Posts by Herby

But...

Will anyone get ANY money back from this scam?

I have my doubts.

This begs the question: Where did the money go??

Why do we need cable boxes at all??

Every new TV sold in the USA has "digital" capability which can provide LOTS of channels. Why not use that to distribute the signal. Seems pretty silly to go to the trouble of having another (redundant) box just to make the cable people happy.

Oh, if you don't want to have your subscribers watching HBO (because they haven't paid for it) go back to installing filters in the subscriber's cable. It worked before when we had "cable ready" TV sets.

Note to FBI...

Watch the TV show 60 minutes. You might find out something and do it for far cheaper!

See: here. Keeping up to date on the news might help as well.

Just be thankful...

...that they don't have an app for sausage. You just don't want to know!

So when somebody tells me to...

"Go fly a kite" I can't do it??

What about if I blow on a dandelion? Would that be banned as well. Knowing our "El Jefe" I suspect it might be. You know national security and all that..

Makes one wonder...

What Intel would be if IBM had picked a different processor for the original IBM PC back in 1981?

I have doubts that it would be anything close to what it is now.

As for other directions, there is the ARM chips which are both cheaper and lower powered AND are being used in LOTS of mobile devices.

The X86 business is fading away.....

Why not let Google be your publisher

It isn't like they already have the information. They slurp it from every corner of the earth.

Why bother with the likes of Random House, Pocket Books, or Prentice Hall. Go direct to the eventual holder.

Lacking that, include a note on the title page:

"This book shall not be indexed while it is either "in print", or the author is alive".

Alternative...

Just turn the "counterfeit duds" back to them, and pocket the $$$

It isn't like they should be able to tell the difference if they are good "look alike".

I don't know how happy the buyers would be, but it isn't like they could take me to court. Unfortunately they might resort to the same "court" as drug dealers use when ti comes to being "ripped off" (2nd amendment and all that).

Probably not a safe business to get into. I'll need to re-think the career path.

Just for the record...

Cupertino doesn't have a landfill. It takes its trash elsewhere. Most likely to the San Jose landfill.

Is it secure??

Will it comply with the proposed dumb bill that is trying to get off the ground?

Why are there so many standards on this issue??

Sounds like this is a case of the "second mouse gets the cheese".

But I thought...

That those who do the work for Uber and Lyft are employees of same (at least that what was argued in court a while ago). If that is the case, only Uber and Lyft need get once license each, and I suspect that the $91 is "pocket change" to them.

Sorry SF, can't have it both ways!

(lemonade stands not withstanding)

Probably OK, unless...

They use an mp3 file to make the vinyl master (could happen). On the other hand, if you want that "warm" feeling, I'm sure a signal processing algorithm passed over the (digital) output of the CD can make it for you. Then this nice "warm" sound will be even "warmer" when you use vacuum tubes valves to distort enhance the output.

Another example of Microsoft...

We're Microsoft, and WE DON'T CARE. We're going to make your life miserable and costly.

Interesting that...

public opinion does count for something these days. I just wish other entities would listen as well, and as quickly!

So YouTube (Google)

Is the new Napster. We're just pointers, don't look at us!

Me? I just listen to the 60's channel on the satellite radio service, the offerings today aren't much. Then again, I'm older now.

Maybe...

They can charge more to allow the use of texting devices. Then add a soundtrack of ringers and silly ringtones throughout the movie "just to make it interesting".

We only hope this...

Sets an example for others to follow. Now that the company is down (and almost) out, investors will thing twice (at least I hope) when attempting to finance other such endeavors.

Snake oil doesn't sell well!

Possibly a way to do this...

Charge the government a fee (like $10,000) to keep things secret. While law enforcement might have the $$$ to pay the fee on a one-time basis, a fishing expedition would get costly quickly.

Many places have tight budgets, and need to beg legislators to get them approved. The cost for 100 records ought to spring up pretty quickly.

He should of used...

