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User: MacFury

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Comments · 325

  1. Product Activation on Writing an End to the Bio of BIOS? · · Score: 1
    Not too far off...if this thing contains a serial number, and more companies move towards product activation with real information being required. (give us your home address, we mail you something that you mail back to us)

    Wouldn't be too hard to keep a database of people and what software they install on there computers.

  2. Re:I think your estimates are way too high on Wireless APs in Homebrew Coffee Shops? · · Score: 1
    Might as well stick with b, if a b/g radio sees a b signal, the speed drops for all. Unless you hard set it to "g-only" then you lose most of your "customers".

    Doesn't matter either way, the bottle neck will be the bandwidth of the net connection. I doubt the coffee shop will shell out $$$ for an 11Mbps internet connection.

    You can find WAP's and wireless routers for $5-$10 if you know where to look. There was a uniden out for $5 after rebate.

  3. Untapped market! on Measuring Pollution In Humans · · Score: 1
    Every drop of sea water contains 50 BILLION gold atoms, for perspective. Do people farm the ocean for gold?

    I think you've found yourself an untapped market! ;-)

  4. Like Tom, the consumer is a loser ;-) on Tech Titans Prepare to Battle Over Next DVD Format · · Score: 1
    How does the consumer become a loser in this situation?

    Because companies spend much time and effort towards something that has no place in the market with no ROI. These costs will have to be offset by their other products. Higher prices for you and me.

    Of course, you could always argue that you simply won't support those companies, but sometimes that's not always feasible.

  5. It's useful! on What Applications Will Drive System Performance? · · Score: 1
    The truth is, we dont need it. As impressive as voice recognition sounds, its application is limited to archival and military use.

    I disagree. Though I haven't used it recently, back in the days of MacOS 9, I used Apple's speakable items quite often.

    Being able to lay in bed and ask the computer what time it is, if I have new emails, who's currently online, etc. is useful. (being able to control things with X10 even more so)

    Retail would be another application where voice recognition may be useful. Customers of a store could simply ask a computer if the store carried a particular product, no typing neccessary.

  6. It will be abused somewhere down the line. on Your Cell Phone Is Tracking You · · Score: 4, Insightful
    However, I cannot see how it will affect the average person on the street. I doubt the government will be keeping tabs on individuals. It seems as insidious as store loyalty cards.

    The point is, they could. If they don't have the tools to do so, then they definately can't. This gives the government a easy tool to track people, especially as cell phone use becomes more and more widespread (as if it isn't already.)

    While someone may not be sitting there tracking every movement, it would be feasible to assume that all your data gets dumped into a database for later use. We already store incoming and outgoing calls, why not locations?

    Let's say a robbery took place at a store. You were on the other side of the building and didn't see it. However, the resolution of the GPS wasn't good enough to pinpoint which side of the building you were on, only that you were in proximity. The police come knocking on your door, and now your a suspect.

    I go to public parks often to sit and read. I have no kids. I don't want some stupid computer program to assume I have no reason to be there, flagging me as a pedophile because I happen to read on kids playgrounds.

  7. Re:Jack of all trades...master of none. on In Search of the Digital Uberdevice · · Score: 1
    The multifunction device might work for the unwashed non-technical masses, but I'd like to have all of those features and more in my entertainment system.

    and that is the point. It isn't designed for you, it's designed for Grandma who holds the mouse upside down.

    I agree that all in ones are almost always a bad idea, with few exceptions. (I love my iMac and Zire71)

  8. Quite a shame... on SCO Not Lying About DoS Attack · · Score: 0, Troll
    Seems SCO was hit with a 50,000 packet-per-second SYN flood peak

    I wish they would have been hit with a bat instead. I prefer wooden though metal does make a nice sound.

  9. AiW and Alchemy DVR on Building A Low-Budget TiVo Substitute? · · Score: 1
    I have an ATI All in Wonder 7500. The windows software for it stinks! It is one of the shoddest, ugliest, bug ridden pieces of crap I've ever used.

    I could never get it to work properly with Freevo or MythTV while running Linux. I finally got fed up and bought the AlchemyTV DVR for my Mac.

    I love it, nice software that ties into the system well, and a slew of options for media compression.

    This is not flamebait, but if you have a Mac, consider the AlchemyTV DVR for $150.

  10. Re:iPods.... on Portable MP3 Hardware Sales Up · · Score: 1
    And even if you do go and get a competitor's product- don't worry, there's plenty others who will still get an Ipod.

