I think you missed the point of Freespire/Linspire. The word they're going for is "simplicity". While I may agree with you on the menus, I don't really want to try to teach my grandmother how to do that.
Sell it with stickers for the mouse buttons. "Menu" "Change Program" and "Actions".
I'm not even an expert in the field, but an RFID tag with an "on" switch seems pretty obvious.
This is being done. The cover of the new passports acts as a Faraday cage when closed. This is simpler than an on-off switch and less prone to mechanical failure.
Brute force cracking isn't like sitting at a desk trying new passwords over and over again. There is no rhyme or reason to the encryption key, unlike passwords and other similar (human created) ciphers. This type of encryption was created specifically so that there would be so many combinations that it would NOT be feasible to do a 'brute force' attempt.
Gov't employees in various places are inherently bribable. How long before a private keyset is "leaked"?
Should theoretically be impossible if the passport contains just an electronic ID number which indexes to an record in a database. Hashing the actual data on the RFID is stupid since the data's already there, in print, and if someone figures out the hashing algorithm, the passport becomes alterable.
No doubt there'll be an endless stream of stolen passport data available on line from crooked hotel clerks -- skimmed e-passport RFID data will be the next hot hacker item for sale.
Do hotel clerks in Europe still bother checking? I know some countries supposedly did in the 50s, but do they still do it, what with the relaxation of border controls due to the EU coming into existence?
Housing is a bit of a problem, there's a booming business finding old homes, ripping them off their foundation and dragging them to Calgary.
I'm surprised they're bothering - I imagine it's be cheaper to just use either pre-fab houses or trailers.
It's all from oil, tar sands that is, Canada exports oil since we make more than we use. The US gets about 10% of its oil from Canada and that will probably increase due to the US public's of growing concern about "foreign oil".
In which case, God help us all. The problem isn't "foreign" oil. It's oil. The burning of which is polluting, inefficient, and most probably contributes to climate change. We have the ability to reduce our dependence on oil except for chemical processes where it's needed like plastics manufacturing. Change patterns of living so that people's commutes aren't that long - give businesses tax breaks for locating in towns rather than in BFE. Electrify the railroads for moving freight and passengers. Encourage the use of electric vehicles - the cars could have a removable diesel generator for long trips, but most car trips are under 100 miles. Encourage efficient architecture. Insulation isn't enough. A properly-designed house can heat itself passively in winter and ventilate itself through natural circulation when it's warm (but not oppressively hot) outside. Where's the extra electricity to drive our transportation systems going to come from? Wind and solar show some promise in certain regions, as does hydro despite its environmental ramifications. Solar in space with power beamed down to floating receivers via microwaves might be another option. But, like it or now, a large part of our energy in the future will be generate via nuclear power - fission for now, fusion when it's perfected in the future. Deal with it people, if you want the lights to stay on for the next few centuries.
Are you a meat-and-potato type who likes hiking? Go for the small town.
...or a medium-sized (~200,000 people) city that you can be out of within 1/2 hr. That way, you can have your cake and eat it too.
Want to raise a family, but still be close to the big city? Move to the suburbs.
Why? Plenty of people I know have been raised in a city and have turned out fine. And city public schools aren't as awful as their reputation - if your kids are smart enough, they can usually get into a magnet school for high school, and (at least in NYC), the grade schools have improved quite a bit. There's also the option of Catholic schools, which are decent and inexpensive compared to private schools. (And, no, the religious agenda isn't very strong, since there's a sizable percentage of non-Catholic students).
I'd rather pay $1500/mo for a 1 bedroom apartment in Boston, a very progressive and historic place to live, instead of Alabama or Arkansas, where civil liberties and evolution stalled out hundreds of years ago.
Don't get me wrong. I *like* Boston. But Boston has had its own problems with civil liberties recently. The DNC. "Free speech zones." Subway searches. Cops shooting bystanders to a "riot" in the head by accident (Torie Snelgrove). Much as I like Boston for other reasons, I doubt that its record on civil liberties is better than anywhere else in the country.
The same goes for angry commuters, panhandlers, not knowing the people on your street by name or even recognizing them...
