Is this one of those cases of a stopped clock being right twice a day? And does anyone want to guess what the implied second instance of "right" will be?
No, of course it won't. If I were an evil overlord, here's how I would introduce it...
1) Offer it voluntarily for those that believe it will improve one service or another. 2) Only prisoners convicted of felonies. 3) Drunken drivers who have restricted driving privileges. 4) Schoolchildren, after some kidnapping scare. 5) Babies, after a hospital nursery mixup. 6) Ex-cons on parole, people on probation. 7) Military personel (Will help if your body is burned beyond recognition). 8) People who need to enter restricted buildings. (FBI, CIA agents, congressional staffers, whitehouse personel)
At about this point, I'd start offering expedited rows at the checkout counter, bus terminals, airports, etc. Treat those without the chips as "well, you're completely free to choose, after all it's a free country" and the same way you do people who guard their SSN. Make *them* feel like they're crazy, instead of the system being so.
9) State government personel. State vehicle's ignitions will no longer work without them...
Of course, I may not have the order perfect here, and certainly big business will do its part to help. "I'm sorry sir, but this ATM only works if you have a chipID, so that we can be sure your card wasn't stolen!".
There are some things that are practically inevitable should the become possible. It is now possible, and past one of the few regulatory hurdles that might have obstructed it. Have fun being tagged like livestock, all you sheeple.
Brain fart, read that as i2c. But you do earn 10 demerit points for being a retarded asshat. Anyone but you would have replied with "you're thinking of i2c". Do you like wasting space while adding nothing to the discussion?
i20 is used by alot of TV tuner cards. Not to mention who knows what else.
I have a machine that has both arcnet and token ring, and I'd like a PCI HIPPI card for it (anyone have one they want to get rid of?). Slip is maybe archaic, but useful to anyone connecting older machines. Touchscreens usually present as ps/2 or serial mice... dump them too?
I've personally used the amiga and macintosh filesystems when recovering files.
But hey, let's make linux less useful to people like me. I've only been using it since mid 97. Heck, get rid of one of the things I tell people is exceptional about linux, its support of just about anything hardware wise. (Ever try to get arcnet working on windows 2000?)
1) I hardly think "Don't run unauthorized software."
Well, if it's anything like any other place I've worked, then it's almost certain that everyone from the lowest clerk on up to the director is running some sort of unauthorized software. From crappy little flash games, to browser addon toolbars, on up to I don't what. SETI@home is the equivalent of a screensaver, and no more malicious than the rest (and quite likely less so than some). Since he's the only one (or one of the few) to be fired, this is selective enforcement of rules. And stupid selective enforcement at that... if he was running a warez depot, I could see firing him for it (even "with prejudice"), while looking the other way on bubble bobble.
Also, I suspect that when it's convenient, excuse such as "that policy is to prevent us from liability in case of an SBA audit" would be trotted out.
"Don't use company resources for anything other than business related functions." were made up for, as you say, no reason. Would you disagree with this?
So, just what counts? If I recieve a phone call at work occassionally, or an email, does that count? If I browse ebay when work is slow? Is wallspace a company resource? Cubicle wall space? Even if they aren't hanging up a "The only joy is the joy of duty" poster on the wall, is it then mine to hang up a dilbert strip? Goddamn, I'm not talking pitching a tent in the company parking lot at night, this software is not only benign, but quite discreet.
On the spectrum that is "occassional phone call" to "filling your swimming pool from gallon jugs filled in the company restroom", SETI@home is pretty damn close to the former end, not the latter.
The employee agreed to the terms of employment, including the company policies, when they accepted the job. End of story.
Yes, just like we all "agree" with EULAs when we use software.
His boss was clearly an asshole for making the snarky comments. However, if you think that his boss was an asshole for firing him
Let me ask you this. Do you think this guy's "assholishness" started only *after* firing the guy, or was it the case even before?
Yes, if you're a fascist. Not only "rules are rules", but they tend to make up alot of them for no reason, and print them out in employee handbooks, complete with efficient german version numbers.
"Should" does have something to do with this. You see, I post comments, and other people get to post replies. And vice versa. One good use of that, is that I get to ask questions like "should". Like I just did. If you wish to ask questions without "should", please do so. In another thread. Then you can say "should" has nothing to do with it.
Don't mistake my wish to discuss what should be done, with some inability to see reality. I'm not stupid, just curious why people must be such unbearable assholes most of the time.
You seem reasonable. That's fair at least, giving warning. I also doubt you'd be as verbally abusive.
