Why not just have the case lined with tin-foil or a thin metal sheet of some kind.
I'm assuming that the "anti-skimming material" mentioned in the article is a thin sheet of foil embedded in the cover. I could see how a damaged cover or one that's not closed completely would allow RF leakage. Perhaps the best solution would be something like an old metal cigarette case that snaps shut around the passport and won't open unless you want it to. Hmmm... marketable idea...
There's a limit to how much you can blame Bush for the fact that Hamas, Hesbollah, and Iran will only be satisfied if the Jews are outright exterminated.
Jews are people of the book according to Islam - they're to be treated with more respect than most other religions, actually. Their problem is the Jewish occupation of Israel (which doesn't jibe with biblical doctrine anyway - the Jews are destined to wander the earth and *not* reach the Promised Land until the end of time). The Jews have shown themselves to be flexible and adaptable to many cultures, and they've succeeded very well in the US, Canada, and South America. The state of Israel is a symbolic crutch that isn't needed and will just cause problems for Judaism in the long term. Far better to put Israel under a multinational mandate as it was in the 30s and welcome whatever Jews want to immigrate into the US - they'll succeed just fine here!
-b. (sorry if this comes across as unduly harsh, but sometimes a gangrenous limb needs to be amputated to save the body)
Anyways, all I have to do to be a engineer wold be to get my MSCE and how hard couyld that be?
Actually, in some states, MSCE's can get sued for false advertising if they call themselves "engineers" - the name "engineer" is restricted to people with engineering degrees or equivalent experience that have passed the Fundamentals of Engineering and Professional Engineer licensure exams...
(the second you actually need to work for four years under a professional engineer)
Not strictly true. Some states are 2 years. Others are 6 years. And many accept "equivalent work experience" in lieu of working under a professional engineer...
There is also one other myth I'd like to dispell. Other than social skills the second most common question is about religion. Not everyone is a religous zelot who homeschools.
... in fact, with the controversy about teaching evolution a few years ago in some states, it might actually be the other way around:)
There are plenty of other ways to socialize your kid beside sending them to school. You can have them go to Karate two nights a week, soccer two nights, piano/music lessons one night a week, and maybe an art class or two. Then it's up to you as a parent what your child learns, instead of some public school. Plus you'll actually meet the people teaching your child, as opposed to some 23 year old who just graduated and needed a job.
Plus, if "homeschooling" becomes the norm, parents will set up cooperatives for things like sports and other extracurriculars.
I don't think the homeschoolers of today are the same ones of 25-30 years ago. Most parents I know who intend to homeschool are not religious nuts. They just don't want their kids to go to government schools for obvious reasons.
I've heard that schools have become appallingly bad in the last 10 years:
Random drug testing and other invasions of privacy
Increasingly branding kids ADHD and forcing their parents to drug them
No unstructured recess/play periods for kids (esp boys) to let off steam
Paranoia of school shootings and/or terrorism - kids now need badges and are tagged like meat
Chemistry class isn't fun - teachers and admins are terrified of chemicals. When I went to HS in 1993-1997, we actually used cyanide salts in chem class!
Over-reliance on computers. Computers can be a good teaching tool, but they're not an end in themselves, and certainly don't replace a good teacher.
Police in schools. Even nice, safe, suburban, schools. Start 'em young...
Kids actually **need** socialization around adults and they need it much more than they need "socialization" around other kids.
Furthermore, boys need socialization around men! Men know how to speak to and control boys. Women, especially those ruined by pseudo-psych theories in education programs, simply don't. Which is why teachers are increasingly resorting to stupidity like calling the cops when Chris pulls Katie's hair on the playground.
Yes, two of my good friends from college were, and they turned out fine. Home schooling, incidentally, doesn't imply a lack of socialization - parents can and do form cooperatives and their kids play and maybe even learn together. And the quality of play might actually be better than schools', since schools recently have been cutting unorganized recess during lunch and replacing it with "structured activities" - that's maybe good for girls, but boys need their rough play...
If I were to hire an employee, I would disregard any degrees from online universities.
Better yet, unless it's an occupation that legally requires a degree like law or medicine, then disregard all degrees and interview the person himself...
