If only a domain could publish information about the CA authorized to sign its certificates... perhaps with a record via DNS called "info", and secured with something called DNSSEC so you can be relatively sure it's correct.

Naw. Stuff like that couldn't happen, could it?

I'm a *nix neckbeard, I respect my skills, and I use nano daily. It's a simple, fast, straightforward editor with controls similar to Word Star. Ctl-K to delete line, etc. As I've been busy building my neckbeard for 15 years or so now, and originally learned word processing with WordStar, it's a simple, natural fit.

I code in NetBeans with an IDE but for sysadmin work on any of the 50 or so servers I admin? Nano + mercurial all the way.

First, don't think that I'm supporting spying on the general population. However, I don't feel it is the information that is bad, but what governments will do with it. For example, I don't see Google doing anything bad with the data they have on me. Yes, it's an invasion on my privacy, but frankly, I don't really care. What can they do? However, I can see governments abusing the data, especially given the recent IRS scandal where the government used information to punish groups opposing the president.

As for the "chilling" aspect of it, it's only a problem if 1) You know about it, and 2) You let it.

I can't say that a secret invasion of privacy limits my freedom in any way. How could it? I had no idea. That's not to say that it won't be used to limit my freedoms later. Everyone at one point or another is against the powers in Washington. Today, it's conservatives. In a few years, it will be liberals. Libertarians scare the bejeezus out of both parties.

You are confusing privacy with liberty. While I view I have a right to a certain level of privacy, it has no effect on my liberty.

For example, if I were to strap a camera to my head and stream my life 24/7 onto the web, am I any less free than I was before? No, even though I had given up 100% of my privacy. My liberty would only be limited if I limited it myself. For example, if i decided not to view porn because the camera on my head would broadcast it and the whole world would know that I'm into midget-barbarian porn.

Liberty is diminished, however, when that lack of privacy is used against you. For example, if the state puts a GPS on your car and sends you a fine every time you exceeded the speed limit, your liberty would obviously be diminished. Or if the state put a camera in your bedroom and arrested you for masturbating in an unapproved manner.

Privacy is nothing more than the securing of information. Information has nothing to do with liberty. However, it could be used to restrict freedom.

Has RTFA become so absent that we just don't bother with TFA anymore?

It's a company, not a military. Of *course* they're compromised! Or at least, compromisable! I mean, every single employee comes to work because they are getting paid. So the NSA leaves a suitcase full of cash at an employee's house, and is asked to leak data, and is offered full legal immunity for doing so.

You wouldn't take an extra $20,000 risk free? If not, you don't know somebody at work who would? Many people would do this for much less.

You are right about the "natural monopoly" being a thing not necessarily dependent on regulation.

But, in many/most areas, regulations *also* stifle competition.

PS: My son is an engineering student and has the previous generation, M4500. He says it runs AutoCad "like water" and blows away the workstations provided by the University.

It's not as light but still quite powerful.

And I forgot to mention that the M3800 has support for 2 HDDs as long as one of them is mSata.

I have a Dell Precision M3800. You can buy it from Dell with Ubuntu pre-installed. I didn't know this, I bought with Win 8 and installed Fedora 21, and was surprised when *everything* "just worked" - literally no futzing at all after a yum update and dickering with the sound volume.

Advantages:
1) 4K support right out of the gate.
2) Screen is amazing
3) Fast as f**k
4) Built as an engineering/physics "mobile workstation", and it shows.
5) Very thin, very light!
6) Native Linux support.

Cons:
1) It's a bit spendy. $1200 in the basic config, I think. Mine with 3 years of next-day support and a case came to about $1550.
2) Ethernet is provided via USB3 dongle. It's a full Gb so performance won't suffer but it can be awkward if you really *need* ethernet on the road. I have ethernet at work and wifi everywhere else so it's a non-issue for me.

Don't accept things on face value.

My understanding is that at least one of the victims has come out and said it was not rape, and that the facts that were presented were inaccurate. She has made claims that she was coerced into her statements.

Last I saw, Wikileaks was still alive and well.

I really doubt this is going to blow over.

Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. This is what they charge you with if you used a computer.

Then Espionage and Conspiracy. The CFAA only goes up to 10 years, I assume someone would want to make an example out of him.

Finally.

It's not like this is unprecedented. I don't know what's so special about Assange that they could not have done this a long time ago.

My guess on what's about to happen:

- Sweden interviews him and drops the charges.

- Assange steps out of the embassy and is immediately arrested.

- Assange is charged in the US and extradited within a few days.

PS: You DO have backups.... right?

As SSD cells wear, the problem is that they hold charge for less time. Starting new, the time that the charge will be held would be years, but as the SSD wears, the endurance of the held charge declines.

Consequently, continuous write tests will continue to report "all good" with a drive that is useless in practice, because while the continuous write will re-write a particular cell once every few hours, it might only hold a charge for a few days - meaning if you turned it off for even a day or so, you'd suffer serious data loss.

SSDs are amazing but you definitely can't carry conventional wisdom from HDDs over.