Comment Re:I'm old. (Score 1) 336
Didn't you love inputting the boot string with the toggle switches on the front panel? And using debug to add a new drive?
Comment Yes and NO!!! (Score 1) 4
Certifications already exist, but licensing would be a horror. There are too many OS's, Apps, incompatible brands of hardware to try to examine and license folks. Being a good SQL Admin does not make one a Cold Fusion Programmer, let alone a decent hardware tech.
Let there be Certs for the specialties, and caveat emptor.
Submission + - Professional IT? (acm.org) 4
magraths writes: "Last weekend, I met an insurance broker during a school sporting event. When he learned that I work in IT, he wanted to know if I could be available to fix his computer problems (who hasn't had this happen, eh?) Apparently the $160 an hour his current IT support provider charges seems to high for him, though they are responsive and competent when called. Of course, his work is completely dependent om computers — his desk is a miniature flightdeck of dashboards and trading systems. I gently pointed out to him what would happen if his computers were down, and that he needs to think more maturely about cost versus value.
Then I read the Denning and Frailey article in this month's Communications of the ACM, regarding the state of computing as a profession and it all just clicked. In short, we are not very mature at all, having no real organised body or knowledge, no generally accepted community of practices, no accepted conventions, standards or even common terminology. As a result, society at large is not able to recognise and differentiate between skilled professionals and amateurs.
So, is this a self-inflicted problem and do we need to begin licensing and accrediating IT professionals, much like the legal and medical professions do?"
Then I read the Denning and Frailey article in this month's Communications of the ACM, regarding the state of computing as a profession and it all just clicked. In short, we are not very mature at all, having no real organised body or knowledge, no generally accepted community of practices, no accepted conventions, standards or even common terminology. As a result, society at large is not able to recognise and differentiate between skilled professionals and amateurs.
So, is this a self-inflicted problem and do we need to begin licensing and accrediating IT professionals, much like the legal and medical professions do?"
Comment But they can overcome stairs now! (Score 1) 1
Still, the point is valid. I liked the new enemy, "The Silence". Friggin' creepy. Almost as scary as Tricky Dick.
Submission + - Daleks to be given "a rest" from Dr. Who (bbc.co.uk) 1
donberryman writes: "Steven Moffat told the BBC "There's a problem with the Daleks. They are the most famous of the Doctor's adversaries and the most frequent, which means they are the most reliably defeatable enemies in the universe.""
Submission + - Why The Chevy Volt Encourages The Use Of Gasoline (greencarreports.com) 3
thecarchik writes: The 2011 Chevrolet Volt may be an extended-range electric car--or a plug-in hybrid, take your pick--but it's designed to promote the use of gasoline.
In the case of owners who have short daily commutes and plug in their cars regularly to recharge at night, the Volt’s 25-to-40-mile range may be all they need each day.
That could lead to cases when the car’s Driver Information Center would actually prompt the driver to give the car permission to start its gasoline engine
In the case of owners who have short daily commutes and plug in their cars regularly to recharge at night, the Volt’s 25-to-40-mile range may be all they need each day.
That could lead to cases when the car’s Driver Information Center would actually prompt the driver to give the car permission to start its gasoline engine
Submission + - More Domains Seized by ICE (torrentfreak.com)
schwit1 writes: Yesterday and without warning, US authorities resumed "Operation In Our Sites" seizing several domain names associated with copyright infringement and counterfeiting. Today, yet more domains were added to the growing list. TorrentFreak caught up with one site owner who told us that while they were taken by surprise by a "pointless" seizure, they'll soon be back.
As indicated in our exclusive report yesterday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have resumed "Operation In Our Sites", the domain name seizing initiative designed to crack down on copyright infringement.
Following on from the most recent set of seizures in February, yesterday's action represents the fourth phase of the operation. The following six domains were taken:
* Re1ease.net
* Watchnewfilms.com
* Dvdcollectionsale.com
* Dvdscollection.com
* Dvdsetsonline.com
* Newstylerolex.com
Today the list has grown again to include the following:
* mygolfaccessory.com
* overbestmall.com
As indicated in our exclusive report yesterday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have resumed "Operation In Our Sites", the domain name seizing initiative designed to crack down on copyright infringement.
