Comment Don't share with the Japanese... (Score 1) 1
just don't tell the Japanese how to track them...
Comment Windows XP vs modern operating systems (Score 1) 1
At the end of the article, the author mentions "Windows XP does not enable TCP window scaling, so it never has more than 64 KB in flight at once", while implying that modern operating systems do not have this constraint.
This reminded me of some of the complaints that came out when Windows Vista was released. There were widespread complaints that a previously functional network would immediately start to move to about 10% of it's speed when Vista was installed. This article makes me think that maybe Microsoft wasn't to blame for this behaviour.
Pity the most annoying problems are generally the ones that are nested very deeply.
Submission + - Bufferbloat: Dark Buffers in the Internet (acm.org) 1
CowboyRobot writes: "Jim Gettys at Bell Labs makes the case that the Internet is in danger of collapse due to 'bufferbloat', "the existence of excessively large and frequently full buffers inside the network"
Part of the blame is due to overbuffering; in an effort to protect ourselves we make things worse. But the problem rusn deeper than that.
Gettys solution is AQM (active queue management) which is not deployed as widely as it should be.
"We are flying on an Internet airplane in which we are constantly swapping the wings, the engines, and the fuselage, with most of the cockpit instruments removed but only a few new instruments reinstalled. It crashed before; will it crash again?""
Part of the blame is due to overbuffering; in an effort to protect ourselves we make things worse. But the problem rusn deeper than that.
Gettys solution is AQM (active queue management) which is not deployed as widely as it should be.
"We are flying on an Internet airplane in which we are constantly swapping the wings, the engines, and the fuselage, with most of the cockpit instruments removed but only a few new instruments reinstalled. It crashed before; will it crash again?""
Submission + - Theologian attempts censorship after losing public (wordpress.com) 3
RockDoctor writes: Theologian John Haught publicly debated prominent evolutionary scientist and atheist Jerry Coyne at the University of Kentucky back in October. Before the debate, both parties agreed to the debate being video-taped. Coyne is of the opinion that he convincingly won the debate over Haught. But we'll never know, because Haught, with the assistance of staff at University of Kentucky who sponsored the debate, is banning publication of the video of the event. They are even refusing to release the half of the debate containing Coyne's comments and questions, which is his intellectual property. And that latter is theft, plain and simple, in addition to Haught's cowardice.
Comment Re:And they say romance is dead! (Score 2) 80
You might actually find that small breasted porn is considered a 'fetish', and therefore unable to be given an R-18 rating in Australia according to the classification guidelines, and is recognised as X-18, which, depending on the state government concerned may or may not be illegal to sell.
So technically, it already is...
Submission + - Security consultants warn about PROTECT-IP Act (nationaljournal.com)
epee1221 writes: Several security professionals released a paper (PDF) raising objections to the DNS filtering mandated by the proposed PROTECT-IP Act. The measure allows courts to require Internet service providers to redirect or block queries for a domain deemed to be infringing on IP laws. ISPs will not be able to improve DNS security using DNSSEC, a system for cryptographically signing DNS records to ensure their authenticity, as the sort of manipulation mandated by PROTECT-IP is the type of interference DNSSEC is meant to prevent. The paper notes that a DNS server which has been compromised by a cracker would be indistinguishable from one operating under a court order to alter its DNS responses. The measure also points to a possible fragmenting of the DNS system, effectively making domain names non-universal, and the DNS manipulation may lead to collateral damage (i.e. filtering an infringing domain may block access to non-infringing content). It is also pointed out that DNS filtering does not actually keep determined users from accessing content, as they can still access non-filtered DNS servers or directly enter the blocked site's IP address if it is known.
A statement by the MPAA disputes these claims, arguing that typical users lack the expertise to select a different DNS server and that the Internet must not be allowed to "decay into a lawless Wild West."
Paul Vixie, a coauthor of the paper, elaborates in his blog.
A statement by the MPAA disputes these claims, arguing that typical users lack the expertise to select a different DNS server and that the Internet must not be allowed to "decay into a lawless Wild West."
Paul Vixie, a coauthor of the paper, elaborates in his blog.
Comment Re:I hope they do (Score 1) 335
I doubt any apes are actually used these days. CGI is cheaper.
