Inventory control. If more people click on "MadMax 7", they can devote more space to it. Or get more copies.
They want to know as much about your buying/renting habits as they can. preferably before you plunk down the money, so they can have whatever it is you want appear before your eyes.
This, as with most recent things of this type (RFID, cellphone web access, SPAM, popups, etc, etc), is good for them. Not necessarily good for us.
*Note: Requires $10 activation fee, you must upgrade to the $59.99/month package, and you will be charged $0.39/minute for every minute you go over your already worthless amount of daytime minutes.
Spoken very quickly, so that no human can understand it, even the salesperson. And especially not you, the customer.
err...thats what they have now for inventory. Point the scanner at the barcode (doesn't have to be right on top of it), wireless beam to the backroom inventory server.
ooo...because it's in a cellphone, it has to be new, cool, and never been done before.
the only thing that differentiates this 'game console' from a standard, Windows-running PC is that it has no way to get data on or off of it except through a dedicated connection to Infinium Labs' own servers
Right.
Unless this thing is encased in a solid block of Lucite, it's only a matter of time.
I've seen quite a few responses, some from people ostensibly in the RFID biz, saying these are potentially a GoodThing. Help control inventory, keep costs down, far too much data to track, etc, etc.
All that may be well and good, but we do not know, nor can we predict, all the future uses and abuses of these things.
And I trust retailers to do the right thing even less than I trust the government.
10-20 years from now, how will retailers use all that data? Remember, they will have vastly more powerful databases by then, so that volume of data may well be trivial.
How will the person who cracks into that database use the data?(Not if, but when). Who will he sell it to? Knowledge of what clothes you buy is one thing. Who cares. What about all the other stuff you buy? Tools, fertilizer, pen lasers, OMG! He's building a weapon!!
15 years ago, could we have predicted Echelon scanning all emails? Or abuses of your social security number, as regards to identity theft. Or wardriving? Might we have made those tools stronger and put more restrictions on them from the start, instead of just dumping it on the public, and not contemplating how to harden them against future abuse.
Individual item RFID's may be a GoodThing for retailers, but I remain dubious as to their good intentions for me. Show me the benefits for me, and then let's discuss the possible drawbacks. Let's weigh ALL the factors before implementation. Any area found lacking, let's fix it.
Until I see some serious safeguards, I will fight tooth and nail against implementation.
Any 'link' between this incident and video games, or the other popular theory, The Matrix, is mere hand waving by the media.
I'd expect most teens that have played video games have played at least some that involve "blowing something up", or shooting something. All but the most bland edutainment games, and openended games (SimCity, etc) involve some sort of destruction.
Could Frogger be linked to massive roadkill on the highways? Could SimCity be linked to corrupt politics and poor city managament? Could Bewitched be linked to a rise in adult witchcraft?
Damn, these guys are stupid. But it does sell newspapers.
That's the point. It isn't pornographic. The flowery description makes it appear so, but really it is just two girls in swim suits, sitting by a pool.
According to you, that makes the ad departments of every clothing seller 'extreme perverts'. Right.
Look through any clothing ad or website, and tell me how the swimsuit and underwear ads differ significantly from the opening pages of a porn website. A girl or two in scanty clothing, smiling into the camera.
Without looking at each and every image, and the context that it is in, you cannot determine if it is porn or not. And even then, that only relies on the reviewers subjective thoughts.
A woman, laying topless on the beach. Porn? Or a simple vacation on the coast of Spain, and there happened to be a topless woman sitting behind you.
Why can't there be a simple legislation requiring all adult content to be registered under a.adult domain?
The greasy haired, overweight 30 something, who has been living in his parents basement, slowly flips the page.
The first image that strikes his eyes is of a leggy blond, reclined on a lounger. Her hair glistens from a dip in the warm, inviting pool. Water droplets run down her long slim neck. Her hand rests casually on her supple thigh, mere inches away from that place to which he has never been. Her flat tummy begs to be caressed and anointed with oils.
