You can also read about this story on MacSlash, which published the story first. We've got some good discussion going on over there, and lots of people jumping in the fray on both sides of Chrisp.
Personally, I'm sad to see him go, but hope he'll be back eventually. I understand his frustration with the "community" but hope he notices all of us who forgot to say how much we appreciated his work before he left.
I think I'm gonna' make a bumper sticker: "Have you hugged an Open Source Programmer today?"
Earler today, someone sent me a link to an article at Cybercast News Service (CNS) that is incredibly biased and attacks once again, freedoms such as privacy, search warrants and generally suggests more invasive and heavy handed actions by our government.
The article was one one sided, and lacked any sort of journalistic integrity. Here's my letter to the editor:
Dear Editors,
I just got finished reading your piece on domain names that may have been warning signals of the terrorist attacks last week.
This article was horribly biased, and I hope a retraction and a more balanced and informative article will replace it.
The quotes in the article from Neil Livingstone have very limited view points that seem to waver close to extreme when it comes to attacking civil liberties.
Mr. Livingstone also seems a poor choice to quote on this matter, since his comments show that he doesn't understand how the domain registration system works on the internet.
Below, I've pointed out some passages from the article (specifically quotes from Mr. Livingstone) which show his lack of understanding on the technical details involved in registering domain names and his lack of respect for civil liberties and freedom.
"It's unbelievable that they (the registration company) would register these domain names, probably without any comment to the FBI," according to Neil Livingstone, head of Global Options LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based counter-terrorism and investigation company.
It's not surprising at all. Hundreds of thousands of domain name records are created and changed every day. Most of the transactions are handled by computer, and human operators don't even look at the names being registered. I've been dealing with domain registration issues for many many domains, going as far back as 1994, and in that time, not once have I ever spoken to a human representative from the registration firms I've dealt with. This is involving hundreds, if not thousands, of domains that I've been responsible for over the past 7 years.
To protect his sources, Livingstone would not say with which company the domain names in question were registered. He had no information about the identity of the person or people who registered the names.
His sources? Mr. Livingstone couldn't have had sources on this matter. The records are quite public, as your story goes on to point out. Anyone with a net connection can find out when a domain was registered, and who the administrative, technical, and billing contacts are.
"This is something that someone should have noticed," he said, "but privacy issues probably kept it from being noticed."
Privacy issues? ANYONE can get the information his "sources" gave him. It's not private to begin with. His attack on privacy doesn't have anything to do with the subject of the article, and seems very out of place.
...Livingstone believes authorities should have the right to investigate inflammatory rhetoric, even something as simple as the registration of a web address that might indicate criminal intent.
And, evidently, he thinks that we should just forget about those constitutional protections that already allow this, once the proper clearance has been given by the courts in the form of search warrents.
It seems as if he's suggesting that due to a national tragedy, we can trample the constitutional rights of our citizens in order to ensure "safety."
In the future, I hope you'll present more balanced and technically accurate articles, with a broader sampling of opinions and viewpoints evident in the people you quote.
Thank you,
Ben Stanfield
--
Ben Stanfield
Executive Editor, MacSlash
ben@macslash.com
The open source community just hasn't picked up the XNS ball for some reason.
There's a really good reason: XNS is vaporware.
There is no source to be seen. There are still no technical specs to be seen. There are no answers on the mailing list, other than stalling tactics and vague "soons" that have been uttered by those "in the know" since day one.
The reason the community doesn't pay any attentiong to XNS is because they haven't given anything to pay attention to.
I talked with the YDL people at MacWorld this week. They do have one fan that sucks air in a U shape around the case.
They're working on a new design that they hope to have done soon that runs on convection cooling and doesn't need a fan.
It's interesting to note that Total Impact had some sort of psedo-deal with LinuxPPC announced in January, but they've switched to YDL I hope it works for them.
Detailed information from the keynote is available on MacSlash. We had dual live reports from the keynote, and have been following all the big news from the important companies at the show.
MacSlash will be updating throughout the expo. Check us out and discuss your thoughts.
