I'd love to see the manufacturer's cost of materials for mega priced "audiophile" cables like this. Do they really spend more on "high quality" materials (even if it's useless) or do they just make it out of the same stuff as regular cable and then try to keep a straight face while they take your money?
I'm also having difficult envisioning how one flies across into Africa. "Into Africa" suggests a less than perfect landing, "across Africa" implies a much longer trip. I'm not sure how you do both.
Not just geeks... Years ago I went into a tiny office to set up Internet Connection Sharing for their two machines. When I started one of the machines, it threw up about a dozen "missing system file" errors before finally booting. When I asked about it, they very nonchalantly replied, "Yeah, it does that. The secretary deleted a bunch of files after she was fired last month."
I love driving, too, but for my daily commute I'd just as soon be shuttled around. Creeping through traffic and trying not to get hit by bozos on cell phones is not what I consider "driving." Let the bus driver (train engineer, pod computer, etc.) deal with it while I relax. I usually get another 20-30 minutes of sleep a day just dozing on the bus.
Another huge benefit: no schedule. A bus or a train with a fixed schedule can make it very difficult to be flexible with work hours. Stay 10 minutes late, and you can spend hours waiting for the next bus or train or making other arrangements if you miss the last one. The idea of being able to just show up at a station at any time, hop in a pod, and head directly to my destination is very appealing.
Now not only is the game broken due to a broken DRM implementation, but even the logic behind the DRM is broken since it at least this part can be circumvented by adjusting the system clock (!!). What was the point of even bothering with this then?
The DRM apparently relies on code that is digitally signed, presumably to prevent tampering. When you sign code, you can optionally include a timestamp. When a timestamp is present and the signature is checked, it looks to see if the certificate was valid at the time the code was signed. If no timestamp is present, the check is to see if the certificate is valid *now*. So everything seems to be fine until the certificate expires, then the check suddenly starts failing.
By rolling the system time back, you're not circumventing the DRM, the code is still intact and functioning. All you're doing is working around a bogus check that should never have failed.
Actually, no. My point is more like, anyone with half a brain should fall in line with a sky wizard to worship and get on with the program.
That's exactly the problem, the people with half a brain worship their sky wizard and the rest of us with a whole brain have to put up with their shit.
Of course, I'd like it to be my christian sky-wizard, because I like my culture and want it to dominate...
See, this is where I lose the thread. I guess I just don't have the aggressive monkey-gene that gives people the need to dominate. Personally, I'd be happy to just do my own thing and let everyone else do the same. That's kind of why I like the basic principles of the American system of government. It's just a shame that the monkey-gene types are constantly trying to fuck with it.
And logically, too, what's really to lose in following a sky-wizard.
The problem is not so much with the sky wizard as it is with religion. See, religion doesn't really have anything to do with sky wizards, it's really just about controlling people en masse. The monkey-gene types figured out a long time ago that if you tell people, "Go kill those guys over there and take their stuff," people tend to ignore you or a least ask what's in it for them. If you say, "The Sky Wizard commands you to kill those guys over there and take their stuff!" then people listen for some reason. Whether or not there is an actual sky wizard is really beside the point. If we can do away with all of this religion bullshit, we reduce the ability of the monkey-gene types to control us and maybe the world becomes slightly less unpleasant. Maybe we could even work on problems like limited natural resources so we don't have to kill each other like monkeys with sharpened sticks while shouting the name of a sky wizard.
I know, it's stupid and naïve, but what the hell...
If the liberals of this country made it possible for Islam to spread and then take over the USA, then watch all of their progress evaporate as women are disenfranchised, then kicked out of their jobs, abortion is banned, homosexuals are stoned, writers are jailed, directors shot, dancers raped, just like, well, every other country where Islam has taken over.
It would be even funnier if we fight to maintain the checks and balances built into our system of government. Then Islam can spread to everyone who wishes to practice it and none of the things you describe will happen.
Well, I think it's a terrible idea. Clearly the government does not have the resources to stay on top of all the sites that can pop up. I think the only way a program like that can succeed is if the government enlists the help of major corporations and the various trade associations that represent the major content creators.
