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User: Lanoitarus

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Comments · 69

  1. Not so new really on Amazon Rolls Out Release-Day Game Delivery · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Didnt they already do this for book releases (harry potter methinks)? Not such a revolutionary offering in that case, although still a welcome one. Amazons shipping and fulfillment system continually impresses me. If they ever joined forces with newegg we might reach singularity.

  2. Hardly need anything that fancy. on Foreign-owned Hotels To Install Firewall In China · · Score: 2

    China doesnt block VPNs. Game over.

  3. Re:I run a dating site...this isn't "scamming" on How to Fight Name Scraping Scammers? · · Score: 1

    I *dare* you to post the link to your alleged site here.

  4. Re:It could be worse.... on How to Fight Name Scraping Scammers? · · Score: 1

    Great, so hes a robber AND a republican?? Hes SCREWED if any would-be dates google him.

  5. Re:Half of one, 6 dozen of another on Terrafugia CEO Responds To "Flying Car" Criticism · · Score: 1

    "Aircraft make lousy cars and boats ... And none of them make good helicopters."

    Yeah, and helicopters don't make good aircraft! Wait.... ;)

  6. Re:They can't do that on Make Your Own Fonts, In a Web Browser · · Score: 2, Informative

    You'd be correct if they were SELLING the tool, which they are not.

    However, if their agreement for use says in exchange for free use of the tool, the result is XYZ license, and you agree to that, then yes, its legal for them to require it.

    This is aside from the other replies addressing the fact that the server side probably does have some amount of creative input.

  7. Install a fan in your existing drawer/cabinet on Cubicle Security For Laptops, Electronics? · · Score: 1

    It seems that a lot of the comments here are focusing on the need to BUILD something NEW, like a cage or whatever. But you said you have a perfectly workable drawer or cabinet of some kind that locks already-- why not just cut two holes in it big enough for a couple good old fashioned case fans, and hook those up to a cheap 12v power supply from radio shack? Theres no way a laptop and an external HDD will generate more heat in there than the fans can handle, particularly in what im assuming is an air conditioned office. Plus, this avoids being REALLY obvious about having a big ol' safe or cage.

  8. Three flaws come to mind on Hi, I Want To Meet (17.6% of) You! · · Score: 4, Insightful

    - Your system disincentiveizes (yeah, its not a word, deal with it) women from joining in the first place. By effectively telling women that they will be publicly graded and judged on their reply rate, you remove the ability to "just see". While this was kindof your goal, knowing that they cant "just see" will have a very negative effect on women joining the service in the first place. After all, as a woman, would you join the service that you can just watch passively and see if something great comes up, or would you join the one that makes it your job to reply to everyone or you fail?

    - The system fails to address new members. What percentage is shown for women who haven't had anyone meeting their criteria reply yet? If the default is zero noone will message them in the first place. If the default is 100, see the next point. If the default is blank, how many messages do you require before it becomes a percentage (see next point).

    - It provides major incentive for women to set artificially high secret criteria in order to boost their percentage. If they require someone who makes 500k a year and who is Jewish but was born in the Vatican, they can effectively expect to maintain a 100% listed response rate while only being "required" to respond to a handful of people a year, and can continue to be spectators on the sideline for everyone else.

  9. Completely right on What NASA Won't Tell You About Air Safety · · Score: 2, Informative

    Our AC friend above is 100% spot on-- vertical seperation allows much closer distances, both because altimeters are far more accurate and because vertical position doesnt change as quickly (think about it-- A jet can cover several miles within a pilots reaction time since it is traveling at ~600 mph-- Even if the engines failed completely, it would take longer to lose altitude.)

  10. get an American Express (if you can) on Google Re-Refunds Video Purchases · · Score: 1

    American Express cards arent idenfitiable by region based only on their card numbers like with MC/Visa. So just grab one of those assuming you are in a country they are permitted and use it freely for online/america purchases. I encountered the same issue as you (in reverse) when trying to use a US credit card to refill a UK sim card online-- no US cards allowed. My American Express worked fine.

