I think this might be the first time I've seen a Slashdot comment with a non-alphanumeric character that displayed properly. Nicely done, AC!

Every time people hear what it actually involves is outrage and opposition, at least all the way back to when Intel first announced that they wanted to hardcode identity numbers inside CPUs in 1999. But the corporations involved have been relentless, and have sunk countless billions of dollars steadily forcing it forwards, and building front organizations to obfuscate and whitewash it.

With Windows 11, Microsoft was finally able to FORCE Trusted computing hardware into every new computer. Not just every new Windows computer, but every computer.

Every new Intel PC CPU has built in Trusted Computing enforcement hardware. Every new AMD PC CPU has built in Trusted Computing enforcement hardware. Every new ARM PC CPU has built in Trusted Computing enforcement hardware. The only processor lines that DON'T have it are the microcontrollers.

There are some unlocked smartphones available, but as far as I can determine it's literally impossible to buy a smartphone that doesn't have hardware trusted computing built in.

I specified that enforcing Trusted Computing at the internet access level is still a long term goal, they couldn't get away with it today. However they are well on the way to success. Virtually all new hardware supporting trusted computing, all the front groups rolling out standards and systems, and as it gets incorporated into things everyone is going to increasingly running into situations where they get locked out of stuff if they're not Trusted Computing compliant. Streaming already restricts you to the worst quality if you're not compliant, and it's only going to get worse as pre-Win11 computers fade out and as more things require it.

I'd hardly call exact date of birth "low information content".

And yes this does reveal exact date of birth, regardless of the bullshit obfuscation that it supposedly only reports age range. The server simply tracks the reported result every time the user connects, and on some specific day the result CHANGES to announce their date of birth.

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This is based on SLSA (Supply-chain Levels for Software Artifacts), brought to you by the same fuckers making Trusted Computing and the TMP (Trusted Platform Module). It's part of the same shitstack to prohibit you from altering your software and to lock you out of your own files, and to send spy reports out over the internet so you can be cut off if you "fail" the Trusted Computing check.

The software can use a TPM's (Trusted Platform Module) Sealing function to encrypt your data such that it's impossible to access your own data if the software is modified. It can then pass control over that data only to software updates that carry a signed security certificate from Broadcom (or any other company using this system).

It is no longer open source, your system no longer works as you can no longer access your Sealed data if you change so much as a single letter of the code. Even recompile unaltered code won't work, unless you magically manage to get your build environment absolutely identical to the company's build environment and get byte-for-byte output. Even that may be impossible with the newer levels of non-deterministic compiler optimizations.

Also, with TMP's Remote Attestation feature can be used to transmit your machine's software configuration over the internet, so that you can be cut off if your system doesn't match Broadcom (or other company's) cryptographically signed certificate.

And then of course there's Network Access Control (NAC) / Trusted Network Connect (TNC). In the long term, the goal is for ISPs to use NAC/TNC to interrogate your computer for Trusted Computing compliance, and deny you any internet access whatsoever if your machine isn't compliant. Software with this sort of "security" certificate would pass inspection, while any attempt to alter the code would be detected as "tampering". You then get "quarantined". What "quarantine" means is that you are denied internet access - with the exception that you do get very restricted access which can only be used to download the approved software to "fix" your computer into Trusted Computing compliance.

I think a two party democratic system is terrible and it should be easier to create new parties. The current two should likely be split.

My reasoning is that a democratic system should not be treated as a sports game of two teams. There are plenty of views and we need variety of representation, not to simply fall in line with the two options available or be treated as an outsider.

https://www.cs.wisc.edu/2025/0...

And DARPA has a whole program for it:

https://www.darpa.mil/research...

Then there is the destruction of the social safety net, which compounds the problem.

Many working class people felt abandoned by the Democrats and then voted for the Republicans, believing in the lies being peddled by Trump.

Even worse, things like affordable healthcare and economic support are being further destroyed under Trumpâ(TM)s watch.

Unfortunately neither party seems to care and until a new party can be formed, then itâ(TM)s only âoeindependentsâ who seem to be the champions. Unless those champions can get together to form a party, they are going to have a hard time pushing for the needed changes

See they're pretending that those songs were creatio ex nihilo and contain absolutely no musical themes, patterns, or likenesses of roughly two thousand years of Western musical works. So those completely unique and totally in no way derivative works deserve exclusive copyright protection and ownership by immortal corporations. The only fair duration would be until the heat death of the universe. Also you should pay them fees for even thinking about those songs.

That's a design and implementation issue. If the data center doesn't have a backup battery or generator and they committed to "five nines" availability, then they are at fault. If they didn't commit to "five nines" availability, but 911 treated at such, then that is a problem on the 911 system.

Emergency systems should be able to operate in a "dumb mode" and in the absence of grid power. If that means throwing more humans to support the situation, then so be it. In the end these systems are meant to be serving humans and not the other way around.

Funny you write that. I was also acing in high school. Then I went to university at a top notch school, and my first physics mid term resulted in the grade... 33%. Yupe that's what it was. My friends had like 42, and 25. One friend looked at me and said, "it hurts doesn't it..." Yeah it did.

What I learned is that I might have been smart in high school, but there are some really smart people in a top notch university. Like seriously smart. It motivated me to work at it and I passed. In fact in the second semester I was doing rather well again. It required me to work. My friends on the other hand decided to move out of engineering. One became a male nurse (he actually was well suited for that), and the other became a remote sensing specialist. He explained it to me back in the early 90's as using satellites to do geography. The irony with that one is that it is now an amazing profession.

What I am writing is that in the end we all learned to deal with it and assess what we really wanted to do. I don't think the vibe approach will work out.

Sounds like a scenario for a low budget film that sets Star Trek in a David Elisson / Trump world. Maybe even find a way to craft that into an episode featuring an authoritarian dystopian world.

Sure it might result in some people getting fired, but there is a good chance theyâ(TM)d not be following the company out of state anyhow?

Indeed... alpine touring is seemingly more en vogue these days.

"*Internet access required, with daily phone home. One time free brake push if outside of network range"

Even there they improve automation if it makes sense. Its not always a cost of labour, but managing error rates,

There have been some calls for Intel to reorganise into separate chip development and chip fabrication divisions or businesses.

Note, Intel had previously designed StrongARM and XScale lines, but sold them off.