boycottxp.com probably fits the bill on what you're talking about.
Seriously, since when are you allowed to rewrite the Constitution with rules defined in your contract? Wouldn't this make the EULA void and null anyways since it circumvents you're Constitutional rights? IANAL so I really don't know the legal standings there, but I think people will be able to quickly realize sites like boycottxp.com are not backed by Microcrap.
Doesn't anyone realize that just like in the non-technical world, humans are the single leading cause of a security breach? It's not how powerful a lock, how many escape routes you have, or how much digitally encrypted info you have. If one person starts bragging about their passwords or security access levels in a bar one night, you might as well throw all the tech out the window.
The media should quit talking about script kiddies and address the real threats: social engineering. I guarantee you that after working for a couple years in a financial, customer care workplace where we were making outbound calls to resolve financial matters for our customers, it wasn't the phone that was the limiting factor on obtaining information, it was the person on the other end of the line. Probably 1 time out of 15 I can get a customer service rep to give me more than enough info on someone given certain little bits of data. With smaller companies, sometimes just the name, and a well-meaning rep will be all I need to get more info than I could possibly even want (once in a great while I actually had to cut people off while they dropped all kinds of info because I was too busy to write it all down!). That's not to say that I would ever think of trying to breach security for my own personal illegal use, because I expect others not to misuse my personal data either, but let's quit cracking down on the technical factors, and crack down on the degenerate human factor instead...
If you haven't already awakened to the fact that people are inherintly (sp?) evil in this world, not good, then you'll never understand how to 'take care of the problem of terrorism.' I'm sorry Jon, usually you have some interesting stuff to say, but I disagree with you on the needed extra security. I feel everyone in NY's pain, really I do, but I'm not giving up the freedom generations before me fought and died so hard for. Besides, I DO NOT value safety and security (which this world can NEVER fully offer to us) over the freedoms to act responsibly in my daily life. Besides, if you're afraid of dying in a horrific massacre perpetrated by a few evil people, you might want to rethink why you're afraid. I'm not afraid of such because of what I believe in (email me for more info if you want - and NO, I most certainly do not believe that Islam provides a 'peaceful' or 'civil' method of finding assurance in what happens after death).
Ok, point taken. I'm not opposed to increased on the spot security measures, but we should not be subjected to digital tracking of our every move, or the requirement that we be registered in some national database to buy, sell, eat, or sleep in this country, or the world for that matter. Besides, I highly doubt that the WTC and Pentagon tragedies could have been prevented at their time of execution. We should have had operatives keeping up to date on terrorists like Osama and his known cronies long before this. I've read elsewhere that our intelligence on radical Islam is pretty pathetic. We cannot begin to combat an enemy of society with additional security measures if we don't understand their methods first and foremost. I apologize for being somewhat flamebaitish earlier, as I think we are both for the same goal here, which is cutting out terrorism at its source.
We wouldn't be where we are today without what you describe as 'gift wrapping.' And you're right, it's not 1776 anymore, but it could very well devolve back to the time just prior to the Declaration of Independence if we're not vigilant about fighting for our freedoms. And yes, I could care less how badly you may want to 'talk it out' with Osama and all his cronies. Or how you would prefer a national ID card that tracks your every purchase and movement just to "be on the safe side." I'll still defend your right to do so because it means something to me to do so, even if you flippantly think freedom is something that's given by government, not earned by the people.
Re:Forget the rhetoric - adaption is natural
on
A New Kind of War
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· Score: 2
must learn from this event, and change and adapt to better evolve to a new reality. I would counter that not changing is the true threat.
Well then I would counter that 'not changing is the true threat' is only a threat to your security. The more secure you want to be without having to worry about such things yourself (i.e. - let the government own all the guns, the rights to protect you, etc.), the more freedoms you give away. This inherently gives way to abuse by the minority (government officials) who control such powers. Our forefathers knew this firsthand from the abuse the British government of the time inflicted on them and their families. I suggest you take another look at your American history to get an idea of WHY they wrote in the Bill of Rights all that they did.
Handing the president carte blanche in a moment of anger is exactly the mistake that led the United States into the Vietnam War.
