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User: swilver

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Comments · 1,056

  1. Re:Why do we trust SSL? on Ask Slashdot: Has Gmail's SSL Certificate Changed, How Would We Know? · · Score: 1

    Spoken like a true short-sighted authentication nut.

  2. Re:Why only applets? on Java Update Implements Whitelists To Combat 0-Day Hacks · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'd recommend installing a better firewall instead.

  3. Re:Links ! on Wireless Charging Start-Up Claims 30-Foot Radius · · Score: 1

    I'll mark this insightful if you actually spent 24 hours in the sun. I burn after just 30 minutes, how is it not harmful?

  4. Re:I completely agree. on Concern Mounts Over Self-Driving Cars Taking Away Freedom · · Score: 2

    Same here. And what's worse, those are only the mistakes you know you made... :)

  5. Sharing will soar on Report: By 2035, Nearly 100 Million Self-Driving Cars Will Be Sold Per Year · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Ridiculous. If a car can drive itself, it is much easier to share with others. No need for a family to have 3 cars anymore if you can just send one to go pick some one up.

    There'll be a taxi style service, or cars shared by people living in the same block, and cars will just go where they're needed.

  6. Everchanging landscape on Bacteria Behaviour Can Shed Light On How Financial Markets Work · · Score: 1

    If there is something that could model the stock market, then everybody would be rich. Since that's not possible, a few people could get rich using an accurate model, but that only works as long as the model isn't used by everybody -- eventually it will fail and many will get hurt.

    You can make your model as complicated as you like, using as many variables as you like. If someone else knows you're using it, they can scam you out of your money.

  7. Re:Shenanigans! What about NAND life expectancy? on Hybrid Hard Drives Just Need 8GB of NAND · · Score: 1

    If a dumbo like you can think of it in 3 seconds, then I'm sure that those engineers might have stumbled on that idea as well and made sure this failure scenario is avoided.

  8. Re:$1.2 billion payroll system on Australian State Bans IBM From All Contracts After Payroll Bungle · · Score: 1

    Are you implying a manager only works for 5 hours and 20 minutes a day?

  9. Re:It's the maintenance problem. on Remember the Computer Science Past Or Be Condemned To Repeat It? · · Score: 1

    If the software was actually written by a master, then I'd have no problem maintaining. Asking me to maintain a bunch of spaghetti code written under tight deadlines by a throng of graduates that didn't even begin programming until they were confronted with it at their university.... hell no.

  10. Too little, too late on Sony & Panasonic Plan Next-Gen 300 GB Optical Discs By the End of 2015 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Wake me when optical disc capacity exceeds harddisk capacity again... like it used to when the CD was released.

  11. Re:Have these people never heard of IEEE754???? on Same Programs + Different Computers = Different Weather Forecasts · · Score: 1

    They didn't predict the rain correctly yesterday here, that's why I believe those predictions are obviously incorrect.

  12. Re:Makes sense on HTTP 2.0 Will Be a Binary Protocol · · Score: 1

    So easily solved by seperately compressing the data. ie, don't compress readable/known data together with data that is supposed to be encrypted.

  13. Re:Focus on insiders first on Ask Slashdot: Preventing Snowden-Style Security Breaches? · · Score: 1

    If it was 95% of its total budget, it might prevent something like this. But then how would you get any work done. The only reason these kind of secrets don't get out more often is that people don't like seeing their lives destroyed, whether it is was morally correct or even legal for them to do so.

  14. Re:No one solution to this... on Ask Slashdot: Preventing Snowden-Style Security Breaches? · · Score: 1

    Don't forget:

    9) Disallow access to the internet either completely, based on a whitelist, that doesn't include any sites capable of accepting file uploads.

    10) You better make damn sure USB cannot be used for anything other than keyboard or mouse. Flashdrives aren't the only thing that can capture and store data. Think "printing" to a flashdrive that indentifies itself as a printer for example.

    11) Ports like the network port used to connect to your environment can also be used to transfer data to small devices acting as servers. Anything local could be copied to a small network attached device.

    12) Make sure no software at all can be installed OR programmed from scratch. Every browser is basically a small programming environment and with javascript you can accomplish things like encoding "data" as pixels, and have a VGA/DVI attached device record it all. It just requires using a small device that passes through video (or just detach the monitor for a while, overnight for example when the machine is supposed to be off).

    And finally...

    13) Full strip search at entrances and exits -- always. USB sticks aren't the only thing you have to be aware of. Basically any device that could be attached to a computer is suspect, or any device capable of recording sound or video.

    Have fun in your phoneless, gadgetless, internetless, office with only naked people in it. I haven't met a company yet whose security measures weren't merely there to give sysadmins a false sense of security.

  15. Re:Clever code on Dr. Dobb's Calls BS On Obsession With Simple Code · · Score: 1

    Now, BK is a big name, but I disagree with him anyway.

    Code that is trying to be clever probably had a lot of debugging time already gone into it during development, for example in the form of the programmer testing inputs with some throwaway test program -- but this is not counted as "debugging it". If you do however, then you realize that debugging that clever piece of code took much more time than writing it.

