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User: mspohr

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  1. Re:Incompetent programming in a bad language on Bugs In SCADA Software Leave 7,600 Factories Vulnerable · · Score: 1

    As STUXNET has proven, you don't have to have a SCADA system connected to the Internet to get infected. STUXNET infected Windows machines which were used to program the SCADA system. Internet->Windows->SCADA. You only need to be connected once to get infected (kind of like STDs).

  2. Re:They all use WIndows 7 anyway on Bugs In SCADA Software Leave 7,600 Factories Vulnerable · · Score: 1

    And as STUXNET shows, it's trivially easy to compromise Windows (all versions) and thereby compromise the SCACA system.

  3. Re:Oh! I Say! Shocking ! on Bugs In SCADA Software Leave 7,600 Factories Vulnerable · · Score: 1

    I don't believe that Iran's SCADA systems were connected to the Internet but were infected anyway by a compromised Windows machine (Stuxnet) which was used to transfer the program to the SCADA system.
    From the Wikipedia STUXNET page: The reason for the discovery at this time is attributed to the virus accidentally spreading beyond its intended target (the Natanz plant) due to a programming error introduced in an update; this led to the worm spreading to an engineer's computer that had been connected to the centrifuges, and spreading further when the engineer returned home and connected his computer to the internet.

  4. Re:And yet they supported Obama on Was Eich a Threat To Mozilla's $1B Google "Trust Fund"? · · Score: 1

    Has he stated that his donation to the 2008 initiative (6 years ago) was wrong?
    Has he asked for forgiveness?

  5. Most of these "costs" are incurred all the time on Most Expensive Aviation Search: $53 Million To Find Flight MH370 · · Score: 2

    Most of the costs listed in the article are for aircraft and ships of the military and coast guard of several countries. It does cost a lot to build and man these ships but these costs are already budgeted and incurred. Much better to have these assets doing something useful like respond to an actual emergency than sit around idle or go on training missions or "good will tours" to show the flag.
    I imagine the only extra cost attributable to this search is a bit more fuel.

  6. Re:And yet they supported Obama on Was Eich a Threat To Mozilla's $1B Google "Trust Fund"? · · Score: 1

    Do you not see a difference?
    I could go all Godwin on you and say that you think it's just fine that Hitler killed the Jews since we should "tolerate" his views on Jews.
    Do you not see a difference between tolerating others beliefs and actively preventing others human rights because we don't like their beliefs?

  7. Re:And yet they supported Obama on Was Eich a Threat To Mozilla's $1B Google "Trust Fund"? · · Score: 3, Informative

    "Thank you for the information but none of that really means anything. Donating to pat buchannon and ron paul? last I checked neither of them were anti gay"
    Did your read these quotes???
    Buchanan said in relation to the Aids outbreak that “our promiscuous homosexuals appear literally hell-bent on Satanism and suicide”. A a few years earlier he said “homosexuals have declared war on nature, and now nature is exacting an awful retribution”. and Linda Smith, who ran for senate in Washington state. McClintock opposes same-sex marriage; as does Smith, who has said that "homosexuality is a morally unfit inclination".
    These people are ignorant bigots who are actively discriminating against others.

  8. Re:And yet they supported Obama on Was Eich a Threat To Mozilla's $1B Google "Trust Fund"? · · Score: 2, Informative

    Eich has a long history of donating to candidates and causes which are intolerant of the beliefs of others. From The Guardian:
    "Mozilla's controversial new CEO Brendan Eich made a string of donations to politicians on the fringe of the Republican party a decade before he donated $1,000 to the campaign against equal marriage in California.
    Public records show that between 1991 and 1992, Eich donated a total of $1,000 to Pat Buchanan, then a rightwing Republican presidential candidate. In 1996 and 1998, Eich donated a total of $2,500 to Ron Paul, a maverick Republican congressman for Texas's 14th district."
    "In 1990, a year before Eich’s first donation to his campaign, Buchanan said in relation to the Aids outbreak that “our promiscuous homosexuals appear literally hell-bent on Satanism and suicide”. A a few years earlie he said “homosexuals have declared war on nature, and now nature is exacting an awful retribution”.
    “I agree with people who say it wasn't private, but it was personal,” he said of the donation in an interview on Wednesday.
    "Eich's political donations also include money given to more mainstream candidates, such as California's Tom McClintock, to whom Eich donated $750 over the course of 2008, and Linda Smith, who ran for senate in Washington state. McClintock opposes same-sex marriage; as does Smith, who has said that "homosexuality is a morally unfit inclination".
    On a personal note: Tom McClintock is my Representative in Congress and is without any redeeming qualities. A real zealot who personifies intolerance and loves to support government interference in the personal lives of individuals.
    More from The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/tec...

  9. Re:'Murica! on Geologists Warned of Washington State Mudslides For Decades · · Score: 1

    We have a situation near us in the community of Squaw Valley with is a (duh) valley with steep slides where there are avalanches in heavy snow years (not this year due to global warming). There are houses in the avalanche paths so they are required to post a large sign on the bathroom door warning people that the house is in an avalanche path.
    I guess that's the best they can do.

  10. Re:Muh freedoms! on Geologists Warned of Washington State Mudslides For Decades · · Score: 1

    I'm afraid that you are right.
    An interesting article in the NY Times today talks about that very subject:
    http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03...
    Basically, if you try to prevent people from building where it might be unsafe, you run up against all of the "freedom" people and greed and "guvmt meddling" people.

