IANAL! But I have a Jewish Sister-in-law that is a lawyer.;) I have spoken with her about it many times and YES you can and do sign away your rights from time to time. (As stated above!) Also note that although slavery is not legal there are grounds for Indentured servitude contracts to be binding.
In the state of Texas (My home) There is the following law
Comment: I would think that any software that installs spy ware would fall under this! I am including some of the definitions to make the meaning clear!
Texas Penal Code CHAPTER 33. COMPUTER CRIMES
33.01. Definitions
(1) "Access" means to approach, instruct, communicate with, store data in, retrieve or intercept data from, alter data or computer software in, or otherwise make use of any resource of a computer, computer network, computer program, or computer system.
(12) "Effective consent" includes consent by a person legally authorized to act for the owner. Consent is not effective if:
(A) induced by deception, as defined by Section 31.01, or induced by coercion;
(B) given by a person the actor knows is not legally authorized to act for the owner;
(C) given by a person who by reason of youth, mental disease or defect, or intoxication is known by the actor to be unable to make reasonable property dispositions;
(D) given solely to detect the commission of an offense; or
(E) used for a purpose other than that for which the consent was given.
33.02. Breach of Computer Security
(a) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly accesses a computer, computer network, or computer system without the effective consent of the owner.
(b) An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor unless in committing the offense the actor knowingly obtains a benefit, defrauds or harms another, or alters, damages, or deletes property, in which event the offense is:
(1) a Class A misdemeanor if the aggregate amount involved is less than $1,500;
(2) a state jail felony if:
(A) the aggregate amount involved is $1,500 or more but less than $20,000; or
(B) the aggregate amount involved is less than $1,500 and the defendant has been previously convicted two or more times of an offense under this chapter;
(3) a felony of the third degree if the aggregate amount involved is $20,000 or more but less than $100,000;
(4) a felony of the second degree if the aggregate amount involved is $100,000 or more but less than $200,000; or
(5) a felony of the first degree if the aggregate amount involved is $200,000 or more.
(c) (Blank).
(d) A person who his subject to prosecution under this section and any other section of this code may be prosecuted under either or both sections.
It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under Section 33.02 that the actor was an officer, employee, or agent of a communications common carrier or electric utility and committed the proscribed act or acts in the course of employment while engaged in an activity that is a necessary incident to the rendition of service or to the protection of the rights or property of the communications common carrier or electric utility.
After the return problems I have had with Maxtor over dead drives I will never buy a maxtor drive again! Although I can not argue with you comments. I must ask why a smart guy like you is working for such a crappy company?
I have a large home network. and I already store all my CD's in mp3 and stream them to the clients. As well as 16,000+ books on line etc. Although the story was ok I have been working on makeing mine out of the cheep parts I have picked up from the dot com's that are going under. The local side walk sale it worth it.
I have been looking into this for some time. The previous poster is wrong. solar cells will work in Main and
Washington. Even with clouds you still get plenty of sun, If anything the clouds filter the unused portions of the light.
The problem with solar cells and wind mills is that the average cost per KWH is well over 1.00$ (Compared to the $.40
I pay the electric company. I fear that fuel cells will be along the same lines. Quoting from the fuel cell stores FAQ
"If I install a residential fuel cell, what kind of reduction in my utility bill can I anticipate?
Many factors enter into what your actual savings will be. These factors include; individual electricity consumption,
geographic location, the particular utility, if utilizing a reformer the price of natural gas or propane, the avoided costs
of installing lines to your residence when located in an off-grid area, etc. "
There is no clear answer as to whether you will save money by going to fuel cells. I fear that the cost will be the
deciding factor as to how quickly fuel cells are adopted. If they can produce a renewable, low cost energy source (The
optimum words being LOW COST) they will be adopted quickly. If they think everyone will buy one just because it
will benefit the environment, they are in for a shock!
I am still looking for a LOW COST alternate electrical source for my home computer room. Currently it is using
around 2000KWH per month.
