We have it pretty good in the USA, you should see the other places in the world
Yeah... your obviously white and middle class... I recall being in Oakland and SF in 2003, the amount of homeless was disgusting. Come to think of it, I think on the TV there was a proposed plan to relocate the homeless out of public view...
There are already too many n00bs who own a computer and are connected to the internet. Perhaps what is rather needed is not us changing for them but a "geek test" where in order to qualify for internet access you must pass a series of tests/exams like you do in order to get a radio license.
Until this time, the internet will continue to be littered with crap to entertain the vast majority of people who should not be connected.
Yes although many people believe in "free speech", even in the West free speech is controlled through sedition laws etc.
I remember one particular case where yahoo was criticised for providing information about a customer which led to his arrest - this particular person had been planning to try and overthrow the Chinese government. Don't for one second think that if the US suspected a citizen to have similar intentions, they would do the exact same as the Chinese.
Even though the media is state owned in China, in the West, it may as well be state owned. After all, the media giants are large corporations at battle with each other and they of course bow to the government which controls ownership laws, tv licensing and regulation.
Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders and any other related groups should do more to discourage journalists from spreading lies or pushing their own agenda or publishing information without first investigating it. Until then all I can say is no news is good news.
Given that these codes are in place to sell premium products to consumers and recoup the investment made with putting the satellites in orbit - how is this any different to breaking codes for satellite TV and/or DRM?
I really hope the folks at Cornell start working on something that would have a legitimate use such as the ability to make a backup of a legally purchased HD-DVD movie... oh wait... that would be illegal:-(
So it's wrong to deny access/filter content because of "freedom of speech" but it is okay to spy on and prosecute those who may choose to exercise free speech against the US governments wishes.
Personally I prefer the Chinese approach - at least you know most of the stuff that would get you into trouble has been filtered.
So let me get this straight, all you need to be is a copyright holder and you get free money from the Spanish government? I always thought my preschool performance of Mary Had a Little Lamb was good... SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!
Even though future employers may get a slap on the wrist for the way in which they advertise positi0ons, it will not (and can not) change their hiring policies. All this is going to do is be a waste of time for companies (ie interviewing/processing applications from unwanted candidates) and for the individual applying for the job (writing letters, e-mails, phone calls etc to a company that has no intent of hiring you).
Yes it does suck and is discriminatory, however in the land of free enterprise what can you do? Mandate they hire Americans? Easy solution for the company, off shore the jobs.
Last time I worked in the CC/banking industry (about 12 months ago), this was forbidden too.
funny you mention that, the POS unit we use was issued from the Commonwealth Bank 1.5 years ago after the LCD in our previous unit broke. In any case, wouldnt VISA fine the bank?
No, when you key in the digits manually, the full credit card number prints up on BOTH receipts, the only time it does not is when you swipe the card - for us, when we swipe the card, the last for digits appear on both merchant or customer copies.
The last four digits are only printed if we physically swipe the card, if we manually enter the numbers (which we usually do as most bookings are made over the phone) then the receipt shows the full credit card number.
I work at a b&b where we continually get reservations by people wanting to pay with a credit card. Our customers make their bookings over the phone, fax and even e-mail - to process a payment, all we need is the card number and expiry date. When a receipt is printed (from entering the numbers), it actually has the card details on it!
I have seen many people collect their receipts from us upon checkin and just throw them away, without any thought about the information contained. Anyone willing to stick their hand in the bin would be able to collect these numbers for themselves.
I often think a better credit card system would be to have a credit card number and require the use of a temporary code for a transaction to take place (similar to my online banking) where we have an electronic device which has a changing code, of course, this would only be practical for over the phone and website bookings rather than fax/e-mail (although fax/e-mail bookings are insecure now as e-mails may not be deleted from the system and fax's could be just thrown away with the numbers on them).
And everyone calls the Chinese evil... personally I don't think web censorship is as bad as "data retention laws"... time to fire up gpg when sending e-mails.
And yes, in some european countries it is mandatory to have your ID card with you when you leave the house. I don't think you'll be arrested for not having it, at least I've never heard of that happening after WW2.
