I believe that the point of the article is that it's fairly easy for Average Joe user to to inadvertently configure their machine to share with the world what they intend to share only over a LAN. The Windows firewall in SP2 provides a false sense of security to these users.
You're absolutely right that firewalls don't belong on the desktop.
Hell, I've seen geeks who have forearm imbalances like a tennis player!
The key is to follow a conditioning regimin that develops grip equally in both hands.
With all this talk of electronic voting vs. paper ballots (fill in the bubble or punch card or 'place an X here' or any similar ballot), it seems both approaches have serious problems. What's wrong with mechanical lever voting machines? They've been used since the 1890's with little trouble. Why not start manufacturing these machines again?
You're claiming that in the U.S. a lot of people are interested in the election (large Y) and few people are interested in the election (low X).
I'm saying that a lot of people vote in the elections (not nearly as many as should) but that very few people are actually willing to spend an entire Tuesday conducting polling. Because of this, I believe few would be willing to stay up all night after the polling is concluded to count votes.
In a country where election turnouts are apalling (something like 50% of the voting-age population)and polling stations cannot get enough volunteers as it is, I simply cannot imagine that enough people would be willing to volunteer to manually count ballots.
As long as X% of the population is involved in ballot counting, the size of the population is irrelevant.
What percent of Americans do you think are willing to participate in counting votes? Most polling workers I've met are retirees who volunteer once or twice a year to conduct polling. Many polling places are understaffed and swamped with voters trying to get their votes in before the polls close. They do not have the manpower to help voters with their questions, let alone conduct a manual count. This is especially true in economically depressed areas, where every election many of the working poor are disenfranchised.
This is why the States continue to search for technological solutions to minimize voter error as well as manpower required.
Those who do not care about video capture but simply want to save space might consider a completely external solution. For the last few years I have been using an external tv tuner with direct VGA output. There's no software or drivers to install and I can watch TV without booting. You don't even need the computer at all. If you have any old VGA monitor lying around you can put it to work with one of these.
The disadvantage, of course, is that there is no video capture and you can't watch TV from a small window while working on something else...full screen only. Also, I haven't checked recently, but these devices were not easy to find when I bought mine (around '99) and may be even harder to get now.
My unit (NTSC) has inputs for Coax, RCA and S-video, stereo mini-jack and VGA-in for pass through. The output is 640x480 VGA has RCA and stereo mini-jack outputs as well. I was not happy with the pass-through quality so I use a separate KVM to switch between my computer and TV. I also replaced the supplied AC adapter with one rated for more current.
The problem is that most people smart enough to put a board between their nuts and their hot laptop don't immediately realize there are a lot of people who aren't, or that these folks would make a great market for such a product.
Unfortunately there is always a cost to reclaim energy.
For example, at one time solar panels were so inefficient that the energy used to produce them was often more than they could generate in their entire lives. Add to that the energy used to ship and install them.
If a laptop-sized peltier device could be produced cheaply enough then I would be all for it. Unfortunately, such a device today would probably just cost way too much and take more energy to produce, package and ship than would ever be reclaimed.
> it wouldn't take much to align the economy in such a way that the high quality features were available to all equally and at a more reasonable price
Not exactly. Remember, the goal of the company is to maximize profits. One way to do this is through price discrimination. Each consumer has a certain price they are willing to pay for any good or service. To maximize profits, companies would love to charge every consumer EXACTLY the highest price he/she would be willing to pay, until the supply and demand curves meet. While that is impossible in this case, they can charge different prices to different market segments.
Senior discounts, for example, are a common form of price discrimination. They assume that the maximum price someone on a fixed income is willing to spend on something like a movie ticket is less than other consumers, so they charge them less and charge younger people more. Did you really think movie theatres were just being nice to old people?
In this case, the products may not be the same, per se, but we do have something that is almost price discrimination. People who are willing to get the most features get them for a high price, while people who are not willing to pay extra for them can get the lower-end product. From the producer's point of view they are virtually the same product: the costs are virtually identical. Companies that do this believe that they can get higher profits from this arrangement than to have a single product for a single price.
Companies selling souvenir penny-pressing machines often cite Section 331, which says currency may not be defaced for fraudulant purposes. However, section 333 says that it is unlawful to alter the money "with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued." I suppose the shrunken coins would be "unfit to be reissued," but then again so would souvenir squished pennies.
Sounds like NASA forgot to empty the rover's recycle bin. =)
Fortunately, the folks a JPL can at least say that causing Spirit's memory error wasn't as stupid as Microsoft's first foray into DVRs
a couple years back
My car alarm will also go off if I use the key in the door -- but turning the key in the ignition will stop it
This is not the case in some systems, where turing the key in the ignition will trip the alarm as well, the alarm cuts power to the engine. Thus, without the keyless remote there is no way to start he car.
In my mom's car, there is a switch to disable the system, but the engine must already be running to do this. It's disengaged 24/7 now, but if the system loses power (say the battery dies and you need a jump) she's shit out of luck without the remote. She carries it with her always, along with an extra "N" size battery and a small phillips screwdriver.