She gazes out at the camera between long lashes. Her breasts, straining at the thin fabric, are calling out to him. "Take me!", they seem to say.
If only her left leg weren't so coyly positioned, he could get a glimpse of the promised land nestled between her silken thighs.
Her companion, a shorter brunette standing next to the lounger, is wearing a very skimpy 2-piece outfit. The curve of her breast begs to be traced with a gentle touch. Her hand rests on the back of the lounger, ready to slip down and playfully squeeze her friends firm breasts. You can see the joy, the naked anticipation in her eyes, as she knows what is about to happen.
All that smooth, smooth skin has gotten him all worked up. He must see more! He flips the next page.
I guess you haven't heard of the ACLU, NRA, NAACP, AARP, or the various other special interest groups in this country. Special interest groups represent a group of people gathering their resources to fight for a particular cause.
Amazingly enough, yes, I have heard of them. And (usually) they lobby for what their members think is important. No more, no less. I'd expect AARP would vote for whatever is good for Walmart (JOBS!)
Walmart might argue that not allowing, or putting significant restrictions on, RFID's would result in increased/continuing shoplifting, and thereby a loss of jobs.
Vote against RFID's, and you vote for unemployment.
Spin is a wonderful thing, isn't it?
Just require that manufacturers only use the RFID tags on things that can be removed from the product, such as an easily identified sticker or a common cardboard tag.
Let's see...who's got more lobbying money/access? Us (as individuals), or Walmart/Sears/Kmart/Target/Asda/Tesco?
So, if you have a seperate window on top of your browser that covers an advert it's wrong? Gator doesn't replace anything, so you are just buying into the FUD.
From e-commerce times - August 2001:
"Last week, the advertising-supported service -- which has been installed by 8 million users -- launched an enhanced version that includes "Companion Pop-Up Banner" ad delivery software. According to Gator, the new vehicle "occasionally pops up to deliver a relevant advertisement" in a window that floats over existing banner ads on some Web pages. "
Because users have chosen to install Gator/GAIN on their systems.
Chosen? That is debatable. Mush as any EULA, what it actually does is shrouded in dense legalese, in a 20 char wide window. You know as well as I do that no one really reads those.
Users get targetted avertisements. Some of which overlay in a separate window on top of their web-browser.
'Separate window', directly and purposely in the space that the original website builder put his ad. I hate popups as much as the nextt guy. But personally, I think that is wrong. You don't. We shall just have to agree to disagree.
... various forms of pop up ads in a Separate window...
separate might have a different meaning to you, but to me it does not mean "on top of", nor "replacing".
Someone has paid for an ad, in hopes that people will see it. Gator/GAIN overlays that content with their own.
Buy an ad in the Yellow Pages. Have a 3rd party then go through every copy, prior to delivery, and paste over your ad with one of theirs. You'd agree with this?
a website was illegal, and possibly terrorism, under the Patriot Act? Specifically, Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA 18 USC 1030), which then follows that it could be prosecuted under RICO rules.
Nowhere in the following does it say "We will replace ads with those from our subscribers at our discretion, and overlay ads from our subscribers on top of others' ads."
From the Gator front page:
"In return for receiving FREE software (often valued at up to $30), consumers agree to receive targeted promotions/ads from Gator advertisers through the Gator Advertising and Information Network (GAIN). GAIN occasionally displays various forms of pop up ads in a separate window on users' computer screens. These GAIN ads are displayed based on the interests of the computer user as reflected by their web surfing behavior and are not sponsored or endorsed by the web pages being viewed. The GAIN name and/or GAIN distinguishes GAIN ads from other ads."
It may be in there farther (I did not investigate deeper), but I doubt it.
All those little changes only help riders such as Lance or Chris, beat other riders of the same caliber. The real change has been in sports physiology, diet, conditioning.
Put Major Taylor, the top racer at the turn of the century (and the best Black bike racer ever), on any new racing bike. Put Lance on any racing bike built in the last 40 years. With relevant gearing, Lance will smoke him. Conditioning, diet, physiology.
