Anyone notice that the mainstream media is doing plenty of coverage about the afwul hackers who post free encryption, but very little coverage about things like ethics and airline security? I can't remember the last time I saw anyone in the media write about the fact that there are hardly any checks on people who buy huge quantities of fertilizer that can be used in truck bombs.
While much of the media coverage of encryption lately has been somewhat insightful, it seems that most of it is more reactionary crap. The media is afraid to demonize airlines for horribly mismanaging their entire industry to the point that they cut corners, often illegally on airline security. Maybe it has something to do with the massive amounts of advertising airlines pay for every year, especially right now when they are advertising dirt cheap fares to try and woo back scared travelers.
It just goes to show the biggest downside of massive media corporations; instead of being accountable to the masses, they are accountable to the advertisers.
I will close with a quote, source unknown:
"The media is only as liberal as the companies that own it."
You are missing the point. I am not advocating that nothing be done, just that the EFF not be the ones to do it. The EFF was not set up to lobby politicians, and people who expect them to do so need to realize that a separate lobbying entity must be created.
Although IANAL and don't know all of the details, US law does prohibit taking foreign funds to campaign with. Al Gore and the democratic party actually ended up in deep shit over this, and probably would have been really screwed had Janet Reno not "mysteriously" ordered prosecution of the case abandoned.
We certainly do need a lobby. People just need to stop expecting the EFF to do it.
Re:There already is such an organization
on
Slashdot in Politics?
·
· Score: 4, Informative
Because that isn't what the EFF wants to do. Lobbying groups operate under very different laws and tax codes than nonprofit groups funding legal help do. If the EFF were to start lobbying, it would drastically change the entire organization.
Lobbying groups also tend to be considered somewhat less credible than politically motivated nonprofits like the EFF. Right now the EFF just helps out the accused and points out some bad laws. Because they are a group of people who could probably be making more money with less hassle doing something else, they get a lot of trust and respect from many people. If the EFF were to start taking donations to lobby politicians, they would be just another group of washington scum getting paid to help politicians buy elections by sucking up to the right people. The EFF would then become the NRA of geek politics, they would get a lot of support, shuffle around a lot of money, but in the long run they would earn quite a bit of disdain from outsiders.
Re:There already is such an organization
on
Slashdot in Politics?
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
The EFF is not a lobbying group, it is a fund set up to help people whose freedoms are attacked unjustly. What we need is someone with the knowledge, experience, and leadership capabilities to start up a PAC (Political Action Committee.) that can lobby politicians for us.
This is the sort of thing that some of those loudmouthed leaders of the open-source community should really be doing, instead of running around trying to demonize Microsoft and other software companies, making the entire movement look like a bunch of cheap wackos.
I worked at one of the massive web consulting shops, and watched it go from 10,000 to about 50 employees before I finally got the golden shitcan award in July. A list of things I saw people steal follows:
-Aeron Chairs
-Dell Servers
-Compaq Servers
-Dell desktops
-Cisco hubs and switches
-Sun desktops
-A pool table.
-Microsoft Natural Keyboards
-Speakers
-Electronic foot massagers (Really.)
-Books
-Any software package known to man
-Laptops
-DLT Cartridges
-Any SCSI equipment you could imagine.
I could probably make this list longer, but I doubt anyone wants to read it.
Larry Ellison may seem crazy, but the truth is far stranger; he is actually a time-travelling cave-man! Haven't you ever wondered why Larry looks like a fury refuge from the planet of the apes? Or maybe why he says crazy things in public over and over again? Those of you who have been by the Oracle building in Reston, Virginia may have seen Larry's UFO on top of the building (I tried to find pictures, but larry uses his cave-man powers to block them out!). Whenever he needs to do his crazed lobbying in DC, he first enters his UFO and travels to his own time where he gets instructions from his alien superiors (They gave him the time machine!).
Anyway, you should all mirror this post, because Larry's conspiracy to stop people from knowing the truth will have used scientology lawyers to make Taco remove this post within hours!!!
Working in tech should be fun without screwing around. I work as a *NIX admin because I love working with Solaris and Linux. I like hacking at shell scripts, trying to make windows work with Samba, and finding clever ways to lock my servers down.
If you don't consider the work itself to be fun, you really need to find another line of work.
That said, I just found a job with a small government contractor. We get free food and drinks, shoot huge rubber bands at each other, chill on the patio, etc.. So yes, those jobs still exist.
