Agree. Forbes and Wired I just don't bother visiting anymore. I occassionally forget and follow a link but quickly get reminded and just shut the page down. They're like PayPal.
Don't use it, don't need it and if a company tries to force me to use it, I simply choose another company or do without. Really that simple.
Facebook may have started out as a Social Networking site, but is devolving into an Ad and Privacy nightmare. It won't be long before it follows in the footsteps of MySpace and becomes just as relevant.
Only so much blood you can squeeze before you just run out. Shareholders demand ever increasing profits and ads are merely a means to that end.
Of course it just increases the stakes in the Ad Wars and it runs the risks of killing off your customer base completely.
So, good luck there Mark, because the easiest way for us to win is not to play:)
Perhaps the FBI realizes there might be an issue with the way they conduct their surveillance flights. Otherwise, they wouldn't bother trying to hide the ownership of the aircraft behind a shell company.
As he has yet to stand trial ( especially since it would be a one sided joke of a trial ) they would be hard pressed to follow through since he has not been convicted.
Except in very selected public opinion circles that is.
So let me ask, what actions would you expect to start seeing as Police continue to rack up body counts of people they interact with ?
People surrendering PEACEFULLY ( see guy laying in street with hands in the air ) have been shot. Folks IN CUSTODY have been killed. ( and magically, no police ever go to jail over it )
When the police arrive, it's almost justified to say " I was in fear for my life ".
No offense man but pre-ordering games is what got us where we are today with modern game releases. Half-assed, rushed out the door and full of bugs that get resolved 2-3 Gigabytes worth of patches down the road.
In this day and age, no one should be pre-ordering anything as it simply continues to enable the piss poor behavior of the game developers who have the " Just release it and we'll patch it later " attitude.
Their video distribution service may be one way, but the ISP side of their house certainly isn't.
It's also not a separate company from the one who provides you your internet.
Thus, unless they spin the business off into it's own subsidiary, they would find themselves attached at the hip to the regulated side of the business.
Something they wouldn't care much for.
However, breaking off has its own issues as well. Like not getting a free ride across those Comcast owned data pipes.
We've been telling the industry for years what's wrong with the " Theater Experience " but none of you seem to listen. If you want folks to start going to the theaters again, you're going to need to step up your game or find yourself going extinct in the not too distant future.
You need to set your rules, and enforce them.
Folks chatting / texting on their damn smartphones mid show ? They need to go. Manager up and boot their ass from the theater. The five year old heathen Mom or Dad brought with them who is running up and down the isles screaming mid show ? They need to go. Like ten minutes ago. The employee who cranks the theater audio system up 10db past the threshold of pain ? Yeah, they need to go. The nearsighted one who can't seem to understand what the f*ck focus even is ? They need to go.
Clean the damn place. Most theaters are downright disgusting with the amount of trash and general filth you expect me to tolerate while in your facility. I feel like I need a round of immunization boosters or a Biohazard suit when folks ask if I want to go out to the show.
Fix your damn gear. That annoying ass ground hum coming from one of your speakers ? FIX IT. The distortion coming from another speaker because of +10db guy above ? FIX IT.
Seriously, you're going to have to put in a SUPREME EFFORT to keep me from waiting for the home release. I have total control over everything mentioned above when I wait and watch it at home.
The theater owners and employees I rely upon to ensure a positive theater going experience have failed miserably over the past decade or two.
Read that again. MISERABLY.
If you industry types don't get your shit together you may as well shut the lights off now and call it a day. We won't miss you.
In the US, wasn't this the whole reason that GPS on cell phones became mandatory ? No nononononono. . . . it's not to track you ! It's in case you ever call 911 so the dispatcher will know exactly where you are ! That was the selling point if I recall.
Besides, I have access to quite a bit of 911 traffic and when testing this stuff in the past, I typically see GPS coords as part of what is transmitted across when a call is made if the user is calling via cell phone.
