My backup software deletes expired versions of files automatically. Am I going to be in jail soon?
Again, if you configured the software to do that, its working as you intended. Intentionally deleting or otherwise preventing access to user data contrary to the users' intentions is a crime under the Computer Abuse and Fraud Act.
his software works exactly as advertised: put in a pirate serial number, and it deletes something. assuming that the notice is clear and not obfuscated, it is not clear to me exactly what law you seem to think he has broken. does the existence of "rm" also break laws because it works as advertised?
"rm" does what you tell it to do. His software doesn't - it deletes files without the user asking it to.
My father makes a backup every year. And that's quite often compared to most friends I have. They never back up their files. I even know two people who worked at my univeristy who also never made backups, and lost parts of their Ph.D. theses due to a harddisk crash. Most people don't understand the importance of making backups until they lose important files.
give them a $10 USB key memory stick as a present.
Show them how quick and easy it is to back up their latest work.
Its quicker and easier than backing up to a CD/DVD, and much more portable (just shove it in your pocket along with your spare change and car keys).
Knowingly causing the transmission of a program, information, code, or command that causes damage or intentionally accessing a computer without authorization, and as a result of such conduct, causes damage that results in:
Loss to one or more persons during any one-year period aggregating at least $5,000 in value.
...
So, why not complain and get this guy marked as a "terr'rist"? After all, what's your pr0nn^Wdata worth?
If you read the article, you'd know they're selling pie in the sky. They claim they'll be able to reduce their costs by manufacturing their own components... at a 600,000 square foot plant that employs 1,600 people... that doesn't exist.
As for the creditors, when it goes belly-up, they just buy up the contracts, and you have to keep paying. Of course, your warranty is worth zip at that point, so if it damages your roof, you're SOL.
If you want to make a real difference, the first step is to put the largest energy hog - in most cases, the family car - on a diet. Don't drive as fast. Trade in for a smaller vehicle with a manual transmission. Don't use the AC (cars from the '70s were so large and their engines so over-capacity that turning on the AC and rolling up the windows could save you money, but its the opposite on today's econoboxes).
Just by driving slower, instead of having to shell out money, you'll save money right away - reduced fuel costs - plus you'll save on tire wear, maintenance, and maybe even an accident claim.
Unlike this scam, you'll see results right from your first fill-up.
A quick read of the article shouws you can't do math and have NO idea what you've signed up for...
FTFA:
Customers lock in a fixed price for the power based on current market rates, with a contract for either five or 25 years. They pay for all the power generated, even unused power
So, either you get a unit large enough to supply all your needs, in which case you're going to be paying for a lot of unused ppwer, or you pay for a unit that's undersized, still costs you money even when you're drawing ZERO power (like when you're on vacation, or those days when nobody's home, the heating and AC are off, etc...).
You'd be better off to just find one energy hog in your house - say your PC - and hook it up to a UPS charged by a bank of solar cells, after replacing the UPS battery with a larger deep-cycle marine battery (the UPS battery is only an el-cheapo sealed lead-acid anywhay).
IEs4Linux is the simpler way to have Microsoft Internet Explorer running on Linux (or any OS running Wine).
No clicks needed. No boring setup processes. No Wine complications. Just one easy script and you'll get three IE versions to test your Sites. And it's free and open source.
Who is the target public?
WebDesigners that want to move to Linux but still need to test their sites on IE.
People who have to open IE-only sites
The IEs installations are smaller than usual because they include only the necessary files to have a good test browser (there is no Outlook, Media Player etc).
It really works. Complete with all the IE-specific javascript/dom/css bugs.
"You would have to force the authors/admins of the different virtual worlds to not distribute unlimted amounts of the virtual currencies.
Otherwise like, in the real world, this would lead to enormous devaluations in other worlds."
You mean like Lindon Dollars in The Ponzi Scam Otherwise Known As Second Life?
Re:Get a dictionary and look up "both"
on
Interstellar Ark
·
· Score: 1
Get a math book and look up "set theory". Or amke some Venn diagrams...
Islam is a religion, not a society. That's why when you speak of theocracies that are "Islamic societies" they are societies that make the *religion* of Islam their core.
There is no such thing as an "Islamic society" without the religion of Islam - however, you can have people practicing the religion of Islam without them being in an "Islamic society."
