In all seriousness, though, it would help to have these additional details:
McCormick was a high school dropout, but he was able to read and write and was said to be “street smart.” According to members of his family, McCormick had used such encrypted notes since he was a boy, but apparently no one in his family knows how to decipher the codes, and it’s unknown whether anyone besides McCormick could translate his secret language. Investigators believe the notes in McCormick’s pockets were written up to three days before his death.
Over the years, a number of CRRU’s examiners—who are experts at breaking codes—have puzzled over the McCormick notes and applied a variety of analytical techniques to tease out an answer. “Standard routes of cryptanalysis seem to have hit brick walls,” Olson noted. Our cryptanalysts have several plausible theories about the notes, but so far, there has been no solution.
To move the case forward, examiners need another sample of McCormick’s coded system—or a similar one—that might offer context to the mystery notes or allow valuable comparisons to be made. Or, short of new evidence, Olson said, “Maybe someone with a fresh set of eyes might come up with a brilliant new idea.”
I think the code was probably meant for his eyes only, which means he probably constructed it using abbreviations and codewords that only he himself would understand. Without knowing those, well...good luck.
The first note just looks a list of IP addresses associated with Twitter accounts communicating with a "Julian_Assange" and the second note appears to be in Arabic (which I can't read).
I don't understand what either of those have to do with a 1999 murder in Missouri though.
Three Mile Island was contained and didn't hurt anyone, but it still essentially ended all nuclear power plant construction in the U.S. People are irrationally afraid of the nuclear boogeyman. The press exploits this for ratings, people freak out, and anti-nuclear activists use it as ammo for years to come. Even if the Japanese reactors are completely contained today, with no more radiation release and everyone living happily ever after--it's still too late. The damage to the public perception of nuclear energy has already been done.
I can't offer any because the MIT researcher who showed off this "artificial leaf" won't release any numbers on its manufacturing cost (and won't answer the question, even when it's put to him). Considering that other proposed solutions in the past have always been way more expensive to make (in both money and resources) than they were worth, I think the burden is on him to show that his version is practical.
I actually looked into solar panels for my house a while back. If I completely covered my roof, it was going to cost $25,000-$30,000 and would generate about 40-50% or of my energy costs (assuming pretty consistent sunlight). At that rate, the panels would take about 40 years to pay for themselves (assuming they never needed replacement and never needed any maintenance, which seems unrealistic to me). In the end, barring a huge spike in electrical energy costs, they just weren't even close to practical. And considering my back roof is partially in shade, I'm not sure even those numbers were realistic. And the installer was telling me they would never need any maintenance, and I don't buy that for a *second* (I've never encountered any electrical system outside of nature that could run for 40 years with absolutely no maintenance).
It's nice to think we could all throw up solar panels on our houses and be done with it. But that shit is an EXPENSIVE up-front investment (and would take a very long time to pay for itself). And people in apartments or high-rises wouldn't have even that option.
I'd say the "they" in this case were the geniuses who built backup generators on the coast of Japan with just a 12-foot wall to protect them from a tsunami (and all clustered in one place on low ground, no less)
Wind and solar are pipe dreams. I don't care if I get modded down for saying that. I don't care if it goes against popular opinion, or flies in the face of all the pro-solar, pro-wind propaganda of late. And I don't care if it upsets the environmentalists. It's true. Even if you could come up with enough money to build the infrastructure to deploy and maintain the kind of huge solar and wind farms you would need all over the country/world, they'll still only cover a fraction of our present-day needs.
Just building the transmission lines for that kind of project is going to be overshadow the scale of the whole TVA project. And who's going to pay for it? Do you think the American people (or the people of other countries) are willing to make *real* sacrifices for that, when it really comes down to it? Oh sure, ask any American if they support solar/wind and they'll say "Yes." But try rephrasing it as "Would you support a 50% income tax increase to pay for investments in solar/wind infrastructure?" and see what they answer.
