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Comment Re:Delegation of authority/responsiblity (Score 1) 223

A few of my friends were in the US military. Based on things they said at various times, my understanding is that commanders have a lot of discretion when prescribing punishment. In many cases, purely administrative discipline can be sufficiently obfuscated that it has no long term - or even medium term - effect.

Comment Re:That's why nobody sensible wants them (Score 1) 223

Tokens can also retain some of the original data. So if we tokenized SSN 123-45-6789, we could generate a token that kept the same last 4 digits, 541-30-6789. If customer support uses the last four digits of SSN to verify customers on the phone, they can now do it without being exposed to the real sensitive data.

While it is very common practice in the US to verify customers using the last 4 digits of their SSN, this practice is actually poor security.

If you know someone's place and date of birth, you can determine the first 5 digits. This is because SSN assignment was done by regional offices, each assigned a block from which to allocate SSNs.

Even though centralized SSN assignment is now used, vast numbers of US citizens were assigned their SSNs from the regional blocks.

Comment Re:As a parent, which requires no testing or licen (Score 1) 700

an educational environment with the offspring of other parents is an irreplaceable (at times, admittedly unpleasant) lesson that all young people should be exposed to. It's not always pretty, but it grounds a young human in dealing socially with others for the rest of his/her life.

Which was why my parents sent me to preschool and kindergarten. And then tried to send me to public school. Then, ultimately, to the private school. And, while not exactly "educational", the various extra-curricular activities contributed to this as well.

The home schooling they did was because I needed the academic challenges that the public schools refused to provide.

Comment Re:As a parent, which requires no testing or licen (Score 3) 700

(I can only offer anecdotal commentary.)

It really depends on the child. I was starting to read and do addition/subtraction at age 3. I wasn't pushed, but as my parents realized my potential, they supported and encouraged me. That support evolved into home schooling.

I did go to public preschool and kindergarten (half day sessions, home schooled the other half). There, the teachers accepted my ability and appreciated my willingness to read stories to and help the other kids.

After that, even though the school's officials acknowledged I was performing at a 3rd grade level, they insisted that I had to be placed according to my age. Being 6, that meant 1st grade. The teacher quickly determined that I always had all the correct answers, so stopped calling on me - not even calling me last, after the other kids gave up. And while I was allowed to participate in group "reading aloud", he was irritated by the fact that I had finished reading whatever story before the other kids were even ready to start the reading session. Also, I was not allowed to help my classmates. While he could not mark down my workbook, quiz and homework scores, he did give me zeros for class participation and "citizenship". When my parents complained, the teacher demanded the school officials assign me to a different teacher. After a week of only slightly better treatment by the other teacher, my parents decided to pull me out and resume home schooling me.

3 years later, a new private school opened. My parents arranged an interview for me. Near the end of the interview, the teacher looked at the public school records and commented "I'm sorry about what the public school did to you. But don't worry, you're the kind of overachieving trouble-maker we want," making my parents laugh. She excused herself, then returned a few minutes later, telling my parents that no further review was necessary and I would be accepted on full scholarship.

I think I got the best of both worlds. Home schooling provided the academic challenge I needed (and wanted). Preschool, kindergarten, Cub Scouts and other activites provided the social development opportunities. Then the private school continued both.

While a bit of strife may help build character, being held back academically is a lot more than a bit of strife. Being home schooled was not easy. My parents gave me lots of challenges, allowed me to meet those challenges, then setting new ones.

Do your kids a favor. Help them set achievable goals. Provide guidance (not easy answers). And don't be afraid to say "I don't know. Let's learn together."

Comment Re:I have not been served (Score 1) 159

A few years ago, I was presented with a covenant-not-to-compete which included an NDA that stipulated that I mustn't ever tell anyone about the covenant -or- the NDA.

NDAs and non-compete covenants have been a part of every consulting and employment contract for every job I've ever had. As best I can determine, everyone who has every employed me in some form has assumed that I've signed such contracts previously.

Legally, the non-compete covenants can only prevent me from directly soliciting customers and suppliers of a past employer for one year. However, businesses that find me either via my jobsite postings or via a recruiter can hire/contract me with no penalty to me.

The NDAs only prevent me from discussing things my current and future employers already assume I'm not allowed to discuss. And if said employer legally possesses information or data potentially covered by an NDA, I'm only restricted from discussing how it applied to past employers. Again, already assumed to not be discussable.

Comment Re:5,400 want it, 47,000 get the bill. Most don't (Score 2) 204

I remember back when my GF and I first got broadband in our house. Some of our friends who had it before we did had gotten in trouble with the cable company for using their own router. The cable company was able to detect this because the modem would report the MAC address of the connected device to the cable company. Our friends were forced to rent and use a supplied router, then charged based on the number of PCs that router reported (or for 2, if the router reported

When our subscription started, after getting the service working using a PC directly connected to the modem, we then set our router's "up stream" MAC address to the same as the PC we used for setup. We still keep that PC for when there is a problem. Just before calling the cable company, we disconnect the router and connect that PC. Otherwise, the person at the cable company will just say "The problem is that you have Windows Firewall turned on. Turn that off and the problem will go away."

Comment Re:I prefer a tablet for some things to a smart ph (Score 1) 307

Yes, the portability is a very good thing. Using a cover with a built-in Bluetooth keyboard, I mostly use it like a netbook that has a touch screen. The touch screen allows me to include simple drawings with my notes and provides easy (2D) navigation of PDF "prints" of complex diagrams. Some things, I still need a full laptop, but most meetings, the tablet is much more convenient.

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