This guy didn't actually benefit from the patents - The Nichia Corporation did.
For inventing this, he got a bonus - not a patent royalty - of around $180. However, he later sued and they settled to give him a bonus of a little over $8 million.
From what I was reading on this awhile ago, there was a proposal to reduce this threat in two ways:
1) Drop some biometric information and images in the RFID tag. 2) encrypt the data on the rfid tag embedded in the passport, and checksum it with an obscure algorithm. 3) put a pgp key (or some other key), maybe on a barcode, on the passport that allows the security official to decode the data, and verify that the checksum matches the data, and verify the biometrics to see if X is really who he says it is.
That way, somebody would have to eavesdrop with an RFID detector, brute-force the data out, chop off your finger, surgically implant it on yourself (or change the fingerprint embedded in the RFID tag), rechecksum it, etc.
Now, this is still possible to forge, but the problem is no longer RFID related, and requires a lot more work to forge. Any takers on why this wouldn't be OK?
This article really hit home, HARD. My dad used to own a consumer electronics (TV, Stereos, vcrs, dvds) and appliance store (washer, dryer, refrigerators) and lawnmowers including Snappers. He chose to sell and service good quality brands, and did so for quite a long time.
My dad had to sell his entire shop for just enough to break even. He now works 5 jobs and about 80 hours a week just to pay off his personal debts.
Walmart was part of the reason, but the attitude of "It it breaks, buy a new one" so permeates the atmosphere that it is impossible to compete.
My grandfather built his business on a premise that every customer wants the best quality item money can buy. Wal-mart proves him wrong completely. Customers are idiots.
Personally, I feel that "Freedom of speech" goes along with the right to assemble. I can't be arrested for saying that a political leader is wrong, or to give a speech that goes against one of his agendas, and saying this stuff in public.
In your crowded theater, that would be acceptable if the person yelling "fire" is on the stage reciting his lines.
However, free speech is not raised when the intent is to cause panic and chaos, commit a crime, and/or bodily harm. Going into a bank and saying "I have a gun, give me all your money" is not free speech, regardless of how true your statements are. However, I can type it here, because I am not in a bank. Like EVERYTHING, it is all based on context and intent, which is always going to be very subjective. But that's the best justice we can hope for at the moment.
In most modern operating systems, the DLL that just got replaced has not been loaded into memory, and the existing applications are still using the older version that is resident in RAM. If I closed and re-opened the program, or started a new program, than you are absolutely correct about inviting a system crash, and that would be my fault.
I am not talking about waiting for 3 days before I reboot. This issue is when Windows starts installing an update using "Auto Update", and in the system tray, it will say "You may continue working while the patch is being applied." This is because Microsoft knows that it is safe to continue working while patches are being applied. There should be NO danger in continuing work on a system while is being patched. If there is a lock, files in use are replaced after the file lock is gone.
Here's the problem: the split second that the patch is done, it will pop up a screen saying that it should reboot now. If I am writing a response to a troll on Slashdot, and I hit a space bar at that split second, then I am rebooting immediately. Data is irretrievably lost.
I'm not a Microsoft basher, and I believe that the system they have now is decent, with this lone exception. I complain because the interface has a serious bug which can result in dataloss through no fault to the user. That is something that should be fixed, and probably will be soon. When that happens, everybody wins. If I didn't complain, would Microsoft be obliged to fix it?
Yes, in 99% of the cases, Windows does the polite thing and flashes the window in the taskbar, where it politely awaits for your response. This is good HCI.
However, Windows does exactly what I describe, unfortunately. THis is the only case I know of where Windows programs steal focus from the current window, which is most likely to result in data loss.
The ones that REALLY piss me off are the ones for Windows patches. If you install an update that "requires" a reboot, and you hit "reboot later", it will nag you (by popping up another modal box with the same question) every 3 minutes. And there's no "cancel" or "stop annoying me" button. You can't stop the nagging.
What's worse is that the default button on this dialog box is the "Reboot now" button.
So I'll be typing in an email or a posting to something, and after 3 minutes are up, it will suddenly pop up the nagbox into the foreground, just in time for me to hit spacebar after finishing a word. In a blink of an eye, the computer forces every program to end without prompting to save and reboots...
I can understand and can live with crashes. but that... That behavior was PLANNED.
Building trust into the articles would be an interesting idea... Wikipedia's already got some sort of quality control going, in that some articles are listed as "This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality."
