...has been, and always will be, more verbose than face to face or vocal communication. The reason is that body language and vocal intonations carry a form of communication in parallel with what is actually being said. When you are communicating via a written medium you must enumerate these subtle communications in your writing. This is why it is not easy to be an effective writer--you must learn to write differently than you speak in order to convey the same message.
If email encryption and certificates were a *STANDARD* feature by the major email clients (desktop and web based), then institutions could set a blanket policy that any email communication from them to their clients/customers must be encrypted and/or contain a digital certificate. Even better, these certificates could contain usage policies so that email clients could automatically filter/delete messages w/o the proper certificate or that don't follow stated policies.
The trick is that the user needs to be abstracted away from the encryption/signing process so that they understand the basics of what encryption/certificates are but can use them with with just a click or two.
A good example of taking security technologies and providing them to the user in a well abstracted form is TLS under HTTPS. IMHO, phishing would be drastically reduced if email encryption/certificates, along with usage policies, were as common and supported as TLS under HTTPS is today.
[Pre-rebuttle]I am not saying that this will solve ALL phishing scams. I'm just saying that there are technologies out there that, if commonly supported and intergreted into email clients/services, would greatly increase the difficulty of pulling off a phising scam.[/Pre-rebuttle]
...an example of a theoretically optimal situation that has no practicality. Its like the "spherical chickens in a frictionless vacuum at absolute zero" scenarios in physics. They simply don't pan out in the real world. One the reasons is that,
"it doesn't solve the security problem. One way to look at encryption is that it takes very long secrets--the message--and turns them into very short secrets: the key. With a one-time pad, you haven't shrunk the secret any. It's just as hard to courier the pad to the recipient as it is to courier the message itself...Any product that claims to use a one-time pad is almost certainly lying. And if they're not, the product is almost certainly unusable and/or insecure." --Secrets and Lies
You can sell nuclear energy to me when you can answer the question "What do we do with 48 tons of nuclear waste generated per year per plant"?
You do the same thing we do with the carbon dioxide (green house gas), sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides (acid rain), uranium, and thorium that are ALL BYPRODUCTS OF COAL POWER PLANTS.... you manage/store them best you can and hope that it doesn't get out of control.
The fact of the matter is that there are very few power generating technologies that we can deploy NOW that will meet our energy needs besides fossil fuels and nuclear energy. So, PICK YOUR POISON.
In the mean time, lets work on problems that will solve our energy crisis like economical mass deployment of environmentally safe technologies (wind, ocean, solar) or fusion/fission possibilities (still a long way off).
I've avoided the whole MySpace scene completely. I think it is simply irresponsible and naive to think that it is safe to make public the level of information that the MySpace culture asks for. Besides, I'm about a decade too old for the demographic they're going after, which I am very glad for.
If any of you want to enjoy a private and safe online social network (or want to set one up so your kids and their friends get off of MySpace), here's how to do it, if you or someone you know/trust has a moderate level of understanding about computers.
1- set up a server on a spare computer (LAMP is pretty easy with a package based disro)
2- install a SVPN on the server and anyone's computer that will connect to it
4- configure your BB
This way, not only is access to the server private (since it doesn't have a static IP) but when it is accessed via the SVPN, that access is password protected and encrypted end-to-end.
Despite this, don't go uploading how you firebomb airplane hangers (you should be that stupid to firebomb one in the first place, let alone record it). But it is reassuring to know that even if you did it would be private and secure.
it's a way for a different industry (marketing, analysis, and general business operations) to invoke shared abstractions without having to spell out the complexities on the spot
Good point. My only objection is that these "abstractions" are not always "shared" and are often abused. When the scope of the project is built upon abstractions that are not defined, it is almost always doomed to fail as the IT department is left to implement the broadest definition of the abstraction that can be imagined.
If you're going to use the "abstractions" of corporate talk to make the sale that's fine. But before you build the contract, or proposal, you MUST define things technically to protect both you and the client or boss.
