I'd have to think that Geohot has encrypted the contents of some files or perhaps his entire hard drive. Can he be legally required to divulge passwords? He's certainly savvy enough to use hidden containers.
If it turns out these crashes are Windows blue screens, the media will jump all over Microsoft. But considering everything else we're heard about this poorly run oil rig, it just as easily could have been poor third party/custom software or faulty hardware causing kernel panic, and have nothing to do with MSFT.
More than a speedy bios, an SSD makes a bigger difference in boot times. I use PCs all day, but my new MacBook with SSD boots fast! From the "chime" to the login screen is 5.5 seconds.
The article says that these satellites are rarely used right now, and a full replacement system is coming online in 2009. Frankly, why bother to crack down when the problem is going to solve itself in a few months? And why crack down now when the problem has been going on for so long?
It will be interesting to see if the US shuts down these satellites entirely when the time comes, or leaves them on and operational and open to piracy. My guess is they will waste the budget money and keep them online far too long.
The complaints about "shortcomings" are misguided.
I only need Skype in wifi hot spots. Domestically, I use my cell phone minutes for phone calls. If I need to call internationally from my iPhone, I use Skype-To-Go, their relay service.
I only need VOIP when I'm out of the country. I'm not going to use iPhone data roaming because it is too expensive. But there are plenty of free wifi spots around the globe.
Fring has been so unreliable for me, an official Skype client has me very excited. When I'm in Cabo or Canada (or anywhere overseas) for a weekend, and I want to call home, this is where a Skype client is perfect! Find a wifi hot spot and dial away!
Of course they can go offline, and you are wrong to be upset about it. Gmail is:
1. Free
2. In Beta
Even if it were not free and were not in beta, unless you are paying for 100% guaranteed uptime, they are still allowed to go offline. Sure, no one wants to be without email for a few hours, but we'll survive. If it's that important to you, get a paid 100% uptime service with a solid backup plan.
I'm amazed how people get worked up about short outages like this. Stuff happens.
1. I'm sure you can find lots of gigs on Craigslist or through a recruiter. Through a recruiter, you'll probably find more jobs that want you onsite during the day, which will interfere with your real job.
2. Which leaves you with looking for freelance gigs via Craigslist and such. The majority of those projects will be from people with little understanding of what they really need, and even less money. As a result, you should be picky about the jobs you take. You need to understand their business model, not just their programming needs.
3. I recommend against making fixed-price bids on freelance projects. Hourly is much easier for you to manage, and keeps the client from feature-creeping you. It's fine to give estimates, meet their budgets, but don't fall into the trap of fix-price bidding on an undefined project! Yes, it is harder to negotiate and win an hourly contract vs fixed-price, but it is worth it. (You will get burned on a fixed price project: it will happen to you, as it does to all new freelancers, so here's my "I-told-you-so" in advance!)
4. Collections. Collecting payment needs to be easy, and often isn't. Do not deliver source code until you are paid. Have a contract stating that payment indicates acceptance. Show them frequent builds and let them see and use the software frequently so that invoices are not a surprise. When you don't get paid, stop working.
I also advise taking on an easy project to start. Make sure it is a slam dunk for you and get a taste for whether or not you want to keep doing freelance projects. Good luck!
Jobs had a Whipple procedure -- a major operation that removes part of the pancreas and re-wires hit guts. The 5-year survival rate is around 25%, and Steve is right at the 5 years. I could not find 10-year survival stats, but even with a successful surgery and claims that he is "cancer-free", a Whipple means a shortened life span. Weight loss is a known complication.
But who is he kidding? He's skipping the keynote because of his health. He's probably skinnier and more sickly-looking than before, and any other excuse is just that: an excuse.
Warren Buffet knows he is not immortal, and while he has not named his specific successor, he has made numerous statements that it is taken care of, and Berkshire Hathaway is fully prepared for his eventual death. Jobs needs to do the same, and now. I hope he stays at Apple for a long time, but realistically he could be dead in a year.
Damn straight. I'm paraphrasing here, but I believe he said or posted something like "I was only behind one proxy, and when I realized what I'd done, I had a "OH $T!" moment, changed the pw, and posted it online."
And he used a traceable email address when he posted and admitted what he'd done. That proxy may not have been enough to hide him from an investigation, but he sealed his fate when he used that email address. Even if that proxy had been traced back to his IP address, he could have STFU and have already poured some Clorox onto his computer.
Poor kid, he needs to get punished, but any prison time is just cruel and unusual.
Do you need phone support with your email?
on
Email-only Providers?