I'd imagine it's all done on manually. However, we can quickly see how a trust-based system would degrade (e.g. Slashdot Karma)
I was showing my two year old a picture of the moon, because he just learned how to say that word. I pulled up wikipedia.org/moon, and saw a picture of a butt, not offensive, but a letdown.
Wrong moon. I reviewed the note and found this was the 10th edit that had been done to that picture that week.
What are you talking about? On a fresh install of Windows XP Pro, just installing all the Windows patches and software upgrades (from Windows Update) requires something like 6-8 reboots. And that's even after Microsoft promised no more reboots with XP.
It's not the developer, it's the OS. If you don't reboot the system, a stupid annoying popup keeps on bugging you every 10-15 minutes telling that you MUST reboot for your security fixes to take effect. And woe to you if you hit Space or Enter just as that popup pops up - the default action is to Reboot now.
Since I'm ranting, I'll just vent to you all my favorite progression of patches: After installing.Net, you have to reboot install a Critical security patches for.Net! When you come back again, there's ANOTHER security patch for.Net! Why not just include both in the original installer?
Man, if you pressure us, you just drive us away. We'll commit when we're ready, okay? Besides, what's so great about taking things out of beta? It ruins all the romance, the challenge, the possibilities, the right to explore. Carpe diem, ya know? Maybe we're jaded, but we've seen all these other companies leap headlong into 1.0, thinking their product is exactly what they've been dreaming of all their lives, that everything is perfect and hunky-dory - and the next thing you know some vanilla copycat release from Redmond is kicking their butt, the Board is holding emergency meetings and the CEO is on CNBC blathering sweatily about "a new direction" and "getting back to basics." No thanks, man. We like our freedom.
Yes, I agree with CERT's recommendation, and what you said was absolutely correct.
I would have no problem with any of this if the provider was following these recommendations. However, if you look at my provider's "port blocking" page, you will notice the TFTP port (69/udp) is not on their list. My router IS being configured properly, and is talking with Vonage servers through this port, so obviously, my provider does not subscribe to this recommendation.
Secondly, my formerly unnamed provider blocks a whole range of other ports with the sole purpose of blocking ALL SIP UDP traffic from leaving their network. My VOIP router can not login or place calls.
The only option that my provider offers is a "VOIP unblocking" option, which costs $10/month, which is aimed at making it financially unfeasible for their users from switching to Vonage.
This is not a security matter, it's a money matter.
I pay for Telephone and cable modem service through a local provider that has a utility monopoly in the area I am in. This company has completely blocked all VOIP traffic coming in over certain ports. The only way for them to "unblock" these ports is to pay them a $10 unblocking fee every month.
Although they state that the reason they are doing this is to malicious traffic, it is inherently obvious that their idea of malicious traffic does not stop at viruses and hackers.
My brother loved this soundtrack so much, he sent away and got the Official original CD soundtrack. i think it was an offer for some strategy guide. It was so long ago, I can't remember.
I've heard a theory that the earth is on the trailing edge of the last ice age? If so, then this just adds another fact for that bandwagon.
As to damage, the only way the earth will be "damaged" is in it's ability to host humans ( and maybe some other non-cockroach species as well). Maybe the earth's just fighing back against overpopulation and resource depletion - making the earth less and less inhabitable for bipedal mammals.
Also, it is incredibly deceiving to show the picture showing the increase in temperatures between 2001 with 2003, since 2001 was unnaturally cool, and 2003 was so dramatically hot....
AMEN. I spent more time on my eighth grade science fair project than I had on any endeavor in my entire life (I think this is true to this day). My science teacher disqualified it the day of the science fair because it wasn't a "good enough" experiment.... ARRRRGHHH! WHY!
What has a math and science intensive education done for our society? I might just be spiteful that I'm getting more satisfaction installing satellite dishes than my programming job, but I really feel I missed the boat by being forced down a path of science and math, very little of which has helped me to find a job where I can do the work I was trained in school to do.
Should kids be forced to learn science and math when the hardest thing we do in a day is compute a tip? And science is nice, but aside from the people playing Trivial Pursuit currently, how does one really benefit from knowing where the alveoli are located or what animals were alive in the Pleistocene era?
