Gordon Rugg has demonstrated that it's possible to generate a text like the Voynich manuscript -- containing language-like regularities, despite being potentially meaningless
That's funny. I thought Darl McBride had already proven that with all those open letters he's written.
every new technology with the potential to invade privacy was introduced with pledges that it would be used responsibly. But over time, he said, the desire of law enforcement and business to use the data overtook the early promises. "The only way to get real privacy," he said, "is not to collect the information in the first place."'"
From the New York Times' mandatory registration page:
"We'll keep your information private. The following fields are required. NYTimes.com respects your privacy, so we will never share any personal information without your consent."
What's on the front page tomorrow, an in-depth report on the pot and the kettle?
Nielsen is respectable not only because of the clarity of his arguments but because he also cites empirical evidence, rather than just complaining.
I hate to sound like I'm just bashing the guy, but he's a huge hypocrite. I started reading his site back in the day, and after signing up, I got spam for years afterwards.
"Information Pollution" my ass. Up until he decides something's bad and coins some clever term, he'll do it with no compunction.
No doubt all geeks are familiar with this scream, but may not know that it has been used in dozens of other movies and even has a name - "The Wilhelm".
What they don't mention is that is that the name "The Wilhelm" is a subtle reference to Wilhelm Wundt, considered by many to be the most important figure in the history of Psychology. This is because Wundt ran the first psychological laboratory, helping pave the way for the scientific approach to the study of human behaviour prevalent today. Wundt was professor of physiology at Leipzig, where he studied human perception. He is famous for founding the introspectionist school of Psychology, in which highly-trained subjects were asked to report on Just-Noticeable Differences between two stimuli of almost equal intensity, and sensory thresholds.
codythefreak writes to deflect certain barbs lately directed at the security level of Mac OS X: "Working as a sysadmin at UC Berkeley's Residential Computing, since we serve more than 6,000 clients living in the dorms, we tend to know the major computing trends. There are 5,120 registered Windows XP machines in our system, and our staff have logged 2,452 duty logs to assist them (about one in two). On the other hand, there are 341 Mac OS X machines, and only 56 duty logs (about one in six). If we restrict these to virus and security related duty logs: Windows XP has 491 (about one in ten) and OS X has 2 (less than one in a hundred)!"
I was a sysadmin at Berkeley for 5 years.
I have the following observations:
1. The attitude of Windows users was less snobbish (i.e., they viewed their computer as a tool, not a fashion accessory),
2. There were less Macs, resulting in less assistance tickets for that platform, but the amount of time we spent dealing with each Mac issue was far greater than the amount of time. This was usually due to the fact that Apple had made some change, rendering recent hardware (~2 years) useless. (i.e. changes like dropping floppies, dropping SCSI, extremely poor hardware support with the launch of OS X, the OS 9/OS X dual boot requirement, shoddy DVD/USB support in OS X.0, etc)
3. We kept all machines patched, firewalled, and up-to-date with antiviral software, so viruses were not an issue.
This could result in high-resolution 7"-thick rear-projection TV costing around $1000 by next Christmas (not to mention cheap projectors). I guess I can put off buying a new TV for another year..."
Yeah, it could result in that. But how long have we been waiting for stuff that could happen in a year. Broadband over power lines rings a bell. If you'd been waiting for that, you'd still be on dialup.
A New York Times article explores the possible effects of prolonged radiation exposure in deep space. Surprisingly, very little is known about the subject.
Heh, the University I attended wouldn't hire any of their graduates either... but it shows the faith the Uni had in its own undergrads.
Perhaps they had faith in their undergrads, but were trying to prevent a university monoculture from forming. A lot of times Universities prefer people from the "outside world" simply because a more diverse work environment is often a more dynamic work environment.
It may work out that people of the same education, from the same University can get the job done, but they might also overlook alternate/better methodologies.
Yeah, that weight savings on the ipod is awesome, when it goes dead halfway through a long plane flight.
The Zen might weigh 2 ounces more (about the same weight as *half* a music CD), but it goes for 14 hours. And you can charge it from any USB port... which are everywhere.
Ok, so the Microsoft connection makes it easy to write the whole thing off as astroturfing, but they have a point.
Parked domain names usually aren't separate websites; they're usually hundreds, or thousands of domains pointing to the same server/service that's trying to sell them for profit. In addition, Netcraft counts www.yahooo.com and www.yahoo.com as separate sites-- Even though they both go to Yahoo.
In this manner, Netcraft's method *is* unfair, because there's no weight as to the location to which the domains point.
Yeah, finally a company built on Outlook's insecurity. Check out this article in PC Magazine:
"Plaxo contains a hack that mines your Outlook profile password so that it can retrieve your contacts unhindered. Although Plaxo claims that it does nothing with your password once it retrieves your contacts, I don't like this, because it makes child's play out of accessing passwords;"
So not only are they mining your personal data for later resale to the highest bidder, they're compromising your machine while they're at it!
