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User: mnemotronic

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  1. Re:Wasn't Assange just the leaker? on US Government Admits It Doesn't Know If Assange Cracked Password For Manning (vice.com) · · Score: 1

    ... All the "hacking" was done on Manning's side, which isn't hacking because his job was analyst for the military and working with cables was his job ...

    If Manning wasn't cleared to view the information, then viewing or even attempting to is illegal.

    I'm less clear on Assange's charge:

    "For purposes of a conspiracy charge, it is not necessary for the action to be successful. All that is needed is an overt action in furtherance of the conspiracy, namely Assange's efforts to crack the password for Manning," Bradley, a lawyer at the Mark Zaid P.C law firm in Washington, DC, told Motherboard via email. "That he failed is irrelevant."

    Does that mean that Assange can be charged even if he just said "I'll see what I can do" then did nothing in response to Manning's request for assistance cracking a password? That seems like a pretty slim line.

  2. With Congress split, both House & Senate will spend half their time overwhelmingly passing bills that would never be passed by the other chamber, signed into law or pass constitutional muster. These are strictly demonstrations to garner more campaign funds or to inflame the support base. It's a jerk-off fest.

  3. Re:For-profit fortnight 12-step recovery centers? on 'Fortnite' May be a Virtual Game, But It's Having Real-life, Dangerous Effects (bostonglobe.com) · · Score: 1

    AA was born out of the meetings of the 2 founders: Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith who, with his wife, was attending the Oxford Group in Akron Ohio. The Oxford Group Movement was founded in 1921 by Frank Buchman, a Lutheran minister. The 12 steps of AA had their start in some of the principals of the Oxford Groups: surrender to God, personal inventory, admission of character defects and making restitution. The Oxford Groups were religious and many original AA members were fine with that.

    However others required a different approach and so the concept of a "power greater than ourselves" was born (Alcoholics Anonymous - Ch 4 "We Agnostics").

    "Around this time (1938) our big AA book was being written ... My only contribution to their literary efforts was my firm conviction -- since I was still a theological rebel -- that the word God should be qualified with the phrase 'as we understood him' -- for that was the only I could accept spirituality." (Alcoholics Anonymous, "The Vicious Cycle" by Jim B).

    Officially, AA has always maintained religious indifference: "We are not allied with any particular faith, sect or denomination, nor do we oppose anyone" (Foreward to first edition, published Apr 1939); "Alcoholics is not a religious organization" (Foreward to second edition, published 1955). That being said, some members of AA do have "standard" Christian upbringings and still hold those views.

  4. For-profit fortnight 12-step recovery centers? on 'Fortnite' May be a Virtual Game, But It's Having Real-life, Dangerous Effects (bostonglobe.com) · · Score: 1

    A nationwide chain of for-profit fortnight 12-step recovery centers. And a competing chain (run by the same company) doing basically the same thing but without the whole "higher power" stuff. For those who don't buy into spirituality. Why? Because, anything that can be done by recovering addicts trying to help other people recover can also be done by those who are greedy and prescient enough.

  5. Woo-hoo! Passed that. on Tinder Announces New 'Height Verification' Feature. But They May Be Lying (gotinder.com) · · Score: 1

    I really hope they don't require pics or proof of other ..... claimed physical attributes.

  6. Oracle had such overwhelming success with SPARC chips, how about a SPARC T4 in a smartphone? It could also act as a handwarmer. Let's see Apple top that!

  7. Did police recover any yellow vests? on French Gas Stations Robbed After Forgetting To Change Gas Pump PINs (zdnet.com) · · Score: 1

    Did the perps spend the week stealing gasoline, the spend weekends protesting gas taxes? That would be ballsy.

  8. That link takes me to a really hosed up page.

  9. Just crotchity neurons on The Adult Brain Does Grow New Neurons After All, Study Says (scientificamerican.com) · · Score: 1

    Yea, I got yer neurons right here ya little pipsqueek. Don't you have a job? Now clear up your dog's crap and get off my lawn..

  10. Where's the beef? on Mueller Report 'Summary' Delivered to US Congress (cnn.com) · · Score: 1

    I never understood the focus on Trump by the media and the less astute. For me the investigation was to determine if there was Russian interference in an American election and, if so, who / what / when / where / why / how. I want to know details of interference by one or more foreign states. Was it technical or social? From what IP addresses? Who were the leaders and who were the worker bees? Names, pictures, addresses and telephone numbers please. Not that it will change the outcome -- just for future reference. I can see how the President would want to make the investigation all about himself. Donald Trump's nature is to make everything all about Donald Trump. It's called promoting the brand. That's his job and at least he takes that seriously. Invent some bad guys and it also becomes defending the brand. The media and an army of roving loons comically chase after his admittedly skillful twitter misdirections like rabid weasels.

