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User: rawyin

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  1. Re:Why ask? on What To Do About CC License Violations? · · Score: 1

    The stigma of DMCA used against consumers who otherwise would not have been paying for the digital media is not normally applied when a company (or individual) is actually making money off it. They profit from your work? You deserve to be compensated. The important question is how MUCH they profit from your work.

  2. Apple Advertising on iPhone Web Claims Draw Governmental Rebuke in UK · · Score: 1

    I don't see this as government interference as much as a continued suspicious advertising approach by Apple. I questioned their strategy after they ran those commercials that suggested their computers were free of security issues. Am I the only one who's been concerned about Apple's misleading advertising before now?

  3. Not about free speech on NYC Lawyers Subpoena Code · · Score: 1

    The lawyers filing the subpoena are representing the city who is being sued by the protesters. The city believes the text messages will provide the city with a defense to why the protesters were arrested. It's not about the first amendment.

  4. Re:Physical and logical security on Cubicle Security For Laptops, Electronics? · · Score: 1

    > You can get some decent cable locks that are Bic Pen resistant.

    I once had the lock on a cable lock fail. I reached down and ripped it off the computer. Even reinforced laptops are not strong enough to withstand the strength of a person's hand.

    Motion activated locks are nice but if you're gentle, you can still rip it right out of the computer.

  5. Re:Astrology != Spirituality or Religion on Should Scientists Date People Who Believe Astrology? · · Score: 1

    From a scientific viewpoint, that article was not of good quality. We knew apples would fall from the tree long before we understood gravity. We're all acting just like the dim bulbs who persecuted Galileo for suggesting the earth revolved around the sun. Show me research of people who were not out to simply "disprove" astrology and wanted to study and measure the effects and I'll lend them some credence, but not to someone whose sole goal is to show how wrong it "must be".

  6. Going green or manufacturing hard drives on Do Any Companies Power Down at Night? · · Score: 1

    Does anyone know quantitatively how much power it takes to manufacture a hard drive and if it equals or is greater than the power that would be saved by shutting down machines at night? It's long been argued that hard drives last much longer if the machine runs continuously.

  7. Re:FUD on Browser Vulnerability Study Unkind to Firefox · · Score: 1

    They already make software for both browsers. I'm sure the person that did this work considers the results valid without bias based on the source company. Symantec hasn't diluted bugtraq since they bought SecurityFocus and they aren't out to make Microsoft look good. (Especially when Microsoft is trying to force itself into their market space.)

    I do think the numbers underassessed by the poster however.

  8. Re:why on Fedora Welcomes Women to FOSS · · Score: 1
    Why on Earth is this needed? I'm all for equal opportunities and everything, but does further segregation of the sexes help any cause? Some things are always going to be *generally* one sex or the other. For example, men like mechanics and sports. Women like ponies and getting their nails done. Obviously not hard and fast examples.

    I agree with your question of why. While I don't think the generalizations are solid, the big question I see is why this needs to change? What's the obsession with balancing out sexes and races in activities? Does it truly matter if women aren't as interesting in FOSS development? Is something broken because they aren't as represented? Is a woman going to use linux different than a man? Of course not.

    It's far more important to woo people with diverse goals.

    • Graphics Developers
    • Cartographers
    • Mathematicians
    • CADD Engineers
    • Computer Gaming
    • Multimedia
    Is there some industry here which is toppled by women and thus not represented in FOSS development?

    I say let people do what they are happy doing.

    "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law." -Crowley

  9. Re:Emotions picked up from reading the email on Lead PHP Developer Quits · · Score: 1

    You sure?

    I bet he got a girlfriend. Guys do stupid things when they get a girlfriend. (I know this is news to most of slashdot. Maybe this should get its own thread.) ;-)

  10. Re:I thought this was obvious to everybody on Chicken and Egg Problem Solved · · Score: 1

    I'm not sold as it were. I like the old answer:
    The chicken had to come first because this chicken is a chicken where-as the egg only has potential to be a chicken.

    I think we need to break this down. Is the question:
    a) Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
    b) Which came first, the chicken or the chicken egg?

    I think a implies b. Otherwise we'd know it was the egg because there have been eggs for far longer than there have been chickens!

