I'll keep saying it -- spam is not a technical, political, social, spiritual, or financial issue. It 's a "people" issue. It boils down to a human being saying or thinking "The rewards of sending spam outweith it's risks", making a choice, and pushing a button that makes it happen. To convice the spammer otherwise will require a different approach. What the ultimate solution is, I don't know, but (for most human beings) pain, and the fear of pain, is a very powerful motivator. Obviously, no "civilized" ruling entity would ever approve or condone such an approach. Well, except for the KGB, the Mossad, the Taliban, the 3rd reich, various South American governments, some Islamic states, the Chinese, the French revolutionaries, and probably one or two branches of the US "intelligence community". Did I leave anybody out?
Since its shipment in May of 1990, Windows version 3.0 has proven to be
a remarkably stable product. In fact, Microsoft has only implemented a
single update release (version 3.0a) to accommodate minor bug fixes. -- Microsoft press release for Windows 3.1
Is it possible to have a clean organized grown-up home, without throwing everything away?
According to my fiancee, no. All my stuff (carpeting, furniture, appliances, computers, art, pets) is crap and has to go. All her stuff goes into the garage, and all my money goes to buy new stuff for her... she calls it "nesting".
Any and every electronic system will be vulnerable to fraud, as are the current schemes, it's just a different type of deception. The question is, which kind of fraud do we want to live with? Will a computer-based system be less likely to undergo scrutiny because "computers never make mistakes". When CNN announces "Colossus has determined that the next President of the United States is George W. Bush Jr", how many people will think "well, the computer never lies" and how many people will think "I'll bet it was rigged"?
What happened to web conferencing?
on
Son of Concorde
·
· Score: 1
I thought web-based virtual conferencing (like Webex) was going to eliminate much of the need to get from point A to point B via a low fuel efficiency, high pollution method.
Perhaps I'm missing something... is slashdot the Linux Announcement Bulletin of Release Available for Test (LABRAT)? Ok, Linux is important, but it's just an OS, and an announcement of a interim test release is not (IMHO) that newsworthy, unless this is the Final Release that will do flawless speaker-independent voice recognition, fix the perfect cup of expresso, and do my real work so I can play SMAC or Civ III all day.
I've got a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and this has never`.'=kk7%34
FROM: MR ABU LAWRENCE
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO.
REPLY TO THIS: (abu_lawrence@rediffmail.com)
Dear Sir,
SEEKING YOUR IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE.
Please permit me to make your acquaintance in so informal a manner. This is necessitated by my urgent need to reach a dependable and trust
wordy foreign partner. This request may seem strange and unsolicited but I will crave your indulgence and pray that you view it seriously. My name is. ABU LAWRENCE of the Democratic Republic of Congo and One of the close aides to the former President of the Democratic Republic of Congo
LAURENT KABILA of blessed memory, may his soul rest in peace. Due to the military campaign of LAURENT KABILA to force out the rebels
in my country, I and
Ain't no DFS on the planet gonna help if (like me) your girlfriend asynchronously decides that "all electrical devices are bad for me, so turn off everything when you're not using it".
Obviously, this kind of thinking can go to far....
LICENSE GRANT --This is a license, not a sales agreement, between you, the end user, and me. I grant to you a non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the Phrase
"stick it where the sun don't shine" in accord with the terms set forth in this License Agreement.
You may: a. use the Phrase in only one sentence ; b. make one (1) copy of the Phrase or sentence for backup purposes, provided that you reproduce all proprietary notices on the copy.
Isn't that cute. I'm all warm and fuzzy, just thinking that a nuclear reactor has been compared with a tree. I feel much better now. Maybe we can get some owls to nest in it, or a picture of a bear cub clinging to it's side. That's sure to make it bullet, accident, and idiot proof.
If we compare Three Mile Island reactor #2 with a Ringling Bros. big top circus, it suddenly becomes much safer by association. And Chernobyl #4 is about the same size as a Carmelite convent. That makes it safe, secure, and peaceful.
I think Joel Gay and the Anchorage Daily need a bit of what used to be called "journalistic integrity"
An SCO lock is a legal mechanism initiated by a dying software company over a product they didn't develop, aimed at companies they can't compete with, causing bad feelings among customers they'll never see.
