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User: knorthern+knight

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Comments · 1,268

  1. Re:Sounds like... on Facebook Asserts Trademark On "Book" In New User Agreement · · Score: 1

    > Same with that 80s cartoon, Jem. They wanted
    > to use just M, but wanted to protect the name.

    Ian Fleming's estate would probably have sued. The head of "MI6" was referred to as "M" in the James Bond novels http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M_(James_Bond)

  2. Re:Book this! on Facebook Asserts Trademark On "Book" In New User Agreement · · Score: 1

    > If Facebook is hunting down non-social media sites, then that would be bad, but I haven't seen that happen.

    This has happened before in the tech world, in hardware. Back in the late 1970's and early 1980's, before the IBM PC popularized the Intel 8088 cpu, Zilog GMBH dominated personal computing with the Zilog 8000 cpu, which was commonly known as the "Z80". Their lawyers went after almost anything computer-related that was named Z-something. Did Apple's lawyers go after every i-something?

  3. Re:Book this! on Facebook Asserts Trademark On "Book" In New User Agreement · · Score: 1

    There actually are sites called http://failbook.com/ and http://lamebook.com/ that highlight "the worst of Facebook". Many hours of mirth and entertainment while you laugh at your fellow humans.

  4. Re:Don't *ask* on Facebook: Legal Action Against Employers Asking For Your Password · · Score: 1

    > That would be easily defeated, by both IP logging, like what GMail does,
    > and doesn't Farcebook already block open proxies? so Tor would be blocked?

    So the employer goes to the local library or McDonalds or Starbucks for free WIFI, and logs in from there with a web browser, and wipes their cookies after the session.

  5. We have a Facebook Fanboi here on Facebook: Legal Action Against Employers Asking For Your Password · · Score: 1

    > Or wait, are you one of these special snowflakes who don't have a Facebook account?

    85% of the planet doesn't have a Facebook account. Even the US is only around 50%. And that includes all the people who have multiple accounts to play Farmville with, or keep snoopy employers out of their private lives. The real number is probably below 50%. You can check their statistics at http://www.socialbakers.com/facebook-statistics/?interval=last-week#chart-intervals

    > Because if you're not one of those weird kinds of socially fucked up morons,
    > there's really no reason not to have a Facebook account that has to do
    > with either privacy, family or employment.

    Shut up Mr. Zuckerberg.

    Ever heard of Cardinal Richelieu? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_Richelieu There's a quote that's variously attributed to either him or one of his henchmen. It goes like so...
    "Give me six lines written by the most honorable of men, and I will find an excuse in them to hang him."

    All it takes is for one sarcastic remark or inside joke to be misinterpreted, and you can end up being refused admission to university, turned down for a job, fired from work, or arrested. It's not worth the risk.

  6. Re:But now... on Facebook: Legal Action Against Employers Asking For Your Password · · Score: 1

    > It's a shame that ignorants like you don't try to understand what Facebook is. blah blah blah

    [...snip tales of unicorns crapping rainbows on FB...]

    Dear Mr. Zuckerberg

    Seeing as how your company insists on people using their real name, is it to much to ask you to logon to Slashdot with your real name.

  7. Re: Crime Shifter on Surviving the Cashless Cataclysm · · Score: 1

    > Really a debit card at a good bank pretty much takes cash out of your life already.

    Really a debit card at a bank pretty much takes cash out of your bank account already. There, fixed it for you. Card issuers *LOVE* cards because they get a cut off the top of each transaction from the merchant, and they charge the user an annual fee.

    And *DEBIT CARDS ARE NOT CREDIT CARDS!!!*. Yes, I'm screaming this. In North America, a lost/stolen credit card will end up costing you the first $50 of fraudulent use. And many issuers will waive that. A debit card can drain the entire bank account it's connected to. Read your agreement. And if you set up a second "small" bank account to limit possible losses, you're going to be paying

    The debit card issuer charges a transaction fee for each debit. They don't get a cut when you withdraw cash from the ATM, and pay for products in cash. Follow the money.

    1) Lobby politicians to outlaw cash.
    2) Collect a cut of all transactions that used to be done by cash
    3) Huge profit

    > The flip side is that the criminal mentality is compelled to commit
    > crimes so they adapt to change. Expect more computer fraud as these
    > criminals certainly intend to keep stealing one way or another.

    And when car anti-theft devices actually started working half-decently, criminals began car-jacking. The card equivalant will be to shoot/kill a person, and buy gas or groceries, or whatever with that person's card before they're reported missing.

  8. Re:Persistence? on Java Web Attack Installs Malware In RAM · · Score: 1

    > Every night for most home users. It's mainly geeks
    > who leave their computers on 24/7 you know.

