Remember Range (in somewhat simplistic terms) is a function of two components. Component 1 is distance the transmitter can transmit a signal at level "X". Component 2 would then be the signal level, or sensitivity, needed by the reciever. Increase the sensitivity (or actually decrease the level at which it can read data.) and you increase the distance the signal can be transmitted.
Increasing the sensitivity of the reciever is much easier and much less expensive than increasing the power of the transmitter. Witness the difference between a 400 dollar (US) FM radio in your car vs the 200 dollar Mono FM radio it came with. The radio station didn't boost it's output, your radio sensitivity improved dramatically. With a simple doubling of retail price you now can listen to stations you previously didn't know existed.
Now take and add in the final component of sensitivity.... discretion (You might have heard of discrete FM). The ability of a reciver to know the difference between viable data and useless noise. Now suddenly with a few higher quality components (that bus pass reader probably has a manufacturing cost on the order of pennies.) You suddenly can read the data at 3ft line of site.
Now 3 ft line of site would easily translate to 1 foot through 1/4 inch of plywood (like in a counter.) Meaning that while you are giving the OK to a valid transaction you could also be giving authorization at the same moment to a second "hidden" transaction.
Don't believe this could happen? Think about the two gentlemen arrested a while back for reading customer and corporate data from wireless cash registers. Just because you have to touch the intended receiver to register a transaction doesn't mean that that is the distance it can transmit. The actual distance a radio wave can go is when unobstructed and absorbed, infinate. However beyond a certain point a radio wave of signal strength Y is just too decayed to be able to be found in the cacophany of radio signals surrounding us. That guy that just bumped into you might not have picked you pocket. Instead he read your credit card.
In the end promises of "We won't do X, Y, or Z" with the data stream we create is about as useful as websites claiming they won't sell data about you. I can tell you the ones that haven't, I can't predict the ones who won't.
consider this patent. Mouse/scanner or the ability to purchase this Pen Scanner or god forbid instead of using the phone the person turned around and used the Xeorox. *sigh*
No it's more a case of someone shouting "Quick close the barn doors the horses have all left!"
Having just spent 4 hours building a single computer (that will be imaged and sent out over hundreds more with identical hardware, since windows doesn't move well.) I can tell you don't have a clue as to what is required in both cases. Same hardware to fully functioning Linux 1 hour. 4 hours on Windows and in windows I'll then have to touch nearly every desktop once active because of differences in Monitors. Where in the Linux build I might touch a couple probably not. (We support Mac Linux and Windows)
The only people I know who think windows is a snap to install think so because either they haven't done Linux or Mac, or because it was installed when they bought the box. Thank god for Knoppix cause without it, I couldn't have gotten out on the net to get the diddly dang windows ethernet drivers. (the intel drivers for the nic we have included with XP/SP2 don't work with the intel nic we have. USB is flakey as heck (often requiring a reboot to use, if the device was accidently in the box during boot then removed.) Partions written off of the end of the disk (who cares right you'll never fill the disk!)
20% CPU usage just to keep the spyware/firewall/virus checking/system monitoring software alive. Not doing anything just waiting to do something. A browser (IE) that requires the user to "Allow viewing" of every single page the user goes to.
All in all, over the last year we have noticed one thing. For the employee's on MAC or Linux (vs windows) regardless of dept, they have a higher productivity by a wide margin on whole than those on Windows. In fact some int the PHB conference room are considering slowing weaning our Windows users off of windows in order to increase productivity all around.
A lot of positives could be said about Windows. Don't however brag about the "ease of install" No, windows is a freaking nightmare to install. Mac, now that is ease of install (drag Icon.... wait, done)
My company rents the car, books the flight, books the hotel. But then it does come down to risk management. With the theft of 1800 in cash (btw I'd never buy that laptop myself it's another company thing.) I lose 1800. With the theft of my ID I can lose my home....... personally....... I'd rather lose the 1800.
