Follow Slashdot blog updates by subscribing to our blog RSS feed

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×

Comment Re:Yes, here's why... (Score 1) 175

But the phone doesn't have to call 911. My locked phone gives me super fast access to emergency calls already.

But I used this app for quite some time because I would find myself in dodgy situations weekly. I knew there was a potential for harm, but I knew 911 wasn't going to be my best bet. Instead I already had my "team" know where I was heading and what time - and dialed them if needed so they could relay to 911 what the situation was. Thankfully I only needed it once and showed that I had and it was a deterrent to save my face, teeth and probably my life. In my case the thug I was dealing with was smarter than the woman who called 911 over nuggets of flesh.

Basically - not every situation is 911-worthy, but in some cases you may need help from a friend quickly and there are current solutions.

Comment Re: Why do we care again? (Score 2) 47

Wait, lets clear up one thing; Russians are wanted worldwide for more than copyright infringement. Globally that is actually worth fighting, America's exports are dying and entertainment is still a viable export. And it's not just digital goods, it's violation of trademarks (counterfeit goods, which even private goods, have fallen under the realm of the Secret Service for it's entire existence).

But back to my original point, credit card theft and computer assisted fraud is alive and well around the globe and Russians lead the charge. Money, sometimes cash from checking accounts is being siphoned into Russian (and other) banks and being taken from innocent people - is this not worth pursuing?

Snowden is entirely another matter, but given the Russian state written news program RT and their constant American bashing I can't believe for a second they want to just keep Snowden safe. They have their own motives. It's to smear America worldwide. That thought can exist separately from the idea that what Snowden is doing is "good". Russia isn't helping Americans find out the truth about their government, they are helping themselves. The way the leaks help you is a secondary thought to Putin. He doesn't care, just look at their own brutality in Russia, how they treat their own free-speaking patriots.

Comment Do it already (Score 2, Interesting) 727

Let me see, the film has caused a violent backlash and Google is wanting to block people from seeing in areas that further cause a violent backlash? I'm not at all concerned about the implications. As stated many times, it's their service, if Al Qaeda want's to spread it they can make VHS (VCD?) copies or whatever and do so. The film maker who is certainly enjoying the violent response (that he aimed for) is more than welcome to ship copies anywhere in the world he wants.

Spare me the false logic arguments of "what's next?". Google does not have to be the hosting provider of hate speech if it doesn't want to. And they certainly have the right to be selective on what airs where. I see it as good "citizenship" in a way. They already can remove my videos calling for the mass murder of all Slashdot readers - just because, never mind it's not even constitutionally protected speech.

I'm pretty sure by looking back now at Google, Twitter and Facebook they didn't discourage spreading information that lead to violent revolutions (Wikileaks still shows up in searches for example) in these countries when the causes were noble (i.e. toppling un-wanted and brutal/corrupt leaders). The track record thus far has shown they self censor when appropriate.

I get slippery slopes and all that - and I get that you don't have the right to not be offended... but today money is speech, corporations are people and hate speech is lauded over violent reactions. Even shooting and killing your own citizens to defend an embassy of another country isn't enough to satisfy those who want to further fan the flames of hate. In what world is is okay to continue answering hate speech with more hate speech and then cry foul when it comes down to blows? There is less civility in civilization every day. What happened to "mutual respect"? Why sabotage years of peace just because you can?

For goodness sake, do you think the people who died want the video spread even more? Don't you think their families hold both parties accountable (of course the killers more so - but still)?

Comment Re:RTFA (Score 1) 543

This is not at all recommended. Pick up three different wall-warts ready to accept the standard USB interface and read the amperage and volt output. Each model of phone does not conform to the same output and while there is typically protection on the side of the phone - you have no idea. So stop, please.

I've seen .7 to 1.1 amp outputs from HTC to Samsung to others (in current phones - older phones I've seen up to 5 Watts of output total). We aren't talking USB via your PC - we are talking about an AC adapter (AC/DC converter) which is why you read in this very thread different charging times based on which wall warts are used against certain devices. The question is - was your manufacturer smart enough (or not cheap enough) to be able to handle a variance from what they supplied you because you have 5 wall-wart (AC/DC converters) laying around from devices from almost 10 years ago.

Protip; this is why your Nokia chargers changed overtime. It's not the phone connector that mattered - it was the converter. They were protecting your phone from a surge.

Comment Re:RTFA (Score 1) 543

USB On-The-Go is supported in the 3.0 kernel used on Android devices, thus any ICS or JB phone - unless the manufacturer compiled the kernel without it on purpose. Which would be strange because the Android crowd tends to be more technical and this is (an albeit growing) selling point.

Comment Re:RTFA (Score 1) 543

Since the data handling via USB on smartphones is not standardized, meaning that there is not necessarily any interoperability between devices with a particular accessory...

Not true, there are various standards - among them USB-On-The-Go which will even allow a phone act as a USB host, many Android phones/tablets can use the PS3 controller with no additional setup. There are Bluetooth standards for wireless devices and so forth. The only issues is non-standard interfaces on particular phones, such as the LG Vortex (as marketed by Verizon) or the HTC Droid Incredible which try to continuously load drivers and bloatware onto Windows machines. Or possibly no support in various ROM kernels for USB OTG (or even Bluetooth profiles for that matter) - which can be possibly fixed in updates or custom ROMs/kernels.

In fact, I don't know in any way Android accessories aren't compatible among differing devices unless the software on the accessory is vendor-locked to a phone itself (unless you count docks that conform to the form factor of a phone you don't actually own...). But there is no mandate from Google, Motorola, LG, HTC, Samsung, etc who cause these types of problems. Apple will never allow the PS3 controller to work with the iPhone (you'd need to do hardware hacking alone before you could even start) and yet you can plug it into a Nexus 7, Transformer Prime or even possibly the OUYA Android based game console.

Slashdot Top Deals

I tell them to turn to the study of mathematics, for it is only there that they might escape the lusts of the flesh. -- Thomas Mann, "The Magic Mountain"

Working...