Personally I have never bought a computer game in my life (I've only ever copied, without paying the asked for fee, about 4 times). So this isn't coming from my experience. (I have had games bought for me, and I have downloaded and played freeware games.)
Anyway, why is the used market so good? For people who don't have any money, the used market allows them to get good games cheaply. (I've never had much money either for that matter, but the main reason I don't buy games now is that I don't run MS Windows.)
They get hooked on the game, on the company, on the designer, and then, when they have money (after (if) they get a job), they can go and buy the games for the full price.
Used games are advertising for the company. Take Civilisation, I would happily buy Civilisation Four (or whatever number it is up to now), because I really enjoyed Civilisation Two (I don't, because I don't run MS Windows, and I don't like Digital Restrictions Management). Or Sim City or Command and Conquer, or a number of similar games, I have an older game, and would like to play the newer game.
Yeah, I've got two Yahoo email accounts I've had since the Nineties (they said they were for life, I hope they meant my life, rather than their life...).
I like the Yahoo Mail interface, even more than the Gmail one in many respects. I've got a stack heaps of old emails (dating back 10 years almost).
But if Microsoft bought up Yahoo, I would be out as soon as I could.
Luckily I have access to POP for Yahoo, so I could just download all those emails that way (I should do that anyway...). (For those of you who have Yahoo email accounts, but don't have POP, I was going to tell you how to do it, but I can't get into my email account...:(.)
Why don't I want Microsoft? Because I don't trust them. I don't trust Yahoo either, but inertia keeps me there...
* Computer-phobics today don't know how to create a bookmark. Nor type a URL. They just type what they assume is some kind of address in a google bar and click the first or second result.
There were two parts, the bookmark was for the slightly more literate types. As to Google, you've interviewed a random sampling of computer-phobes have you? You know what they do do you? You're making shit up aren't you.
* Even typing a correct URL you're not free from dns-poisoning Yeah, that's why I just type in the IP address...
Etc.
It isn't the person's fault that computers are complicated, but it sure as hell isn't that hard to understand.
Umm, and I seeing a problem with that idea? Yes I am.
And the reason to turn it off, it doesn't always work (false positives, and false negatives), and it leads to a false sense of security. Like running a virus checker and then not caring about downloading random shit from the web. Better to just not download random shit from the web.
Personally I don't use Safari (I don't have a Mac, nor do I use MS Windows). I just thought I would take the time to rant about "anti-phishing" things.
I always turn such "features" off on my own computers, and would do so on any computer where I was the "tech support" (after appropriate consultation and education).
Why? Because blacklists don't work. Want to not get phished? Simple instructions that even the most computerphobic person can understand:
When you want to go to the website of your bank, credit union etc., type in what you see on the printed material you have in front of you! (Alternatively, for the more computer literate folks, create a bookmark/favourite after having typed in the address from the printed material from your bank. And only access it via that link.)
Never trust a link via an email, never trust a link from another website, not even if the address looks the same. (Character encoding, bad eyes and other things can make two strings look the same, even when they aren't.)
Simple advice and works for everyone whom I've told it to. (The same with, "don't download files from your email unless you were expecting them, which is a bit over the top, but the slightly more complicated, don't download executable files got reduced somehow.)
End rant.
I did have a look at the article, and to be frank, there isn't anything exciting in there. It seems that the only reason this got to the front page is that Safari crashes a lot. Umm..., I guess I don't care.
I honestly don't give two figs if humanity goes extinct (I certainly won't after the event).
Sure, if it happens while I'm alive, there maybe some un-avoidable pain and suffering for myself, but if it happens after I'm dead, well, I'll be dead.
Dead people can't suffer.
Anyway, extinction is a natural part of evolution, adapt or die motherfuckers, adapt and die. Yes, change from or to and is deliberate, because we are all going to die.
