Comment Re:Treason huh? (Score 1) 572
Only if Canada was our enemy. Though given the NSA's treatment of our "allies," I guess I'm not so sure that's not the case anymore.
Former CIA/NSA Head: NSA Is "Infinitely" Weaker As a Result of Snowden's Leaks 572
An anonymous reader writes "The Huffington Post reports, 'Michael Hayden, former director of the National Security Agency, said Sunday that he used to describe leaker Edward Snowden as a "defector," ... "I think there's an English word that describes selling American secrets to another government, and I do think it's treason," Hayden said ... Some members of Congress have also ... accused him of an act of treason. Hayden said his view of Snowden has grown harsher in recent weeks after reports that Snowden is seeking asylum in Germany and Brazil in exchange for assisting their investigations into NSA programs. Hayden said the NSA is "infinitely" weaker as a result of Snowden's leaks. "This is the most serious hemorrhaging of American secrets in the history of American espionage," he said. "What Snowden is revealing ... is the plumbing," he added later. "He's revealing how we acquire this information. It will take years, if not decades, for us to return to the position that we had prior to his disclosures."' — More in the Face the Nation video and transcript, including discussion of the recent legal decisions, and segments with whistleblower Thomas Drake, Snowden legal adviser Jesselyn Radack, and Washington Post reporter Barton Gellman who recently interviewed Snowden."
Comment Re:No. This is really bad. (Score 1) 384
I see a few problems with having real names that are inherent to the system, but a lot of the problems exist because of things that weren't a factor back in the Usenet days. The internet is more popular, meaning a lot more people are aware of it. It's semi-permanent, meaning there's a good chance something you say now will still be visible ten years from now. Plus, it's searchable: if someone's looking for you specifically, they'll be able to find what you said if you associated your name with it. What this means is that if people are looking for dirt on you, if your name is tied to everything you say, they're likely to find it. Maybe you said something controversial, maybe you just associated with something that seems "weird." It doesn't matter, the problem is that if your name is attached, someone might use it against you in some way, and that leads to people being overly cautious and opting to remain silent on things that they shouldn't need to remain silent about. That's the biggest problem I see: people shouldn't be scared just to talk about something. There are other things at play, but that's the most important, I think. There's nothing inherently wrong with just discussing things and it shouldn't be something that can come back to bite you in the ass. I don't think that was a major issue back in the days of Usenet, but I don't think I could spell "internet" then, so I might be wrong.
I agree that letting overtly malicious people say whatever they want is a bad thing. I'm not advocating chaos, just the freedom to talk about things without fear of consequences, whether it be intelligent discussion or just for fun. You're right, there is no "right" answer, but I do think that real name association is definitely a "wrong" answer. At this point, it just causes too much harm.
I agree that letting overtly malicious people say whatever they want is a bad thing. I'm not advocating chaos, just the freedom to talk about things without fear of consequences, whether it be intelligent discussion or just for fun. You're right, there is no "right" answer, but I do think that real name association is definitely a "wrong" answer. At this point, it just causes too much harm.
Comment Re:No. This is really bad. (Score 3, Interesting) 384
Discussing issues with others, hearing critical feedback, better informs you about the issue. It's unlikely that any one particular anonymous comment is going to directly affect the world at large (though it might), but that's not the point. The point is to have a more informed and intelligent population, one that is able to come to their own conclusions, see and admit the flaws in their own reasoning, and possibly reach a consensus on an issue that is better than where we were before. Discussing a controversial topic at length in an anonymous setting, you might one day be confident enough in the truth of your position to speak on it publicly, to take a stand on an issue when it matters. And others may do the same.
Comment Re:It only takes a couple of commenters .... (Score 3, Insightful) 384
There are already limits anywhere you go, even in places with almost completely anonymous speech (4chan has rules, too, and a moderation team to enforce them). This real name system won't lead to people "watching what they say;" look on Facebook and you'll see that real name tie-ins have very little effectiveness on that. What it will do is lead to a certain set of people choosing not to speak their mind and voice their opinions where there may be real life consequences (which is to say, anything outside cultural norms or anything that goes against the "accepted opinions" of society at large). In the worst case, someone who has something insightful to say about an issue that really needs to be discussed will opt to remain silent when it matters most. I don't think this is where we should be going. I think we as a society should be moving toward a place of more free discussion of ideas and issues, not a less free place. I think there are better solutions out there to deal with individuals who are acting outright malicious that don't stifle intelligent discussion.
