First things first, I'd like to say that yes, suspension was overkill. A warning is all that's needed.
However, netsend can be one god awful command on a network. In a summer program for particularly bright high schoolers in Georgia (Governor's Honors Program), I was fortunate to be lab assisstant for a department.. We were teaching every student in the department at least Delphi, and some C++ on Cygwin. The last thing we wanted to do is lock the computers down - I personally wanted to demonstrate trust towards the students, as the last thing you want as an administrator of thirty brand new Dells is ten really really bright computer nerds trying to break them.
Well, they ended up netsending one day, and it ended up that they were broadcasting quite a bit. All of the other computers that weren't logged on at the time ended up receiving the messages, and storing the messages until the next person logged on. Needless to say, I wasn't too happy about this. I told those responsible that on no uncertain terms they were to stop.. And fortunately, they were bright enough to.(*)
So no, I didn't suspend them, but I didn't shut the computer down like some people suggest. There's a middle ground here, and that's something both the writer of the article and that teacher don't understand. Yes, learning is good, but broadcasting netsends isn't really that conducive to learning. Neither is overly broad, vague, and ridiculous rules and punishments for simple annoyances.
*: Of course, I did give them something to be busy with until the next project came up.. Never before have I seen someone try so hard to translate an IOCCC entry into human-readable code. ^.^
The real problem with spam is that it is starting to clog the net.
If you claim that, then this system is just another non-solution. The e-mail client has the ability to determine whether to read non-hashed mails or not, which means that the end user's mail server has to store the message.
Really, I can't see a way to fix spam without a massive overhaul of the current e-mail system. Even then, I can't see a viable way for untrusted users to send legitimate mail to another user without massive delays and more hassle. If anyone has seen a viable model that would allow current e-mail the functionality it has now without wasting bandwidth from things like spam, lemme know! 'Course, as I said, taxes and laws need not apply.
If this works as stated, then I can see issues.. For instance, large mailing lists. Would they have to be white-listed? 3000 seconds of computation is a heavy tax on a community based program like the Linux Kernel Mailing List, which averages 300 messages to my inbox a day. Also, there's the issue of viral spammers.. Those that send out viruses to do the spamming for them. If you infect enough, 8000 mails per day per computer can still be quite a bit.
Personally, my whole take on spam is that everything needs to be done on the user end. Laws have loopholes in every situation (foreign spammers being a large one,) server restrictions are either too restrictive on small servers, or can be defeated with distributed computing.. I say we stick with Bayesian filtering. It works _wonders_ for me, and I'd love to see more people use it.
You know, when you burp, air comes out.. So, since anti-bubbles have beer, when you antiburp.. Well, let's just say that people who drink too much antiburp a lot.
Re:I was so much younger then
on
Global Dimming
·
· Score: 1
I always felt that the world was a brighter place when I was a kid, now I have proof!
But that hasn't stopped Paramount from suing people anyway.
Paramount lawyer: And, as our final witness, Paramount will call.. Gene Roddenberry to the stand. Now, Mr. Roddenberry, what do you have to say about this alleged copyright violation?
[Pause..]
Judge: Umm.. I don't think your witness is particularly fit to testify. He just seems to keep turning over and over..
How much have the people who are making these claims looked into the game? That game bashes pretty much every group out there. You have the religious right guy talking about the commy Reds and his statue/spaceship, a goth guy that goes outside when it rains or he needs milk, some happy woman who's just.. Disturbing, NPR like announcers who are money grubbing [edit].. And that's just from a radio station. So, if that game is guilty for hate crimes, it sure isn't guilty for discrimination, because it hates everyone. It's humor, guys. Get over your ego.
Things like this make me doubt the future of the human race.
I'm not an aviator, so I dunno how scary this really is, but doesn't 1400 feet seem kinda low? I mean, wardriving is fun (I'll readily admit that), but some of those pictures look awfully close to those buildings.:O
*Shrug.* Someone with actual light aircraft experience, please correct me..