  11. Re:Walmart employees, rejoice! on Wal-Mart Sues Visa For $5 Billion For Rigging Card Swipe Fees · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The Walton family still has control of the company, owning just more than half of its shares.
    The Walton family has more wealth than the entire bottom 42% of the US population. http://www.politifact.com/trut...
    They have the control and the wealth. They could pay their employees a living wage and give them decent benefits but it is cheaper to put them on food stamps and Medicaid and have the taxpayer subsidize their employees... this leaves more money for the Waltons.

  12. Re:Did the accident rate increase? on More Than 1 In 4 Car Crashes Involve Cellphone Use · · Score: 0

    I know that the average /.'er is much smarter than all of those "lamestream scientists" out there so I must believe that people who do research and get it peer reviewed and published must be ignorant and stupid.
    I do have a question, though. If you are measuring the cause of accidents, wouldn't it be good to study actual accidents? But, you say, "What about all of the people who didn't get into an accident?" Maybe they thought they might have an accident but didn't? Shouldn't they count? Look, a squirrel!

  13. Re:WHere is the paper on More Than 1 In 4 Car Crashes Involve Cellphone Use · · Score: 5, Informative

    If you'd bothered to RTFA where they explain the research and the methodology, it would have answered your questions... Yes, it's based on actual "good studies" and no, it's not just a guess.
    Here's a clue for the clueless: McEvoy et al (2005); Redelmeier & Tibshirani (1997)

  14. Re:Did the accident rate increase? on More Than 1 In 4 Car Crashes Involve Cellphone Use · · Score: 1

    It doesn't matter if the total accident rate has increased or decreased. There are lots of things that can cause the total accident rate to increase or decrease.
    The problem is that there is solid research showing that you are 4x as likely to have a crash when you are using a cell phone (McEvoy et al (2005); Redelmeier & Tibshirani (1997)). This has been measured with actual data from emergency department visits and property damage only accident reports.
    The report also states that 9% of drivers are using cell phones at any given time. (2012 NHTSA)

  15. Sounds like Ethiopian Calendar on Introducing a Calendar System For the Information Age · · Score: 2

    The Ethiopian calendar has 12 months of 30 days plus a thirteenth month of five or six days (leap year every four years).
    Their national travel motto is "Thirteen months of sunshine".
    They also start their clock at (our) 6am which can be a bit confusing when making appointments to meet people (our 10am is their 4am).
    They also missed the Gregorian calendar correction so it's now 2006!
    From Wikipedia:
    Like the Coptic calendar, the Ethiopic or Ge'ez calendar has twelve months of exactly 30 days each plus five or six pagome days, which comprise a thirteenth month. The Ethiopian months begin on the same days as those of the Coptic calendar, but their names are in Ge'ez. The sixth epagomenal day is added every four years without exception on August 29 of the Julian calendar, six months before the Julian leap day. Thus the first day of the Ethiopian year, 1 Mäskäräm, for years between 1901 and 2099 (inclusive), is usually September 11 (Gregorian). It, however, falls on September 12 in years before the Gregorian leap year.

    The current year according to the Ethiopian calendar is 2006, which began on September 11, 2013 AD of the Gregorian calendar.

  16. Re:mass in motion on Prototype Volvo Flywheel Tech Uses Car's Wasted Brake Energy · · Score: 2

    "There are all sorts of tradeoffs and safety considerations here."
    Thank you for your insightful comments. I am sure that the Volvo engineers haven't considered any of this and will be very grateful for your valuable input.
    This is why /. is such a valuable resource for engineers the world over.

  17. Re:You want the best way? You got it. on Ask Slashdot: Preparing For Windows XP EOL? · · Score: 1

    I don't understand what all the fuss is about. Windows XP has been infested with malware for years in spite of attempts to patch it up. I don't think the patches did much to improve security since the malware is winning. The lack of new patches shouldn't make much difference. It will still be infested with malware.
    If you're concerned about security, you would have moved to something else a long time ago.

  18. Re:Come on russia, make a google free android... on Russian Officials Dump iPads For Samsung Tablets Over Spy Fears · · Score: 1

    Stick with Replicant http://www.replicant.us/ or Cyanogenmod and you don't get that bloated proprietary crapware.

  19. Re: Fart in a hurricane on Russian Officials Dump iPads For Samsung Tablets Over Spy Fears · · Score: 1

    That's why you don't use those fancy carbon film ribbons.
    Use a nice old school fabric ribbon (preferably one which has been overwritten hundreds of times).

  20. Re:Samsung? For Security!!! on Russian Officials Dump iPads For Samsung Tablets Over Spy Fears · · Score: 1

    That's why you don't trust Apple or Samsung's proprietary blobs.
    With Android, you can install Replicant http://www.replicant.us/ for a complete open source system which you can audit and verify (or re-code) yourself.
    Russia has the tech chops to do this.

  21. Re:Globalization on Russian Officials Dump iPads For Samsung Tablets Over Spy Fears · · Score: 1

    Except, Russia (or anyone else) can audit Android code or write their own since it is open source.
    With Apple, you just have to take their word for it (FWIW).

  22. Re:Zero info in article on Russian Officials Dump iPads For Samsung Tablets Over Spy Fears · · Score: 1

    It is about security.
    I don't trust closed source.
    With open source, I can trust and verify.

  23. Re:Zero info in article on Russian Officials Dump iPads For Samsung Tablets Over Spy Fears · · Score: 1

    Open source versus closed source.
    There is a difference.

  24. Toast on Security for the 'Internet of Things' (Video) · · Score: 1

    This has been a problem for many years as this old cartoon shows:
    https://dl.dropboxusercontent....

  25. Re:How long on Functional 3D-Printed Tape Measure · · Score: 2

    Peachy Printer is a $100 UV printer.
    https://www.kickstarter.com/pr...