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User: ehrichweiss

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  1. Re:Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? on Domestic Use of Aerial Drones By Law Enforcement · · Score: 1

    So you're suggesting that the civil rights organizations would use a drone for surveillance? I can think of a few ways to put a camera in the air a lot cheaper than those drones; probably under $200 each.

  2. so who's already figured out.. on Domestic Use of Aerial Drones By Law Enforcement · · Score: 1

    ...how to down these things with something other than a bullet? If they start using them for anything other than special occasions, I want to see them drop out of the skies like those birds from a couple weeks ago..

  3. Re:I thought of this years ago and... on Road Train Completes First Trials In Sweden · · Score: 1

    None of that would affect the fact that you have to buy a new car to get the benefits from TFA's car whereas mine would require something that would cost around $2000-$3000 and fit on almost any car. Nice try though.

  4. Re:I thought of this years ago and... on Road Train Completes First Trials In Sweden · · Score: 1

    Those are for a front-tire blowout from what I've read. A rear-tire blowout is significantly more dangerous and unpredictable.

  5. Re:I thought of this years ago and... on Road Train Completes First Trials In Sweden · · Score: 1

    Oh heavens no, a physical connection doesn't imply that at all. Think in terms of a mechanical linking device akin to what trains have, except with an automated lock instead of manual.

    Also you've apparently never towed a car on a tow bar. You don't need "steering" except on the vehicle in front especially since you're not talking about making tight S-curves afterall, just mostly straight stretches.

    The only thing you need to automate is the speed for most cars, and the link. Neither of those was that big of an issue. You would need a few cars that could have automated steering, or a driver willing to take manual control long enough for a car to link into the train. I've thought out the logistics of THAT as well but I'm not sharing that idea since this report empowers me to take my idea to people who will now be willing to listen.

    As for the guys at Jiffylube installing it, nope, you'd want someone who installed trailer hitches to do that instead since they have the experience required to know what will work and what will not. Just like you wouldn't have the guys at Jiffylube install your new shiny operating system on your computer, eh.

    And I came up with my solution about 5 years ago so I beat Volvo, etc. to the punch despite your comment to the contrary, and when I started this line of thought computers weren't powerful enough to do any of this so perhaps you've not thought this through as deeply as you think you have...like what happens if the computer has a major malfunction while the driver is asleep? Pain and misery. What happens in my system? Loss of speed/power contributed to the train yet still able to retain enough control to disconnect from the train. 25 years is a lot of time for me to have thought about this for you to think that you've got a handle on all the "holes" in it in just a few minutes.

  6. Re:I thought of this years ago and... on Road Train Completes First Trials In Sweden · · Score: 0

    Presently computers aren't capable of dealing with the circumstances that arise from such a blowout through *physical* means since servos, sensors, etc. do not indeed have lightning fast reflexes capable of dealing with the difference between a mere flat tire and an actual blowout, or even a tire coming undone. Being physically connected would allow for an even smaller gap and in the event of a blowout the computer could alert a human who could then take control and safely disconnect from the train.

    The thing to ask yourself is how the computers of the vehicles behind you deal with your situation. If they're close and your car isn't physically restrained then if something malfunctioned majorly then all the cars behind you would have to suddenly and sharply brake(and possibly steer) which isn't safe for THEM in either situation and would likely lead to car wrecks with 50 or more vehicles involved on a regular basis; that changes if you're physically restrained. For the record, I've worked in an industry where I got to see all the things that could go wrong with a vehicle(especially tractor-trailers) and the only real solution is physical connection.... or bumper cars*snicker*.

  7. I thought of this years ago and... on Road Train Completes First Trials In Sweden · · Score: 1

    I've had this idea for over 25 years at this point and they're missing several things to make this work. For example, what happens when one member of your convoy has a rear-tire blowout?** If your vehicles aren't *physically* connected then you're going to have an incredibly dangerous situation on your hands. It took me until a few years ago to work out how to physically connect the vehicles such that they are secure, yet easily detachable. I think they need to hire me on as a consultant.

