Bacteria 1: "Hey, wake up!"
Bacteria 2: "ZZZzzz...aaahhh...morning. How long this time?"
Bacteria 3: "Uh...looks like...32,000 years."
Bacteria 1: "Well that's a lot shorter than last time."
Bacteria 2: "Yes, it is. I wonder why things warmed up so quickly."
Bacteria 3: "Well any-hoo, you boys ready?"
Bacteria 1: "I most certainly am..."
Bacteria 2: "Let's get it done quickly, I want to go back to sleep."
Bacteria 3: "Okay then, let the next Extinction Commence!!!"
video stores pay a huge premium on 'rental' copies of their movies
True that. When I worked at Blockbuster (worst experience of my life) the new releases that my store bought from Blockbuster corporate were like $100 EACH. So when you see a wall with 150 copies of some new release, you're looking at $15,000 in capital investment. The reason I found this out is because our store manager charged a customer for loosing a video. He charged her $100 to "replace" the video and all the late fees. That poor soul was out like $130.
There were many days during the week where late fees accounted for more than 50% of our revenue. I can't imagine how much money Blockbuster is raking in with this misleading campaign. Interesting too, that Bush just signed the Class Action Fairness Act that limits the amount of winnings that can be pursued in this kind of litigation.
...the other fact you need to face is that modelers spends hours and hours tweaking their models until they "look right"
Exactly! The exact same way Galileo had to tweak his model of the solar system to get it to "look right"...and as I remember he was wrong, according to the Catholic Church. He even signed a statement admitting as such.
Your theories about how these modern day modelers are getting it all wrong seem to be a "tweaking" of your own that make "the data fit" the Bush Administration's agenda of serving Corporate Interests.
Since you are trying to claim ignorance of the "real data" for yourself, all scientists and all humanity for all time, maybe "guesswork" is all we have to go on.
Of course "modeling" is guesswork. ALL modeling is an estimation. However it does not follow that if it's an estimation it must be wrong. If it is, I'd like to see what "real data" you are basing it on.
LOL, you too?! I got to the website, saw the "hairy cactus" project and was mortified. Human hair growing out of a cactus. Yikes. Is this crap illegal? I can see some day that it might be, especially when it becomes more sophisticated, serious harm could result...
From a comment in the article...
on
SHA-1 Broken
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· Score: 1
From a comment in the article:
Jordan is correct - 2^69 is still a large data space to search.
However, as Randell points out, this is a lot better than 2^80.
Assume you had 100,000 CPUs each capable of 4,000,000,000 tests per second.
That works out to 1,475,739 seconds to find a collision or about 17 days.
It is unlikely that such equipment exists, but it gives an idea of a possible worst case.
However, many digital signatures need to be secure much longer than 3 weeks. Think of a contract for a 30-year mortgage.(emphasis mine)
How much more will we have to pay for our veggies and fruits if we stop illegal immigration? How about for construction?
Probably as much more as we will have to pay for unpaid hospital bills which increases healthcare costs and health insurance, crime from a segment of society that gets paid next to nothing and is thus in a perpetual state of poverty hence resorts to more crime, INS budgets, welfare to the American people who can't afford to compete against illegal aliens (IAs) willing to work illegally for $15 a day, identity theft from the hords of IAs that "borrow" social security numbers so they can fill out the work forms, uninsured drivers not paying for accident claims (which increases everyones car insurance bills), heavier burden on public shools that must educate American children of parents that don't pay income taxes (so legal Americans pay for the schools), did I mention crime (increased burden on the court system, jails, law enforcement, etc. yadda yadda yadda...
Add that $$$ up and it might offset the rise in price of your apples.
applying this kind of mentality in every case doesn't sound like a good idea.
Good point. Really this pay-by-mile is just another form of pushing the "ownership society" or "privatizing" road usage. YOU use the road, YOU pay for it. It's infrastructure for cryin' out loud. Gas taxes didn't pay for all the roads in this country. Good old fashion INCOME TAX payed for most of it. Gas tax was just a way to shift a heavier burden on the users of vehicles. That makes sense, but this tax by mile thing is just bigger government.