  11. Re:Someone bought those shares today. on Investors Bailing On SCO Stock, SCOX Plummets · · Score: 3, Funny

    I highly reccomend it. Better yet, buy a bond (if they have any). A guy I work for bought a enron bond for $1 as a gag, got the certificate, again as a gag.

    Several years later, he got a bankruptcy settlement check for 3 cents. Its framed next to the bond.

  12. Not quite true... on T-Mobile UK Blocking Mobile VoIP Start-Up · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Youre almost certainly right that the UK courts wont allow these actions by T-Mobile. But the REAL question here is whether these actions can crush this (probably poorly funded) upstart BEFORE the slow-turning wheels of government and justice get a chance to stop them? Im betting on no-- The government will say "oh gee that was illegal" and slap them with a nominal fine, but by then it wont matter anymore. Or maybe im just a cynic.

  13. Re:Latency? - three actually on SkyQube Squared Shakes Up International Calling · · Score: 1

    ...and added to THAT is the lag time for the second mobile on the other end. It may work well but its hardly likely to be lightning fast.

  14. You want a cookie? on Viacom Sues Google Over YouTube for $1 Billion · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Look, im sorry- I really don't mean to flamebait here. In fact, I really ought to post this as AC just to avoid the karma dock. But Im not going to. Are you really patting yourself on the back for predicting that someone would sue google 6 months ago? Did you miss the hundreds of other analysts, newspapers, and critics that said the same thing? Did you miss how the one of the biggest aspects of the merger being talked about by wall street was the escrow account for copyright issues?

    So congratulations, you predicted that google would get sued over YouTube. With insight like that, maybe you could get a job forecasting the weather in LA (today: sunny. tomorrow: sunny...). Or maybe you just wanted to shamelessly link your blog.

    Anyway, if anyone needs me, ill be over in the corner modded down to -infinity, flamebait. But at least I wont be claiming to be a genius for predicting that the sun will rise tomorrow morning (REALLY! ITS TRUE, WAIT AND SEE!).

  15. Not true at all... on HD-DVD and Blu-Ray Protections Fully Broken · · Score: 5, Funny

    The IRS perfected it years ago... Ive been trying to decode my goddam tax return for the past two weeks and I still cant crack it.

    We should just let them handle music distribution... "Put the song title from box 34 into this box, but only on a leap year that ends in an odd number...."

  16. Re:That's hardly an exploit on Remote Exploit of Vista Speech Control · · Score: 5, Funny

    Bud Light Presents...
    Real American Heroes (reaaalllll american heroooessss...)
    Today we salute you, Mr Computer Software Exploit Finder (computer software exploit fii-inder)
    While others are wasting away their lives drinking, dating, and and having fun, you're hunched over a screen, plowing through code.(hunch plow hunchie plow)
    You may not have seen the sun in days, but thats ok- you do this for the greater good.(greaaater goooo-ooodd)
    Only YOU could realize that a carefully crafted web favorites icon could potentially bring the world to its knees.(Down on its kneeee--eesss)
    So crack open an Ice Cold Bud Light, Oh Overload of Overflow, because without you, CmdrTaco would have to get a real job.

  17. Lost rights to a beta product name... on Google "Loses" Gmail in Europe · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I think this is the first time Ive ever heard of where a company has succesfully been challenged and lost the right to a name while a product was still in "beta". Its already Google Mail in the UK, no? I wonder if this large a swath of the world will cause google to just rebrand the whole thing google mail for everyone, just for continuity and branding's sake. As much as I like the name Gmail and would be sad to have to say something longer all the time, it does look to my first cursory glance like this was a legit claim as opposed to cybersquatting, so perhaps its the right thing.

  18. A few extra paychecks? on What Does Your Dead Man's Switch Do? · · Score: 1

    It strikes me that if I made a dead man's switch programed to send emails every thursday morning to my boss saying "The project is coming along well, we are still having trouble getting the needed data from the client, but everything on our side is on schedule", I could probably snag a few extra weeks/months/years paychecks for my family before he caught on....

