That is patently false, their existence has been INFERRED from the motion of other objects which we can observe. By definition, a black hole cannot be observed because it supposedly swallows up all light. Mainstream scientists assume (believe) that the motion of these observed objects is influenced by a massive gravitational field from a presumed black hole.
The underlying assumption here is that most matter is largely electrically neutral, as it is, fortunately around here. The facts are exactly opposite, in that most matter in the universe consists of free electrons and naked protons and other atomic nuclei stripped of all or some of their electrons. Because the electric force is 40 orders of magnitude greater than gravity, such highly charged matter is mainly controlled in its motions by the electromagnetic interaction. Scientists have observed the existence of immense magnetic fields on the Sun, in our own galaxy and throughout the unimaginable distances of intergalactic space. Nobody has ever come up with a means of generating even the weakest magnetic field without an electric current, or more correctly, the motion of an electric charge. Wherever there is such a magnetic field generating current, there also has to be an electric field, a voltage difference as it were, to drive such a current. The "solar wind" is a close, at home example of an enormous electrical current flowing through space.
This combination of electric and magnetic fields could also be the source of the forces that control the motion of the observed objects, which could be highly charged electrically, rather than the much weaker force of gravity. Black holes, dark matter and energy are entirely unnecessary if astronomers and astrophysicists would include the electric interaction along with gravity in their mathematics. In many cases, the gravitational component could be dropped, because of the weak nature of gravity.
The existence of cosmic rays, consisting mostly of protons, which is also what the LHC accelerates to high energies, is strong evidence of the existence of powerful accelerating fields in space. Protons seven orders of magnitude more energetic than anything the LHC will ever produce regularly hit the Earth.
...However everything about black holes is purely theoretical,...
Indeed, there is no physical evidence that such things even exist in physical reality. They definitely exist in elegant mathematics, but since when MUST mathematics determine and lead reality, rather that describe it?
...People have this amazing misunderstanding of black holes....
Indeed, people actually BELIEVE that these actually exist even though nobody has ever seen or measured one. There are CLAIMS of evidence that such things exist, of course always --- far out in the universe or even at the center of our galaxy -- but the truth of the matter is that we have never seen or measured these fictional only mathematical entities. The same goes for "dark matter" and "dark energy". All of these are mathematically logical, beautiful constructs that have never been found to have objective physical reality. Just because there is a nice set of equations, doesn't mean that there is a physical reality behind them.
Maybe you don't know, but the energy of observed cosmic rays is at least seven orders of magnitude greater than the maximum the LHC will ever generate. They will collide particles against each other at about 10^13 electron volts. Cosmic rays are actually mostly protons with energies of 10^20 EV or more. The earth has been bombarded with these for eons. No reason to worry about a puny little accelerator such as the LHC.
...smashed together into an object smaller than a grain of sand....
Except that "soul, mind, spirit, thought, will, intellect, personality, evil, good" and other similar things are not subject to gravity and will therefore not be affected. If there is an immaterial, higher realm, outside of the time-space-matter-energy universe, which our limited physical senses cannot inform us about, then such an event wouldn't really change the eternal condition of anyone who possesses these attributes. Therefore even after the dissolution of the earth and everything material into a black hole, the souls of all humans would still continue.
There are of course those who attribute the existence of soul, mind, spirit, thought, will, intellect, evil, good etc. as manifestations of a material object: the brain. There is no way however to determine by material means the existence of an immaterial independence of these things.
Even in the physical realm, our eyes and ears only convey a tiny part of the spectrum of wavelengths that exist in reality. Anyone who confidently asserts that reality MUST be limited to our senses is, IMHO a fool.
Almost 2000 years ago the Apostle Peter wrote about such a dissolution, not only of our planet, but of the entire universe:
2Peter3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. And the earth and the works in it will be burned up. 11 Then, all these things being about to be dissolved, what sort ought you to be in holy behavior and godliness, 12 looking for and rushing the coming of the Day of God, on account of which the heavens, being on fire, will melt away, and the elements will melt, burning with heat? 13 But according to His promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
....odds could very well happen if we saw a WW3.....
Between nuclear, chemical and biological weapons in existence today, it is certainly possible that mankind's attempt to wipe themselves and all life off the planet could succeed in such a war. Jesus, being asked about the time of His return and the end of history said this as part of his answer:
Matthew 24:21 (ISV) For at that time there will be great suffering, the kind that has not happened from the beginning of the world until now and certainly will never happen again. 22 If those days had not been limited, no life would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be limited.
