A lot of what you say is true, however, as a former ATM tech myself, a LOT of the security issues that they're referring to is simply poor setup by the ATM tech at the time of the installation, or the latest update/upgrade. IF the unit is set up correctly, it ONLY talks to whoever is handling the transaction, and is a bit harder to tap into than junior's laptop. Also, not ALL ATMs record any keystrokes for PIN numbers, etc. Some, sure, but not all, and it's usually buried in the file system pretty deep.
Also, for all of you that were guessing at OSes, the vast majority of those that I worked on, (various brands, Diebold, NCR, Wincor, Triton *shudder*, etc.) either had a firmware OS, like the little Tritons, or OS2 Warp. The numbers of systems that were being shipped with XP were growing, but I never DID see a 'nix based ATM. Also, there were a few Windows NT, and a few Windows 2k Pro out there, but the vast majority were all OS2 Warp. I about tripped out the first time I saw that on an ATM I was working on... like stepping back in time.:)
That's because you get FAR more out of hemp than just paper. Remember how much of the Ford Model "T" was made of hemp based products... the cellulose components, the original lubrication, etc. I'm sure this "wonderpaper" from Japan isn't quite so utility in it's use.
This reminds me of something I read ages ago in a Fantastic Four comic. I don't remember the issue, but Reed Richards was talking to a Skrull, and the Skrull basically told Richards that if they (the human race) knew a tenth of what was out there, they'd HIDE, not try to communicate...
I'm also with the concept that if they show up, we're at their mercies... hopefully they will be in a good mood with us savages, and not hungry, or looking for zoo specimens, or anything else that will shorten this planet's lifespan appreciably.
I think you're missing the point of a "flat tax". Let's say you're making $12 an hour ($24k a year)...
$24k a year=$2400 a year in taxes. No loopholes, "credits", "incentives", etc. Just pay the $2400 bucks, and have a nice year. This can be taken out of your checks individually, or as a lump sum at the end of the year. This allows you to either pay hand to mouth style, or maybe INVEST all that extra money in something, and pay the $2400 at the end of the year.
Now... let's take Oprah Winfrey. Last I heard, she was making around $100mil a year. Guess what Oprah? You owe $10mil in taxes for the year... EVERY year. No loopholes, credits, etc. It doesn't take many Oprahs to compensate for the lower taxes the poor $12 an hour schmuck isn't paying. This tax would be strictly on INCOME. This income would be from working, NOT income on capital gains, etc. If you work, in ANY capacity, you would pay the 10% on it, period. You're a consultant? Cool... it's work, and pay your 10%. Mommie and Daddy left you $20mil in the bank, and you just draw the interest? Cool... enjoy no-tax land. Why? Because Mommie and Daddy paid income tax on the money when THEY earned it. Honestly, that's another hot button of mine... double taxation. A mining company digs out iron ore, and pays taxes on it... sells it to a steel company... and they pay taxes. They sell it to the car company, and they pay taxes on it... you buy said car, and pay taxes on it... goddamn, how many times do you have to tax the same item?!?!
Sorry if this sounds trollish, but I don't post here often, and get worked up on very special subjects... like taxes.
I'm running a dual boot of Ubuntu 8.04 and Vista Home Premium, and have zero problems running the GRUB boot loader. I'm not sure as to exactly what problem I'm supposed to have, but my Vista side is fully updated, including SP1, and there are no conflicts.
Just my two cents worth...
First of all... to have a "Secret" clearance, you MUST be in the U.S. Military. You can have a similar rating, i.e. "Q" clearance, but to have an honest to god "Secret", it's mandatory to be affiliated in either the U.S. Military, or one of the agents of the government, i.e. NSA, CIA, or pick your alphabet soup organization of the week.
So... the idea that this guy got much of anything "Secret", is a load of jetwash. At best, he got into some "Q" clearance data, which is actually situated between "Confidental" and "Secret". It's an odd, and long list of what construes what is "Secret", etc. to which I no longer have access to. When I was in the USAF, I had a "Secret" clearance, as I was in the fire department, and if anyone is wondering why a poor old lineman needed a Secret clearance... just think of this senario... a F-117 goes down. When the fire department shows up, the plane is in decent shape, and the pilot is stuck in the cockpit. Who's going to pull him out? Someone with a damn Secret clearance, that's for sure. No one is allowed to see parts of a LOT of the planes that the USAF have in their inventory even back in the day. Hell, we had a T.O. book, more like a full 3" binder with ALL sorts of fun data regarding ALL the flying critters the USAF had back then, from the T-36s that were apparently flying somewhere, to the Shuttle and the SR-71. Not all of that binder was Secret, but a fair bit of it sure as hell was.