In some european countries the police will shoot you seven times in the head for running on a train platform
I currently have a notebook with an ATI Mobility Radeon 9700. Frustrated by the lack of open source drivers, I installed the proprietary ones offered by ATI... Big mistake... it caused so many problems, one of which had been listed as a known bug for half a year by ATI.
If a vendor want's to close source their drivers, then that's their decision... However, they should provide a decent level of support. A known bug should not exist for any more than several months (imagine what people would say if they did this with their Windows drivers).
Linux users should not be treated as second class, if the vendors out there don't want to spend the time/resources developing good quality drivers, then why bother trying... instead, they should release as much documentation as possible about their products so others can.
I have a friend who owns an Nvidia graphics card and has had no problems with it. Secondly it seems that Nvidia's linux support surpasses ATI's. When it comes time for me to purchase a new PC, it will not contain an ATI graphics card.
As long as Micro$oft contemplates purchasing companies which produce spyware (Claria), you are going to need another anti-spyware product to remove M$ endorsed Spyware...
what every occupying power does when it takes over a country
It's just the hypocrisy that I don't like... eg. The whole China and free press thing... How does the US expect international support when they can't even practice what they preach. I just get the feeling that most of US foreign policy is complete and utter bullshit... Bush & Co really need to show less of an international presence and concentrate more on domestic issues, at least then they wont be screwing up the world.
Libraries, my family's bookshelves, and now the internet have provided me more education than any public school ever did. BTW, my definition for autodidact: someone who hasn't had the hunger for learning burned out of them by public schooling.
I would like to see you enter the job market with the "I taught myself" mentality - yes it has worked for some who have formed their own companies and been in the right place at the right time, however for anything you say to be taken seriously, you need to back yourself up with some form of credentials. Secondly, the last time I checked they did not have a public-use lab at any of the places you mentioned (computer lab does not count) not to mention adequate access to scientific journals (larger public libraries do, however nowhere near the range offered at most tertiary institutions) Thirdly, it is far harder to get a research grant acting as an individual.
You are right, it is a stretch with the healthcare argument, however I am still mad about when my cousin broke his arm in the US and before a doctor would even look at this screaming kid, my Aunt handle insurance details - that attitude is inhumane and inexcusable.
I suggest you look inward and attempt to build up an ability to speak for yourself without all the external scaffolding. At least at that point, you'll be certain that what you're saying is all yours.
The "external scaffolding" you talk about must also include the books at your library and beloved internet. There is no need to re-invent the wheel.
At the end of the day, I just wanted to say that the US isn't as great as it is cracked up to be - the year that I lived there really opened my eyes up as to how my own country is way better and the only reason that I would ever return (to the US) is to see my family (grandparents etc).
I wonder how much propaganda the US is involved in domestically and in other regions around the world and I really think organisations such as RSF (reporters without borders) should do more to discourage it - no wonder reporters are always getting locked up.
There are two sides to every story and NO news source ever presents both, everyone has an agenda.
Freedom of speech is useless anyway - before freedom of speech you need a free education in order to have something intelligent to say and before freedom of speech you need free healthcare to be able to live long enough to be heard.
What good is freedom of speech if you are restricted anyway... eg defamation laws and I remember reading a paper which said in Oakland, a secret service officer had a talk with students who suggested that someone should take bush out.
Freedom of speech is a concept that is touted by politicians to win elections because "freedom" has an emotional connection for a lot of people. The only other time that "freedom of speech" is important is when the US wants to use it to attack it's enemies... "they are bad because they don't allow freedom of speech"
If you play the general argument of "freedom of speech but within the law", you can say that all countries have free speech so what is so important about it?
I get it... terrorists buy bomb making equipment on their credit cards... then to have a "clear conscience" afterwards, pay their credit card off before blowing themselves up!
Give the DHS a Nobel prize... pure stroke of genius!
But seriously, why would terrorists be using credit cards (which already leaves a paper trail) and not cash, secondly, if you were a terrorist, why pay off the debt?
Slashdot Mirror
Are you lost? This is slashdot, not stormfront. Go back to the south you kkk wanna'be
We have it pretty good in the USA, you should see the other places in the world
Yeah... your obviously white and middle class... I recall being in Oakland and SF in 2003, the amount of homeless was disgusting. Come to think of it, I think on the TV there was a proposed plan to relocate the homeless out of public view...