Have anyone of you heard of who does theese kinds of breakins? Establishing where they come from is a big step towards preventing them.
Not really. The system should be secure against malicious connections originating anywhere. Security through isolation is a really poor answer that'll likely block legit users along with the hackers...
What we are expierience here, is the othe side of this phenomenon, and so, when we want to get linux more used by "normal" users, we have to pay the price, that hackers are more frequently try to break in our systems.
The *other* flipside is that, until a few years ago, few in the media knew or cared about open-source Unixoid OSes. So hack attempts, holes, and exploits got less publicity. Plus the Unices are generally used by more knowledgeable people who could more easily spot a rooted system than the average ("Task Manager, wassat?") Windows user. So many exploits probably got nipped in the bud without ever getting reported - what self-respecting 1337 g33k would *admit* getting pwn3d?
I want to be able to run the *same* install of Vista under either virtualization or natively. Currently, this can't be done with XP without some kludge involving switching registration data files and maybe different hardware profiles. If Vista supports up to two or three hardware profiles per install, that would be a Godsend for virtualizers and would finally allow Parallels to boot off of a Boot Camp partition.
Just because it'll only use Cingular SIMs doesn't mean it won't work in other countries. You just have to keep using your Cingular SIM (and paying Cingular) when you are in those other countries.
Where "paying Cingular" = "getting sodomized without lube by Cingular". Pre-paid SIMs abroad are so much cheaper than int'l roaming.
To give Sony some credit, the thing is unlockable, but why wait on the line to talk to some tech support asshat when the thing should be unlocked in the *first* place, or at least the unlock code should be clearly printed in the owner's manual.
Does anyone know if this hardware is now fast enough to do any of the cellular networks protocols in software?
Doesn't matter. With GSM/Edge, a SIM card is required, and if the SIM isn't a Cingular SIM, the wireless modem will refuse to play. Maybe there's a way of unlocking the thing, like you can do with many cell phones.
Instead of using keyboards that are put to shame by a TI-85 graphing calculator, wouldn't it be better to have some kind of full-sized (or almost so) keyboard that's hinged in the middle? Typing on this seems like a nightmare, and pen entry is annoying since I can type faster than I can write (legibly).
EDGE support and crippled by being locked to Cingular at that! I wonder if an unlocked version is available for a few hundred more $? If I pay $1700 for a computer, I expect it not to be hobbled by assinine restrictions.
I've played with a few VAIOs, and haven't really been impressed with the quality. Cheap, thin plastic. Cardbus slots stopping working after two months of use. Crappy support - spend two hours reinstalling from the restore partition and *only then* can you send the bl**dy thing to be repaired. And this isn't even mentioning the malware-ridden audio CD debacle...
Give me the smallest iBook or MacBook any day. Older TiBooks aside, Apple's quality seems pretty good these days, and their laptops are light, well-designed, and powerful. Their pricing is even competitive once you realize what you're getting (small size/weight as well as features) for the price.
Not really. Take your new business laptop. 1680x1050, 32 bit colour. That's 7,056,000 bytes per colour, or 21,168,000 bytes, sans any 3D stuff, etc.
32-bit color means 32 bits per pixel, NOT 32 bits per color channel. 8 bits for each of R, G & B, with the other 8 bits used either for padding or as an alpha (transparency info, sort of) channel.
32 bits = 4 (8 bit) bytes, so the actual number of bytes is 1680 x 1050 x 4 = 7,056,000 TOTAL. 7MB, not 21MB!
AFAIK, ctl-alt-del is the only key combo you can press to login to a Windows domain. Ctl-shift-esc brings up the Windows Task Manager, which is only one of several things that ctl-alt-del gives you.
Ok, my mistake - I didn't try to log into a domain yet - I thought the other combo would be basically equivalent in all cases. Googling for info, apparently you can use "command-U" to bring up a virtual keyboard and hit ctrl-alt-del that way.
The real question is: is there any good reason why ctrl-alt-del is used as a combo for logging into 'doze? I mean, it made sense as a reboot sequence in the DOS days (kind of hard to press by accident), but why couldn't M$ have just had a regular login panel with different controls on it like X Window has that appears whenever a key is pressed?
