Slashdot Mirror


User: Elbowgeek

Elbowgeek's activity in the archive.

Stories
0
Comments
362
First seen
Last seen
Profile
(view on slashdot.org)

Comments · 362

  1. Well I'm all for eliminating degerate art on Amazon Censorship Expands · · Score: 3, Insightful

    And after expunging all un-Germ^H^H^H^HAmerican art from society we can move on to getting rid of those people who we find to be untermensch.

    Thank you Amazon for getting the ball rolling :-)

  2. Re:Yo dawg, I heard on Assange Secret Swedish Police Report Leaked · · Score: 1

    The problem is that, no matter how untrue they may be, accusations of sexual crimes leave an almost unremoveable stain on the accused. Sometimes an allegation is as good as a conviction, and if the Mysterious World Powers(tm) are out to cast doubt on the character of their target, a sex crime is probably the easiest way to do it.

  3. Re:horse on Military Bans Removable Media After WikiLeaks Disclosures · · Score: 1

    I remember being told about the security measures that a private software contractor encountered when working on a top secret installation. He said that he was stripped of literally anything not necessary for the job (got to keep his clothes on though thankfully), had to keep hands above deck at all times and absolutely *no* means of recording *anything*, analog or digital, were permitted. Very interesting to talk to this chap.

  4. Re:This Is Real Hacktivism on Stuxnet Still Out of Control At Iran Nuclear Sites · · Score: 1

    I'm not a hacker (and have yet to play one on TV), but my understanding is that Stuxnet is very specifically targeted at those particular systems, which I understand don't run standard desktop OSes, so the likelyhood of infection outside of Iran's facilities is minimal apparently.

  5. This plays to my theory that she's the uber troll on Sarah Palin 'Target WikiLeaks Like Taliban' · · Score: 1

    Seriously, both she and Glen Beck are possibly the ultimate trolls, who live to provoke the masses. Witness the number of comments in this topic - this is *exactly* what she wants to see. To her it's not the contents of the replies to her remarks that matters, it's the quantity. She no doubt gets a certain sexual thrill knowing that she caused well over a thousand people to pitch in with their opinions.

    In truth what she is doing doesn't really require a great deal of talent or brains, just the desire to do it. However it's particularly effective during times of uncertainty and unrest. Very simply, one needs to affirm people's insecurities about the current situation, get them good and angry about it, and then position yourself as the only one who can save them from this malaise. Allow me to officially Godwin this discussion by positing that Adolf Hitler himself was perhaps the greatest troll of all times by this standard.

  6. Re:According to MS, Win temporary, OS/2 + PM futur on The Software That Failed To Compete With Windows · · Score: 1

    If I'm not much mistaken I believe some vestiges of an OS/2 subsystem survived in Windows until very recently. In fact I do often wonder if there's more OS/2 in Windows than they let on...

  7. Re:If you don't already.... on The Beatles On iTunes · · Score: 1

    And to think I paid $2 to a former Radio London DJ for a one of the first ever copies of Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in near-mint condition ever pressed. You know, you can get any number of copies of Beatles records at yard sales and thrift shops for pennies, it's vastly more fun and rewarding to play and it will be a format that will be relevant and catered to for many generations to come.

    Go buy yourselves a nice Rega deck and enjoy the music.

  8. Re:Big on The Beatles On iTunes · · Score: 1

    Well I, for one, have been under the impression that Apple Computer were an offshoot of Apple Records ever since Apple Computer started adding sound capabilities to their products.

    Sosueme (donk!)

  9. Re:Security personel are always dicks on US Marshals Saved 35,000 Full Body Scans · · Score: 1

    Most of the airport security personnel I saw in my travels recently were, in fact, trying their best to keep things moving and were quite polite. I actually think that the agents hired since 9/11 have matured overall and have a body of experience behind them which makes them more efficient and professional. Not to say they're perfect, but they have got a lot better.

    My take on the agencies hiring these agents is that they really aren't playing a power game as such, but they certainly are going about security in a very wrong way. The goals of a terrorist are twofold: Gain publicity for the cause and terrorize the populace. The security techniques enforced by the TSA are basically doing the work for the terrorists.

  10. Re:Opt for the frisking on US Marshals Saved 35,000 Full Body Scans · · Score: 1

    I laughed uncontrollably.

    Then I vomited.

    Then I laughed uncontrollably.

  11. Re:Sooner or later on US Marshals Saved 35,000 Full Body Scans · · Score: 1

    You forget the mini-scandal of the 1990's, very conveniently happening around the time the Internet started opening up for the common man (and uncommon woman), in which Sony produced a line of video cameras with night vision which rendered certain types of material transparent under certain lighting conditions. Sony corrected the bug in later models, but the originals were going for good money apparently.

    There were some quite fun images of young ladies cavorting on the beach to be had at the time, and *not one* had a bomb secreted in any orifices.