    Even if he goes with another MP3 player, he's likely to sell it and eventually get an iPod. I bought an Archos awhile ago, got frustrated, returned it and got an iPod.

  11. It is not a choice on China Releases Own WLAN Security Standard · · Score: 2, Interesting
    It is not a choice. To sell WiFi in China, you must use their standard.

    This poses a couple of issues for international companies. Why spend development money on both a US and China standard? The US does not mandate that you have to use 802.11b, so why not ditch it and go with the Chinese standard, cutting development and support costs in half?

    I work in retail. Trust me, consumers really don't care. Hell, half the time they don't even care if what they buy works, so long as they like what it looks like and it's cheap.

  12. But public domain has died long before the books on Remote-Controlled Robot Could Browse The Stacks · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    With copyrights being held indefinately, public domain has all but disappeared. Even converting a book into pure text may very well land you in prison, you thought mongering criminal!

    Books are meant to be burned. Long live the digital revolution!

  13. Correction on Personal SUV of the Sky · · Score: 1
    The future of transportation is improved mass transit

    Correction, the future of transportation should be improved mass transit. The real future is bigger SUVs.

  14. Damnit on Computer Glitch Causes Havoc and Losses on Nasdaq · · Score: 1

    Damint...they are on to me!

  15. Hope the power supply lasts on Bombardier's Embrio: Sexier Segway? · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Crusing along on a Segway and having the thing die would be bad enough at 12mph. Speeding down the street at 35mph in this thing, only to have it's sensors bust would give you a serious case of road rash.

    All the same I bet it's a fun ride.

  16. I work for Target on Planned California Bill Targets Video Game Sales · · Score: 1
    I can tell you...we get alot of parents that come in and say things like, "my son likes to kill things, what's a good game where you shoot people up, like GTA?"

    It's really quite sicking to see a parent willingly put Vice City into the hands of a six or seven year old.

    Then again, you get the messed up kids who are screaming at their parents, while the parents are telling me mario kart is too violent for their brats.

  17. Yep on How to Set Up a Gift Website? · · Score: 1
    Nothing beats having full control over the tools you're working with...

    I wish I had total control over my coworkers. How did you manage that? ;-)

  18. Stupid people do stupid things. :-) on Intel To Produce 65-Nanometer Chips In 2005 · · Score: 2, Funny
    I've always wondered why it's called Moore's Law.

    It's called Moore's Law because the guy at CompUSA would get funny looks if he said Moore's Theorem. Often times you must dumb down your speech and use improper or vague terms to be understood.

    Sad and true, a winning combination!

  19. Is it worth it? Let me work it. ;-) on Batteries Continue To Suck · · Score: 1

    It's most likely worth the small percentage of problems. Everything has it's flaws. Our current batteries are terribly toxic. The new design looks to be more enviromentally friendly.

  20. What is real? on Touch-Screen Voting Snags Continue · · Score: 1

    As if to imply that digital records are not, in fact, real.

    They aren't per most people's definition. I could write a SQL query that changes a couple million votes in a database in all of about five minutes...how long would it take me to do that by hand with paper ballots?

  21. It's good for you! on Deconstructing the Patriot Act PR Campaign · · Score: 1

    I thought all the proceedures were put into place to protect ones freedoms, and privacy

    No, you've got it backwards...they are there to protect you from freedom and privacy.

  22. You miss the point completely. on Librarian of Congress Posts DMCA Exemptions · · Score: 2, Insightful
    You miss the point completely.

    If I buy a DVD of a movie, I want to be able to skip there damn promos. I don't want the disc or player telling me that I HAVE TO WATCH THEIR ADVERTISEMENTS.

    It's asine. It would, according to the DVD spec, be possible for them to produce a movie which would not allow you to pause, fast forward, or rewind.

    What if I want to get up and take a piss?

    If I transfer that DVD to something like VHS, so that I can pause it to get up and take a piss, I AM A CRIMINAL. This has nothing to do with stopping piracy.

  23. Shouldn't we be? on Satellites Used to Stop Car Thieves in Pakistan · · Score: 1
    Are they seriously that concerned over gas there?

    Shouldn't we be, within reason? Have you totalled how much you spend on gas in a given year? It's not exactly chump change to most people there.

  24. Yes, who is watching the wathers? on Reading, Writing, RFID · · Score: 1
    This raises the question "who's watching the wathers ?"

    Very good question...

    -Jerry Wathers

  25. screw them on AOL Hacks Subscribers' Computers · · Score: 1
    AOL is just protecting their business.

    Their business has no business in my box!