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User: RogueLeaderX

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Comments · 71

  1. Re:Pull the disk on Ask Slashdot: Old PC File Transfer Problem · · Score: 1

    Since I don't have any mod points want to add my voice to the chorus supporting this.

  2. We the people petition on Researcher Fired At NSF After Government Questions Her Role As 1980s Activist · · Score: 1
  3. Re:Actually there is a name for this behavior on Comcast-Time Warner Deal May Hinge On Low-Cost Internet Plan · · Score: 1

    Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me ... how many times is it now that this was promised?

  4. Reply to EmagGeek on New Service Lets You Hitch a Ride With Private Planes For Cost of Tank of Gas · · Score: 1

    Wish I had mod points.

    If posting to FB can be 'holding out' I imagine that using an app to publish publicly puts this in the illegal territory.

  5. Pointless ... on US FDA Moves To Ban Trans Fat · · Score: 1

    So either make a requirement that all food additives follow guidelines to provide "safe levels of consumption and health benefits" or let consumers and corporations work it out on their own. Targeting individual food products is as productive as targeting individual financial products or individual companies in regulation. It just creates more work ... oh; nevermind, figured that out.

  6. Re:Amended quote on Snowden Spoofed Top Officials' Identity To Mine NSA Secrets · · Score: 2

    I'm more worried that they're saying he was "brilliant." Those actions are trivial. I'm disappointed that's all he had to do to get that info.

    Agree with his actions or not, anyone who declared him anything more than "some sysadmin who took some liberties with his access" shouldn't be in charge of gathering, investigating or protecting anyone's sensitive data.

    THIS.

    I came to post the same thing. This is like calling a child that signs their parents name on a school note as "brilliant". Sysadmin has access to everything, it's like saying the locksmith is "brilliant" for opening the door.

    I once had a network admin compliment me for "hacking" into his server when I copied a file there for him.

    My coworker and I laughed and pointed out that it's not hacking when you know root. Granted I'd just complained I my user account was denied access so I can understand the confusion.

    Anecdotal proof that even among IT workers sometimes sysadmin privileges are mysterious.

  7. Re:the study seems defeatist on What's Causing the Rise In Obesity? Everything. · · Score: 1

    This must be modded up by others that didn't RTFA ...

    articles like this that just throw in the proverbial towel arent helping. We need competent nutritional education and responsible industry to start offering food that is both nutritious and healthy. Yet as with most industries the change often comes from the consumer, and its often met half-hearted and begrudgingly.

    The author would agree with you that we need competent nutritional education and the point is that rather than throw in the towel because it's a complicated issue we need to do something.

    He prescribes more research and updating public policy based on current research.

    Also: the consumer is only 1/2 the problem. Food companies spend millions advertising junk food, which increases consumer demand for said food, creating an artificial feedback loop. We could create a similar feedback loop for healthy (i.e. non-junk) food but doing so is costly. Not just in terms of advertising dollars.

    There's lost profits when selling healthy food at a lower margin than junk food.
    There's lost profits when people no longer need to purchase health care products/services due to weight related illness.
    There's lost tax money on junk food vs. healthy food (in some countries.)

    We've created an economic feedback loop that encourages unhealthy lifestyles - it pays better.

    Note: I do not think (nor have I seen evidence of) a conspiracy. I'm talking about economic forces that we can take control over if we wish. It will take many different groups working together to achieve this goal. Consumers, government, and industry need to work together and against the economic incentives.

  8. Re:Three choices, pick one. on Joining Lavabit Et Al, Groklaw Shuts Down Because of NSA Dragnet · · Score: 1

    3. Fight back - I'm talking violence here.

    I know how melodramatic that all sounds, and a few years ago I would have never imagined myself realistically making such a statement - not in a million years.
     

    Not only does this sound melodramatic you only need to look to Syria/Egypt/Libya to see how bad of an idea violence is.

    I fail to understand why so many Americans have given up on our representative Republic. You want to fight back, go vote (and get your friends to vote) for someone who will work to change the system. And when they're corrupted vote in someone else. And keep voting out corrupted politicians until the expense of corrupting them outweighs the benefit.

    It will take work (you might say "eternal vigilance") but currently America has the government we deserve.

    Look into http://pandaunite.org/

  9. Re:Very suspicious on Nobelist Gary Becker Calls For an End To Software Patents · · Score: 1

    It was Chicago 'economics' that did Detroit in.

