I know in my case I could never have learned any programming at all if I didn't have some actual projects put in front of me as assignments.
True, however there is quite a difference between "exercise" programs and building applications that could actually benefit someone. Even having the whole class work on different parts of a program (Like if they were developing Q3 for example: the advanced kids write the engine, some write the AI, some create the graphics, some do the sounds, and rotate as well as communicate with eachother to build a solid understanding of each part of the process).
The language is also a very big part. At least for me, I didn't want to waste my time writing apps in Visual Basic 4 - Perl seemed to grab my interest. While it's understandable that there it would be impossible for a teacher to understand every programming language fluently, a student who wishes to study up on a language himself or perhaps become an apprentince with some perl hackers should be offered.
The biggest part of programming I hated was I felt like I was seriously wasting my time. The teacher didn't know VB, we all had to sit with our faces in a book and go chapter by chapter, doing the program exercises (all he had to do was correct the tests). The programs had no point to them whatsoever - no one would ever had any use for them. My instant-messenging program, however, became incredibly useful and quite popular among the guys in the CS class to communicate back and forth when we weren't allowed to talk.
I can remember in High School I became incredibly bored with Computer Science, being I already had advanced knowledge of computers, and took it just to get an "easy grade".
One thing that I had trouble with was keeping busy - the Teacher I had was bright, but not very skillful in computers. He knew I could run the class and that scared him.
I would suggest is asking your students *what* they want to learn - some might want to learn networking, some might want to program, others repair computers. Give them research time to browse the HOWTOs and other more in-depth information.
I got into alot of trouble in my CS class and ended up dropping out because I was at the point of losing my sanity.
If the subject is programming, don't tell them what kind of program to write - just tell them to make one! This is what motivated me. My friend and I spent all of our time writing a instant-messenger over IPX (it was a Novell LAN) while everyone else was writing "exercise programs". We didn't get a grade for it, even though our program was much more advanced than the others'.
Secondly, I would put your IT department to a test. Put $50 on the table and tell them the first one to hack the school's server will get it. This is not only beneficial to your security, it will keep the kids motivated. Make them share how they did it with the class and make a "lesson" out of it. Also, keep the kids busy by having them do computer work in the school. In my school most teachers would have a downtime of over a week before their terminal was fixed. It's free help for the school, and very educational for the student(s). Pair up the smarter kids with some of the not-so-smart-but-able-to-learn kids.
Have a "LAN party" day when everyone who has a computer brings it in and setup a game of "Worms Armageddon" (in this "post-columbine world" as JonKatz would say) Doom or Quake would not be acceptable if you are worried about your job. Have them setup the network and get all the clients configured and have them go at it.
Hope these help... I wish I had these to do in High School...
...using cellphones while driving. Will public highways start setting up Q-zones?
It might happen, however I think that it would be more logical to incorporate Q-zones in vehicles instead of highways, to automatically force cell phones to stay in a "hands free mode" via a headset or integrated speaker/mic in the phone itself. I hear too often about people who are killed or cause serious accidents because they are too distracted by their phone.
- Slash
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
What I cannot understand is why they create a standard that offers a symmetrical 56k/56k capability. While the FCC still limits modems to 53k download because of potential bleedthrough on copper lines, it surely would be the next big enhancement.
Having a somewhat faster uplink really is something that makes me yawn on a dialup. What I am curious about is why hardware hasn't been designed to give a CONNECT string for upload and download. When I see CONNECT 48000 it really is false, still limiting my upload to 33.6. Why not something like CONNECT 48000/33600 perhaps, which would display both upload and download connectivity? Back in the days of symmetrical connections (anything = 28800 modems I believe) it wasn't needed.
- Slash
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
Brystol Meyers Squibb (subsidary of Mead Johnson) is currently in the development of developing a first of it's kind drug that has been proven to increase baby's IQ's and make them learn quicker. This project has been nicknamed "Project Einstein" and has been kept top secret. It is still in testing (and probably FDA approval), but when it hits the market it will be the first of it's kind for infant intelligence development.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
Any game can break. There is a signifigant difference between a pinball machine and a game that requires physical movement. An arcade console is really nothing more than a game unit with a large television and a special joystick. If the most physically abused component (the joystick) breaks, it would be much more easier to diagnose, repair or replace. As for a pinball machine, the sensors, flippers, everything matters. It's not so easy when it comes to replace complex components that require physics to operate.
