Slashdot Mirror


User: Apotekaren

Apotekaren's activity in the archive.

Stories
0
Comments
95
First seen
Last seen
Profile
(view on slashdot.org)

Comments · 95

  1. Oh the irony on The Only Safe Email is Text-Only Email (theconversation.com) · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So we should go back to Text-Only email for security reasons, and more information can be found in this totally safe PDF?

  2. Re:I am curious if people think this is good or ba on Indiana Considers Prohibiting Cities From Banning Airbnb (usnews.com) · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I don't think it's overreach, it's simply banning overreach on the local/municipal level. This is moving control of the issue to the HOA's, and thus the people.
    Most laws that move the decision making closer to the people is good in my eyes.

  3. Please google "Pine Labs' iWL220", and compare to the picture from the subway. It's a GPRS-enabled POS-device.
    Look familiar? Being a Daily Mail story should put up a red flag, "may contain shitty editing and journalism".

    But yeah, getting such a setup probably isn't hard in Russia, using a fake identity and then shifting money around accounts.

  4. Re:Cam shafts work without the battery on Camless Internal Combustion and the Digital Age (hackaday.com) · · Score: 2

    Non-interference has all but disappeared, because of higher efficiency of interference engines.

    However, people seem to be misunderstanding the function of the electro-pneumatic valve. The electric solenoid would only OPEN the valve, with a pneumatic system returning it to close position. Electronic failure? Valve closed.

  5. Re:Cam shafts work without the battery on Camless Internal Combustion and the Digital Age (hackaday.com) · · Score: 1

    You didn't even read the source you gave (typical /.)

    The source you gave clearly states F1 cars have NEVER gone camless, because of FIA regulations against variable valve timing.
    YES, they do have pneumatic valve return, but actuation is still controller by a camshaft.

    The thing is, camless systems exist in actually usable engines, but those are huge two-stroke marine diesel engines.

  6. Finland also hit on Price Dispute Means 800k Customers Lose TV Channels In Sweden (telecompaper.com) · · Score: 1

    This has also happened in Finland. Apparently the cable companies were not allowed to warn customers beforehand because of some sort of NDA.

  7. A lot of people are going to see some sort of causal link between them raising the salaries and the business soaring. And while I'm sure a big salary bump does bring a certain stability to those who previously had the lowest salaries in the company, that morale boost probably doesn't explain, by itslef, the big sales increase the company has seen. I'm guessing the inrush of clients was caused by the PR storm this has created, and any try to replicate their growth will be met with less excitement.

    Get over it, it's been done.

    The real question is, was this the original intent of the salary bump?

  8. Calling Mr Rumsfeld, Calling Mr Rumsfeld! on US Military Stepping Up Use of Directed Energy Weapons · · Score: 1

    "the U.S. military needed to accelerate often cumbersome acquisition processes"

    Ahem. Sounds like someone is getting tired of having to pay off so many officials to get those billion dollar military contracts.

  9. Re:Who Cares? on How Spotify Can Become Profitable · · Score: 1

    Who are the investors in this company? Oh yes, the record industry. They keep making money from the high royalty costs, and can at the same time point at the Spotify bottom line and say "look, streaming isn't profitable, we have to go back to the good ol' business model of sales and DRM, THINK OF THE MUSICIANS!"

    It's great when you have contracts with your musicians which enable you to have your cake, eat it, and then claim a part of their cake too to cover expenses of your cake eating.

  10. Re:What do they mean YouTube Freed? on Google Quietly Nixes Mandatory G+ Integration With Gmail · · Score: 3, Informative

    Top left corner, Profile->Settings, scroll all the way down and find: Disable Google+

    Ah, the smell of freedom from that useless putrid thing!

  11. Medallion vs Commercial license/insurance on Berlin Bans Car Service Uber · · Score: 1

    I'm fairly libertarian in my views, but I do agree with the City of Berlin in requiring commercial licensing and insurance on Uber drivers, as a consumer protection issue. How Uber chooses to solve this is up to them. They could require commercial licensing for all driver applicants, and provide the insurance on a per-ride basis, if this is legal in Germany.

