That's when you ask yourself the question: What are they distracting me from noticing?
I mean.. really, this has been in the news for a few months now, I think we all get it. NSA has their grubby fingers into everyone's data. More revelations telling the us the same is just distraction. We know. What I don't know, is what is going on that someone feels the need to keep out of the limelight? Just my 2 cents.
Just a dozen? At the height of one of my email accounts receiving spam, it was upwards of 500 messages a day. I finally just disabled that account, thought maybe if I left it disabled so everything bounces for a few months, they'd stop. Wrong, even today if I enable that account, it gets hammered.
My other accounts still receive substantial amounts of spam (more then a dozen a day, I think you're getting off pretty lightly!) But, I rarely ever see it. Thankfully popfile is really effective, no matter what they try.
Optimizing my email experience is near the bottom of my priority list these days. Just give me something that is good enough. There is no need to build a complex personal philosophy on the subject.
Yeah I'm with you. People still use email for anything other than verifying forum accounts and retrieving forgotten passwords? There are so many faster and easier ways to communicate. Can't say I trust the security of most of these non-email methods, but that's a different subject.
I couldn't even tell you the last time I received an email from a PERSON, pretty much everything in my inbox was generated by another computer.
Quickly on the iGoogle thing: iGoogle taught me something: Do not rely on any Google service, gimmick or application. Except maybe their search engine. Google is becoming notorious for yanking the rug out from under people relying on their stuff. I'll pass on that, I'll just find alternatives that seem to like sticking around.
As an additional.. its pretty obvious some consumers are ok with DRM up their.. yeah.. someone is buying this crap, or they'd for sure cut it out if people would just stop buying it. Companies do understand money, if people would just give the thumbs down and not buy this junk...yeah.. that would finally make it go away. But someone is buying.
I dunno about that. I think sometimes, maybe all the time, when a company releases something with obnoxious DRM, massive piracy is a nice middle finger to the company. I think it sends a clear message, unfortunately that message can be interpreted several ways.
a) We like your game but your DRM is retarded. b) We don't like your game, but we're pirating it just to pirated it. c) We like your game but it's too expensive, so we'll just pirate it.
All of the examples should send the publisher (and lets face it, publishers != developers, EA is a publisher, for the most part.) a clear message something is wrong with their product. But I don't know, it doesn't seem to be working. They're not getting it, but is this any surprise? Na, been here long enough to figure out, they will never get it.
Except possibly (c), they might be getting that one. Steam offers a lot of games for cheap and has sales all the time.
I'm sorry but the longer we go past the death of Jobs the more it looks like Apple is taking a page from Sony's book and trading on past reputation by putting out less quality products priced as if it were quality. So while you see it as bashing I see it as customers waking up and realizing the much vaunted Apple quality just ain't what it used to be.
Good. This is a good thing, Apple and Jobs' visions of computing need to die an ugly spiraling death. Jobs' was the worst thing to happen to personal computing. Him and his silly app store junk. I mean no disrespect for the dead, but I'm glad Jobs is gone, and even more pleased Apple is circling the drain. Good riddance.
Obamacare is the real threat to this country, and will destroy us through wealth redistribution and bankrupting the country we leave to our chiildren. We need to focus our efforts to end the Socialist agenda.
Hmmm. Healthcare for all Americans, or eavesdropping for all Americans. Is there even a debate here?
This sounds like a really awful idea, based on what I've read here. I like how Debian's init works now, its fine, there's nothing wrong with and it's simple.
Where the heck do I send hatemail to perhaps encourage them not to do this?
That sounds retarded. Why would anyone wanna change to that? It's all one command currently (in Debian, which I've used for years), update-rc.d with simple params and done?
There are no high tech solutions to this that are within your budget, ok? Just... deal with it already guys.
Fortunately, there's low-tech solutions. Fight them in court, destroy them legally, from the inside out. It's happening, it takes time, but people like Ladar Levinson are fighting the good fight and more will come along. It won't persist, it cannot persist, our country cannot operate like this for long and not face a real revolution again.
So no.. I will not just 'deal with it', that is completely the wrong attitude. We DO NOT have to deal with it, we will not deal with it. It will be stopped, eventually.
At this point, I think -any- thing surging over the internet is unsafe unless encrypted (and at this point, excessively). I don't trust ANYONE, US or non-US to keep their hands off my packets.