Pinball machines are pretty much all the same. While they may have different themes and setups, the object is to keep the ball from passing the flippers, and racking up as many points as possible. It would be like setting up a row of solitaire machines and the only difference was what design was printed on the back of the cards.
I think, that if new strategies and concepts were considered for pinball it might make still make a comeback, but they all have the same mechanical issues that need to be addressed.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
You may want to seek legal advice from some lawyers on ExpertCentral.com. One of their expert lawyers gave some excellent advice in assisting me in some legal matters and I was quite pleased.
It's worth a shot on getting a third opinion than from the advertising firm's lawyers and Slashdot.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
I don't see a reason to ship it with a hard drive and modem. The IEEE 1394, USB and PCMCIA ports should be a clue to anyone (who knows what they are) that it can easily support modems, hard drives, etc...
Shipping them with hard drives and modems will soon become obsolete. I hope sony takes the direction of making them optional accessories and not turn to a proprietary bus to market sony-only accessories (that's all we would need).
Personally I think they should leave it alone and work on developing a front-end for the Playstation (hmm - SonyLinux?) to make hardware support and driver detection so the hardware really has no limits to what is plugged into it.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
Artists say they can't make money from t-shirts and touring, and if sales of their CD drop on the auto-indexer, the label says goodbye. Can anyone come up with a distribution model that will work with the new tech rather than being swamped by it?"
I think it's bullshit. I for one have gigs upon gigs of mp3s, and while i'd admit Napster has saved me from buying another CD from time to time, however if I like the album I downloaded i'll probably catch them in concert when they stop by. They must make money off concerts. While they do have to pay up to venues, why not use advertising to help out? I'm not talking about cutting in the middle of a song to say it's brought to you by M&M's or something like that, but banners and such should definitely help bring in some cash. T-shirts I usually pass on, because they usually don't come in my size. They should have XXL and XXXL - the other sizes shrink too fast. There's always ways to make money, and I think if artists start looking at concerts and touring more, they can tell the record labels to kiss their ass.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
Despite what a lot of corporations want to believe, consumers just don't want an all-in-one web browser / game console / e-mail client. If people want games and Internet utilities, they can buy a PC -- or they can buy a console if they just want games.
I think you are referring to smart consumers. There are still many, many people who don't have a computer let alone want one. They turn away from having to buy a $900 machine they have not the fondest idea how to use.
People who understand computers don't want have anything to do with these all-in-one systems, but will probably end up buying one for the video game feature.
I am glad Sony has not taken the step into trying to classify their machine as a PC. They instead have made it a hacker's challenge equipping it with PCMCIA, USB and Firewire to set imaginations wild. They are calling it a gaming console - that's all they care about, the rest is up to you.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
What about also exploring avenues that would allow public forums, i.e. libraries to avoid the filter issue. Why not created a domain where the pornographic sites are. Perhaps a.sex or a.xxx or whatever. Then they could at least have a better chance of blocking some traffic. The movie industry already does this. The music industry has started.
Down side with this idea? It would take global committment and regulation. Do we want that? I don't think so... to hard to enforce.
This is nothing new and has been thrown around. If America does it, it will force the porn industry to move their servers to another country. Being that federal, state and local laws mandate the Internet, it will be very hard to accomplish this unless there turns out to be a universal panel that will govern the Internet.
If you think the religious zealots whine alot now, wait until you mention a "one world government" and you will have every conservative republican grabbing a gun looking for the "four surfers of the apocalypse".
I do agree, though. A suffix for a domain of.xxx does make alot of sense, but then we still have the issue of speech that the zealots will whine about and want censored. Hate speech (although selective, they do a fair amount themselves) Witchcraft, Harry Potter websites, they will find something to ban. Chances are they will want.gay domains as well.
So what other ideas/methods could there be?
