Some things will ALWAYS be funny... bodily functions will ALWAYS be at the top of that list... farting, crapping one's pants, anything to do with sex. They transcend media and always hit below the belt... another thing that will always be funny, "Old man...getting hit in the groin with a football" -sic Simpsons.
Had an acquaintance named John who sat on the board of Global Crossing, at least in 1997 - 98 he did... he spent most of the year in Singapore as it was... wonder where he is now?
He kept telling me all I needed was 20k and a ticket to Singapore and I could live like a king... still thinking about it.
Seriously... does EVERY freakin' Wired article NEED to be discussed? It's been said many times before that/. is just Wired's discussion forum.... is that really what you want?
Can/. admins at least set up a new "Wired Article" topic so those who are uninterested can remove it from our home page?
Stay away from commodities... anything that can be easily taught and requires only book knowledge can be sent overseas or peddled to the lowest bidder. Programming and System Admin have traditionally been technical positions because they were esoteric and specialized, however with the introduction of commodity hardware and software (think Intel and Microsoft) these skills have become just as much a commodity as the tools they use.
I don't see a lot of graphic designers complaining about outsourced labor as of yet, although the printing and garment industry already went through that phase about ten years ago.
So as for Computer Science, you'll need to learn about software architecture and design more than simply development. no longer can you just be a 'code monkey' while expecting to be paid big bucks. You must become the code engineer instead... think about the difference between a hardware engineer and a factory worker at a hardware plant.
Hopefully though our children will be able to freely move around to different countries and work at whatever job they choose. Making less money doesn't matter if the cost of living some place is really low.
The funny thing is that you could probably start a new business in India easier than you can get a job there. Why not just move there and become an independent consultant?
Details, details..... my vision for a device like this is that it is an accessory for all display devices... be they PC, Console Game device, PDA, Laptop, Cellphone. Of course what needs to happen is for a standard to evolve through a standards body for authenticating hardware, attached storage. Bluetooth has a method... it may work... though at the moment it is adhoc and p2p, with absolutely no auth server involvement, ie: no central auth database.
Just reiterating some of your points in a different manner.
I still can't see script kiddies sitting down to do this type of hacking for any length of time... seems like they prefer instant gratification. Maybe if someone much more intelligent were to write up a few cracker's kits with a bundle of preset tools and whatnot... maybe then.
As always, if someone REALLY wants to get in to your stuff, they will find a way. Locks and other security are really only targeted at vandals, not thieves.
Yeah I use my brain for organizing as well. Folders are great for archiving though so I use them too. Stuff like 'Topic' 'Date' and 'Type' do wonders in that department. Start with a flat file organized alphabetically (luckily my file browser does this for me) create new folders for each Topic...
When it's time to archive, take all the old inactive stuff and put it in a folder with the month range and year as a label. My file browser also filters on Type of document so that's easy. Point is that this way nothing is ever more than 3 folders down. Go to the Archive, find the Date you think is right... look at the Topics, grab your file. OR Go to Current, look at the Topics, grab your file. Avoid using Topics like 'Stuff' or 'Documents' or any other highly generic term. This system works great for email as well. In fact it works for bosing up stuff for moving things too. Pretty much anything can be organized this way AND HAS BEEN for CENTURIES, because it works. Go talk to a 40 year old secretary, personal assistant or librarian some day. If there was a better way to organize they would be using it.
Now as far as making cross connections between documents, knowledge or what have you... it's YOUR information, you should already know what you have so use your brain to do this part.
AI is really only necessary for organizing information you don't know anything about, ie: Google or Autonomy. If you need to organize large unknown datasets then just spend the money for a system which does this. If you don't want to spend the money or don't have the time to organize it yourself then you really don't need it that bad. Maybe hire a 40 year old personal assistant to do it for you?
People haven't changed at all... in the last thousand years much less the last ten. One example of it is when sad jaded fellows like yourself can't be excited or even amused by something as cool as the Segway... Segway's problem isn't technology it is price.
If I could get one of those for $500 I'd already have one... when you start charging the price for a Motorcycle I'm going to expect it to be as mature and as accepted as a motorcycle. Where's the Segway License line at the DMV? Where's my license plate? What about insurance policies and aftermarket accessories and repair shops? Apparently IT is just an expensive toy, like a Playstation 2 and it should be priced as such.
