I understand that I am using "anti-US relativism" in my argument, but I am using it because the media is so far biased in favor of pro-US relativism instead and I believe it important to express alternative view points. That was pretty much the entire point of my post. I realize I do not have the best examples listed.
As for press coverage of scandals within the United States, there are two inherent flaws in this belief: first of all, if the mainstream media does not focus on it, then how would the general public know that it happened at all? They wouldn't! This sounds all conspiracy-theory and theoretical on the surface, but my favorite example is the Chinagate scandal. Ask your average citizen walking out the door of your local supermarket about it and I can guarantee that 49 out of 50 or more will respond with a blank look. I know because I've tried it for a history class.
For those not in the loop with this, the Chinagate scandal was the event that was manipulated by the government and the press to become the stupid and superficial Monica Lewinsky scandal. It occurred in the mid-90's and it boils down to Bill Clinton providing China with classified US nuclear technologies and bringing them up to a full scale threat. Regardless of his reasons for doing so, the press got ahold of this in the mid 90's and began printing stories.
The 'letters to the editor' that you speak of were beginning to come off the home desks of the American public. But there was a problem: neither of the two major parties in the US wanted the public to know about this!! The democrats of course because Clinton was in office and the blame would fall partly on his shoulders. The Republicans because Bush Sr. had been doing the same thing!! Of course it would be disasterous to both parties if the public knew they were both involved with it, so both parties wanted it hushed. The result: the Monica Lewinsky scandal grabs American attention instead. The press did not have to be forcefully silenced or censored: they chose to write about those stories on their own, but they were manipulated into that position by politicians. This how the government runs its censorship.
The Chinagate scandal blew over. You can still find it from third-party sources all over the web, but it never really got the public!! If the government can censor something like that, then what is to stop them from using the same means to censor other events? None.
And I am being the pessimist here and pointing at our declining freedoms. You say that we're not even comparable to the Axis of Evil, etc, and I would like this to remain true. The only way for it to continue, however, is for people like me to point out our own flaws. If the American public remains in the dark and directing their attention toward other countries, then by the time people like yourself believe that we ARE comparable, it will be far too late!
As for the "secret police" argument, I say to you that if a single American citizen is held by his own government against his will, without evidence and because he has stated views contrary to those of the US government, then it is just as bad as the many who are suppressed in other countries. One is one too many. But guess what? It happens! That one actually gets to the news fairly regularly! But does the public care? No, because the media soon directs their attention to the evil OTHER COUNTRIES.
It is you, my friend, who are foolish and naïve to argue that there is not a parallel between the US and these other countries. The US may not be "just as bad", but without vigilant citizens, it will be.
Alright, I haven't RTFA yet, but if this is news that Iran is censoring the Net then I dont think it's anything new. There have been a number of recent events that are using the media to direct public attention against Iran now (the most recent of which is probably Rumsfeld's Slam of their elections). As a concerned American citizen who is fast losing faith in the honor of his government, I think this is a ploy, to direct the attention of world citizens, and especially US citizens away from our own flaws and toward the flaws of other countries.
Anybody who read the article a few days ago about the new use of eminent domain can see that the US government has major problems with the way it functions. Instead of anybody pointing out the US censors information also, we all hurry to jump on the band wagon to single out and bash Iran. No, they (the US government) don't prevent you from searching for certain words or anything, at least not yet, but they do force the removal of websites that portray a view contrary to what they want the public to know: see http://www.67cshdocs.com/, a blog that didn't disclose any classified information, but showed you what was really going on on the US war fronts, but was shut down by the government. I'm an American citizen and very patriotic, but I'm not blind. Our government is using the media. No, I'm not saying they are controlling/. or any other news source, I'm saying the media has become the lap dogs who go when the government says fetch.
I don't approve of Iranian censorship. I don't approve of censorship of any sort. But it would be foolish of anyone to believe that the "axis of evil" are the only ones who do this. They simply do not have the size and power to cover up for the mselves and direct public attention elsewhere.