---
Anyway, onto the actual scenarios. From the introduction:
Projections of climate change and influenza pandemics, coupled with the damage caused by recent tsunamis, hurricanes, and terrorist attacks,
None of these things is going to wipe out each and every human, nor even enough humans to make the population enviable. Unless climate change is really, really dramatic (in which case, there is nothing we can do about it anyway). And to talk about flu... Viruses have never killed more than 70% of a given population (number pulled from the air, probably less, Wikipedia says The Black Death is estimated to have killed 30% to 60% of Europe's population.). Oh, and terrorism. Scary shit that.
Then we get onto astronomical events, comets, solar flares and stuff, and the paper goes on and on.
Basically, we are all going to die, humanity is going to go extinct (if nothing else, the heat death of the universe will get us), and to think about the issue with any great thought is probably a waste of time.
And the sad thing is that there are actually people who think like this.
Democracy (as the word is commonly used, i.e. to mean elected a bunch of pricks who rule over you, doing what they like until you get the chance to elect them (or another bunch of pricks) again) may well be better than the alternatives tried (it is better to be able to pick your ruler than not, at least that's the theory), but it still is a load of shit.
Try anarchy, now with extra helpings of freedom, and fuck off corporations, state, capitalism and tyranny. We don't need you to tell us what to do.
---
Slightly more on topic, this is absolutely fucking crazy. It doesn't compete with the bus service, because cars are inherently more mobile than a bus run. Cars can go from point A, to point D, without all that visiting points B and C in between.
There are obviously two different markets, one, mass transport along fixed routes, two, point to point transport by small numbers of people.
Not to mention, if as FredFred says, only being able to go to work? Fuck off with that.
Me, I suggest that all interested person's in that province, ignore this fucking stupid law. If it should ever get to a jury trial, you would hope that they wouldn't convict. (Not a lawyer, not sure if this sort of thing is criminal or whatever.)
Mark Newton (of Internode, not the same mob as this story is about) has an opinion piece on the ABC (which I submitted to Slashdot, but still pending...), entitled Filter advocates need to check their facts.
In my observation, it's obvious that the debate has polarised into two camps. One of them is largely populated by people who know what they're talking about and who mostly oppose the ALP's censorship plan;
The other camp includes people who just make lots of mistakes; including Senator Conroy, who claimed that Sweden, the UK, Canada and New Zealand all have similar filter systems as are being proposed.
----
Anyway, if Conroy is the worst minister, that's pretty damn bad. After all, Richard Alston, Daryl Williams and Helen Coonan were all communications minister under Johny sticken Howard.
According to Wikipedia, Alston tried "to ban online gambling, and make email forwarding illegal, he was dubbed 'the world's biggest luddite'. [1]".
Maybe this "representative" thing isn't all it's cracked up to be? Anyone up for some Demarchy?
Want to know why developers love to release stuff under the GPL? Because they can get the code back if someone else uses it.
Under a BSD type licence, if someone modifies the code they release, they have no guarantee they will ever see those modifications.
What to know why developers love BSD type licences when taking code? Because it lets them take and not have to worry about licensing issues and releasing modifications.
What to know why users like GPL stuff better? Because they are free to take the code and either modify it themselves, or pay someone else to modify it for them. They can't do that with a closed up BSD licensed code.
I haven't looked at this new version of the GFDL yet, but previous versions were simply too complicated for my purposes. I'm not publishing a book, I don't need to worry about front and back covers etc.
I refuse to use CC licences at all either. Which licence? You can use this under the CC licence? Which one? The BY-SA-UK version 1.2 one. The what? Exactly.
Not to mention, in some of the licence terms (depending on which country I think), there are non-free restrictions. For example, not allowed to use the text to libel or some such.
Creative Commons encourages people (both "creators" and users) not to read licences, not to know that their rights are, and generally be ignorant.
What do I do instead? Something simple. Something like:
Copyright 2008 apathy maybe You are free to use and modify this work, for any purpose, in any medium with the following condition. This entire licence text is retained and applies to any copy and/or modification.
I get across the point that I want my work to be used, but only on the condition that the copyright line stays, and that downstream viewers of the work have the same right to use and modify the work.
And that is all that is needed for the vast majority of things that I have ever "published" (including photographs).
Speaking of someone "on the Left", I hope they all lose. Fuck electoral politics, how about a bit of democracy for a change?