Seriously, even in Star Trek they only used heavy rockets in the beginning... later they used 'light shuttles' to carry people and light supplies into orbit where they would dock with a much larger space only ship.
Physics and human biology make logical arguments for using small ships for people and large rockets for cargo. When you do them both at the same time you're purposes contradict each other... getting people up safely and getting cargo up efficiently. We all know that safety and efficiency are typically exclusive of each other, why fight it?
I just want to know what sort of communication is going on that requires WEP encryption? Seeing as how it is intrinsically flawed, WEP key rotation isn't mentioned and the fact that it will slow down the ever so important FPS?
Any thoughts? Is Microsoft planning on mergin this with their Internet TV concept? Will you be emailing via hotmail through your XBox in the years to come?
"bury stuff that doesn't need to be used constantly and by most users in an advanced options dialog somewhere"
or better yet make it easily accessible for those who want it by making it a default menu item in every application... always in the same place... with a warning about using advanced features (with a 'never show this warning again' check box).
"Having a machine to count for you is a waste of resources, and driven only by lazyness, or by somebody who wants to look hip, and the danger of cheating is increased"
And this is exactly why I have been telling the banks they need to get rid of those damn machines and go back to counting my money by hand! I want to see them going penny by penny and dollar by dollar so there's no mistakes!!!!! I mean how many people can it possibly take to count out the thousand or so dollars a month I want to put into my account???
Seriously the whole freakin' point of machines, especiallly these new fangled 'difference machines' is to COUNT things! Why must people suddenly go all caveman when it comes to voting systems...
"Who pay for this development, how can the developers truly independant if they are paid?"
Taxes pay for development, duh... what the hell are taxes for if not maintaining governing institutions. How much would it cost? Less than any military machine or operation every conceived. Why should each State have to have their own system designed and developed when the process is the same for State elections as for Federal elections? One design fits all elections.. they all have the same requirements.
Independent from each other... not 'INDEPENDENT" as in completely free of outside influence.
"How do you recount with this system?"
Why would you need a recount? It's a digital solution, if it doesn't work right it isn't finished or ready for deployment yet... but if you really needed an old fashioned paper trail then have it print out a paper copy behind the scenes directly into a sorter. Then do whatever you want with them.
"How do you make sure that someone does not tamper with it locally? Simplier systems are easier to check, I think"
What's easier to check, a central database with a table of results and data analysis tools OR thousands of paper tickets with human error potential at every step of the process? As far as tampering goes... the same things they do to ensure it doesn't happen now.. security. The client kiosk machines things would only be available to the public on a few days a year for what 12 hours each day?
If you mean cracking into the server system, well the whole fresh install of the system from a secure codebase ensures against anything (preemptive cracking) but last minute cracks which should be worked out during extensive QA.
"What happens if the power goes out or batteries die?"
Ever hear of generators? How many elections do you know of that happen during a power outage?
"Who sets these things up and runs them? Not the old folks I saw the last time I was in the US and saw voting!"
Volunteers just like we do now, except they will go to some new seminars on how to set up the new systems. Really the Kiosk terminals could very easily be plug and play devices... plug in the power plug in the ethernet cable.... one trained admin handles the server and verifies that DHCP has allocated the appropriate number of IP addresses, if any are missing a replacement is put in (just pull the problem machine and ship it back to the manufacturer) and the number is rechecked.
Really with electronic voting the idea is to have less people involved, therefore less human error... you may not need those old folks to help or they could be doing the ID verification and passing out 'I voted' buttons.
One. The identification system. It gets you passed the sign on screen. It is developed separately by an independent group whose sole purpose is to create an accurate identification system which can be applied to both state and national elections. Use SSN, Driver's License or State ID, and PIN number assigned to you by the Voter Registrar Volunteer along with current address and full name. The PIN number allows the people giving them out to verify your physical identity so you don't get to go back again or vote twice under two IDs while you're in there.
The ID system's only purpose is to check against a database of registered voters and verify that you have not voted in the current election. That is where it ends. End of program. No more connection to the voting process. Anonymous voting assured.
