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User: sumdumass

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  1. Re:Turnabout on DOJ Requests More Power To Hack Remote Computers · · Score: 2

    There are a few instances I know of where someone was arrested for resisting arrest before an arrest ever happened.

    The one that is the most egregious is where a guy started videoing a cop who stopped someone near him. He pulled out a camera and started taking video of the entire thing. The cop let the other person go after a few minutes then came over and ordered him to give his camera to him. He replied with "why" and the cop tackled him, handcuffed him and arrested him for resisting arrest. I'm not sure if I'm conflating a different scenario but I'm pretty sure he ended up getting tazzered for asking what the hell he did wrong.

    Another situation I know of, some guy came from behind and pushed another to the ground. The other guy started fighting him and was arrested for resisting arrest. Except there was tons of people around and not one of them heard the first guy announce he was a cop or the other guy was under arrest. I heard through a friend of a friend that it was because the arrested guy was rude to the cop's wife earlier that day. No reason for the initial arrest was ever given just charges for resisting arrest which he ended up beating after spending thousands on legal expenses and almost losing his job.

    There are all sorts of stories about being arrested for resisting arrest before any arrest was ever done. Its ridiculous to say the least.

  2. Re:That's totally how it works on Ask Slashdot: Does Your Job Need To Exist? · · Score: 5, Interesting

    You also have to account for expansions in volume or increases in business activities.

    An overly simply explanation of this might be a restaurant I once worked at. About 20 years ago, I worked at one as a line cook. One Friday, the dinner crowd just wasn't happening. The city had some festival thing going on. The manager who was new to the store decided to cut staff down to levels more accurate for the amount of sales while having wet dreams of being the GM's bitch or something. Most of the employees went into the bar section and had a drink after clocking out. Then we heard the crack of thunder, the power blinked off then on and about 30 minutes later, the dinner rush was on as strong as ever because it started pouring down rain and the festival closed. Except we had no way to accommodate the crowd effectively due to all the staff being sent home and/or drinking.

    So you sit there doing your thing with a little time to relax here and there because 12 people are doing the job of 10. Then one day, you start getting busier and busier then the boss hires another person and you have 13 people doing the work of 11 but all your customers are happy and being taken care of which encourages even more sales. Or you could have 10 people doing the work of 10 with the other 2 across the street getting drunk and when business increases, lose all or some of it because those 10 people cannot handle the increase.

    Some times inefficiencies need to be built in just so increased demand can be satisfied. It takes time to hire and train someone. It takes less time to have someone do a little extra work that they already do.

  3. Re:Wow! on Foam-Spraying Quadcopter Becomes a Flying 3D Printer · · Score: 1

    Point taken. I guess I was getting excited and trying to Rube Goldberg everything up.

  4. Re:Wow! on Foam-Spraying Quadcopter Becomes a Flying 3D Printer · · Score: 1

    I was thinking immediate response. Take a situation like Katrina for instance. Ignore all the slow response BS, the fact that the mayor of New Orleans failed to follow the disaster plans, or that the governor chose to argue over who controlled what instead of letting the feds who seemed to be unprepared anyways come in so it would help her political career. But what we had was a number of people who took shelter from the flooding on an overpass with no shade or relief from the wind. They were stuck there for days and while a news copter could put a reporter in to document the suffering, they couldn't deliver water or anything.

    So if one of these was large enough, they could send it in right off the bat and create a shelter of some sort to shade or even block the wind while everything else is being ushered into position. Or they could create rafts to be towed out by power boats once they got situated (but then again, those could be brought in with the boats). Of course if they just built walls with a ledge overhanging them, they could be toppled to become rafts too. Or imagine a boat has come to rescue those trapped at an apartment building only to find more people than the boat can safely hold. If the boat stays and tries to take some on, they risk being overwhelmed by people panicking when being told some would be left behind and trying to jump on board anyways or they could leave and have them lose hope in being rescued and getting killed setting off on their own. So the boat stays back, announces additional barges are on their way, this thing comes in quite a bit faster than towing another boat to the location and uses just enough foam to take on the remaining stranded people, and the boat tows them to safety.

    But you are likely right. A fixed printer might be a better concept in this regard if you have the time to set it up and get it functioning.

  5. Re:Wow! on Foam-Spraying Quadcopter Becomes a Flying 3D Printer · · Score: 2

    I was thinking about emergency shelters in disaster areas.

    Seriously, if you could scale these, it would be ideal as you wouldn't have to deal with closed or obstructed even washed away roads. If you used a closed cell foam, they would be buoyant. and the liquid to foam design means you do not have to level or set the grade of the area before installing. Just get the supplies as close as possible, fly in and spray a few domes where people are congregating, then get better relief to them once the paths of ingress are passable. You could likely even make makeshift rafts and canoes if flooding is a potential problem but with all the other debris in the water, it might not be too smart.

  6. Re:Turnabout on DOJ Requests More Power To Hack Remote Computers · · Score: 1

    The funny part is that they will claim you created and released the virus in order to justify their shenanigans in the first place. It's like being arrested for resisting arrest before you were ever under arrest. And yes, that has happened where people get busted for resisting arrest and there was never any underlying reason for the arrest before being arrested for resisting arrest.