It has been easy and fun to build. NOTE: my only exp. was a JR. High shop class and one shelf that looks like something out of a dream. The plans are well writen and easy to follow. e-mail me and ill be more than happy to take to you about it. root@xganon.com
I take a break. Try something different. Let the world sink in and come back with a new prospective. I have done lost
of fun stuff on my breaks from the computer. I am in break mode now. I work with computers and have computers as a
hobby. So my current break has me building a boat. It is relaxing to not have to think about computers in the
evening.
If you would like to look you can see the pics at my boat page Some of my other projects are on my home page at This Location
I wish you well and hope you can find a relase to help take your mind off of computers for a short time. I have found that when I go back to comptuers it is fresh and new and the joy is back!
"higher costs for companies who wish to employ Linux because Linux admins cost more than MS operators."
This has to be one of the biggest myths yet! Sure you can hire an MS Operator for 50,000$ a year or a Linux Admin for 90,000$ a year (Number from local exp.) so Linux costs more! BUZZZZZ. wrong answer. MS will give a MCSE to any high school student! You don't have to be good at it, or even really know windows but you do have to know Linux and most companies want a unix admin that has experience. Now take a Linux admin with 5
years exp. and a Windows admin with the same 5 years exp. and each will demand about the same pay.
Although I would tend to agree with you, I have worked for my self and it is more profitable to work in the Corp. sector.
When I was self employed I would put in 60 hours a week. I made 50,000 the first year. Although it looks good, once the government got done I got to keep 25,000. No where near enough to live off of. For those of you wondering how the government go 50% of my pay, there was Social Security (Both employee and employer sides), Medicare, Medicaid, Federal income tax, plus the 8.25% the state takes off the top. This does not take into account the other taxes. Like the 3000$ a year in school tax, the 1500$ a year in property tax, the 100$ a year in registration on the vehicles, etc., etc. Although it seems like a good idea to work for your self. I would prefer to keep my money!
Oh by the way I am in the great U.S.A. no some unknown country.
Basically, this all comes down to crime. Anonymity lets criminals -- quite literally -- get away with murder.
(Yes, really -- remember the site listing doctors in the US prepared to carry out abortions, who were systematically
being bumped off?)
This is a flaw in logic. Although it can be used for crime it can also be used for great good. The person
(Anonymously) reporting discrimination at the work place. The person (Anonymously) reporting his boss, spouse,
brother, cousin, etc for illegal acts. The list goes on. The above statement is like saying that GUNS allow criminals to
murder, steal, and escape. With out admitting that it is the person that commits the act not the tool. Anonymity is just
a tool. Criminals can and will be anonymous with or with out a law making it illegal!
Although not IRON CLAD the anonymous server I run can stop almost everyone from Finding out who the
originator of the message was. Including me! Although a lot of this lies on how the user uses the site. This is do to the
fact that the server uses encryption and can use chaining to bounce e-mail or usenet posts through several remailers
before the destination is reached. I have been asked by LEO's , AG's, and DA's (Asked being a nice way to put it.) for
logs. As I do not have logs for more than about 4 days, there are no logs to turn over. Even the logs I have do not show
where the messages came from or where they were going they simply show incoming and outgoing mail. There are no
laws that require a site or business to maintain logs of people who look at there site or use the sites services.
That will only hurt them. It in no way takes the system or server down. They loose the configs and any saved files on there directory. They exit and log back in and it recreates there config files. Besides that is what server backups are for.
I have been pushing linux on the desktop for a couple of years. Administration (For the experienced admin) is easy
and the end users can not mess the system up. I have been running is at home for some time and my wife and daughter (Age 30 and
age 8 respectively) find it easier to use. Both feel that the fact that they can not "Mess the system up." helps them to
explore and try new things on the computer as they are not worried about breaking it. I have suggested that attorneys
move to Linux with X11 as most of there work is done on Word Perfect. With that they can set up Xterms and a
primary server and all upgrades, Data Storage, and backups are done in one location. There are many advantages to Linux as well as some
disadvantages. I am not saying it is right for all tasks. I have yet to find a good voice mail system for linux and have
kept all my voice mail functions on a windows system. There are other disadvantages but as time goes on those are
slowly going away.
