Comment Re:Rate of use (Score 1) 328
Had AC said 'sugar' I would have had to modify my statement. You are technically correct but that is a distinction without a difference. And, splenda.
Comment Re:Rate of use (Score 1) 328
Is alcohol a drug? Yes
Is nicotine a drug? Yes
Is pot a drug? Yes
Is meth a drug? Yes
Is coke a drug? Yes
Is a lollipop a drug? No
I don't need the government to tell me. I believe pot should have the same legal standing and requisite controls as booze. So, I support the notion that legalization of pot should happen. But your analogy doesn't work. Also, you state that you 'believe' it is still legal to beat women in some states. I don't 'believe' that to be true. Regardless, that has little bearing on the subject at hand. Notice, in my response to your comment, I have not attacked your character or in any regard attempted to insult you. Make a counter to my opinion without being insulting and I'll consider it. Note: Not AC
Comment Re:Censorship? (Score 2, Informative) 420
Every time you trot out this known falsehood you sound like an idiot. They were political organizations that were required to do more work to prove that they were following the law and not taking advantage of hype in one area or another. The groups targeted were both left and right leaning groups and the leftists groups were the only ones denied anything. Stop lying or being misinformed. I'm so sick of people who can't see that they are being manipulated by political entities against their own self interest acting as the mouthpiece for their overlords. I'm not saying it's an issue that affects one political party more than another, but currently conservatives seem to be the ones more full of stupid. No one should be proud to be ignorant. We have enough real issues to deal with that this kind of childish distraction just gets in the way of getting things most Americans already agree on done.
Small issue with your "known falsehood"... The IRS Inspector General reported that in fact, the IRS DID target conservative groups to a greater extent than non-conservative. This report is what started the whole noise machine in the first place.
Comment Re:Useless article (Score 1) 784
Good thing you didn't read the whole thing and only brushed past the synopsis. Glad you came to give your boring opinion. Sorry, I should have phrased that better. Thanks for telling us you are bored.
Submission + - AMD Catalyst Is The Broken Wheel For Linux Gaming
An anonymous reader writes: Tests of the AMD Catalyst driver with the latest AAA Linux games/engines have shown what poor shape the proprietary Radeon driver currently is in for Linux gamers. Phoronix, which traditionally benchmarks with open-source OpenGL games and other long-standing tests, recently has taken specially interest in adapting some newer Steam-based titles for automated benchmarking. With last month's Linux release of Metro Last Light Redux and Metro 2033 Redux, NVIDIA's driver did great while AMD Catalyst was miserable. Catalyst 14.12 delivered extremely low performance and some major bottleneck with the Radeon R9 290 and other GPUs running slower than NVIDIA's midrange hardware. In Unreal Engine 4 Linux tests, the NVIDIA driver again was flawless but the same couldn't be said for AMD. Catalyst 14.12 wouldn't even run the Unreal Engine 4 demos on Linux with their latest generation hardware but only with the HD 6000 series. Tests last month also showed AMD's performance to be crippling for NVIDIA vs. AMD Civilization: Beyond Earth Linux benchmarks with the newest drivers.
Comment Re:nanny state (Score 1) 784
1. Net neutrality, yes
2. Health care, no
3. Educational Standards, no
4. Minimum Wage, maybe, sometimes
5. Who to hire, no (unless not a legal resident)
See, it's possible to have a nuanced opinion about social, economical and other issues without being an ideological opinion bot. People (read you) that appear to only be able to see in black and white are often wrong a great deal of the time. Those (read me
If you respond, I'll be more interested in how you parse my reply in order to understand what I'm saying than I probably will be with your short FU.
Submission + - There Are Human Remains Orbiting The Earth (vice.com)
sarahnaomi writes: As New Horizons, the first spacecraft NASA’s sent to Pluto, begins its encounter with the dwarf planet today, it carries with it some special cargo: the cremated body of Clyde Tombaugh. Tombaugh, who died in 1997, discovered Pluto in 1930, so it’s fitting that NASA decided to included his remains on the first mission to the dwarf planet when it launched the probe back in 2006, with the blessing of his family.
