Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×

Comment Re:Only iOS? (Score 1) 70

It shows up on mine. I did not previously, but from what I understand it depends on the tower to which you are connected as much as the phone. I have already done Verizon's opt-out which of course does not turn it off, but rather just stops them from selling the data.

Anyone have good reason to believe there is an alternate carrier that actually has decent respect for privacy? I'd like to ditch Verizon as soon as my contract is up.

Comment Re:Protectionism never works (Score 1) 484

I'm not convinced that Americans making less money would significantly better the lives of people in other countries. It is ridiculous I'm not convinced that Americans making less money would significantly better the lives of people in other countries. Much of the world economy depends on the US middle class spending every dollar of those inflated salaries on goods and services sourced from all over the world. I realize saying I want more for workers throughout the economy while acting to protect my own privileges seems like a self-congratulatory contradiction. If I'm an asshole for not being willing to take less on the off chance others can have more, so be it. Americans cannot end economic suffering by accepting more suffering themselves. I believe it's more practical to support economic activity in other countries and support rising wages globally. Restricting competition for local jobs, even if imperfect seems to me to be less ethically flawed than most of our trade practices where business often seeks win-lose deals rather than the win-win deals were both trade partners reap substantial benefit.

Comment Re:Protectionism never works (Score 4, Insightful) 484

( Being anti-H1B isn't protectionism.) Especially when other countries aren't just throwing their gates open to Americans. Last time I showed up to do a project in Canada I had to lie about the scope and they were clearly less than thrilled about my arrival. All developed countries that I'm aware of are at least moderately, if not highly cautious of allowing foreign workers. A playing field that isn't totally level, in this case is better than the alternative. We're busy telling our young people to go to college and get STEM degrees. We owe it to them to protect the jobs we are telling them are there and for which they are needed. I'm all for a robust global economy were all workers can earn a living in dignity, but not at the cost of losing the American middle class.

Comment Re:More stuff done (Score 1) 112

I'm sure perverted ax-murders love Facebook. The cretins left on Myspace wouldn't be enough of a challenge. I've been with my girl for years and we are still not friends on FB. A social life is possible without FB, but it is hard being the last to find out a loved one died or your niece got married or had a baby. I plan to solve this problem by creating my own social network and allowing others to do the same. Perhaps the potential dates you speak of would have more respect if you could say "I'm not on Facebook, but you can join my network if you like", rather than having to say you can't come out from under your rock because you're afraid of corporations and the government or losing your non-conformist street cred.

Comment Re:Perhaps at last an affordable mini PC? (Score 1) 180

Will I begin contemplating idiotic reasons why I need one of these in my car? Yes, yes I will. I don't know why in the age of laptops, tablets and GPS enabled smartphones, there is still some nerd sex appeal to the possibilities of trunk mounted PC. What possibilities at my command, what freedom from the confines of the factory "infotainment" system.

Comment Re:More stuff done (Score 5, Insightful) 112

They have already proven beyond all doubt there is no good reason to trust them. Why would anyone share the details of their professional life or business contacts with them? For some businesses this will be useful, but for the other 95% this is a terrible idea. It's a security risk that can't even yet be quantified. Data will leak, employees and customers will be poached, Phish will be speared. Nice try Facebook, but seriously fuck off.

Comment Re:Other title sugestion (Score 1) 128

If communication is critical and false communication could result in the loss of life, twitter is not an appropriate resource. I'm sorry it's the only way to share info in a way the masses will listen, but it's just reality that there is no way to make consumer social media communications safe for state sponsored critical communications. In order to be remotely sane you'd at least have to have and extremely long complex password, 2FA and you need some mechanism where two authorized parties have to approve any message before it can be sent. Even at that without some special access and change audit controls and alerts it's a risk to involve a third party in communications.

Comment Re:Grit? (Score 1) 249

Intelligence measurement seems to me to be too focused on speed to be a good measure for everyone. I've never been very fast myself, but it doesn't limit the complexity or scope of what I can achieve. I haven't taken an IQ test since my teens, but at the time I remember being annoyed that I had to settle for a lower score than I felt I could have achieved simply because I ran out of time. A math tutor once told me he was a genius not because he could do something others couldn't, but because he could do the same steps very quickly. In my mind speed is one form of intelligence which can be very valuable, but it's a shallow measure. Particularly when judging student ability, speed can be a bad measure because students who are bored are often not remotely mentally engaged by the task at hand. That is where the grit factor comes in to play, by achieving the results even if it takes longer or proves more difficult in the focus and execution.

Comment Re: Americans are really strange (Score 1) 703

While I don't find my life in America to be lacking, you are correct about the general brain washing. If you collect enough media pundits and politicians who believe their own bullshit it's possible get people to act completely against their own interests. The remaining population that understands the games they are playing is stuck piecing together the fractured and incomplete truth of our own reality. We can't really agree on anything in time to act on it and we don't have the ability to get any sustained momentum to affect change. The brainwashed are convinced that life would be good like it was in the 1950's if only we stopped writing welfare checks, lowered taxes on businesses, quit the socialist overreach and interference in the god given rights of the corporation, got the coloreds to know their place, deported the illegals, brought democracy to the world and got right with Jesus.

Comment Re:These people scare me (Score 1) 319

It is something we have to approach cautiously, but it makes a lot of sense to look at the practical application of ideas. It's not unlikely that we will get to the point where something must be done and it will come at at time much to late to fix the issue by changing current carbon output. I don't know if it's possible to have an impact without a significant downside or insurmountable costs, but it seems like one the best areas to focus practical research.

Comment Re:Don't put cameras on everything (Score 1) 138

A good hitman might appreciate it. Got a high profile target, what better way to achieve real time anonymous attribution prior to payment? This technology has no place outside the military. I'm a strong supporter of gun rights, but I see some serious risks to allowing this technology outside the military and every time a gun is used for evil it hurts the cause of protecting their legitimate ownership and use.

Comment Re:More PC nonsense (Score 1) 341

I've been in tech for over 15 years, but someday because I don't have a degree someone is going to say, "oh, we can't hire you because you are a white male and you're less qualified than this other person that just graduated, but isn't a white male". If that person that says that to me doesn't get beat to death with a stapler, they won't know it, but it'll be the luckiest day of their life.

Comment Re:Real Automation pros warn against Cloud Based . (Score 1) 62

It's easy to get people to adopt internet connected devices when for most people the internet is the only network they comprehend. People need education in the power capability and security of private networks. We are in an age where consumer devices don't respect security or privacy, the corporate interests pushing these devices are never going to be the ones to say that the user needs to have control over all incoming and outgoing information flows. We have accepted best practices for security in business environments, but I don't think we have any model for consumer devices and the IoT that regular people can look to for guidance on safe and sane deployment. Smart phones and wearables are a particular problem because while you can possibly put a firewall to filter outbound as well as inbound communications in your home we don't have a practical means for non-rooted devices to self impose any outbound security control. You can't even poison the hosts file on a non-rooted phone. Currently if you use their technology, you use it on their terms and users don't have the knowledge or control needed to provide for their own security.

Slashdot Top Deals

Money is the root of all evil, and man needs roots.

Working...