Enacting a political voting system over the internet lends itself to way too many possible problems. Potential system crackers, as well as multiple votes from one person (Spoofed IPs), cryptography signatures, system malfunctions, etc. In a traditional voting scenario, if there was a problem with the votes, a miscount would be called. Are you going to do that with every glitch in an internet system?
And what happens if the tabulating systems are running *cough* an operating system that is incapable of handling high load? Or what if that operating system isn't secure, or wide open to well know denial-of-service attacks?
A certainly more effective solution would be a dial-up type solution. (This eliminates most of the problems with internet voting.) Keep a redundant backup system, and enough modems to handle the task, and viola. (Keeping in mind, that this solution only works if the gov't is hell bent on getting voting into an online medium. In my opinion, it works the way it is now, and if it ain't broke, DON'T FIX IT.)
I actually predicted this about 5 or 6 months ago while talking to some friends of mine.
The price for a 2GB or a 4GB hard drive that supports FireWire is ridiculous. Nobody would pay that kind of money for such a small drive, regardless of it's speed. Sure, it's a great technology, but think about supporting it. If a company has to license the use of the FW BUS from Apple *choke*, then build the unit, then sell it at a high price, you're not going to get many buyers when there's a cheaper alternative. Not only that, FireWire was introduced with very bad timing. USB is much more cost efficent, and actually has comperable performance for an end user.
I've E-Mailed Rob quite a few times about this very subject, because I find the comments by most Anonymous Cowards to be annoying, distasteful, and downright useless. Recent events from our Anonymous friends were going to force me to E-Mail Rob once again, but he jumped ahead of me this time.
I considered stopping to read the comments posted, because of the immaturity of many posters, but many of the comments are Insightful, and I enjoy reading, and contributing to them. Plus, the open forum idea adds to the overall quality of Slashdot. The A/C's detract from that quality, and piss a lot of people off. (Not only that, but as I pointed out to Rob, they're using up system resources with their bullshit too.)
This is a big Thank You to the management staff of this site. While I agree, it won't solve the problem of immaturity among posters, but it will curb it quite well.
This bill isn't necessarily about freedoms, it's about violence in entertainment, and ratings. And in my opinion, the entire bill is horseshit.
Basically, the bill says that every type of entertainment media, be it a Video Game, a TV show, or a Movie, will have a rating. This rating will be universal thoughout all mediums. So for example, if a Movie gets rated R (Under 17 not admitted w/o parent), that could apply to a similarly rated TV show. Mortal Kombat, for instance, would have an R-type rating. (The rating would carry the same symbol throughout the entertainment industry.)
Like the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act it would amend, the bill would also prohibit the sale of labeled products to minors.
This would surely backfire. Guess what? If a minor isn't allowed to buy it, they'll get it another way, opening the door to increased illegal crap. The article goes on to say "The Judiciary Committee report, in part, urges Congress to begin a national media campaign to educate parents and to create a national clearinghouse on children and entertainment violence. It also recommends that the various industries rate their products using a universal system." Parents don't need to be educated. The ones who know how to be parents know how to raise their children. The rest (I.E. That Mother who complained about Kenny on SouthPark) aren't going to listen to "Government Education", so that plan is useless.
The MPAA president summed it up quite well already....Valenti says that the senators' attempt to legislate and enforce a uniform labeling program across most of the entertainment spectrum won't work.
Why? You won't see full nudity on television, and it's rare in video games. So if a movie is rated R, and that rating would apply to a television show as well, would one expect to see the same type of content? Probably not. (Yeah, it's about violence not nudity. I was using an example. If you're that concerned, replace 'nudity' with 'gore'.)
Not exactly. The cosmonauts were cooped up in a space station that was falling apart. Nevertheless, they deserve my respect because:
A) they stuck it out for so long, and B) They're in space and I'm not.
Thanks for the point. I agree, but my comment wasn't about the photo in particular. I envy [all space travellers] because they get to see phenominal views with that picture being an example.:)
A picture like this really puts the size of the earth into perspective. From the ground, it appears that a whole hemisphere is eclipsed from the sun, but seeing the actual coverage area puts things into perspective. Seeing pics like these also makes me envy the astronauts.
....Which brings up the problem of porting Linux to it. I don't think this thing has any kind of a floppy drive, or a CDROM drive. As for input, the web site says it uses a "virtual keyboard" via the touchscreen. That being the case, this monolith has an embedded system, and runs either a proprietary OS, or Windows CE. With WinCE, it would be a matter of implementing LinuxCE once completed. The only problem with that is, it doesn't look like there is much of a desktop connectivity option. As far as I know, the only link to the outside world this has is a phone line.
CompUSA uses a system called Forte under IMS/BASIC by IMS for it's Ordering, Registers, and other functions. It runs on every system in the store, and rarely has a problem. The only catch is, it runs under AIX v4. (I'd imagine it's possible to recompile it under another *nix, but the kicker would be getting the source.)