I would highly recommend using an ordinary AA flashlight with a Jakstrap or similar headband. Its versitle, cheap, and damn handy. Its good for doing work in the dark on anything, whether you have your computer with you or not. I used one way back in high school to study on the bus (in the winter, school starts before dawn and no light on the bus) and when working on my car or doing plumbing under the sink. As a bonus, you will definitely look uber-geeky!
You can get a jakstrap here for $5. And you probably already have a flashlight. If not, you can try this LED headlamp from energizer for $7.50 instead. And if that's too rich for your blood, here's something similar for a whole $2
Perhaps, but if Beagle came looking for Spirit, "Supreme Commander" Charles Tilford of the South Bay Robo-Warriors puts his money on the "Yankee ingenuity" and maneuverability of the American rover. That's what this Battlebots contestant told NPR's Robert Siegel on Friday's radio broadcast of "All Things Considered." You can listen to it in streaming audio here.
I'd have to go with Tilford on this one. Beagle may have gotten a piece of Spirit, but I bet Beagle got trounced in the end. U-S-A! U-S-A!
I drive a 22 year old car and do not currently carry a cell phone, although I have in the past. Preventative maintenance and a bit of knowledge are much better than just having a cell phone. I think anyone who reads slashdot can appreciate this.
Take your car regularly to a mechanic you trust. Keep the car well tuned, replace the battery near the end of the warranty period (usually 60-84 months), make sure the spare tire and jack are in good condition (donuts should be filled to 60psi), and learn how to use it. I carry a can of flat-filling foam in addition to my spare, as well as jumper cables, extra oil, coolant, and now transmission fluid too after my transmission sprung a leak.
A cell phone is handy if you really need to call AAA, but you will usually be within walking distance of a pay phone, and on the freeways the Highway Patrol will find you sooner or later to help you out. A dead battery, for example, shouldnt be a huge problem unless you decide to park miles from civilization.
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I believe that the point of the article is that it's fairly easy for Average Joe user to to inadvertently configure their machine to share with the world what they intend to share only over a LAN. The Windows firewall in SP2 provides a false sense of security to these users.
You're absolutely right that firewalls don't belong on the desktop.
Hell, I've seen geeks who have forearm imbalances like a tennis player! The key is to follow a conditioning regimin that develops grip equally in both hands.
With all this talk of electronic voting vs. paper ballots (fill in the bubble or punch card or 'place an X here' or any similar ballot), it seems both approaches have serious problems. What's wrong with mechanical lever voting machines? They've been used since the 1890's with little trouble. Why not start manufacturing these machines again?
You're claiming that in the U.S. a lot of people are interested in the election (large Y) and few people are interested in the election (low X).
I'm saying that a lot of people vote in the elections (not nearly as many as should) but that very few people are actually willing to spend an entire Tuesday conducting polling. Because of this, I believe few would be willing to stay up all night after the polling is concluded to count votes.
In a country where election turnouts are apalling (something like 50% of the voting-age population)and polling stations cannot get enough volunteers as it is, I simply cannot imagine that enough people would be willing to volunteer to manually count ballots.
As long as X% of the population is involved in ballot counting, the size of the population is irrelevant.
What percent of Americans do you think are willing to participate in counting votes? Most polling workers I've met are retirees who volunteer once or twice a year to conduct polling. Many polling places are understaffed and swamped with voters trying to get their votes in before the polls close. They do not have the manpower to help voters with their questions, let alone conduct a manual count. This is especially true in economically depressed areas, where every election many of the working poor are disenfranchised.
This is why the States continue to search for technological solutions to minimize voter error as well as manpower required.
You mean, you're going to be NAKED? You are going OUTSIDE without a single piece of FOIL covering your body? And they call ME crazy.
Any chance this new work will make it into the canon?
This is one reason why I went with a completely external solution...straight from the Cable to VGA.
Those who do not care about video capture but simply want to save space might consider a completely external solution. For the last few years I have been using an external tv tuner with direct VGA output. There's no software or drivers to install and I can watch TV without booting. You don't even need the computer at all. If you have any old VGA monitor lying around you can put it to work with one of these.
The disadvantage, of course, is that there is no video capture and you can't watch TV from a small window while working on something else...full screen only. Also, I haven't checked recently, but these devices were not easy to find when I bought mine (around '99) and may be even harder to get now.
My unit (NTSC) has inputs for Coax, RCA and S-video, stereo mini-jack and VGA-in for pass through. The output is 640x480 VGA has RCA and stereo mini-jack outputs as well. I was not happy with the pass-through quality so I use a separate KVM to switch between my computer and TV. I also replaced the supplied AC adapter with one rated for more current.
Hmmm...I'd like to see someone at Valve try to port Half-Life 2 to run as a web app.
Hope the user's got a fast connection.
Just like FUCK used to be a law that eventually got turned into a vulgar term...
Looks like you got taken in by yet another internet urban legend.
What the Fuck?
You're probably right about FSCK, though.
Its not like the people on here are spending much time outside anyway.