Quote from article: " If you're thinking about giving a new PC, eMachines has top-notch backup. It makes its computers easier to service over an Internet connection, and the CPU unit itself is a snap to open and self-service."
I'll attest to this. My dad bought my mom an eMachine when she went back to grad school (for the third freaking time - crazy educators), then bought some extra RAM for his computer. Since that filled the limit on his motherboard, I put the overflow into the eMachine.. In short, it was a surprisingly easy thing to do for a corporate built PC. Thumb screws on the back, everything was easy to access. I haven't dealt with their tech support (after all, that's what I'm there for =T), but their little taskbar icon for their version of Windows Update is something even my mom can understand, and she's the type that believes in the case being the "hard drive." All in all, I'd never buy one, but they're good for budget people who need a basic computer.
I happened to stumble on the thread while browsing the lkml a while ago.. I noticed that someone from Fermilab tossed in their support for merging it, as they run a 300TB or so setup. You think, maybe, this has something to do with it?
On a different note, I've been running XFS on my 2.6.0-test box for a while.. Now that it's going to be in a stable kernel, I can't wait to back up everything and switch. =D
Not that this really has any relevance as a later poster pointed out, but you assume that passwords _aren't_ random. I make a few 6x6 tables, and roll dice (then burn the tables and grind up the ashes.) _GOD_ I'm a nerd.
P.S.: It also has the benefit of me knowing how to type the password in, but not what it is without some serious thought. Can't go around telling it to people, can I?
That over time, any encryption alghorythm may be broken by superior computer. 50 years from now, normal computers will put anything we have to shame, and supercomputers will make current ones look like calculators.
Heh. It's much more extreme right now. Current calculators make computers from twenty years ago look like.. Well, calculators. My TI-89 runs on a Motorola MC68k processor (10 MHz, I believe.)
I don't know why you would think that. I don't have any desire to tell you what you can do with your computer and your software. I said what I thought and what I would do. That was all.
Em. Observe.. You were asked
So you would rather have nvidia making no drivers at all for Linux?
which you responded by saying
Yes.
So, in short, you would rather the company that makes video drivers for my card not, so that I can't use them to their full extent (until someone reverse engineers the drivers, which won't be a small job.) Hence, me losing some capabilities on my computer. And my UT2k3.;.; So.. That makes this:
What I find odd are people who put words into my mouth and attribute me with opinions that I don't agree with, and then attack these phantoms as if that would invalidate my real opinions.
We chose the freedom of Linux over the convenience of binary-only platforms with working drivers.
That's odd, as it is the exact reason I switched over too. Plus stability and power, of course. But you know what else I find odd? You. It would seem that you would rather I didn't have the freedom to do what I want with the OS on my computer. It is really pretty simple.. To each his own. I'll run my binary modules, unload them if I think I have a bug to test it, and get my very nice hardware acceleration out of a card that I payed $200 for.
But really, I think this argument comes down to one issue.. If you have to release and use everything as open source, then you are almost as restricted as having to release and use everything as closed source.
P.S.: I do agree that I would _like_ open source drivers, and I have e-mailed nVidia's PR department about that. But I'm still going to support them, as they've shown more support for their hardware than _some_ companies.
. ..they were NOT allowed to take political party registration and such into account.
Dear lord. The simple fact that political parties are taken into account when deciding my district pisses me the hell off. What the hell gives them the right to try and reapportion my vote based on how others around me vote? Georgia went through this crap recently, while the Democrats had a pretty firm hold on things.. Some of the proposed redistrictings looked outright stupid. A long skinny thing stretching from Atlanta to Savannah? Are you really that damned greedy?
Of course, lots of people have solutions. One is to change the way the vote is counted, i.e., reassignment of votes, or a party based election system. That angers me just as much. My vote is my vote, and I don't want some party deciding who should get my vote - and the same goes for the third party candidate.
