I'm not super-network talented, but I recently used two Mikrotik RB951s to set up a permanent VPN tunnel between two houses for much the same reason. I didn't need the additional routing to make all traffic send through point A, but I know we use that setup at work for our remote workers.
My arrangement ended up being traffic from each house going out it's own connection, but with a permanent IPSEC tunnel between the two for server synchronization and tech support purposes.
The Mikrotiks are fantastic little boxes and an amazing value. There are multiple 951 models, and you may prefer one of the non-wifi Mikrotik products if you don't need the radio (though having a 1w radio has been nice also!)
I know this is Slashdot and all, and Apple bashing is kind of a national sport, but TFA is nothing but conjecture. How about we wait until there's an actual fact to talk about before fueling the servers with anti-fanboi rage?
Knowing that and accepting that is *SO* important to long-term happiness and satisfaction in the workplace. A lot of "I'd be a better boss than that dimwit" experts don't really understand what most of being in management actually entails. But then, neither do a lot of managers.
It's sad that so many of our corporate structures are arranged so that management is the only path up.
I think some subsequent commenters may have thought I was condoning the described behavior, which I was not.
IMO, the hard line is not the right approach, and I enthusiastically agree with the comments about sites that politely ask to be whitelisted. If the site is one that I value (primarily because of the specific writers or the community), I enable advertising or contribute directly.
Sites that take the hard line, sites that use the pop-up overlay tactic, Outbrain links, paywalls, etc, I ignore and largely don't visit again. I used to be a lot more aggressive about it with local DNS redirects for trackers, etc., but I no longer have the energy for that. I just delete history and cookies every few weeks.
Web content is easily substitutable. There are hundreds of sources for news. There are millions of sources for opinions. I'm glad the court ruled as it did. It's sad (and a little bit worrying) that they had to.
I suspect the vendor response will be more along the lines of, "We've detected Ad Block on your computer. You will be unable to view content on this site while this is active."
The legal decision is, IMO, the correct one. We're not in Oceania (yet) and we're still allowed to turn off our TVs or change the channel. That doesn't mean, though, that the provider of the content is required to show it to us if we choose not to pay for it in some way.
Ad Block is probably going to have to get a little craftier about running in stealth mode in the future.
If I hadn't commented already, I would throw some Karma your way on this one, Woofy.
It's amazing how difficult it is to explain to otherwise very intelligent people the difference between "perfect" security and "effective" security.
I remember this being discussed several years ago (I think here on Slashdot, in fact), but for Houston. The toll tags were being read by sensors mounted on nearly every overpass sign and used to create the traffic speed maps that we've all come to know and love.
The controversy was primarily that they were not anonymizing the data and had no defined retention period. It surprised a lot of people at the time. Now, not so much. I'm actually surprised that anyone is actually surprised by this story. I now just assume that my toll tag is being read in any state I travel, whether it's "compatible" with their system or not.:-/
I know you were just making a joke, but why is it that an American trying to speak English in France or Germany or Italy or Mexico is culturally insensitive, while a Mexican immigrant in the U.S. enjoys state-mandated bilingual education, ballots, and, in fact, pretty much any governmental communication? A single-language American is boorish, a single-language Mexican is somehow noble and multi-cultural.
Why is it that I'm considered culturally insensitive in some areas of the U.S. for assuming that people speak English?
I'm not saying that speaking a second or third language isn't desireable, I just don't understand why Americans alone are so widely held to the double-standard.
As far as the original topic goes, I think slapping RFID chips into something as sensitive as a passport is a little premature. Was there ever a test using, say, only the passports of the diplomatic corps or civil servants? Or maybe using them in military or congressional IDs? I'd like the folks doing the deciding to put up with the issues prior to slapping them on the entire populace.
My favorite was in a little speed-trap town (Manor, perhaps?) just outside of Austin on 290. There was a combo used-car dealership and liquor store right on the highway.
A "sneeze and you miss it" kind of place so I can't imagine that the police department was too far away from this "buy a car, get a case of beer" establishment.
Note that was the date on which the trademark was published - what, if anything, does that say about the date on which it was applied for? How much red tape is involved between application for and approval and/or publication of a trademark?
(I just re-read the parent and the author was asking about the UK process for trademark. My post below covers my experience in getting a US trademark registered.