  7. Re:Argh! on DOJ Requests More Power To Hack Remote Computers · · Score: 1

    You spelled that wrong. It is not "Justice", it is "Just Us". I know it is pronounced like Justice but if you look at it, it really is the "Just Us" system.

  8. Re:Illegal on DOJ Requests More Power To Hack Remote Computers · · Score: 3, Informative

    What happens and should happen are separate things.

    The concept of the king can do no wrong died a long time ago, got reborn and needs to be killed once again.

  9. Re:Do you really want to do that? on DOJ Requests More Power To Hack Remote Computers · · Score: 3, Informative

    Even the clueless criminals, once they see the Feds are wanting to hack into their systems will start getting their friends who know what they are doing and updating things.

    I don't necessarily disagree with what you are saying but you cannot really advertise a job to secure a criminal enterprise. What you are left with is either relying on only those you already know which might not be very cutting edge or seeking someone specific out and hoping they don't turn rat on you.

    In the former, I will just say that I don't know how many screwed up systems and wide open home networks I have seen installed by someone's rocket scientist kid, nephew, neighbor, work IT, church buddy, or whatever that had more WTF things going on than anything correct. Even following people sporting walls full of certifications and bragging about how good they are because of them sometimes turn out to be almost worthless for even simple tasks when following them into a small business. Those are usually the most dangerous- screwed up too. I usually find them running unpatched windows 200x servers directly open to the internet and half the ports opened up because they wanted remote access or something in the network needed it. They are often sporting more infections and malware than a porn surfing teens computer- because no one ever logs onto them to see the 5 million IE pop ups and error messages until something goes horribly bad and they just reboot thinking "I fixed it again".

    I'm thinking most criminals that aren't just doing it because of opportunity will already be into something like what you describe. A lot of people claim to know what they are doing but fail in spectacular ways.

  10. Re:Down 3%?! on Tesla Logged $713 Million In Revenue In Q1 and Built 7,535 Cars · · Score: 1

    The point of that can be a number of things but most likely their concious or mental well being.

    Lets take this a little sideways. People donate to cancer research knowing that any cures found would likely cost way more than they could afford. They think they did a good thing, i think they did a good thing but for all practical purposes, they helped someone else with little to no return. So we have people will only invest in religious companies, people who will only invest in enviromentally friendly companies, people who will only invest in gay or handicapped friendly companies and a lot of other specilics. They might end up helping those companies but they don't feel bad about thier choices. Some get a satusfaction from doing so even if they lose some money.

    To them, there is more than profit. There is satisfaction for whatever reason on a personal level. It is like the guy who sees trash in the street, pulls over and removes it even though he could drive around it. It is like the person who donates blood for free knowing not only will he be charged top dollar if he ever needs it, but he could get cash for the blood several places around town too.

  11. Re:Down 3%?! on Tesla Logged $713 Million In Revenue In Q1 and Built 7,535 Cars · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Damn phone sent my reply too soon.

    People who invest in things like Tesla doesn't always do it for hand over fist profit. They sometimes do it because they support the objectives of the company or that is aided by the company's operations. There is an entire industry related to investing based on your social concious. They don't typically earn as much money as other investments bur they know that going in.

    So yes, yes i would grab a parking spot when people are fleeing a burning skyscraper. Its because my mind set might be to put the fire out or help injured people comming down instead of being safe and secure far away. I kniw that analigy sucks but a burnibg skyscraper and investing is hard to tie together when the reasoning isn't exactly obvious.

  12. Re:Down 3%?! on Tesla Logged $713 Million In Revenue In Q1 and Built 7,535 Cars · · Score: 1

    Why yes i do

  13. Re:citizenship is irrelevant on Rand Paul Starts New Drone War In Congress · · Score: 1

    Haven't you heard the pen is mightyer than the sword. Obama knows he just has to write enough words abd get others to do the same in order to get putin to stop. And if it doesn't look likeit is working, he will just stab him in the eye with it.

  14. Re:How is this a new bug? on U-2 Caused Widespread Shutdown of US Flights Out of LAX · · Score: 1

    Perhaps the software development for the current version was outsourced to another country and their developers didn't think anything would fly that high?

  15. Re:Must have been running on Windows... on U-2 Caused Widespread Shutdown of US Flights Out of LAX · · Score: 1

    Its not like it hasn't happened.before.. A windows update took down several airports before.

  16. Re:This sounds more like incompetence... on Some Users Find Swype Keyboard App Makes 4000+ Location Requests Per Day · · Score: 1

    Does the app send the location data anywhere?

    Outside of a small delay, it probably would be just fine only looking up the location when the app is first opened and when it opens every 5 hours or so. Maybe even less- especially when the regional function is turned off.

    2.5 times a minute is definitely tracking in the literal sense. They would know everywhere you went and probably even when you went to the restroom assuming you had the phone in your pocket. I run wigle every once in a while and while I would expect it to update the location data often, I don't think it checks the location near as much as swype seems to. That is of course if those reports are true.

