Even though it only has an output and no inputs, one trivial way of providing input would be to request random numbers in an irregular, timed pattern to trigger a state change in the obscured chip.

That sounds incredibly shady - I'm glad I saw your warning in time. Maybe if enough people report them to stopbadware.org they can be recognized as an attack site and blocked in browsers until they clean up/shut down completely.

It's a chore to find how to re-enable core features that have been removed and disable terrible additions (like the recent giant green arrow animations every single time a file is downloaded)

So in summary, despite the terrible digital pad and stiff, domed buttons, he still prefers the 360 pad? One of the "minor" problems with this new controller is that "your thumbs need tactile contact in order to accurately know what button you are pressing", but this controller doesn't even have this "advanced" feature, so you don't know which button you're pressing!?!?!? Isn't that like the most fundamental feature of an input device??? Wow, this Valve controller sounds great... I personally just don't understand how old consoles like the SNES, Genesis, even the NES had MUCH better digital pads than modern consoles - I'm not sure if they're trying to intentionally cripple them to encourage 3D games over 2D or what.

The film Minority Report is going to single-handedly do more damage to UI design than even the falling cost of touch-screen technology.

Yeah, unless you had a terrible password, you should spend your time checking your system for vulnerabilities and/or reinstalling the OS rather than trying to track them down.

I still consider the level design in Dark Forces II and its expansion pack Mysteries of the Sith to be the best of any FPS!

Like Ubuntu?

This made me laugh so much, thank you!

In case anyone reading believes this crap - Google did not "fight against state censorship in China" in any way. It worked with the Chinese government to provide a censored version of Google for Chinese consumers, and helped the Chinese government identify political dissidents for imprisonment. They only left China and started bitching about them after hacking attacks (Operation Aurora). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Google#China

Yeah, that seems to have really hindered all the famous French mathematicians...

I assume that Facebook sets up information sharing agreements with most governments to help them spy on their citizens. I think Facebook probably has a LOT of pull with the German government due to this - they can threaten to revoke all access to their data until the German government changes its laws to suit Facebook. That's why it's Germany's problem.

Labour MP Helen Goodman was "genuinely shocked that a public official could say such a thing." I'm genuinely shocked that a public official (internet security chief Andy Smith) could actually be this competent and give citizens valid, practical advice about protecting their privacy.

What, giving false information to random social networking sites is a "felony hacking crime"? Name one country where this is the case. Terms of Service are usually ridiculously overreaching works of corporate fantasy that conflict with many local laws - especially in the EU. Violating a corporation's Terms of Service is not "breaking the law" unless your action is actually illegal.

I initially defended this Unity Dash adware with the same comparison, but after reading more about it, the Mint advertising is nowhere near as bad. All LOCAL searches are transmitted UNENCRYPTED back to Canonical! If users aren't aware of this new "addition", they will be leaking potentially private local information all over the net - I'm surprised this is even legal (it probably isn't in the EU). There is also no filtering done on pictures of suggestions returned from Amazon, so even pornographic images can be displayed - I guess this automatically bars Ubuntu from any workplaces/net cafes/universities etc. due to possibilities of dismissals, sexual harassment lawsuits etc.