So if I understand you right, you're saying, regardless of the outcome of a supreme court case involving warrentless wiretaps, they will still be conducted and used to incarcerate people? The Government will simply decline to actually prosecute any of these people, and just hold them without charge indefinitely? Wow.
Considering the Government's mishandling of just about any other IT related project (healthcare.gov anyone?), gosh, I could just about believe it's nothing but bluster and show. Almost.
How much more are we going to sit back and look at and just..talk about?
How much longer? Where's the threshold where we collectively get off our asses and do something?
The longer we sit, the bolder they'll get. They'll push as far as we let them, and so far, all I see is a lot of noise, but no action. And that's all they see too, so they just keep doing what they're doing. Why shouldn't they? No one is stopping them.
We built the original infrastructure. The original backbone was developed here, and nearly all the funding came from US sources. Everyuthing else is an extension of that, and built on that framework.
Don't like it? Build your own, like China or Iran, and see how well corporations and people flock to use your "Internet".
This. There's nothing that says you have to use the USA's internet. Feel free to disconnect at anytime. No one is forcing you to use it.
Americans invented it, developed it, paid for it. It's ours. If you don't like ours, make your own, you can even use all the stuff we invented (its all open source after all) free of charge. What a fantastic deal!
Just wanted to add, you see that mentality all over this topic.. the 'don't like it, don't work for them' attitude. That's very common. And that's a problem. I'm not sure how people who say that can justify such a stance. They should trying being on the other side of it and see how it feels to get stuck with things you don't like, that're unreasonable, and your option is, "dont like it? leave. otherwise shut up and do your job." Just seems like a really awful way to go through live, on either side of the equation. How is that a life anyone wants to live? How is that a life someone could inflict on another and live with themselves???
Guess it's a pipedream that employers and employees have a decent relationship between each other, since they're both working together toward the same goals. Guess when I worked for some hardware/software firms, the good relations and trust I had between supervisors and coworkers, to the point that I considered them all good friends was just a freak of nature. Guess that doesn't exist anywhere outside my personal experience. A shame. It was a really nice way to work.
Yeah, unions were at one time a good thing, then criminals got their fingers in the pie and turned unions into something...completely different than what they were supposed to be. Unions aren't about helping workers anymore, they're about helping the people at the top of the food chain. It's sad that such a great idea has been twisted into yet another way for the people at the top to squeeze everyone else.
As far as privacy erosion.. it's the deal we've been handed and no one seems to mind enough to stand up and do anything about it. Everyone still goes to their job and 'puts up' with whatever their employers demand, because that's how America has become, don't like it, don't work, live on the street. That's the choices people have now. Put up with it, or starve. So it's no surprise this stuff is getting more and more persuasive and mainstream.
Don't see any big revolts and cries of foul. Other than a few squeaky wheels you mentioned above which are pretty small scale. Workers want their paycheck and they'll take almost any level of abuse to get it. Sad how it's gotten to this. So sad.
All this does is continue the erosion of trust employees and employers used to enjoy. It makes for oppressive working conditions. Yeah, people slack off now and then, but is really worth the morale hit this kind of garbage does?
I wouldn't work for a company that feels the need to spy on my every move. That's not the kind of relationship I'm interested in having with someone I have to deal with every workday. Not acceptable.
I would think employers would feel the same way. Do they really want employees they feel the need to babysit every minute of the day?
This is a lose-lose for both sides. Nothing good will come of continued adoption of spying on employees.
They might put in metered usage. I was a bit surprised really when it wasn't part of the deal at the outset of broadband services.
But then again, they might not. It's only going to take one of them to give the rest the finger and say "Unlimited internet!" and the rest will follow.
With so much moving to internet infrastructure, I think the entire idea of metered bandwidth for home users is a little absurd. I think it would cast a very dark cloud over the internet for Americans as we all go to metered and start watching our bits. Could spell doom for video streaming services.
It would bring back a huge push for webpages to return to minimalist layouts to conserve bits and attract the new metered customers wanting to consume content with minimal impact on their meter.
Anyone remember the days before we had unlimited long distance calling? The big price wars (yea right, more like lots of fanfare about ripping you off.) over per minute charges between big telcos. Anyone remember that in any kind of fondness? I didn't think so. Metering internet is not going to be a very good thing if it gains steam.
Slashdot Mirror
That's when you ask yourself the question: What are they distracting me from noticing?
I mean.. really, this has been in the news for a few months now, I think we all get it. NSA has their grubby fingers into everyone's data. More revelations telling the us the same is just distraction. We know. What I don't know, is what is going on that someone feels the need to keep out of the limelight? Just my 2 cents.