    I probably qualify as a geek, but... here in Ontario, Canada, condo buildings have separate electric meters for each suite. So I have a financial incentive to hibernate my linux machine when not in use.

    And I haven't had Java on my linux machine for years. One less attack vector. Nothing is "unbreakeable" (I'm looking at you, Oracle), but not running Java sure helps. Ditto for replacing Acrobat with epdfview. Unfortunately, I can't get rid of Flash yet. NHL GameCenter Live won't display without it.

  9. Re:Scary on Sweden Moving Towards Cashless Economy · · Score: 1

    > I'm sure that's what DeBeers said before the creation of lab diamonds. Now their marketing
    > machine is doing overtime to sell "natural diamonds" - ones that are less perfect than lab diamonds.

    Ain't gonna happen with gold. Totally impractical. Yes, you can bombard platinum with protons, or iridium with beta particles. But guess what...
    * platinum and iridium are madly expensive to begin with, too
    * you get a miniscule microfraction of an ounce of gold
    * you end up with a lot more radioactive byproducts than actual gold
    * At the low end of the periodic table, fusion creates energy, e.g. 2 deuturium (hydrogen plus extra neutron) combine to form helium, as in the sun or a hydrogen bomb. But once you get past iron on the periodic table, *FUSION CONSUMES ENERGY*, while fission releases energy. Think nuclear reactors or atomic bombs. Both use any of thorium/uranium/plutonium. Even without the radioactivity, fusing platinum or iridium with 1 or 2 protons would consume a huge amount of energy. Consider how much you could sell the equivalant amount of hydro power for.

  10. Everything old is new again. on Microsoft's Lifebrowser Is a Prosthetic For Memory · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Showing my age (a bit over 60). When I was a kid, we had these things called "diaries". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diary Some people would use archaic instruments called "pens" to record what they did every day in a diary (a book with blank pages). What MS is proposing is a digital diary.

    One thing I never understood... every so often, I'd hear on the radio about somebody who had been charged/convicted of robbery/rape/whatever. And one of the key pieces of evidence would be their personal diary, which police had seized. The diarists actually recorded on paper that they had committed the crime. That is beyond dumb. And I never heard of any of the defendants claiming that the police had forged the diary.

    Fast-forward to 2011, and some people are being busted for crimes, thanks to self-incriminating postings on Facebook. If Microsoft's idea ever gets past the vapourware stage, expect police to have fun searching through people's personal digital diaries. No doubt some people will be stupid enough to put incriminating posts in their digital diaries.

  11. Re:Gimmick on The Lytro Camera: Impressive Technology and Some Big Drawbacks · · Score: 1

    > It's got some optical problems like purple fringe (for example on the
    > shot with the cup of water in the foreground), unacceptably low
    > resolution, and it requires software like flash to view the photos.

    And the Wright brothers' "Wright Flyer I" only flew 120 feet with one person on board in 1903. This is version 1.0, just like original 1 megapixel point-n-shoots. Right now, it's not a serious competitor on the market, but it has potential. I take snapshots, not "professional photos". I'd love to not to have to worry about getting the focus exactly right ahead of time. There will be a market for this, once they ramp up the specs. Mass production will bring down the price of the more powerful versions.

  12. Re:corporate users? on The Windows 8 Power Struggle: Metro Vs Desktop · · Score: 1

    > It's an advantage to corporate customers. On platform on
    > ALL devices and computers.

    Sorry, one size does NOT fit all. Do you want to put a joystick+manual_throttle+rudder_pedals on your car, or do you want to put a steering wheel+automatic_transmission+brake+gas_pedals on an airplane?

    Nobody denies that a desktop UI sucks on a touchscreen device with no keyboard and no mouse. What we need to convince people of is that fact that a smartphone UI sucks on a desktop.

  13. Re:Rots your brain on Nearly Half of American Adults Are Smartphone Owners · · Score: 2

    > ...the only reason I can see for having a smartphone
    > is for keeping yourself entertained on the go.

    Yup. You can play Angry Birds while taking a dump in the bathroom. Now *THAT* is "keeping yourself entertained on the go".

  14. Re:The OP isn't asking your opinion about IT polic on Ask Slashdot: Dealing With University Firewalls? · · Score: 1

    > He's asking what options are available for getting around a problem he has.

    There have been a couple of legitimate suggestions, if you've been reading...
    1) Get their own internet
    2) Present a reasonable sane argument to the university administration which probably gives the IT department their marching orders.

    > The topic wasn't started to debate whether it was a good or bad policy; whether
    > the IT department here was doing their job well; whether they were just crazy
    > with power. Nor was it a pity plea; they don't want your derision.

