* Posts by Ian Michael Gumby

4454 publicly visible posts • joined 11 Apr 2006

Smart meters blamed for Wi-Fi, garage opener interference

Ian Michael Gumby
FAIL

The irony...

In all of the issues discussed on the forum, none touch the most serious topic. Security...

"Security experts have also warned that smart meters are susceptible to hack attacks that could potentially take down the power grid. ®"

Now I don't wear a black or white hat, but when you consider that there have been a couple of reports of water systems now getting hacked in the US, you have to wonder if the smurt er smart meters are a good idea....

Not so fast: Italian boffins say neutrinos not faster than light

Ian Michael Gumby
Devil

@AC are you sure?

Call me silly. There's all these nice theories about warping space and creating worm holes.

Basically what you're saying is that they are all fairy tales and that the universe is static and space through out the universe has the same density. Sort of a world is flat kind of statement, right?

The point I am trying to make is that if neutrinos aren't affected by gravity and gravity can bend space. then its possible that neutrinos will travel along their original path unmolested by gravity.

Its not some mythical or magical property that I assign to a neutrino. Clearly something happened.

Because you know some of the properties doesn't mean you know all of the properties. But since you're so smurt, why not tell us what the neutrino tastes like?

(The answer is chicken, but I'll let you ponder why that is....)

Ian Michael Gumby
Alien

Ok... So lets see if I got this straight...

Its not an issue of something going back in time. Its a question of something moving faster than the speed of light?

OK... so if that's the case, it kind of makes sense if you consider that space can be warped, right?

Imagine if you draw a curved line. To draw the curve you need to have 3 points. Now draw a straight using the end points.

If light travels along the curve and it takes time X, while the neutrino takes the straight line path in time Y, then the neutrino will arrive at the end point before the light. If space can be warped by gravity, then light has to travel along the edge of the warp, right? Neutrinos? Not so much.

Sure this is a bit of an over simplification. Yet the mechanics of the neutrino aren't really well known, are they?

High Court: TVCatchup reproduces copyrighted films ... in buffers

Ian Michael Gumby
WTF?

@Norfolk... Huh?

Seriously you haven't a clue.

I wish I could quote Trbe correctly but they state the exact opposite of what you are suggesting. That is to say that a good law is vague and open to interpretation.

There is a very good reason for this.

A law which allows some leeway to interpretation allows for ambiguous situations to be handled.

An example... A law that says "thou shall not kill" no ambiguity so that if you have a situtation of self defense, you're still guilty.

US stealth bombers finally get nuke-nobbling super bomb

Ian Michael Gumby
Mushroom

@Matt Bryant

Thanks.

Actually no, I didn't forget. My uncle who recently passed away was supposed to be leading a platoon in the second wave of the planned invasion of Japan. He always said the day the bomb was dropped, he knelt down and kissed the tarmac. Yes, the bombs generated huge number of casualties, but as you point out, the number of dead in just civilians alone would have been staggering. Looking at the civilian suicides on Okinawa alone was enough of a reason to drop the bombs.

And to add one last thing...

One of the reasons America is no longer an isolationist country like some wanted pre-WW2, was that when waiting for the wars to come to your shore is too late. Lessons learned from WW1 and WW2 combined showed just how much we all lose when there is total all out war.

The proliferation of nukes and fissionable material is probably the worst thing that could happen. It would be great if India and Pakistan didn't have the bomb. But unfortunately the genie is out of the bottle and its one more potential threat against Western countries.

Ian Michael Gumby

@Vladimir Plouzhnikov

I think you need to really do a better job of studying history.

The fact that multiple countries have the bomb and have yet to use it means we're lucky with the world leaders not getting itchy trigger fingers. (You do realize that the nuke doomsday clock is still pretty close to midnight, right?)

The problem is that there are countries that will push their agenda to the point of using WMD.

Iran has already shown how they have funded and sponsored terrorism in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, etc ...

The more countries that have nuke capabilities the greater the chance for its use.

Ian Michael Gumby
WTF?

@Vladimir Plouzhnikov -- Seriously?

