The biggest issue is how much you trust your people. Since most corporations pretty much poop on their employees, it's no wonder that they're running scared. They lay people off just so that some upper managment dufus can be sure to get his bonus this quarter. They cut wages on the rank & file so that the CEO can keep his Manhattan penthouse. In a corporate culture like this, it's no wonder that the rank and file feels very little loyalty to the employer. The employer has absolutely none for them.
Axiom #1 - There is no such thing as unbreakable security. Axiom #2 - Where there is a will, there is a way.
Myth #1 - Encrypted email is secure.
Phooey! Once it's sent, it's in the receivers hands. They can do what they want with it, including forward it on, after it's decrypted.
Myth #2 - Our can't have the data compromised. We don't allow print outs, etc.
HAH! If you can display the data on a screen, you are hackable. It's lo-tech, but it works. I can always take a photograph of the data. If nothing else, we can thank the guys that brought us camera phones.
Myth #3 - Our -bit encryption is good enough.
Ummm....have you guys seen what you can do with a beowulf cluster? It really isn't that hard and doesn't take all that much time. Plus there are some good how-to documents on the 'net. Besides that, a lot of the security of the encryption depends on the algorythm used. If that's faulty, it may take five minutes instead of five weeks.
Myth #4 - Encrypting everything will solve our security problems.
Really??? Let's see...you want to encrypt everything. Nifty... If all you data is encrypted and no one can read it, your employees can't do their jobs. If they can't work, we may as well send them home. Without the employees, we don't need the managers either so we may as well just shut the doors. What??? Oh, you *do* want them to have access. Well, then what's to stop them from doing something untoward with the unencrypted information. Why is that important? Well, most compromises are from within not without.
I can't even begin to think of all the completely retarded statements I've heard come out of some PHB who thinks that he understands encryption and data security. In the end, it all still boils down to the people. Do you trust your employees or not? Have your management policies pooped on them too many times or not?
This is what vendors get for buying the "part o' the week". I'm sure that the poster below who is loosing both his Mac and his PC laptop would appreciate having something working. It's really sad that they charge so much and sell you such cheap crap!
Adobe's pretty much screwed Illustrator. Then they bought Macromedia and tanked Freehand. It's good to see the OS community stepping into fill the gap.
Depending on what state you are in, that may well be the case...
If the parent has a "reasonable expectation" that supervison and/or care would be provided to the child, then yes, they are...
Sorry...I'm not wild about it, but it is what it is. Personally, I think that unless the parent signs something that the parent *ought* to be responsible. Unfortunately, that's not how it works.
Espeically if the child is being dropped off for some kind of guided activity, etc. Some libraries have stopped having "Reading Camp" in the summer for this very reason.
There is decision after decision that *reasonable* age restrictions are not censorship. That may not be your personal view of things, but It is the Supreme Court's. I'm guessing you buy your 12-year old kids Playboy and Hustler, take them to the topless bar, and let them order porn on line.
It's not unconstutional. We do it with all kinds of products all the time, INCLUDING those protected by free speech. There are precendents here. Send your kid into the local quickie mart and see if they don't ID him while he's trying to buy Hustler. But I guess that video games are somehow more protected by the Constitution than...oh...the printed word. Furthermore, we ID people to attend movies. If the movie is R rated, no one under the age of 17 is permitted without a parent or guardian. Then again...I guess that video games are more protected than...movies...
Movie ratings, which are handled by a board very similar to the ESRB, determine movie ratings...
At that point, they're just another AOL. They're not a real ISP anymore. ISP's charge the consumer for access. There are many models for this - by time (minute, hour, etc.), by bandwidth (KB, MB, GB, etc.) that offer viable models. What isn't viable is saying, "Oh, you can't look at that...it's not on our network."
This isn't allowed by phone companies. Since when does Bell South get to tell you that you can't call a Verizon customer? It's simply unaccepable. I fail to see why this is being permitted with ISP's.
What do you mean, I can't look at that newspaper site in India, or China or Japan or Africa? Why not? Why can I only look at sites you happen to host?
Frankly, due to the peering agreements between ISPs, it doesn't cost them any more for you to look at a site in Indonesia than it does for you to look at a site in Indiana. It's totally and patently ludicrous. I cannot beleive that anyone is actually buying in to this inane bull$%it.
Maybe now Intel will come off it's high-horse and lower it's prices. I've been buying AMD chips for a long time. Not because I wanted AMD or didn't want Intel. It's all about the $$ for me. What gives me the most bang for my buck. For quite some time now, that's been AMD and not Intel.
I think Intel is overpriced and that they'll continue to loose marketshare until that changes. Intel...the writing is on the wall...shouldn't you learn to read?
Assuming that you sold it off on ebay for real $$ to pay the hookers...since you obviously are having problems finding two who are willing sans the cash...
First we had the trademarking of the smiley emoticon. That got repealed thanks to a dispute that was file. However, I've noticed that both the patent and trademark office have removed their on-line forms for filing disputes. Frankly, I find that to be quite strange since almost every other government and large corporate entity is moving toward on-line forms. If anyone knows where to find these forms, please post a link, either here or on my blog.
There are a lot of things that were coined "on the 'net" long ago. To my understanding, if it's already in common usage, you are neither allowed to patent or trademark things that are in common usage. If that's the case, I'm filing a trademark on "blog", "on line", "on-line", and "online" as well as every other popular term I can think of. We've been saying "web site" for years now. Who in their right mind thinks that's not in common usage and can be trademarked????