My trademark took from September of 1998 until July of 2000 to get processed. I think a lot of people here are under the assumption that registering a trademark is as simple a procedure as registering a copyright or filing a DBA at the local county annex. It isn't.
First, you have to get a lawyer. Preferably one that specializes in trademarks. Well, you don't have to, but it's worth the money - kind of like you can write a word processing program from scratch, but it's probably not worth the time or money to do so.
Second, you have to have a search run (there are companies that exist solely to do this) to ensure that your proposed trade or service mark won't infringe on an existing one.
In my case, I was using a made-up word and I still ended up with a report that broke 500 pages. Luckily, none of them was deemed close enough to pose a significant problem and I could move on to the next phase: registration.
You have to choose the categories (as published by the patent and trademark office) in which you plan on using your mark. Examples would be: creation, publication, and distribution of software. A musical performing act. Manufacturing of entertainment products for retail sale. Please note that I'm just making these up and they probably aren't even close. That's why I hired the trademark attorney.
Once the registration is submitted, you sit and wait. If the trademark office has an objection, wants clarification, or anything else, there will be a delay while you work that out. You have six months to rectify that situation.
After the trademark office has accepted your application, there's a period (I think it's 30 days) where the mark is announced and any other mark holders can register a complaint about your proposed mark.
If nobody complains, you have your new trade or service mark. If someone complains, that's a whole different set of problems.
So for my relatively simple application, using a trademark attorney, with one kickback from the office to make minor changes to my category classifications, and no objections from other trademark holders, it took over 18 months to get the mark (and about $1500 in legal, search, and application fees).
I imagine that companies with large legal teams dedicated to these things might get things pushed through a little faster, but the process is still a long one.
Damn those hundreds of thousands of authors all writing in English! How dare they write in the language their majority of their potential audience is most likely to understand? Can't they think of the children??? Can't we get some law passed saying that all works submitted for copyright must be made available in any language spoken by more than five people?
Sweet jebus, sometimes I wish I could use mod points on the original post...
Woo hoo - I finally got my cherry popped a modded down as a troll. I wonder if the modder recognizes the irony of branding "troll" on a post that was branding the original post a troll...
"The proposed cost of $260 million would create a huge benefit to society (well, at least to those who can read English)."
Damn those hundreds of thousands of authors all writing in English! How dare they write in the language their majority of their potential audience is most likely to understand? Can't they think of the children??? Can't we get some law passed saying that all works submitted for copyright must be made available in any language spoken by more than five people?
Sweet jebus, sometimes I wish I could use mod points on the original post...
Funny... the Mac folks probably think of themselves as the troopers... a small, elite, well-equipped group with expensive gear hopelessly defending themselves against the onslaught of a giant, expendable, (spam) zombie horde with better market share.
When you then factor in how the brain bug sucked all of the knowledge out of the humans... well, I guess the question becomes who among the MS management is the brain bug?
STOP ME BEFORE I CONTINUE THIS HORRIBLE ANALOGY ANY FURTH....UNNNGGGggghhhaaaaaaa!
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Association of Wolves, Foxes, and Stoats today announced that they would be launching a new initiative, providing security services for hen-houses and rabbit hutches nationwide.
"We're pleased to be able to expand our influence and provide this much needed security," said B. B. Wolf, the association's president-elect. "It's important to recognize that a crisis does exist, and who better to determine appropriate measures than us?"
In a separate interview, Mr. Wolf, accompanied by some of the association's external board members, forecast that given the popularity of coyotes in the western states, wolves, foxes, stoats, and coyotes would be the only mid-range predators in ten years. "Sure, you're gonna have your bears for the big stuff, and we might get some insignificant competition from barn cats and raccoons," said Wolf, "but I don't forsee any other real competition in the field other than the coyotes. And frankly... well, the coyotes show some innovation, but we really don't think they can compete on our playing field. Plus, they have fleas."
For more information on the National Association of Wolves, Foxes, and Stoats, please contact Jack Valenti, press secretary.
I dont think the shift in comedy has anything to do with "attention spans," which is at best a ham-fisted word used as a generic complaint about modern times.
I really wanted to read your entire post, but it had three paragraphs in it and... OOOH! A SPARKLY!
I keep hearing of all these slippery slopes. We never seem to slide down any of them though. Perhaps it is tin foil hat material.
Are you serious?
Take a look at nearly any section of the U.S. code and you'll see thousands of examples of slippery slopedom. Let's see...