I'm sorry, I completely agree that giving up any freedoms we have would be a very bad idea, but I take issue with the above statement from RMS. First, the Vietnam War was fought over an ideology, a non-direct threat of a 3rd world country, and one in which we had very little vested interest. Reporting from Vietnam that a US Navy ship was deliberately attacked (when it was a fishing vessel that got too close to the ship and that was it), which was yellow journalism at its best, is far different
than watching in horror as your countrymen are dying, buildings are falling, and your capital of your country is being attacked.
Everyone needs to quit being such pantywaists and realize what happened on 9/11/01 - OUR COUNTRY WAS ATTACKED on its own soil! Let's quit talking about this shit and go do something already. Not fighting to keep your freedoms when they're attacked is just as bad as voting to do away with some of them! Osama, the Taliban, and plenty of islamic fundamentalists hate the US way of life - life, liberty, free speech, and the right to believe whatever you want to believe. Islamic terrorists believe its their Allah appointed duty to annhilate their enemies, and do so while lying about what they're actually doing (i.e. - no one is claiming responsibility for this attack). Talking and hoping and giving them stuff has failed. It's time to punish the evil with consequences for evil acts, no matter the casualties.
Wouldn't you do everything in your power to keep an evil doer from raping your wife after they have so completely infiltrated your everyday life that there's no stopping their evil actions?
My only question is why not have a down syndrome baby?
Because apparently, it's inconvenient and stressful to have give birth and raise a child with less than 50% of the mental capabilities of a healthy child. Gee, that must just suck that you're so inconvenienced. I guess those 'terminated' pregancies (i.e. - dead babies) will just have to join their wrongfully killed brethren from the WTC's too. Sometimes this world's hypocrisy makes me sick. Instead of this story being upbeat about how many babies were born WITHOUT Downs Syndrome, it's a story about how many false results resulted in inaccurate 'terminations.'
OK, yes, your more detailed description of Fahrenheit 451 is correct as I remember now too, however, it does not change my point. While we must remain vigilant and keep our personal freedoms, less we DO become a police state, these psuedo Islamic state governments like the Taliban, have publicly made terrorist threats, have held prisoners for the mere acts of speaking out against their militant, fundamentalist Islamic beliefs, and have destroyed historical relics of other religions simply because they did not conform to their own views.
Now if someone is preaching Nazism in America, or advocating "killing all the n***ers" (pardon the mention of that awful word), or advocating abortion, I may absolutely detest what they're saying, but I MUST put up with it. However, when they act upon such things, and force those not in compliance with their beliefs to do the same, or worse yet - kill them for their lack of belief, then we have a problem. Timothy McVeigh was partially linked to the OKC bombing because of his involvement in such radical organizations. It is now time, despite how awful it will be, to take retribution on those countries that willfully partake in letting terrorists ACT upon their beliefs.
A key here is that we not give up ANY of our civil liberties, otherwise the terrorists win, regardless of how completely we wipe them from the face of the earth.
How hard can it possibly be to not associate Bin Ladan, Sadam Hussein, or even Arafat, with the (at the bare minimum) inability to ask for help in ridding terrorism from their organizations and/or countries? It's documented and recorded that they all have been pleased with it, even though they outwardly usually condemn it or do not take responsibility for it.
And Fahrenheit 451 is about people who live in a dictatorial police state already, not America.
Now is the time to forget about missle defense. Even if it worked, it wouldn't have been use yesterday and won't ever be for these kinds of attacks. We need to take that money and put it into stuff that we know works: neutron bombs, Tomahawk missles and Intell.
I agree fully. I was, and still am, for a national missile shield, but that is definitely a 'nice to have' in this time of need-to-have. And right now, the USA, and the world, need to have retribution for all those who thought that even threatening terrorist action against the USA was a good plan of attack.
I don't really care what the differences between you and I are at this point, it's just time to stand up together and tell the little boys of the world crying: "Wolf!" that it's time to stop. And the only message that's going to make sense at this point, is a message of force: swift and devestating. God bless you brother (or sister - whichever it is;) ).
As others have already said, you're way out of line here.
Terrorists have been crying wolf for far too long now. Any country that turns its face away from the fact that they have known terrorists operating from their country, and don't ask for help from the USA now, should not expect any of their citizens to be safe from the wrath and coming justice of the US of A. I don't care what their religion is, or who in America believes that killing innocents to 'make a point' of our decadence is right. If you're going to cry wolf and try to distribute your FUD, you'd better be able to back it up with force and boldy stand in the light by your assumptions, instead of cower in the shadows, denying all involvement. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: "It's time to kick some ass."
