Comment: Re:IBM Trackpoint (Score 1) 569
I do this too, even for medium CAD applications (electronic schematic and pcb work).
Comment: Re:Social Security Numbers As Identifiers (Score 5, Informative) 268
That notice was for the physical card itself, not the number:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/141/why-does-my-old-social-security-card-say-it-cant-be-used-as-id
+ - DragonFly BSD to develop own filesystem
Submitted
by
Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes "Matt Dillon has decided to develop a new filesystem from scratch to support DragonFly's clustering, rather than port an existing one. From his post: "There are currently two rough spots in the design. First, how to handle segment overflows in a multi-master environment. Such overflows can occur when the individual masters or slaves have different historical data retention policies. Second, where to store the regeneratable indexes.""
+ - Security Scanner Can See Through Clothes
Submitted
by
mikesd81
mikesd81 writes "The Associated Press has an article about Sky Harbor International Airport becoming the country's first to begin testing a controversial new federal screening system that takes X-rays of passenger's bodies in an effort to find concealed explosives and other weapons. From the article: "Critics have said the high-resolution images created by the "backscatter" technology are too invasive. But the Transportation Security Administration adjusted the equipment to make the image look something like a line drawing, while still detecting concealed weapons."
The machines is only supposed to be a backup for when passengers fail a metal detector scan. However, they do get an option of a pat-down or the x-ray machine. Passengers selected for screening by the device are asked to stand in front of the closet-size X-ray unit with the palms of their hands facing out. Then they must turn around for a second screening from behind. The procedure takes about a minute. Critics say the altered image is ineffective and the full image is invasion of privacy."
The machines is only supposed to be a backup for when passengers fail a metal detector scan. However, they do get an option of a pat-down or the x-ray machine. Passengers selected for screening by the device are asked to stand in front of the closet-size X-ray unit with the palms of their hands facing out. Then they must turn around for a second screening from behind. The procedure takes about a minute. Critics say the altered image is ineffective and the full image is invasion of privacy."
IRS May Ask eBay To Snitch On Sellers 418
Posted
by
kdawson
from the taxman-cometh dept.
from the taxman-cometh dept.
Makarand writes "The IRS thinks that many sellers on online auction sites are unaware of their obligation to declare their profits and pay their taxes to the IRS. Tax experts are now asking the IRS to require online auction sites like eBay, Yahoo, and Ubid to report the gross sales numbers for their sellers. Such a requirement will surely send a shock wave across the online trading world because it could drastically reduce the profits a seller would make on these sites. The IRS thinks it can collect an extra $2 billion in taxes from this requirement that auctioneers report sellers who complete 100 or transactions a year worth at least $5,000."
Comment: Re:Technically??? (Score 1) 335
Although they would be tested as a system, the rules for each piece would still be different.
For example, in my Wayne-Dalton system, the remote transmitter has its own FCC ID: KJ8HHT-3720. You can see from the block diagram on the FCC site that it only includes the transmitter, not the receiver.
It would be difficult to argue that the receiver isn't a digital device - anything with pulses over 9000 per second, and "using digital techniques" qualifies - how do you think it decodes the transmitter key codes? Just because it has a motor drive doesn't mean it's not a digital system.