Bull S**t repellent instead of pepper spray. It might have worked even better if the can was labeled as "toxic poison".

As for the reputation, not much can fix that but TIME, or outlawing search engines (good luck with that!).

Note to self...

Turn off cell phone after robbing bank. Better yet, throw it away. Even better, destroy it like in the movies/TV shows.

An analogy perchance??

This bill seems much like requiring car manufacturers to put devices in their automobiles that will reverse the effects of a crash. Isn't a crumpling of a car much like encrypting it with no reversal in sight?

Maybe an explanation like this will get the point across (but I doubt it!).

Of course there is the NSA body works, but that is another story.

SA1000??

Interesting model number. Way back when, it was the model number for a Shugart 5Mb 8 inch contained disk drive (think c. 1980).

I suspect it won't get mistaken, but if you have some old ones around, someone could sell them as "genuine".

This proves only one thing...

That anybody can sue anybody else. We need the "loser pays" doctrine here in the USA. Especially in these types of sueballs.

One way of getting around the fact that a bigger company DOES have more resources, is to make the loser pay the cost of their own legal fees to the winner. If you DO rack up a big bill and lose, you will pay a bunch of money. Then again I am just dreaming.

Did he...

Post it to You Tube? that would make an interesting video (which wouldn't last long) and would be satisfactory to have an IT angle.

He might have said: "Look at the megabus!!"

Memo to self...

Flint Michigan.

Is it just me, or...

Don't you need a computer to get whole pages of information about the QR code. Sure you scan the silly thing with a nice iDevice and get a web page, but will it be optimized for the "small screen", or will you need a nice big 20+ inch screen (on the vary computer that just crashed) to get all the info you really need/

When in danger, or in doubt

Run in circles, scream and shout. (The Microsoft way)

And the minutes of the meeting...

Will be encrypted for your safety. Stored an iPhone of course.

$200 per year??

Plus or minus a few bucks. And what does the "diversity program" cost (let's say one full time person)? That one person would cover about 5000 people, and that doesn't count overhead.

Of course it prevents lawsuits, which can be VERY costly if those nasty people (lawyers) get involved...

Then again, the whole thing could be rounding error (probably a more likely scenario).

Genetic Diversity??

This talk about different browsers may be good thing. Let's hope that there continue to be different browsers. If the "world" decided to only have one (a company in Redmond tried this) they will control the standard and it could go down a very bad path. Hopefully if we can keep a few different based browsers around, the herd will improve.

One can only hope that the content makers will come around and stop "adapting" to bad browsers. I don't hold much hope, as some still adapt to IE6.

Looks like Scott McNealy was right...

A quick search will yield the proper quote.

The problem is that this time it will be government required.

We're from the Government and here to "help"

Run, don't walk to the nearest exit. The government can't help with much, and that that it does "help" usually gets really screwed up.

Again: RUN!

Why not try ...

Exponential rate limiting. Start over at a random time of the day. If the user input is supposed to be typed, measure the time it takes for a reasonable typist to enter the comment (or whatever). Go from there. Display a clock if you must allow for cutting and pasting, but double up on the time out period.

Yes, they are a pain. I doubt that the google people can solve all of them accurately.

All your base belong to US

The US is (unfortunately I live here) The United States.

Query: Please tell me the secret?

Question: Can you keep a secret??

Response: Yes.

Statement: So can I (so I won't tell you)

Sometimes you need to be a real BOFH about this stuff.

Perhaps we should inquire the Senator's email, and ask if it is encrypted? Does Ms. Feinstein have something to hide??

Yes, she is (unfortunately) my Senator (groan).

Find a need and fill it.

Build a "better" mousetrap, and the world will come to your door.

Anything for a price:

Q. Would you have sex with me for $1,000,000?

A. Sure

Q. Would you have sex with me for $0.25?

A. Who do you think I am a two-bit whore?

S. We know what type of person you are, we are just negotiating the price.

Yes, it is a bad joke.