Comment No. This is really bad. (Score 5, Insightful) 384
Listen, part of the reason anonymous (and to a lesser extent, pseudonymous) commenting is a good thing is because you can say something you wouldn't normally be able to say for fear of some sort of real life consequences. I'm not talking about "trolling," I'm talking about political opinions or affinity for ideas or concepts that are looked down upon in polite society. Tying your real name to this means that anyone can find it and stifles free speech. Additionally, truly anonymous speech has to be judged on content, since there is no concept of reputation. If you say something stupid, someone will probably call you out on it and construct a logical explanation as to why you are wrong. Ironically, anonymous speech tends toward a place of more well-informed opinions, even if individual messages may vary greatly in quality.
This move away toward "real name" tie-ins is bad any way you cut it. Yes, it cuts down on "trolling," but the cost is too high. There are other ways to cut back on that, anyway, like hiring more effective moderation staff. Even 4chan has a moderation team and users are able to report individual posts (though their moderation team is rather spotty and various less effective solutions often crop up in their absence). There are problems with any solution, but real-name tie-ins will end up with people tip-toeing around, which stifles intelligent discussion and leads to relative echo chambers where only the popular opinion is parroted.
This move away toward "real name" tie-ins is bad any way you cut it. Yes, it cuts down on "trolling," but the cost is too high. There are other ways to cut back on that, anyway, like hiring more effective moderation staff. Even 4chan has a moderation team and users are able to report individual posts (though their moderation team is rather spotty and various less effective solutions often crop up in their absence). There are problems with any solution, but real-name tie-ins will end up with people tip-toeing around, which stifles intelligent discussion and leads to relative echo chambers where only the popular opinion is parroted.
Submission + - Alan Turing May Not Have Committed Suicied (bbc.co.uk)
Frosty Piss writes: Alan Turing may not have committed suicide, as is widely believed. Turing expert Prof Jack Copeland has questioned the evidence that was presented at the 1954 inquest, believing that the evidence would not today be accepted as sufficient to establish a suicide verdict. In 1952, after he had reported a petty burglary, Turing found himself being investigated for "acts of gross indecency" after he revealed he had had a male lover in his house. Prof Copeland argues that on the contrary, Turing's career was at an intellectual high, and that he had borne his treatment "with good humour". Prof Copeland suggests that Turing's death was an accident.
Comment Re:You NEED to take a vacation (Score 4, Insightful) 140
I know it was a joke, but T-Mobile are the good guys in terms of carriers from what I understand, and they're actually working to upgrade their infrastructure. I don't think you should be taking pot-shots at them while Verizon fights tooth-and-nail to get net neutrality overturned, etc.
Comment I just hate delays (Score 2) 378
I get that there can be high load during holidays, and I'm not upset that I didn't get my purchase by the 25th (I wasn't expecting to), but when they miss my delivery date by as much as they're predicting they're going to, I should be compensated to some degree. I paid for 3-5 day shipping and it doesn't look like it's going to be 3-5 business days (I ordered Thursday and the estimate was this Thursday, they're now estimating it won't get here until next week). It has nothing to do with procrastination, the thing I ordered wasn't even a Christmas present, it was a replacement graphics card for my desktop (the current one failed about two weeks ago). The issue is that I paid for a particular service and I expect it to be completed as advertised. If it's not, then they should reasonably compensate me for the difference between advertised and delivered. Don't advertise "3-5 day shipping" if it's not 3-5 day shipping.
Submission + - Valve Giving Away Free Copies of Left 4 Dead 2 (steampowered.com)
jones_supa writes: The holiday sales of Steam are, uhh, running full steam. Among the discounts, Valve is giving Left 4 Dead 2 as a free Christmas present for anyone who has an account. So if you are interested, remember to grab your copy before 10:00 PST on December 26. Left 4 Dead 2 is a survival-horror first-person shooter with a heavy emphasis on cooperative gameplay. Windows, Linux and OS X are supported.
Comment Re:Responsive Web Design (Score 1) 382
You say "not IE," but I'm on IE11 and I get the behavior you describe and it works fine.
