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Comment Re:NO (Score 0) 248

The fact that an airport as busy as SFO doesn't have VASI/PAPI lights strikes me as fundamentally stupid. This is one of the busiest airports in the world. Yes, pilots should be able to land the sucker without lights, but SFO airspace is very busy and very dense. It's silly to think that not providing something as basic as approach lights will have no effect.

A quick google for reveals a cost that might be $50,000 which, for something as busy as SFO, probably compares to the toilet paper budget, or the cost of waxing the floors every week. I've flown (small plane pilot!) in the SFO airspace and ANYTHING you can do to reduce pilot work load is a good thing. Certainly, the cost of fixing the !@#$% lights pales compared to the cost of an emergency response.

Comment Re:I hope it happens. (Score 4, Interesting) 341

All this banter about the NSA = bad or Echelon = bad or the requirement of warrant is entirely missing the point. The truth is that this fundamental lack of privacy is guaranteed to happen. We live in an era when recording data is so cheap and so easy that it's happening accidentally, automatically, as a daily part of living life. Last time I had contact with the police, my phone recorded the entire thing from my pocket. Audio quality was quite good, too. With 32 GB of space on my phone, I could literally record my entire day, every day, and keep days worth of audio on hand in case something "interesting" happened. Oops! What happened to the privacy of those around me?

But, the problem isn't the computers recording your every move, it's the secrecy with which it's being done and the lack of accountability that secrecy gives rise to.

This was predicted years and years ago and the brilliant, understandable answer to avoid abuse is simple: transparency .

I don't think that cops should have the option of wearing cameras; I think that no arrest should ever be done without them, and simply lacking the arrest footage should be enough to dismiss the case. Any and all public places should be open to be recorded without further notice. And all recordings of public places or of public officers in the performance of their duties should also be public. (with an appropriate time delay)

Some areas are already experimenting with these ideas and the result is nearly 90% reduction in police misconduct complaints. The privacy of our actions is far less important than the abuse of the information collected.

Comment Re:Linus management technique works (Score 0, Flamebait) 1501

The fact it's working doesn't mean it can't be improved.

The fact that you would even state such abject stupidity means you don't understand the simple, salient point that has long ago been made. You would do well to avail yourself of the reams of tired, boring, and utterly meaningless conversations in the past where I eventually explained the simple point so that a moron like you can stop wasting all our time in the here and now.

If you want "maturity" as defined by some passive aggressive type of niceness that comes when you don't ever say what you are actually thinking, you are in the wrong place. We're here to get something done and you can take your sissy, pandering, liberal business-speak ethos and cram it into some corner that doesn't involve the rest of us who are trying to get something valuable done.

Comment Re:Losenix (Score 1) 1501

Ha ha! That's rich!

I mean, that's rich, and so's Linus, but you aren't. Rich, that is. Working from home in your bathrobe and getting rich doing it providing something of such valuable that it's used practically everywhere you turn is hardly the hallmark of a loser.

Now, if what he primarily produced was sarcastic Starcraft II commentary videos, that'd be a different story...

Comment Ironic? (Score 2) 88

An article that decries all the valuable, important stuff that could have been brought up, but then doesn't bother to bring them up and/or discuss them in any detail?

This article was a waste of my time. I wish Slashdot had a thumbs up/down on articles.

Comment Re:So... SECURE THE TECH! (Score 1) 277

Thus far, the suggestions that the NSA has made about crypto standards have been good advice.

In most cases, yes. We *think*. However, there are cases where we're pretty sure that's not the case. As with everything, your mileage may vary, and in crypto, just because you are paranoid doesn't mean that they aren't actually out to get you.

Comment I predict: Tablet market will dwindle (Score 1) 221

I have a 7" Android Tablet that I used to use heavily. I had a Moto Droid 2 smartphone that was nice, but the bigger screen of the tablet was enough of a draw that I'd use the tablet a fair amount for personal browsing.

That all changed when I got my new phone, a Moto Razr Maxx HD. The screen is bigger and sharper than the Droid 2, just enough that the relative usability of the tablet almost disappears, and the fact that my phone already has all "my" stuff on it from earlier today is more of a draw.

My 7" tablet has been charged and ready to go for months, but I haven't picked it up even once since.

There's a balance; I think the Galaxy Note is too big, but I think that the Razr Maxx could be just a few bits bigger. If the Galaxy S3/S4 had the battery life of the Razr, I'd probably bite. However, the battery life of the Razr Maxx is so ridiculously awesome, (especially when traveling) I'd never want to give that up!

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