Believe me, I would love nothing better than a country running exclusively on clean energy, with solar panels and turbines everywhere. But the more I look at the issue, and the kinds of numbers involved, the more I don't see how it's ever going to be practical (not until the coal runs out anyway).
And that's not even getting into the issue of countries and areas that don't get enough unobstructed sunlight and wind. What's going to happen to them in this utopia?
If the American military will agree to stop selling all these oppressive regimes jets, tanks, weapons, and training--all us software developers will agree to stop selling them software.
If taste is going to be the criterion for what's allowed and not allowed to air on television now, I demand that every reality TV series be removed first.
My.MP3.com tried a similar defense in their legal case. To access music on the service, users had to prove they legally owned the music already on CD. But that defense didn't work. It cost them $53.4 million in damages (which basically bankrupted and destroyed the company).
In many ways, this is an even tougher case. Because Amazon won't even be requiring users to prove they legally own the music. From the way it's being described, there is nothing to stop you from uploading your pirated MP3's right next to your ripped ones, and putting them both right next to the ones bought through the Amazon Store.
There are already plenty of online backup services (including some based on EC2) filled with personal music libraries
Yeah, but this goes a lot further than just an online backup storage drive. It also includes a music player. And they're advertising it specifically as a music service. The studios are going to go apeshit on anything that threatens their stranglehold/monopoly. And this definitely qualifies.
How can they limit it if they're letting you access it through any web browser? Maybe if they were requiring you to actually install their software, but it sounds like it's just a basic web interface.
All the reports I've seen indicate that they will also let you upload your own MP3 and AAC files to the server. And obviously Sony isn't on board, at least.
Just because Sony may be overly litigious doesn't mean they will be successful.
I always hope that they will fail in all their jackboot lawsuits. Yet they always seem to be on the winning end of every motion, subpeona, and trial. Even when they pull shit like the infamous rootkit, all THEY get is a slap on the wrist, while everyone who illegally downloads their stuff gets their door kicked in by cops and their lives destroyed.
Its a web based storage service that only you access.
Yeah, assuming no one every thinks of creating a generic account and then handing out the userid and password to all their friends. And I imagine they will--about 5 seconds after this thing launches.
My 7-11 had the same deal, only they offered the option to choose between three Zunes or three Grammys. I took the Zunes, because hey, a little something is better than nothing at all, right?
I think comparing this to Zune Pass is apples and oranges. From what I understand Zune Pass is something more akin to Netflix's streaming service, with a limited number of titles available, and locked down with DRM. This "locker" is a storage service that essentially lets you put any song you want onto it (pirated, ripped, or legally purchased). This would allow you to access your entire music collection, through the web, from anywhere--with no royalties or agreements with any studio. There is no way the studios are just going to look the other way on this.
Because if Amazon doesn't think the music studios are going to push back *HARD* on this, their heads are in the cloud. Here's a relevant quote:
"We are disappointed that the locker service that Amazon is proposing is unlicensed by Sony Music," a spokeswoman for Sony Corp.'s Sony Music Entertainment told the Journal.
Considering that Sony will sue people who even *talk* about putting their IP on the web, you think they're just going to sit back and watch while you allow everyone and his brother to put all their ripped Sony CD's on a web accessible service?
All I can say is that Amazon (and Google and Apple if they intend to follow up with their rumored similar services) had better lawyer up.
Not only that, but his kids have been suing each other and alleging fraud over all that money since Coretta King's death. The family has become a fractured mess of corruption and sibling bitterness. Just sad.
Slashdot Mirror
In all seriousness, though, it would help to have these additional details:
McCormick was a high school dropout, but he was able to read and write and was said to be “street smart.” According to members of his family, McCormick had used such encrypted notes since he was a boy, but apparently no one in his family knows how to decipher the codes, and it’s unknown whether anyone besides McCormick could translate his secret language. Investigators believe the notes in McCormick’s pockets were written up to three days before his death.
