Although I hate responding to such baseness - I did read the [first] article. I scanned the second (BIONC), but didn't see anything about their end. If someone is just trying to waste your time by having you process random data and putting it under some glorified name, what's to stop them? That was my question. If you have an answer (which is possible - I didn't thoroughly go through every page of the BIONC stuff, as I have better things to do), please share.
What kind of authentication process will be in place? Basically, what will stop someone from using this for illegal/dishonest purposes under the guise of academic research? Will this be exploitable for virus/spam propogation?
We need a worldwide ISP registry that allows any individual ISP to be blacklisted - essentially anyone who doesn't want to cooperate will lose access to the rest of the world. What's necessary is an international organization representing the major players (countries or ISPs with more than x% or x million users) to vote on such issues.
The internet should be a community, not chaos. Freedom for technological innovation is not the same as freedom to do anything you want at any time. We've got enough evidence now that the current no-rules situation just doesn't work - it's time to do something.
If the internet (or email) in its present form gets to be more bothersome than useful, I have no doubt that an "improved" internet-type system will appear. Like most new computer technologies, it starts with nerds (/.), but if it is actually useful and useable enough, others will eventually get into it. Think of how fast file sharing took off - Napster (a new concept to most) was so easy and had so much to offer that even technophobic middle-agers used it. When Kazaa came around, it took no time at all to become huge, since the concept was familiar and interface simple.
Well, that would make it false advertising - if your ISP uses the words "Internet Access" but prevents you from doing something [legal] on the internet, you can sue. Same as marketing a copy-protected disk as a CD.
Nah, I recommend (and use) the "Bic.80". Unfortunately, it's not sold in stores (well, only one exists).
I took a standard blue Bic crystal ballpoint (very cheap), and customized it to be 20% smaller than the standard version. I keep it in my front pants pocket, so the smaller size keeps it from jabbing me when I sit down.
Try PC World. Their ink jet reviews break down the price of cartidges, how long they last, and total cost per page (as well as other relevant info) in the detailed descriptions.
"The fact that it couldn't possibly qualify in an enterprise means it's far less reliable than most home users need/want."
Quite the opposite - home users have far lower standards than businesses - debating that is just silly. The typical home user (like myself) is backing up documents and media, not account numbers and data which would cost thousands/millions to replace.
"The biggest problems are software erasing partitons, virus spreading, electrial shorts, etc"
If you don't let poorly coded software access the drive (WinAmp, Norton SW/IS, and Ad-Aware are basically the only applications I let near it), have good protection (I use a firewall and run antivirus and spyware checks, etc. every other day), and use a surge protector and unplug the drive during storms, you shouldn't have much risk of any of those.
"virtually every system I deal with is Windows.
Well that's just fine and dandy for you, but that doesn't make this much of a solution for most people."
Let's clear something up here - most people use Windows. Linux and Mac combined have a tiny percentage. I am talking about the majority of home users - the/. crowd does not define the majority.
"millions of other benefits"
I believe I already explained the benefits I had found in the parent post.
"Well, by your definiton, "anybody" has to have working USB ports, Windows XP, etc. That's not everyone, that's a tiny fration of users. "
The number of people running Windows (I said XP recognizes immediately - I haven't used it on ME yet, but I don't forsee a problem) with USB ports is a tiny fraction? Try large majority.
"not such a good idea to suggest that everyone else should do the same thing as you."
I wasn't suggesting everyone do what I did, I was giving another option to DVD burners, which I had found more convenient.
Please note the subject of my comment - I was referring to mice and keyboards only. I use a USB 2.0 hard drive myself - if it was advertised as 2.0 but was really 1.1, I would have immediately returned it and contacted the Better Business Bureau. Oh, and I would have had my lawyer contact their legal department (not to sue, but you'll find that corporate legal departments understand what false advertising is, and can often change company policy quite quickly - "Yes, Mr. CEO, the new marketing campaign is illegal - if anyone sues, we could lose millions!"). Believe it or not, that frequently works (and you usually get a coupon for some free merchandise to keep you happy).