·
· Score: 2, Informative
I like to recommend EnterpriseMail (www.quexion.com). They are full service business email, for companies that do not want to deal with the technical issues themselves. Not really targeted to single email accounts, consumers or/. geeks. They answer the phone on the first ring and are good if you don't mind paying a bit more to get real tech support on demand.
I am the owner of a seasoned IT company, and I find this post very interesting. When we unfortunatetly have to fire someone, we lock access immediately. When a trusted, long term employee gives notice, we keep access open and come up with a transition/knowledge transfer plan.
It sounds like your company had a knee-jerk reaction. You are in a good spot. Don't make a fuss, don't burn any bridges, and wait for them to come to you. Be upbeat, offer to help, but otherwise I suggest using these four weeks to relax and do what you can with what you have. Don't surf the web, post on slashdot, etc., if you think they will be following or logging your access. Take the time to document what you think they will need to know. They may end up asking you to leave earlier than four weeks, but you should be holding your head up high when you finally do walk out the door. This may only bring you good karma, but taking the high road is always a sound plan.
I just bought a box of six ceramic tiles, only to open the box and find a Western Digital hard drive! Took it back to the tile store and they told me "tough luck".
I blame the Malaysian tile and hard drive factory.
It's much easier to get back into orbit from the equator due to the moon's rotational speed. This is the same reason those floating satellite launch pads travel all the way to Earth's equator before launch.
The goal of all this is to prevent phishing and other exploits? I think SPF will make a much bigger difference in cutting down on internet "crap". SPF seems much more likely to make a difference, and good luck getting secure DNS implemented in a significant number of domains.
EBay is rapidly turning evil. Their fees are simply too high. Between the listing, final value, and PayPal fees, they're cleaning up, and not in a good way.
They make it so damn hard to use anything other than PayPal for payment, and PayPal is a carefully-designed system that forces users to pay high credit-card rates on all transactions, even cash/echeck. Their "free" limits are so low they are a joke.
It is inevitable that chips and cars will be compared in this thread, so I'll start: the luxury automakers have their C-Class, E-Class, and S-Classes, (or 3-series, 5-series, etc for you BMW fans), and it works very well for them. Heck, eveyone knows that an F350 kicks butt over the F150. Point is, most people do not know how much horsepower these cars have, we just know they're somehow bigger and better from looking at the name.
The nerds and motorheads will always look up the technical details anyway. Intel just wants to make it easier for the layperson.
The 3x3 cube is a reasonable challenge, but anyone can learn to solve it without having to memorize any special "moves". I can solve it consistently in about 5-7 minutes just by working through it. (There are many, many methods.) It's one of those things that can look quite difficult at first, but when shown how to do it, you are quickly surprised at how easy it really is. I'd compare it to juggling 3 balls at once -- just about anyone can do it with a bit of practice.
The guys that solve the cube in mere seconds or minutes have memorized moves and sequences to several cubes in place simultaneously, but it's really not necessary if you don't mind taking up a few more minutes to solve it.
5 years? Big deal? Chris Kraft (former "Flight" in the early days of NASA) summed it up in his autobiography: the space shuttles, the space stations, they are all a cop-out and pretty much a waste of time. We should be on the moon, on Mars, not wasting time in low orbit! We already know how to stay in orbit with a zillion satellites and launches under our collective belts. We need to get back to the hard stuff.
As servers get smaller and cooler, you're just going to run into the situation with blade servers that cram more and more CPUs into smaller and smaller spaces. The heat's going to be the same because of the quantity.
SBC is indeed horrible to deal with. Their advertising simply lies: I signed up for their "unlimited calling anywhere, anytime" plan.
Turns out "anywhere" doesn't include their infamous "Zone 3" calling area, which always costs extra. My mother-in-law falls into Zone 3. (Some would see this as a benefit, I suppose, but try telling your wife "we can call anywhere for free, just don't call your mother!")
Managers (the good ones, at least) should know that when a problem, or in this case a "security flaw", arises, the problem is generally with the process, not with the people. Holding programmers resposible for a bug is poor management! If bugs keep popping up, then the process of reviewing and testing needs to be fixed.
Sure, if the programmers can't stick with the process and consistently fail, then get a new programmer. But blaming a programmer for a bug in released software sounds like something the pointy-haired boss would do.
Why take the chance on holding programmers responsible when a solid process would eliminiate the uncertainty?
Here in So Cal, I've noticed most places have employees trained to try to check ids. But it's gotten so common that they're just as lazy, and any old driver's license will do. In several instances I've bought take-out lunch for the office using a company card in someone else's name. The clerk always asks for id, makes a cursory glance at it, and then rings it up. They don't check a darn thing.