This is flamebait, but I'll bite. I am a student of the modern education system. I'm a got through high school with a 3.6 out of 4.0 GPA and I am now attending college where I'm getting a 3.8 out of 4.0. In high school I saw, and was even subject to in some degree the brainwashing he is talking about. While I was in high school I had the same opinion as you, but now that I am actually in college I must beg to differ. College is NOT for everybody. The way the modern high school system is design, and the way counsellors seem to put it, especially in the area I grew up in (a richer area of southern Connecticut), all students were EXPECTED to go to college. If you didn't it was almost as if they were telling you that you were going to be a failure in life. Tech schools weren't even really an option.
Now, as a student in college I am seeing some kids who try extremely hard, but simply cannot make the grades. These are not stupid people, in fact, I'd say half of them are very gifted at whatever it is that does intrest them (cars, computers, wild life, whatever).
They are not cut out for college; they know it, and anybody who knows them can see it. But they feel that if they leave and actually grow in an area that they ARE suited for, then they are going to be failures in life and end up living under a bridge, etc. Some of them have taken the step to leave the colleges (which require general education in areas that they simply cannot do) and moved to tech schools or actually begun work in their chosen field, and are much happier and doing quite well.
Jobs is delivering an important message here: just because you aren't good at advanced math doesn't mean you can't be a wonderful forester or agriculturalist. Just because you can't memorize history or write vivid persuasive essays doesn't mean you can't do fantastic work on cars.
The world needs innovative mechanics, janitors, construction workers and farmers as much, if not more, than it needs rocket scientists and brain surgeons. Encouraging kids to follow the path that is BEST FOR THEM INDIVIDUALLY will be much better for them than simply telling them, go to college or be a loser.
Perhaps the interview was done electronically? Or else whoever transcribed it was simply putting the words Linus said into a grammatically correct format with the parenthesis.
The exact quote is that it has the "potential" to break down these borders. And indeed it does have this potential. The Internet actually has broken down at least some of the barriers (it is amazing how many people you can meet from all over the world if you actually try using the 'net for that), it is simply that people don't usually exploit this potential. The more technology advances in the communications industry, the more the potential grows. As it becomes a natural part of everyday life, I predict that it will actually do so. One must keep in mind that the Internet as we know it is relatively new. Give it some more time, and as long as people continue to keep it (relatively) open and uncontrolled, I beleive it will fulfill it's potential.
I'm no expert, but this seems like the insecure way to do it. If you have hardware in the card to activate it, then anyone who steals the card can have as much time as they need to tamper with / hack that hardware to make it work. In fact... why not just bypass the system altogether and make it always active??
However, I do like the idea of using voiceprints as verifications. In fact, other biometric systems would probably work just as well (fingerprints, retina scan, whatever). But DO NOT STORE THIS INFORMATION ON THE CARD! Store it in a central database and associate it with the magnetic ID of the card, then use it similar to the PIN system currently implemented, just requiring the PIN equivalent for every transaction.
There have been comments made that "wives, girlfriends, etc. won't like this very much", so why not add a set of biometrics that are valid for the card. This way you can both have multiple ID's for yourself (if you have a cold and voice isn't working, then use your fingerprints, etc.), as well as biometrics for other people you trust to use this card. In this age of streaming media / Internet / computers all over this can definitely be done.
This is probably one of the most insightful comments I've seen in a while. Case in point: myself.
I was actually raised in the backwoods of Maine (USA) with no electricity up until I was 12 years old (no joke, don't ask, it was my parents' idea, not mine...) But when I was there I read all the time. We had 80 acres of wooded property with everything from beaver bonds to trails to whatever that I loved to explore. No electricity, no TV, no computers, no video games, nothing like that.
Let me just say that my work ethic coming out of that was phenomenal! I wanted to learn because it was the most rewarding thing I knew and it was fun.