No, Jon, it's actually quite easy. I'm thinking of the thousands of people who lost their lives today at the hands of heartless terrorists. I don't think about technology, and I can't believe that you could. I thought you were just an idiot before, but you're not just brainless, you're heartless.
Wow, I'm glad to see that you and all the other slashbots have learned so well from this tragedy. What better way to say, I am evil, than to return a hateful comment to an innocent person who wanted to express his heartfelt sorrow and insight into another hateful event. Good work.
If Karma on Slashdot actually means more to you (by slamming yet another Katz article), than the feelings of someone who has quite possibly lost a friend or two on this terrible day of destruction, then you are truly, one of the most dispicable persons on this planet right now.
Jon Katz, I apologize for all the damn trolls, flamebaits, and other jerks using slashdot without a shred of decency for your heartfelt sorrow for today's events. As an American, a born-again Christian, and a caring human, I'll also say a prayer for you and your friends today. It certainly hurts us all right now, and I can't begin to imagine what losing a friend to this mess must feel like. My heart goes out to you.
Well, in order to actually beat Japan soundly, win the war, and stop the Pacific bickering over land issues, it was estimated it would take over 200,000 US soldiers (mostly under the age of 25) to take Japan by conventional methods. Dropping two nukes (it would have only been one if their leader hadn't been so stubborn) was more humane. Besides, the leaders of a country are directly responsible for the citizens in their charge, to God and to humanity, so when citizens die from moronic decisions (like reducing our defense budget - thanks, Clinton!), then yes, we will reap the consequences in the here and now. But guess who gets to bear the burden of 125,000 dead in Japan forevermore? The Japanese leader at the time does.
A mindless peurile lashing out is *exactly* what terrorists want.
A small time terrorist group maybe, but this was HUGE! When it shuts down practically the entire world's travel and economy plans, it's time to go about kicking some ass. That's the reason we kicked Japan's ass in WWII, that's why we'll kick ass this time too. Now, if only we knew exactly who did it, that would help. I say for now, we go about first kicking Osama's ass, then Arafat's ass, for promoting a society that celebrates at the destruction and death of innocent lives. And Sadam and his Islamic fundamentalist cronies whined about us ACCIDENTALLY bombing their civilians. What an ass.
Are you kidding? I'm not saying that they don't have one huge hill to climb here, but here's my take on the whole OS market right now:
1. I am thinking of starting a custom computer building shop, partly just so I can have my own company, partly to help make some close friends make the right decisions when purchasing new PC hardware and software. After looking online, it is quite apparent that after a monitor, the Windows OS would be the next most expensive component of a custom built computer (not one built by Dell, Gateway or any Windows reseller, mind you).
2. I could put Linux or any other free OS on the system, but most everyone I know with money to drop on a custom built system by yours truly, also doesn't want a new OS to try and learn. They want good old Windows familiarity, and the ability to play games and media software that works on their current system.
3. An alternative Windows OS that may not have all the media bells and whistles of Win2k or WinXP would be great! Not only could I make sure to only install the freeware and OSS apps that my friend's would need (stuff like WinAmp, free email clients, ZoneAlarm, etc), but I also wouldn't have to charge them $200+ for the OS just because I was a small time computer builder.
So yes, I think this OS has promise, just make sure it's fully compatible with today's media that's built for MS Windows.
Why would business need guns when it can manipulate governments into using guns for them? It's not like this doesn't happen already (and hasn't been happening for at least decades).
I agree. Cases in point:
1. Yellow journalism in the Spanish/American War (IIRC). Journalist wrote some FUD about Cuba or someone down there blowing up an American battleship, when really it was American's mishandling munitions that caused an explosion aboard ship. Because of American sentiment at the time, readership of that particular newspaper increased due to the bad journalism, and got America involved in a limited war.
2. Gulf War - America was protecting it's oil interests in the Middle East primarily. Granted, Sadam is a psycho, but we were down there to mainly keep oil cheap for the oil companies, not because of any direct threat to America's national security, hence the reason for not removing Sadam from power like we should have done in the first place.