Same with running. You can't tell me that records are being broken because of better shoes.
Except for materials and gears, mainstream bikes have truly changed little in the last 100 years.
The same basic diamond frame, same chain drive. And that is not a bad thing. THe chain drive on a bike is about the most efficient power transfer device ever designed. Many alternatives have been tried, and we keep coming back to the chain. The riding position closely simulates a walking/running movement. Optimized over several million years.
Go to the USAF Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB and look at Orville's bike. No real difference between that and a new bike. Same basic riding position.
Lance could hop on that bike, and trash just about any rider, on any new bike around.
Except for recumbents, there's been little real change. And even there, the riding position/movement is the same, just rotated ~90 degrees. Possibly better aerodynamics, though.
It's not the bike.
- Lance Armstrong
It doesn't get easier, you just go faster. - Greg LeMond
but if someone near my house wants to go ahead and use my wireless connection, as long as it's not crippling my connection speed, so be it. Not a big loss for me.
Sure. Until he sends some kiddie porn to his buddies, and it gets traced back to *your* network and IP address.
I used to have a annoying loud PC in my bedroom and it was very difficult to sleep with it on,
Bedroom PC's are for those who do not share the bedroom with a significant other. Some of us do, and so have banished most electronics to other parts of the house, so we can concentrate on...ahem...other matters pertaining to the bedroom.
Sadly, most of/. does nto fit this profile, so a nice quiet bedroom PC is a necessary object.
1. Steal an aircraft.
2. Fly towards NYC at 15kfeet. Direct line just south of Central Park.
3. At the appointed distance, shut the engines off, thumbing your nose at the fancy GPS, autopilot, and FBW systems.
4. Impact somewhere in downtown NYC.
5. Reap profits of 72 virgins.
LaGuardia and the ConEd power plant are but 1/2 mile apart.
Depature to the North from Reagan National goes right past the Pentagon. O'Hare is within the Chicago metro area. To get there, you must go over buildings.
And then, you have all the little airports that are often within city limits, or very close to something.
And at the very least, all you'd have to do is a looong slide through a residential area. Not quite as dramatic as bringing down the towers, but still very, very messy. A 767 at 400 mph would take a quite a long area.
Standardized jacks in the steering wheel. Good idea. That way, when you turn, the cables can get all tangled up, and you have to pull over to untangle the mess and make that call.
One half of me sees this as no problem. When in public, behave like you are in public and you will have no problem. Another part of me says that it is uncomfortable to be spied on for any reason whatsoever and that it is an invasion of privacy. If the object of the software is legitamate, why should it be a problem?
No. Wrong Think of it this way. The mall security team hires 100 guys. Every time a "person of interest" enters the mall, they dispatch one of these guys to follow him around. Everywhere you go, everything you do, that guy is right there behind you. He watches you pick your nose, he watches you sneak at grab at your girlfriends butt, he watches you contemplate stealing a grape from the fruit bar. After about 30 seconds of this, you'd turn around and say "WTF dude! Get away from me!" The only reason you don't do that now is because that guy is hidden behind a little glass dome, and you can't see him following you.
You don't know why you were selected. Mannerisms, dress, other people in your group...but there he is. Making sure you don't get the chance to do anything wrong.
This is exactly the same thing, but done electronically.
Slashdot Mirror
Inventory control. If more people click on "MadMax 7", they can devote more space to it. Or get more copies.
They want to know as much about your buying/renting habits as they can. preferably before you plunk down the money, so they can have whatever it is you want appear before your eyes.
This, as with most recent things of this type (RFID, cellphone web access, SPAM, popups, etc, etc), is good for them. Not necessarily good for us.
*Note: Requires $10 activation fee, you must upgrade to the $59.99/month package, and you will be charged $0.39/minute for every minute you go over your already worthless amount of daytime minutes.
