"If you could figure out a way to sew this into material, then you could have some really "cool" (literally) clothing."
It was demonstrated on british television a few years ago (more than 5 years), being used by firefighters, who could carry a refrigeration unit on their back, and walk through flaming buildings without getting hot (tubes built into the clothing)
There seems to be a massive predominance of media people (does anyone technical read The Sun?), and grey companies that nobody ever notices (Dell, Oracle, but not Intel or nVidia)
Good to see Fred von Lohmann of the Electronic Frontiers Foundation there though.
"It would be interesting if instead of typing in a mispelled name......it redirected you to a google search"
That's kind of making the same assumption as Verisign, that the internet consists only of websites.
How would you like your email redirected to a google search? your IRC sessions? How would google cope with billions of SSH sessions or NTP requests per second?
The browser knows you're using HTTP, and have a human available to evaluate the results. Verisign's DNS servers don't. They only know that you have a name and you want an IP.
"So if your SMTP server talks directly to Hotmail, then Hotmail may reject your mail simply because you're *likely* to be a spammer relay (even though you're not)."
Combine that with my email client automatically deleting anything claiming to be from hotmail, or anything with HTML in it, I'm surprised that hotmail/aol users can even still use email.
How does that help? All my mail comes from an IP range assigned to my ISP. Plenty of peoples' ISPs block them from doing any different. If you were to do a DNS lookup on my email address, it would return the machine used to RECEIVE email, and no email from me would ever originate there.
So I put my ISP's mailserver as the "authorised ISP" for my domain, and just remember to change it each time I use a different ISP right? (of course, if I forget to change SMTP settings it'll warn me immediately. If I forget to change authorised sender, I'll know nothing about it until my emails are silently dropped on some recipients' machines)
But how does that help, still? Now anybody using the same ISP as me can send emails which are validly authorised as being associated with my domain. And because domains are now 'unforgeable' (you know how they'll spin this), people will say that they can 'prove' that these emails came from me.
Is the 'authorised sender' system actually useful for anyone other than yahoo and hotmail, or will we all need to start running our own SMTP relays again? (and hands up anyone who thinks another 20 million SMTP relays operated by people who can only just grasp how to use Outlook Express is a good idea...)
"TV series' animated sequences still stand out as some of the best I've ever seen."
I've not seen that, but it doesn't surprise me that an animated version would be the best, because the original was a radio-play, so they already have the voices done properly, as if for pictures to be added later.
"It has to look cool, which, IMHO, Microsoft has not grasped yet."
Okay, let's jump into the conversation then: Microsoft doesn't make much hardware. They're never going to have product-placement when their software is being run on someone's beige-fantastic square box.
As to what's on screen, photographers have never liked real software, because it doesn't photograph well. Compare the number of "uploading virus" in full-screen 36-point text in movies, as compared to the number of actual programs being used. Matrix was the exception, and that was for a technical audience.
The most photogenic software for a film shoot is probably something based on one of the gnome-experimental setups, just because it's possible to put features on screen with 180-pixel wide translucent icons so easily, and to have them acutally work and do something. Likewise, the KDE toolbar can scale-up, combined with it's mac-like behaviour, and this is all easy to do. You don't need to write a special program that looks like a computer, you can just start with KDE and change a few settings.
Need an alien-style clock? A toolbar which fits the film's colour-scheme? Need a computer which acts like the klingon ones (always works, survives abuse) or military ones (big high-contrast touchscreen buttons) or just looks so completely different from Windows that it could pass as an alien technology?
And did I mention theming? Window-decoration? If you want a noticeable application running, you can hardly do better than designing your own bitmap borders for a window, and having them working reliably within hours, with real applications inside.
"This doesn't change anyone's ability to refill their own cartridges, and ties the rebate to the promise to use only Lexmark authorized supplies."
The problem is, they'll probably advertise the price minus rebate as being the true price, which is now a complete fraud, and makes it very difficult to compare like-for-like when choosing printers.
That said, the media coverage of this should provide all the information people need. They can now just see the "lexmark" logo and need look no further at the product.
Slashdot Mirror
"I see the RIAA's actions the best chance we have to get the DMCA rolled back and I would encourage them to sue more 12 year old girls."
Howabout "never distract your enemy while he's making a mistake". Tsu?
"What would happen if all of us started putting the below image on all of the websites that we run?"
At a guess, they'd change its filename.
"which program? Just curious."
There was a calendar program on my site, with moon phases, sunrise times, easter dates, sundial generation, etc.
Probably easier to use than Emacs' "Meta-X calendar", but it doesn't do martian sundials!
The first I heard about the OpenCD project was when they started showing up in referer logs.
"I keep a CD of free Windows software for people (helpful when I build them a new PC.)"
A good version of this is The OpenCD for people who want ideas, or to check your own "useful programs" CD against what other people are using.
(disclaimer: one of my programs was on the suggestions list for theopencd)
"If you could figure out a way to sew this into material, then you could have some really "cool" (literally) clothing."
It was demonstrated on british television a few years ago (more than 5 years), being used by firefighters, who could carry a refrigeration unit on their back, and walk through flaming buildings without getting hot (tubes built into the clothing)
"Move to Pennsylvania, we have a DNC list and since being on it I have gotten no calls."
Move to Vancouver, they'll forward the call to whatever bar you're at.
"You're pulled over one night for having a headlight out. A quick computer check shows you having visitied 4 bars that evening."
Go North.
