Davak - Slashdot User

Comment: Couldn't be happier. (Score 1) 1002

by Sheetrock on Wednesday January 18, @04:39PM (#38741490) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: What Can You Do About SOPA and PIPA?

As much as some quarters would dismiss today as slacktivism or a cheap stunt, the Internet has needed for a long time now to take the political process seriously.

There is this sort of mythology that has been embraced regarding the idea that technology can route around misapplication of the legal process; that some combination of steganography, encryption and dark fiber will always allow us to enjoy the freedom we've taken for granted on the Internet. But we're on borrowed time. The abuses of copyright law as it currently stands are myriad, whether it's publicly funded research locked down in private journals, or fair use aggregation and citation of news coming under legal attack, or DMCA takedown notices being inappropriately filed, without repercussion, by "content owners" who don't actually have a right to the content they're taking down.

Hide inside TOR if you want to, but the fact of the matter is some truly awful precedent is being set and horrible legislation crafted because only one side reliably shows up to this fight. Take solace in the idea that someone will make you a "free Internet", at least until encryption is illegal over cable and airwaves. Enjoy your privacy until it becomes mandatory to provide ID to browse the web -- commercial interests already examine everything you do and put it in your permanent file. At the end of the day, do not expect technology to provide an answer when the law sets the specifications for the Internet.

I couldn't be happier that the Internet is finally creating a notification and response system for awful legislation. Now it's time to let your representatives know they'll lose your support if they draft, sponsor and pass anti-Internet bills. If they ignore you, vote Rastafarian. Also, consider buying your movies and music used, selling back to the used market, and encouraging your friends to do the same. It's high time to send a fuck you back, because right now everybody thinks we're a joke.

Stephenson Mentions Slashdot in Reamde-> 1

Submitted by

CmdrTaco

on Tuesday September 27 2011, @12:29PM

CmdrTaco writes "It's total navalgazing and I wouldn't post it if I was still working here, but I thought my heirs would be pleased to know that Slashdot got a mention in Neal Stephenson's Reamde. Be proud and keep up the fight. It's page 161 if you have the hardcover."
Link to Original Source

Comment: There's much of press about the "credit card" size (Score 0) 194

by Sheetrock on Wednesday September 07 2011, @02:44PM (#37330762) Attached to: Ask Director Eben Upton About the Raspberry Pi Foundation

...of these computers. I was wondering, does this provide an opportunity to also educate students about personal finance and responsible borrowing, perhaps with an ebook that comes preloaded on the computer?

Comment: I do a great deal of computing work (Score 0) 194

by Sheetrock on Wednesday September 07 2011, @02:38PM (#37330674) Attached to: Ask Director Eben Upton About the Raspberry Pi Foundation

And I think it's wonderful that somebody has come up with a low-cost, low-profile system new programmers can cut their teeth on. But given my background, I also know it's a bad idea to mix sugary fruit with silicon.

That said, are you concerned that the name of the project will lead to gastronomic problems with its users, or are you encouraged by the relatively trouble-free history of Apple Computers in this regard?

Comment: Raspberry Pi is an exciting project. (Score 0) 194

by Sheetrock on Wednesday September 07 2011, @02:30PM (#37330532) Attached to: Ask Director Eben Upton About the Raspberry Pi Foundation

After it gets off the ground, have you given thought to incorporating other common peripherals into the design such as Blu-Ray, surround sound or Windows 7?

Comment: I humbly disagree. (Score 2) 349

by Sheetrock on Friday September 02 2011, @06:30AM (#37284114) Attached to: Details About Raspberry Pi Foundation's $25 PC

You raise a good point that a all-in-one solution, such as a laptop, would be ideal. But what's so interesting about the $25 PC is that it's not all-in-one, and encourages thinking outside the box. After spending a month or two toying around with Linux, students could be encouraged to explore cutting-edge technology by pushing all their Raspberry Pi computers together and building beowulf clusters, render farms, or protein folding simulators at very low cost. Or perhaps even create a next-generation videogame console with this PC at the heart!

Rob "CmdrTaco" Malda Resigns From Slashdot 1521

Posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday August 25 2011, @09:00AM
from the steve-got-front-cutsies dept.

After 14 years and over 15,000 stories posted, it's finally time for me to say Good-Bye to Slashdot. I created this place with my best friends in a run down house while still in college. Since then it has grown to be read by more than a million people, and has served Billions and Billions of Pages (yes, in my head I hear the voice). During my tenure I have done my best to keep Slashdot firmly grounded in its origins, but now it's time for someone else to come aboard and find the *future*. Personally I don't have any plans, but if you need to get ahold of me for any reason, you can find me as @cmdrtaco on twitter or Rob Malda on Google+. You could also update my mail address to be malda at cmdrtaco dot net. Hit the link below if you want to read some nostalgic saccharine crap that I need to get out of my system before I sign off for the last time.

NASA Discovers 7th Closest Star 137

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday August 24 2011, @12:48PM
from the practically-in-my-back-yard dept.

Thorfinn.au says "Scientists using data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) have discovered the coldest class of star-like bodies, with temperatures as cool as the human body. Astronomers hunted these dark orbs, termed Y dwarfs, for more than a decade without success. When viewed with a visible-light telescope, they are nearly impossible to see. WISE's infrared vision allowed the telescope to finally spot the faint glow of six Y dwarfs relatively close to our sun, within a distance of about 40 light-years. 'WISE scanned the entire sky for these and other objects, and was able to spot their feeble light with its highly sensitive infrared vision,' said Jon Morse, Astrophysics Division director at NASA Headquarters in Washington. 'They are 5,000 times brighter at the longer infrared wavelengths WISE observed from space than those observable from the ground.'"

Sports Bars Changing Channels For Video Gamers 351

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday August 24 2011, @12:00PM
from the we-watch-channel-zero dept.

dtmos wrote in to say that "This summer, StarCraft II has become the newest bar room spectator sport. Fans organize so-called Barcraft events, taking over pubs and bistros from Honolulu to Florida and switching big-screen TV sets to Internet broadcasts of professional game matches. As they root for their on-screen superstars, StarCraft enthusiasts can sow confusion among regular patrons... But for sports-bar owners, StarCraft viewers represent a key new source of revenue from a demographic—self-described geeks—they hadn't attracted before."

Researchers Report Spike In Boot Time Malware 132

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday August 24 2011, @11:18AM
from the can't-fight-the-fever dept.

wiredmikey writes "In their most recent intelligence report, Symantec researchers pointed out a massive increase in the amount of boot time malware striking users, noting there have already been as many new boot time malware threats detected in the first seven months of 2011 as there were in the previous three years. Also known as MBR (master boot record) threats, the malware infect an area of the hard disk that makes them one of the first things to be read and executed when a computer is turned on. This enables the threats to effectively dodge many security defenses."