How about you don't have the porn in the first place!? IMHO it does more harm that it does good. Besides, I'm perfectly happy getting all of my sexual release with my spouce. I honestly don't need the porn and have none. I could die tomorrow and everyone could look through all of my stuff (including my browser cache) and I would have no worries about what they may find.
I know, I posted something against porn on slashdot... let the flaming begin.
I listen to NPR because they are one of the few media agencies (or organizations) that is capable of having an open constructive debate where all point of views are treated with respect. This is dramatically opposite the political cock-fighting you see on major networks such as CNN, Fox News, etc. Sure it takes longer for NPR to cover the issues but that is because they actual COVER THEM instead of touch only on portions that will incite a purely emotional response from their guests and viewers.
There is an experiment that is almost comical (and saddening) to try out. Watch 1 or 2 news agencies, such as MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, etc, cover a currently hot topic in society. Notice the disregard they treat those with different viewpoints and how they favor the guest who is the most emotional and vocal about their position. Then listen to (pod cast or radio) NPR cover the same topic and you'll notice a HUGE difference as well as actually understand how complex the topic is and why it isn't so black and white.
Thank you NPR for giving me faith that we can still hold this Republic together.
Mod this as biased if you want, it still does change the fact that CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, etc. can't even hold a candle to NPR.
You may mod it as "off topic" since this doesn't really cover "Media Distribution". I just wanted to give MHO about NPR in general.
...an example of a theoretically optimal situation that has no practicality. Its like the "spherical chickens in a frictionless vacuum at absolute zero" scenarios in physics. They simply don't pan out in the real world. One the reasons is that,
"it doesn't solve the security problem. One way to look at encryption is that it takes very long secrets--the message--and turns them into very short secrets: the key. With a one-time pad, you haven't shrunk the secret any. It's just as hard to courier the pad to the recipient as it is to courier the message itself...Any product that claims to use a one-time pad is almost certainly lying. And if they're not, the product is almost certainly unusable and/or insecure." --Secrets and Lies
My point isn't that there are lots of chemicals released during sex or that sex is bad (I love it!). My point is that we sometimes overlook addictions simply because they don't involve injecting/consuming foreign chemicals. MMORPG's are plenty capable of causing a surge in chemicals produced by your own body. These levels are different for every person and aren't dangerous in and of themselves. What is dangerous is when you form a habit and your body depends on the constant production of certain chemicals.
The best way to stay clear of addictions you may be susceptible to is to look for patterns in your life or in the lives of your friends/family. If these patterns prevent you or them from functioning normally then you/they have a problem no matter how harmless the activity may seem.
MMOGs are not chemical addictions and should not be treated as such
I have to disagree with you on this one (although I agree with everything else you said). True, wow does not inject chemicals into your body. However, we sometimes forget the strong levels of chemicals that our body is capable of producing naturally. These chemicals can be very powerful and should not be ignored. Sex is a powerful testament to that. Ask as sexologist and they'll tell you how powerful the chemicals in the brain are during sex.
What people are addicted to isn't the click of the mouse or the typing of keys. They are addicted to the sense of euphoria their body enters when they play the game. That is why it is possible to become addicted to just about anything, so long as you allow your body to be conditioned to it to the point of dependence.
When someone listens to a song the emotional attachment is made with the artist of the song, NOT the company that produced it. I personally feel the whole DRM situation would taper off if this emotional attachment was reflected economically when a consumer purchases a CD. That way the consumer has an emotional incentive to obtain the song legally since their purchase goes directly to the artist and enforces this emotional attachment. The same is true for movies, books etc. The problem is that in order for this to happen, the large producing/publishing companies will have to go away (or at least fall backstage). These companies know this, and what we are seeing is their attempts to stop natural economic and technological trends.
Once it becomes economically feasible for an artist/author to produce/publish their work somewhere else, either by themselves or via companies that don't demand ownership of their work, they will do it, and DRM, as well as large producing/publishing companies won't be needed as much.