Because the Iranians will actually use the nuke?

Because the Iranians support state sponsored terrorism?

Because even without a nuke missile, there are things like dirty bombs that would be hard to detect and could be used by terrorist groups?

Yes, the threat is real.

Ian Michael Gumby
Devil

Meh!

Just drop a large enough rock from space.

No new secret plot, just lift it from 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress'.

Seriously, Mass and Gravity can do wonders in taking out a target.

IBM reveals secrets of Watson’s Jeopardy triumph

Ian Michael Gumby
Boffin

@Destroy all Monsters...

Historical Events:

"He managed to defuse the situation by promising to remove Jupiter missiles from a third country, but to do so inofficially."

The correct answer would be 'What is the Cuban Missile Crisis?"

You gain the 'correctness' by the context of the category. "Historical Events".

Were the category "Famous US Presidents", then you would have "Who is JFK?" for your answer.

Your 'correct' answer wouldn't be "How did JFK defuse the Cuban Missile Crisis" because it isn't an event now is it? Its a matter of Why.

As its been pointed out, sometimes the framework of the show makes it difficult to answer the question properly.

Ian Michael Gumby
Devil

@Herby

Actually that is a really good example of a good question.

Your clues point to a category the Emmys and then your category points to something else. So you have the intersection of two lists.

What is the intersection of Hotel Chains and Emmy Categories (past and present).

Ian Michael Gumby
WTF?

Huh?

"Its largest airport was named for a World War II hero; its second largest, for a World War II battle"

That's the question, the correct answer is "What is Chicago?" (O'Hare ORD) and (Midway MDW).

The whole point to the game show is to state a meaningless factoid in a specific category.

Not sure what you're going on about with your question...

Nikon 1 J1 interchangeable lens compact camera

Ian Michael Gumby
WTF?

Is it just me, but did the review miss something?

Ok,

Sorry, I am an admitted fan of Nikon products having used them since the F1 my father handed down to me and my brother.

Now I have an 'old' D70 (By today's standards) and I still manage to get great shots.

I'd love to upgrade, but also at the same time, I'd love something I could put in to my pocket and carry it around to take snap shots.

I thought the new Nikon 1 would be a good fit.

What I didn't like about the review is that the author panned the camera stating it was too pricey against the competition. What does he think is the competition?

I wish he would really name what he felt the competition was to the Nikon 1 series.

Assange takes extradition fight to Supreme Court

Ian Michael Gumby
Trollface

@ Matt Bryant

Actually it goes beyond what you said.

The Swedish Prosecutor and the lawyer who represented Sweden in the first Appeals hearing did in fact say that they intend to bring charges once Assange is returned to Sweden.

Under Swedish law, they can't charge him without following their due process.

Ian Michael Gumby
WTF?

@PatientOne...

Legality of what? The EAW?

Sorry this isn't a good case to do that.

Putting aside the fact its Assange and looking at the case law... the facts aren't in his favor...

First, he is accused of rape. Regardless of what one thinks of the facts, its what the Swedish prosecutor thinks. And if Sweden believes that there is enough evidence to support going to trial, then that is all that matters.

Second. Swedish Law is structured such that the individual is brought in for 'questioning' where after the interview period, they are formally charged. Such that unless Assange is present in Sweden, they can not bring formal charges.

Third. The EAW has something like 32 specific charges where the laws of one country do not have to be equivalent to those in a different country. One of those laws is the charge of rape. Meaning that if Sweden believes Assange committed rape under their definition of rape, then the EAW should be honored regardless of how the UK defines rape. Assange's lawyers argued this point and they were defeated on this issue. The EAW is clear on this fact.

So in terms of the letter of the law, the first appeals court got it right.

When looking at the second appeal, the courts then looked beyond the letter and at the spirit of the charges. While Assange isn't being tried in the UK courts, the courts looked at the evidence and ruled that it was credible enough that under Swedish law, it was enough to bring formal charges. Now while I haven't looked at their formal ruling, I believe it not only upheld the first court's ruling but added to it.

So Sorry, this isn't a good case to challenge anything.

