Posts by PunkTiger

Sensationalist luddites

So, let me get this straight... Human Driver #1 runs a red light and Human Driver #2 has to swerve out of the way to not hit them. Human Driver #2 loses control and drifts into oncoming traffic, striking Driver #3. Driver #3 was a Waymo car,

So what's the headline? "Waymo van prang, self-driving cars still suck..."

It's bull-pucky like this that brings out all the luddites yelling and screaming, "self-driving cars will kill us all!! Stop them before they kill again!!" Yes, it was INVOLVED in an accident, but it wasn't the CAUSE of the accident.

So, just give it a key and a style and it creates pop music. OK. Is there any chance that, perhaps, some of the music the AIs create could be put in the Public Domain? I mean, PD stuff in this day and age is somewhat scarce, as long as copyright houses and lawyers have anything to say about that. AI-generated music could be a boost to other artists who can sample and re-mix with legal material instead of relying on rights that are open to change or regulation.

Yeah, that was unrealistic. Sorry.

So...

...another Android vulnerability that can get all the privileges and raise all kinds of havoc, yet I can't even find how root a cheap-arsed Chinese Android tablet to remove the pre-trojaned version of the OS so I can install a clean version. All the help guides out there to do that doesn't seem to exactly cover the tablet I have.

Perhaps someone can make an Android vuln that can root your device so you can actually do something positive with the OS. That would be a switch.

Sorry. Just venting.

Mmm-hmm...

I'll just say that Seagate drives have failed me far more often than any other spinning rust I've owned, and leave it at that.

I wish we had some DECENT competition

I dumped "Bombast" back in 2011 because of ever-increasing prices for basic service. My current Internet service has been Verizon DSL since it was known as Bell Atlantic DSL in 1999. (Yes, my cable TV and Internet services were separate... long story, but it boiled down to billing responsibilities at the time.)

The REAL amusing part is when Verizon started rolling out their FiOS service, Bombast successfully blocked them from taking it statewide, so only a small handful of towns ended up getting the FiOS service. So, no broadband Internet service for me because I am NOT signing my soul over to Bombast.

So yeah, fark Bombast with a rusty razor-wire dildo and lemon juice. Not that Verizon has been the most gleaming Pillar of Excellence, but at least the DSL service has been pretty stable for as long as I've had it.

I'll plug one in...

...as long as I take the proper measures to do so.

1. Use an old "junk" laptop with only a working optical drive (no spinning rust or SSD connected).

2. Boot up a live Linux distro off a CD/DVD.

3. Plug in mysterious USB drive.

4. Unless it's some sort of virus that directly screws around with the BIOS, or booby-trapped device that damages your USB ports, freely look at whatever is on the USB drive.

4a. If it DOES mess about with the BIOS, or cause your laptop to go pop and release the Magic Blue Smoke, then console yourself that the laptop was just a kickaround spare that you weren't using anyway, and go get another one for a few bucks/quid at the local computer recycling center/centre.

5. Laugh at the lame-o attempt to write a virus/trojan to a read-only filesystem (if necessary), see if there's any juicy info stored on it, then decide what to do with the drive afterwards (reformatting it, destroying it, etc.)

There! You've just dealt with a mysterious USB device in a relatively safe manner. Go pat yourself on the back and have a cookie/biscuit.

Life on Enceladus?

One word: Extremophiles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extremophile

If Earth has them, who's to say Enceladus doesn't?

This entire thing smacks of a classic way to push through unpopular legislation. A hot-button item is put up for action, there's a groundswell of reaction against the move, then it's put aside for "further review." Once things cool down, they bring it back onto the table for action. If there's another groundswell of reaction against it, they'll take it back off the table again for "further review." When things cool down again, they very quietly put it back on the table, find the negative reaction is not as strong as before, and because this supposed lack of complaining seems to resemble public acceptance (in their own minds), the legislation will pass, leaving the rest of us to deal with the consequences.

I know I sound cynical, but I've seen this happen before. I just really, really hope I'm proven wrong this time.

Oh, for Glob's sake...

Just axe this ridiculous deal and get it over with. Tell them, in big bold letters, "MERGER: NOT YOURS!", then kick them both in the yarbles by making broadband a utility.

Please, FCC, this time, side with the consumers and not the bloated corporations.

Y'know, the more I read about things like this, the longer I'll hang on to my venerable Motorola V600.