Gun control. We went from the Constitution's 2nd amendment, written at a time when the citizens had far more firepower and advanced weaponry than the government and guaranteed that the Federal government had no authority to limit that right to the recently expired federal ban on scary-looking weapons.
Copyright law. We went from a reasonably short period of protection (14 years with an optional additional 14 years, which both encouraged authors and musicians to keep creating AND benefitted the public) to the extension of copyright to an absurd "author's life plus seventy years" for individuals. Or there's the lovely DMCA which specifically prohibits me from mucking about with the innards of my own personal, private property.
Even more ironic, the government is fighting for exactly the same right that they've taken away from the citizenry with the DMCA:
"'circumvent a technological measure' means to descramble a scrambled work, to decrypt an encrypted work, or otherwise to avoid, bypass, remove, deactivate, or impair a technological measure, without the authority of the copyright owner." (
Source)
That's precisely what they're trying to do by forcing back-doors. My emails are protected by copyright. More importantly, they're private communications and not subject to unwarranted search and seizure (that pesky fourth amendment). Still not convinced that we've been veritably skiing down some slopes yet? How about...
Income Tax: We started out with sales/manufacturing taxes, flirted with an income tax during the civil war, then got rid of it entirely, and declared it unconstitutional (which it was until the 16th amendment), then put it back.
But even in 1913, most people had no tax burden, and the very richest were taxed at an insanely low rate. If you had earned income over $500,000 in 1913 dollars your tax rate was 7%. Compare that to the rate in 2003: 35% if you made $311,950.
I'd like to visit the slope you live on, because the one I seem to be living on is more slippery than a California hillside in the rainy season.
I can certainly see your point, although I think it's one of those "matter of degree" things. Assuming the states that have these increased penalties for using lock picks in the commision of a crime don't have a blanket prohibition on owning lock picks, by increasing the penalty, they are "encouraging" people to use them only for legimitate reasons.
I hesitated to mention guns for precisely the reason you mentioned - one is deadly force, the other is not and people will get distracted by that part of the argument. Instead, how about comparing it to wire fraud - it's still theft, so why make it special if you use a computer or the telephone?
There are also some states where it is legal to own lockpicks, but where using them in the process of committing a crime gets you a stiffer penalty than the same crime would if you hadn't used lockpicks. Which is a bit strange.
Not all that strange... armed robbery would be a good example of the same thing - you'll face a much stiffer penalty for using a weapon (or making the people think you have a real weapon) than if you just committed robbery with your hands.
I actually think this is a much more equitable solution when dealing with objects that can be used for crime (lockpicks, guns) instead of blanket prohibitions/restrictions, but I think the escalation of penalties should be much more severe.
I've always secretly wanted to be able to pick locks... is there any reason for me to be able to? Not really. Would it be cool? Hell yeah!
Reading a post like this sincerely makes me want to get a huge dog, but I'm concerned about my kid (and eventually kids) around one. I've heard too many horror stories of dogs attacking their owner's kids to go out and get one. Anybody have any recommendations in regards to breeds of dogs that are insanely protective of the family and *won't* attack Junior if the dog's ears are being pulled?
The best book I've read by far is "How To Be Your Dog's Best Friend" by The Monks of New Skete. I got it after we adopted our German Shepherd, but I recommend it highly to people who are thinking about getting a dog.
The book has a great overview of canine and pack psychology. This will go a long way toward helping you understand why your dog behaves in certain ways. It's also a great way to know whether to discipline the dog or the kid when an altercation occurs. =-) The only thing I'm not sure about is their affinity for providing raw meat in a dog's diet. While I don't discount their results, the vets I've asked about it have said that there's too much of a health risk and that modern dog foods are very good.
The top three breeds, in my order of preference, would be German Shepherd, Lab, Golden Retriever, but there are many breeds that are wonderful family members. There are some smaller breeds that, while not necessarily fear-inducing, still make good "guard" dogs because of their territorial instincts. (I'm particular to Schnauzers and Poodles.)
Above all, buy from a reputable breeder and, if going for a larger dog like a German Shepherd, find a breeder who specifically breeds for temperament and health. Like anything else, starting with quality makes everything else a lot easier.
Read the book - it will answer a lot of your questions and put some of your fears to rest.
I talked about my rescued German Shepherd earlier in this thread (up in the shotgun discussion) and what you say is very true. Our GSD was abandoned and possibly abused. Yet within 24 hours she was definitely my dog - she bonded with both me and my wife, and almost immediately started protecting the house.