Example of traffic that came across just moments ago: ( sanitized of course )
12:53:07 (123)456-7890 WRLS ID= 123
SPRINT
ESN 12345 SPY RD - OMNI
CALLBK=(123)456-7890 SNEAKY ESTATES UT. CO=SP PCS P# (123) 456-7890
WIRELESS: NWCD REQUEST CALLER LOCATION REQUEST CALLER NUMBER
X=-111.932988 Y=+40.426338
CF= 90% UF=1281 M Z=231.00 M
So do we really need another APP to do this ? Or does the new method limit access to this data to only emergency personnel and not everything and its brother ( other apps ) on the phone ?
About the ONLY way we will ever recover those emails that Hillary and her team decided to wipe from her server is if some hacker type managed to infiltrate her server while they still existed and archived them. ( Russian, Chinese, American, who cares where they live )
At this point it's obvious that justice is right out of the question considering both the FBI and the Attorney General have decided to ignore the fact that Her Highness handled classified material in a negligent manner. ( Yes it's a crime. No you don't need to have intent. Folks are in jail today for doing the exact same thing. )
So in the absence of any sort of real justice ( which just doesn't happen if your last name is Clinton ) we have to resort to methods that will probably be frowned upon by those who pretend to be Champions of Justice. Seriously, when the rich and powerful OWN the whole system, relying upon our "justice" system is laughable.
Can you imagine the fallout if some hacker actually DID decide to post the entire archive ? How f*cking sad is it that we have to hope for such a thing if we're ever to learn the full truth about what Hillary decided she didn't want part of official records ?
It would make for the greatest election drama in the history of our nation:D
Do they blame all of their cyber-problems on " Those American Hackers " ?
Or is it just this country where we blame whatever the problem of the week is on whatever country has a higher "Evil Quotient" at the time ? ( Usually Russia, China or Iran if you've noticed the trend )
Who here keeps up with what the current color is for our " Terrorism Threat Level " ? * crickets *
( Who here remembers we even have one ? )
Exactly. No one cares. Even fewer are going to give a sh*t about some other lame ass color coded scheme. ( LoudSpeaker: Today's cyber-threat level is Muave with just a hint of Magenta ):|
Don't want your networks hacked ? Maybe you should keep a competent IT staff on hand. ( and treat them like you want them to stick around ) Not the contractors from India you're using because it's cheaper.
I don't own one of the newer drone units so I can't really say this with anything to back it up. Maybe they've improved them since the days of my flying around RC heli's. . ..who knows.
That said, a large fire is going to create an incredible amount of turbulence in the air surrounding it. Enough to give the full sized aircraft flying about a lot of issues to deal with. I would think that something as small and light as a drone would have absolute HELL flying around in those conditions if it could be done at all. ( I recall even a light breeze would give my small heli all kinds of problems ) Certainly not going to fly the unit directly above the fire. The heat alone would likely destroy or incapacitate a small plastic drone in a hurry.
Factor in the operator would have to be damn near right on top of the area of interest just to maintain radio contact with his drone unit and I don't see how flying a drone near a large wildfire is even possible. It's difficult enough for a full sized plane or helo to do it.
Unless your gear is expensive and fragile. I try not to let UPS / FedEx touch that at all. Even when protected in something like a Pelican case with full insurance.
They seem to play rugby with that stuff for some reason.:/
If you gotta do it though, do all of the above and send it overnight. The less time it's in their hands the better.
Consequences or true motivations aside, if they can get a viable genetic treatment to work, it would be stupid not to cheer them on.
Cancer is one of our biggest killers and, to date, our methods of dealing with it are nearly as harmful as the cancer itself.
A year or two of treatments can easily bankrupt a person with zero guarantees the treatments will even be successful.
Technology and advances in science can be downright scary depending on intended use but we would not be what we are today without the willingness to take that risk.
Well, unlike everyone else, he puts the issue into the spotlight for everyone to see.
Since he has some privileged insights on how our intelligence agencies like to do things, this makes his opinion a bit more useful than the folks who merely theorized at what our government was doing.
One of my greatest interests lie in those documents we've never seen made public. What information did he obtain that he thought was extremely relevant, but has never been released to the public by those he trusted with that very task ? Of the thousands of documents he had access to, we've seen what a dozen or so ?
What and why would they still withhold that information ?