3. I'm sure there are other examples...
A friend was telling me a story similar to this last night. He's also a long time computer geek, and apparently, back about 5 years ago, his friend (who was a very good chess player) asked him to play a game via email with him. He just plugged all the moves into his Chessmaster game and emailed them back. Beat the guy in like 10 moves or something ridiculous! The guy, thinking he was playing a grand master champion, offered my friend a job and wanted to play him more! Needless to say, my friend turned down the job gracefully, seeing that his 'joke' wouldn't be so funny if the guy found out. Haha! They should have put that foot icon on this board because this was funny, not fact.;)
Re:So I will drive with my windows open, NEXT
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Remote Breathalyzer
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· Score: 1
I wasn't saying that you wouldn't be able to drive your car without one... If you feel like yanking it out, fine, I say don't make laws prohibiting it. I guess mandatory was a bad word to use. Better to say: default install, but you can even request a car without one. OK, fine, so make it an optional feature.
Oh wait... if we do that then we should make all drugs illegal, because not everyone uses them irresponsibly, right? See, there's gotta be a medium that we all agree on, or else things dive into mass anarchy, where no one is in charge and everyone does whatever the hell they want to, or the flip side: totalitarian big-brother dictatorship. Don't fly off the handle so fast, dude. I was just argueing FOR implementing a safety device for once. I don't like big brother either, but you can't seriously believe that police and those in authority are ALWAYS out to get you can you?
It is our [the lawfirm in the article] view
that Fahrenheit and Music City do not disclose the privacy intrusion and other
limitations with specificity on the CD container since it would likely hurt
sales.
Wow, who would've thunk it?! Copyright control and protection mechanisms might hurt sales? While completely unrevolutionary to anyone who has actually USED Napster or other file sharing P2P networks, I'm sure this will just be an extraordinary revolution to Hillary Rosen and her cronies. Don't want to screw yourselves out of a bunch of extra profits? - just screw the customer out of their legally provided rights...
I got a chance to skim the article b4 the slashbanging occurred.
Yes, as stated in the article, the major obstacle was apparently the image recognition, as the creator of this marvelous work had to optimize some Logitech code used for the optical probe he was using (can't remember it's name). He also stated that because it was pretty error prone, he had to throw in code to allow the user to tweak the color values and/or confirm the colors that the probe picked up. He did use an already developed algorithm and code that he found online for solving the cube.
He also had to lube up the Rubik's cube so that the Lego's could manipulate it easily enough. Still, I find this kind of dedication to robotics and simple plastic bricks quite astounding! With this guys' skills, maybe he should build a Battlebot to manipulate the hell out of Son of Wayachi...
Re:So I will drive with my windows open, NEXT
on
Remote Breathalyzer
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· Score: 2
Human life is the important thing here. It should be mandatory that all cars have these devices once they've been tested to be highly reliable, and not sending out 'false positives' on aftershave, etc. It would give police a much needed weapon in nabbing drunk drivers, which unfortunately help make driving a car more dangerous than flying in an airplane.
However, it should also be mandatory that the officer doing the pulling over of suspected drunk drivers observe actual swerving, excessive speed, etc. to actually pull you over, because like everyone has said - designated driver. 3 Highly intoxicated friends could still probably trip this thing off, even with today's sophisticated 'localized climate control' systems.
This is not a privacy thing. If you're driving drunk you're not 'robbing' a company of excess profits, you're not pissing someone off because you stole their images online; you're increasing your inability to avoid killing people. While I'm sure the police will occassionally abuse it, and piss people off, if it saves thousands of lives each year, I think it's justified. Just make sure to put enough restrictions in place on those 'controlling' the device so that those in power will be much less likely to try and abuse it.
Slashdot Mirror
Seriously, since when are you allowed to rewrite the Constitution with rules defined in your contract? Wouldn't this make the EULA void and null anyways since it circumvents you're Constitutional rights? IANAL so I really don't know the legal standings there, but I think people will be able to quickly realize sites like boycottxp.com are not backed by Microcrap.
The media should quit talking about script kiddies and address the real threats: social engineering. I guarantee you that after working for a couple years in a financial, customer care workplace where we were making outbound calls to resolve financial matters for our customers, it wasn't the phone that was the limiting factor on obtaining information, it was the person on the other end of the line. Probably 1 time out of 15 I can get a customer service rep to give me more than enough info on someone given certain little bits of data. With smaller companies, sometimes just the name, and a well-meaning rep will be all I need to get more info than I could possibly even want (once in a great while I actually had to cut people off while they dropped all kinds of info because I was too busy to write it all down!). That's not to say that I would ever think of trying to breach security for my own personal illegal use, because I expect others not to misuse my personal data either, but let's quit cracking down on the technical factors, and crack down on the degenerate human factor instead...