The only thing that comes to mind...
COMMON SENSE
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
I think so. Have you heard of TEMPEST? Remote monitoring... Here is a great amount of info on it.
Can anyone elaborate if this encryption scheme could possibly prevent Tempest attacks? From what I can gather this is what they are trying to do. However, I am weary of Intel actually being concerned for user privacy (P3 Processor ID).
And why such weak cypher strength? This surely will be crackable, and i'm sure that companies aren't going to do a total recall on their monitors because a key was cracked. This seems fishy to me - if it's not creating a false sense of security it's gotta be something not to a person concerned about privacy. It has to please corporate giants in some way.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
This is an interesting article by Case VanKampen, a columnist for the Holland Sentinel, and a minister at a reformed church in the area. In a nutshell, he points out that children can get a pornographic novel in Herrick Public Library easier than getting porn on the Internet.
This doesn't have anything to do with Republicans, and you know it. There are idiots in all parties.
True. But about 98% of them run under the republican ticket. Republicans have a strong influence on the church.
Gary Bauer came to a city-wide church service back in 1995 and bashed the hell out of Clinton, fueling his campaign before he even started. And, surprisingly, where I live (Holland MI) this is one of the highest financially supporting areas of Gary Bauer in the nation. People like Bauer know that people are willing to pass around the collection plate for his campaign just as easily as feeding hungry people in Africa.
You are right, stupid people do exist in all parties, but I argue that the majority of them are Republicans.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
So the speed cameras can identify a car by taking a snapshot and analyzing the license plate within the photo? I could see tons of problems with that including snow over the license plate, etc.. unless there is some embedded oscillator that is emmiting a identifier signal from the car.
I've also heard of special sprays that you put over your license plate that purposely will over-expose the picture making the license plate unreadable. Has anyone had any experiences with this and know if it works?
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
If you expect unrestricted Internet access at a public library, you're expecting the wrong thing. Get Internet access at home and you can have it.
Read the article again, carefully. The library does *not* allow unrestricted internet access, nor will it ever. You are missing the whole point here. Why fork money into a technology that DOES NOT work? These folks are not out to make the library an XXX Internet hotspot. I was one of the three Slashdot readers mentioned in the article, I was there, I know.
When you get it for free from the government, you play by their rules. Their rules, of course, you can help make, but if the people are going to vote it in, then that's what they want, or they think they want, which is just as valid, IMHO.
Censorship is alive and well in American communities. Just like Slashdot, though, it's community censorship, especially when the people get to vote.
How would you feel if you had to flip the bill for something you had absolutely no say in? Only the Holland City Residents will get to vote on it. That leaves 3 other surrounding townships with jack-shit, who will flip the bill regardless. It's far from fair.
The AFA went to petition in Holland, asking residents the sole question "Would you like to sign in support of stopping pornography on the Internet?" Most people were conned unknowingly what their agenda was, and many people were pissed when they found out what they signed.
The AFA rushed quickly to get the petitions done, totally disregarding bringing their problem with the no-filters to the library, the city, no one. They only had about 12 days before they could get their petition in, so it would be brought before the city council in time for them to either vote the ordinance in, or take it to the vote. They knew damn well it would go to a vote, and what perfect timing, the same time as the Republican Primary election. Most republicians are conservative, and very seductive, in West Michigan at least...
The AFA took a mediocre and impulsive approach to beat the clock. Truly this will be an unfair vote whether it passes or not - however if it does not pass, the AFA shouldn't complain because it was their moronic move to approach it like they did.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
Sad to see that on Casio's website it requires a computer with Windows 98. Is anyone aware of any open-standard protocols under development for communications with devices like these? Casio definitely deserves a job well done for turning a wrist-watch into useful, slick devices. And I thought the Timex Beepwear was cool. It's only a matter of time before watches will be an all-in-one gadget.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
It's an interesting concept - however I have a feeling this will simply give them a challenge. I could see a distributed.net-like project in the works to crack the encryption.
While it may be not possible now to successfully crack it quickly, the techonological advancements of computers will make it possible to crack it easily. Standards like RDS would take a long time to fade out - they just can't decide one day "oh - the public key is cracked, time to make a new standard, let everyone buy a new radio".