Some valid points, but let me point out one thing:
Even though MacOS X is finally released Apple considers it to still be a beta product - witness Apple's not shipping it installed on Macs until July.
As Apple has said since the announced ship date of X Final at MacWorld in January, the reason they won't be shipping it on machines until July because that's when the bell curve of available software hits the top. Some Apps are available now. Most will be available then. Some stragglers won't be out until the fall.
Cheers, Ben
There's also an extensive article and interview on MacSlash today, which talks about the non-profit set up and a the fact that LinuxPPC will be using their own INIT scripts now instead of porting Red Hat's.
I think the move to a non-profit organization is more fitting with the ideals of the Free Software movement, and it's going to let LinuxPPC find capital through donations and grants, but still be able to control the distribution instead of giving power to VC's. A very nice move.
Jason's a great guy to talk to, and really a lot of fun to work with. I think we'll be seeing good things from the LinuxPPC gang for a long time.
(And Taco, check out last night's episode of The Mac Show. They talked to a guy from the Int'l Titanium Assoc. and he talked about how to anodize the TiBook's case to create some a cool custom looking PowerBook.)
Moderators Are Crazy...Mod My Post Down
on
High-Speed Greed
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· Score: 1
Moderators...I just read what I wrote last night. It's not deserving of a 5. I'm honored to see that it's gotten that high, but it's off topic, and basically just a rant.
Someone do something about that, please. I didn't mean it to dilute the actual issues that the article brings up, I just wanted to vent and share my frustrations. Thanks! --
AT&T Better Fix The Broadband For Customers First
on
High-Speed Greed
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· Score: 5
I'm an AT&T @Home customer, only because DSL isn't available in our area yet, and I love the high speed access when it works. I'm disgusted with this news, mostly because they provide such HORRIBLE customer service to me and don't deliver on their promises.
I'm connected through a dialup account with my old ISP at the moment because the cable modem service in our area is down. It's been down since September 28. Their customer service line tells me they're "Working on it." but can't provide any sort of time frame.
For the first three months we had the @Home service every 2 hours we'd recieve a DOS ping attack, lasting over 30 minutes each time. Our logs showed our computers being pinged up to 3000 times/second. You know where it was coming from? AT&T's "security" server.
We logged over 500 calls to AT&T. I've got a spreadsheet with the names of every person I talked to. We went to the highest levels they would give us access to. We sent e-mails, we attached logs, we did everything they asked us to. They refused to fix the problem for 3 fucking months.
And now they expect to harass online retailers that I want to shop with, just because I use AT&T as an ISP. I don't think so. If they do that I'll bother ever DSL company on the east coast to bring service to my town so I can use surf in peace.
I hate AT&T. The second there's an option for another high speed service provider here, I'm jumping on board. I'd pay three or four times a month what I'm paying AT&T just for some sort of service. I've never had a worse experience with any company. --
>Instead of having a lawsuit against an unknown individual they are going to have one against an unnamed individual.
Actually, the individual has been named. His name is Juan Gutierrez, and he's now in the court documents. News.com evidently doesn't have enough backbone to print the name, for whatever reason. But, you can find it at MacSlash. --
That picture is most definitely NOT Woz. In fact, if you go to Woz's site you'll see that woz speaks about that drapery right on the main page. Turns out, that the photograph is actually someone else famous who just happens to look like Woz. Check out his site to find out who. Think differnt, like film directors, especially different film directors. --
So, you decided to rip off this post from Brunching Shuttlecocks, huh? It was originally posted the week of March 20. How appropriate that this kind of stuff gets posted without credit on a story that has at least some content about copyrights.
Yeah, sure, information wants to be free yadda, yadd. But, if you're going to quote someone else, at least give them credit where credit is due. It's only fair.
--
Re:But you lose ability to modify the check contra
on
On Paying Bills Online
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· Score: 1
I've been using PayMyBills.com for a few months now, and luckily, this ability isn't lost at all.
With PayMyBills, you can write in the "memo" field on a the check by filling in the text box in the electronic checkbook screen. That way, you still have the opportunity to include your account number, a note like you described, or virtually anything else.
