How much would it take for RAM modules be made such that they persist their state (like flash ram)? Or even have a motherboard that matches the size of RAM with flash and does a "hardware initiated hybernate". Granted, some work would need to be done to speed up the process, but "instant on" seems to be a missing hardware feature that is exacerbated by software using more time than necessary to start up.
Older computers ran fast with simple software and less and slower RAM. Has our capability scaled at the same rate as our system requirements?
That's too bad - we discussed this where I work (we're all software engineers) and one guy hit it on the head: "American popular culture does not value intelligence." It values the quick wit of a one-line zinger. It values those who can intimidate others. It values quick fixes over long term solutions.
This is a really scary conclusion to come to. Even scarier is that I don't think anyone knows what to do about it.
For crying out loud - MAKE IT INTERESTING. I remember doing what I referred to as "Math for the sake of Math". Show how it's useful - the easiest way is through teaching Science. And separate the students that have talent from those who don't. It's not about leaving the "dumb" ones behind - having no talent in math/science doesn't make them dumb. These people probably don't care about the subjects anyway. Just don't hold back the ones who could go further.
Do this and you will also be able to attract better teachers. I know multiple would-be teachers that won't teach because of the level of nonsense related to disruptive students that must be dealt with over and over again. Disruptive students are often ones who have become bored because they're studying things they aren't interested in.
Add to this:
How cooperative will they be should you need to investigate student misconduct? (i.e. cheating, plagiarism, etc.)
This does not include criminal matters since that is up to law enforcement to deal with.
How will usernames be set up? Do you get to define the pattern or can the students use any name they want?
Is it easy to access your service from mobile devices? (I use Yahoo and it works fine from my Centro, but I have to pay for premium service)
I looked through their slideshow - there were a few where I didn't see any difference in the before and after pics. The one in their article was just the one where the difference was most noticable. The thing I noticed is that the algorithm seemed to do little more than make the face shorter, the eyes smaller and lower.
I think that the whole grading system is broken. Don't give a "Math" score, give grades in basic addition, basic subtraction......single integration, double integration, basic induction proofs, etc. This will not only give a very specific picture of what a student knows (and thus, will allow someone who only needs a specific subset of skills to drop the rest), but it will spell out in no uncertain terms what that student needs to improve on.
Only grade the work the student does - give a N/A if they don't do the work, not an F. Allow them to continue working that skill until they get the grade they need. Remember that grades are not an indication of intelligence, but an indication of skill mastery. If it takes me 10 reps to learn a skill and you only 2, and I've done it 8 times and you only 1, I should still know that skill better than you.
I think that this would provide the mechanism needed to motivate an ungifted student to grind out a good grade if they're willing to work for it. It may take 40x the effort, but they can still get there instead of being drug behind the ringers in the class. This will also help the gifted students, since they could move on after their 3.7 second look at the material.
This will also prevent instructors from fudging the curriculum.
I'm not surprised that the hardware was the problem. Vehicle environments are extremely hard on electronics. The power is dirty, there is a lot of vibration (no matter how smooth your car is), most folks are poor maintainers and the temperature variation is killer. Every hardware component must be either ruggedized or easily replacable.
Cars manufactured after 1996 have OBD-II (On Board Diagnostics). You can get a code reader/clearer for about $130 IIRC. Your local auto parts or tool store can get you more info. There are more exotic solutions out there that will do more if you're willing to spend big$, but I don't use those.
It bears pointing out that if they only have a judgment, that court has essentially issued an order to reveal the information. Until CL complies with that order, the identity is still protected.
I'm hoping that CL is using a jurisdictional defense. example: If a Dutch court issues me an order, I am disinclined to follow it since they really have no consequence that they can apply to me. I have not nor ever intend to enter their jurisdiction.
I posed this question to my prof (an attorney) in a computers & the law class in grad school. I'm anxious to see if his proposed outcome is what happens here.