Sorry for the rant... it's just the misinformation regarding a Secret clearance was a bit irritating. As far as Chinese nationals working on anything resembling something that requires a clearance... well, what the hell did you expect to happen? I'm not saying ALL of them are going back to Mother China with data... but if ONE does, your secrets are hosed. And you have to admit that the odds are higher that a Chinese national will spill the bean far quicker and easier than a non-Chinese national.
Also... the tech that makes up the shuttle IS pretty old... by US standards, but to most of the rest of the world (read China, Korea, Taiwan, etc.) it's pretty hot stuff. Hell, I remember us stopping ALL exportation of 486 CPUs to China because some smart boy figured out how to chain them together and MAYBE get something that would help launch an orbital vehicle.
Again, sorry for the long post. Check my record here. I don't post often, but I guess I am just picky as to what to post.
At the risk of being modded to death... it's funny that the fossilization was just on the outside. How's THIS for a "crackpot theory"? Say the bone isn't as old as we are all presuming. Say, instead of being 65 million years old, it's only 30 million, or any appreciable amount of time AFTER what is accepted as the "dinosaur killer" asteroid that hit about 65 million years ago? That would automatically mean that at least SOME of them survived for MILLIONS of years after the impact. This would also lend some more creedence to the stray stories coming out of South America of creatures that match descriptions of long dead dinosaurs. How's this for something else to think on... the Coleanth? Supposedly extinct for over 300 million years (granted, being a fish, it would have a higher chance of survival after the impact than a land creature) and they catch one on a fishing boat in 1935.
Just some things to think about...
Ok... time to show my age, I guess...
Back in the day (call it about 15 years ago, seems like I was doing it before that too), I would have a cool tape (cassette) or LP, and a friend would bring it over to my house so I could burn a copy on cassette for myself. Someone explain to me HOW this is LEGALLY different. I fully understand that the Internet allows me FAR more "friends" than back then, but legally, no difference. I can go onto Limewire, get a file/music/movie from a "friend", and have a copy for my OWN PERSONAL USE. Back in the day, I would burn my copy onto chrome cassette for my OWN PERSONAL USE. Where's the difference? THIS is why I see no problem with using Limewire/Napster (back in it's heydey, i.e. FREE) to get some music. Hell, if I like what I download, I may just buy the damn thing, just so I have a hard copy.
RIAA must be some sort of anagram for stupidity...
I agree that the majority of SF writers today have little to no clue about "true" science behind the fiction. To me, in order to make plausible fiction, you should know about some of the facts regarding that sort of fiction. Robert A. Heinlein was one of those "old school" writers. He was mentioned briefly by another poster, but I would like to dredge his name up again. He was a graduate of OCS in the 20's, and made it 20th in a class of around 240... not bad. (Funny enough, if it wasn't for his behavioral issues (he was a bit of a problem child with discipline) he would have ranked 5th in that class.)
But, if you ever read some of his NON fiction, you will find that if he didn't know about the subject himself... he would refer to those that DID know about the subject. He studied astrophysics so that he would know what he was talking about when he was referring to orbital velocities (he would also work out all the ugly math for such... so those in the field that read his work wouldn't be put off... not to mention, RAH always seemed like a scientist first... that wrote fiction.) it made at least mathmatical sense.
Too bad he's gone...
We have biometric systems now. I forsee that they will just keep getting better and better. Granted, the ones now can be fooled by some individuals fairly easily, but give it 2-4 years... when they include a temp sensor in the biometric pad to determine that the "thumb" belongs to a human, not a manequin. Or that the retina scans detect a PULSE behind those little tiny red lines... THEN you won't have to worry about your 256bit encrypted password of the hour.