We read in many parts of the Bible that mankind is not the ultimate boss over this planet, but the One who made it, namely God. Jesus, returning in His role as God supreme, will arrest humanity in the foolish and futile attempt to destroy themselves, a special part of God's property, as well as the planet Earth. Mankind throughout the millennia has amply demonstrated that humans are incapable of living in peace with one another. That is a big reason why Jesus will return -- to finally enforce peace on His terms on the warring human race. Here is God's view of humanity and what He had King David write about 3000 years ago on what He intends to do to fix the mess we have gotten ourselves into:
Psam 2:1 Why do the nations rage, and the peoples meditate on a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers plot together, against the LORD and against His anointed, saying , 3 Let us break their bands in two and cast away their cords from us. 4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the LORD shall mock at them. 5 Then He shall speak to them in His anger, and trouble them in His wrath. 6 Yea, I have set My king on My holy hill, on Zion. 7 I will declare the decree of the LORD. He has said to Me, You are My Son; today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I shall give the nations for Your inheritance; and the uttermost parts of the earth for Your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. 10 And now be wise, O kings; be instructed, O judges of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled in but a little time. Blessed are all who put their trust in Him.
....As opposed to non-Mac users, who are MUCH more likely to actually find FREE (or CHEAP) alternatives...
Actually MUCH more free Open Source Linux (unix based) runs on Macs than on Windows. Since most of the open source community is and has always been non-windows, most such software can be and is being made to run on the Unix based Mac. You would be hard pressed to name an open source program that has been made available for Windows, that has NOT been available for Macs first.
...Pft, the idea that Macs are of decent quality is entirely subjective...
Yes, about as subjective as Consumer Reports who consistently give the highest quality ratings to Apple's products. You may be able to put together better hardware but not a better SYSTEM because you'd be forced to buy crappy Windows if you wanted to use a program such as Photoshop to help earn your livelihood.
Once you run Windows, you are exposed to malware such as the latest wildly self-spreading "downadup" virus you can get by merely plugging in a USB stick from a friend where all you wanted to copy was s photograph or other file. This particular piece of malware for the Mac is a trojan that has to be specifically installed by an administrator. Anybody who is not a crook, but honestly pays for their software, will NEVER, ever, get this particular malware on their Mac. People who pirate software, richly deserve to have such pirated software compromise their computer, have their bank password filched and get their bank account emptied.
...There are whole communities of Mac users that share applications amongst themselves...
If I share a piece of software with a friend or relative I know, that is a lot different than going to some dodgy torrent site and getting who knows what malware attached to such files.
Don't you think that someone who wants to and is able to spend $1200+ for say an iMac or Macbook is much more likely to spend another measly $80 for a program wanted or needed than someone who buys a $400 Dell? Maybe, getting a "discount" on an expensive program like Photoshop might be more excusable, even for a Mac buyer.
Any cheap-ass user, Mac or Windows, who pirates software from evil torrent sites, richly deserves to get their computer broken into, the passwords to their bank stolen and their account emptied.
...a user-base smart enough to not download pirated software...
Except that Mac users, being more affluent do not buy rock-bottom priced computers and then fill them up with pirated software from shady torrent sites. Mac users who want a given program are MUCH more likely to actually PAY for their software. Therefore, this trojan isn't going to be as big a deal as some gloating posters here on/. have made it out to be. It's after all not self replicating, but has to be installed with definite user input. Anyone who spends a pile of money on a Mac and then pirates a $79 program is a big fool who deserves to be punished by having their computer hosed this way.
Except that Mac users, being more affluent do not buy rock-bottom priced trash computers and then fill them up with pirated software from shady torrent sites. Mac users who want a given program are MUCH more likely to actually PAY for their software than those too cheap to buy a decent quality computer. Therefore, this trojan isn't going to be as big a deal as the MS fanbois make it out to be.
...Are you telling me that XP running in a VM on a powerbook is about the same as Mac OS X running native?....
The discussion was about the GUI, not necessarily all applications. However, that said, I have encountered no problem using quicktime and iTunes on XP on that laptop. I actually installed these two programs just to see whether they would work and how well. I was pleasantly surprised that they ran just as well as the native OSX versions. I have never done that experiment (yet) on the VISTA VM on the Macpro.
...I could teach any even semi-competent person....
