Freaky_Friday wrote with a link to an InfoWorld article about a teenage kid accessing customer information at AOL [CC]. The alleged criminal trespass began late last year, and extended up through early April. According to the article, the guy used some 'off-the-shelf' hacking software he downloaded online to gain access to, and then transmit information from, AOL's systems. Okay, so a script kiddie hacks AOL servers and Diebold builds really bad voting systems. Which one is worse? Technically, if all that's said so far is true, the kid probably belongs on a security team at AOL. He at least knows enough holes in their security to cause them no sleep for months. Perhaps that should be the entirety of his punishment: help AOL fix their holes for free.
On top of that, lets have AOL users now hold the board of AOL responsible until they show they have fixed their security issues. If a 'teenage kid' can hack their security, why should any AOL user remain with them? If they fail the post remediation testing, penalize them financially.
No, you are not the only one. He pretty much declares himself incapable of being an 'expert witness' as the court defines it. Then goes on to validate arguments that show it is not possible to know beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty.
From what I read, it didn't sound like they explored the whole mac address / ip address relationships and spoofing enough. Anyone that could present her mac address to the network DHCP server would likely get the same IP that her computer last acquired. If she is in the habit of using it to check email then turn it all off again, that would open up the question to who else might be using her mac address.
In all, I would think the court will disallow this 'expert witness'' testimony. There just is not enough credibility to it to allow it to stand as is.
I believe you are hitting a sore point for many. The tireless ability of people to call MS products the 'standard' that all other products should emulate is, in a word, tiring.
Even if you invent something better than Windows it will still be compared to Windows and declared lame because it isn't Windows. This is what Apple and the Linux distributions are up against. As pointed out, it's arguably fair to say that Vista isn't the best product that MS has ever rolled out, yet it's the new 'standard' that people will use.
Reviewers shouldn't be comparing OSs head to head. They should be comparing them to a neutral set of standards that judge ease of use, performance, stability etc. If the top score possible on such a test is 10, and Vista only gets an 8 it is no longer 'the' standard, at which point people can make the decision for themselves. If both Apple and Microsoft only get an 8, then the choice between them is one of taste, not perceived performance.
In that vein, if a Linux distro only got a 6, well, it lets the community in general know what to fix next.
You sir, have hit the nail mostly on the head. Lately we humans are discovering something new about ourselves almost daily. The genetic link to why some of us have body clocks that are slower than others is one, genetic links to everything from sexuality to diseases. We are learning slowly that we really aren't that complex. We just didn't know that yet.
The short answer to the original question is no. The reason is that the methods used to implement the models is incapable of truly mimicking the human brain. One piece of evidence for that is the fact that we understand how computers work but not the brain. From what it appears, there is the equivalent of many computers inside our heads, each doing their own thing and communicating with the others as needed, but in very complex chemical ways as well as electrochemical. If you thought modeling planetary weather was difficult, this is orders of magnitude more difficult.
The good news is that we are trying, and from that will come many good things though I worry about what kind of damage we will do if we can figure out gene therapies that can cure cancer as well as sexual orientation. This stuff really is SciFi writers playground. We should all worry too. GM food is in your future if not already in your stomach. Perhaps next will be a special bed that you go to sleep on and wake up a good citizen in the morning?
I think that if they have overestimated the amount of bright/visible matter in the universe, it might make a difference to how much dark matter they need to account for?
police put out a warrant for Trent Reznor's arrest? WTF?
If the student's work indicates that he might need counseling, give it to him. Talk with him, don't make a national incident over it. When you deem yourself appropriate as thought police, you are in need of counseling yourselves.
this really isn't about MS having a shitty database. It's really about Diebold not knowing how to design a database application. Other than that, I'm just too shocked to say anything while quietly making a mental note to avoid all things called Jet from MS and anything that comes from Diebold.
but the fact that the author complains that their printer requires a special driver lets you know what irks them. I know its a bit fanboi-ish to say that if people think they are equal, then Linux (Ubuntu) wins. The general populace has forced many to believe that Windows *IS* the standard to judge Linux against, and now 'it's a tie' is the verdict. That is clearly a win if you look at it as how the competition shapes up against the Windows flagship.
