For anyone doubting whether this is a joke or not, you only have to read as far as "The key words "SHALT", "SHALT NOT", "SMITE", and "PILLAR OF SALT" in this document are to be interpreted as expected.".
This is definitely after noon though - bad luck to the submitter...
Unfortunately, April Fools jokes are supposed to give the perpetrator bad luck if performed after noon. Maybe this article was purposefully delayed in the submissions process?
Woah, had to read that twice. The first time I thought it said "in the spam of four years", and I was trying to think just how much generic viagra that would be...
It doesn't play nicely with my mouse scroll wheel. I think working with the scroll wheel is one of the two most useful features of a pdf viewer, the other being the ability to skip to the next page just by scrolling down. No pdf viewer for linux that I have tried can do both of these things!
And these paper records (probably printed on thermal tape) will be sealed inside the machine.
IIRC most of the voting reform organisations prefer that the voter gets to hold the paper record of their vote in their hand. This way they can compare it to the result on the screen in front of them and do something about it if they don't match. The obvious security risk with this is greatly reduced by them then taking their bit of paper and putting it in a ballot box that also reads the information on the paper and stores it electronically. Their vote doesn't count until they have performed this step.
This way there are two separate electronic tallies, along with a verifiable paper trail. The security details are harder to work out with this model, but it is still possible to have a secure voting system this way. Having the voter verify for themselves the actual paper that will be counted is an important step, I think.
There seems to be some confusion over the acronyms on this topic, so I thought I would clarify some of them:
PBX: Private Branch Exchange - this is basically a computerised telephone switchboard, allowing even fairly small organisations to manage their own telephone networks at low cost.
SIP: Session Initiated Protocol - this is the protocol that is standard on most voice-over-IP devices.
COWBOYNEAL: Circulation Of Worthless Broadcasts Over Your Nearest External Authentication Location - this is a special extension to the voice-over-IP standard allowing fast delivery of esoteric technological news to compliant devices. It also has the convenient property of always being last on selection fields in the user interface.
Um, actually, because it's in the Qu'ran, they already know. And get reminded from time to time when it's read to them. I don't think terrorists are seen as good Muslims by *anyone*.
From Wikipedia: In interviews following the Oklahoma city bombing, McVeigh said he began harboring anti-government feelings during the Gulf War.
I think it is easy to see how this was a consequence of US policy, if indirectly. Besides, McVeigh was clearly not altogether sane. Contrast this with other terrorists, who know exactly what they are doing and think, if misguidedly, that it will bring about a real change.
Thankyou. Now I'll collect my PhD in War Studies. Actually, that was to point out that a rich person paying someone to kill people is not a terrorist if the people doing the killing don't share the same ideology...
Well, I'm not saying that it's just a question of being poor. It's what the poor people perceive as the source of their misery. If this was the recent tsunami, for example, then they're not going to suddenly become a terrorist.
Saudi Arabia may be rich, but the majority of that wealth is *not* passed on to the majority of the population. I think you'll find that the people who do the dirty work are poor, almost without exception. If a rich person pays to have someone kill other people, it is more like organised crime than terrorism. Terrorism would be when both the rich person and their employee would have wanted to kill those people anyway. This is a fine line, I know.
Besides, I wasn't saying that wealthy people can't fund terrorists. I do think that something must have seriously gone wrong if they are willing to, however.
You forget that a mushroom cloud with all it's heat and thunder is a very appealing image for a terrorist.
Maybe, but so was the destruction of the WTC. And something like that is much easier to accomplish. Besides, I don't think it is the image that appeals, so much as the effect.
They don't care about contries, their only faith is to allah.
Did you know that Islam actually preaches tolerance, among other things? Muslims are not incited to violence by the teachings of the Qu'ran.
How would you like to do that? By not telling people what is happening in the world?
By making a positive change to US foreign policy? Some things, we can only wish for, I know...
Terrorists don't have a return address nor do they particulary care about their lives (think suicide bombers)
No, they do care about their lives. Wouldn't you? They are just so desperate that they think the best thing they can do with their life is to try and change things using violence.
That makes sense on the international level, but not at the level of the individual. Whilst a country may be intimidated into inaction with the threat of an invasion, individuals are more likely to wish violence; they only have themselves to lose, and their country to regain.
Well I don't blame Bush's policies on the American people (apart from those who elected him, of course), but the USA *did* invade Iraq, *without* support from the UN. Yes, terrorists existed before the USA invaded. But it was the USA that helped install Saddam in the first place, and also the rulers in Iran. Then they went to war with each other. I think you get what I'm saying here...
Slashdot Mirror
Yes, I'm con-flibberty-gasted when I see all these new-fangled words...
But seriously, this happens in any technical discipline. And removing virii is quite a technical thing.
How about a cartoon about girls with big eyes, short skirts, and lethal martial arts and marksmanship skills?
But seriously, there are a *lot* of different types of anime out there. You should check them out.
Well fair enough, I guess :)
For anyone doubting whether this is a joke or not, you only have to read as far as "The key words "SHALT", "SHALT NOT", "SMITE", and "PILLAR OF SALT" in this document are to be interpreted as expected.".