After all, MacOS represents maybe 5% of the market. Now software makers will have an excuse not to write versions of their software that run natively under MacOS, since they can just tell people to run under Parallels or Boot Camp. BTW, I'm not using/recommending Parallels until it can utilize a separate partition on the HDD - a seperate partition could theoretically give you the choice between vitualization and running 'doze directly if you have an app that does direct hardware access like some games.
But the low-end sticker "Vista Capable" requires a DX9 card with 32 MB of VRAM, according to wikipedia. And that's the ultimate low-end.
Will Vista run on computers with less, just lose some features, so M$ might not want manufs putting the "capable" sticker on lesser hardware so that Vista won't look crummy? I mean, XP is technically capable of running in 640x480 16-color mode...
32 MB of VRAM just to display/edit Word documents, basic web pages, and Excel tables seems like using Tsar Bomba to kill the mosquito that's keeping you awake at night. And those 3 tasks are what 99% of all business users need, and not much more.
Windows 2003 Server Resource Kit (free from MS) to re-map my right Command key as a delete key so that I could use ctl-alt-delete to login to my domain.
No need - ctrl-shift-esc (or is it cmd-shift-esc?) does the same thing in Boot Camp without needing to install any extra software. The one thing that *is* useful is the Apple Mouse Utility, which remaps the control key to modify the mouse button so that ctrl-mouse works as a right click. Unfortunately, you lose the ability to control-click. The ideal situation would probably be as follows - trackpad button would be a left click. Tapping the pad itself would be a right click.
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I'm assuming that the "anti-skimming material" mentioned in the article is a thin sheet of foil embedded in the cover. I could see how a damaged cover or one that's not closed completely would allow RF leakage. Perhaps the best solution would be something like an old metal cigarette case that snaps shut around the passport and won't open unless you want it to. Hmmm ... marketable idea...
-b.
Their staffers do, though. Also, don't think that any large ad campaign isn't combined with lobbying efforts if at all possible.
-b.
Jews are people of the book according to Islam - they're to be treated with more respect than most other religions, actually. Their problem is the Jewish occupation of Israel (which doesn't jibe with biblical doctrine anyway - the Jews are destined to wander the earth and *not* reach the Promised Land until the end of time). The Jews have shown themselves to be flexible and adaptable to many cultures, and they've succeeded very well in the US, Canada, and South America. The state of Israel is a symbolic crutch that isn't needed and will just cause problems for Judaism in the long term. Far better to put Israel under a multinational mandate as it was in the 30s and welcome whatever Jews want to immigrate into the US - they'll succeed just fine here!
-b. (sorry if this comes across as unduly harsh, but sometimes a gangrenous limb needs to be amputated to save the body)
Actually, in some states, MSCE's can get sued for false advertising if they call themselves "engineers" - the name "engineer" is restricted to people with engineering degrees or equivalent experience that have passed the Fundamentals of Engineering and Professional Engineer licensure exams...
-b.
Not strictly true. Some states are 2 years. Others are 6 years. And many accept "equivalent work experience" in lieu of working under a professional engineer...
-b.
-b.
Plus, if "homeschooling" becomes the norm, parents will set up cooperatives for things like sports and other extracurriculars.
I don't think the homeschoolers of today are the same ones of 25-30 years ago. Most parents I know who intend to homeschool are not religious nuts. They just don't want their kids to go to government schools for obvious reasons.
I've heard that schools have become appallingly bad in the last 10 years:
Random drug testing and other invasions of privacy
Increasingly branding kids ADHD and forcing their parents to drug them
No unstructured recess/play periods for kids (esp boys) to let off steam
Paranoia of school shootings and/or terrorism - kids now need badges and are tagged like meat
Chemistry class isn't fun - teachers and admins are terrified of chemicals. When I went to HS in 1993-1997, we actually used cyanide salts in chem class!
Over-reliance on computers. Computers can be a good teaching tool, but they're not an end in themselves, and certainly don't replace a good teacher.
Police in schools. Even nice, safe, suburban, schools. Start 'em young...