I used to use Gentoo on my box at work. I started to notice that I would spend more time tweaking/compiling/fixing/troubleshooting my distribution than I would coding. I switched to Ubuntu and I have since been able to focus more on my job (writing code).
This is not a jab at Gentoo. All I'm trying to say is that you need to pick your distribution based on what you are going to use it for. If you need complete flexibility all the way down to the kernel, then Gentoo or similar distributions will work. If all you need is just a working desktop with standard functionality (network, editors, email, music etc.) then packaged based distributions are best.
Don't pick a distribution just because it lets you do everything unless you NEED to do everything.
This is not another internet bubble. The reason the internet bubble occurred last time was that you had biased stock analysts promoting junk stocks for technology companies with the following:
1- NO pattern of stable growth (since many were just barely founded)
2- NO solid business plan (most of these company's business plans were just "Go public... get rich")
3- 400%+ growth in the first day (after which nearly all of their venture capitalists bailed and sold)
4- Gross over-confidence in the internet (the "just build a webpage and get rich" mentality)
Google has shown a strong stable pattern of growth, they have a prooven business plan, their VC's have not all bailed at the first sign of growth, and they understand the dynamics of the internet (better than most of us do). I'm not saying that Google is immortal (no company is), I'm just saying that we have generally learned from the.COM bust of the last decade and that Google (so far) is not repeating the pattern.
As far as I'm concerned, all Microsoft has to do to fix many of their security problems is STOP ALLOWING USERS TO RUN THEIR ACCOUNTS AS ADMINISTRATORS!!!!!!
Some may say, "But that decreases the usability of the system. Users don't want that." I ask, "Which do you think users prefer? An occasional 2-second password dialog box OR constant popups coupled with datamining programs taking up 99% of their CPU?" It is amazing how powerful as simple password dialog box that pops up whenever you make system changes can be.
Hopefully Vista will implement this. If it does, kudos to the MS team.
It is always risky to base your entire business off of the flaws of another entity. As soon as that entity gets their act together, your business is in trouble. The smart anti-spyware companies will have diversified their revenue sources by now so that if Vista turns out to be so secure as to nullify profits that can be made by anti-spyware products, they'll be ok.
There are simply too many worms in the.XXX can to open it. But why do we need that when you can use free, objective, open community, content advising systems. Check out siteadvisor.
From their webpage:
SiteAdvisor's safety ratings are based on automated safety tests of Web sites (including of our own site) and are enhanced with user feedback from our users and our own manual analysis.
We do not accept payment from sites to be rated, so we have no conflict of interest. We also document our safety tests for every site we analyze.
So John Doe can stumble upon a pornographic website, and if it isn't already rated, dutifully provide feedback so that future viewers can be warned. John Doe can continue to enjoy his porn and can help others avoid or find it. The great thing about this is it doesn't just work for porn, it also rates sites owned by Domain Squatters (labeling them as false information), scamming sites, and other sites with "not so safe" content. Again, the beauty of this is that it is open to the community so ratings can be reversed if some overly conservative person rates a medical site as "unsafe" and each site has its own history/explination of ratings and user feedbacks.
I've been enjoying it and have found it to generally improve my web-surfing experience.
I've often thought how much good it would do to have a "World Religion" class as part of our public curriculum. *NOT* a course that gets bogged down in pointless discussions of "we're right, they're wrong", but an objective look into how religion influences society and how it has played a role in world history. It would basically be a social studies class that isn't afraid to discuss world religions that have played major roles in history.
Many pointless arguments, bigotries, violent acts, or even wars (motivated by ignorance and intolerance) could be avoided.
Seeing as how this story is posted under the category "Science" it *IS* an appropriate topic. If you want to filter the posts you see on your homepage do the following:
1. Create and account
2. Log in
3. Goto 'Preferences' in the upper lefthand corner
4. Click on the 'Homepage' tab
5. Use the various radio buttons and check boxes to filter the content you see
Why does everyone insist that using a universal numbering system will suddenly prevent anyone from referring to the virus as anything but that universal number? How many of you have used an ISBN number for a book and found very convenient? Did you then go around to all of your friends and say, "Wow I just bought 0-672-32308-7. It was great!"?