Not necessarily. First off, the BSA is a private entity and has no more jurisdition over you than I do (at least until my plan for world domination gets a little further along;)). If they show up and "offer" to perform an audit, you are well within your rights to call security or the police to escort them out. You are also well within your rights to prosecute them for tresspassing if they come back. THEY HAVE NO AUTHORITY OVER ANYTHING UNLESS YOU GIVE IT TO THEM.
Here's how my experience with the BSA worked:
BSA: Hi! We're here to help you perform a compliance audit on your software licensing. Me (knowing full well this is a trick on their part): Get out of my building, off our property, and don't ever come back. BSA: Why are you being hostile? Me (dialing 911): Yes, I have some trespassers here. Can you come get them please? 911: We're sending officers now., Me (hanging up): I know how you people work. You come in here for your friendly little audit and then you magically seem to find all kinds of issues. Then you negotiate a "settlement" with the software makers at 1.5X the full retail price. It's blackmail and I don't like it. That means I don't like you, either. Now, I've called the police and they'll be here in a few minutes. You can leave now, or leave when they get here. BSA: But we don't understand why you won't let us do an audit? What are you afraid of? Me: I'm not afraid, but I don't take lightly to thugs showing up unannounced in my shop and disrupting my employees either. Blackmail is usually a mafia tactic. Do they know what you guys are up to? BSA (to policeman): Hey! You can't thow us out. We have a right to be here. Policeman: Sorry, but this is private property. You've been asked to leave. Now I'm telling you to leave. If you come back, and we get another phone call, we will arrest you and you will go to jail. BSA (on the way out the door): You'll be hearing from us.
What ensued then was a series of nasty, threatening letters which I forwarded to our legal department, who got a good laugh out of them, before sending them off the state AG. The letters tried to imply that they are some sort of legal "software police" (as in an actual law enforcement entitity). That was the last we ever heard of the BSA.
You see, the same amount of education that you used to get with your HS diploma is now only completed when you have a bachelor's degree. The education that you used to be able to claim with a BS or BA is now only there if you've completed a Master's degree. The whole "no child left behind" theory that our goverment is currently espousing completely neglects the fact that some children ought to be left behind. If you simply cannot do the work, you *should* fail the class. If that means failing the grade and being kept back, so what. Consider it motivation to actually do the homework.
One of my friends daughters is starting high school next week. Out of curiousity, we decided to look at the required classes. In order to graduate, she's only required to take Pre-Algebra I. That's only one semester of math and really basic at that. She's only required to take American History I & II. Government, civics, and world history aren't required. Foreign languages aren't required. She does get 8 semesters of English, Compostion, and/or Literature. The only required science class is Earth Science, which I'm sure some of you remember. It's a basic topical discussion of the various branches of science. Everything else is electives, which means that the kids are picking the easiest classes they can find.
Now, I'll admit that I attended a private school (for which I am deeply grateful to my parents). I had 8 semesters of math including Algebra, Geometry, Trig, and Calculus. I had 8 semesters of science including Biology, Chemestry, Physics, and Anatomy. I had 8 semesters of History including World History, Texas History, American History, American Government. I had 8 semesters of English including Shakespear's Plays, Classical Literature, Original Composition, and Critical Analysis. I also had 4 semesters of French. In addtion, we were required to take art and music classes.
I list this out to illustrate the difference in the curriculum of the school I attended vs. the public school that my friend's daughter is going to. I will also say, that like many of my classmates, we tested out of our freshman year of college. We started college as sophomores, and even then the kids that that were competing against were not prepared to face us. We blew the top off every curve, which angered no small number of our college classmates. The superior education that we received prepared us to perform well in a demanding environment. I know that from talking to many of my high school class mates that much of the material that we encountered in college, even in our later years (junior & senior), we had already covered in high school. It definitely gave us an edge.
Dumbing down the education system to raise the pass rate is what is really at fault here. Because there are a certain percentage of kids who either can't or won't perform at that level, the standards get dropped. It all comes from the same mentality that gives trophies to everyone at game regardless of the score. Part of the reason that you put your kid in team sports is for them to learn a few important lessons. One of the most important lessons is that you have to compete for what you want. The second most important is that you cannot always win. Handing out trophies like candy takes both of those lessons away from the kids and gives them a false sense of security. It teaches them that complacency and falling on your face are "good enough",which I think is dangerous.
1) All stores that sell video games must post, in letters no less than 2 inches high, a complete description of the rating system. This signage must be located no further than 30 feet away from the entrance, exit and check out.
2) It is illegal to sell video games rated M under 18. It is illegal to sell video games rated A or not rated to anyone under 21.
3) ID showing proof of age is required for any game rated "M" or rated "A" or any game that is not yet rated.
That way there's no censorship. It's the same thing we do with Playboy, Hustler, etc. These things are considered to be too adult for minors so you have to show proof of ID in order to buy them. I think that many of the games also fall into this category. Yes, I like to play them myself. As I'm sitting here writing this, I'm looking at a stack of games that includes Medal of Honor, GTA, Hitman, and Manhunt. That doesn't mean that I think they're appropriate for a 5th grader, though.
I also think that a lot of parents aren't aware that there is a rating system and don't know how to interpret it. Furthermore, I think that if parents have to show ID in order to by 12 year old Timmy a copy of BMX XXX, they might actually get the idea that it isn't really meant for kids.