Comment Can anyone else say "sell out" (Score 1) 104
That guy's comment is all executive speak for "I need money for hookers and that limo". If they really cared, they would realise that EA has nothing to offer them, except for a payday. This is selling out at the top, pure and simple.
Comment Re:Evil Developer! (Score 1) 192
You'll find that 2580 is just the middle column in the passcode view. It's not really that weird when you look at it that way.
Comment Isn't redirecting a domain still operating it? (Score 1) 169
I'm confused here. Isn't changing where www.google.kz points to (i.e. redirecting it back to www.google.com) the same as operating on www.google.kz? The domain is still active, and doesn't that mean to abide by their law they would need to have a server operating domestically?
Submission + - Retrieving a stolen laptop by IP address alone? 1
CorporalKlinger writes: My vehicle was recently burglarized while parked in a university parking lot in a midwestern state. My new Dell laptop was stolen from the car, along with several other items. I have no idea who might have done this, and the police say that without any idea of a suspect, the best they can do is enter the serial number from my laptop in a national stolen goods database in case it is ever pawned or recovered in another investigation. I had Thunderbird set up on the laptop, configured to check my Gmail through IMAP. Luckily, Gmail logs and displays the last 6 or 7 IP addresses that have logged into your account. I immediately stopped using that email account, cleared it out, and left the password unchanged — creating my own honeypot in case the criminal loaded Thunderbird on my laptop. Last week, Gmail reported 4 accesses from the same IP address in a state just to the east of mine via IMAP. I know that this must be the criminal who took my property, since I've disabled IMAP access to the account on all of my own computers. The municipal police say they can't intervene in the case since university police have jurisdiction over crimes that take place on their land. The university police department — about 10 officers and 2 detectives — don't even know what an IP address is. I even contacted the local FBI office and they said they're "not interested" in the case despite it now crossing state lines. Am I chasing my own tail here? How can I get someone to pay attention to the fact that all the police need to do is file some RIAA-style paperwork to find the name associated with this IP address and knock on the right door to nab a criminal and recover my property? How can I get my laptop back — and more importantly — stop this criminal in his tracks?
Submission + - Debunked:Electric Cars Won't Strain the Power Grid (greencarreports.com)
thecarchik writes: Last week's heat wave prompted another eruption of that perennial question: Won't electric cars that recharge from grid power overload the nation's electricity system? A comprehensive and wide-ranging two-volume study from 2007, Environmental Assessment of Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles, looked at the impact of plug-in vehicles on the U.S. electrical grid. It also analyzed the "wells-to-wheels" carbon emissions of plug-ins versus gasoline cars. The load of one plug-in recharging (about 2 kilowatts) is roughly the same as that of four or five plasma television sets. Plasma TVs hardly brought worries about grid crashes.
Comment Re:Old news... happened yesterday! (Score 2, Insightful) 148
The dust may have settled yesterday, but I think cleaning bits of uluru out of the filters etc. in the data centres may keep the IT monkeys busy for the next week or so.
Submission + - Intel connects PCs to devices using light
CWmike writes: "Intel is working on a new optical interconnect that could possibly link mobile devices to displays and storage up to 100 meters away. The optical interconnect technology, Light Peak, could communicate data between systems and devices associated with PCs at speeds of up to 10Gbits/sec., said David Perlmutter, vice president and general manager of Intel's mobility group. The technology uses light to speed up data transmission between mobile devices and connected devices like storage, networking and audio devices, the company said. The technology could help transfer a full-length Blu-ray movie in less than 30 seconds, says a post on Intel's site. Light Peak can run multiple protocols simultaneously over a single cable, enabling mobile devices to perform tasks over multiple connected devices at the same time. "Optical technology also allows for smaller connectors and longer, thinner, and more flexible cables than currently possible," according to the Intel entry. It could also lead to thinner and fewer connectors on mobile devices, Perlmutter said."
Comment Maybe we could fix the regulations instead? (Score 2, Insightful) 144
Seriously, the filter proposal is simply lipstick on a pig... The real problem for Australia is the lack of a clear regulatory system. As a gamer, the fact that we don't have an R18+ classification really irritates me, the internet classification system just depends on what the ACMA feels like on that day, as they don't have to get a site a classification, just declare what they believe the classification board would approve.
It might help if we got a politician who understood technology, instead of the current streak of 'wonderful' caretakers