I know a lawyer noticed a new car advertised in a newspaper for several thousand less than it should cost (he knew full well it was supposed to be with their financing plan which would cost a ton in the end). You see, they forgot to put "with our financing plan" after the price in an ad - so he walked in and said he'd like to pay the advertised price in cash up-front. They said "no," he got the manager, who said "no," so he told the manager to call the legal department. To make a long story short, the dealership took a loss on the sale.
Legal departments may be your enemy more often than not, but they know the law (and penalties) better than anyone else in the company. If you know the law and play hardball, they will not fight you (if they think you're willing to sue and know they can't win, they'll ensure it doesn't get that far).
If someone buys a USB 2.0 mouse over a USB 1.1 one, they have no right to complain. In fact, what can they complain about? What expectation is being let down? Were they expecting the mouse to be...faster? Can they conceive of a possible usage for a "Hi-Speed" keyboard?
If a consumer just looks at boxes and buys it because "2.0 is higher than 1.1: it must be newer/better," then they deserve what they get. All they have to do is look at the box or ask someone in the department to explain the difference and they'll realize there's no benefit.
I do think it's amoral of companies to do this, the customer isn't losing anything. If it were an external hard drive, they would have a case. If socks were advertized as "hand compatible," would you complain? They can go on your hands, but there wouldn't be much point, nor any difference between them and other socks.
You're missing my point - this isn't industrial data backup, this is a home user safeguarding against hard drive failure - two copies of everything at all times. I'm not worried about a fire (odds are immeasurably low), I'm worried about inevitable crashes, and being able to reformat without losing any data.
Platforms aren't an issue - virtually every system I deal with is Windows. The point is that they all have USB ports, but very few have DVD burners (or even drives) or CD burners. With this I can transfer data between almost anybody's computer.
The drive is 120GB (111GiB) FAT32, and Windows XP recognizes it immediately (hot-plug/swappable).
It's a duplicate of my hard disk - I have two copies of everything at all times. If one crashes, the other can be used to fill it back in. It would be extremely foolish to have only one copy of anything at a time, the point is that this is far more convenient than 150 CDs to work with. Consider the fact that I can easily update 10 gigs of info in 10 minutes. Try that with CDs or DVDs. I don't have stacks of CDs to wade through when something fails, and I don't have to buy new ones every time I want something new (CD-RWs have a very finite capacity - if files get bigger, you're out of luck). Same with DVDs.
And if your hard drive doesn't last more than a few months, you're either treating it terribly or you've bought a bad one.
"I backed up about 100GB of data a few months ago on DVD+R, and they worked fine for a few months."
Try a USB 2.0 external hard drive - you can't even tell the difference between it and an internal drive if you've got USB 2.0. I researched DVD+/-Rs and external drives last month, when I decided to ditch my physical CDs and rip them all to ogg files. Media like CDs and DVDs are just plain inferior, especially for my kind of usage - portable bulk storage that can be read from/written to on virtually any PC (though it's far slower on USB 1.1). DVDs/CDs just don't last as long as people think, and most other people can't even read from DVDs on their computers, much less write to them. While a hard drive won't decay as gracefully as DVDs (they won't all die the same day), it's more reliable and more convenient for most purposes. Considering that the DVDs "expire" eventually, the argument that it allows limitless storage is bunk.
Actually, perhaps the only legal solution worth pursuing would be making PURCHASING from an email advertisement illegal (from companies you do not have an established business relationship with).
Then set your little trap, and prosecute/fine anyone who responds.
The cost shouldn't be on people who don't want spam, or ISPs whose bandwidth is abused, or the companies using it (it's a legitamate, if annoying, business practice), especially considering how easy it would be to destroy competitors by advertising for them. Put the cost on those actually creating the demand and revenue for the system.
When a spammer is located, serve him with a court order demanding he turn over all records of people who have purchased from him (so long as they have these laws, might as well use them constructively - if the RIAA can, why shouldn't the FBI?). Send fake spam (it'll cost in bandwidth for a while, but once people start dropping like flies, the need for it will decrease significantly).
"As a rule, organizations that end in AA are evil. Ones that start with AA usually aren't (e.g. AAA, AARP)."
Breaking news: The RIAA and MPAA have both decided to change their organizations' names, to "AAIR" and "AAPM," respectively. PR departments for both organizations expect the move to greatly decrease antagonism directed towards them. Industry insiders called the move "bold" and "strategically sound". Polls indicate that the move has been well recieved.
