We constantly try to convince ourselves and the world that we're supposed to be some sort of role model after which all others should strive to emulate.
Time and time again, the evidence tends to show that we can actually be much worse than those countries we love to demonize.
Can you imagine what would happen if another country ( pick one ) started a program like the one we run for snatching up Americans ( or American Allies ) suspected of ties to $scarylabel ?
Perhaps building their own version of Guantanamo and holding them indefinitely without charges, trial or even notification to anyone they were being held at all ?
Everyone here knows exactly what the reaction would be. Drone strikes, commando raids, hell we might even send a Battle Group or three and park them off your coast. Regime change, invasion, air strikes, sanctions, excuse for new war toys testing, etc. etc.
As long as the country in question isn't a major power of course. We love to send in the troops to countries that cannot possibly defend themselves from our mighty war machine. Not so much into the countries that can. See any Russian or Chinese detainees in that lovely detention camp of ours ? Yeah . ..my point. Ever see a bully pick on someone who could kick their ass ? Me either.
Wonder how our war-nuts would handle it if $evil_country started snatching our worldwide intelligence agents ( or just Americans and their Allies at random ) and subjecting them to the same tortu. . . . er. . . . enhanced interrogation techniques that we use. Would be hilarious to hear what insanity would spew forth from our Government about how . . . how . . . EVIL such a thing is. How DARE they do that to an American ?! Resolutions !! Declarations !!! OMGTEHHORROR !! ( Fox News would just implode I think ):|
To the rest of the world, I would like to apologize for the arrogance, hypocrisy and illogical ideology of our "elected" government. If you have any ideas on how to fix it, we're all ears.
I've been studying for the CCNA for some time now and, to be honest, I'm about to give up on it. Have read the Cisco cert books ( from Cisco Press ) twice, attended a boot camp and watched the CCENT / CCNA training series from CBT Nuggets twice as well. Run all Cisco gear on my home network and have a few routers and switches to play with for test setups as well. In addition, I also play with Cisco's Simulation software and have a few practice tests I can take. I can build a router and or switch from scratch and understand the core concepts pretty well. I also have the CCNP level cert books on my desk so I'll peruse those eventually for the concepts I'm interested in. ( BGP, VRF and VPN mostly )
My test is already paid for ( part of the boot camp fee ) but it's likely I won't even bother to take it.
This is due to a number of reasons.
First, it will do absolutely zero for me where I work ( and have worked for 15+ years ). My pay will not increase one dime.
Second, CCNA has to be renewed every three years. CCNP is either two or three years and CCIE is every two. I really have no desire to go through all this all over again a few years from now relearning intricate details of routing protocols most don't use any longer. ( Rip ? Really ? )
Third. The practice tests are full of pointless questions that only the most OCD level folks will care about. No, I don't recall what year 802.11b became a standard and neither does anyone else:/ Unless you teach this stuff for a living, it's unlikely you can recite from memory what the default STP bridge ID's are or the joys of subnetting by hand.
My thoughts are the only way you'll pass the current Cisco Certification exams is if you walk, talk, eat, sleep and breathe this stuff. If you LIVE for deciphering Wireshark traffic or can't wait to break down some addresses into binary so you can manually summarize the routes, then you'll do well with Cisco Certifications:D
I've come to realize that you really have to like this stuff to take it to it's highest levels. Since I don't get excited about it and only do this sort of work because it pays the bills, I just can't justify the cost and stress of obtaining ( and keeping current ) certs I may never really need.
You do need the Class III license to sell, manufacture or import any Class III device. ( Machine Guns, Short Barreled Rifles, Suppressors, etc )
Civilians are not allowed to own machine guns manufactured after 1986, but are allowed to own any manufactured prior. They are, however, prohibitively expensive for anything decent and, like all other Class III devices, have special rules about who has access to them, where you can take them, prior approval from the BATFE if you travel across State lines, etc.
If you own a Class III device ( or several ) then they have to be kept in a safe or locked unit that only YOU have access to. A smaller locked safe within a larger one would work and allow others in the home to access the main safe, but not the smaller one containing the special devices. Unless the others in the home are also listed as users, they are not allowed access to the device at all. A BATFE gotcha if you're not aware of it.
Considering how much ammo costs these days, unless you have a Government budget, machine guns are prohibitively expensive to operate. I'd rather have the semi-auto variants myself. Far easier to control. If you need a dozen shots to hit your target, you need to work on your marksmanship I think.
The $500 Tax is for Dealers, Importers or Manufacturers.
Individual ownership Tax Stamps are $200 for most Class III devices. Gets attached and sent to you via a Form-4 from the BATFE. Devices that are registered to individual users need to have a copy of the Form-4 on hand at all times if the device is in use or in transport. I don't know the rules when it comes to Corporations, Agencies and the like.
I've never been harassed by any LE demanding to see the form ( don't show it to just anyone who demands to see it as it contains your name, address ( where the device lives ) and other personal info on it ) but I have been approached by them out of curiosity about the device itself.