Having some sort of universal numbering system does not remove the need for normal names and titles. It just provides an authoritative convension that can be relied upon on a technical level.
Slashdot Mirror
...has been, and always will be, more verbose than face to face or vocal communication. The reason is that body language and vocal intonations carry a form of communication in parallel with what is actually being said. When you are communicating via a written medium you must enumerate these subtle communications in your writing. This is why it is not easy to be an effective writer--you must learn to write differently than you speak in order to convey the same message.
If email encryption and certificates were a *STANDARD* feature by the major email clients (desktop and web based), then institutions could set a blanket policy that any email communication from them to their clients/customers must be encrypted and/or contain a digital certificate. Even better, these certificates could contain usage policies so that email clients could automatically filter/delete messages w/o the proper certificate or that don't follow stated policies.
The trick is that the user needs to be abstracted away from the encryption/signing process so that they understand the basics of what encryption/certificates are but can use them with with just a click or two.
A good example of taking security technologies and providing them to the user in a well abstracted form is TLS under HTTPS. IMHO, phishing would be drastically reduced if email encryption/certificates, along with usage policies, were as common and supported as TLS under HTTPS is today.
[Pre-rebuttle]I am not saying that this will solve ALL phishing scams. I'm just saying that there are technologies out there that, if commonly supported and intergreted into email clients/services, would greatly increase the difficulty of pulling off a phising scam.[/Pre-rebuttle]
You do the same thing we do with the carbon dioxide (green house gas), sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides (acid rain), uranium, and thorium that are ALL BYPRODUCTS OF COAL POWER PLANTS.... you manage/store them best you can and hope that it doesn't get out of control.
The fact of the matter is that there are very few power generating technologies that we can deploy NOW that will meet our energy needs besides fossil fuels and nuclear energy. So, PICK YOUR POISON.
In the mean time, lets work on problems that will solve our energy crisis like economical mass deployment of environmentally safe technologies (wind, ocean, solar) or fusion/fission possibilities (still a long way off).
I, for one, welcome our new 6.5 ton Crusher Robot overlords from Carnegie Mellon.
If any of you want to enjoy a private and safe online social network (or want to set one up so your kids and their friends get off of MySpace), here's how to do it, if you or someone you know/trust has a moderate level of understanding about computers.
1- set up a server on a spare computer (LAMP is pretty easy with a package based disro)
2- install a SVPN on the server and anyone's computer that will connect to it
3- install a BB, like phpBB on the server.
4- configure your BB This way, not only is access to the server private (since it doesn't have a static IP) but when it is accessed via the SVPN, that access is password protected and encrypted end-to-end.
Despite this, don't go uploading how you firebomb airplane hangers (you should be that stupid to firebomb one in the first place, let alone record it). But it is reassuring to know that even if you did it would be private and secure.
Good point. My only objection is that these "abstractions" are not always "shared" and are often abused. When the scope of the project is built upon abstractions that are not defined, it is almost always doomed to fail as the IT department is left to implement the broadest definition of the abstraction that can be imagined.
If you're going to use the "abstractions" of corporate talk to make the sale that's fine. But before you build the contract, or proposal, you MUST define things technically to protect both you and the client or boss.
Not that this has ever happened to me...
...you know you need a cover sheet on your TPS report Richard. That 'aint new baby!
...Hi Janice.
Mother F&.....
For all you Terry Tate fans out there!
How about you don't have the porn in the first place!? IMHO it does more harm that it does good. Besides, I'm perfectly happy getting all of my sexual release with my spouce. I honestly don't need the porn and have none. I could die tomorrow and everyone could look through all of my stuff (including my browser cache) and I would have no worries about what they may find.
I know, I posted something against porn on slashdot... let the flaming begin.