It didn't help that McCain picked an airhead ultra-fundamentalist nutjob as his running mate. That probably turned off lots of people, and was probably mainly done to get the evangelical vote. The problem is, he didn't need to pick her to get the evangelicals; they're going to vote Republican no matter what.
My impression was that it was, at least partly, an attempt to win over disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters. Right at that moment, when there was a lot of disappointment that Clinton didn't win, it might have seemed like a good idea. Any resentment from the Clinton camp dissipated very quickly, though, and McCain had to know pretty early on that he was in trouble.
Also, keep in mind that while the evangelicals vote Republican no matter what, McCain had to do something to get them to vote at all. He is viewed as too liberal for the tastes of the ultra-right-wing set. I definitely agree, though, that a more credible and moderate running mate would have made this a much closer election.
I couldn't of said it better myself. I know there doing the best they can over their, but for all intensive purposes the editing is very poor. As for the verdict itself, I could care less.
It'll be interesting to see what the more rigorous studies find, although I'm sure this fine pilot study will be presented as Unarguable Proof That Plastic Makes You Die And We're Not Changing Our Minds On This by the world media before the day is out.
While I agree there is no reason to panic, it seems to me that we go about this sort of thing a little backwards. A study shows a correlation between a particular chemical and certain diseases. Scientists quickly state that further study will be needed to determine causation. In the meantime, industry continues to produce and use millions of tons of the chemical, until such time as ironclad proof that the chemical is dangerous can be presented. Even then, regulatory agencies usually have to get involved before the substance is banned.
Wouldn't it make more sense to slowly phase out the use of a questionable chemical as soon as possible? If it turns out that the correlation was bogus, you can always go back to using it. If the evidence ends up showing that it *is* harmful, there's nothing to be done because you've already phased it out. And, in the meantime, you've reduced the exposure of thousands of people (or more) to it. It seems like the PR benefits alone would offset the costs of changing the manufacturing process.
As far as incrimination or being able to access other peoples files? No, not gunna happen; See above: Because they break the files into 100 pieces the piece(s) on any given computer would not be usable to recreate the original file. It doesnt matter what encryption key you have. If you only have 1/100th or even 3/100ths of an encrypted file you are never going to get any information from it no matter what encryption you crack.
This may be true for incrimination, but I would think it doesn't necessarily protect you from someone maliciously trying to gain access to files. The information on how to find the pieces and reassemble the file has to be stored somewhere. If someone can break the encryption on the fragments themselves, presumably they can also find a way to obtain the right fragments and reassemble them.
The signature is not a security feature. Unless you want to train tens of millions of clerks in precision handwriting analysis techniques.
It's merely a token of accession to contract terms. Having people write, "yes" would be just as effective.
It's funny, though, because at one time it was at least sort of presented that way. When I worked horrible retail jobs 10-15 years ago, we were always instructed to hold the card and compare the signatures. Never once was I told what to look for to match the signatures, nor was I told what to do in the event that the signatures didn't match, but we were always told to look anyway. It seems like they've finally given that up, though. 99% of the time now, I have the card back before I even sign anything, if I have to sign at all.
Does anyone else feel vaguely uneasy making no-signature CC purchases? I understand that the signature is mostly useless anyway, but it always makes me feel like I forgot something, as if I walked out of the bathroom without flushing or something.
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I'd love to see the manufacturer's cost of materials for mega priced "audiophile" cables like this. Do they really spend more on "high quality" materials (even if it's useless) or do they just make it out of the same stuff as regular cable and then try to keep a straight face while they take your money?
Yuck. If she bent over, she'd resemble a cow with hanging udders. Blech. Give me natural As or Bs anyday rather than fakies.
If you're the typical Slashdot reader, you probably have natural As or Bs already.
http://www.instantrimshot.com
Sorry, how could I resist?
Don't forget the mindless platitudes about meeting bosses, while you're at it.
Just move to Canada. Our smoke detectors use radioactive canadicium instead.
