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User: metachor

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Comments · 65

  1. Re:One of the most stupid Bills in history... on New Law Will Require Camera Phones To "Click" · · Score: 1

    The only way to counter-act a surveillance society is for the population observed to practice constant inverse-surveillance on the observers (i.e. sousviellance).

  2. Re:Deaf victims? on New Law Will Require Camera Phones To "Click" · · Score: 1

    Oh no! What about the deaf *and* blind?!

    A probe to poke the target that would spell out in morse code that you're being photographed.

    Great, now we've gone from regular cell phones that might be used by a predator to harass their victim unawares, to a case where the cell phone itself is performing the harassment.

  3. De facto standards on Same Dev Tools/Language/Framework For Everyone? · · Score: 1

    After reading some of the other replies, I suspect this will not be the most popular response, but here goes.

    At my current employer, we have a de facto standard on Microsoft development tools. This is not an enforced standard, but rather a recommended standard because the MS dev tools are the right tools for the job.

    Our problem domain is the processing of electronic documents for the e-discovery phase of litigation. This includes parsing e-docs to extract metadata and full-text and other relevant information to store in a database, so that each record can be reviewed as potential evidence for a trial.

    The majority of documents we receive from our clients (law firms and major corporations) are Microsoft Office format; Outlook .PSTs, .DOCs, .XLS, etc. This is probably because MS Office is such a highly used program in the corporate world. In any case, due to the relatively closed nature of the Office document formats, the best way to extract the data we need are the Microsoft APIs and, consequently, Visual Studio/.NET/etc.

    After developing core tools for the problem domain, there is significant investment in terms of man-hours (of .NET code) and money (i.e. software licensing costs) which can be reused or built-upon for future development.

    No developer would be actively prevented from using different tools, frameworks, languages, etc. However, it is encouraged to use the standard tool-chain because it makes sense given all the prior work which can be capitalized on for future development. Additionally, a lot can be said for consistency in development environments when it comes to multiple developers working on the same system.

  4. Re:Good news, but how good? on NIN's Music Experiment Sells Big Numbers · · Score: 1

    I already replied to this thread with the same comment: purchased the download but couldn't download it as it kept timing out between 60k and 1.3MB. Downloaded as a torrent to get around that. NIN got my money, I got the album, everyone is happy.

  5. Re:Good news, but how good? on NIN's Music Experiment Sells Big Numbers · · Score: 1

    For the record, their servers were slammed for the first 72 hours and it was almost impossible to place an order. I was finally able to purchase the download package for $5 but could not even download it due to the traffic. I ended up grabbing it off of a torrent site so I could listen to it sooner than later. NIN still got my money and I'm pleased with the release.

  6. Re:It's probably easier than you think on Even My Mom Could Hack These Sites · · Score: 1

    Just looking at the first page of Google results, its obvious that many of these sites are all using the same content management system, which just happens to be written in PHP, and just happens to determine administrator access with the query "?admin=true".

    Arbitrarily picking a particular syntax (admin=true) and then assuming the distribution of results as indicative of a broader security vulnerability strikes me as flawed logic. It might be the case that this particular CMS is vulnerable, perhaps even due to some coding flaws on the part of its php developers, but please level the blame where it belongs.

  7. Re:Huh? on Don't Google "How To Commit Murder" Before Killing · · Score: 1

    As someone who works in the e-discovery/e-forensics field (litigation support/IT admin, IANAL), it pleases me to read this lucid explanation of how the discovery process actually applies to the article in question. Thanks!

  8. Re:Hiring the Competent on Transitioning From Small Shop IT To Enterprise? · · Score: 1
    CS degrees on resumes of people I've interviewed in the past year or so are badges of inadequacy in the same way a Network+ cert used to be.
    Out of curiosity, what would you look for instead of/in addition to a CS degree on a resume? Any particular certifications or types of experience? I know this is obviously relative to the position being hired-for, but what baselines would you look for?
  9. Who has the encryption key? on Encrypted Ammunition? · · Score: 1

    I would prefer not to go through some third-party governing agency for access to my encryption keys...

  10. Re:Problem with personality/honesty testing on Behavioral Interviews for New Hires? · · Score: 1

    I don't think i've ever lied personally...

    Caught ya!

  11. Re:Turn on on Computer 'Worms' Turn on Macs · · Score: 1

    No, you're misreading the title.