If you, identified by your credentials, have already voted it will kick you back out to the welcome screen with a thank you for having already voted message.
If you haven't voted in the current election as yet the ID system will forward you to a new program... the voting system.
Second. The voting system is again developed separately by an independent group whose purpose is to create an accurate voting register/database and interface. The only thing it knows about you is that you are a registered and verified voter and it has an auto incremented tally number associated with your session. The screen takes you through the various elections and initiatives allowing you to make your selections, review them and submit them. When you're done it kicks you out to the thank you for having voted message.
The ID and voting systems are clients to a central server systems which are under constant monitoring/security during the election and which are completely reinitialized from a hard copy of their separate codebases for each election so as to avoid preemptive compromises. Each of the databases are reset each election with any new data as needed (new registered voters for the ID system; new candidates, initiatives, etc for the voting system). A good administration tool for the server is also required which streamlines the election setup process for the Registrars Department, whoever else is involved.
The actual ID/voting machines are simple Kiosks with touch screens running an XWindows session or similar remote client application on the central server. Of course they would have to be extensively QA'd to reveal any sort of buffer overflow, syntax glitch or whatever that would allow anything crackish to occur.
It doesn't matter whether Red Hat and SUSE are most popular right now, maybe they deserve to be.
What's most important is that with Linux there is no way that they can prevent any other company that decides to step up and bring a distro to market.
This fact will keep them on their toes via the omnipresent shadow of the unknown competitor just around the corner and it means that even if they decide to abandon Linux ten years from now, any of the other distros can come in a take up the slack.
I always thought/. was a community, despite the bickering and good natured platform loyalties.... flame on, but this is a story about a fellow gamer who has apparently lost everything... like being cloned without any insurance, losing all possessions... (in reality he may have had a very good home insurance policy).
In any case I read the article and decided to foward a link to the/. post to the original media outlet with a declaration of intent to aid he and his family... hopefully via small donations to a paypal account... defaulting to me sending a check for a hundred bucks to this guy to help out. Hopefully he doesn't need it, but if he does I can't think of a better use for a hundred bucks I'd probaby just spend on coffee or alcohol over the next month. Anyone else with disposable income they could lend. Don't worry, there's no oblgation to help out next time... seriously you don't have to bail out everyone who ever had an accident/misfortune, just think about helping every once in a while.
Text of submission:
"Video fix saved resident in fire
By Dan Murphy / For the Journal
Thursday, August 14, 2003"
I would like to help this individual. If you could contact Richard Machado and let him know that his plight has been broadcast on "Slashdot.org" ( http://slashdot.org) a premiere technologists news site and that all of the readers would be interested in finding out about how they can individually help he and his family through their tough times... please forward advice on how to set up a PayPal account or similar so that we his peers can contribute a dollar, ten or a hundred as our situation merits to helping he and his family.
In addition please advise Slashdot.org(part of the RedHat network) separately of the ROI they will receive for adding a new category... 'Community Service' which of course people can 'uncheck' from their homepage if they don't want to see it.
If there is no response from the Slashdot community, I would appreciate if you could forward my email to Richard Machado. I would like to help..
Sincerely,
X. XXXXXXXX Irvine CA
"
p.s
I x'ed out my name for this post... if the email gets publicity I will welcome the exposure. Til then it's YROL.
Slashdot Mirror
7 x 50,000 != 35,000
it's 350,000
still not huge but at least a little more significant
Some things will ALWAYS be funny... bodily functions will ALWAYS be at the top of that list... farting, crapping one's pants, anything to do with sex. They transcend media and always hit below the belt... another thing that will always be funny, "Old man...getting hit in the groin with a football" -sic Simpsons.
Had an acquaintance named John who sat on the board of Global Crossing, at least in 1997 - 98 he did... he spent most of the year in Singapore as it was... wonder where he is now?
He kept telling me all I needed was 20k and a ticket to Singapore and I could live like a king... still thinking about it.
Seriously... does EVERY freakin' Wired article NEED to be discussed? It's been said many times before that /. is just Wired's discussion forum.... is that really what you want?