Yeah. I'm not disputing the practical uses for it. (god knows an onscreen Recipe system is a good idea, which is why I helped put a computer in my mother's kitchen.)
Apparently, out are the days of the Post-It-Note, and in are the times for leaving E-Mail for family members on your friggin Refrigerator. (Or hell, have you ever seen a Post-It-Note that can record video?)
Oh, and you can also use this nifty toy to send Internet E-Mail, and browse too. (Tell me, who the hell is going to stand in front of the refrigerator for 2 hours surfing the net when there is a computer in the next room? Don't even say "well, they might not HAVE a computer!" Please....If they have one of these things, they have a computer.)
Well, we've moved in to the Computer/Kitchen appliance era. Now, instead of putting up your kid's artwork with magnets, you get to scan them in and make a slideshow.
Don't try to use the magnets. You'll distort the screen.
It would appear that they are not concerned that Linus has a life of his own. Sure, creating a product means that you should take a certain amount of responsibility in supporting users by answering questions, but the man has to have some time to himself. He has a wife, and a child. He also has a job, and he DOES work on things other than Linux. If his attention were put 100% into appeasing journalistic vultures like Mr. Berinato, his family, job, life, and sanity would suffer. And then, to have the nerve to complain about it just makes me sick.
Being one who was on the developer list early on, I must say It's been a fun ride. (Not that the ride is over! Heavens, No!) Reading, and helping when I could, and seeing so many technological hurdles jumped, this marks a great time for LinuxCE.
As for those who are wondering, MIPS isn't our only target platform. There are efforts currently in the works to get Linux ported to SH3 Handhelds, as well as StrongArm. (Nobody knows the progress here.)
If you feel you can contribute, by all means, join in on the mailing list at linuxce.org.
I don't think it's right to grab a domain (let's say ford.org), and wait for the company to pay you big bucks to take that domain from you. However, as in the case with earth.com, I DO think that the person who registered the domain, and is currently using it, has a right to continue using it under the name he/she chose.
These kinds of Corporations are the big bully in the schoolyard. They get a kick out of picking on the defenseless kids by the wall, and they get a domain name out of it too. Nice to see laws like this are being put into effect. (That earth.com deal really hit me.)
When the quiz asks you if you have a computer, it is referring to a typical system with monitor, desktop or tower case, keyboard, and mouse. (Or a Laptop.)
Handheld Computers don't count. If they did, I would have added 2 more to my total.
Regardless if it's true or not, I signed the petition, and I encourage others to do so.
I personally don't own a celeron processor, nor do I plan to buy one. However, I respect the people who choose the celeron over the Pentium II or III, as well as their reasoning. I don't think it should be a problem to allow users to run Celeron-based SMP systems. (Intel would be hurting their own market. They think that if they disable it on the celeron, they're forced to buy a PII or PIII, when in reality, they could just opt for an AMD based system.)
What you describe is not piracy, and actually, is quite legal.
Joe goes to the store and buys Windows 95. Joe takes it home, opens the box, and takes out the CD. Joe sets the CD on the table, and goes out for some chinese food. Joe's dog goes for some dinner of his own, and eats the CD. Joe gets home, sees the broken CD bits on the floor, and shoots his dog. Does Joe need to buy another copy of Windows? No. Joe already owns a valid License to his copy of Windows. Joe can go on the internet, download a copy of Windows, and use his unique License number. (It works the same for software that doesn't use license keys too.)
When you buy a software title, you are not buying the software. You are purchasing the Media that holds the software, as well as a single user license to legally use one copy of that title. If your media gets damaged, you still have a valid license.
"D00D, those companies charge too much for the games, they shouldnt be able to do that! We're just fighting the power, man!"
That's the popular excuse they use. They are in some kind of warped denial, because they don't want to admit they are stealing, so they make up some bogus "noble cause" as to why they do what they do.
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And what happens if the tabulating systems are running *cough* an operating system that is incapable of handling high load? Or what if that operating system isn't secure, or wide open to well know denial-of-service attacks?
A certainly more effective solution would be a dial-up type solution. (This eliminates most of the problems with internet voting.) Keep a redundant backup system, and enough modems to handle the task, and viola. (Keeping in mind, that this solution only works if the gov't is hell bent on getting voting into an online medium. In my opinion, it works the way it is now, and if it ain't broke, DON'T FIX IT.)
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
Username: 1slash
Password: dotted
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
Notice I said "5 or 6 months Ago."
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
The price for a 2GB or a 4GB hard drive that supports FireWire is ridiculous. Nobody would pay that kind of money for such a small drive, regardless of it's speed. Sure, it's a great technology, but think about supporting it. If a company has to license the use of the FW BUS from Apple *choke*, then build the unit, then sell it at a high price, you're not going to get many buyers when there's a cheaper alternative. Not only that, FireWire was introduced with very bad timing. USB is much more cost efficent, and actually has comperable performance for an end user.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
I considered stopping to read the comments posted, because of the immaturity of many posters, but many of the comments are Insightful, and I enjoy reading, and contributing to them. Plus, the open forum idea adds to the overall quality of Slashdot. The A/C's detract from that quality, and piss a lot of people off. (Not only that, but as I pointed out to Rob, they're using up system resources with their bullshit too.)