Actually, in cities, you do get to know people around you. You can't help it, since you live/work/exist close by to them. It's some rural areas that are more isolating - you drive a lot and when you walk, you don't see many people if at all. If you go shopping, it's at Wall*Mark, and the people who work there are "hillbillies" and aren't worthy of consideration to you. Rural culture in the US, apart from in some small cities and university towns, has been eviscerated by the coming of the big box corporate chain stores.
I dislike the high cost of living, traffic, unaffordability of houses etc. in places such as Silicon Valley. But there are lot more companies where one can work for with decent salary.
Furthermore, in a one- or two-company town, you can take the salary offered to you, start your own business, or pick up and leave. Thus, a lot more people would be willing to accept salary cuts than somewhere else where there are a lot more choices.
Been there, worked there. Get paid over 2x as much in NYC now... And Parsippany isn't really cheaper than the outer boroughs of NYC, so no price advantage there. Not to mention, it's boring as all-get-out and the traffic is appalling since all of the big companies have located on Rt. 10. At least in NYC, you can take the subway and it gets you there quickly 99% of the time.
Hehehe, I've had TWM doing that for years. I have the three buttons mapped to different menus and can get it anywhere I click on the desktop.
I was thinking:
left - windowlist
right - actions
middle - normal launcher menu
left + middle = whatever the hell you want
right + middle = WTHYW
l + r = WTHYW
don't use it personally, I like to mount shit when I need it rather than have it automounted, but for non-techs, it works just as well as Winders auto-detection mech.
Same with Debian/Gnome. Plug in an external HDD? It shows up on the desktop about a second later, without all the hemming and hawing that takes 'doze 10 sec to detect a drive. And don't even get me started on "do you want to Autoplay?" (I know it can be disabled, but if you plug a USB key into an unfamiliar system and forget...bleh).
For me, I'm looking for a linux system that works BEFORE I start working on it.
Not exactly Linux, but my OpenBSD install worked quite nicely out of the box. X even booted in 640x480/256 mode the first time I typed "startx" (sort of equivalent to the "win" command back in the day?). "xorgconfig" was required to set X up to play nice with my video card at 1024x768, but that wasn't a big deal - the config took a minute and was completely straightforward.
Installing Debian was slightly more fun because of wierd shift-key issues on my Dell desktop and the need to get ACPI working on my Thinkpad.
Sheesh! The "launch" menu is basically a clone of the Start menu, which wasn't a great idea in the first place. Give me an application menu that can show up anywhere on the screen like in fvwm or blackbox, and a NeXT/Apple-style dock on one side of the screen for the apps and directories I use most often...
Actually, give me a true 3-button mouse and allow different menus to show up at the pointer site with different combinations of button clicks.
I don't know about you, but it's nice to have a system that isn't ugly.
Sadly, I'm not a fan of the 'bubbly' look of XP (or Linspire). Give me a functional look like fvwm or Gnome any day. Functionality and simplicity have their own aesthetic!
And when you request it, I've had friends who have found the process amazingly bureaucratic...
I've done it (was arrested for felony riot after yelling at a pig of a cop who'd just slapped a woman in the face for no reason). The charges were dropped. Sent a letter in the proper format (actually, paid a lawyer $250) to the right offices stating the disposition of the case and the record was expunged. No questions asked or otherwise.
Sounds like somebody should let someone else handle their investment banking. You're not thinking this math through very clearly. Have you, perhaps, bought a hybrid to save money?
Sounds like somebody should stop being a condescending prick... I suppose it's easy on Slashdot - in real life, someone'd have curbstomped them by now...
So at the cost already mentioned, you break even if you've got 4GB of critical data assuming that *BOTH* drives make it to the three year mark, which is definitely pushing it.
Enterprise-grade SATA drives will make it that long and more. Remember: we're not talking about heavy use here - we're talking about copying a few dozen MB per day at most! BTW - 4GB of critical data isn't that much - I know of several ~5 person engineering/design firms that have more data than that on their servers. Same with dental and vet offices - digitised X-rays take up quite a lot of space!
...should do the trick. You just need a smart client that splits the data into 2.34532 GB (or whatever) chunks, e-mails them to you, logs on, verifies their existence, and deletes outdated chunks:)
are cheap... probably under $150 for a 100+GB server-grade drive + USB/FW shell. Get two and do differential backups to alternating drives daily - make sure that one's off-site at night in case of a fire where you can't get the drive out. Much cheaper than bending over monthly for an online backup service where your data's in the hands of god-only-knows-who. If you're using an online service, I hope that you pre-encrypt the data with your own keys before handing it over to their software and keep your keys in a safe location (like on two USB keys - one at home).
