if motivation is your issue then volunteer to help a charity. Good IT help is hard to find for these kinds of operations and you can go to sleep at night happy that you've helped others less fortunate.
I use the "Fletch" method to disguise my consumer loyalty cards. I have been thanked as "Mr. Nugent", "Mr. Truman" and "Mr. Cocktosen".
Otherwise try these tips... Going
Diss credit: Want to be hard to find? Start by dashing off stern opt-out letters to the big database companies and credit bureaus - Experian, TransUnion, Equifax. These folks may make a mint peddling personal info, but they can be cajoled into stopping. First, though, they'll make you jump through hoops - like filling out a 1040-sized form or idling in toll-free hell. Junkbusters has a good list of opt-out addresses.
Anonymize: Ditch your ISP and sign up with a service that lets you surf by proxy, keeping your IP address concealed. Send email via an anonymous remailer like Mixmaster, a digital middleman that scrambles timestamps and message sizes. And if you're going to be advocating the violent overthrow of the government or bragging about your cool new bong, make sure your remailer routes messages through multiple machines.
Grok the fine print: Boring as it sounds, read the privacy statements that clutter your mailbox around tax time and sever ties with companies that admit, "Our privacy policy may change over time" - industry lingo for "We reserve the right to screw you."
Going Further
Ditch the digits:Want to drop out?Start by rustling up a new Social Security number.
The Social Security Administration doesn't accept paranoia as a criterion for granting a new card, but it recognizes cultural objections and religious pleas. One stratagem: Contend that your credit has been irrevocably damaged by a number-related snafu, or that you live in fear of a stalker who knows your digits. Once you switch your SSN, never use it. Instead, dole out 078-05-1120, an Eisenhower-era card that works 99 percent of the time.
Call cell-free: Use the humble pay phone. Mobile phones are being outfitted with global positioning satellite chips to comply with an FCC mandate. By 2006, all wireless networks must feature 911-friendly tracking technology. Marketers are cooking up ways to capitalize, like zapping burger coupons to your Nokia as you stroll by a fast-food joint.
Pay full price: You may relish saving 10 percent on Prell, but deep-six your buyers' club cards. Supermarkets and pharmacies haven't yet perfected the art of data mining, but it won't be long. "If you're having a child custody fight, they could subpoena your frequent-shopper cards and say, 'Look, he's buying too many potato chips, he's hurting the kids,'" says Robert Gellman, a Washington-based privacy consultant.
Gone
Move: Want to go completely off the grid? Start by moving - address changes bedevil databasers. But don't buy a home. All those loan apps will blow your cover. Residential hotels smell like cheap cigars and urine, but at least you can register under a pseudonym. Give a fake address: 3500 S. Wacker, Chicago, IL, 60616 - the front door for Comiskey Park.
Toss your cards:Pay cash for everything, and don't plan on a life of luxury. Any (legal) cash transaction more than $10,000 triggers government reporting regulations, which means you can forget about that Cadillac Escalade you've had your eye on. Settle for the subway or bus, using coins rather than prepaid fare cards, which keep a record of trips.
Go incognito: Facial-recognition gear will soon be ubiquitous in public spaces. To fool the systems, invest in a pair of bulky aviator sunglasses and a hat. If you fear being tailed, alter your gait every time you hit the street - a pigeon-toed shuffle one day, a bowlegged amble the next. There are also Central American plastic surgery mills, beloved of drug lords, that can alter the loops and whorls on your fingertips. It'll set you back 10 Gs, but then, Costa Rican doctors have been known to accept gold Rolexes in lieu of cash.
I expect to be modded down for this, but there needs to be a reality check regarding Apple. Famously the love of Apple is cultish, but they are a publicly traded company. (Disclaimer: I am fan of Apple myself)
What you need to remember about publicly traded companies is that their only real obligation is to the stock holders. That means it shouldn't be a shock that iTunes screws artists or that Apple will employ sweatshop workers to create iPods.