She was approximately 4-5 years old when we got her, and had seen some hard times (worn teeth, heartworms, etc.) but she's been a fantastic dog and everyone in my family keeps trying to steal her from me.
Not too bad for a dog that we were just taking in to prevent having her put down while we looked for someone to adopt her.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm not super-network talented, but I recently used two Mikrotik RB951s to set up a permanent VPN tunnel between two houses for much the same reason. I didn't need the additional routing to make all traffic send through point A, but I know we use that setup at work for our remote workers. My arrangement ended up being traffic from each house going out it's own connection, but with a permanent IPSEC tunnel between the two for server synchronization and tech support purposes. The Mikrotiks are fantastic little boxes and an amazing value. There are multiple 951 models, and you may prefer one of the non-wifi Mikrotik products if you don't need the radio (though having a 1w radio has been nice also!)
I know this is Slashdot and all, and Apple bashing is kind of a national sport, but TFA is nothing but conjecture. How about we wait until there's an actual fact to talk about before fueling the servers with anti-fanboi rage?
Knowing that and accepting that is *SO* important to long-term happiness and satisfaction in the workplace. A lot of "I'd be a better boss than that dimwit" experts don't really understand what most of being in management actually entails. But then, neither do a lot of managers. It's sad that so many of our corporate structures are arranged so that management is the only path up.
...the next pointy-haired boss might be you!
I think some subsequent commenters may have thought I was condoning the described behavior, which I was not. IMO, the hard line is not the right approach, and I enthusiastically agree with the comments about sites that politely ask to be whitelisted. If the site is one that I value (primarily because of the specific writers or the community), I enable advertising or contribute directly. Sites that take the hard line, sites that use the pop-up overlay tactic, Outbrain links, paywalls, etc, I ignore and largely don't visit again. I used to be a lot more aggressive about it with local DNS redirects for trackers, etc., but I no longer have the energy for that. I just delete history and cookies every few weeks. Web content is easily substitutable. There are hundreds of sources for news. There are millions of sources for opinions. I'm glad the court ruled as it did. It's sad (and a little bit worrying) that they had to.
I suspect the vendor response will be more along the lines of, "We've detected Ad Block on your computer. You will be unable to view content on this site while this is active." The legal decision is, IMO, the correct one. We're not in Oceania (yet) and we're still allowed to turn off our TVs or change the channel. That doesn't mean, though, that the provider of the content is required to show it to us if we choose not to pay for it in some way. Ad Block is probably going to have to get a little craftier about running in stealth mode in the future.
If I hadn't commented already, I would throw some Karma your way on this one, Woofy. It's amazing how difficult it is to explain to otherwise very intelligent people the difference between "perfect" security and "effective" security.
I remember this being discussed several years ago (I think here on Slashdot, in fact), but for Houston. The toll tags were being read by sensors mounted on nearly every overpass sign and used to create the traffic speed maps that we've all come to know and love. The controversy was primarily that they were not anonymizing the data and had no defined retention period. It surprised a lot of people at the time. Now, not so much. I'm actually surprised that anyone is actually surprised by this story. I now just assume that my toll tag is being read in any state I travel, whether it's "compatible" with their system or not. :-/
I know you were just making a joke, but why is it that an American trying to speak English in France or Germany or Italy or Mexico is culturally insensitive, while a Mexican immigrant in the U.S. enjoys state-mandated bilingual education, ballots, and, in fact, pretty much any governmental communication? A single-language American is boorish, a single-language Mexican is somehow noble and multi-cultural.
Why is it that I'm considered culturally insensitive in some areas of the U.S. for assuming that people speak English?
I'm not saying that speaking a second or third language isn't desireable, I just don't understand why Americans alone are so widely held to the double-standard.
As far as the original topic goes, I think slapping RFID chips into something as sensitive as a passport is a little premature. Was there ever a test using, say, only the passports of the diplomatic corps or civil servants? Or maybe using them in military or congressional IDs? I'd like the folks doing the deciding to put up with the issues prior to slapping them on the entire populace.
My favorite was in a little speed-trap town (Manor, perhaps?) just outside of Austin on 290. There was a combo used-car dealership and liquor store right on the highway.
A "sneeze and you miss it" kind of place so I can't imagine that the police department was too far away from this "buy a car, get a case of beer" establishment.