Still, this space burial is unusual for NASA—and certainly for the rest of us—but it’s actually not all that unusual for the private space travel industry. In fact, the remains of dozens of men and women have been fired into space over the last 20 years, many of which are still orbiting us today, as I found out chatting with the man who sent them there.
Still, this space burial is unusual for NASA—and certainly for the rest of us—but it’s actually not all that unusual for the private space travel industry. In fact, the remains of dozens of men and women have been fired into space over the last 20 years, many of which are still orbiting us today, as I found out chatting with the man who sent them there.
Submission + - Proposed CFAA Amendments Could 'Chill" Security Research (threatpost.com)
msm1267 writes: Legitimate security researchers, from bug hunters to pen-testers, are buckled in for a bumpy ride as vague language in President Obama’s proposed amendments to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) is expected to be debated and sorted out as it makes its way through the legislature.
The amendments come with stiffer penalties for those convicted of hacking, with some sentences doubled and some offenses elevated to felonies.
One amendment to the CFAA contains language that is a redefinition of what it means to exceed authorized access; it broadens the scope of the CFAA considerably.
From section six in the amendment: ” ‘exceeds authorized access’ means to access a computer with authorization and to use such access to obtain or alter information in the computer (a) that the accesser is not entitled to obtain or alter; or (b) for a purpose that the accesser knows is not authorized by the computer owner.”
The amendments come with stiffer penalties for those convicted of hacking, with some sentences doubled and some offenses elevated to felonies.
One amendment to the CFAA contains language that is a redefinition of what it means to exceed authorized access; it broadens the scope of the CFAA considerably.
From section six in the amendment: ” ‘exceeds authorized access’ means to access a computer with authorization and to use such access to obtain or alter information in the computer (a) that the accesser is not entitled to obtain or alter; or (b) for a purpose that the accesser knows is not authorized by the computer owner.”
US/UK Will Stage 'Cyber-Attack War Games' As Pressure Against Encryption Mounts 77
An anonymous reader writes: British prime minister David Cameron is currently visiting Washington to discuss the future of cyber-security in Britain and North America. The leaders have announced that their respective intelligence agencies will mount ongoing cyber-attack "war games" starting this summer in an effort to strengthen the West's tarnished reputation following the Sony hacking scandal. Somewhat relatedly, a recently-leaked Edward Snowden document show the NSA giving dire warnings in 2009 of the threat posed by the lack of encrypted communications on the internet.
Comment Re:Slashdot branching out... (Score 1) 784
"Stuff that matters". Just because it doesn't matter to you, we should all capitulate to your demands? FFS, don't click the link and downvote the story. No more issue. See, there are little sliders up in the top right of the story section. Move those back and forth and stories that get downvoted disappear.
If that doesn't work, go find stories that you think meet the criteria and post them. Apparently, the
Disliking the fact that a story is posted that you don't want to read, reading the synopsis, commenting on the need to eleminate these types of stories and doing so as AC? sheesh, the hubris.
Parents Investigated For Neglect For Letting Kids Walk Home Alone 784
HughPickens.com writes The WaPo reports that Danielle and Alexander Meitiv in Montgomery County Maryland say they are being investigated for neglect after letting their 10-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter make a one-mile walk home from a Silver Spring park on Georgia Avenue on a Saturday afternoon. "We wouldn't have let them do it if we didn't think they were ready for it," says Danielle. The Meitivs say they believe in "free-range" parenting, a movement that has been a counterpoint to the hyper-vigilance of "helicopter" parenting, with the idea that children learn self-reliance by being allowed to progressively test limits, make choices and venture out in the world. "The world is actually even safer than when I was a child, and I just want to give them the same freedom and independence that I had — basically an old-fashioned childhood," says Danielle. "I think it's absolutely critical for their development — to learn responsibility, to experience the world, to gain confidence and competency."