A lawful dark dragon eats your pet.
"Of course, I was able to figure this out before I checked my atlas, because the story is hosted on "canada.com"."
Try putting it on canada.ca, and see how many americans think it's a californian website...
"I've been wondering the same thing about my windows key."
It opens the applications menu in WindowMaker. You could always use the default F12 instead, unless you run any games which need F12.
"Will this help the bars track the heavy drinkers, perhaps so they can call a cab for the drunk?"
Howabout not allowing those over the driving age, or those with a driving license, in to get drinks. Then you'd solve all the drink-driving probelems.
I'm English, and don't have a US Drivers' License. looks like I won't be visiting Vancouver then.
There seems to be a massive predominance of media people (does anyone technical read The Sun?), and grey companies that nobody ever notices (Dell, Oracle, but not Intel or nVidia)
Good to see Fred von Lohmann of the Electronic Frontiers Foundation there though.
Okay, that says it all that I don't recognise the name of the President of China.
Linus, you're officially more famous than the Chinese government.
"but you can reasonably expect to sit down and have a beer with Bill Gates after work if you're in the right city?"
Dunno, Microsoft say that they want to be cool now, so you'd kinda expect it of him...
"To be obscene, material must meet a three-prong test... "
Who approaches the Bridge of Death
Must answer me
These questions three!
Ere the other side he see.
"I just innovated 4 of my domains over to another registrar."
To quote NANOG: Wildcard this
"It would be interesting if instead of typing in a mispelled name......it redirected you to a google search"
That's kind of making the same assumption as Verisign, that the internet consists only of websites.
How would you like your email redirected to a google search? your IRC sessions? How would google cope with billions of SSH sessions or NTP requests per second?
The browser knows you're using HTTP, and have a human available to evaluate the results. Verisign's DNS servers don't. They only know that you have a name and you want an IP.
"So if your SMTP server talks directly to Hotmail, then Hotmail may reject your mail simply because you're *likely* to be a spammer relay (even though you're not)."
Combine that with my email client automatically deleting anything claiming to be from hotmail, or anything with HTML in it, I'm surprised that hotmail/aol users can even still use email.
How does that help? All my mail comes from an IP range assigned to my ISP. Plenty of peoples' ISPs block them from doing any different. If you were to do a DNS lookup on my email address, it would return the machine used to RECEIVE email, and no email from me would ever originate there.
So I put my ISP's mailserver as the "authorised ISP" for my domain, and just remember to change it each time I use a different ISP right? (of course, if I forget to change SMTP settings it'll warn me immediately. If I forget to change authorised sender, I'll know nothing about it until my emails are silently dropped on some recipients' machines)
But how does that help, still? Now anybody using the same ISP as me can send emails which are validly authorised as being associated with my domain. And because domains are now 'unforgeable' (you know how they'll spin this), people will say that they can 'prove' that these emails came from me.
Is the 'authorised sender' system actually useful for anyone other than yahoo and hotmail, or will we all need to start running our own SMTP relays again? (and hands up anyone who thinks another 20 million SMTP relays operated by people who can only just grasp how to use Outlook Express is a good idea...)
You could then just grab your books, and walk out the doors, with it automatically being thrown on the card of the person you walk out next to.
...and what if you have no computer?
You get some to port Linux to a stone as part of a oneupmanship contest.
"TV series' animated sequences still stand out as some of the best I've ever seen."
I've not seen that, but it doesn't surprise me that an animated version would be the best, because the original was a radio-play, so they already have the voices done properly, as if for pictures to be added later.
"May I suggest Brother, Canon, HP, Xerox, the list goes on"
Xerox? The same Xerox who's pigheaded proprietry attitude so irritated programmers that RMS setup Free Software in direct response to it?
"It has to look cool, which, IMHO, Microsoft has not grasped yet."
Okay, let's jump into the conversation then: Microsoft doesn't make much hardware. They're never going to have product-placement when their software is being run on someone's beige-fantastic square box.
As to what's on screen, photographers have never liked real software, because it doesn't photograph well. Compare the number of "uploading virus" in full-screen 36-point text in movies, as compared to the number of actual programs being used. Matrix was the exception, and that was for a technical audience.
The most photogenic software for a film shoot is probably something based on one of the gnome-experimental setups, just because it's possible to put features on screen with 180-pixel wide translucent icons so easily, and to have them acutally work and do something. Likewise, the KDE toolbar can scale-up, combined with it's mac-like behaviour, and this is all easy to do. You don't need to write a special program that looks like a computer, you can just start with KDE and change a few settings.
Need an alien-style clock? A toolbar which fits the film's colour-scheme? Need a computer which acts like the klingon ones (always works, survives abuse) or military ones (big high-contrast touchscreen buttons) or just looks so completely different from Windows that it could pass as an alien technology?
And did I mention theming? Window-decoration? If you want a noticeable application running, you can hardly do better than designing your own bitmap borders for a window, and having them working reliably within hours, with real applications inside.
Just put a wildcard in your HOSTS file, and nothing will go to Verisign ;-)
"This doesn't change anyone's ability to refill their own cartridges, and ties the rebate to the promise to use only Lexmark authorized supplies."
The problem is, they'll probably advertise the price minus rebate as being the true price, which is now a complete fraud, and makes it very difficult to compare like-for-like when choosing printers.
That said, the media coverage of this should provide all the information people need. They can now just see the "lexmark" logo and need look no further at the product.