Next you'll be claiming that, because some intolerant nutbars want to impose their christian fundie views on the whole country, the US is some sort of "Christian society", when it isn't, never has been, and never will be. To quote the CIA Factbook: Government type: Constitution-based federal republic; Some people in the US practice christianity - however, they can't even agree among themselves as to who is a "real christian" ad "who's gong to hell." The practice, by individuals, of any particular religion, doesn't make that society that religion.
"Better food? Debatable. Most restaurants are overrated here, they just rely on the undeserved reputation of Montreal for food."
Most restaurants are overrated everywhere... but home cooking is definitely better in Montreal than in Toronto. Sandwiches are not considered real food in Montreal. Breakfast isn't breakfast without cholesterol.
"Public transit? You mean the Metro where people SMOKE in the train, light up CRACK PIPES and generally have tons of homeless people loitering around?"
People don't smoke on the subway. I had to take it to the courthouse for 4 weeks, and not once did I see anyone smoking on a subway train. Then again, I wasn't on the subway at 01:00h in the morning. If you see someone doing it, use your cellphone to make a video of it, then call the cops... its a $300.00 fine.
As for the homeless, yes, they come into the stations during the day. It was brutally cold this last couple of weeks; it was -23 here last night. Are you going to begrudge them a little warmth?
"Better parties? A party's a party."
... except in Toronto, where they roll up the sidewalks after midnight...
"Cheaper housing? You don't live here, that's for sure."
Actually, I do, and I'm paying $200.00 less per month to to rent a house (including heating and electricity), than my aunt is paying for a cramped 4-1/2 in Toronto - she moved back there in December, same week I signed my lease here.
"I'll take TO over Montreal. And soon, it might happen."
So go. Just remember, the traffic is also a LOT worse in Toronto than in Montreal, so you're also going to lose another 20 to 30 hours a month in traffic to and from work...
I have 3 sisters living in Toronto, so its not like I'm totally unaware of what its like there... one of them comes down here a few times a year and stocks up on real bagels every time, because you only get those crappy cake-style bagels in Toronto.
"Montreal has all those english-hating french people though"
Really? I just spent a month serving on a bilingual jury - 4 english and 8 french canadians... everyone treated everyone else with the utmost respect. Many involved were bilingual - including the entire jury, the judge, the crown and defense lawyers, our police escorts, the clerk, the bailiff, the sheriff, many of the witnesses...
The french don't hate the english - they just hate jerks, same as everyone else does...
"As an Aussie - I'm considering a contracting stint in Toronto. Those Canadians might have flappy heads and a penchant for saying "eh" a lot, but they do have one of the most liveable cities in the world, and more sensible copyright laws."
Toronto?!? Come on - everyone knows Montreal's got better food, better public transit, better parties, and cheaper housing.
Re:7 centuries isn't feasible for humans
on
Interstellar Ark
·
· Score: 1
"Even more important than that, the ideas being communicated are familiar to any human who's lived since."
Really? You might find the words to convey the concepts, but if you were to go back to the 1300s and try to explain all of these, you'd either be laughed at as crazy, or killed as some sort of heretic or lunatic. On the reverse side, we find it hard to imagine how people could have thought that lice were a sign of health, or that it was okay to rape your wife and beat your kids.
chamberpots that FLUSH
the pox
the concept that people who don't have lice are sick (they thought people with lice were healthy because the lice leave a host who is feverish)
the necessity for washing your hands after going to the bathroom, etc.
not beating servants or workers with a stick if they're slow
child labor laws
livestock sleep in a barn and dogs sleep in the house (even today, some cultures do the reverse)
mandatory schooling for children
the whole "adolescence" thing
sex education
bikinis
underwear and pyjamas
reserved parking and parking meters
public decency laws
laws forbidding urinating and defecating in public places
retirement
elevators (people go in a room with one door - and they DISAPPEAR!!!)
best-before dates
daily shower
deodorant
brushing your teeth (they put honey on their teeth to prevent bad breath, but it also rotted the teeth faster)
electricity
lite beer (okay - even I don't understand that one...)
rape as a very serious crime
spousal abuse as a crime, not a right
teen sex
serial monogamy and no-fault divorce
the pill
artificial satellites
cell phones
television
radio
Re:7 centuries isn't feasible for humans
on
Interstellar Ark
·
· Score: 1
Me: Islam is a religion, not a society.