That wasn't my point. Anything is easy once you know how to do it, including rocket science. There are some people intelligent and motivated enough to learn it. There are after all rocket scientists who are still merely human. I have no doubt that you can teach a person to use regedit. The question is one of wanting or needing to, just to keep a computer secure. There are automobile owners who also learn how to rebuild their engines or automatic transmissions, but most drivers just want to get to their destination. They know enough that once in a while, when the fuel gauge gets near "E" to fill the tank, but have never even lifted the hood. Most drivers also know how to read the odometer and take the vehicle to their favorite mechanic for maintenance. However, in cars, the safety is usually built in by the manufacturer, not added on by the users afterwards.
... and pretty simple if you already know how to use it....
Brain surgery and rocket science are also easy if you already know how to do these. To those that don't have the ability, the time, nor the desire to go to the trouble of learning the arcane art of registry editing, the best thing to do is to choose an OS that doesn't have a registry and is not subject to any of the nearly 100,000 instances of malware made specifically for hapless Windows users. There is little or nothing that the intelligent users of these alternatives to Windows cannot do, that the millions of Winsheep are able. For games, there are dedicated devices that are cheaper and better.
....as Israel indeed militarily occupies the West Bank, and this is quite immoral.....
The avowed, often stated goal of the radical element of Islam is to exterminate Israel. They tried accomplish this a number of times by militarily attacking Israel. The last time was in 1967. Israel soundly repulsed all these attempts and at the last one occupied some of the border territories where these attacks originated. When an enemy attacks you in war and then you beat back such an attack, in effect win a war that you did not begin, you can do whatever you feel is needed to prevent or mitigate any future recurrence of such aggression. One of the rules of war is "To the victor belong the spoils". That has ALWAYS been the case in all of human history. There are those in Israel's government today that still think they can make concessions of appeasement. History tells us that that leads to disaster.
If Germany and Japan had won WW2, the world would be very different today. To exterminate Israel is still the ultimate goal of the Palestinians and their mentors Iran, with the entire muslim world joining the fray or at least cheerleading, with UN approval of course. Another full scale war with Israel is not an "if" but "when".
I am sure you have heard of the term "Armageddon" in reference to doomsday and the end of the world. It actually refers to a large valley just north of Jerusalem, where according to Biblical prophecy the last battle of humanity's ultimate war will be fought, where ALL nations are predicted to participate in. Even today, the only nation on Israel's side is the USA. When, not if, that changes, look for Israel's enemies to once again try unsuccessfully to "solve" the dilemma of Israel and especially Jerusalem by military means.
....Much worse in fact than the GUI on the iMac....
It must be some hardware issue Windows is having with your Toshiba. I run XP on my Macbook pro 2GB laptop under a Parallels VM and that works about at the same GUI speed as the native OSX equivalent programs. Only 512M is allocated to the Windows XP Virtual Machine. Of course our 2.8Ghz 6GB Dual Quad Core Macpro desktop system is quite fast with 2 GB allocated to VISTA running in a VM. However it is noticeably slower than the native OSX GUI. Fortunately, VISTA is not needed for actual work, but just to get familiar with it in order for us to service a few customers who are stuck with it.
A 512M XP VM on the Macpro is MUCH faster than VISTA however and there is no noticeable difference between XP and native OSX programs. In contrast to the VISTA VM, some real work gets done on XP.
....To make it really super convenient, you could have a wireless device similar to the keychain widget....
There are such gadgets as part of the X-10 or Insteon power control system. Smarthome.com sells both varieties. X-10.com also has suitable devices. We have such a system to control lights with timers and motion detectors. One of the channels is used to control the main power to the entertainment system. When a motion sensor sees no more motion for 20 minutes in the living room, it shuts off the entertainment system. Other combination motion/light sensors control some outside lights after dark. The wireless motion sensors and a simple wireless on-off remote each transmit to a tiny receiver plugged into a nearby outlet. From there, the control signals travel over the power wires to a small module into which the entertainment system is plugged into. No extra wiring is needed anywhere. However buying that sort of equipment is definitely not worth it if all you want to do save a few watts on standby power. As part of an over-all system however the incremental cost for this function is minimal.
....So, unplug and replug your TV every time you want to watch it...
We have an X-10 system with a wireless control for lights and selected wall outlets. The TV and the rest of the entertainment system is plugged into one of these. In addition to completely shutting off the power at the push of a button, a motion sensor shuts off the system if it detects absolutely no movement in the room for 20 minutes. A designated button on the remote controls the system and another dims the room lights.
.....Windows 7 is a really nice OS. It just feels like a next gen OS....