I bought 3 this weekend at Wal-Mart - they were about $5 each, so it sounds like someone's on target. They have a somewhat blue cast to their light, they are dimmer than the bulbs they claim to replace, but they use a mere 1.5 watts.
The lack of brightness could also be explained by the fact that they're not really set up to give off omni directional light - all the LEDs are pointed in the same direction. This is great for can style lights, but not so much for other types.
This is why the whole paradigm used for copy protection is broken. Currently, the attempt is to verify (and reverify and reverify) the pairing of licensed product to a user.
There has to be a better way - the best similarity I can find is what was used in broadcast TV around the 1950's (no broadcast flag there, but no recorders either). There were sponsors that paid for product placement and cheezy ads. How much would a company pay for the splash screen of a popular video game? Also, why use lame generic products in video games (I especially like the orange and green "SODA" cans in Deus Ex) when maybe Coke, Pepsi, etc. may pay something to have their product depicted.
Sure, these could be hacked out and reskinned, but with little gain to be had, the rate of occurrence will be much less than cracking the game.
If the former employers are that mentally deficient, they deserve the massive, devastating series of civil suits that is about to land on them. If what has been listed here was collected by a professional forensics investigator, the MDIA, IT dept, the personnel manager and the supervisor are all about to fund this guy's early retirement.
I know a manager who retracted an offer to a prospective employee when he found out that the applicant had lost a job for internet porn. Employers are not interested in whether or not he did it - once someone has the stench of the accusation on them, nobody will touch them. This is why slander is illegal.
I hope he crucifies them publicly as an example to all.
Prosecution/persecution of the innocent must not be tolerated and must be dealt with harshly.
A U.S. Senate candidate was elected in Missouri despite the fact that he died while campaigning. While many attribute it to the effect of the "pity vote", others attribute it to a majority wanting anyone but the "other guy".
I, for one, am glad that such an option exists - otherwise we could get stuck with a "last man standing" who is exactly what we don't want.
As much as I hate to say it, some of this will require an attorney. To get access to his Gmail, MySpace, etc. you will need to have his estate contact the operators of those services and explain the situation and make it part of an investigation. They may be understanding and cooperate, they may not in which case you'll need to get a court order.
His PC, on the other hand, I would make an image of the HDD (ghost, acronis, etc.) and make a working copy to try to crack - if he was as good as he sounds, he may have experimented with countermeasures, and you wouldn't want one of those triggering a reformatting.
Define up front who you're doing this for. Get written permission from his estate/family to break into his PC. Get written requirements on what you're to look for (which could include "everything") and find out what their limits are for disclosure. Example: if he was from an ultraconservative family and you found emails indicating that he was gay, would they want to know or not?
The business you're stepping into is a dark one. This isn't a "cool" or some type of novelty. Trust me, dealing with secrets loses a lot of its appeal when the realization of the responsibility sets in. Be professional, be discrete and be honest.
Oh, and another thing - just a personal note - I wouldn't take payment for these services.
That would require a minimal security procedure to mitigate. Pull the bot into a defensible area where he can observe someone following it before retrieval. Don't go out if someone was following it. Also, the bad guys aren't the only ones with guns (yet). Also the defender typically has a sizable advantage if he plays his cards right.
If he wants to get away from the assault problem of the water cannon, he could install a security system siren and/or a tear gas cannister (or pepper spray, or skunk scent, etc). Set off a siren so loud it hurts and when they go after the bot, flood the area with tear gas (neither are going to hurt the bot). You are allowed to defend your property with use of force, and I doubt that the bums/dealers are willing to file a "disturbing the peace" report against the siren.
I sincerely hope he is recording the video that the bot sends back.
I don't understand why people need to buy a computer for email, IM'ing and downloading music. My cell phone will do that - and I don't need to be in a place where I have to buy $5 cups of coffee to do it either.