The whole world is NOT meant for children and I seriously doubt that there are hordes of 12 year olds out there with $50 of disposable income. It's the parents that buy these things for their kids. It just that the parents think, "Oh, it's a video game. How bad could it be?" Can anyone say "Hot Coffee"? Frankly, the whole world should not have to be made childproof just because parents are either too stupid or too lazy to look at what their kids are asking for.
That said, I think we as gamers, and the gaming industry in general can do a lot to raise awareness amongst parents about what's in the games that kids are asking their parents to buy.
I had a co-worker who had a My Space so that she could keep an eye on what her daughters were doing on line. She got the most atrocious posts from this devil worshiping freak who had been posting on his my space about his fantasies of raping women, sodomizing boys, etc. He harassed her for several weeks, on line before the MySpace staff was able to get him to stop.
I've been harassed because I blog on Xanga. I had one person in particular that left me very threatening comments. Every time I'd have him blocked, he'd just get a new account and come back. I'm very glad that this in-duh-vidual didn't know where to find me. I'm very careful with my on-line identity. I don't use my real photo. I never say where I live or work. I never include pictures that show any identifiable information. However, most children don't have that kind of savvy. They blog about school, often mentioning the exact school. They tend to include their city and grade, which makes them pretty easy to locate.
In addition, I had another co worker who's daughter was threatened with physical violence on another blogging site by some of her class mates. The exact threat was that she would be shot the next week at school. We turned the matter over to police and it was handled. Still, it was quite unsettling to pull up and see the threat spelled out clearly, in print, on a web page by some jr. high aged girls in the 'burbs. There was a recent article in the local paper about on-line bullying.
I can understand that the facilities don't feel that they can provide adequate security for a minor child, especially when they are acting as the loco parentis. I'd block that sort of thing too, since you just don't want to be responsible if it "goes south." This is just my small circle of acquaintences and I can't help but think that we're not that out of the ordinary. I feel certain that we're not since Facebook was founded as an alternative to MySpace. You must have an active.edu email address in order to even get account. The thought being that if you keep it limited to actual students, faculty and staff it will be safer than the internet at large.
I so sure that none of the people in these communities have any idea that the wierd guy around the corner who's been making small explosive devices and torturing cats might be a terrorist.
I've worked among them. Their society is geared toward creating "the best muslim you can be" and that's been interpreted as the one who's willing to do the most "for Allah". What more can you give up than your life? When families are taking ads out in the paper publically praising their children for their "committment to Allah" - before the bombings - how else would you interpret it? This behavior is acceptable to a segement of our population. Either the idea that the behavior is acceptable must be eradicated or that sector of the population must be. They leave the rest of us no choice.
My biggest issue with all these terrorists is that their families know who they are. The corner grocer knows who this guy is. His neighbors know who he is. The guys at the mosque know who he is AND THEY DON'T TURN HIM IN!
In my mind, that makes the just as guilty. They are guilty by tactily condoning and abetting his actions.
Until we solve that problem, the war on terror will go no where.
While it might not be plausible with peroxide based stuff, I can think of a couple of things you could cook up in the sink in the bathroom, particulary if you weren't overly concerned with your own survival.
How's this? Just as with any other adult material, (Hustler, booze, smokes, etc.) make the purchaser of the rated M games show ID. Maybe then the parents will get the idea...
Face it - what 12 year old has $50 to spend on a video game. The parents are the ones shucking out the $$ for the games and most of them would never buy their kid a Playboy but they'll get him the BMX XXX without batting an eye because it's "just a game".
Besides the gaming console is not a baby sitter. PS/X-box/etc is not a subsitute for parental interaction.
I also think that stores that sell video games should be required in letters no less than 2" high be required to explain the rating system, ages, etc. along with the notice about not being able to sell the games to anyone under 21.
Furthermore games with built chat (MMOGS) need to have a warning on them about allowing children to play online unsupervised. Our gaming clan is quite active and in the past year I've made 7 reports to the FBI of incidents that occured "in game" where adults made inappropriate comments to children. Pedophiles have figured out that chat rooms are a bust but these games, espeically the ones that require cooperative play, have chat built right in. For $50 Freaky Pete has access to a whole world of unsuspecting kids...
How many times have you had to tell the same dumba$$ "Don't do X", yet they go and do it, and then whine to the boss that it's got to be fixed "right now" for the 47th time?
Our example. We'll call her Melinda to protect the stupid. In the three years that Melinda worked for us, her workstation managed to contract every single virus that came through. Melinda would uninstall her antivirus software "because it made her computer slow". When we disabled her access, she went and bought a windows CD so taht she could reinstall the OS, sans patches and sans AV. Each time her computer crashed, which was frequent, someone had to rebuild it and of course Melinda was breathing down their necks the whole time. I think we were probably the happiest people in the building when we got email about Melinda's going away party.
How many times have you had some end user who did something incredibly stupid (C:\> format c: ) blow up at the IT staff, acting like it's their fault?
This is an actual conversation:
User: I got an email that said to type in format c: Admin: Do you have the email? User: No, it's on my computer and my computer crashed Admin: Well, we can reinstall all your software, but I think your files are gone. User: (expletives deleted) Why can't I have my files back Admin: You can but you'll have to give us an account number User: Why? Admin: Because we'll have to send the drive out and see if anything can be recovered off it User: How much does that costs? Admin: $125/hr + some other fees per GB for the data User: Why is it so much? Admin: Because you took the drive apart to "fix" it
How about users who just totally disregard anything that the IT staff has to say? Yet this too magically is our fault. Lemme see, I email you once maybe twice a year - yeah, that's the one you wanna skip. Gee, it sure is easier to get the new system to work if you read the instructions we wrote for it and you check your email to get your user name and password.