I'm waiting for more appliances, car radios in particular to offer flash ROM upgrades, making things like new encryption algorithums and standards prevent obsoletion of the equipment. It is absolutely essential - imagine, if the y2k bug could have been patched on devices with embedded, irreplacable chips using a simply flash rom upgrade.
While this probably isn't the best example, the potential bugs and exploits will only be uncovered with a matter of time, and unlike software where it's a matter of downloading and patching, hardware is definitely a matter of concern.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
I got into BBS'es when I was 12. That was my real introduction to chats, games and being able to so much more without the isolation of the personal computer. Thanks to the internet, the traditional dial-up BBS'es are dying away. However, I have found many boards to now support telnet connections. The cost of dialup lines are simply too expensive and non-economcal. Thanks to the internet, one can use one dialup line and use the bandwidth to support at least 3 simultaneous internet users without lag. That's quite an advantage over dishing out $15 a month for a line from your residence, and having to abide to the telco restrictions of the amount of lines, etc... Also, many boards running the very expensive (and very powerful) MajorBBS aka Worldgroup is still found to be used by many Internet Providers to handle their userbase who simply started as a small BBS. Worldgroup and Wildcat! BBS both have continued development of their software to offer web integration. Alot of people are still fans of muds. I think what has kept Worldgroup still popular is MajorMUD - a highly addictive and mostly scripted multi-user mud that has been a highlight of boards since I started. It isn't a door, but a proprietary module for Worldgroup. Even Seth Robinson, the creator of the classic Legend of the Red Dragon (LORD) released LORD II about 2 years ago. At least someone still has the heart for the boards. It's kind of sad that everyone is moving towards point and click. I'm still a fan of the text-based stuff, whether it be the console of Linux or the menu navigation of a BBS. BBS'es will always live on. This whole new generation is growing up on the Internet, and as the old board fans migrate to the internet, they are becoming more scarce. I surely hope many more years of good boards. - Detritus
I think it pretty much boils down to the paranoia of Corel in the fact that if a 14 year old kid who wants to try Linux for the first time decides to delete the Windows 98 FAT32 partition to install Linux (woohoo), mom and dad would have a FIT because they get on Juno or AOL anymore (evil grin).
When they go to their son or daughter and say "you're grounded for all eternity" the kid says in response "I had NO idea it would do that! it's not my fault!" The parents in response think "hey - corel's product just screwed my computer over. let's call our lawyer - we need a new computer anyway".
That pretty much sums up what I think Corel is thinking. Just as others pointed out - Ignore the minor agreement. - Detritus
This sounds interesting, but something that always has concerned me about wireless networking is the threat of security. A simple packet sniffer (i'd laugh if they call it a hacker's radio) could easily intercept data transmissions from anyone in the area. Wouldn't this give the FCC rights to snoop without a warrant? Sorry, but i'm still a fan of hard lines. The whole wireless networking thing kind of scares me...
Half these people here are nothing but skeptics hopelessly clinging to their voodoos and tnts.
Out of all the gaming cards i've ever owned, I never came across a more stable card with the support of built-in dvd decoding. I have an ATI rage fury and have had zero problems and great gameplay. I don't care what other reviews hold... What pisses me off is people trying to compare the ATI Rage Fury next to the voodoo3 and TNT2. People forget that the rage128 chipset was out long before the 2 other cards were, so of course it's going to be a slower card. TNT and Voodoo had the overall competitive advantage for waiting and improving.
I'd rather have a more stable card with extra features than a non-stable card that maybe renders a tad faster... ATI is a well respected card maker in the industry, and for a reason... I say power to the MAXX.
Slashdot Mirror
I know in my case I could never have learned any programming at all if I didn't have some actual projects put in front of me as assignments.
True, however there is quite a difference between "exercise" programs and building applications that could actually benefit someone.
Even having the whole class work on different parts of a program (Like if they were developing Q3 for example: the advanced kids write the engine, some write the AI, some create the graphics, some do the sounds, and rotate as well as communicate with eachother to build a solid understanding of each part of the process).