    These worms, they sexually excite the Mac OS. I don't know why. Maybe they are dressed in scantily clad jpegs.

  12. Tired of the negative /. Apple hysteria on iTunes, One Billion Suckers Served? · · Score: 1

    Let's see here... your computer won't stop playing the iTunes-purchased files, and you could probably format-shift them without too much difficulty.

    It seems like every time Apple announces any sort of accomplishment, shortly afterward Slashdot has a hysterical story about why that accomplishment is bad for consumers.

  13. Re:"Begs the Question" on Rumsfeld Requests 24-hour Propaganda Machine · · Score: 1

    Indeed, 'Begging the question' is when what you are trying to prove is assumed implicitly in one of your premises.

    See Logical Fallacy Comics @ Dinosaur Comics for further (humorous) explication.

  14. What about the Snail-based Data Transfer Protocol? on Moore Calls Game Discs Ridiculous · · Score: 1

    Apparently the Snail-based Data Transfer Protocol (which uses a giant african snail pulling a Ben-Hur-style chariot whose wheels are two 4.7GB DVDs) has a faster data transfer rate than ADSL.

    At least in terms transfer rate, walking or driving to the store is much more efficient than downloading a game over the current version of the internet, if you can walk or drive faster than a giant african snail can crawl. And face it, today's top games are no longer the size of three or four 3.5 floppies, we are talking one to four DVDs minimum, usually double-density.

  15. Re:More? on Apple Sells 1 Million Videos in Under 20 Days · · Score: 1

    This post sounds like viral marketing or some such advertisement by an apparently "impartial but satisfied user of product N"...

  16. Re:Dealing with waste? on Microsoft Invents A 'Play-Once Only' DVD · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "The new generation of DVD disc will spearhead a fresh assault by Microsoft on the environment."

  17. Re:At a guess on The Future of the iPod · · Score: 2, Funny

    Unfortunately the prototype of the iPod Pico was swallowed by Steve Jobs' cat, thus production will be delayed indefinitely.

  18. Re:Patent the sun! on Patent Examiners Flee USPTO · · Score: 1

    You'll have to deal with priort art

    That's just trademark infringement.

  19. Prior Art on Patent Examiners Flee USPTO · · Score: 1

    That's it! Patent the Sun! Such a method of gigantic energy transfer must be patentable, since it is so unique and original.

    Alpha Centauri A and B are both prior art (between 5 and 6 billion years vs. 4.6 billion years).

  20. Re:e-paper slow? on Update on the Optimus Keyboard · · Score: 3, Informative

    From the FAQ:

    "Keys will use animation when needed "

  21. Accelerando and the future of Aibo hacking on Sony Aibo Hacks Increase Functionality · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This reminds me of the continuously hacked/upgraded robot cat, Aineko, in Charles Stross' science fiction novel Accelerando (available for free download).

    It will be interesting to see how complex these customized Aibo become in the next 10-20 years.

  22. Re:Now all we need is a cool body suspension .... on Google Maps Now Cover Whole World · · Score: 1

    Someone should do this with an embedded web-browser in the MMO virtual world Second LIfe. Neal Stephenson, eat your heart out.

  23. Re:Ahem on Largest Privately Owned Supercomputer · · Score: 2, Funny

    Is it also privately-owned?

  24. A 'what' 91.29 teraflops? on Largest Privately Owned Supercomputer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is 'whopping' really the only adjective adequate enough to describe supercomputer performance?

    Google search of 'supercomputer whopping'.

  25. Re:All this because of 9/11? on Patriot Act to be Expanded · · Score: 1

    You US citizens need to put things in perspective. 2,823 died in that attack. Thats very sad but damnit, its not even a drop in the ocean compared to other dangerous things. Almost a million a year dies of off bad diet and no exercise (heart faliure). 90,000 dies in motor accidents. 28,000 people is killed by firearms a year. Where are the tough actions preventing theese much worse sources of death?

    Almost a million a year die from heart faliure - Thanks to the US food industry.

    90,000 dies in motor accidents - Thanks to the US auto industry.

    28,000 people is killed by firearms a year - Thanks to the US gun industry.

    And this does not take into account a couple hundred thousand deaths per year from medicine-related side-effects thanks to the US drug industry.

    Why no tough actions over this? It is working as intended!