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Comment Re:The IP is a lot like a license plate (Score 1) 436

If all they have is a picture of your
license plate, that doesn't prove you were
driving. We should use this ruling as precedent
to get out of automated tickets when there is
no clear picture of your face.

In places where photo enforcement is used, the laws are generally adjusted to implicate the person who registers the vehicle, and the license plate does tie directly to the vehicle registration. Your crime is not "running a red light", it is "allowing your vehicle to be used by some unknown person to run a red light". If your car was stolen, you can defend yourself using the police report to that effect. Otherwise you are SOL.

Comment Re:In a word... (Score 2, Insightful) 1385

This is why rail works in the DC/Baltimore/Philly/NYC/Boston corridor. Regional rail is perfectly reasonable. I don't expect to see NY to LA anytime soon.

Aside from regional intercity rail, however, there still exists the problem of what to do once one gets there. I live in metro-NYC and frequently work in metro-DC, but I drive. I can get to Penn Station in NY very easily, and then get to Union Station in DC, but I can't get from Union Station to Northern Virginia beyond the beltway easily at all. Rail doesn't help me until I can get from Union Station to Herndon or Reston efficiently. In all these areas that developed after 1950 or so, the business destinations were spread out on the periphery - probably to avoid the taxes of the cities. It is really difficult to serve an area like Houston with subways/buses/light rail.

Comment Re:May I be the first to laugh (Score 1) 757

You are correct to a point. The Windows OS family has had a lot of attack vectors that don't require user intervention - worms and such - as well as many many vulnerabilities in tools like the default browser and email client. Mac and Linux systems have had far fewer of these vulnerabilities. A reasonably hardened XP system with the firewall turned on, various services turned off, and using Mozilla products instead of IE and Outlook Express is reasonably secure.

Comment I think an Apple Tablet could kill here ... (Score 1, Interesting) 354

Start with the iPhone/iPod Touch's design, and scale it up to about 10x7, the same size as a typical large format paperback like an O'Reilly book. Aside from built in WiFi and BlueTooth, he device includes an Express Card slot and several USB ports, so that it can accommodate the broadband network cards offered by both the HSDPA and EvDO providers. The underlying specs will be closer to a MacBook or MacBook Air.

In iTouch mode, it will be able to do all the things the iTouch does, as well as connect to the 3G cell phone networks with the appropriate adapter. Email, web browsing, etc. are all there. This mode will operate in a low power mode.

One of the "applications" available in the iTouch interface will be an option to boot a full os, which can be some combination of Mac OS X and Windows via bootcamp. Now it becomes a full laptop. A keyboard and mouse can be connected via USB or BlueTooth. An external monitor can be connected via a mini-DVI adapter.

In my view, this would work very well for digital nomads and road warriors. The small device would fit easily into almost any bag, and wouldn't require a true laptop bag. It could be used on a plane or a park bench. It could be whipped out at a moments notice and immediately be useful. At the same time, it is easy to throw a keyboard and mouse into a bag with clothing for a business trip, and have a nice environment to work on documents and presentations at the hotel. When visiting a client, it could be plugged into a projector and run the presentation just as well as a typical laptop.

The problem with this scheme is that the price point wouldn't be anywhere close to the netbooks. This would be a $1,500 machine that would compete with ultra-portables, potentially remaking that segment. I can imagine that the technology could quickly trickle down, however.

An Inconvenient Truth 1033

There's a movie teaser line that you may have seen recently, that goes like this: "What if you had to tell someone the most important thing in the world, but you knew they'd never believe you?" The answer is "I'd try." The teaser's actually for another movie, but that's the story that's told in the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth": it starts with a man who, after talking with scientists and senators, can't get anyone to listen to what he thinks is the most important thing in the world. It comes out on DVD today.

User Journal

Journal Journal: The Death of the BCS? 3

Is this the year that we finally witness the death of the BCS?

After Rutgers beat formerly undefeated Louisville last night the natural order of Div-I college football is at risk. The national championship should have been decided when an undefeated Louisville was faced the undefeated winner of the Michigan-Ohio State game. Louisville now has their first loss, and now six or seven teams can argue that, at one loss, they should be the challenger for the title.

Yahoo!

Journal Journal: Sick and Tired of Political JEs 12

I'm sick and tired of all your politics Journal Entries. You all complain about the lying, cheating, negative campaigning, smearing, etc etc etc. And you all want to live in the town of Gum Drop Falls, near Chocolate Lake, and everyone is good and decent and honest.

AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!!!

I'll let you in on a big secret. To some degree they are all crooks. And so are we.

User Journal

Journal Journal: Congrats, Tigers 2

Here is the rule that everyone should remember:

Unless there is a severe flaw in some other part of their game, the team that pitches better will win.

The Tigers have no flaws, and they simply pitched better. Wang and Mussina are a nice pair but I don't have anyone I feel good about 3 through 5 and I don't have any confidence in my relievers short of Rivera.

User Journal

Journal Journal: [Baseball] Is there a better all-around player? 4

Mr. November showed up again tonight. He's a relatively quiet guy - such that it baffles the mind to think how the average spoiled star would behave with his numbers.

After ten years, it is time that we can appropriately ask "Is he the greatest of his generation? Is he on par with the greatest of all time?

User Journal

Journal Journal: For StB: Some practical Java info... 1

Sam, the following are some things that I remember confusing lots of beginners and didn't seem to be covered very well it lots of books. I'd suggest trying to wrap your head around this as early as possible.

Packages

User Journal

Journal Journal: Brother Sam... 3

how was school? Your first day of the new class was a few days ago, right?
User Journal

Journal Journal: An open letter to Tigers fans 3

I don't believe my team (NY Yankees) has a realistic chance right now, so I don't have a dog in this race...

Would you actually feel good about putting the ball in All Star starting pitcher Kenny Rogers' hands in a critical playoff situation, or do you sometimes wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat and an overwhelming feeling of dread?

If you do feel confident, please explain why, given his 0-3, 8.85 era in 9 playoff appearances record.

User Journal

Journal Journal: Dear Detroit Airport 5

There is this amazing family of designs that is used successfuly at lots of major airports. It is based on arranging the gates in circles or snowflake patterns. That way when you need to change planes, you don't have to walk miles to get from one gate to another.

Please look into it.

That is all,
RevMike

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