But why would you have a problem with him running it, assuming it caused no problems? We've all seen the machines riddled with elf bowling and spyware, bonzi buddy and lord knows what else, and the same tactics simply aren't used. I'd like to have seen the bosses spin on it, if it had been the project that searches for cancer cures, instead of alien signals.
Ah. So, if his company's policies are such that pinning a Dilbert strip to his cubicle wall, that's something you would say should be a firable offense?
Note the emphasis on "should".
BTW, I've worked for 3 fortune 100 companies, and state government. All would likely have overlooked installing SETI on personal workstations. In some cases, they would have overlooked loading it on non-critical machines in a single officer/area/lab, I would think. Assuming they would have been clueful enough to notice, I doubt any of them would have tolerated it much past that. My question deals more with whether that should be the case or not, not with what they actually do fire people for it (for which the answer is obvious).
If I ran a business, and the IT security bragged that he protected things at his last job with actions like this, I'd blacklist the retard. It reminds me of Bush's efforts to protect our nation, but that's another story.
No one said he was running it on the primary DNS, or on their webserver, or anything like that. Even I consider that grounds for dismissal.
My question only dealt with what you would do, if it was on the secretary's PC, not the database server that handles invoices and salves.
But hey, you use NIS+, so who cares what you think? Besides which, this isn't a company, now is it? Does your company often hire people who would have trouble telling the difference between innocuous software and its more malicious cousins?
Well, shame that there are more reasonable people like yourself. If this guy installed it on the database server that was barely keeping up as it was, then I'd fire him myself. But from what I read, this was not in any way similar to that.
A) What if this had just been a novelty screensaver, instead of a default? Would be have been fired because some minorities find "flying toasters" offensive?
B) What if this had been something arguably more humanitarian? The distributed protein folding projects, various cancer simulations, etc? Would he have been fired for saving lives?
I just don't get this. It's reputable software, that in no way could have affected the agency's use of the computers. It only became an "asset" when this guy installed the software, before that, the unused computer time didn't even exist to these idiots.
When they fire someone because he installs a buggy, crashing distributed app, or one that is shady and cracks windows installation keys, then I can maybe I can find a little scorn for the guy. This is like firing someone for stealing, because they're taking empty aluminum can's out of the breakroom trashcan and recycling them for pocket change.
You mean the 2004 Presidential Election? I didn't realize it had been sold. Though, if they got a good price for it, maybe we could pay down the debt...
The original post accused me of moral relativism. Which isn't the case. I didn't realize you were anaology-impaired though, or I would have drawn a picture.
It was a few sundays ago, that the local newspaper had an article saying that the middle class was only disappearing because they were all becoming upper class. Complete with numbers, too. Numbers to the effect that 50% of us were in the $70,000 a year bracket. (well, close... can't remember, but was over 40%, 44%ish). I was flabbergasted. At age 30, I've only grossed over $30,000 a year twice.
I have no clue what the real numbers are for any of this. But they aren't anything like what is published as truth in these reports.
Tornados are bad things. I believe it is a bad thing when a tornado tears up someone's house, or kills them. If a tornado appears out of nowhere, and shreds Charles Manson, I won't cry however.
Muggers are immoral people. It is wrong to rob people at gunpoint. Sometimes they even kill their victims. If one plugs OJ Simpson, however, I won't cry.
Relative morals is when I decide to steal from these companies, and try to justify it. I don't engage in that. Stupidity is when I sympathize with crooks who are robbed. I don't engage in that either. Try again, asshat.
And if you want to know if I condone theft, then yes, against large corporations that have stolen my rights, government, and country from me... I don't mind seeing them get stolen from. It's about the closest thing to justice possible.
It hasn't been a week, where Balmer all but admitted that they were going to leverage their monopoly power of computer operating systems to destroy Apple and its iPod. He appears convinced Microsoft will lead the way in Digital Rights Management and also believes Microsoft will steal a march on Apple in making the digital home a reality because Apple "doesn't have the volumes". "There is no way that you can get there with Apple. The critical mass has to come from the PC, or a next-generation video device," he said."
But go on, tell me that we can fix this the right way, I don't believe you.
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Yeh, good ole Dubya has no such plans.
In other words, they're good for something?
Is this one of those cases of a stopped clock being right twice a day? And does anyone want to guess what the implied second instance of "right" will be?
No, of course it won't. If I were an evil overlord, here's how I would introduce it...
1) Offer it voluntarily for those that believe it will improve one service or another.
2) Only prisoners convicted of felonies.
3) Drunken drivers who have restricted driving privileges.
4) Schoolchildren, after some kidnapping scare.