You know who else is publicly traded? Google. Because of that stockholder obligation you can probably expect their mantra to change from "Do no evil" to "We do less evil than everyone else".
As someone who is a longtime Windows user and now MAC OS X user out of necessity (I'm an IT Director at a sports publishing company and we are ALL MAC OS X), I wonder why any Mac user in their right mind would buy a Mac only to install Windows on it.
After leaving Windows completely and happily I'm mystified. Especially considering that MAC equipment is way overpriced just to run windows on it.
Now as a new MAC OS X user who is thoroughly in love with it (compared to Windows but still MORE in love with Linux) if MAC OS made it's way to regular commodity PC boxes then I would gladly chuck all of our Mac boxes and iBooks and buy PC boxes.
If I were MS this is what I would be REALLY scared of, MAC OS X on a PC box. I would have no reason to use MS.
Admittedly Apple must make a ton of money their boxes for as overpriced as they are.
I just think about someone who comitted horrific crimes and then they're sorry.
<SARCASM>
Oh well yeah it's ok then....
</SARCASM>
You might not think about Hilary's action being equal to horrific crime but think about the countless lives that have been ruined by her actions as head of the RIAA.
Why didn't you see the light when it actually made a difference? Karma's a bitch Hilary. People may forgive you, karma will not.
This "think tank" was founded by Republican Dick Armey in 1987.
As usual, you just need to follow the money in these matters and this is very revealing. The last year that records were kept regarding Dick Armey's contributions you'll see that his top contributor was Allegiance Telecom. Other notables in the "Dick Armey" include National Cable & Telecommunications Assn, Verizon, BellSouth and SBC. It's all here at open secrets.
Politicians remain lapdogs to their masters even after leaving the Hill
I am not so sure I am ready to give any publicly traded company access to this kind of data. I will generally trust Google with all kinds of things, but their caving into Chinese censorship demands is probably just a beginning to the occasional compromise of principles.
"Do no evil" might change to "We do less evil than most other companies"
It is worth pointing out again that Google is a publicly traded company and despite their best intentions, their first and foremost responsibility is to their stockholders and making a profit.
A US interest has acted abroad previously. This Wikipedia article details the war that Scientology waged against anon.penet.fi.
From the article In September 1996, an anonymous user posted the confidential writings of the Church of Scientology through the Penet remailer. The Church once again demanded that Julf turn over the identity of one of its users, claiming that the poster had infringed the Church's copyright on the confidential material. The Church was successful in finding the originating e-mail address of the posting before Penet remailed it, but it turned out to be another anonymous remailer: the alpha.c2.org nymserver, a more advanced and more secure remailer which didn't keep a mapping of e-mail addresses that could be subpoenad.
Facing multiple criticism and attacks, and unable to guarantee the anonymity of Penet users, Julf shut down the remailer in September of 1996.
You can never go wrong buying your child a crystal-radio set. It's a great way for him or her to learn about crystal radios.
If one of your children is killed playing with a chemistry set, make a game of it by challenging your surviving children to reanimate him or her.
It's amazing how much kids can learn about chemistry the old-fashioned way. As soon as you get home from work, demand that they mix you an Old-Fashioned.
Regarding other toys..
To determine a toy's safety, try these simple tests:
Does your child choke on it? Does it produce welts, cuts, or bruises? Does it turn up whole or in fragments in your child's stool?
Decide what you would like your child to be, then only buy toys that steer him or her in that direction.
If it is Finnish, sold at an upscale toy boutique, and three times as expensive as a comparable toy made by an American company, it is safe and educational.
Often, the best toys are the simplest. For example, sewing cards, through which a piece of yarn is laced, enhances a child's motor skills and teaches the fundamentals of sewing. Yeah, sewing cards are a whole fucking lot of fun.
Visit your local mall for such upscale toy stores as Wooden Toys Your Kids Will Hate and Professor Faggot Q. Boredom's Lame-U-Cational Cocksuckery.