In the case of the mugging (which is what it takes to lose the 1800) The police have more to go on, and are better prepared to handle the crime. The time of discovery of the crime is immediate. With the a crime like identity theft there is a tremendous lag in time between the commonission of the crime and the discovery. By the time the crime is discovered the perp is probably long gone and the trail is cold.
Cash is eaiser to trace, ala Where's George Most money counters are capable of both reading the serial number of a bill and counting it almost instantly. Cash is easy to trace. One of the reasons your local congressperson doesn't like it.
No matter how hard you try. You can't steal my ID if I use cash. You might steal my cash. Not my ID. Do transactions indoors at the teller window. (Most banks will not ensure that any deposit made at the ATM will make it into your account.) Get to know your tellers. Facial recognition helps a lot. Saved my Grandfather (according to him) years ago when someone tried to cash a stolen payroll check. The tellers knew him. The cops where called.
Am I alone in noticing that the more protections they build in the easier theft becomes? It would seem that the more you tell people they are too dumb to protect themselves the more they act like idiots.
Take a look at any of a number of "Chain Gang" movies from the 50's or 60's (as in 19) In the world of rock vs sledge hammer. Rocks loose more often than not.
And thanks to the Wayback machine... I can. Yes folks the infamous "Baked Apple"
Recipe for a Baked Apple
Ingredients: 1 Apple iBook
Remove all keys and keep seperate. Preheat oven to 200 Degrees F. Place keys and laptop on an ungreased cookie sheet. Insert both laptop and keys into oven for 20 minutes.
CAIS(Cereberal Anal Insertion Syndrom) is a component is this problem. First one hand (the gov office) doesn't know what the other hand (another gov office) is recommending. First you have an office charge with document protection. They get their function largely undercut by the Berlin Treaty, then they fall totally unaware of the recomendations of Homeland Security to NOT use IE. Cert
The worst part is... this violates a number of other laws related to accessability as well. But in the interest of big business first. Seig Heil.
It's hard to explain. But only one other company I've seen that has "adopted" Linux gave me a feeling similar to what Novel does, that being IBM. They seem to yes, be using Linux as a path to promote what they have. However, to quote (as near as I can) one of their pitch men.
"My job is not to convince you to use SuSE. My job is to convince you to use Linux first. Naturally I believe SuSE is the best out there, and once you see the value of Linux I'm convinced you will choose SuSE, but as long as you are using Linux in the end I and my company stand to gain."
In short. I think the people at Novell get it. After all. Who short of ATT knows Unix better, Who other than IBM has been around computers as long?
Winamp + 486 Is actually less powerful than an iPod. and I've been playing sounds on a computer for ages. Man I wonder what Mr. Nakamura (apologies if I spell it wrong) thinks of the idea of M$ thinking they are first with portable sound. Of course years before the iPod was released a product named the Diamond RIO was fighting for it's life against companies like M$ (under the guise of the BSA) for it's portable MP3 players. (bought mine in 98 or 99)
SuSE Linux.... now with open source. Am I alone in seeing the irony here. Somehow it seems that Novel is teaching SuSE how community and Open Source work. Though in the long run it is nice to see the return. Novel opened Yast, and now they are pushing SuSE back towards its roots. Kinda nice in a way.
No the fundies will be the sheep that support it. No amount of truth has ever stood in the way of reality. Jim Jones proved this in Guyana. The worship of a god might be strong. But it seems to me that the worship of a "man" (used in the all inclusive sense not the sexual sense) seems to lead to all sorts of fanatical actions. The fundies are lead by people who'd primary function is raising money. Cut or threaten this and you will end up with massive support for all sorts of radical projects no matter how much they conflict with truth and for those who understand, that which is beyond human.
But I remember the days when companies tried to get my dollar by offering me quality and service. Now it seems we get handed BS, and threats. Gone are the days when loyalty mattered. Now. Screw you if you aren't new.