Actually, it would probably be easier to attack UNIX with a worm. There are more UNIX machines out there than Windows machines, and most of them are probably just as poorly maintained in regards to security.
So why don't people write more UNIX worms? I think the first big problem with a UNIX worm is the portability problem: getting a worm that runs well on all of the different CPUs, UNIXes, Linux distros, etc. out there would require a pretty basassed coder. Anyone good enough to do so probably wouldn't waste his time on a worm since he could get paid obscene amounts of money for coding something more productive.
On a more positive note, I think worms generally target Windows because computer users in general don't really like Windows. Jokes about Windows being unstable/buggy/insecure/slow have gone from being a subsect of geek culture to a repetitive theme in popular culture. People run Windows mostly out of necessity, because it is the only desktop OS that provides access to a large variety of commercial software, and runs on cheap, non-proprietary hardware. People who use UNIX do so because they want to, and they like doing it; therefore they are less likely to produce something as randon as a worm. (I am leaving crackers/s'kiddies out of this as they have far different motivations.).
Actually, Microsoft seems to have a decent track record of answering/. questions. Don't forget that they even offered up one of their guys for an interview!
How many stories do we need to see about this before the Slashdot guys bother to just CONTACT MICROSOFT? Would it really be so horrible if Taco or Roblimo stopped surfing the web for a few hours and actually called up MS and asked what the deal with the license is?
I realize that they aren't really journalists, but can't they just show a little bit of responsibility if they are going to keep posting about this?
"Flame if you will, but all these worms are going to only get worse since Microsoft will never fix the problem without making sure people have to pay a monthly subscription for their OS, and users are unaware that they have to patch their boxes."
1- Microsoft has already added a firewall into Windows XP, allowing users to block attackers.
2- Microsoft had patches for these exploits up months ago, for free. Internet Explorer semi-regularly forwards Windows users to an automatic website update that explains they need to patch their OS to install patches that fix problems, including security issues. It is not their fault that the users are directed right to an automated patch utility and CHOOSE TO IGNORE IT ANYWAY!
This prompts a lawsuit that would probably fail, but would bring a huge amount of attention to the problematic liscences arising in the software industry, especially from Microsoft.
We need to sue the US Government. A suit should be filed against the US Government for violating the first amendment by requiring government employees to use Microsoft software. Crazy, somewhat frivilous, and doomed to fail, but if the media would pick it up it might work out.
Of course, no lawyer would be crazy enough to take the case, and I can't pay for one, but this could definately be a cool way to let the public realize what kind of thing comes up in those licenses that they do not read.
This article does a good job of pointing out many of the flaws in using Linux software on the desktop. Linux developers would be well advised to read it and take the author's complaints in mind.
One thing the author pointed out repeatedly was the problems involved in installing and configuring XFree86. People have been saying this for a long time. I know that just about every time I have installed Linux, one of the first things I have to do is rerun xf86config and then manually edit the files to get things working right. If the Linux companies out there really want Linux to take over, the most important thing they could possibly do would be creating an entirely new configuration tool for X that is easy to use, configures scroll wheels, and has a better interface for less technical people.
Another sore point was StarOffice all being integrated together. I know that big changes are planned for OpenOffice 6, but we really need the Linux vendors to rally behind Koffice and Star/Openoffice for speed, ease of use, and file portability, as well as better Microsoft Office compatibility.
Of course, what I saw above all that really stood out was the fact that Linux is being compared to Windows, as if Windows needs to be as good or better than Windows at what Windows does. Linux will never be better at being Windows than Windows. Linux desktop developers need to stop cramming every little tool that might be able to fill a Windows-like function onto Linux desktops and start doing something special and innovative. Microsoft has spent years ripping off Apple's ideas, and all we get are good knockoffs of a knockoff - which is never going to put Linux up front where it needs to be.
"Everywhere I went in Israel I saw soldiers. All had rifles; some had rifles with grenade launchers. You actually get used to this after a while. I was only there a month, but by the end of my visit I hardly noticed anymore."
I would rather die fighting to wipe out terrorism worldwide than ever get used to seeing armed soldiers everywhere I go. Beyond that, I would rather die fighting terrorism than see America enforce unending involuntary conscription to supply enough armed soldiers to guard the people everywhere. This is a freedom many American's love, the freedom to walk around and not need armed guards. I guarantee you that most Israelis wish that Israel did not need them.