  11. I can only imagine how news of this will increase the number of fake bills showing up at the accounts payable departments at Google and Facebook.

  12. ... beuracracy ... speed up Humanities Denise

    Spooling otters co-rectal by Andriod otto core wrecked.

  13. Building better germs on Florida Citrus Trees To Be Sprayed With Thousands of Kilograms of Antiobiotics (nature.com) · · Score: 4, Informative

    I wish we'd learn from past mistakes. Overuse of antibiotics can lead to the stronger strains of germs developing resistance to them.

  14. That little blurb at the end of "The Big Short" on Britain Could Run Short of Water by 2050, Official Says (nytimes.com) · · Score: 1

    Michael Burry (one of the people that foresaw problems with subprime mortgages and made money from it) is investing in water futures....
    https://www.retire.ly/burry-go...

  15. ... until some of the higher-ups ... are ... killed.

    Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. The "higher-ups" are focused on corporate bottom-line profit and growth. Make it financially painful for the leaders, on a personal basis, for a long time. Don't punish the stockholders or regular working schmucks for the boss's fjnork-up.

  16. Re:So, pilot error? on Pilot Who Hitched a Ride Saved Lion Air 737 Day Before Deadly Crash (bloomberg.com) · · Score: 1

    Is this a 737 Max 8 problem or a training problem?

    Those are in the "other factors" category. Primary reason is the Boeing is a profit-based company and decided, on this occasion anyway, that profit was more important than other factors. I foresee a large fine and class-action lawsuits....

  17. Re:Coolest Job Title Ever on Meteor Blast Over Bering Sea Was 10 Times Size of Hiroshima (theguardian.com) · · Score: 1

    I disagree. Build the wall, just make it higher and meteor proof. Problem solved with typical razor-sharp government efficiency.

    However, I suspect that an unacknowledged reason for a wall is to eventually privatize it's operation and maintenance, like the US prisons.

  18. Re:Phone companies are liars on Why Robo-Calls Can't Be Stopped (washingtonpost.com) · · Score: 1

    The FCC will never attempt to fine the phone companies. A. Ajit Pai works for the telecom industry and B. The phone companies would point out to their purchased ^H^H^H^H duly elected representative that the proposed fine inhibits their right to provide emergency services to millions of americans. C. I expect (just my theory) that they use internet VOIP via anonymous VPN services like TOR. Even if you find one or two of the people responsible for this, how would you disincentivize them or make an example of them? The standard approach would be heavy fines. Not a disincentive when their profit margins are so high.

  19. ... Sharpe says he's no longer researching treatments, because "It's just too toxic." ...

    By "it", I think he means the social-media landscape. There are other solutions besides ceasing research and hiding behind the couch -- ignore social media or hire someone to strike back at on-line activists like David Tuller. Fight fire with fire; sewage with sewage.

    How about a for-profit business specializing in on-line dissemination of vitriol, half-truths, personal attacks and veiled threats of violence? Oh. Never mind. We already got that.

  20. Is this a side-effect from "Game of Thrones"? on After 40 Years 'Dungeons & Dragons' is Suddenly Popular (cnbc.com) · · Score: 1

    I just started watching GOT last season and I gotta tell ya, them dragons are pretty cool. I'm trying to find the minimum number of older episodes to wade through to get the gist of the primary characters without having to deal with the petty squabbling and all the who's related to/at war with/backstabbing who and the minor families.

  21. grip a sponge? bagel? piece of screen? on Origami-inspired Robot Gripper Grasps Objects Up To 120 Times Its Weight (venturebeat.com) · · Score: 1

    does it need to form a seal around the object?

  22. Re:Only if you can still ride it. on You Will Soon Be Able To Pay Your Subway Fare With Your Face in China (scmp.com) · · Score: 1

    In our business dealings, if somebody don't pay wit cash, dey end up paying wid something else, like der kneecaps. Second time dey don't pay, it ain't pretty. Der singing in da boys choir. Know what I mean? Der ain't no third time.

  23. I want a job like that... on Google Smashes the World Record For Calculating Digits of Pi (wired.co.uk) · · Score: 1

    Hey boss. I want to harness a couple hundred VMs to find the most profitable stock market buy-sell strategy based on all the different types of moving averages and periods. I figure six moths to a year to write the code, then another 6 mo at least to let it chunk along. I'll share the results with you before I publish.

  24. What was the effect on life? on Radioactive Particles From Huge Solar Storm Found In Greenland (theguardian.com) · · Score: 1

    Did this storm affect people or other life and how?

  25. Have robot; will talk on John Oliver Fights Robocalls By Robocalling Ajit Pai and the FCC (arstechnica.com) · · Score: 1

    Saw these guys on Shark Tank the other day: https://jollyrogertelephone.co...

    With a little voice recognition we could turn this into a killer app.