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Comment Re:From TFA... (Score 1) 320

From TFA:

The nation has been at Yellow, "an elevated significant risk of terrorist attacks" for three years. International and domestic flights have been at an Orange "high risk of terrorist attacks" for the same period.
A proposal by the Homeland Security Advisory Council, unveiled late Tuesday, recommends removing two of the five colors, with a standard state of affairs being a "guarded" Yellow. The Green "low risk of terrorist attacks" might get removed altogether, meaning stay prepared for your morning subway commute to turn deadly at any moment.

I'll grant, I might be missing^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hsuck and apparently missed something in the whole mess, but calling it a "guarded" yellow implied that they were going to use the current blue "guarded" definition for the new "yellow".

So yes, ignore me. I'ma go back to sleep now.

Comment Re:How can we churn? (Score 4, Informative) 116

I actually read TFA! "Churn" is apparently when people switch from one carrier to another, presumably at the end of the contract. (This answers both the parent poster, and one in this same thread)

That being said, it looks like they'd be using this data to identify who's likely to switch over, and sweeten their deals a bit to keep them - at least, in the context of cell phone companies and the like. Obviously, this has other implications outside of cell companies, but I'm sticking with the original thought on this one.

So how do we game this system? Find people who have recently changed carriers and start having them call you. Free better phone for staying with a carrier you'd probably have already stayed with!

Silly, yes, I know. Thanks.

Government

FCC Probing Apple, AT&T Rejection of Google Voice 204

suraj.sun writes with an update to the news from a few days ago about Apple pulling Google Voice apps for the iPhone. Their actions have raised the interest of the FCC, which is now beginning an investigation into the matter. "In a letter sent to Apple, the FCC asked the company why it turned down Google Voice for the iPhone and pulled several other Google Voice-related programs from the iPhone's only sanctioned online mart. The FCC also sent similar letters to both AT&T — Apple's exclusive carrier partner in the US — and Google, asking both firms to provide more information on the issue. The FCC's letter asked Apple whether it rejected Google Voice and dumped other applications on its own, or 'in consultation with AT&T,' and if the latter, to describe the conversations the partners had. In other questions, the FCC asked Apple whether AT&T has any role in the approval of iPhone applications, wants the company to explain how Google Voice differs from any other VoIP software that has been approved, and requested a list of all applications that have been rejected and why."

Comment Re:Yup (Score 1) 436

Oh god yes. I hear this at least two or three times a week, selling computers at a retail location. The only thing worse is when you tell someone "You're getting this new computer - you should get antivirus software. The crap it comes with is a 60 day trial, and you're not really going to be protected if you don't get -something-."

And then three months later, they roll in with "Fix my computer! It's broken!"

"Sure! We'll fix it for $170. $200 if you want us to install antivirus software for you."

And then the teeth gnashing, anger, railing about how "it should just work"... and then the payment, because they want their internets back. And relating these stories still doesn't affect the people too cheap/stupid to get it when it's recommended to them when they're buying the thing.

+1 for truth (I have mod points, but I wanted to pipe in on this discussion)

(Note, since this has come up before: Yes, us here on ./ are typically savvy enough to use some sort of free(or paid) antivirus and remove any crap that ends up on the computer despite it. But if you think those prices are steep for the regular computer user, you haven't dealt with them before - consider it an idiot tax, if nothing else)

Comment Re:What? (Score 1) 224

I had the same thought, and I'm surprised it took this long in the discussion to come up.

On the note of the whole thread, I feel -really- young. I got my first computer at the age of ~8 or so (in Christmas of 1990), took a year fucking it up before I figured everything out, got CS at something like 10, and lost it 4 or 5 months later because I racked up a $150 bill on CB chat and my parents cancelled the service.

And all that being said, a tip of the hat to the service that showed me that my computer wasn't -just- for reinstalling Windows every three days. (don't ask)

Comment ZZT (and other games!) (Score 2, Interesting) 111

ZZT had (and still has) some absolutely awesome stuff in it. I remember, it was the first game I actually got for my computer. It was also my introduction to programming and dicking around with "how do you make a playable game?" as well. There were some absolutely awesome fan-made worlds which really pushed the in-game programming to its limits - "Operation: Gamma Velorum" comes immediately to mind. It did some stuff which the in-game engine allowed, but I don't think it was expected to be used in -quite- that way...

You can still find a bunch of fan-worlds at http://zzt.belsambar.net/ (among other places), but it actually looks like they're trying to close down the page. If you're getting into the classic stuff, get it while the getting is good. _

As far as other games, it's funny, I was discussing this on IRC the other day - Epic Pinball, Jill of the Jungle, Jazz Jackrabbit 1 -and- 2, Traffic Department 2192, Solar Winds, One Must Fall 2097, Kiloblaster, Overkill, and Zone 66, all games I (think I) got under that label when I was just starting out, and picked up again for my collection of classic games. :D

Of course, I'm not 100% sure they were -all- by Epic, and I'm not opening them all just to check, but I'm pretty certain that most of 'em were.

Comment Re:Recruitment tool probably steps over the line (Score 4, Informative) 433

"My bet is that the Marines or Army don't like militarism any more than you do. It gets people killed unnecessarily."

Not sure about the Army, but based on my time in the Marine Corps, militarism was encouraged. "One shot, one kill", the fact that ever Marine (in theory) can shoot a rifle and shoot it well whether they're a cook or a grunt, the good old "Napalm sticks to kids" running cadence... although that starts to cross the line into good old-fashioned violence.

If you've watched the first half of Full Metal Jacket, that's pretty close to the USMC Boot Camp experience that I remember. They want killers who don't get remorseful.

Comment Re:Yeah, but... (Score 1) 278

From TFA: (yes, I know this is /.)
"The Wilkins Ice Shelf -- a large mass of floating ice -- would still be connected to Latady Island, which is also part of the peninsula, and Alexander Island, which is not, said professor David Vaughan, a glaciologist at the British Antarctic Survey."

I guess I just read this incorrectly, but it sounds like it's still connected to some land, which implies to me that not -all- of it is just floating as mentioned in the quote. An addition is an addition, no matter how small. I'm not saying it'll be flooding along coastal areas and all that, but will whatever amount of it that was previously supported by the connection to the rest of the ice shelf and the islands around it be significant in any way?

And thanks for the suggestion, but there's no need to be a dick about my high school learning. I do appreciate it, though - really, I do.

Comment Re:What if this WAS a valid search? (Score 1) 629

A thought which supports this:
If anyone was on that particular set of servers, they now know that the hammer is dropping on them, so to speak. If the target isn't Core IP themselves, whoever's targeted would hopefully be in custody. If not (on either count), this is exceptionally sloppy IMHO.
I know that if this were my server which got raided, I'd be on my way to Canada/Mexico/etc. right now.

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