If you haven't already awakened to the fact that people are inherintly (sp?) evil in this world, not good, then you'll never understand how to 'take care of the problem of terrorism.' I'm sorry Jon, usually you have some interesting stuff to say, but I disagree with you on the needed extra security. I feel everyone in NY's pain, really I do, but I'm not giving up the freedom generations before me fought and died so hard for. Besides, I DO NOT value safety and security (which this world can NEVER fully offer to us) over the freedoms to act responsibly in my daily life. Besides, if you're afraid of dying in a horrific massacre perpetrated by a few evil people, you might want to rethink why you're afraid. I'm not afraid of such because of what I believe in (email me for more info if you want - and NO, I most certainly do not believe that Islam provides a 'peaceful' or 'civil' method of finding assurance in what happens after death).
Ok, point taken. I'm not opposed to increased on the spot security measures, but we should not be subjected to digital tracking of our every move, or the requirement that we be registered in some national database to buy, sell, eat, or sleep in this country, or the world for that matter. Besides, I highly doubt that the WTC and Pentagon tragedies could have been prevented at their time of execution. We should have had operatives keeping up to date on terrorists like Osama and his known cronies long before this. I've read elsewhere that our intelligence on radical Islam is pretty pathetic. We cannot begin to combat an enemy of society with additional security measures if we don't understand their methods first and foremost. I apologize for being somewhat flamebaitish earlier, as I think we are both for the same goal here, which is cutting out terrorism at its source.
I'm still waiting for the ever popular tomacco to hit the market. Dang FDA approval process. So what if it tastes like Grandma?!
We wouldn't be where we are today without what you describe as 'gift wrapping.' And you're right, it's not 1776 anymore, but it could very well devolve back to the time just prior to the Declaration of Independence if we're not vigilant about fighting for our freedoms. And yes, I could care less how badly you may want to 'talk it out' with Osama and all his cronies. Or how you would prefer a national ID card that tracks your every purchase and movement just to "be on the safe side." I'll still defend your right to do so because it means something to me to do so, even if you flippantly think freedom is something that's given by government, not earned by the people.
Well then I would counter that 'not changing is the true threat' is only a threat to your security. The more secure you want to be without having to worry about such things yourself (i.e. - let the government own all the guns, the rights to protect you, etc.), the more freedoms you give away. This inherently gives way to abuse by the minority (government officials) who control such powers. Our forefathers knew this firsthand from the abuse the British government of the time inflicted on them and their families. I suggest you take another look at your American history to get an idea of WHY they wrote in the Bill of Rights all that they did.
I'm sorry, I completely agree that giving up any freedoms we have would be a very bad idea, but I take issue with the above statement from RMS. First, the Vietnam War was fought over an ideology, a non-direct threat of a 3rd world country, and one in which we had very little vested interest. Reporting from Vietnam that a US Navy ship was deliberately attacked (when it was a fishing vessel that got too close to the ship and that was it), which was yellow journalism at its best, is far different than watching in horror as your countrymen are dying, buildings are falling, and your capital of your country is being attacked.
Everyone needs to quit being such pantywaists and realize what happened on 9/11/01 - OUR COUNTRY WAS ATTACKED on its own soil! Let's quit talking about this shit and go do something already. Not fighting to keep your freedoms when they're attacked is just as bad as voting to do away with some of them! Osama, the Taliban, and plenty of islamic fundamentalists hate the US way of life - life, liberty, free speech, and the right to believe whatever you want to believe. Islamic terrorists believe its their Allah appointed duty to annhilate their enemies, and do so while lying about what they're actually doing (i.e. - no one is claiming responsibility for this attack). Talking and hoping and giving them stuff has failed. It's time to punish the evil with consequences for evil acts, no matter the casualties.
Wouldn't you do everything in your power to keep an evil doer from raping your wife after they have so completely infiltrated your everyday life that there's no stopping their evil actions?
Then quit buying new phones! The Walkie-Talkie's and 30lb backpack power supplies of yesteryear weren't bad at all. You kids these days... Sheesh!
