Exactly, also to address the efficient syncing concern, it's possible to mount the remote encrypted files locally using SSHFS and EncFS (or similar tools) and then synchronize the unencrypted contents, without the encryption keys ever leaving your local system.
This is very similar to what Wuala does, it just puts the whole thing under a nice GUI.
Yes it is, also worth checking out are Pfyshnet and Owner Free Filesystem, but all of them have their strengths and weaknesses. This is an important and interesting area that deserves more attention.
Like it or not, there are no other services that do quite the same thing. This is a new technology, or at least a new use of existing technologies. That is exactly the kind of thing I like to see on Slashdot.
This is the only valid criticism of the fundamental technology I have heard so far.
The current configuration allows a relatively humongous amount of data to be organized by the central servers, without putting too much load on them, so this does minimize downtime (think about torrent trackers).
If the system were to operate in a completely distributed fashion, it would be better, however there is nothing currently available (that I know of) which can accomplish this with performance that is close to comparable.
Some current projects to check out though would certainly include Freenet as mentioned, as well as Pfyshnet and Owner Free Filesystem (OFF).
Wuala isn't perfect, but it's still an extremely important and useful tool which is a step in the right direction, and hopefully will spur more interest in the topic.
That comment about encryption is true with any technique, do you trust HTTPS to transfer your credit card information securely? If so there is no reason to think Wuala is any less secure.
There is an easy way within the program to limit outgoing or incoming bandwidth.
The files are stored redundantly across many, many peers, so that even if a large fraction of them are offline, it is still possible to download the file.
Think of it like BitTorrent, the more seeds the faster it will transfer, but as long as there is at least 1 then it will be successful.
Part of the purpose of the software is to ensure that each stored file is well "seeded".
That's a bit of an exaggeration though. Despite the nature of these matters as a slippery slope, that does not mean that any changes in either direction are not significant. You may argue that this news is not significant, but you have not addressed the issue of whether this recent event is more or less relevant than the other examples you mention.
The advantage I would see to integration would simply be efficiency. If I have a document on Gmail, I would have to download the attachment, open it in the word processor (Writely or whatever) for editing, save to disk, and then attach it in a new email. Obviously this is not terribly complicated, but having an online file system with applications that can be used to work with those files would be pretty nice.
NB i haven't used Writely, so I don't know what its feature set includes. Still waiting to hear when I can sign up : /
I don't think it's purely an ethical question. There are scientific concerns, too. It is an ethical question to decide what rights should be granted to a human. But isn't it a scientific question to determine at what point a human life begins? Without scientific understanding, you might suggest that immediately after sex, a new life exists. But we know, through research, that the egg many not be impregnated for many hours, if impregnation is successful at all. When do you define the start of life? Is it when the sperm hits the egg, and ensures sperm selection and impregnation? Is it the moment when the gametic cells undergo fusion, and the DNA is combined? If you say that an embryo is life because it will eventually (if nothing goes wrong) produce a human, then I would say the sperm still swimming up the tube and the egg are a life, since if nothing goes wrong it will eventually be a human.
I agree that there is a large ethical component to this question, but the scientific understanding of the process and of the biological nature of life is absolutely integral.
Have you actually read the review? I didn't read the shortened version, so I'm not sure what was left out, but the reviewer does actually describe many of the specific problems he found with the film. While many of these have to do with changes from earlier works, most are critical of the movie simply in terms of how it works as a movie. Poorly-written diaglog, ill-constructed plot, bad acting, and lack of funny jokes are chief among the complaints, and although some of these problems are more noticable because the books/radio plays/etc. did them so well, the author says that these problems would exist even if this was the first HHG2G work ever.
Basically, I think that this movie is probably very bad, in the way that many movies are very bad, and makes many of their common mistakes. The fact that it was based on radio plays and a book that many people enjoyed isn't really relevent, in the end it's a bad movie that will be disliked by HHG2G fans and non-fans alike. At least, that's what the review suggests. If you try reading it, perhaps you will gain some isight.
Revolution will be in network enabled media device
on
Inside the PSP
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I think the most signficant advances of the PSP may be in the increased network connectivity. Depending on how easily software is written for the device, I can imagine users downloading or streaming tv shows, movies, news, or other user-created content over publicly accessible wireless networks, sharing that content with other nearby and remote users, all in a completely portable and fairly straightforward manner. While laptops are certainly capable of doing all of this, for $200 a user could have portable access to unlimited media content, and the possibility of other network-enabled applications is very significant. The slew of apps designed for palm pcs and personal organizers could find a new niche here, becuase with Sony's market there would be a huge number of users on a standardized platform. It remains to be seen, however, how open Sony will be with content developers, how much of the PSP can be modified, and to what extent users will be able to easily utilize these features.