I am currently shopping for a laptop - it needs to play and burn DVDs, be able to run Unreal Tournament III, Open Office (as well as any software I can buy at a brick and mortar store) and have a screen big enough for me to do meaningful work or surfing (the cell phone browser is great for mobile websites, but that's it). I doubt these machines will fit the bill.
It bears pointing out that the assertion that the free software movement does not "bring down companies that are producing wealth and prosperity", it prevents the use of artificial barriers that promote the hoarding that can be seen in the rest of the industry. The true path lies somewhere in between. Creating wealth implies that something new is being created, not merely extracted from someone else. When a new program is created it's only new for a short time - should it be a life-long meal ticket? The proponents of the proprietary, closed source model seem to think so.
If this is simply to offload pictures/video to media and send it home (presumably for safe(r) keeping), have you considered getting several data cards for your camera and mailing them back as they fill up? Even a cheap laptop is going to be expensive, heavy, require power for charging and in general be a major liability. I don't know what media your camera uses, but I saw on Pricewatch that someone was selling $11 2Gb SD cards. Buy about 100 of those and you'll have a lot less to carry. Think of what a laptop weighs and then think of what a spindle of DVDs weighs - then consider the cost.
Having said that, I would recommend getting the smaller cards and mailing more often to reduce the chance that your Pulitzer Prize winning picture is on the card that will inevitably get lost in the mail (despite our complaints about our mail system, there are many worse ones out there).
If you're wanting some kind of device to tap into some wifi, there are many devices that can do that and not have the footprint of a full laptop.
Slashdot Mirror
How much would it take for RAM modules be made such that they persist their state (like flash ram)? Or even have a motherboard that matches the size of RAM with flash and does a "hardware initiated hybernate". Granted, some work would need to be done to speed up the process, but "instant on" seems to be a missing hardware feature that is exacerbated by software using more time than necessary to start up.
Older computers ran fast with simple software and less and slower RAM. Has our capability scaled at the same rate as our system requirements?
Was there a "Falling Out" with a disgruntled employee?
There will definitely be some "Fallout" for the leak.
That's too bad - we discussed this where I work (we're all software engineers) and one guy hit it on the head: "American popular culture does not value intelligence." It values the quick wit of a one-line zinger. It values those who can intimidate others. It values quick fixes over long term solutions.
This is a really scary conclusion to come to. Even scarier is that I don't think anyone knows what to do about it.
For crying out loud - MAKE IT INTERESTING. I remember doing what I referred to as "Math for the sake of Math". Show how it's useful - the easiest way is through teaching Science. And separate the students that have talent from those who don't. It's not about leaving the "dumb" ones behind - having no talent in math/science doesn't make them dumb. These people probably don't care about the subjects anyway. Just don't hold back the ones who could go further.
Do this and you will also be able to attract better teachers. I know multiple would-be teachers that won't teach because of the level of nonsense related to disruptive students that must be dealt with over and over again. Disruptive students are often ones who have become bored because they're studying things they aren't interested in.
Add to this:
How cooperative will they be should you need to investigate student misconduct? (i.e. cheating, plagiarism, etc.)
This does not include criminal matters since that is up to law enforcement to deal with.
How will usernames be set up? Do you get to define the pattern or can the students use any name they want?
Is it easy to access your service from mobile devices? (I use Yahoo and it works fine from my Centro, but I have to pay for premium service)
I looked through their slideshow - there were a few where I didn't see any difference in the before and after pics. The one in their article was just the one where the difference was most noticable. The thing I noticed is that the algorithm seemed to do little more than make the face shorter, the eyes smaller and lower.
I think that the whole grading system is broken. Don't give a "Math" score, give grades in basic addition, basic subtraction......single integration, double integration, basic induction proofs, etc. This will not only give a very specific picture of what a student knows (and thus, will allow someone who only needs a specific subset of skills to drop the rest), but it will spell out in no uncertain terms what that student needs to improve on.