    If you're going with option #2 above, then you damn well have to take the real world into consideration
    * know what real-world problems IT is facing
    * be capable of marshalling facts on your side
    That was why all the explanations of what's happening.

  15. Re:Get over it on Ask Slashdot: Dealing With University Firewalls? · · Score: 1

    > In short, let the student fail if he wants to waste time. Policiing
    > the internet is not the job of a University iT dept and the
    > groupthink agreeing with that doesn't make it wrong.

    Do you have any clue how much it costs to provide high bandwidth 24x7? And the university probably has its business systems on the same internet connection at the same speed. A dedicated business connection with a decent SLA (Service Level Agreement) costs a helluva lot more than a residential "best effort" ADSL or cable connection. When a residential 25 or 50 megabit connection crawls along at 1 megabit under high load, too bad. On a business connection with an SLA, the ISP refunds a big chunk of money to the customer. To guarantee this, the ISP provides a *DEDICATED* (read f***ing expensive) dedicated line.

    Actually, even residential cable/ADSL is expensive in North America. Try renting a suite off-campus and getting an unlimited internet connection. Now double or triple that price, and you'll have an idea what it would cost the university to provide it to you as reliable access. Now imagine every student's tuition going up by that amount. Consider this a lesson in real life.

    The IT department isn't "policing the internet". They're following orders from the university management, which is trying to stay within budget.

  16. Something to check with a lawyer... on Ask Slashdot: Companies That Force Employees To Join Social Networks? · · Score: 1

    Would your employer be allowed to give out your name/birthdate/address/etc/etc to a 3rd party like a marketing company? (I'm not talking about a court order or subpeona). If the answer is "no", then they should not be able to make you do so. If they want "an internet presence", they can damn well get a corporate account (Fanpage) on Facebook.

  17. Re:Horror stories? on Ask Slashdot: Companies That Force Employees To Join Social Networks? · · Score: 1

    > Honestly, that's all just hyperbole. There's nothing wrong with Facebook.

    It's not what Facebook does with your data, it's that Facebook gives employers excuses to fire you, universities to expel you, etc, etc.

    Ever gone to a pub *WHILE ON VACATION OVRSEAS* and bought some alcoholic beverages? A teacher has been fired for that http://www.gadailynews.com/news/61845-teacher-ashley-payne-fired-for-posting-picture-of-herself-holding-beer-on-facebook.html

    For a whole lot more horror stories, do a Google search
    http://www.google.com/search?q=g+fired+facebook+post
    "About 53,100,000 results (0.10 seconds) ".

    And it's not just about angry rants and compromising photos
    Ever indicated support for a politically liberal position? If your boss is a political conservative, they'll look for reasons to fire you. Ever indicated support for a politically conservative position? If your boss is a political liberal, they'll look for reasons to fire you. Your religion and sexual orientation are obvious targets. What about idiot "friends" who post racist remarks on your wall?

    Ever reached for your mouse and accidentally clicked "like" on a porn site... oops... that now shows up on your wall.

    Ever applied for a loan, mortgage, or credit card? Your Facebook friends can screw up your credit rating. See http://www.pcworld.com/article/246511/how_facebook_can_hurt_your_credit_rating.html
    and
    http://www.betabeat.com/2011/12/13/as-banks-start-nosing-around-facebook-and-twitter-the-wrong-friends-might-just-sink-your-credit/?show=all

    Simple risk-management... don't touch Fecesbook with a 10-foot pole.

  18. Like cablecos, TV makers hate being "dumb pipes" on Television Next In Line For Industry-Wide Shakeup? · · Score: 1

    The situation as it stands right now; most TV sets are effectively expensive monitors. They take and display a signal from one or more of...
    * an antenna
    * a cableco box
    * a PC
    * a Bluray or DVD player
    * a game console
    * whatever

    The TV maker sells a piece of hardware, and that's it for the next 10 years.

    What the TV makers dream of; They already ask you to fill out a form (paper or via internet) to "register your warranty". So they have your TV's serial number and your name+address+etc. Now imagine if the TV set had an internet connection. The TV maker could get real-time info about what you're watching and when, because the serial number is linked to a person, and also an IP address. This information is valuable to marketers. TV makers want to "monetize" that info.

  19. Re:"Smart" TVs? on Television Next In Line For Industry-Wide Shakeup? · · Score: 1

    > Hell, I can't operate a modern TV, or at least figure out how the hell I'm supposed
    > to use the remote to select a DTV subchannel. There's no "-" key so I end up punching
    > in "14" waiting for it to decide to switch to 14, then pressing up a bunch of times
    > until it gets around to changing to 14-4. 144 doesn't work.

