Journal TrollBack's Journal: Trollback for September 2004 5
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Issue 24 "Oversampled Dog Food" - September 2004 - Archive
Table of Contents
- Trollback!
- The List [VOTE]
- LA Confidential
- Is it troll or is it Memorex
- Food for dogs, Pate on platters
- Excessive Bad Stories
- Area Man Inadvertently Becomes Statistic
- Free Teh iPods
Trollback!
Yes folks, it's Slim Pickins this month, though while the pearls are fewer they shine just as bright. We blame not you, readers and participants, but ourselves, as our always-present eye on Slashdot got infected for a few weeks; you'll note a preponderance of late September postings. Open Source people often say that "many eyes make all bugs shallow", which while demonstrably false sure is fun to say. Even so, we always accept links to excellent postings from anywhere on the World Wide Internet at our e-cyberspace address, trollback at gmail dot com. So send us your favorites, and thanks for reading.
This month's topic icon is a ass. We don't really feel the need to qualify.
The List [VOTE]
100|(-1,22,28,8%) Anonymous Coward | "IPv6: Not Ready For Prime Time"
I do not see IPv6 being accelerated with proxy servers - IPv6 deployment is already going as fast as it can.While IPv6 fixes many problems in IPv4, the developed world will not embrace IPv6 until many shortcomings in the protocol are addressed. As a Brown University grad student, the subject of IPv6 is what my disseration is upon. Allow me to include a few talking-points on what I've learned. Cisco routers suck at IPv6. Many of cisco's routers use the router's CPU to process IPv6 [cont]...
- 14AC, Awards:+14acct+3low+1acup+1bab+10mod
95|(1,17,36,22%) Anonymous Coward | "DHS"
I can't post non-anonymously as it could jeapordize my career. I work at a mid-level office position at the DHS (Department of Homeland Security). Several months ago papers started to circulate about how to effectively ban arial photoography to prevent precise measurement and targetting of sensitive targets (nuclear power plants, etc). If you live near a target like this you'll soon notice a large fenced area with a large white square building in the center. This building hides a [cont]...
- 10AC, Awards:+26acct+1acup+9mod
90|(2,12,40,10%) Anonymous Coward | "Good news? Bad news"
Wow, I can't believe people are so selfish that they'd risk the U.S.'s relations with another country just so they, and _possibly_ others, can see what happened. If the FBI wants documents classified, the FBI has a good reason. I don't want another 9/11 in the U.S. or a foreign country just because people want to see some documents.
- 6AC, Awards:+34acct+2low+14mod
84|(5,13,35,18%) mekkab | "Second rate!"
Great! A second-rate search engine buys a second rate MP3 player! News at 11!
- 11AC, Awards:+24acct+14mod
77|(5,8,27,25%) Dancin_Santa | "The WTO move is the prime incentive"
Joining the WTO would require Iran to abide by internationally agreed upon IP regulations (Bourne Convention) and the impact of suddenly enforcing copyright law against its citizens would be very heavy.Even limiting enforcement to the government computer systems would result in significant layouts of cash to Microsoft (and other software makers). Iran is simply not in a position to make that kind of investment.Likewise, it is difficult to see how Microsoft could do business with the r [cont]...
- 6AC, Awards:+21acct+1low+2bab+6mod
72|(-1,10,33,6%) Dancin_Santa | "Not spam"
First off, I fully agree with the Linux folks on this one and rebuff the MPAA demands. It is absolutely idiotic for this kind of action to be taken without even the slightest consideration of the actual infringement impossibilities of the software names.That said, I think there's a lot to be considered when choosing a software project name. One that quickly and accurately describes or at the very least gives a hint as to the functionality of the package is great. The kinds that the [cont]...
- 8AC, Awards:+25acct+1low+8mod
64|(0,8,20,19%) Dancin_Santa | "My Roomba doesn't take pictures"
And I can safely assume that it doesn't because I trust that no hackers have entered my home (except myself, of course) and altered the hardware to such an extent that paranoia regarding the hardware is necessary.I think that every time stories like this appear in the mainstream press, that hackers in general become more and more externalized from society. You start to change things such that you end up being your own 'Little Brother' with your prying eyes everywhere and soon enough y [cont]...
- 8AC, Awards:+12acct+2low+9mod
64|(-1,8,24,8%) Anonymous Coward | "Hmmm"
What happens when people start dying?