I fully concur with Fred. When I was a kid, I WAS the remote. "Change it to channel 8, and adjust the rabbit ears, that channel is horrible..." etc. The idea of a truly universal remote would be great, but I'm waiting for one that is a true universal... and preferably RF instead of that wonderfully sporraticly working IR. I have had IR remotes that you could just about use AS a RF remote... and others that needed a set of sights on it like a rifle to get it to work properly. All in all, I will believe it when I can get it on Newegg. www.newegg.com
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A lot of what you say is true, however, as a former ATM tech myself, a LOT of the security issues that they're referring to is simply poor setup by the ATM tech at the time of the installation, or the latest update/upgrade. IF the unit is set up correctly, it ONLY talks to whoever is handling the transaction, and is a bit harder to tap into than junior's laptop. Also, not ALL ATMs record any keystrokes for PIN numbers, etc. Some, sure, but not all, and it's usually buried in the file system pretty deep. Also, for all of you that were guessing at OSes, the vast majority of those that I worked on, (various brands, Diebold, NCR, Wincor, Triton *shudder*, etc.) either had a firmware OS, like the little Tritons, or OS2 Warp. The numbers of systems that were being shipped with XP were growing, but I never DID see a 'nix based ATM. Also, there were a few Windows NT, and a few Windows 2k Pro out there, but the vast majority were all OS2 Warp. I about tripped out the first time I saw that on an ATM I was working on... like stepping back in time. :)
That's because you get FAR more out of hemp than just paper. Remember how much of the Ford Model "T" was made of hemp based products... the cellulose components, the original lubrication, etc. I'm sure this "wonderpaper" from Japan isn't quite so utility in it's use.
I remember this quote too... but still smacks of that Skrull quote from the FF. :)
This reminds me of something I read ages ago in a Fantastic Four comic. I don't remember the issue, but Reed Richards was talking to a Skrull, and the Skrull basically told Richards that if they (the human race) knew a tenth of what was out there, they'd HIDE, not try to communicate... I'm also with the concept that if they show up, we're at their mercies... hopefully they will be in a good mood with us savages, and not hungry, or looking for zoo specimens, or anything else that will shorten this planet's lifespan appreciably.
Face-Off... I'm sure you can find it via IMDB.
I think you're missing the point of a "flat tax". Let's say you're making $12 an hour ($24k a year)... $24k a year=$2400 a year in taxes. No loopholes, "credits", "incentives", etc. Just pay the $2400 bucks, and have a nice year. This can be taken out of your checks individually, or as a lump sum at the end of the year. This allows you to either pay hand to mouth style, or maybe INVEST all that extra money in something, and pay the $2400 at the end of the year. Now... let's take Oprah Winfrey. Last I heard, she was making around $100mil a year. Guess what Oprah? You owe $10mil in taxes for the year... EVERY year. No loopholes, credits, etc. It doesn't take many Oprahs to compensate for the lower taxes the poor $12 an hour schmuck isn't paying. This tax would be strictly on INCOME. This income would be from working, NOT income on capital gains, etc. If you work, in ANY capacity, you would pay the 10% on it, period. You're a consultant? Cool... it's work, and pay your 10%. Mommie and Daddy left you $20mil in the bank, and you just draw the interest? Cool... enjoy no-tax land. Why? Because Mommie and Daddy paid income tax on the money when THEY earned it. Honestly, that's another hot button of mine... double taxation. A mining company digs out iron ore, and pays taxes on it... sells it to a steel company... and they pay taxes. They sell it to the car company, and they pay taxes on it... you buy said car, and pay taxes on it... goddamn, how many times do you have to tax the same item?!?! Sorry if this sounds trollish, but I don't post here often, and get worked up on very special subjects... like taxes.
I'm running a dual boot of Ubuntu 8.04 and Vista Home Premium, and have zero problems running the GRUB boot loader. I'm not sure as to exactly what problem I'm supposed to have, but my Vista side is fully updated, including SP1, and there are no conflicts. Just my two cents worth...