You mean they finally have made their Apple OSX software copying machine a little better? You mean that the new Windows 7 will run FASTER and better than earlier versions of Windows on the same older hardware? Newer versions of OSX run faster on the same hardware than the older versions. Is that at last, finally also true of Windows? How does Windows 7 run on a 2001-2002 vintage computer compared to OS10.1 versus OS10.5 on a same age Mac? A PC of that age often won't even run VISTA without at least a RAM increase. Is that still the case with Windows 7 also?
.....If they do exist we can conclude that they are quite rude....
Maybe they have observed how warlike and aggressive humans are? Maybe they have come to the conclusion that if these human creatures cannot get along with each other on their own world, they will certainly not be able to do so with some other highly advanced beings. How would we know that some of our most basic assumptions are correct? Maybe these intelligent beings are not confined to flesh and blood mortal bodies. If not, then they would not be subject to laws and conditions that limit us humans from freely roaming throughout the entire universe as well as universes we know nothing about. Maybe, if they do have bodies, they can materialize and de-materialize instantaneously by simply willing it. Maybe Biblical creatures such as Angels, Demons and other Spirit beings do exist after all? Maybe the humans whose bodies have died are still in existence somewhere else? How can anyone who is not omniscient be totally confident that this is NOT true? Do our senses communicate all reality to us?
....In the next 3000 years we are sure to develop much faster methods of travel,....
Conquering death and the limits of space-time would eliminate the necessity of this. This is essentially what Jesus Christ promised to those who believe him as to who he is, God come to earth. He often talked about something he called "the kingdom of heaven", a place that transcends space time where death no longer applies. He tells us that there are many habitable places in God's entire creation, of which this time-space universe is only a part.
Because we are now still confined to mortal, finite flesh and blood containers, our bodies, the size of the universe or even only 3000 ly appears to be an insurmountable obstacle.
We know what the speed of light is, but what is the speed of thought, mind or imagination? How fast can the human mind, soul or consciousness travel? Most people today believe that we are confined to the natural material dimensions that our five senses transmit information about to our minds. Anything beyond that is labeled "supernatural" and is automatically relegated into the realm of fable and fiction, having no objective reality.
It seems quite clear to me that Jesus Christ, in his resurrected state inhabited a physical body that had access to higher dimensions where additional laws and principles operate. He appeared to be able to transition from that higher dimensionality into our own and back again as effortlessly as we might move from the dining room to the kitchen. When he was in our own dimension, he could be perceived by our senses. Witnesses tell us in writing, that they saw them him with their eyes, heard him with their ears, spoke with him, touched him and ate breakfast that he prepared for them.
He promises that same eternal transcendent multidimensional nature, a physical body not limited only to the present dimensions of our space-time, to all those mortal human beings who truly believe him and are willing to freely trust and love him with their entire being. Those WILLING, not necessarily able. to forsake their selfishness and sin, are promised access as far as the outer limits of this present space-time dimension and on into the very presence of the Creator God himself.
because as a/. member it is highly unlikely that your deep dark secret data is worth the effort it takes to recover it after a single pass wipe. Anyone who posts on/. has, by definition, no data the NSA, KGB, Gestapo or any other such entity could possibly be interested in.
....Amazon themselves don't really suffer from false positives....
That could not possibly be true IF Amazon is an honest business. Any deception, when it get known, will in the long run harm the one who deceives people. Amazon could stop this or at least slow it down to a trickle by only letting their customers who have bought that item write a review on that one and only once. It would have prevented the incident mentioned in the article and boost Amazon's reputation.
....Up here in alaska we have probably close to 600 miles of fiber....
Down here in Oregon we get a lot of fog of the kind where you can't see the hood of your car from the driver's seat sometimes. There are probably many other places where fog, rain and snow would make this scheme impractical outdoors.
add to that the fact that a newer PC saddled with VISTA isn't that much of a step up, if not even a step backward, to the older system with XP. With new Apple systems shipping with OS10.5 there is a definite, rather substantial step up from the 3 year ago predecessors with OS10.4. Also, since all Macs have a substantially higher resale value than any other PC brands, the cash outlay an existing Mac user needs for a shiny new model is less. Beside better faster hardware, Mac up-graders also get newer software. With OSX succeeding releases always work FASTER on the same old hardware, whereas with Windows, the same older hardware gets really constipated and sluggish when trying to run new bloatware from MS. So Apple's sales outlook isn't nearly as dismal as the other computer makers. The past Christmas selling season numbers reflect this fact also.
Slashdot Mirror
...have definitely been observed ...