It seems to be the consensus of this article that with out grounding or moral guidance the geek kids will gain the power
with out the wisdom to use it. I find this flawed. Yes, a wise man once said "Power corrupts, and total power corrupts
totally" This is not true, For power corrupts those who do not learn from there mistakes. Those corrupted by power
many times loose that power because of there corruption. Those who have power and learn from there mistakes gain a
wisdom from that power. Many times that wisdom is profound and life changing. These children do not need the
guidance from the adults. These kids need an environment that will allow them to explore, Learn, and grow. In the
hopes that they will gain the wisdom needed to run the world of the future.
A guy in London made an awesome alien suit and went window shopping one night at 2:00am. He was doing nothing
more than walking down the street and looking at things in windows. The police arrived in droves. He used it as an
example of how with the cameras the police can decide from a distance what is worth there time to show up for.
(They did not respond that fast for muggings)
I personally do not think it is the government's job to watch me, Take care of me, feed me, fund me, etc. I can take
care of my self. All I want them to do is leave me alone, Stay Out of my life, and quit trying to infringe on my
freedoms! If the government wants to watch some one and check there backgrounds they should start by installing this
system in congress. Lets see how many of them pop up with records, warrants, etc. They may catch more crooks that
way!
Shop lifting common out there. I have seen many things walk away from tables when the vender is not looking. Although if the vender sees you he may just through an old XT at you. If a cop sees you you will go to jail!
I live about 7 miles from the Arlington, Tx Fry's and no longer shop there for the same reasons. I can not imagine driving 45 min and then waiting in line to return something.
Once I was in the store, waiting to be assisted, and a manager looked at one of the employees and stated "Can you go
help that guy?" To which the employee responded "NO, He is beyond help." The manager then ordered him to help
me. The employ came over and asked what i needed, I explained that the 3.3v memory we got would not work on the
motherboard as it needed 5v memory. He responded "No you are wrong, The 3.3v memory is what goes on that
motherboard." I showed him the mother board book that stated that the MB must have 5v memory. He responded
"Well the book is wrong!"
I complained to the store manager and was told "Well that department manager has a hard time finding and keeping
employees." I responded "So fire him and all the employees. Then hire some one who can do the F*****g job and be
polite!" I then left the store. There is no reason for me to go back!
Man First Saturday is great.. I have been going for years and you always find something useful and cheep out there. Last first saturday I got an 8 bay rack mount scsi case for 10$. To anyone in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area it is worth the drive!
"Kids", As we call them today, should not be underestimated. To think that a "kid" could not change the world is just
crazy. Julius Ceasar conquered many lands by sixteen. As did Ramese The Grate. History is loaded with examples of
what happens when the ageing/ruling class looses there edge. The "Kids" can and will change the world. "Kids" now
days have time, energy, and knowledge on there side. They can and will change the way the world works. It only takes
time, Something they have plenty of!
In Texas it seems that the threating to sue some one makes you liable for the cost of prepairing to defend your self. So if I threaten to sue some one and don't they can sue me for there legal costs that were incurred while prepairing to defend them selves against my possible suet.
Slashdot Mirror
When I was younger and doing this kind of stuff for fun, I found there was a small list of passwords that seemed to be common. They boiled down to
1) The persons login
2) password
3) qwerty
4) 123456
5) abcd
6) Company name (NBC)
7) god
8) superman
9) F**KYOU
10) work
11) The server name.
NOTE: if you are using any of the above passwords. You need to change it.
It is not hard to guess a password if the company does not have minimum requirements for the password.