Personally, I installed Ubuntu 6.x to see how it feels, and I'm pleasantly impressed. A couple of hours and everything I need is working fine (YMMV). I know that most of the users that I help would be good to go with Ubuntu. A great many people don't want or need all that an OS can provide. Hell, some of them probably don't need anything more than email and a browser, but that's another story. I think that Redmond needs to be getting worried soon.
Not to press a point, but NIN has been pushing a viral release of their new CD for some time now. They are a band that 'gets it' so to speak. They will make money even while giving away their music. If only the RIAA will learn from this, give content in new ways, give content that is more than an MP3 file, give content that is *WORTH* paying for.
I don't care if you don't like NIN's music, you have to admire how they are approaching the new medium and embracing a new environment. I will buy their CD just to have that heat sensitive label. NIN 'gets it' in my opinion.
We, the RIAA, represent copyright holders of digital content, and as such, it has come to our attention that you own a computer which is also connected to the Internet via Globalcom ISP.
We have acquired web surfing logs from Globalcom, and have determined that several people in the Northern Hemisphere have been downloading music files illegally. Since you connect to the Internet via Globalcom we are prepared to offer you a discounted amnesty program. You may choose this option, sending us the requisite $5,000 payment via check or major credit card, or you may choose to wait till we take you to court, confiscate your computers, all the computers you have had access to, and the computing and entertainment devices of yourselves, all your family members, and anyone who has been within 50 feet of your wireless router.
We cheerfully await your reply and are certain you will do the right thing.
And that is what we really should be afraid of. If any one group can control that many devices, have their DRM software installed everywhere, who is to stop them from using it to support government policies? Yes, that sounds like I regularly wear a tin foil hat, but with recent events and the government's record (any government) I would not want to install anything that would permit them to even have the possibility, never mind the actuality of spying on all that I do with my computer(s).
I have come to the conclusion that DRM, the DMCA, and all its look-alikes must be defeated for the security of society as a whole. The invasion of 'big brothers' into our homes and lives is not something that should be accepted regardless of what big business might lose their ability to remain big. It's not even about fair use anymore, it's about privacy and my right to control what the devices I own do. Sure, they can stop selling or renting content and I say go ahead, stop, give up. There will be 100s of people to take the place of the MPAA's members.
but as he points out in the PPT, manufacturers of end / edge devices are not holding up enough resources to participate in self healing networks. It might take near doubling the cost and development efforts to create edge / end user devices that can participate in such networks.
If its just at the backbone section of the Internet, can be done, but creating the library that allows your email application to know that the network is down, and to try sending via a relay server or some other relay method, takes a bit more effort and cooperation. Even if functions like this are only built into the OS networking (cable modem connection vs. wireless connection) redundancy and self healing get complex and expensive at the edge of the Internet cloud, and depend greatly on what the ISP will pass back to end users as to the condition of the network. The ISP part is where this will break down so that end users will still see the same Internet they have always seen. At least this will be true until ISP's are forced to play nicer.
Better yet, fill them with random data, then truecrypt the drive. Give them the actual password, then blame them for fscking up my files. I wonder if they would even report that the data was unreadable?
I have a hunch that Vonage will survive http://gigaom.com/2007/04/08/voip-patent-mess/ this article talks about how Verizon really shoudn't have the patents in the first place, and this might be a good argument in the appeals process.
I was thinking exactly that, but don't know where to look. I'd be real interested in finding out what it is costing them to sue file sharers. I'd be willing to bet that hits their bottom line nicely, and might encourage member companies to think a bit about what they are paying for.
"Yesterday India successfully launched an Italian astronomical satellite [CC]. A BBC article (view video clip [CC]) notes that the launch grants India membership in the exclusive group of nations that can sustain commercial satellite launches [CC]. India's launch vehicle has less overall capacity than the competition -- up to 1,500 kg to orbit -- but the country plans to sweep the low end of the market by offering the lowest cost per launched kilogram for smaller payloads." From what I understand, if you would give these guys a license http://www.space-rockets.com/arsa.html they would probably launch satellites for a 12 pack and some bragging rights, especially on that 'low end of the market' sector.