That is patently false, their existence has been INFERRED from the motion of other objects which we can observe. By definition, a black hole cannot be observed because it supposedly swallows up all light. Mainstream scientists assume (believe) that the motion of these observed objects is influenced by a massive gravitational field from a presumed black hole.
The underlying assumption here is that most matter is largely electrically neutral, as it is, fortunately around here. The facts are exactly opposite, in that most matter in the universe consists of free electrons and naked protons and other atomic nuclei stripped of all or some of their electrons. Because the electric force is 40 orders of magnitude greater than gravity, such highly charged matter is mainly controlled in its motions by the electromagnetic interaction. Scientists have observed the existence of immense magnetic fields on the Sun, in our own galaxy and throughout the unimaginable distances of intergalactic space. Nobody has ever come up with a means of generating even the weakest magnetic field without an electric current, or more correctly, the motion of an electric charge. Wherever there is such a magnetic field generating current, there also has to be an electric field, a voltage difference as it were, to drive such a current. The "solar wind" is a close, at home example of an enormous electrical current flowing through space.
This combination of electric and magnetic fields could also be the source of the forces that control the motion of the observed objects, which could be highly charged electrically, rather than the much weaker force of gravity. Black holes, dark matter and energy are entirely unnecessary if astronomers and astrophysicists would include the electric interaction along with gravity in their mathematics. In many cases, the gravitational component could be dropped, because of the weak nature of gravity.
The existence of cosmic rays, consisting mostly of protons, which is also what the LHC accelerates to high energies, is strong evidence of the existence of powerful accelerating fields in space. Protons seven orders of magnitude more energetic than anything the LHC will ever produce regularly hit the Earth.
...However everything about black holes is purely theoretical,...
Indeed, there is no physical evidence that such things even exist in physical reality. They definitely exist in elegant mathematics, but since when MUST mathematics determine and lead reality, rather that describe it?
...People have this amazing misunderstanding of black holes....
Indeed, people actually BELIEVE that these actually exist even though nobody has ever seen or measured one. There are CLAIMS of evidence that such things exist, of course always --- far out in the universe or even at the center of our galaxy -- but the truth of the matter is that we have never seen or measured these fictional only mathematical entities. The same goes for "dark matter" and "dark energy". All of these are mathematically logical, beautiful constructs that have never been found to have objective physical reality. Just because there is a nice set of equations, doesn't mean that there is a physical reality behind them.
....Not at anywhere near this energy....
Maybe you don't know, but the energy of observed cosmic rays is at least seven orders of magnitude greater than the maximum the LHC will ever generate. They will collide particles against each other at about 10^13 electron volts. Cosmic rays are actually mostly protons with energies of 10^20 EV or more. The earth has been bombarded with these for eons. No reason to worry about a puny little accelerator such as the LHC.
...smashed together into an object smaller than a grain of sand....
Except that "soul, mind, spirit, thought, will, intellect, personality, evil, good" and other similar things are not subject to gravity and will therefore not be affected. If there is an immaterial, higher realm, outside of the time-space-matter-energy universe, which our limited physical senses cannot inform us about, then such an event wouldn't really change the eternal condition of anyone who possesses these attributes. Therefore even after the dissolution of the earth and everything material into a black hole, the souls of all humans would still continue.
There are of course those who attribute the existence of soul, mind, spirit, thought, will, intellect, evil, good etc. as manifestations of a material object: the brain. There is no way however to determine by material means the existence of an immaterial independence of these things.
Even in the physical realm, our eyes and ears only convey a tiny part of the spectrum of wavelengths that exist in reality. Anyone who confidently asserts that reality MUST be limited to our senses is, IMHO a fool.
Almost 2000 years ago the Apostle Peter wrote about such a dissolution, not only of our planet, but of the entire universe:
2Peter3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. And the earth and the works in it will be burned up. 11 Then, all these things being about to be dissolved, what sort ought you to be in holy behavior and godliness, 12 looking for and rushing the coming of the Day of God, on account of which the heavens, being on fire, will melt away, and the elements will melt, burning with heat? 13 But according to His promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
....odds could very well happen if we saw a WW3.....
Between nuclear, chemical and biological weapons in existence today, it is certainly possible that mankind's attempt to wipe themselves and all life off the planet could succeed in such a war. Jesus, being asked about the time of His return and the end of history said this as part of his answer:
Matthew 24:21 (ISV) For at that time there will be great suffering, the kind that has not happened from the beginning of the world until now and certainly will never happen again. 22 If those days had not been limited, no life would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be limited.