5) Babies, after a hospital nursery mixup.
6) Ex-cons on parole, people on probation.
7) Military personel (Will help if your body is burned beyond recognition).
8) People who need to enter restricted buildings. (FBI, CIA agents, congressional staffers, whitehouse personel)
At about this point, I'd start offering expedited rows at the checkout counter, bus terminals, airports, etc. Treat those without the chips as "well, you're completely free to choose, after all it's a free country" and the same way you do people who guard their SSN. Make *them* feel like they're crazy, instead of the system being so.
9) State government personel. State vehicle's ignitions will no longer work without them...
Of course, I may not have the order perfect here, and certainly big business will do its part to help. "I'm sorry sir, but this ATM only works if you have a chipID, so that we can be sure your card wasn't stolen!".
There are some things that are practically inevitable should the become possible. It is now possible, and past one of the few regulatory hurdles that might have obstructed it. Have fun being tagged like livestock, all you sheeple.
And how difficult will it be to install hidden chip readers in subway turnstiles, pretty much any door, or even at sidewalk crosswalks?
Are you some sort of expert that you would see them hidden in these places?
Brain fart, read that as i2c. But you do earn 10 demerit points for being a retarded asshat. Anyone but you would have replied with "you're thinking of i2c". Do you like wasting space while adding nothing to the discussion?
i20 is used by alot of TV tuner cards. Not to mention who knows what else.
I have a machine that has both arcnet and token ring, and I'd like a PCI HIPPI card for it (anyone have one they want to get rid of?). Slip is maybe archaic, but useful to anyone connecting older machines. Touchscreens usually present as ps/2 or serial mice... dump them too?
I've personally used the amiga and macintosh filesystems when recovering files.
But hey, let's make linux less useful to people like me. I've only been using it since mid 97. Heck, get rid of one of the things I tell people is exceptional about linux, its support of just about anything hardware wise. (Ever try to get arcnet working on windows 2000?)
like a cerebrum?
More like everything north of the brainstem.
If the information is available to the public, what's to stop law enforcement from perusing the google cache?
Dig deeper. It may seem like the US government somehow controls the IMF and World Bank. But in truth, the same people who own the Bank of England.
1) I hardly think "Don't run unauthorized software."
Well, if it's anything like any other place I've worked, then it's almost certain that everyone from the lowest clerk on up to the director is running some sort of unauthorized software. From crappy little flash games, to browser addon toolbars, on up to I don't what. SETI@home is the equivalent of a screensaver, and no more malicious than the rest (and quite likely less so than some). Since he's the only one (or one of the few) to be fired, this is selective enforcement of rules. And stupid selective enforcement at that... if he was running a warez depot, I could see firing him for it (even "with prejudice"), while looking the other way on bubble bobble.
Also, I suspect that when it's convenient, excuse such as "that policy is to prevent us from liability in case of an SBA audit" would be trotted out.
"Don't use company resources for anything other than business related functions." were made up for, as you say, no reason. Would you disagree with this?
So, just what counts? If I recieve a phone call at work occassionally, or an email, does that count? If I browse ebay when work is slow? Is wallspace a company resource? Cubicle wall space? Even if they aren't hanging up a "The only joy is the joy of duty" poster on the wall, is it then mine to hang up a dilbert strip? Goddamn, I'm not talking pitching a tent in the company parking lot at night, this software is not only benign, but quite discreet.
On the spectrum that is "occassional phone call" to "filling your swimming pool from gallon jugs filled in the company restroom", SETI@home is pretty damn close to the former end, not the latter.
The employee agreed to the terms of employment, including the company policies, when they accepted the job. End of story.
Yes, just like we all "agree" with EULAs when we use software.
His boss was clearly an asshole for making the snarky comments. However, if you think that his boss was an asshole for firing him
Let me ask you this. Do you think this guy's "assholishness" started only *after* firing the guy, or was it the case even before?
Slave unit malfunction in progress. Self-awareness iminent. Please repair this so I can go back to my life of pure leisure.
Yes, if you're a fascist. Not only "rules are rules", but they tend to make up alot of them for no reason, and print them out in employee handbooks, complete with efficient german version numbers.
"Should" does have something to do with this. You see, I post comments, and other people get to post replies. And vice versa. One good use of that, is that I get to ask questions like "should". Like I just did. If you wish to ask questions without "should", please do so. In another thread. Then you can say "should" has nothing to do with it.
Don't mistake my wish to discuss what should be done, with some inability to see reality. I'm not stupid, just curious why people must be such unbearable assholes most of the time.