This came about because the drive makers label the drives with the true capacity, but the OS (MS & Apple) report a diminished capacity using base2 math. From the PDF:
"The lawsuit, which seeks class action status, was filed earlier this week in Los
Angeles Superior Court against Apple Computer Inc., Dell Inc., Gateway Inc.,
Hewlett-Packard Co., IBM, Sharp Corp., Sony Corp., and Toshiba Corp."
So what does someone do? They sue the PC manufacturers, not Microsoft or the drive companies. If I hit myself in the head with a hammer long enough, that's bound to make sense..... Or the explanation lies in another line:
Let's say I create an important document with this new DRM, and assign an "expiration date" (Office workers can... set an expiration date.) then get layed off, or quit. What happens when the expiration date rolls around and the company can't get into the document? Can they come after me claiming I have caused them (financial) injury? Isn't this the same as intentionally planting a timed virus or cyber-attack?
... amazing and IMPORTANT (!?!?!)
on
Masters of Doom
·
· Score: 1, Insightful
these games were amazing, and
important
Whoa! Rein them ponies in, bucko.
Cancer research is important.
Curtailing nuclear proliferation is important.
Feeding the hungry is important.
Equality is important.
Halting global warming, pollution, and abuse of our resources is important.
Games are just games. Entertainment. A way to spend a few minutes (or hours or days for those with no life or responsibilities). Games provide jobs for a few folks, but they are hardly the cornerstone of western civilization (well, 'cept for Sid Meier's stuff). Now you can quote how FPSers are the training grounds for future pilots, but not everyone who blasts a virtual opponent joins the Navy, and not all fighter jocks are former sofa-dwelling thumb wrasslers. A game is no more than an interactive fantasy. The inflatable love doll of GenX+. Nobody every saved the world by playing Pacman.
Technical
The product isn't ready for users. Note that this didn't stop them from shipping Bob, ME, XP-SP1, or other problematic software. (I apologize for leaving anyones favorite "what a piece of c**p" off the list)
Business
Shipping SP2 now would negatively impact the bottom line. Would I perform an very expensive upgrade to the next OS (Longhorn) if I had just installed SP2?
Business (part deux)
Delaying SP2 will help the bottom line. In 2004, MS can offer users a choice between a patch of that pesky ol' XP, or The Fabulous, Great, Incredible New, Improved OS that Does So Much More,More,More. Yea, it's hype, but never, EVER underestimate the power of the Microsoft marketing department.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right,
it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
Our forefathers recognized that power corrupts, and provided for future changes of government. There doesn't seem to be any restrictions on the means of change, and the original founders did, in fact, employ more than harsh language when throwing off the imperial yoke.
The RIAA has stated they need to hack into private networks, otherwise known as VPNs, to track down the naughty copyright violators:
"If users think that any particular service guarantees their anonymity, they're wrong,"
Naturally the RIAA will need to inspect and decode every single packet sent using an encrypted protocol to determine if it contains copyrighted material. The NSA may be able to do this (not that we'll ever know), but I really doubt if a bunch of limp-noodle Hollywood lawyerswine have the funding or technical ability to do it. Supposing though, that through some miracle, they can pull it off. How will organizations that employ VPNs or PPTP for legitimate business purposes react when they hear that the RIAA is cracking their transactions?
Is there a way I can find out which/. thread topics cause the highest number of posts per minute? I'm betting that anything involving firearms, digital rights, and robotics would rank pretty high. I'm not sure if the majority of slashers are all that miff-able on other "hot" social issues like freedom of religion, abortion, socialized health care, or voter registration, but it would be interesting to know fer sure...
Slashdot Mirror
I'll keep saying it -- spam is not a technical, political, social, spiritual, or financial issue. It 's a "people" issue. It boils down to a human being saying or thinking "The rewards of sending spam outweith it's risks", making a choice, and pushing a button that makes it happen. To convice the spammer otherwise will require a different approach. What the ultimate solution is, I don't know, but (for most human beings) pain, and the fear of pain, is a very powerful motivator. Obviously, no "civilized" ruling entity would ever approve or condone such an approach. Well, except for the KGB, the Mossad, the Taliban, the 3rd reich, various South American governments, some Islamic states, the Chinese, the French revolutionaries, and probably one or two branches of the US "intelligence community". Did I leave anybody out?
http://www.astro.psu.edu/users/burrows/quotes.htm
And just what is 581 Kph in a useful unit of measurement (like furlongs per fortnight)?