Get your head out of the sand.
The article states the following:
"these ozone-depleting substances typically have very long lifetimes in the atmosphere (more than 40 years).
Obsoleting Freon has helped, however it will take tens of years for the existing CFC/HFC/HCFC's etc gas levels to drop to acceptable concentrations.
There are already too many n00bs who own a computer and are connected to the internet. Perhaps what is rather needed is not us changing for them but a "geek test" where in order to qualify for internet access you must pass a series of tests/exams like you do in order to get a radio license.
Until this time, the internet will continue to be littered with crap to entertain the vast majority of people who should not be connected.
Sure you do, it's called child support.
Disinformation is just as bad as censorship.
Yes although many people believe in "free speech", even in the West free speech is controlled through sedition laws etc.
I remember one particular case where yahoo was criticised for providing information about a customer which led to his arrest - this particular person had been planning to try and overthrow the Chinese government. Don't for one second think that if the US suspected a citizen to have similar intentions, they would do the exact same as the Chinese.
Even though the media is state owned in China, in the West, it may as well be state owned. After all, the media giants are large corporations at battle with each other and they of course bow to the government which controls ownership laws, tv licensing and regulation.
Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders and any other related groups should do more to discourage journalists from spreading lies or pushing their own agenda or publishing information without first investigating it. Until then all I can say is no news is good news.
Given that these codes are in place to sell premium products to consumers and recoup the investment made with putting the satellites in orbit - how is this any different to breaking codes for satellite TV and/or DRM?
I really hope the folks at Cornell start working on something that would have a legitimate use such as the ability to make a backup of a legally purchased HD-DVD movie... oh wait... that would be illegal :-(
So it's wrong to deny access/filter content because of "freedom of speech" but it is okay to spy on and prosecute those who may choose to exercise free speech against the US governments wishes.
Personally I prefer the Chinese approach - at least you know most of the stuff that would get you into trouble has been filtered.
So let me get this straight, all you need to be is a copyright holder and you get free money from the Spanish government? I always thought my preschool performance of Mary Had a Little Lamb was good... SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!
Are you sure it was google desktop responsible for all those ads or perhaps it was all the p0rn sites visited with IE.
Even though future employers may get a slap on the wrist for the way in which they advertise positi0ons, it will not (and can not) change their hiring policies. All this is going to do is be a waste of time for companies (ie interviewing/processing applications from unwanted candidates) and for the individual applying for the job (writing letters, e-mails, phone calls etc to a company that has no intent of hiring you).
Yes it does suck and is discriminatory, however in the land of free enterprise what can you do? Mandate they hire Americans? Easy solution for the company, off shore the jobs.
funny you mention that, the POS unit we use was issued from the Commonwealth Bank 1.5 years ago after the LCD in our previous unit broke. In any case, wouldnt VISA fine the bank?
No, when you key in the digits manually, the full credit card number prints up on BOTH receipts, the only time it does not is when you swipe the card - for us, when we swipe the card, the last for digits appear on both merchant or customer copies.
We are in Australia, not the USA
The last four digits are only printed if we physically swipe the card, if we manually enter the numbers (which we usually do as most bookings are made over the phone) then the receipt shows the full credit card number.
I work at a b&b where we continually get reservations by people wanting to pay with a credit card. Our customers make their bookings over the phone, fax and even e-mail - to process a payment, all we need is the card number and expiry date. When a receipt is printed (from entering the numbers), it actually has the card details on it!
I have seen many people collect their receipts from us upon checkin and just throw them away, without any thought about the information contained. Anyone willing to stick their hand in the bin would be able to collect these numbers for themselves.
I often think a better credit card system would be to have a credit card number and require the use of a temporary code for a transaction to take place (similar to my online banking) where we have an electronic device which has a changing code, of course, this would only be practical for over the phone and website bookings rather than fax/e-mail (although fax/e-mail bookings are insecure now as e-mails may not be deleted from the system and fax's could be just thrown away with the numbers on them).
And everyone calls the Chinese evil... personally I don't think web censorship is as bad as "data retention laws"... time to fire up gpg when sending e-mails.