Tell me how a single person (the president), elected by an electoral college (as opposed to directly by the people), with no requirments to follow what he (in almost all cases it's "he") said during the campaign is "representative"? Is this one person supposed to represent all of "America" (impossible to do), just the people who voted for him (what including the small l liberals, and the crazy religious freaks in the case of McCain?) (who will also only end up being between 25 and 35 percent of the population anyway, due to people not voting), or maybe just the corporations that funded him?
Yeah, democracy, "rule of the people", great idea, wish we could get some of that.
Umm, do you know of a free (pref. BSD-style without ad. clause licensed) JavaScript implementation of Whirlpool? Because I know of one for MD5. Namely Paul Johnston's JavaScript MD5.
From that site:
The use of MD5 or SHA-1 for most JavaScript purposes (e.g. challenge-response login) does not rely on the collision resistance property. These weaknesses do not create any vulnerability in such web sites and there is no need to panic. If these weaknesses do concern you, there are alternative algorithms available:
Disclaimer: I'm not a cryptographer, and I'm not a professional (anything). This post is based on my understanding, which may be wrong. Corrections accepted and welcomed.
Yes, MD5 is broken. Given a specific dataset with a specific MD5 hash, you can create another dataset with the same hash in minimal time (a few minutes on a modern computer).
You should thus not use MD5 to authenticate documents and other data as being "not-tampered with". As a checksum algorithm, it should not be used.
However, this is not the only use for hash functions. Hash functions are also used to obscure passwords. "Wait", I hear you say, "what about rainbow tables?". Wikipedia says (from the link above)
Recently, a number of projects have created MD5 "rainbow tables" which are easily accessible online, and can be used to reverse many MD5 hashes into strings that collide with the original input, usually for the purposes of password cracking. However, if passwords are combined with a salt before the MD5 digest is generated, rainbow tables become much less useful.
That's right folks, if you know what you are doing, you can still use MD5.
Basically, you have to salt your passwords before storing them in the DB (in case the DB gets broken into), send the original salt, and another (random) salt along with the login page, make sure that everyone hashes in the correct order and compare. Simplified, but I'm sure you're all intelligent enough to find what I'm talking about.
VoilÃ, a safe method of using MD5. (As far as I know, there is still no way to convert an MD5 hash back into the original text, or even a possible original text without using a Rainbow table.)
-----
That said, new hashing methods are always welcome. Especially when it comes to things like checksums. (I can't believe some websites still relay on MD5...)
You pay taxes, and part of your taxes go to health. Just like part of it goes to the military. If you don't like that, well maybe you should join us radical left-wing nutbags in a revolution and get rid of all government. (Not all left-wing nutbags want to do that, but I'm an anarchist.)
If you want to use treatments "not permitted by the government", well it depends on what you mean. If the government won't pay for them, but hasn't outlawed them, just pay for them yourself (you want to do that don't you?)
If the government has outlawed the treatment, well the government also outlaws using many recreational drugs, owning heavy artillery, speeding, not wearing a seatbelt in a car, and many other things. I suggest you join my revolution. Because governments outlaw things.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the chance of a Cuban child dying at five years of age or younger is 7 per 1000 live births in Cuba, while it's 8 per 1000 in the US. WHO reports that Cuban males have a life expectancy at birth of 75 years and females 79 years. In comparison, the US life expectancy at birth is 75 and 80 years for males and females, respectively. Cuba's infant mortality rate is lower than the US with 5 deaths per thousand in Cuba versus 7 per thousand in the US. Cuba has nearly twice as many physicians as the U.S. -- 5.91 doctors per thousand people compared to 2.56 doctors per thousand, according to WHO.
Despite the US embargo on Cuba.
Dude, you just fucked up. Cuba's health system is the best in "Latin" America, and is in many ways better then the USA's. Tell me how that is a failure?
What really gets me when using a non US keyboard, sometimes it is just one or two letters or symbols that have been moved. Z and Y being swapped for example. When I switch I keep buggering up...