Fast forward a few years. I moved to Connecticut and the suburbs at the end of 6th grade and began to get an interest in computers, because hey, we all know they are one of the most fun things to learn about!! I got into programming and hardware work and all that stuff. Over the years I have stayed with it, but looking back I can see a very frightening trend. As time moved forward and I got used to using them, I also lost my work ethic and most of my will to learn. It just didn't seem so fun any more compared to the instant gratification of many of the things the computer has to offer.
In truth, I blame the Internet more than computers themselves for it. Before we had the 'net (and we didn't get it until I was in 10th grade, and even then it was only 56k). The Internet is so vast a resource that one would think it is full of things to explore. But what are the top three uses of it: pr0n, gaming, and shopping! The last one may be productive in a way, except that it simply moves the thrill of shopping away from malls and stores to the instant gratification of the computer. But the computer to some extent and the Internet to a MAJOR extent hurt my school work.
I'm in college now, and I'm slowly pulling myself out of the hole. But guess how I'm doing it: laying off computers more. I go for random walks in the woods just for the memories and because it still sparks my imagination. I go to parties and meet people. When I'm at the computer now I'm usually doing class work of some sort or working on an actual learning project (Currently Linux From Scratch, w00t). Because these things don't give the "instant gratification" factor, it is building my work ethic back up and it is reflecting in my grades.
I do still allow myself some vices.... (*cough*/.*cough*), but if you want to honestly improve your life or, as a student, improve your grades, then take a serious look at how much time you spend in front of the glowing aura doing non-productive activities and ask yourself if it's really worth it.
I would actually suggest that WINE add an option to enter a CD key from a real version of Windows when you run it, and that Microsoft be able to check this CD Key for validity. If the user does own a legal copy of windows, then by all means Microsoft should let them download the updates, because if the user owns a legal copy, Microsoft made their money off it whether the user is using it or not.
I know this is probably a lot to ask that maybe these two could collaborate, but there might actually be a profit in it for Microsoft.
Would there be any Linux users willing to shell out some $$ for software from Microsoft that is guaranteed to be completely compatible with other Microsoft products and also has a "Runs with WINE" stamp on it? In a world where Microsoft IS the standard (especially in schools....) I think there would be a group of people willing to do this. The question would be how large is this group?
Even if you do not have them set to boot first, then resetting the BIOS will on most machines set them to boot first. And even if there is no drive installed, physical access means you could just as well plug one in, or heck, why not just plug the hard drive into a different computer?! When you think of the things that you can actually do with physical access, you begin to see how important that layer of security really is. And it can be something as simple as a locked door to anything as complex as the "computer vault" or beyond.
I work for my school's ResNet (computer repair and tech support for the college campus), and we use KVM's. We have the regular old analog KVM that you plug the keyboard/mouse/VGA/ lines into and then use the switch to go back and forth between the comps for the basic repairs and the first level of work.
On the second level we have them hooked up to a digital KVM that consists of two parts: the KVM switch and the module you plug into the computer. Basically the part you plug into the computer consists of either a USB port or two PS/2 ports and a VGA plug in on one side and a regular 10/100 ethernet line on the other end that goes to the switch. Then you can use any computer also connected to the switch by a patch cable and having the proper installed software to access the computers as if you were sitting in front of them. Our version isn't set up to work over IP, but it can be upgraded to it.
I don't remember the maker off the top of my head, but if I do I'll post it (we just upgraded the firmware on the switch and the modules, so the site should be in my history somewhere....).
Anyway, yes, it does exist and it works quite well.
Oh, I have been committed for years.... but those nice young men in the white shirts say I can still read slashdot. (And they wonder why I'm so insane >:-D)
If this is true, then why did a POLICE OFFICER show up on the scene to ask the person to follow library guidelines? If it is a matter of a general rule, not even a local law, then the police have no jurisdiction.