One individual remarked: "I always found that double-A ending to be sinister, but this double-A start really changed my view. How can you not like something with two A's in the beginning of the name?"
While another added: "I'll definitely start watching Hollywood movies and buying major-label CDs again. No, I'm not kidding. It really changed my perspective".
After calls to many Slashdot members went unanswered, police investigated only to find most had committed suicide.
"He kept yelling 'I can't hate them anymore! How can I live like this?,'" noted the neighbor of one such fatality.
Alcoholics Anonymous, a group caught in the center of the double-A controversy could not be reached for comment.
You're not considering the proximity of video rental stores or gas prices. PPV isn't as necessary in cities and suburbs due to the convenience of rental places, but out in the courtyside, it can be time consuming and costly. For many people, it can be an hour round trip and several dollars in gasoline to pick up a video (though many work or shop in more urban areas, they aren't going to make a special trip just for a movie on a rainy day).
"Became less interested" would require the word be "cools" (since "India" is singular). This is "cool" = "not particularly interested". The difference may seem small, but one is a verb, and the other an adjective. Additionally, the adjective "cool" could also mean "agrees with; not bothered by; supports" (which it doesn't seem to in this case).
...and had my right to privacy violated instead!"
Perhaps we'll see an invasion of privacy suit over this (unless they have a huge disclaimer on the side of the can).
2. Perhaps it won't be full of soda. The GPS device doesn't have to fit in the aluminum skin of a normal can - it could have a false bottom or something. Enough liquid in the can to splash around, and it would weigh the same as a regular can.
"New! Private-Eye Pepsi! Give your friend a can, write down the special code number on the bottom, then use our website to track them all over the place!"
Well, you can say it right now, you know. Go ahead and do it loudly in a crowded public place- you can bet at least 10 people will laugh at you, 25 will find it "sad", and 1 nerd will longingly repeat it under his breath.
Slashdot Mirror
You could integrate RFID into the piercings as a security feature - pants will only operate when sensor detects your [insert 'naughty bit'] ring.
Although I hate responding to such baseness - I did read the [first] article. I scanned the second (BIONC), but didn't see anything about their end. If someone is just trying to waste your time by having you process random data and putting it under some glorified name, what's to stop them? That was my question. If you have an answer (which is possible - I didn't thoroughly go through every page of the BIONC stuff, as I have better things to do), please share.
What kind of authentication process will be in place? Basically, what will stop someone from using this for illegal/dishonest purposes under the guise of academic research? Will this be exploitable for virus/spam propogation?
We need a worldwide ISP registry that allows any individual ISP to be blacklisted - essentially anyone who doesn't want to cooperate will lose access to the rest of the world. What's necessary is an international organization representing the major players (countries or ISPs with more than x% or x million users) to vote on such issues.
The internet should be a community, not chaos. Freedom for technological innovation is not the same as freedom to do anything you want at any time. We've got enough evidence now that the current no-rules situation just doesn't work - it's time to do something.
If the internet (or email) in its present form gets to be more bothersome than useful, I have no doubt that an "improved" internet-type system will appear. Like most new computer technologies, it starts with nerds (/.), but if it is actually useful and useable enough, others will eventually get into it. Think of how fast file sharing took off - Napster (a new concept to most) was so easy and had so much to offer that even technophobic middle-agers used it. When Kazaa came around, it took no time at all to become huge, since the concept was familiar and interface simple.
Well, that would make it false advertising - if your ISP uses the words "Internet Access" but prevents you from doing something [legal] on the internet, you can sue. Same as marketing a copy-protected disk as a CD.
Feh - there'll be a movie soon enough.
First Patent!
Nah, I recommend (and use) the "Bic .80". Unfortunately, it's not sold in stores (well, only one exists).
I took a standard blue Bic crystal ballpoint (very cheap), and customized it to be 20% smaller than the standard version. I keep it in my front pants pocket, so the smaller size keeps it from jabbing me when I sit down.
Try PC World. Their ink jet reviews break down the price of cartidges, how long they last, and total cost per page (as well as other relevant info) in the detailed descriptions.
That's why they took down the 800-number. The new one is temporary, to keep them from getting charged.