Only grade the work the student does - give a N/A if they don't do the work, not an F. Allow them to continue working that skill until they get the grade they need. Remember that grades are not an indication of intelligence, but an indication of skill mastery. If it takes me 10 reps to learn a skill and you only 2, and I've done it 8 times and you only 1, I should still know that skill better than you.
I think that this would provide the mechanism needed to motivate an ungifted student to grind out a good grade if they're willing to work for it. It may take 40x the effort, but they can still get there instead of being drug behind the ringers in the class. This will also help the gifted students, since they could move on after their 3.7 second look at the material.
This will also prevent instructors from fudging the curriculum.
That dude better be on time tomorrow. If he's not down in the hole with his suit charged up, I'm not going to be happy.
...Stupid sonic dogs.
I'm not surprised that the hardware was the problem. Vehicle environments are extremely hard on electronics. The power is dirty, there is a lot of vibration (no matter how smooth your car is), most folks are poor maintainers and the temperature variation is killer. Every hardware component must be either ruggedized or easily replacable.
Cars manufactured after 1996 have OBD-II (On Board Diagnostics). You can get a code reader/clearer for about $130 IIRC. Your local auto parts or tool store can get you more info. There are more exotic solutions out there that will do more if you're willing to spend big$, but I don't use those.
Here's a link to a basic tool similar to the one I use: http://www.autozone.com/R,904174/store,2366/shopping/accessoryProductDetail.htm
Also, a lot of auto parts stores will read your codes for free.
Segmentation fault in process Antilock Brakes. Your system will now reboot - please be patient.
It bears pointing out that if they only have a judgment, that court has essentially issued an order to reveal the information. Until CL complies with that order, the identity is still protected.
I'm hoping that CL is using a jurisdictional defense. example: If a Dutch court issues me an order, I am disinclined to follow it since they really have no consequence that they can apply to me. I have not nor ever intend to enter their jurisdiction.
I posed this question to my prof (an attorney) in a computers & the law class in grad school. I'm anxious to see if his proposed outcome is what happens here.
I bought 3 this weekend at Wal-Mart - they were about $5 each, so it sounds like someone's on target. They have a somewhat blue cast to their light, they are dimmer than the bulbs they claim to replace, but they use a mere 1.5 watts.
The lack of brightness could also be explained by the fact that they're not really set up to give off omni directional light - all the LEDs are pointed in the same direction. This is great for can style lights, but not so much for other types.
I have to mention it again: 1.5 watts.
And it looks like this lady knows a few of them.
This is why the whole paradigm used for copy protection is broken. Currently, the attempt is to verify (and reverify and reverify) the pairing of licensed product to a user.
There has to be a better way - the best similarity I can find is what was used in broadcast TV around the 1950's (no broadcast flag there, but no recorders either). There were sponsors that paid for product placement and cheezy ads. How much would a company pay for the splash screen of a popular video game? Also, why use lame generic products in video games (I especially like the orange and green "SODA" cans in Deus Ex) when maybe Coke, Pepsi, etc. may pay something to have their product depicted.
Sure, these could be hacked out and reskinned, but with little gain to be had, the rate of occurrence will be much less than cracking the game.
If the former employers are that mentally deficient, they deserve the massive, devastating series of civil suits that is about to land on them. If what has been listed here was collected by a professional forensics investigator, the MDIA, IT dept, the personnel manager and the supervisor are all about to fund this guy's early retirement.
I know a manager who retracted an offer to a prospective employee when he found out that the applicant had lost a job for internet porn. Employers are not interested in whether or not he did it - once someone has the stench of the accusation on them, nobody will touch them. This is why slander is illegal.
I hope he crucifies them publicly as an example to all.
Prosecution/persecution of the innocent must not be tolerated and must be dealt with harshly.
A U.S. Senate candidate was elected in Missouri despite the fact that he died while campaigning. While many attribute it to the effect of the "pity vote", others attribute it to a majority wanting anyone but the "other guy".