But, really, they respect you and your privacy. Really.
If you think about it, Plaxo is the perfect "built to be acquired" company.
Read their "privacy policy" here:
"In the event Plaxo goes through a business transition, such as a merger, acquisition or the sale of a portion of its assets, Your Information and your membership in the Plaxo Contact Networks(TM) will, in most instances, be part of the assets transferred. You will be notified of an ownership change pursuant to Notification of Changes section of the privacy statement."
See that? They consider your information to be an asset. So, I wonder how long they're going to farm data before selling themselves to doubleclick? Imagine how valuable that data will be. Your surfing habits, matched with your personal information, matched with the personal information and surfing habits of all your 1st-degree friends, and all your friends' friends...
(Also notice that Plaxo (purposely) makes its full privacy policy difficult to link. It's a javascript popup)
By using its existing TCP/IP networks and spending $4 million for a Cisco Call Manager, the university circumvented its local carrier and reduced monthly service fees from $530,000 to a mere $6,000.
GREAT IDEA! They spent $4,000,000 to save 500,000.
Of course, this is Arkansas we're talking about. They aren't much good with the number-learnin'.
(and there's no mention of other facility/staff expenses, either, so who knows how much money this really "saves")
Honestly i think this is great news. Just the other day i was thinking about how feasible it would be to control an airplane (comerical airliner) outside of the cockpit. If someone did gain access to the flight deck and was able to take control of the plane, it would be a lot easier for a US Air Marshal to break out a PDA and take back control of the plane.
Seriously, this country needs a lot less of the Jerry-Bruckheimer-style hero bullshit, and a little more common sense. How about we prevent them from getting ahold of the plane in the first place? Reinforced, solid steel, time-release cockpit doors would be a good start.
Slashdot Mirror
Gordon Rugg has demonstrated that it's possible to generate a text like the Voynich manuscript -- containing language-like regularities, despite being potentially meaningless
That's funny. I thought Darl McBride had already proven that with all those open letters he's written.
Mod me down, hippies!
every new technology with the potential to invade privacy was introduced with pledges that it would be used responsibly. But over time, he said, the desire of law enforcement and business to use the data overtook the early promises. "The only way to get real privacy," he said, "is not to collect the information in the first place."'"
From the New York Times' mandatory registration page: "We'll keep your information private. The following fields are required. NYTimes.com respects your privacy, so we will never share any personal information without your consent."
What's on the front page tomorrow, an in-depth report on the pot and the kettle?
Nielsen is respectable not only because of the clarity of his arguments but because he also cites empirical evidence, rather than just complaining.
I hate to sound like I'm just bashing the guy, but he's a huge hypocrite. I started reading his site back in the day, and after signing up, I got spam for years afterwards.
"Information Pollution" my ass. Up until he decides something's bad and coins some clever term, he'll do it with no compunction.
No doubt all geeks are familiar with this scream, but may not know that it has been used in dozens of other movies and even has a name - "The Wilhelm".
What they don't mention is that is that the name "The Wilhelm" is a subtle reference to Wilhelm Wundt, considered by many to be the most important figure in the history of Psychology. This is because Wundt ran the first psychological laboratory, helping pave the way for the scientific approach to the study of human behaviour prevalent today. Wundt was professor of physiology at Leipzig, where he studied human perception. He is famous for founding the introspectionist school of Psychology, in which highly-trained subjects were asked to report on Just-Noticeable Differences between two stimuli of almost equal intensity, and sensory thresholds.
How about this exciting new genre: plumbers, drywallers and electricians duke it out for world supremecy!
Plumbers? You're talking about Mario Bros., right?
Jumping to Conclusions?
After you jump, do you have to swim back?
codythefreak writes to deflect certain barbs lately directed at the security level of Mac OS X: "Working as a sysadmin at UC Berkeley's Residential Computing, since we serve more than 6,000 clients living in the dorms, we tend to know the major computing trends. There are 5,120 registered Windows XP machines in our system, and our staff have logged 2,452 duty logs to assist them (about one in two). On the other hand, there are 341 Mac OS X machines, and only 56 duty logs (about one in six). If we restrict these to virus and security related duty logs: Windows XP has 491 (about one in ten) and OS X has 2 (less than one in a hundred)!"
I was a sysadmin at Berkeley for 5 years.
I have the following observations: 1. The attitude of Windows users was less snobbish (i.e., they viewed their computer as a tool, not a fashion accessory),
2. There were less Macs, resulting in less assistance tickets for that platform, but the amount of time we spent dealing with each Mac issue was far greater than the amount of time. This was usually due to the fact that Apple had made some change, rendering recent hardware (~2 years) useless. (i.e. changes like dropping floppies, dropping SCSI, extremely poor hardware support with the launch of OS X, the OS 9/OS X dual boot requirement, shoddy DVD/USB support in OS X.0, etc)
3. We kept all machines patched, firewalled, and up-to-date with antiviral software, so viruses were not an issue.
Your Mileage May vary, of course.