I love that bit. It's always "on request". Why not "by default"?
Agreed 100%. But "by request" is still better than "sorry, not at all." And, even if it were by default, I'd still quadruple-check if they actually expunged it!
Keying the car to a mag-stripe card with a backup code entry keypad would be much more secure. Even allow the owner to change the card/keypad code at will. Maybe even have *different* codes for different drivers - the kids' code could limit HP to 50% of max... And if you lose a mag. card, making a new one with the same code takes 5 seconds and costs 50 cents... A USB token type key would be another perfectly viable option, though the contacts might wear out. An optical link with the device powered by a small solar cell feeding off a bright light in the keyslot is a third option. No light because the key's in a pocket or purse? No data transmission.
Is a marijuana citation in CA such a terrible thing? AFAIK, the penalty for possession of quantities for personal use was equivalent to a parking violation (i.e. civil fine and no more). Sounds like a quick was of raising revenue for a town in need:)
Actually, it isn't really scary; that is how the law should be. The point of that law is not to let police do what they want, it is to prevent citizens from trying to physically stop them themselves. Look at this scenario - the police come to your front door and demand entrance. You clearly state they may not search your property without a warrent. They say "We don't need no stinkin' warrent!" and draw guns, telling you to step aside.
Different example: what if a uniformed officer uses their uniform and position to rob your house under the guise of a search? Or what if the officer kicks your kid across the room because he claims that he's resisting the search? There is such a thing as blatent official misconduct and excessive use of force, and it's the citizens' responsibility to defend against it, in the worst cases by lethal force.
Slashdot Mirror
Sell it with stickers for the mouse buttons. "Menu" "Change Program" and "Actions".
-b.
You overestimate the capabilities of the RFID chips used. Basically, they're dumb devices that broadcast a string of bits when queried. That's it.
Far better would be to just broadcast an ID # - no data - and have the ID # match with records in a database elsewhere.
-b.
This is being done. The cover of the new passports acts as a Faraday cage when closed. This is simpler than an on-off switch and less prone to mechanical failure.
-b.
Gov't employees in various places are inherently bribable. How long before a private keyset is "leaked"?
-b.
Should theoretically be impossible if the passport contains just an electronic ID number which indexes to an record in a database. Hashing the actual data on the RFID is stupid since the data's already there, in print, and if someone figures out the hashing algorithm, the passport becomes alterable.
-b.
Do hotel clerks in Europe still bother checking? I know some countries supposedly did in the 50s, but do they still do it, what with the relaxation of border controls due to the EU coming into existence?
-b.
I'm surprised they're bothering - I imagine it's be cheaper to just use either pre-fab houses or trailers.
It's all from oil, tar sands that is, Canada exports oil since we make more than we use. The US gets about 10% of its oil from Canada and that will probably increase due to the US public's of growing concern about "foreign oil".
In which case, God help us all. The problem isn't "foreign" oil. It's oil. The burning of which is polluting, inefficient, and most probably contributes to climate change. We have the ability to reduce our dependence on oil except for chemical processes where it's needed like plastics manufacturing. Change patterns of living so that people's commutes aren't that long - give businesses tax breaks for locating in towns rather than in BFE. Electrify the railroads for moving freight and passengers. Encourage the use of electric vehicles - the cars could have a removable diesel generator for long trips, but most car trips are under 100 miles. Encourage efficient architecture. Insulation isn't enough. A properly-designed house can heat itself passively in winter and ventilate itself through natural circulation when it's warm (but not oppressively hot) outside. Where's the extra electricity to drive our transportation systems going to come from? Wind and solar show some promise in certain regions, as does hydro despite its environmental ramifications. Solar in space with power beamed down to floating receivers via microwaves might be another option. But, like it or now, a large part of our energy in the future will be generate via nuclear power - fission for now, fusion when it's perfected in the future. Deal with it people, if you want the lights to stay on for the next few centuries.
-b.
Want to raise a family, but still be close to the big city? Move to the suburbs.