Maybe kids shouldn't learn so much science and math: We need a more realistic education - stuff we all learn the hard way: bluffing your way into a free meal, when to jump on an offer by the airlines when they've overbooked a flight, how to convince your boss that the golf game he caught you at was really work-related, and many other things that we get burned on daily - stuff that will make a real difference in most of their lives!
We were all told that knowing the atomic weight of mercury will give us loads of money in a job that we will think is fun and exciting - all it really does is give the few of us who grew up to be chemists a headstart on our career finding more efficient ways to addict people, and give the rest of us a headache as we try to help our kids with their homework after a long stressful day at the department of motor vehicles.
Is it just me or is it not a a coincidence that they are always running to catch up with these technologies?
It's not as if they are hurting for money and can catch up easily after a year or two of research.
Innovation? It doesn't pay to innovate! People don't want innovation (read feature-creep), they want a safe and stable system that does what they want it to.
And for that, isn't it better to wait until the emerging technologies emerge before throwing any money at it? Let somebody else figure it out, let two rivals fight for the standard, and once the dust settles, then grab it, modify it enough to make it proprietary, and release it as IIS, or Office, or Windows...
If the world didn't have Microsoft, we'd have somebody else, whether it be Novell, IBM, or some other corporation popping out of nowhere and taking over the world by surprise.
So does Outlook 2000, and about every mail client ever written. It's not entirely perfect, but it's there...
What they're discussing in the article seems just to be taking this thread feature to it's logical next level (which means that it's patentable, everybody!).
This is a great idea, the problem will be automating the process so that it doesn't take any extra time to organize your email, or simplifying the user interface to the point where it's almost automatic... Maybe like pushing a button to add the current email to a conversation...
Slashdot Mirror
Actually, he got his arm sliced by a spectator's camera - the cardboard hand was just speculation.
This guy didn't actually benefit from the patents - The Nichia Corporation did.
u siness/12light.html?ex=1150603200&en=69d5d9638c1ca bfd&ei=5070
For inventing this, he got a bonus - not a patent royalty - of around $180. However, he later sued and they settled to give him a bonus of a little over $8 million.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/12/business/worldb
From what I was reading on this awhile ago, there was a proposal to reduce this threat in two ways:
1) Drop some biometric information and images in the RFID tag.
2) encrypt the data on the rfid tag embedded in the passport, and checksum it with an obscure algorithm.
3) put a pgp key (or some other key), maybe on a barcode, on the passport that allows the security official to decode the data, and verify that the checksum matches the data, and verify the biometrics to see if X is really who he says it is.
That way, somebody would have to eavesdrop with an RFID detector, brute-force the data out, chop off your finger, surgically implant it on yourself (or change the fingerprint embedded in the RFID tag), rechecksum it, etc.
Now, this is still possible to forge, but the problem is no longer RFID related, and requires a lot more work to forge. Any takers on why this wouldn't be OK?
This article really hit home, HARD. My dad used to own a consumer electronics (TV, Stereos, vcrs, dvds) and appliance store (washer, dryer, refrigerators) and lawnmowers including Snappers. He chose to sell and service good quality brands, and did so for quite a long time.
My dad had to sell his entire shop for just enough to break even. He now works 5 jobs and about 80 hours a week just to pay off his personal debts.
Walmart was part of the reason, but the attitude of "It it breaks, buy a new one" so permeates the atmosphere that it is impossible to compete.
My grandfather built his business on a premise that every customer wants the best quality item money can buy. Wal-mart proves him wrong completely. Customers are idiots.
You can do what I do...
Push the power button about half a dozen times. Then if the system is still up, yank the big black cord out of the back.
Works in EVERY operating system. Don't even need a password.
Laptops are a bit more difficult...
Personally, I feel that "Freedom of speech" goes along with the right to assemble. I can't be arrested for saying that a political leader is wrong, or to give a speech that goes against one of his agendas, and saying this stuff in public.
In your crowded theater, that would be acceptable if the person yelling "fire" is on the stage reciting his lines.
However, free speech is not raised when the intent is to cause panic and chaos, commit a crime, and/or bodily harm. Going into a bank and saying "I have a gun, give me all your money" is not free speech, regardless of how true your statements are. However, I can type it here, because I am not in a bank. Like EVERYTHING, it is all based on context and intent, which is always going to be very subjective. But that's the best justice we can hope for at the moment.
Ha! You're funny!
