First people get used to putting chips with identifying codes under their skin.. then future revisions of said chips including tracking circuitry. Call me crazy, but I don't like the idea of someone being able to track me down by issuing a signal from a transmitter.
I don't mind the idea of implanted computing technology, I really don't... but said hardware runs tasks for me, like keeping track of e-mail addresses or subvocalised notes for me, and doesn't act as a mere storage repository. It's my meat.. it's my hardware.. I control what it does, not whomever implants it.
We had @home cable access where I lived, and this was in their ToS documentation as well. This is nothing new for them... I'd bet the same would apply to software like
FreeS/WAN (though if you told them you were using it they'd probably not know what it was and hence not complain overmuch). Unless they're specifically monitoring your connection with a packet analyzer, though, how would they know you're using VPN software?
Hmmm... laws passed to make monitoring of cable connections legal recently... you know, it might be possible. I wonder if they'd use the information gathered this way to enforce this particular policy. But it would tip their hand that they're monitoring you, which defeats the purpose of clandestine monitoring.
As for SSH/telnet over SSL, I think the same policy would apply if only to make sure they're not missing anything.
Cypherpunk types have colorful fantasies but are a joke if you're talking about real world implications.
I hate to say it, but that's about right.. the cypherpunks have got some great ideas for applying strong crypto, near-ironclad anonymity, secret cash transfers, et al, but if John/Jane Q. Net.user won't use them because they're too esoteric, it means precisely nothing.
Now if it was suddenly cool to be able to use such software, then it would be a lot more widespread.
Only one thing bothers me, though: The number of times he used the word 'geek' has me a little uneasy. It was like he was tossing the word around like a beachball...
Started off on a Coke commercial and got his own show...
Max Headroom started off as a promotional gimmick for a music video show in Great Britain. The character was supposed to be a talking head to introduce the talking heads of media, as it were, and producer Peter Wagg thought it would be a neat idea to make an entire series around Max Headroom.
Because their service sucked (at least in Western PA)?
Mail servers that dropped messages on the floor 24/7.. POP servers that never responded to requests.. DNS so flaky that a few of us set up our own.. their terms of service (okay, so I'm being selfish on that point.. high-bandwidth and they expect me to NOT use it for something constructive?)... tech support with marginally less of a clue than a flatworm ("My cable modem is dead.." "Reinstall Windows." "No, I mean it's really dead - the power supply lost its magic smoke..")...
It wouldn't surprise me if a few of their investors decided to cut their losses.
Call this a troll if you like, but I'm bitter over @home. Good fsck(1)ing riddance.
This, of course, from the same company that used to let you drag the whole OS to the trash bin and delete it...
MacOS isn't the only OS that lets you shoot yourself in the foot with a howitzer.. `rm -rf/` comes immediately to mind, as does a misplaced 'deltree *.*' command if you're half asleep... any OS can be told to eat itself if you're not careful.
...that consumers are made to pay for the company's mistakes? Apple screwed up, I'm sorry. People screw up, other people take advantage of it. That's the way it goes. But instead of saying 'Whoops' (which is really all they could do.. they can't magically recall all the CDs shipped out) they called the lawyers.
I was an @home subscriber for a while, and the mail server servicing my region completely sucked. If this was regional then there's something wrong somewhere... about how reliable was the one you used? The one out here (Pennsylvania) dropped so many messages that high-traffic mailing lists wound up bouncing me off a few times until I gave up.
Where else are we going to find gift ideas for each other? You can only give so many gift certificates for Borders and B&N before the idea of buying your own gift gets old... this sort of thing makes it easier to shop for friends.
Just a couple days ago my father related to me how he was telling his students about Fidonet - sending a message across country by having it hop modem'd servers in the good ol' days - and the kids saying "Why not just use the internet?"
Yup. I officially feel old now. A generation has grown up without BBSes.