We read in many parts of the Bible that mankind is not the ultimate boss over this planet, but the One who made it, namely God. Jesus, returning in His role as God supreme, will arrest humanity in the foolish and futile attempt to destroy themselves, a special part of God's property, as well as the planet Earth. Mankind throughout the millennia has amply demonstrated that humans are incapable of living in peace with one another. That is a big reason why Jesus will return -- to finally enforce peace on His terms on the warring human race. Here is God's view of humanity and what He had King David write about 3000 years ago on what He intends to do to fix the mess we have gotten ourselves into:
Psam 2:1 Why do the nations rage, and the peoples meditate on a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers plot together, against the LORD and against His anointed, saying , 3 Let us break their bands in two and cast away their cords from us. 4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the LORD shall mock at them. 5 Then He shall speak to them in His anger, and trouble them in His wrath. 6 Yea, I have set My king on My holy hill, on Zion.
7 I will declare the decree of the LORD. He has said to Me, You are My Son; today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I shall give the nations for Your inheritance; and the uttermost parts of the earth for Your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
10 And now be wise, O kings; be instructed, O judges of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled in but a little time. Blessed are all who put their trust in Him.
....As opposed to non-Mac users, who are MUCH more likely to actually find FREE (or CHEAP) alternatives ...
Actually MUCH more free Open Source Linux (unix based) runs on Macs than on Windows. Since most of the open source community is and has always been non-windows, most such software can be and is being made to run on the Unix based Mac. You would be hard pressed to name an open source program that has been made available for Windows, that has NOT been available for Macs first.
...Pft, the idea that Macs are of decent quality is entirely subjective...
Yes, about as subjective as Consumer Reports who consistently give the highest quality ratings to Apple's products. You may be able to put together better hardware but not a better SYSTEM because you'd be forced to buy crappy Windows if you wanted to use a program such as Photoshop to help earn your livelihood.
Once you run Windows, you are exposed to malware such as the latest wildly self-spreading "downadup" virus you can get by merely plugging in a USB stick from a friend where all you wanted to copy was s photograph or other file. This particular piece of malware for the Mac is a trojan that has to be specifically installed by an administrator. Anybody who is not a crook, but honestly pays for their software, will NEVER, ever, get this particular malware on their Mac. People who pirate software, richly deserve to have such pirated software compromise their computer, have their bank password filched and get their bank account emptied.
...There are whole communities of Mac users that share applications amongst themselves...
If I share a piece of software with a friend or relative I know, that is a lot different than going to some dodgy torrent site and getting who knows what malware attached to such files.
Don't you think that someone who wants to and is able to spend $1200+ for say an iMac or Macbook is much more likely to spend another measly $80 for a program wanted or needed than someone who buys a $400 Dell? Maybe, getting a "discount" on an expensive program like Photoshop might be more excusable, even for a Mac buyer.
Any cheap-ass user, Mac or Windows, who pirates software from evil torrent sites, richly deserves to get their computer broken into, the passwords to their bank stolen and their account emptied.
Except that Mac users, being more affluent do not buy rock-bottom priced computers and then fill them up with pirated software from shady torrent sites. Mac users who want a given program are MUCH more likely to actually PAY for their software. Therefore, this trojan isn't going to be as big a deal as some gloating posters here on /. have made it out to be. It's after all not self replicating, but has to be installed with definite user input. Anyone who spends a pile of money on a Mac and then pirates a $79 program is a big fool who deserves to be punished by having their computer hosed this way.
...pirated software with a virus....
Except that Mac users, being more affluent do not buy rock-bottom priced trash computers and then fill them up with pirated software from shady torrent sites. Mac users who want a given program are MUCH more likely to actually PAY for their software than those too cheap to buy a decent quality computer. Therefore, this trojan isn't going to be as big a deal as the MS fanbois make it out to be.
...Are you telling me that XP running in a VM on a powerbook is about the same as Mac OS X running native? ....
The discussion was about the GUI, not necessarily all applications. However, that said, I have encountered no problem using quicktime and iTunes on XP on that laptop. I actually installed these two programs just to see whether they would work and how well. I was pleasantly surprised that they ran just as well as the native OSX versions. I have never done that experiment (yet) on the VISTA VM on the Macpro.
...I could teach any even semi-competent person....