I really like using the online service, because it reminds me when I have payments due (I'm known for forgetting such things), and it's easier, mentally, for me to part with my money online than it is to physically write a check.
You're forgeting that the local radio station somewhat recently changed its name from "Bee 103" to "Beaver 103". And the mascot's name is "Bucky".
Actually, it's the *new* Beaver 103, even though they changed thier name a few years ago. And, really, what more can you expect from a crappy radio station around here? I just wish 90.7 had a clearer reception in Bellefonte, where I live (and, I should note, where *Governor* Beaver was from), and that they didn't play so much (c)rap.
Re:Are you sure about the onion?
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Middle Media
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· Score: 2
The onion did start as a print paper out of Madison, WI, and is still distributed in print form.
I work at a B. Dalton Bookseller in our local mall, and we carry the print version every week.
I really don't think the two are connected at all. First of all, the Pinkwater collection came out at least a year ago, maybe more, before the Harry Potter became a household name. Also, reading Pinkwater is not at all like reading Rowling.
I've read both authors, and enjoyed both immensely. Pinkwater seems to concentrate more on kids like I was. Kids who were geeks, more or less. Pinkwater's characters didn't fit in and couldn't have cared less. Harry and the gang become heros to everyone at the school.
The HP books also have the traditional good vs. evil story line, while Pinkwater seemed to explore different kinds of conflict and plot in his books.
Both authors are extrememly talented at what they do, but I don't think there's much of a comparison between what they're writing.
I disagree. I'm tired of dealing with egalitarians. I went through 13 years in the egalitarian public school system where I was constantly thrown in groups with dumb people. Tracking? It's old fashioned and unfair. I was told that it would hurt others feelings if I went at a faster pace. Enough already. We're not all created equal. Deal with it.
If people want privacy, they'll figure out how to get it. If they can't figure it out, tough shit. It's survival of the fittest, and if you can't cut it, then you're not entitled to it. So, let's stop pretending like we're all the same.
While Gibson may be Dystopian to some, his future is at least exciting. I'd much rather live in the setting of Gibson's future than in the world of Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron.
Haven't we seen this network computer idea from larry and the oracle gang before? Didn't it flop really badly the first time?
I thought the "network computer" had been filed away in that box marked "Wired" cover articles that never materialised, along with things like Push technology.
I wonder what made them think it's going to work again this time? Especially curious since Larry's still on the board of Apple, whose iMac is supposed to be the penultimate computer designed for use on the Internet.
With this great new idea, that tacky aluminum tree suddenly becomes obsolete.
Or maybe Charlie Brown is obsolete, too, and it's time for something like After Y2K to come up with their own claymation christmas special, featuring a tree just like the one we're talking about.
Too bad Gil killed Newton.. Then we would have two good PDA devices. I wish it never died.
I believe the Newton was "Steved," not Gil-ed. I bought an eMate about a month before Jobs came in and shut down the Newtons, but luckily, I haven't had a single problem with it.
In fact, I use it every day to take notes on in my big lecture classes at Penn State. It works like a charm, and I'd highly reccomend it to any other college students. The fact that it's battery life is between 12 and 15 hours is the greatest thing about it.
I'm confused by your post. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure than Amazon.com will only ship to one address, and if you want something delivered to another address you have to provide the credit card information again when you order. You can't just use the card information saved in the cookie.
So, either you made these stories up, or the Amazon system is not as I remember it.
At the B. Dalton Bookstore where I work, this issue of Scientific America came off the shelf yesterday, as we got the new issue in. So, it may be hard to find at newstands, but hopefully they'll post it on the web soon.
The article was very intriguing, and the rest of the issue had some cool stuff in it, too.
While I think some of AngryMob's post may have been a bit over-dramatic, one of his suggestions really leaps out: The idea of allowing/. users to contact their legislators about issues important to the community.
This seems like it would be a perfect fit for the Your Rights Online section, and one that I'd definitely find useful.
Some quick ideas for what it might include:
Current Bills
Links to action groups (EFF, ACLU, etc)
Congressional contact info look-up (By ZIP code?)