The unit is programmed so that when it looses the effective GPS signal, it switches to monitoring your digital odometer. When the signal comes back GPS takes over. Redundancy. This also makes cheating more difficult. Like if you figure out a way to "JAM" the GPS unit's signal, the computer switches to your odometer.
It remains to be seen whether the added cost of putting the devices in cars and equipping gas pumps with the readers is worth it, though.
I doubt it will cost the state anything. They will make the customer pay for it like always. The unit is payed for by the customer in the price of the car. The infrastructure statewide is incorporated in to the GPS tax and gas price.
Have an old car? Easy. If your car doesn't have the new unit, you pay a HIGH gas tax. One that is high enough to discourage people with GPS units from cheating (and likewise encourages customers to purchase new GPS units or NEW cars.)
CA(Amongst themselves): "Did you read the Top-Secret memo that they discovered a safe cheap method for Cold Fusion?" CA(!): "That will mean no more tax revenue from gas tax."
CA(think): "Must find alternate revenue source that generates $$ no matter how those vehicles are powered."
CA(say): "pay by mile with GPS tracking."
People(whine): "WAAH WAA...privacy. Just raise gas tax."
CA(say): "Okay then, gas tax is now 200%".
People: "WAAAAAAHHHat are you fncking crazy! Okay then, just put in those stupid GPS units. Privacy shmivacy..."
CA(think): "Muuuwaaahahaa!"
I'll take a stab at this excellent question. I'm pretty sure that this is the ACE up their sleeve. If they implement this tax, the next step is that they will need ADDITIONAL information to PROTECT the tax payers that drove out of state so they are not wrongfully taxed.
How do that? By logging your GPS coordinates of where you drove, of course! Guess how else that "useful information" can be used?
1. Determine what your speeds were = $$$ by way of auto speed tickets (just add it to your Gas bill at the pump!)
2. Insurance reasons...Did you drive in a dangerous neighborhood? = higher insurance rates (consumer can conveniently pay at the Pump.) (you drive in safe neighborhoods? = less $$$ for insurance) 3. War on Terrorism...this guy drove to a Ryder truck rental, a mosque, then a fertilizer store, and to the Federal Courthouse...? 4. Demographics...Corporations will find out some way to exploit the data to ^profits
Crossing my fingers in hope that as soon as they pass this stupid law, we get a direct hit from an X9 class solar flare that takes out all the GPS satellites.
1. X9 solar flare
2. Takes out GPS
3. Pay no "Road Tax"
4. Profit
And the strange part is, this National ID card system is supposedly going to get EVERYONE, including illegal aliens set up w/ and ID. The whole reason they want this system, is so that "terrorists" would have to have one to get on a plane.
The part that confuses me, is what about foreign tourists? They certainly WILL NOT have this American ID. They will have their passports from which ever of 100's of nations around the world. So if a terrorist wants to get on a plane, they will simply use a passport (which could easily be faked).
My question then, WHAT'S THE POINT of having this system of control put on Americans if it is that easily circumventable?
Slashdot Mirror
Bacteria 1: "Yawwwn...good morning..."
Bacteria 2: "ZZZzzzzZZZzzzz..."
Bacteria 3: "Morning!"
Bacteria 1: "Hey, wake up!"
Bacteria 2: "ZZZzzz...aaahhh...morning. How long this time?"
Bacteria 3: "Uh...looks like...32,000 years."
Bacteria 1: "Well that's a lot shorter than last time."
Bacteria 2: "Yes, it is. I wonder why things warmed up so quickly."
Bacteria 3: "Well any-hoo, you boys ready?"
Bacteria 1: "I most certainly am..."
Bacteria 2: "Let's get it done quickly, I want to go back to sleep."
Bacteria 3: "Okay then, let the next Extinction Commence!!!"
Good point... Corporate America: 1 Lawyers of America: 5 Consumers: 0
Right after it calculated the answer to everything?
I know a Romulan Bird of Prey using a cloaking device when I see one.
I cracked it! All this "dark matter" is actually space craft that are using cloaking devices. Duh.
They should call this galaxy the "Romulan Galaxy" just on principle. Show some respect to our cloaked overlords.
There were many days during the week where late fees accounted for more than 50% of our revenue. I can't imagine how much money Blockbuster is raking in with this misleading campaign. Interesting too, that Bush just signed the Class Action Fairness Act that limits the amount of winnings that can be pursued in this kind of litigation.