That wasn't my point. Anything is easy once you know how to do it, including rocket science. There are some people intelligent and motivated enough to learn it. There are after all rocket scientists who are still merely human. I have no doubt that you can teach a person to use regedit. The question is one of wanting or needing to, just to keep a computer secure. There are automobile owners who also learn how to rebuild their engines or automatic transmissions, but most drivers just want to get to their destination. They know enough that once in a while, when the fuel gauge gets near "E" to fill the tank, but have never even lifted the hood. Most drivers also know how to read the odometer and take the vehicle to their favorite mechanic for maintenance. However, in cars, the safety is usually built in by the manufacturer, not added on by the users afterwards.
... and pretty simple if you already know how to use it....
Brain surgery and rocket science are also easy if you already know how to do these. To those that don't have the ability, the time, nor the desire to go to the trouble of learning the arcane art of registry editing, the best thing to do is to choose an OS that doesn't have a registry and is not subject to any of the nearly 100,000 instances of malware made specifically for hapless Windows users. There is little or nothing that the intelligent users of these alternatives to Windows cannot do, that the millions of Winsheep are able. For games, there are dedicated devices that are cheaper and better.
....as Israel indeed militarily occupies the West Bank, and this is quite immoral.....
The avowed, often stated goal of the radical element of Islam is to exterminate Israel. They tried accomplish this a number of times by militarily attacking Israel. The last time was in 1967. Israel soundly repulsed all these attempts and at the last one occupied some of the border territories where these attacks originated. When an enemy attacks you in war and then you beat back such an attack, in effect win a war that you did not begin, you can do whatever you feel is needed to prevent or mitigate any future recurrence of such aggression. One of the rules of war is "To the victor belong the spoils". That has ALWAYS been the case in all of human history. There are those in Israel's government today that still think they can make concessions of appeasement. History tells us that that leads to disaster.
If Germany and Japan had won WW2, the world would be very different today. To exterminate Israel is still the ultimate goal of the Palestinians and their mentors Iran, with the entire muslim world joining the fray or at least cheerleading, with UN approval of course. Another full scale war with Israel is not an "if" but "when".
I am sure you have heard of the term "Armageddon" in reference to doomsday and the end of the world. It actually refers to a large valley just north of Jerusalem, where according to Biblical prophecy the last battle of humanity's ultimate war will be fought, where ALL nations are predicted to participate in. Even today, the only nation on Israel's side is the USA. When, not if, that changes, look for Israel's enemies to once again try unsuccessfully to "solve" the dilemma of Israel and especially Jerusalem by military means.
....Much worse in fact than the GUI on the iMac....
It must be some hardware issue Windows is having with your Toshiba. I run XP on my Macbook pro 2GB laptop under a Parallels VM and that works about at the same GUI speed as the native OSX equivalent programs. Only 512M is allocated to the Windows XP Virtual Machine. Of course our 2.8Ghz 6GB Dual Quad Core Macpro desktop system is quite fast with 2 GB allocated to VISTA running in a VM. However it is noticeably slower than the native OSX GUI. Fortunately, VISTA is not needed for actual work, but just to get familiar with it in order for us to service a few customers who are stuck with it.
A 512M XP VM on the Macpro is MUCH faster than VISTA however and there is no noticeable difference between XP and native OSX programs. In contrast to the VISTA VM, some real work gets done on XP.
....To make it really super convenient, you could have a wireless device similar to the keychain widget....
There are such gadgets as part of the X-10 or Insteon power control system. Smarthome.com sells both varieties. X-10.com also has suitable devices. We have such a system to control lights with timers and motion detectors. One of the channels is used to control the main power to the entertainment system. When a motion sensor sees no more motion for 20 minutes in the living room, it shuts off the entertainment system. Other combination motion/light sensors control some outside lights after dark. The wireless motion sensors and a simple wireless on-off remote each transmit to a tiny receiver plugged into a nearby outlet. From there, the control signals travel over the power wires to a small module into which the entertainment system is plugged into. No extra wiring is needed anywhere. However buying that sort of equipment is definitely not worth it if all you want to do save a few watts on standby power. As part of an over-all system however the incremental cost for this function is minimal.
....So, unplug and replug your TV every time you want to watch it...
We have an X-10 system with a wireless control for lights and selected wall outlets. The TV and the rest of the entertainment system is plugged into one of these. In addition to completely shutting off the power at the push of a button, a motion sensor shuts off the system if it detects absolutely no movement in the room for 20 minutes. A designated button on the remote controls the system and another dims the room lights.
.....Windows 7 is a really nice OS. It just feels like a next gen OS....
