"I've seen some web clients already that automatically filter out tiny "bug" sized graphics."
So why not just use a bigger graphic? Actually Outlook seems to block all graphics by default....so I don't see the problem. Though maybe it doesn't for internal mail.
So, is this spyware, or not? I would say yes. The website is spyware, as it is tracking where it's user comes from....but then isn't all of the internet spyware?
The ZDnet article asks it best......"Phoning home? Deception? It must be spyware. Right? At least if you're a politician that's not well steeped in technology, it must be. Or is that the case? Maybe it is spyware after all. And maybe all HTML-based e-mail should visibly disclose that the page contains "tracking" elements with links back to more information on what those elements do and what the privacy policy of the sender is. Does PattyMail qualify as spyware and should the senders of HTML-based e-mail disclose their use of trackable graphical elements in the e-mail itself? Feel free to answer below."
Yeah, but I expect someone will be offering them $20 for the laptop (or stealing tons of them) then plopping them on ebay. The kids don't have to be the ones to sell in order to profit.
Yeah, and that doesn't factor in the cost of gas after adding the expenses associated with defending/protecting/subsidising the oil wells and oil companies.
A few years back, I remember seeing a graph which showed that the US has the most expensive gas in the world. Gas was about $1.50 per gallon at the time, but the "true cost" was listed as $11.50 per gallon for the U.S. I wonder where those numbers would be today for the U.K. or the U.S.
When you look at the true cost of oil, solar and other sources become far cheaper. But, lets not cloud the issue with facts.
Assuming the person doesn't want to go to prison, wouldn't it be percieved as a punishment to them (which is the perspective that matters)? It sounds pretty much the same as the U.S. from the prisoners point of view. Our sentances are high, but the person usually gets out way early because they are viewed as rehabilitated (parole). They rarely stay up to the max that the judge sets.
So, it doesn't affect your calculation, but it does show that they are possibly not the complete and accurate picture. Also, when the tree dies, wouldn't the carbon simply return to the environment? The tree would decompose, thus releasing most of the c02.
Information: That is an excellent point, except there is one problem....the tree you plant uses sunlight as the energy source to fix the c02. The plants that are now shaded by the tree are not not recieving that same amount of sunlight, thus fix less c02 themselves. The net c02 fixation actually can go down when you plant a tree. Also, trees can actually emit more carbon than they intake during some phases of their life.
Disclaimer: I am not an expert, just a concerned citizen. Clearly this depends on the type of tree, and the environment in which you plant it. Do you know of a location which is currently not already growing plants, where you can plant 6 million trees?
Result: Trees are not the answer....though the idea should be investigated. Could we GM a tree that consumes vast quantities of c02?
Okay, yes I concede the first point. I didn't read it that way the first time.
How about this one, I currently have 2 clients that insert floppy disks, and hit save on their WORD or Geneology program (it saves to the same place they opened the file from). I can't get either of them to grasp the idea that it doesn't save to the floppy just because it is in the drive. They are both older clients....but that shouldn't be an issue. Everytime I show them the save-as function, they just roll their eyes and say they are "too stupid to be learning this stuff." One of the 2 just said they will pay me to back up their stuff once every few months. That is fine.
"I can't help you unless you tell me exactly what operating system you're running".
Support is how some of us get paid. If I followed this policy, I would lose 50%+ of my business. The majority of people who call me for support do not know what OS they have. It might be different working for a large company, but as a general PC repair company this isn't practical. Hehe, I had someone call several months back telling me they had Windows XP, and it turned out to be a PowerPC. Wow.
Users that call me often refer to the case as "the hard drive", the desktop is "their homepage", and the monitor as "the computer". The "caps-lock" concept makes sense to them, but the "num-lock" doesn't. The average home user doesn't know the difference between RAM and a hard drive, they don't know what an OS is, and they certainly don't know what OS they are running. My only hope is to ask them to either remember what it says when they boot up, or click the start menu and look there. At that point I typically have to backtrack and explain what I mean by "boot up".