(I just re-read the parent and the author was asking about the UK process for trademark. My post below covers my experience in getting a US trademark registered.
My trademark took from September of 1998 until July of 2000 to get processed. I think a lot of people here are under the assumption that registering a trademark is as simple a procedure as registering a copyright or filing a DBA at the local county annex. It isn't.
First, you have to get a lawyer. Preferably one that specializes in trademarks. Well, you don't have to, but it's worth the money - kind of like you can write a word processing program from scratch, but it's probably not worth the time or money to do so.
Second, you have to have a search run (there are companies that exist solely to do this) to ensure that your proposed trade or service mark won't infringe on an existing one.
In my case, I was using a made-up word and I still ended up with a report that broke 500 pages. Luckily, none of them was deemed close enough to pose a significant problem and I could move on to the next phase: registration.
You have to choose the categories (as published by the patent and trademark office) in which you plan on using your mark. Examples would be: creation, publication, and distribution of software. A musical performing act. Manufacturing of entertainment products for retail sale. Please note that I'm just making these up and they probably aren't even close. That's why I hired the trademark attorney.
Once the registration is submitted, you sit and wait. If the trademark office has an objection, wants clarification, or anything else, there will be a delay while you work that out. You have six months to rectify that situation.
After the trademark office has accepted your application, there's a period (I think it's 30 days) where the mark is announced and any other mark holders can register a complaint about your proposed mark.
If nobody complains, you have your new trade or service mark. If someone complains, that's a whole different set of problems.
So for my relatively simple application, using a trademark attorney, with one kickback from the office to make minor changes to my category classifications, and no objections from other trademark holders, it took over 18 months to get the mark (and about $1500 in legal, search, and application fees).
I imagine that companies with large legal teams dedicated to these things might get things pushed through a little faster, but the process is still a long one.
Step 1: Tell everyone that you see the future of Microsoft being anchored by an extensive IP and patent portfolio.
Step 2: Start patenting EVERYTHING you can think of that's even remotely related to software, regardless of prior art or validity.
Step 3: Tell everyone that Microsoft will protect its customers from IP lawsuits.
Yep. Nothing to see here... move along, please.
Woo hoo - I finally got my cherry popped a modded down as a troll. I wonder if the modder recognizes the irony of branding "troll" on a post that was branding the original post a troll...
I said could understand - not necessarily write.
DAMN YOU WORD PROCESSING FOR MAKING IT SO EASY TO REVISE A STATEMENT!
Damn those hundreds of thousands of authors all writing in English! How dare they write in the language their majority of their potential audience is most likely to understand? Can't they think of the children??? Can't we get some law passed saying that all works submitted for copyright must be made available in any language spoken by more than five people?
Sweet jebus, sometimes I wish I could use mod points on the original post...
Yeah! Kind of like the Treaty of Versailles...
Funny... the Mac folks probably think of themselves as the troopers... a small, elite, well-equipped group with expensive gear hopelessly defending themselves against the onslaught of a giant, expendable, (spam) zombie horde with better market share.
When you then factor in how the brain bug sucked all of the knowledge out of the humans... well, I guess the question becomes who among the MS management is the brain bug?
STOP ME BEFORE I CONTINUE THIS HORRIBLE ANALOGY ANY FURTH....UNNNGGGggghhhaaaaaaa!
Thanks for the thought, rts...
Wouldn't it be great if the anti-spyware initiative accidentally exposed all the "phoning home" that Microsoft's own products do?
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Association of Wolves, Foxes, and Stoats today announced that they would be launching a new initiative, providing security services for hen-houses and rabbit hutches nationwide.
"We're pleased to be able to expand our influence and provide this much needed security," said B. B. Wolf, the association's president-elect. "It's important to recognize that a crisis does exist, and who better to determine appropriate measures than us?"
In a separate interview, Mr. Wolf, accompanied by some of the association's external board members, forecast that given the popularity of coyotes in the western states, wolves, foxes, stoats, and coyotes would be the only mid-range predators in ten years. "Sure, you're gonna have your bears for the big stuff, and we might get some insignificant competition from barn cats and raccoons," said Wolf, "but I don't forsee any other real competition in the field other than the coyotes. And frankly... well, the coyotes show some innovation, but we really don't think they can compete on our playing field. Plus, they have fleas."
