"When it comes to stopping a cataclysmic Earth vs." {anything}... We can't agree.

We're coming up on a perfect storm -
Used up more than half of all the oil in less than one generation.
With modern farming this planet can only support about 6.5 - 7 billion (where we are at now) and that's going to double.
Using all that oil has released all the primordial CO2 gases back in the atmosphere that took billions years to remove back in the atmosphere which will change the growing seasons and locations affecting both farming and likely negating the possibility of supporting a doubling of the population.
Pollution and over development has already destroyed fresh water resources for hundreds of millions - Spain is already shipping in fresh water from other countries. And half the population (current numbers) will not have access to fresh water in 50 years - but by that time the population will have almost doubled so those numbers are probably moot.

And this is only the "cold front" of the perfect storm that's coming - And they're worried about a friggin asteroid?! Frankly, IMHO, an asteroid is exactly what this planet needs right about now.

-[d]-

All new hires get the title: Imperial Grand Master or Stuff and pay them $200k a year and see if they care.

I'm a fairly talented guy and I'm not sure I could work for you or anyone else so into "titles" and "diplomas". I remember political fights in one job because a front-end Director had more power than a back-end Director: I.E. Director of XYZ as opposed to XYZ Director. I couldn't find a new job fast enough.

One V.P. I worked with 60+ years old boasted almost monthly of his "degree", I don't recall, maybe it was a M.A. One meeting I calmly stated that what he was learning in college 45 years ago I was learning in High School 10 years ago. Our meetings went much smoother after that.

It's just my opinion but if you can only retain your version of "top talent" by giving them "titles" you're in for a wold of hurt on release day.

-[d]-

And then there are those who won't even try. I have subjects I could contribute too. But a wise man might be described as someone who doesn't make the same mistake once.

I heard long ago complaints about elitism and the elitist top grand master guru cabal who control the website. New comers are scoffed, 'good 'ol boy' network prevails.

I suspect the editors who are still left are well suited for their post - elitist power hungry control freaks who validate themselves stepping on others. I want nothing to do with them. [Citation Needed] and [Marked For Deletion] have become memes I suspect from people who have been burned by the wikipedia process and the control freaks who consider themselves demigods.

I pass. The frustration I hear from others who have tried to contribute I won't accept in my life let alone seek it out. The expertise I have in a subject or two will never make it to wikipedia. I won't even bother to get started.

-[d]-

[Citation Needed]
A more robust citation is needed. Marked for Deletion.

It sounds clear they're not going to change business practices. There's always reporting them to the BSE or some other software piracy watchdog then going through a very painful (from what I hear) audit. You've already made known pirated software bothers you and if all of a sudden a watchdog group shows at your door with a warrant or whatever they use... You're screwed as far as continuing with this company. Likely you'll be fired for some unrelated subjective cause.

You can shut-up and look the other way or you can leave and report them. You cannot force them to change, you cannot report them and stay. Do your own math...

-[d]-

Moving to 9.04 I could hardly tell the difference. 9.04 to 9.10 - Different story. Immediately started to see a *lot* of crash reports being generated. A *lot* in Ubuntu terms is any number greater than zero.

However, I have to say. A tweak here and a tweak there and everything seems back to normal. A crash report took me to a blog where the solution had already been found: Turn on ECC Memory in the BIOS was one fix. Conky, a real time desktop updating display thing was crashing... unload and reinstall... A couple other tweaks and my server was back to normal. Another was I couldn't switch workspaces any more with my mouse wheel. The fix was I had to install a GUI control manager and change two values...

What makes this extraordinary, it seems to me, is this has never happened with Ubuntu before. An upgrade was nothing more than push a button. Post upgrade tweaks are fairly normal with other distros but it's never been with Ubunto.

In the Windows world what I went through is the equivalent to finding a few new drivers for a couple devices after going from Vista to whatever their new version is...

But from what I've seen so far this has been worth every tweak I had to make. All the changes I've seen so far are extraordinary. I am in awe. :)

As is everything else... JMHO
-[d]-

I see. A Master lock only I have the key too and a password only I know are so completely different one requires a warrant and the other does not.

Because, the owner of a ISP would need to go to his administrator and administrators don't need to know my password to see what's behind the door. A Public Storage owner would need to go to a locksmith and locksmiths don't need my key as they have every Master lock key by number to see what's behind the door.

That's why they are so completely different one requires a warrant and the other does not. Because one would need a computer administrator and the other a locksmith.

I would have never have seen this remarkable difference my by myself without you pointing it out. I probably missed it because you're an administrator who gives me the impression looks through peoples email accounts "because you can" thinking that makes it alright. I on the other hand I do not because, well, it's just wrong and immoral. Not only that you like to quote people like: The law is not meant to protect the idiots. Sir, I don't think you're being very well protected.

