A boot sector virus is believeable. Cross contamination my portable media with zero write protection has been an exploitable bug in the system.

In the old days of floppies, my service disks were write protected. In the days of CD's they were write protected by default. Since CF cards and beyond, Write protection is off by default and most often missing entirely.

Service software is now held on CD ROM on a USB drive. Anyone using writable software to service machines is a fool.

The author admits to using non write protected media to "Flash" his BIOS.

He needs to pratice safe computing in an infected environment if he is to get any chance of recovery. A known clean machine with known clean write protectable media such as a burned CD or DVD is the only way to clean up an infected machine with BIOS, Boot Sector, or other nasty infection.

Does the author know about write protected media and computer service to prevent spreading infections?

It would be legal for the government to ask for copies ov individual John Doe, or even a pen recorder on that account with proper court order. Asking for keys of the sysadmin is in violation of all user's 4th ammendment rights.

This is common in many locations. Public access, free copper.

http://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o538/shrink14/null-1.jpg

Do you get alerts when the charging station is vandelized by copper thiefs. The charging station condition is a cause of anxiety for me.

In a millitary transfer, I took my own 18 inch mechanics toolbox on board and in the screening line,discovered I forgot to take out a carpet knife. I pointed it out to the screener and told him I forgot to remove it, I would replace it at my destination. The screener said that they were more worried about screwdriver and didn't take it. I promised to leave the toolbox on the floor under the seat and not take the plane apart in flight. Things have changed alot since 9/11.

Back then, they were watching for flamable liquids, fireworks, drugs, guns, or excessive amounts of cash.

The comment is only half the storry. The other half is related to yield. Take for example a 12 inch wafer and make chips 3 inches square. You get at most 4 chips. Smaller chips = more die.

Now the defect density part of the formula. Say you have 100 defects randomly spread on the wafer. Your yield of 3 inch chips would be zero for most of your manufacturing. Dice the wafer into 500 chips by having smaller die size and now your yield is 4 of 5 die or better is your yield as sometimes randomly scattered defects will be on one die so on that wafer you have fewer dead die.

Defect denisty is measured in defects per square cm. Lowering total defect count is important in smaller die as smaller defects result in dead die, so a product shrink = higher defect density. Reducing defect density = higher yield. Reducing die size = higher yield, lower power, lower cost, and faster. Lower cost, faster chips that run long times on small batteries is a requirement to make chips for tablets and phones.

The fight to limit spending is a fight for the economy. I'll leave the research to those really interested. Current deficit is about 17.5 trillion. Do you know how much it was in 1980, 1990, 2000? Do you know what it was when Obama took office? Do you know how much of the GDP is just spent on servicing the debt?

Quick personal finance question.

If your interest payments were over 60% of your income before taxes, and you still had taxes, insurance payments, water bills, and other obligations, would you consider yourself a AAA credit risk? Would it make sense to continue to borrow to give charitable donations to your favorite cause?

Would it make sence to trim your spending to borrow less?

The great divide in the parties is No problem, borrow money and don't be late on payments for a fantastic credit score vs we need to curtail our spending as this is not sustainable as it will trigger hyper-inflation with plenty of examples of those who did this before.

Can we afford ACA?
  If the middle class can't afford it, how can the poor?

If you have a choice between housing and insurance, which will you drop? Between food and insurance? Heat in the winter and Insurance.. Oh snap, insurance is now mandentory. Ok do you drop housing, food, heat, transportation?

Welcom to the welfare state. You voted for it.

Early reports of those trying to renew insurance or get into exchanges are finding rates near double or more of the previous rates. Guess that is the cost of adding pre-existing conditions to the covered. I expect this to be the new norm with a whole batch of subsidies that anyone earning a living will be unelegible for.

To keep health coverage.. lose the job and apply for assistance. The only casualty is the economy.

For the record. Here it is the evening just before the debt limit is crashed.

"Weeks of bitter political fighting gave way to a frenzied night in Washington as Congress passed the bill that would prevent the country from crashing into the debt ceiling."

Just as predectid, no deal before the last minutes. We get to repeat this in January or Febuary. Oh joy.

My favorite answer.. "No, But most of the time she beats me at carribbage."

Time to watermark all your photos with Copyright 2013 on them.

Knowing the game and what quarter we currenty in will provide insight on the future required moves.

We are currently in the game of choosing sides. The deadline is the 18th or 17th. We have until then to divide the public into credit is income, and we spent too much already and we can't afford another entitlement. Because the public knows so little about the borrowing of money by the government (payments need to be made.. no problem just borrow more to make the payments until our entire income goes to makeing payments with no other payments being made. Someday that train will wreck. Oh, back on topic.. The game plan,

The other side's plan is shutting down the government. You public need to get educated and join our side or the conquences will be dire. This posturing will run until default at the earliest, maybe later. This is a race to place more canidates of party X or Y in the house and senate at the next election. Nobody can agree on anything until then.

I'll check for updates on the 19th. Wake me up then.

In the meantime, the play by play is a news reporters dream. 2 solid weeks of political drama.

Actually, they should outright reject it as it is Microsoft's policy to not permit dual boot PC's to be sold. Until I can go into Best Buy and pick up a Windows7/Linux Mint machine, the phone industry should adopt Microsoft's own policy of Single OS only. They should understand this policy well. They created it and enforced it heavily with legal action. Remember the DOS alternatives and attempts at giving the customer a choice? Windows as a second OS? are you crazy for even suggesting it?

FYI, Most RTTY was at 75 or 110 baud. At only 5 bit, 1.5 stop bits, it didn't appear all that much slower than 300 baud ASCII with 8 bits, a parity bit and a start and stop bit.

Many who claim they never used a dail up modem often overlook the hidden dial up modem, much like how much people don't realize how much corn they have had. Corn syrup is in soda pop, toothpaste, fruit juice, cerial, etc.. The most often overlooked dial up modems used and not accounted are credit card terminals and fax machines. Have you sent a fax at lately?