Other categories of things civilians can own with the right paperwork and stamps include AOW ( All other weapons, such as short barreled shotguns ) and Destructive Devices ( Explosives, mini-guns, and the like ). Lots of fun paperwork to deal with. Subject to both State and Federal laws. ( Means even though the devices are legal at the Federal level, your State may not allow them )
If an AI decides to wipe us out, at least we'll quit killing each other and focus on the AI:D
Maybe the best way to end human vs human warfare is to give us something else ( bigger threat ) to shoot at.
In all likelihood though, the AI will simply view us as we do the other animal species on the planet. It'll make a note that we live here, then wipe out a city to build a server farm or something. lol
Yeah, the speed limit for I-45 North or South bound out of Houston is pretty much 65mph. ( Thank the local lobbyists who convinced our less than intelligent legislature that high speed traffic is the big reason for Houston Area's air pollution problem. Is why speed limit jumps the moment you are two counties outside of Harris County:| Can't possibly be all the petro-chemical plants or the high humidity or wind patterns here . . . no no. . . it's the cars ! lol )
Doesn't matter though, no one drives 65. In fact, if you're doing less than 75 you're probably being subject to all sorts of fun road rage behaviors. ( Tailgating, folks will swerve to cut you off, jump in front of you and slam on their brakes, various gestures, folks wave guns and occasionally shoot at each other, etc. etc. ) Police have people pulled over constantly. They'll no sooner finish up one ticket, kick the radar on and be chasing down the next less than a minute later.
I can only hope self drive cars become a reality before I retire. Oy.
"As I was coming up to the crest of an overpass, everyone was doing the standard "we're all braking because there's a hill" thing that Texans do"
This is due to the fact that most Texans know that the favorite hiding spot for both local and State police are just on the other side of that hill you refer to. Zoom over it doing the usual 80mph and, if you listen closely, you can almost hear the laser / radar giggle as the officer set speed lock lets them know some more revenue is coming their way:D
It may also be to due an attention span issue or the usual rubbernecking that goes on when ANYTHING is parked on the shoulder. Or because it's raining, or not. Or because it's Monday. lol
Not to mention hand-holding a crazy zoom on a high resolution sensor would be nigh impossible without either a tripod or super-nova light levels allowing insane shutter speeds.:|
Smaller sensors also equate to higher noise levels, thus are they limited to working in lower ISO levels than the larger sensors. Fast lenses ( f2.8 and below ) only go so far. You'll need low noise high ISO capability for any less than optimal light stuff you plan on doing. ( Read that, just about anything outside of a studio )
While the point and shoots -can- shoot at higher ISO's, this is where the larger format sensors start to shine. While not all systems are equal, I can pretty much guarantee the P&S isn't even playing the same game when comparing a high ISO shot against a pro-dslr. Not even close. ( ISO 3200 and even 6400 on a Nikon D4s is pretty damned impressive noise wise )
Are DSLR's the best ? Of course not. They're big, they're heavy, expensive and a pain in the ass to carry around. If you're shooting with the big super-teles ( say 500mm and above ) then you'll need a motorcade just to haul all the gear around to support it.
They are, however, still superior to the P&S systems when it comes down to quality of the final image. Which, in the end, is really what matters.
If driving 75 vs 65 saves me 59 seconds every 8 miles, I can calculate my 49 mile one way drive to work as follows: ( assuming a five day workweek and ignoring vacation / holiday / sick days for a total of 261 working days in 2014 )
( 49 miles divided by 8 gives me 6.125 as my distance multiplier. Multiply 59 seconds with 6.125 to get one way figures ) 361.37 seconds saved one way
( now double it for round trip figures ) 722.75 seconds saved round-trip per day
( multiply by 261 for yearly figures ) 188637.75 seconds saved per year
Assuming I've done the math right ( no guarantees ), this comes out to 52.39 hours per year that I don't have to spend on the road by increasing my speed by 10mph. That's pretty significant actually. For fun, calculate your hourly compensation and multiply it by the hours saved to put a personal $ figure on it.
For folks who drive far less to work, then perhaps the numbers don't work out for you like mine do. Yes, I could move if I wanted to add an extra zero to the end of the price of a home ( won't even discuss taxes and insurance by doing so ) but I would rather retire early I think.
Too many US drivers have multiple ongoing distractions to even be allowed on the roads at all.
Don't get me wrong, I would love to see 75mph+ speed limits. I just know the freeways are full of folks who consider driving as a secondary activity to talking, texting, watching the game, rubbernecking anything on the side of the road, etc. These people make driving at any speed stressful, annoying, and dangerous.
When we get self-drive cars deployed as the majority of vehicular traffic on the roads, go for it. Crank it up to whatever the auto-drive systems can handle. However, as long as we have to account for the Idiot Variable ( The Human Driver ), we probably shouldn't get too crazy with the upper limits. ( and should enforce minimum ones while we're at it )
For the old farts who knew the world prior to it being online 24/7, the solution is an easy one.
Get rid of the damn phone.
Get a basic phone you can pull the battery out of if you must have one to travel with, but drop the surveillance device. . . erm . . smartphone.
Until the folks who create them can get the permissions models right and truly give the end user the ability to lock them down, don't use them.
I have an old Iphone 4. It's served its purpose pretty well but every time we turn around now you hear nothing but how App X is doing something it shouldn't be. How App y is accessing and transmitting everything it can learn about you.