It could be MUCH easier to just have a sign outside saying "Library rules require that wireless access to our LAN must be done solely from within the library" or something to that affect, or else have a library personell request it (if they have this kind of an incident, a security guard for the library would be within his bounds to do what this officer did). But to have the police come to enforce a rule like this is not only ludacris, but it is borderline harassment.
Hell no! If you don't stand up at the root of the problem, then the problem simply grows. First thing you do any time ANY cop tells you to do something you don't agree with is get their badge number and commanding officers name. It's amazing how much of an affect just asking for this information has on them.
They must identify themselves just to prove that they are the real deal and not an imposter (scary how many of those there are too....). Once you have this information, explain (CALMLY!) to the officer why you figure you are in the right. If he still pushes you, then say something to the effect of "i'm going to have to consult my attorney about this" and walk off.
Report the incident as soon as possible to the police captain for whatever barracks the officer is based at and feel free to complain to your local paper / etc. But NEVER let them feel like you just rolled over to their request if you believe it is unconstitutional / illegal / unjust. If you do you set a REALLY BAD precedent for future abuse of their power.
I think peopel should read the submitions before blasting them. The submitter never said that Best Buy fired customers, they said "Some stores have actually "fired" customers". That's "some" not "Best Buy". Geeze people.....
In other news, I have had numerous problems with Best Buy on some fairly large purchases (new desktops). They have this wierd quirk that if you show up at the store on the day the sale they listed in their flyer starts near the beginning of the day (within an hour of the store opening), they seem to not have any of that particular item. I bought an eMachines desktop their and they insisted that they no longer had the monitor that with that set in stock and suggested I buy a bigger monitor. I told them that if they did not give me the deal they advertised, I would be contacting my lawyer concerning a false advertising suit. Well, oddly enough the threat suddenly made one of the advertised monitors appear out of thin air, because they pulled one down for me.
The scary thing is that I went back to buy another computer for my grandmother and they tried it again! I go their to browse for awesome deals every now and then (I guess that makes me a demon customer), but I pretty much shy away from their now.
Let me begin this with the disclaimer that I am fairly new to Linux. I can do all of the basic stuff fairly well, but when it comes to having to hack out wierd stuff that doesn't work right off the bat, I'm...well, deficient.
Anyway, my first choice for Linux is definitely Mandrake. The interface is beautiful, fast and easy and it runs stable (I've had some stability problems with Fedora) all of the time. So why don't I used it? Well, first of all, Mandrake HATES my trackball mice. I have two of them, one from Logitech and one from some other company I can't remember. Anyway, both the mandrake install and mandrake itself refuse to recognize these mice. That wasn't too too bad, I can handle using the regular kind of mouse. But then came the USB problem. No distribution of Mandrake that I have tried up to and including 10.0 liked my USB flash drive. On Fedora I just mount/dev/sda1 to/mnt/jump and I'm all set. But for some reason Mandrake doesn't set up an sda1 and I'm too newbed to know how to fix that myself.
The final thing I have against Mandrake is its configuration tools. Fedora comes with a nice set of tools to configure all of the stuff I want to use / customize and it always works. Mandrake's on the other hand, have a bad habit of reverting to the settings it liked without even trying my new ones.
I'm running Fedora 2 right now and it works fairly well and does all of the stuff I need it too (it's much better than Fedora 1 for reliability IMHO), but as soon as Mandrake gets to liking my trackballs and jumpdrives I will have no hesitation in switching over.
Slashdot Mirror
I understand that I am using "anti-US relativism" in my argument, but I am using it because the media is so far biased in favor of pro-US relativism instead and I believe it important to express alternative view points. That was pretty much the entire point of my post. I realize I do not have the best examples listed.
As for press coverage of scandals within the United States, there are two inherent flaws in this belief: first of all, if the mainstream media does not focus on it, then how would the general public know that it happened at all? They wouldn't! This sounds all conspiracy-theory and theoretical on the surface, but my favorite example is the Chinagate scandal. Ask your average citizen walking out the door of your local supermarket about it and I can guarantee that 49 out of 50 or more will respond with a blank look. I know because I've tried it for a history class.
