33179977
submission
Okian Warrior writes:
Various news sources are reporting the results of a recent Labor Party poll, indicating that Julian Assange would be elected to the Australian senate, should he choose to run.
From the Sun Dailyarticle:
"Controversial WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange stands a real chance of winning an upper house seat in his native Australia if he presses ahead with plans to stand for election, a poll showed Saturday.
A survey conducted by the ruling Labor party's internal pollsters UMR Research and published in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper showed 25 percent of those polled would vote for the whistleblowing website chief."
32991565
submission
Okian Warrior writes:
Tattoo artist "Jersey" from Dynasty Tattoo (in New Jersey) implanted subdermal magnets in his arm to wear his iPod touch like a watch.
From the article: "Because Some Apple Users Are Just That “Cool”".
32948405
submission
Okian Warrior writes:
A Milford CT man was pulled over when a state police car radioactivity scanner flagged his car as being radioactive.
The man had been given a cardiac exam using radioactive dye, and had a note from his physician attesting to this, but this raises questions about the legality.
Given that it it not illegal to own or purchase or transport radioactive materials (within limits for hobbyist use), should the police be allowed to stop and search vehicles which show a slight level of radioactivity?
31099711
submission
Okian Warrior writes:
The record-breaking $500 million Mega Millions lottery draw tonight has me wondering — what would a geek do with all that money? What would slashdot readers do?
28434449
submission
Okian Warrior writes:
As reported on several sites, a video allegedly representing Anonymous threatened to attack a litany of websites if Megaupload wasn't put back online within three days' time.
The list of potential targets include websites and services for the United Nations, PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, US Bank, Capital One, Chase Bank, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. If their demands are not met, they will take down all of these servers.
The video was uploaded three days ago, but it appears that whoever was behind it hasn't followed through with the threats... yet.
28015450
submission
Okian Warrior writes:
An oft-repeated meme on Slashdot is that we should change the situation by voting in better officials. A frequent position, on every political thread it seems, is "we're to blame because we elected these people".
On the eve of the first primary (New Hampshire) I have to wonder: how can we tell the candidates apart? Ron Paul is an obvious exception, and I am not discounting him, but otherwise it seems that no candidate has made a stand on any issue.
Consider the candidates (all of them, of any party) as a set. What issue can I use to divide them into two groups, such that one group is "for" something and the other is "against"?
27772918
submission
Okian Warrior writes:
An oft-repeated meme on Slashdot is that we should change the situation by voting in better officials. A frequent retort, on every political thread it seems, is "stop whining, we're to blame, we elected these people".
On the eve of election madness, I have to wonder: how can we tell the candidates apart? Ron Paul is an obvious exception, and I am not discounting him, but otherwise it seems that no candidate has made a stand on any issue.
Consider the candidates (all of them, of any party) as a set. What issue can I use to divide them into two groups, such that one group is "for" something and the other is "against"?
25337476
submission
Okian Warrior writes:
Recent stories of repressive regimes using American software to track dissidents have included discussion about the ethical standards of big entities (companies, government, &c).
These lead to a more fundamental question: the ethics of the programmers who work at these entities, and in a larger sense *all* employees.
What ethical standards should a programmer have? Is it OK to contribute if you're not the one being unethical?
I've included some samples below. Add more if needed.
a) Would you work on weapons, such as missiles and UAVs?
b) Would you work on SPAM generating software?
c) Would you work on telemarketing software?
d) Would you work on [person] tracking software?
e) Would you help data-mining companies?
f) Would you work on malware?
g) Would you have worked on stuxnet?
h) Would you work on software that could be abused due to lack of proper security?
And finally:
*) Would you quit if you found out that your contributions were enabling unethical actions?
24398248
submission
Okian Warrior writes:
Bruce Schneier's Blog points the 1956 short story "Let's Get Together" by Isaac Asimov talking about Security Theatre:
"“Nothing,” said Lynn. “Call their bluff. Live as we have lived and gamble that They won’t dare break the stalemate for the sake of a one-bomb head start.”
“Impossible!” said Jeffreys. “Completely impossible. The welfare of all of Us is very largely in my hands, and doing nothing is the one thing I cannot do. I agree with you, perhaps, that X-ray machines at sports arenas are a kind of skin-deep measure that won’t be effective, but it has to be done so that people, in the aftermath, do not come to the bitter conclusion that we tossed our country away for the sake of a subtle line of reasoning that encouraged donothingism.”
24203658
submission
Okian Warrior writes:
The neverending saga of online sales taxes continues:
"First, California Governor Jerry Brown signed ABx1 28, the Golden State’s Amazon Tax. That was a mere three months ago, back in those carefree June days when California seemed to say: “If we tax you, you will (still) come.”"
"Governor Brown has now signed AB 155 repealing it. The bill signing was expected, capping Amazon’s late night deal with legislators to delete the tax like a virus."
23155916
submission
Okian Warrior writes:
"After taking heat from the ACLU and being hacked by Anonymous for shutting down cellphone service to four stations last week, the Bay Area's BART kept cell service on during Monday protests."
Officials at Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) decided "Monday that cutting cellphone service to thwart another planned protest would cause more trouble than the protests themselves. Instead, four stations were temporarily closed, creating a chaotic rush-hour commute."
Does this in any way validate the efforts of Anonymous?