A few years ago, I purchased what I thought were genuine Nikon batteries for use in my cameras.
Once they arrived, I took a very good look at them and determined they were, in fact, counterfeit. ( They had official looking hologram stickers and whatnot, but were not the real thing )
I returned them and ended up purchasing the batteries through a local dealer instead.
Now, while some will say " What's the big deal ? ", if a problem develops within those batteries and it ends up destroying your $$$$ camera, you can bet Nikon would tell me " Too Bad for you ". Otoh, if a genuine Nikon battery does the same thing, Nikon would probably be a bit more sympathetic since it is their official product that I'm buying.
Bottom line: If I cannot trust Amazon and / or the sellers who operate through Amazon to deliver genuine products, I will simply cease using Amazon to purchase any of it.
Scripts that watch temperature parameters doth not make an Artificial Intelligence. It's a sensationalized way of saying Google finally put a programmable thermostat into their data centers.
( " Joe wrote a script to control the AC " doesn't quite come across with the same flair now does it ? )
When someone finally DOES give berth to a legitimate AI, we're going to have to redefine the term I think because comparing Google's new thermostat to a true AI system would be akin to comparing a match head to the GD Sun.:facepalm:
Slashdot Mirror
@pla
Agree. Forbes and Wired I just don't bother visiting anymore. I occassionally forget and follow a link but quickly get reminded and just shut the page down. They're like PayPal.
Don't use it, don't need it and if a company tries to force me to use it, I simply choose another company or do without. Really that simple.
Facebook may have started out as a Social Networking site, but is devolving into an Ad and Privacy nightmare. It won't be long before it follows in the footsteps of MySpace and becomes just as relevant.
Only so much blood you can squeeze before you just run out. Shareholders demand ever increasing profits and ads are merely a means to that end.
Of course it just increases the stakes in the Ad Wars and it runs the risks of killing off your customer base completely.
So, good luck there Mark, because the easiest way for us to win is not to play :)
Perhaps the FBI realizes there might be an issue with the way they conduct their surveillance flights.
Otherwise, they wouldn't bother trying to hide the ownership of the aircraft behind a shell company.
does not equate to being convicted of a crime.
As he has yet to stand trial ( especially since it would be a one sided joke of a trial ) they would be hard pressed to follow through since he has not been convicted.
Except in very selected public opinion circles that is.
But if we can do Blu-Ray on both hardware and software player variants, then I fail to see why we can't do the same with Cable Boxes.
Comcast just doesn't want to give up their free money generator via forcing folks to rent their hardware.
If they don't pull their heads out of the sand and soon, they won't have enough subscribers left for anyone to care.
Can't defend her actions . . . .
So let me ask, what actions would you expect to start seeing as Police continue to rack up body counts of people they interact with ?
People surrendering PEACEFULLY ( see guy laying in street with hands in the air ) have been shot. Folks IN CUSTODY have been killed. ( and magically, no police ever go to jail over it )
When the police arrive, it's almost justified to say " I was in fear for my life ".
Welcome to the world police brutality creates.
@GrBear
No offense man but pre-ordering games is what got us where we are today with modern game releases.
Half-assed, rushed out the door and full of bugs that get resolved 2-3 Gigabytes worth of patches down the road.
In this day and age, no one should be pre-ordering anything as it simply continues to enable the piss poor behavior
of the game developers who have the " Just release it and we'll patch it later " attitude.
" Seriously though, if you don't think the US government takes election tampering seriously, my goodness. "
The USG just hates competition is all. Can't swing an election one way or another with other folks meddling with things too. :)
American LEADERSHIP exceptionalism. "It's wrong except when we do it."
FTFY
Their video distribution service may be one way, but the ISP side of their house certainly isn't.
It's also not a separate company from the one who provides you your internet.
Thus, unless they spin the business off into it's own subsidiary, they would find themselves attached at the hip to the regulated side of the business.
Something they wouldn't care much for.
However, breaking off has its own issues as well. Like not getting a free ride across those Comcast owned data pipes.
" Do or do not. There is no try. "
You don't consider such things. Quit being wishy-washy about it, make a damn decision and stand behind it.
