The day's fast coming when we'll be able to record every moment of our entire lives in HDTV-quality on a single drive.
Five or ten years ago, it certainly seemed that way and I would have agreed with you. But, the reality is that as storage space has increased and gotten less expensive, the software and file formats have grown to match and consume the space. Programs get more and more bloated everyday because storage and memory are plentiful and cheap so, programmers no longer make an effort to keep their code small. The same holds true for the file formats. 10 years ago, a one page word processing document required 2 to 5K. Today wordprocessing documents regularly go to a couple of hundred K and a few "choice" documents can be over a meg.
Sadly, instead of fitting our entire lives on a massive and inexpensive disk, we will need a terrabyte sized disk just to hold our favorite office suite.
I sincerely hope that this new technology helps to generate some *good* new music. It seems that everything I here these days, is PURE CRAP!!!!!
Think of how many songs have lasted for 300 years or more. Now, think of how many new songs will last into next week, much less the next decade or century.
Even at the newly reduces MS pricing, Microsoft can't compete in the Taiwanese market. Pirated MS discs can be had on almost any street corner for a dollar a disc.
I'm amazed at the number of answers from the "Slashdot experts" and yet I don't see the correct one yet.
The noise you hear is actually fairly simple to explain. First of all, people should realize that this is not RF noise coming through the speaker, as you tried to explain. This is a noise generated by the vibration of a system component.
Your graphics card is the culprit. Remember that your hardware is full of clocks(vibrating crystals) and switches(transistors). These microscopic components move or vibrate at very high frequencies. Vibration creates noise, as we all know. But, the vibrations(or frequencies) change when the image on the screen changes. Certain colors and certain movements on the screen create frequecies that are perceptible to human hearing and you hear a slight buzz or high pitched whine form your video card.
If you want to test my answer, try changing the frequencies for your display and you will hear the sound come and go. You will also notice the pitch will change when different frequency setting are used.
Some hardware is less prone to this because of thicker cladding or more secure mountings but, they all do it. It's just that some equipment is louder than others.
This is probably the problem.
on
RAMdisk RAID?
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
[FlameSuit On] I'm sure you all will flame me for this but, I can take it.{/FlameSuit Off]
It is very likely that he is already using IDE or ATA disks, and that is part of his problem. When large amounts of data need to be transferred quickly, SCSI is what you need. There is nothing faster than 15,000 RPM SCSI drives connected to good RAID controllers that have large amounts of cache RAM. Nothing.
If you want high performance then you must use high performance gear. Yes, it does cost 5 to 10 times more than the IDE RAID solution but, there is a VERY good reason for that.
Ok, now comes the flames from the know-it-all masses who's experience is limited to home PCs and no-traffic webservers.
First reactions.
on
RAMdisk RAID?
·
· Score: 4, Informative
At first glance, this sounds like an incredible waste of time. RAID RAMDisk? Why? Are you crazy? What's the point?
But, if you give it some thought it is an interesting idea. Basically you are trying to build a clustered RAM disk..
There is however, a major drawback to this idea. The whole advantage of a RAM disk is speed/performance. Locally, the RAM disk is MUCH faster than a normal disk drive. But, the problem arises when you connect your "RAID RAM disk". You must network the machines in order for them to communicate with each other and suddenly, your performance has dropped to nothing. In fact is is below the performance of a normal disk drive.
In order for your RAID RAM disk to perform equally with a good disk drive you would require a switched gigabit network between your nodes. This will cost more than the "normal" disk. Additionally, even with a switched gigabit network the performance is highly unlikely to exceed the performance of highend disk drives.
So, when you get right down to it, the RAID RAM disk is an interesting idea, just to see if you can do it. But, there isn't really any advantage to it.
Oh!!! One more thing, I forgot.
on
NYT on RFID Tags
·
· Score: 1
Boy, I'm paranoid conspiracy theorist today.
Right now, RFID tags are tiny foil strips. These can be taped on to the product or even embedded into the product. The embedding adds to the manufacturing process and cost. The taped on tags add to the packaging process and cost.