In most modern operating systems, the DLL that just got replaced has not been loaded into memory, and the existing applications are still using the older version that is resident in RAM. If I closed and re-opened the program, or started a new program, than you are absolutely correct about inviting a system crash, and that would be my fault.
I am not talking about waiting for 3 days before I reboot. This issue is when Windows starts installing an update using "Auto Update", and in the system tray, it will say "You may continue working while the patch is being applied." This is because Microsoft knows that it is safe to continue working while patches are being applied. There should be NO danger in continuing work on a system while is being patched. If there is a lock, files in use are replaced after the file lock is gone.
Here's the problem: the split second that the patch is done, it will pop up a screen saying that it should reboot now. If I am writing a response to a troll on Slashdot, and I hit a space bar at that split second, then I am rebooting immediately. Data is irretrievably lost.
I'm not a Microsoft basher, and I believe that the system they have now is decent, with this lone exception. I complain because the interface has a serious bug which can result in dataloss through no fault to the user. That is something that should be fixed, and probably will be soon. When that happens, everybody wins. If I didn't complain, would Microsoft be obliged to fix it?
Yes, in 99% of the cases, Windows does the polite thing and flashes the window in the taskbar, where it politely awaits for your response. This is good HCI.
However, Windows does exactly what I describe, unfortunately. THis is the only case I know of where Windows programs steal focus from the current window, which is most likely to result in data loss.
The ones that REALLY piss me off are the ones for Windows patches. If you install an update that "requires" a reboot, and you hit "reboot later", it will nag you (by popping up another modal box with the same question) every 3 minutes. And there's no "cancel" or "stop annoying me" button. You can't stop the nagging.
What's worse is that the default button on this dialog box is the "Reboot now" button.
So I'll be typing in an email or a posting to something, and after 3 minutes are up, it will suddenly pop up the nagbox into the foreground, just in time for me to hit spacebar after finishing a word. In a blink of an eye, the computer forces every program to end without prompting to save and reboots...
I can understand and can live with crashes. but that... That behavior was PLANNED.
Building trust into the articles would be an interesting idea... Wikipedia's already got some sort of quality control going, in that some articles are listed as "This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality."
I'd imagine it's all done on manually. However, we can quickly see how a trust-based system would degrade (e.g. Slashdot Karma)
I was showing my two year old a picture of the moon, because he just learned how to say that word. I pulled up wikipedia.org/moon, and saw a picture of a butt, not offensive, but a letdown.
Wrong moon. I reviewed the note and found this was the 10th edit that had been done to that picture that week.
I agree with you completely.
Absolutely... Nah, you just brought up a sore subject with me... I wasn't ranting at you...
No hard feelings i hope.
What are you talking about? On a fresh install of Windows XP Pro, just installing all the Windows patches and software upgrades (from Windows Update) requires something like 6-8 reboots. And that's even after Microsoft promised no more reboots with XP.
.Net, you have to reboot install a Critical security patches for .Net! When you come back again, there's ANOTHER security patch for .Net! Why not just include both in the original installer?
It's not the developer, it's the OS. If you don't reboot the system, a stupid annoying popup keeps on bugging you every 10-15 minutes telling that you MUST reboot for your security fixes to take effect. And woe to you if you hit Space or Enter just as that popup pops up - the default action is to Reboot now.
Since I'm ranting, I'll just vent to you all my favorite progression of patches: After installing
If Datacenter begins to smoke, get away immediately. Seek shelter and cover head.
This is priceless :
When will you take Google Gulp out of beta?
Man, if you pressure us, you just drive us away. We'll commit when we're ready, okay? Besides, what's so great about taking things out of beta? It ruins all the romance, the challenge, the possibilities, the right to explore. Carpe diem, ya know? Maybe we're jaded, but we've seen all these other companies leap headlong into 1.0, thinking their product is exactly what they've been dreaming of all their lives, that everything is perfect and hunky-dory - and the next thing you know some vanilla copycat release from Redmond is kicking their butt, the Board is holding emergency meetings and the CEO is on CNBC blathering sweatily about "a new direction" and "getting back to basics." No thanks, man. We like our freedom.
Yes, I agree with CERT's recommendation, and what you said was absolutely correct.
t bl ock.htm
I would have no problem with any of this if the provider was following these recommendations. However, if you look at my provider's "port blocking" page, you will notice the TFTP port (69/udp) is not on their list. My router IS being configured properly, and is talking with Vonage servers through this port, so obviously, my provider does not subscribe to this recommendation.
http://www.prairiewave.com/support/internet/por
Secondly, my formerly unnamed provider blocks a whole range of other ports with the sole purpose of blocking ALL SIP UDP traffic from leaving their network. My VOIP router can not login or place calls.