This probably seems far fetched to most IT workers.....who think their office staff is stupid. Get with reality....your office staff at least knows something about computers. Can they send attachments? If so, that is more than the average user.
Not that I diagree with you, but he didn't say he was supporting linux, he said he was supporing desktop software. If you had been in support, you would realize that the above statements are very realistic. Just last week I had a user who said they were running Windows, and it turned out to be Linux ("Oh yeah, some other type of Windows"). I have also had the reverse, where they told me they were running Linux, but it was Windows (they installed a linux distro, but the bootloader would prompt them for which OS to boot, and it would boot Windows anyway).
"then they wouldn't know what version of Windows they were using either."
At least 80% of my calls are from people who have no idea what version of Windows they are running. They all say XP, but more than half are still on ME or 98. It is changing, 2 years ago it would have been more like 2/3.
I agree entirely about the usb hard drive..... except for the part about "they do sometimes impress non-technical people who haven't seen them before".
In reality, they act impress, don't have a clue what your showing them, and walk away thinking "what a nerd". Check your back for a kick-me sign.
Note: To non-slashdot readers, "nerd" is an insult.
I have a similar collection of tools to what everyone else has said. Just make sure you have....Browser, antivirus, antispyware, firewall, task manager, email client, text editor, XP service packs, office suite, ftp, ssh, vnc, download manager, more.....and have the disk work as a boot disk for some form of OS so you can move files around and such if the host OS needs help.
I would post my list with actual application names that I have on mine, but i borrowed my drive away. DON'T do this!
Yeah, the robotic watchdogs might have been brought on by lack of sleep or my co-worker continually playing the robocop theme, however the idea still remains true.
"Ironic?" What does irony have to do with it?
The moral still remains true.....many people are willing to give up their freedoms and privacy because somebody needs to "think of the children". I am not willing to give up my privacy, just so the govt can easily catch criminals. I won't even discuss why, because the counter-argument has a foundation of pure ignorance. Instead, I am going to go spend some time with my kids, guarding them, teaching them, and making sure they grow up happy and safe..... rather than expecting the government to do it for me. Let me keep my privacy, and let me raise my kids.
Then the idiot finishes with "I suggest you work with some of these 'brats' sometime, or at least get to know some of them before you start talking about privacy issues.". Thanks, I work with kids every day........and yet I realize someday they will be adults too. I want them to enjoy the same freedoms that I do.
So, are you saying you would be willing to give up your privacy for the benefit of catching criminals?
Keep in mind, once you give the law-enforcing body supreme rights, you have lost yours.
At which point do we stop? We give the government rights to listen to our phone conversations, read our mail, watch our internet activity, put cameras in our homes?
Eventually the government hires robotic watchdogs to patrol the neighborhoods going inside and outside of homes at will, testing blood samples at will, breaking down doors with no suspicion or warrant? This is the path that this train of thought leads. A police state? Is this the world you want to live in?
I would rather take the risks involved in not having the government monitor my activities, and remove the risks of having the government monitor my activities.
So, what your saying is that you purchased apple at around $85, and now you are hoping us fellow nerds will help bail you out? No way, I am too busy saving up my $ for Vista!:)
In all seriousness, why doesn't Apple sell Leopard for like $99 to PC users? Would drivers be the limiting force? If it comes out before Vista, is better than Vista, and cheaper, and has less system requirements....it could really sway people over to their camp. Or is it because then nobody would need to buy their hardware? Enlighten me please.
The teachers we work with get insulted and feel threatened when we mention that we want to home school our children. It seems to me they spend more time whining about their pay and contracts than they do actually trying to become decent teachers. I have a MUCH younger brother who just hit 3rd grade, and he has already had 2 teachers that basically skipped math.
In college (going to a highly ranked school for teaching) I quickly discovered why people go into the field of education. While their are some excellent exceptions, it seems that poor self confidence is a huge factor. Many, especially the 4.0 studends, choose education (especially elementary education) because they figure "I did well in grade school, I should become a teacher". I tutored elementary education majors in math, and at least 40% of the students couldn't handle the math that they would be teaching, much less be able to conceptualize it from anothers perspective. Sadly, this was also the most common in the 4.0 students.