Why? Plenty of people I know have been raised in a city and have turned out fine. And city public schools aren't as awful as their reputation - if your kids are smart enough, they can usually get into a magnet school for high school, and (at least in NYC), the grade schools have improved quite a bit. There's also the option of Catholic schools, which are decent and inexpensive compared to private schools. (And, no, the religious agenda isn't very strong, since there's a sizable percentage of non-Catholic students).
-b.
Don't get me wrong. I *like* Boston. But Boston has had its own problems with civil liberties recently. The DNC. "Free speech zones." Subway searches. Cops shooting bystanders to a "riot" in the head by accident (Torie Snelgrove). Much as I like Boston for other reasons, I doubt that its record on civil liberties is better than anywhere else in the country.
-b.
Actually, in cities, you do get to know people around you. You can't help it, since you live/work/exist close by to them. It's some rural areas that are more isolating - you drive a lot and when you walk, you don't see many people if at all. If you go shopping, it's at Wall*Mark, and the people who work there are "hillbillies" and aren't worthy of consideration to you. Rural culture in the US, apart from in some small cities and university towns, has been eviscerated by the coming of the big box corporate chain stores.
-b.
Furthermore, in a one- or two-company town, you can take the salary offered to you, start your own business, or pick up and leave. Thus, a lot more people would be willing to accept salary cuts than somewhere else where there are a lot more choices.
-b.
Been there, worked there. Get paid over 2x as much in NYC now... And Parsippany isn't really cheaper than the outer boroughs of NYC, so no price advantage there. Not to mention, it's boring as all-get-out and the traffic is appalling since all of the big companies have located on Rt. 10. At least in NYC, you can take the subway and it gets you there quickly 99% of the time.
-b.
I was thinking:
left - windowlist
right - actions
middle - normal launcher menu
left + middle = whatever the hell you want
right + middle = WTHYW
l + r = WTHYW
-b.
-b.
Not exactly Linux, but my OpenBSD install worked quite nicely out of the box. X even booted in 640x480/256 mode the first time I typed "startx" (sort of equivalent to the "win" command back in the day?). "xorgconfig" was required to set X up to play nice with my video card at 1024x768, but that wasn't a big deal - the config took a minute and was completely straightforward.
Installing Debian was slightly more fun because of wierd shift-key issues on my Dell desktop and the need to get ACPI working on my Thinkpad.
-b.
Actually, give me a true 3-button mouse and allow different menus to show up at the pointer site with different combinations of button clicks.
-b.
Sadly, I'm not a fan of the 'bubbly' look of XP (or Linspire). Give me a functional look like fvwm or Gnome any day. Functionality and simplicity have their own aesthetic!
-b.
I've done it (was arrested for felony riot after yelling at a pig of a cop who'd just slapped a woman in the face for no reason). The charges were dropped. Sent a letter in the proper format (actually, paid a lawyer $250) to the right offices stating the disposition of the case and the record was expunged. No questions asked or otherwise.
-b.
Sounds like somebody should stop being a condescending prick... I suppose it's easy on Slashdot - in real life, someone'd have curbstomped them by now...
So at the cost already mentioned, you break even if you've got 4GB of critical data assuming that *BOTH* drives make it to the three year mark, which is definitely pushing it.
Enterprise-grade SATA drives will make it that long and more. Remember: we're not talking about heavy use here - we're talking about copying a few dozen MB per day at most! BTW - 4GB of critical data isn't that much - I know of several ~5 person engineering/design firms that have more data than that on their servers. Same with dental and vet offices - digitised X-rays take up quite a lot of space!
-b.
-b.
-b.
Agreed 100%. But "by request" is still better than "sorry, not at all." And, even if it were by default, I'd still quadruple-check if they actually expunged it!
-b.
-b.
Is a marijuana citation in CA such a terrible thing? AFAIK, the penalty for possession of quantities for personal use was equivalent to a parking violation (i.e. civil fine and no more). Sounds like a quick was of raising revenue for a town in need :)
-b.
Different example: what if a uniformed officer uses their uniform and position to rob your house under the guise of a search? Or what if the officer kicks your kid across the room because he claims that he's resisting the search? There is such a thing as blatent official misconduct and excessive use of force, and it's the citizens' responsibility to defend against it, in the worst cases by lethal force.
-b.