Any and every electronic system will be vulnerable to fraud, as are the current schemes, it's just a different type of deception. The question is, which kind of fraud do we want to live with? Will a computer-based system be less likely to undergo scrutiny because "computers never make mistakes". When CNN announces "Colossus has determined that the next President of the United States is George W. Bush Jr", how many people will think "well, the computer never lies" and how many people will think "I'll bet it was rigged"?
I thought web-based virtual conferencing (like Webex) was going to eliminate much of the need to get from point A to point B via a low fuel efficiency, high pollution method.
#include <sound_of_karma_points_evaporating.ogg>
Leadership Secrets of Attilla the Hun
Oops! Did I just flush my karma cache? Damn!
FROM: MR ABU LAWRENCE
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO.
REPLY TO THIS: (abu_lawrence@rediffmail.com)
Dear Sir,
SEEKING YOUR IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE. Please permit me to make your acquaintance in so informal a manner. This is necessitated by my urgent need to reach a dependable and trust wordy foreign partner. This request may seem strange and unsolicited but I will crave your indulgence and pray that you view it seriously. My name is. ABU LAWRENCE of the Democratic Republic of Congo and One of the close aides to the former President of the Democratic Republic of Congo LAURENT KABILA of blessed memory, may his soul rest in peace. Due to the military campaign of LAURENT KABILA to force out the rebels in my country, I and
Ain't no DFS on the planet gonna help if (like me) your girlfriend asynchronously decides that "all electrical devices are bad for me, so turn off everything when you're not using it".
This thread has a lot of valid comments which have been modded down. Somebody seems to have an agenda with respect to nuclear reactors.
If we compare Three Mile Island reactor #2 with a Ringling Bros. big top circus, it suddenly becomes much safer by association. And Chernobyl #4 is about the same size as a Carmelite convent. That makes it safe, secure, and peaceful.
I think Joel Gay and the Anchorage Daily need a bit of what used to be called "journalistic integrity"
An SCO lock is a legal mechanism initiated by a dying software company over a product they didn't develop, aimed at companies they can't compete with, causing bad feelings among customers they'll never see.
Let's say I create an important document with this new DRM, and assign an "expiration date" (Office workers can ... set an expiration date.) then get layed off, or quit. What happens when the expiration date rolls around and the company can't get into the document? Can they come after me claiming I have caused them (financial) injury? Isn't this the same as intentionally planting a timed virus or cyber-attack?
- Cancer research is important.
- Curtailing nuclear proliferation is important.
- Feeding the hungry is important.
- Equality is important.
- Halting global warming, pollution, and abuse of our resources is important.
Games are just games. Entertainment. A way to spend a few minutes (or hours or days for those with no life or responsibilities). Games provide jobs for a few folks, but they are hardly the cornerstone of western civilization (well, 'cept for Sid Meier's stuff). Now you can quote how FPSers are the training grounds for future pilots, but not everyone who blasts a virtual opponent joins the Navy, and not all fighter jocks are former sofa-dwelling thumb wrasslers. A game is no more than an interactive fantasy. The inflatable love doll of GenX+. Nobody every saved the world by playing Pacman.The product isn't ready for users. Note that this didn't stop them from shipping Bob, ME, XP-SP1, or other problematic software. (I apologize for leaving anyones favorite "what a piece of c**p" off the list)
Shipping SP2 now would negatively impact the bottom line. Would I perform an very expensive upgrade to the next OS (Longhorn) if I had just installed SP2?
Delaying SP2 will help the bottom line. In 2004, MS can offer users a choice between a patch of that pesky ol' XP, or The Fabulous, Great, Incredible New, Improved OS that Does So Much More,More,More. Yea, it's hype, but never, EVER underestimate the power of the Microsoft marketing department.
Is there a way I can find out which /. thread topics cause the highest number of posts per minute? I'm betting that anything involving firearms, digital rights, and robotics would rank pretty high. I'm not sure if the majority of slashers are all that miff-able on other "hot" social issues like freedom of religion, abortion, socialized health care, or voter registration, but it would be interesting to know fer sure...