    **(for those who don't know, a rear-tire blowout can make you lose control of your steering if you don't have lightning fast reflexes)

  8. Re:Nice one on Unsecured IP Cameras Accessible To Everyone · · Score: 1

    9/11/2001: I was working for a newspaper and since most of the usual communication lines were jammed, etc. I was put on the mission to find an open webcam in NYC. I found one on top of Empire State Building that gave us a fairly clear shot that we used for our piece on the subject. That was 2001 so this is ooooooold news..

  9. Re:What's next? on Florida Man Sues WikiLeaks For Scaring Him · · Score: 1

    Apparently you didn't see some of the pics posted above. Trust me, they're perfectly in line with my thoughts.

  10. Re:What's next? on Florida Man Sues WikiLeaks For Scaring Him · · Score: 3, Funny

    The kicker is when they describe the plaintiff: "a Florida trailer park resident"

    Who didn't see that one coming?

  11. Re:News Flash on It's Surprisingly Hard To Notice When Moving Objects Change · · Score: 1

    VERY odd. Not as odd as a friend of mine who is color blind EXCEPT for certain places in his peripheral vision, but definitely only a few people share this trait.

  12. Re:News Flash on It's Surprisingly Hard To Notice When Moving Objects Change · · Score: 1

    I was thinking the same thing. For one, I COULD see the colors change but my peripheral vision is more developed than most(I can even see color with it).

  13. Re:On the bright side... on 6 Homeless People Saved By the Internet · · Score: 1

    I recycle computers(laptops included) for underprivileged people, usually children but adults get a shot too, so count me as your first citation.

  14. Re:Primary Programming. on Greed, Zealotry, and the Commodore 64 · · Score: 1

    Thanks for convoluting the issue so badly that I'm not bothering responding to that drivel. Nothing you wrote applies. Thanks for being a dick though, I'm sure you're the "asshole atheist" I hear about when debating with xtians so at least I know you're the guy who gives all the other atheists a bad name.

  15. Re:Primary Programming. on Greed, Zealotry, and the Commodore 64 · · Score: 1

    So in other words you fall into the category of people who don't have an answer to the question...

  16. Re:Don't fret before reading TFA... on Mozilla Posts File Containing Registered User Data · · Score: 2

    I wish I had mod points and that you weren't logged in as A/C because *that* my friend is CLASSIC!

  17. Re:Primary Programming. on Greed, Zealotry, and the Commodore 64 · · Score: 1

    The "heavens" isn't all that you think it is. Heavens != planets, moons, stars, black holes, etc since Genesis 1:1 says he created the heavens and the earth but then in Genesis 1:13-16 he creates that all over again...

    "13 And there was evening, and there was morning--the third day. 14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17"

    Mark 11:24 Jesus says, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

    Yet my father's hand is still missing.

  18. Re:Primary Programming. on Greed, Zealotry, and the Commodore 64 · · Score: 1

    I'm interested in this thing from Mark Twain of which you speak. That wouldn't happen to be in Letters From Earth, would it? If so, I'll have to read that with new eyes...I loved that story.

  19. Re:Primary Programming. on Greed, Zealotry, and the Commodore 64 · · Score: 1

    Yes, I do think that centuries of theologians didn't think of that. Perhaps you haven't read up on your history but until recently, openly questioning religion has been a deadly mistake. And FYI, I never said that theologians didn't think of it, just that Genesis has no answer for it.

  20. Re:Primary Programming. on Greed, Zealotry, and the Commodore 64 · · Score: 1

    Mark 11:24 Jesus says, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

  21. Re:Primary Programming. on Greed, Zealotry, and the Commodore 64 · · Score: 1, Interesting

    True.

    My daughter was 8 years old when she found a flaw in Genesis so large that you could drive a dump truck through it.. She had been given a deck of memory matching cards by some classmate of hers that had a religious theme and one of the cards was about creation and she asked the question that even my mother can't/won't answer... "if it took 6 days for God(tm) to create the Earth, how long did it take him to make the other planets and stars?" I've never been prouder.

    For you believers who still don't get it, try visiting whydoesgodhateamputees.com and tell me why your god will perform a "miracle" like "healing" a cancer patient but wouldn't heal my father's hand despite my prayers as a (fully believing) child. I'll wait but I won't take the "but maybe that is his plan" or other BS that simply means you don't know how to answer it... The bible clearly states if I prayed with my heart, he should have been healed so why the other "miracles"(most of which happened under the care of a doctor, not a preacher)??