For more information on the National Association of Wolves, Foxes, and Stoats, please contact Jack Valenti, press secretary.
I really wanted to read your entire post, but it had three paragraphs in it and... OOOH! A SPARKLY!
Are you serious?
Take a look at nearly any section of the U.S. code and you'll see thousands of examples of slippery slopedom. Let's see...
Gun control. We went from the Constitution's 2nd amendment, written at a time when the citizens had far more firepower and advanced weaponry than the government and guaranteed that the Federal government had no authority to limit that right to the recently expired federal ban on scary-looking weapons.
Copyright law. We went from a reasonably short period of protection (14 years with an optional additional 14 years, which both encouraged authors and musicians to keep creating AND benefitted the public) to the extension of copyright to an absurd "author's life plus seventy years" for individuals. Or there's the lovely DMCA which specifically prohibits me from mucking about with the innards of my own personal, private property.
Even more ironic, the government is fighting for exactly the same right that they've taken away from the citizenry with the DMCA:
That's precisely what they're trying to do by forcing back-doors. My emails are protected by copyright. More importantly, they're private communications and not subject to unwarranted search and seizure (that pesky fourth amendment). Still not convinced that we've been veritably skiing down some slopes yet? How about...
Income Tax: We started out with sales/manufacturing taxes, flirted with an income tax during the civil war, then got rid of it entirely, and declared it unconstitutional (which it was until the 16th amendment), then put it back.
But even in 1913, most people had no tax burden, and the very richest were taxed at an insanely low rate. If you had earned income over $500,000 in 1913 dollars your tax rate was 7%. Compare that to the rate in 2003: 35% if you made $311,950.
I'd like to visit the slope you live on, because the one I seem to be living on is more slippery than a California hillside in the rainy season.
I can certainly see your point, although I think it's one of those "matter of degree" things. Assuming the states that have these increased penalties for using lock picks in the commision of a crime don't have a blanket prohibition on owning lock picks, by increasing the penalty, they are "encouraging" people to use them only for legimitate reasons.
I hesitated to mention guns for precisely the reason you mentioned - one is deadly force, the other is not and people will get distracted by that part of the argument. Instead, how about comparing it to wire fraud - it's still theft, so why make it special if you use a computer or the telephone?
Not all that strange... armed robbery would be a good example of the same thing - you'll face a much stiffer penalty for using a weapon (or making the people think you have a real weapon) than if you just committed robbery with your hands.
I actually think this is a much more equitable solution when dealing with objects that can be used for crime (lockpicks, guns) instead of blanket prohibitions/restrictions, but I think the escalation of penalties should be much more severe.
I've always secretly wanted to be able to pick locks... is there any reason for me to be able to? Not really. Would it be cool? Hell yeah!
The best book I've read by far is "How To Be Your Dog's Best Friend" by The Monks of New Skete. I got it after we adopted our German Shepherd, but I recommend it highly to people who are thinking about getting a dog.
The book has a great overview of canine and pack psychology. This will go a long way toward helping you understand why your dog behaves in certain ways. It's also a great way to know whether to discipline the dog or the kid when an altercation occurs. =-) The only thing I'm not sure about is their affinity for providing raw meat in a dog's diet. While I don't discount their results, the vets I've asked about it have said that there's too much of a health risk and that modern dog foods are very good.
The top three breeds, in my order of preference, would be German Shepherd, Lab, Golden Retriever, but there are many breeds that are wonderful family members. There are some smaller breeds that, while not necessarily fear-inducing, still make good "guard" dogs because of their territorial instincts. (I'm particular to Schnauzers and Poodles.)
Above all, buy from a reputable breeder and, if going for a larger dog like a German Shepherd, find a breeder who specifically breeds for temperament and health. Like anything else, starting with quality makes everything else a lot easier.
Read the book - it will answer a lot of your questions and put some of your fears to rest.
I talked about my rescued German Shepherd earlier in this thread (up in the shotgun discussion) and what you say is very true. Our GSD was abandoned and possibly abused. Yet within 24 hours she was definitely my dog - she bonded with both me and my wife, and almost immediately started protecting the house.
She was approximately 4-5 years old when we got her, and had seen some hard times (worn teeth, heartworms, etc.) but she's been a fantastic dog and everyone in my family keeps trying to steal her from me.
Not too bad for a dog that we were just taking in to prevent having her put down while we looked for someone to adopt her.