Spoken very quickly, so that no human can understand it, even the salesperson. And especially not you, the customer.
err...thats what they have now for inventory. Point the scanner at the barcode (doesn't have to be right on top of it), wireless beam to the backroom inventory server.
ooo...because it's in a cellphone, it has to be new, cool, and never been done before.
Why would they have to charge for this?
Because they can.
And they will.
the only thing that differentiates this 'game console' from a standard, Windows-running PC is that it has no way to get data on or off of it except through a dedicated connection to Infinium Labs' own servers
Right.
Unless this thing is encased in a solid block of Lucite, it's only a matter of time.
I've seen quite a few responses, some from people ostensibly in the RFID biz, saying these are potentially a GoodThing. Help control inventory, keep costs down, far too much data to track, etc, etc.
All that may be well and good, but we do not know, nor can we predict, all the future uses and abuses of these things.
And I trust retailers to do the right thing even less than I trust the government.
10-20 years from now, how will retailers use all that data? Remember, they will have vastly more powerful databases by then, so that volume of data may well be trivial.
How will the person who cracks into that database use the data?(Not if, but when). Who will he sell it to? Knowledge of what clothes you buy is one thing. Who cares. What about all the other stuff you buy?
Tools, fertilizer, pen lasers, OMG! He's building a weapon!!
15 years ago, could we have predicted Echelon scanning all emails? Or abuses of your social security number, as regards to identity theft. Or wardriving?
Might we have made those tools stronger and put more restrictions on them from the start, instead of just dumping it on the public, and not contemplating how to harden them against future abuse.
Individual item RFID's may be a GoodThing for retailers, but I remain dubious as to their good intentions for me. Show me the benefits for me, and then let's discuss the possible drawbacks. Let's weigh ALL the factors before implementation. Any area found lacking, let's fix it.
Until I see some serious safeguards, I will fight tooth and nail against implementation.
He was born braindead. And then had help from is 'parents'.
"Oaklyn teenagers also say he also practiced martial arts and had compiled a list of his enemies since elementary school."
Any 'link' between this incident and video games, or the other popular theory, The Matrix, is mere hand waving by the media.
I'd expect most teens that have played video games have played at least some that involve "blowing something up", or shooting something. All but the most bland edutainment games, and openended games (SimCity, etc) involve some sort of destruction.
Could Frogger be linked to massive roadkill on the highways?
Could SimCity be linked to corrupt politics and poor city managament?
Could Bewitched be linked to a rise in adult witchcraft?
Damn, these guys are stupid. But it does sell newspapers.
That's the point. It isn't pornographic. The flowery description makes it appear so, but really it is just two girls in swim suits, sitting by a pool.
According to you, that makes the ad departments of every clothing seller 'extreme perverts'. Right.
Look through any clothing ad or website, and tell me how the swimsuit and underwear ads differ significantly from the opening pages of a porn website.
A girl or two in scanty clothing, smiling into the camera.
Without looking at each and every image, and the context that it is in, you cannot determine if it is porn or not. And even then, that only relies on the reviewers subjective thoughts.
A woman, laying topless on the beach.
Porn?
Or a simple vacation on the coast of Spain, and there happened to be a topless woman sitting behind you.
Why can't there be a simple legislation requiring all adult content to be registered under a .adult domain?
The greasy haired, overweight 30 something, who has been living in his parents basement, slowly flips the page.
The first image that strikes his eyes is of a leggy blond, reclined on a lounger. Her hair glistens from a dip in the warm, inviting pool. Water droplets run down her long slim neck. Her hand rests casually on her supple thigh, mere inches away from that place to which he has never been. Her flat tummy begs to be caressed and anointed with oils.
She gazes out at the camera between long lashes. Her breasts, straining at the thin fabric, are calling out to him. "Take me!", they seem to say.
If only her left leg weren't so coyly positioned, he could get a glimpse of the promised land nestled between her silken thighs.