Hognoxious: The two are mutaully (sic) exclusive? Could you forward the memo?
Never said they were mutually exclusive, just that Islam is not a society, its a religious belief. People in many societies ascribe to it in one fashion or another.
Of course, if your goal is to confabulate Islam with terrorists, then you would want people to believe the two are the same - just as if your goal is to ridicule all people living in the US as fruitcakes, you confabulate the US with the fundies in Jebusland.
Re:7 centuries isn't feasible for humans
on
Interstellar Ark
·
· Score: 1
"The thought of blasting religious fanatics into space never fails to put a smile onto my face:)"
Don't laugh - they're more able to raise funds for such a venture than any one government. "Give until it hurts... then give some more. GOD wants this. If you don't give $7,000,000 this month, GOD will call me home."
If Martians had existed, we'd be seeing a real space race to see which religion could get there first to "save" them.
For sure its not simple... that's what makes it so wonderful.
Realistically, though, I don't see people ever making it to the stars. Machines, maybe. Tailored organic entities, maybe. Captain Kirk? We'd need a real warp drive, or entangled particles and portals.
"I postulate an intelligent robot and you quibble about the on switch. Somehow, I don't think that would be the problem."
They couldn't shut down one reactor at Gentilly because of a stupid illuminated switch - the heat from the bulb had caused the plastic to expand, so the switch couldn't be pressed down. Its overlooking the small things that will often trip you up in the end.
For example, how many computers have died because of a cheap (around ten cents) capacitor on the motherboard?
"not when they can switch off and on at will. They can switch off when they leave the solar system, spend 500 years in deep space, and switch back on when they reach their destination"
If they're switched off, who's going to switch them on again?
Even your computer that "turns itself on" by an internal alarm or when you hit the keyboard still has active circuitry. It's not really "off".
Besides, a lot of parts will end up vacuum-welded after 500 years of immobiity. Any ultra-low-pressure silicon oil will have long since evaporated or been transformed into glop.
Re:The most likely scenario
on
Interstellar Ark
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
"
The logical "crew" of an ark like this would be a dewar flask filled with frozen human embros. They can travel for centuries with no bordom or aging, would weigh almost nothing, and need no food or water for the trip.
The ship would keep travelling until a suitable planet is found, then thaw a few thousand as a test group. If they are happy in their new home, they could thaw the rest, or send them on to the next place.
Of course, this would involve a highly automated ship, with AI-based nannies and teaching robots to raise the thawed kids. I think this should be achievable within a thousand years from now.
Of course, this raises the Fermi paradox: if we can do it, other more ancient civilizations in the galaxy could also. So where are they?"
Gee... never heard of Adam and Eve? At least the alien seed ship explanation is a lot more plausible than "God did it!"
Slashdot Mirror
Again, if you configured the software to do that, its working as you intended. Intentionally deleting or otherwise preventing access to user data contrary to the users' intentions is a crime under the Computer Abuse and Fraud Act.
The Computer Abuse and Fraud Act
"rm" does what you tell it to do. His software doesn't - it deletes files without the user asking it to.
Its quicker and easier than backing up to a CD/DVD, and much more portable (just shove it in your pocket along with your spare change and car keys).
It IS against the law: Computer Fraud and Abuse Act - and the penalties were increased under the PATRIOT Act.
So, why not complain and get this guy marked as a "terr'rist"? After all, what's your pr0nn^Wdata worth?
If you read the article, you'd know they're selling pie in the sky. They claim they'll be able to reduce their costs by manufacturing their own components ... at a 600,000 square foot plant that employs 1,600 people ... that doesn't exist.
As for the creditors, when it goes belly-up, they just buy up the contracts, and you have to keep paying. Of course, your warranty is worth zip at that point, so if it damages your roof, you're SOL.
If you want to make a real difference, the first step is to put the largest energy hog - in most cases, the family car - on a diet. Don't drive as fast. Trade in for a smaller vehicle with a manual transmission. Don't use the AC (cars from the '70s were so large and their engines so over-capacity that turning on the AC and rolling up the windows could save you money, but its the opposite on today's econoboxes).