How long before RFID tags are applied with metalic paint or ink, such as what is used for the numbers on the bottom of bank cheques? In a short time they will be able to apply RFID tags with inkjet-like printers. This will not only make them much cheaper and easier to apply, it will also make them much harder to detect(by humans) and remove.
The ability to track something ALWAYS sounds great at first. But eventually, the technology is abused and people realize that it is a bad thing. The problem is that by then, it is too late and nothing can be done about it. Frankly, I think it is already too late to stop RFID tags.
it would be like the thick plastic armoring that music stores encase CDs and Tapes in
No, they are strips of "foil" just a few microns thick. They are very easily concealed. So far they are usually held on under a bit of tape but, they can be embedded into the materials that make up the product. Some manufacturers are discussing doing this. In the case of Gillette, the strip could be easily embedded in the plastic shell of the individual razor blade. RFID tags can also be easily laminated into the paper of books etc.
Take a US currency note, greater than one dollar, and hold it up to the light. You will(should) notice a milar strip embedded into the bill that denotes the face value of the bill. An RFID tag could be as simple as this milar strip. In fact, the tag could be even smaller that the milar strip in the bill.
That's not really the problem.
on
NYT on RFID Tags
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
Sure, they can and perhaps, should track any and everything in their store. The problem is that RFIDs are not deactivated. They continue to work forever. Or, at least until the washer has worn out your panties.
The fact that they continue to work for a very long time and the fact that they are, or can be, completely unique means that a store can identify YOU by your panties. National chains such as Walmart could track YOU and your panties all across the country. Suddenly they don't sound very nice, do they.
Now, let's take the paranoia to a slightly higher level. Let's suppose that stores share their RFID and customer databases with trustworthy groups like, NSA CIA, FBI, SpamKing marketing. Suddenly You and your panties are trackable in every store you go to, or security checkpoint you pass through or toll booth you drive through. Now you can't go anywhere without the beadie little eye of some agency watching you at all times.
Did you ever get the feeling that you were being watched?
nFuse is very nice but, it isn't quite as simple as you stated, So no Citrix Client roll out to your users
nFuse must have the client installed in order for it to connect to the Citrix server. However, nFuse GREATLY simplifies the installation of the client. Code can be embedded in the nFuse web page to automatically download and install an Active X client plugin for IE and Win32 Netscape users, and links to the client install can be placed on the nFuse login page for those that cannot use the Active X plugin. It does negate the need for an administrator to manually install the client software on each client machine but, client software must still be installed, either via the plugin or the user clicking the link.
Citrix offers free client software for *ANY* platform including DOS, Win32 and Pocket PC, Mac, Linux, Java and more. nFuse is a very nice add-on to Citrix and it is free. Citrix however, ain't cheap.
This new technology will last for about 1 day. That's how long it will be until Kazza, Gnutella, Limewire, et all will switch to an SSL encapsulated protocol. Suddenly all the "fingerprints" will be shot. Each and evey download of the exact same file will have a different, unidentifiable, "fingerprint".
Sounds to me like this company took a copy of Snort, set up a few rules for the "fingerprints" and sold it to the University of Wisconsin. What a waste of money!
If the use of BGP is out of the question, there seems to be only one alternative. However, this solution still leaves the ISP as a single point of failure.
The option is Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP). A brief description of VRRP, including a diagram, can be found here. Keep in mind that there are numerous other manufacturers that support the VRRP standard, you don't *have* to go with Cisco. Also, remember that with VRRP there is still a single point of failure, the ISP. This means that your ISP had better be a good one.
No, the post isn't Offtopic, nor is it Flamebait. The Amy Boyer murder was a tragic event and this case will allow the family some chance of holding the "information clearinghouses" liable for the information that they doled out for a healthy profit and Amy's life.
It has nothing to do with spyware. Making the connection of spyware to satisfy you personal conspiracy theorist mentality to this case revolving around a real and tragic event is just ridiculous. And, moderating the above comment Offtopic is just too typical.
