Slashdot Mirror


User: FrkyD

FrkyD's activity in the archive.

Stories
0
Comments
145
First seen
Last seen
Profile
(view on slashdot.org)

Comments · 145

  1. Re:Did your congressman do his duty? on Senate Passes 4-Year Re-Up of Patriot Act Provisions · · Score: 1

    You know, I've been thinking about just that problem for quite a while now. The problem of a past. I'm pretty convinced that in most areas, a truly open approach to your own background could actually be a benefit. One of the reasons these normal politicians get raked over the coals for the skeletons in the closet has a lot to do with their campaign platform and peoples love of pointing out hypocrisy.

    And most normal folk out there have made mistakes. Own up to it out-front, make it a feature not a bug, and I think the chances are good that people would respond positively. Americans are suckers for a good story of redemption, and being able to tell a story that your average voter could relate to would at least be a change from the status quo.

    If I still lived in the states I would seriously consider something like this, because I fear the U.S. has hit the point where you no longer have anything to lose...

  2. Re:Not so similar on Police Using Apple iOS Tracking Data For Forensics · · Score: 1

    Actually, google have been using android phones to gill out their database. I think they had to stop using the streetview cars. See this answer from a Google employee: http://www.quora.com/How-does-Google-keep-its-geolocation-database-updated-with-new-MAC-addresses

  3. Re:Anecdotal on iPhone and Location: Don't Panic · · Score: 1

    I think the problem with a prepaid card might be that they could potentially identify you with the data available. If it's a smartphone it's even more likely. Between your movements, call records and isp logs they can probably get a pretty good idea of who you might be.

  4. Re:Anecdotal on iPhone and Location: Don't Panic · · Score: 2

    Evidence? Ok. A german green politician wanted to find out the same thing so he got access to the information. Turns out that it provides a pretty accurate guide to your moevements. There is an article and an interactive map available here: http://www.zeit.de/digital/datenschutz/2011-03/data-protection-malte-spitz

  5. Re:Exceptions on Why Does the US Cling To Imperial Measurements? · · Score: 1

    I can only assume you live in the states. No man on this side of the pond would say he has a 12" cock when he could claim 31cm. I mean, we all know that when measuring your dick, you always round up.

  6. Re:Because.... on Why Does the US Cling To Imperial Measurements? · · Score: 1

    As someone who does the narration for those types of documentaries, I think I can say you might be surprised.

  7. Re:plain-text OS? on France Outlaws Hashed Passwords · · Score: 1

    it had to happen eventually.

  8. Re:well... on France Outlaws Hashed Passwords · · Score: 1

    I wonder what kind of experience would result in direct knowledge of the correlation between horses asses and rail road tracks. Care to share yours?

  9. Re:What phones get vendor updates after three year on Apple vs. Microsoft: a Tale of Two Mobile Updates · · Score: 1

    As far as I know, it is AT&T that is keeping you from unlocking that iPhone and not Apple. I have an officially unlocked iPhone from T-Mobile in Austria. Gave them my IMEI number when the contract was up (plus some cash) and got an email back that told me to use itunes to register the phone as unlocked. Works great. I'm still amazed at just how many of the restrictions the iPhone had at launch seem to be a direct attempt at protecting AT&T's business model.

  10. Re:Fund OSS patent warchest. on Tandberg Attempts To Patent Open Source Code · · Score: 1
    There is indeed an open source patent warchest. Or at least there was: http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/enterpriseapps/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=168600509

    But that story is five years old, and it doesn't seem to have popped up in news or articles very much since then. THe Linux Foundation made an anouncement in 2007 that they were also putting one together to defend against MS: http://www.betanews.com/article/Linux-Foundation-We-Have-Our-Own-Patent-Arsenal/1180127700 as well, and that has shown up a bit more recently

  11. Re:two reliable intelligence sources? on WikiLeaks Founder 'Free To Leave Sweden' · · Score: 1

    So what would you say if the U.S. Millitary had already developed a plan to discredit WikiLeaks as far back as 2008? http://www.v3.co.uk/v3/news/2259550/military-plan-destroy-wikileaks

  12. Re:What? on WikiLeaks Founder 'Free To Leave Sweden' · · Score: 1
  13. Re:What? on WikiLeaks Founder 'Free To Leave Sweden' · · Score: 1

    Yep, because it's not like the military might have already planned something similar already or anything. http://www.v3.co.uk/v3/news/2259550/military-plan-destroy-wikileaks

  14. Re:NYTimes ebook pricing rundown on Will Amazon Put Advertisements In eBooks? · · Score: 1

    And of course, once they are done closing up their printers, they will be able to maintain those high prices, because everyone will be used to it and the market locked up. They will just find new cost points to go into it in order to maintain justification for the pricing. Sort of like the breakage fee in record contracts. Sort of like what the record industry has managed to do. http://news.slashdot.org/story/10/07/13/1737224/RIAA-Accounting-mdash-How-Labels-Avoid-Paying-Musicians

  15. Re:Let the Reader/Consumer Decide If It Works on Will Amazon Put Advertisements In eBooks? · · Score: 1

    They can't be THAT interested in making money. If they did they would have started putting huge swathes of their out of print back-catalog up for sale as ebooks at lower prices than paperbacks rather than trying to keep ebook prices artificially high.