In short, I think that voting in America was originaly a good setup. Fair districting, winner takes all, and a partyless system as the founders intended (read the Federalist papers, and many other documents written by our founders at the time), we'd be required to make informed decisions about our vote, and be sure that it goes where we intended (barring possibly treasonous shenanigans like Diebold is attempting.)
Old oscilloscopes are beautiful things. While it hasn't gone through any damage by my part, I've an old Tektronix dual input scope.. Given to me by a nerd mentor (none like 'em), and used in testing Tesla coils... Sometimes at a distance that shouldn't've been too safe for the bugger.
Recently my parents moved and the power plug was torn off, but that's a simple solder. My mom wants to chuck it, but I refuse to - this baby has set a belief in my mind that anything with hand-painted resistors will outlast me (and I've yet to reach twenty.)
By that logic, 21 computers would fail with a 105% chance. I can't remember the exact math for multiplying those statistics (I've blocked statistics from my memory), but it isn't simple addition. =)
Re:No Turkey is probably good
on
Eating in Space
·
· Score: 3, Funny
There's an easy way to get around that - fry it! Uberly moist. Besides, who wouldn't want four hundred degree globs of oil floating around an enclosed space?
Any time you read an article and see Fred Cohen's name, you can stop reading right there, because you know another so called "journalist" has fallen hook, line, and sinker for this guy's self-aggrandizing line of bullshit.
I'm calling you on this one. I've been reading quite a few books on viruses, and I've read Cohen's paper from 1984 on viruses, and his A Short Course on Computer Viruses. Both are _very_ informative. The paper from 1984 described experiments back in the day when people would say that there system is absolutely secure, no way to doo anything to it, period (people still say it, but back then, others believed them.) His Course on Viruses is also excellent - it has a very concise set-theoretic basis for viruses. He may very well be whoring for his security company (I wouldn't know), but don't doubt this man's ability to write concise, accurate, funny texts on the subject.
It's good to see the US back on big-science again. After the Super-Collider in Texas fell through.. What was it, half the budget spent, and they dropped a project that could open up amazing new areas in particle physics?
Then there's JET, which America pulled out of.. From what I understand, most of the new grounds in fusion research occured there.
Oh, and who can forget - the moon. We dropped that like a bad habit. When it comes to big science, this country seems to have the attention span of a goldfish. Sure, we'll make great strides, but then we'll just.. Drop it if it doesn't push votes for the politicians anymore. Argh.
Anyone with access to the database can also see who you voted for.
You do have a point. Perhaps the government signed key won't be printed on the voter copy. In fact, you could probably get away with disposed the voter copy all together.
Unfortunately, I can't see a method of verifying that your hashed vote is still there without having someone else be able to beat you up and do it... Same thing with paper voting, though.
Granted, I'm not going to vote electronically without an open source system in place, but this _really_ isn't that hard.
As an example implementation.. When you register, you get a plastic card with a magnetic stripe on it. It has two 32-bit numbers on the card, with your name, picture, and address. One of the 32-bit numbers is your personal identifier, and the other is your signing key.
Now, for the ballot, every candidate also has a 32-bit number. When you want to vote for your candidate, you swipe your card, then select the candidate on the screen. Your pid is appended to the end of the candidates pid, and then it is hashed with your signing key. At the same time, a publicly available signing key from the government signs the 32-bit pid of the candidate. Two slips are then printed out, both with one barcode indicating your hash of the candidate + your pid, and a barcode with the hash of the government signed pid.
One slip is given to the poll people, and you keep the other. Also, a copy of the slip is sent over some network to the vote counting place. If you doubt that your vote has been tallied correctly, all you have to do is search for your signed 64-bit candidate + personal id in some government database.
Paper trail. Verifiability. Randomness. What am I missing? Was t overly complicated? Input, please!
P.S.: Want to vote for someone not on the ballot? Do a write in. They're rare enough that counting by hand isn't an issue.
Slashdot Mirror
First things first, I'd like to say that yes, suspension was overkill. A warning is all that's needed.