Want to see something fun ? Fire up a sniffer setup to watch all the wireless traffic on your network, then boot your phone and not just how many sites your phone talks with. Then note how the majority of that traffic is encrypted so you'll have quite the hard time figuring out just what is being sent out.
I've been kicking around the idea of upgrading my phone but recently, I've been tossing around the idea of just getting rid of the smartphone thing com
1) The vehicle cannot be fugly. Why is it the majority of electric and / or hybrids fall into this category ? Is it intentional ? 2) The price has to be reasonable before folks will ever take them seriously. ( Consider the median income. $80k cars are laughable to most ) 3) Refueling infrastructure needs to be in place to support it.
If you can't make a car aesthetically pleasing, the specs on it will be irrelevant as no one will want one. Granted, some folks drive around in some of the worst looking vehicles in existence, but if you want to sell a lot of them, you need to understand performance is only part of the equation.
While a small minority have the ability to outright purchase a high end model or two, I'm not spending $60k+ on a vehicle. They tend to devalue far too quickly, in my opinion, to pour that kind of money into something that will be worth about half its purchase price a few years down the road. I have better things I can spend money on I think.
Most of us will be long dead and buried before the infrastructure is in place to support hydrogen based systems.
I know squat about cellular, but I'm guessing some sort of authentication system is in place to allow mobile units from a particular carrier to connect to a tower from the same carrier and only those towers ? ( ignoring roaming for the moment )
Would it be possible to ' fingerprint ' all of the carriers towers and push that information to a database kept on the phone ? I wouldn't think such a database would be all that big considering any given carrier has a few thousand towers at best. During the handshake process, the phone would query tower info and run it through some sort of hash algorithm and if it doesn't match, it doesn't connect. Or at the very least, it tells you it doesn't match.
Potential issues would then be roaming status on your phone and the Government, under the guise of terrorism and protecting the children clauses, getting the carriers to add tower authentication signatures for their double-naught-spy systems.
1) Inundate the Internet with so many Ads that folks resort to third party solutions ( Adblock, NoScript, Ghostery, etc ) to retain their sanity 2) Charge users a subscription fee to do exactly the same thing as #1 3) Make sure to guilt trip those who dare use any categories of product mentioned in #1 4) Profit ( give websites pocket change while tracking users at the same time )
I have everything in #1 active at all times since ads are transmission vectors for all sorts of nastiness. If your website comes with a $$$$ backed guarantee the ads you're serving will never become compromised and infect my system, then I'll consider unblocking your site. Until then, that's just how it is. Figure out another revenue source.
Our outrage at Big Corp is pretty irrelevant. The minority who understands the problem can protest and complain all we like. Won't make any difference. Similar to the gaming industry. Those in the know don't buy games on launch day ( or pre-order ) because we know there is a good chance it will be completely borked for a while until the patches get issued and problems resolved. The companies don't care though, because they have armies of the gullible standing by that are more than willing to hand them their money on launch day.
The ONLY way this gets fixed is when it starts impacting Big Corps bottom line. Once they begin losing enough money due to eroding trust, only then will they bother to do anything about it. Don't expect to see any Earth Shattering changes until that day happens.
Were the full breadth and scope of just how MUCH information big Corp has on everyone come to light, that may change.
Right now the majority of that information is kept in the dark from the consumer. Most don't realize just how much data can be acquired and what kind of profile can be built against anyone utilizing it. Even if the data is released for public scrutiny, the explanation and implications of it would have to be toned down a bit to fit the typical users understanding of it. ( No law or engineering speak )
It's interesting how far the corporations will go to keep their secrets from us, yet how tenacious they are in trying to learn all there is to know about everyone else.
Consider how many of those cell-phone users are technology savvy enough to understand the privacy concerns in the first place.
In contrast to sites such as this one, the majority of folks wielding a smart-phone, tablet or computer of some flavor aren't well versed in security, code vulnerabilities, and means and methods of keeping tabs on everything they do. It's why they're called " users " and not " engineers ".
It is at this point where any remaining heavy hitting documents within the Snowden cache should start surfacing. ( assuming any with any weight still remain undisclosed )
Our leadership loves to promise one thing and always deliver another if left to their own decisions. The only way things will get fixed is via major pressure from all angles. Sadly, one of the few ways left to us is through the disclosure of incredibly damning evidence until they start doing the jobs they are supposed to be doing.
The other method involves the Second Amendment, but no reason to go there yet if we still have other options open to us:)
So ! That said, to the folks who control the box of secrets, it's time to let another Genie out of the bottle so the folks in charge get it through their head we want this fixed.
Having attended one ( Cisco ) I think the term boot-camp should be renamed to something like " Re-Certification Prep " or something similar.
The sheer amount of material they present ( notice I said present and not teach ) in these things is nigh impossible for anyone to absorb in such a short period of time. I would think they are great ( albeit expensive ) for refresher courses for those who need to get back up to speed to pass a re-certification test, ( Assuming you haven't let it lapse for several years ) but as an introduction to the material, eh . . . not so great.