Who decides the definition of 'horrible'? You? Those Down Syndrome kids certainly didn't get a choice...
Because apparently, it's inconvenient and stressful to have give birth and raise a child with less than 50% of the mental capabilities of a healthy child. Gee, that must just suck that you're so inconvenienced. I guess those 'terminated' pregancies (i.e. - dead babies) will just have to join their wrongfully killed brethren from the WTC's too. Sometimes this world's hypocrisy makes me sick. Instead of this story being upbeat about how many babies were born WITHOUT Downs Syndrome, it's a story about how many false results resulted in inaccurate 'terminations.'
Now if someone is preaching Nazism in America, or advocating "killing all the n***ers" (pardon the mention of that awful word), or advocating abortion, I may absolutely detest what they're saying, but I MUST put up with it. However, when they act upon such things, and force those not in compliance with their beliefs to do the same, or worse yet - kill them for their lack of belief, then we have a problem. Timothy McVeigh was partially linked to the OKC bombing because of his involvement in such radical organizations. It is now time, despite how awful it will be, to take retribution on those countries that willfully partake in letting terrorists ACT upon their beliefs.
A key here is that we not give up ANY of our civil liberties, otherwise the terrorists win, regardless of how completely we wipe them from the face of the earth.
And Fahrenheit 451 is about people who live in a dictatorial police state already, not America.
I agree fully. I was, and still am, for a national missile shield, but that is definitely a 'nice to have' in this time of need-to-have. And right now, the USA, and the world, need to have retribution for all those who thought that even threatening terrorist action against the USA was a good plan of attack.
I don't really care what the differences between you and I are at this point, it's just time to stand up together and tell the little boys of the world crying: "Wolf!" that it's time to stop. And the only message that's going to make sense at this point, is a message of force: swift and devestating. God bless you brother (or sister - whichever it is ;) ).
Terrorists have been crying wolf for far too long now. Any country that turns its face away from the fact that they have known terrorists operating from their country, and don't ask for help from the USA now, should not expect any of their citizens to be safe from the wrath and coming justice of the US of A. I don't care what their religion is, or who in America believes that killing innocents to 'make a point' of our decadence is right. If you're going to cry wolf and try to distribute your FUD, you'd better be able to back it up with force and boldy stand in the light by your assumptions, instead of cower in the shadows, denying all involvement. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: "It's time to kick some ass."
Wow, I'm glad to see that you and all the other slashbots have learned so well from this tragedy. What better way to say, I am evil, than to return a hateful comment to an innocent person who wanted to express his heartfelt sorrow and insight into another hateful event. Good work.
If Karma on Slashdot actually means more to you (by slamming yet another Katz article), than the feelings of someone who has quite possibly lost a friend or two on this terrible day of destruction, then you are truly, one of the most dispicable persons on this planet right now.
Jon Katz, I apologize for all the damn trolls, flamebaits, and other jerks using slashdot without a shred of decency for your heartfelt sorrow for today's events. As an American, a born-again Christian, and a caring human, I'll also say a prayer for you and your friends today. It certainly hurts us all right now, and I can't begin to imagine what losing a friend to this mess must feel like. My heart goes out to you.
Well, in order to actually beat Japan soundly, win the war, and stop the Pacific bickering over land issues, it was estimated it would take over 200,000 US soldiers (mostly under the age of 25) to take Japan by conventional methods. Dropping two nukes (it would have only been one if their leader hadn't been so stubborn) was more humane. Besides, the leaders of a country are directly responsible for the citizens in their charge, to God and to humanity, so when citizens die from moronic decisions (like reducing our defense budget - thanks, Clinton!), then yes, we will reap the consequences in the here and now. But guess who gets to bear the burden of 125,000 dead in Japan forevermore? The Japanese leader at the time does.
A small time terrorist group maybe, but this was HUGE! When it shuts down practically the entire world's travel and economy plans, it's time to go about kicking some ass. That's the reason we kicked Japan's ass in WWII, that's why we'll kick ass this time too. Now, if only we knew exactly who did it, that would help. I say for now, we go about first kicking Osama's ass, then Arafat's ass, for promoting a society that celebrates at the destruction and death of innocent lives. And Sadam and his Islamic fundamentalist cronies whined about us ACCIDENTALLY bombing their civilians. What an ass.