Prime example of this. We recently had to move about 200 users to a new server. As we moved each one, we sent them an email with their account information as well as all the information necessary for them to access the new machine. It uses a simple web based interface to upload files for intranet distribution. Do you think they read it? No...maybe 10-12 of them read it. The rest of the started calling, complaining that they couldn't get back into the old server. They threatened our manager and our director if their access wasn't restored. When it was pointed out to them that they got an email from us, they still had the nerve to huff and puff and pretend it was "those IT people's fault." Well, I'm really freakin' sorry you're too freakin' stupid to read your email. Why our management doesn't make reading email mandatory is beyond me, but it isn't. We have to send out a memo (ON PAPER) the next time we do something that requires "a change in the user's behavior to complete a process." I guess the memo is so that we can wipe their a$$ for them too?
I'd like to speculate about some uses for these new goodies....
1. Faster Cash Registers (Wal-mart, are you listening???) 2. Faster ATM's (though I admit it's usually the dufus in front of me & not the machine that's the problem) 3. Faster calculators (for all you toe counters out there) 4. Faster gas pumps (so we can fund the terrorists we're fighting more effectively) 5. Faster Coffee makers (I don't know if making the programmable stuff faster will actually make the brew faster, but one can only hope)
Ok, I admit that I live in Texas, where every thing really is bigger. What? You don't beleive me. Well, look at this. Yeah, it's nearly 60 miles...
Now that we've settled that, you'd be surprised what isn't covered by Google earth here. We've been shopping for property and most of Texas, outside the major metropolitan areas isn't included in any detail. When Google finally decides that it's worth covering, maybe I'll spring for the app. Till then, I'll stick to my old school Mapscos. They're much more useful.
Data is a big business in this country. Buying and selling data on consumers is a multi-billion dollar industry. As such, they have huge lobbies in Congress to make sure that there aren't any laws passed that will have any impact on their precious profit margins.
Here's what an ideal law looks like:
1) All data collected belongs to the individual that it pertains to, not to the harvester of the data.
2) No data can be released to any entity but appropriate law enforcement with a valid search warrant without the express permission of the subject.
3) Social security numbers shall not be used by any entity but the social security administration, the IRS, or the US Military. If you are not an official representative of the social security administration, IRS or US Military acting in an official capacity which requires you to request the social security number of an individual, asking someone to provide a social security number shall be a felony punishable by no less than a 10 year mandatory jail sentence and $100,000 fine per incident.
4) Use of another person's social security number shall be a felony with no less than a mandatory 10 year jail sentence. Knowingly allowing someone to use your social security number shall be a felony with no less than a 20 year mandatory jail sentence and a fine no less than $100,000 per instance. Bankruptcy shall not clear this fine. Payment in full is the only method of disposal for this debt.
5) Any entity holding information on an individual must make every attempt available using whatever means is available (phone, fax, mail, or email) to contact that person. The notification must consist of an explicit listing of all the information on hand, an explanation of what the information is being used for and a means to correct any information that is in error. If the information is to be used, the entity must ask for and obtain the individual's permission to continue to use it. If permission to continue using information is not forth coming in a period sixty (60) days, the information pertaining must be purged from all records and data.
6) Credit reporting bureaus will henceforth assign an internal ID # beginning with the name of the company for use in tracking various customers. For example, your credit record ID at Experian will begin with Experian. (This will let consumers know who is holding the data).
7) If you hold data on an individual that you are unable to reach in order to obtain permission, you may contact the credit bureaus to see if they have a listing for that indivdual and can send a letter. You are still in the same sixty (60) day window listed above.
8) Failure to purge the data or continued use of the data after the 60 day expiration shall be deemed a felony punishable by $100,000 fine per incident and 10 year minimum mandatory jail sentence per incident.
9) Releasing data without the express permission of the individual in question shall be deemed a felony punishable by $100,000 fine per incident and 10 year minimum mandatory jail sentence per incident.
10) If you are an illegal immigrant using someone else's SSN, your government will be billed for all costs associated with your arrest, prosecution, trial, imprisonment, and deportation.
11) Knowingly hiring an individual who is using a falsified social security number (i.e. one that has not been issued to that individual by the Social Security Administration) shall be a felony with a 10 year mandatory jail sentence and minimum fine of $100,000 per incident.
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The biggest issue is how much you trust your people. Since most corporations pretty much poop on their employees, it's no wonder that they're running scared. They lay people off just so that some upper managment dufus can be sure to get his bonus this quarter. They cut wages on the rank & file so that the CEO can keep his Manhattan penthouse. In a corporate culture like this, it's no wonder that the rank and file feels very little loyalty to the employer. The employer has absolutely none for them.
Axiom #1 - There is no such thing as unbreakable security.
Axiom #2 - Where there is a will, there is a way.
Myth #1 - Encrypted email is secure.
Phooey! Once it's sent, it's in the receivers hands. They can do what they want with it, including forward it on, after it's decrypted.
Myth #2 - Our can't have the data compromised. We don't allow print outs, etc.