The only option that my provider offers is a "VOIP unblocking" option, which costs $10/month, which is aimed at making it financially unfeasible for their users from switching to Vonage.
This is not a security matter, it's a money matter.
I pay for Telephone and cable modem service through a local provider that has a utility monopoly in the area I am in. This company has completely blocked all VOIP traffic coming in over certain ports. The only way for them to "unblock" these ports is to pay them a $10 unblocking fee every month.
Although they state that the reason they are doing this is to malicious traffic, it is inherently obvious that their idea of malicious traffic does not stop at viruses and hackers.
Yikes... I haven't seen a flamewar like this since I was last on Usenet! (1995-or-so)...
Pardon me while I sit back and open up a can of beer. This is better than TV.
As a South Dakota resident, I am going to vote. THere's more riding on this election than just the presidential election, by the way.
It's a great soundtrack especially for a game.
My brother loved this soundtrack so much, he sent away and got the Official original CD soundtrack. i think it was an offer for some strategy guide. It was so long ago, I can't remember.
However, he still has the CD.
Laziness, by the way, is one of the 3 great virtues of programmers, according to Larry Wall.
Don't knock laziness. It gets things done.
I've heard a theory that the earth is on the trailing edge of the last ice age? If so, then this just adds another fact for that bandwagon.
As to damage, the only way the earth will be "damaged" is in it's ability to host humans ( and maybe some other non-cockroach species as well). Maybe the earth's just fighing back against overpopulation and resource depletion - making the earth less and less inhabitable for bipedal mammals.
Also, it is incredibly deceiving to show the picture showing the increase in temperatures between 2001 with 2003, since 2001 was unnaturally cool, and 2003 was so dramatically hot....
AMEN. I spent more time on my eighth grade science fair project than I had on any endeavor in my entire life (I think this is true to this day). My science teacher disqualified it the day of the science fair because it wasn't a "good enough" experiment.... ARRRRGHHH! WHY!
What has a math and science intensive education done for our society? I might just be spiteful that I'm getting more satisfaction installing satellite dishes than my programming job, but I really feel I missed the boat by being forced down a path of science and math, very little of which has helped me to find a job where I can do the work I was trained in school to do.
Should kids be forced to learn science and math when the hardest thing we do in a day is compute a tip? And science is nice, but aside from the people playing Trivial Pursuit currently, how does one really benefit from knowing where the alveoli are located or what animals were alive in the Pleistocene era?
Maybe kids shouldn't learn so much science and math: We need a more realistic education - stuff we all learn the hard way: bluffing your way into a free meal, when to jump on an offer by the airlines when they've overbooked a flight, how to convince your boss that the golf game he caught you at was really work-related, and many other things that we get burned on daily - stuff that will make a real difference in most of their lives!
We were all told that knowing the atomic weight of mercury will give us loads of money in a job that we will think is fun and exciting - all it really does is give the few of us who grew up to be chemists a headstart on our career finding more efficient ways to addict people, and give the rest of us a headache as we try to help our kids with their homework after a long stressful day at the department of motor vehicles.
Is it just me or is it not a a coincidence that they are always running to catch up with these technologies?
It's not as if they are hurting for money and can catch up easily after a year or two of research.
Innovation? It doesn't pay to innovate! People don't want innovation (read feature-creep), they want a safe and stable system that does what they want it to.
And for that, isn't it better to wait until the emerging technologies emerge before throwing any money at it? Let somebody else figure it out, let two rivals fight for the standard, and once the dust settles, then grab it, modify it enough to make it proprietary, and release it as IIS, or Office, or Windows...
If the world didn't have Microsoft, we'd have somebody else, whether it be Novell, IBM, or some other corporation popping out of nowhere and taking over the world by surprise.
So does Outlook 2000, and about every mail client ever written. It's not entirely perfect, but it's there...
What they're discussing in the article seems just to be taking this thread feature to it's logical next level (which means that it's patentable, everybody!).
This is a great idea, the problem will be automating the process so that it doesn't take any extra time to organize your email, or simplifying the user interface to the point where it's almost automatic... Maybe like pushing a button to add the current email to a conversation...