Just a dozen? At the height of one of my email accounts receiving spam, it was upwards of 500 messages a day. I finally just disabled that account, thought maybe if I left it disabled so everything bounces for a few months, they'd stop. Wrong, even today if I enable that account, it gets hammered.
My other accounts still receive substantial amounts of spam (more then a dozen a day, I think you're getting off pretty lightly!) But, I rarely ever see it. Thankfully popfile is really effective, no matter what they try.
Optimizing my email experience is near the bottom of my priority list these days. Just give me something that is good enough. There is no need to build a complex personal philosophy on the subject.
Yeah I'm with you. People still use email for anything other than verifying forum accounts and retrieving forgotten passwords? There are so many faster and easier ways to communicate. Can't say I trust the security of most of these non-email methods, but that's a different subject.
I couldn't even tell you the last time I received an email from a PERSON, pretty much everything in my inbox was generated by another computer.
Quickly on the iGoogle thing: iGoogle taught me something: Do not rely on any Google service, gimmick or application. Except maybe their search engine. Google is becoming notorious for yanking the rug out from under people relying on their stuff. I'll pass on that, I'll just find alternatives that seem to like sticking around.
As an additional.. its pretty obvious some consumers are ok with DRM up their .. yeah.. someone is buying this crap, or they'd for sure cut it out if people would just stop buying it. Companies do understand money, if people would just give the thumbs down and not buy this junk...yeah.. that would finally make it go away. But someone is buying.
I dunno about that. I think sometimes, maybe all the time, when a company releases something with obnoxious DRM, massive piracy is a nice middle finger to the company. I think it sends a clear message, unfortunately that message can be interpreted several ways.
a) We like your game but your DRM is retarded.
b) We don't like your game, but we're pirating it just to pirated it.
c) We like your game but it's too expensive, so we'll just pirate it.
All of the examples should send the publisher (and lets face it, publishers != developers, EA is a publisher, for the most part.) a clear message something is wrong with their product. But I don't know, it doesn't seem to be working. They're not getting it, but is this any surprise? Na, been here long enough to figure out, they will never get it.
Except possibly (c), they might be getting that one. Steam offers a lot of games for cheap and has sales all the time.
I'm sorry but the longer we go past the death of Jobs the more it looks like Apple is taking a page from Sony's book and trading on past reputation by putting out less quality products priced as if it were quality. So while you see it as bashing I see it as customers waking up and realizing the much vaunted Apple quality just ain't what it used to be.
Good. This is a good thing, Apple and Jobs' visions of computing need to die an ugly spiraling death. Jobs' was the worst thing to happen to personal computing. Him and his silly app store junk. I mean no disrespect for the dead, but I'm glad Jobs is gone, and even more pleased Apple is circling the drain. Good riddance.
I agree. I'm a dumb weirdo. Programming is all I know. I have no social skills what so ever, so I agree.
Obamacare is the real threat to this country, and will destroy us through wealth redistribution and bankrupting the country we leave to our chiildren. We need to focus our efforts to end the Socialist agenda.
Hmmm. Healthcare for all Americans, or eavesdropping for all Americans. Is there even a debate here?
This sounds like a really awful idea, based on what I've read here. I like how Debian's init works now, its fine, there's nothing wrong with and it's simple.
Where the heck do I send hatemail to perhaps encourage them not to do this?
That sounds retarded. Why would anyone wanna change to that? It's all one command currently (in Debian, which I've used for years), update-rc.d with simple params and done?
There are no high tech solutions to this that are within your budget, ok? Just... deal with it already guys.
Fortunately, there's low-tech solutions. Fight them in court, destroy them legally, from the inside out. It's happening, it takes time, but people like Ladar Levinson are fighting the good fight and more will come along. It won't persist, it cannot persist, our country cannot operate like this for long and not face a real revolution again.
So no.. I will not just 'deal with it', that is completely the wrong attitude. We DO NOT have to deal with it, we will not deal with it. It will be stopped, eventually.
At this point, I think -any- thing surging over the internet is unsafe unless encrypted (and at this point, excessively). I don't trust ANYONE, US or non-US to keep their hands off my packets.
So if I understand you right, you're saying, regardless of the outcome of a supreme court case involving warrentless wiretaps, they will still be conducted and used to incarcerate people? The Government will simply decline to actually prosecute any of these people, and just hold them without charge indefinitely? Wow.