Fashion statement...

Much like Gucci or Fendi handbags. I'm surprised that they don't advertise in Vogue or something similar.

Side note: Find one of these magazines and count the number of ad pages BEFORE the first editorial (usually the contents) page. I did once, and found it is around 20-30 FULL PAGES. Oh to be in the fashion business.

I'm just happy...

that I don't live in Los Gatos, but rather a couple of cities away. Maybe those people could get helped out by Netflix (which is based there) and probably doesn't rely on wireline carriers for their internet connection (they probably have a BIG pipe feeding to/from their offices).

Must remember: GTE: great telephone experiment.

Badges? We don't need no stinking badges.

I am a contractor for a "high profile" sillycon valley company. They have nice access control devices for entering buildings, but after that I keep my badge in my pocket (not displayed) all the time. No challenges (yet).

The previous (other) "high profile" sillycon valley company had similar policies, but after the slot broke off of the badge holder, I did what a cube mate of mine dis, and kept in my wallet. To enter the building, I just brushed my butt next to the reader. Nobody complained there either.

Yes, the current place of work has LOTS of signs that say "No tailgating". I try to be a good boy.

tail light guarantee

If you can see the tail lights, it is guaranteed.

Welcome to the cloud. Any subscription based thing is vulnerable. Be thankful that vehicles and "real property" (dirt) and the like only have taxes to be paid, and they last forever (you know "certain things death & taxes").

The basic problem is that modern companies want the "continuing revenue" model, rather than the "capital cost" model. Apple did it by making the iPhone, and having cell phone companies pay a subscription fee. It works nicely. Microsoft it trying to get into the racket by having its Office 365 subscription "service", but I (and I assume many others) want to BUY something, not rent it forever (or however long "forever" is in the mind of the vendor)

Why??

Because it is there.

Others have done similar experiments:

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/When-bugs-fly-Auto-geek-hits-highway-for-2498201.php

What about...

Cell phone coverage maps as well? These things are obscured by nice round blobs that imply a coverage area and offer NO consistency whatsoever.

Yes, there are places in the USA where you can't get cell phone coverage (good chunks of Nevada for instance), and in some metro area that have lots of hills and the like (San Francisco peninsula for one). Cell phone companies are reluctant to publish these due to "competitive reasons" mostly they don't want people to flip carriers.

Oh, well.

Organic: Just another keyword for "expensive".

Yes, sir...

We have the best government money can buy. Looks like the chocolate factory has purchased a big chunk. Just what current candidate they are purchasing now is a question up for grabs. I won't speculate, but I suspect money has been thrown around, they seem to have a bunch of it.

PHB's need to feel "important"

About everything. Seems similar to hospital administrators attempting open heart surgery. Please leave things like that to "experts".

My "experience": Long time ago (it was the 80's), the company I was at was getting a new phone system. Lots of training and the like, and I noticed that the PHB had a session of training all to himself. What a waste. His secretary administrative assistant probably needed more training, and he needed a simple phone just to answer questions from the board of directors.

Sometimes those in the trenches need to get things done, but don't have the proper "stuff" to do it, and then they think out of the box. Sometimes this is good, and sometimes it isn't, hopefully those with the expertise will have a say, and help those who need help. For those that don't "get it", there is the BOFH method.

Tay...A question...

What is the meaning of life?

Then please respond: What is the meaning of YOUR life?

Please positive answers only.

Futures market??

Then again, it could be tulips.

Me? I drive a nice big SUV.

Nothing hike??

Look this is pretty simple. Here in the nice USA, this is similar to a hike up the mist trail, which if done in the spring (around this time of year) will only get you a little moist.

Me? Yes, I've done the hike to the top of the falls (about 5000 feet), and I did get a little wet in the process. The dangerous part is the top of the falls, which if you get too close to the water might cause you to win a Darwin award if you aren't careful (several haven't been!)