Corporate America: 1
American Consumer: 0
I'm sure that in every piece of the ad campaign that information appeared in small type quickly at the bottom of the screen...
"Only at participating Blockbusters."
Your theories about how these modern day modelers are getting it all wrong seem to be a "tweaking" of your own that make "the data fit" the Bush Administration's agenda of serving Corporate Interests.
Since you are trying to claim ignorance of the "real data" for yourself, all scientists and all humanity for all time, maybe "guesswork" is all we have to go on.
Of course "modeling" is guesswork. ALL modeling is an estimation. However it does not follow that if it's an estimation it must be wrong. If it is, I'd like to see what "real data" you are basing it on.
God, I hope this isn't how they wired Bush(aka, 'Chimp') to The Button.
I didn't think my joke could be topped but you proved me rong.
cheers!
- Rong's chip produces laser light when it is 'pumped' with another laser.
So, two lights make a Rong?I'm sorry, but that is just Rong...
LOL, you too?! I got to the website, saw the "hairy cactus" project and was mortified. Human hair growing out of a cactus. Yikes. Is this crap illegal? I can see some day that it might be, especially when it becomes more sophisticated, serious harm could result...
Add that $$$ up and it might offset the rise in price of your apples.
Where you see failure, I see a solution.
The unit is programmed so that when it looses the effective GPS signal, it switches to monitoring your digital odometer. When the signal comes back GPS takes over. Redundancy. This also makes cheating more difficult. Like if you figure out a way to "JAM" the GPS unit's signal, the computer switches to your odometer.
Next problem....?
Have an old car? Easy. If your car doesn't have the new unit, you pay a HIGH gas tax. One that is high enough to discourage people with GPS units from cheating (and likewise encourages customers to purchase new GPS units or NEW cars.)
Good speculation though.
The alternate theory:
CA(Amongst themselves): "Did you read the Top-Secret memo that they discovered a safe cheap method for Cold Fusion?"
CA(!): "That will mean no more tax revenue from gas tax."
CA(think): "Must find alternate revenue source that generates $$ no matter how those vehicles are powered."
CA(say): "pay by mile with GPS tracking."
People(whine): "WAAH WAA...privacy. Just raise gas tax."
CA(say): "Okay then, gas tax is now 200%".
People: "WAAAAAAHHHat are you fncking crazy! Okay then, just put in those stupid GPS units. Privacy shmivacy..."
CA(think): "Muuuwaaahahaa!"
I'm pretty sure that this is the ACE up their sleeve. If they implement this tax, the next step is that they will need ADDITIONAL information to PROTECT the tax payers that drove out of state so they are not wrongfully taxed.
How do that? By logging your GPS coordinates of where you drove, of course! Guess how else that "useful information" can be used?
2. Insurance reasons...Did you drive in a dangerous neighborhood? = higher insurance rates (consumer can conveniently pay at the Pump.)
(you drive in safe neighborhoods? = less $$$ for insurance)
3. War on Terrorism...this guy drove to a Ryder truck rental, a mosque, then a fertilizer store, and to the Federal Courthouse...?
4. Demographics...Corporations will find out some way to exploit the data to ^profits
Crossing my fingers in hope that as soon as they pass this stupid law, we get a direct hit from an X9 class solar flare that takes out all the GPS satellites.
1. X9 solar flare
2. Takes out GPS
3. Pay no "Road Tax"
4. Profit
All your octopi, are belong to us...nope.
Imagine a Beowulf cluster of octopus arms...nope.
In Soviet Russia, the arms have eight bodies...nope.
Hey, I tried. Octupi just aren't funny.
And the strange part is, this National ID card system is supposedly going to get EVERYONE, including illegal aliens set up w/ and ID. The whole reason they want this system, is so that "terrorists" would have to have one to get on a plane.
The part that confuses me, is what about foreign tourists? They certainly WILL NOT have this American ID. They will have their passports from which ever of 100's of nations around the world. So if a terrorist wants to get on a plane, they will simply use a passport (which could easily be faked).
My question then, WHAT'S THE POINT of having this system of control put on Americans if it is that easily circumventable?