Chemical symbol: Eh
After downloading it, he actually listened to the album and was like, "Wow, what a complete pile of crap! These guys suck!"
I'm also having difficult envisioning how one flies across into Africa. "Into Africa" suggests a less than perfect landing, "across Africa" implies a much longer trip. I'm not sure how you do both.
Not just geeks... Years ago I went into a tiny office to set up Internet Connection Sharing for their two machines. When I started one of the machines, it threw up about a dozen "missing system file" errors before finally booting. When I asked about it, they very nonchalantly replied, "Yeah, it does that. The secretary deleted a bunch of files after she was fired last month."
I love driving, too, but for my daily commute I'd just as soon be shuttled around. Creeping through traffic and trying not to get hit by bozos on cell phones is not what I consider "driving." Let the bus driver (train engineer, pod computer, etc.) deal with it while I relax. I usually get another 20-30 minutes of sleep a day just dozing on the bus.
Another huge benefit: no schedule. A bus or a train with a fixed schedule can make it very difficult to be flexible with work hours. Stay 10 minutes late, and you can spend hours waiting for the next bus or train or making other arrangements if you miss the last one. The idea of being able to just show up at a station at any time, hop in a pod, and head directly to my destination is very appealing.
Yeah, because listserv groups are so well behaved....
*Reply to All* - "Please take me off this list and stop spamming me."
Like dropping a lit match into a gasoline tanker.
Now not only is the game broken due to a broken DRM implementation, but even the logic behind the DRM is broken since it at least this part can be circumvented by adjusting the system clock (!!). What was the point of even bothering with this then?
The DRM apparently relies on code that is digitally signed, presumably to prevent tampering. When you sign code, you can optionally include a timestamp. When a timestamp is present and the signature is checked, it looks to see if the certificate was valid at the time the code was signed. If no timestamp is present, the check is to see if the certificate is valid *now*. So everything seems to be fine until the certificate expires, then the check suddenly starts failing.
By rolling the system time back, you're not circumventing the DRM, the code is still intact and functioning. All you're doing is working around a bogus check that should never have failed.
Linens'N'Shit is closing...
The worst part of Linens'n'Things closing is that I won't get to say Linens'n'Shit anymore. Now I have to come up with new ways to annoy my wife.
Actually, no. My point is more like, anyone with half a brain should fall in line with a sky wizard to worship and get on with the program.
That's exactly the problem, the people with half a brain worship their sky wizard and the rest of us with a whole brain have to put up with their shit.
Of course, I'd like it to be my christian sky-wizard, because I like my culture and want it to dominate...
See, this is where I lose the thread. I guess I just don't have the aggressive monkey-gene that gives people the need to dominate. Personally, I'd be happy to just do my own thing and let everyone else do the same. That's kind of why I like the basic principles of the American system of government. It's just a shame that the monkey-gene types are constantly trying to fuck with it.
And logically, too, what's really to lose in following a sky-wizard.
The problem is not so much with the sky wizard as it is with religion. See, religion doesn't really have anything to do with sky wizards, it's really just about controlling people en masse. The monkey-gene types figured out a long time ago that if you tell people, "Go kill those guys over there and take their stuff," people tend to ignore you or a least ask what's in it for them. If you say, "The Sky Wizard commands you to kill those guys over there and take their stuff!" then people listen for some reason. Whether or not there is an actual sky wizard is really beside the point. If we can do away with all of this religion bullshit, we reduce the ability of the monkey-gene types to control us and maybe the world becomes slightly less unpleasant. Maybe we could even work on problems like limited natural resources so we don't have to kill each other like monkeys with sharpened sticks while shouting the name of a sky wizard.
I know, it's stupid and naïve, but what the hell...
If the liberals of this country made it possible for Islam to spread and then take over the USA, then watch all of their progress evaporate as women are disenfranchised, then kicked out of their jobs, abortion is banned, homosexuals are stoned, writers are jailed, directors shot, dancers raped, just like, well, every other country where Islam has taken over.
It would be even funnier if we fight to maintain the checks and balances built into our system of government. Then Islam can spread to everyone who wishes to practice it and none of the things you describe will happen.