IMHO Assange is trying to protect his sorry arse and not some altruistic martyr.

Ian Michael Gumby
Devil

@AC do you bother reading the news?

Clearly the simplest things are beyond your comprehension.

As stated by the lawyer representing the Swedish government, under Swedish law, Assange was to be interviewed and then formally charged. While his non Swedish lawyers are trying to make it sound like he's being extradited by Sweden for an interview... The reality s quite different. This is why the first judge ruled that on the surface... The EAW is valid.

Poof. There goes your defense of Assange in a heart beat.

Unlike OJ who wore a glove... Had Assange wore a love glove, he wouldnt be here now would he?

Ian Michael Gumby
Devil

Sorry to disappoint you...

But this move by Assange was so predictable...

It's his right under the law. Of course he will lose the appeal. Also note the comment from Wikileaks itself ... They are distancing themselves from him. I wonder why... :-)

Were this politically motivated, they would be screaming bloody murder too.

IMHO the US Govt. wants Assange back in Australia. Regardless of the outcome of this case, Assange is going to end up back in Australia. You think the US is his only problem? You're sorely mistaken... ;-)

Again IMHO, Assange would be better off in a Swedish jail for a couple of years. But fortunately for us, he's not that smart. Pop corn anyone?

Ian Michael Gumby
Holmes

A waste of time? Unfortunately not...

Look,

Yes Assange is a total A-hole.

But the law is blind to that fact.

Under the law he has the same rights as anyone else. Like McKinnon.

So if he has the money to appeal, his lawyers will appeal.

Its not a waste of time because he's exercising his rights under the law.

Legendary investor scoffs IBM stake, nibble by nibble

Ian Michael Gumby
Devil

@Yes Me

I see. You know so much about IBM...

Like you know your serial number?

Yes, I remember mine. I will admit to escaping from the blue pig.

Trust me when I say Buffet got screwed on this... Of course IBM is buying back shares... But I wonder how much money they have in off shore accounts. Care to bet there will be another amnesty coming up... Real soon?

Ian Michael Gumby
Devil

There is an old saying...

There's a sucker born every minute.

And yeah, I'm saying Buffet was a bit of a sucker on this investment.

For those who don't know Buffet, he's a smart investor who once made a comment that he avoided high tech companies because he only invested in things he understood.

Well looks like he went out of his area of expertise...

Feds win access to WikiLeakers Twitter account data

Ian Michael Gumby
WTF?

@AC re: warrantless access...

Dude,

Put down the crack pipe and pay attention.

THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WARRANT LESS ACCESS.

If you actually bothered to pay attention to the details of the case, rather than base your opinion on sound bites from the radical left press, you might actually try to understand what is happening.

First, there is this investigation in to how an alleged Manning stole classified documents and gave them to Wikileaks. Who/What/When/Where and how have to be established. At least to a point where a military tribunal can adjudicate this case against Manning.

As part of this investigation, there is an investigation as to the involvement of Wikileaks.

The important thing is that the DoJ had gotten LE Subpoenas for the information. Its not that it was a warrant less search but that instead of the company Twitter handing over the information, they notified the parties involved and allowed them to challenge the Subpoena.

That is the important fact that you don't seem to grasp. LE Subs are legal and can easily be abused. I know this first hand. However in this case. There is a specific investigation and the subpoenas are valid.

Its only a matter of time before the DoJ puts together the pieces.

Ian Michael Gumby
WTF?

Huh?

You do know that Assange edited the tape he released, right?

You do know that the helicopter crew were operating within their RoE right?

You do know that civilians do get killed when in a war zone, right?

Clearly you don't know anything about subpoenas or specifically law enforcement subpoenas.

Clearly you don't comprehend that there is an ongoing investigation and that the information being sought has nothing to do with the content but with the information concerning the meta data around the tweets.

Ian Michael Gumby
FAIL

RIF == Reading is Fundemental.

Its amazing to read all of the comments posted.

First this isn't a case of 'warrantless [sic] search and seizure'.

This is the case of the DoJ during an active investigation had requested a Law Enforcement Subpoena. (LE Sub). Under this subpoena, the target is not alerted and the company being subpoena quietly hands over the data as not to interfere with the ongoing investigation.