I listen to NPR because they are one of the few media agencies (or organizations) that is capable of having an open constructive debate where all point of views are treated with respect. This is dramatically opposite the political cock-fighting you see on major networks such as CNN, Fox News, etc. Sure it takes longer for NPR to cover the issues but that is because they actual COVER THEM instead of touch only on portions that will incite a purely emotional response from their guests and viewers.
There is an experiment that is almost comical (and saddening) to try out. Watch 1 or 2 news agencies, such as MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, etc, cover a currently hot topic in society. Notice the disregard they treat those with different viewpoints and how they favor the guest who is the most emotional and vocal about their position. Then listen to (pod cast or radio) NPR cover the same topic and you'll notice a HUGE difference as well as actually understand how complex the topic is and why it isn't so black and white.
Thank you NPR for giving me faith that we can still hold this Republic together.
Mod this as biased if you want, it still does change the fact that CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, etc. can't even hold a candle to NPR.
You may mod it as "off topic" since this doesn't really cover "Media Distribution". I just wanted to give MHO about NPR in general.
...its own addictive chemicals. Take a look at the following chemicals released into the brain during sex:
Dopamine
Norepinephrine
Testosterone
Oxytocin
My point isn't that there are lots of chemicals released during sex or that sex is bad (I love it!). My point is that we sometimes overlook addictions simply because they don't involve injecting/consuming foreign chemicals. MMORPG's are plenty capable of causing a surge in chemicals produced by your own body. These levels are different for every person and aren't dangerous in and of themselves. What is dangerous is when you form a habit and your body depends on the constant production of certain chemicals.
The best way to stay clear of addictions you may be susceptible to is to look for patterns in your life or in the lives of your friends/family. If these patterns prevent you or them from functioning normally then you/they have a problem no matter how harmless the activity may seem.
I have to disagree with you on this one (although I agree with everything else you said). True, wow does not inject chemicals into your body. However, we sometimes forget the strong levels of chemicals that our body is capable of producing naturally. These chemicals can be very powerful and should not be ignored. Sex is a powerful testament to that. Ask as sexologist and they'll tell you how powerful the chemicals in the brain are during sex.
What people are addicted to isn't the click of the mouse or the typing of keys. They are addicted to the sense of euphoria their body enters when they play the game. That is why it is possible to become addicted to just about anything, so long as you allow your body to be conditioned to it to the point of dependence.
When someone listens to a song the emotional attachment is made with the artist of the song, NOT the company that produced it. I personally feel the whole DRM situation would taper off if this emotional attachment was reflected economically when a consumer purchases a CD. That way the consumer has an emotional incentive to obtain the song legally since their purchase goes directly to the artist and enforces this emotional attachment. The same is true for movies, books etc. The problem is that in order for this to happen, the large producing/publishing companies will have to go away (or at least fall backstage). These companies know this, and what we are seeing is their attempts to stop natural economic and technological trends. Once it becomes economically feasible for an artist/author to produce/publish their work somewhere else, either by themselves or via companies that don't demand ownership of their work, they will do it, and DRM, as well as large producing/publishing companies won't be needed as much.
I used to use Gentoo on my box at work. I started to notice that I would spend more time tweaking/compiling/fixing/troubleshooting my distribution than I would coding. I switched to Ubuntu and I have since been able to focus more on my job (writing code).
This is not a jab at Gentoo. All I'm trying to say is that you need to pick your distribution based on what you are going to use it for. If you need complete flexibility all the way down to the kernel, then Gentoo or similar distributions will work. If all you need is just a working desktop with standard functionality (network, editors, email, music etc.) then packaged based distributions are best.
Don't pick a distribution just because it lets you do everything unless you NEED to do everything.
This is not another internet bubble. The reason the internet bubble occurred last time was that you had biased stock analysts promoting junk stocks for technology companies with the following:
.COM bust of the last decade and that Google (so far) is not repeating the pattern.
