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Comment Re:Just guessing? (Score 1) 36

I have accounts where the password is something useless like that. Those are on sites where the host forced me to create an account to get a coupon or something similarly idiotic to drive up their subscription rates

When you come across these sites you should post your log-in info to http://www.bugmenot.com/
It's helped me get into sites that I didn't wish to log into and I pay back by posting log-in's myself.
It's become well known and many sites have requested theirs not be listed; but in the long run it works very well.

Submission + - Chrysler recalling over 280k vehicles because airbags may deploy on wrong side (autoblog.com) 1

turbosaab writes: Due to what may turn out to be an elementary software programming error, Chrysler is being forced to recall over 280,000 recently built minivans and cargo vans. A software error may result in the opposite side airbags deploying from the collision point (a left side impact would deploy the right side airbags and vice versa). In the event of a crash, the wrong side airbag deploying could leave a vehicle occupant unprotected at the point of impact and at higher risk of injury.

Comment Re:Great (Score 1) 300

When you turn on your PS3, it will take you straight to a page of ads. Now, granted, you can navigate away from that immediately, but still: every time you start the PS3, you'll get bombarded with a screen full of ads. In fact, you're actually shown more ads immediately after turning on the PS3 than you are after starting the current 360.

I've never gotten AD's from the PS3 except those scrolling in the upper right which are of new games or events.

Playing Ratchet and Clank (only PS3 game in years) I had nothing blocked, I'd always start at the game selection where I'd start playing,
the scrolling I noticed just welcomed me to PSN. During the game nothing and nothing as near obnoxious as your
mentioning. I figure you might of sign-up for much more stuff than I.

Now I use my PS3 for NetFlix; turning it on I enter my account start at games left one, hit NetFlix - I'm welcomed to PSN then
text ads start scrolling in the upper right about new games - that the extent of my ads

----

But seeing as I use the PS3 for NetFlix exclusively I've put Playstation.net on my routers "blocked sites"
so I don't log in anymore, top right complains about DLNA error, but Netflix works better.

With nothing blocked I always have to select captions and sound options. With Playstation.net blocked, I'm asked to log in, it
fails, I'm shown a list to goto for possible reasons of the failure, I skip that and NetFlix starts and my captions are
always on, much nicer with Playstation.net blocked.

As a side note: I would never buy an Xbox now it's pretty much in stone. I don't like the controllers they are too large for me, PS controllers are
what I like as they fit my hands better.

Comment Kinda what I do (Score 1) 177

I use this free service http://www.fakenamegenerator.com/ to generated an identity. I keep hitting
generate till I get a zip code that's close and use that info for whatever site.

An email address to that identity is also available (for a price) but I use www.spamgourmet.com for that.

Cookies are taken care of with a .bat file.

And of course a HOSTS file, I use APK to gather all the HOSTS files, combine them then make a HOSTS file from it's output
http://start64.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5851:apk-hosts-file-engine-64bit-version&catid=26:64bit-security-software&Itemid=74
makes for one nice HOSTS file.

Submission + - Can the Slashdot effect save Ed Snowden? 1

NewtonsLaw writes: I read that Iceland has refused asylum and citizenship to whistleblower Ed Snowden.

In response to this, I wrote a very polite, email to the office of the Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson (details on this webpage) expressing my disappointment at the decision and my sympathy for a once-proud nation that seems to have lost its nerve when faced with the might of the USA.

If anyone else wants to do the same then perhaps it's not too late to alert the Icelandic government to the fact that they could win millions of new friends from all over the world if they were to show their courage and bravery by helping Snowden, as they have with others in the past.

Of course any such communication needs to be polite, concise and focused on showing Iceland that the internet community supports Ed Snowden and those who are prepared to help him.

Maybe the Slashdot community can help. Why not spend a few quick minutes firing off an email so we can find out for sure.

Comment Re:Sure, join us (Score 2) 123

Well there was the Denver Airport,

"which was an unmitigated failure. An airport opening originally scheduled for October 31, 1993, with a single system
for all three concourses turned into a February 28, 1995, opening with separate systems for each concourse, with varying degrees of automation.

The automated baggage system never worked as designed, and in August 2005 it became public knowledge that
United would abandon the system, a decision that would save them $1 million per month in maintenance costs,"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_International_Airport#Automated_baggage_system

Comment Re:Time will tell (Score 1) 71

we both felt a bit odd as there wasn't a need to. It's a statue and a statue is free game

Federal claims court disagrees, it's in the freedom of panorama link you replied to. I'm not sure why you would think otherwise when it has just been pointed out to you.

Was rushed the first reply and a "canned response". This time I did take the time to read the links provided:
"For artworks, even if permanently installed in public places, the U.S. copyright law has no similar exception,
and any publication of an image of a copyrighted artwork thus is subject to the approval of the copyright holder of the artwork."

