An administration official said the shuttle's altitude -- over 200,000 feet -- made it "highly unlikely" that the shuttle fell victim to a terrorist act.
I am so unbelievably pissed that they made that comment. Can they think of nothing else?
Forgive the obvious question...
on
Superbowl XXXVII
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
But what in the world is this doing on Slashdot? This is "News for Nerds," folks. I see more than enough Super Bowl coverage on CNN, MSNBC, and all the other commercial news sites.
Last I checked, the flashing of a BIOS ROM chip required more than 'two' points to connect to. I have the CMOS diagram for the Xbox right in front of me: there are 2 different BIOS chips on the platform. One of them runs the core PC-base BIOS for the Windows 2000 kernel, etc. The other is a BIOS and IO controller for the video encoding subsystem.
Do you have the Xbox Software Development Kit CD's? It clearly states in the 1st chapter of the SDK manual (2nd paragraph actually). Here it is:
"Microsoft may periodically release IO and BIOS controller updates for the Xbox that you will need to apply to your development packages as well to obtain the latest functionality. BIOS upgrades to the Xbox are done through Dashboard updates and are quite safe compared to those done on a PC where interruption is not a tolerated fault. Only Microsoft may issue a BIOS patch for security reasons. The patch is digitally signed with 12 signatures and uses 2048-bit RC5 encryption. More details on the updates themselves and how they are secured can be found in Chapter 38 of Xhandbook #4."
How do you get people enthused about the actual process of science - coming up with hypotheses, figuring out how to test them, analysing the results, and so on?
You don't.
Those well-suited to such work usually discover it for themselves.
Nearly every product on this planet comes with a Terms of Use agreement. This specifically states what you can and cannot do with the product. While it may sound like a total invasion of privacy or restriction on freedom, it is something that is required for the better of all of us. For example, the first thing that pops into my head is the Terms of Use statements on pool chemicals. They tell me that I cannot use the product in conflict with its label. Good idea! They are just protecting their buns the best they can. One of the chemicals I use in my pool in Chi Town is called "Ultra Shock". Hmm... sounds like something you could conceivably convince someone was a drug that randomly sends eletrical impulses to neurons on the brain and causes you to spasm uncontrollably. While you might love this idea, its not practical and definitely not safe and legal. hehe
So... given that you know products have terms agreements, what makes Xbox any different? I would defend Sony or any other company with the same vigor with which I defend Microsoft. Their product is not to be illegally modified. These mod chips void people's warranties as well as totally fuck with the system. They break more systems than they add capabilities to by far. You should see the soldering diagram that is required on some of these motherfuckers, I have trouble understanding them and I'm an electronics expert!
They break tons of boxes, cause Microsoft havoc in support, cost the consumer money, cost Microsoft game sales, and overall are a detriment to the industry. It does nobody any good to have these things out there. Even though Microsoft has tons of money, they have a right to make money on their product damnit! Why doesn't anyone seem to understand that? Where the fuck does this attitude come from that just because a company happens to be fiscally healthy it should stop running a for-profit business. Sorry people... you don't just go pro-bono when you feel you've made enough. Morons who don't understand business, simple as that.
People should NOT be allowed to market modifications like this. Microsoft per the terms of use agreement must approve the add-ons that are made for the system. This is a fucking good idea! Its one of the things that Microsoft gets that the Linux morons don't seem to. Standardize and centralize you fuckin' idiots!!! What??? Microsoft actually ***know*** whats going on with their game console??? Imagine that, they can actually determine if someone is about to sell a total piece of shit for the system or not. Good marketing, good low level management.
Anyway, I could go on forever... you get the point. The course of action they are taking is legal and not only are the mod chips illegal and should be removed from the market, they also totally suck. Read the tech specs on them, seems like a dipshit from high school came up with the ideas for the 'added bugs'. I mean... features.