I've been eyeing these for a while but havn't plunked down the dollars to pick one up - I use my Palm too much to justify getting yet another PDA. But this looks like it could be fun. It reminds me a little bit of the Apple Newtons in terms of gadget factor; it also reminds me of the pocket-NAVIs from Serial Experiments Lain. I think I might put one of these on my wishlist for Christmas this year.. purely for experimental purposes, mind you...
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I wonder if he's referring to Stahn Mooney's wife from Rudy Rucker's *ware novels...
Password: 'cypherpunks'
You know what to do.
..it would have been nice to know about this before I finished my last-minute Christmas shopping... oh, well. Next year, perhaps.
First people get used to putting chips with identifying codes under their skin.. then future revisions of said chips including tracking circuitry. Call me crazy, but I don't like the idea of someone being able to track me down by issuing a signal from a transmitter.
I don't mind the idea of implanted computing technology, I really don't... but said hardware runs tasks for me, like keeping track of e-mail addresses or subvocalised notes for me, and doesn't act as a mere storage repository. It's my meat.. it's my hardware.. I control what it does, not whomever implants it.
These sound like the 'go-phones' from The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai.
Hmmm... laws passed to make monitoring of cable connections legal recently... you know, it might be possible. I wonder if they'd use the information gathered this way to enforce this particular policy. But it would tip their hand that they're monitoring you, which defeats the purpose of clandestine monitoring.
As for SSH/telnet over SSL, I think the same policy would apply if only to make sure they're not missing anything.
I hate to say it, but that's about right.. the cypherpunks have got some great ideas for applying strong crypto, near-ironclad anonymity, secret cash transfers, et al, but if John/Jane Q. Net.user won't use them because they're too esoteric, it means precisely nothing.
Now if it was suddenly cool to be able to use such software, then it would be a lot more widespread.
Forget supermodels, I'm waiting for anime characters....
And lots of Amiga graphics. *waxes nostalgic*
Max Headroom started off as a promotional gimmick for a music video show in Great Britain. The character was supposed to be a talking head to introduce the talking heads of media, as it were, and producer Peter Wagg thought it would be a neat idea to make an entire series around Max Headroom.
Am I the only one who mistakes this for an InSoc reference whenever stories like this come up?
o/~ Peace and Love, Incorporated! o/~
Because their service sucked (at least in Western PA)?
Mail servers that dropped messages on the floor 24/7.. POP servers that never responded to requests.. DNS so flaky that a few of us set up our own.. their terms of service (okay, so I'm being selfish on that point.. high-bandwidth and they expect me to NOT use it for something constructive?)... tech support with marginally less of a clue than a flatworm ("My cable modem is dead.." "Reinstall Windows." "No, I mean it's really dead - the power supply lost its magic smoke..")...
It wouldn't surprise me if a few of their investors decided to cut their losses.
Call this a troll if you like, but I'm bitter over @home. Good fsck(1)ing riddance.
MacOS isn't the only OS that lets you shoot yourself in the foot with a howitzer.. `rm -rf /` comes immediately to mind, as does a misplaced 'deltree *.*' command if you're half asleep... any OS can be told to eat itself if you're not careful.
Love lost, fire at will...
I was an @home subscriber for a while, and the mail server servicing my region completely sucked. If this was regional then there's something wrong somewhere... about how reliable was the one you used? The one out here (Pennsylvania) dropped so many messages that high-traffic mailing lists wound up bouncing me off a few times until I gave up.
Where else are we going to find gift ideas for each other? You can only give so many gift certificates for Borders and B&N before the idea of buying your own gift gets old... this sort of thing makes it easier to shop for friends.
Yup. I officially feel old now. A generation has grown up without BBSes.
Now where did I put my radio scanner...?
Hey, genius.. wrong thread. If you're that horny to rail about the bombings, submit a story about it.
@create $thing named Spoon There is now.
But I can also think of one major problem with this: Bugs in the code which translates binary commands into neural impulses.
Death: The ultimate denial of service attack.
DSL? I'm using a Tarot deck and a spoon over here...
*starts making coffee*
Overclock.
We already are. Some of us are trying to get out of it.