The fact that you didn't get a response from an ISP when reporting a spammer shouldn't be taken as an afront. Any ISP with a large subscriber base is almost certainly deluged with spam reports and some/many of them are false reports from clueless users. Think of the reports that flood in when the Outlook worm du jor starts filling peoples mailboxes with crap. Think of all the complaints that flood in about real spam, penis enlargement, earn cash now, Nigerian needs help.
The ISP staff is not capable of answering each message individually. At best they will scan through the reports that they get and act on the ones that they think are legit. But, they have another hundred thousand to process after that so, don't expect a personalized response and, if you're looking for some kind of credit or pat on the back for reporting it, just forget it!
Most large ISPs today subscribe to inbound RBLs as well as possibly doing some local filtering with the likes of SPAM Assassin. But, they can't be too restrictive in their policies as there are actually people who subscribe to lists and expect mail that any normal person would regard as pure spam. A growing number of ISPs are actually implementing user configurable spam blocking lists so you can set your own rules.
These same large ISPs usually don't hesitate to act if the spammer is one of their own subscribers. The accounts *are* terminated. But, because of the scope of the problem, it is a thankless and never-ending battle that they trudge through with resentment.
If you have a *serious* spam problem and *must* get the ISP to act on it, the best way is going to be via telephone but, you will have to work to get past level one tech support.
There have been several good suggestions so far but, I'd like to add something to keep in the back of your mind. One of the big complaints with various systems, Microsoft for instance, is a lack of interoperability.
I would recommend using a solution that is going to be compatible with the most other systems without unnecessary complexity. Some recommend using SSH as an easy method. This is fine for Linux systems but, what if you need to later add Microsoft or Novell systems? SSH may still be doable but, it will be far more difficult. Keeping things interoperable is very important for the future. I'd recommend that you use TLS as it will be the most interoperable secure solution.
On the matter of caching, this is adding unnecessary complexity. Remember Keep It Simple Stupid(KISS). If you need local LDAP access, don't manufacture some convoluted caching system, instead use a local LDAP server. LDAP already handles everything for you. You'll also discover that a good LDAP server won't add too much load to your system. And if you want a GREAT directory and LDAP server, take a look at Novell's eDirectory, it offers very high performance, massive scalability, replication, partitioning, cross platform support and more.
What is your satisfaction level with the Bay Networks product? These products has matured into the Nortel Contivity product line which are the best that I have used, bar none. Just for the record, I have used comprable products from Cisco, Checkpoint, Sonic Wall, Netsceen, 3Com and *many* more.
Of all the products that I have tried, the Nortel Contivity was the easiest to setup while at the same time, offering the most configuration options. The performance has been equal to or greater than all of the other products. There is also a broad array of options for connection interfaces including ISDN, Frame-Relay, Ethernet, Dial-up and I think(not sure) that they even have a Contivity blade for their Passport 8600 switch.
One important feature that the Nortel offering has over the likes of Cisco is licensing cost. A seperate client software license is needed for the Cisco system and many of the others. But, Nortel gives the client software away for free. They offer client solutions for multiple platforms and even officially support Linux using FreeSWAN.
This AP story has a different take on the matter. Seems that the broadband access isn't without significant issues. Excuse the pun but, I don't think that this service is going to fly.
Also, on a slightly different topic, has anyone tried using a laptop on a plane lately? While it is fine in a First Class seat, using a laptop in coach seats is a royal pain. Unless you have a really small laptop, there simply isn't enough room. With the new bigger screens that laptops have today, it is virtually impossible to open the laptop to a position that it can be comfortably viewed, while in a coach seat. And, if the seat in front of you is reclined you can completely forget it. Inspite of this we are still force fed this marketing about the use of laptops on aircraft. Most recently is Yao and Mini-Me using an Apple laptop with a 17" screen. Great for first class front row, impossible in the majority of seats.