    As a resident of the Chicago metropolitan area I'm curious what you consider 'Chicago economics.'

    If you're referring to corruption that's a problem as old as civilization itself. Crediting Chicago with originating it does little but boost the already over-inflated egos of Chicago politicians.

  10. Pattent Officers on How Joel Spolsky Shot Down a Microsoft Patent In 15 Minutes · · Score: 1

    I imagine with a little extra funding the USPTO could hire folks like Joel in order to find prior art for these patents.

    The issue, as always with government services, is funding.

    Perhaps we should consider a frequent filer fine. That would avoid increasing the costs for small businesses or independent engineers.

    Alternately we could decide as a society that all of us chipping in some more money each year to improve the USPTO is a reasonable sacrifice to make, but that strikes me as less likely and it punishes the many for the sins of the few.

  11. Re:What now? on Supreme Court Overturns Defense of Marriage Act · · Score: 1

    politicians constantly remind us that driving is a privilege

    Remind them that while the US is a member of the UN, its charter definitions are binding.

    Not certain the argument that 'freedom of movement' equates to 'automobile license' would hold up in court.

    Not that it matters, the UN hasn't kicked China out and they still require permits to move between districts. That strikes me as a tad bit more restrictive than calling a driver's license a 'privilege.' (A privilege now required to vote in Texas.)

  12. Re:He's just another anti-American Slashtard on India's ICBM Will Carry Multiple Nuclear Warheads · · Score: 1

    I don't see what you do. Granted I've not done a scientific study, but here's what I've seen:

    1) Most Americans I talk to that are critical of US policy don't hate the US. Rather, they want to shine a light on problems in the US that they see as at best ignored or at worst denied. The end-game is an improvement of the US (making it better) rather than simply "hating" on their own country.

    2) As most ./ers are American its easier for them to understand a story through their American lens. It may be a bit frustrating, but unless there's a demographic shift on the web-page I see little possibility of it changing. In addition, a quick looks at newsmap.jp shows that the nations they track (via google) are primarily interested in local news as well. Meaning that there's a good chance that if ./ was dominated by another nation then most comments would lead back to shared experiences among that community.

  13. Re:Just admit you dont know and get over it on Manga Girls Beware: Extra Large Eyes Caused Neanderthal's Demise · · Score: 1

    This difference affected their ability to innovate and socialize the way we, modern people (Homo Sapiens Sapiens) do.

    It amazes me that comments like this, with so little data to make such a conjecture, can be taken seriously by people who scoff at religion. We know slightly more about these other branches of humanity (their biology aside) than we do about the historicity and culture of Atlantis. Yet we are supposed to take for granted that we can just know, with virtually nothing known about neanderthal society, what caused them to go extinct.

    Unbelievable.

    Actually, if you read what the scientists have to say, they're liberal with "may" and "might".

    Contrast this with someone who is certain that (insert diety here) told them to (insert action here).

  14. Re:Another reason we're stuck on this blue planet on Trip To Mars Could Damage Astronauts' Brains · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Wish I had mod points for this one.

    Personally, I see asteroid mining as a critical first step in this endeavor. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroid_mining

    Once we learn how to acquire the materials needed from rocks already in space (thus negating the fuel requirements to get it there) it becomes much easier to construct the types of environments needed to support human life in space. Which, until we learn how to generate magnetic shielding like the earth has (ha!), likely means a 6' concrete exoskeleton. Maybe we'll start out by hollowing out a few asteroids and sticking propulsion systems / access hatches on them.

  15. Re:Exaggerated on The Rise of Feudal Computer Security · · Score: 2

    For example, any company should allow for any customer to migrate all her data to another service, without the information loosing its original structure.

    This goal is nearly impossible. Are you going to legislate the data structure for every SaaS out there? How on earth is congress going to keep up with the rapidly changing landscape that is silicon valley?

    The U.S. congress was designed to move slowly. It's a bit like a qwerty keyboard. They've already bitten off more than can chew, as they've shown time and again recently.

  16. Re:Mexico uses analog votes, still open to fraud on US Election Year, Still No Voting Reform · · Score: 1

    http://news.stanford.edu/news/2012/may/money-influence-elections-052112.html

    These stanford researches show that there's (usually) a limit to the influence money has over elections themselves.

    Things I hope they tackle next:

    1. Influence money has over who gets on the ballot
    2. Influence money has over elected officials

  17. Re:Rather than fussing over electronic voting... on US Election Year, Still No Voting Reform · · Score: 1

    In that sense, computers will make ideal election judges.