This is definitely after noon though - bad luck to the submitter...
Unfortunately, April Fools jokes are supposed to give the perpetrator bad luck if performed after noon. Maybe this article was purposefully delayed in the submissions process?
Woah, had to read that twice. The first time I thought it said "in the spam of four years", and I was trying to think just how much generic viagra that would be...
There's a lot to be said for intimidation.
The violent tendencies of the average American worry me far more than the actual guns being out there...
It doesn't play nicely with my mouse scroll wheel. I think working with the scroll wheel is one of the two most useful features of a pdf viewer, the other being the ability to skip to the next page just by scrolling down. No pdf viewer for linux that I have tried can do both of these things!
(FYI, I'm using Fedora Core 3...)
and avoid states where they have such laws if you don't like them.
;)
Or countries...
And these paper records (probably printed on thermal tape) will be sealed inside the machine.
IIRC most of the voting reform organisations prefer that the voter gets to hold the paper record of their vote in their hand. This way they can compare it to the result on the screen in front of them and do something about it if they don't match. The obvious security risk with this is greatly reduced by them then taking their bit of paper and putting it in a ballot box that also reads the information on the paper and stores it electronically. Their vote doesn't count until they have performed this step.
This way there are two separate electronic tallies, along with a verifiable paper trail. The security details are harder to work out with this model, but it is still possible to have a secure voting system this way. Having the voter verify for themselves the actual paper that will be counted is an important step, I think.
To think he thought the missing matter was the polystyrene used in packaging... ;)
Ah, ok :) You have my belief in TFA to blame for that.
There seems to be some confusion over the acronyms on this topic, so I thought I would clarify some of them:
PBX: Private Branch Exchange - this is basically a computerised telephone switchboard, allowing even fairly small organisations to manage their own telephone networks at low cost.
SIP: Session Initiated Protocol - this is the protocol that is standard on most voice-over-IP devices.
COWBOYNEAL: Circulation Of Worthless Broadcasts Over Your Nearest External Authentication Location - this is a special extension to the voice-over-IP standard allowing fast delivery of esoteric technological news to compliant devices. It also has the convenient property of always being last on selection fields in the user interface.
You misunderstand - I meant the ideology of the rich person, not the "ideology of terrorism".
Well, except people who would wish violence on the US, perhaps. But there's a bit of a logical problem there...
Um, actually, because it's in the Qu'ran, they already know. And get reminded from time to time when it's read to them. I don't think terrorists are seen as good Muslims by *anyone*.
From Wikipedia:
In interviews following the Oklahoma city bombing, McVeigh said he began harboring anti-government feelings during the Gulf War.
I think it is easy to see how this was a consequence of US policy, if indirectly. Besides, McVeigh was clearly not altogether sane. Contrast this with other terrorists, who know exactly what they are doing and think, if misguidedly, that it will bring about a real change.
Thankyou. Now I'll collect my PhD in War Studies. Actually, that was to point out that a rich person paying someone to kill people is not a terrorist if the people doing the killing don't share the same ideology...
Well, I'm not saying that it's just a question of being poor. It's what the poor people perceive as the source of their misery. If this was the recent tsunami, for example, then they're not going to suddenly become a terrorist.
. You may wish to read my other comments in this thread, by the way :). I speak not of a utopian ideal, but rather of real changes that can be made.
Saudi Arabia may be rich, but the majority of that wealth is *not* passed on to the majority of the population. I think you'll find that the people who do the dirty work are poor, almost without exception. If a rich person pays to have someone kill other people, it is more like organised crime than terrorism. Terrorism would be when both the rich person and their employee would have wanted to kill those people anyway. This is a fine line, I know.
Besides, I wasn't saying that wealthy people can't fund terrorists. I do think that something must have seriously gone wrong if they are willing to, however.
You forget that a mushroom cloud with all it's heat and thunder is a very appealing image for a terrorist.
Maybe, but so was the destruction of the WTC. And something like that is much easier to accomplish. Besides, I don't think it is the image that appeals, so much as the effect.
They don't care about contries, their only faith is to allah.
Did you know that Islam actually preaches tolerance, among other things? Muslims are not incited to violence by the teachings of the Qu'ran.
How would you like to do that? By not telling people what is happening in the world?
By making a positive change to US foreign policy? Some things, we can only wish for, I know...
Terrorists don't have a return address nor do they particulary care about their lives (think suicide bombers)
No, they do care about their lives. Wouldn't you? They are just so desperate that they think the best thing they can do with their life is to try and change things using violence.
That makes sense on the international level, but not at the level of the individual. Whilst a country may be intimidated into inaction with the threat of an invasion, individuals are more likely to wish violence; they only have themselves to lose, and their country to regain.
Well I don't blame Bush's policies on the American people (apart from those who elected him, of course), but the USA *did* invade Iraq, *without* support from the UN. Yes, terrorists existed before the USA invaded. But it was the USA that helped install Saddam in the first place, and also the rulers in Iran. Then they went to war with each other. I think you get what I'm saying here...