You're either going to pardon someone, or you're not.
we could trust that Law Enforcement wouldn't abuse such a thing.
That sort of abuse is what got us here to begin with.
So you need to ask yourself: Whose fault is it you can't decrypt these things again ?
You reap what you sow . . . . . .
We've been telling the industry for years what's wrong with the " Theater Experience " but none of you seem to listen.
If you want folks to start going to the theaters again, you're going to need to step up your game or find yourself going extinct in the not too distant future.
You need to set your rules, and enforce them.
Folks chatting / texting on their damn smartphones mid show ? They need to go. Manager up and boot their ass from the theater.
The five year old heathen Mom or Dad brought with them who is running up and down the isles screaming mid show ? They need to go. Like ten minutes ago.
The employee who cranks the theater audio system up 10db past the threshold of pain ? Yeah, they need to go.
The nearsighted one who can't seem to understand what the f*ck focus even is ? They need to go.
Clean the damn place.
Most theaters are downright disgusting with the amount of trash and general filth you expect me to tolerate while in your facility.
I feel like I need a round of immunization boosters or a Biohazard suit when folks ask if I want to go out to the show.
Fix your damn gear.
That annoying ass ground hum coming from one of your speakers ? FIX IT.
The distortion coming from another speaker because of +10db guy above ? FIX IT.
Seriously, you're going to have to put in a SUPREME EFFORT to keep me from waiting for the home release. I have total control over everything mentioned
above when I wait and watch it at home.
The theater owners and employees I rely upon to ensure a positive theater going experience have failed miserably over the past decade or two.
Read that again. MISERABLY.
If you industry types don't get your shit together you may as well shut the lights off now and call it a day.
We won't miss you.
In the US, wasn't this the whole reason that GPS on cell phones became mandatory ?
No nononononono. . . . it's not to track you ! It's in case you ever call 911 so the dispatcher will know exactly where you are ! That was the selling point if I recall.
Besides, I have access to quite a bit of 911 traffic and when testing this stuff in the past, I typically see GPS coords as part of what is transmitted across when a call is made if the user is calling via cell phone.
Example of traffic that came across just moments ago: ( sanitized of course )
12:53:07
(123)456-7890 WRLS
ID= 123
SPRINT
ESN 12345
SPY RD - OMNI
CALLBK=(123)456-7890
SNEAKY ESTATES
UT. CO=SP PCS
P# (123) 456-7890
WIRELESS: NWCD
REQUEST CALLER LOCATION
REQUEST CALLER NUMBER
X=-111.932988
Y=+40.426338
CF= 90%
UF=1281 M
Z=231.00 M
So do we really need another APP to do this ? Or does the new method limit access to this data to only emergency personnel and not everything and its brother ( other apps ) on the phone ?
He does have a point.
About the ONLY way we will ever recover those emails that Hillary and her team decided to wipe from her server is if some hacker type managed to infiltrate her server while they still existed and archived them. ( Russian, Chinese, American, who cares where they live )
At this point it's obvious that justice is right out of the question considering both the FBI and the Attorney General have decided to ignore the fact that Her Highness handled classified material in a negligent manner. ( Yes it's a crime. No you don't need to have intent. Folks are in jail today for doing the exact same thing. )
So in the absence of any sort of real justice ( which just doesn't happen if your last name is Clinton ) we have to resort to methods that will probably be frowned upon by those who pretend to be Champions of Justice. Seriously, when the rich and powerful OWN the whole system, relying upon our "justice" system is laughable.
Can you imagine the fallout if some hacker actually DID decide to post the entire archive ? How f*cking sad is it that we have to hope for such a thing if we're ever to learn the full truth about what Hillary decided she didn't want part of official records ?
It would make for the greatest election drama in the history of our nation :D
Do they blame all of their cyber-problems on " Those American Hackers " ?
Or is it just this country where we blame whatever the problem of the week is on whatever country has a higher "Evil Quotient" at the time ?
( Usually Russia, China or Iran if you've noticed the trend )
BlackBerry + Secure = Completely Amusing
( We swear we won't give up the encryption keys this time ! Really ! Pinky Swear ! )
Who here keeps up with what the current color is for our " Terrorism Threat Level " ?