IANAL! But I have a Jewish Sister-in-law that is a ;) I have spoken with her about it many times
lawyer.
and YES you can and do sign away your rights from time to
time. (As stated above!) Also note that although slavery is
not legal there are grounds for Indentured servitude contracts
to be binding.
First IANAL!
In the state of Texas (My home) There is the following
law
Comment: I would think that any software that installs
spy ware would fall under this! I am including some of the
definitions to make the meaning clear!
Texas Penal Code CHAPTER 33. COMPUTER CRIMES
33.01. Definitions
(1) "Access" means to approach, instruct, communicate with, store data in, retrieve or intercept data from, alter data or computer software in, or otherwise make use of any resource of a computer, computer network, computer program, or computer system.
(12) "Effective consent" includes consent by a person legally authorized to act for the owner. Consent is not effective if:
(A) induced by deception, as defined by Section 31.01, or induced by coercion;
(B) given by a person the actor knows is not legally authorized to act for the owner;
(C) given by a person who by reason of youth, mental disease or defect, or intoxication is known by the actor to be unable to make reasonable property dispositions;
(D) given solely to detect the commission of an offense; or
(E) used for a purpose other than that for which the consent was given.
33.02. Breach of Computer Security
(a) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly accesses a computer, computer network, or computer system without the effective consent of the owner.
(b) An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor unless in committing the offense the actor knowingly obtains a benefit, defrauds or harms another, or alters, damages, or deletes property, in which event the offense is:
(1) a Class A misdemeanor if the aggregate amount involved is less than $1,500;
(2) a state jail felony if:
(A) the aggregate amount involved is $1,500 or more but less than $20,000; or
(B) the aggregate amount involved is less than $1,500 and the defendant has been previously convicted two or more times of an offense under this chapter;
(3) a felony of the third degree if the aggregate amount involved is $20,000 or more but less than $100,000;
(4) a felony of the second degree if the aggregate amount involved is $100,000 or more but less than $200,000; or
(5) a felony of the first degree if the aggregate amount involved is $200,000 or more.
(c) (Blank).
(d) A person who his subject to prosecution under this section and any other section of this code may be prosecuted under either or both sections.
Added by Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 600, 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1985. Amended by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 306, 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 900, 1.01, eff. Sept. 1, 1994.
Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 306, 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.
33.03. Defenses
It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under Section 33.02 that the actor was an officer, employee, or agent of a communications common carrier or electric utility and committed the proscribed act or acts in the course of employment while engaged in an activity that is a necessary incident to the rendition of service or to the protection of the rights or property of the communications common carrier or electric utility.
After the return problems I have had with Maxtor over dead drives I will never buy a maxtor drive again! Although I can not argue with you comments. I must ask why a smart guy like you is working for such a crappy company?
I have a large home network. and I already store all my CD's in mp3 and stream them to the clients. As well as 16,000+ books on line etc. Although the story was ok I have been working on makeing mine out of the cheep parts I have picked up from the dot com's that are going under. The local side walk sale it worth it.
If interested I have a page up about my network at http://www.xganon.com/~cl/network/
I have been looking into this for some time. The previous poster is wrong. solar cells will work in Main and
Washington. Even with clouds you still get plenty of sun, If anything the clouds filter the unused portions of the light.
The problem with solar cells and wind mills is that the average cost per KWH is well over 1.00$ (Compared to the $.40
I pay the electric company. I fear that fuel cells will be along the same lines. Quoting from the fuel cell stores FAQ
"If I install a residential fuel cell, what kind of reduction in my utility bill can I anticipate?
Many factors enter into what your actual savings will be. These factors include; individual electricity consumption,
geographic location, the particular utility, if utilizing a reformer the price of natural gas or propane, the avoided costs
of installing lines to your residence when located in an off-grid area, etc. "
There is no clear answer as to whether you will save money by going to fuel cells. I fear that the cost will be the
deciding factor as to how quickly fuel cells are adopted. If they can produce a renewable, low cost energy source (The
optimum words being LOW COST) they will be adopted quickly. If they think everyone will buy one just because it
will benefit the environment, they are in for a shock!