I, for one, am glad that such an option exists - otherwise we could get stuck with a "last man standing" who is exactly what we don't want.
Dog Fouling is in fact listed in the article. It's not just a creative Slashdot title. This has been a public service announcement.
As much as I hate to say it, some of this will require an attorney. To get access to his Gmail, MySpace, etc. you will need to have his estate contact the operators of those services and explain the situation and make it part of an investigation. They may be understanding and cooperate, they may not in which case you'll need to get a court order.
His PC, on the other hand, I would make an image of the HDD (ghost, acronis, etc.) and make a working copy to try to crack - if he was as good as he sounds, he may have experimented with countermeasures, and you wouldn't want one of those triggering a reformatting.
Define up front who you're doing this for. Get written permission from his estate/family to break into his PC. Get written requirements on what you're to look for (which could include "everything") and find out what their limits are for disclosure. Example: if he was from an ultraconservative family and you found emails indicating that he was gay, would they want to know or not?
The business you're stepping into is a dark one. This isn't a "cool" or some type of novelty. Trust me, dealing with secrets loses a lot of its appeal when the realization of the responsibility sets in. Be professional, be discrete and be honest.
Oh, and another thing - just a personal note - I wouldn't take payment for these services.
I hope this helps.
IIRC, this isn't the first article that the EETimes has put out making this connection recently - maybe the EETimes should be investigated.
For heaven's sake - build a freakin killswitch into the thing!
That would require a minimal security procedure to mitigate. Pull the bot into a defensible area where he can observe someone following it before retrieval. Don't go out if someone was following it. Also, the bad guys aren't the only ones with guns (yet). Also the defender typically has a sizable advantage if he plays his cards right.
If he wants to get away from the assault problem of the water cannon, he could install a security system siren and/or a tear gas cannister (or pepper spray, or skunk scent, etc). Set off a siren so loud it hurts and when they go after the bot, flood the area with tear gas (neither are going to hurt the bot). You are allowed to defend your property with use of force, and I doubt that the bums/dealers are willing to file a "disturbing the peace" report against the siren.
I sincerely hope he is recording the video that the bot sends back.
I don't understand why people need to buy a computer for email, IM'ing and downloading music. My cell phone will do that - and I don't need to be in a place where I have to buy $5 cups of coffee to do it either.
I am currently shopping for a laptop - it needs to play and burn DVDs, be able to run Unreal Tournament III, Open Office (as well as any software I can buy at a brick and mortar store) and have a screen big enough for me to do meaningful work or surfing (the cell phone browser is great for mobile websites, but that's it). I doubt these machines will fit the bill.
It bears pointing out that the assertion that the free software movement does not "bring down companies that are producing wealth and prosperity", it prevents the use of artificial barriers that promote the hoarding that can be seen in the rest of the industry. The true path lies somewhere in between. Creating wealth implies that something new is being created, not merely extracted from someone else. When a new program is created it's only new for a short time - should it be a life-long meal ticket? The proponents of the proprietary, closed source model seem to think so.
Discuss...
If this is simply to offload pictures/video to media and send it home (presumably for safe(r) keeping), have you considered getting several data cards for your camera and mailing them back as they fill up? Even a cheap laptop is going to be expensive, heavy, require power for charging and in general be a major liability. I don't know what media your camera uses, but I saw on Pricewatch that someone was selling $11 2Gb SD cards. Buy about 100 of those and you'll have a lot less to carry. Think of what a laptop weighs and then think of what a spindle of DVDs weighs - then consider the cost.
Having said that, I would recommend getting the smaller cards and mailing more often to reduce the chance that your Pulitzer Prize winning picture is on the card that will inevitably get lost in the mail (despite our complaints about our mail system, there are many worse ones out there).
If you're wanting some kind of device to tap into some wifi, there are many devices that can do that and not have the footprint of a full laptop.