Asian Anti-Virus product for win3.1 and 95/98 was Dr. Ahns Anti-virus. Just like whith these gentlemen it got its start due to its founder being a medical doctor. Since he was the only person in his lab (IIRC he was a pathologist.) who knew anything about computers when they got an infection he was "nominated" to disinfect the computer. He said he was fascinated by how much computer viri actually resembled biological viri in the way they worked and spread. The end result became Dr. Ahns Anti-Virus, which IIRC was bought out in the late 90's by Symantic.
Adding a single second every few years results in "overdue hassles and expense" for telecom systems. (BTW if you check out the time systems on your computer or data transmitter, you will find that they already know of all of the leap seconds out to 2050 in most cases.) BUT! adding a full month to daylight savings has no affect at all. *sigh* So goes with Liberal Republicans. Change for the sake of change, damn the logic full steam in every direction at once. (Ironically the word I have to type in to verify is excrete.)
Doesn't this make the card catalog, the Dewey Decimal System et al, illegal as well..... wait a second.... this also makes tests in school illegal. Since your memory is a system for the retreval of copyrighted information, aka a search and archiving engine ( The text book is copyrighted ) it would then be illegal for you to use your memory to recall anything. Since it's also illegal to force someone to break the law this would mean a teacher is in jepoardy as well. Since they are aiding and abetting in the creation of a crime.
My god.... Canada just might succeed in making every 12 year olds dream come true.... no more school.
Microsoft is getting serious about this licensing thing. "Refuse to pay us an annual fee and we will destory your computer!" Installing Linux won't help!
I got a call on a job and was then sent the "requirements" Note that this was a partime Linux admin position with about 15 Windows desktops. Small office small situation.
1st requirement.
Must know how to use and apply differential equations as they apply to system design.
2nd requirement.
Proceeded to list about 40 languages that I should bring examples of programs currently in use at other locations (written by me) in each these languages.
To top it off they were willing to go as high as 12.50 an hour depending on experience. (Note that in the Valley McDonalds pays this much.)
My only question was, why did this person waste my time. Note too that this was a listing by a major provider of server hardware.
Why? Simply put. In the government it is impossible to get a spec. You spend months in negotiation trying to nail down something. Once you do and you write up the spec. There is always that funky little clause which allows for "changes unforseen do to the needs of the governement." It's worse than having heart lung machines designed by marketing.
At the end of stage one a contract is signed. Ok folks time to start.... nope.... not yet. Depending on how the money was allocated they may or may not have to get outside approval. This could be the dept's accounting section, the GAO, or Congress. God in heaven help you if congress gets wind of it. Every Senator and Congressman along with 50K pedantic purveyors of polluted pullet piss (aka lobyists) will be on it like white on rice instantly. Each determined to get a piece of the pie for their district. (We don't need air horns for errors a simple PC speaker and beep will do just fine.... Oh I see Congressman Pantywhistle's district makes air horns, and he's head of the appropriations commitee.) Now the problem is that all of this doesn't get done until 1 week before budgetting tightens up tighter than a bullfrogs butt. You as the contractor have to finish out the new specs and get them to the proper authorities. (What do you mean Mr Toefinger is on vacation! He has to sign the paper work.... Fine can we fedHex it to him in Aruba?) He in turn will get the address wrong on the pre-addressed return envelope and in the end you will wind up getting your paperwork in to budgetting at 3:59 on the last day (one hour before closing)
Will Sentinel fail, yes but it will faill less than it's predicessor, leaving someone to say.....
It would have worked if we'd only had a couple of hundred million more.
(and over in the corner will be a lone secretary, notebook and PDA in hand, who will have created with a spreadsheet and and addressbook a better replacement for sentinal than sentinal itself.)
Slashdot Mirror
Remember Range (in somewhat simplistic terms) is a function of two components. Component 1 is distance the transmitter can transmit a signal at level "X". Component 2 would then be the signal level, or sensitivity, needed by the reciever. Increase the sensitivity (or actually decrease the level at which it can read data.) and you increase the distance the signal can be transmitted.