Ahhh, a possible argument for private schooling or home schooling? Incedentally, my wife and I have both been teachers....and our kids will be home schooled.
From your sig:
I love my country. I fear my government.
Also, the government fears the people!
I like the sig, and agree. What good is voting when we have a 2 party system, and both are corrupt. 3rd party? Sure, I have voted for them for my entire voting life. Run for office myself... I'm not interested, and I am not personable enough.
Is it because the voters are undereducated? I think partly. When both parties do their best to dumb down the general public about current affairs, it is tough to educate voters. Most of my community thinks the patriot act is what was used to catch Osama and Sadam (the 2 people who attacked the US on 9-11)...and that is what the govt wants them to think (and Sadam had to be removed because he had stockpiles of anthrax and nukes). Any education I can spread, quickly gets undone by the govt.
It can, and does. Probably the worst district in our area only gives about 45 minutes of prep during the 7 hour day, but teachers generally only work there until they can go elsewhere. They then also have 1 hour though extra before they hit the 8 hours in the contract, so you could still argue that they have 1.75 hours of prep. The grass is always greener, and teachers are no different. They think their job is the worst, and they deserve more. On top of it all, they have state retirement plans worth well over a million dollars per teacher, they have it made. Retire after obtaining their required "points", not having to have saved a penny. Most of my friends have retired, making more money now than when they worked. Most have part time jobs now and are pulling in a combined income of 60-80K per year. Not bad considering they are working part time, and didn't have to set asside any of the retirement income (even if they only live for 20 years retired, 50K per year, x 20 years = 1 million, think about that).
Actually, having been in education, and from a family of teachers, you are incorrect. A few teachers do these things. Most just arrive late, leave early, and hide under their tenure. The key is they CAN'T be fired (not in any way financially feasible by the district). The union needs to be eliminated. Have you ever heard of a crappy teacher being fired? It is rare...with the teacher having to really do something dumb.
Also, this isn't what defines great teachers from crappy ones. The greatest teachers can get all of this done in the STANDARD 7.5 hour day...as written in the contract. Remember, in that 8.5 hour day they will get 30-60 minutes of off time, as well as 60+ minutes of "prep" time. I was once even given a 7.5 hour day with 2.5 hours of total prep/off time. All of this and the teachers in the district were lobbying for more prep time.
Not that I diagree with you, but how do some people get so much spam and phishing scams in email? I hear so much about the spam problems and phishing problems, yet I don't see it. I have had the same email address for many years, along with everyone else I know, and none of us ever get spam or scams. I think I once started recieving some junkmail, so I clicked the dredded "unsubscribe" button, and it stopped coming.
I have no spam, scam, virus , whatever filters. I have used the same address for many years, using it to sign up on hundreds of websites. I have a very common ISP, with a short and simple address. I use ebay, paypal, and every other online service under the sun. Seriously, I don't get it? How do people get on these lists? I must be in dozens of address books by now....many of which are users that I know don't have decent security.
I have a rather robust firewall, use Firfox and Tbird. I just finally installed SP2 a few weeks ago, and probably am still months behind on patches. I run no antivirus, or anything of the sort (an annual housecall scan, after my nephew uses my computer for a weekend).
To stay on-topic. I don't worry much about google creating a profile about me, they don't need to. They have an archive of the actual emails.
I am keeping my ps1 as well, but it would be nice to have the backwards compatability. It is my biggest reason for buying a ps2 instead of an xbox, this summer.
If the ps2 can play ps1 games, would this also mean that the ps3 can play ps1 games.............or not? I mean, if the ps1 features in the ps2 are a seperate chip, then i assume it will be dumped. If they are included in the ps2 electronics, than it should be good to go.
We have put a chunk in a pail of warm water with a cup of dishsoap. Outside of course (we learned after trying it in the sink with an ice cream pail......hehe).
Slashdot Mirror
"I've seen some web clients already that automatically filter out tiny "bug" sized graphics."
So why not just use a bigger graphic? Actually Outlook seems to block all graphics by default....so I don't see the problem. Though maybe it doesn't for internal mail.