    An alternate separator that is often used is the decimal point. Do you have one on the remote? If so, try 14.4

  20. Facebook + Cloud Computing... scarey idea on Facebook Malware Goes Viral · · Score: 1

    Facedrive(TM)... are you tired of paying high rates for your offsite storage and backups? Fear not, for there are versions of Facedrive(TM) specifically tailored for residential, and small/medium/large businesses. Simply click on this link http://bad.example.com/, download and launch the free app that will evaluate your hard drive, and advise you if you qualify fro FREE* service.

    *Restrictions may apply.

  21. Re:Hopefully lots of stuff of value was lost on Facebook Malware Goes Viral · · Score: 1

    > ||facebook.com^$third-party,domain=~facebook.net|~fbcdn.com|~fbcdn.net
    > ||facebook.net^$third-party,domain=~facebook.com|~fbcdn.com|~fbcdn.net
    > ||fbcdn.com^$third-party,domain=~facebook.com|~facebook.net|~fbcdn.net
    > ||fbcdn.net^$third-party,domain=~facebook.com|~facebook.net|~fbcdn.com

    I firewall Fecesbook on my home PC. Here are their known address blocks in CIDR and range formats...

    66.220.144.0/20 66.220.144.0 - 66.220.159.255
    69.63.176.0/20 69.63.176.0 - 69.63.191.255
    69.171.224.0/19 69.171.224.0 - 69.171.255.255
    74.119.76.0/22 74.119.76.0 - 74.119.79.255
    173.252.64.0/18 173.252.64.0 - 173.252.127.255
    204.15.20.0/22 204.15.20.0 - 204.15.23.255

  22. Re:The EU Justice Commissioner must understand... on Facebook On Collision Course With New EU Privacy Laws · · Score: 1

    > the fact that a specific website is accessible from country XYZ, does
    > NOT mean this website must comply with the local laws of country XYZ.

    That's what Richard O'Dwyer thought http://www.talkleft.com/story/2012/1/29/12531/3634

  23. Re:It is simply you which don't understand on Facebook On Collision Course With New EU Privacy Laws · · Score: 1

    > Effectively, if facebook ignore those law / pretend they are an US company They will simply
    > LOSE that EU market completely , as they will serve people but won't be able to do much with
    > the data. This is why your "routing around the damage" won't work : that data in the very end
    > is for local consumption. If the local (the firm buying the data) knows they can't use the data,
    > then facebook is SOL and no matter how much routing or where they put their server.

    Ever heard of the word "multi-national"?
    1) Facebook collects data about a German resident's musical tastes
    2) Sony America (or whichever branch) pays to have banner ads target the user, based on his musical taste (JS Bach) or lack thereof (J Beiber)
    3) German resident buys a track from Sony Germany
    4) Sony Germany remits licence fee to holding company
    5) Profit

    Note that once the personal data leaves Germany, it never re-enters Germany. How are you going to prove in court that a banner ad served from a server in the US was connected to data collected by Facebook?

  24. Re:It should be noted that... on Facebook On Collision Course With New EU Privacy Laws · · Score: 1

    > They still track by IP. They even do this with people who have
    > never signed up, so that if you do, they already have a lot of
    > info on you.

    If they track by cookies, block cookies.

    If they track by IP addresses, block their IP addresses, including both inbound and outbound traffic. Their IP address blocks (in CIDR format and range format) are...

    66.220.144.0/20 66.220.144.0 - 66.220.159.255
    69.63.176.0/20 69.63.176.0 - 69.63.191.255
    69.171.224.0/19 69.171.224.0 - 69.171.255.255
    74.119.76.0/22 74.119.76.0 - 74.119.79.255
    173.252.64.0/18 173.252.64.0 - 173.252.127.255
    204.15.20.0/22 204.15.20.0 - 204.15.23.255

    Now all the "Like us" and "Follow us" links will show up as "not found".

  25. Re:The Emperor's New Stock on Facebook Reportedly Filing $5 Billion IPO Today · · Score: 1

    > Do they have a revenue stream like Google has?

    You betcha. You know how bricks-n-mortar merchants whine about credit card companies taking a 3% cut of every credit card transaction? Well Facebook takes a 30% (YES, THIRTY PERCENT) cut of every transaction involving "Facebook credits". Every time you buy a cow on Farmille, Facebook gets its cut. Right now it may be small, but that's where Facebook intends to grow its revenues. Farmville/MafiaWars/etc may be addictive like gambling, but technically they're not gambling, so Facebook is in the clear over this.