Lots of questions that the Inquirer seems to totally ignore in what may be a significant development in the battle of the big boys. Yes, like how long will it take before the AMD chips 'just seem to not perform as well as the Intel chips?' on the Intel FSB.
The people that benefit is not the consumer, it is the businesses that want to call their product 'chocolate' so once again, the US government is helping businesses, not the consumer
Slashdot Mirror
On top of that, lets have AOL users now hold the board of AOL responsible until they show they have fixed their security issues. If a 'teenage kid' can hack their security, why should any AOL user remain with them? If they fail the post remediation testing, penalize them financially.
No, you are not the only one. He pretty much declares himself incapable of being an 'expert witness' as the court defines it. Then goes on to validate arguments that show it is not possible to know beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty.
From what I read, it didn't sound like they explored the whole mac address / ip address relationships and spoofing enough. Anyone that could present her mac address to the network DHCP server would likely get the same IP that her computer last acquired. If she is in the habit of using it to check email then turn it all off again, that would open up the question to who else might be using her mac address.
In all, I would think the court will disallow this 'expert witness'' testimony. There just is not enough credibility to it to allow it to stand as is.
I believe you are hitting a sore point for many. The tireless ability of people to call MS products the 'standard' that all other products should emulate is, in a word, tiring.
Even if you invent something better than Windows it will still be compared to Windows and declared lame because it isn't Windows. This is what Apple and the Linux distributions are up against. As pointed out, it's arguably fair to say that Vista isn't the best product that MS has ever rolled out, yet it's the new 'standard' that people will use.
Reviewers shouldn't be comparing OSs head to head. They should be comparing them to a neutral set of standards that judge ease of use, performance, stability etc. If the top score possible on such a test is 10, and Vista only gets an 8 it is no longer 'the' standard, at which point people can make the decision for themselves. If both Apple and Microsoft only get an 8, then the choice between them is one of taste, not perceived performance.
In that vein, if a Linux distro only got a 6, well, it lets the community in general know what to fix next.
You sir, have hit the nail mostly on the head. Lately we humans are discovering something new about ourselves almost daily. The genetic link to why some of us have body clocks that are slower than others is one, genetic links to everything from sexuality to diseases. We are learning slowly that we really aren't that complex. We just didn't know that yet.
The short answer to the original question is no. The reason is that the methods used to implement the models is incapable of truly mimicking the human brain. One piece of evidence for that is the fact that we understand how computers work but not the brain. From what it appears, there is the equivalent of many computers inside our heads, each doing their own thing and communicating with the others as needed, but in very complex chemical ways as well as electrochemical. If you thought modeling planetary weather was difficult, this is orders of magnitude more difficult.
The good news is that we are trying, and from that will come many good things though I worry about what kind of damage we will do if we can figure out gene therapies that can cure cancer as well as sexual orientation. This stuff really is SciFi writers playground. We should all worry too. GM food is in your future if not already in your stomach. Perhaps next will be a special bed that you go to sleep on and wake up a good citizen in the morning?
I think that if they have overestimated the amount of bright/visible matter in the universe, it might make a difference to how much dark matter they need to account for?
uhm, on the drawing board?
police put out a warrant for Trent Reznor's arrest? WTF?
If the student's work indicates that he might need counseling, give it to him. Talk with him, don't make a national incident over it. When you deem yourself appropriate as thought police, you are in need of counseling yourselves.
this really isn't about MS having a shitty database. It's really about Diebold not knowing how to design a database application. Other than that, I'm just too shocked to say anything while quietly making a mental note to avoid all things called Jet from MS and anything that comes from Diebold.
History B > a,c,d,e,f
Now b == a
Result: Comparison is called a win for a due to improvements and carving out a place on the leader board.
My experience with 6 has prompted me to spend the time/money on burning the CDs this weekend :)
but the fact that the author complains that their printer requires a special driver lets you know what irks them. I know its a bit fanboi-ish to say that if people think they are equal, then Linux (Ubuntu) wins. The general populace has forced many to believe that Windows *IS* the standard to judge Linux against, and now 'it's a tie' is the verdict. That is clearly a win if you look at it as how the competition shapes up against the Windows flagship.