* crickets *
( Who here remembers we even have one ? )
Exactly. No one cares. Even fewer are going to give a sh*t about some other lame ass color coded scheme. :|
( LoudSpeaker: Today's cyber-threat level is Muave with just a hint of Magenta )
Don't want your networks hacked ? Maybe you should keep a competent IT staff on hand. ( and treat them like you want them to stick around )
Not the contractors from India you're using because it's cheaper.
I don't own one of the newer drone units so I can't really say this with anything to back it up. Maybe they've improved them since the days of my flying around RC heli's. . . .who knows.
That said, a large fire is going to create an incredible amount of turbulence in the air surrounding it. Enough to give the full sized aircraft flying about a lot of issues to deal with. I would think that something as small and light as a drone would have absolute HELL flying around in those conditions if it could be done at all. ( I recall even a light breeze would give my small heli all kinds of problems ) Certainly not going to fly the unit directly above the fire. The heat alone would likely destroy or incapacitate a small plastic drone in a hurry.
Factor in the operator would have to be damn near right on top of the area of interest just to maintain radio contact with his drone unit and I don't see how flying a drone near a large wildfire is even possible. It's difficult enough for a full sized plane or helo to do it.
He doesn't fear Clinton.
He knows he will at least get a dialog with Trump. Clinton just wants to preserve the status quo.
Talking to Hillary is just like talking to her husband, Bill.
BTDT, would be a total waste of time to do it again.
@ArchieBunker
Unless your gear is expensive and fragile. I try not to let UPS / FedEx touch that at all. Even when protected in something like a Pelican case with full insurance.
They seem to play rugby with that stuff for some reason. :/
If you gotta do it though, do all of the above and send it overnight. The less time it's in their hands the better.
Consequences or true motivations aside, if they can get a viable genetic treatment to work, it would be stupid not to cheer them on.
Cancer is one of our biggest killers and, to date, our methods of dealing with it are nearly as harmful as the cancer itself.
A year or two of treatments can easily bankrupt a person with zero guarantees the treatments will even be successful.
Technology and advances in science can be downright scary depending on intended use but we would not be what we are today without the willingness to take that risk.
Well, unlike everyone else, he puts the issue into the spotlight for everyone to see.
Since he has some privileged insights on how our intelligence agencies like to do things, this makes his opinion a bit more useful than the folks who merely theorized at what our government was doing.
One of my greatest interests lie in those documents we've never seen made public. What information did he obtain that he thought was extremely relevant, but has never been released to the public by those he trusted with that very task ? Of the thousands of documents he had access to, we've seen what a dozen or so ?
What and why would they still withhold that information ?
Wouldn't a simple hardware switch that connects the phone to its antenna suffice ?
No antenna = no useful signal for the towers to pick up.
A few years ago, I purchased what I thought were genuine Nikon batteries for use in my cameras.
Once they arrived, I took a very good look at them and determined they were, in fact, counterfeit.
( They had official looking hologram stickers and whatnot, but were not the real thing )
I returned them and ended up purchasing the batteries through a local dealer instead.
Now, while some will say " What's the big deal ? ", if a problem develops within those batteries and
it ends up destroying your $$$$ camera, you can bet Nikon would tell me " Too Bad for you ". Otoh,
if a genuine Nikon battery does the same thing, Nikon would probably be a bit more sympathetic since
it is their official product that I'm buying.
Bottom line: If I cannot trust Amazon and / or the sellers who operate through Amazon to deliver genuine
products, I will simply cease using Amazon to purchase any of it.
It's that simple.
Scripts that watch temperature parameters doth not make an Artificial Intelligence.
It's a sensationalized way of saying Google finally put a programmable thermostat into their data centers.
( " Joe wrote a script to control the AC " doesn't quite come across with the same flair now does it ? )
When someone finally DOES give berth to a legitimate AI, we're going to have to redefine the term I think because :facepalm:
comparing Google's new thermostat to a true AI system would be akin to comparing a match head to the GD Sun.