- 6AC, Awards:+19acct+1low+11mod
60|(2,9,24,14%) Three Headed Man | "As someone who actually used it..."
I had VoIP for about 3 weeks (early June to June 30) before I got too frustrated. It was down pretty frequently; not nearly as dependable as my AT&T line. I got an echo, and the sound quality never was as good as a phone. I just decided to stick to cellular access, and cancelled before I started another month of fees. I'm happy with AT&T.
- 7AC, Awards:+17acct+2bust+1low+10mod
50|(1,11,19,9%) FortKnox | "Front Page Material!"
Now this is what I call front page material. Any normal slashdot article would have about 50-100 comments by now. This one has 5 (4 of which are trolls). Anime should be in its own section, IMHO. Its only here because of Taco's love of it. I really don't consider it a 'nerdy' thing. Sure, lotsa geeks are anime fanboys, and some actually enjoy the plots and stuff in the movies, but it really doesn't fit in with technology and science in my opinion. So I say give it its own section s [cont]...
- 4AC, Awards:+15acct+1low+4mod
49|(5,9,13,3%) Sheetrock | "Conversely..."
My question is: Is this software as good as the ever-extensible Kwiki implementation?My question is: is there anything Microsoft can do that we won't question?Applaud them for their newfound approach to open source. More alternatives are always better. I'll bet this software does something Kwiki can't do.
- 4AC, Awards:+9acct+3low+4mod
48|(0,7,23,5%) rd_syringe | "Rules for this story"
I feel the need to lay out some ground rules before we go on:1.) Microsoft is somehow responsible for all third-party DLLs on a system. Their scanner must contain a self-sufficient, learning AI that just knows which DLLs to scan on any system in existence.2.) Mozilla was affected by this same vulnerability, but it's okay because it's Mozilla and not Microsoft.3.) When Mozilla's XUL bug was marked Confidential since 1999 only to be revealed earlier this year when exploits came out [cont]...
- 8AC, Awards:+15acct+1low+12mod
48|(0,6,19,10%) Sheetrock | "It's pretty amazing when you think about it."
Mars always seemed just out of reach when I first took interest in astrology. The planet most like our own in the solar system, it's the logical next step for our move off this planet as we begin to explore and colonize space and it's quite encouraging to see that this is a possibility -- although hopefully more success will be had with landing manned spacecraft on its surface.I suppose another thing I've always hoped to see was signs of life in the universe. Although we've discovere [cont]...
- 4AC, Awards:+15acct+4bab+6mod
45|(1,7,23,4%) Three Headed Man | "Cheap"
Nothing better. Maybe Solitare too.
- 5AC, Awards:+18acct+9mod
42|(-1,9,16,6%) Anton Anatopopov | "All of this could easily have been avoided."
It's obvious to anyone that this scenario could easily have been avoided. The issue here is the restrictive nature of the GPL. Had this code been released under the more flexible and free BSD license, none of these issues would arise.Stallman has set back the cause of quality free software by 20 years with his viral-like GPL, which infects everything it comes into contact with.Notice that Apple based their OS around the Darwin kernel, precisely because of the major problems inhera [cont]...
- 3AC, Awards:+13acct+7mod
40|(-1,8,14,5%) Sheetrock | "What's wrong with flexibility?"
I see a few comments in here questioning the logic or similarity of this project to the already failed thin-client model that was once promised to revolutionize business computing. It seems to me the point is not to put all the eggs in one handbag -- but quite the opposite; to increase the capability and flexibility of an already capable and flexible system. This isn't an end in itself, but rather a means to discover or fully realize other possibilities with Linux that hinge upon gre [cont]...
- 4AC, Awards:+10acct+1low+5mod
32|(5,5,17,3%) Dancin_Santa | "Your rationale vs. their rationale"
You want to put Debian on the systems because of the vast array of software available for it.They want to run IBM solutions because they can trust that the few apps that they actually want to run on the system will run with no trouble.The trouble here is that you want Debian on the systems for your own selfish reasons. They want to run their systems as reliably as possible. Since this is a business and not a college dorm room, the business case will always win out.Debian is a fine di [cont]...
- 4AC, Awards:+13acct+2mod
30|(5,8,12,2%) Sheetrock | "Re:But what about text to speech?"