/. admins at least set up a new "Wired Article" topic so those who are uninterested can remove it from our home page?
Can
Please please please....
Stay away from commodities... anything that can be easily taught and requires only book knowledge can be sent overseas or peddled to the lowest bidder. Programming and System Admin have traditionally been technical positions because they were esoteric and specialized, however with the introduction of commodity hardware and software (think Intel and Microsoft) these skills have become just as much a commodity as the tools they use.
I don't see a lot of graphic designers complaining about outsourced labor as of yet, although the printing and garment industry already went through that phase about ten years ago.
So as for Computer Science, you'll need to learn about software architecture and design more than simply development. no longer can you just be a 'code monkey' while expecting to be paid big bucks. You must become the code engineer instead... think about the difference between a hardware engineer and a factory worker at a hardware plant.
Hopefully though our children will be able to freely move around to different countries and work at whatever job they choose. Making less money doesn't matter if the cost of living some place is really low.
The funny thing is that you could probably start a new business in India easier than you can get a job there. Why not just move there and become an independent consultant?
Details, details..... my vision for a device like this is that it is an accessory for all display devices... be they PC, Console Game device, PDA, Laptop, Cellphone. Of course what needs to happen is for a standard to evolve through a standards body for authenticating hardware, attached storage. Bluetooth has a method... it may work... though at the moment it is adhoc and p2p, with absolutely no auth server involvement, ie: no central auth database.
Just reiterating some of your points in a different manner.
I still can't see script kiddies sitting down to do this type of hacking for any length of time... seems like they prefer instant gratification. Maybe if someone much more intelligent were to write up a few cracker's kits with a bundle of preset tools and whatnot... maybe then.
As always, if someone REALLY wants to get in to your stuff, they will find a way. Locks and other security are really only targeted at vandals, not thieves.
Maybe try Eudora? or you could just wait a month until Panther... supposed to have much improved performance and scalability added to Mail.app
Yeah I use my brain for organizing as well. Folders are great for archiving though so I use them too. Stuff like 'Topic' 'Date' and 'Type' do wonders in that department. Start with a flat file organized alphabetically (luckily my file browser does this for me) create new folders for each Topic...
When it's time to archive, take all the old inactive stuff and put it in a folder with the month range and year as a label. My file browser also filters on Type of document so that's easy. Point is that this way nothing is ever more than 3 folders down. Go to the Archive, find the Date you think is right... look at the Topics, grab your file. OR Go to Current, look at the Topics, grab your file. Avoid using Topics like 'Stuff' or 'Documents' or any other highly generic term. This system works great for email as well. In fact it works for bosing up stuff for moving things too. Pretty much anything can be organized this way AND HAS BEEN for CENTURIES, because it works. Go talk to a 40 year old secretary, personal assistant or librarian some day. If there was a better way to organize they would be using it.
Now as far as making cross connections between documents, knowledge or what have you... it's YOUR information, you should already know what you have so use your brain to do this part.
AI is really only necessary for organizing information you don't know anything about, ie: Google or Autonomy. If you need to organize large unknown datasets then just spend the money for a system which does this. If you don't want to spend the money or don't have the time to organize it yourself then you really don't need it that bad. Maybe hire a 40 year old personal assistant to do it for you?
Anyone read it as "Shuttle Launches From Artic Clouds?
Totally confused when the new Artic Cloud Energy or A.C.E. technology was no where to be found in the article!
Ultimately I think this should win the award for "Most unanticipated research" category....
People haven't changed at all... in the last thousand years much less the last ten. One example of it is when sad jaded fellows like yourself can't be excited or even amused by something as cool as the Segway... Segway's problem isn't technology it is price.
If I could get one of those for $500 I'd already have one... when you start charging the price for a Motorcycle I'm going to expect it to be as mature and as accepted as a motorcycle. Where's the Segway License line at the DMV? Where's my license plate? What about insurance policies and aftermarket accessories and repair shops? Apparently IT is just an expensive toy, like a Playstation 2 and it should be priced as such.
Seriously, even in Star Trek they only used heavy rockets in the beginning... later they used 'light shuttles' to carry people and light supplies into orbit where they would dock with a much larger space only ship.