He could have changed all the links in the stories to http://www.goatse.cx !
Did Osama do it? The meaning of jihad...
on
A New Kind of War
·
· Score: 2
- Disclaimer - I am not an operative or employee of the US Government. They pay people to forget more about this sort of thing than I will ever know. I harbor no sympathy for Bin Laden, hope to see him die painfully, and am not defending his actions.
Did Osama Bin Laden really mastermind the terrorist attacks on New York? While it seems that he has the capability, it does not seem all too likely to me.
First off, this is not Bin Laden's MO. Bin Laden is engaged in a jihad against the USA. Many/. posters are using the term jihad incorrectly, in reference to a holy war. Holy war is a bastardization of the word jihad by the American Government and media. A jihad is actually a purging of dangerous or unclean external influences. The point of a jihad is not to destroy the source of the influence, but to get such influences out of islamic society. An attack against American targets within the USA far oversteps the bounds of jihad.
Bin laden has refrained from attacking civilians before, and even publicly stated that to do so would be against the tenets of his faith. (Recent reports state that he has encouraged the killings of all Americans, but I have only seen such reports from the mainstream American press and do not put much stock in them.). It seems unlikely that he would suddenly shift stance and do so with an attack that far outstrips all other attacks he has admitted to or is suspected of. Attacks such as this could easily be responsible for a world war with the Afghanistani people, and even the middle east in general as a target. It seems unlikely that even Bin Laden would take such a risk of destroying the land and culture that he holds so dear and has spent so many years "protecting."
It seems to me that the US is likely dealing with something far greater than Bin Laden. His network of terrorists, "Al Quaeda" may be involved, but "Al Quaeda" is actually a network of reportedly 40-50 muslim terrorists groups that Bin Laden funds. The United States has repeatedly stated that another nation, likely Iraq was involved, which seems far more likely, given the obvious madness of Saddam Hussein and the devotion of his followers.
And to the/. posters who keep stating that the Afghan clerics have declared jihad upon the USA, that is untrue. The Afghans have stated that the will declare a jihad if we invade them, at which point the United States would face the full wrath of the world's greatest guerrilla army, lead by some of the CIA's best students. These people defeated the British three times, and the Soviets once, and anyone who thinks that invading Afghanistan is a good idea needs to realize that such a war would make Vietnam look like a walk in the park.
Telecommuting seems like a good idea up front, but doesn't work in the long run. Sure many workers will love it, and might even work more each day because food is right there, no commute is needed, no reason to dress up, etc. But there will always be a few bad apples who totally blow a project by sleeping late and playing games all day. I speak from experience, my last employer had our entire team start telecommuting when our lease ran out and they were not sure where to put our new offices and datacenter. Within a week productivity went down the tubes, and it resulted in lax security that allowed almost all of our NT servers to be hit by Code Red, causing enough traffic to knock out some network equipment and even a few poorly maintained Solaris servers.
Of course, a few servers were ok, those were the ones managed by the people who could actually work from home and get work done.
Incidents like this seem to be common with telecommuters. If you really decide to push for it, make sure that other employees are up to doing it right, or things will get really screwed up in the end.
I have just over a year of experience, so I am actually doing pretty well. I also meant that in comparison to the fact that the average salary for most single men my age in America is around $20,000 a year less than that.
I am a Sysadmin. I do not work cheap. My services run a minimum of $25 an hour, which is not cheap (Although if I wanted a much more intense job I could get double that.).
I play EverQuest in my free time. In EverQuest, there is a very cool item I wanted called A Flowing Black Silk Sash. The sash is a rather powerful item, is always in demand, and is somewhat rare. This has created conditions that make getting the sash take anywhere from a few hours with help from some friends, to a few days with a bit of luck. Given my character's status on her server, it probably would have taken me six to twelve hours to get this item. That works out to $150-$300 US of my time.
Instead, I tracked down someone selling his EverQuest account on ebay. I emailed him to see if he had said sash for sale on one of his characters, and sure enough he did. Within 24 hours we had exchanged the money via paypal and the item in game. Total cost to me = $100 and about ten minutes of free time, and I actually did the work while on the job. I was then able to use those extra hours study new things to do as a sysadmin, thus increasing my marketability, and in the long run, my overall salary.
Some people call me a cheater, I think of myself as economically minded.