The folks I took the boot-camp with were less interested in actually learning the concepts than they were with memorizing the material that would be on the test so they could pass it. Need to stress the importance of actually learning the material vs memorizing it if you actually plan to put the information to any use later on down the road.
Only the young and / or inexperienced will buy a game on launch day. ( Or even worse, pre-order it )
Us old farts know it's best to wait a few months so they can get launch day Beta III out of the way, all the bugs fixed up in their super-sized patch and the login servers up to speed. Not to mention the reviews to see if the game is even worth all the pre-launch hype. ( Hint: Usually not )
If you wait a few months more, you'll not only get all the above, but you'll also get all the DLC thrown in for free and at half the price. You may also be playing it on a system that is a generation more advanced than what was intended, making the experience even more enjoyable.
Yes, I know you can't play MMORPG games this way as all your friends will have long since given up on it before you even start. My question to you all would be "When was the last time a decent MMORPG came out that was worth playing six months later ? "
I'm pretty sure the only reason AAA titles even still exist is because there is a never ending supply of young and inexperienced gamers out there who aren't yet jaded by the whole process that is launch day insanity.
1) Wait until the other party takes control of both houses 2) Introduce legislation he KNOWS will go nowhere 3) When legislation fails, start the finger pointing game
And folks wonder why fewer and fewer people vote anymore. Same bullshit, slightly different flavor of it is all.
One can hope, the Repub party will pull their head out of their ass and actually get some meaningful legislation done. They need to impress the hell out of those who still vote if they want any shot at the White House in 2016.
assuming they want a shot at the Presidency in 2016.
One of the variables* that will determine the outcome of that election will be how much meaningful legislation Congress can get done in the next two years. If they continue the status quo that has been the norm for the past several years, they will hand Hillary the Presidential Election on a silver platter.
*The other big variable will be determined by who the Republicans decide to run against Hillary. If they want any shot at the office, they had best field a damned impressive candidate. Again, go with the past and they may as well stay home on election night.
That said, some of the things Congress should tackle will go against their core beliefs, but they need to take it head on and show the people who will be voting come 2016, that they can do what's best for the country ( for once ) instead of what's best for the corporations and 1% types who are presumably running the show.
Those issues could include:
Net Neutrality- The idea put forth by Obama is the right one, it requires regulation. Get it done.
Break up the monopolies - The giant companies who own both the pipes and provide content need to be broken up otherwise you end up with the shit we have now where Company X is degrading competitor Y because it threatens their own content offerings. They will not police themselves because too much money is at stake here.
Immigration - Personally, I say let them in. The only caveat is that non-citizens will be taxed at much higher rates. ( Say 1.5x - 2x ) This way, they can legally work here in the US while, at the same time, help pay for the infrastructure and services they're utilizing. They get to work here making more than they would at home and the Government gets more tax revenue. Win - Win.
Tax Code for US Citizens- Simplify it. Close the loopholes the corporations are using to hide their assets offshore. Hell, go for a flat tax if you have to. Say, 10-15% across the board. No loopholes, deductions or exemptions unless you make less than poverty level wages. Make less than poverty level, you don't pay tax. Everyone else ( including the big business known as The Church ) pays the tax.
Income Inequality- The economies lifeblood is dependent on folks spending money. When you allow the majority of wealth to be controlled by a minority of people, they end up with a lot of power to influence the economy. I'm not saying to tax them any harder ( as that is in conflict with the Tax Code in the previous paragraph ) just make sure they're taxed equally.
Healthcare- This can also be fixed. Obamacare ( or the Affordable Healthcare Act ) was the wrong way to go about it. We don't need more insurance bureaucracy to wade through. What needs to happen is healthcare needs to be declared critical infrastructure and regulated accordingly. You fix the outrageous pricing the healthcare industry has enjoyed for so long and we won't NEED insurance to pay for it. If you disagree with this, pretend you don't have insurance for a while and take a look at what a two week stay in a hospital would do to you financially if you had to pay it in full. Then tell me again how the service isn't overpriced.
Police / Law Enforcement- Trust in them is at an all time low. You simply need to turn on the news to see how out of control they are. Get it fixed before folks tire of it to the point where they fix it themselves. Since they seem to be failing to police themselves, put together a Federal equivalent of an Internal Affairs division that does nothing but investigate the bullshit that currently infects local Law Enforcement.
Education- Is a joke. Student debt is off the damn charts. Public school X offers a far superior education to public school Y due to the way funding is distributed. Germany recently figured out you don't remain a World Super Power if your education system churns out folks who can barely read or, for those with an advanced education, come out so far in debt that you're basic
You want to solve the obesity issue ? The fix is rather simple, remove the added sugar. It's easy to avoid the obvious stuff, not so easy when damn near anything purchased in a store has some sort of added sugar in it.
Challenge: While avoiding the organic isle, walk through any store and look at various items and note how much of it contains sugar. It's in quite a few things you wouldn't even think of.
Eating a block of it once per day, or eating smaller amounts of it several times a day equates to the same intake. Reduce the sugar, and you fix the problem.
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We constantly try to convince ourselves and the world that we're supposed to be some sort of role model after which all others should strive to emulate.
.my point.
:|
Time and time again, the evidence tends to show that we can actually be much worse than those countries we love to demonize.
