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User: whoever57

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Comments · 6,467

  1. Privacy on Google Health Opens To the Public · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I for one won't be using it while their terms of service explicitly states that HIPAA doesn't apply to Google.

  2. Unrealistic cost on 2nd Generation "$100 Laptop" Will Be an E-Book Reader · · Score: 1

    I think it's possible. You can get a portable DVD player for $80 retail. This thing has the same screen,
    This thing has two screens, one of which is touch sensitive. What existing low cost consumer product uses touch sensitve screens large enough to work as a keyboard? Plus, I rather doubt that resolution that would be acceptable for a DVD player would be acceptable for a computer (or a book reader), hence using LCDs designed for DVD players may not be viable.
  3. Re:Way out of date chip set and you can better boa on Atom-Based Mini-ITX Motherboard Available · · Score: 1

    whereas this is tiny, and this boards power useage is far, far lower.
    Why does this board have that great big cooler, with a fan on top? That setup looks like it is designed to take away quite a lot of heat.
  4. Re:RS232's not dead? Good! on Atom-Based Mini-ITX Motherboard Available · · Score: 1

    RS232 is still useful, but there's not much reason these days to have it on the motherboard.
    Unless you want to put the system somewhere remote and have console access via the serial port. This way, you can access the machine even if the network interfaces are not working, you can access the grub menu over the serial port.
  5. Re:Most Dangerous Badass Linux Distribution EVER! on New Linux Distribution — Exherbo, Announced · · Score: 1

    It is funny that they claim more progress working on this for six months than working on Gentoo for four years. Because of bickering and criticism. I can totally believe that.
    It is funny that they claim more progress working on this for six months than working on Gentoo for four years. Because of the lack of users. I can totally believe that.

    There, I fixed it for you.
  6. Re:How does this make sense? on French Judge Orders Refund For Pre-Installed XP · · Score: 1

    Does your car dealer sell you a car, you drive it away, then when you go to use the power windows it pops up an EULA with onerous terms that you don't agree to?
    While power windows don't come with an EULA, what about a satnav system? These typically start with requiring you to accept an agreement. Even more interesting, since thay require acceptance every time the car is used, whait if one decided to reject it a year after buying the car?
  7. How about applications? on Microsoft and OLPC Agree To Put XP On the XO Laptop · · Score: 4, Insightful

    to run an OS MSFT will stop supporting in 45 days?
    Under Linux, I assume all the necessary applications are included, whereas under XP, they have...... notepad?
  8. Re:"extra hardware"? on Microsoft and OLPC Agree To Put XP On the XO Laptop · · Score: 2, Informative

    Why does dual boot require extra hardware??
    Disk space to store two OSes?
  9. arin.net or samspade.org ? on How the RIAA Targets Campus Copyright Violators · · Score: 1

    Using public, online databases (such as those at arin.net or samspade.org),
    They leech off websites instead of using the whois service directly?
  10. Re:Ancedote time... on XP SP3 Crashes Some AMD Machines · · Score: 2, Interesting

    And your point is?

    Really: no-one has suggested that all machines have this problem after SP3 is installed, so one anecdote of a machine that does not suffer any problems is pointless.

  11. Re:TorrentSpy on MPAA Seeks $15 Million From The Pirate Bay · · Score: 1

    I've seen a lot of crazy and ridiculous rulings by courts, since I started reading slashdot a few years back.
    Actually, what you have seen is a lot of bad summaries of various rulings. Quite often the ruling is much more reasonable than is reported on /.. There are exceptions of course.
  12. Re:Senate Dem majority is a myth on ACLU Warns of Next Pass At Telecom Immunity · · Score: 1

    My question to you is: did you actually look last time or did you just accept what you were told?
    Actually, I did look ... what I found was a page on the senate.gov website, which I expect to be authoritative on this subject:
    http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/history/one_item_and_teasers/partydiv.htm

    I did notice the 49 seats each, but also noted that there is also one Independent Democrat. A certain Joe Lieberman. Clearly, just like many Democrats and Republicans, he does not always vote with "his" party.
  13. Re:For how long? on ACLU Warns of Next Pass At Telecom Immunity · · Score: 2

    The problem has been that the President must sign them, and if vetoed, then a 2/3rds majority must overrule his veto. That doesn't happen much.
    What makes you so sure that Obama or Clinton would override a bill passed by their own party on this issue?
  14. Re:For how long? on ACLU Warns of Next Pass At Telecom Immunity · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Until the next administration.
    Last time I looked, Congress passed laws, not the President. Also, last time I looked, the House was controlled by the Democratic party which was also the majority part in the Senate. So how is a new administration going to make any difference?
  15. Re:Ubuntu 8.04 on Linux Desktop Distro Shootout · · Score: 1