Not to get off on a tangent about resnet and Windows 2000 but I simply must state once again: UPDATE YOUR FUCKING SOFTWARE ASSHOLES! If you visited Windows Update weekly or even fucking monthly for that matter, none of this would be an issue! They act as if Windows XP doesn't carry any of the components of 2000 and is less prone to security vulnerabilities. While it is in certain areas, it is the same core anyway! The only difference is that Windows XP had the ability to automatically find updates for you.
2000 has also had that capability as of almost a year ago and as of about 3 months ago, both 2000 and XP have the built in capability to download, install, and reboot your system for you in the middle of the night if you wish (or at what time you specify). Boy, that's really so fucking hard ain't it!
When you update your software it affects more than just your machine. It also affects the health of the entire network. While you might not give a shit, just making my point because here is obvious evidence that lack of updated software caused some shitty IT admins huge problems.
Funny how other universities don't seem to be banning 2000, sounds like 2 things to me...
1) Terrible IT admin. staff. 2) Lack of software updates because morons don't listen to the bubbles that come up and say "New CRITICAL updates are aviailable for your computer. Click this balloon to download them for the most secure and reliable Windows experience."
Breaking the speed of light would be a truly wondrous, nobel-prize winning acheivment.
That would be the most ambivalent ceremony ever. Can you imagine the audience of physicists feeling good for the winner but so damn irritated at having to rewrite everything yet again?
So it can be manually enabled in Netscape... is the same possible in IE? There's no indication that Microsoft is planning on introducing such a feature, so I thought I'd ask.
Slashdot Mirror
Note that once the RIAA has your name, is still must make its case you broke the rules.
Rather like Bush, the UN, and Iraq, no?
http://www.weaselcollectibles.com/cart/item-detail .cfm?ID=6152
From the CNN article:
An administration official said the shuttle's altitude -- over 200,000 feet -- made it "highly unlikely" that the shuttle fell victim to a terrorist act.
I am so unbelievably pissed that they made that comment. Can they think of nothing else?
Newsflash: Slashdot is a commercial site.
;)
It's run by VA Software corporation for profit.
That is perhaps the greatest irony of all...
But what in the world is this doing on Slashdot? This is "News for Nerds," folks. I see more than enough Super Bowl coverage on CNN, MSNBC, and all the other commercial news sites.
Though I guess it's not a surprise, given their size, declining market share, and generally uncertain future...
Last I checked, the flashing of a BIOS ROM chip required more than 'two' points to connect to. I have the CMOS diagram for the Xbox right in front of me: there are 2 different BIOS chips on the platform. One of them runs the core PC-base BIOS for the Windows 2000 kernel, etc. The other is a BIOS and IO controller for the video encoding subsystem.
Do you have the Xbox Software Development Kit CD's? It clearly states in the 1st chapter of the SDK manual (2nd paragraph actually). Here it is:
"Microsoft may periodically release IO and BIOS controller updates for the Xbox that you will need to apply to your development packages as well to obtain the latest functionality. BIOS upgrades to the Xbox are done through Dashboard updates and are quite safe compared to those done on a PC where interruption is not a tolerated fault. Only Microsoft may issue a BIOS patch for security reasons. The patch is digitally signed with 12 signatures and uses 2048-bit RC5 encryption. More details on the updates themselves and how they are secured can be found in Chapter 38 of Xhandbook #4."
Must be running their web server too.
I'm not advocating drug use or even sexual addiction
What a relief! Thousands of Slashdotters going out and irresponsibly engaging in wild rampant sex... that's just mad. Mad, I tell you.
I don't look at billboards. I look at important things, like road signs.
At a grocery store, me, a friend, her brother-in-law, and a friend of the brother-in-law:
Brother-in-law: He's really good with computers.
Brother-in-law's friend: Yeah?
Brother-in-law: Yeah, so if you ever have any problems--
Me: --feel free to take them to someone else.
Cute, but methinks the public would be even more interested in what they weren't allowed to see.
You don't. Those well-suited to such work usually discover it for themselves.
Nearly every product on this planet comes with a Terms of Use agreement.
This specifically states what you can and cannot do with the product. While it may sound like a total invasion of privacy or restriction on freedom, it is something that is required for the better of all of us. For example, the first thing that pops into my head is the Terms of Use statements on pool chemicals. They tell me that I cannot use the product in conflict with its label. Good idea! They are just protecting their buns the best they can.