One of the best educational toys you can buy your child is a pet. A rabbit, for example, can teach him or her about the life cycle, mammalian reproduction, toxicology, comparative anatomy, and cooking.
When toy shopping, look for the Joe Mantegna Seal Of Safety. It's your only guarantee that the toy has been deemed safe by Joe Mantegna.
Rounded edges on toys should be sharpened in case your child tries to chop vegetables with them.
After your child unwraps his or her new toy, throw it on the ground and stomp on it. If any small pieces break off, the toy is too dangerous for young children.
Erector sets are a great way to get your pre-teen started on making juvenile sex puns.
Buy your child expensive, collectible toys and forbid him or her to take them out of the box. This will teach your child valuable life lessons about longing, deprivation, and resentment.
Mandatory sunset date of one year. Not just this stupid law but also laws that your congress-vermin pass.
One year, it's re-evaluated and then passed again or thrown away.
The myriad of taxes on airline tickets. Ever since 1980 the feds have put a 10% tax on all airline tickets and the fund is doing nothing except offsetting the deficit. If you think about it, that's a ton of money. Airports got fed up and start charging PFC (passenger facility charges) which you see on yout ticket ranging from 3.00 - 6.00.
Ever pay attention to the taxes on your tickets after you buy them? In some low cost fare markets it increases the cost by almost 100%.
Then there's the "fuel surcharges" that airlines charge that never get refunded or repealed.
At least regarding long distance I have a choice NOT to use a meatspace carrier like Verizon. Give me help with air travel! Yikes!
It does make you wonder when the feds are going to get around to taxing VoIP esepcially as it becomes more relevent.
Meatspace long distance calls are the last great hold out in the analog to digital conversion. I haven't paid a Verizon bill in two years and LOVE it that way.
Just seems like there should be a tax coming soon.
If Redmond suffers an nucular attack and M$ gets wiped from earth I can't say that it would affect me. Linux has matured into a reliable desktop replacement for me I see no need for me to ever even consider M$ crapware.
The best part is, I'm IT director now at a sports publishing company and I'll make sure that decision is a company wide one. We already have a successful, M$ free company and we're perfectly happy.
Sorry M$, karma is a bitch. No thank you, may your proposed image format die a deservedly miserable death.
In an administration where universal deceit and lying is the norm, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. Gonzales is nothing but a rubber stamp for this administration which is how W's puppetmasters like it.
It is when you are tested the most that you need to stick most by your principals. America is a democracy and come November we can all then start bitching about our new Democrat overlords which I for one am going to welcome.
The best thing about the American government is that it DOES correct itself. It may take time, but Americans do change for the better. Germany survived Hitler, we shall survive this...
Expecting the neo-con mod down in 3..2..1
Did you ever think that maybe it's true?
on
The CVS Cop-Out
·
· Score: 1
Fast fixes are the whole point of CVS. You shouldn't get pissed off because Open Source isn't as screwed up as the stuff that M$ puts out.
If there's a real CVS (the drugstore) copout it's that I can't find the one use camcorders for all those neat Make projects you can do with them.
The Social Security Administration doesn't accept paranoia as a criterion for granting a new card, but it recognizes cultural objections and religious pleas. One stratagem: Contend that your credit has been irrevocably damaged by a number-related snafu, or that you live in fear of a stalker who knows your digits. Once you switch your SSN, never use it. Then use the fake one of 078-05-1120 as mentioned in the previous post.
Slashdot Mirror
if motivation is your issue then volunteer to help a charity. Good IT help is hard to find for these kinds of operations and you can go to sleep at night happy that you've helped others less fortunate.
I use the "Fletch" method to disguise my consumer loyalty cards. I have been thanked as "Mr. Nugent", "Mr. Truman" and "Mr. Cocktosen".
Otherwise try these tips...