Horrorshow!

I think I'm going to using the term "shansharray" from now on. That sounds pretty damn choodessny!

Mutually Assured (Consumer) Destruction

Back in 2010/2011, Verizon was building out its FiOS network in suburban Boston. Comcast, who has a stranglehold of cable TV/Internet service in Massachusetts, didn't like that one bit. (Competition? Not on MY watch!) A deal was then hammered out between Comcast, Verizon (and other cable providers in MA) to halt the rollout of FiOS. Voila! No more competition, and the consumers get the short end of the stick again. Those handful of communities in the Boston suburbs are the ONLY people in MA that has FiOS.

http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/article/2013/05/28/boston-fiber-optic-internet-network/2/

The first paragraph on that page says it all.

That being said, I have a (Sophie's) choice of Internet service. I could either have Satan's... err, I mean, Comcast's overpriced 30Mbps internet service (that goes up in price every year), or I can have what I currently have, DSL from Verizon (they claim I'm getting "up to 3Mbps," but with a top download speed of 580kbps, I doubt I'm getting anywhere near that... being only 1.5 miles from the DSL signal's origin).

Even my fast lane is a back road.

They can't leave well enough alone

I refuse to use Chrome/Chromium because I just don't trust it. Any browser that "suggests" you "log in" on their opening screen "for a better user experience" is a browser I immediately close and delete from my hard drive.

And besides, Google is in the business of wanting to know your browsing habits so they can sell that information to other "interested" spamme... advertiz... err... parties. So, why in blazes should I use a browser Google created for that very purpose?

Firefox isn't much better (anymore), and this whole Australis interface on their latest version made me see red. (Where did those IE back/forward buttons come from? Why is the bookmark star joined at the hip with the Bookmark editor, and out of the URL bar?? Why is the refresh page icon at the end of the URL bar, and not next to the Back/Forward buttons?? I'm in Customize, but why can't I move those buttons around?! WTF IS THIS $#!+??? "Easily customizable" my left nut! This is all broken!) Thank goodness I found out about that Classic Theme Restorer, I was ready to switch back to Opera (which makes me wonder if Opera fixed that Speed Dial bug that was in every version after 10).

Form and Function

When Windows 95 came out, I was still using my Amiga 4000/040... and Windows was still trying to play catch-up to it... and failing.

Where's Teddy Roosevelt when we need him?

"[A] leading technology and innovation company, differentiated by its ability to deliver ground-breaking products on a superior network while leveraging a national platform to create operating efficiencies and economies of scale."

Good Lord! I don't even know where to begin with that steaming pile! It's not even WRONG!! It's such a freakin' delusional statement. Time-Warner's customer service is a joke (putting it VERY kindly), while Comcast is Satan Incarnate. I really can't see anything good coming from this unholy union.

/ex-Comcast customer

Holy cow! A remote control to UNLOCK YOUR CAR DOORS?? What a horrible idea! It might be "convenient," but that technology is just rife to be abused! Hackers will be unlocking car doors left and right and thefts will skyrocket! What's next? Remotes that will START YOUR ENGINE WITHOUT KEYS?? Just hang a big ol' sign in your windscreen that says "STEAL ME PLEASE!" You'll get the same result!

In other words, any technology can be looked at as being a prime choice for abuse; some more obvious than others. But, just because it could be abused in its current (lack of) standard, doesn't mean it's not worth examining, and to find ways to lessen the chances of it being either accidentally or maliciously activated. In theory, remote bricking sounds like a good idea for what is essentially a computer in your pocket. Now, let's see if it can be done reasonably with proper safeguards.

I'm considering myself lucky

During the time in question (late November through December 15th), I didn't visit a Target store or their website to buy anything.

No point to this post, really, just counting my blessings.

My current MacBook is an iBook G4 running OSX 10.4.11. I don't care how much tweaking and twerking you do on it, I DO need a new MacBook.

Still won't upgrade; even for free

I still use a iBook G4 with OSX 10.4.11 (Tiger) that I refuse to upgrade any further, mainly because of ONE solitaire game (that runs in the Classic environment only) that I am wholly, horribly addicted to: Beat The Dragon 2.5. I can't find a version that doesn't suck like a black hole -- I'm looking at you, BTD 3.0 -- on any other platform. And, since OSX took away the Classic environment in 10.5 and above, I'm not budging.

I know it's silly, but damn it, I love that game.