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Comment Do it the way your Lawyer would (Score 1) 116

Don't do any work for someone you don't trust without money up front. If you went to a lawyer for a consult on this very subject, despite what he may or may not advise you, what HE is going to do is tell you up front that he needs a check for $350. Once he's taken that check he'll advise your ear off for an hour or 2. Then he will tell you to send another check, this time $1,500 to be placed in an ACTF. Attorney Client Trust Fund. No reason you can't make a DCTF (developer....) The lawyer will then bill against that $1,500 and as it gets close to 0 will expect the client to pay in more before continuing work.

The big difference is in the final payouts. Lawyers usually don't worry about collecting the final pay out as much, because it's usually fairly small by that point (remember, regular billings against the ACTF), and the client is usually happy. Good lawyers ALWAYS win. Or at least convince their client they did.

Comment Re:User key management (Score 1) 437

In first generation UEFI systems, you can log into the bios, and add any "key" you want to the signing authority. So if you own the HARDWARE, they let you pretend like you still control the software. Practically what this means is that you can install any OS you want, no problem.

Oh wait, SECOND GENERATION: you can't change the keys at all anymore, and you can't even go into the bios anymore. Have fun.

Comment Re:Battle over before it begins. (Score 4, Insightful) 407

Terribly interesting that you seem to believe that your children's peers are likely to be a better influence than an adult teacher. Terribly sad if it's actually true, but it's almost certainly not. Even given the rather notable exceptions of teachers sleeping with high school aged kids, sex is hardly the worst you have to worry about. The other children are offering drugs, illegal activity (trespassing, and street racing were favorites in my day), and sex. Not to mention that peers are far more likely to reject adult supervision, and adult ideals of behavior.

That's all ok though, because we all know your kids haven't listened to you in 5 years, and they aren't going to start now. Your kids get their culture from TV, movies, games, and other kids, you as a parent have only a minimal influence over this, especially if like most people, your kid has been raised on multi-media with little or no oversight.

Comment Re:Marvelously versatile (Score 1) 291

I've often laughed about this privately. You see, many years ago, in 8th grade I was in an advanced class called project science. Among many other things, we created contact explosives, a heat seeking missile, laser holography (including forging an existing hologram sticker), a rocket powered RC car capable of ground effect flight at over 150mph, and a dozen different chemical concoctions with various properties.

What makes all this funny is that it was an 8th grade class of school kids and a good teacher. Nothing more. So when people talk about airline security, I always chuckle a little bit. Off the top of my head, and for less than $1k, I could think of a couple ways to down a commercial aircraft. Most of which would not require a suicide bombing at all.

Fortunately, people with the kind of geeky knowledge to do it aren't motivated to do it. And the kind of people with the motivation rarely have the exposure to the tech needed. Which is actually kind of an interesting dynamic.

Comment Re:There's Your Problem Right There (Score 1) 1108

That's quite the word salad to dodge a simple point: that the Bible lays out Pi in a clear cut (but false) fashion that presents a bit of a problem for those who insist that the book is the Literal Gospel Truth.

This is what you choose to take issue with against biblical literalists? That's a tiny bit myopic, isn't it? Perhaps we could get a bit of a bigger picture.

Comment Re:Search warrants not needed... (Score 1) 329

That depends on what you mean by legally. The civil aviation authorities in Stockholm might have something to say about you flying a drone over their city. But they don't get much say once you beyond the economic boundary lines.

Come to think of it, you might want to check where the international air routes are first, because if you knock down an airliner with your drone, international water or not, you are going to have a BAD day.

Comment Re:Search warrants not needed... (Score 1) 329

No, that is horribly incorrect. If the entire point is loiter time (uptime in your parlance), then a helium inflatable HALL (high altitude Long loiter) drone with solar panels could easily achieve 2-3week flight times. EASILY. I could build this from local hobby shops, and have it flying by months end. Granted it's not on par with standard server uptimes, but then, I don't have a few million to invest in the project. I think I could achieve 100% uptime with an ongoing program releasing X number of drones to keep N in flight at all times, thereby providing at least 1 layer of redundancy. That even using only off the shelf solutions and doing no actual development on a HALL drone body and electronics package, or just buying one from Boeing/Raytheon/whoever.

Comment Re:Today's dose of fearmongering... (Score 1) 609

When you can get yourself elected while simultaneously proclaiming to be Wiccan, Muslim, or Buddhist, we might have something to talk about.

The US isn't a theocracy, it's just run entirely by Christians. I'm not sure how that would make my point more salient. It's not like the US goes around trying to force our values on the rest of the world... oh yeah hmmm. Well it's not like we evangelize Christian morality or belief structures... Ok OK, but we don't go around killing people that don't agree with our values/way of life... Oh right.

So while we are busy not being a theocracy, we just walk like one, talk like one and act like one. But we aren't one, so it's not an issue, right?

Comment Re:To give away or not to give away our privacy (Score 1) 222

So... using a bank account should be done with the consideration that the usage I put it to might come under scrutiny from a corporate entity that has paid my bank for the privileged, meanwhile failing to ascertain my disposition on the matter? Kindly go fuck yourself. Take your corporate spy lords with you.

Comment Re:Today's dose of fearmongering... (Score 1, Insightful) 609

Not a theocracy? Please see the US Congress and House, now list all members, and now put a check box next to the ones that claim to be Christian or offshoots there of.

Now, I'll give you a minute to collate that data. Done? So, Theocracy? If not, then how would you define it?

Don't kid yourself, you life in a theocracy, run by people that believe ultimate judgement will be at the hands of their fairy god father or his evil counterpart. You can believe whatever you want, the facts are clear.

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