Because these subpoenas can be easily abused and the secretive nature of the subpoena, companies hit with the subpoenas can refuse to comply and then notify those involved and let them hire legal counsel to fight the subpoena.

This is what happened. The courts ruled that the LE Sub was valid. This was reaffirmed during the appeals process.

This is not good news for the Assange legal team, nor for his supports who's information is being requested.

Since the bulk of the comment 'tards are a tad slow to pick up the pieces, let me spell it out to you... The DoJ specifically targeted these individuals. Ask yourself why would they do this?

Could it be that they were trying to find a link between Assange and Manning? I mean hypothetically speaking... is it possible that someone gave Assange access to their own twitter account, among other things.

I don't know, but I do know that the scope of the investigation was very limited and fairly specific. I also know that members of Assange's 'volunteers' and supporters have a limited education of the legal system. Not just the US, but that of their own countries legal systems.

This information is contained in the articles referenced along with the information in El Reg's article.

The FAIL isn't on El Reg, but on those who consider themselves to be educated and rational thinking people.

The Great Smartphone OS Shoot-out

Ian Michael Gumby
Mushroom

@Red Bren

Your comment was about Nokia.

Nokia has just released their Windows phone.

That would have been an interesting review. The phone appears to have the sleek styling of the N9.

I think that's what I would have expected. Or the N9 which is their Linux phone. (maemo? meemo?)

Never thought about Symbian.

While the article focuses on the OS, there's more to the phone than the OS. Antenna Gate... etc...

They could have reviewed the Nokia Windows phone instead of the HTC.

Ian Michael Gumby
Boffin

@Red Bren

Uhm... which of the phones tested/reviewed was a Nokia Phone?

HTC, RIM, Apple. That's it.

I'm waiting to see their new phones, but they aren't available here in the US.

The Nokia hardware is pretty good and the last phone I saw was the N9.

One thing that wasn't mentioned was battery life. That can be a killer. Trust me, I hate my Palm Pre because I can't run it for a full day without charging it ...

Assange loses High Court appeal against extradition to Sweden

Ian Michael Gumby
Devil

@AC re: Wow, what a rant

Silly me,

I wasn't ranting or raving like a loon. (Unlike your post)

I was responding to yet another (maybe you?) AC who doesn't quite understand the timeline.

Lets try this one more time.

The Swedish prosecutor wants to bring Assange in so that they can question him and then charge him. (This was explained in court documents as the legal procedure in Sweden. Interrogation/Interview prior to arrest/formal charges.)

The Swedish prosecutor contacted Assange's attorney to present Assange. Lawyer stalls, and stalls again. By the time the Swedish prosecution suspects that Assange is about to take off, its already too late. Assange left the country.

Clearly the rest of your post deals in a fairy tale and not in due process. Once Assange retains counsel, all communication goes through counsel. Its that simple. Assange counsel admitted to misleading and allowing Assange to abscond from Sweden to the UK. Again this fact is already documented in the first extradition hearing's court documents.

Again, your point... 'questionable testimony'. LOL... you do know the place where said testimony is heard, right? IN SWEDEN, where the alleged crime took place. Of course had JA (As you call him) stayed in Sweden, he could have confronted his accusers. Instead he's hired a PR firm, a bunch of lawyers all trying to keep his arse out of SWEDEN and jail.

Clearly you have no respect for due process or the law. You accuse myself and Scorchoi of being agents and having agendas to smear the good name of your best pal Ass-n-age. The truth is that you probably are a paid shill who could care less that justice is done.

Me? I'm just an American watching this all unfold. My bet is that the stupid git, goes back to Sweden and his subsequent actions and those of his lawyer will play out and affect the court's decision as to his sentence. He clearly has not shown any remorse, only disdain for the Swedish people and their laws. Do I think he did it? Yup. Had he done it in the UK, US, Australia... he probably wouldn't get charged. But no. The stupid git did this in SWEDEN and under their laws, he is alleged to have committed a crime. So be it.