Is there any winning outcome?
Considering the Government's mishandling of just about any other IT related project (healthcare.gov anyone?), gosh, I could just about believe it's nothing but bluster and show. Almost.
How much more are we going to sit back and look at and just..talk about?
How much longer? Where's the threshold where we collectively get off our asses and do something?
The longer we sit, the bolder they'll get. They'll push as far as we let them, and so far, all I see is a lot of noise, but no action. And that's all they see too, so they just keep doing what they're doing. Why shouldn't they? No one is stopping them.
We built the original infrastructure. The original backbone was developed here, and nearly all the funding came from US sources. Everyuthing else is an extension of that, and built on that framework.
Don't like it? Build your own, like China or Iran, and see how well corporations and people flock to use your "Internet".
This. There's nothing that says you have to use the USA's internet. Feel free to disconnect at anytime. No one is forcing you to use it.
Americans invented it, developed it, paid for it. It's ours. If you don't like ours, make your own, you can even use all the stuff we invented (its all open source after all) free of charge. What a fantastic deal!
Just what we needed.
Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC)
Um.. last time I checked, exit nodes are not a stable thing. They come and go. Kind of hard to block/detect a moving target, I'd think.
Just wanted to add, you see that mentality all over this topic.. the 'don't like it, don't work for them' attitude. That's very common. And that's a problem. I'm not sure how people who say that can justify such a stance. They should trying being on the other side of it and see how it feels to get stuck with things you don't like, that're unreasonable, and your option is, "dont like it? leave. otherwise shut up and do your job." Just seems like a really awful way to go through live, on either side of the equation. How is that a life anyone wants to live? How is that a life someone could inflict on another and live with themselves???
Guess it's a pipedream that employers and employees have a decent relationship between each other, since they're both working together toward the same goals. Guess when I worked for some hardware/software firms, the good relations and trust I had between supervisors and coworkers, to the point that I considered them all good friends was just a freak of nature. Guess that doesn't exist anywhere outside my personal experience. A shame. It was a really nice way to work.
Yeah, unions were at one time a good thing, then criminals got their fingers in the pie and turned unions into something...completely different than what they were supposed to be. Unions aren't about helping workers anymore, they're about helping the people at the top of the food chain. It's sad that such a great idea has been twisted into yet another way for the people at the top to squeeze everyone else.
As far as privacy erosion.. it's the deal we've been handed and no one seems to mind enough to stand up and do anything about it. Everyone still goes to their job and 'puts up' with whatever their employers demand, because that's how America has become, don't like it, don't work, live on the street. That's the choices people have now. Put up with it, or starve. So it's no surprise this stuff is getting more and more persuasive and mainstream.
Don't see any big revolts and cries of foul. Other than a few squeaky wheels you mentioned above which are pretty small scale. Workers want their paycheck and they'll take almost any level of abuse to get it. Sad how it's gotten to this. So sad.
All this does is continue the erosion of trust employees and employers used to enjoy. It makes for oppressive working conditions. Yeah, people slack off now and then, but is really worth the morale hit this kind of garbage does?
I wouldn't work for a company that feels the need to spy on my every move. That's not the kind of relationship I'm interested in having with someone I have to deal with every workday. Not acceptable.
I would think employers would feel the same way. Do they really want employees they feel the need to babysit every minute of the day?
This is a lose-lose for both sides. Nothing good will come of continued adoption of spying on employees.
Now someone else can come along and replace Google, they have a great pitch. "No banner ads!"
They might put in metered usage. I was a bit surprised really when it wasn't part of the deal at the outset of broadband services.
But then again, they might not. It's only going to take one of them to give the rest the finger and say "Unlimited internet!" and the rest will follow.
With so much moving to internet infrastructure, I think the entire idea of metered bandwidth for home users is a little absurd. I think it would cast a very dark cloud over the internet for Americans as we all go to metered and start watching our bits. Could spell doom for video streaming services.
It would bring back a huge push for webpages to return to minimalist layouts to conserve bits and attract the new metered customers wanting to consume content with minimal impact on their meter.
Anyone remember the days before we had unlimited long distance calling? The big price wars (yea right, more like lots of fanfare about ripping you off.) over per minute charges between big telcos. Anyone remember that in any kind of fondness? I didn't think so. Metering internet is not going to be a very good thing if it gains steam.
http://www.addictinggames.com/action-games/theworldshardestgame.jsp
That is pretty hard, I couldn't even figure out how to move!