Over the years, a number of CRRU’s examiners—who are experts at breaking codes—have puzzled over the McCormick notes and applied a variety of analytical techniques to tease out an answer. “Standard routes of cryptanalysis seem to have hit brick walls,” Olson noted. Our cryptanalysts have several plausible theories about the notes, but so far, there has been no solution.
To move the case forward, examiners need another sample of McCormick’s coded system—or a similar one—that might offer context to the mystery notes or allow valuable comparisons to be made. Or, short of new evidence, Olson said, “Maybe someone with a fresh set of eyes might come up with a brilliant new idea.”
I think the code was probably meant for his eyes only, which means he probably constructed it using abbreviations and codewords that only he himself would understand. Without knowing those, well...good luck.
The first note just looks a list of IP addresses associated with Twitter accounts communicating with a "Julian_Assange" and the second note appears to be in Arabic (which I can't read).
I don't understand what either of those have to do with a 1999 murder in Missouri though.
Three Mile Island was contained and didn't hurt anyone, but it still essentially ended all nuclear power plant construction in the U.S. People are irrationally afraid of the nuclear boogeyman. The press exploits this for ratings, people freak out, and anti-nuclear activists use it as ammo for years to come. Even if the Japanese reactors are completely contained today, with no more radiation release and everyone living happily ever after--it's still too late. The damage to the public perception of nuclear energy has already been done.
I can't offer any because the MIT researcher who showed off this "artificial leaf" won't release any numbers on its manufacturing cost (and won't answer the question, even when it's put to him). Considering that other proposed solutions in the past have always been way more expensive to make (in both money and resources) than they were worth, I think the burden is on him to show that his version is practical.
I actually looked into solar panels for my house a while back. If I completely covered my roof, it was going to cost $25,000-$30,000 and would generate about 40-50% or of my energy costs (assuming pretty consistent sunlight). At that rate, the panels would take about 40 years to pay for themselves (assuming they never needed replacement and never needed any maintenance, which seems unrealistic to me). In the end, barring a huge spike in electrical energy costs, they just weren't even close to practical. And considering my back roof is partially in shade, I'm not sure even those numbers were realistic. And the installer was telling me they would never need any maintenance, and I don't buy that for a *second* (I've never encountered any electrical system outside of nature that could run for 40 years with absolutely no maintenance).
It's nice to think we could all throw up solar panels on our houses and be done with it. But that shit is an EXPENSIVE up-front investment (and would take a very long time to pay for itself). And people in apartments or high-rises wouldn't have even that option.
I'd say the "they" in this case were the geniuses who built backup generators on the coast of Japan with just a 12-foot wall to protect them from a tsunami (and all clustered in one place on low ground, no less)
Well, what do you propose, then? And it has to be realistic, mind you--not some vague "We need to conserve more" or "Wind and solar will save us!"
Wind and solar are pipe dreams. I don't care if I get modded down for saying that. I don't care if it goes against popular opinion, or flies in the face of all the pro-solar, pro-wind propaganda of late. And I don't care if it upsets the environmentalists. It's true. Even if you could come up with enough money to build the infrastructure to deploy and maintain the kind of huge solar and wind farms you would need all over the country/world, they'll still only cover a fraction of our present-day needs.
Just building the transmission lines for that kind of project is going to be overshadow the scale of the whole TVA project. And who's going to pay for it? Do you think the American people (or the people of other countries) are willing to make *real* sacrifices for that, when it really comes down to it? Oh sure, ask any American if they support solar/wind and they'll say "Yes." But try rephrasing it as "Would you support a 50% income tax increase to pay for investments in solar/wind infrastructure?" and see what they answer.
Believe me, I would love nothing better than a country running exclusively on clean energy, with solar panels and turbines everywhere. But the more I look at the issue, and the kinds of numbers involved, the more I don't see how it's ever going to be practical (not until the coal runs out anyway).