With respect to the good ol' US of A and their DoJ... they are patient. They may not always be able to prevent a crime from occurring, they are very good at pulling together information after the fact. When they are done, if there is enough information against Assange, they will charge him. And then they will extradite him. Not from Sweden or the UK, but from Australia. Like I said, he'll get booted from Sweden back to Australia. Heck he even already pleaded to be allowed to go there. (Of course he can't due to the EAW that is in effect.)

Already Assange hasn't made any friends in the Australian government. His dumping of docs may also have placed some of their soldiers in jeopardy... So lets see how this plays out. I've already bought more option on the pop corn futures today...

Ian Michael Gumby
WTF?

@AC

I guess you really don't want the facts get in the way of your rant. I really hate to disappoint you and your fanboi attitude but lets look at what's happening.

You raise a couple of points. Lets go through them 1 by 1...

1) At this point in time, the testimony of the women are irrelevant. Had you been paying attention to the actual LAW of SWEDEN, UK and the EU treaty, The extradition is so that Assange can be charged and face trial in SWEDEN. Not in the UK. When Assange faces trial in SWEDEN, then you can raise this point...

2) No. Actually both Scorchio and I had brought up. Under OATH, Assange's lawyer in SWEDEN admitted that he lied when he said he wasn't in communication with the prosecution. The truth was that the prosecution had wanted Assange to come in for the interview where he would subsequently be charged. (Under SWEDISH LAW). His lawyer stonewalled as Scorochi put it Assange 'absconded'.

3) Under SWEDISH LAW, Assange was to come in for an interview where he would have subsequently been charged. He bailed and ditched the country while his lawyer stonewalled. This too was also pointed out in the first extradition hearing. He was to be called in for an interview and then charged. Thus under the EAW, the extradition request is valid since its purpose is for the Prosecution to officially charge him. Sorry but neither set of UK judges bought that excuse.

4) First, at this time, there is no action on the books for the US to raise the issue of extradition. This is an argument raised as a last ditch effort of Assange's defense team. Unfortunately for Assange, the rule of law makes it more difficult for the US to extradite Assange from SWEDEN since it would mean that the US would also have to talk to the UK. As pointed out... it would be easier for the US to wait until Assange is back in Australia when they extradite him. Then no issue w Sweden or the UK.

5) The whole thing in the UK has been a circus. But who created this whole circus? Lets be honest here. Assange is the ringmaster on this one. As it has also been pointed out that had he gone back to Sweden, or had never left, he would have faced his accusers, gone to trial and in the worst case, he would be out and back home in his native Australia. No. Instead Assange has flaunted the laws of SWEDEN. And yes, Assange has in fact flaunted his disregard for SWEDISH LAW and due process. His lawyers in their best efforts to defend their client also has flaunted the law and tried to try the case in the media and the UK courts, not in SWEDEN.

6) So sorry but the facts play out differently here in reality and not Ass-n-age fairytale land. If we were spouting fallacies why then is it that the UK courts seems to have the same opinion?

Oh and I wasn't aware that the Brits had a Tea Party, not just tea parties?

Ian Michael Gumby
Devil

Hmmm.

That's funny... Irrefutable facts...

How about the fact that his lawyer, under oath, admitted to lying about the fact that the prosecution was not in communication with him? ( the lawyer ).

The fact was that the lawyer had been receiving phone texts asking for Assange to appear.

The fact is that Assange skipped the country before he could be brought in for questioning and subsequently charged. Also detailed in court documents during the first extradition hearing.

This facts are actually in the court's record as well as in the press reports.

Reality sucks, don't it?

Ian Michael Gumby
WTF?

@PatientOne....

Slight problem...

Already pointed out in the first extradition hearing...

Assanage returns for questioning. At which time at the end of the interview, he will be formally charged. Why else do you think he absconded. Surely his lawyer told him the procedure.

You know the lawyer who under oath in the UK admitted to having received texts from the prosecution?

This point had been raised and answered in the past by many of us...

Ian Michael Gumby
WTF?

Not quite...

He goes to Sweden gets interrogated, then charged. Faces trial.

