I agree; slashdot is overly kind to Google, especially when you consider that Google hasn't always lived up to it's motto. However, Google hasn't fallen into the same category as WorldCom or Enron - yet.
I would know based on the evidence available. Bernard Ebbers is in prison after being found guilty of nine felonies including conspiracy and securities fraud. None of the top managers of Google have been convicted of any similiar felonies (that I'm aware of). Is this absolute proof? Of course not, but it is sufficient to support my original statement.
Of course, they could be committing fraud of some type or another, but I haven't read of any accounting scandals or indictments at Google yet. Also, I don't give a rat's ass about "geek friendly", so I'm not inclined to favor Google for that, nor do I own Google stock.
They can only be trusted to do the financially right thing.
No, they can't. That's why there are auditors and investigators. WorldCom clearly showed a need for them.
I don't recall seeing oil storage yards or weapons platforms the times I visited Vatican City. That must be one big underground bunker beneath St. Peter's.
As with most government contracts you have to have a clearance to actually work on it, something not easily obtained by a lot of U.S. Citizens...
This is a big part of the problem. The vast majority of Government Contractors are only marginally qualified and got their jobs by having the clearance, not by being technically proficient. This is known as "warm bodies" syndrome since many contracts pay per position filled. Getting a clearance can take years, depending on the level, and usually takes months, so this is a high barrier to entry and keeps a lot of smart people out.
There are many very capable and well-qualified people in Government Contracting, but they are a minority. Of course, Management, being what it is, doesn't want to give bad news to a customer, so sometimes they "muddy the waters".
I suppose it'll be efficient to scan packets I send to
make sure I'm not doing something evil and packets I
receive to make sure nothing evil is being done to me.
Sure it will be efficient; just use an RFC 3514 Network IDS.
Nice bit of sophistry there, but your reasoning is a tired, specious argument that anything less than an infinite number of observations is inadequate. Yes, the greater the number of observations, the more accurate the aggregate result, but that does not mean you discount all observations less than infinite.
Since you are an authority, I have a question. I'm about 2 miles from the Ziggurat of Ur and I'll be here for a while; do you have any suggestions on how best to appreciate it?
..."we have to spend a fortune on the military because no-one knows whether aliens might invade the earth at some point in the future".
Actually, that's a damn decent reason. Look, we're human, so we're annoying. Some other advanced civilization is going to whack us once they watch some of our television for a while just to shut us up.
What happens instead is that the man is allowed to enter the United States with no further questions, and is at the border crossing for a total of less than two minutes. The agent later says he thought the warning was discretionary, that the man "seemed fine", and therefore let him proceed. Every part of the system worked: the CDC was able to properly place the man on appropriate watchlists, his passport was properly flagged upon entry, and relevant information was presented to the processing agent.
Every part, that is, except the human part.
That raises an important question; was the "human part" (the Customs and Border Protection agent) fired for incompetence?
I agree; having to do mental calculations in order to start and stop the train is very awkward.
At his prompting, a reporter did simple calculations in her head, and the train sprang forward - apparently indicating activity in the brain's frontal cortex, which handles problem solving.
What if you have very poor math skills; does the toy train derail?
Luxury. We used to pull rank to use a single IBM Selectric typewriter and the lowest ranking Soldier in the office has to make copies with a hand-cranked mimeograph machine. I even worked on a warhead that had no electronics and had a two digit serial number.
Slashdot Mirror
Oops - I used the contraction "it's" when I should have used the possessive "its". Since I'm a Grammar Nazi, I have to police myself.
I agree; slashdot is overly kind to Google, especially when you consider that Google hasn't always lived up to it's motto. However, Google hasn't fallen into the same category as WorldCom or Enron - yet.
I would know based on the evidence available. Bernard Ebbers is in prison after being found guilty of nine felonies including conspiracy and securities fraud. None of the top managers of Google have been convicted of any similiar felonies (that I'm aware of). Is this absolute proof? Of course not, but it is sufficient to support my original statement.
Of course, they could be committing fraud of some type or another, but I haven't read of any accounting scandals or indictments at Google yet. Also, I don't give a rat's ass about "geek friendly", so I'm not inclined to favor Google for that, nor do I own Google stock.
No, they can't. That's why there are auditors and investigators. WorldCom clearly showed a need for them.
So, do you have a date? Vague predictions of doom aren't "actionable intelligence".
A lot of us felt the same way when I was at UUNET (RIP). Thanks, WorldCon.
Fortunately, Google isn't run by a megalomaniacal crook.
I nominate my new laptop; with the crapware and Vista, it qualifies.
Don't worry about the NSA then either. I was told that they did something similar about 4 years ago.
I don't recall seeing oil storage yards or weapons platforms the times I visited Vatican City. That must be one big underground bunker beneath St. Peter's.
This is a big part of the problem. The vast majority of Government Contractors are only marginally qualified and got their jobs by having the clearance, not by being technically proficient. This is known as "warm bodies" syndrome since many contracts pay per position filled. Getting a clearance can take years, depending on the level, and usually takes months, so this is a high barrier to entry and keeps a lot of smart people out.
There are many very capable and well-qualified people in Government Contracting, but they are a minority. Of course, Management, being what it is, doesn't want to give bad news to a customer, so sometimes they "muddy the waters".
Sure it will be efficient; just use an RFC 3514 Network IDS.
Nice bit of sophistry there, but your reasoning is a tired, specious argument that anything less than an infinite number of observations is inadequate. Yes, the greater the number of observations, the more accurate the aggregate result, but that does not mean you discount all observations less than infinite.
So, those spam-powered Vikings sailed through the ice-choked NW passage? Wow, that must be one powerful processed meat product.
Yes, you are.
So, this is another "Miesau Incident"? As a former 55G, that sounds like the most likely explanation.
Since you are an authority, I have a question. I'm about 2 miles from the Ziggurat of Ur and I'll be here for a while; do you have any suggestions on how best to appreciate it?
Filippo Brunelleschi, is that you on /.?
Pragmatism, cowardice, or both?
Is there a possibility that the need for privacy is an extension of the vulnerability compensation technique that you pointed out?
Here are a few reasons,
we aren't being dominated by insane Islamofacists,
it's a lot less expensive,
the USA is still the land of opportunity.
In short, it isn't so terrible at all.
Actually, that's a damn decent reason. Look, we're human, so we're annoying. Some other advanced civilization is going to whack us once they watch some of our television for a while just to shut us up.
Yeah, enough with the Pirates. Now an MMORPG with Ninjas, that would be cool.
That raises an important question; was the "human part" (the Customs and Border Protection agent) fired for incompetence?
What if you have very poor math skills; does the toy train derail?
I was wondering when they'd have an official designation for Aurora.
The key words in your post are "Psycho" and "fantasy", not "video game".
Luxury. We used to pull rank to use a single IBM Selectric typewriter and the lowest ranking Soldier in the office has to make copies with a hand-cranked mimeograph machine. I even worked on a warhead that had no electronics and had a two digit serial number.