Can you imagine what would happen if another country ( pick one ) started a program like the one we run for snatching up Americans ( or American Allies ) suspected of ties to $scarylabel ?
Perhaps building their own version of Guantanamo and holding them indefinitely without charges, trial or even notification to anyone they were being held at all ?
Everyone here knows exactly what the reaction would be. Drone strikes, commando raids, hell we might even send a Battle Group or three and park them off your coast. Regime change, invasion, air strikes, sanctions, excuse for new war toys testing, etc. etc.
As long as the country in question isn't a major power of course. We love to send in the troops to countries that cannot possibly defend themselves from our mighty war machine. Not so much into the countries that can. See any Russian or Chinese detainees in that lovely detention camp of ours ? Yeah . .
Ever see a bully pick on someone who could kick their ass ? Me either.
Wonder how our war-nuts would handle it if $evil_country started snatching our worldwide intelligence agents ( or just Americans and their Allies at random ) and subjecting them to the same tortu. . . . er. . . . enhanced interrogation techniques that we use. Would be hilarious to hear what insanity would spew forth from our Government about how . . . how . . . EVIL such a thing is. How DARE they do that to an American ?! Resolutions !! Declarations !!! OMGTEHHORROR !! ( Fox News would just implode I think )
To the rest of the world, I would like to apologize for the arrogance, hypocrisy and illogical ideology of our "elected" government. If you have any ideas on how to fix it, we're all ears.
I've been studying for the CCNA for some time now and, to be honest, I'm about to give up on it. Have read the Cisco cert books ( from Cisco Press ) twice, attended a boot camp and watched the CCENT / CCNA training series from CBT Nuggets twice as well. Run all Cisco gear on my home network and have a few routers and switches to play with for test setups as well. In addition, I also play with Cisco's Simulation software and have a few practice tests I can take. I can build a router and or switch from scratch and understand the core concepts pretty well. I also have the CCNP level cert books on my desk so I'll peruse those eventually for the concepts I'm interested in. ( BGP, VRF and VPN mostly )
:/ Unless you teach this stuff for a living, it's unlikely you can recite from memory what the default STP bridge ID's are or the joys of subnetting by hand.
:D
My test is already paid for ( part of the boot camp fee ) but it's likely I won't even bother to take it.
This is due to a number of reasons.
First, it will do absolutely zero for me where I work ( and have worked for 15+ years ). My pay will not increase one dime.
Second, CCNA has to be renewed every three years. CCNP is either two or three years and CCIE is every two. I really have no desire to go through all this all over again a few years from now relearning intricate details of routing protocols most don't use any longer. ( Rip ? Really ? )
Third. The practice tests are full of pointless questions that only the most OCD level folks will care about. No, I don't recall what year 802.11b became a standard and neither does anyone else
My thoughts are the only way you'll pass the current Cisco Certification exams is if you walk, talk, eat, sleep and breathe this stuff. If you LIVE for deciphering Wireshark traffic or can't wait to break down some addresses into binary so you can manually summarize the routes, then you'll do well with Cisco Certifications
I've come to realize that you really have to like this stuff to take it to it's highest levels. Since I don't get excited about it and only do this sort of work because it pays the bills, I just can't justify the cost and stress of obtaining ( and keeping current ) certs I may never really need.
YMMV of course.
You do need the Class III license to sell, manufacture or import any Class III device. ( Machine Guns, Short Barreled Rifles, Suppressors, etc )
Civilians are not allowed to own machine guns manufactured after 1986, but are allowed to own any manufactured prior. They are, however, prohibitively expensive for anything decent and, like all other Class III devices, have special rules about who has access to them, where you can take them, prior approval from the BATFE if you travel across State lines, etc.
If you own a Class III device ( or several ) then they have to be kept in a safe or locked unit that only YOU have access to. A smaller locked safe within a larger one would work and allow others in the home to access the main safe, but not the smaller one containing the special devices. Unless the others in the home are also listed as users, they are not allowed access to the device at all. A BATFE gotcha if you're not aware of it.
Considering how much ammo costs these days, unless you have a Government budget, machine guns are prohibitively expensive to operate. I'd rather have the semi-auto variants myself. Far easier to control. If you need a dozen shots to hit your target, you need to work on your marksmanship I think.
The $500 Tax is for Dealers, Importers or Manufacturers.
Individual ownership Tax Stamps are $200 for most Class III devices. Gets attached and sent to you via a Form-4 from the BATFE. Devices that are registered to individual users need to have a copy of the Form-4 on hand at all times if the device is in use or in transport. I don't know the rules when it comes to Corporations, Agencies and the like.
I've never been harassed by any LE demanding to see the form ( don't show it to just anyone who demands to see it as it contains your name, address ( where the device lives ) and other personal info on it ) but I have been approached by them out of curiosity about the device itself.
Other categories of things civilians can own with the right paperwork and stamps include AOW ( All other weapons, such as short barreled shotguns ) and Destructive Devices ( Explosives, mini-guns, and the like ). Lots of fun paperwork to deal with. Subject to both State and Federal laws. ( Means even though the devices are legal at the Federal level, your State may not allow them )
If an AI decides to wipe us out, at least we'll quit killing each other and focus on the AI :D
Maybe the best way to end human vs human warfare is to give us something else ( bigger threat ) to shoot at.