How was it transparent? The enthusiasts going after the early DVD market understood the region protection system, and had to adjust their purchases and usage accordingly. They had choices, including VHS and VCD, but given the various pros and cons, including the DRM, many chose still to purchase DVDs and DVD players that used the DRM technology. I'm sure there were other who either understood the system and decided not to buy in, didn't understand the system and so did not buy in, and those that didn't understand, bought in, and then became frustrated with a system that prevented them from watching their DVDs as they liked.
I'm well aware of the encryption used to prevent copying of DVDs. "If the movie was a good buy at $15 with no DRM" should have been stated differently. In this case, I know exactly what the DRM does, what it prevents me from doing, and what it does not prevent me from doing. Furthermore, I know that I can circumvent this form of protection easily. I do consider all of this when I purchase the disc.
However, I think it's important not to lay too much blame on consumers that are unaware of the copy protections being used. I know the technicalities of CSS, and so I can accurately account for it when I make my purchase, but its unfair to ask everyone to have the time, interest, and technical knowledge to do the same. Instead of trying to make sure consumers are informed, we can encourage them to hold the retailers to a high standard. That means that its ok if the customer doesn't do the research to find out that the CD they buy only works on some CD players, but they should be damned sure that when it doesn't have the functionality they expected they return the product.
I wouldn't out of hand reject DRM, but it must be priced into my purchasing decision. Currently, $15 for a DVD that I know I can watch forever, play on any DVD player, backup if needed, loan to a friend, etc., is a good deal. Because of this I have purchased quite a few DVDs, and I think the DVD market has been very strong for that reason. Various forms of DRM, for example newer copy protection methods (might not play in some DVD drives), prevention of copying, possible other incursions to my anticipated fair use, all detract from the value of the disc. If the movie was a good buy at $15 with no DRM, I'll be damned if I would pay the same for something that essentially has had positive features removed. Things like convenience, freedom of use and fair use are all going to get priced into the total cost. If the only thing I can buy is a DRM'd $15 DVD, then I won't buy it. I think most consumers make also make this value decision. I think the problem will be when some of the new DRM systems are implemented, and consumers are not adequately aware or informed. Hopefully publishers will manage to keep DRM out of the user's way enough for us to keep shopping.
Why involve the ISP? I know trust lists and networks may appear draconian, but even a rudimentary collective list of spam ip's can should be able to resolve this problem. while getting ISPs to be responsible would be good, it may be difficult to police all of the ISPs globally in such a way.
Re:Sacrifice hardware for the good of software?
on
How Cheap Can A PC Be?
·
· Score: 4, Funny
Indeed. Seeing my school no where on the top 25, I checked out our scoring summary, which includes several gross inaccuracies.
Does the school provide Web pages? Anyone with a user ID is provided free webspace.
Does the school offer classes online? Yes, we offer several classes entirely online, as well as a great deal of online resources for other classes.
Does the school stream audio or video of any courses? Yep, several classes do this.
Is a computer ethics policy in place for the school? Why yes, we do.
Do students have access to Usenet newsgroups? Again, yes we do.
Does the school provide multimedia equipment? If they mean for the classrooms, I think every single classroom I've ever been in has at least a projector (w/ computer input) and speaker system. So yeah, we do.
Does the school offer courses in emerging technologies? Hells yeah!
Does the school stream its campus radio or TV stations? http://www.wrct.org/wrcthigh.m3u
So clearly this study is completely bunk. Half of the X's are incorrect, their computer count (500) is very far off the mark, and as a whole I wouldn't trust these rankings any farther than CowboyNeal can throw a Buick.
Slashdot Mirror
That is the right thing to do, if politicians see how important this issue is then maybe they will not be so inclined to support it.
Use the above link to contact your local representative, also it might not hurt to contact the sponsors of the bill:
Howard Berman
http://www.house.gov/berman/contact/
John Conyers
http://www.house.gov/conyers/contact.shtml
or
http://www.johnconyers.com/contact
check out plos.org :)
its not the end-all by any means, but a step in the right direction
Exactly, also to address the efficient syncing concern, it's possible to mount the remote encrypted files locally using SSHFS and EncFS (or similar tools) and then synchronize the unencrypted contents, without the encryption keys ever leaving your local system.