.... discretion (You might have heard of discrete FM). The ability of a reciver to know the difference between viable data and useless noise. Now suddenly with a few higher quality components (that bus pass reader probably has a manufacturing cost on the order of pennies.) You suddenly can read the data at 3ft line of site.
Increasing the sensitivity of the reciever is much easier and much less expensive than increasing the power of the transmitter. Witness the difference between a 400 dollar (US) FM radio in your car vs the 200 dollar Mono FM radio it came with. The radio station didn't boost it's output, your radio sensitivity improved dramatically. With a simple doubling of retail price you now can listen to stations you previously didn't know existed.
Now take and add in the final component of sensitivity
Now 3 ft line of site would easily translate to 1 foot through 1/4 inch of plywood (like in a counter.) Meaning that while you are giving the OK to a valid transaction you could also be giving authorization at the same moment to a second "hidden" transaction.
Don't believe this could happen? Think about the two gentlemen arrested a while back for reading customer and corporate data from wireless cash registers. Just because you have to touch the intended receiver to register a transaction doesn't mean that that is the distance it can transmit. The actual distance a radio wave can go is when unobstructed and absorbed, infinate. However beyond a certain point a radio wave of signal strength Y is just too decayed to be able to be found in the cacophany of radio signals surrounding us. That guy that just bumped into you might not have picked you pocket. Instead he read your credit card.
In the end promises of "We won't do X, Y, or Z" with the data stream we create is about as useful as websites claiming they won't sell data about you. I can tell you the ones that haven't, I can't predict the ones who won't.
consider this patent. Mouse/scanner or the ability to purchase this Pen Scanner or god forbid instead of using the phone the person turned around and used the Xeorox. *sigh*
No it's more a case of someone shouting "Quick close the barn doors the horses have all left!"
Having just spent 4 hours building a single computer (that will be imaged and sent out over hundreds more with identical hardware, since windows doesn't move well.) I can tell you don't have a clue as to what is required in both cases. Same hardware to fully functioning Linux 1 hour. 4 hours on Windows and in windows I'll then have to touch nearly every desktop once active because of differences in Monitors. Where in the Linux build I might touch a couple probably not. (We support Mac Linux and Windows)
The only people I know who think windows is a snap to install think so because either they haven't done Linux or Mac, or because it was installed when they bought the box. Thank god for Knoppix cause without it, I couldn't have gotten out on the net to get the diddly dang windows ethernet drivers. (the intel drivers for the nic we have included with XP/SP2 don't work with the intel nic we have. USB is flakey as heck (often requiring a reboot to use, if the device was accidently in the box during boot then removed.) Partions written off of the end of the disk (who cares right you'll never fill the disk!)
20% CPU usage just to keep the spyware/firewall/virus checking/system monitoring software alive. Not doing anything just waiting to do something. A browser (IE) that requires the user to "Allow viewing" of every single page the user goes to.
All in all, over the last year we have noticed one thing. For the employee's on MAC or Linux (vs windows) regardless of dept, they have a higher productivity by a wide margin on whole than those on Windows. In fact some int the PHB conference room are considering slowing weaning our Windows users off of windows in order to increase productivity all around.
A lot of positives could be said about Windows. Don't however brag about the "ease of install" No, windows is a freaking nightmare to install. Mac, now that is ease of install (drag Icon.... wait, done)
My company rents the car, books the flight, books the hotel. But then it does come down to risk management. With the theft of 1800 in cash (btw I'd never buy that laptop myself it's another company thing.) I lose 1800. With the theft of my ID I can lose my home. ...... personally ....... I'd rather lose the 1800.
In the case of the mugging (which is what it takes to lose the 1800) The police have more to go on, and are better prepared to handle the crime. The time of discovery of the crime is immediate. With the a crime like identity theft there is a tremendous lag in time between the commonission of the crime and the discovery. By the time the crime is discovered the perp is probably long gone and the trail is cold.