1- NO pattern of stable growth (since many were just barely founded)
2- NO solid business plan (most of these company's business plans were just "Go public... get rich")
3- 400%+ growth in the first day (after which nearly all of their venture capitalists bailed and sold)
4- Gross over-confidence in the internet (the "just build a webpage and get rich" mentality)
Google has shown a strong stable pattern of growth, they have a prooven business plan, their VC's have not all bailed at the first sign of growth, and they understand the dynamics of the internet (better than most of us do). I'm not saying that Google is immortal (no company is), I'm just saying that we have generally learned from the
As far as I'm concerned, all Microsoft has to do to fix many of their security problems is STOP ALLOWING USERS TO RUN THEIR ACCOUNTS AS ADMINISTRATORS!!!!!!
Some may say, "But that decreases the usability of the system. Users don't want that." I ask, "Which do you think users prefer? An occasional 2-second password dialog box OR constant popups coupled with datamining programs taking up 99% of their CPU?" It is amazing how powerful as simple password dialog box that pops up whenever you make system changes can be.
Hopefully Vista will implement this. If it does, kudos to the MS team.
It is always risky to base your entire business off of the flaws of another entity. As soon as that entity gets their act together, your business is in trouble. The smart anti-spyware companies will have diversified their revenue sources by now so that if Vista turns out to be so secure as to nullify profits that can be made by anti-spyware products, they'll be ok.
There are simply too many worms in the .XXX can to open it. But why do we need that when you can use free, objective, open community, content advising systems. Check out siteadvisor.
From their webpage:
SiteAdvisor's safety ratings are based on automated safety tests of Web sites (including of our own site) and are enhanced with user feedback from our users and our own manual analysis.
We do not accept payment from sites to be rated, so we have no conflict of interest. We also document our safety tests for every site we analyze.
So John Doe can stumble upon a pornographic website, and if it isn't already rated, dutifully provide feedback so that future viewers can be warned. John Doe can continue to enjoy his porn and can help others avoid or find it. The great thing about this is it doesn't just work for porn, it also rates sites owned by Domain Squatters (labeling them as false information), scamming sites, and other sites with "not so safe" content. Again, the beauty of this is that it is open to the community so ratings can be reversed if some overly conservative person rates a medical site as "unsafe" and each site has its own history/explination of ratings and user feedbacks.
I've been enjoying it and have found it to generally improve my web-surfing experience.
It is very possible to setup a 3-boot situation seeing how Linux Beat Windows to Intel iMac.
So you're telling me that there isn't "New Hardware" that "Designs Software"? Whew! I thought I was out of a job there for a sec.
I've often thought how much good it would do to have a "World Religion" class as part of our public curriculum. *NOT* a course that gets bogged down in pointless discussions of "we're right, they're wrong", but an objective look into how religion influences society and how it has played a role in world history. It would basically be a social studies class that isn't afraid to discuss world religions that have played major roles in history.
Many pointless arguments, bigotries, violent acts, or even wars (motivated by ignorance and intolerance) could be avoided.
Seeing as how this story is posted under the category "Science" it *IS* an appropriate topic. If you want to filter the posts you see on your homepage do the following:
1. Create and account
2. Log in
3. Goto 'Preferences' in the upper lefthand corner
4. Click on the 'Homepage' tab
5. Use the various radio buttons and check boxes to filter the content you see
The tools are in place, USE THEM!
Whenever there is a perceived conflict between science and religion you are seeing one of three things:
1- False religion in the face of true science.
2- False science in the face of true religion.
3- False religion in the face of false science.
True science and true religion have the same end goal, the pursuit of truth. They just have different methodologies to go about finding truth.
Why does everyone insist that using a universal numbering system will suddenly prevent anyone from referring to the virus as anything but that universal number? How many of you have used an ISBN number for a book and found very convenient? Did you then go around to all of your friends and say, "Wow I just bought 0-672-32308-7. It was great!"?
Having some sort of universal numbering system does not remove the need for normal names and titles. It just provides an authoritative convension that can be relied upon on a technical level.