I've worked in Muscat a number of times over the past two years and, from the start, it was immediately clear why it's considered the most corrupt country in the Arabian Gulf. If a foreigner wants some expedient business assistance from the authorities, they bribe someone. If they want the authorities to not do something, or look the other way... they bribe someone. Every business obstacle or impediment is routinely solved with bribes in Oman.
That sounds like we were being picked on as soft targets since we were paying a lot of bribes. But this applied to every foreign company we came across dealing with Oman (in the tech sector at least). You simply cannot believe how often foreign companies dealing with Oman have to pay people to make things happen.
Since audio and video surveillance don't have to be presented as evidence in court in order to be useful, the police can carry out this surveillance without a warrant, so they find out where to look for the evidence they *can* obtain legally.
In the past different kinds of surveillance requiring different warrants had to be physically carried out in different ways, so the lines couldn't get blurred. If this software is able to carry out multiple kinds of survellance, it will be tempting to use them all, and only present the admissable ones in court.
The Judge has not actually told Apple to de-crypt the phone, rather to develop software to prevent the phone from introducing any additional delay between passcode attempts, and to turn off any “auto-erase” functions on the phone, if enabled.
Normally iPhones slow down anyone trying to “brute force” their way into a phone by guessing passcode after passcode.
The arsonist/firefighting analogy for that would be quite convoluted.
The OP should have picked up on this, but the effects being discussed are VISUAL effects, not SPECIAL effects.
The industry terms are "visual effects" for digital (or old-school optical) effects carried out in post, and "special effects" for physical effects made in front of the camera.
It might sound pedantic, but most people have no problem with special effects, ie REAL effects carried out in-camera. It's the digitally created effects (greenscreen comps, CG monsters and environments etc) that people see as fake.
Disclaimer - I work in the visual effects industry (and certainly not in the special effects industry). We were the people waving the green cards at the last Oscars, as opposed to the people who blow real stuff up on set.
If the terrorists didn't know how to hide their footprints until snowden told them how their footprints were being found, then that's 'security through obscurity' again.
It relies on the ignorance of the terrorists, not the expertise of the authorities.
But, from the point of view of a child, a computer language is just a language, like French, German, or Japanese. The earlier a child is introduced to a language, the easier it is for a child to pick up. Understanding the language of computers is as essential as English Language skills (to non-english speakers), not car repair.
Some kids are natural linguists, some are natural scientists, and some learn by taking things apart and (occasionally) being able to put them back together again. Regardless of aptitude, an understanding of the language and principles underpinning coding at least gives children the confidence to get their hands dirty with a computer.
Instead of trying to avoid attention by toeing the line, avoid it by what might be termed 'whole life steganography'. Do the subversive things while always having an excuse or reason why the subversive action is essential to daily life. Yes, it needs thought and planning, but easier than moving country.
After all, this is how governments introduce such draconian policies in the first place... by claiming they have some alternative, semi-plausible rationale (usually involving 'prevention of terrorism').
Slashdot Mirror
90% of the human race just wants to use social media, write emails, shop and watch cat videos
FTFY
They paid someone. Oman is endemically corrupt.
I've worked in Muscat a number of times over the past two years and, from the start, it was immediately clear why it's considered the most corrupt country in the Arabian Gulf. If a foreigner wants some expedient business assistance from the authorities, they bribe someone. If they want the authorities to not do something, or look the other way... they bribe someone. Every business obstacle or impediment is routinely solved with bribes in Oman.
That sounds like we were being picked on as soft targets since we were paying a lot of bribes. But this applied to every foreign company we came across dealing with Oman (in the tech sector at least). You simply cannot believe how often foreign companies dealing with Oman have to pay people to make things happen.
And it will be no match for him at kickboxing.
in other news...
1 in 3 AIs fear being replaced by Humans.
Unless you're in Finland, in which case it's about 7 mSv.
So the Finns would be better off working at Fukushima (from an annual radiological point of view).