Cash is eaiser to trace, ala Where's George Most money counters are capable of both reading the serial number of a bill and counting it almost instantly. Cash is easy to trace. One of the reasons your local congressperson doesn't like it.
No matter how hard you try. You can't steal my ID if I use cash. You might steal my cash. Not my ID. Do transactions indoors at the teller window. (Most banks will not ensure that any deposit made at the ATM will make it into your account.) Get to know your tellers. Facial recognition helps a lot. Saved my Grandfather (according to him) years ago when someone tried to cash a stolen payroll check. The tellers knew him. The cops where called.
Am I alone in noticing that the more protections they build in the easier theft becomes? It would seem that the more you tell people they are too dumb to protect themselves the more they act like idiots.
Take a look at any of a number of "Chain Gang" movies from the 50's or 60's (as in 19) In the world of rock vs sledge hammer. Rocks loose more often than not.
And thanks to the Wayback machine... I can. Yes folks the infamous "Baked Apple"
Recipe for a Baked Apple
Ingredients: 1 Apple iBook
Remove all keys and keep seperate. Preheat oven to 200 Degrees F. Place keys and laptop on an ungreased cookie sheet. Insert both laptop and keys into oven for 20 minutes.
Click here for more
CAIS(Cereberal Anal Insertion Syndrom) is a component is this problem. First one hand (the gov office) doesn't know what the other hand (another gov office) is recommending. First you have an office charge with document protection. They get their function largely undercut by the Berlin Treaty, then they fall totally unaware of the recomendations of Homeland Security to NOT use IE.
... this violates a number of other laws related to accessability as well. But in the interest of big business first. Seig Heil.
Cert
The worst part is
It's hard to explain. But only one other company I've seen that has "adopted" Linux gave me a feeling similar to what Novel does, that being IBM. They seem to yes, be using Linux as a path to promote what they have. However, to quote (as near as I can) one of their pitch men.
"My job is not to convince you to use SuSE. My job is to convince you to use Linux first. Naturally I believe SuSE is the best out there, and once you see the value of Linux I'm convinced you will choose SuSE, but as long as you are using Linux in the end I and my company stand to gain."
In short. I think the people at Novell get it. After all. Who short of ATT knows Unix better, Who other than IBM has been around computers as long?
Winamp + 486 Is actually less powerful than an iPod. and I've been playing sounds on a computer for ages. Man I wonder what Mr. Nakamura (apologies if I spell it wrong) thinks of the idea of M$ thinking they are first with portable sound. Of course years before the iPod was released a product named the Diamond RIO was fighting for it's life against companies like M$ (under the guise of the BSA) for it's portable MP3 players. (bought mine in 98 or 99)
SuSE Linux .... now with open source. Am I alone in seeing the irony here. Somehow it seems that Novel is teaching SuSE how community and Open Source work. Though in the long run it is nice to see the return. Novel opened Yast, and now they are pushing SuSE back towards its roots. Kinda nice in a way.
No the fundies will be the sheep that support it. No amount of truth has ever stood in the way of reality. Jim Jones proved this in Guyana. The worship of a god might be strong. But it seems to me that the worship of a "man" (used in the all inclusive sense not the sexual sense) seems to lead to all sorts of fanatical actions. The fundies are lead by people who'd primary function is raising money. Cut or threaten this and you will end up with massive support for all sorts of radical projects no matter how much they conflict with truth and for those who understand, that which is beyond human.
But I remember the days when companies tried to get my dollar by offering me quality and service. Now it seems we get handed BS, and threats. Gone are the days when loyalty mattered. Now. Screw you if you aren't new.
1. Photoshop
2. Paint Shop Pro.
While both of these are better known as Raster tools they actually do as much if not more in dealing with Vector images.
Asian Anti-Virus product for win3.1 and 95/98 was Dr. Ahns Anti-virus. Just like whith these gentlemen it got its start due to its founder being a medical doctor. Since he was the only person in his lab (IIRC he was a pathologist.) who knew anything about computers when they got an infection he was "nominated" to disinfect the computer. He said he was fascinated by how much computer viri actually resembled biological viri in the way they worked and spread. The end result became Dr. Ahns Anti-Virus, which IIRC was bought out in the late 90's by Symantic.