  17. Re:Hide the Knowledge on Breaking Bad's Scientific Consultant On Making Meth and More · · Score: 2

    It seems to me that if those moonshiners were really making illegal moonshine and outrunning the law, the film crew would be considered conspirators and subject to criminal charges as well. People have been sent to prison for longer terms in conspiring to commit a felony than the actual offense tendered. People have also been sent to prison for conspiring to commit a felony without the felony actually taking place. and failing to report a felony is misprison of a felony which itself is a felony under US code.

    So I think you are probably correct. It's all fake.

  18. Re:Eternally true on Kids To Get the Best CS Teachers $15/Hr Can Buy · · Score: 1

    What does this have to do with teacher pay? Oh, and in the US, the shareholders have to vote to allow any golden parachute options so it is the owners of the company authorizing it.

    A CEO cannot crash a company to the ground. There has to be some element he cannot control or controlled wrongly which is to say the bottoming of the company cannot be at his direction. If he did, it would be a violation of his fiduciary duty and could make him completely liable for the losses as well as possible criminal charges with pound you in the ass prison attached.

  19. Re:Eternally true on Kids To Get the Best CS Teachers $15/Hr Can Buy · · Score: 2

    said bonus targets often being ignored and options repriced so that the CEO cannot lose,

    You have a cite for this? Because there is a legal term for what you just described- embezzlement and it is usually illegal. Not only that, if the company's board of directors authorized it, they open themselves to share holders and could face a lawsuit over a complete misuse of their fiduciary obligations.

    Executive bonuses are generally a fraction of a percent of profit. Sometimes they go a fraction higher if profit increases by a certain amount. This is what drives CEO salaries through the roof when the company is making money.

    As for stock options, they are rigged from the start. All you have to do is make the stock values go up and it is instant profit when you take the options. Often the options are priced at a historical date when they were lower than current anyways.

    I have no idea what you think you finished but it wasn't anything I said. And yes, I typically leave out parts that are lies, misconstrued facts or products of ignorance.

  20. Re:Eternally true on Kids To Get the Best CS Teachers $15/Hr Can Buy · · Score: 2

    What does CEO salaries have to do with teacher pay?

    CEO salaries are tied to performance bonuses and stock options. Their base pay is typically a fraction of what their yearly salary ends up being if their company is profitable. You cannot really pay teachers that way because schools do not issue stocks or make a profit. But a lousy CEO typically doesn't make near the salary that would be considered record high.

  21. Re:Eternally true on Kids To Get the Best CS Teachers $15/Hr Can Buy · · Score: 1

    Ha.. i can just imagine the motivational speech at the begining of the year.

    "Pay attention and do well in class or else you could end up like us teachers".

    The problem with not paying enough is you will not attract tallent. Paying too much will attract lousy teachers who just want the pay so the opposite might not be ann answer either. But when your teachers compete with fast food workers on salary, you will end up with whopper floppers asking if you want fries with your math home work.

  22. Re:redistributing wealth on Lessig Launches a Super PAC To End All Super PACs · · Score: 1

    It is the same with welfare. Companies don't have to pay a living wage when the govwrnment steps in and makes up the difference. It is the only reason that the minimum wage is a topic today. Instead of being a starting wage to work up from, its a career path for some because companies have no care about their employees leaving for greener pastures.

    Of course the responsible answer to the career minimum wage issue is to create more jobs and have an extremely low unemployment. Companies would be forced to pay more and take caee of their employees if another job was waiting for them. But it seems the path our politicians want to take might do the opposite. But hey, at least there is welfare.

  23. Re:Uh, that doesn't work on Lessig Launches a Super PAC To End All Super PACs · · Score: 1

    It really depends on why the people are revolting. I know quite a few service members and most of them would side with the civilians if they considered the reasons to be legit.

    On the other hand, if the reasons don't convince them its proper, they would consider it as a terrorist attack and follow orders. Its sort of the same reasoning that leads to the excessive force you mentioned.

    So i guess if an armed revolt ever happened, they better have spent some time getting their message out first and guage public support. My guess is if there is enough support, the armed part might not be needed.

  24. Re:elections are bought on Lessig Launches a Super PAC To End All Super PACs · · Score: 1

    I'm curious. What exactly is the point of your comment?

      I mean, you picked something the federal government has always been entrusted in under the constitution and call it a socialist program then feign outrage. Obviously i am lost on the reasoning for this so could you explain it for me?

  25. Re:redistributing wealth on Lessig Launches a Super PAC To End All Super PACs · · Score: 1

    What does 90% of the reprrdentatives being millionares have to do with anything? I would prefere someone who can ballance a check book and earn more than minimum wage representing my interests in government.

    Also, roads and bridges generally are not what people mean when they bitch about wealth redistribution. Its the perpetual welfare state and things like the earned income tax credit that rewards people for not making a lot of money by pretending they did only to give refunds in excess of taxes paid in while soaking others who are punished for being somewhat successfull with higher taxes.