Wikipedia explains web bugs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_bugs
So, is this spyware, or not? I would say yes. The website is spyware, as it is tracking where it's user comes from....but then isn't all of the internet spyware?
The ZDnet article asks it best......"Phoning home? Deception? It must be spyware. Right? At least if you're a politician that's not well steeped in technology, it must be. Or is that the case? Maybe it is spyware after all. And maybe all HTML-based e-mail should visibly disclose that the page contains "tracking" elements with links back to more information on what those elements do and what the privacy policy of the sender is. Does PattyMail qualify as spyware and should the senders of HTML-based e-mail disclose their use of trackable graphical elements in the e-mail itself? Feel free to answer below."
Yeah, but I expect someone will be offering them $20 for the laptop (or stealing tons of them) then plopping them on ebay. The kids don't have to be the ones to sell in order to profit.
FYI, there are 384.2 laptops in a ton.
Yeah, and that doesn't factor in the cost of gas after adding the expenses associated with defending/protecting/subsidising the oil wells and oil companies.
A few years back, I remember seeing a graph which showed that the US has the most expensive gas in the world. Gas was about $1.50 per gallon at the time, but the "true cost" was listed as $11.50 per gallon for the U.S. I wonder where those numbers would be today for the U.K. or the U.S.
When you look at the true cost of oil, solar and other sources become far cheaper. But, lets not cloud the issue with facts.
Assuming the person doesn't want to go to prison, wouldn't it be percieved as a punishment to them (which is the perspective that matters)? It sounds pretty much the same as the U.S. from the prisoners point of view. Our sentances are high, but the person usually gets out way early because they are viewed as rehabilitated (parole). They rarely stay up to the max that the judge sets.
I see! That makes more sence! Thanks!
So, it doesn't affect your calculation, but it does show that they are possibly not the complete and accurate picture. Also, when the tree dies, wouldn't the carbon simply return to the environment? The tree would decompose, thus releasing most of the c02.
Information: That is an excellent point, except there is one problem....the tree you plant uses sunlight as the energy source to fix the c02. The plants that are now shaded by the tree are not not recieving that same amount of sunlight, thus fix less c02 themselves. The net c02 fixation actually can go down when you plant a tree. Also, trees can actually emit more carbon than they intake during some phases of their life.
Disclaimer: I am not an expert, just a concerned citizen. Clearly this depends on the type of tree, and the environment in which you plant it. Do you know of a location which is currently not already growing plants, where you can plant 6 million trees?
Result: Trees are not the answer....though the idea should be investigated. Could we GM a tree that consumes vast quantities of c02?
Okay, yes I concede the first point. I didn't read it that way the first time.
How about this one, I currently have 2 clients that insert floppy disks, and hit save on their WORD or Geneology program (it saves to the same place they opened the file from). I can't get either of them to grasp the idea that it doesn't save to the floppy just because it is in the drive. They are both older clients....but that shouldn't be an issue. Everytime I show them the save-as function, they just roll their eyes and say they are "too stupid to be learning this stuff." One of the 2 just said they will pay me to back up their stuff once every few months. That is fine.
I agree mostly............except with this....
"I can't help you unless you tell me exactly what operating system you're running".
Support is how some of us get paid. If I followed this policy, I would lose 50%+ of my business. The majority of people who call me for support do not know what OS they have. It might be different working for a large company, but as a general PC repair company this isn't practical. Hehe, I had someone call several months back telling me they had Windows XP, and it turned out to be a PowerPC. Wow.
Users that call me often refer to the case as "the hard drive", the desktop is "their homepage", and the monitor as "the computer". The "caps-lock" concept makes sense to them, but the "num-lock" doesn't. The average home user doesn't know the difference between RAM and a hard drive, they don't know what an OS is, and they certainly don't know what OS they are running. My only hope is to ask them to either remember what it says when they boot up, or click the start menu and look there. At that point I typically have to backtrack and explain what I mean by "boot up".
This probably seems far fetched to most IT workers.....who think their office staff is stupid. Get with reality....your office staff at least knows something about computers. Can they send attachments? If so, that is more than the average user.