Just by driving slower, instead of having to shell out money, you'll save money right away - reduced fuel costs - plus you'll save on tire wear, maintenance, and maybe even an accident claim.
Unlike this scam, you'll see results right from your first fill-up.
A quick read of the article shouws you can't do math and have NO idea what you've signed up for ...
FTFA:
So, either you get a unit large enough to supply all your needs, in which case you're going to be paying for a lot of unused ppwer, or you pay for a unit that's undersized, still costs you money even when you're drawing ZERO power (like when you're on vacation, or those days when nobody's home, the heating and AC are off, etc ...).
You'd be better off to just find one energy hog in your house - say your PC - and hook it up to a UPS charged by a bank of solar cells, after replacing the UPS battery with a larger deep-cycle marine battery (the UPS battery is only an el-cheapo sealed lead-acid anywhay).
"However our vendors have the purchasing info/programs on the web, and pretty sure AT LEAST one requires IE. Thus we need windows underneath."
You no longer need Windows to run Internet Explorer - it runs fine under linux .
It really works. Complete with all the IE-specific javascript/dom/css bugs.
In other words, scientists missed the obvious to make a "new" discovery ...
"You would have to force the authors/admins of the different virtual worlds to not distribute unlimted amounts of the virtual currencies. Otherwise like, in the real world, this would lead to enormous devaluations in other worlds."
You mean like Lindon Dollars in The Ponzi Scam Otherwise Known As Second Life?
" It is the first time that an animal other than a human has been directly observed in crafting a weapon for the purpose of hunting or killing."
Spiders construct webs for hunting and killing. No intelligence required.
It's going to save corporate america tons of money ...
"The pages do degrade over time and currently can last between 16-24 hours before returning to their original blank form."
One real use would be newspapers - this way, instead of "buying" the news, you're just "renting" it.
"No more clogged ink jets would be a huge improvement on it's own. I've blown through $30 in ink trying to clear the a clogged ink cartridge."
Why would you do that when laser printers are well under $100.00 and color lasers are under $200.00?
I call bullshit. You say "I pay nearly 50% of my gross income in taxes." and yet you can't afford a car?
here's a 1991 Toyota Corolla for $300.00 right here in Montreal.
Get a math book and look up "set theory". Or amke some Venn diagrams ...
Islam is a religion, not a society. That's why when you speak of theocracies that are "Islamic societies" they are societies that make the *religion* of Islam their core.
There is no such thing as an "Islamic society" without the religion of Islam - however, you can have people practicing the religion of Islam without them being in an "Islamic society."
Next you'll be claiming that, because some intolerant nutbars want to impose their christian fundie views on the whole country, the US is some sort of "Christian society", when it isn't, never has been, and never will be. To quote the CIA Factbook: Government type: Constitution-based federal republic; Some people in the US practice christianity - however, they can't even agree among themselves as to who is a "real christian" ad "who's gong to hell." The practice, by individuals, of any particular religion, doesn't make that society that religion.
"Better food? Debatable. Most restaurants are overrated here, they just rely on the undeserved reputation of Montreal for food."
Most restaurants are overrated everywhere ... but home cooking is definitely better in Montreal than in Toronto. Sandwiches are not considered real food in Montreal. Breakfast isn't breakfast without cholesterol.
"Public transit? You mean the Metro where people SMOKE in the train, light up CRACK PIPES and generally have tons of homeless people loitering around?"
People don't smoke on the subway. I had to take it to the courthouse for 4 weeks, and not once did I see anyone smoking on a subway train. Then again, I wasn't on the subway at 01:00h in the morning. If you see someone doing it, use your cellphone to make a video of it, then call the cops ... its a $300.00 fine.
As for the homeless, yes, they come into the stations during the day. It was brutally cold this last couple of weeks; it was -23 here last night. Are you going to begrudge them a little warmth?
"Better parties? A party's a party."
"Cheaper housing? You don't live here, that's for sure."
Actually, I do, and I'm paying $200.00 less per month to to rent a house (including heating and electricity), than my aunt is paying for a cramped 4-1/2 in Toronto - she moved back there in December, same week I signed my lease here.
"I'll take TO over Montreal. And soon, it might happen."