On December 20, Alexander agreed to let the children walk from Woodside Park to their home, a mile south, in an area the family says the children know well. Police picked up the children near the Discovery building, the family said, after someone reported seeing them. Alexander said he had a tense time with police when officers returned his children, asked for his identification and told him about the dangers of the world. The more lasting issue has been with Montgomery County Child Protective Services which showed up a couple of hours later. Although Child Protective Services could not address this specific case they did point to Maryland law, which defines child neglect as failure to provide proper care and supervision of a child. "I think what CPS considered neglect, we felt was an essential part of growing up and maturing," says Alexander. "We feel we're being bullied into a point of view about child-rearing that we strongly disagree with."
On December 20, Alexander agreed to let the children walk from Woodside Park to their home, a mile south, in an area the family says the children know well. Police picked up the children near the Discovery building, the family said, after someone reported seeing them. Alexander said he had a tense time with police when officers returned his children, asked for his identification and told him about the dangers of the world. The more lasting issue has been with Montgomery County Child Protective Services which showed up a couple of hours later. Although Child Protective Services could not address this specific case they did point to Maryland law, which defines child neglect as failure to provide proper care and supervision of a child. "I think what CPS considered neglect, we felt was an essential part of growing up and maturing," says Alexander. "We feel we're being bullied into a point of view about child-rearing that we strongly disagree with."
Comment Modern day bullies (Score 2) 336
These kids get picked on in school and they are ill equipped to figure out how to handle it. So, they dump their teenage angst by being bullies themselves. As others have already stated, this was no "hack". It was a DDoS and it will likely never compel the affected companies to modify their "security". And their actions gain no sympathy amongst the end users. Few people are likely to take their new consoles back to the store and trade them in for (insert non-electronic somethingsomething here). And the attacked companies are not going to violate the 80/20 rule to increase capacity.
I don't own a console and currently am not playing any games that would have been affected if there are PC versions in the target list. But, this kind of attack irritates me anyway and I think I would enjoy seeing a few of these worthless turds being skull fucked by a horde of hedgehogs, or forcing them to watch something on the Lifetime channel.
Submission + - .NET SERVER CLOUD STACK HAS BEEN OPEN SOURCED (crbtech.in)
An anonymous reader writes: Microsoft Company is dealing with reasoning and cellular growth and moving out a multi-dimensional software growth technique that includes open-sourcing, cross-platform support, and resources developments.
Submission + - Verizon wants to take over your device (imgur.com)
hkok writes: Verizon announced a new firmware to track users usage and they blatantly put in an agreement to force you to to accept or you don't upgrade your firmware. This applies to all existing phones out there but newer phone will probably get this preinstalled whether you like it or not.
1. Purpose of collection and use of personal information
We collect the following personal information in order to provide service tailored to your mobile phone software and demographic group, and record the frequency of access to compile statistical data to improve service quality.
2. Personal information that will be collected
[Required Information]
Unique device identifier number (IMEI or MEID, Wi-Fi Mac address, SN), model name, account code, access log, and current device software version.
[Optional Information]
PC specifications (OS information and hardware specifications) and IP information.
3. Retention and usage period of personal information
The information collected will be retained and used for two years or until you withdraw your agreement for us to withhold your information; upon which, any information will be promptly and securely deleted.
4. Your right to withhold disclosure of personal information, and details of any associated disadvantages
You may choose to withhold your agreement to provide the personal information described above. If you choose to withhold your agreement to provide the [Required Information], you will not be able to receive the service; if you choose to withhold your agreement to provide the [Optional Information], you will be able to receive the service, but you will not be able to receive services related to the PC or IP address.
1. Purpose of collection and use of personal information
We collect the following personal information in order to provide service tailored to your mobile phone software and demographic group, and record the frequency of access to compile statistical data to improve service quality.
2. Personal information that will be collected
[Required Information]
Unique device identifier number (IMEI or MEID, Wi-Fi Mac address, SN), model name, account code, access log, and current device software version.
[Optional Information]
PC specifications (OS information and hardware specifications) and IP information.