  11. Re:Hopefully this will get solved in court on Wired Releases Full Text of AT&T NSA Document · · Score: -1

    Patriots? When did commiting crimes become ok in the name of patriotism? Sounds like a bunch of people are trying to dodge their own double-edged sword.

    If these documents are under court seal, I can't see how it's right to release them to the public. This isn't about "exposing" AT&T. This is about giving the courts the right amount of time to resolve the case. Compromising court authority simply to push for a public scandal is in my opinion, poor journalism and irresponsible.

    Honestly, when did people get the idea that the first amendment and freedom of the press meant they could say and do anything they wanted? It just means you can have your own opinion and share it whenever you wat. Doing things like publishing sealed court documents or releasing classified government information without authorization lack protection just like hate speech that endangers lives and liberties.

  12. Re:Am I the only one.. on Last-Minute Delays Looming for HD-DVD Launch? · · Score: 1

    You are not the only one. I too will not be adopting the technology for many years to come. I am quite satisfied with the quality and useability of DVDs. Actually, I don't mind VHS if it didn't take so long to rewind and fastforward. Most people are in the same boat as ourselves. The technology doesn't hold value and it costs a god-awful load of money. I don't really need to see blackheads on the actor's nose to enjoy the movie. And anyway, with DVD I can do what I want when I want with the content. That is a right I will not surrender without a fight.

  13. Re:Where to start? on Microsoft To Launch 'Question' Site · · Score: 0

    No no, you have it all wrong! Microsoft is trying to group everyone into their lousy search process by saying that they can't answer 50% of queries. I'd say 9 times out of 10 I find what I'm looking for on Google.

    This item needs to be updated to say:
    Microsoft has said social search has come because they can't seem to get it right.

    One more note:
    How are they going to automate this process? One would think the only logical solution would be to have users agree to be personally tracked into social groups and have their searching and browsing habits tracked and reported to a database at Microsoft. I'm sure Microsoft wouldn't see the dollar signs in that. And I'm sure the ACLU and EFF wouldn't see the privacy concerns.

  14. Re:protection? yeah, right on Symantec Users, Start Your Keyloggers · · Score: 1

    You need to think about this with regards to security. Granted it's annoying to get bumped from IRC because of an inane and inarticulate child with a new toy, but I'd rather be bumped than let a trojan operate on my machine. Something is better than nothing. Even if it's inconvenient.

  15. Thread Topic on Microsoft Anti-Spyware Removes Norton Anti-Virus · · Score: 1

    I thought this thread was about Microsoft software improperly labeling their competition's product? It's becoming an ad for AVG.

    I think I'll stick with Norton and avoid Microsoft's program. I run multimedia applications and have no performance problems. (Thankfully those applications didn't come from Microsoft either.)

  16. Re:It just seems to be a question of pride... on Internet Power Struggle Reaching Climax · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Exactly right, in that it's all about money and power. Other concerns include foreign governments being able to control facets of the Internet where the US would otherwise say no.

    Taxes, Internet Surveillence, and even the ability to require payments to reserve names in each country. Suddenly foreign governments can do all sorts of things to each other by stretching their Internet-puppet-strings. They could even hold portions of the Internet hostage or resell domains in their own country if they would profit more from their local commercial interest. "Hmm, I can claim $150,000 from this local manufacturer to give them volvo.com so I think I'll go ahead and do that."

    So far:

    • They have provided no reasons for why it has to change
    • They have given no rational suggestions for how they would improve it
    • They have sounded more like spoiled children who can't get their way and are going to throw a hissy-fit has a result.

    The US has been fairly honest and without a great deal of corruption in this business. I would not expect that from Brazil, China or many member countries of the EU.

  17. Re:Isn't it a bit late... on Armed Dolphins Released Into Gulf of Mexico · · Score: 1

    What amazes me will be how many people actually believe this. :)

    Flying in the face of common sense (why in gods name would dolphins be kept in holding WEARING harnesses equipped with toxic darts?) this is assinine. I suppose this was just so they can swim around and shoot each other so they can have kinky dolphin action? "Oh yeah Flipper, that was a good one. Give me another hit."

    Seriously. Anyway, I'm sure the aliens will have picked them up long before we find them and left nothing but a floating bouy flashing "So long and thanks for all the fish" into the skyline.

  18. VOIP Vulnerable?! on VoIP Security · · Score: 1

    Wow, I *never* realized that you could do all of the same things to VOIP that you could do to a regular phone line with a couple alligator clips.