So go. Just remember, the traffic is also a LOT worse in Toronto than in Montreal, so you're also going to lose another 20 to 30 hours a month in traffic to and from work ...
I have 3 sisters living in Toronto, so its not like I'm totally unaware of what its like there ... one of them comes down here a few times a year and stocks up on real bagels every time, because you only get those crappy cake-style bagels in Toronto.
"Montreal has all those english-hating french people though"
Really? I just spent a month serving on a bilingual jury - 4 english and 8 french canadians ... everyone treated everyone else with the utmost respect. Many involved were bilingual - including the entire jury, the judge, the crown and defense lawyers, our police escorts, the clerk, the bailiff, the sheriff, many of the witnesses ...
The french don't hate the english - they just hate jerks, same as everyone else does ...
"As an Aussie - I'm considering a contracting stint in Toronto. Those Canadians might have flappy heads and a penchant for saying "eh" a lot, but they do have one of the most liveable cities in the world, and more sensible copyright laws."
Toronto?!? Come on - everyone knows Montreal's got better food, better public transit, better parties, and cheaper housing.
"Even more important than that, the ideas being communicated are familiar to any human who's lived since."
Really? You might find the words to convey the concepts, but if you were to go back to the 1300s and try to explain all of these, you'd either be laughed at as crazy, or killed as some sort of heretic or lunatic. On the reverse side, we find it hard to imagine how people could have thought that lice were a sign of health, or that it was okay to rape your wife and beat your kids.
Me: Islam is a religion, not a society.
Hognoxious: The two are mutaully (sic) exclusive? Could you forward the memo?
Never said they were mutually exclusive, just that Islam is not a society, its a religious belief. People in many societies ascribe to it in one fashion or another.
Of course, if your goal is to confabulate Islam with terrorists, then you would want people to believe the two are the same - just as if your goal is to ridicule all people living in the US as fruitcakes, you confabulate the US with the fundies in Jebusland.
"The thought of blasting religious fanatics into space never fails to put a smile onto my face :)"
Don't laugh - they're more able to raise funds for such a venture than any one government. "Give until it hurts ... then give some more. GOD wants this. If you don't give $7,000,000 this month, GOD will call me home."
If Martians had existed, we'd be seeing a real space race to see which religion could get there first to "save" them.
For sure its not simple ... that's what makes it so wonderful.
Realistically, though, I don't see people ever making it to the stars. Machines, maybe. Tailored organic entities, maybe. Captain Kirk? We'd need a real warp drive, or entangled particles and portals.
"I postulate an intelligent robot and you quibble about the on switch. Somehow, I don't think that would be the problem."
They couldn't shut down one reactor at Gentilly because of a stupid illuminated switch - the heat from the bulb had caused the plastic to expand, so the switch couldn't be pressed down. Its overlooking the small things that will often trip you up in the end.
For example, how many computers have died because of a cheap (around ten cents) capacitor on the motherboard?
" simple: use a switch that turns on in the presence of a significant gravity field. "
Gee - that should work real well for a spacecraft in free-fall (not).
Besides, once you're into the gravity well, its kind of too late ...
"not when they can switch off and on at will. They can switch off when they leave the solar system, spend 500 years in deep space, and switch back on when they reach their destination"
If they're switched off, who's going to switch them on again?
Even your computer that "turns itself on" by an internal alarm or when you hit the keyboard still has active circuitry. It's not really "off".
Besides, a lot of parts will end up vacuum-welded after 500 years of immobiity. Any ultra-low-pressure silicon oil will have long since evaporated or been transformed into glop.
" The logical "crew" of an ark like this would be a dewar flask filled with frozen human embros. They can travel for centuries with no bordom or aging, would weigh almost nothing, and need no food or water for the trip.
The ship would keep travelling until a suitable planet is found, then thaw a few thousand as a test group. If they are happy in their new home, they could thaw the rest, or send them on to the next place.
Of course, this would involve a highly automated ship, with AI-based nannies and teaching robots to raise the thawed kids. I think this should be achievable within a thousand years from now.
Of course, this raises the Fermi paradox: if we can do it, other more ancient civilizations in the galaxy could also. So where are they?"
Gee ... never heard of Adam and Eve? At least the alien seed ship explanation is a lot more plausible than "God did it!"
You don't even have to send embryos - just dna.