Then I use another keyboard and have to hunt for the @ symbol... (or the ~ symbol, which I still haven't found on a UK keyboard).
I can still type almost as fast, so long as I don't need to hunt and peck for that one bloody key...
Slashdot Mirror
Oh that's nice. First post and it's redundant.
Personally I have never bought a computer game in my life (I've only ever copied, without paying the asked for fee, about 4 times). So this isn't coming from my experience. (I have had games bought for me, and I have downloaded and played freeware games.)
Anyway, why is the used market so good? For people who don't have any money, the used market allows them to get good games cheaply. (I've never had much money either for that matter, but the main reason I don't buy games now is that I don't run MS Windows.)
They get hooked on the game, on the company, on the designer, and then, when they have money (after (if) they get a job), they can go and buy the games for the full price.
Used games are advertising for the company. Take Civilisation, I would happily buy Civilisation Four (or whatever number it is up to now), because I really enjoyed Civilisation Two (I don't, because I don't run MS Windows, and I don't like Digital Restrictions Management). Or Sim City or Command and Conquer, or a number of similar games, I have an older game, and would like to play the newer game.
That's what the used market can do.
Yeah, I've got two Yahoo email accounts I've had since the Nineties (they said they were for life, I hope they meant my life, rather than their life...).
I like the Yahoo Mail interface, even more than the Gmail one in many respects. I've got a stack heaps of old emails (dating back 10 years almost).
But if Microsoft bought up Yahoo, I would be out as soon as I could.
Luckily I have access to POP for Yahoo, so I could just download all those emails that way (I should do that anyway...). (For those of you who have Yahoo email accounts, but don't have POP, I was going to tell you how to do it, but I can't get into my email account ... :(.)
Why don't I want Microsoft? Because I don't trust them. I don't trust Yahoo either, but inertia keeps me there...
* Computer-phobics today don't know how to create a bookmark. Nor type a URL. They just type what they assume is some kind of address in a google bar and click the first or second result.
There were two parts, the bookmark was for the slightly more literate types. As to Google, you've interviewed a random sampling of computer-phobes have you? You know what they do do you? You're making shit up aren't you.
* Even typing a correct URL you're not free from dns-poisoning
Yeah, that's why I just type in the IP address...
Etc.
It isn't the person's fault that computers are complicated, but it sure as hell isn't that hard to understand.
Yourbank.com...
command.com...
Umm, and I seeing a problem with that idea? Yes I am.
And the reason to turn it off, it doesn't always work (false positives, and false negatives), and it leads to a false sense of security. Like running a virus checker and then not caring about downloading random shit from the web. Better to just not download random shit from the web.
Personally I don't use Safari (I don't have a Mac, nor do I use MS Windows). I just thought I would take the time to rant about "anti-phishing" things.
I always turn such "features" off on my own computers, and would do so on any computer where I was the "tech support" (after appropriate consultation and education).
Why? Because blacklists don't work. Want to not get phished? Simple instructions that even the most computerphobic person can understand:
When you want to go to the website of your bank, credit union etc., type in what you see on the printed material you have in front of you! (Alternatively, for the more computer literate folks, create a bookmark/favourite after having typed in the address from the printed material from your bank. And only access it via that link.)
Never trust a link via an email, never trust a link from another website, not even if the address looks the same. (Character encoding, bad eyes and other things can make two strings look the same, even when they aren't.)
Simple advice and works for everyone whom I've told it to. (The same with, "don't download files from your email unless you were expecting them, which is a bit over the top, but the slightly more complicated, don't download executable files got reduced somehow.)
End rant.
I did have a look at the article, and to be frank, there isn't anything exciting in there. It seems that the only reason this got to the front page is that Safari crashes a lot. Umm..., I guess I don't care.
I honestly don't give two figs if humanity goes extinct (I certainly won't after the event).
Sure, if it happens while I'm alive, there maybe some un-avoidable pain and suffering for myself, but if it happens after I'm dead, well, I'll be dead.
Dead people can't suffer.
Anyway, extinction is a natural part of evolution, adapt or die motherfuckers, adapt and die. Yes, change from or to and is deliberate, because we are all going to die.