In all likelihood though, the AI will simply view us as we do the other animal species on the planet. It'll make a note that we live here, then wipe out a city to build a server farm or something. lol
Chuckle.
:| Can't possibly be all the petro-chemical plants or the high humidity or wind patterns here . . . no no. . . it's the cars ! lol )
Yeah, the speed limit for I-45 North or South bound out of Houston is pretty much 65mph. ( Thank the local lobbyists who convinced our less than intelligent legislature that high speed traffic is the big reason for Houston Area's air pollution problem. Is why speed limit jumps the moment you are two counties outside of Harris County
Doesn't matter though, no one drives 65. In fact, if you're doing less than 75 you're probably being subject to all sorts of fun road rage behaviors. ( Tailgating, folks will swerve to cut you off, jump in front of you and slam on their brakes, various gestures, folks wave guns and occasionally shoot at each other, etc. etc. ) Police have people pulled over constantly. They'll no sooner finish up one ticket, kick the radar on and be chasing down the next less than a minute later.
I can only hope self drive cars become a reality before I retire. Oy.
"As I was coming up to the crest of an overpass, everyone was doing the standard "we're all braking because there's a hill" thing that Texans do"
:D
This is due to the fact that most Texans know that the favorite hiding spot for both local and State police are just on the other side of that hill you refer to. Zoom over it doing the usual 80mph and, if you listen closely, you can almost hear the laser / radar giggle as the officer set speed lock lets them know some more revenue is coming their way
It may also be to due an attention span issue or the usual rubbernecking that goes on when ANYTHING is parked on the shoulder. Or because it's raining, or not. Or because it's Monday. lol
Not to mention hand-holding a crazy zoom on a high resolution sensor would be nigh impossible without either a tripod or super-nova light levels allowing insane shutter speeds. :|
Smaller sensors also equate to higher noise levels, thus are they limited to working in lower ISO levels than the larger sensors. Fast lenses ( f2.8 and below ) only go so far. You'll need low noise high ISO capability for any less than optimal light stuff you plan on doing. ( Read that, just about anything outside of a studio )
While the point and shoots -can- shoot at higher ISO's, this is where the larger format sensors start to shine. While not all systems are equal, I can pretty much guarantee the P&S isn't even playing the same game when comparing a high ISO shot against a pro-dslr. Not even close. ( ISO 3200 and even 6400 on a Nikon D4s is pretty damned impressive noise wise )
Are DSLR's the best ? Of course not. They're big, they're heavy, expensive and a pain in the ass to carry around. If you're shooting with the big super-teles ( say 500mm and above ) then you'll need a motorcade just to haul all the gear around to support it.
They are, however, still superior to the P&S systems when it comes down to quality of the final image. Which, in the end, is really what matters.
If driving 75 vs 65 saves me 59 seconds every 8 miles, I can calculate my 49 mile one way drive to work as follows:
( assuming a five day workweek and ignoring vacation / holiday / sick days for a total of 261 working days in 2014 )
( 49 miles divided by 8 gives me 6.125 as my distance multiplier. Multiply 59 seconds with 6.125 to get one way figures )
361.37 seconds saved one way
( now double it for round trip figures )
722.75 seconds saved round-trip per day
( multiply by 261 for yearly figures )
188637.75 seconds saved per year
Assuming I've done the math right ( no guarantees ), this comes out to 52.39 hours per year that I don't have to spend on the road by
increasing my speed by 10mph. That's pretty significant actually. For fun, calculate your hourly compensation and multiply it by the hours saved to put a personal $ figure on it.
For folks who drive far less to work, then perhaps the numbers don't work out for you like mine do. Yes, I could move if I wanted to add an extra zero to the end of the price of a home ( won't even discuss taxes and insurance by doing so ) but I would rather retire early I think.
Too many US drivers have multiple ongoing distractions to even be allowed on the roads at all.
Don't get me wrong, I would love to see 75mph+ speed limits. I just know the freeways are full of folks who consider driving as a secondary activity to talking, texting, watching the game, rubbernecking anything on the side of the road, etc. These people make driving at any speed stressful, annoying, and dangerous.
When we get self-drive cars deployed as the majority of vehicular traffic on the roads, go for it. Crank it up to whatever the auto-drive systems can handle. However, as long as we have to account for the Idiot Variable ( The Human Driver ), we probably shouldn't get too crazy with the upper limits. ( and should enforce minimum ones while we're at it )
For the old farts who knew the world prior to it being online 24/7, the solution is an easy one.
Get rid of the damn phone.
Get a basic phone you can pull the battery out of if you must have one to travel with, but drop the surveillance device. . . erm . . smartphone.
Until the folks who create them can get the permissions models right and truly give the end user the ability to lock them down, don't use them.
I have an old Iphone 4. It's served its purpose pretty well but every time we turn around now you hear nothing but how App X is doing something it shouldn't be. How App y is accessing and transmitting everything it can learn about you.