Going
Diss credit: Want to be hard to find? Start by dashing off stern opt-out letters to the big database companies and credit bureaus - Experian, TransUnion, Equifax. These folks may make a mint peddling personal info, but they can be cajoled into stopping. First, though, they'll make you jump through hoops - like filling out a 1040-sized form or idling in toll-free hell. Junkbusters has a good list of opt-out addresses.
Anonymize: Ditch your ISP and sign up with a service that lets you surf by proxy, keeping your IP address concealed. Send email via an anonymous remailer like Mixmaster, a digital middleman that scrambles timestamps and message sizes. And if you're going to be advocating the violent overthrow of the government or bragging about your cool new bong, make sure your remailer routes messages through multiple machines.
Grok the fine print: Boring as it sounds, read the privacy statements that clutter your mailbox around tax time and sever ties with companies that admit, "Our privacy policy may change over time" - industry lingo for "We reserve the right to screw you."
Going Further
Ditch the digits:Want to drop out?Start by rustling up a new Social Security number.
The Social Security Administration doesn't accept paranoia as a criterion for granting a new card, but it recognizes cultural objections and religious pleas. One stratagem: Contend that your credit has been irrevocably damaged by a number-related snafu, or that you live in fear of a stalker who knows your digits. Once you switch your SSN, never use it. Instead, dole out 078-05-1120, an Eisenhower-era card that works 99 percent of the time.
Call cell-free: Use the humble pay phone. Mobile phones are being outfitted with global positioning satellite chips to comply with an FCC mandate. By 2006, all wireless networks must feature 911-friendly tracking technology. Marketers are cooking up ways to capitalize, like zapping burger coupons to your Nokia as you stroll by a fast-food joint.
Pay full price: You may relish saving 10 percent on Prell, but deep-six your buyers' club cards. Supermarkets and pharmacies haven't yet perfected the art of data mining, but it won't be long. "If you're having a child custody fight, they could subpoena your frequent-shopper cards and say, 'Look, he's buying too many potato chips, he's hurting the kids,'" says Robert Gellman, a Washington-based privacy consultant.
Gone
Move: Want to go completely off the grid? Start by moving - address changes bedevil databasers. But don't buy a home. All those loan apps will blow your cover. Residential hotels smell like cheap cigars and urine, but at least you can register under a pseudonym. Give a fake address: 3500 S. Wacker, Chicago, IL, 60616 - the front door for Comiskey Park.
Toss your cards:Pay cash for everything, and don't plan on a life of luxury. Any (legal) cash transaction more than $10,000 triggers government reporting regulations, which means you can forget about that Cadillac Escalade you've had your eye on. Settle for the subway or bus, using coins rather than prepaid fare cards, which keep a record of trips.
Go incognito: Facial-recognition gear will soon be ubiquitous in public spaces. To fool the systems, invest in a pair of bulky aviator sunglasses and a hat. If you fear being tailed, alter your gait every time you hit the street - a pigeon-toed shuffle one day, a bowlegged amble the next. There are also Central American plastic surgery mills, beloved of drug lords, that can alter the loops and whorls on your fingertips. It'll set you back 10 Gs, but then, Costa Rican doctors have been known to accept gold Rolexes in lieu of cash.
I expect to be modded down for this, but there needs to be a reality check regarding Apple. Famously the love of Apple is cultish, but they are a publicly traded company. (Disclaimer: I am fan of Apple myself)
What you need to remember about publicly traded companies is that their only real obligation is to the stock holders. That means it shouldn't be a shock that iTunes screws artists or that Apple will employ sweatshop workers to create iPods.
You know who else is publicly traded? Google. Because of that stockholder obligation you can probably expect their mantra to change from "Do no evil" to "We do less evil than everyone else".
As someone who is a longtime Windows user and now MAC OS X user out of necessity (I'm an IT Director at a sports publishing company and we are ALL MAC OS X), I wonder why any Mac user in their right mind would buy a Mac only to install Windows on it.