Her companion, a shorter brunette standing next to the lounger, is wearing a very skimpy 2-piece outfit. The curve of her breast begs to be traced with a gentle touch. Her hand rests on the back of the lounger, ready to slip down and playfully squeeze her friends firm breasts. You can see the joy, the naked anticipation in her eyes, as she knows what is about to happen.
All that smooth, smooth skin has gotten him all worked up. He must see more! He flips the next page.
Eh? What's this? A gas grill??!! WTF?
Oh...it was just a Sears ad for bikini's.
I guess you haven't heard of the ACLU, NRA, NAACP, AARP, or the various other special interest groups in this country. Special interest groups represent a group of people gathering their resources to fight for a particular cause.
Amazingly enough, yes, I have heard of them. And (usually) they lobby for what their members think is important. No more, no less. I'd expect AARP would vote for whatever is good for Walmart (JOBS!)
Walmart might argue that not allowing, or putting significant restrictions on, RFID's would result in increased/continuing shoplifting, and thereby a loss of jobs.
Vote against RFID's, and you vote for unemployment.
Spin is a wonderful thing, isn't it?
Just require that manufacturers only use the RFID tags on things that can be removed from the product, such as an easily identified sticker or a common cardboard tag.
Let's see...who's got more lobbying money/access? Us (as individuals), or Walmart/Sears/Kmart/Target/Asda/Tesco?
Who do you think will win?
Che Guevara
So, if you have a seperate window on top of your browser that covers an advert it's wrong? Gator doesn't replace anything, so you are just buying into the FUD.
From e-commerce times - August 2001:
"Last week, the advertising-supported service -- which has been installed by 8 million users -- launched an enhanced version that includes "Companion Pop-Up Banner" ad delivery software. According to Gator, the new vehicle "occasionally pops up to deliver a relevant advertisement" in a window that floats over existing banner ads on some Web pages. "
Because users have chosen to install Gator/GAIN on their systems.
Chosen? That is debatable. Mush as any EULA, what it actually does is shrouded in dense legalese, in a 20 char wide window. You know as well as I do that no one really reads those.
Users get targetted avertisements. Some of which overlay in a separate window on top of their web-browser.
'Separate window', directly and purposely in the space that the original website builder put his ad. I hate popups as much as the nextt guy. But personally, I think that is wrong. You don't. We shall just have to agree to disagree.
... various forms of pop up ads in a Separate window...
separate might have a different meaning to you, but to me it does not mean "on top of", nor "replacing".
Someone has paid for an ad, in hopes that people will see it. Gator/GAIN overlays that content with their own.
Buy an ad in the Yellow Pages. Have a 3rd party then go through every copy, prior to delivery, and paste over your ad with one of theirs. You'd agree with this?
a website was illegal, and possibly terrorism, under the Patriot Act? Specifically, Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA 18 USC 1030), which then follows that it could be prosecuted under RICO rules.
How much more honest do you want them to be?
A whole lot more than they are now.
Nowhere in the following does it say "We will replace ads with those from our subscribers at our discretion, and overlay ads from our subscribers on top of others' ads."
From the Gator front page:
"In return for receiving FREE software (often valued at up to $30), consumers agree to receive targeted promotions/ads from Gator advertisers through the Gator Advertising and Information Network (GAIN). GAIN occasionally displays various forms of pop up ads in a separate window on users' computer screens. These GAIN ads are displayed based on the interests of the computer user as reflected by their web surfing behavior and are not sponsored or endorsed by the web pages being viewed. The GAIN name and/or GAIN distinguishes GAIN ads from other ads."
It may be in there farther (I did not investigate deeper), but I doubt it.
"It's not about the bike"
Yes, Chris's Superman bike was banned by the UCI for the same reasons recumbents were banned in the 30's. Aerodynamics.
All those little changes only help riders such as Lance or Chris, beat other riders of the same caliber. The real change has been in sports physiology, diet, conditioning.