Every time I hear this I get rather angry. Are these people really so arrogant as to be absolutely certain that we have already found and identified ALL amino acids, presently on earth? Is there no chance at all, that these same amino acids could be present somewhere (bacteria in deep sea vents, perhaps) and we simply haven't found them yet?
I'm not trying to suggest that, the amino acids found on the meteor are not extra terrestrial. But, I just get angry at these people who seem to feel that they have seen everything that there is to see on terra firma.
There have been lots of suggestions so far but, only a few offer good solutions. It all depends on what type of emergency you are planning for.
Are you planning on a bomb threat or even a 9/11 type disaster and just want to send emails to stay current with the news while you are removed from the actual disaster? Or, do you fear a missle strike or nuclear event and need to find your spouse/children immediately?
Depending on the scale of the event and your proximity to the event, you may be satisfied with email on a Blackberry. But, the pager network may not be available due to massive load or even destruction. Also, do you really want to send an email and possibly wait for a reply in the heat of a serious emergency, or due you want a direct connection, immediately.
No single solution really fits the bill but some are better than others for different circumstances. The best solution will be independent of local or regional infrastructure like pager and cell networks or even grid power systems. Your Blackberry is at serious risk on the network side in a large scale catastrophy. The same is true of cell phones and any type of internet access.
The best solutions are going to be the likes of satellite phones but, both parties will need to be outside. A short range solution, if your family usually stays close together, would be GMRS walkie-talkies which have ranges up to 5 miles but, don't bet on much more than 3 miles. For greater distances the use of HAM or licensed VHF radios would be required.
It all depends on the type of disaster and what your circumstances are but, I for one would not have to wait or rely on email for an emergency.
both current major political parties want one thing: Big, caretaker government.
No, it is the majority of the American people that want "Big, caretaker government". For some reason the majority of the general American populace seems to feel that the government should and worst yet, could provide the omnipotent and benevolent protection of a diety.
This is why acts such as the Patriot Act are so easily and quickly passed by such a majority. The government obviously, cannot really provide such a level of protection but, they are still all too happy to accept the power supposedly necessary to provide it. The fact that the majority of the people actually believe that any government could provide such a level of protection speaks volumes about the intelligence of the man on the street.
Get the money first and go back to school later. That's my opinion.
Do not miss your chance at a degree! The working world is a trap just waiting for you. Sure, it's tough coming out of college in serious debt and seemingly little job prospects. Sure, it's tough to swallow just getting out of college and only getting "low" paying jobs, while you see people of similar age getting more money than you because they skipped college and therefore have 4 years more job experience than you.
But don't fall into the trap. Thirty to fifty thousand a year might seem like a lot now, and it is but, look to the future. In 10 or 15 years that won't be much money, at all. As time goes on, you(with a degree) will develop the years of experience. The money will improve and so will your quality of life. You will start a family and put down roots. Your career will grow and grow.
But, those that skipped college will suffer in the long run. They will start out seeming to make more money. But, their career growth will flatten significantly in comparison to a degree holder.
You say they can go back for the degree later. This is true for some people but, for most it is a false hope. These people will start families of their own. (If you think college is expensive, try having kids.) Their careers and families will demand more and more of them. They will be under greater and greater pressure and they will have less and less time to seek their degrees in later life. Not to mention that they will also have the same difficulty financing their studies. College doesn't get cheaper with time and it is even harder to pay for college for yourself while at the same time sending 1.5 children to college.
The fact is that you may be able to start a "high paying" position right now, without a degree but you won't advance much further. However, with the degree, your chances of advancement are MUCH higher as you go through life. In 10 or 15 years the "high paying" career of the non-graduate will not be so high and they will not be able to advance themselves easily. But, the gradute will by then have far surpassed them and will be able to look forward to continued growth throughout their careers.
Don't "get the money now" think in the long term (15+ years) and have a better life overall.
Nortel developed this technology several years ago. Though I have never before seen it under the moniker "Mid-Air messaging", the concept is still the same. We will all rue the day that they developed this technology.