A "Technology Report Card" for each Senator/Representative
Sample letters
Facts and statistics to use in letters
A forum to post responses from congressmen
What do you think? Any other ideas from anyone out there?
/. is an impressive forum, where some of the neatest, coolest people I know hang out and discuss all kinds of ideas relevant to Linux and technology in general. It's a nerd's paradise for me, and I'm glad to see that Jane's (and others in the mass media, I hope) are realising what a tremendous resource the/. community is.
However, I want to respond to one particular part of Otto's post. He says:
The best thing about/. IMO, is the simple fact that you get one of the largest collection of intelligent people on the planet coming together to give you the truth behind the headlines.
While we certainly have some amazing, wonderfully talented and creative people in the/. community, I don't think we can consider ourselves "one of the largest collection of intelligent people on the planet." This egotistical view feels good, I'm sure, but I think we equate our knowledge of computers, the net, and linux too often to that of intelligence.
I'm not egalitarian by nature, but I'm rooting against/. becoming a place for the "techno-snobs" to hang out, to the exclusion of others. With such a great community of users, we should be reaching out and using our resources to teach others about our passions.
The article in Jane is certainly a good starting point for how/. can reach out past the confines of all of us Technically Elites and help the general population (or, at least another subset) learn about issues that matter to us. Let's keep using our speciality to contribute to projects like this.
Slashdot Mirror
Personally, I'm sad to see him go, but hope he'll be back eventually. I understand his frustration with the "community" but hope he notices all of us who forgot to say how much we appreciated his work before he left.
I think I'm gonna' make a bumper sticker: "Have you hugged an Open Source Programmer today?"
The article was one one sided, and lacked any sort of journalistic integrity. Here's my letter to the editor:
Dear Editors,
I just got finished reading your piece on domain names that may have been warning signals of the terrorist attacks last week.
This article was horribly biased, and I hope a retraction and a more balanced and informative article will replace it.
The quotes in the article from Neil Livingstone have very limited view points that seem to waver close to extreme when it comes to attacking civil liberties.
Mr. Livingstone also seems a poor choice to quote on this matter, since his comments show that he doesn't understand how the domain registration system works on the internet.
Below, I've pointed out some passages from the article (specifically quotes from Mr. Livingstone) which show his lack of understanding on the technical details involved in registering domain names and his lack of respect for civil liberties and freedom.
It's not surprising at all. Hundreds of thousands of domain name records are created and changed every day. Most of the transactions are handled by computer, and human operators don't even look at the names being registered. I've been dealing with domain registration issues for many many domains, going as far back as 1994, and in that time, not once have I ever spoken to a human representative from the registration firms I've dealt with. This is involving hundreds, if not thousands, of domains that I've been responsible for over the past 7 years.
His sources? Mr. Livingstone couldn't have had sources on this matter. The records are quite public, as your story goes on to point out. Anyone with a net connection can find out when a domain was registered, and who the administrative, technical, and billing contacts are.
Privacy issues? ANYONE can get the information his "sources" gave him. It's not private to begin with. His attack on privacy doesn't have anything to do with the subject of the article, and seems very out of place.
And, evidently, he thinks that we should just forget about those constitutional protections that already allow this, once the proper clearance has been given by the courts in the form of search warrents.
It seems as if he's suggesting that due to a national tragedy, we can trample the constitutional rights of our citizens in order to ensure "safety."
In the future, I hope you'll present more balanced and technically accurate articles, with a broader sampling of opinions and viewpoints evident in the people you quote.
Thank you,
Ben Stanfield
--
Ben Stanfield
Executive Editor, MacSlash
ben@macslash.com
There's a really good reason: XNS is vaporware.
There is no source to be seen. There are still no technical specs to be seen. There are no answers on the mailing list, other than stalling tactics and vague "soons" that have been uttered by those "in the know" since day one.
The reason the community doesn't pay any attentiong to XNS is because they haven't given anything to pay attention to.
It's really time for them to put up or shut up.
I talked with the YDL people at MacWorld this week. They do have one fan that sucks air in a U shape around the case. They're working on a new design that they hope to have done soon that runs on convection cooling and doesn't need a fan. It's interesting to note that Total Impact had some sort of psedo-deal with LinuxPPC announced in January, but they've switched to YDL I hope it works for them.