Personally, I installed Ubuntu 6.x to see how it feels, and I'm pleasantly impressed. A couple of hours and everything I need is working fine (YMMV). I know that most of the users that I help would be good to go with Ubuntu. A great many people don't want or need all that an OS can provide. Hell, some of them probably don't need anything more than email and a browser, but that's another story. I think that Redmond needs to be getting worried soon.
Not to press a point, but NIN has been pushing a viral release of their new CD for some time now. They are a band that 'gets it' so to speak. They will make money even while giving away their music. If only the RIAA will learn from this, give content in new ways, give content that is more than an MP3 file, give content that is *WORTH* paying for.
I don't care if you don't like NIN's music, you have to admire how they are approaching the new medium and embracing a new environment. I will buy their CD just to have that heat sensitive label. NIN 'gets it' in my opinion.
Will the VR environment help you play doom?
Will it be programmed to prevent the wearer from going on a shooting rampage?
If the wearer uses it to masturbate, does they violate any laws?
If only the RIAA would take a note from this exercise. Both industries have similar problems. I hope that the consumer is the real winner....
Dear Mr and Mrs Joe Average
We, the RIAA, represent copyright holders of digital content, and as such, it has come to our attention that you own a computer which is also connected to the Internet via Globalcom ISP.
We have acquired web surfing logs from Globalcom, and have determined that several people in the Northern Hemisphere have been downloading music files illegally. Since you connect to the Internet via Globalcom we are prepared to offer you a discounted amnesty program. You may choose this option, sending us the requisite $5,000 payment via check or major credit card, or you may choose to wait till we take you to court, confiscate your computers, all the computers you have had access to, and the computing and entertainment devices of yourselves, all your family members, and anyone who has been within 50 feet of your wireless router.
We cheerfully await your reply and are certain you will do the right thing.
Sincerely,
The RIAA
Actually, I'm still waiting for the RIAA to send letters to TMobile asking for user names of those who downloaded files from a Starbucks hotspot.
This would seem to be the best test of that little IP == user question.
And that is what we really should be afraid of. If any one group can control that many devices, have their DRM software installed everywhere, who is to stop them from using it to support government policies? Yes, that sounds like I regularly wear a tin foil hat, but with recent events and the government's record (any government) I would not want to install anything that would permit them to even have the possibility, never mind the actuality of spying on all that I do with my computer(s).
I have come to the conclusion that DRM, the DMCA, and all its look-alikes must be defeated for the security of society as a whole. The invasion of 'big brothers' into our homes and lives is not something that should be accepted regardless of what big business might lose their ability to remain big. It's not even about fair use anymore, it's about privacy and my right to control what the devices I own do. Sure, they can stop selling or renting content and I say go ahead, stop, give up. There will be 100s of people to take the place of the MPAA's members.
I pick 77 as the number of articles on the CD that will be wrong
but as he points out in the PPT, manufacturers of end / edge devices are not holding up enough resources to participate in self healing networks. It might take near doubling the cost and development efforts to create edge / end user devices that can participate in such networks.
If its just at the backbone section of the Internet, can be done, but creating the library that allows your email application to know that the network is down, and to try sending via a relay server or some other relay method, takes a bit more effort and cooperation. Even if functions like this are only built into the OS networking (cable modem connection vs. wireless connection) redundancy and self healing get complex and expensive at the edge of the Internet cloud, and depend greatly on what the ISP will pass back to end users as to the condition of the network. The ISP part is where this will break down so that end users will still see the same Internet they have always seen. At least this will be true until ISP's are forced to play nicer.
Better yet, fill them with random data, then truecrypt the drive. Give them the actual password, then blame them for fscking up my files. I wonder if they would even report that the data was unreadable?
I have a hunch that Vonage will survive http://gigaom.com/2007/04/08/voip-patent-mess/ this article talks about how Verizon really shoudn't have the patents in the first place, and this might be a good argument in the appeals process.
I was thinking exactly that, but don't know where to look. I'd be real interested in finding out what it is costing them to sue file sharers. I'd be willing to bet that hits their bottom line nicely, and might encourage member companies to think a bit about what they are paying for.
The people that benefit is not the consumer, it is the businesses that want to call their product 'chocolate' so once again, the US government is helping businesses, not the consumer