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Comment Re:Ask any McDonald about mcdonalds.com domain (Score 4, Informative) 381

oops.. small case of "spoke too soon"/"foot in mouth", i realize this is from before the "domain created" date, so it must be the site maintained by the previous owners of the domain name, name that had expired by the time the current owner registered it.

Anyway, it's a proof that "XboxOne" was already used by someone else in the context of computer games related stuff even since the year 2002 and IMHO should have not been awarded as a registered trademark to MS...

Comment Re:Ask any McDonald about mcdonalds.com domain (Score 5, Informative) 381

well, NOW it's parked after Microsoft brought the lawyers out of leashes and sicked them on the domain owner(s)...

looking on archive.org it seems it used to have an active site on it, for example this snapshot:

http://web.archive.org/web/20110207201840/http://xboxone.com/

OR this one, from the YEAR 2003

http://web.archive.org/web/20031225193949/http://xboxone.com/

Comment Re:This is a surprise? (Score 1) 185

The only problem with Avast is that you have to re-register every year. Minor, I know, but a pain nonetheless.

the bonus with avast's system is that it doesn't actually make you PROVE that the email address is YOURS (code/link sent via email), it only asks for an email address and that's where it stops, so i've taken the habit of using @avast.com email addresses.

The first thing i used was postmaster@avast ( :D ) but when it started to complain that it's already used i switched to _current timestamp-YYYYMMDDHHMM_@avast, works like a charm

Comment Re:Google Groups? (Score 1) 259

+1 for Google Groups, it removes A LOT of the hassle of managing forum for a site, especially for spam management (spam prevention logic is global across all the forums they host, if someone is detected spamming in one forum it can be nuked from everywhere at once).
I use it quite successfully for a few sites.

Google even allows EMBEDDING the page via an iframe, with an url that will not load the usual Google Groups page header:

use this in iframe src:

hxxps://groups.google.com/forum/embed/?place=___INSERT_FORUM_PATH_HERE___?showsearch=true&showpopout=true&hl=___INSERT_THE_UI_LANGUAGE_CODE_HERE__&parenturl=___INSERT_HERE_THE_URL_OF_THE_PARENT_LOADING_PAGE

(replace hxxps with https)
https://support.google.com/groups/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1191206

Comment Re:if they used a hash...? (Score 1) 497

this has also been happening to Technet & MSDN logins for a while now

trying to access https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/securedownloads/default.aspx (or the equivalent technet downloads page) you get redirected to a login page that starts with https://login.live.com/login.srf and that form only alows 16 chars

i went bonkers when it started to happen, a few months ago, but then i got used to it... this is the regular crap that's pulled by MS these days. :(

Comment use kubuntu instead (Score 3, Interesting) 306

well, i figured it would be some problem with the graphics drivers and that's why i switched to using the kubuntu 12.04 LTS dvd instead of the normal ubuntu/unity one, i've been having weird issues with unity lately (invisble mouse cursor and ignored keyboard input on a fujitsu siemens Amilo La1703 notebook - but KDE works perfectly)

http://www.kubuntu.org/getkubuntu/download
( for those that fell recently into the linux soup and don't know what this is, this is practically the same thing as ubuntu 12.04 LTS but with the KDE interface as default instead of unity. )

Comment Re:usteam isn't responding. (Score 4, Informative) 393

Perhaps the WorldCon could claim breach-of-contract and sue to have their money refunded. That might be a possible avenue they could win.

Even if they win, the refund in this case would be ZERO because that's exactly how much WorldCon paid to ustream for streaming the event. There was no special contract with ustream, WorldCon CHOSE TO USE a free anonymous streaming account and that comes automatically with copyright-enforcement protection, this was explained by ustream on their blog:


http://www.ustream.tv/blog/2012/09/03/hugo-awards-an-apology-and-explanation/

As background, our system works like this in order to support a large volume of broadcasters using our free platform. Users of our paid, ad-free Pro Broadcasting service are automatically white listed to avoid situations like this and receive hands-on client support.

translation: since WorldCon was not white-listed that means they decided to stream the live event without signing and paying for a dedicated contract with the broadcaster and as a result were applied the regular copyright filter that regular anonymous broadcasters were subjected to.

Comment Re:Zero weight! (Score 2) 290

almost zero weight in orbit...maybe at present, but it has a hell of a lot of MASS AND INERTIA.

scotch tape can't keep it fixed in the same place when the station fires its orbital adjustment thrusters and it will move and trash around like a wild bantha when the station is doing orbit adjustments.

Comment Re:Sounds like win-win to me! (Score 1) 666

hmm.. it seems i got the equivalency wrong... it's the other way around:

maximum pressure for the .308 Win cartridge is 62,000 psi, while the 7.62x51max is 50,000 psi.
  it is normally fine to shoot quality 7.62x51 NATO ammo in a gun chambered for the .308 Winchester
You CAN encounter problems going the other way, however. A commercial .308 Win round can exceed the max rated pressure for the 7.62x51. So, you should avoid putting full-power .308 Win rounds into military surplus rifles that have been designed for 50,000 psi max.
source:
http://www.6mmbr.com/308win.html

Comment Re:Sounds like win-win to me! (Score 0) 666

I didn't read if there was ammo to go with the rifle. No ammo the rifle is not much better then a baseball bat or golf club. Both of which are legal to have in DC and make a better club then the rifle does.

Ammo is relatively easy to get, the rifle had no ammo in the box because the rifle uses standard 7.62 X 51 mm NATO rounds. You can load it with commercial .308 Winchester rounds if NATO-standard rounds are not available.
http://www.sigsauer.com/CatalogProductDetails/sig716-patrol-rifle.aspx

WARNING: NEVER USE THEM THE OTHER WAY AROUND! Never use NATO rounds in rifles made only for regular Winchester ammo. A 7.62 X 51 mm NATO round is slighlty thicker, packs more explosive powder than a .308 civilian round and might jam and shatter the chamber of a regular weapon, leading to serious injuries for the user.

see: http://www.303british.com/id36.html
(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.308_Winchester )

Comment Re:Easy.... (Score 5, Informative) 288

in this case it's simple to prove the "knowingly materially misrepresent". The contract that those authors SIGNED with Amazon explicitly says in very BOLD LETTERS:
https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/help?topicId=APILE934L348N

5.2 Marketing and Promotion; Kindle Book Lending Program.
[...]
5.2.2 Kindle Book Lending Program. The Kindle Book Lending program enables customers who purchase a Digital Book to lend it subject to limitations we establish from time to time. All Digital Books made available through the Program are automatically included in the Kindle Book Lending program. However, for Digital Books that are in the 35% Royalty Option (as described in the Pricing Page), you may choose to opt out of the Kindle Book Lending program. This will disable lending of the Digital Book by customers who purchase it after you have opted it out, but this will not affect the right of customers who purchased it when lending was enabled to continue to lend it. You may not choose to opt out a Digital Book if it is included in the lending program of another sales or distribution channel. If we become aware that a Digital Book you have opted out is included in the lending program of another sales or distribution channel, we may enable it for lending. Digital Books that are in the 70% Royalty Option (as described in the Pricing Page) cannot be opted out of the lending feature.
[.... and a bit below...]
KDP Select Option Terms and Conditions.
[...]
2.2 Inclusion in Kindle Owners’ Lending Library Program. Digital Books included in KDP Select will be automatically included in the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library Program described in more detail here. ( https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/help?topicId=200798990#KOLL )

Q.E.D.

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