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I'd have to think that Geohot has encrypted the contents of some files or perhaps his entire hard drive. Can he be legally required to divulge passwords? He's certainly savvy enough to use hidden containers.
If it turns out these crashes are Windows blue screens, the media will jump all over Microsoft. But considering everything else we're heard about this poorly run oil rig, it just as easily could have been poor third party/custom software or faulty hardware causing kernel panic, and have nothing to do with MSFT.
No one can take advantage of you without your permission. If you provide free on-call services, that's because you allow it.
More than a speedy bios, an SSD makes a bigger difference in boot times. I use PCs all day, but my new MacBook with SSD boots fast! From the "chime" to the login screen is 5.5 seconds.
The article says that these satellites are rarely used right now, and a full replacement system is coming online in 2009. Frankly, why bother to crack down when the problem is going to solve itself in a few months? And why crack down now when the problem has been going on for so long?
It will be interesting to see if the US shuts down these satellites entirely when the time comes, or leaves them on and operational and open to piracy. My guess is they will waste the budget money and keep them online far too long.
The complaints about "shortcomings" are misguided.
I only need Skype in wifi hot spots. Domestically, I use my cell phone minutes for phone calls. If I need to call internationally from my iPhone, I use Skype-To-Go, their relay service.
I only need VOIP when I'm out of the country. I'm not going to use iPhone data roaming because it is too expensive. But there are plenty of free wifi spots around the globe.
Fring has been so unreliable for me, an official Skype client has me very excited. When I'm in Cabo or Canada (or anywhere overseas) for a weekend, and I want to call home, this is where a Skype client is perfect! Find a wifi hot spot and dial away!
Of course they can go offline, and you are wrong to be upset about it. Gmail is:
1. Free
2. In Beta
Even if it were not free and were not in beta, unless you are paying for 100% guaranteed uptime, they are still allowed to go offline. Sure, no one wants to be without email for a few hours, but we'll survive. If it's that important to you, get a paid 100% uptime service with a solid backup plan.
I'm amazed how people get worked up about short outages like this. Stuff happens.
1. I'm sure you can find lots of gigs on Craigslist or through a recruiter. Through a recruiter, you'll probably find more jobs that want you onsite during the day, which will interfere with your real job.
2. Which leaves you with looking for freelance gigs via Craigslist and such. The majority of those projects will be from people with little understanding of what they really need, and even less money. As a result, you should be picky about the jobs you take. You need to understand their business model, not just their programming needs.
3. I recommend against making fixed-price bids on freelance projects. Hourly is much easier for you to manage, and keeps the client from feature-creeping you. It's fine to give estimates, meet their budgets, but don't fall into the trap of fix-price bidding on an undefined project! Yes, it is harder to negotiate and win an hourly contract vs fixed-price, but it is worth it. (You will get burned on a fixed price project: it will happen to you, as it does to all new freelancers, so here's my "I-told-you-so" in advance!)
4. Collections. Collecting payment needs to be easy, and often isn't. Do not deliver source code until you are paid. Have a contract stating that payment indicates acceptance. Show them frequent builds and let them see and use the software frequently so that invoices are not a surprise. When you don't get paid, stop working.
I also advise taking on an easy project to start. Make sure it is a slam dunk for you and get a taste for whether or not you want to keep doing freelance projects. Good luck!
Jobs had a Whipple procedure -- a major operation that removes part of the pancreas and re-wires hit guts. The 5-year survival rate is around 25%, and Steve is right at the 5 years. I could not find 10-year survival stats, but even with a successful surgery and claims that he is "cancer-free", a Whipple means a shortened life span. Weight loss is a known complication. But who is he kidding? He's skipping the keynote because of his health. He's probably skinnier and more sickly-looking than before, and any other excuse is just that: an excuse. Warren Buffet knows he is not immortal, and while he has not named his specific successor, he has made numerous statements that it is taken care of, and Berkshire Hathaway is fully prepared for his eventual death. Jobs needs to do the same, and now. I hope he stays at Apple for a long time, but realistically he could be dead in a year.
Damn straight. I'm paraphrasing here, but I believe he said or posted something like "I was only behind one proxy, and when I realized what I'd done, I had a "OH $T!" moment, changed the pw, and posted it online." And he used a traceable email address when he posted and admitted what he'd done. That proxy may not have been enough to hide him from an investigation, but he sealed his fate when he used that email address. Even if that proxy had been traced back to his IP address, he could have STFU and have already poured some Clorox onto his computer. Poor kid, he needs to get punished, but any prison time is just cruel and unusual.