Slashdot Mirror
The day's fast coming when we'll be able to record every moment of our entire lives in HDTV-quality on a single drive.
Five or ten years ago, it certainly seemed that way and I would have agreed with you. But, the reality is that as storage space has increased and gotten less expensive, the software and file formats have grown to match and consume the space. Programs get more and more bloated everyday because storage and memory are plentiful and cheap so, programmers no longer make an effort to keep their code small. The same holds true for the file formats. 10 years ago, a one page word processing document required 2 to 5K. Today wordprocessing documents regularly go to a couple of hundred K and a few "choice" documents can be over a meg.
Sadly, instead of fitting our entire lives on a massive and inexpensive disk, we will need a terrabyte sized disk just to hold our favorite office suite.
I sincerely hope that this new technology helps to generate some *good* new music. It seems that everything I here these days, is PURE CRAP!!!!!
Think of how many songs have lasted for 300 years or more. Now, think of how many new songs will last into next week, much less the next decade or century.
I won't hold my breath..
Even at the newly reduces MS pricing, Microsoft can't compete in the Taiwanese market. Pirated MS discs can be had on almost any street corner for a dollar a disc.
I'm amazed at the number of answers from the "Slashdot experts" and yet I don't see the correct one yet.
The noise you hear is actually fairly simple to explain. First of all, people should realize that this is not RF noise coming through the speaker, as you tried to explain. This is a noise generated by the vibration of a system component.
Your graphics card is the culprit. Remember that your hardware is full of clocks(vibrating crystals) and switches(transistors). These microscopic components move or vibrate at very high frequencies. Vibration creates noise, as we all know. But, the vibrations(or frequencies) change when the image on the screen changes. Certain colors and certain movements on the screen create frequecies that are perceptible to human hearing and you hear a slight buzz or high pitched whine form your video card.
If you want to test my answer, try changing the frequencies for your display and you will hear the sound come and go. You will also notice the pitch will change when different frequency setting are used.
Some hardware is less prone to this because of thicker cladding or more secure mountings but, they all do it. It's just that some equipment is louder than others.
[FlameSuit On] I'm sure you all will flame me for this but, I can take it.{/FlameSuit Off]
It is very likely that he is already using IDE or ATA disks, and that is part of his problem. When large amounts of data need to be transferred quickly, SCSI is what you need. There is nothing faster than 15,000 RPM SCSI drives connected to good RAID controllers that have large amounts of cache RAM. Nothing.
If you want high performance then you must use high performance gear. Yes, it does cost 5 to 10 times more than the IDE RAID solution but, there is a VERY good reason for that.
Ok, now comes the flames from the know-it-all masses who's experience is limited to home PCs and no-traffic webservers.
At first glance, this sounds like an incredible waste of time. RAID RAMDisk? Why? Are you crazy? What's the point?
But, if you give it some thought it is an interesting idea. Basically you are trying to build a clustered RAM disk..
There is however, a major drawback to this idea. The whole advantage of a RAM disk is speed/performance. Locally, the RAM disk is MUCH faster than a normal disk drive. But, the problem arises when you connect your "RAID RAM disk". You must network the machines in order for them to communicate with each other and suddenly, your performance has dropped to nothing. In fact is is below the performance of a normal disk drive.
In order for your RAID RAM disk to perform equally with a good disk drive you would require a switched gigabit network between your nodes. This will cost more than the "normal" disk. Additionally, even with a switched gigabit network the performance is highly unlikely to exceed the performance of highend disk drives.
So, when you get right down to it, the RAID RAM disk is an interesting idea, just to see if you can do it. But, there isn't really any advantage to it.
Boy, I'm paranoid conspiracy theorist today.
Right now, RFID tags are tiny foil strips. These can be taped on to the product or even embedded into the product. The embedding adds to the manufacturing process and cost. The taped on tags add to the packaging process and cost.