I am still looking for a LOW COST alternate electrical source for my home computer room. Currently it is using
around 2000KWH per month.
It has been down for months. I have been unable to talk to anyone who was working on it.
Does anyone know what happened to it?
It has been easy and fun to build. NOTE: my only exp. was a JR. High shop class and one shelf that looks like something out of a dream. The plans are well writen and easy to follow. e-mail me and ill be more than happy to take to you about it. root@xganon.com
I take a break. Try something different. Let the world sink in and come back with a new prospective. I have done lost of fun stuff on my breaks from the computer. I am in break mode now. I work with computers and have computers as a hobby. So my current break has me building a boat. It is relaxing to not have to think about computers in the evening.
If you would like to look you can see the pics at my boat page Some of my other projects are on my home page at This Location
I wish you well and hope you can find a relase to help take your mind off of computers for a short time. I have found that when I go back to comptuers it is fresh and new and the joy is back!
"higher costs for companies who wish to employ Linux because Linux admins cost more than MS operators."
This has to be one of the biggest myths yet! Sure you can hire an MS Operator for 50,000$ a year or a Linux Admin for 90,000$ a year (Number from local exp.) so Linux costs more! BUZZZZZ. wrong answer. MS will give a MCSE to any high school student! You don't have to be good at it, or even really know windows but you do have to know Linux and most companies want a unix admin that has experience. Now take a Linux admin with 5
years exp. and a Windows admin with the same 5 years exp. and each will demand about the same pay.
Although I would tend to agree with you, I have worked for my self and it is more profitable to work in the Corp. sector.
When I was self employed I would put in 60 hours a week. I made 50,000 the first year. Although it looks good, once the government got done I got to keep 25,000. No where near enough to live off of. For those of you wondering how the government go 50% of my pay, there was Social Security (Both employee and employer sides), Medicare, Medicaid, Federal income tax, plus the 8.25% the state takes off the top. This does not take into account the other taxes. Like the 3000$ a year in school tax, the 1500$ a year in property tax, the 100$ a year in registration on the vehicles, etc., etc. Although it seems like a good idea to work for your self. I would prefer to keep my money!
Oh by the way I am in the great U.S.A. no some unknown country.
Glue 5 AOL or Microsoft CD's together. Load into skeet launcher. Load 12 gauge and holler pull!
Basically, this all comes down to crime. Anonymity lets criminals -- quite literally -- get away with murder. (Yes, really -- remember the site listing doctors in the US prepared to carry out abortions, who were systematically being bumped off?)
This is a flaw in logic. Although it can be used for crime it can also be used for great good. The person (Anonymously) reporting discrimination at the work place. The person (Anonymously) reporting his boss, spouse, brother, cousin, etc for illegal acts. The list goes on. The above statement is like saying that GUNS allow criminals to murder, steal, and escape. With out admitting that it is the person that commits the act not the tool. Anonymity is just a tool. Criminals can and will be anonymous with or with out a law making it illegal!
Although not IRON CLAD the anonymous server I run can stop almost everyone from Finding out who the originator of the message was. Including me! Although a lot of this lies on how the user uses the site. This is do to the fact that the server uses encryption and can use chaining to bounce e-mail or usenet posts through several remailers before the destination is reached. I have been asked by LEO's , AG's, and DA's (Asked being a nice way to put it.) for logs. As I do not have logs for more than about 4 days, there are no logs to turn over. Even the logs I have do not show where the messages came from or where they were going they simply show incoming and outgoing mail. There are no laws that require a site or business to maintain logs of people who look at there site or use the sites services.
That will only hurt them. It in no way takes the system or server down. They loose the configs and any saved files on there directory. They exit and log back in and it recreates there config files. Besides that is what server backups are for.