Adding a single second every few years results in
"overdue hassles and expense" for telecom systems. (BTW if you check out the time systems on your computer or data transmitter, you will find that they already know of all of the leap seconds out to 2050 in most cases.) BUT! adding a full month to daylight savings has no affect at all. *sigh* So goes with Liberal Republicans. Change for the sake of change, damn the logic full steam in every direction at once. (Ironically the word I have to type in to verify is excrete.)
Doesn't this make the card catalog, the Dewey Decimal System et al, illegal as well. .... wait a second.... this also makes tests in school illegal. Since your memory is a system for the retreval of copyrighted information, aka a search and archiving engine ( The text book is copyrighted ) it would then be illegal for you to use your memory to recall anything. Since it's also illegal to force someone to break the law this would mean a teacher is in jepoardy as well. Since they are aiding and abetting in the creation of a crime.
My god.... Canada just might succeed in making every 12 year olds dream come true.... no more school.
..... Pictures it took to do this this time *grin* Unfortunately .... I can't seem to get the pictures to change...
3 things. 1 article.
1. leaf linux (or other small dedicated linux)
2. That old computer someone wants to throw away (you know the pI 233mhz with 16mb ram)
3. an extra nic.
Now surf to this article
Any of them... no .... all of them yes.
Microsoft is getting serious about this licensing thing. "Refuse to pay us an annual fee and we will destory your computer!" Installing Linux won't help!
I got a call on a job and was then sent the "requirements" Note that this was a partime Linux admin position with about 15 Windows desktops. Small office small situation.
1st requirement.
Must know how to use and apply differential equations as they apply to system design.
2nd requirement.
Proceeded to list about 40 languages that I should bring examples of programs currently in use at other locations (written by me) in each these languages.
To top it off they were willing to go as high as 12.50 an hour depending on experience. (Note that in the Valley McDonalds pays this much.)
My only question was, why did this person waste my time. Note too that this was a listing by a major provider of server hardware.
Not in Quebec!
But we never really lost it here in the SF area (and others.) Waiter.com is alive... well and hiring. (and you don't need an MCSA!)
Why? Simply put. In the government it is impossible to get a spec. You spend months in negotiation trying to nail down something. Once you do and you write up the spec. There is always that funky little clause which allows for "changes unforseen do to the needs of the governement." It's worse than having heart lung machines designed by marketing.
At the end of stage one a contract is signed. Ok folks time to start.... nope.... not yet. Depending on how the money was allocated they may or may not have to get outside approval. This could be the dept's accounting section, the GAO, or Congress. God in heaven help you if congress gets wind of it. Every Senator and Congressman along with 50K pedantic purveyors of polluted pullet piss (aka lobyists) will be on it like white on rice instantly. Each determined to get a piece of the pie for their district. (We don't need air horns for errors a simple PC speaker and beep will do just fine.... Oh I see Congressman Pantywhistle's district makes air horns, and he's head of the appropriations commitee.) Now the problem is that all of this doesn't get done until 1 week before budgetting tightens up tighter than a bullfrogs butt. You as the contractor have to finish out the new specs and get them to the proper authorities. (What do you mean Mr Toefinger is on vacation! He has to sign the paper work.... Fine can we fedHex it to him in Aruba?) He in turn will get the address wrong on the pre-addressed return envelope and in the end you will wind up getting your paperwork in to budgetting at 3:59 on the last day (one hour before closing)
Will Sentinel fail, yes but it will faill less than it's predicessor, leaving someone to say.....
It would have worked if we'd only had a couple of hundred million more.
(and over in the corner will be a lone secretary, notebook and PDA in hand, who will have created with a spreadsheet and and addressbook a better replacement for sentinal than sentinal itself.)