3. Retention and usage period of personal information
The information collected will be retained and used for two years or until you withdraw your agreement for us to withhold your information; upon which, any information will be promptly and securely deleted.
4. Your right to withhold disclosure of personal information, and details of any associated disadvantages
You may choose to withhold your agreement to provide the personal information described above. If you choose to withhold your agreement to provide the [Required Information], you will not be able to receive the service; if you choose to withhold your agreement to provide the [Optional Information], you will be able to receive the service, but you will not be able to receive services related to the PC or IP address.
Comment Re:H1-B debate? (Score 1) 398
Yep. The obvious "fix" that nobody seems to be taking very seriously yet is making it much more difficult to get permission to hire an H1-B worker.
Corporations are ALWAYS going to push for a plentiful supply of these as a cost savings measure, but it's ultimately the government who issues them. It's about time they start putting pressure on companies to PROVE they're unable to hire from the talent pool of American citizens before qualifying to go the H1-B route.
You are correct in that the reason nobody is seriously talking about making it more difficult is that most of the lobbying taking place is focused on making it easier. The major contract placement companies overseas will in many cases, hold the applicants passport and the company they end up working for will hold the visa. The worker is compelled to do the job and keep their mouth shut at all cost. If the worker is fired or they quit of their own volition, the company reports to the contracting agency and the agency recalls the worker. This could be a devastating blow for the worker so they will do whatever it takes to keep the job. Doing whatever it takes usually translates to "work for peanuts".
In addition, many of these workers are often housed by the contracting company or in some cases directly by the employer. This makes the worker even more dependent. Sometimes the living conditions are cramped to an obscene degree. I personally have witnessed this. 18 "IT" workers were all housed in a 4 bedroom home, just off campus of a large banking corporation in the upper mid-west. I had to go pick these guys up every day for a couple weeks while I was getting my visa processed to go do a migration at our branches in England.
The end result for these workers is that they become indentured after a fashion. Much like the coal and other miners back in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Miners lived in what were essentially settlements owned by the company. Want to buy flour to make bread? Only place to get it was the company store. The store only traded in credit "chits". At the end of the pay period, the miner got his chits and there was usually just not enough pay to cover all the debt. If you still owed the company credit, you could not leave the area and so, back to the mine you went. This created a never ending cycle of indentured servitude (slavery, if you will).
What we are seeing now with our over-zealous attempt to hasten the processing of illegal immigrants and H1B visa applications is a modern day version of the same old game. One mistake that seems to be ignored in this process is the long term, unintended consequences of making 5m quasi citizens. The stick has been removed from the equation for these people/workers. They will rightfully demand higher wages (minimum wage) and the employer can no longer hold deportation over their head as an incentive. The theory is that the company leadership/owners will just knuckle under and start paying higher wages. I submit that they will not. Instead, I suspect they will begin replacing these newly emancipated former wage slaves with newly minted illegal immigrants and the process will simply continue unabated. The last couple of paragraphs have not been strictly on topic but because immigration reform and H1B visa issues have somehow become combined in the public eye, it seemed appropriate to bring it into the conversation.
My thoughts on how to reform immigration and in some degree lessen the impact on the plight of the American worker would not provide for an all inclusive solution. But, perhaps someone else would be willing to take up a challenge to participate in the discussion as well. First, we MUST reduce the red tape required for legal processing of normal immigration requests and requests for citizenship. Note that I am not saying reduce the requirements. From personal experience (my wife is a naturalized citizen) the process is rife with what appears to be a woeful lack of competence on the part of the vast number of government employees that by default are included in the day to day workings of the application process. Second, the requests that are already legitimately in the pipeline should have a higher priority than all other actions to establish a "path to citizenship". Third, real significant enforcement actions should be taken against companies that are currently and in the future engaged in the illegal use of non-citizens. Finally, every effort should be made to screen applicants for violent criminal history and reject those applications and follow through with appropriate deportation actions.
I know there is more that could be done but as I'm merely a layman in this regard, no doubt I would get it wrong.