I'll get the darn photo(s) approved. I'm certain the wish of the reconstructors as well as "The Friends of the Library" was for this to be in the
public domain and why the plaque was added to the photo.

I'm sure wikipedia wished to use the photo as it was removed, replace with a pile of bones, which were replaced again
by the photo until it's deletion date. Now the wikipedia entry is drab looking, it's been cut rather heavily -a good 3/4's of it gone from when I was monitoring it,

I was going to submit this photo as a snub for the photo's rejection http://i42.tinypic.com/34xf6lj.jpg (Photo: Nature trail informative sign of the Kennewick Man); as well as upload it to Google Earth http://www.panoramio.com/ as I do many photo's I take. even it's copyright is in question at this point.

Comment Re:Time will tell (Score 1) 71

This is a copyright issue. It's stupid, no doubt about that, but the outdated copyright laws are to blame in this case, not Wikipedia.

Commons:Copyright rules by subject matter: "If the original artwork remains in copyright a license from the artist is nearly always needed. Mere physical ownership of an original artwork such as a sculpture does not confer ownership of the copyright: that remains with the artist.
In some countries a 3D artwork that is permanently located in a public place can be photographed and the image uploaded without the artist's permission: See Commons:Freedom of panorama."

Commons:Freedom of panorama#United States: "Artworks and sculptures: not OK."

I left out a bit didn't think it would become an issue, I called the head of the library and got permission to use it, but we both felt a bit odd as there wasn't a
need to. It's a statue and a statue is free game - but I got all of the permissions.

Comment Time will tell (Score 0) 71

See this picture http://i44.tinypic.com/j7ffoz.jpg (picutre: bust of the Kennewick Man located at the entrance of the Kennewick Library).
belongs here wouldn't you think http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennewick_Man not so says wikipedia.
Jumped the barrels and did the hoops, still a copyright issue that shouldn't be.

For me the wikipedia is just to hard to use - I know there are programs to help but I don't wish to make it a profession, just add an entry or two. I'd hope
VisualEditor would make it easier to edit the wikipedia without becoming part of my browser in the process.

Comment Re:This is years old (Score 4, Informative) 60

Here's the subject from 2011, however i believe the visualizations is the news this time around. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/03/26/179257/german-politician-demonstrates-extent-of-cellphone-location-tracking

Reply to that article:

This would never happen in the USA (Score:4, Insightful)
  Saturday March 26, 2011 @03:54PM

No phone company could ever be forced to divulge those sort of records simply because a customer demanded it.

We have very strong privacy protections in this country - for the telcos

As Max Smart ("Get Smart" TV series) would say "Missed it by that much".

Comment Re:Normal-looking offspring were obtained from all (Score 1) 111

"Normal-looking offspring were obtained from all four strains tested."
Link from article http://www.biolreprod.org/content/early/2013/06/25/biolreprod.113.110098.abstract)

One scary a$$ line, indicates a 100% success rate.

You should re-read the abstract to see what it is really saying.

The end result is that they were able to get normal-looking offspring from all four strains tested. However, there was an excessive number of failures in the process in order to get that process. The important line over-looked indicating what it took to get those end results: "cloned offspring were born at a 2.8% birth rate". If you check table 1 of the full article it shows there were a total of 651 embryos cultured in order to get their end results.

This is very far from a 100% success rate.

We have a different view of what constitutes 100%. Yes they started with randomly selected leukocyte nuclei but through the sorting and discarding
those known to give poor results, they ended with four strains which normal-looking offspring were obtained from all four strains tested.

I didn't count the ones discarded, as it's part of the cleansing process.

Comment Re:Touché (Score 1) 4

  a country like Ecuador that censors its own media in not so subtle ways. Any country without free press can't call itself a democracy. ....
It's entirely possible that the Isaias brothers are innocent, convicted on fake charges, but that doesn't mean I believe it either way. ...
Understand why I'm saying we must be skeptical ?

Yes I do, and it's my bad (but great example of a media controlled person) bit of forethought could of led me to your point. This
was one of the few times I've posted without researching the subject. I was going to Google the Isaias brothers and find out a bit
about them but didn't, what you conclude could very well be the truth.

Isaias brothers story:

"The brothers argue the audit report is faulty and instead point to an Ecuadorean government auditor's report saying the bank was handed over in good condition in 1998. The government audit places the blame squarely on Ecuador, saying it mismanaged Filanbanco by merging it with a failing bank and using its funds to support other financial institutions."

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202498531130&Miami_Judge_Wont_Step_In_to_Protect_Fugitive_Bankers_From_Ecuador&slreturn=20130601012636

Yes It's hard to say.

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