They're managing expectations with 'crash euphemisms'.
Shame my car insurers won't accept I just 'parked it hard'.
Didn't you watch The Godfather?
if they set the range to 100 meters, they just could have their war in a paintball field.
A jamming M16/M4 is a feature designed to stop soldiers killing civilians as fast as they'd otherwise be able to.
Proportional Representation has unfortunately yet to make an appearance in the UK's voting system.
Since audio and video surveillance don't have to be presented as evidence in court in order to be useful, the police can carry out this surveillance without a warrant, so they find out where to look for the evidence they *can* obtain legally.
In the past different kinds of surveillance requiring different warrants had to be physically carried out in different ways, so the lines couldn't get blurred. If this software is able to carry out multiple kinds of survellance, it will be tempting to use them all, and only present the admissable ones in court.
The Judge has not actually told Apple to de-crypt the phone, rather to develop software to prevent the phone from introducing any additional delay between passcode attempts, and to turn off any “auto-erase” functions on the phone, if enabled.
Normally iPhones slow down anyone trying to “brute force” their way into a phone by guessing passcode after passcode.
The arsonist/firefighting analogy for that would be quite convoluted.
When the road signs turn into a different language, you know you're in trouble.
Locomotive horns are for rednecks. This is slashdot.
Get a NASA Reverberent Chamber Horn fitted in your car.
Hopefully it's a recessive gene and 'morning people' will just die out eventually.
The OP should have picked up on this, but the effects being discussed are VISUAL effects, not SPECIAL effects.
The industry terms are "visual effects" for digital (or old-school optical) effects carried out in post, and "special effects" for physical effects made in front of the camera.
It might sound pedantic, but most people have no problem with special effects, ie REAL effects carried out in-camera. It's the digitally created effects (greenscreen comps, CG monsters and environments etc) that people see as fake.
Disclaimer - I work in the visual effects industry (and certainly not in the special effects industry). We were the people waving the green cards at the last Oscars, as opposed to the people who blow real stuff up on set.
I feel the same way about those self-driving Google cars. If I got in one I'd have to kick my own ass.
Self-driving cars don't need Windows.
Because the Third Act needs a Ticking Clock.
Always keep your bombs under 100ml.
What difference would a fair trial make? He's guilty.
The rule of law is that anyone accused of an offence is innocent until proven guilty.
Snowden hasn't been put on trial yet. The US Justice Department may have charges they want to put to him, but that doesn't change his legal status.
If the terrorists didn't know how to hide their footprints until snowden told them how their footprints were being found, then that's 'security through obscurity' again.
It relies on the ignorance of the terrorists, not the expertise of the authorities.
Also crocodiles can be drugged. And indonesia's corrupt system is awash with drugs.
A bribed, corrupt guard who allows inmates to escape could be detected. Harder to check who drugged the crocs.
No matter how much bandwidth there is, people will always want to move more data than there is bandwidth.
To use the time-honoured car analogy, no matter how many roads the government builds, there will always be enough cars to jam them up.
But, from the point of view of a child, a computer language is just a language, like French, German, or Japanese. The earlier a child is introduced to a language, the easier it is for a child to pick up. Understanding the language of computers is as essential as English Language skills (to non-english speakers), not car repair.
Some kids are natural linguists, some are natural scientists, and some learn by taking things apart and (occasionally) being able to put them back together again. Regardless of aptitude, an understanding of the language and principles underpinning coding at least gives children the confidence to get their hands dirty with a computer.
Or 'hide in plain sight'.
Instead of trying to avoid attention by toeing the line, avoid it by what might be termed 'whole life steganography'. Do the subversive things while always having an excuse or reason why the subversive action is essential to daily life. Yes, it needs thought and planning, but easier than moving country.
After all, this is how governments introduce such draconian policies in the first place... by claiming they have some alternative, semi-plausible rationale (usually involving 'prevention of terrorism').