Not that I diagree with you, but he didn't say he was supporting linux, he said he was supporing desktop software. If you had been in support, you would realize that the above statements are very realistic. Just last week I had a user who said they were running Windows, and it turned out to be Linux ("Oh yeah, some other type of Windows"). I have also had the reverse, where they told me they were running Linux, but it was Windows (they installed a linux distro, but the bootloader would prompt them for which OS to boot, and it would boot Windows anyway).
"then they wouldn't know what version of Windows they were using either."
At least 80% of my calls are from people who have no idea what version of Windows they are running. They all say XP, but more than half are still on ME or 98. It is changing, 2 years ago it would have been more like 2/3.
I agree entirely about the usb hard drive..... except for the part about "they do sometimes impress non-technical people who haven't seen them before".
.....and have the disk work as a boot disk for some form of OS so you can move files around and such if the host OS needs help.
In reality, they act impress, don't have a clue what your showing them, and walk away thinking "what a nerd". Check your back for a kick-me sign.
Note: To non-slashdot readers, "nerd" is an insult.
I have a similar collection of tools to what everyone else has said. Just make sure you have....Browser, antivirus, antispyware, firewall, task manager, email client, text editor, XP service packs, office suite, ftp, ssh, vnc, download manager, more
I would post my list with actual application names that I have on mine, but i borrowed my drive away. DON'T do this!
Yeah, the robotic watchdogs might have been brought on by lack of sleep or my co-worker continually playing the robocop theme, however the idea still remains true.
"Ironic?" What does irony have to do with it?
The moral still remains true.....many people are willing to give up their freedoms and privacy because somebody needs to "think of the children". I am not willing to give up my privacy, just so the govt can easily catch criminals. I won't even discuss why, because the counter-argument has a foundation of pure ignorance. Instead, I am going to go spend some time with my kids, guarding them, teaching them, and making sure they grow up happy and safe..... rather than expecting the government to do it for me. Let me keep my privacy, and let me raise my kids.
Then the idiot finishes with "I suggest you work with some of these 'brats' sometime, or at least get to know some of them before you start talking about privacy issues.". Thanks, I work with kids every day........and yet I realize someday they will be adults too. I want them to enjoy the same freedoms that I do.
So, are you saying you would be willing to give up your privacy for the benefit of catching criminals?
Keep in mind, once you give the law-enforcing body supreme rights, you have lost yours.
At which point do we stop? We give the government rights to listen to our phone conversations, read our mail, watch our internet activity, put cameras in our homes?
Eventually the government hires robotic watchdogs to patrol the neighborhoods going inside and outside of homes at will, testing blood samples at will, breaking down doors with no suspicion or warrant? This is the path that this train of thought leads. A police state? Is this the world you want to live in?
I would rather take the risks involved in not having the government monitor my activities, and remove the risks of having the government monitor my activities.
I believe I have 2 of them. 3000's with 16mb of ram......if that sounds right.
So, what your saying is that you purchased apple at around $85, and now you are hoping us fellow nerds will help bail you out? No way, I am too busy saving up my $ for Vista! :)
In all seriousness, why doesn't Apple sell Leopard for like $99 to PC users? Would drivers be the limiting force? If it comes out before Vista, is better than Vista, and cheaper, and has less system requirements....it could really sway people over to their camp. Or is it because then nobody would need to buy their hardware? Enlighten me please.
Which isn't any different than credit cards right? Does anyone know what Visa and the others charge for their service?
The teachers we work with get insulted and feel threatened when we mention that we want to home school our children. It seems to me they spend more time whining about their pay and contracts than they do actually trying to become decent teachers. I have a MUCH younger brother who just hit 3rd grade, and he has already had 2 teachers that basically skipped math.
In college (going to a highly ranked school for teaching) I quickly discovered why people go into the field of education. While their are some excellent exceptions, it seems that poor self confidence is a huge factor. Many, especially the 4.0 studends, choose education (especially elementary education) because they figure "I did well in grade school, I should become a teacher". I tutored elementary education majors in math, and at least 40% of the students couldn't handle the math that they would be teaching, much less be able to conceptualize it from anothers perspective. Sadly, this was also the most common in the 4.0 students.