This is very similar to what Wuala does, it just puts the whole thing under a nice GUI.
So, you are already using distributed, networked backups, it is just a question of methodology.
Yep that is another good option, I'd recommend EncFS for Linux.
Yes it is, also worth checking out are Pfyshnet and Owner Free Filesystem, but all of them have their strengths and weaknesses. This is an important and interesting area that deserves more attention.
Like it or not, there are no other services that do quite the same thing. This is a new technology, or at least a new use of existing technologies. That is exactly the kind of thing I like to see on Slashdot.
This is the only valid criticism of the fundamental technology I have heard so far.
The current configuration allows a relatively humongous amount of data to be organized by the central servers, without putting too much load on them, so this does minimize downtime (think about torrent trackers).
If the system were to operate in a completely distributed fashion, it would be better, however there is nothing currently available (that I know of) which can accomplish this with performance that is close to comparable.
Some current projects to check out though would certainly include Freenet as mentioned, as well as Pfyshnet and Owner Free Filesystem (OFF).
Wuala isn't perfect, but it's still an extremely important and useful tool which is a step in the right direction, and hopefully will spur more interest in the topic.
There are many valid ways to address this problem, but it is not trivial, do you know of any that are successful?
That comment about encryption is true with any technique, do you trust HTTPS to transfer your credit card information securely? If so there is no reason to think Wuala is any less secure.
There is an easy way within the program to limit outgoing or incoming bandwidth.
The files are stored redundantly across many, many peers, so that even if a large fraction of them are offline, it is still possible to download the file.
Think of it like BitTorrent, the more seeds the faster it will transfer, but as long as there is at least 1 then it will be successful.
Part of the purpose of the software is to ensure that each stored file is well "seeded".
That's a bit of an exaggeration though. Despite the nature of these matters as a slippery slope, that does not mean that any changes in either direction are not significant. You may argue that this news is not significant, but you have not addressed the issue of whether this recent event is more or less relevant than the other examples you mention.
The advantage I would see to integration would simply be efficiency. If I have a document on Gmail, I would have to download the attachment, open it in the word processor (Writely or whatever) for editing, save to disk, and then attach it in a new email. Obviously this is not terribly complicated, but having an online file system with applications that can be used to work with those files would be pretty nice.
NB i haven't used Writely, so I don't know what its feature set includes. Still waiting to hear when I can sign up : /
cool stuff, I wonder why these aren't more prevalent. given that washers and dryers are usually around $400 each, the pricing is close to equivalent.
I've been wanting a combo washer/dryer for the longest time. Where did you find that? Seems about a million times more convenient.
I don't think it's purely an ethical question. There are scientific concerns, too. It is an ethical question to decide what rights should be granted to a human. But isn't it a scientific question to determine at what point a human life begins? Without scientific understanding, you might suggest that immediately after sex, a new life exists. But we know, through research, that the egg many not be impregnated for many hours, if impregnation is successful at all. When do you define the start of life? Is it when the sperm hits the egg, and ensures sperm selection and impregnation? Is it the moment when the gametic cells undergo fusion, and the DNA is combined? If you say that an embryo is life because it will eventually (if nothing goes wrong) produce a human, then I would say the sperm still swimming up the tube and the egg are a life, since if nothing goes wrong it will eventually be a human.
I agree that there is a large ethical component to this question, but the scientific understanding of the process and of the biological nature of life is absolutely integral.
Have you actually read the review? I didn't read the shortened version, so I'm not sure what was left out, but the reviewer does actually describe many of the specific problems he found with the film. While many of these have to do with changes from earlier works, most are critical of the movie simply in terms of how it works as a movie. Poorly-written diaglog, ill-constructed plot, bad acting, and lack of funny jokes are chief among the complaints, and although some of these problems are more noticable because the books/radio plays/etc. did them so well, the author says that these problems would exist even if this was the first HHG2G work ever.
Basically, I think that this movie is probably very bad, in the way that many movies are very bad, and makes many of their common mistakes. The fact that it was based on radio plays and a book that many people enjoyed isn't really relevent, in the end it's a bad movie that will be disliked by HHG2G fans and non-fans alike.
At least, that's what the review suggests. If you try reading it, perhaps you will gain some isight.
