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User: toddestan

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  1. Re:You missed another point - aftermarket installe on Hacking Automotive Systems · · Score: 1

    If I had to guess, it's because the the Mercedes system requires a constant communication to have the engine run. So there's no way to switch over to the real key without the engine stopping. I suppose he could just use the hidden key to drive around with, but that would defeat any kind of security the remote start has, so once the car has been remote started anyone could hop into it and drive off.

    On more conventional cars (this is all relative, of course) the handshaking only takes place when the engine is started. Even if the car constantly checks for the key, you would still need another physical key to put into the ignition to defeat the steering wheel lock and the interlock on the gearshift (assuming the car is an auto). The remote start module can also sense this so it would then know to not kill the engine if the brake is pressed (another safety/security feature).

  2. Re:Exponential rate on Gulf Gusher Worst Case Scenario · · Score: 1

    You guys already have the metric ton*, so why not?

    *Which is just another name for the megagram, if you guys would actually use those nifty prefixes you came up with.

  3. Re:Of course it's hype, just SHARPer :-) on Is the 4th Yellow Pixel of Sharp Quattron Hype? · · Score: 1

    Keep in mind that the LCD panel itself may flicker. Many LCDs have only a 6-bit panel, and in order to "fake" the colors it can't display natively, the LCD will alternate the pixel between the two closest values at a fast rate.

  4. Re:Local dimming has a problem on Is the 4th Yellow Pixel of Sharp Quattron Hype? · · Score: 1

    I would hope that this feature is something that can be turned off on sets that have it so you always have a uniform backlight? To me, it just seems like a gimmick used to boast large contrast ratios, a number which I've learn to ignore as it is.

  5. Re:Can't believe it on Vibration Killing Enterprise Disk Performance? · · Score: 1

    Well, the solution would be something like a foil layer, probably on the inside where it couldn't be seen. This is pretty much exactly what Dell and HP do (or at least used to do) with their workstation cases which were plastic but had a metal layer on the inside. This of course adds cost, which is probably why it isn't common.

  6. Re:Don't worry! on The Desktop Security Battle May Be Lost · · Score: 1

    I think it's more like securing a computer. If the bad guys have gotten physical access to your tank, you've already lost. Kind of like those locks on some computer cases I've never actually used.

  7. Re:Though the Times They May Look Grim ... on The Desktop Security Battle May Be Lost · · Score: 1

    I'm comfortable with updating the firmware on a router, and given the quality of the typical home router - if it's running stable and does what I want it to do I'm highly inclined to not update the firmware myself. I've seen quite a few updates introduce bugs, instability, or reduce performance.

  8. Re:Dvorak -- B next to M on Stock Market Sell-Off Might Stem From Trader's Fat Finger · · Score: 1

    The T key is also next to M, which means that with Dvorak your chance to screw up is actually 3 orders of magnitude bigger.

  9. Re:Hmm... on State Senator Caught Looking At Porn On Senate Floor · · Score: 1

    You really think that an administrator who sets up an email system so paranoid it blocks XML files is going to allow an Internet-facing FTP server?

    Sadly, it seems that often what happens is sensitive data gets transferred through unrelated third parties like Yousendit and Drop.io who could be doing anything with it.

  10. Re:Who reads the manual? on The MPEG-LA's Lock On Culture · · Score: 1

    If that's really the case, then someone needs to nail Canon (and probably many other high-end camera manufacturers) for false advertising. I don't see how they can advertise a camera as a "professional" camera, if the buyer cannot use it for a commercial purpose.

  11. Re:Who reads the manual? on The MPEG-LA's Lock On Culture · · Score: 1

    The device manufacturer is the one that has to worry about licensing patents in order to build a photocopier. All that the end-user has to worry about is potential copyrights on what they copy.

  12. Re:Who reads the manual? on The MPEG-LA's Lock On Culture · · Score: 1

    That's totally irrelevant. Even if you had to license the technology to make photocopies, it still wouldn't grant you permission to violate copyrights.

  13. Re:Who reads the manual? on The MPEG-LA's Lock On Culture · · Score: 1

    I suppose you have hammered out a license agreement for every patented technology in your computer (and the software it runs!) that you used to type that comment? Or was your ability to do whatever you want with it implied when you purchased it?

  14. Re:Who reads the manual? on The MPEG-LA's Lock On Culture · · Score: 1

    It's not like that at all, since end-users don't need licenses to use any patented technology in any of the products they buy. That includes end-users who use the products in a commercial manner.

  15. Re:Real world already knows this on Open Source vs. Wall Street Bonuses · · Score: 1

    And that doesn't bother the management at all. They got their bonus, that's all that matters. They'll just move onto the next company and start the process over again.

  16. Re:Offline Evil Interface - Gas Pumps on Facebook's "Evil Interfaces" · · Score: 1

    Those are just the pumps for the cars that have the fuel inlet on the passenger side.

  17. Re:Replacments on Blurring Lines — Dual Core Atom To Lift Netbooks · · Score: 1

    I never said you couldn't repair a laptop. Sheesh.

  18. Re:Replacments on Blurring Lines — Dual Core Atom To Lift Netbooks · · Score: 1

    Do you still use your 2004-era desktop?

    I've found that most people aren't ready to give up on their desktops yet. The main reason why notebooks and netbooks outsell desktops is because they don't last as long and need to be replaced more often.

  19. Re:Not a Netbook on Blurring Lines — Dual Core Atom To Lift Netbooks · · Score: 1

    I really don't see how your Acer is any different than a small laptop, other than using lower end components and being priced accordingly.

  20. Re:Replacments on Blurring Lines — Dual Core Atom To Lift Netbooks · · Score: 1

    Keep in mind that the ability to more easily swap hardware also makes the computer easier to repair.

  21. Re:Replacments on Blurring Lines — Dual Core Atom To Lift Netbooks · · Score: 1

    Huh, I was thinking the opposite. I've played around a lot with the P3-era Dells (even today, they are still very quiet and reliable machines and make great light duty Linux boxes), and they pretty much take any ram I've thrown at them.

    Now, the power supplies are a different story, since they use the ATX plug but a different pinout, which can lead to disastrous results if you mix them up.

  22. Re:That's something anyway on Writer Peter Watts Sentenced; No Jail Time · · Score: 2, Funny

    Not to mention that since it's a Toyota, if they track you down, you can just claim it took off on it's own.

  23. Re:Try several years on The End of the PC Era and Apple's Plan To Survive · · Score: 1

    That's outrageous, considering that you can buy the laptop the original poster was talking about for that kind of money. Who spends that much on an obsolete Mac that undoubtedly has a worn out battery and can't even run the latest version of OSX?

  24. Re:No kidding on The End of the PC Era and Apple's Plan To Survive · · Score: 1

    The thing I would worry about is if the masses move onto something other than PCs, we'll lose the massive economies of scale that makes PC hardware nowadays so cheap. PCs will still exist for a long time to come, but we could be facing having to pay $2000 for a new computer again.

  25. Re:It's not ending... on The End of the PC Era and Apple's Plan To Survive · · Score: 1

    A lot companies aren't going to like that, where anyone could potentially grab a device with sensitive information and walk right out the door with it. Or employees taking their mobile devices with them at the end of the and losing them at some bar.

    If anything, businesses would probably prefer some kind of thin client in each cubicle over a PDS.