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User: dubner

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  1. Re:Amazon in control? on Amazon Opens Registration For .BOT Domain Name (amazonregistry.com) · · Score: 1

    I, for one, welcome our new bot overlords.

  2. True enough, but this data is not from a home weather station; it's from the nearest airport. Note the airplane icon and the word "McNary" (McNary Field, Salem, OR).

    W.U. is just plain lousy.

  3. > Weather Underground's website . . .

    Yeah, well there's the problem. Earlier this month Weather Underground called it 160F here in the northwest USA.

    http://imgur.com/h4wHnAa

    Fortunately, with the breeze and low humidity, it only felt like 150F.

  4. > Samsung shall first extract precious metals, such as copper, nickel, gold and silver

    Copper, nickel -- precious metals now? WTF?

    Time to rip the copper wires out of the walls and melt them down.

  5. "Under the right conditions, people can also listen to HAARP radio transmissions from virtually anywhere in the world using an inexpensive shortwave radio."

    So this is a feature now?

    Obviously these researchers don't consider it a cancer on HF communications like we hams do.

  6. Not authorized to discuss on US Bank Regulator Notifies Congress of Major Data Security Breach (metro.us) · · Score: 1

    > The official, who was not authorized to discuss the case, noted that a large batch of unclassified personnel records were among the cache.

    What does it mean when an official who was not authorized to discuss the case goes ahead and discusses it?

    Maybe at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency there's a culture of not following the rules.

  7. Bob is 20 too on Windows 95 Turns 20 · · Score: 1

    It's also the 20th anniversary of Microsoft Bob but I don't see Slashdot commemorating it. Oh, the unfairness :-)

  8. Re:Its not a drone on The Lithuanian Mob Was Smuggling Cigarettes Into Russia With a Drone · · Score: 1

    You are absolutely right (on both counts) and I stand corrected. Thank you for pointing that out.

    I must say: it makes me a little sad to have the popular press and "great unwashed" corrupt our specific technical language. But that just dates me -- obviously I'm a fossil.

  9. Its not a drone on The Lithuanian Mob Was Smuggling Cigarettes Into Russia With a Drone · · Score: 0

    It's a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aerial system (UAS).

    Drones are either male honeybees or objects used as targets. Drone is what the popular press calls a UAV/UAS and it contributes to "the dumbing of America".

    If you think it doesn't matter, go back to watching your "flat screen TV" or put some "shrink wrap" on a wire connection, you ignoramus.

  10. Re:Upon her shoulders*... on Google Doodle Remembers Computing Pioneer Grace Hopper · · Score: 2

    Without her Jobs, Gates, Zuckerberg, Bezos, etc. would not be where they are today.

    You mean Jobs would be still be alive and Bezos would have hair?

    A pox on you, Admiral Hopper!

  11. Too bad it's only for non-commercial use on Apple II DOS Source Code Released · · Score: 1

    From TFA: "... for non-commercial use. This material is Copyright © 1978 Apple Inc., "

    That's a shame because someone might like to use it for a commercial product: a modern-day knockoff of the Apple ][.

    But that would require a cool name for the project and the good ones were already taken circa-1980: the Japanese implementation (the Japple) and the Korean version (the Krapple).

  12. Re:Why hold them to higher standard? on Nuclear Officers Napped With Blast Door Left Open · · Score: 1

    > Seriously do these guys get hardship pay or anything? Is it a rotational program where they get to go somewhere better after they do their time in the bunker? Or is this really just the worst assignment in the Air Force?

    They collect the pay of a lieutenant or captain, which ain't nothin'.

    It's not a bad assignment. They have a lot of free time and can do coursework for a master's degree or catch up on reading or just nap (obviously). While getting paid.

    It's the best assignment in the Air Force for an officer who wants operational experience but cannot qualify to fly (or work drones). Not everyone wants to be a maintenance officer, personnel officer, or some kind of REMF: some want to be in Operations.

  13. SSL for searches is a good idea on Google Chrome 25 Will Serve Searches Over SSL From the Omnibox For All Users · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Using SSL for searches will prevent tragedies such as this.

    (Not the wife and mistress teaming up which can sometimes lead to tragedy. I'm talking about the IT department discovering searches for making poison.)