HAH! If you can display the data on a screen, you are hackable. It's lo-tech, but it works. I can always take a photograph of the data. If nothing else, we can thank the guys that brought us camera phones.
Myth #3 - Our -bit encryption is good enough.
Ummm....have you guys seen what you can do with a beowulf cluster? It really isn't that hard and doesn't take all that much time. Plus there are some good how-to documents on the 'net. Besides that, a lot of the security of the encryption depends on the algorythm used. If that's faulty, it may take five minutes instead of five weeks.
Myth #4 - Encrypting everything will solve our security problems.
Really??? Let's see...you want to encrypt everything. Nifty... If all you data is encrypted and no one can read it, your employees can't do their jobs. If they can't work, we may as well send them home. Without the employees, we don't need the managers either so we may as well just shut the doors. What??? Oh, you *do* want them to have access. Well, then what's to stop them from doing something untoward with the unencrypted information. Why is that important? Well, most compromises are from within not without.
I can't even begin to think of all the completely retarded statements I've heard come out of some PHB who thinks that he understands encryption and data security. In the end, it all still boils down to the people. Do you trust your employees or not? Have your management policies pooped on them too many times or not?
2 cents,
Queen B
This is what vendors get for buying the "part o' the week". I'm sure that the poster below who is loosing both his Mac and his PC laptop would appreciate having something working. It's really sad that they charge so much and sell you such cheap crap!
2 cents,
QueenB
Adobe's pretty much screwed Illustrator. Then they bought Macromedia and tanked Freehand. It's good to see the OS community stepping into fill the gap.
2 cents,
QueenB
Depending on what state you are in, that may well be the case...
If the parent has a "reasonable expectation" that supervison and/or care would be provided to the child, then yes, they are...
Sorry...I'm not wild about it, but it is what it is. Personally, I think that unless the parent signs something that the parent *ought* to be responsible. Unfortunately, that's not how it works.
Espeically if the child is being dropped off for some kind of guided activity, etc. Some libraries have stopped having "Reading Camp" in the summer for this very reason.
2 cents,
QueenB
There is decision after decision that *reasonable* age restrictions are not censorship. That may not be your personal view of things, but It is the Supreme Court's. I'm guessing you buy your 12-year old kids Playboy and Hustler, take them to the topless bar, and let them order porn on line.
It's not unconstutional. We do it with all kinds of products all the time, INCLUDING those protected by free speech. There are precendents here. Send your kid into the local quickie mart and see if they don't ID him while he's trying to buy Hustler. But I guess that video games are somehow more protected by the Constitution than...oh...the printed word. Furthermore, we ID people to attend movies. If the movie is R rated, no one under the age of 17 is permitted without a parent or guardian. Then again...I guess that video games are more protected than...movies...
Movie ratings, which are handled by a board very similar to the ESRB, determine movie ratings...
Dude...what are you smoking?
2 cents,
Queen B
At that point, they're just another AOL. They're not a real ISP anymore. ISP's charge the consumer for access. There are many models for this - by time (minute, hour, etc.), by bandwidth (KB, MB, GB, etc.) that offer viable models. What isn't viable is saying, "Oh, you can't look at that...it's not on our network."
This isn't allowed by phone companies. Since when does Bell South get to tell you that you can't call a Verizon customer? It's simply unaccepable. I fail to see why this is being permitted with ISP's.
What do you mean, I can't look at that newspaper site in India, or China or Japan or Africa? Why not? Why can I only look at sites you happen to host?
Frankly, due to the peering agreements between ISPs, it doesn't cost them any more for you to look at a site in Indonesia than it does for you to look at a site in Indiana. It's totally and patently ludicrous. I cannot beleive that anyone is actually buying in to this inane bull$%it.
2 cents,
QueenB
Maybe now Intel will come off it's high-horse and lower it's prices. I've been buying AMD chips for a long time. Not because I wanted AMD or didn't want Intel. It's all about the $$ for me. What gives me the most bang for my buck. For quite some time now, that's been AMD and not Intel.
I think Intel is overpriced and that they'll continue to loose marketshare until that changes. Intel...the writing is on the wall...shouldn't you learn to read?
2 cents,
QueenB
How about industrial espionage? Ask Cisco, Nortel and Juniper how much Huawei gear violates their patents...
Why spend when you can steal?
2 cents,
QueenB
Assuming that you sold it off on ebay for real $$ to pay the hookers...since you obviously are having problems finding two who are willing sans the cash...
2 cents,
QueenB
First we had the trademarking of the smiley emoticon. That got repealed thanks to a dispute that was file. However, I've noticed that both the patent and trademark office have removed their on-line forms for filing disputes. Frankly, I find that to be quite strange since almost every other government and large corporate entity is moving toward on-line forms. If anyone knows where to find these forms, please post a link, either here or on my blog.
There are a lot of things that were coined "on the 'net" long ago. To my understanding, if it's already in common usage, you are neither allowed to patent or trademark things that are in common usage. If that's the case, I'm filing a trademark on "blog", "on line", "on-line", and "online" as well as every other popular term I can think of. We've been saying "web site" for years now. Who in their right mind thinks that's not in common usage and can be trademarked????
2 cents,
QueenB
It all boils down to this...
Would you rather trust..the borg collective or Google? Data is important...you don't want to just hand it over to anyone...
Left with the choice between the guys who bring you blue screens or the flawlessly functioning GMAIL...
