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Comment Didn't they learn the lesson of the PC? (Score 4, Insightful) 78

This whole IoT concept is treating security as a joke. In the first of wave computing, the mini-computers (particularly Windows) treated security as an after-thought. That created the virus-laden era of the 1990s and early 2000s. The second wave, the "new" smart phone, learned the lessons, and use sandboxes, walled garden, permissions, encryption, tokenization, etc. pervasively. It's not fool-proof but at least the door is locked. Now we are approaching the third wave, the Internet of Things, and manufacturers think these devices are so personal that no security is needed. What do they say about people who don't learn any history?

Comment Re:Number of interviews... (Score 1) 454

I would distribute the pile into 10 stacks: page 1 - 100, 101 - 200, etc. Then grab each stack and divide it into 10-page stacks. Sort each mini-stack, then repeat. Recursive design, divide and conquer, blah blah blah...

My hand is a very slow CPU, and the table's surface, which is like memory, is severely limited. I have to make do with what I've got. Bonus: if there are other people to help me, they can each take a big stack and work independently of me. Parallel processing!

Comment Do I smell a lawsuit? (Score 1) 742

This is lawyer gold! Any employment lawyer should call Conal right now and ask for a meeting. If things are as he said, I can see breach of privacy and unlawful dismissal to start. Of course this is only half the story, there's no way to know for sure until Conal release his letter of dismissal and ask Comcast for the call records.

Comment Welcome to Walmart of Things... (Score 5, Funny) 175

You can now own a fridge for only $40 / months (on a 2-year plan with select providers)
Your stove has no more credit left. Do you want to purchase a $2.99 "Heat Pack" to continue cooking?
Get a free car! Want to drive? $19.99 in-app purchase for 100 miles. Want to unlock door? $0.99 for a 10-pack. Or $9.99 for a mega-pack with AC.

Comment Smart pass (Score 1) 471

If it contains electronic copies of my various cards, I would buy one in the bat of an eye. Replace my monthly transit pass, office entry card, credit card (already happen with the Apple Watch), various loyalty cards, etc. Also: add a bar code scanner to it so I can check out the price of anything at Walmart / Home Depot, etc

Comment Jail time await the litigator (Score 1) 78

He is suing from Shenzen, mainland China. It would have been different if he sues from Hong Kong, which has a more independent judicial system. My guess is that he will be counter-sued by the state for obstructing the government, disturbing the peace and spreading anti-government messages. The lawsuit has no change of success, meanwhile, the litigator has a pretty big chance of having some phony charges pressed against him, and may end up in jail.

Comment Get our act together (Score 1) 95

The appropriate way to get our act together is for the President to set a goal, give money and step the fuck away from NASA. We went to the moon with slide rules. In the era where a smartphone has more computing power than an entire Lunar Module, times 10, we are paying the Russians to send us to Low Earth Orbit. I'm not a proponent of human mission to Mars. The trip means little other than felling-good-about-my-country and flag planting. Send a robot there and we don't have to worry about a return trip, always harder than departure.

Comment Sometimes, no computer is needed (Score 1) 201

These people don't need computer, they need food. The project founders seem to assume a lot: that there's electricity in the slums, that they can pay for it, that the computers won't be taken apart for the little scrape metal they hold, that the slums won't turn into a new dump for e-waste, that people are literate enough to use a computer or do anything useful with one (reading local news, for e.g.), etc.

$7 is almost 4 days of work for those poor people. I would rather see charities spend it on food than computers and training.

Comment Re:Other options? (Score 1) 247

The difference with Apollo 13 is the worst case cost did not involve the loss of a second screw. They worked the heck out of the engineers on Earth to try bringing back that Moon capsule. No one had to claim on a second spaceship and hook a tow line to get it back. For Atlantis, you are risking a second vessel to save the first, with no guarantee that either will return successfully. The stake is much higher.

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