You seem reasonable. That's fair at least, giving warning. I also doubt you'd be as verbally abusive.
But why would you have a problem with him running it, assuming it caused no problems? We've all seen the machines riddled with elf bowling and spyware, bonzi buddy and lord knows what else, and the same tactics simply aren't used. I'd like to have seen the bosses spin on it, if it had been the project that searches for cancer cures, instead of alien signals.
Ah. So, if his company's policies are such that pinning a Dilbert strip to his cubicle wall, that's something you would say should be a firable offense?
Note the emphasis on "should".
BTW, I've worked for 3 fortune 100 companies, and state government. All would likely have overlooked installing SETI on personal workstations. In some cases, they would have overlooked loading it on non-critical machines in a single officer/area/lab, I would think. Assuming they would have been clueful enough to notice, I doubt any of them would have tolerated it much past that. My question deals more with whether that should be the case or not, not with what they actually do fire people for it (for which the answer is obvious).
If I ran a business, and the IT security bragged that he protected things at his last job with actions like this, I'd blacklist the retard. It reminds me of Bush's efforts to protect our nation, but that's another story.
Thank you, IT Nazi.
No one said he was running it on the primary DNS, or on their webserver, or anything like that. Even I consider that grounds for dismissal.
My question only dealt with what you would do, if it was on the secretary's PC, not the database server that handles invoices and salves.
But hey, you use NIS+, so who cares what you think? Besides which, this isn't a company, now is it? Does your company often hire people who would have trouble telling the difference between innocuous software and its more malicious cousins?
Well, shame that there are more reasonable people like yourself. If this guy installed it on the database server that was barely keeping up as it was, then I'd fire him myself. But from what I read, this was not in any way similar to that.
Would you have fired this guy?
I agree, he really is an ass.
A) What if this had just been a novelty screensaver, instead of a default? Would be have been fired because some minorities find "flying toasters" offensive?
B) What if this had been something arguably more humanitarian? The distributed protein folding projects, various cancer simulations, etc? Would he have been fired for saving lives?
I just don't get this. It's reputable software, that in no way could have affected the agency's use of the computers. It only became an "asset" when this guy installed the software, before that, the unused computer time didn't even exist to these idiots.
When they fire someone because he installs a buggy, crashing distributed app, or one that is shady and cracks windows installation keys, then I can maybe I can find a little scorn for the guy. This is like firing someone for stealing, because they're taking empty aluminum can's out of the breakroom trashcan and recycling them for pocket change.
You mean the 2004 Presidential Election? I didn't realize it had been sold. Though, if they got a good price for it, maybe we could pay down the debt...
The original post accused me of moral relativism. Which isn't the case. I didn't realize you were anaology-impaired though, or I would have drawn a picture.
It was a few sundays ago, that the local newspaper had an article saying that the middle class was only disappearing because they were all becoming upper class. Complete with numbers, too. Numbers to the effect that 50% of us were in the $70,000 a year bracket. (well, close... can't remember, but was over 40%, 44%ish). I was flabbergasted. At age 30, I've only grossed over $30,000 a year twice.
I have no clue what the real numbers are for any of this. But they aren't anything like what is published as truth in these reports.
Tornados are bad things. I believe it is a bad thing when a tornado tears up someone's house, or kills them. If a tornado appears out of nowhere, and shreds Charles Manson, I won't cry however.
Muggers are immoral people. It is wrong to rob people at gunpoint. Sometimes they even kill their victims. If one plugs OJ Simpson, however, I won't cry.
Relative morals is when I decide to steal from these companies, and try to justify it. I don't engage in that. Stupidity is when I sympathize with crooks who are robbed. I don't engage in that either. Try again, asshat.
Which means what, July or August of 2005? I dunno, how quickly could the Tier 2 vehicle be built?
I have karma to burn. Only one of them was +1...
And if you want to know if I condone theft, then yes, against large corporations that have stolen my rights, government, and country from me... I don't mind seeing them get stolen from. It's about the closest thing to justice possible.
It hasn't been a week, where Balmer all but admitted that they were going to leverage their monopoly power of computer operating systems to destroy Apple and its iPod. He appears convinced Microsoft will lead the way in Digital Rights Management and also believes Microsoft will steal a march on Apple in making the digital home a reality because Apple "doesn't have the volumes". "There is no way that you can get there with Apple. The critical mass has to come from the PC, or a next-generation video device," he said."
But go on, tell me that we can fix this the right way, I don't believe you.
Oh well. Figures.
Trolls telling us that freenet's only use is for kiddyporn traders? Their bullshit would be amusing right about now...