The Sun? Oh yeah, I know what that is. Its a point light source an infinite distance away...
The problem is that most people smart enough to put a board between their nuts and their hot laptop don't immediately realize there are a lot of people who aren't, or that these folks would make a great market for such a product.
Unfortunately there is always a cost to reclaim energy.
For example, at one time solar panels were so inefficient that the energy used to produce them was often more than they could generate in their entire lives. Add to that the energy used to ship and install them.
If a laptop-sized peltier device could be produced cheaply enough then I would be all for it. Unfortunately, such a device today would probably just cost way too much and take more energy to produce, package and ship than would ever be reclaimed.
> it wouldn't take much to align the economy in such a way that the high quality features were available to all equally and at a more reasonable price
Not exactly. Remember, the goal of the company is to maximize profits. One way to do this is through price discrimination. Each consumer has a certain price they are willing to pay for any good or service. To maximize profits, companies would love to charge every consumer EXACTLY the highest price he/she would be willing to pay, until the supply and demand curves meet. While that is impossible in this case, they can charge different prices to different market segments.
Senior discounts, for example, are a common form of price discrimination. They assume that the maximum price someone on a fixed income is willing to spend on something like a movie ticket is less than other consumers, so they charge them less and charge younger people more. Did you really think movie theatres were just being nice to old people?
In this case, the products may not be the same, per se, but we do have something that is almost price discrimination. People who are willing to get the most features get them for a high price, while people who are not willing to pay extra for them can get the lower-end product. From the producer's point of view they are virtually the same product: the costs are virtually identical. Companies that do this believe that they can get higher profits from this arrangement than to have a single product for a single price.
Just curious, what exactly do you need to hammer on a $100 million aircraft? I wouldnt let you get near my PIII-450 with a hammer.
In Soviet Russia, the cell phone answers YOU!
This stuff is covered in the US Code Title 18, Chapter 17 .
Companies selling souvenir penny-pressing machines often cite Section 331, which says currency may not be defaced for fraudulant purposes. However, section 333 says that it is unlawful to alter the money "with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued." I suppose the shrunken coins would be "unfit to be reissued," but then again so would souvenir squished pennies.
Definitely Zaphod.
Hail to the King, baby!
Sounds like NASA forgot to empty the rover's recycle bin. =)
Fortunately, the folks a JPL can at least say that causing Spirit's memory error wasn't as stupid as Microsoft's first foray into DVRs a couple years back
My car alarm will also go off if I use the key in the door -- but turning the key in the ignition will stop it
This is not the case in some systems, where turing the key in the ignition will trip the alarm as well, the alarm cuts power to the engine. Thus, without the keyless remote there is no way to start he car.
In my mom's car, there is a switch to disable the system, but the engine must already be running to do this. It's disengaged 24/7 now, but if the system loses power (say the battery dies and you need a jump) she's shit out of luck without the remote. She carries it with her always, along with an extra "N" size battery and a small phillips screwdriver.
I would highly recommend using an ordinary AA flashlight with a Jakstrap or similar headband. Its versitle, cheap, and damn handy. Its good for doing work in the dark on anything, whether you have your computer with you or not. I used one way back in high school to study on the bus (in the winter, school starts before dawn and no light on the bus) and when working on my car or doing plumbing under the sink. As a bonus, you will definitely look uber-geeky!
You can get a jakstrap here for $5. And you probably already have a flashlight. If not, you can try this LED headlamp from energizer for $7.50 instead. And if that's too rich for your blood, here's something similar for a whole $2
>How come we're not awash with "Spirit was willing, but flash was weak" jokes?
In Soviet Russia, the vodka is good but the lightning is rotten.
1. Crack a "Spirit was willing, but flash was weak" joke.
2. ????
3. Profit!
Perhaps, but if Beagle came looking for Spirit, "Supreme Commander" Charles Tilford of the South Bay Robo-Warriors puts his money on the "Yankee ingenuity" and maneuverability of the American rover. That's what this Battlebots contestant told NPR's Robert Siegel on Friday's radio broadcast of "All Things Considered." You can listen to it in streaming audio here.
I'd have to go with Tilford on this one. Beagle may have gotten a piece of Spirit, but I bet Beagle got trounced in the end. U-S-A! U-S-A!
I drive a 22 year old car and do not currently carry a cell phone, although I have in the past. Preventative maintenance and a bit of knowledge are much better than just having a cell phone. I think anyone who reads slashdot can appreciate this.
Take your car regularly to a mechanic you trust. Keep the car well tuned, replace the battery near the end of the warranty period (usually 60-84 months), make sure the spare tire and jack are in good condition (donuts should be filled to 60psi), and learn how to use it. I carry a can of flat-filling foam in addition to my spare, as well as jumper cables, extra oil, coolant, and now transmission fluid too after my transmission sprung a leak.
A cell phone is handy if you really need to call AAA, but you will usually be within walking distance of a pay phone, and on the freeways the Highway Patrol will find you sooner or later to help you out. A dead battery, for example, shouldnt be a huge problem unless you decide to park miles from civilization.