However, netsend can be one god awful command on a network. In a summer program for particularly bright high schoolers in Georgia (Governor's Honors Program), I was fortunate to be lab assisstant for a department.. We were teaching every student in the department at least Delphi, and some C++ on Cygwin. The last thing we wanted to do is lock the computers down - I personally wanted to demonstrate trust towards the students, as the last thing you want as an administrator of thirty brand new Dells is ten really really bright computer nerds trying to break them.
Well, they ended up netsending one day, and it ended up that they were broadcasting quite a bit. All of the other computers that weren't logged on at the time ended up receiving the messages, and storing the messages until the next person logged on. Needless to say, I wasn't too happy about this. I told those responsible that on no uncertain terms they were to stop.. And fortunately, they were bright enough to.(*)
So no, I didn't suspend them, but I didn't shut the computer down like some people suggest. There's a middle ground here, and that's something both the writer of the article and that teacher don't understand. Yes, learning is good, but broadcasting netsends isn't really that conducive to learning. Neither is overly broad, vague, and ridiculous rules and punishments for simple annoyances.
*: Of course, I did give them something to be busy with until the next project came up.. Never before have I seen someone try so hard to translate an IOCCC entry into human-readable code. ^.^
Yes but Godel showed that you never do it completely.
Naw, Godel showed that'll we'll never stop doing it.
The real problem with spam is that it is starting to clog the net.
If you claim that, then this system is just another non-solution. The e-mail client has the ability to determine whether to read non-hashed mails or not, which means that the end user's mail server has to store the message.
Really, I can't see a way to fix spam without a massive overhaul of the current e-mail system. Even then, I can't see a viable way for untrusted users to send legitimate mail to another user without massive delays and more hassle. If anyone has seen a viable model that would allow current e-mail the functionality it has now without wasting bandwidth from things like spam, lemme know! 'Course, as I said, taxes and laws need not apply.
If this works as stated, then I can see issues.. For instance, large mailing lists. Would they have to be white-listed? 3000 seconds of computation is a heavy tax on a community based program like the Linux Kernel Mailing List, which averages 300 messages to my inbox a day. Also, there's the issue of viral spammers.. Those that send out viruses to do the spamming for them. If you infect enough, 8000 mails per day per computer can still be quite a bit.
Personally, my whole take on spam is that everything needs to be done on the user end. Laws have loopholes in every situation (foreign spammers being a large one,) server restrictions are either too restrictive on small servers, or can be defeated with distributed computing.. I say we stick with Bayesian filtering. It works _wonders_ for me, and I'd love to see more people use it.
You know, when you burp, air comes out.. So, since anti-bubbles have beer, when you antiburp.. Well, let's just say that people who drink too much antiburp a lot.
I always felt that the world was a brighter place when I was a kid, now I have proof!
That's not something I'd admit to..
But that hasn't stopped Paramount from suing people anyway.
Paramount lawyer: And, as our final witness, Paramount will call.. Gene Roddenberry to the stand. Now, Mr. Roddenberry, what do you have to say about this alleged copyright violation?
[Pause..]
Judge: Umm.. I don't think your witness is particularly fit to testify. He just seems to keep turning over and over..
How much have the people who are making these claims looked into the game? That game bashes pretty much every group out there. You have the religious right guy talking about the commy Reds and his statue/spaceship, a goth guy that goes outside when it rains or he needs milk, some happy woman who's just.. Disturbing, NPR like announcers who are money grubbing [edit].. And that's just from a radio station. So, if that game is guilty for hate crimes, it sure isn't guilty for discrimination, because it hates everyone. It's humor, guys. Get over your ego.
Things like this make me doubt the future of the human race.
I'm not an aviator, so I dunno how scary this really is, but doesn't 1400 feet seem kinda low? I mean, wardriving is fun (I'll readily admit that), but some of those pictures look awfully close to those buildings. :O
*Shrug.* Someone with actual light aircraft experience, please correct me..