Furthermore, boys need socialization around men! Men know how to speak to and control boys. Women, especially those ruined by pseudo-psych theories in education programs, simply don't. Which is why teachers are increasingly resorting to stupidity like calling the cops when Chris pulls Katie's hair on the playground.
-b.
Yes, two of my good friends from college were, and they turned out fine. Home schooling, incidentally, doesn't imply a lack of socialization - parents can and do form cooperatives and their kids play and maybe even learn together. And the quality of play might actually be better than schools', since schools recently have been cutting unorganized recess during lunch and replacing it with "structured activities" - that's maybe good for girls, but boys need their rough play...
-b.
Better yet, unless it's an occupation that legally requires a degree like law or medicine, then disregard all degrees and interview the person himself...
-b.
Not really. The system should be secure against malicious connections originating anywhere. Security through isolation is a really poor answer that'll likely block legit users along with the hackers...
-b.
The *other* flipside is that, until a few years ago, few in the media knew or cared about open-source Unixoid OSes. So hack attempts, holes, and exploits got less publicity. Plus the Unices are generally used by more knowledgeable people who could more easily spot a rooted system than the average ("Task Manager, wassat?") Windows user. So many exploits probably got nipped in the bud without ever getting reported - what self-respecting 1337 g33k would *admit* getting pwn3d?
-b.
-b.
Where "paying Cingular" = "getting sodomized without lube by Cingular". Pre-paid SIMs abroad are so much cheaper than int'l roaming.
To give Sony some credit, the thing is unlockable, but why wait on the line to talk to some tech support asshat when the thing should be unlocked in the *first* place, or at least the unlock code should be clearly printed in the owner's manual.
-b.
Good to know. But why lock it in the first place, then?
-b.
Doesn't matter. With GSM/Edge, a SIM card is required, and if the SIM isn't a Cingular SIM, the wireless modem will refuse to play. Maybe there's a way of unlocking the thing, like you can do with many cell phones.
-b.
-b.
EDGE support and crippled by being locked to Cingular at that! I wonder if an unlocked version is available for a few hundred more $? If I pay $1700 for a computer, I expect it not to be hobbled by assinine restrictions.
-b.
-b.
Give me the smallest iBook or MacBook any day. Older TiBooks aside, Apple's quality seems pretty good these days, and their laptops are light, well-designed, and powerful. Their pricing is even competitive once you realize what you're getting (small size/weight as well as features) for the price.
-b.
32-bit color means 32 bits per pixel, NOT 32 bits per color channel. 8 bits for each of R, G & B, with the other 8 bits used either for padding or as an alpha (transparency info, sort of) channel.
32 bits = 4 (8 bit) bytes, so the actual number of bytes is 1680 x 1050 x 4 = 7,056,000 TOTAL. 7MB, not 21MB!
-b.
Ok, my mistake - I didn't try to log into a domain yet - I thought the other combo would be basically equivalent in all cases. Googling for info, apparently you can use "command-U" to bring up a virtual keyboard and hit ctrl-alt-del that way.
The real question is: is there any good reason why ctrl-alt-del is used as a combo for logging into 'doze? I mean, it made sense as a reboot sequence in the DOS days (kind of hard to press by accident), but why couldn't M$ have just had a regular login panel with different controls on it like X Window has that appears whenever a key is pressed?
-b.
-b.
Will Vista run on computers with less, just lose some features, so M$ might not want manufs putting the "capable" sticker on lesser hardware so that Vista won't look crummy? I mean, XP is technically capable of running in 640x480 16-color mode...
32 MB of VRAM just to display/edit Word documents, basic web pages, and Excel tables seems like using Tsar Bomba to kill the mosquito that's keeping you awake at night. And those 3 tasks are what 99% of all business users need, and not much more.
-b.
No need - ctrl-shift-esc (or is it cmd-shift-esc?) does the same thing in Boot Camp without needing to install any extra software. The one thing that *is* useful is the Apple Mouse Utility, which remaps the control key to modify the mouse button so that ctrl-mouse works as a right click. Unfortunately, you lose the ability to control-click. The ideal situation would probably be as follows - trackpad button would be a left click. Tapping the pad itself would be a right click.
-b.