For those not in the loop with this, the Chinagate scandal was the event that was manipulated by the government and the press to become the stupid and superficial Monica Lewinsky scandal. It occurred in the mid-90's and it boils down to Bill Clinton providing China with classified US nuclear technologies and bringing them up to a full scale threat. Regardless of his reasons for doing so, the press got ahold of this in the mid 90's and began printing stories.
The 'letters to the editor' that you speak of were beginning to come off the home desks of the American public. But there was a problem: neither of the two major parties in the US wanted the public to know about this!! The democrats of course because Clinton was in office and the blame would fall partly on his shoulders. The Republicans because Bush Sr. had been doing the same thing!! Of course it would be disasterous to both parties if the public knew they were both involved with it, so both parties wanted it hushed. The result: the Monica Lewinsky scandal grabs American attention instead. The press did not have to be forcefully silenced or censored: they chose to write about those stories on their own, but they were manipulated into that position by politicians. This how the government runs its censorship.
The Chinagate scandal blew over. You can still find it from third-party sources all over the web, but it never really got the public!! If the government can censor something like that, then what is to stop them from using the same means to censor other events? None.
And I am being the pessimist here and pointing at our declining freedoms. You say that we're not even comparable to the Axis of Evil, etc, and I would like this to remain true. The only way for it to continue, however, is for people like me to point out our own flaws. If the American public remains in the dark and directing their attention toward other countries, then by the time people like yourself believe that we ARE comparable, it will be far too late!
As for the "secret police" argument, I say to you that if a single American citizen is held by his own government against his will, without evidence and because he has stated views contrary to those of the US government, then it is just as bad as the many who are suppressed in other countries. One is one too many. But guess what? It happens! That one actually gets to the news fairly regularly! But does the public care? No, because the media soon directs their attention to the evil OTHER COUNTRIES.
It is you, my friend, who are foolish and naïve to argue that there is not a parallel between the US and these other countries. The US may not be "just as bad", but without vigilant citizens, it will be.
Alright, I haven't RTFA yet, but if this is news that Iran is censoring the Net then I dont think it's anything new. There have been a number of recent events that are using the media to direct public attention against Iran now (the most recent of which is probably Rumsfeld's Slam of their elections). As a concerned American citizen who is fast losing faith in the honor of his government, I think this is a ploy, to direct the attention of world citizens, and especially US citizens away from our own flaws and toward the flaws of other countries.
Anybody who read the article a few days ago about the new use of eminent domain can see that the US government has major problems with the way it functions. Instead of anybody pointing out the US censors information also, we all hurry to jump on the band wagon to single out and bash Iran. No, they (the US government) don't prevent you from searching for certain words or anything, at least not yet, but they do force the removal of websites that portray a view contrary to what they want the public to know: see http://www.67cshdocs.com/, a blog that didn't disclose any classified information, but showed you what was really going on on the US war fronts, but was shut down by the government. I'm an American citizen and very patriotic, but I'm not blind. Our government is using the media. No, I'm not saying they are controlling /. or any other news source, I'm saying the media has become the lap dogs who go when the government says fetch.
I don't approve of Iranian censorship. I don't approve of censorship of any sort. But it would be foolish of anyone to believe that the "axis of evil" are the only ones who do this. They simply do not have the size and power to cover up for the mselves and direct public attention elsewhere.
Just my two cents....
This is flamebait, but I'll bite. I am a student of the modern education system. I'm a got through high school with a 3.6 out of 4.0 GPA and I am now attending college where I'm getting a 3.8 out of 4.0. In high school I saw, and was even subject to in some degree the brainwashing he is talking about. While I was in high school I had the same opinion as you, but now that I am actually in college I must beg to differ. College is NOT for everybody. The way the modern high school system is design, and the way counsellors seem to put it, especially in the area I grew up in (a richer area of southern Connecticut), all students were EXPECTED to go to college. If you didn't it was almost as if they were telling you that you were going to be a failure in life. Tech schools weren't even really an option.
