Forgot your password?
typodupeerror

Comment Re:No default judgment, but probably not over (Score 1) 197

I find it interesting that points 12 and 13 are, from at least a technical standpoint, entirely inaccurate.

From point 12: Two computers cannot effectively function if they are connected to the Internet with the same IP address at the same time

As everyone here is likely aware, NAT accomplishes this on a daily basis and is the sole reason we have not exhausted the available range of IP addresses in the current 32-bit address space. Perhaps a more valid statement would be: two computers, both assigned routable IP addresses and both directly-connected to the Internet, would not effectively function.

In practice, assuming each computer was directly connected to the Internet via a different upstream provider, or if the same provider, to routers that were members of different broadcast domains, one of those computers would not function past its upstream router (assuming the router was properly configured). The other should continue to function as usual (which I suppose still makes their case, it just does so in a factual way).

From point 13: The Defendant was identified as the individual responsible for that IP address at that date and time.

Unless you can tie the defendant to a specific MAC address (which even these days isn't really proof since there are utilities available to change those) you have not identified an individual; you have identified an access point. It's no different than say, parking your car in the parking lot of a restaurant you own, that happens to be beside a bank; then one day having some robbers park in your parking lot while they rob the bank. Since it was your parking lot they parked in while they robbed the bank, and your car also parks in that parking lot, by that logic you are now involved since both your car and their car came out of the same lot (keeping in mind that all this time the lot was under your control).

What if you have one of those toll-gates to your parking lot that prevents people from just driving in & out? Now that the robbers have to pass by your security, does that mean you've now aided and abetted the robbers if you let them into your lot, even though you had no idea they were going to rob the bank?

The whole RIAA process is just goofy... arrogant business people using technically incompetent arguments to bring money-losing lawsuits against improper parties to defend a long-dead business model.

God help us if they represented whip-makers when the car was introduced...

User Journal

Journal Journal: I'm a man 15

It's time to tell the truth. I am a 55 year-old man. My name is Andy Kaufman, and I live in New York City.

I am sincerely sorry to everyone for all my lies.

--Andy

User Journal

Journal Journal: Merry Christmas -- $$$$$exyGal

It's not the new year yet, but it seems like a good time to give thanks.

Long story short, I've had a good year. Great job, short commute, and dating again. I've become focused, but with great flexibility. I'm not sweating the big stuff, or the small stuff. The good stuff is in the middle.

May your holidays be commercial-free,
$$$$$exyGal

============

User Journal

Journal Journal: Teach me economics: Why are tech jobs going to India? 19

American companies are moving tech jobs overseas to India [more info]. Why? Simple, it's all about money. But how is that so? The article says that Indian programmers make 1/10th that of American programmers. Why do they make so much less?

I'm not an economist, but here's a some possible reasons:

User Journal

Journal Journal: Can the blind see? 30

Xerithane left me a very interesting comment a few weeks ago. Here's a blurb:

For instance, I suffer from a moderately rare eye condition. I will go blind for 3+ hours if I'm exposed to bright light for more than a few minutes. It's like a goths wet dream. When it first happened I was probably 12 or so, and the whole time I sepnt trying to think what blind people saw suddenly made sense.

User Journal

Journal Journal: Slashdot Oldtimers? Are there more archives? 21

Just for fun, I decided to peruse the really really old Slashdot stuff to see how everything started. Maybe I'd find quiet thoughtful debate about the HTML CENTER tag (1995?) ? Or maybe some lively debate regarding the plot of "Good Will Hunting (1997)" ?
User Journal

Journal Journal: The Evolution of Compassion 14

My Theory of Evolution - Scenario #1: "Now"

By chance, one trait is introduced into the genome of a specific individual living thing. If the trait is immediately advantageous over those of the same species who do not possess the trait, then the trait will very likely be passed along to future generations. If the trait is immediately undesirable, then the individual will be rejected by its peers and will be unable to pass along the new trait. This is called evolution.

User Journal

Journal Journal: A serious topic: Why men masturbate. 54

Ok, so I came across this article on Yahoo News, and the obvious conclusion hit me right in the eye. Evolutionarily speaking, men who masturbate have an advantage over men who do not masturbate. The article does not suggest my conclusion, but it seems obvious from the facts given. Here are some facts/quotes given in the article:
  • Men with low sperm counts can si
User Journal

Journal Journal: Thanks and meat. 98

Thank you so much for all of your comments and suggestions last week. It was important for me to write out those thoughts. Occasionally, my brain repeatedly dances around a topic over and over again, and the only way to finally tackle the issue is to force myself to coherently write it all out. Writing out those thoughts here on Slashdot was an opportunity for me to quickly garner feedback from all you smart folks. I'll post similar thoughts in the future.

Slashdot Top Deals

We are each entitled to our own opinion, but no one is entitled to his own facts. -- Patrick Moynihan

Working...