Physics and human biology make logical arguments for using small ships for people and large rockets for cargo. When you do them both at the same time you're purposes contradict each other... getting people up safely and getting cargo up efficiently. We all know that safety and efficiency are typically exclusive of each other, why fight it?
I just want to know what sort of communication is going on that requires WEP encryption? Seeing as how it is intrinsically flawed, WEP key rotation isn't mentioned and the fact that it will slow down the ever so important FPS?
Any thoughts? Is Microsoft planning on mergin this with their Internet TV concept? Will you be emailing via hotmail through your XBox in the years to come?
Isn't that the whole idea of Free as in Libre software? Isn't the idea of Free as in beer software to avoid legal disputes?
if it's Free (L) then everyone sees it and can use it... massive adoption.
If it's Free (B) then no one is accountable for IP vioaltion as long as it is clean room developed... ie: avoid SCO infringement...
there's no one specific to target and everyone has a stake in it because of such massive adoption.
Looks like this is just more fodder to support the idea that SCO is playing a bait and switch on investors ...
Then use some enhancement software on a scan.
Well the photocopy idea is great if you do it in the beginning.
Too true, tooo true... maybe he'll decide to irradiate the world instead by removing the metal grill on his microwave and cooking hotdogs all day ;-p
"bury stuff that doesn't need to be used constantly and by most users in an advanced options dialog somewhere"
or better yet make it easily accessible for those who want it by making it a default menu item in every application... always in the same place... with a warning about using advanced features (with a 'never show this warning again' check box).
"Having a machine to count for you is a waste of resources, and driven only by lazyness, or by somebody who wants to look hip, and the danger of cheating is increased"
And this is exactly why I have been telling the banks they need to get rid of those damn machines and go back to counting my money by hand! I want to see them going penny by penny and dollar by dollar so there's no mistakes!!!!! I mean how many people can it possibly take to count out the thousand or so dollars a month I want to put into my account???
Seriously the whole freakin' point of machines, especiallly these new fangled 'difference machines' is to COUNT things! Why must people suddenly go all caveman when it comes to voting systems...
"Who pay for this development, how can the developers truly independant if they are paid?"
Taxes pay for development, duh... what the hell are taxes for if not maintaining governing institutions. How much would it cost? Less than any military machine or operation every conceived. Why should each State have to have their own system designed and developed when the process is the same for State elections as for Federal elections? One design fits all elections.. they all have the same requirements.
Independent from each other... not 'INDEPENDENT" as in completely free of outside influence.
"How do you recount with this system?"
Why would you need a recount? It's a digital solution, if it doesn't work right it isn't finished or ready for deployment yet... but if you really needed an old fashioned paper trail then have it print out a paper copy behind the scenes directly into a sorter. Then do whatever you want with them.
"How do you make sure that someone does not tamper with it locally? Simplier systems are easier to check, I think"
What's easier to check, a central database with a table of results and data analysis tools OR thousands of paper tickets with human error potential at every step of the process? As far as tampering goes... the same things they do to ensure it doesn't happen now.. security. The client kiosk machines things would only be available to the public on a few days a year for what 12 hours each day?
If you mean cracking into the server system, well the whole fresh install of the system from a secure codebase ensures against anything (preemptive cracking) but last minute cracks which should be worked out during extensive QA.
"What happens if the power goes out or batteries die?"
Ever hear of generators? How many elections do you know of that happen during a power outage?
"Who sets these things up and runs them? Not the old folks I saw the last time I was in the US and saw voting!"
Volunteers just like we do now, except they will go to some new seminars on how to set up the new systems. Really the Kiosk terminals could very easily be plug and play devices... plug in the power plug in the ethernet cable.... one trained admin handles the server and verifies that DHCP has allocated the appropriate number of IP addresses, if any are missing a replacement is put in (just pull the problem machine and ship it back to the manufacturer) and the number is rechecked.
Really with electronic voting the idea is to have less people involved, therefore less human error... you may not need those old folks to help or they could be doing the ID verification and passing out 'I voted' buttons.
TO verify the voter you'd need the old email me a link system....
you'd have to give your email address when you registered though....
which would be great for politicians to send you all their latest campaign spam... I mean propaganda err... I mean information.
