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User: clang_jangle

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  1. Re:Technocrats on Geeks In the Public Forum? · · Score: 0

    If only words like "geeks" and "technocrats" actually meant something other than a diverse group of people who *identify* with science and technology... For many people "science" is simply a matter of faith -- they have zero knowledge or understanding, Naturally, it also complicates matters quite a lot that "science" is a term which covers a lot of conflicting/divergent schools of though. IOW, TFA reads like something written by a 12 year old who recently decid he's "a geek".

  2. What if? on Ask Slashdot: What If Intellectual Property Expired After Five Years? · · Score: 2

    What if Spartacus had had a Piper Cub?

  3. Doomed on Ask Slashdot: Skype Setup For Toddler's Room? · · Score: 5, Informative

    Sounds like you're seriously underestimating a toddler's resourcefulness, frankly...

  4. Re:We are the borg ...... on "Brainput" Boosts Your Brain Power By Offloading Multitasking To a Computer · · Score: 0

    Considering how much more capable even an average person's brain is than any computer we can build today, this is a bit silly. Enhancing the brain by waking some of the ~90% which is unused would almost certainly yield more practical results. Consider the numerous, very complicated instructions the brain is able to run just to walk, ride a bike, or breathe. If we can gain conscious control over that kind of functionality, we'd be formidable.

  5. Re:positive way but not spam on Facebook Says It's Filtering Comments For Spam, Not Censoring Them · · Score: 2

    No, just you.

  6. Re:"Get the Facts" on Microsoft: Macs 'Not Safe From Malware, Attacks Will Increase' · · Score: 1

    I have one friend who's as non-technically-inclined as they come, using Ubuntu on a Dell laptop for over four years now without incident. The original install from 2008 is now current, and only twice in those four years was I called in to correct minor stuff broken/changed by updates. In those two cases, she still had the use of the laptop and OS, we're talking *little* things like links in email stopped bringing up the browser. She has needed far less help than my windows-using friends in the past four years, so as I said, sir -- your info is out of date. :)

  7. Re:"Get the Facts" on Microsoft: Macs 'Not Safe From Malware, Attacks Will Increase' · · Score: 1

    Check out Mint LXDE, starting with version 11. I still prefer Debian, but Mint LXDE is absolutely amazing for it's incredible ease of install. Nearly any modern common hardware will Just Work with that distro, and it can easily be installed, configured, and maintained by the most clueless of newbs. Your info is definitely out of date. There will occasionally be need for an expert no matter what OS a person chooses, but I'd say at this point Mint is rigt u there with OS X for being an idiot-proof system that Just Works. Really slaughters Windows in that regard, as well as on the security front. I know you know a lot about windows, and I respect your choice, but if you're talking ease of security for non-technical users you simply cannot beat Mint.

  8. Re:"Get the Facts" on Microsoft: Macs 'Not Safe From Malware, Attacks Will Increase' · · Score: 1

    While there is a lot of truth to what you say, at this time, nost popular Linux distos are by far the easiest to secure and to run securely without having to be a super expert technical user. Windows can be just as secure in the right hands, but ironically requires a much higher level of expertise to do so. I'm no windows expert, so I feel usafe to the point I would never put any bankig or other critical info ito a windows machine, I do it in Linux and BSD all the time though, because I know enough to do it securely. I'm sure you're knowledgeable enough with windows to be safe, but I want my non-tech users on Mint or Ubuntu. Not to mentio that whole slew of issues that comes up with "microsoft" amd "trust", DRM -- I had to reformat my mp3player once after big foolish enough to let WMP access it -- it decided a bunch of indie music was "pirated" and wouldn't let those files play! It also hogged about have the flash drive creatig unnecessary database files. Nasty stuff, that WMP.

  9. Re:"Get the Facts" on Microsoft: Macs 'Not Safe From Malware, Attacks Will Increase' · · Score: 5, Insightful

    In before all the stupid replies that Linux cannot be hacked. :)

    I suppose there could be some people stupid enough to say that, but I haven't seen much of it (unless you count obvious troll posts). In fact, a misconfigured linux system is one of the easiest to hack -- but we're discussing malware, not hacking. Since most linux distros are using repositories for all the third-party software (vs non-tech users zooming around the web downloading "10,000 similies!") malware for linux is pretty darned rare -- much more so than windows or os x. Unless, of course, one counts all the android trojans -- I don't because to me android is a completely unique OS that happens to use some linux code.

  10. Re:This should be considered illegal on Cash For Tweets and Facebook Posts? Aussie Startup Pays You to Astroturf · · Score: 1

    It doesn't really matter -- twitter is cutting their own throat allowing this kind of slimy stuff. It's just a matter of time til everyone knows twitter is for suckers that want to read a bunch of really short astroturf. Plus this kind of behavior is practically eternal. "Caveat Emptor", "a fool and his money are soon parted". It's just real life continuing to spread on the internet.