Quote from article: " If you're thinking about giving a new PC, eMachines has top-notch backup. It makes its computers easier to service over an Internet connection, and the CPU unit itself is a snap to open and self-service."
I'll attest to this. My dad bought my mom an eMachine when she went back to grad school (for the third freaking time - crazy educators), then bought some extra RAM for his computer. Since that filled the limit on his motherboard, I put the overflow into the eMachine.. In short, it was a surprisingly easy thing to do for a corporate built PC. Thumb screws on the back, everything was easy to access. I haven't dealt with their tech support (after all, that's what I'm there for =T), but their little taskbar icon for their version of Windows Update is something even my mom can understand, and she's the type that believes in the case being the "hard drive." All in all, I'd never buy one, but they're good for budget people who need a basic computer.
chmod 000 /dev/ram*
I happened to stumble on the thread while browsing the lkml a while ago.. I noticed that someone from Fermilab tossed in their support for merging it, as they run a 300TB or so setup. You think, maybe, this has something to do with it?
On a different note, I've been running XFS on my 2.6.0-test box for a while.. Now that it's going to be in a stable kernel, I can't wait to back up everything and switch. =D
Finally, an actual medical benefit from magnets!
*Cough-MRI-cough.*
I know, I know..
You're assuming that the passwords are random.
Not that this really has any relevance as a later poster pointed out, but you assume that passwords _aren't_ random. I make a few 6x6 tables, and roll dice (then burn the tables and grind up the ashes.) _GOD_ I'm a nerd.
P.S.: It also has the benefit of me knowing how to type the password in, but not what it is without some serious thought. Can't go around telling it to people, can I?
That over time, any encryption alghorythm may be broken by superior computer. 50 years from now, normal computers will put anything we have to shame, and supercomputers will make current ones look like calculators.
Heh. It's much more extreme right now. Current calculators make computers from twenty years ago look like.. Well, calculators. My TI-89 runs on a Motorola MC68k processor (10 MHz, I believe.)
I don't know why you would think that. I don't have any desire to tell you what you can do with your computer and your software. I said what I thought and what I would do. That was all.
;.; So.. That makes this:
Em. Observe.. You were asked
So you would rather have nvidia making no drivers at all for Linux?
which you responded by saying
Yes.
So, in short, you would rather the company that makes video drivers for my card not, so that I can't use them to their full extent (until someone reverse engineers the drivers, which won't be a small job.) Hence, me losing some capabilities on my computer. And my UT2k3.
What I find odd are people who put words into my mouth and attribute me with opinions that I don't agree with, and then attack these phantoms as if that would invalidate my real opinions.
unwarranted.
We chose the freedom of Linux over the convenience of binary-only platforms with working drivers.
That's odd, as it is the exact reason I switched over too. Plus stability and power, of course. But you know what else I find odd? You. It would seem that you would rather I didn't have the freedom to do what I want with the OS on my computer. It is really pretty simple.. To each his own. I'll run my binary modules, unload them if I think I have a bug to test it, and get my very nice hardware acceleration out of a card that I payed $200 for.
But really, I think this argument comes down to one issue.. If you have to release and use everything as open source, then you are almost as restricted as having to release and use everything as closed source.
P.S.: I do agree that I would _like_ open source drivers, and I have e-mailed nVidia's PR department about that. But I'm still going to support them, as they've shown more support for their hardware than _some_ companies.
. . .they were NOT allowed to take political party registration and such into account.
Dear lord. The simple fact that political parties are taken into account when deciding my district pisses me the hell off. What the hell gives them the right to try and reapportion my vote based on how others around me vote? Georgia went through this crap recently, while the Democrats had a pretty firm hold on things.. Some of the proposed redistrictings looked outright stupid. A long skinny thing stretching from Atlanta to Savannah? Are you really that damned greedy?
Of course, lots of people have solutions. One is to change the way the vote is counted, i.e., reassignment of votes, or a party based election system. That angers me just as much. My vote is my vote, and I don't want some party deciding who should get my vote - and the same goes for the third party candidate.
