The GeForce 3 was a new processor core supporting DX8. The Geforce 4 line was marketed as an updated GF3 core supporting DX9, but Nvidia sold warmed over Geforce 2 cores supporting only DX7 labeled as Geforce 4 without making the switch clear - in fact burying any disclosure of what that meant in terms of performance and compatibility.

At launch at retail from what I remember, the posters and pamphlets touted the GF4 cores supporting DX9. The box for the GF4 MX cards didn't contain any information outside the shrink wrap to let a customer know it was really a GF2 with a higher clock. If you advertise 'Buy GF4 for Direct X 9 capability' then your GF4 parts need to deliver that or you're being deceptive. It's not acceptable to require consumers to learn processor architecture to know the marketing material aren't true, rather the marketing mustn't contain out right lies.

Yeah. It's soooo tough to, just for example, go grab the information at Apple servers directly after Apple announces end to end encryption. They already know where to get the information in the clear, and that's assuming they don't already have a secret court order compelling Apple to turn that information over. They don't -say- it's safe from oversight, just that it's encrypted in transit.

The public noise about encryption is more likely a ruse to get people to keep putting information in the cloud where it can be taken easily. After being caught at cointelpro, what actually happened was rearranging the deck chairs while not stopping the illegal spying for one moment. If you think you're getting something even tamper resistant from an Apple or Google you're the sucker born every minute PT Barnum talked about. Their encryption is to keep your cable/phone company from snooping and getting the same creepy stalking marketing information about you that they collect. It's there to block the competition, not the NSA.

For cloud safety, the data has to be encrypted with keys only you have on your side. You'll also have to use tools not provided by the cloud service, or compromising the tool is too easy an attack. Then only sync the encrypted blob onto the cloud. (and be very careful with that key)

Yes, they have F8 lenses. Ebay is full of them. Parent is referring to the manual focus fixed aperture mirror lenses. Those use a telescope design that renders out of focus areas in an unpleasant way, and out of focus highlights terribly.

In the real world, they're one trick ponies only useful if you can contrive a scene where everything is in focus to avoid the poor bokeh, you have time to manual focus and there is enough light to use F8 and still have a reasonable shutter speed. Those lenses exist on the market only because proper full frame 500mm lenses cost thousands of dollars. It's more useful to get (bright light only) budget 500-600mm by adding a small sensor superzoom camera to your collection. You'll get image stabilization, lighter weight and (slow) autofocus too.

Yep. Valerian root is a great sleeping pill too. (FYI: The capsules smell like they'll taste terrible, but are tasteless) I used that and benadryl in place of Ambien, which needs to be take off the market. Everyone I know who's used Ambien had memory problem side effects. (recall, memory fixing, amnesiatic episodes)

You forgot serving malware dropping ads they claim they're not responsible for, while shaming users as thieves for blocking those infection vectors. Flashblock + Adblock edge dropped our employee's infection rate to 1/3. When I can recover damages from website who infect my systems, I'll review the decision to ad block.

Countries like the US with asset forfeiture laws creating a special interest group and cottage industry around the legal fiction that your assets are a person and you have no legal standing if they're 'incarcerated'. My introduction was while I was renewing my sales tax license. I overheard a conversation next to me. The person had been pulled over and arrested on invented drug charges which were thrown out in court because they were baseless (it sounded like friends pooled money for a defense lawyer). In the meantime the State had seized and sold his car, and taken his life savings from his bank accounts. The clerk was explaining to him that 'It's our policy to retain those funds after trial'.

So the state got paid, and the lawyers got paid - and now we know why he was pulled over for 'waste of time' charges...

Apparently just taking everything is only a good idea if you're too small to make large political contributions.

The police were more likely to act as we expect them too, and the criminals were less likely to make false claims they knew would be futile. I'd be suspicious if there was any other result.

And the police union, for getting the ones so bad they were fired reinstated with back pay.

Then in court these professional liars are held up as the most credible of witnesses.

This animal farm 'some animals are more equal' 'police union approved' punishment that we've actually been doing needs to stop. Any normal person caught on camera illegally committing assault, battery, and theft while armed does not get a strongly written letter as a reprimand. Police officers are citizens a need to be treated no better or worse than anyone else.

If you feel that a video record of your actions will be so damning that you consider an armed attack on anyone you spot with a camera is the best option really gives us an idea how you act the rest of the time, doesn't it?

As I found out when I bought a sports car, when you're driving exactly the speed limit they can pull you over for a 12mph over the limit ticket. (and that's why I have a dashcam that overlays GPS data now!)

Using one weird trick? I'll never believe what happened next!

It'd be even better if the troll was a fake twitter 'follower' bot herder. Troll from a fake account with tens of thousands of followers and declare that you're a serious commentator because of your audience, then use other parts of the bot net to either agree, disagree or both to fan the flames.

Perfect. There's no way the soon to be ex will visit off shore banking and brokerage websites from your PC for 6 months while planning to divorce you, then claim you've hid money in court to get their half and yours. Nope, that'd never happen again.

They certainly wouldn't try to frame you for child porn to make the custody battle a slam dunk either. Everyone is always reasonable in a divorce. It's a bit like giving government bureaucrats unlimited spying powers. It's just never abused and always ends well. Just ask them.

I see you have hundreds of communications regarding Viagra in your email. That's inconsistent with personal use. Have you been illegally distributing prescription medication, or only conspiring to distribute it?