I like to recommend EnterpriseMail (www.quexion.com). They are full service business email, for companies that do not want to deal with the technical issues themselves. Not really targeted to single email accounts, consumers or /. geeks. They answer the phone on the first ring and are good if you don't mind paying a bit more to get real tech support on demand.
I am the owner of a seasoned IT company, and I find this post very interesting. When we unfortunatetly have to fire someone, we lock access immediately. When a trusted, long term employee gives notice, we keep access open and come up with a transition/knowledge transfer plan. It sounds like your company had a knee-jerk reaction. You are in a good spot. Don't make a fuss, don't burn any bridges, and wait for them to come to you. Be upbeat, offer to help, but otherwise I suggest using these four weeks to relax and do what you can with what you have. Don't surf the web, post on slashdot, etc., if you think they will be following or logging your access. Take the time to document what you think they will need to know. They may end up asking you to leave earlier than four weeks, but you should be holding your head up high when you finally do walk out the door. This may only bring you good karma, but taking the high road is always a sound plan.
I just bought a box of six ceramic tiles, only to open the box and find a Western Digital hard drive! Took it back to the tile store and they told me "tough luck". I blame the Malaysian tile and hard drive factory.
It's much easier to get back into orbit from the equator due to the moon's rotational speed. This is the same reason those floating satellite launch pads travel all the way to Earth's equator before launch.
The goal of all this is to prevent phishing and other exploits? I think SPF will make a much bigger difference in cutting down on internet "crap". SPF seems much more likely to make a difference, and good luck getting secure DNS implemented in a significant number of domains.
EBay is rapidly turning evil. Their fees are simply too high. Between the listing, final value, and PayPal fees, they're cleaning up, and not in a good way.
They make it so damn hard to use anything other than PayPal for payment, and PayPal is a carefully-designed system that forces users to pay high credit-card rates on all transactions, even cash/echeck. Their "free" limits are so low they are a joke.
It is inevitable that chips and cars will be compared in this thread, so I'll start: the luxury automakers have their C-Class, E-Class, and S-Classes, (or 3-series, 5-series, etc for you BMW fans), and it works very well for them. Heck, eveyone knows that an F350 kicks butt over the F150. Point is, most people do not know how much horsepower these cars have, we just know they're somehow bigger and better from looking at the name.
The nerds and motorheads will always look up the technical details anyway. Intel just wants to make it easier for the layperson.
Wearning a tin foil hat increases my WiFi performance.
The 3x3 cube is a reasonable challenge, but anyone can learn to solve it without having to memorize any special "moves". I can solve it consistently in about 5-7 minutes just by working through it. (There are many, many methods.) It's one of those things that can look quite difficult at first, but when shown how to do it, you are quickly surprised at how easy it really is. I'd compare it to juggling 3 balls at once -- just about anyone can do it with a bit of practice.
The guys that solve the cube in mere seconds or minutes have memorized moves and sequences to several cubes in place simultaneously, but it's really not necessary if you don't mind taking up a few more minutes to solve it.
5 years? Big deal? Chris Kraft (former "Flight" in the early days of NASA) summed it up in his autobiography: the space shuttles, the space stations, they are all a cop-out and pretty much a waste of time. We should be on the moon, on Mars, not wasting time in low orbit! We already know how to stay in orbit with a zillion satellites and launches under our collective belts. We need to get back to the hard stuff.
As servers get smaller and cooler, you're just going to run into the situation with blade servers that cram more and more CPUs into smaller and smaller spaces. The heat's going to be the same because of the quantity.
SBC is indeed horrible to deal with. Their advertising simply lies: I signed up for their "unlimited calling anywhere, anytime" plan.
Turns out "anywhere" doesn't include their infamous "Zone 3" calling area, which always costs extra. My mother-in-law falls into Zone 3. (Some would see this as a benefit, I suppose, but try telling your wife "we can call anywhere for free, just don't call your mother!")
Managers (the good ones, at least) should know that when a problem, or in this case a "security flaw", arises, the problem is generally with the process, not with the people. Holding programmers resposible for a bug is poor management! If bugs keep popping up, then the process of reviewing and testing needs to be fixed. Sure, if the programmers can't stick with the process and consistently fail, then get a new programmer. But blaming a programmer for a bug in released software sounds like something the pointy-haired boss would do. Why take the chance on holding programmers responsible when a solid process would eliminiate the uncertainty?
Here in So Cal, I've noticed most places have employees trained to try to check ids. But it's gotten so common that they're just as lazy, and any old driver's license will do. In several instances I've bought take-out lunch for the office using a company card in someone else's name. The clerk always asks for id, makes a cursory glance at it, and then rings it up. They don't check a darn thing.