Well, I guess you know where I'll be leaving my data.
2 cents,
QueenB
Not necessarily. First off, the BSA is a private entity and has no more jurisdition over you than I do (at least until my plan for world domination gets a little further along ;)). If they show up and "offer" to perform an audit, you are well within your rights to call security or the police to escort them out. You are also well within your rights to prosecute them for tresspassing if they come back. THEY HAVE NO AUTHORITY OVER ANYTHING UNLESS YOU GIVE IT TO THEM.
Here's how my experience with the BSA worked:
BSA: Hi! We're here to help you perform a compliance audit on your software licensing.
Me (knowing full well this is a trick on their part): Get out of my building, off our property, and don't ever come back.
BSA: Why are you being hostile?
Me (dialing 911): Yes, I have some trespassers here. Can you come get them please?
911: We're sending officers now.,
Me (hanging up): I know how you people work. You come in here for your friendly little audit and then you magically seem to find all kinds of issues. Then you negotiate a "settlement" with the software makers at 1.5X the full retail price. It's blackmail and I don't like it. That means I don't like you, either. Now, I've called the police and they'll be here in a few minutes. You can leave now, or leave when they get here.
BSA: But we don't understand why you won't let us do an audit? What are you afraid of?
Me: I'm not afraid, but I don't take lightly to thugs showing up unannounced in my shop and disrupting my employees either. Blackmail is usually a mafia tactic. Do they know what you guys are up to?
BSA (to policeman): Hey! You can't thow us out. We have a right to be here.
Policeman: Sorry, but this is private property. You've been asked to leave. Now I'm telling you to leave. If you come back, and we get another phone call, we will arrest you and you will go to jail.
BSA (on the way out the door): You'll be hearing from us.
What ensued then was a series of nasty, threatening letters which I forwarded to our legal department, who got a good laugh out of them, before sending them off the state AG. The letters tried to imply that they are some sort of legal "software police" (as in an actual law enforcement entitity). That was the last we ever heard of the BSA.
You see, the same amount of education that you used to get with your HS diploma is now only completed when you have a bachelor's degree. The education that you used to be able to claim with a BS or BA is now only there if you've completed a Master's degree. The whole "no child left behind" theory that our goverment is currently espousing completely neglects the fact that some children ought to be left behind. If you simply cannot do the work, you *should* fail the class. If that means failing the grade and being kept back, so what. Consider it motivation to actually do the homework.
One of my friends daughters is starting high school next week. Out of curiousity, we decided to look at the required classes. In order to graduate, she's only required to take Pre-Algebra I. That's only one semester of math and really basic at that. She's only required to take American History I & II. Government, civics, and world history aren't required. Foreign languages aren't required. She does get 8 semesters of English, Compostion, and/or Literature. The only required science class is Earth Science, which I'm sure some of you remember. It's a basic topical discussion of the various branches of science. Everything else is electives, which means that the kids are picking the easiest classes they can find.
Now, I'll admit that I attended a private school (for which I am deeply grateful to my parents). I had 8 semesters of math including Algebra, Geometry, Trig, and Calculus. I had 8 semesters of science including Biology, Chemestry, Physics, and Anatomy. I had 8 semesters of History including World History, Texas History, American History, American Government.
I had 8 semesters of English including Shakespear's Plays, Classical Literature, Original Composition, and Critical Analysis.
I also had 4 semesters of French. In addtion, we were required to take art and music classes.
I list this out to illustrate the difference in the curriculum of the school I attended vs. the public school that my friend's daughter is going to. I will also say, that like many of my classmates, we tested out of our freshman year of college. We started college as sophomores, and even then the kids that that were competing against were not prepared to face us. We blew the top off every curve, which angered no small number of our college classmates. The superior education that we received prepared us to perform well in a demanding environment. I know that from talking to many of my high school class mates that much of the material that we encountered in college, even in our later years (junior & senior), we had already covered in high school. It definitely gave us an edge.
Dumbing down the education system to raise the pass rate is what is really at fault here. Because there are a certain percentage of kids who either can't or won't perform at that level, the standards get dropped. It all comes from the same mentality that gives trophies to everyone at game regardless of the score. Part of the reason that you put your kid in team sports is for them to learn a few important lessons. One of the most important lessons is that you have to compete for what you want. The second most important is that you cannot always win. Handing out trophies like candy takes both of those lessons away from the kids and gives them a false sense of security. It teaches them that complacency and falling on your face are "good enough",which I think is dangerous.
2 cents,
QueenB
1) All stores that sell video games must post, in letters no less than 2 inches high, a complete description of the rating system. This signage must be located no further than 30 feet away from the entrance, exit and check out.
The verbage of the sign should be this stuff - http://www.esrb.org/ratings/ratings_guide.jsp
2) It is illegal to sell video games rated M under 18. It is illegal to sell video games rated A or not rated to anyone under 21.
3) ID showing proof of age is required for any game rated "M" or rated "A" or any game that is not yet rated.
That way there's no censorship. It's the same thing we do with Playboy, Hustler, etc. These things are considered to be too adult for minors so you have to show proof of ID in order to buy them. I think that many of the games also fall into this category. Yes, I like to play them myself. As I'm sitting here writing this, I'm looking at a stack of games that includes Medal of Honor, GTA, Hitman, and Manhunt. That doesn't mean that I think they're appropriate for a 5th grader, though.