Now, as a student in college I am seeing some kids who try extremely hard, but simply cannot make the grades. These are not stupid people, in fact, I'd say half of them are very gifted at whatever it is that does intrest them (cars, computers, wild life, whatever).
They are not cut out for college; they know it, and anybody who knows them can see it. But they feel that if they leave and actually grow in an area that they ARE suited for, then they are going to be failures in life and end up living under a bridge, etc. Some of them have taken the step to leave the colleges (which require general education in areas that they simply cannot do) and moved to tech schools or actually begun work in their chosen field, and are much happier and doing quite well.
Jobs is delivering an important message here: just because you aren't good at advanced math doesn't mean you can't be a wonderful forester or agriculturalist. Just because you can't memorize history or write vivid persuasive essays doesn't mean you can't do fantastic work on cars.
The world needs innovative mechanics, janitors, construction workers and farmers as much, if not more, than it needs rocket scientists and brain surgeons. Encouraging kids to follow the path that is BEST FOR THEM INDIVIDUALLY will be much better for them than simply telling them, go to college or be a loser.
Not meant to feed the flame, just my two cents.
Perhaps the interview was done electronically? Or else whoever transcribed it was simply putting the words Linus said into a grammatically correct format with the parenthesis.
As if a DARPA authorized vehicle is actually going to get pulled over by the police? Haha, I can see the cop walking up beside that one now.....
The exact quote is that it has the "potential" to break down these borders. And indeed it does have this potential. The Internet actually has broken down at least some of the barriers (it is amazing how many people you can meet from all over the world if you actually try using the 'net for that), it is simply that people don't usually exploit this potential. The more technology advances in the communications industry, the more the potential grows. As it becomes a natural part of everyday life, I predict that it will actually do so. One must keep in mind that the Internet as we know it is relatively new. Give it some more time, and as long as people continue to keep it (relatively) open and uncontrolled, I beleive it will fulfill it's potential.
I'm no expert, but this seems like the insecure way to do it. If you have hardware in the card to activate it, then anyone who steals the card can have as much time as they need to tamper with / hack that hardware to make it work. In fact... why not just bypass the system altogether and make it always active??
However, I do like the idea of using voiceprints as verifications. In fact, other biometric systems would probably work just as well (fingerprints, retina scan, whatever). But DO NOT STORE THIS INFORMATION ON THE CARD! Store it in a central database and associate it with the magnetic ID of the card, then use it similar to the PIN system currently implemented, just requiring the PIN equivalent for every transaction.
There have been comments made that "wives, girlfriends, etc. won't like this very much", so why not add a set of biometrics that are valid for the card. This way you can both have multiple ID's for yourself (if you have a cold and voice isn't working, then use your fingerprints, etc.), as well as biometrics for other people you trust to use this card. In this age of streaming media / Internet / computers all over this can definitely be done.
Just my thoughts.....
One of my favorite quotes of all time seems to apply here:
"Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve."
George Bernard Shaw
This is probably one of the most insightful comments I've seen in a while. Case in point: myself.
I was actually raised in the backwoods of Maine (USA) with no electricity up until I was 12 years old (no joke, don't ask, it was my parents' idea, not mine...) But when I was there I read all the time. We had 80 acres of wooded property with everything from beaver bonds to trails to whatever that I loved to explore. No electricity, no TV, no computers, no video games, nothing like that.
Let me just say that my work ethic coming out of that was phenomenal! I wanted to learn because it was the most rewarding thing I knew and it was fun.
Fast forward a few years. I moved to Connecticut and the suburbs at the end of 6th grade and began to get an interest in computers, because hey, we all know they are one of the most fun things to learn about!! I got into programming and hardware work and all that stuff. Over the years I have stayed with it, but looking back I can see a very frightening trend. As time moved forward and I got used to using them, I also lost my work ethic and most of my will to learn. It just didn't seem so fun any more compared to the instant gratification of many of the things the computer has to offer.