    HOWEVER, while this problem is separate from the medallion issue that Uber has faced in the US, only time will tell how the German local and national government treats Uber and other ride-sharing services. AFAIK, there is no set limit on the amount of commercial licenses and insurances in the city of Berlin, which is unlike how the medallions work. Medallions are not in place to provide consumer safety, but to limit the availability of providers. And protecting profit margins.

    If Uber solves the issues presented and starts working with commercially licensed and insured drivers, but keep getting into trouble with the government, then we can start suspecting foul play.

    And I'm not saying the official taxi companies played no part in this, they probably were very eager to tip off the local government of this legal issue

  12. Re:The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Science on Fixing China's Greenhouse Gas Emissions For Them · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Exactly. For example, every time Krugman gets involved in a debate about the banking sector, it becomes clear why he got the award. The Honorary Nobel Prize he got was handed to him by the head honchos at the Swedish Central Bank, so it shouldn't come as a surprise when his views are heavily leaned towards a more finance sector friendly Keynesian way of thinking.

    So trying to boost his credibility with this "Nobel Prize" will only work on people who don't know what kind of a rigged anti-prize it is.

  13. It's just the way they're tested. on Official MPG Figures Unrealistic, Says UK Auto Magazine · · Score: 1

    The testing standards for the EU fuel consumption numbers are very strict and stringent and have never actually stated that you'll be able to reach these figures yourself. The cars are tested indoors, and are not in any way subject to real world conditions during this test. It's just a tool to standardize the way the cars are tested so as to give the consumer a clue when comparing different cars.
    Because of course the car manufacturers are going to game the system by not only "cheating" with taping, over-inflated tires and such like mentioned in earlier posts, but also building cars in a way which makes them more optimal for this test.
    The test itself includes both a urban-cycle and a non-urban cycle, which are then combined for an EU-average. The scores for all three measures are then stated by the dealership and as I said, they are mostly for comparing between cars and not estimating any real world consumption, because that would be almost impossible to do because of varying temperatures, road surfaces, drivers.... The list is long.

  14. Re:Just call the credit card company and tell them on Google Sued Over Children's In-App Android Purchases · · Score: 1

    Nope, people *think* they only authorized one payment, because they don't know how the system works.
    What they actually are authorizing is a 30 minute windows of purchases.

    How can Google fix it? Just remind them at every log-in. "The device will have authorization for payments for the next 30 minutes."

  15. Please.... on Google Sued Over Children's In-App Android Purchases · · Score: 5, Funny

    For once, won't someone think of the PARENTS?

  16. Re:Relation to Debt Crisis? on EU Commission: Corruption Across EU Costs €120 Billion · · Score: -1, Troll

    Well, least corrupted if you look at how corruption is defined in the laws of the land. A lot of the corruption is legalized by law(state sanctioned or state run monopolies, or oligopolies run by politicians) and thus not counted towards the corruption score in international rankings.

    Funny that, just invent a BS reason for a protection racket(protecting the state's or your own profits, not the people...) and BANG! Not corruption, just the way the country is run.

    BTW, in socialist countries, welfare is a kind of bribe, it keeps the poor masses living on those welfare payment in line, making sure they keep voting for the political parties who keep promising them the best short-term deal.

  17. Re:Hmm I might get one on Jolla's First Phone Goes On Sale · · Score: 4, Interesting

    One of the most important features is the "Other Half" or whatever they're calling it, which is basically a back cover with a digital interface. There are already projects in motion to produce back covers with slide-out keyboards, extra batteries, among other things.

    This feature has been seriously underplayed, it's one of the most exciting things about the whole phone!

  18. Paired with.... on Jolla's First Phone Goes On Sale · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Paired with here means that the phones are sold by the telecom operator in their stores(first the pre-orders are fullfilled), but there are no requirements for contracts and no sim-locking.

    The online shop is Jollas own. I just paid for my pre-order phone through their website.

  19. Re:The cost and use of plastic bags on EU Plastic Bag Debate Highlights a Wider Global Problem · · Score: 1

    It's rare that the trash I produce takes up more space than the groceries I've carried home. Right now I have 4 or 5 plastic bags from previous trips waiting neatly rolled up under my sink. For when I take out the next filled bag. I've never run out of trash bags, and never bought a roll specifically for that use.

    My recommendation; ban flimsy bags, and make only the big (40L is almost standard here) strong ones out of biodegradable materials.

  20. Re:The cost and use of plastic bags on EU Plastic Bag Debate Highlights a Wider Global Problem · · Score: 1

    But saving time and bother. Some plastic bags here are some kind of biodegradable plastic(or they offer them), and when I throw them they'll end up in the municipal incinerator anyway. Doesn't matter.

  21. The cost and use of plastic bags on EU Plastic Bag Debate Highlights a Wider Global Problem · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Ok, so plastic bags in the grocery stores here in Finland have cost somewhere between 15-30 Euro cents for, well forever. I could get a proper cloth grocery bag to reuse, or buy paper bags instead, but I choose not to. Why? I use those plastic bags for my trash!

    So if I did go cloth or, heaven forbid, paper, I'd still have to buy plastic bags to put in my trash cans. It doesn't matter if I buy them separately or on a roll, I'm going to keep buying those plastic bags until I come up with a better way to get rid of my trash.

  22. Re:BYOD is doomed for tests on Finland's Upper Secondary School Exams Going All-Linux · · Score: 1

    In this case, some of these problems are non-issues. The exam is a national exam, taken simultaneously all over the country. So a "leaked exam" doesn't really matter once the exam has started since everyone that's supposed to be taking it, is sitting there taking it. The test timing is done on clock. The real one on the wall. Time from 9am to 3pm. Doesn't help if you can pause the program...

    As for the internet part, they just need to have bootable USB-sticks, with the exams on them, tagged with the name and ID of the exam taker. The students boot the exam under supervision, and start. The answers are then saved locally onto the stick, and collected at the end of the day. Alternatively, a central exam server is put up locally(with no internet access), the computers connect to that for login/exam saving.

    Also, these exams are overseen be at least 2 people at all times, and they're were sensitive to people breaking rules. Carrying a mobile phone is enough to get your exam failed, sometimes even all the exams of that spring/fall nulled. So any activity that's off from the normal test-taking would raise suspicion.

  23. Re:Why the anti-electric car meme? on No, the Tesla Model S Doesn't Pollute More Than an SUV · · Score: 1

    Every iteration of diesel vehicles are proclaimed as wonderful high-efficiency non-smoking vehicles, but they all emit clouds of smoke anyway.

    Just by this statement alone I'm assuming you don't live in Europe. Europe has had 20 years of HUGE improvement in diesel cars, and VW has been exporting this to the US for quite some time. Just because U.S citizens haven't adopted it doesn't mean the technology isn't there. Today diesel cars are way cleaner than comparable gasoline cars(if equipped with a particle filter, which all but the cheapest ones are), and in some European countries have a 50% market share for new car sales.
    As for CFLs, if you can tolerate the 10 second "warm-up", the 90% energy savings are quite amazing and even the CFLs from IKEA are good enough to use around the home in places where you don't need glaring "office-type" lighting. Not the mention the longer lifetime. And soon those will be replaced by LED lighting anyway. Hell, the bulb in the reading light I have on my desk and next to my bed is LED, and it's brilliant. I'm curious to see how long this will work. I'm worried I might not see the day it burns out.

  24. Re:Bad comparison anyway on No, the Tesla Model S Doesn't Pollute More Than an SUV · · Score: 1

    First of all, this comparison is ridiculous because it's an attempt at FUD by the ICE proponents. "OMG! Electric car less efficient than SUV, so now you can buy this SUV without feeling bad about it!"

    Let's do this right, let us find a rear-wheel drive 300hp U.S-made luxury sedan, like the 2008-2012 Cadillac STS with the 3.6L V6, and for extra fun the Mercedes CLS 350 BlueEfficiency.
    NOTE: The Mercedes has an impressive fuel efficiency of 35mpg/32mpg!

    Now compare these RWD luxury sedans in efficiency through a highway cycle, city cycle, and around Laguna Seca raceway!
    And then take into account lifetime costs for use, production and compare the differences in technology that have been mentioned earlier in this discussion.

  25. Re:Will it get stuck? on High Tech Vending Machines Transform IT Support At Facebook · · Score: 1

    If those hard drives experience a 250G+ shock(shock tolerance of modern hard drives when not powered) when hitting the bottom of the vending machine I'd be surprised. Especially since it seems to bottom is slightly padded, for sound deadening and protecting against damage.

    Or did you mean using them as a means to unstuck other items?