"The fact that it couldn't possibly qualify in an enterprise means it's far less reliable than most home users need/want."
/. crowd does not define the majority.
Quite the opposite - home users have far lower standards than businesses - debating that is just silly. The typical home user (like myself) is backing up documents and media, not account numbers and data which would cost thousands/millions to replace.
"The biggest problems are software erasing partitons, virus spreading, electrial shorts, etc"
If you don't let poorly coded software access the drive (WinAmp, Norton SW/IS, and Ad-Aware are basically the only applications I let near it), have good protection (I use a firewall and run antivirus and spyware checks, etc. every other day), and use a surge protector and unplug the drive during storms, you shouldn't have much risk of any of those.
"virtually every system I deal with is Windows.
Well that's just fine and dandy for you, but that doesn't make this much of a solution for most people."
Let's clear something up here - most people use Windows. Linux and Mac combined have a tiny percentage. I am talking about the majority of home users - the
"millions of other benefits"
I believe I already explained the benefits I had found in the parent post.
"Well, by your definiton, "anybody" has to have working USB ports, Windows XP, etc. That's not everyone, that's a tiny fration of users. "
The number of people running Windows (I said XP recognizes immediately - I haven't used it on ME yet, but I don't forsee a problem) with USB ports is a tiny fraction? Try large majority.
"not such a good idea to suggest that everyone else should do the same thing as you."
I wasn't suggesting everyone do what I did, I was giving another option to DVD burners, which I had found more convenient.
Please note the subject of my comment - I was referring to mice and keyboards only. I use a USB 2.0 hard drive myself - if it was advertised as 2.0 but was really 1.1, I would have immediately returned it and contacted the Better Business Bureau. Oh, and I would have had my lawyer contact their legal department (not to sue, but you'll find that corporate legal departments understand what false advertising is, and can often change company policy quite quickly - "Yes, Mr. CEO, the new marketing campaign is illegal - if anyone sues, we could lose millions!"). Believe it or not, that frequently works (and you usually get a coupon for some free merchandise to keep you happy).
I know a lawyer noticed a new car advertised in a newspaper for several thousand less than it should cost (he knew full well it was supposed to be with their financing plan which would cost a ton in the end). You see, they forgot to put "with our financing plan" after the price in an ad - so he walked in and said he'd like to pay the advertised price in cash up-front. They said "no," he got the manager, who said "no," so he told the manager to call the legal department. To make a long story short, the dealership took a loss on the sale.
Legal departments may be your enemy more often than not, but they know the law (and penalties) better than anyone else in the company. If you know the law and play hardball, they will not fight you (if they think you're willing to sue and know they can't win, they'll ensure it doesn't get that far).
If someone buys a USB 2.0 mouse over a USB 1.1 one, they have no right to complain. In fact, what can they complain about? What expectation is being let down? Were they expecting the mouse to be...faster? Can they conceive of a possible usage for a "Hi-Speed" keyboard?
If a consumer just looks at boxes and buys it because "2.0 is higher than 1.1: it must be newer/better," then they deserve what they get. All they have to do is look at the box or ask someone in the department to explain the difference and they'll realize there's no benefit.
I do think it's amoral of companies to do this, the customer isn't losing anything. If it were an external hard drive, they would have a case. If socks were advertized as "hand compatible," would you complain? They can go on your hands, but there wouldn't be much point, nor any difference between them and other socks.
You're missing my point - this isn't industrial data backup, this is a home user safeguarding against hard drive failure - two copies of everything at all times. I'm not worried about a fire (odds are immeasurably low), I'm worried about inevitable crashes, and being able to reformat without losing any data.
Platforms aren't an issue - virtually every system I deal with is Windows. The point is that they all have USB ports, but very few have DVD burners (or even drives) or CD burners. With this I can transfer data between almost anybody's computer.
The drive is 120GB (111GiB) FAT32, and Windows XP recognizes it immediately (hot-plug/swappable).
It's a duplicate of my hard disk - I have two copies of everything at all times. If one crashes, the other can be used to fill it back in. It would be extremely foolish to have only one copy of anything at a time, the point is that this is far more convenient than 150 CDs to work with. Consider the fact that I can easily update 10 gigs of info in 10 minutes. Try that with CDs or DVDs. I don't have stacks of CDs to wade through when something fails, and I don't have to buy new ones every time I want something new (CD-RWs have a very finite capacity - if files get bigger, you're out of luck). Same with DVDs.