After leaving Windows completely and happily I'm mystified. Especially considering that MAC equipment is way overpriced just to run windows on it.
Now as a new MAC OS X user who is thoroughly in love with it (compared to Windows but still MORE in love with Linux) if MAC OS made it's way to regular commodity PC boxes then I would gladly chuck all of our Mac boxes and iBooks and buy PC boxes.
If I were MS this is what I would be REALLY scared of, MAC OS X on a PC box. I would have no reason to use MS.
Admittedly Apple must make a ton of money their boxes for as overpriced as they are.
on my new AMIGA then I'm gonna be pissed.
I just think about someone who comitted horrific crimes and then they're sorry.
<SARCASM>
Oh well yeah it's ok then....
</SARCASM>
You might not think about Hilary's action being equal to horrific crime but think about the countless lives that have been ruined by her actions as head of the RIAA.
Why didn't you see the light when it actually made a difference? Karma's a bitch Hilary. People may forgive you, karma will not.
Seems like every crackpot new agey therapy today revolves around magnets or IONS!!!! Yes, IONS!!!!!
Here's a good magnet FAQ
This "think tank" was founded by Republican Dick Armey in 1987.
As usual, you just need to follow the money in these matters and this is very revealing. The last year that records were kept regarding Dick Armey's contributions you'll see that his top contributor was Allegiance Telecom. Other notables in the "Dick Armey" include National Cable & Telecommunications Assn, Verizon, BellSouth and SBC. It's all here at open secrets.
Politicians remain lapdogs to their masters even after leaving the Hill
I am not so sure I am ready to give any publicly traded company access to this kind of data. I will generally trust Google with all kinds of things, but their caving into Chinese censorship demands is probably just a beginning to the occasional compromise of principles.
"Do no evil" might change to "We do less evil than most other companies"
It is worth pointing out again that Google is a publicly traded company and despite their best intentions, their first and foremost responsibility is to their stockholders and making a profit.
A US interest has acted abroad previously. This Wikipedia article details the war that Scientology waged against anon.penet.fi.
From the article
In September 1996, an anonymous user posted the confidential writings of the Church of Scientology through the Penet remailer. The Church once again demanded that Julf turn over the identity of one of its users, claiming that the poster had infringed the Church's copyright on the confidential material. The Church was successful in finding the originating e-mail address of the posting before Penet remailed it, but it turned out to be another anonymous remailer: the alpha.c2.org nymserver, a more advanced and more secure remailer which didn't keep a mapping of e-mail addresses that could be subpoenad.
Facing multiple criticism and attacks, and unable to guarantee the anonymity of Penet users, Julf shut down the remailer in September of 1996.
Truly a chilling possibility.
You can never go wrong buying your child a crystal-radio set. It's a great way for him or her to learn about crystal radios.
If one of your children is killed playing with a chemistry set, make a game of it by challenging your surviving children to reanimate him or her.
It's amazing how much kids can learn about chemistry the old-fashioned way. As soon as you get home from work, demand that they mix you an Old-Fashioned.
Regarding other toys..
To determine a toy's safety, try these simple tests:
Does your child choke on it? Does it produce welts, cuts, or bruises? Does it turn up whole or in fragments in your child's stool?
Decide what you would like your child to be, then only buy toys that steer him or her in that direction.
If it is Finnish, sold at an upscale toy boutique, and three times as expensive as a comparable toy made by an American company, it is safe and educational.
Often, the best toys are the simplest. For example, sewing cards, through which a piece of yarn is laced, enhances a child's motor skills and teaches the fundamentals of sewing. Yeah, sewing cards are a whole fucking lot of fun.
Visit your local mall for such upscale toy stores as Wooden Toys Your Kids Will Hate and Professor Faggot Q. Boredom's Lame-U-Cational Cocksuckery.
