It kind of is, yeah, except it's actually nothing like that. You see, one of them is hiding file extensions, and the other one is giving out your password.

I'm going to guess the vast majority of people running wifi at home. My office has a guest network, my house does not.

It's all relative, really. Since evolution is inherited then the pace of change is measured in the number of generations. It might only take a hundred generations to start showing noticeable changes. Of course, we could just bring fruit flies and bean plants and start to see their changes much faster.

Of course, if evolution has any say at all then it needs to be related to breeding. Anyone with a trait more suited to their environment needs to pass on their genes more than others. If some guy is born one day with red eyes that let him see through the clouds and hair all over his face that protects him from the things in the atmosphere then that's going to be for nothing if no woman wants to have his kids.

How about large, thick glass domes on the surface of Mars? Then you only need to worry about things going on inside the domes instead of outside. Venus still has volcanoes, you know. And those constant hurricane-force winds, combined with surface particulates like sand, have a certain effect on glass that you might not be too thrilled about.

I'm having trouble with that sentence. Are you defining "no air" as a toxin? Because, if so, you don't know what a toxin is.

I like that "etc". Yes, on Venus you ready sources of water, "et cetera". Ready sources of atmospheric sulphuric acid, ready sources of carbon dioxide, ready sources of ridiculous atmospheric pressure (densest atmosphere), ready sources of extreme heat (hottest planet), ready sources of constant hurricane-force winds, ready sources of organic life sterilization, ready sources of a surface resembling classic descriptions of Hell, you know, "et cetera". Also, in the same sense as "no air" is a toxin, Venus also has a ready source of no magnetic field and a ready source of no carbon cycle.

That's a good post, I just want to note your efforts and provide some feedback if I may. I especially like how you capitalized stability, performance, and battery for no apparent reason. Also the claim of "it works for me", that's good stuff. That's a claim that sounds good but also that no one can disprove because it's simply your personal experience and nothing else of any substance. I like how you call yourself an "IT guy" too. It makes people think that you might know what you're talking about, but it's still vague enough to be completely useless to any other point you're trying to make. And the claim of "about 5 to 7 years ago", I like that one too. What was I doing in 2010? What was I doing in 2008? I have no idea! Also, how you "pretty much" use Safari for "everything". "Pretty much" for "everything"... I see what you're doing there.

In general, I'm giving you a very good rating, although I need to dock a few points. The specific phrase is "it just works", you need the "just" in there. Otherwise it checks out, well done.

That's a lot to ask, my friend. It takes a lot less creativity to just sue someone I guess.

That's interesting about Kaspersky. I wonder if that's an indication that they may be working with criminals, or if it's just some sort of sense of patriotic pride (we have the best criminals, AND the best researchers!), or even if the researchers feel like there would be repercussions if they said anything. I have no doubt that cybercriminals in Russia are probably receiving some sort of direction, support, or protection from their government.

Right, it's "domain speculation" or whatever term those parasites want to use for their activities. You want to buy a domain name? Great. But instead of the $10 it would normally cost you, since I bought it 10 years ago and haven't used it since then I'm going to charge you $20,000. Now thank me for providing you with this service.

It "tried to purchase"? What does that mean, they took their wallet out but a seagull swooped down and stole it? They were about to write the check when the pen exploded? They went to the Greek Bank ATM but couldn't withdraw anything? I think by "tried to purchase", what Kneen means is "I offered them an absurd price for a domain name and they thought I was an asshole for even asking for that much". Here's the list of other domains he owns, some of which redirect to his personal blog. Although tossmysalad.com does not redirect to his blog, I wonder what he's asking for that one.

Yeah, people posting unprovable claims as facts, I don't know what you were thinking.

No doubt, a free society can never be fully secure, the two goals are at odds. But to suggest that Snowden's goal is specifically to decrease state security is being disingenuous, the guy was phrasing the debate to make his stance look better. Just like how someone who is anti-abortion would say they are pro-life to turn their negative stance into a positive one.

Face it, the taxis don't want the competition at all. They don't want to have to invest in new technologies and new vehicles to match the level of service, they just want to keep doing the same shitty job they always have done.

No, I was referring to surge pricing and the different markets. Uber doesn't have a single fixed price, but the price is the same for everyone in a certain time and place.

It may surprise you that many of Slashdot's readers are not in IT and don't go around installing printers and fixing networks all day. For example, I'm not in IT. I'm a programmer, I design and write software. I don't think of programming as IT, I think of IT workers as the people who install printer drivers and set up desk phones. Those are the people who I see claiming they work in IT. I don't hear programmers say IT when people ask them about what they do.

This might be a complete shock to you, but the app is not actually the only difference between Uber and a taxi company. That being said, having an automated dispatcher itself is a major benefit over taxi companies, unless you like it when your cabbie calls you from across the city to say he'll be there in half an hour.

Face it, Uber is successful because they are doing the job of taxis far better than the taxis do it. Like any other industry that has been around a long time, taxi companies got lazy and quality plummeted. I don't even want to think about how many cabs I've been in that had shredded seats, sticky floors, smelly drivers, etc. One example that sticks in my head was a driver who was in the range of about 400 pounds and had his seat back far enough that there were maybe 6 inches between the back of his seat and the seat behind him, so no one is going to sit there. He sure as hell isn't moving his seat if 4 people need to get in the car though. When I think of taxi rides, it's those experiences that I think about. Long waits, bad cars, angry drivers, etc. Uber solved all of those problems at once. I can see where all of the cars around me are, when my ride gets accepted I can track the car to where I am, I know the driver's name, license plate number, make and model of the car. I can talk to the driver before they pick me up. When the ride is over I just go, I'm not sitting there dicking around with payment. I can also track the entire ride, I've called Uber cars for women leaving my parties and I've tracked her the entire way home. If anything got shady I know the driver's name, license plate, phone number, last location, and car description. And, without exception in my experience, every Uber car I've had has been as clean or cleaner than any cab. I've never had an Uber vehicle in poor condition, and after the ride I can rate the driver. If the driver's rating goes below a high threshold then Uber does not give them any more jobs, so the drivers and vehicles need to be presentable and agreeable if they want to keep working.

If taxis want my business again, all they need to do is match the service I get from Uber. This is what the largest taxi company in Phoenix thinks about mobile apps (for reference, at the time of posting that page says nothing except "Sorry, the offer you tried to access has ended."). For most taxi companies the concept of a mobile app means being able to order a taxi without calling. I'm not interested in that, I want the convenience and accountability that I get from Uber. Taxi companies don't want to compete with Uber though, they just want to outlaw them and go back to their monopoly.