MacSlash will be updating throughout the expo. Check us out and discuss your thoughts.
----
Ben Stanfield, Executive Editor
MacSlash
I think the move to a non-profit organization is more fitting with the ideals of the Free Software movement, and it's going to let LinuxPPC find capital through donations and grants, but still be able to control the distribution instead of giving power to VC's. A very nice move.
Jason's a great guy to talk to, and really a lot of fun to work with. I think we'll be seeing good things from the LinuxPPC gang for a long time.
(And Taco, check out last night's episode of The Mac Show. They talked to a guy from the Int'l Titanium Assoc. and he talked about how to anodize the TiBook's case to create some a cool custom looking PowerBook.)
Someone do something about that, please. I didn't mean it to dilute the actual issues that the article brings up, I just wanted to vent and share my frustrations. Thanks!
--
I'm connected through a dialup account with my old ISP at the moment because the cable modem service in our area is down. It's been down since September 28. Their customer service line tells me they're "Working on it." but can't provide any sort of time frame.
For the first three months we had the @Home service every 2 hours we'd recieve a DOS ping attack, lasting over 30 minutes each time. Our logs showed our computers being pinged up to 3000 times/second. You know where it was coming from? AT&T's "security" server.
We logged over 500 calls to AT&T. I've got a spreadsheet with the names of every person I talked to. We went to the highest levels they would give us access to. We sent e-mails, we attached logs, we did everything they asked us to. They refused to fix the problem for 3 fucking months.
And now they expect to harass online retailers that I want to shop with, just because I use AT&T as an ISP. I don't think so. If they do that I'll bother ever DSL company on the east coast to bring service to my town so I can use surf in peace.
I hate AT&T. The second there's an option for another high speed service provider here, I'm jumping on board. I'd pay three or four times a month what I'm paying AT&T just for some sort of service. I've never had a worse experience with any company.
--
Actually, the individual has been named. His name is Juan Gutierrez, and he's now in the court documents. News.com evidently doesn't have enough backbone to print the name, for whatever reason. But, you can find it at MacSlash.
--
That picture is most definitely NOT Woz. In fact, if you go to Woz's site you'll see that woz speaks about that drapery right on the main page. Turns out, that the photograph is actually someone else famous who just happens to look like Woz. Check out his site to find out who. Think differnt, like film directors, especially different film directors.
--
So, you decided to rip off this post from Brunching Shuttlecocks, huh? It was originally posted the week of March 20. How appropriate that this kind of stuff gets posted without credit on a story that has at least some content about copyrights.
Yeah, sure, information wants to be free yadda, yadd. But, if you're going to quote someone else, at least give them credit where credit is due. It's only fair.
--
I've been using PayMyBills.com for a few months now, and luckily, this ability isn't lost at all.
With PayMyBills, you can write in the "memo" field on a the check by filling in the text box in the electronic checkbook screen. That way, you still have the opportunity to include your account number, a note like you described, or virtually anything else.
I really like using the online service, because it reminds me when I have payments due (I'm known for forgetting such things), and it's easier, mentally, for me to part with my money online than it is to physically write a check.
Actually, it's the *new* Beaver 103, even though they changed thier name a few years ago. And, really, what more can you expect from a crappy radio station around here? I just wish 90.7 had a clearer reception in Bellefonte, where I live (and, I should note, where *Governor* Beaver was from), and that they didn't play so much (c)rap.
The onion did start as a print paper out of Madison, WI, and is still distributed in print form.
I work at a B. Dalton Bookseller in our local mall, and we carry the print version every week.
I really don't think the two are connected at all. First of all, the Pinkwater collection came out at least a year ago, maybe more, before the Harry Potter became a household name. Also, reading Pinkwater is not at all like reading Rowling.
I've read both authors, and enjoyed both immensely. Pinkwater seems to concentrate more on kids like I was. Kids who were geeks, more or less. Pinkwater's characters didn't fit in and couldn't have cared less. Harry and the gang become heros to everyone at the school.