I also think that a lot of parents aren't aware that there is a rating system and don't know how to interpret it. Furthermore, I think that if parents have to show ID in order to by 12 year old Timmy a copy of BMX XXX, they might actually get the idea that it isn't really meant for kids.
The whole world is NOT meant for children and I seriously doubt that there are hordes of 12 year olds out there with $50 of disposable income. It's the parents that buy these things for their kids. It just that the parents think, "Oh, it's a video game. How bad could it be?" Can anyone say "Hot Coffee"? Frankly, the whole world should not have to be made childproof just because parents are either too stupid or too lazy to look at what their kids are asking for.
That said, I think we as gamers, and the gaming industry in general can do a lot to raise awareness amongst parents about what's in the games that kids are asking their parents to buy.
2 cents,
QueenB
I had a co-worker who had a My Space so that she could keep an eye on what her daughters were doing on line. She got the most atrocious posts from this devil worshiping freak who had been posting on his my space about his fantasies of raping women, sodomizing boys, etc. He harassed her for several weeks, on line before the MySpace staff was able to get him to stop.
.edu email address in order to even get account. The thought being that if you keep it limited to actual students, faculty and staff it will be safer than the internet at large.
I've been harassed because I blog on Xanga. I had one person in particular that left me very threatening comments. Every time I'd have him blocked, he'd just get a new account and come back. I'm very glad that this in-duh-vidual didn't know where to find me. I'm very careful with my on-line identity. I don't use my real photo. I never say where I live or work. I never include pictures that show any identifiable information. However, most children don't have that kind of savvy. They blog about school, often mentioning the exact school. They tend to include their city and grade, which makes them pretty easy to locate.
In addition, I had another co worker who's daughter was threatened with physical violence on another blogging site by some of her class mates. The exact threat was that she would be shot the next week at school. We turned the matter over to police and it was handled. Still, it was quite unsettling to pull up and see the threat spelled out clearly, in print, on a web page by some jr. high aged girls in the 'burbs. There was a recent article in the local paper about on-line bullying.
I can understand that the facilities don't feel that they can provide adequate security for a minor child, especially when they are acting as the loco parentis. I'd block that sort of thing too, since you just don't want to be responsible if it "goes south." This is just my small circle of acquaintences and I can't help but think that we're not that out of the ordinary. I feel certain that we're not since Facebook was founded as an alternative to MySpace. You must have an active
2 cents,
QueenB
I so sure that none of the people in these communities have any idea that the wierd guy around the corner who's been making small explosive devices and torturing cats might be a terrorist.
I've worked among them. Their society is geared toward creating "the best muslim you can be" and that's been interpreted as the one who's willing to do the most "for Allah". What more can you give up than your life? When families are taking ads out in the paper publically praising their children for their "committment to Allah" - before the bombings - how else would you interpret it? This behavior is acceptable to a segement of our population. Either the idea that the behavior is acceptable must be eradicated or that sector of the population must be. They leave the rest of us no choice.
2 more cents,
QueenB
My biggest issue with all these terrorists is that their families know who they are. The corner grocer knows who this guy is. His neighbors know who he is. The guys at the mosque know who he is AND THEY DON'T TURN HIM IN!
In my mind, that makes the just as guilty. They are guilty by tactily condoning and abetting his actions.
Until we solve that problem, the war on terror will go no where.
2 cents,
QueenB
While it might not be plausible with peroxide based stuff, I can think of a couple of things you could cook up in the sink in the bathroom, particulary if you weren't overly concerned with your own survival.
2 cents,
QueenB
How's this? Just as with any other adult material, (Hustler, booze, smokes, etc.) make the purchaser of the rated M games show ID. Maybe then the parents will get the idea...
Face it - what 12 year old has $50 to spend on a video game. The parents are the ones shucking out the $$ for the games and most of them would never buy their kid a Playboy but they'll get him the BMX XXX without batting an eye because it's "just a game".
Besides the gaming console is not a baby sitter. PS/X-box/etc is not a subsitute for parental interaction.
I also think that stores that sell video games should be required in letters no less than 2" high be required to explain the rating system, ages, etc. along with the notice about not being able to sell the games to anyone under 21.
Furthermore games with built chat (MMOGS) need to have a warning on them about allowing children to play online unsupervised. Our gaming clan is quite active and in the past year I've made 7 reports to the FBI of incidents that occured "in game" where adults made inappropriate comments to children. Pedophiles have figured out that chat rooms are a bust but these games, espeically the ones that require cooperative play, have chat built right in. For $50 Freaky Pete has access to a whole world of unsuspecting kids...
Just my 2 cents,
QueenB
Buy a Mac... that's what this is all about *nix stability with a nice GUI that works, right?
2 cents,
Queen B
The definition of stress is STUPID END USERS.
How many times have you had to tell the same dumba$$ "Don't do X", yet they go and do it, and then whine to the boss that it's got to be fixed "right now" for the 47th time?
Our example. We'll call her Melinda to protect the stupid. In the three years that Melinda worked for us, her workstation managed to contract every single virus that came through. Melinda would uninstall her antivirus software "because it made her computer slow". When we disabled her access, she went and bought a windows CD so taht she could reinstall the OS, sans patches and sans AV. Each time her computer crashed, which was frequent, someone had to rebuild it and of course Melinda was breathing down their necks the whole time. I think we were probably the happiest people in the building when we got email about Melinda's going away party.