    --
    Joe

  14. APRS for aircraft on Visualizing Personal Flight Data With OpenFlights.org · · Score: 1

    Radio amateurs (hams) have been doing something like this for years with APRS. Aircraft (and ground vehicles, boats, etc.) contain a VHF transmitter (and other equipment) to transmit GPS information to a network of ground stations. The data makes its way to some networked servers on the Internet and a feed can be taken by anyone. A raw feed won't let you visualize but numerous mapping applications are available.

    Here's an example of the track of one specific airplane for the past 60 days.

    If that site is slashdotted (quite possible) this site will also provide the track of KA1GJU-6 (and all other APRS stations) although visualization and useability for aircraft stations suffers.

  15. APRS Track of K6RPT-11 on Atlantic Crossing By Amateur Radio High Altitude Balloon · · Score: 1

    At the risk of slashdotting this limited-resource site, I'll submit this aircraft APRS tracking site for a view of the entire track. Scroll down for tabular data showing groundspeed, altitude, etc. The Google map is zoomable and panable in the usual method as well as with a "Zoom" control in the lower left.

    Four balloons were actually launched and an additional one crossed the Rockies but only one crossed the Atlantic. APRS tracks for the three other balloons are left as an exercise for the reader. Hint: they're K6RPT-12, -13, and -14.

    --
    Joe

  16. Re:APRS on Ask Slashdot: Inexpensive Anti-Theft Vehicle Tracking System? · · Score: 1

    It's even easier than that. There are fairly inexpensive turn-key solutions for the "appliance operator" ham.

    http://www.byonics.com/mt-rtg

    or Duck-Duck-Go the Yaesu VX-8GR radio.

    A ham license is a requirement but it can be done by rote learning in one day. There is no Morse code requirement for an entry-level license. It's nothing like old-time ham radio and the typical newbie who gets a license just for APRS can't even tell me his callsign without looking on his paperwork :-(

    --
    Joe

  17. Now Disabling Add-ons on Firefox 8.0 Released · · Score: 1

    "At Mozilla, we think you should be in control, so we are disabling add-ons installed by third parties without your permission and letting you pick the ones you want to keep."

    It took 8 major (and countless minor) releases for Mozilla to realize this? Sheesh!

    --
    Joe

  18. That Will Do It on Tech Experts Look To Help Save the Postal Service · · Score: 1

    USPS anticipates losing about $7 billion during the fiscal year that ends in September and is in the process of eliminating 7,500 postmaster and administrative positions to save money.

    That should work out just right and put the USPS in the black (assuming each one receives a $1 million salary).

  19. Re:Are they all tuned to the same channel? on Sidestepping A-to-D Convertors For Town Government's Cable TV? · · Score: 2, Insightful

    > ... Comcast really, really sucks when it comes to screwing-over the customer ...

    Comcast is really, really good when it comes to screwing-over the customer ...

    There, fixed it for you.

    Maybe you're the one that wrote this backwards marketing copy

  20. "Off the Grid" In Not the Answer on How To Avoid a Botnet Infection? · · Score: 1

    > They are taken off the grid as we speak.

    Well, there's your trouble. Taking those computers off the grid and powering them by your own electrical source (diesel generator, solar, wind, etc.) isn't going to help.

    Tell your IT department to take them off the Internet.

  21. Re:Using IE5 on IE 6 & 7 Unpatched Exploit Goes Wild · · Score: 1

    That's why we in the know sticks to IE5.

    I wish I could but I only has 'lynx', you insensitive clod!

  22. The WE500 Is a Robust Device on What Has Your Phone Survived? · · Score: 1

    My WE500 has survived multiple falls from the 6-inch shelf above my desk and continues to function flawlessly.

  23. Re:Easy answer on DynDNS.com Acquires EveryDNS · · Score: 1

    That's the royal we.

  24. Re:If it's out there on Google Voice Mails Found In Public Search Engine · · Score: 1
  25. Re:Fine, go ahead... on Duplicating Your Housekeys, From a Distance · · Score: 1

    Yeah, I'm with you.

    I would welcome the opportunity to cleanse the gene pool, however small. My house is insured by Smith & Wesson.

    "Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya punk?" (Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry).