Slashdot Mirror


User: VTEX

VTEX's activity in the archive.

Stories
0
Comments
25
First seen
Last seen
Profile
(view on slashdot.org)

Comments · 25

  1. Re:land of the the free ? on Go To Jail For Visiting a Web Site? Top Law Prof Talks Up the Idea (slate.com) · · Score: 1

    I live in Bergen County, NJ - which still has these idiotic Christian Blue Laws on the books. Property taxes are sky high here (third highest in the nation), in part to the fact that malls and businesses are unable to be open on Sunday.

  2. Re:Who cares what the fuck he says? on Obama Administration To Offer Full Position On Encryption By End of Year · · Score: 1

    The first amendment does apply to the publishing of encryption algorithms, as has been ruled by the Ninth Circuit in Bernstein v. United States and upheld in Junger v. Daley by the Sixth Circuit.

    If you think these politicians can't destroy cryptography though, think again. They can, and will if you don't fight back and defend your rights. A good read that was published in acmqueue is "More Encryption Is Not the Solution", which outlines some of the practical issues involved, and why winning this political fight is very important.

  3. I'm just going to leave this here.

    Honestly, it's really kinda sad to read some of these comments - especially the over the top "reverse discrimination" ones. What's up with all of this anger and aggression over something this insignificant? Jeeze, put things in perspective. Women have to deal with a ton of discriminatory and sexist bullshit all the time - where's the anger and outrage then? I'm not advocating for affirmative action, but the question has to be asked: Why the disproportionate rage? When you answer that, maybe you will also find out why women aren't prevalent in tech.

  4. Re:Data Driven Arguments on New York Passes Landmark Gun Law · · Score: 1

    That's .03% of the total population of the us. Only 11,493 of those are homicides (down to .00353025 now). Twice as many people die from falling unintentionally as die from guns every year. Unintentional poisoning kills 3x as many Alcohol abuse kills almost 10x as many. Guns are low on the list of killers.

    You're correct that there are other causes of mortality that are worse than gun homicides. Things like heart disease and cancer have a much higher mortality rate. But another way to look at it is we have ~four 9/11's every year from gun homicides.

    I thought we were going for real world statistics not made up numbers? estimate is another word for made up.

    Here is the study abstract, and how the numbers were collected:

    STUDY OBJECTIVE: I test the hypothesis that having a gun in the home is a risk factor for adults to be killed (homicide) or to commit suicide.

    METHODS: Two case-control analyses were based on national samples of subjects 18 years of age or older. Homicide and suicide case subjects were drawn from the 1993 National Mortality Followback Survey. Living control subjects were drawn from the 1994 National Health Interview Survey. Ten control subjects matched by sex, race, and age group were sought for each case subject.

    RESULTS: The homicide sample consisted of 1,720 case subjects and 8,084 control subjects. Compared with adults in homes with no guns, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for homicide was 1.41 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.20 to 1.65) for adults with a gun at home and was particularly high among women (adjusted OR 2.72; 95% CI 1.89 to 3.90) compared with men (adjusted OR 1.23; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.49) and among nonwhite subjects (adjusted OR 1.74; 95% CI 1.37 to 2.21) compared with white subjects (adjusted OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.56). Further analyses revealed that a gun in the home was a risk factor for homicide by firearm means (adjusted OR 1.72; 95% CI 1.40 to 2.12) but not by nonfirearm means (OR 0.83; 95% CI 0.62 to 1.11). The suicide sample consisted of 1,959 case subjects and 13,535 control subjects. The adjusted OR for suicide was 3.44 (95% CI 3.06 to 3.86) for persons with a gun at home. However, further analysis revealed that having a firearm in the home was a risk factor for suicide by firearm (adjusted OR 16.89; 95% CI 13.26 to 21.52) but was inversely associated with suicide by other means (adjusted OR 0.68; 95% CI 0.55 to 0.84).

    CONCLUSION: Having a gun at home is a risk factor for adults to be shot fatally (gun homicide) or commit suicide with a firearm. Physicians should continue to discuss with patients the implications of keeping guns at home. Additional studies are warranted to address study limitations and to better understand the implications of firearm ownership.

    That study was intentionally biased (even the author admits it) and excludes instances where criminals were not killed or injurred, ie if the criminal ran away after seeing the gun it's not counted in the study, thus skewing the numbers in favor of the point he wanted to make http://www.nraila.org/news-issues/fact-sheets/2001/22-times-less-safebranti-gun-lobby's-f.aspx

    I'd finish out the rest of your list but I'm alas out of time. But the core point is guns just don't kill as many people are you'd like to claim and banning them won't do any better, the violent crime rate in the uk where guns are banned is 4x that of the us, worse yet gun crime has doubled since they banned guns.

    Intentionally Biased Huh? Much like that website you linked to? I'll give you this: Certainly more study and better data is needed. Unfortunately federal funding for unbiased studies seems to have vanished.

  5. Data Driven Arguments on New York Passes Landmark Gun Law · · Score: 0
    Quite frankly, I'm tired of hearing the same old "Guns don't kill people, People kill people" type arguments. I'm tired of the emotional theater. We need to make public policy based on real world data.

    Some (Sad) Real World Statistics:
    • - In the United States, every year, more than 100,000 people are shot or killed with a gun. (Source bradycampaign.org)
    • - An estimated 41% of gun-related homicides and 94% of gun-related suicides would not occur under the same circumstances had no guns been present. (Wiebe, Douglas J. PhD. “Homicide and Suicide Risks Associated With Firearms in the Home: A National Case-Control Study,” Annals of Emergency Medicine 41 (2003): 771-82.)
    • - A gun in the home is 22 times more likely to be used in a completed or attempted suicide (11x), criminal assault or homicide (7x), or unintentional shooting death or injury (4x) than to be used in a self-defense shooting. (Kellermann, Arthur L. et al., “Injuries and Deaths Due to Firearms in the Home,” Journal of Trauma, Injury, Infection, and Critical Care, 45(2) (1998): 263-267)
    • - There are five times as many deaths from gun assaults as from knife assaults, where the rates of assault with knives and with guns are similar. (Zimring, Franklin, and Gordon Hawkins, Crime is not the Problem: Lethal Violence in America, New York: Oxford University Press, 1997)
    • - Every year there are only about 200 legally justified self-defense homicides by private citizens compared with over 30,000 gun deaths (Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reports, Crime in the United States, 2008, Expanded Homicide Data Table 15 and Table 15 & National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (2008 (deaths) and 2009 (injuries). Calculations by Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.).
    • -Gun death rates are 7 times higher in the states with the highest compared with the lowest household gun ownership.(Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Injury Control Research Center, 2009)
    • -Higher gun ownership puts both men and women at a higher risk for homicide, particularly gun homicide. (Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Injury Control Research Center, 2009)

    So, clearly we have some major problems here. I would normally never argue that we should take away citizens' rights, and gun ownership is clearly a right in this country, but we have a major conflict here. The right of gun ownership VS the right of life. When you have an epidemic of gun violence that deprives citizens of their lives, you have to weigh these two rights.... and compromise.

  6. Re:We're not 3 & 5 yr. old children/blank slat on 30 Days Is Too Long: Animated Rant About Windows 8 · · Score: 1

    Why don't you learn how to drive a crane to work instead of your car... oh, wait - what's that?? You aren't used to it??? What's the MATTER with you, boy!!!

    Perfect analogy. Different tools, different use cases....

    I can't even begin to comprehend how people can defend Windows 8... unless they are getting paid.

  7. Win 8 is all about mobile apps - but falls short on 30 Days Is Too Long: Animated Rant About Windows 8 · · Score: 1

    It's pretty clear what Microsoft is doing with Windows 8, and it really has little to do with desktop user experience. They are trying to get developers to build applications for their mobile/tablet ecosystem by leveraging the one thing they are dominate in - The desktop. That is the sole reason they force Metro on everyone and are selling the upgrade for $40. If people are forced to use it, companies will develop for it (or so their thinking goes...).

    Unfortunately for them, it's not working. Companies still look at the Windows mobile platform as a joke (behind Blackberry for crying out loud) and instead of effectively leveraging the desktop, they are destroying it. The criticisms of the OS are spot on and unless they are addressed, you're going to find people looking for alternatives. Right now there aren't that many viable ones - but if they don't get their act together soon, there will be.

    This goes beyond being people being "afraid of change" - Microsoft just really just dropped the ball. It's almost 2013 - You shouldn't have to fight with an OS on top of all the critical work you use a desktop computer for.

  8. All depends on the environment on Server Names For a New Generation · · Score: 1

    For smaller shops, I see nothing wrong with naming your servers whatever you want. It's when you start to get bigger (say, over a dozen servers or so) that you are probably going to want to define a proper naming convention.

    I actually name servers after people who are close to me in my life. It's nice to have a little reminder of those you care about while you are working.

  9. Cloud Service TCO is not all it's cracked up to be on How Increasing Cloud Reliance Affects IT Jobs · · Score: 2

    I gotta say, I've tried several "Cloud" services and I am not impressed when it comes to TCO. While it's nice to have on demand provisioning, the performance of the virtual server instances are generally very poor compared to basic dedicated servers that are similarly priced.

    Don't believe me.... run a simple sysbench and test the cpu and file io on EC2 (or your favorite cloud service) and compare it to a hosted dedicated box. In general on a similarly priced and spec-ed VM/machine you are going to find orders of magnitude better performance on the dedicated box, and that performance equals money saved.

    In addition, many dedicated hosts now have 2 or 4 hour provisioning times - so if you don't need more boxes instantly, it's not as if you need to wait that long.

    So yes, in the end, cloud services can be convenient.... but you certainly pay for that convenience. They are great for testing and development, but long-term hosting.... eh.... most companies would be better off if they stopped drinking the kool-aid and looked at other options.

  10. Uh, "E-Ink" is a bistable liquid crystal display on E Ink Unveils Color E-Reader Display · · Score: 1

    Whoever wrote this article is an idiot. "E-Ink" is a high-contrast, bistable liquid crystal display. Please refer to an active-matrix TFT as such. There are many types of LCDs, all with different properties.

  11. Re:Summary Misleading on Microsoft .Net Libraries Not Acting "Open Source" · · Score: 1

    I know it's fun to bash Microsoft and all, but the source site here is not, in fact, dead.

    Funny how a very active site says "© 2008 Microsoft Corporation" in the footer.

  12. We cut cable TV on One In Eight To Cut Cable and Satellite TV In 2010 · · Score: 1

    We cut cable TV last year. When we had cable, 99% of the time we were watching the local channels anyway. After the DTV switch we got a ton of free channels. The only thing we couldn't really live without was our DVR, so we bought a DTVPal DVR by Dish Network - works decent, no monthly fee.

    Don't miss cable, or the expense, one bit. Couldn't be happier with the decision.

  13. It's not the computers I hate. It's the people... on Confessions of a SysAdmin · · Score: 1

    Honestly, I can deal with the computers quite well, they do what they are programmed to do without emotion. What I can't stand is the a-hole users and management who expect IT to solve any and all of their problems, with no budget, no staff, and no respect - all while being overloaded with an endless number of projects.

    I'm sorry you never learned excel in high school, but when I am in the smack in the middle of a project that can prevent our company from losing millions your vlookup question is just not a priority.

  14. Makes sense... on NYC Drops $722M On CityTime Attendance System · · Score: 1

    Now I understand why with almost 8 million people in the city, with some of the highest taxes in the country, the reason NYC constantly has no money and has to cut critical services all the time.

    Seriously, NYC has some major problems when it comes to infrastructure costs and planning. Just take a look at the MTA countdown clocks and the hundreds of millions they pour into it with absolutely no results, but they can't keep critical bus and subway lines. The WTC is still nothing but a giant hole. The Fulton Street Transit Center is a disaster. Hell, the Second Avenue Subway line dates back to 1929!

    *sigh*

  15. Bill seems to contradict itself on US House Passes P2P Ban On Federal Networks · · Score: 1
    It appears that this bill is extremely poorly written in how it defines peer-to-peer software:

    From the bill:

    (3) PEER-TO-PEER FILE SHARING SOFTWARE- The term ‘peer-to-peer file sharing software’--
    (A) means a program, application, or software that is commercially marketed or distributed to the public and that enables--
    (i) a file or files on the computer on which such program is installed to be designated as available for searching and copying to one or more other computers;
    (ii) the searching of files on the computer on which such program is installed and the copying of any such file to another computer-- (I) at the initiative of such other computer and without requiring any action by an owner or authorized user of the computer on which such program is installed; and (II) without requiring an owner or authorized user of the computer on which such program is installed to have selected or designated another computer as the recipient of any such file; and
    (iii) an owner or authorized user of the computer on which such program is installed to search files on one or more other computers using the same or a compatible program, application, or software, and copy such files to such owner or user’s computer; and

    (B) does not include a program, application, or software designed primarily--
    (i) to operate as a server that is accessible over the Internet using the Internet Domain Name system;
    (ii) to transmit or receive email messages, instant messaging, real-time audio or video communications, or real-time voice communications; or

    First off, wouldn't "the Internet Domain Name system" include reverse DNS? Secondly, "Peer-to-peer" software is nothing more than machines acting as both "clients" and "servers" and the broadness of what they believe "peer-to-peer" programs are could include public web servers.

  16. Gasket Problem on SQL Injection To Beat Traffic Cameras · · Score: 1

    This car appears to have a gasket problem...
    Which gasket you ask?
    The one between the seat and the steering wheel.

  17. Re:GM's eyes are bigger than its stomach ... on GM Unveils Networked Electric Mini Cars · · Score: 1

    GM is an international company, and thus, has to appeal to other demographics than the United States.

    FTA - GM clearly acknowledges that this prototype will be a tough sell in the U.S. but they believe it will appeal in places such as Mumbai and Shanghai, where people are more used to walking and biking around.

  18. Re:Oops on Wikipedia Explains Today's Global Outage · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Someone just lost their job.

    I highly doubt someone lost their job over this - and they shouldn't. There are no perfect systems out there, period. Given Wikipedia is a not for profit corporation, they very likely have limited resources and the IT staff does the best with what they have. Even with a virtual unlimited amount of resources things can still go wrong in a "Perfect Storm".

    If anything, the System Administrators should be commended for their quick actions to get the site back up and running as soon as they did.

  19. Amazing... on ACLU Sues Over Legality of "Targeted Killing" By Drones · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It always amazes me how much people take their civil liberties for granted.

    Instead of RTFA, a number of Slashdotters went off on tirades against the ACLU, an organization with the sole purpose of protecting your rights as an American citizen. The ACLU has sued to seek the legal justification of using drones, to find out what the limits are, and who has the authorization to use drones. They have not sued to stop it's practice.

    Even in war, there are laws that govern the U.S. Military and it's personnel. A soldier cannot just go and randomly kill people, just because they are in hostile territory. Soldiers must follow orders by someone who has the legal authority to order an attack or strike.

    This lawsuit aims to clarify who has legal authority to use drones and how they can be used, not only to insure the drones are being used properly, but also to protect the rights of the personnel who use them.

  20. Well... on Microsoft Previews IE9 — HTML5, SVG, Fast JS · · Score: 1

    Well, hopefully with this release IE will be less of a bane to us developers than it used to be... at least for a little while. It will certainly be nice to finally deprecate the usage of background images and DOM hacks to round corners.

  21. Won't someone PLEASE think of the cabbies! on GPS Log Analysis Uncovers Millions In NYC Taxi Overcharges · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Almost every cab driver in New York acts unethically. As someone who lives in the city and takes cabs regularly, I can attest that 95% of them attempt to scam you in some manner. Sometimes they will take a longer route, sometimes they will add extra bogus fees, sometimes they will "forget" to turn on the meter. They will try and friend you to get extra tips. Very often, they will try and complain that the credit card machine costs them money (despite the fact that the TLC increased fares specifically for them). 20% of the time those credit card machines are "broken".

    They almost always conveniently forget the flat fare rate from JFK to Manhattan. One time, I was in a cab and someone cut the guy off - so the cabbie sped up and started yelling at him - needless to say I was not amused. After telling a cab driver once we were making 3 stops, he refused to take us any further than the first stop - he was "on break".

    This is an industry with a history of mob control and immoral behavior. If it takes GPS to help put an end to these things - I'm all for it.

  22. Re:Open Source on FOSS Development As Economic Stimulus · · Score: 1

    Also, is ANYTHING still useful in 80 years?

    Investments in education.

    Not really, in 80 years no amount of education will prevent you from being worn out an obsolete too.

  23. Re:What exactly is encryption? on New State Laws Could Make Encryption Widespread · · Score: 1

    The point I was trying to make is that based on the loose definition of encryption in these statutes, encryption really is anything other than plain text that anyone can read. Just because the the method of decoding something is public, that does not make the stored data a readily readable format. From what I gather, there is no mandated level of obscufication that data must undergo to be considered encrypted according to these laws.

  24. What exactly is encryption? on New State Laws Could Make Encryption Widespread · · Score: 1

    Last I checked, no information that is transmitted or stored electronically is in an "unencrypted" format. One could easily argue that storing information in little/big endian form is very much encrypted as defined by these statutes.

  25. Daily Kent Stater Online on Kent State Banning Athletes from Using Facebook · · Score: 1

    See this article for more information. Kent Read, Kent Write, Kent State!