Given that there is already a rudimentary text-to-speech package available for Linux, and now a speech-to-text package, perhaps the secret is to pipe one to the other in a closed loop until one learns how to enunciate and the other how to listen?
- 4AC, Awards:+8acct+1acup+4mod
29|(3,6,9,7%) Dancin_Santa | "Expect ISP rates to rise"
It seems like this is a good deal for everyone all around except that in the end VoIP is still another manifestation of the infinitely malleable POTS system. All those bits are travelling over the same wires as those expensive long distance calls are. The only difference is in who is paying for that bandwidth.With normal long distance calling, the burden is borne by the person making the call or the receiver in the case of a collect call. In VoIP, the burden is already being paid fo [cont]...
- 1AC, Awards:+8acct+5mod
23|(-1,7,8,2%) Anonymous Coward | "Solar Electricity"
I think I've read somewhere that solar panels cost more in energy to create than they ever produce. Is this correct? When I thought about it, it seemed entirely plausible, as there is a lot of steel in there that needs to be welded.On another note, I've also read that the Chinese were not responsible for chopsticks, although they were responsible for fortune cookies. Apparently chopsticks were invented just 200 years ago in San Francisco.Can anyone clear this up for me please? [cont]...
- 3AC, Awards:+5acct+7mod
12|(2,4,6,0%) SimianOverlord | "Just some thoughts"
A question we have to ask oursevles is why did the jenemy attack the WTC, when there were more politically explosive (White House) and economically important (NY stock exchange) targets? My best guess is that it was due to the underlying symbol of the twin towers.It's a well established fact of modern architecture that skyscrapers represent masculinity. I don't want to make it anymore explicit than that. The act of throwing up a huge public, tapering monument is very symbolic of what d [cont]...
- 3AC, Awards:+3acct+1mod
5|(2,2,2,0%) Anonymous Coward | "Re:FAA?"
When someone as prominent and as much an annoyance to the coporate capitalist power structure as Richard Stallman has a nearly fatal accident we SHOULD start asking if there is a conspiracy to murder him.The free software movement is in the crosshairs. Why do you think software patents have become such an issue recently? Did SCO come up with the idea of its copyright attack on Linux on its own all of a sudden? Some investor immediately gave it the cash infusion it needed to per [cont]...
- 1AC, Awards:+1acct+1mod
LA Confidential
CmdrTaco is going to be on television in LA, before his globe trotting lifestyle takes him to Google and universities worldwide to teach them how to build scaleable next generation Linux based websites. Additionally he notes that the few readers of his journal can send in email to get free tickets. Now, so can you. Plz snd pix thx.
Is it troll or is it Memorex?
This post over at dKos: is it good or is it whack? Either way, we're having fun watching the locals stick up for their local troll, er, satirist? We thought "oversampling" was some electronica nerd thing, but perhaps it's also the tool of the carpetbagger. Who knew.
Food for dogs, Pate on platters:
We couldn't help but chuckle at this last minute substitution. Let them eat cake!
Excessive Bad Stories:
What's the sound of one web site biting? Probably something akin to the collective groan that went up from this submission about eliminating "Pirate to Pirate" file sharing tools on a network. Shockingly absolutely no on-topic comments were posted, though to prove that denial isn't just the world we live in, Linux apologists kicked it up to 11 in this story about a company reversing its Linux migration. We're sure it was all the fault of Harvard MBA's, who are all uneducated, worthless jerks (+1, Informative).
Area Man Inadvertently Becomes Statistic:
Free Teh iPods:
The long awaited successor to the Amazon affiliate link?
That's it for this month. As always, email your links to trollback at gmail dot com. Subscribe to Trollback Magazine by befriending; Slashdot will notify you of upcoming issues! And please remember,
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A MUSHROOM CLOUD
WAITING TO HAPPEN
Re:Slashdot:Intentionally Breaking Itself (Score:2)
Why? They'd just find a way to spin it as Microsoft's fault anyway. "Ohhhhhh, all the Micro$oft stories about how Micro$oft is sooooo evil and how they're sooooooo mean to little Lunix are taking up too much database access so we're REAL SORRY you have to listen to Michael "The King Ass" Sims pontificate on things he doesn't understand" (Yes, I realize that means "everything", but I'm specifically talking about politics).