---
Anyway, onto the actual scenarios. From the introduction:
None of these things is going to wipe out each and every human, nor even enough humans to make the population enviable. Unless climate change is really, really dramatic (in which case, there is nothing we can do about it anyway). And to talk about flu... Viruses have never killed more than 70% of a given population (number pulled from the air, probably less, Wikipedia says The Black Death is estimated to have killed 30% to 60% of Europe's population.). Oh, and terrorism. Scary shit that.
Then we get onto astronomical events, comets, solar flares and stuff, and the paper goes on and on.
Basically, we are all going to die, humanity is going to go extinct (if nothing else, the heat death of the universe will get us), and to think about the issue with any great thought is probably a waste of time.
And the sad thing is that there are actually people who think like this.
Democracy (as the word is commonly used, i.e. to mean elected a bunch of pricks who rule over you, doing what they like until you get the chance to elect them (or another bunch of pricks) again) may well be better than the alternatives tried (it is better to be able to pick your ruler than not, at least that's the theory), but it still is a load of shit.
Try anarchy, now with extra helpings of freedom, and fuck off corporations, state, capitalism and tyranny. We don't need you to tell us what to do.
---
Slightly more on topic, this is absolutely fucking crazy. It doesn't compete with the bus service, because cars are inherently more mobile than a bus run. Cars can go from point A, to point D, without all that visiting points B and C in between.
There are obviously two different markets, one, mass transport along fixed routes, two, point to point transport by small numbers of people.
Not to mention, if as FredFred says, only being able to go to work? Fuck off with that.
Me, I suggest that all interested person's in that province, ignore this fucking stupid law. If it should ever get to a jury trial, you would hope that they wouldn't convict. (Not a lawyer, not sure if this sort of thing is criminal or whatever.)
The Great Fire Barrier?
Mark Newton (of Internode, not the same mob as this story is about) has an opinion piece on the ABC (which I submitted to Slashdot, but still pending...), entitled Filter advocates need to check their facts.
The other camp includes people who just make lots of mistakes; including Senator Conroy, who claimed that Sweden, the UK, Canada and New Zealand all have similar filter systems as are being proposed.
----
Anyway, if Conroy is the worst minister, that's pretty damn bad. After all, Richard Alston, Daryl Williams and Helen Coonan were all communications minister under Johny sticken Howard.
According to Wikipedia, Alston tried "to ban online gambling, and make email forwarding illegal, he was dubbed 'the world's biggest luddite'. [1]".
Maybe this "representative" thing isn't all it's cracked up to be? Anyone up for some Demarchy?
Want to know why developers love to release stuff under the GPL? Because they can get the code back if someone else uses it.
Under a BSD type licence, if someone modifies the code they release, they have no guarantee they will ever see those modifications.
What to know why developers love BSD type licences when taking code? Because it lets them take and not have to worry about licensing issues and releasing modifications.
What to know why users like GPL stuff better? Because they are free to take the code and either modify it themselves, or pay someone else to modify it for them. They can't do that with a closed up BSD licensed code.
actually
[ESC] :q!
Quit and don't save.
I haven't looked at this new version of the GFDL yet, but previous versions were simply too complicated for my purposes. I'm not publishing a book, I don't need to worry about front and back covers etc.
I refuse to use CC licences at all either. Which licence? You can use this under the CC licence? Which one? The BY-SA-UK version 1.2 one. The what? Exactly.
Not to mention, in some of the licence terms (depending on which country I think), there are non-free restrictions. For example, not allowed to use the text to libel or some such.
Creative Commons encourages people (both "creators" and users) not to read licences, not to know that their rights are, and generally be ignorant.
What do I do instead? Something simple. Something like:
I get across the point that I want my work to be used, but only on the condition that the copyright line stays, and that downstream viewers of the work have the same right to use and modify the work.
And that is all that is needed for the vast majority of things that I have ever "published" (including photographs).
Don't hate the media, become the media. Indymedia.
Speaking of someone "on the Left", I hope they all lose. Fuck electoral politics, how about a bit of democracy for a change?