Want to see something fun ? Fire up a sniffer setup to watch all the wireless traffic on your network, then boot your phone and not just how many sites your phone talks with. Then note how the majority of that traffic is encrypted so you'll have quite the hard time figuring out just what is being sent out.
I've been kicking around the idea of upgrading my phone but recently, I've been tossing around the idea of just getting rid of the smartphone thing com
A few things to consider:
1) The vehicle cannot be fugly. Why is it the majority of electric and / or hybrids fall into this category ? Is it intentional ?
2) The price has to be reasonable before folks will ever take them seriously. ( Consider the median income. $80k cars are laughable to most )
3) Refueling infrastructure needs to be in place to support it.
If you can't make a car aesthetically pleasing, the specs on it will be irrelevant as no one will want one. Granted,
some folks drive around in some of the worst looking vehicles in existence, but if you want to sell a lot of them, you
need to understand performance is only part of the equation.
While a small minority have the ability to outright purchase a high end model or two, I'm not spending $60k+ on a vehicle.
They tend to devalue far too quickly, in my opinion, to pour that kind of money into something that will be worth about half
its purchase price a few years down the road. I have better things I can spend money on I think.
Most of us will be long dead and buried before the infrastructure is in place to support hydrogen based systems.
I know squat about cellular, but I'm guessing some sort of authentication system is in place to allow mobile units from a particular carrier to connect to a tower from the same carrier and only those towers ? ( ignoring roaming for the moment )
Would it be possible to ' fingerprint ' all of the carriers towers and push that information to a database kept on the phone ? I wouldn't think such a database would be all that big considering any given carrier has a few thousand towers at best. During the handshake process, the phone would query tower info and run it through some sort of hash algorithm and if it doesn't match, it doesn't connect. Or at the very least, it tells you it doesn't match.
Potential issues would then be roaming status on your phone and the Government, under the guise of terrorism and protecting the children clauses, getting the carriers to add tower authentication signatures for their double-naught-spy systems.
Chuckle. Now you're really talking about a tiny minority :D
"I use adblock but I only use it on sites that have way too much advertising."
So . . . . you're a part time freeloader ?
1) Inundate the Internet with so many Ads that folks resort to third party solutions ( Adblock, NoScript, Ghostery, etc ) to retain their sanity
2) Charge users a subscription fee to do exactly the same thing as #1
3) Make sure to guilt trip those who dare use any categories of product mentioned in #1
4) Profit ( give websites pocket change while tracking users at the same time )
I have everything in #1 active at all times since ads are transmission vectors for all sorts of nastiness. If your website comes with a $$$$ backed guarantee the ads you're serving will never become compromised and infect my system, then I'll consider unblocking your site. Until then, that's just how it is. Figure out another revenue source.
Our outrage at Big Corp is pretty irrelevant. The minority who understands the problem can protest and complain all we like. Won't make any difference. Similar to the gaming industry. Those in the know don't buy games on launch day ( or pre-order ) because we know there is a good chance it will be completely borked for a while until the patches get issued and problems resolved. The companies don't care though, because they have armies of the gullible standing by that are more than willing to hand them their money on launch day.
The ONLY way this gets fixed is when it starts impacting Big Corps bottom line. Once they begin losing enough money due to eroding trust, only then will they bother to do anything about it. Don't expect to see any Earth Shattering changes until that day happens.
Were the full breadth and scope of just how MUCH information big Corp has on everyone come to light, that may change.
Right now the majority of that information is kept in the dark from the consumer. Most don't realize just how much data can be acquired and what kind of profile can be built against anyone utilizing it. Even if the data is released for public scrutiny, the explanation and implications of it would have to be toned down a bit to fit the typical users understanding of it. ( No law or engineering speak )
It's interesting how far the corporations will go to keep their secrets from us, yet how tenacious they are in trying to learn all there is to know about everyone else.
Consider how many of those cell-phone users are technology savvy enough to understand the privacy concerns in the first place.
In contrast to sites such as this one, the majority of folks wielding a smart-phone, tablet or computer of some flavor aren't well versed in security, code vulnerabilities, and means and methods of keeping tabs on everything they do. It's why they're called " users " and not " engineers ".
It is at this point where any remaining heavy hitting documents within the Snowden cache should start surfacing. ( assuming any with any weight still remain undisclosed )
:)
Our leadership loves to promise one thing and always deliver another if left to their own decisions. The only way things will get fixed is via major pressure from all angles. Sadly, one of the few ways left to us is through the disclosure of incredibly damning evidence until they start doing the jobs they are supposed to be doing.
The other method involves the Second Amendment, but no reason to go there yet if we still have other options open to us
So ! That said, to the folks who control the box of secrets, it's time to let another Genie out of the bottle so the folks in charge get it through their head we want this fixed.
In my opinion of course.
Having attended one ( Cisco ) I think the term boot-camp should be renamed to something like " Re-Certification Prep " or something similar.
The sheer amount of material they present ( notice I said present and not teach ) in these things is nigh impossible for anyone to absorb in such a short period of time. I would think they are great ( albeit expensive ) for refresher courses for those who need to get back up to speed to pass a re-certification test, ( Assuming you haven't let it lapse for several years ) but as an introduction to the material, eh . . . not so great.