Comment Dejua Vu (Score 1) 1
Submission + - In Air Display and Interface Technology: A Big Step Forward (cnn.com)
wjcofkc writes: Interactive displays projected into the air in the spirit of Iron Man have been heralded as the next step in visual technology. Yet many obstacles remain. According to Russian designer Max Kamanin, creator of Displair, many the problems have now been largely cracked.
With this attempt at refining the technology, the image is created inside a layer of dry fog which is composed of ultra-fine water droplets so small they lack moisture. Three-dimensional projections are then created using infrared sensors. The projected screen currently responds intuitively to 1,500 hand movements, many of which are similar to those used on mobile devices, such as pinch and zoom. The most immediate applications include advertising and medicine, with the latter offering a more hygienic alternative to touchscreens.
The most immediate objection from home and office computer users is that they don't want to be waving their hands around all day, and while such questions as "What happens when I turn on a fan?" are not answered here, just imagine a future with a projected keyboard and trackpad that use puff-air haptic feedback with the option of reaching right into the screen whenever it applies to the application at hand — and applications that take advantage of such a technology would no doubt come along. Better yet, imagine for yourself in the comments. As always, pictures speak a thousand words, so don't neglect the articles gallery.
With this attempt at refining the technology, the image is created inside a layer of dry fog which is composed of ultra-fine water droplets so small they lack moisture. Three-dimensional projections are then created using infrared sensors. The projected screen currently responds intuitively to 1,500 hand movements, many of which are similar to those used on mobile devices, such as pinch and zoom. The most immediate applications include advertising and medicine, with the latter offering a more hygienic alternative to touchscreens.
The most immediate objection from home and office computer users is that they don't want to be waving their hands around all day, and while such questions as "What happens when I turn on a fan?" are not answered here, just imagine a future with a projected keyboard and trackpad that use puff-air haptic feedback with the option of reaching right into the screen whenever it applies to the application at hand — and applications that take advantage of such a technology would no doubt come along. Better yet, imagine for yourself in the comments. As always, pictures speak a thousand words, so don't neglect the articles gallery.
Comment Re:I'm not Trolling I'm Rolling (Score 2) 210
Don't confuse the issue. The problem is that Apple believes it's illegal to root your own device. The italicized portion is the important part. It is perfectly legal to exploit a root vulnerability on hardware you own. Exploiting software on your own devices is often used in penetration testing, among other things.
Comment Re:hypocrisy (Score 1) 415
I have no idea how this reached +5 insightful. What a gigantic load of shit. Are you somehow implying that being more tolerant isn't a good thing? That letting people live without persecuting them for every slight is somehow not better than the converse? And you're not even implying this, you're outright saying that we're "racist thugs" for things we didn't do or even think about. Unbelievable! And people agreed with you! Ugh!
Yes, maybe some (or even most) of us would have, after years of environmental influence leading us to that conclusion, also been among those who persecuted them. But we haven't, and we're not those people. Your entire post is a justification of something even worse than thoughtcirme: that people should be considered evil for things they didn't even think of doing. Un-fucking-believable that people modded you up. I'm extremely disappointed in the mods. And yes, we are "better" for not going discriminating against people for whatever thing happens to set them apart. The fact that we could theoretically be on the other end is utterly meaningless; that's not who we are, and trying to paint us as that does a disservice to a lot of good people who work hard to help others.
In summary: fuck you, and fuck everyone who modded you up. It's attitudes like yours, ones that suggest that any sort of positive social change is irrelevant because people are still "bad at heart," that prevent us from ever moving forward.
Yes, maybe some (or even most) of us would have, after years of environmental influence leading us to that conclusion, also been among those who persecuted them. But we haven't, and we're not those people. Your entire post is a justification of something even worse than thoughtcirme: that people should be considered evil for things they didn't even think of doing. Un-fucking-believable that people modded you up. I'm extremely disappointed in the mods. And yes, we are "better" for not going discriminating against people for whatever thing happens to set them apart. The fact that we could theoretically be on the other end is utterly meaningless; that's not who we are, and trying to paint us as that does a disservice to a lot of good people who work hard to help others.
In summary: fuck you, and fuck everyone who modded you up. It's attitudes like yours, ones that suggest that any sort of positive social change is irrelevant because people are still "bad at heart," that prevent us from ever moving forward.