This could result in high-resolution 7"-thick rear-projection TV costing around $1000 by next Christmas (not to mention cheap projectors). I guess I can put off buying a new TV for another year ..."
Yeah, it could result in that. But how long have we been waiting for stuff that could happen in a year. Broadband over power lines rings a bell. If you'd been waiting for that, you'd still be on dialup.
the boys at Redmond were scrambling today to figure out why some systems are being patched. The reason? They haven't got a clue.
The do have a clue. Read the article. It's because a November patch for frontpage wasn't applied to some machines.
A New York Times article explores the possible effects of prolonged radiation exposure in deep space. Surprisingly, very little is known about the subject.
They've obviously never read the Fantastic Four.
Heh, the University I attended wouldn't hire any of their graduates either ... but it shows the faith the Uni had in its own undergrads.
Perhaps they had faith in their undergrads, but were trying to prevent a university monoculture from forming. A lot of times Universities prefer people from the "outside world" simply because a more diverse work environment is often a more dynamic work environment.
It may work out that people of the same education, from the same University can get the job done, but they might also overlook alternate/better methodologies.
Yeah, that weight savings on the ipod is awesome, when it goes dead halfway through a long plane flight.
The Zen might weigh 2 ounces more (about the same weight as *half* a music CD), but it goes for 14 hours. And you can charge it from any USB port... which are everywhere.
Nomad Zen 30GB: $279
Apple iPOD 10GB: $299
Paying $20 more for less functionality, and 1/3 of the space = lame. And the Zen even looks nicer.
Ok, so the Microsoft connection makes it easy to write the whole thing off as astroturfing, but they have a point.
Parked domain names usually aren't separate websites; they're usually hundreds, or thousands of domains pointing to the same server/service that's trying to sell them for profit. In addition, Netcraft counts www.yahooo.com and www.yahoo.com as separate sites-- Even though they both go to Yahoo.
In this manner, Netcraft's method *is* unfair, because there's no weight as to the location to which the domains point.
... and I can get a poster of a Van Gogh for $15, right down the street.
Yeah, finally a company built on Outlook's insecurity. Check out this article in PC Magazine:
"Plaxo contains a hack that mines your Outlook profile password so that it can retrieve your contacts unhindered. Although Plaxo claims that it does nothing with your password once it retrieves your contacts, I don't like this, because it makes child's play out of accessing passwords;"
So not only are they mining your personal data for later resale to the highest bidder, they're compromising your machine while they're at it!
But, really, they respect you and your privacy. Really.
If you think about it, Plaxo is the perfect "built to be acquired" company. Read their "privacy policy" here:
"In the event Plaxo goes through a business transition, such as a merger, acquisition or the sale of a portion of its assets, Your Information and your membership in the Plaxo Contact Networks(TM) will, in most instances, be part of the assets transferred. You will be notified of an ownership change pursuant to Notification of Changes section of the privacy statement."
See that? They consider your information to be an asset. So, I wonder how long they're going to farm data before selling themselves to doubleclick? Imagine how valuable that data will be. Your surfing habits, matched with your personal information, matched with the personal information and surfing habits of all your 1st-degree friends, and all your friends' friends...
(Also notice that Plaxo (purposely) makes its full privacy policy difficult to link. It's a javascript popup)
What if we call it snoopware? shitware? How about "fucks-up-your-computer-and- makes-it-run-slower-ware"?
TSIA.
Isn't Picard worried about another stabbing from the Nausicaans?
By using its existing TCP/IP networks and spending $4 million for a Cisco Call Manager, the university circumvented its local carrier and reduced monthly service fees from $530,000 to a mere $6,000.
GREAT IDEA! They spent $4,000,000 to save 500,000.
Of course, this is Arkansas we're talking about. They aren't much good with the number-learnin'.
(and there's no mention of other facility/staff expenses, either, so who knows how much money this really "saves")
But .. it's a MAC! I thought it "just works"? I thought it "doesn't crash"? I thought it "works effortlessly"?
But I guess that's what happens when you believe apple's PR department.
Honestly i think this is great news. Just the other day i was thinking about how feasible it would be to control an airplane (comerical airliner) outside of the cockpit. If someone did gain access to the flight deck and was able to take control of the plane, it would be a lot easier for a US Air Marshal to break out a PDA and take back control of the plane.
Who are you, steven seagal?
Seriously, this country needs a lot less of the Jerry-Bruckheimer-style hero bullshit, and a little more common sense. How about we prevent them from getting ahold of the plane in the first place? Reinforced, solid steel, time-release cockpit doors would be a good start.
You mean I have to run crappy Windows to get this working???? Please confirm.
You can use crappy Windows (95-98), or you can use good Windows (2K-XP). Either will work.
Pretty cool device - reminds me of a XBox Media Player in terms of function, but with less soldering, and a keyboard.
Less soldering? How can you have less soldering than *none*? Have you found some way to quantify negative soldering amounts?