This conversation is over, my friend. Have a good one, it's been fun but you're tiring.

Ciao!
-[d]-

I see. So Google Email has a copy, a plaintext copy, and knows my account password? Hmmm, I didn't know that. I'm so glad that your clear thinking straightened that out for me. Thank you.

And that, "because it's easier to do it makes it different" thing really got me thinking too. Can't thank you enough.

So I rent space at a Public Storage facility that only I have the key to for $xx a month. In this 20'x20' storage facility, locker, room, whatever you want to call it are my personal belongings including boxes and boxes of personal financial statements, letters, etc. no different than if I had them at home in the attic had I the space.

Because I have my belongings stored with a "third party" they do not need a search warrant to search my off site storage facility? I thought they did. If they do, how is this different than me storing bits and bites in a storage facility owned by a third party? Because they're bits and bytes rather than phyiscal boxes of documents?

How is this different than my apartment? The storage facility labeled APT 2B in building six is owned by a third party. So the apartment where I live can be searched without a warrant? You know... My home is not paid for. Technically it's still owned by the bank, a third party...

As far as solving all this computer usage eavesdropping and abuse when (in the $@#%@#) are we as programmers going to make encryption ubiquitous. Nothing is on a drive, sent via whatever protocol in the TCP/IP stack, email, P2P that isn't encrypted. Upon OS installation, like the user password we ask for an user/OS passphrase or whatever it takes that nothing and I mean nothing is available in cleartext on the server, in the cloud or traveling over a wire? When? The ASCII standard is what should be made illegal. This is one problem we CAN solve.

JMHO
-[d]-

You're not being paranoid for recognizing patterns, remembering history and knowing the motivations of those around you. Frankly I'd tell the school my child doesn't need one and then sign the required waver I'll never sue if Johnny drops during track and field.

With that said, heart rate monitors are a great tool to teach a child about exercise. Lessons most likely remembered and used the rest of his/her life. Buy two and spend some time with your child.

Is it for profit? Yes. Some entrepreneur got a great idea and sold it to the districts. Can even be used to defend against wrongful death lawsuits. (motivation)
Will the data be personalized and retained? Yes. (history)
Will this data be used "against" your family? Not yet. That probably won't happen for 10+ years. (pattern)

-[d]-

Let the owner of the device have some control over it's operation. When I buy [rent] a book from my Amazon user account it would downloaded to the device(s) I bought and have registered to that account. The device by serial number, MAC or whatever is obviously tied to that account.

Have a 'device' tab on the account giving the user some control over the device. Like a login display message I can set. I could set it to "This Device is Stolen, Contact XYZ..." Maybe allow me to deactivate that device from further updates. I'm the owner, give me some control of my device from my Amazon user account I use to rent books for it.

The only thing they'd have to resolve is device transfer to another account. They could do the same thing registrars do with domains. Give me, the owner, a transfer confirmation number that must be entered into the receiving account for the transfer to occur. If the transfer confirmation number is entered then the new account now has control over the device.

If after I sell the device on ebay I refuse to release the transfer authorization that's a civil matter between parties. Amazon could waive responsibility until theirs a court order. I'd be more confident to buy the product because it is theft proof in that the device is useless if stolen. I'd still control the device. Seems simple to me and a great for marketing plus the owners would be responsible to device-to-account maintenance relieving the manufacture from the process.

-[d]-

I wonder why the reverse is never true.

I write an email saying that I'm going to go assassinate someone. Then while under observation they see me leave to go grocery shopping. They never seem to tie the two together that what I "really" meant in my email about killing someone is that what I really said is that I was going shopping. But then that would be unreasonable wouldn't it? Laughable. The reverse however, some people do find reasonable and that I find laughable. I'm just not afraid.

I'm one of those jurors who'd never convict based on circumstantial evidence. I'd even go as far and say I'm the juror you'd want on your jury if you were ever facing an accusation.

-[d]-

Do you not understand anything about our judicial system?

From your own link:

I'll trust our commanders that their doubt was reasonable. However, in our judicial system we cannot have doubt that's reasonable. The prosecutions evidence must be beyond that. Beyond reasonable doubt. You sir, I would not want on my jury. It's those who think like you who have put hundreds of innocent people on death row of whom we've saved precious few.

-[d]-

I don't know if you have reasonable doubt in the UK but if I were a juror I would need more proof than a prosecutors interpretation of the email.

EMAIL:

PROSECUTOR:

I have doubt that the prosecutor is just making this shit up and I believe my doubt to be reasonable.

Therefor, as far as I'm concerned this is evidence of nothing except a thank you for a good time at a party. If the prosecutor had "translation table" they obtained from another intercept then that's different but as it stands... They'd have to do better than "let me tell you what it really says"...

-[d]-

"So this is how liberty dies...with thunderous applause."