I think the most signficant advances of the PSP may be in the increased network connectivity. Depending on how easily software is written for the device, I can imagine users downloading or streaming tv shows, movies, news, or other user-created content over publicly accessible wireless networks, sharing that content with other nearby and remote users, all in a completely portable and fairly straightforward manner. While laptops are certainly capable of doing all of this, for $200 a user could have portable access to unlimited media content, and the possibility of other network-enabled applications is very significant. The slew of apps designed for palm pcs and personal organizers could find a new niche here, becuase with Sony's market there would be a huge number of users on a standardized platform. It remains to be seen, however, how open Sony will be with content developers, how much of the PSP can be modified, and to what extent users will be able to easily utilize these features.
How was it transparent? The enthusiasts going after the early DVD market understood the region protection system, and had to adjust their purchases and usage accordingly. They had choices, including VHS and VCD, but given the various pros and cons, including the DRM, many chose still to purchase DVDs and DVD players that used the DRM technology. I'm sure there were other who either understood the system and decided not to buy in, didn't understand the system and so did not buy in, and those that didn't understand, bought in, and then became frustrated with a system that prevented them from watching their DVDs as they liked.
I'm well aware of the encryption used to prevent copying of DVDs. "If the movie was a good buy at $15 with no DRM" should have been stated differently. In this case, I know exactly what the DRM does, what it prevents me from doing, and what it does not prevent me from doing. Furthermore, I know that I can circumvent this form of protection easily. I do consider all of this when I purchase the disc.
However, I think it's important not to lay too much blame on consumers that are unaware of the copy protections being used. I know the technicalities of CSS, and so I can accurately account for it when I make my purchase, but its unfair to ask everyone to have the time, interest, and technical knowledge to do the same. Instead of trying to make sure consumers are informed, we can encourage them to hold the retailers to a high standard. That means that its ok if the customer doesn't do the research to find out that the CD they buy only works on some CD players, but they should be damned sure that when it doesn't have the functionality they expected they return the product.
I wouldn't out of hand reject DRM, but it must be priced into my purchasing decision. Currently, $15 for a DVD that I know I can watch forever, play on any DVD player, backup if needed, loan to a friend, etc., is a good deal. Because of this I have purchased quite a few DVDs, and I think the DVD market has been very strong for that reason. Various forms of DRM, for example newer copy protection methods (might not play in some DVD drives), prevention of copying, possible other incursions to my anticipated fair use, all detract from the value of the disc. If the movie was a good buy at $15 with no DRM, I'll be damned if I would pay the same for something that essentially has had positive features removed. Things like convenience, freedom of use and fair use are all going to get priced into the total cost. If the only thing I can buy is a DRM'd $15 DVD, then I won't buy it. I think most consumers make also make this value decision. I think the problem will be when some of the new DRM systems are implemented, and consumers are not adequately aware or informed. Hopefully publishers will manage to keep DRM out of the user's way enough for us to keep shopping.
Why involve the ISP? I know trust lists and networks may appear draconian, but even a rudimentary collective list of spam ip's can should be able to resolve this problem. while getting ISPs to be responsible would be good, it may be difficult to police all of the ISPs globally in such a way.
Ridiculous + Redmond = Rediculous
Eytan, D., Brenner, N., and Marom, S., Selective Adaptation in Networks of Cortical Neurons. Journal of Neuroscience
Yes, but they should be responsible with what they publish. Nice sig btw!
Indeed. Seeing my school no where on the top 25, I checked out our scoring summary, which includes several gross inaccuracies.
Does the school provide Web pages?
Anyone with a user ID is provided free webspace.
Does the school offer classes online?
Yes, we offer several classes entirely online, as well as a great deal of online resources for other classes.
Does the school stream audio or video of any courses?
Yep, several classes do this.
Is a computer ethics policy in place for the school?
Why yes, we do.
Do students have access to Usenet newsgroups?
Again, yes we do.
Does the school provide multimedia equipment?
If they mean for the classrooms, I think every single classroom I've ever been in has at least a projector (w/ computer input) and speaker system. So yeah, we do.
Does the school offer courses in emerging technologies?
Hells yeah!
Does the school stream its campus radio or TV stations?
http://www.wrct.org/wrcthigh.m3u
So clearly this study is completely bunk. Half of the X's are incorrect, their computer count (500) is very far off the mark, and as a whole I wouldn't trust these rankings any farther than CowboyNeal can throw a Buick.