Following on from the most recent set of seizures in February, yesterday's action represents the fourth phase of the operation. The following six domains were taken:
* Re1ease.net
* Watchnewfilms.com
* Dvdcollectionsale.com
* Dvdscollection.com
* Dvdsetsonline.com
* Newstylerolex.com
Today the list has grown again to include the following:
* mygolfaccessory.com
* overbestmall.com
Comment typical bueaurocracy (Score 1) 1
Legislators should always avoid trying to make laws about tech they do not comprehend.
Submission + - DNS Heavyweights Raise Concern Over DNS Filtering (circleid.com) 1
penciling_in writes: A group of DNS heavyweights have released a paper detailing serious concerns over the proposed DNS filtering requirements included as part of the bill recently introduced in the U.S. Senate named Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011 ("PROTECT IP Act”). The group which includes Paul Vixie, Dan Kaminsky, Steve Crocker, David Dagon and Danny McPherson, have detailed several serious technical and security concerns in the event that the mandated DNS filtering is enacted into law. Dan Kaminsky says: 'There are efforts afoot to manipulate the DNS on a remarkably large scale. The American PROTECT IP act contains several reasonable and well targeted remedies to copyright infringement. One of these remedies, however, is to leverage the millions of recursive DNS servers that act as accelerators for Internet traffic, and convert them into censors for domain names in an effort to block content.'
Submission + - Are socially shared photos free? (msn.com)
schnell writes: "Stefanie Gordon took a now-famous photo of Space Shuttle Endeavour out the window of her airplane seat and tweeted it to friends. By the time she was leaving the airport, she was barraged with media requests. The photo has been viewed nearly one million times on hundreds of websites, but Stephanie was paid for the photo by only five news organizations. Stephanie doesn't feel slighted, but a professional news photographer would have been paid many times what Stephanie received. In today's climate, are amateur photos shared on Twitter or Facebook basically free for all websites to use? Is re-tweeting or re-sharing automatically fair use?"
Comment link is a Planet Unicorn Rick-Roll (Score 1) 1
link is a Planet Unicorn Rick-Roll
Submission + - Accept it, IT: Tablets are here to stay (youtube.com) 1
tsamsoniw writes: "75 percent of the mobile workforce will have tablets within the next six months, according to a new iPass study — and mobile workers are already turning to the devices for work tasks previously relegated to laptops, including taking notes and video streaming. IT admins need to accept the trend and start supporting tablets or risk security issues, employee ire — and lost opportunity for higher productivity."
Submission + - Your Nintendo 3DS pwns you (defectivebydesign.org)
Max Hyre writes: "The Nintendo 3DS's terms of so-called service, and the even more grotesquely misnamed privacy policy, make it clear that you are in the service of Nintendo. Specifically, anything you do, write, photograph, or otherwise generate with the 3DS is Nintendo's possession, for them to do whatever, however, whenever, and for as long as they want. On the other hand, if you do something they don't like, they're prepared to turn your device into a doorstop—and you gave them permission when you started using it.
And if you have a child's best interests at heart, don't give it to anyone too young to know to never use her real name, type in an address or phone number, or take any personally-identifiable photos. They might, at best, end up in a Nintendo ad. At worst, who knows?
Some of the details are on Defective by Design's website. I haven't found the full text online yet. If you do, please post it in a comment."
And if you have a child's best interests at heart, don't give it to anyone too young to know to never use her real name, type in an address or phone number, or take any personally-identifiable photos. They might, at best, end up in a Nintendo ad. At worst, who knows?
Some of the details are on Defective by Design's website. I haven't found the full text online yet. If you do, please post it in a comment."
Submission + - Australian Journo Arrested for reporting on IT sec (smh.com.au)
An anonymous reader writes: An Australian journalist was arrested by Queensland Police yesterday after reporting about vulnerabilities in Facebook's privacy controls on Sydney Morning Herald Newspaper. He was covering a conference organised by AusCERT.
Comment UPdated update (Score 1) 1
Update: After affecting only Comcast users for about 15 hours, The Pirate Bay seems to be inaccessible pretty much everywhere now. The Pirate Bay team is looking into it. (Update: one webserver died, should be back for most people who are not on Comcast now).