The language is also a very big part. At least for me, I didn't want to waste my time writing apps in Visual Basic 4 - Perl seemed to grab my interest. While it's understandable that there it would be impossible for a teacher to understand every programming language fluently, a student who wishes to study up on a language himself or perhaps become an apprentince with some perl hackers should be offered.
The biggest part of programming I hated was I felt like I was seriously wasting my time. The teacher didn't know VB, we all had to sit with our faces in a book and go chapter by chapter, doing the program exercises (all he had to do was correct the tests). The programs had no point to them whatsoever - no one would ever had any use for them. My instant-messenging program, however, became incredibly useful and quite popular among the guys in the CS class to communicate back and forth when we weren't allowed to talk.
- Slash
I can remember in High School I became incredibly bored with Computer Science, being I already had advanced knowledge of computers, and took it just to get an "easy grade".
One thing that I had trouble with was keeping busy - the Teacher I had was bright, but not very skillful in computers. He knew I could run the class and that scared him.
I would suggest is asking your students *what* they want to learn - some might want to learn networking, some might want to program, others repair computers. Give them research time to browse the HOWTOs and other more in-depth information.
I got into alot of trouble in my CS class and ended up dropping out because I was at the point of losing my sanity.
If the subject is programming, don't tell them what kind of program to write - just tell them to make one! This is what motivated me. My friend and I spent all of our time writing a instant-messenger over IPX (it was a Novell LAN) while everyone else was writing "exercise programs". We didn't get a grade for it, even though our program was much more advanced than the others'.
Secondly, I would put your IT department to a test. Put $50 on the table and tell them the first one to hack the school's server will get it. This is not only beneficial to your security, it will keep the kids motivated. Make them share how they did it with the class and make a "lesson" out of it. Also, keep the kids busy by having them do computer work in the school. In my school most teachers would have a downtime of over a week before their terminal was fixed. It's free help for the school, and very educational for the student(s). Pair up the smarter kids with some of the not-so-smart-but-able-to-learn kids.
Have a "LAN party" day when everyone who has a computer brings it in and setup a game of "Worms Armageddon" (in this "post-columbine world" as JonKatz would say) Doom or Quake would not be acceptable if you are worried about your job. Have them setup the network and get all the clients configured and have them go at it.
Hope these help... I wish I had these to do in High School...
- Slash
...using cellphones while driving. Will public highways start setting up Q-zones?
It might happen, however I think that it would be more logical to incorporate Q-zones in vehicles instead of highways, to automatically force cell phones to stay in a "hands free mode" via a headset or integrated speaker/mic in the phone itself.
I hear too often about people who are killed or cause serious accidents because they are too distracted by their phone.
- Slash
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
What I cannot understand is why they create a standard that offers a symmetrical 56k/56k capability. While the FCC still limits modems to 53k download because of potential bleedthrough on copper lines, it surely would be the next big enhancement.
Having a somewhat faster uplink really is something that makes me yawn on a dialup. What I am curious about is why hardware hasn't been designed to give a CONNECT string for upload and download. When I see CONNECT 48000 it really is false, still limiting my upload to 33.6. Why not something like CONNECT 48000/33600 perhaps, which would display both upload and download connectivity? Back in the days of symmetrical connections (anything = 28800 modems I believe)
it wasn't needed.
- Slash
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
Brystol Meyers Squibb (subsidary of Mead Johnson) is currently in the development of developing a first of it's kind drug that has been proven to increase baby's IQ's and make them learn quicker. This project has been nicknamed "Project Einstein" and has been kept top secret. It is still in testing (and probably FDA approval), but when it hits the market it will be the first of it's kind for infant intelligence development.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
Any game can break. There is a signifigant difference between a pinball machine and a game that requires physical movement.
An arcade console is really nothing more than a game unit with a large television and a special joystick. If the most physically abused component (the joystick) breaks, it would be much more easier to diagnose, repair or replace. As for a pinball machine, the sensors, flippers, everything matters. It's not so easy when it comes to replace complex components that require physics to operate.