  22. Re:The more reason to use something else. on NX Compression Technology To Go Closed Source · · Score: 1

    "I don't get the point here. You leave your screen unlocked then I gain instant access to where ever you're currently logged on."

    You don't get the point because you don't have my setup, nor did you pay attention to a key word: "graphical". Non-GUI access to my systems isn't nearly as damaging as GUI access to them. For example, if I accidentally leave a document on which I'm working on my desktop, it's not readily apparent via CLI, but you can see it plain as day if you logon graphically. That's a simple example, but I have far more reasons than just that. BTW, my screensaver crashes for some unknown reason from time to time so while I do typically lock it, I don't like to take the risk, so a password is a good extra step to provide that security.

    "So either you're using that option or you should really re-check your SSH logs and config ;-)"

    Nope, neither of those is true. My sshd_config has PasswordAuthentication = no. Nothing can login via ssh(not even 127.0.0.1) without the proper PK.

    I do agree they should generate a new key upon install.....and they offer that as well. If you read a bit more there's a step in the setup that asks if you want to use the default key pair. If you answer "no", it'll generate one for you. Are you sure you used NX for any *real* period of time? I ask because it seems you didn't give it much of a fair chance because this was a feature(at least in Free/OpenNX, and I'm sure NoMachine's had it as well but I haven't used it in this regard in over a year so I can't be certain) since I first started using it some 4+ years ago.

    "Sounds weird to me, why the heck would that be so? Both use the same ssh, which supports both."

    Apparently because the Open/FreeNX had issues with RSA. I don't remember what that problem was but I do remember spending several months hammering out the problem after moving to PK-only authentication only to discover that it was solved by using NoMachine's setup which took me 30 seconds to configure. I actually have to do that again because of a recent system crash so maybe I'll play with it a bit and see if I can answer that question for you in depth.

  23. Re:The more reason to use something else. on NX Compression Technology To Go Closed Source · · Score: 1

    Windows and Mac server?!?!? Finally, no more rdesktop!

  24. Re:The more reason to use something else. on NX Compression Technology To Go Closed Source · · Score: 1

    "Second, it is a pain in the ass. Even if you use PK for all your ssh access you will have to maintain a password just for nx sake. Come on in the year 2010 (or 2011 for that matter) it is totally idiotic to use ssh with passwords for normal daily jobs."

    Ok, I've gotta call you out on something... You have a good and informative post, I will agree, but you also called the devs at NX lazy, complained about your perception of their security measures and yet you're here complaining about having to use a password....

    I personally like the password because that means that someone can't get unchecked graphical access to my remote machines by simply catching me on a bathroom break with my screen unlocked. In your scenario it would only take a single click. Yes, they would have access to my laptop but I'd rather have at least a password between them and access to the remote systems I admin.

    I don't ever remember being encouraged to keep the same public key for NX but I can safely say that my setup uses my own PK.

    Also, I don't think that you have the NX login sequence entirely correct because while the first part seems accurate, I can safely say that NX can NOT be spawning a second ssh session using my password because passwords are forbidden in ssh by policy on my system, so it'd have to be using my PK, or doing some other form of login. I could be wrong but that's the impression I got while learning to set it up with RSA keys a while back. And just to let anyone know who might be interested in setting up RSA PK authentication with NX, you have to use NoMachines node/server/client from their site, the FreeNX/OpenNX only do DSA.

    Also, if I have my own PK pair setup for ssh, I'm pretty certain that even if I leave the NX keys as default, there isn't much chance of someone using the NX account to bruteforce passwords as you suggest because even if my system allowed passwords for ssh, they'd still need my PK to even get the NX session spawned. Again, I could be wrong on any of these points but I checked this pretty thoroughly and that's what I've seen thus far.

    Regardless, I see your complaints boiling down to the out-of-the-box experience of NX versus having to actually work to configure and secure the system properly. I don't really have issues with having to do extra work to do that.

  25. Re:The more reason to use something else. on NX Compression Technology To Go Closed Source · · Score: 1

    Well, yeah, I have several friends who need at least 9 buttons...I'm just a bit of a simpleton in some regards.