Comment Re:Boatware (Score 1) 403
Does this still actually work in 2012?
Comment Re:A tiny bit of Logic (Score 1) 823
Technology as Religion is an issue I have only recently begun to recognize in myself, and have completed eliminate as a result. I used to pick "Favorites" in technology, for completely stupid reasons, sometimes no better then just being more familiar with one then another. Fanboys, fangirls, appleheads, windows geeks, whatever you want to call them - they're all groups with inherent bias.
My new motto is, "It's technology people. Use whatever the fuck gets the job done for you." I dismiss no hardware, software, or OS. If you want to wax poetic and argue over how the VAX 4000 is far superior to the VAX 6000 or some other pointless bullshit (ford/chevy style arguments) , go right ahead and argue with the VAX 6000 idiot who wants to also argue his side. What's not OK is being a complete dick to those using any kind of technology if it works for them.
Suggestions of solutions that might fit their needs better are OK, but you damn well better make sure you truly understand their needs and you need to know how to take "no" as an answer. As someone who works in IT and loves technology as a hobby, I used to waste untold hours getting wrapped up in this crap debating the most pointless of things online or in person. Having spent some time volunteering at a non-profit that turns 6 and 7 year old computers that a kid would label "Old crap" into perfectly usable systems for those without a computer has given me a reality check. When it comes down to your love of Linux, Windows, OS X, iOS vs Android, whatever - 99% of the rest of us just don't care. It's ok to be passionate about something you love, but don't be a dick to everyone else. We use what works to achieve the desired result.
Comment Annoying, but ... (Score 4, Informative) 441
DISM supports offline patching of
http://myitforum.com/myitforumwp/2012/01/31/offline-wim-patching-with-dism-a-more-automated-method/
If you're just installing Windows 7 from CD on a large install, you're doing it wrong. Deploy a patched WIM.
Comment Free with every purchase... (Score 4, Funny) 165
Monitoring and "remote support" by KGB included free with every purchase!
Comment Re:Where's the Beef? (Score 1) 168
Well said. If Ouya succeeds, it will also be a nail in the coffin of this business model. When you can do a gaming console for $99, or you've got stuff like Roku's for $79 with gaming baked in you no longer need a dedicated "gaming box"
Comment Aww man.. (Score 1) 69
You're telling me I need to stop using HotDog to manage my websites?!
Comment Re:Translation: (Score 3, Insightful) 52
If you bought this one thing, you can combine it with this other thing, and then buy some additional things, to make an inferior version of this real thing.
Comment MARCH Guys are good guys (Score 1) 80
I spoke with Evan at HOPE 9, and also attended the Vintage Computer Fest East in Wall, NJ recently. Evan, and the others, are all cool guys who are doing a great job keeping this history alive. The repros showed at HOPE were very cool, and even though I follow this stuff I did not a lot of the stuff they showed existed. If you're on the east coast and Evan or others from the club are around be sure to check it out.
Comment Are we doing this shit again? (Score 1) 194
Hey everyone, it's 2001 again. Just replace "ReplayTV" with "Dish Network"
http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/replaytv-vs-hollywood/
It also just clicked to me after reading this that maybe Google bought SageTV just to kill said feature in the PVR software. Undermines Google's money maker
Denials Aside, Feds Storing Body Scan Images 560
The new generation of body scanners employed at airports (and many other places) can record detailed, anatomically revealing pictures of each person scanned, which is one reason they've raised the hackles of privacy advocates as well as ordinary travelers. Now, AHuxley writes "The US Transportation Security Administration claimed last summer that 'scanned images cannot be stored or recorded.' It turns out that some police agencies are storing the controversial images. The US Marshals Service admitted that it had saved ~35,314 images recorded with a millimeter wave system at the security checkpoint of a single Florida courthouse.
The images were stored on a Brijot Gen2 machine. The Electronic Privacy Information Center, an advocacy group, has filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to grant an immediate injunction to stop the TSA's body scanning program."
Superman Comic Saves Family Home From Foreclosure
217
A couple's home was saved from foreclosure after they found a copy of Action Comics #1 in a box in the basement. From the article: "In a statement released through ComicConnect, the owner of the prized comic book said the family was still 'a little shell shocked' after the unexpected find. 'I was so nervous when I realized what it was worth,' the owner said. 'I know I am very fortunate but I will be greatly relieved when this book finds a new home.'"
Modded Nintendo Lets You Play Mario With Your Eyes 112
hasanabbas1987 writes "A group of engineers going by Waterloo Labs in Austin, Texas created a way of controlling an original NES by simply moving your eyes. By using electrodes placed around the eyes to track the movement of a players eyeballs, they were able to jury rig a Nintendo to accept eye movement as controller input." Quite the production on the video (attached below) too.
What the Google-ITA Deal Really Portends 77
Much of the discussion about Google's bid to buy ITA Software, including here, has been limited by the lack of understanding all around about how airline search and reservations actually work now, and what it is exactly that ITA Software does. Travel expert Edward Hasbrouck wrote a detailed 3-part piece on his blog explaining the back story, what ITA Software does, and what it means for travelers. "...because CRS/GDS [Computerized Reservation Systems or Global Distribution Systems] companies are generally invisible in their intermediary role (and currently all owned by groups of private equity investors, so they need not report publicly on their finances or operations), few analysts outside the travel tech industry know how to interpret the implications of Google's decision to invest $700 million in this sector. Frankly, I'm not at all sure Google itself understands what ITA Software does (and doesn't) do, and what they are getting for their money. ... What will this deal mean for travelers? The short answer is that it is likely to be a bad thing for travelers ... because it is likely to exacerbate the trend toward personalized and less transparent pricing of airline tickets (and other travel services) and the de facto disappearance of key consumer protection principles embodied in the definition of a common carrier and the requirement for a published tariff applicable equally to all would-be customers complying with the same rules."
Cyberwarrior Shortage Threatens US Security 394
An anonymous reader writes "US security officials say the country's cyberdefenses are not up to the challenge. In part, it's due to a severe shortage of computer security specialists and engineers with the skills and knowledge necessary to do battle against would-be adversaries. The protection of US computer systems essentially requires an army of cyberwarriors, but the recruitment of that force is suffering. 'We don't have sufficiently bright people moving into this field to support those national security objectives as we move forward in time,' says James Gosler, a veteran cybersecurity specialist who has worked at the CIA, the National Security Agency, and the Energy Department."
Passwords That Are Simple — and Safe(?) 563
TravisTR submitted a story that talks about simpler passwords. I don't think anyone disagrees that having elaborate rules with 20 char passwords requiring mixed cases and symbols and requiring them to change frequently is a pain, but I'm not sure that allowing unique but simpler passwords is a better idea.