How long before RFID tags are applied with metalic paint or ink, such as what is used for the numbers on the bottom of bank cheques? In a short time they will be able to apply RFID tags with inkjet-like printers. This will not only make them much cheaper and easier to apply, it will also make them much harder to detect(by humans) and remove.
The ability to track something ALWAYS sounds great at first. But eventually, the technology is abused and people realize that it is a bad thing. The problem is that by then, it is too late and nothing can be done about it. Frankly, I think it is already too late to stop RFID tags.
it would be like the thick plastic armoring that music stores encase CDs and Tapes in
No, they are strips of "foil" just a few microns thick. They are very easily concealed. So far they are usually held on under a bit of tape but, they can be embedded into the materials that make up the product. Some manufacturers are discussing doing this. In the case of Gillette, the strip could be easily embedded in the plastic shell of the individual razor blade. RFID tags can also be easily laminated into the paper of books etc.
Take a US currency note, greater than one dollar, and hold it up to the light. You will(should) notice a milar strip embedded into the bill that denotes the face value of the bill. An RFID tag could be as simple as this milar strip. In fact, the tag could be even smaller that the milar strip in the bill.
Sure, they can and perhaps, should track any and everything in their store. The problem is that RFIDs are not deactivated. They continue to work forever. Or, at least until the washer has worn out your panties.
The fact that they continue to work for a very long time and the fact that they are, or can be, completely unique means that a store can identify YOU by your panties. National chains such as Walmart could track YOU and your panties all across the country. Suddenly they don't sound very nice, do they.
Now, let's take the paranoia to a slightly higher level. Let's suppose that stores share their RFID and customer databases with trustworthy groups like, NSA CIA, FBI, SpamKing marketing. Suddenly You and your panties are trackable in every store you go to, or security checkpoint you pass through or toll booth you drive through. Now you can't go anywhere without the beadie little eye of some agency watching you at all times.
Did you ever get the feeling that you were being watched?
nFuse is very nice but, it isn't quite as simple as you stated, So no Citrix Client roll out to your users
nFuse must have the client installed in order for it to connect to the Citrix server. However, nFuse GREATLY simplifies the installation of the client. Code can be embedded in the nFuse web page to automatically download and install an Active X client plugin for IE and Win32 Netscape users, and links to the client install can be placed on the nFuse login page for those that cannot use the Active X plugin. It does negate the need for an administrator to manually install the client software on each client machine but, client software must still be installed, either via the plugin or the user clicking the link.
Citrix offers free client software for *ANY* platform including DOS, Win32 and Pocket PC, Mac, Linux, Java and more. nFuse is a very nice add-on to Citrix and it is free. Citrix however, ain't cheap.
Sometimes, my stupidity amazes even me.
This new technology will last for about 1 day. That's how long it will be until Kazza, Gnutella, Limewire, et all will switch to an SSL encapsulated protocol. Suddenly all the "fingerprints" will be shot. Each and evey download of the exact same file will have a different, unidentifiable, "fingerprint".
Sounds to me like this company took a copy of Snort, set up a few rules for the "fingerprints" and sold it to the University of Wisconsin. What a waste of money!
If the use of BGP is out of the question, there seems to be only one alternative. However, this solution still leaves the ISP as a single point of failure.
The option is Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP). A brief description of VRRP, including a diagram, can be found here. Keep in mind that there are numerous other manufacturers that support the VRRP standard, you don't *have* to go with Cisco. Also, remember that with VRRP there is still a single point of failure, the ISP. This means that your ISP had better be a good one.
It is software that is stored on a "protected" portion of the hard drive.
Basically, it is like the system partition on Compaq and Dell systems but, it will have some additional tools that they don't have. eg. a browser.
No, the post isn't Offtopic, nor is it Flamebait. The Amy Boyer murder was a tragic event and this case will allow the family some chance of holding the "information clearinghouses" liable for the information that they doled out for a healthy profit and Amy's life.
It has nothing to do with spyware. Making the connection of spyware to satisfy you personal conspiracy theorist mentality to this case revolving around a real and tragic event is just ridiculous. And, moderating the above comment Offtopic is just too typical.