You mean they finally have made their Apple OSX software copying machine a little better? You mean that the new Windows 7 will run FASTER and better than earlier versions of Windows on the same older hardware? Newer versions of OSX run faster on the same hardware than the older versions. Is that at last, finally also true of Windows? How does Windows 7 run on a 2001-2002 vintage computer compared to OS10.1 versus OS10.5 on a same age Mac? A PC of that age often won't even run VISTA without at least a RAM increase. Is that still the case with Windows 7 also?
.....If they do exist we can conclude that they are quite rude....
Maybe they have observed how warlike and aggressive humans are? Maybe they have come to the conclusion that if these human creatures cannot get along with each other on their own world, they will certainly not be able to do so with some other highly advanced beings. How would we know that some of our most basic assumptions are correct? Maybe these intelligent beings are not confined to flesh and blood mortal bodies. If not, then they would not be subject to laws and conditions that limit us humans from freely roaming throughout the entire universe as well as universes we know nothing about. Maybe, if they do have bodies, they can materialize and de-materialize instantaneously by simply willing it. Maybe Biblical creatures such as Angels, Demons and other Spirit beings do exist after all? Maybe the humans whose bodies have died are still in existence somewhere else? How can anyone who is not omniscient be totally confident that this is NOT true? Do our senses communicate all reality to us?
....In the next 3000 years we are sure to develop much faster methods of travel,....
Conquering death and the limits of space-time would eliminate the necessity of this. This is essentially what Jesus Christ promised to those who believe him as to who he is, God come to earth. He often talked about something he called "the kingdom of heaven", a place that transcends space time where death no longer applies. He tells us that there are many habitable places in God's entire creation, of which this time-space universe is only a part.
Because we are now still confined to mortal, finite flesh and blood containers, our bodies, the size of the universe or even only 3000 ly appears to be an insurmountable obstacle.
We know what the speed of light is, but what is the speed of thought, mind or imagination? How fast can the human mind, soul or consciousness travel? Most people today believe that we are confined to the natural material dimensions that our five senses transmit information about to our minds. Anything beyond that is labeled "supernatural" and is automatically relegated into the realm of fable and fiction, having no objective reality.
It seems quite clear to me that Jesus Christ, in his resurrected state inhabited a physical body that had access to higher dimensions where additional laws and principles operate. He appeared to be able to transition from that higher dimensionality into our own and back again as effortlessly as we might move from the dining room to the kitchen. When he was in our own dimension, he could be perceived by our senses. Witnesses tell us in writing, that they saw them him with their eyes, heard him with their ears, spoke with him, touched him and ate breakfast that he prepared for them.
He promises that same eternal transcendent multidimensional nature, a physical body not limited only to the present dimensions of our space-time, to all those mortal human beings who truly believe him and are willing to freely trust and love him with their entire being. Those WILLING, not necessarily able. to forsake their selfishness and sin, are promised access as far as the outer limits of this present space-time dimension and on into the very presence of the Creator God himself.
.....why should I settle for anything less......
because as a /. member it is highly unlikely that your deep dark secret data is worth the effort it takes to recover it after a single pass wipe. Anyone who posts on /. has, by definition, no data the NSA, KGB, Gestapo or any other such entity could possibly be interested in.
....Amazon themselves don't really suffer from false positives....
That could not possibly be true IF Amazon is an honest business. Any deception, when it get known, will in the long run harm the one who deceives people. Amazon could stop this or at least slow it down to a trickle by only letting their customers who have bought that item write a review on that one and only once. It would have prevented the incident mentioned in the article and boost Amazon's reputation.
....Up here in alaska we have probably close to 600 miles of fiber....
Down here in Oregon we get a lot of fog of the kind where you can't see the hood of your car from the driver's seat sometimes. There are probably many other places where fog, rain and snow would make this scheme impractical outdoors.
....is competing with their old products....
add to that the fact that a newer PC saddled with VISTA isn't that much of a step up, if not even a step backward, to the older system with XP. With new Apple systems shipping with OS10.5 there is a definite, rather substantial step up from the 3 year ago predecessors with OS10.4. Also, since all Macs have a substantially higher resale value than any other PC brands, the cash outlay an existing Mac user needs for a shiny new model is less. Beside better faster hardware, Mac up-graders also get newer software. With OSX succeeding releases always work FASTER on the same old hardware, whereas with Windows, the same older hardware gets really constipated and sluggish when trying to run new bloatware from MS. So Apple's sales outlook isn't nearly as dismal as the other computer makers. The past Christmas selling season numbers reflect this fact also.