Slashdot Mirror
Anyone notice that the mainstream media is doing plenty of coverage about the afwul hackers who post free encryption, but very little coverage about things like ethics and airline security? I can't remember the last time I saw anyone in the media write about the fact that there are hardly any checks on people who buy huge quantities of fertilizer that can be used in truck bombs.
While much of the media coverage of encryption lately has been somewhat insightful, it seems that most of it is more reactionary crap. The media is afraid to demonize airlines for horribly mismanaging their entire industry to the point that they cut corners, often illegally on airline security. Maybe it has something to do with the massive amounts of advertising airlines pay for every year, especially right now when they are advertising dirt cheap fares to try and woo back scared travelers.
It just goes to show the biggest downside of massive media corporations; instead of being accountable to the masses, they are accountable to the advertisers.
I will close with a quote, source unknown:
"The media is only as liberal as the companies that own it."
And the funny thing is, I still talk to people who think campaign finance reforms would be a bad thing!
You are missing the point. I am not advocating that nothing be done, just that the EFF not be the ones to do it. The EFF was not set up to lobby politicians, and people who expect them to do so need to realize that a separate lobbying entity must be created.
Although IANAL and don't know all of the details, US law does prohibit taking foreign funds to campaign with. Al Gore and the democratic party actually ended up in deep shit over this, and probably would have been really screwed had Janet Reno not "mysteriously" ordered prosecution of the case abandoned.
We certainly do need a lobby. People just need to stop expecting the EFF to do it.
Because that isn't what the EFF wants to do. Lobbying groups operate under very different laws and tax codes than nonprofit groups funding legal help do. If the EFF were to start lobbying, it would drastically change the entire organization.
Lobbying groups also tend to be considered somewhat less credible than politically motivated nonprofits like the EFF. Right now the EFF just helps out the accused and points out some bad laws. Because they are a group of people who could probably be making more money with less hassle doing something else, they get a lot of trust and respect from many people. If the EFF were to start taking donations to lobby politicians, they would be just another group of washington scum getting paid to help politicians buy elections by sucking up to the right people. The EFF would then become the NRA of geek politics, they would get a lot of support, shuffle around a lot of money, but in the long run they would earn quite a bit of disdain from outsiders.
The EFF is not a lobbying group, it is a fund set up to help people whose freedoms are attacked unjustly. What we need is someone with the knowledge, experience, and leadership capabilities to start up a PAC (Political Action Committee.) that can lobby politicians for us.
This is the sort of thing that some of those loudmouthed leaders of the open-source community should really be doing, instead of running around trying to demonize Microsoft and other software companies, making the entire movement look like a bunch of cheap wackos.
I worked at one of the massive web consulting shops, and watched it go from 10,000 to about 50 employees before I finally got the golden shitcan award in July. A list of things I saw people steal follows:
-Aeron Chairs
-Dell Servers
-Compaq Servers
-Dell desktops
-Cisco hubs and switches
-Sun desktops
-A pool table.
-Microsoft Natural Keyboards
-Speakers
-Electronic foot massagers (Really.)
-Books
-Any software package known to man
-Laptops
-DLT Cartridges
-Any SCSI equipment you could imagine.
I could probably make this list longer, but I doubt anyone wants to read it.
Larry Ellison may seem crazy, but the truth is far stranger; he is actually a time-travelling cave-man! Haven't you ever wondered why Larry looks like a fury refuge from the planet of the apes? Or maybe why he says crazy things in public over and over again? Those of you who have been by the Oracle building in Reston, Virginia may have seen Larry's UFO on top of the building (I tried to find pictures, but larry uses his cave-man powers to block them out!). Whenever he needs to do his crazed lobbying in DC, he first enters his UFO and travels to his own time where he gets instructions from his alien superiors (They gave him the time machine!).
Anyway, you should all mirror this post, because Larry's conspiracy to stop people from knowing the truth will have used scientology lawyers to make Taco remove this post within hours!!!
"It may seem a minor point, but the more and faster connections are built in, the less frequently the upgrade gremlins have to strike."
Yet another reason the industry hates Apple. They build their computers to last, even moreso than other manufacturers.
Working in tech should be fun without screwing around. I work as a *NIX admin because I love working with Solaris and Linux. I like hacking at shell scripts, trying to make windows work with Samba, and finding clever ways to lock my servers down.
If you don't consider the work itself to be fun, you really need to find another line of work.
That said, I just found a job with a small government contractor. We get free food and drinks, shoot huge rubber bands at each other, chill on the patio, etc.. So yes, those jobs still exist.