How many times have you had some end user who did something incredibly stupid (C:\> format c: ) blow up at the IT staff, acting like it's their fault?
This is an actual conversation:
User: I got an email that said to type in format c:
Admin: Do you have the email?
User: No, it's on my computer and my computer crashed
Admin: Well, we can reinstall all your software, but I think your files are gone.
User: (expletives deleted) Why can't I have my files back
Admin: You can but you'll have to give us an account number
User: Why?
Admin: Because we'll have to send the drive out and see if anything can be recovered off it
User: How much does that costs?
Admin: $125/hr + some other fees per GB for the data
User: Why is it so much?
Admin: Because you took the drive apart to "fix" it
How about users who just totally disregard anything that the IT staff has to say? Yet this too magically is our fault. Lemme see, I email you once maybe twice a year - yeah, that's the one you wanna skip. Gee, it sure is easier to get the new system to work if you read the instructions we wrote for it and you check your email to get your user name and password.
Prime example of this. We recently had to move about 200 users to a new server. As we moved each one, we sent them an email with their account information as well as all the information necessary for them to access the new machine. It uses a simple web based interface to upload files for intranet distribution. Do you think they read it? No...maybe 10-12 of them read it. The rest of the started calling, complaining that they couldn't get back into the old server. They threatened our manager and our director if their access wasn't restored. When it was pointed out to them that they got an email from us, they still had the nerve to huff and puff and pretend it was "those IT people's fault." Well, I'm really freakin' sorry you're too freakin' stupid to read your email. Why our management doesn't make reading email mandatory is beyond me, but it isn't. We have to send out a memo (ON PAPER) the next time we do something that requires "a change in the user's behavior to complete a process." I guess the memo is so that we can wipe their a$$ for them too?
I'd like to speculate about some uses for these new goodies....
1. Faster Cash Registers (Wal-mart, are you listening???)
2. Faster ATM's (though I admit it's usually the dufus in front of me & not the machine that's the problem)
3. Faster calculators (for all you toe counters out there)
4. Faster gas pumps (so we can fund the terrorists we're fighting more effectively)
5. Faster Coffee makers (I don't know if making the programmable stuff faster will actually make the brew faster, but one can only hope)
2 cents,
QueenB
Ok, I admit that I live in Texas, where every thing really is bigger. What? You don't beleive me. Well, look at this. Yeah, it's nearly 60 miles...
Now that we've settled that, you'd be surprised what isn't covered by Google earth here. We've been shopping for property and most of Texas, outside the major metropolitan areas isn't included in any detail. When Google finally decides that it's worth covering, maybe I'll spring for the app. Till then, I'll stick to my old school Mapscos. They're much more useful.
2 cents, QueenBSo, my question is do you need ear protection to be in the room with this thing? Whats the dB rating on those fans?
Queen B
Data is a big business in this country. Buying and selling data on consumers is a multi-billion dollar industry. As such, they have huge lobbies in Congress to make sure that there aren't any laws passed that will have any impact on their precious profit margins.
Here's what an ideal law looks like:
1) All data collected belongs to the individual that it pertains to, not to the harvester of the data.
2) No data can be released to any entity but appropriate law enforcement with a valid search warrant without the express permission of the subject.
3) Social security numbers shall not be used by any entity but the social security administration, the IRS, or the US Military. If you are not an official representative of the social security administration, IRS or US Military acting in an official capacity which requires you to request the social security number of an individual, asking someone to provide a social security number shall be a felony punishable by no less than a 10 year mandatory jail sentence and $100,000 fine per incident.
4) Use of another person's social security number shall be a felony with no less than a mandatory 10 year jail sentence. Knowingly allowing someone to use your social security number shall be a felony with no less than a 20 year mandatory jail sentence and a fine no less than $100,000 per instance. Bankruptcy shall not clear this fine. Payment in full is the only method of disposal for this debt.
5) Any entity holding information on an individual must make every attempt available using whatever means is available (phone, fax, mail, or email) to contact that person. The notification must consist of an explicit listing of all the information on hand, an explanation of what the information is being used for and a means to correct any information that is in error. If the information is to be used, the entity must ask for and obtain the individual's permission to continue to use it. If permission to continue using information is not forth coming in a period sixty (60) days, the information pertaining must be purged from all records and data.
6) Credit reporting bureaus will henceforth assign an internal ID # beginning with the name of the company for use in tracking various customers. For example, your credit record ID at Experian will begin with Experian. (This will let consumers know who is holding the data).
7) If you hold data on an individual that you are unable to reach in order to obtain permission, you may contact the credit bureaus to see if they have a listing for that indivdual and can send a letter. You are still in the same sixty (60) day window listed above.
8) Failure to purge the data or continued use of the data after the 60 day expiration shall be deemed a felony punishable by $100,000 fine per incident and 10 year minimum mandatory jail sentence per incident.
9) Releasing data without the express permission of the individual in question shall be deemed a felony punishable by $100,000 fine per incident and 10 year minimum mandatory jail sentence per incident.
10) If you are an illegal immigrant using someone else's SSN, your government will be billed for all costs associated with your arrest, prosecution, trial, imprisonment, and deportation.
11) Knowingly hiring an individual who is using a falsified social security number (i.e. one that has not been issued to that individual by the Social Security Administration) shall be a felony with a 10 year mandatory jail sentence and minimum fine of $100,000 per incident.
I think that makes a rather nice start.
Just my 2 cents,
Queen B.