solve cultural problems with technology:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3639679.stm

  20. Getting in is easy... on Spafford On Security Myths and Passwords · · Score: 1

    ...what you can do once your in is where security comes in.

    We've seen time and time again peoples opinions on enforcing password strength, but we all know that you can get someones password with a chocolate bar and a clip-board (http://www.out-law.com/page-4469)

    The next part is what we have to concentrate on; make sure that your permissions adhere to the principle of least privilege.

    Think of the firewall Deny All rule apply it to your users and grant only the permissions they actually need.

  21. Re:Windows Live Supports Firefox on Windows Live Goes to College · · Score: 1

    "I invited my non-tech friend to Gmail, and she used it as a second email account for a while. After trying out Windows Live Mail, she switched to Gmail on her main account, not liking the direction Hotmail was going."

    This is exactly what I put on my feedback form when I opted out of Live Mail. It's basically an advertising page with a little bit or webmail thrown in as an afterthought. Whatever they do now it's clear what they want to achieve so I'm off to GMail.

    If gmail shift to enforce advertising, I'll run my own web server.

  22. Short term Fission, Long term Fusion? on Environmentalists Coming Around to Nuclear Power? · · Score: 1

    As we're discussing long term solutions, should we bring fusion into the mix?

    ITER (and the other tokamak projects) are talking about producing commercial power in the near term, and should at least solve the problem of waste...even if there are other issues.

    http://www.iter.org/ (Check out the cheesy front page)

  23. Majority rule on UK MPs Approve Compulsory ID Cards · · Score: 1

    You misunderstand, most of us *want* the police to brutalise hunt supporters - that's democracy for you!

  24. Enforcing on British PC Tax to Replace TV License? · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Nobody seems to hae mentioned the TV licesing authorities preferred method of collecting fees - fear.

    Every year they produce a new set of 'we know where you live' 'we're going to get you' adverts, and nobody thinks there's anything wrong with this! They'll be doing the same if this applies to PCs.

    On top of it all they don't use superspy, anti-terrorism, hacker, magical equipment it's much, much simpler.

    1 Take a list of all the addresses in the UK
    2 Take a list of all address which *are* paying fees
    3 Subtract List 2 from List 1
    4 Harass all the remaining addresses

  25. No on Would You Take A Paycut for More Interesting Work? · · Score: 1

    Unless you are already rich, the answer is always 'no'.