First of all... to have a "Secret" clearance, you MUST be in the U.S. Military. You can have a similar rating, i.e. "Q" clearance, but to have an honest to god "Secret", it's mandatory to be affiliated in either the U.S. Military, or one of the agents of the government, i.e. NSA, CIA, or pick your alphabet soup organization of the week. So... the idea that this guy got much of anything "Secret", is a load of jetwash. At best, he got into some "Q" clearance data, which is actually situated between "Confidental" and "Secret". It's an odd, and long list of what construes what is "Secret", etc. to which I no longer have access to. When I was in the USAF, I had a "Secret" clearance, as I was in the fire department, and if anyone is wondering why a poor old lineman needed a Secret clearance... just think of this senario... a F-117 goes down. When the fire department shows up, the plane is in decent shape, and the pilot is stuck in the cockpit. Who's going to pull him out? Someone with a damn Secret clearance, that's for sure. No one is allowed to see parts of a LOT of the planes that the USAF have in their inventory even back in the day. Hell, we had a T.O. book, more like a full 3" binder with ALL sorts of fun data regarding ALL the flying critters the USAF had back then, from the T-36s that were apparently flying somewhere, to the Shuttle and the SR-71. Not all of that binder was Secret, but a fair bit of it sure as hell was. Sorry for the rant... it's just the misinformation regarding a Secret clearance was a bit irritating. As far as Chinese nationals working on anything resembling something that requires a clearance... well, what the hell did you expect to happen? I'm not saying ALL of them are going back to Mother China with data... but if ONE does, your secrets are hosed. And you have to admit that the odds are higher that a Chinese national will spill the bean far quicker and easier than a non-Chinese national. Also... the tech that makes up the shuttle IS pretty old... by US standards, but to most of the rest of the world (read China, Korea, Taiwan, etc.) it's pretty hot stuff. Hell, I remember us stopping ALL exportation of 486 CPUs to China because some smart boy figured out how to chain them together and MAYBE get something that would help launch an orbital vehicle. Again, sorry for the long post. Check my record here. I don't post often, but I guess I am just picky as to what to post.
At the risk of being modded to death... it's funny that the fossilization was just on the outside. How's THIS for a "crackpot theory"? Say the bone isn't as old as we are all presuming. Say, instead of being 65 million years old, it's only 30 million, or any appreciable amount of time AFTER what is accepted as the "dinosaur killer" asteroid that hit about 65 million years ago? That would automatically mean that at least SOME of them survived for MILLIONS of years after the impact. This would also lend some more creedence to the stray stories coming out of South America of creatures that match descriptions of long dead dinosaurs. How's this for something else to think on... the Coleanth? Supposedly extinct for over 300 million years (granted, being a fish, it would have a higher chance of survival after the impact than a land creature) and they catch one on a fishing boat in 1935. Just some things to think about...
Ok... time to show my age, I guess... Back in the day (call it about 15 years ago, seems like I was doing it before that too), I would have a cool tape (cassette) or LP, and a friend would bring it over to my house so I could burn a copy on cassette for myself. Someone explain to me HOW this is LEGALLY different. I fully understand that the Internet allows me FAR more "friends" than back then, but legally, no difference. I can go onto Limewire, get a file/music/movie from a "friend", and have a copy for my OWN PERSONAL USE. Back in the day, I would burn my copy onto chrome cassette for my OWN PERSONAL USE. Where's the difference? THIS is why I see no problem with using Limewire/Napster (back in it's heydey, i.e. FREE) to get some music. Hell, if I like what I download, I may just buy the damn thing, just so I have a hard copy. RIAA must be some sort of anagram for stupidity...
I agree that the majority of SF writers today have little to no clue about "true" science behind the fiction. To me, in order to make plausible fiction, you should know about some of the facts regarding that sort of fiction. Robert A. Heinlein was one of those "old school" writers. He was mentioned briefly by another poster, but I would like to dredge his name up again. He was a graduate of OCS in the 20's, and made it 20th in a class of around 240... not bad. (Funny enough, if it wasn't for his behavioral issues (he was a bit of a problem child with discipline) he would have ranked 5th in that class.) But, if you ever read some of his NON fiction, you will find that if he didn't know about the subject himself... he would refer to those that DID know about the subject. He studied astrophysics so that he would know what he was talking about when he was referring to orbital velocities (he would also work out all the ugly math for such... so those in the field that read his work wouldn't be put off... not to mention, RAH always seemed like a scientist first... that wrote fiction.) it made at least mathmatical sense. Too bad he's gone...
We have biometric systems now. I forsee that they will just keep getting better and better. Granted, the ones now can be fooled by some individuals fairly easily, but give it 2-4 years... when they include a temp sensor in the biometric pad to determine that the "thumb" belongs to a human, not a manequin. Or that the retina scans detect a PULSE behind those little tiny red lines... THEN you won't have to worry about your 256bit encrypted password of the hour.
I fully concur with Fred. When I was a kid, I WAS the remote. "Change it to channel 8, and adjust the rabbit ears, that channel is horrible..." etc. The idea of a truly universal remote would be great, but I'm waiting for one that is a true universal... and preferably RF instead of that wonderfully sporraticly working IR. I have had IR remotes that you could just about use AS a RF remote... and others that needed a set of sights on it like a rifle to get it to work properly. All in all, I will believe it when I can get it on Newegg. www.newegg.com