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Comment The real purpose (Score 1) 591

The real purpose for Google putting everything into one entry box is that everything you type gets turned into a search, and therefore gets sent to Google. It adds a very significant amount of data to their user search information database - essentially monetizing everything you type up there (Microsoft does this with IE as well). My guess is that Mozilla is getting something under the table for this as well. Fork time?

Comment Re:collegeboard.com affected (Score 1) 115

Why? Do you think regulations will magically make these companies haxx0r-proof?

Here's what happens with the regulatory process: the companies lobby the shit out of the appropriate politicians and agencies. Regulations are produced. They don't solve much, but now we get a new bureaucracy to handle the regulations. The companies still get cracked, but now they can say "Hey, it wasn't our fault - we followed the regulations."

Happens all day, every day.

Comment If the government is so concerned re: oligarchies (Score 5, Interesting) 427

...then why do they pass laws and ordinances mandating their existence? If you don't believe me, try starting your own phone or cable company sometime.

I love it when government passes laws adding new regulations to solve problems created by government rather than just fixing their initial mistakes. The closest we got to to sanity was the AT&T breakup by the Judicial branch, but the legislative and executive branches were bought off sufficiently bought to more or less undo all of the good done there.

Comment Re:I disagree on the GUI (Score 1) 246

Ugh. That's only because the ASA CLI is so hopelessly, thoroughly screwed (actually, that describes ASA software in general). I love running "sh run object-group | b " and then scrolling back through 600 object-groups to see the one I was interested in. Or searching through access lists that are in no particular order. Or remembering that clearing a site-to-site VPN connection is in the "clear crypto" command tree, and remote client VPN connections are "vpn-sessiondb logoff" (I could go on for ages).

The whole thing should have been refactored ages ago...

Comment Re:Ugh... (Score 1) 412

The Iso's (sp), still don't really get it.

It's so people on Slashdot can make "Man, I'd like to mount that .iso" jokes from the comfort of their parents' basements.

Comment Re:FedEx? (Score 5, Informative) 165

Ummm... a few points:

1) FedEx is, as far as I know, the only major carrier that handles radioactive material. It doesn't go in their regular package delivery system; they have a separate division that handles it (and biohazards, poisons, explosives, and things like that). See: http://www.fedex.com/us/services/customcritical/specialty/hazardous/index.html

2) No delivery service is going to be 100% mistake free. Negative outcomes will happen in life. Get over it.

Comment Re:Less Expensive Internet? (Score 1) 82

Then why not come up with a business plan and do it? If it's really that cheap, you should be able to wipe out the competition and make a handsome profit while providing people with a good product at a better price.

Except that you obviously have very little or no knowledge about large scale wireless infrastructure, otherwise you wouldn't make that sort of absurd claim.

Comment Obvious contradition? (Score 3, Informative) 82

Let's see the first line of the summary is:

"Funded by the NSF, Rice University professors and students are bringing a prototype Wi-Fi system for free to Pecan Park in Houston."

"Free?" You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

I think OPM ("Other People's Money") is what you're looking for.

Input Devices

BlindType — the Amazing Keyboard of the Future 125

kkleiner writes "BlindType has created a new touchscreen keyboard program of the same name that changes size, orientation, and position to match your wandering fingers as they type. BlindType also features some of the most impressive typing correction software I've ever seen. The result is a practical touchscreen interface that knows what you meant to type, even if you make mistakes. Lots of them. In fact, you can type without looking at the screen at all."

Comment Re:Remove the artificial monopoly (Score 1) 299

I don't know where you got that notion from but it simply doesn't match reality as I have seen. Post Offices in small towns have closed recently due to decreased volume and the employees from those offices have been let go. Existing offices are not hiring, even to replace retiring workers.

I've got your reality right here. Well, strictly speaking, 584,000 of the 600,000 USPS workers are covered by the no-layoffs clause. Sue me.

From their labor union's blog:

http://labornotes.org/node/1947

(as far as I know, the layoffs they were fearing did not materialize)

And from the CATO institute:

http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/the-postal-services-union-problem

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