Actually, it would probably be easier to attack UNIX with a worm. There are more UNIX machines out there than Windows machines, and most of them are probably just as poorly maintained in regards to security.
So why don't people write more UNIX worms? I think the first big problem with a UNIX worm is the portability problem: getting a worm that runs well on all of the different CPUs, UNIXes, Linux distros, etc. out there would require a pretty basassed coder. Anyone good enough to do so probably wouldn't waste his time on a worm since he could get paid obscene amounts of money for coding something more productive.
On a more positive note, I think worms generally target Windows because computer users in general don't really like Windows. Jokes about Windows being unstable/buggy/insecure/slow have gone from being a subsect of geek culture to a repetitive theme in popular culture. People run Windows mostly out of necessity, because it is the only desktop OS that provides access to a large variety of commercial software, and runs on cheap, non-proprietary hardware. People who use UNIX do so because they want to, and they like doing it; therefore they are less likely to produce something as randon as a worm. (I am leaving crackers/s'kiddies out of this as they have far different motivations.).
Actually, Microsoft seems to have a decent track record of answering /. questions. Don't forget that they even offered up one of their guys for an interview!
How many stories do we need to see about this before the Slashdot guys bother to just CONTACT MICROSOFT? Would it really be so horrible if Taco or Roblimo stopped surfing the web for a few hours and actually called up MS and asked what the deal with the license is?
I realize that they aren't really journalists, but can't they just show a little bit of responsibility if they are going to keep posting about this?
"Flame if you will, but all these worms are going to only get worse since Microsoft will never fix the problem without making sure people have to pay a monthly subscription for their OS, and users are unaware that they have to patch their boxes."
1- Microsoft has already added a firewall into Windows XP, allowing users to block attackers.
2- Microsoft had patches for these exploits up months ago, for free. Internet Explorer semi-regularly forwards Windows users to an automatic website update that explains they need to patch their OS to install patches that fix problems, including security issues. It is not their fault that the users are directed right to an automated patch utility and CHOOSE TO IGNORE IT ANYWAY!
This prompts a lawsuit that would probably fail, but would bring a huge amount of attention to the problematic liscences arising in the software industry, especially from Microsoft.
We need to sue the US Government. A suit should be filed against the US Government for violating the first amendment by requiring government employees to use Microsoft software. Crazy, somewhat frivilous, and doomed to fail, but if the media would pick it up it might work out.
Of course, no lawyer would be crazy enough to take the case, and I can't pay for one, but this could definately be a cool way to let the public realize what kind of thing comes up in those licenses that they do not read.
This article does a good job of pointing out many of the flaws in using Linux software on the desktop. Linux developers would be well advised to read it and take the author's complaints in mind.
One thing the author pointed out repeatedly was the problems involved in installing and configuring XFree86. People have been saying this for a long time. I know that just about every time I have installed Linux, one of the first things I have to do is rerun xf86config and then manually edit the files to get things working right. If the Linux companies out there really want Linux to take over, the most important thing they could possibly do would be creating an entirely new configuration tool for X that is easy to use, configures scroll wheels, and has a better interface for less technical people.
Another sore point was StarOffice all being integrated together. I know that big changes are planned for OpenOffice 6, but we really need the Linux vendors to rally behind Koffice and Star/Openoffice for speed, ease of use, and file portability, as well as better Microsoft Office compatibility.
Of course, what I saw above all that really stood out was the fact that Linux is being compared to Windows, as if Windows needs to be as good or better than Windows at what Windows does. Linux will never be better at being Windows than Windows. Linux desktop developers need to stop cramming every little tool that might be able to fill a Windows-like function onto Linux desktops and start doing something special and innovative. Microsoft has spent years ripping off Apple's ideas, and all we get are good knockoffs of a knockoff - which is never going to put Linux up front where it needs to be.
"Everywhere I went in Israel I saw soldiers. All had rifles; some had rifles with grenade launchers. You actually get used to this after a while. I was only there a month, but by the end of my visit I hardly noticed anymore."
I would rather die fighting to wipe out terrorism worldwide than ever get used to seeing armed soldiers everywhere I go. Beyond that, I would rather die fighting terrorism than see America enforce unending involuntary conscription to supply enough armed soldiers to guard the people everywhere. This is a freedom many American's love, the freedom to walk around and not need armed guards. I guarantee you that most Israelis wish that Israel did not need them.