  19. Just cause its not *quite* mountain dew... on Starbucks Responds In Kind To Oxfam YouTube Video · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...doesnt mean that 90% of the readers of this site don't down plenty of this stuff anyway. Frankly, THIS nerd would be far more devastated by negative news about the availability of coffee than microsoft, google, or even *gasp* linux.

  20. Figures dont lie... on Is 'Web 2.0' Another Bubble? · · Score: 5, Insightful

    By the way, the combined cash flow of Spot Runner, LinkedIn and Facebook is less than that of one Costco store.

    Cash Flow != Profit.

    Costco has a incredibly high cash flow and an absurdly minimal margin. So do grocery stores. Facebook, on the other hand, has what im willing to bet is a pretty high margin on its fundamental product. This has to be one of the most utterly stupid, biased, half truth lines ever.

    Heres an equally accurate (and equally misleading and biased) half truth in the other direction:
    Facebook has nearly 50 times the profit margin of a Costco, walmart, and target combined. Clearly Retail is a bubble about to burst.

    Id take Reaganomics over this kind of bullshit financial analysis any day.

  21. Sounds like printers... what happened with them? on Autodesk Suing to Keep Format Closed · · Score: 1

    If your analogy is correct, this sounds an awful lot like a software version of when printer manufactuers sued to prevent generic cartridge cos from making replacements that had their "authentication" chips in them (the printer would reject a cartridge that didnt have the correct chip). What ever happened to those suits? I cant recall.

  22. Re:Probably not a case on Microsoft Sued Over Fall Update Issues · · Score: 4, Informative

    A company can be sued for negligence and violation of the consumer protection act if it can be shown that it did know or should reasonably have known about the problem, and failed to take action to prevent it. It has nothing to do with a willingness to fix it.

    I don't mean to imply that this is a valid lawsuit, but a good counter example is car seat belts. Lets imagine that CAR COMPANY A produces a car that it turns out has faulty seat belts. Even if the car company issues a recall and offers to completely pay all costs of repairs (which it no doubt would), it can still possibly be sued if it can be shown that the error was the result of negligence and not of innocent or unforseeable error (or even more seriously, if it can be shown that it KNEW about the problem and didnt act to fix it).

    Again, I dont think this applies to this case, and i doubt this case has an ounce of merit, but Im just saying that Microsofts willingness to replace and pay for shipping does NOT completely shield them from a lawsuit, if the lawsuit was valid

  23. Are you freaking kidding? on Blizzard Unbans Linux World of Warcraft Players · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How the hell is parent modded Insightful? Gee, if there werent any people using bots, this wouldnt have been a problem in the first place, either.
    If they didnt chase after those people in the first place, this wouldnt have been a problem in the first place.
    If there wasnt ever a such thing as a computer invented, this wouldnt have been a problem in the first place.

    Or perhaps most astutely of all... If Linux users represented enough of a market share to economically JUSTIFY blizard putting the time and effort into making a linux client, this wouldnt have been a problem in the first place.


    I dont think i've ever seen a more fitting place for the line "cry more, noob". Yes, linux is great. Yes, it would be nice if there were more major games for it. No, its not a company's fault that they dont waste time catering to a fraction of their market. Blizzard is already unusual enough in fully supporting macs at launch.

  24. In the spirit of Dave Barry... on Fastest Spinning Black Hole Ever Found · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I would like to point out that "Long gamma ray bursts" would be an excellent name for a rock band.

  25. Critical Attention RE: your voting account! URGENT on Hugh Thompson Answers Voting Machine Security Questions · · Score: 1

    Dear Sir,

    We regret to inform you that due to a recent systems error, your voting account information has been lost. In order to prevent your removal from the system and inability to vote, we sincerely ask you that you verify your identity by reply to this email with your full name, voting account number (Social), your voting password, and your address.

    Thank you, Voting Accounts Administration Department