The folks I took the boot-camp with were less interested in actually learning the concepts than they were with memorizing the material that would be on the test so they could pass it. Need to stress the importance of actually learning the material vs memorizing it if you actually plan to put the information to any use later on down the road.
Only the young and / or inexperienced will buy a game on launch day. ( Or even worse, pre-order it )
Us old farts know it's best to wait a few months so they can get launch day Beta III out of the way, all the bugs fixed up in their super-sized patch and the login servers up to speed. Not to mention the reviews to see if the game is even worth all the pre-launch hype. ( Hint: Usually not )
If you wait a few months more, you'll not only get all the above, but you'll also get all the DLC thrown in for free and at half the price. You may also be playing it on a system that is a generation more advanced than what was intended, making the experience even more enjoyable.
Yes, I know you can't play MMORPG games this way as all your friends will have long since given up on it before you even start. My question to you all would be "When was the last time a decent MMORPG came out that was worth playing six months later ? "
I'm pretty sure the only reason AAA titles even still exist is because there is a never ending supply of young and inexperienced gamers out there who aren't yet jaded by the whole process that is launch day insanity.
1) Wait until the other party takes control of both houses
2) Introduce legislation he KNOWS will go nowhere
3) When legislation fails, start the finger pointing game
And folks wonder why fewer and fewer people vote anymore. Same bullshit, slightly different flavor of it is all.
One can hope, the Repub party will pull their head out of their ass and actually get some meaningful legislation done.
They need to impress the hell out of those who still vote if they want any shot at the White House in 2016.
NSL letters trump everything, including any laws that are passed.
:|
Welcome to the US of A
assuming they want a shot at the Presidency in 2016.
One of the variables* that will determine the outcome of that election will be how much meaningful legislation Congress can get done in the next two years. If they continue the status quo that has been the norm for the past several years, they will hand Hillary the Presidential Election on a silver platter.
*The other big variable will be determined by who the Republicans decide to run against Hillary. If they want any shot at the office, they had best field a damned impressive candidate. Again, go with the past and they may as well stay home on election night.
That said, some of the things Congress should tackle will go against their core beliefs, but they need to take it head on and show the people who will be voting come 2016, that they can do what's best for the country ( for once ) instead of what's best for the corporations and 1% types who are presumably running the show.
Those issues could include:
Net Neutrality- The idea put forth by Obama is the right one, it requires regulation. Get it done.
Break up the monopolies - The giant companies who own both the pipes and provide content need to be broken up otherwise you end up with the shit we have now where Company X is degrading competitor Y because it threatens their own content offerings. They will not police themselves because too much money is at stake here.
Immigration - Personally, I say let them in. The only caveat is that non-citizens will be taxed at much higher rates. ( Say 1.5x - 2x ) This way, they can legally work here in the US while, at the same time, help pay for the infrastructure and services they're utilizing. They get to work here making more than they would at home and the Government gets more tax revenue. Win - Win.
Tax Code for US Citizens- Simplify it. Close the loopholes the corporations are using to hide their assets offshore. Hell, go for a flat tax if you have to. Say, 10-15% across the board. No loopholes, deductions or exemptions unless you make less than poverty level wages. Make less than poverty level, you don't pay tax. Everyone else ( including the big business known as The Church ) pays the tax.
Income Inequality- The economies lifeblood is dependent on folks spending money. When you allow the majority of wealth to be controlled by a minority of people, they end up with a lot of power to influence the economy. I'm not saying to tax them any harder ( as that is in conflict with the Tax Code in the previous paragraph ) just make sure they're taxed equally.
Healthcare- This can also be fixed. Obamacare ( or the Affordable Healthcare Act ) was the wrong way to go about it. We don't need more insurance bureaucracy to wade through. What needs to happen is healthcare needs to be declared critical infrastructure and regulated accordingly. You fix the outrageous pricing the healthcare industry has enjoyed for so long and we won't NEED insurance to pay for it. If you disagree with this, pretend you don't have insurance for a while and take a look at what a two week stay in a hospital would do to you financially if you had to pay it in full. Then tell me again how the service isn't overpriced.
Police / Law Enforcement- Trust in them is at an all time low. You simply need to turn on the news to see how out of control they are. Get it fixed before folks tire of it to the point where they fix it themselves. Since they seem to be failing to police themselves, put together a Federal equivalent of an Internal Affairs division that does nothing but investigate the bullshit that currently infects local Law Enforcement.
Education- Is a joke. Student debt is off the damn charts. Public school X offers a far superior education to public school Y due to the way funding is distributed. Germany recently figured out you don't remain a World Super Power if your education system churns out folks who can barely read or, for those with an advanced education, come out so far in debt that you're basic
You want to solve the obesity issue ? The fix is rather simple, remove the added sugar. It's easy to avoid the obvious stuff, not so easy when damn near anything purchased in a store has some sort of added sugar in it.
Challenge: While avoiding the organic isle, walk through any store and look at various items and note how much of it contains sugar. It's in quite a few things you wouldn't even think of.
Eating a block of it once per day, or eating smaller amounts of it several times a day equates to the same intake. Reduce the sugar, and you fix the problem.