Ahhh, a possible argument for private schooling or home schooling? Incedentally, my wife and I have both been teachers....and our kids will be home schooled.
From your sig:
I love my country. I fear my government.
Also, the government fears the people!
I like the sig, and agree. What good is voting when we have a 2 party system, and both are corrupt. 3rd party? Sure, I have voted for them for my entire voting life. Run for office myself... I'm not interested, and I am not personable enough.
Is it because the voters are undereducated? I think partly. When both parties do their best to dumb down the general public about current affairs, it is tough to educate voters. Most of my community thinks the patriot act is what was used to catch Osama and Sadam (the 2 people who attacked the US on 9-11)...and that is what the govt wants them to think (and Sadam had to be removed because he had stockpiles of anthrax and nukes). Any education I can spread, quickly gets undone by the govt.
Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos!!!!
It can, and does. Probably the worst district in our area only gives about 45 minutes of prep during the 7 hour day, but teachers generally only work there until they can go elsewhere. They then also have 1 hour though extra before they hit the 8 hours in the contract, so you could still argue that they have 1.75 hours of prep. The grass is always greener, and teachers are no different. They think their job is the worst, and they deserve more. On top of it all, they have state retirement plans worth well over a million dollars per teacher, they have it made. Retire after obtaining their required "points", not having to have saved a penny. Most of my friends have retired, making more money now than when they worked. Most have part time jobs now and are pulling in a combined income of 60-80K per year. Not bad considering they are working part time, and didn't have to set asside any of the retirement income (even if they only live for 20 years retired, 50K per year, x 20 years = 1 million, think about that).
Actually, having been in education, and from a family of teachers, you are incorrect. A few teachers do these things. Most just arrive late, leave early, and hide under their tenure. The key is they CAN'T be fired (not in any way financially feasible by the district). The union needs to be eliminated. Have you ever heard of a crappy teacher being fired? It is rare...with the teacher having to really do something dumb.
Also, this isn't what defines great teachers from crappy ones. The greatest teachers can get all of this done in the STANDARD 7.5 hour day...as written in the contract. Remember, in that 8.5 hour day they will get 30-60 minutes of off time, as well as 60+ minutes of "prep" time. I was once even given a 7.5 hour day with 2.5 hours of total prep/off time. All of this and the teachers in the district were lobbying for more prep time.
Not that I diagree with you, but how do some people get so much spam and phishing scams in email? I hear so much about the spam problems and phishing problems, yet I don't see it. I have had the same email address for many years, along with everyone else I know, and none of us ever get spam or scams. I think I once started recieving some junkmail, so I clicked the dredded "unsubscribe" button, and it stopped coming.
I have no spam, scam, virus , whatever filters. I have used the same address for many years, using it to sign up on hundreds of websites. I have a very common ISP, with a short and simple address. I use ebay, paypal, and every other online service under the sun. Seriously, I don't get it? How do people get on these lists? I must be in dozens of address books by now....many of which are users that I know don't have decent security.
I have a rather robust firewall, use Firfox and Tbird. I just finally installed SP2 a few weeks ago, and probably am still months behind on patches. I run no antivirus, or anything of the sort (an annual housecall scan, after my nephew uses my computer for a weekend).
To stay on-topic. I don't worry much about google creating a profile about me, they don't need to. They have an archive of the actual emails.
I am keeping my ps1 as well, but it would be nice to have the backwards compatability. It is my biggest reason for buying a ps2 instead of an xbox, this summer.
If the ps2 can play ps1 games, would this also mean that the ps3 can play ps1 games.............or not? I mean, if the ps1 features in the ps2 are a seperate chip, then i assume it will be dumped. If they are included in the ps2 electronics, than it should be good to go.
Great Idea, thanks!
We have put a chunk in a pail of warm water with a cup of dishsoap. Outside of course (we learned after trying it in the sink with an ice cream pail......hehe).