    Ditto. Since it's an LTR, I figure I'll stick with 7.10 for another year.
    No. 8.04 is the LTS version.
  16. Re:snail mail and commercial ads on Virginia Top Court to Re-Hear Spammer's Conviction · · Score: 1

    Actually first class mail would be cheaper as those commercial flyers are mailed at a lower bulk rate.
    Your logic is faulty. Just because the flyers go at a cheaper rate does not mean that without them first class prices would be higher. A large proportion of the mail costs are essentially fixed: the cost of delivering it from your local post office to your door. Flyers contribute to revenue without increasing this fixed cost.

    In addition, don't you have to do some of the post office's work to get those bulk rate? They have to be pre-sorted, I think.
  17. Re:Hey public record on California Court Posts SSNs, Medical Records · · Score: 1

    Most court proceedings are a matter of public record unless a judge orders them sealed.
    Or option 3: redacted versions of the documents can be published. The redacted versions will have private information removed.

    Court documents are sealed all the time. There is no reason why medical information and SSNs should not be sealed or redacted.
  18. Re:The Hero with a Thousand Faces on Orson Scott Card Blasts J.K. Rowling's Lawsuit · · Score: 1

    Or, in the case of Disney, outright pilfers and then claims to own what they pilferred (say, Snow White or Cinderell).
    Instead of looking at Cinderella, the case of Kimba the White Lion is much more relevant.
  19. Re:I'll admit I don't understand the classificatio on Memristor — 4th Basic Element of Circuits · · Score: 3, Informative

    between flux and voltage. (charge as an integral of current, flux as an integral of voltage over time)
    According to EETimes, flux is "change in voltage", rather than an intergral. From the article:

    The hold-up over the last 37 years, according to professor Chua, has been a misconception that has pervaded electronic circuit theory. That misconception is that the fundamental relationship in passive circuitry is between voltage and charge. What the researchers contend is that the fundamental relationship is actually between changes-in-voltage, or flux, and charge.
  20. Re:Chose Wisely on MS Beta Software To Manage Unix/Linux Systems · · Score: 1

    Configuring init.d: GUI runlevel management is easier than making symbolic links myself.
    But a command-line tool such as chkconfig or rc-update is easier than either a GUI or making the symbolic links yourself. In fact, Red Hat's system-config-* tools are very effective.
  21. Re:Summary of the evidence on Hans Reiser Guilty of First Degree Murder · · Score: 1

    If Hans Reiser abducted Nina and then killed her, even if it was accidental, then he could be convicted of first-degree murder in California.
    An interesting hypothetical, but I don't think that the prosecution offered any evidence of an abduction or any other felony, other than the murder itself.

    Perhaps an appeal might focus on getting the verdict down to a lesser offense.
  22. Re:Ubuntu Instead? on Dell Will Offer XP Past Cutoff Date · · Score: 1

    Businesses don't run based on ideals, they run based on productivity. If applications like Open Office fail to open an Office document even 1% of the time then they're useless if that document is really something you need to open.
    So, the time that Powerpoint refused to open a .ppt file on my bosses PC, but OpenOffice on my Linux desktop could open it makes MS Office useless?
  23. Re:Clog those logs on FBI Renews Push for ISP Data Retention Laws · · Score: 1

    If web page requests are added to logging I'll start running an idle process on my router that crawls the web. I might just do that anyway.
    You might want to consider what could happen if your crawler accidentally landed on a page of kiddie porn.
  24. Re:I Wonder on Laptops Can Be Searched At the Border · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The absolute best advice I can give regarding Customs is (1) Don't be stupid, and (2) Don't lie, ever. If you are ever caught in a lie, regardless how small and insignificant, you are fucked. Just don't do it, because it will make my life and your life easier.
    Many years ago, I was stopped by customs (not US) and had a little over the allowed limit to import. The moment that I admitted that I was over the limit, the customs agent let me go.
  25. Re:Gee, I dunno on What Should We Do About Security Ethics? · · Score: 1

    But I would recommend documenting everything you've noticed and told your boss in a detailed set of memos so that you're safe if an ethics committee ever investigates. If that's what you're worried about, of course.
    You probably want to document it in a format that does not alert your boss to the real danger, but later, when people are looking for a scapegoat, will show that your boss was negligent in not following up your report..