Pinball machines are pretty much all the same. While they may have different themes and setups, the object is to keep the ball from passing the flippers, and racking up as many points as possible. It would be like setting up a row of solitaire machines and the only difference was what design was printed on the back of the cards.
I think, that if new strategies and concepts were considered for pinball it might make still make a comeback, but they all have the same mechanical issues that need to be addressed.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
Interesting. Too bad DVD players aren't ROM upgradable - it would definitely be an interesting concept, that is, if any already exist?
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
You may want to seek legal advice from some lawyers on ExpertCentral.com. One of their expert lawyers gave some excellent advice in assisting me in some legal matters and I was quite pleased.
It's worth a shot on getting a third opinion than from the advertising firm's lawyers and Slashdot.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
I don't see a reason to ship it with a hard drive and modem. The IEEE 1394, USB and PCMCIA ports should be a clue to anyone (who knows what they are) that it can easily support modems, hard drives, etc...
Shipping them with hard drives and modems will soon become obsolete. I hope sony takes the direction of making them optional accessories and not turn to a proprietary bus to market sony-only accessories (that's all we would need).
Personally I think they should leave it alone and work on developing a front-end for the Playstation (hmm - SonyLinux?) to make hardware support and driver detection so the hardware really has no limits to what is plugged into it.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
Artists say they can't make money from t-shirts and touring, and if sales of their CD drop on the auto-indexer, the label says goodbye. Can anyone come up with a distribution model that will work with the new tech rather than being swamped by it?"
I think it's bullshit. I for one have gigs upon gigs of mp3s, and while i'd admit Napster has saved me from buying another CD from time to time, however if I like the album I downloaded i'll probably catch them in concert when they stop by. They must make money off concerts. While they do have to pay up to venues, why not use advertising to help out? I'm not talking about cutting in the middle of a song to say it's brought to you by M&M's or something like that, but banners and such should definitely help bring in some cash. T-shirts I usually pass on, because they usually don't come in my size. They should have XXL and XXXL - the other sizes shrink too fast. There's always ways to make money, and I think if artists start looking at concerts and touring more, they can tell the record labels to kiss their ass.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
Despite what a lot of corporations want to believe, consumers just don't want an all-in-one web browser / game console / e-mail client. If people want games and Internet utilities, they can buy a PC -- or they can buy a console if they just want games.
I think you are referring to smart consumers. There are still many, many people who don't have a computer let alone want one. They turn away from having to buy a $900 machine they have not the fondest idea how to use.
People who understand computers don't want have anything to do with these all-in-one systems, but will probably end up buying one for the video game feature.
I am glad Sony has not taken the step into trying to classify their machine as a PC. They instead have made it a hacker's challenge equipping it with PCMCIA, USB and Firewire to set imaginations wild. They are calling it a gaming console - that's all they care about, the rest is up to you.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
What about also exploring avenues that would allow public forums, i.e. libraries to avoid the filter issue. Why not created a domain where the pornographic sites are. Perhaps a .sex or a .xxx or whatever. Then they could at least have a better chance of blocking some traffic. The movie industry already does this. The music industry has started.
Down side with this idea? It would take global committment and regulation. Do we want that? I don't think so... to hard to enforce.
This is nothing new and has been thrown around. If America does it, it will force the porn industry to move their servers to another country. Being that federal, state and local laws mandate the Internet, it will be very hard to accomplish this unless there turns out to be a universal panel that will govern the Internet.
If you think the religious zealots whine alot now, wait until you mention a "one world government" and you will have every conservative republican grabbing a gun looking for the "four surfers of the apocalypse".
I do agree, though. A suffix for a domain of .xxx does make alot of sense, but then we still have the issue of speech that the zealots will whine about and want censored. Hate speech (although selective, they do a fair amount themselves) Witchcraft, Harry Potter websites, they will find something to ban. Chances are they will want .gay domains as well.
So what other ideas/methods could there be?
The only thing that comes to mind...
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
I think so. Have you heard of TEMPEST? Remote monitoring... Here is a great amount of info on it.