    Now if instead the code was designed with easy debugging in mind (not tightly coupled, easily used in isolation, acts just only on its own inputs), then that code would take longer to write and structure, and maybe even become a bit more complex because you cannot take short-cuts that would reduce testability. Yet this code would be easy to debug. Discover a new edge-case? Find out its inputs, test the code in isolation, and fix it without breaking your other tests.

  16. Re:The limited revelations so far... on British Foreign Secretary on Surveillance Worries: '"Law Abiding Citizens Have N · · Score: 1

    .... and all you have is their word that their tracking X terrorist plots and Y suspects.

    I guess if they reported that there were 0 plots and only a few suspects, their funding might get cut, or perhaps we'll realize there is no need for them. Can't have that, so instead some youths boasting on Facebook to set fire to their school is classified as a "terrorist plot"...

  17. Re:Radiation exposures not "huge" on Mars Explorers Face Huge Radiation Problem · · Score: 1

    But you get this lifetime dose in the span of a few months. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure radiation exposure is much more dangerous when the body has not had sufficient time to regenerate and deal with cells that possibly could become cancerous.

  18. Re:Mars the vacation spot on Mars Explorers Face Huge Radiation Problem · · Score: 1

    Realize that thousands of lives could have been saved on Earth for the cost of putting you on and keeping you alive on Mars.

    Eventually there will come the realization that, with 7 billion of us, human live is not something precious, but more a liability as you have more of it.

    The whole reason for going to Mars is partially because there are too many of us. Something that will quickly become much much worse once we develop technologies that will significantly increase the average live span.

    I'd be happy to realize I did my part to reduce the amount of lives on Earth.

  19. Re:Seems unlikely on Former FBI Agent: All Digital Communications Stored By US Gov't · · Score: 2

    Most of the internet's traffic isn't encrypted, and so the amount of entropy on it is low

    Most of the internet's traffic however is compressed, on which the entropy is high. Voice communications and video streams are definitely all compressed. Web pages can be sent zipped and often are.

    A lot of content is also dynamic, containing timestamps, unique identifiers or personalisation. Webpages with any dynamic content (like a page from CNN) is likely to have subtle differences each time they're requested, making deduplication harder.

  20. Re:No license on Most Projects On GitHub Aren't Open Source Licensed · · Score: 1

    Same, I put my code there because its convenient for me. I don't care what other people do with it.

    If some corporation wants to use it, they can email me, and pay me for my time to add a license to every file.

  21. Re:Ugh, not this. on Why Self-Driving Cars Are Still a Long Way Down the Road · · Score: 1

    If it took more time to its get to its destination, but still delivers me from door to door, then I can do other things during my commute.

    I can play a game, read a newspaper, brush my teeth (well maybe!)... or even do some work on a portable computer (or perhaps the built-in computer...)

    You are not seeing the value it adds. If you donot have to pay attention to driving, then there is a host of other options that becomes possible to pass the time or even do something useful during your commute.

  22. Re:Assisted driving first, insurance second on Why Self-Driving Cars Are Still a Long Way Down the Road · · Score: 1

    If I can read my newspaper during my daily commute in the comfort of my own vehicle instead of being couped up in a sweaty train/metro/tram... there'd be no contest. I'd get an automated vehicle.

  23. Re:I always thought this was silly on Why Self-Driving Cars Are Still a Long Way Down the Road · · Score: 1

    There is no need for this.

    Humans need to be able to figure out roads without digital beacons. This means clear lines, clear traffic signs and well designed intersections that are not open to interpretation. In other words, properly designed roads.

    There are tons of situations even human drivers get confused -- eliminate those and I'm sure computers will be able to figure it out as well. If not, install a beacon at those intersections which give some additional information. Same can be done for roadworks -- remember though that if the computer cars need additional info, then don't be surprised if normal drivers don't get it either.

  24. Re:Value decisions on Why Self-Driving Cars Are Still a Long Way Down the Road · · Score: 1

    The car will be driving the speed limit, not 10+ miles faster. It will likely even adjust its speed if it has poor vision of what lies ahead (like a corner house blocking the view around the corner).

    Further, a child will not be near high speed roads. It is likely it could brake in time to avoid hitting all of the above (and if the car behind is automated as well, it will not hit you). Even if not automated, the fault would be with the driver behind you following you too closely.

    Now let's say the child is hidden somewhere and jumps straight infront of the car. If there's room to swerve without hitting something that is solid enough to damage the car, it will (and it will decide that in less than a millisecond). Lacking that option, it could decide to hit something that will not seriously hurt the occupant (if one is present). Lacking that option, it has no choice but to try and brake and hit the child. After all, it shouldn't have been there.

    Also, your faith in human drivers putting their lives ahead of someone elses is heart warming.

  25. Re:Really? on SendGrid Fires Employee After Firestorm Over Inappropriate Jokes · · Score: 1

    I expect my work environment to be quiet... I'm a developer.

    I'd be more offended at the chatter than whatever was actually being said. So please shut up, turn off those stupid radios, keep those headphones down and for god sakes, bring your bloody phone with you when you leave the work place... oh and don't even think about answering it without going outside the room.