I have been pushing linux on the desktop for a couple of years. Administration (For the experienced admin) is easy and the end users can not mess the system up. I have been running is at home for some time and my wife and daughter (Age 30 and age 8 respectively) find it easier to use. Both feel that the fact that they can not "Mess the system up." helps them to explore and try new things on the computer as they are not worried about breaking it. I have suggested that attorneys move to Linux with X11 as most of there work is done on Word Perfect. With that they can set up Xterms and a primary server and all upgrades, Data Storage, and backups are done in one location. There are many advantages to Linux as well as some disadvantages. I am not saying it is right for all tasks. I have yet to find a good voice mail system for linux and have kept all my voice mail functions on a windows system. There are other disadvantages but as time goes on those are slowly going away.
It seems to be the consensus of this article that with out grounding or moral guidance the geek kids will gain the power with out the wisdom to use it. I find this flawed. Yes, a wise man once said "Power corrupts, and total power corrupts totally" This is not true, For power corrupts those who do not learn from there mistakes. Those corrupted by power many times loose that power because of there corruption. Those who have power and learn from there mistakes gain a wisdom from that power. Many times that wisdom is profound and life changing. These children do not need the guidance from the adults. These kids need an environment that will allow them to explore, Learn, and grow. In the hopes that they will gain the wisdom needed to run the world of the future.
A guy in London made an awesome alien suit and went window shopping one night at 2:00am. He was doing nothing more than walking down the street and looking at things in windows. The police arrived in droves. He used it as an example of how with the cameras the police can decide from a distance what is worth there time to show up for. (They did not respond that fast for muggings)
I personally do not think it is the government's job to watch me, Take care of me, feed me, fund me, etc. I can take care of my self. All I want them to do is leave me alone, Stay Out of my life, and quit trying to infringe on my freedoms! If the government wants to watch some one and check there backgrounds they should start by installing this system in congress. Lets see how many of them pop up with records, warrants, etc. They may catch more crooks that way!
Shop lifting common out there. I have seen many things walk away from tables when the vender is not looking. Although if the vender sees you he may just through an old XT at you. If a cop sees you you will go to jail!
I live about 7 miles from the Arlington, Tx Fry's and no longer shop there for the same reasons. I can not imagine driving 45 min and then waiting in line to return something.
Once I was in the store, waiting to be assisted, and a manager looked at one of the employees and stated "Can you go help that guy?" To which the employee responded "NO, He is beyond help." The manager then ordered him to help me. The employ came over and asked what i needed, I explained that the 3.3v memory we got would not work on the motherboard as it needed 5v memory. He responded "No you are wrong, The 3.3v memory is what goes on that motherboard." I showed him the mother board book that stated that the MB must have 5v memory. He responded "Well the book is wrong!"
I complained to the store manager and was told "Well that department manager has a hard time finding and keeping employees." I responded "So fire him and all the employees. Then hire some one who can do the F*****g job and be polite!" I then left the store. There is no reason for me to go back!
Where do you find out the where and when of the auctions. I have wanted to look into it but have been unsuccessful at finding any.
Man First Saturday is great.. I have been going for years and you always find something useful and cheep out there. Last first saturday I got an 8 bay rack mount scsi case for 10$. To anyone in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area it is worth the drive!
"Kids", As we call them today, should not be underestimated. To think that a "kid" could not change the world is just crazy. Julius Ceasar conquered many lands by sixteen. As did Ramese The Grate. History is loaded with examples of what happens when the ageing/ruling class looses there edge. The "Kids" can and will change the world. "Kids" now days have time, energy, and knowledge on there side. They can and will change the way the world works. It only takes time, Something they have plenty of!
In Texas it seems that the threating to sue some one makes you liable for the cost of prepairing to defend your self. So if I threaten to sue some one and don't they can sue me for there legal costs that were incurred while prepairing to defend them selves against my possible suet.
Kinda puts a crink in there letters.