    The problem is feeding the computers rules that are actually non-partisan and keeping the people from messing with them.

  18. Re:WSJ Link on Nexus Q Stretches "Made in USA" Label · · Score: 3, Informative

    But you can get eight weeks free! All WSJ asks for is some personal information ...

    Fortunately the good professors school posts the article for free: http://www.umflint.edu/som/images/Perry_WSJ_022511.pdf

  19. Re:This makes sense if they're recording *raw* dat on NSA Claims It Would Violate Americans' Privacy To Say How Many of Us It Spied On · · Score: 4, Insightful

    While this is a nice dodge there is one question they can still answer:

    How many people have they "intercepted." No going back to analyze all captured data, just let us know how many people were "actively" voilated instead of just "passively" recorded.

  20. Regular consumer vs. technical consumer on Ask Slashdot: What's Your Beef With Windows Phone? · · Score: 1

    I have non-technical friends that love their windows phones. They find the features handy and don't care about the phone being locked down.

    I know of no tech savy users that are fans of the phone. This is because their (our?) priorities are different.

    Windows phone is not targeted at your average slashdot reader. Infact, most phones are not targeted at your average slashdot reader. This makes sense, as we're a minority of the population and these companies are in the business of making money.

  21. Re:How?? on NASA Rover May Contaminate Its Samples of Mars · · Score: 1

    From TFA:

    "Teflon is rubbed off those seals into the material," said Pete Theisinger, MSL project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. "It then becomes part of the sample."

    I don't see any mention of the bits, but I suppose "seals" could be code for "bits."

  22. Suggestion on Ask Slashdot: Getting a Tech Job With Skills But No Formal Degree? · · Score: 1

    See if the college's placement/career department can find an internship for him. Or perhaps one of your CS professors.

  23. Re:Busy databases on Ask Slashdot: What Type of Asset Would You Not Virtualize? · · Score: 1

    Maybe it's just me, but best practice seems to indicate vCenter SHOULD be on a physical appliance, based upon the added benefits. Cons seem to be the same count-wise between physical and virtual instances of vCenter.

    http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-11197

    Reading the actual pros\cons list, a virtual vCenter is not a good idea....

    The "doc" (opinion) you referenced is from 2009 and references VI 3.x. Licensing was significanly changed with 4, making his points on licensing moot.

    My favorite point he makes for a 'pro' of physical is "Most scalable, cause performance are limited only by server hardware." So upgrading physical hardware is easier than adding virtual resources?

    I've done it both ways. Had both a physical (3.x) and virtual (4) die. I rebuilt vCenter as virtual after the physical died. HA recovered the virtual without me doing anything. Running vCenter virtual makes sense for the same reasons your run any application virtual.

  24. Re:New solid state storage on Higher Hard Drive Prices Are the New Normal · · Score: 1

    Yeah... and they also recently announced hard drives that could be as big as 60PB (yes, PB, not TB) within 4 years. A bit more of a jump over current hard drives than your mentioned SDXC is over current solid state capacity.

    So how fast do I have to spin the thing to get under 10s latency?

  25. Re:NTP and hospitals on Know What Time It Is? Your Medical Device Doesn't · · Score: 1

    The easy solution that devices could have used since 1985? NTP.

    Holy hell, what about no? There's a huge reason why hospitals try to keep off networks, especially public ones. Do you really want to connect all the timing devices in a hospital to an outside public server? Because running it yourself does no good, it can just fuck up all the devices in the hospital.

    Sometimes the ideas non-thinking geeks come up truly scare me.

    So the problem posited by TFA is that device clocks with the wrong times lead to improper treatment. The solution offered is a central time server utilzing the NTP protocol. You've stated that this can just fuck up all the devices in the hospital. (I'm assuming you're getting at the problem of a time server gone bad setting the wrong time for all devices in the hospital.)

    So now we weigh the risk of improper treatment due to time differences between devices vs. the risk of an time server failure. To make that calculation we'll need to know the rate of improper treatment due to time differences and the rate of time server failure. TFA speculates that it's causing problems but provides no hard data. Similarly, I have no hard dat on NTP server failure.

    So essentially our discussion is as follows:

    Time differences between devices could be causing problems and NTP will fix this!

    But, NTP could cause all devices in the hospital to get messed up!

    Also, the sky could turn orange today!

    (p.s. I'm guessing you've had bad experiences with inhouse NTP servers?)