  16. Re:Wait now, didn't we agree on The Coming Onslaught of iPad Competitors · · Score: 1

    No, it's not arguable. HTC had been producing windows mobile smartphones for years. Large screen devices running small windowed systems using pointy things to navigate. My large screen Nokia wasn't really finger driven in the same sense as the iphone, it required the use of a phone pad and physical input devices. The 7710 still had a stylus as did the 770 and the n800. The Psions were also either stylus or keyboard driven.

    However it is completely true that there had been large screen smartphones on the market for years, most of which had a fairly large collection of apps available at the time the iPhone came out. They not only brought out the first touchscreen smartphone (in 2000, been trying to track down more info on it but no luck so far) but also the first Windows Mobile powered phone. The phone weren't branded HTC of course, they didn't step out of the shadows for quite some time, but saying the iPhone beat them to market is just ignorant.

  17. Re:so... on The Coming Onslaught of iPad Competitors · · Score: 1

    Um, there were no android phone units before the iPhone. The Droid wasn't released until September 2008, aver a year after the first iPhone shipped.
    Just sayin.
    (and I use both an N1 and an iPhone, and have a love hate relationship with both. Although the hate bit doesn't come anywhere near the exrtemes I have felt for every single Windows Mobile device I have ever owned. WINCE was the most appropriately named OS ever.)

  18. Public service or just self serving? on SMS Trojan Steals From Android Owners · · Score: 1

    So, we know that the company will be releasing security software for android, we know that they have included a signature for thetrojan in their software...

    But we don't know the name of the firkkin app that is actually doing it. Good thing those security software vendors are so concerned about our well being.

  19. Re:Ok, name another... on The Ignominious Fall of Dell · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The difference is that until the iPhone came out no phones were supporting easily applied updates for the users. My HTC TyTn was delivered with buggy software that would let the phone radio crash without any kind of notice for the user, and a bluetooth stack that couldn't deliver what was promised.

    If it weren't for a group of dedicated hackers at xda-developers and jumping through a lot of hoops I would have been stuck with that system until my provider decided to push through an upgrade. Something that never happened.

    Sony Ericson phones used to require a special cable to change the firmware, and none of the other phones I have had allowed any kind of user software upgrade. The high expectations you have for support only exist because apple changed the way things were done.

  20. Re:Dear FSF on iPad Is a "Huge Step Backward" · · Score: 1

    Had you really done your research, you would have known that most of the e-book reading programs do indeed let you load your own docs. You also wouldalso have know that Stanza not only lets you load your own books, but also those from online collections, gutenberg and several different ebooks sellers. Since the iPad runs normal apps, it should also be able to run Stanza and other ebook software. And just out of curiosity, which ebook app did you end up buying that doesn't let you load your own books?

  21. Re:If you want to be free on Malicious App In Android Market · · Score: 1

    And don't forget the fact that a phone is basically a mobile billing device. Between premium SMS services and 0900 numbers, quite a bit of money can be billed to unsuspecting consumers. This type of thing has already happened with some very scammy SMS practices in Europe.

  22. Re:Maybes its a good time for them to get on iTune on EMI Sues Beatles Usurper Off the Net · · Score: 1

    How much would you be willing to lose?

    Because I've been eying that Tesla Roadster, and it sounds like you might want to help me buy it.

  23. Re:Sure- if they lowered the starting price. on Why AT&T Should Dump the iPhone's Unlimited Data Plan · · Score: 1

    Wow. I'm pretty happy that 5 euro will get me a Gig. And I'm even happier that the companies over here (austria) finally killed the stupid over priced tiering they had been doing.

    Of course, the high price of the initial data wasn't the problem. It was the price for additional traffic that could leave you shell-shocked if you had a particularly heavy month.

  24. Re:apple - the most anti-open company on USB-IF Slaps Palm In iTunes Spat · · Score: 1

    As a matter of fact, until itunes and the iphone came about, it was nearly impossible for Mac users to sync to most smart phones or to use most online music services.

    As far as syncing goes, you had to fall back on third party vendors who were always playing catch up with MS, and were frequently too late to the party. The fact of the matter is that the ipod and itunes were developed (initially) primarily for the Mac market. If it weren't for the runaway success of the iPod, (which was originally delivered with Music Match Jukebox for windows users) there never would have been an itunes store, and you would still be tied in to any one of the crappy drm solutions MS and the music industry was trying desperately to establish.

    It used to be funny watching windows users bitch and moan about having the tables turned on them, but now I'm just sick of it. At least you even have access.

    Now if Apple were to turn around and pull an Active Sync type lockout on y'all...

  25. Re:wonderful. on News Content As a Resource, Not a Final Product · · Score: 1

    That wasn't infinite as a number, but infinite as "without end".
    I will admit that that useage only applies so long as the human race continues to exist AND the major media concerns don't manage to create a system of artificial scarcity.
    I have to admit, I'm not really betting on either one...