  19. Re:I prefer a different book on How to Do Everything with PHP and MySQL · · Score: 2, Insightful

    We should author that book.

    MySQL has garnered such popularity because it is EASY. It is unfortunate however that easy does not mean good. MySQL is the Geo Metro of database systems. It's easy to drive and anyone can finance the thing. It pays to note that LAMP is the ultimate driving force behind the movement.

    As a result of this ease and the lack of knowledge needed to make it operational, there are more scripts than one can count that you just drop into a LAMP installation and *bing*, instant website. The security concerns alone make me shudder, but the proliferation of bad code is perhaps just as serious of a problem.

    While I think there are things that MySQL and PHP do quite well together, I would prefer if the development groups spent less time trying to perfect their recipe for "instant website" and instead increased their educational resources and expanded their product to meet standards.

    It would make better netizens of their users. Or at least teach them "no, the world doesn't have padded walls for when your server falls down and gets a booboo."

  20. Oooh! OOOOOH! *DROOL* *STUMBLE* *GASP* on Platform-Independent Real-Time Speech Technology · · Score: 1

    I hope they release the patent so everyone can use it! Oh this is so exciting.

    And here I've been throwing pieces of paper at my co-workers for years with little messages put on them. I wonder if I can patent that too.

  21. Smart Computer Professionals on How Much Respect Do You Get? · · Score: 1

    You used to need intelligence to work with computers. People respect intelligence. Now days, nearly any idiot can get a job in computers if they accept lower pay. I suspect our reputation may have declined in the last few years. Even people who buy Computers-For-Dummies know how to recognized a moron a 20 paces.

  22. Commercials vs. DRM on MS Launches Video Download Service · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Cable TV is already starting to put commercials on most channels. When people don't stop paying for it in droves enough to cut into profits, it makes sense to their business. They don't particularly care. "Show me the money!" Right? This will likely happen over time with any Internet-based Video-On-Demand service.

    The same rule applies with DRM. The MSN Music Assistant controls DRM in your downloads from their services. This has caused problems for some as one might expect (not particularly surprising.) However as long as people are willing to shell out dollars for the product to make them number one, the company has no incentive to change. After all, we don't see Microsoft wooing the Linux crowd, right?

  23. Yeah but this is college... on High School Kids Beat MIT at Robotics Competition · · Score: 3, Funny

    I mean seriously, how many marshmellows can these kids shove up their nostrils?

    Lets do some real college science. MIT is too busy building the worlds tallest and most complex beer bong. Now THAT'S cool.

  24. When Law and Technology Fail on Supreme Court Takes Hard Look at P2P · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Darwin, while disputed frequently, did a decent job of proving that which fails to adapt will fade into history. Unfortunately when the times show you have no recourse to stop an action, you will do more damage to yourself to try and hold back the tides.

    I anticipate a ruling in favor of file sharing networks. I suspect this ruling primarily because:

    1. Historic case law supports the idea
    2. There are too many legitimate purposes in existence today
    3. The government more often than not rules in favor of the people

    Hopefully such a ruling will encourage the RIAA to redefine themselves and evolve into something better

    Or at least get rid of a few of the fluff artists.

  25. The longterm view on UN Wants To Regulate Internet · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The internet passes information far too quickly from person to person without respect for international boundaries for governments to be confortable.

    Governments are left with few choices but to get involved because rules change drastically from country to country and their web of control is washed away like so much water over rocks. If the Internet is going to remain international, this is inevitable.

    However there's the unfortunate break-down which will start to occur over the next 15-30 years. As governments sieze control over international communications on the internet, they will begin dictacting communication parameters. There will be international case law that determines what's allowed and what is not and I anticipate the creation of an government agency (a digital customs of sorts) that will police international data imports and exports. I suspect some sort of digital certificate (x509 or otherwise) system will be created very similar to our current passport system and those certificates will be used to authenticate and authorized international communications.

    The technology currently exists. It's just a matter of time, political knowledge/understanding (and perhaps a few military conflicts) before governments realize the depths to which their control needs to run.

    There was a time when you could get a letter from China to America so long as you knew how to get it on the boat. Eventually all of those boats came under the eyes of governing bodies and as time will show, so will our routers and data lines.