...it's the only way to be sure.
You make it sound like you're some exotic zoo keeper and you need to know what to do when they present their glowing red ass.
You know actually, I'd love to know what the correct response is when a programmer does this. I generally just run away.
Well, I think it's a terrible idea. Clearly the government does not have the resources to stay on top of all the sites that can pop up. I think the only way a program like that can succeed is if the government enlists the help of major corporations and the various trade associations that represent the major content creators.
It didn't help that McCain picked an airhead ultra-fundamentalist nutjob as his running mate. That probably turned off lots of people, and was probably mainly done to get the evangelical vote. The problem is, he didn't need to pick her to get the evangelicals; they're going to vote Republican no matter what.
My impression was that it was, at least partly, an attempt to win over disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters. Right at that moment, when there was a lot of disappointment that Clinton didn't win, it might have seemed like a good idea. Any resentment from the Clinton camp dissipated very quickly, though, and McCain had to know pretty early on that he was in trouble.
Also, keep in mind that while the evangelicals vote Republican no matter what, McCain had to do something to get them to vote at all. He is viewed as too liberal for the tastes of the ultra-right-wing set. I definitely agree, though, that a more credible and moderate running mate would have made this a much closer election.
Through the third grade or so, I thought it was, "One nation, under guard..." These days, I'd say it's pretty appropriate.
How could I possibly resist? The only thing more enticing would be a big, red button labeled "Do not push."
I couldn't of said it better myself. I know there doing the best they can over their, but for all intensive purposes the editing is very poor. As for the verdict itself, I could care less.
It'll be interesting to see what the more rigorous studies find, although I'm sure this fine pilot study will be presented as Unarguable Proof That Plastic Makes You Die And We're Not Changing Our Minds On This by the world media before the day is out.
While I agree there is no reason to panic, it seems to me that we go about this sort of thing a little backwards. A study shows a correlation between a particular chemical and certain diseases. Scientists quickly state that further study will be needed to determine causation. In the meantime, industry continues to produce and use millions of tons of the chemical, until such time as ironclad proof that the chemical is dangerous can be presented. Even then, regulatory agencies usually have to get involved before the substance is banned.
Wouldn't it make more sense to slowly phase out the use of a questionable chemical as soon as possible? If it turns out that the correlation was bogus, you can always go back to using it. If the evidence ends up showing that it *is* harmful, there's nothing to be done because you've already phased it out. And, in the meantime, you've reduced the exposure of thousands of people (or more) to it. It seems like the PR benefits alone would offset the costs of changing the manufacturing process.
As far as incrimination or being able to access other peoples files? No, not gunna happen; See above: Because they break the files into 100 pieces the piece(s) on any given computer would not be usable to recreate the original file. It doesnt matter what encryption key you have. If you only have 1/100th or even 3/100ths of an encrypted file you are never going to get any information from it no matter what encryption you crack.
This may be true for incrimination, but I would think it doesn't necessarily protect you from someone maliciously trying to gain access to files. The information on how to find the pieces and reassemble the file has to be stored somewhere. If someone can break the encryption on the fragments themselves, presumably they can also find a way to obtain the right fragments and reassemble them.
Seriously, when I finally leave my current job I'm going to be very disappointed if my name isn't cursed out on a weekly basis for at least a year.
The signature is not a security feature. Unless you want to train tens of millions of clerks in precision handwriting analysis techniques. It's merely a token of accession to contract terms. Having people write, "yes" would be just as effective.
It's funny, though, because at one time it was at least sort of presented that way. When I worked horrible retail jobs 10-15 years ago, we were always instructed to hold the card and compare the signatures. Never once was I told what to look for to match the signatures, nor was I told what to do in the event that the signatures didn't match, but we were always told to look anyway. It seems like they've finally given that up, though. 99% of the time now, I have the card back before I even sign anything, if I have to sign at all.
Does anyone else feel vaguely uneasy making no-signature CC purchases? I understand that the signature is mostly useless anyway, but it always makes me feel like I forgot something, as if I walked out of the bathroom without flushing or something.