In short, I think that voting in America was originaly a good setup. Fair districting, winner takes all, and a partyless system as the founders intended (read the Federalist papers, and many other documents written by our founders at the time), we'd be required to make informed decisions about our vote, and be sure that it goes where we intended (barring possibly treasonous shenanigans like Diebold is attempting.)
Old oscilloscopes are beautiful things. While it hasn't gone through any damage by my part, I've an old Tektronix dual input scope.. Given to me by a nerd mentor (none like 'em), and used in testing Tesla coils... Sometimes at a distance that shouldn't've been too safe for the bugger.
Recently my parents moved and the power plug was torn off, but that's a simple solder. My mom wants to chuck it, but I refuse to - this baby has set a belief in my mind that anything with hand-painted resistors will outlast me (and I've yet to reach twenty.)
By that logic, 21 computers would fail with a 105% chance. I can't remember the exact math for multiplying those statistics (I've blocked statistics from my memory), but it isn't simple addition. =)
There's an easy way to get around that - fry it! Uberly moist. Besides, who wouldn't want four hundred degree globs of oil floating around an enclosed space?
Any time you read an article and see Fred Cohen's name, you can stop reading right there, because you know another so called "journalist" has fallen hook, line, and sinker for this guy's self-aggrandizing line of bullshit.
I'm calling you on this one. I've been reading quite a few books on viruses, and I've read Cohen's paper from 1984 on viruses, and his A Short Course on Computer Viruses. Both are _very_ informative. The paper from 1984 described experiments back in the day when people would say that there system is absolutely secure, no way to doo anything to it, period (people still say it, but back then, others believed them.) His Course on Viruses is also excellent - it has a very concise set-theoretic basis for viruses. He may very well be whoring for his security company (I wouldn't know), but don't doubt this man's ability to write concise, accurate, funny texts on the subject.
It's good to see the US back on big-science again. After the Super-Collider in Texas fell through.. What was it, half the budget spent, and they dropped a project that could open up amazing new areas in particle physics?
Then there's JET, which America pulled out of.. From what I understand, most of the new grounds in fusion research occured there.
Oh, and who can forget - the moon. We dropped that like a bad habit. When it comes to big science, this country seems to have the attention span of a goldfish. Sure, we'll make great strides, but then we'll just.. Drop it if it doesn't push votes for the politicians anymore. Argh.
Let's just hope that we stick to this project.
Anyone with access to the database can also see who you voted for.
You do have a point. Perhaps the government signed key won't be printed on the voter copy. In fact, you could probably get away with disposed the voter copy all together.
Unfortunately, I can't see a method of verifying that your hashed vote is still there without having someone else be able to beat you up and do it... Same thing with paper voting, though.
Granted, I'm not going to vote electronically without an open source system in place, but this _really_ isn't that hard.
As an example implementation.. When you register, you get a plastic card with a magnetic stripe on it. It has two 32-bit numbers on the card, with your name, picture, and address. One of the 32-bit numbers is your personal identifier, and the other is your signing key.
Now, for the ballot, every candidate also has a 32-bit number. When you want to vote for your candidate, you swipe your card, then select the candidate on the screen. Your pid is appended to the end of the candidates pid, and then it is hashed with your signing key. At the same time, a publicly available signing key from the government signs the 32-bit pid of the candidate. Two slips are then printed out, both with one barcode indicating your hash of the candidate + your pid, and a barcode with the hash of the government signed pid.
One slip is given to the poll people, and you keep the other. Also, a copy of the slip is sent over some network to the vote counting place. If you doubt that your vote has been tallied correctly, all you have to do is search for your signed 64-bit candidate + personal id in some government database.
Paper trail. Verifiability. Randomness. What am I missing? Was t overly complicated? Input, please!
P.S.: Want to vote for someone not on the ballot? Do a write in. They're rare enough that counting by hand isn't an issue.