And if your hard drive doesn't last more than a few months, you're either treating it terribly or you've bought a bad one.
"I backed up about 100GB of data a few months ago on DVD+R, and they worked fine for a few months."
Try a USB 2.0 external hard drive - you can't even tell the difference between it and an internal drive if you've got USB 2.0. I researched DVD+/-Rs and external drives last month, when I decided to ditch my physical CDs and rip them all to ogg files. Media like CDs and DVDs are just plain inferior, especially for my kind of usage - portable bulk storage that can be read from/written to on virtually any PC (though it's far slower on USB 1.1). DVDs/CDs just don't last as long as people think, and most other people can't even read from DVDs on their computers, much less write to them. While a hard drive won't decay as gracefully as DVDs (they won't all die the same day), it's more reliable and more convenient for most purposes. Considering that the DVDs "expire" eventually, the argument that it allows limitless storage is bunk.
Actually, perhaps the only legal solution worth pursuing would be making PURCHASING from an email advertisement illegal (from companies you do not have an established business relationship with).
Then set your little trap, and prosecute/fine anyone who responds.
The cost shouldn't be on people who don't want spam, or ISPs whose bandwidth is abused, or the companies using it (it's a legitamate, if annoying, business practice), especially considering how easy it would be to destroy competitors by advertising for them. Put the cost on those actually creating the demand and revenue for the system.
When a spammer is located, serve him with a court order demanding he turn over all records of people who have purchased from him (so long as they have these laws, might as well use them constructively - if the RIAA can, why shouldn't the FBI?). Send fake spam (it'll cost in bandwidth for a while, but once people start dropping like flies, the need for it will decrease significantly).
"As a rule, organizations that end in AA are evil. Ones that start with AA usually aren't (e.g. AAA, AARP)."
Breaking news:
The RIAA and MPAA have both decided to change their organizations' names, to "AAIR" and "AAPM," respectively. PR departments for both organizations expect the move to greatly decrease antagonism directed towards them. Industry insiders called the move "bold" and "strategically sound". Polls indicate that the move has been well recieved.
One individual remarked: "I always found that double-A ending to be sinister, but this double-A start really changed my view. How can you not like something with two A's in the beginning of the name?"
While another added: "I'll definitely start watching Hollywood movies and buying major-label CDs again. No, I'm not kidding. It really changed my perspective".
After calls to many Slashdot members went unanswered, police investigated only to find most had committed suicide.
"He kept yelling 'I can't hate them anymore! How can I live like this?,'" noted the neighbor of one such fatality.
Alcoholics Anonymous, a group caught in the center of the double-A controversy could not be reached for comment.
You're not considering the proximity of video rental stores or gas prices. PPV isn't as necessary in cities and suburbs due to the convenience of rental places, but out in the courtyside, it can be time consuming and costly. For many people, it can be an hour round trip and several dollars in gasoline to pick up a video (though many work or shop in more urban areas, they aren't going to make a special trip just for a movie on a rainy day).
"Became less interested" would require the word be "cools" (since "India" is singular). This is "cool" = "not particularly interested". The difference may seem small, but one is a verb, and the other an adjective. Additionally, the adjective "cool" could also mean "agrees with; not bothered by; supports" (which it doesn't seem to in this case).
I agree, it's a poor title.
...and had my right to privacy violated instead!" Perhaps we'll see an invasion of privacy suit over this (unless they have a huge disclaimer on the side of the can).
Two ideas:
1. It only dials home when you open the can.
2. Perhaps it won't be full of soda. The GPS device doesn't have to fit in the aluminum skin of a normal can - it could have a false bottom or something. Enough liquid in the can to splash around, and it would weigh the same as a regular can.
"New! Private-Eye Pepsi! Give your friend a can, write down the special code number on the bottom, then use our website to track them all over the place!"
Well, you can say it right now, you know. Go ahead and do it loudly in a crowded public place- you can bet at least 10 people will laugh at you, 25 will find it "sad", and 1 nerd will longingly repeat it under his breath.