The HP books also have the traditional good vs. evil story line, while Pinkwater seemed to explore different kinds of conflict and plot in his books.
Both authors are extrememly talented at what they do, but I don't think there's much of a comparison between what they're writing.
I disagree. I'm tired of dealing with egalitarians. I went through 13 years in the egalitarian public school system where I was constantly thrown in groups with dumb people. Tracking? It's old fashioned and unfair. I was told that it would hurt others feelings if I went at a faster pace. Enough already. We're not all created equal. Deal with it.
If people want privacy, they'll figure out how to get it. If they can't figure it out, tough shit. It's survival of the fittest, and if you can't cut it, then you're not entitled to it. So, let's stop pretending like we're all the same.
While Gibson may be Dystopian to some, his future is at least exciting. I'd much rather live in the setting of Gibson's future than in the world of Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron.
Haven't we seen this network computer idea from larry and the oracle gang before? Didn't it flop really badly the first time?
I thought the "network computer" had been filed away in that box marked "Wired" cover articles that never materialised, along with things like Push technology.
I wonder what made them think it's going to work again this time? Especially curious since Larry's still on the board of Apple, whose iMac is supposed to be the penultimate computer designed for use on the Internet.
With this great new idea, that tacky aluminum tree suddenly becomes obsolete.
Or maybe Charlie Brown is obsolete, too, and it's time for something like After Y2K to come up with their own claymation christmas special, featuring a tree just like the one we're talking about.
Too bad Gil killed Newton.. Then we would have two good PDA devices. I wish it never died.
I believe the Newton was "Steved," not Gil-ed. I bought an eMate about a month before Jobs came in and shut down the Newtons, but luckily, I haven't had a single problem with it.
In fact, I use it every day to take notes on in my big lecture classes at Penn State. It works like a charm, and I'd highly reccomend it to any other college students. The fact that it's battery life is between 12 and 15 hours is the greatest thing about it.
Do they come in Blueberry?
How about Tangerine?
As an ordinary college student, I don't have much need to take a laptop underwater or have the ability to throw it off tall buildings.
I'd much rather have a new iBook that I can play wireless Quake 3 on.
I'm confused by your post. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure than Amazon.com will only ship to one address, and if you want something delivered to another address you have to provide the credit card information again when you order. You can't just use the card information saved in the cookie.
So, either you made these stories up, or the Amazon system is not as I remember it.
At the B. Dalton Bookstore where I work, this issue of Scientific America came off the shelf yesterday, as we got the new issue in. So, it may be hard to find at newstands, but hopefully they'll post it on the web soon.
The article was very intriguing, and the rest of the issue had some cool stuff in it, too.
(Sorry for the off-topic post.)
While I think some of AngryMob's post may have been a bit over-dramatic, one of his suggestions really leaps out: The idea of allowing /. users to contact their legislators about issues important to the community.
This seems like it would be a perfect fit for the Your Rights Online section, and one that I'd definitely find useful.
Some quick ideas for what it might include:
What do you think? Any other ideas from anyone out there?
/. is an impressive forum, where some of the neatest, coolest people I know hang out and discuss all kinds of ideas relevant to Linux and technology in general. It's a nerd's paradise for me, and I'm glad to see that Jane's (and others in the mass media, I hope) are realising what a tremendous resource the /. community is.
However, I want to respond to one particular part of Otto's post. He says:
While we certainly have some amazing, wonderfully talented and creative people in the /. community, I don't think we can consider ourselves "one of the largest collection of intelligent people on the planet." This egotistical view feels good, I'm sure, but I think we equate our knowledge of computers, the net, and linux too often to that of intelligence.
I'm not egalitarian by nature, but I'm rooting against /. becoming a place for the "techno-snobs" to hang out, to the exclusion of others. With such a great community of users, we should be reaching out and using our resources to teach others about our passions.
The article in Jane is certainly a good starting point for how /. can reach out past the confines of all of us Technically Elites and help the general population (or, at least another subset) learn about issues that matter to us. Let's keep using our speciality to contribute to projects like this.