Can anyone elaborate if this encryption scheme could possibly prevent Tempest attacks? From what I can gather this is what they are trying to do. However, I am weary of Intel actually being concerned for user privacy (P3 Processor ID).
And why such weak cypher strength? This surely will be crackable, and i'm sure that companies aren't going to do a total recall on their monitors because a key was cracked. This seems fishy to me - if it's not creating a false sense of security it's gotta be something not to a person concerned about privacy. It has to please corporate giants in some way.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
This is an interesting article by Case VanKampen, a columnist for the Holland Sentinel, and a minister at a reformed church in the area. In a nutshell, he points out that children can get a pornographic novel in Herrick Public Library easier than getting porn on the Internet.
The article is here.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
This doesn't have anything to do with Republicans, and you know it. There are idiots in all parties.
True. But about 98% of them run under the republican ticket. Republicans have a strong influence on the church.
Gary Bauer came to a city-wide church service back in 1995 and bashed the hell out of Clinton, fueling his campaign before he even started. And, surprisingly, where I live (Holland MI) this is one of the highest financially supporting areas of Gary Bauer in the nation. People like Bauer know that people are willing to pass around the collection plate for his campaign just as easily as feeding hungry people in Africa.
You are right, stupid people do exist in all parties, but I argue that the majority of them are Republicans.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
You forgot some:
http://www.yahooka.com/
Smell: I feel baked...
http://www.skylighter.com
Smell: Ah. Nothing beats the smell of a smoking mortar.
http://www.parentsoup.com
Smell: Jeffrey Dalmer would enjoy this.
http://www.theonion.com
Smell: A real tear-jerker.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
So the speed cameras can identify a car by taking a snapshot and analyzing the license plate within the photo? I could see tons of problems with that including snow over the license plate, etc..
unless there is some embedded oscillator that is emmiting a identifier signal from the car.
I've also heard of special sprays that you put over your license plate that purposely will over-expose the picture making the license plate unreadable. Has anyone had any experiences with this and know if it works?
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
If you expect unrestricted Internet access at a public library, you're expecting the wrong thing. Get Internet access at home and you can have it.
Read the article again, carefully. The library does *not* allow unrestricted internet access, nor will it ever. You are missing the whole point here. Why fork money into a technology that DOES NOT work? These folks are not out to make the library an XXX Internet hotspot. I was one of the three Slashdot readers mentioned in the article, I was there, I know.
When you get it for free from the government, you play by their rules. Their rules, of course, you can help make, but if the people are going to vote it in, then that's what they want, or they think they want, which is just as valid, IMHO.
Censorship is alive and well in American communities. Just like Slashdot, though, it's community censorship, especially when the people get to vote.
How would you feel if you had to flip the bill for something you had absolutely no say in? Only the Holland City Residents will get to vote on it. That leaves 3 other surrounding townships with jack-shit, who will flip the bill regardless. It's far from fair.
The AFA went to petition in Holland, asking residents the sole question "Would you like to sign in support of stopping pornography on the Internet?" Most people were conned unknowingly what their agenda was, and many people were pissed when they found out what they signed.
The AFA rushed quickly to get the petitions done, totally disregarding bringing their problem with the no-filters to the library, the city, no one. They only had about 12 days before they could get their petition in, so it would be brought before the city council in time for them to either vote the ordinance in, or take it to the vote. They knew damn well it would go to a vote, and what perfect timing, the same time as the Republican Primary election. Most republicians are conservative, and very seductive, in West Michigan at least...
The AFA took a mediocre and impulsive approach to beat the clock. Truly this will be an unfair vote whether it passes or not - however if it does not pass, the AFA shouldn't complain because it was their moronic move to approach it like they did.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
Sad to see that on Casio's website it requires a computer with Windows 98. Is anyone aware of any open-standard protocols under development for communications with devices like these? Casio definitely deserves a job well done for turning a wrist-watch into useful, slick devices. And I thought the Timex Beepwear was cool. It's only a matter of time before watches will be an all-in-one gadget.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
It's an interesting concept - however I have a feeling this will simply give them a challenge. I could see a distributed.net-like project in the works to crack the encryption.