And yes, in some european countries it is mandatory to have your ID card with you when you leave the house. I don't think you'll be arrested for not having it, at least I've never heard of that happening after WW2.
In some european countries the police will shoot you seven times in the head for running on a train platform
I currently have a notebook with an ATI Mobility Radeon 9700. Frustrated by the lack of open source drivers, I installed the proprietary ones offered by ATI... Big mistake... it caused so many problems, one of which had been listed as a known bug for half a year by ATI.
If a vendor want's to close source their drivers, then that's their decision... However, they should provide a decent level of support. A known bug should not exist for any more than several months (imagine what people would say if they did this with their Windows drivers).
Linux users should not be treated as second class, if the vendors out there don't want to spend the time/resources developing good quality drivers, then why bother trying... instead, they should release as much documentation as possible about their products so others can.
I have a friend who owns an Nvidia graphics card and has had no problems with it. Secondly it seems that Nvidia's linux support surpasses ATI's. When it comes time for me to purchase a new PC, it will not contain an ATI graphics card.
As long as Micro$oft contemplates purchasing companies which produce spyware (Claria), you are going to need another anti-spyware product to remove M$ endorsed Spyware...
what every occupying power does when it takes over a country
It's just the hypocrisy that I don't like... eg. The whole China and free press thing... How does the US expect international support when they can't even practice what they preach. I just get the feeling that most of US foreign policy is complete and utter bullshit... Bush & Co really need to show less of an international presence and concentrate more on domestic issues, at least then they wont be screwing up the world.
Libraries, my family's bookshelves, and now the internet have provided me more education than any public school ever did. BTW, my definition for autodidact: someone who hasn't had the hunger for learning burned out of them by public schooling.
I would like to see you enter the job market with the "I taught myself" mentality - yes it has worked for some who have formed their own companies and been in the right place at the right time, however for anything you say to be taken seriously, you need to back yourself up with some form of credentials. Secondly, the last time I checked they did not have a public-use lab at any of the places you mentioned (computer lab does not count) not to mention adequate access to scientific journals (larger public libraries do, however nowhere near the range offered at most tertiary institutions) Thirdly, it is far harder to get a research grant acting as an individual.
You are right, it is a stretch with the healthcare argument, however I am still mad about when my cousin broke his arm in the US and before a doctor would even look at this screaming kid, my Aunt handle insurance details - that attitude is inhumane and inexcusable.
I suggest you look inward and attempt to build up an ability to speak for yourself without all the external scaffolding. At least at that point, you'll be certain that what you're saying is all yours. The "external scaffolding" you talk about must also include the books at your library and beloved internet. There is no need to re-invent the wheel.
At the end of the day, I just wanted to say that the US isn't as great as it is cracked up to be - the year that I lived there really opened my eyes up as to how my own country is way better and the only reason that I would ever return (to the US) is to see my family (grandparents etc).
You mean by using the more effective, 24-hour propaganda machine suggested by Rumsfeld which is paying journalists to write favorably about the US and it's war effort?
I wonder how much propaganda the US is involved in domestically and in other regions around the world and I really think organisations such as RSF (reporters without borders) should do more to discourage it - no wonder reporters are always getting locked up.
There are two sides to every story and NO news source ever presents both, everyone has an agenda.
Freedom of speech is useless anyway - before freedom of speech you need a free education in order to have something intelligent to say and before freedom of speech you need free healthcare to be able to live long enough to be heard.
What good is freedom of speech if you are restricted anyway... eg defamation laws and I remember reading a paper which said in Oakland, a secret service officer had a talk with students who suggested that someone should take bush out.
Freedom of speech is a concept that is touted by politicians to win elections because "freedom" has an emotional connection for a lot of people. The only other time that "freedom of speech" is important is when the US wants to use it to attack it's enemies... "they are bad because they don't allow freedom of speech"
If you play the general argument of "freedom of speech but within the law", you can say that all countries have free speech so what is so important about it?
I get it... terrorists buy bomb making equipment on their credit cards... then to have a "clear conscience" afterwards, pay their credit card off before blowing themselves up!
Give the DHS a Nobel prize... pure stroke of genius!
But seriously, why would terrorists be using credit cards (which already leaves a paper trail) and not cash, secondly, if you were a terrorist, why pay off the debt?