Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×

Comment Re:umm no (Score 1) 267

And the bigger problem is NOT whether we will be tracked and watched but WHICH level of government and to what purpose.

Most people will allow that extensive tracking of their activities is OK WRT to making sure that terrorists can't do a repeat of 9/11.

But once the data is collected will it be put to use by other parts of the government for more mundane purposes.

Should the data be available to other police forces investigating more mundane things like the war on drugs? Money laundering. Remember the data is collected, wouldn't it be easy to use it to help here? Drugs are really bad and the people that sell them are really bad and we need more tools.

What about chasing down murders and rapists? Again, data may help and those are pretty bad people...

What about tracking down people charge with any felony (or your local equivalent)? The data is there. These people are bad. We want them in jail! And we don't want to increase LE budgets.

How about misdemeanours? These people are not as bad, but law enforcement is SO expensive and there are so many of them, and the data is there... please can we have it too!

How about getting tax cheats to pay up? The feds own the data, and they want to use it. Then the states get involved because they have a need to know. And do we really want our local municipal government using this stuff to chase after us to collect bylaw infraction fines and parking tickets? Lest you think this is not going to happen remember that these guys can ALREADY through you in jail if you don't pay all of the above.

At every level the powers to be will say that the data is there, and they should have access to make THEIR particular problem less expensive and more efficient. And they will be correct access WILL make their problem less expensive and more efficient.

And that is what we call a very slippery slope.

Comment Re:False premisis (Score 1) 301

The part that is currently waiting for permits will also carry Brakken oil south.

If KXL is denied you'll see a --KXL applied for. Basically up to the middle of North Dakota and stop. No State Department approval needed.

Then just build a rail depot at the head end and shunt the oil across the border in unit trains until some bright light in Washington realizes that the dangers of rail outweigh any possible benefits from NOT building the last 100 miles or so across the border.

And yes, us Canadians will be building multiple pipelines in multiple directions. There are two in planning stages across BC (one new and twinning an existing one) and a reversal of an existing one to take oil east through Ontario and Quebec.

Comment Re:Current PCs are good enough. (Score 3, Interesting) 564

They did bring back the "Start Button" for 8.1.

Unfortunately not the actual Start Menu inside it thought :-(

The current rumours say we'll see the actual Start Menu in 8.2. That plus auto start to desktop and you are almost back to Win 7!

Will it be too little too late? Under the hood Win 8 is really not that much different from Win 7. Probably better. If you can keep corporate desktop users from having to screw around with Metro ever and make it look like Win 7 corporate use may pickup.

I was in Home Depot last weekend and noticed that the Service Desk computers where still running WinXP Professional.

Comment Re:Did I Call It, Or What? (Score 1) 937

Except....

If the above scenario takes place it will mean that other jurisdictions (Singapore, Korea, China, Taiwan) will end up as the chief source of expertise for these vehicles and end up with the largest portion of the profits.

The current trend of some states (e.g. Michigan) to enact robotic car testing friendly rules show that some politicians really want the business to be built locally. So its unlikely they will stand by and let the courts (well litigants in the courts) play games.

Slashdot Top Deals

Say "twenty-three-skiddoo" to logout.

Working...