While it may be not possible now to successfully crack it quickly, the techonological advancements of computers will make it possible to crack it easily. Standards like RDS would take a long time to fade out - they just can't decide one day "oh - the public key is cracked, time to make a new standard, let everyone buy a new radio".
I'm waiting for more appliances, car radios in particular to offer flash ROM upgrades, making things like new encryption algorithums and standards prevent obsoletion of the equipment.
It is absolutely essential - imagine, if the y2k bug could have been patched on devices with embedded, irreplacable chips using a simply flash rom upgrade.
While this probably isn't the best example, the potential bugs and exploits will only be uncovered with a matter of time, and unlike software where it's a matter of downloading and patching, hardware is definitely a matter of concern.
- Detritus
"I never really liked computers, but then the server went down on me"
Ah - so that's why Microsoft is looking for Linux and FreeBSD techies, they needed to know how to "uninstall" it.
- Detritus
"The Penguin is Mightier than the Sword"
I got into BBS'es when I was 12. That was my real introduction to chats, games and being able to so much more without the isolation of the personal computer. Thanks to the internet, the traditional dial-up BBS'es are dying away. However, I have found many boards to now support telnet connections. The cost of dialup lines are simply too expensive and non-economcal. Thanks to the internet, one can use one dialup line and use the bandwidth to support at least 3 simultaneous internet users without lag. That's quite an advantage over dishing out $15 a month for a line from your residence, and having to abide to the telco restrictions of the amount of lines, etc... Also, many boards running the very expensive (and very powerful) MajorBBS aka Worldgroup is still found to be used by many Internet Providers to handle their userbase who simply started as a small BBS. Worldgroup and Wildcat! BBS both have continued development of their software to offer web integration. Alot of people are still fans of muds. I think what has kept Worldgroup still popular is MajorMUD - a highly addictive and mostly scripted multi-user mud that has been a highlight of boards since I started. It isn't a door, but a proprietary module for Worldgroup. Even Seth Robinson, the creator of the classic Legend of the Red Dragon (LORD) released LORD II about 2 years ago. At least someone still has the heart for the boards. It's kind of sad that everyone is moving towards point and click. I'm still a fan of the text-based stuff, whether it be the console of Linux or the menu navigation of a BBS. BBS'es will always live on. This whole new generation is growing up on the Internet, and as the old board fans migrate to the internet, they are becoming more scarce. I surely hope many more years of good boards.
- Detritus
I think it pretty much boils down to the paranoia of Corel in the fact that if a 14 year old kid who wants to try Linux for the first time decides to delete the Windows 98 FAT32 partition to install Linux (woohoo), mom and dad would have a FIT because they get on Juno or AOL anymore (evil grin).
When they go to their son or daughter and say "you're grounded for all eternity" the kid says in response "I had NO idea it would do that! it's not my fault!" The parents in response think "hey - corel's product just screwed my computer over. let's call our lawyer - we need a new computer anyway".
That pretty much sums up what I think Corel is thinking. Just as others pointed out - Ignore the minor agreement.
- Detritus
This sounds interesting, but something that always has concerned me about wireless networking is the threat of security. A simple packet sniffer (i'd laugh if they call it a hacker's radio) could easily intercept data transmissions from anyone in the area. Wouldn't this give the FCC rights to snoop without a warrant? Sorry, but i'm still a fan of hard lines. The whole wireless networking thing kind of scares me...
Half these people here are nothing but skeptics hopelessly clinging to their voodoos and tnts.
Out of all the gaming cards i've ever owned, I never came across a more stable card with the support of built-in dvd decoding. I have an ATI rage fury and have had zero problems and great gameplay. I don't care what other reviews hold... What pisses me off is people trying to compare the ATI Rage Fury next to the voodoo3 and TNT2. People forget that the rage128 chipset was out long before the 2 other cards were, so of course it's going to be a slower card. TNT and Voodoo had the overall competitive advantage for waiting and improving.
I'd rather have a more stable card with extra features than a non-stable card that maybe renders a tad faster... ATI is a well respected card maker in the industry, and for a reason... I say power to the MAXX.