1. I am thinking of starting a custom computer building shop, partly just so I can have my own company, partly to help make some close friends make the right decisions when purchasing new PC hardware and software. After looking online, it is quite apparent that after a monitor, the Windows OS would be the next most expensive component of a custom built computer (not one built by Dell, Gateway or any Windows reseller, mind you).
2. I could put Linux or any other free OS on the system, but most everyone I know with money to drop on a custom built system by yours truly, also doesn't want a new OS to try and learn. They want good old Windows familiarity, and the ability to play games and media software that works on their current system.
3. An alternative Windows OS that may not have all the media bells and whistles of Win2k or WinXP would be great! Not only could I make sure to only install the freeware and OSS apps that my friend's would need (stuff like WinAmp, free email clients, ZoneAlarm, etc), but I also wouldn't have to charge them $200+ for the OS just because I was a small time computer builder.
So yes, I think this OS has promise, just make sure it's fully compatible with today's media that's built for MS Windows.
I agree. Cases in point:
1. Yellow journalism in the Spanish/American War (IIRC). Journalist wrote some FUD about Cuba or someone down there blowing up an American battleship, when really it was American's mishandling munitions that caused an explosion aboard ship. Because of American sentiment at the time, readership of that particular newspaper increased due to the bad journalism, and got America involved in a limited war.
2. Gulf War - America was protecting it's oil interests in the Middle East primarily. Granted, Sadam is a psycho, but we were down there to mainly keep oil cheap for the oil companies, not because of any direct threat to America's national security, hence the reason for not removing Sadam from power like we should have done in the first place.
3. I'm sure there are other examples...
A friend was telling me a story similar to this last night. He's also a long time computer geek, and apparently, back about 5 years ago, his friend (who was a very good chess player) asked him to play a game via email with him. He just plugged all the moves into his Chessmaster game and emailed them back. Beat the guy in like 10 moves or something ridiculous! The guy, thinking he was playing a grand master champion, offered my friend a job and wanted to play him more! Needless to say, my friend turned down the job gracefully, seeing that his 'joke' wouldn't be so funny if the guy found out. Haha! They should have put that foot icon on this board because this was funny, not fact. ;)
Oh wait... if we do that then we should make all drugs illegal, because not everyone uses them irresponsibly, right? See, there's gotta be a medium that we all agree on, or else things dive into mass anarchy, where no one is in charge and everyone does whatever the hell they want to, or the flip side: totalitarian big-brother dictatorship. Don't fly off the handle so fast, dude. I was just argueing FOR implementing a safety device for once. I don't like big brother either, but you can't seriously believe that police and those in authority are ALWAYS out to get you can you?
Wow, who would've thunk it?! Copyright control and protection mechanisms might hurt sales? While completely unrevolutionary to anyone who has actually USED Napster or other file sharing P2P networks, I'm sure this will just be an extraordinary revolution to Hillary Rosen and her cronies. Don't want to screw yourselves out of a bunch of extra profits? - just screw the customer out of their legally provided rights...
Yes, as stated in the article, the major obstacle was apparently the image recognition, as the creator of this marvelous work had to optimize some Logitech code used for the optical probe he was using (can't remember it's name). He also stated that because it was pretty error prone, he had to throw in code to allow the user to tweak the color values and/or confirm the colors that the probe picked up. He did use an already developed algorithm and code that he found online for solving the cube.
He also had to lube up the Rubik's cube so that the Lego's could manipulate it easily enough. Still, I find this kind of dedication to robotics and simple plastic bricks quite astounding! With this guys' skills, maybe he should build a Battlebot to manipulate the hell out of Son of Wayachi...
However, it should also be mandatory that the officer doing the pulling over of suspected drunk drivers observe actual swerving, excessive speed, etc. to actually pull you over, because like everyone has said - designated driver. 3 Highly intoxicated friends could still probably trip this thing off, even with today's sophisticated 'localized climate control' systems.
This is not a privacy thing. If you're driving drunk you're not 'robbing' a company of excess profits, you're not pissing someone off because you stole their images online; you're increasing your inability to avoid killing people. While I'm sure the police will occassionally abuse it, and piss people off, if it saves thousands of lives each year, I think it's justified. Just make sure to put enough restrictions in place on those 'controlling' the device so that those in power will be much less likely to try and abuse it.