In truth, I blame the Internet more than computers themselves for it. Before we had the 'net (and we didn't get it until I was in 10th grade, and even then it was only 56k). The Internet is so vast a resource that one would think it is full of things to explore. But what are the top three uses of it: pr0n, gaming, and shopping! The last one may be productive in a way, except that it simply moves the thrill of shopping away from malls and stores to the instant gratification of the computer. But the computer to some extent and the Internet to a MAJOR extent hurt my school work.
I'm in college now, and I'm slowly pulling myself out of the hole. But guess how I'm doing it: laying off computers more. I go for random walks in the woods just for the memories and because it still sparks my imagination. I go to parties and meet people. When I'm at the computer now I'm usually doing class work of some sort or working on an actual learning project (Currently Linux From Scratch, w00t). Because these things don't give the "instant gratification" factor, it is building my work ethic back up and it is reflecting in my grades.
I do still allow myself some vices.... (*cough*/.*cough*), but if you want to honestly improve your life or, as a student, improve your grades, then take a serious look at how much time you spend in front of the glowing aura doing non-productive activities and ask yourself if it's really worth it.
I would actually suggest that WINE add an option to enter a CD key from a real version of Windows when you run it, and that Microsoft be able to check this CD Key for validity. If the user does own a legal copy of windows, then by all means Microsoft should let them download the updates, because if the user owns a legal copy, Microsoft made their money off it whether the user is using it or not.
I know this is probably a lot to ask that maybe these two could collaborate, but there might actually be a profit in it for Microsoft.
Would there be any Linux users willing to shell out some $$ for software from Microsoft that is guaranteed to be completely compatible with other Microsoft products and also has a "Runs with WINE" stamp on it? In a world where Microsoft IS the standard (especially in schools....) I think there would be a group of people willing to do this. The question would be how large is this group?
Even if you do not have them set to boot first, then resetting the BIOS will on most machines set them to boot first. And even if there is no drive installed, physical access means you could just as well plug one in, or heck, why not just plug the hard drive into a different computer?! When you think of the things that you can actually do with physical access, you begin to see how important that layer of security really is. And it can be something as simple as a locked door to anything as complex as the "computer vault" or beyond.
What did Mrs. Gates say to Bill on their wedding night?? Ohhhh..... so THAT's why you called it Microsoft...
I work for my school's ResNet (computer repair and tech support for the college campus), and we use KVM's. We have the regular old analog KVM that you plug the keyboard/mouse/VGA/ lines into and then use the switch to go back and forth between the comps for the basic repairs and the first level of work.
On the second level we have them hooked up to a digital KVM that consists of two parts: the KVM switch and the module you plug into the computer. Basically the part you plug into the computer consists of either a USB port or two PS/2 ports and a VGA plug in on one side and a regular 10/100 ethernet line on the other end that goes to the switch. Then you can use any computer also connected to the switch by a patch cable and having the proper installed software to access the computers as if you were sitting in front of them. Our version isn't set up to work over IP, but it can be upgraded to it.
I don't remember the maker off the top of my head, but if I do I'll post it (we just upgraded the firmware on the switch and the modules, so the site should be in my history somewhere....).
Anyway, yes, it does exist and it works quite well.
Oh, I have been committed for years.... but those nice young men in the white shirts say I can still read slashdot. (And they wonder why I'm so insane >:-D)
They just cut it out and dump it in the recycle bin (or trash depending on your OS preference)
In Soviet Russia, space shuttle prototypes find lost you!!