The fact that you didn't get a response from an ISP when reporting a spammer shouldn't be taken as an afront. Any ISP with a large subscriber base is almost certainly deluged with spam reports and some/many of them are false reports from clueless users. Think of the reports that flood in when the Outlook worm du jor starts filling peoples mailboxes with crap. Think of all the complaints that flood in about real spam, penis enlargement, earn cash now, Nigerian needs help.
The ISP staff is not capable of answering each message individually. At best they will scan through the reports that they get and act on the ones that they think are legit. But, they have another hundred thousand to process after that so, don't expect a personalized response and, if you're looking for some kind of credit or pat on the back for reporting it, just forget it!
Most large ISPs today subscribe to inbound RBLs as well as possibly doing some local filtering with the likes of SPAM Assassin. But, they can't be too restrictive in their policies as there are actually people who subscribe to lists and expect mail that any normal person would regard as pure spam. A growing number of ISPs are actually implementing user configurable spam blocking lists so you can set your own rules.
These same large ISPs usually don't hesitate to act if the spammer is one of their own subscribers. The accounts *are* terminated. But, because of the scope of the problem, it is a thankless and never-ending battle that they trudge through with resentment.
If you have a *serious* spam problem and *must* get the ISP to act on it, the best way is going to be via telephone but, you will have to work to get past level one tech support.
There have been several good suggestions so far but, I'd like to add something to keep in the back of your mind. One of the big complaints with various systems, Microsoft for instance, is a lack of interoperability.
I would recommend using a solution that is going to be compatible with the most other systems without unnecessary complexity. Some recommend using SSH as an easy method. This is fine for Linux systems but, what if you need to later add Microsoft or Novell systems? SSH may still be doable but, it will be far more difficult. Keeping things interoperable is very important for the future. I'd recommend that you use TLS as it will be the most interoperable secure solution.
On the matter of caching, this is adding unnecessary complexity. Remember Keep It Simple Stupid(KISS). If you need local LDAP access, don't manufacture some convoluted caching system, instead use a local LDAP server. LDAP already handles everything for you. You'll also discover that a good LDAP server won't add too much load to your system. And if you want a GREAT directory and LDAP server, take a look at Novell's eDirectory, it offers very high performance, massive scalability, replication, partitioning, cross platform support and more.
What is your satisfaction level with the Bay Networks product? These products has matured into the Nortel Contivity product line which are the best that I have used, bar none. Just for the record, I have used comprable products from Cisco, Checkpoint, Sonic Wall, Netsceen, 3Com and *many* more.
Of all the products that I have tried, the Nortel Contivity was the easiest to setup while at the same time, offering the most configuration options. The performance has been equal to or greater than all of the other products. There is also a broad array of options for connection interfaces including ISDN, Frame-Relay, Ethernet, Dial-up and I think(not sure) that they even have a Contivity blade for their Passport 8600 switch.
One important feature that the Nortel offering has over the likes of Cisco is licensing cost. A seperate client software license is needed for the Cisco system and many of the others. But, Nortel gives the client software away for free. They offer client solutions for multiple platforms and even officially support Linux using FreeSWAN.
This AP story has a different take on the matter. Seems that the broadband access isn't without significant issues. Excuse the pun but, I don't think that this service is going to fly.
Also, on a slightly different topic, has anyone tried using a laptop on a plane lately? While it is fine in a First Class seat, using a laptop in coach seats is a royal pain. Unless you have a really small laptop, there simply isn't enough room. With the new bigger screens that laptops have today, it is virtually impossible to open the laptop to a position that it can be comfortably viewed, while in a coach seat. And, if the seat in front of you is reclined you can completely forget it. Inspite of this we are still force fed this marketing about the use of laptops on aircraft. Most recently is Yao and Mini-Me using an Apple laptop with a 17" screen. Great for first class front row, impossible in the majority of seats.
amino acids not found elsewhere on Earth
Every time I hear this I get rather angry. Are these people really so arrogant as to be absolutely certain that we have already found and identified ALL amino acids, presently on earth? Is there no chance at all, that these same amino acids could be present somewhere (bacteria in deep sea vents, perhaps) and we simply haven't found them yet?