One of the best educational toys you can buy your child is a pet. A rabbit, for example, can teach him or her about the life cycle, mammalian reproduction, toxicology, comparative anatomy, and cooking.
When toy shopping, look for the Joe Mantegna Seal Of Safety. It's your only guarantee that the toy has been deemed safe by Joe Mantegna.
Rounded edges on toys should be sharpened in case your child tries to chop vegetables with them.
After your child unwraps his or her new toy, throw it on the ground and stomp on it. If any small pieces break off, the toy is too dangerous for young children.
Erector sets are a great way to get your pre-teen started on making juvenile sex puns.
Buy your child expensive, collectible toys and forbid him or her to take them out of the box. This will teach your child valuable life lessons about longing, deprivation, and resentment.
Mandatory sunset date of one year. Not just this stupid law but also laws that your congress-vermin pass. One year, it's re-evaluated and then passed again or thrown away.
And now I am trademarking "Web Infinity" and "Web Infinity + 1"
The myriad of taxes on airline tickets. Ever since 1980 the feds have put a 10% tax on all airline tickets and the fund is doing nothing except offsetting the deficit. If you think about it, that's a ton of money. Airports got fed up and start charging PFC (passenger facility charges) which you see on yout ticket ranging from 3.00 - 6.00.
Ever pay attention to the taxes on your tickets after you buy them? In some low cost fare markets it increases the cost by almost 100%.
Then there's the "fuel surcharges" that airlines charge that never get refunded or repealed.
At least regarding long distance I have a choice NOT to use a meatspace carrier like Verizon. Give me help with air travel! Yikes!
It does make you wonder when the feds are going to get around to taxing VoIP esepcially as it becomes more relevent. Meatspace long distance calls are the last great hold out in the analog to digital conversion. I haven't paid a Verizon bill in two years and LOVE it that way. Just seems like there should be a tax coming soon.
Mr. Pot,.. Mr. Kettle
Mr. Kettle... Mr. Pot
for everything precisely because Microsoft sucks.
If Redmond suffers an nucular attack and M$ gets wiped from earth I can't say that it would affect me. Linux has matured into a reliable desktop replacement for me I see no need for me to ever even consider M$ crapware.
The best part is, I'm IT director now at a sports publishing company and I'll make sure that decision is a company wide one. We already have a successful, M$ free company and we're perfectly happy.
Sorry M$, karma is a bitch. No thank you, may your proposed image format die a deservedly miserable death.
I am now a subscriber to your magazine.
Patriotism is being loyal and loving your country unconditionally and your politicians when they deserve it.
This administration deserves neither loyalty nor love.
Expecting the conservative mod down in 3..2..1
In an administration where universal deceit and lying is the norm, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. Gonzales is nothing but a rubber stamp for this administration which is how W's puppetmasters like it.
It is when you are tested the most that you need to stick most by your principals. America is a democracy and come November we can all then start bitching about our new Democrat overlords which I for one am going to welcome.
The best thing about the American government is that it DOES correct itself. It may take time, but Americans do change for the better. Germany survived Hitler, we shall survive this...
Expecting the neo-con mod down in 3..2..1
Fast fixes are the whole point of CVS. You shouldn't get pissed off because Open Source isn't as screwed up as the stuff that M$ puts out.
If there's a real CVS (the drugstore) copout it's that I can't find the one use camcorders for all those neat Make projects you can do with them.
it's GNU/reclusive
Mark Klein is a great American hero and a patriot.
Expecting the neo-con mod-down in 3...2...1..
In Soviet Union the government gives the judges the fing...... oh no wait that's the United States.
Without question...
The Social Security Administration doesn't accept paranoia as a criterion for granting a new card, but it recognizes cultural objections and religious pleas. One stratagem: Contend that your credit has been irrevocably damaged by a number-related snafu, or that you live in fear of a stalker who knows your digits. Once you switch your SSN, never use it. Then use the fake one of 078-05-1120 as mentioned in the previous post.