This is a big Thank You to the management staff of this site. While I agree, it won't solve the problem of immaturity among posters, but it will curb it quite well.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
Basically, the bill says that every type of entertainment media, be it a Video Game, a TV show, or a Movie, will have a rating. This rating will be universal thoughout all mediums. So for example, if a Movie gets rated R (Under 17 not admitted w/o parent), that could apply to a similarly rated TV show. Mortal Kombat, for instance, would have an R-type rating. (The rating would carry the same symbol throughout the entertainment industry.)
Like the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act it would amend, the bill would also prohibit the sale of labeled products to minors.
This would surely backfire. Guess what? If a minor isn't allowed to buy it, they'll get it another way, opening the door to increased illegal crap. The article goes on to say "The Judiciary Committee report, in part, urges Congress to begin a national media campaign to educate parents and to create a national clearinghouse on children and entertainment violence. It also recommends that the various industries rate their products using a universal system." Parents don't need to be educated. The ones who know how to be parents know how to raise their children. The rest (I.E. That Mother who complained about Kenny on SouthPark) aren't going to listen to "Government Education", so that plan is useless.
The MPAA president summed it up quite well already.
Why? You won't see full nudity on television, and it's rare in video games. So if a movie is rated R, and that rating would apply to a television show as well, would one expect to see the same type of content? Probably not. (Yeah, it's about violence not nudity. I was using an example. If you're that concerned, replace 'nudity' with 'gore'.)
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap9 90810.html - This is a link to a diagram of the Eclipse's path.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
A) they stuck it out for so long, and
B) They're in space and I'm not.
Thanks for the point. I agree, but my comment wasn't about the photo in particular. I envy [all space travellers] because they get to see phenominal views with that picture being an example.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
Regardless, IMS is still a viable option if CompUSA uses it or not.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
The company is Information Management Systems, Inc.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
A) The first account you registered with.
OR
B) The well known Slashdot Generic Username/Password Combo.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
I'm just ragging on the useless parts.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
Oh, and you can also use this nifty toy to send Internet E-Mail, and browse too. (Tell me, who the hell is going to stand in front of the refrigerator for 2 hours surfing the net when there is a computer in the next room? Don't even say "well, they might not HAVE a computer!" Please....If they have one of these things, they have a computer.)
Well, we've moved in to the Computer/Kitchen appliance era. Now, instead of putting up your kid's artwork with magnets, you get to scan them in and make a slideshow.
Don't try to use the magnets. You'll distort the screen.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
It would appear that they are not concerned that Linus has a life of his own. Sure, creating a product means that you should take a certain amount of responsibility in supporting users by answering questions, but the man has to have some time to himself. He has a wife, and a child. He also has a job, and he DOES work on things other than Linux. If his attention were put 100% into appeasing journalistic vultures like Mr. Berinato, his family, job, life, and sanity would suffer. And then, to have the nerve to complain about it just makes me sick.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
As for those who are wondering, MIPS isn't our only target platform. There are efforts currently in the works to get Linux ported to SH3 Handhelds, as well as StrongArm. (Nobody knows the progress here.)
If you feel you can contribute, by all means, join in on the mailing list at linuxce.org.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
These kinds of Corporations are the big bully in the schoolyard. They get a kick out of picking on the defenseless kids by the wall, and they get a domain name out of it too. Nice to see laws like this are being put into effect. (That earth.com deal really hit me.)
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
Handheld Computers don't count. If they did, I would have added 2 more to my total.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
I personally don't own a celeron processor, nor do I plan to buy one. However, I respect the people who choose the celeron over the Pentium II or III, as well as their reasoning. I don't think it should be a problem to allow users to run Celeron-based SMP systems. (Intel would be hurting their own market. They think that if they disable it on the celeron, they're forced to buy a PII or PIII, when in reality, they could just opt for an AMD based system.)
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
Joe goes to the store and buys Windows 95. Joe takes it home, opens the box, and takes out the CD. Joe sets the CD on the table, and goes out for some chinese food. Joe's dog goes for some dinner of his own, and eats the CD. Joe gets home, sees the broken CD bits on the floor, and shoots his dog. Does Joe need to buy another copy of Windows? No. Joe already owns a valid License to his copy of Windows. Joe can go on the internet, download a copy of Windows, and use his unique License number. (It works the same for software that doesn't use license keys too.)
When you buy a software title, you are not buying the software. You are purchasing the Media that holds the software, as well as a single user license to legally use one copy of that title. If your media gets damaged, you still have a valid license.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
That's the popular excuse they use. They are in some kind of warped denial, because they don't want to admit they are stealing, so they make up some bogus "noble cause" as to why they do what they do.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?