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Comment Re:Will this internet of things die already? (Score 1) 103

by Corporate Gadfly (#47983071) Attached to: Popular Wi-Fi Thermostat Full of Security Holes

I'd mostly be interested in using a smart thermostat for logging.
If I can detect HVAC performance problems just once before they lead to a dead system on a deadly hot summer day and an emergency call to a repair guy then it would easily have paid for itself in comfort.

Exactly this.

I have a Wifi connected thermostat and it has already proved more than useful.

I live in Canada. Went on 2-week vacation to Florida in the middle of winter. Did not check email the first day.

Next day, checked email. Furnace had been sending an email saying "high pressure switch stuck closed" for the last 7 hours. The barrage of emails started at 4:43 am. I had left the key with the neighbours and they were kind enough to let the service person inside the house. The service guy fixed the furnace (under warranty) by replacing the malfunctioning part.

TL;DR: wifi connected thermostat ended up possibly saving the house from frozen, burst pipes.

Comment EnvisaLink from EyezOn (Score 1) 248

by Corporate Gadfly (#45865371) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: State of the Art In DIY Security Systems?

Try an EnvisaLink 3 from EyezOn and hook it up to a compatible DSC or Honeywell (Ademco/Vista) system.

Self-monitoring (via email/SMS) is free (aside from the upfront cost of EnvisLink and alarm system hardware). Central monitoring is available as well.

Disclaimer: I have an EnvisaLink 3 hooked up to a Vista 20p (ADT Safewatch Pro) system monitored by a ULC alarm facility. ADT kept hiking up rates and wanted $30 per month after the initial system was "sold free". Ashamed to say that I paid a monthly fee for almost 5 years before switching to the EnvisaLink setup. You need to know (to a certain degree) how to program your alarm panel.

Comment Focus follows mouse, for fucks sake (Score 1) 965

by Corporate Gadfly (#43166913) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: Mac To Linux Return Flow?

One of my biggest pet peeves with Mac OS X is it's non-conformance to Focus Follows Mouse. Why can't Apple fix that for fucks sake?

Because Apple shows you the only way (or the highway).

For novice users, I think it is a pretty good O/S. For semi-advanced users, there are traps in the making. For power users, aside from the FFM issue, in my experience, I have been happy with it (after doing some tweaks like macports and some UI customizations). http://www.macosxtips.co.uk/geeklets/collections/dark-is-beautiful-1/

Comment Re:Verizon (Score 1) 375

by Corporate Gadfly (#41539565) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: Best Cell Phone Carrier In the US?

I'm on the same $30 plan as well (with the same Google Voice setup) but I'm afraid to inform you that Google Voice is not VoIP - your cell minutes are still being used. When someone calls your Google Voice number, Google simply routes the call to your Tmobile number. Same for outgoing calls - the Google Voice app transparently has your Google Voice number call the intended recipient and then calls you to create a conference call. Check your minute statements. Also, if you have auto pay set up, they'll auto deduct $30 when you hit 0 minutes instead of waiting for the 30 days to be up.

As for the hassle... I'm not sure what issue you ran into. You just have to click next a few times.

You can use Talkatone for making calls via Google Voice using XMPP. I don't have a data plan at all and am almost always near a known WiFi access point. So, I keep that app on all the time and can receive incoming as well as outgoing calls over my GV phone number.

Comment Re:The USA is on my no-fly list (Score 1) 291

Also swiss here, I spend roughly $5-10K a year on holidays. I like the USA but, unfortunately, it is also on my no fly list for some years.

As an interesting fact, domestic flights in the US have been increasing up until 2006-2007, since then they are decreasing (per person and per number of flights).

http://www.bts.gov/xml/air_traffic/src/index.xml#CustomizeTable

Cheers,
-S

Canada welcomes your Swiss Francs :-)

Comment Re:A tricky problem (Score 1) 275

by Corporate Gadfly (#36323840) Attached to: Anatomy of a Privacy Nightmare

It may be "findable with search" on his site, but I sure as heck haven't been able to find it. Perhaps it's now only searchable by his name (which I don't know), or by something related to the scam. The closest I could find was his blog post on trytobreak.com's scam, which didn't seem to mention any names. So, it seems like it's effectively hidden unless someone is searching specifically for that name, and in that case they'd have to know to search his site for the person's name. It seems pretty effectively hidden.

Interesting point, though, on the slight inconsistency between trusting that someone's moving on from their "idiot stage" and trying to turn their life around enough to make it un-searchable, but not enough to take it down completely.

The comments on the blog post is where his name is revealed.
http://pl.atyp.us/wordpress/?p=831
Idle

Submission + - Rep. Anthony Weiner Framed via Yfrog Security Flaw (blogspot.com) 1

Submitted by
bughunter
" rel="nofollow">bughunter writes: "According to evidence collected by blogger Joseph Cannon, Representative Anthony Weiner (D-NY) was the victim of a framing attempt using the Yfrog photo hosting service. Tipped off by EXIF data inconsistencies, Cannon began investigating possible explanations, and discovered that using an email trick, images can be inserted into a Yfrog user’s collection without their knowledge. Cannon also examines other evidence, direct and circumstantial, that points to the “discoverer” of the alleged lewd Tweet by Weiner as the one who planted the fraudulent photo. Says Cannon, “The framer did not hack into Weiner's account. There was no need for hacking. The framer used a much simpler, more ingenious scheme, involving a design flaw in the architecture of the application.”"

Comment wait till he has a daughter and then compare (Score 1) 160

I did not RTFA, in pure /. fashion, but I'm wondering what would have happened if the author of the study had a girl. Every child develops their language skills on their own individual schedule, however, in my relatively small experience, girls tend to talk quicker than boys. My 18-month boy is struggling to say mama, dada, and banana, while my daughter at that age was stringing together a few words together. My wife's freaking out and is considering speech therapy if he doesn't talk by 2 years of age. My son seems to comprehend fine. He knows when I tell him to go take a bath or when to go sit in a timeout (a little early to start with timeout, isn't it? but at this point it's to get him used to the idea more than anything) and knows when I tell him to go get his boots.
Android

Submission + - Android Tablets Were Born Too Soon

Submitted by adeelarshad82
adeelarshad82 writes: When you look at the Apple iPad's sales figures, it's not hard to see why every technology company on the planet is jumping on the tablet bandwagon, alot of which are Android tablets. Unfortunatley though, some of these Android tablets were born way too early. They are haunted with a series of problems including flimsy hardware, low-quality resistive touch screens, serious display resolution issues, and old Android versions with limited or non-existent access to apps. Even the Samsung Galaxy Tab came well before it's time. Even though it's fast, well-designed, and comes with a decent Android implementation, it's functionalities are limited to those of an Android smartphone. So here's to hoping that Honeycomb's functionalities make up for the lost ground.

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