One of the chemicals I use in my pool in Chi Town is called "Ultra Shock".
Hmm... sounds like something you could conceivably convince someone was a drug that randomly sends eletrical impulses to neurons on the brain and causes you to spasm uncontrollably. While you might love this idea, its not practical and definitely not safe and legal. hehe
So... given that you know products have terms agreements, what makes Xbox any different? I would defend Sony or any other company with the same vigor with which I defend Microsoft. Their product is not to be illegally modified. These mod chips void people's warranties as well as totally fuck with the system. They break more systems than they add capabilities to by far. You should see the soldering diagram that is required on some of these motherfuckers, I have trouble understanding them and I'm an electronics expert!
They break tons of boxes, cause Microsoft havoc in support, cost the consumer money, cost Microsoft game sales, and overall are a detriment to the industry. It does nobody any good to have these things out there. Even though Microsoft has tons of money, they have a right to make money on their product damnit! Why doesn't anyone seem to understand that? Where the fuck does this attitude come from that just because a company happens to be fiscally healthy it should stop running a for-profit business. Sorry people... you don't just go pro-bono when you feel you've made enough.
Morons who don't understand business, simple as that.
People should NOT be allowed to market modifications like this. Microsoft per the terms of use agreement must approve the add-ons that are made for the system. This is a fucking good idea! Its one of the things that Microsoft gets that the Linux morons don't seem to. Standardize and centralize you fuckin' idiots!!! What??? Microsoft actually ***know*** whats going on with their game console??? Imagine that, they can actually determine if someone is about to sell a total piece of shit for the system or not. Good marketing, good low level management.
Anyway, I could go on forever... you get the point. The course of action they are taking is legal and not only are the mod chips illegal and should be removed from the market, they also totally suck. Read the tech specs on them, seems like a dipshit from high school came up with the ideas for the 'added bugs'. I mean... features.
Not to get off on a tangent about resnet and Windows 2000 but I simply must state once again: UPDATE YOUR FUCKING SOFTWARE ASSHOLES! If you visited Windows Update weekly or even fucking monthly for that matter, none of this would be an issue! They act as if Windows XP doesn't carry any of the components of 2000 and is less prone to security vulnerabilities. While it is in certain areas, it is the same core anyway! The only difference is that Windows XP had the ability to automatically find updates for you.
2000 has also had that capability as of almost a year ago and as of about 3 months ago, both 2000 and XP have the built in capability to download, install, and reboot your system for you in the middle of the night if you wish (or at what time you specify). Boy, that's really so fucking hard ain't it!
When you update your software it affects more than just your machine. It also affects the health of the entire network. While you might not give a shit, just making my point because here is obvious evidence that lack of updated software caused some shitty IT admins huge problems.
Funny how other universities don't seem to be banning 2000, sounds like 2 things to me...
1) Terrible IT admin. staff.
2) Lack of software updates because morons don't listen to the bubbles that come up and say "New CRITICAL updates are aviailable for your computer.
Click this balloon to download them for the most secure and reliable Windows experience."
Morons. Period.
That would be the most ambivalent ceremony ever. Can you imagine the audience of physicists feeling good for the winner but so damn irritated at having to rewrite everything yet again?
I don't think Microsoft is too concerned about the Xbox Linux Project. :)
Long-winded, but makes sense.
So it can be manually enabled in Netscape... is the same possible in IE? There's no indication that Microsoft is planning on introducing such a feature, so I thought I'd ask.
Just initiate some government-funded research at your location and you'll have broadband before you can say Ross Ice Shelf.
Do you have a link to this admittedly very interesting backstory?
Maybe simply not running the latest IIS on W2K is enough to show a lack of MS support.
I wanna know when they're releasing the next Transformers DVD boxed set.
I would love to see "Really Bad" used in any newspaper headline at all.
(I ran across the phrase "wild sex" in a graduate thesis once. That was amusing. This would be more so.)