And that's not even getting into the issue of countries and areas that don't get enough unobstructed sunlight and wind. What's going to happen to them in this utopia?
Yeah, now all we have to do is find a way to manufacture them that doesn't produce more waste than they will ever clean up.
They've set back nuclear energy for decades, at a time when we most need it.
Guess we had better get used to more carbon dioxide.
If the American military will agree to stop selling all these oppressive regimes jets, tanks, weapons, and training--all us software developers will agree to stop selling them software.
Sorry, Apple just patented hot dog stands. You'll have to go through them.
Good luck arguing that before Congress. My advice would be to bring a a LOT of generous campaign contributions with you when you come.
If taste is going to be the criterion for what's allowed and not allowed to air on television now, I demand that every reality TV series be removed first.
My.MP3.com tried a similar defense in their legal case. To access music on the service, users had to prove they legally owned the music already on CD. But that defense didn't work. It cost them $53.4 million in damages (which basically bankrupted and destroyed the company).
In many ways, this is an even tougher case. Because Amazon won't even be requiring users to prove they legally own the music. From the way it's being described, there is nothing to stop you from uploading your pirated MP3's right next to your ripped ones, and putting them both right next to the ones bought through the Amazon Store.
There are already plenty of online backup services (including some based on EC2) filled with personal music libraries
Yeah, but this goes a lot further than just an online backup storage drive. It also includes a music player. And they're advertising it specifically as a music service. The studios are going to go apeshit on anything that threatens their stranglehold/monopoly. And this definitely qualifies.
How can they limit it if they're letting you access it through any web browser? Maybe if they were requiring you to actually install their software, but it sounds like it's just a basic web interface.
All the reports I've seen indicate that they will also let you upload your own MP3 and AAC files to the server. And obviously Sony isn't on board, at least.
Just because Sony may be overly litigious doesn't mean they will be successful.
I always hope that they will fail in all their jackboot lawsuits. Yet they always seem to be on the winning end of every motion, subpeona, and trial. Even when they pull shit like the infamous rootkit, all THEY get is a slap on the wrist, while everyone who illegally downloads their stuff gets their door kicked in by cops and their lives destroyed.
Its a web based storage service that only you access.
Yeah, assuming no one every thinks of creating a generic account and then handing out the userid and password to all their friends. And I imagine they will--about 5 seconds after this thing launches.
My 7-11 had the same deal, only they offered the option to choose between three Zunes or three Grammys. I took the Zunes, because hey, a little something is better than nothing at all, right?
I think comparing this to Zune Pass is apples and oranges. From what I understand Zune Pass is something more akin to Netflix's streaming service, with a limited number of titles available, and locked down with DRM. This "locker" is a storage service that essentially lets you put any song you want onto it (pirated, ripped, or legally purchased). This would allow you to access your entire music collection, through the web, from anywhere--with no royalties or agreements with any studio. There is no way the studios are just going to look the other way on this.
Because if Amazon doesn't think the music studios are going to push back *HARD* on this, their heads are in the cloud. Here's a relevant quote:
"We are disappointed that the locker service that Amazon is proposing is unlicensed by Sony Music," a spokeswoman for Sony Corp.'s Sony Music Entertainment told the Journal.
Considering that Sony will sue people who even *talk* about putting their IP on the web, you think they're just going to sit back and watch while you allow everyone and his brother to put all their ripped Sony CD's on a web accessible service?
All I can say is that Amazon (and Google and Apple if they intend to follow up with their rumored similar services) had better lawyer up.
Not only that, but his kids have been suing each other and alleging fraud over all that money since Coretta King's death. The family has become a fractured mess of corruption and sibling bitterness. Just sad.
Yeah, but that was in Europe (where DVD Jon also ultimately prevailed). Trying to take on the big guy in the U.S. is a helluva lot tougher.