  11. Re:Get me a hammer! on Doctors Transplant Same Kidney Twice In Two Weeks · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You are correct -- the value of this is the discovery that when an organ is diseased it may be a symptom of a greater problem. It actually seems pretty obvious when you think about it.

  12. Re:A red state raising taxes!!??!!!??? on Amazon To Pay Texas Sales Tax · · Score: 1

    But apparently it's ok because as TFS says "[not collecting sales tax] has drawn fire from state governments facing budget shortfalls and from traditional brick-and-mortar retailers, who say online sellers essentially give customers an automatic discount when they donâ(TM)t collect taxes. Combs has estimated the state loses $60 million a year from untaxed online sales." That got me thinking... How much is it costing me to not be a thief? Hmmm.

  13. Re:really? on Analytic Thinking Can Decrease Religious Belief · · Score: 1

    Considering that belief is the opposite of thinking

    That's an interesting belief you've got there...
    The fact is, whether you're an Appalachian snake handler or a CS PHd, you have many beliefs and not all of them are rational. Now, would you like me to fetch you a stepladder, so you can climb down from that high horse? :)

  14. Re:Rio de Janeiro WOW!!!! on Will IBM Watson Be Your Next Mayor? · · Score: 1

    So it's more "Brasil" than "The Strength of Stones" then? That's disappointing,,,

  15. Re:What's up with the writing style, Mark? on Code Name, Theming Update Announced For Ubuntu 12.10 · · Score: 1

    My god, that's appallingly bad! When Ubuntu came out in 2004 its niche was clear -- Debian for people who couldn't install or configure Debian. A year or two later, Debian became just as easy to install and configure as Ubuntu, so now what purpose does it really serve? Plus Ubuntu-ites are frequently the annoying Mac fanbois of the linux world, and the number of incorrect, broken "howtos" for Ubuntu is simply staggering. The net effect has been that now we have as many clueless lusers as Mac and Windows. Thanks, Mark!

  16. Re:Infected? on One In Five Macs Holds Malware — For Windows · · Score: 1

    In enterprise settings it's common for AV to be run on linux machines that interact with windows machines. ClamAV also exists for OS X. TFA is just an applehate troll. Windows users whose machines can become infected from emailing or exchanging files with another machine are doing it wrong, regardless of the OS serving the malware.

  17. It's a huge undertaking on Did Microsoft Simply Run Out of Time On Windows RT? · · Score: 0

    While I'm not a big fan of Microsoft, it should be said that porting the OS to a different architecture after many years of using an architecture designed with their input is a huge undertaking. Give them some time.

  18. Re:Tough choice -- trepanning or... on Treating Depression With Electrodes Inside the Brain · · Score: 1

    No,it's ok because he (you?) was trying to conflate nutritional information with superstition. As for the rest, you made it up. I never made the claim you seem to think I made (that diet is THE answer-- just AN answer, but an answer that works for many people). Your inability to understand my words without adding your own superfluous interpretation, followed by compulsively aggressive outbursts based upon your misunderstanding must make life really hard...

  19. Re:Tough choice -- trepanning or... on Treating Depression With Electrodes Inside the Brain · · Score: 1

    That there's some seriously content-free trolling! Does the mere suggestion of proper nutrition always cause you to have ad hominem outbursts like that? Maybe you need some electrodes in your brain....

  20. Re:Tough choice -- trepanning or... on Treating Depression With Electrodes Inside the Brain · · Score: 1

    Actually, my post is informative and you're simply trolling --probably because you're one of the "normal Americans" who thinks you should be able to live on factory food and fast food (or worse, a "traditional American diet") while using chemicals from Big Pharma to magically control the damage you do with your unrestricted eating.

  21. Re:On behalf of us who've suffered... piss off! on Computer Game Designed To Treat Depression As Effective As Traditional Treatment · · Score: 1

    If having a sucky life makes you depressed then you aren't mentally ill, you just have a sucky life, it's normal to be depressed then...

    This. What a lot of people call "depression" is really the result of cowardice; they need to face making some change(s) but instead simply live in denial and become hopeless. Real depression isn't circumstantial -- if the idea of winning the lottery cheers you up,you're probably not actually depressed.

  22. Re:Finally on Feds Shut Down Tor-Using Narcotics Store · · Score: 2, Funny

    News For Turds, Stuff That Splatters

  23. Re:end justifies means on Feds Shut Down Tor-Using Narcotics Store · · Score: 1

    Actually, usenet is much better now that everyone on earth doesn't have access. All you have to do is filter the google groupers, and it's almost like going back in time. :)

  24. Re:50% of people... on The Digital Differences In Americans · · Score: 1

    Those are your questions, not mine. Why must you insist others spoon-feed you? Where is your initiative? You are simply willfully ignorant, and are resistant to finding answers.

  25. Re:50% of people... on The Digital Differences In Americans · · Score: 1

    That depends upon whom you ask. I never claimed to be the One True Source with Definitive Numbers, I was simply questioning the person who essentially did make that claim.