If this is true, then why did a POLICE OFFICER show up on the scene to ask the person to follow library guidelines? If it is a matter of a general rule, not even a local law, then the police have no jurisdiction. It could be MUCH easier to just have a sign outside saying "Library rules require that wireless access to our LAN must be done solely from within the library" or something to that affect, or else have a library personell request it (if they have this kind of an incident, a security guard for the library would be within his bounds to do what this officer did). But to have the police come to enforce a rule like this is not only ludacris, but it is borderline harassment.
Hell no! If you don't stand up at the root of the problem, then the problem simply grows. First thing you do any time ANY cop tells you to do something you don't agree with is get their badge number and commanding officers name. It's amazing how much of an affect just asking for this information has on them.
They must identify themselves just to prove that they are the real deal and not an imposter (scary how many of those there are too....). Once you have this information, explain (CALMLY!) to the officer why you figure you are in the right. If he still pushes you, then say something to the effect of "i'm going to have to consult my attorney about this" and walk off.
Report the incident as soon as possible to the police captain for whatever barracks the officer is based at and feel free to complain to your local paper / etc. But NEVER let them feel like you just rolled over to their request if you believe it is unconstitutional / illegal / unjust. If you do you set a REALLY BAD precedent for future abuse of their power.
Last I checked, public libraries were free?
1. Never forget: Safe, Sane, Consensual
I've always preffered the jingle "no glove, no love"
Come on now, everyone knows that its really the year 2050 and these so called "internet users" are just blobs of flesh to power computers!
I sniffed J.Lo's ass and got too touchy feely,
She let loose a bomb that was bigger than Gigli!
I kid, I kid!!! I joke with you!
I even like....I don't like Afleck....
I think peopel should read the submitions before blasting them. The submitter never said that Best Buy fired customers, they said "Some stores have actually "fired" customers". That's "some" not "Best Buy". Geeze people.....
In other news, I have had numerous problems with Best Buy on some fairly large purchases (new desktops). They have this wierd quirk that if you show up at the store on the day the sale they listed in their flyer starts near the beginning of the day (within an hour of the store opening), they seem to not have any of that particular item. I bought an eMachines desktop their and they insisted that they no longer had the monitor that with that set in stock and suggested I buy a bigger monitor. I told them that if they did not give me the deal they advertised, I would be contacting my lawyer concerning a false advertising suit. Well, oddly enough the threat suddenly made one of the advertised monitors appear out of thin air, because they pulled one down for me.
The scary thing is that I went back to buy another computer for my grandmother and they tried it again! I go their to browse for awesome deals every now and then (I guess that makes me a demon customer), but I pretty much shy away from their now.
Let me begin this with the disclaimer that I am fairly new to Linux. I can do all of the basic stuff fairly well, but when it comes to having to hack out wierd stuff that doesn't work right off the bat, I'm...well, deficient.
/dev/sda1 to /mnt/jump and I'm all set. But for some reason Mandrake doesn't set up an sda1 and I'm too newbed to know how to fix that myself.
Anyway, my first choice for Linux is definitely Mandrake. The interface is beautiful, fast and easy and it runs stable (I've had some stability problems with Fedora) all of the time. So why don't I used it? Well, first of all, Mandrake HATES my trackball mice. I have two of them, one from Logitech and one from some other company I can't remember. Anyway, both the mandrake install and mandrake itself refuse to recognize these mice. That wasn't too too bad, I can handle using the regular kind of mouse. But then came the USB problem. No distribution of Mandrake that I have tried up to and including 10.0 liked my USB flash drive. On Fedora I just mount
The final thing I have against Mandrake is its configuration tools. Fedora comes with a nice set of tools to configure all of the stuff I want to use / customize and it always works. Mandrake's on the other hand, have a bad habit of reverting to the settings it liked without even trying my new ones.
I'm running Fedora 2 right now and it works fairly well and does all of the stuff I need it too (it's much better than Fedora 1 for reliability IMHO), but as soon as Mandrake gets to liking my trackballs and jumpdrives I will have no hesitation in switching over.
I ground the VIN numbers off my car everytime I ermm....get.....a new one :-D