  12. Re:The AntiSocial Network on Facebook Adds Friend Stalker Tool · · Score: 1

    Or perhaps we should start an alternative to Facebook called "Assbook" in which people sign up to specifically express hatred and lack of desire to associate with others. Now instead of individuals posting updates which read "Just had the best bowel movement of my life" you'll see "@fredjones: I fucking hate your goddam bowel movements!"

    And Mafia Wars: Way more realistic.

  13. Re:Way to prove their point! on China Now Halting Shipments of Rare Earth Minerals To US · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I have always believed that Nixon's opening of trade with China was a massive mistake. We basically turned a communist nation, theoretically a non-belligerent enemy, into a superpower. We handed sensitive technology to a communist country which has never stated that it won't engage in hostilities with the United States. Indeed, they have recently been developing some advanced military technologies which are frankly disturbing, and I can't help but think that they got a leg up in this by the uncontrolled flow of technology to factories in China.

    In the short term manufacturing goods in that part of the world has allowed the common man (and the uncommon woman) to afford nice, shiny things which would have been completely unthinkable to previous generations, but we're now seeing the downside to this dance with the devil.

  14. Re:Patent Violations Galore on Ubuntu 10.10 Multitouch Support Demo · · Score: 1

    Hey, I'm lovin' it - I just got a patent on the wheel. Anybody got the number for General Motors corporate office?

  15. Re:Best looking dead OS I've seen on Ubuntu 10.10 Multitouch Support Demo · · Score: 2, Informative

    As soon as Lotus won't run ;-)

    (Yes it's still out there, marketed under the Smartsuite label from IBM)

  16. Re:It's not "the" guide on The Hackintosh Guide · · Score: 1

    Same here, and it runs quite nicely, albeit a bit slow. But it's fun to play with.

  17. Re:I'll take that bet and raise you ten. on Ubuntu 10.10, Maverick Meerkat, Now Available · · Score: 2, Funny

    Also note that Windows 7's current user interface resembles the bastard child of both Gnome and Finder ;-)

  18. Re:News For Nerds on Alaska To Export Billions of Gallons of Water · · Score: 1

    Mmmmmm... iPhones

  19. Re:What about those who refuse to join? on Top Reason for Facebook Unfriending Is Too Many Useless Posts · · Score: 1

    Having joined I now wish I hadn't. My attitude is that if you've got something earth-shaking to tell me, you know where to find me, either on email or via telephone.

    The problem with Facebook, Twitter et al is that its too easy to post pointless banality, mostly because the most banal of people tend to have their Facebook open at all times, within easy reach of their electronic rodents. Adding some level of extra effort to the process of conveying life's little stupidities acts as an effective filter for the less important things.

    Cheers

  20. Re:This is *interesting* ??? on Media Loves Apple and Its Army of Fans · · Score: 1

    I have to agree on the general assessment of iTunes - it's as bloated as a whale that's been beached for a month in the middle of summer.

    My problem with the Finder is that it's interface paradigm, with a single menu bar at the top of the screen, is hopelessly outdated and inefficient. I feel like I'm using an OS from the early 90's.

    Otherwise, I will say that it runs it's native software beautifully. I have a first generation Intel Mac Mini which only accepts 2GB of RAM, and it runs as a media server and player for my projector without complaints or hesitation, often playing hi-rez media files that my quad-core, 8GB Windows 7 64-bit machine hiccups with. And I've used it occasionally for audio production, with similar results.

    So all they really have to do is ditch their user interface and they've got a winner in my opinion ;-)

  21. Re:I finally could tell my friend to go to hell on Windows 95 Turns 15 · · Score: 1

    Yep, combine OS/2 with the PS/2 architecture, which was essentially plug-n-play as we know it today, and you had an awesome system. Unfortunately IBM had so much internal strife at the time combined with pure greed that it never really had a chance.

  22. Re:Either that on Google's CEO Warns Kids Will Have to Change Names to Escape "Cyber Past" · · Score: 1

    Control of the reproductive habits of others is deeply engrained in the animal kingdom, and we are indeed animals. I've always said that inorder to understand human psychology one need only observe the behavior of non-humans. We simply do it in a somewhat more convoluted and complex way usually, but everything, including those things normally ascribed solely to humans, are ultimately governed by our animal nature.

    "I used to think the time would come
    When man would rise above the beast
    I gave up thinking that way long ago
    In conversation with a priest"
                                                                          - Tears for Fears

  23. Re:Exercise. on A Million Kids Misdiagnosed with ADHD? · · Score: 1

    Yabut... sometimes those kids need a bit of a thumping to get their fat arses *into* gym class in the first place.

  24. Re:Sigh on A Million Kids Misdiagnosed with ADHD? · · Score: 1

    Indeed I had that in mind when I posted *grin*. Seriously, I think ADHD as a medical condition is a product of the current belief that *any* sort of discipline meted out to a child is somehow destructive and will destroy their self esteem.

    *Sigh* indeed...

  25. Re:Sigh on A Million Kids Misdiagnosed with ADHD? · · Score: 1

    Indeed, I wonder how many supposedly ADHD kids just really need a good thumping to keep them focused.