He could have changed all the links in the stories to http://www.goatse.cx !
- Disclaimer - I am not an operative or employee of the US Government. They pay people to forget more about this sort of thing than I will ever know. I harbor no sympathy for Bin Laden, hope to see him die painfully, and am not defending his actions.
/. posters are using the term jihad incorrectly, in reference to a holy war. Holy war is a bastardization of the word jihad by the American Government and media. A jihad is actually a purging of dangerous or unclean external influences. The point of a jihad is not to destroy the source of the influence, but to get such influences out of islamic society. An attack against American targets within the USA far oversteps the bounds of jihad.
/. posters who keep stating that the Afghan clerics have declared jihad upon the USA, that is untrue. The Afghans have stated that the will declare a jihad if we invade them, at which point the United States would face the full wrath of the world's greatest guerrilla army, lead by some of the CIA's best students. These people defeated the British three times, and the Soviets once, and anyone who thinks that invading Afghanistan is a good idea needs to realize that such a war would make Vietnam look like a walk in the park.
Did Osama Bin Laden really mastermind the terrorist attacks on New York? While it seems that he has the capability, it does not seem all too likely to me.
First off, this is not Bin Laden's MO. Bin Laden is engaged in a jihad against the USA. Many
Bin laden has refrained from attacking civilians before, and even publicly stated that to do so would be against the tenets of his faith. (Recent reports state that he has encouraged the killings of all Americans, but I have only seen such reports from the mainstream American press and do not put much stock in them.). It seems unlikely that he would suddenly shift stance and do so with an attack that far outstrips all other attacks he has admitted to or is suspected of. Attacks such as this could easily be responsible for a world war with the Afghanistani people, and even the middle east in general as a target. It seems unlikely that even Bin Laden would take such a risk of destroying the land and culture that he holds so dear and has spent so many years "protecting."
It seems to me that the US is likely dealing with something far greater than Bin Laden. His network of terrorists, "Al Quaeda" may be involved, but "Al Quaeda" is actually a network of reportedly 40-50 muslim terrorists groups that Bin Laden funds. The United States has repeatedly stated that another nation, likely Iraq was involved, which seems far more likely, given the obvious madness of Saddam Hussein and the devotion of his followers.
And to the
Screw you guys... do you realize how fast I will be able to compile kernels on a dual-G5 machine???
Anyone know if Apple airport cards are good for leeching bandwidth?
Telecommuting seems like a good idea up front, but doesn't work in the long run. Sure many workers will love it, and might even work more each day because food is right there, no commute is needed, no reason to dress up, etc. But there will always be a few bad apples who totally blow a project by sleeping late and playing games all day. I speak from experience, my last employer had our entire team start telecommuting when our lease ran out and they were not sure where to put our new offices and datacenter. Within a week productivity went down the tubes, and it resulted in lax security that allowed almost all of our NT servers to be hit by Code Red, causing enough traffic to knock out some network equipment and even a few poorly maintained Solaris servers.
Of course, a few servers were ok, those were the ones managed by the people who could actually work from home and get work done.
Incidents like this seem to be common with telecommuters. If you really decide to push for it, make sure that other employees are up to doing it right, or things will get really screwed up in the end.
I have just over a year of experience, so I am actually doing pretty well. I also meant that in comparison to the fact that the average salary for most single men my age in America is around $20,000 a year less than that.
I am a Sysadmin. I do not work cheap. My services run a minimum of $25 an hour, which is not cheap (Although if I wanted a much more intense job I could get double that.).
I play EverQuest in my free time. In EverQuest, there is a very cool item I wanted called A Flowing Black Silk Sash. The sash is a rather powerful item, is always in demand, and is somewhat rare. This has created conditions that make getting the sash take anywhere from a few hours with help from some friends, to a few days with a bit of luck. Given my character's status on her server, it probably would have taken me six to twelve hours to get this item. That works out to $150-$300 US of my time.
Instead, I tracked down someone selling his EverQuest account on ebay. I emailed him to see if he had said sash for sale on one of his characters, and sure enough he did. Within 24 hours we had exchanged the money via paypal and the item in game. Total cost to me = $100 and about ten minutes of free time, and I actually did the work while on the job. I was then able to use those extra hours study new things to do as a sysadmin, thus increasing my marketability, and in the long run, my overall salary.
Some people call me a cheater, I think of myself as economically minded.