Put Major Taylor, the top racer at the turn of the century (and the best Black bike racer ever), on any new racing bike. Put Lance on any racing bike built in the last 40 years. With relevant gearing, Lance will smoke him. Conditioning, diet, physiology.
Same with running. You can't tell me that records are being broken because of better shoes.
Except for materials and gears, mainstream bikes have truly changed little in the last 100 years.
The same basic diamond frame, same chain drive. And that is not a bad thing. THe chain drive on a bike is about the most efficient power transfer device ever designed. Many alternatives have been tried, and we keep coming back to the chain. The riding position closely simulates a walking/running movement. Optimized over several million years.
Go to the USAF Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB and look at Orville's bike. No real difference between that and a new bike. Same basic riding position.
Lance could hop on that bike, and trash just about any rider, on any new bike around.
Except for recumbents, there's been little real change. And even there, the riding position/movement is the same, just rotated ~90 degrees. Possibly better aerodynamics, though.
It's not the bike.
- Lance Armstrong
It doesn't get easier, you just go faster.
- Greg LeMond
Shut up and ride.
-Anon
but if someone near my house wants to go ahead and use my wireless connection, as long as it's not crippling my connection speed, so be it. Not a big loss for me.
Sure. Until he sends some kiddie porn to his buddies, and it gets traced back to *your* network and IP address.
Prove it wasn't you.
I used to have a annoying loud PC in my bedroom and it was very difficult to sleep with it on,
...ahem...other matters pertaining to the bedroom.
/. does nto fit this profile, so a nice quiet bedroom PC is a necessary object.
Bedroom PC's are for those who do not share the bedroom with a significant other. Some of us do, and so have banished most electronics to other parts of the house, so we can concentrate on
Sadly, most of
1. Steal an aircraft.
2. Fly towards NYC at 15kfeet. Direct line just south of Central Park.
3. At the appointed distance, shut the engines off, thumbing your nose at the fancy GPS, autopilot, and FBW systems.
4. Impact somewhere in downtown NYC.
5. Reap profits of 72 virgins.
...close together.
LaGuardia and the ConEd power plant are but 1/2 mile apart.
Depature to the North from Reagan National goes right past the Pentagon.
O'Hare is within the Chicago metro area. To get there, you must go over buildings.
And then, you have all the little airports that are often within city limits, or very close to something.
And at the very least, all you'd have to do is a looong slide through a residential area. Not quite as dramatic as bringing down the towers, but still very, very messy. A 767 at 400 mph would take a quite a long area.
Keeping your brain focused and in gear is the real problem with cell phones and other gadgets.
"It's not just the physical distraction of holding the handset -- there's the intellectual distraction of holding the conversation."
"...cell phone conversations using "hands-free" devices are just as likely to cause dangerous distractions as those conducted on hand held phones."
"There is a very substantial decrease in the amount of brain activity, the amount of neural activity allocated to driving, while you are simultaneously listening,"
Hang up and drive.
Standardized jacks in the steering wheel. Good idea. That way, when you turn, the cables can get all tangled up, and you have to pull over to untangle the mess and make that call.
One half of me sees this as no problem. When in public, behave like you are in public and you will have no problem. Another part of me says that it is uncomfortable to be spied on for any reason whatsoever and that it is an invasion of privacy. If the object of the software is legitamate, why should it be a problem?
No. Wrong
Think of it this way. The mall security team hires 100 guys. Every time a "person of interest" enters the mall, they dispatch one of these guys to follow him around. Everywhere you go, everything you do, that guy is right there behind you. He watches you pick your nose, he watches you sneak at grab at your girlfriends butt, he watches you contemplate stealing a grape from the fruit bar. After about 30 seconds of this, you'd turn around and say "WTF dude! Get away from me!" The only reason you don't do that now is because that guy is hidden behind a little glass dome, and you can't see him following you.
You don't know why you were selected. Mannerisms, dress, other people in your group...but there he is. Making sure you don't get the chance to do anything wrong.
This is exactly the same thing, but done electronically.