I'm not trying to suggest that, the amino acids found on the meteor are not extra terrestrial. But, I just get angry at these people who seem to feel that they have seen everything that there is to see on terra firma.
There have been lots of suggestions so far but, only a few offer good solutions. It all depends on what type of emergency you are planning for.
Are you planning on a bomb threat or even a 9/11 type disaster and just want to send emails to stay current with the news while you are removed from the actual disaster? Or, do you fear a missle strike or nuclear event and need to find your spouse/children immediately?
Depending on the scale of the event and your proximity to the event, you may be satisfied with email on a Blackberry. But, the pager network may not be available due to massive load or even destruction. Also, do you really want to send an email and possibly wait for a reply in the heat of a serious emergency, or due you want a direct connection, immediately.
No single solution really fits the bill but some are better than others for different circumstances. The best solution will be independent of local or regional infrastructure like pager and cell networks or even grid power systems. Your Blackberry is at serious risk on the network side in a large scale catastrophy. The same is true of cell phones and any type of internet access.
The best solutions are going to be the likes of satellite phones but, both parties will need to be outside. A short range solution, if your family usually stays close together, would be GMRS walkie-talkies which have ranges up to 5 miles but, don't bet on much more than 3 miles. For greater distances the use of HAM or licensed VHF radios would be required.
It all depends on the type of disaster and what your circumstances are but, I for one would not have to wait or rely on email for an emergency.
both current major political parties want one thing: Big, caretaker government.
No, it is the majority of the American people that want "Big, caretaker government". For some reason the majority of the general American populace seems to feel that the government should and worst yet, could provide the omnipotent and benevolent protection of a diety.
This is why acts such as the Patriot Act are so easily and quickly passed by such a majority. The government obviously, cannot really provide such a level of protection but, they are still all too happy to accept the power supposedly necessary to provide it. The fact that the majority of the people actually believe that any government could provide such a level of protection speaks volumes about the intelligence of the man on the street.
Get the money first and go back to school later. That's my opinion.
Do not miss your chance at a degree! The working world is a trap just waiting for you. Sure, it's tough coming out of college in serious debt and seemingly little job prospects. Sure, it's tough to swallow just getting out of college and only getting "low" paying jobs, while you see people of similar age getting more money than you because they skipped college and therefore have 4 years more job experience than you.
But don't fall into the trap. Thirty to fifty thousand a year might seem like a lot now, and it is but, look to the future. In 10 or 15 years that won't be much money, at all. As time goes on, you(with a degree) will develop the years of experience. The money will improve and so will your quality of life. You will start a family and put down roots. Your career will grow and grow.
But, those that skipped college will suffer in the long run. They will start out seeming to make more money. But, their career growth will flatten significantly in comparison to a degree holder.
You say they can go back for the degree later. This is true for some people but, for most it is a false hope. These people will start families of their own. (If you think college is expensive, try having kids.) Their careers and families will demand more and more of them. They will be under greater and greater pressure and they will have less and less time to seek their degrees in later life. Not to mention that they will also have the same difficulty financing their studies. College doesn't get cheaper with time and it is even harder to pay for college for yourself while at the same time sending 1.5 children to college.
The fact is that you may be able to start a "high paying" position right now, without a degree but you won't advance much further. However, with the degree, your chances of advancement are MUCH higher as you go through life. In 10 or 15 years the "high paying" career of the non-graduate will not be so high and they will not be able to advance themselves easily. But, the gradute will by then have far surpassed them and will be able to look forward to continued growth throughout their careers.
Don't "get the money now" think in the long term (15+ years) and have a better life overall.
Nortel developed this technology several years ago. Though I have never before seen it under the moniker "Mid-Air messaging", the concept is still the same. We will all rue the day that they developed this technology.
Nuff said.