Tell me how a single person (the president), elected by an electoral college (as opposed to directly by the people), with no requirments to follow what he (in almost all cases it's "he") said during the campaign is "representative"? Is this one person supposed to represent all of "America" (impossible to do), just the people who voted for him (what including the small l liberals, and the crazy religious freaks in the case of McCain?) (who will also only end up being between 25 and 35 percent of the population anyway, due to people not voting), or maybe just the corporations that funded him?
Yeah, democracy, "rule of the people", great idea, wish we could get some of that.
Mussolini made them run on thyme...
Yeah, but have you considered you can leave your work in the "cloud" and only downloaded it when you need it?
Sure you will fill a 30GB HD in a hurry if you keep everything you download, but you don't. You just download it again when you needed it again.
At least, that's what I would do.
Oooh... Umm... Err...
My mistake? Give the person a cookie for picking up on it.
(I must have misremembered my reading.)
So, do any of the commonly used hash functions have a preimage attack demonstrated for them?
Umm, do you know of a free (pref. BSD-style without ad. clause licensed) JavaScript implementation of Whirlpool? Because I know of one for MD5. Namely Paul Johnston's JavaScript MD5 .
From that site:
Wait, that's what I said!
(Oh, and while on the subject, Building a CHAP Login System.)
For those who didn't know and can't be bothered to even skim the PDF, the first footnote says:
Of course, the copy and paste doesn't quite do it justice.
(I blame Slashcode.)
Disclaimer: I'm not a cryptographer, and I'm not a professional (anything). This post is based on my understanding, which may be wrong. Corrections accepted and welcomed.
Yes, MD5 is broken. Given a specific dataset with a specific MD5 hash, you can create another dataset with the same hash in minimal time (a few minutes on a modern computer).
You should thus not use MD5 to authenticate documents and other data as being "not-tampered with". As a checksum algorithm, it should not be used.
However, this is not the only use for hash functions. Hash functions are also used to obscure passwords. "Wait", I hear you say, "what about rainbow tables?". Wikipedia says (from the link above)
That's right folks, if you know what you are doing, you can still use MD5.
Basically, you have to salt your passwords before storing them in the DB (in case the DB gets broken into), send the original salt, and another (random) salt along with the login page, make sure that everyone hashes in the correct order and compare. Simplified, but I'm sure you're all intelligent enough to find what I'm talking about.
VoilÃ, a safe method of using MD5. (As far as I know, there is still no way to convert an MD5 hash back into the original text, or even a possible original text without using a Rainbow table.)
-----
That said, new hashing methods are always welcome. Especially when it comes to things like checksums. (I can't believe some websites still relay on MD5...)
You pay taxes, and part of your taxes go to health. Just like part of it goes to the military. If you don't like that, well maybe you should join us radical left-wing nutbags in a revolution and get rid of all government. (Not all left-wing nutbags want to do that, but I'm an anarchist.)
If you want to use treatments "not permitted by the government", well it depends on what you mean. If the government won't pay for them, but hasn't outlawed them, just pay for them yourself (you want to do that don't you?)
If the government has outlawed the treatment, well the government also outlaws using many recreational drugs, owning heavy artillery, speeding, not wearing a seatbelt in a car, and many other things. I suggest you join my revolution. Because governments outlaw things.
Got some numbers on Cuba's healthcare being a failure?
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_Cuba
References the World Health Organisation.
Despite the US embargo on Cuba.
Dude, you just fucked up. Cuba's health system is the best in "Latin" America, and is in many ways better then the USA's. Tell me how that is a failure?
What really gets me when using a non US keyboard, sometimes it is just one or two letters or symbols that have been moved. Z and Y being swapped for example. When I switch I keep buggering up...
Then I use another keyboard and have to hunt for the @ symbol... (or the ~ symbol, which I still haven't found on a UK keyboard).
I can still type almost as fast, so long as I don't need to hunt and peck for that one bloody key...
I've always wanted to work in a mint. And then go on strike. To make less money.
(Not the original quote, and I can't remember who said it originally. But relevant for this context.)