Seriously though, it's not such a bad way to do it. Some people would have an email address they only used for elections I guess.
The super lotto for voting is a pretty GOOD(TM) idea.
Wonder if it's patented yet?
Two part system.
One. The identification system. It gets you passed the sign on screen. It is developed separately by an independent group whose sole purpose is to create an accurate identification system which can be applied to both state and national elections. Use SSN, Driver's License or State ID, and PIN number assigned to you by the Voter Registrar Volunteer along with current address and full name. The PIN number allows the people giving them out to verify your physical identity so you don't get to go back again or vote twice under two IDs while you're in there.
The ID system's only purpose is to check against a database of registered voters and verify that you have not voted in the current election. That is where it ends. End of program. No more connection to the voting process. Anonymous voting assured.
If you, identified by your credentials, have already voted it will kick you back out to the welcome screen with a thank you for having already voted message.
If you haven't voted in the current election as yet the ID system will forward you to a new program... the voting system.
Second. The voting system is again developed separately by an independent group whose purpose is to create an accurate voting register/database and interface. The only thing it knows about you is that you are a registered and verified voter and it has an auto incremented tally number associated with your session. The screen takes you through the various elections and initiatives allowing you to make your selections, review them and submit them. When you're done it kicks you out to the thank you for having voted message.
The ID and voting systems are clients to a central server systems which are under constant monitoring/security during the election and which are completely reinitialized from a hard copy of their separate codebases for each election so as to avoid preemptive compromises. Each of the databases are reset each election with any new data as needed (new registered voters for the ID system; new candidates, initiatives, etc for the voting system). A good administration tool for the server is also required which streamlines the election setup process for the Registrars Department, whoever else is involved.
The actual ID/voting machines are simple Kiosks with touch screens running an XWindows session or similar remote client application on the central server. Of course they would have to be extensively QA'd to reveal any sort of buffer overflow, syntax glitch or whatever that would allow anything crackish to occur.
That's my two part voting system.
It doesn't matter whether Red Hat and SUSE are most popular right now, maybe they deserve to be.
What's most important is that with Linux there is no way that they can prevent any other company that decides to step up and bring a distro to market.
This fact will keep them on their toes via the omnipresent shadow of the unknown competitor just around the corner and it means that even if they decide to abandon Linux ten years from now, any of the other distros can come in a take up the slack.
I always thought /. was a community, despite the bickering and good natured platform loyalties.... flame on, but this is a story about a fellow gamer who has apparently lost everything... like being cloned without any insurance, losing all possessions... (in reality he may have had a very good home insurance policy).
/. post to the original media outlet with a declaration of intent to aid he and his family... hopefully via small donations to a paypal account... defaulting to me sending a check for a hundred bucks to this guy to help out. Hopefully he doesn't need it, but if he does I can't think of a better use for a hundred bucks I'd probaby just spend on coffee or alcohol over the next month. Anyone else with disposable income they could lend. Don't worry, there's no oblgation to help out next time... seriously you don't have to bail out everyone who ever had an accident/misfortune, just think about helping every once in a while.
In any case I read the article and decided to foward a link to the
Text of submission:
"Video fix saved resident in fire
By Dan Murphy / For the Journal
Thursday, August 14, 2003"
I would like to help this individual. If you could contact Richard Machado and let him know that his plight has been broadcast on "Slashdot.org" ( http://slashdot.org) a premiere technologists news site and that all of the readers would be interested in finding out about how they can individually help he and his family through their tough times... please forward advice on how to set up a PayPal account or similar so that we his peers can contribute a dollar, ten or a hundred as our situation merits to helping he and his family.
In addition please advise Slashdot.org(part of the RedHat network) separately of the ROI they will receive for adding a new category... 'Community Service' which of course people can 'uncheck' from their homepage if they don't want to see it.
If there is no response from the Slashdot community, I would appreciate if you could forward my email to Richard Machado. I would like to help..
Sincerely,
X. XXXXXXXX
Irvine CA
"
p.s
I x'ed out my name for this post... if the email gets publicity
I will welcome the exposure. Til then it's YROL.