If convicted... Then sentenced. After serving sentence... He gets the boot to Australia.

If the US DoJ finds enoug evidence... They will extradite from Australia.

BTW what's up with El Reg moderators. Seems one of them has a bleeding heart on for ol Assange....

Ian Michael Gumby
Big Brother

Another amazing quote from Assange

Assange denies the accusations, saying they are an attempt to smear him, and he says it would be unfair to send him to a country where the language and legal system are alien to him. His attorneys have fought his extradition on procedural and human-rights grounds.

-=-

Note these quotes are from the article on CNN...

Here's the irony.

Assange claims that it would be unfair to send him to Sweden because the 'language and legal system' are alien to him. Yet this was the same country where he was seeking citizenship.

Go figure.

Ian Michael Gumby
Devil

@AC puleeez give me a break.

Assange goes to Sweden.

He faces the charges.

Regardless of any jail time, he ends up getting booted back to Australia.

By then, the US has completed their investigation and will be done w Manning.

Then they charge Assange and Austraila sends him off to face charges.

Catholic Bishops: 'Would you mind not bringing guns to church?'

Ian Michael Gumby
Boffin

Funny

The law was signed many months ago and just went in to effect Nov 1.

News reports that there were thousands of requests downloaded on the first day.

Currently the only people who can legally carry concealed weapons are those who have a permit from another state which has reprocity w WI. Many non residents of Utah have non resident permits so that they can carry in states that have ccw laws.

Now only the state of IL does not allow CCW. Currently there are two lawsuits hoping to overturn things, plus Chicago is currently plagued w a rash of gun violence.

Why is this IT? Because many in the field like things that go boom.

Steve Jobs' last words: 'OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW.'

Ian Michael Gumby
Coat

Nope...

He probably said that.

Not pain induced. By the time he said that he would have been doped to the gills by hospice.

Samsung demands iPhone 4S source code in Aussie row

Ian Michael Gumby
Boffin

@AC. Not Quite

You sue Ford for breach. You also get a TRO against Ford for violating terms of license.

You don't or cant sue other company since they entered into an agreement w Ford in good faith.

Note the following... If you sue and lose, you open yourself up to a counter suit for damages when you idled the other company's production line.

With respect to the actual lawsuit, methinks that Apple has the upper hand. Qualcomm is a chip manufacturer. They build chips for resale. You can't sell tech that you licensed without extending the license agreements on said tech to your customer.

Google explains 'why' ads target user's Gmail

Ian Michael Gumby
WTF?

@His Glennogginess ... HUH?

Dude!

Where have you been?

Google has been saying that for *YEARS*!

(Actually its 'All of your data that you store on our servers belongs to us...')

Sorry but I give you the 'WTF?' for stating something that many of us have known for years.

CERN boffins re-running neutrino speed test

Ian Michael Gumby
Devil

Answer...

You're right.

The Neutrinos could be from outside the chamber. But then again, they could probably discount them through statistical analysis or tracking of the path and direction.

I think that they may have gotten it right by changing some of the parameters of the experiment.

Personally I would love for the changes not to work and explain the neutrinos. Sorry, I'm a sci-fi geek at heart and the unanswered question makes for some good sci-fi type speculation.

Zimbabwean claims prostitute turned into donkey

Ian Michael Gumby
Coat

He should have known better.

That piece of ass was the sheriff's gal.

Nokia takes NFC phones to New York subway

Ian Michael Gumby
Angel

One thing that I wonder about...

Why they don't receive the cc information from the NFC and store it and then submit batches to the CC house for processing?

We're talking about low risk transactions so that you're causing the queue to wait on CC processing in real time. They just have to wait until the CC details are captured and verified.

There are also some Fraud detection that could also be put in to place to reduce their risk.

IBM names Ginni Rometty prez and CEO

Ian Michael Gumby
Devil

@Slabfondler

Sounds like you've escaped from the Borg too! :-)

Yeah, moving the NA sales operations to Brazil didn't do much overall, except cause additional pain in S&D and made doing deals quickly more difficult. But then again. The regular IBMers I dealt with only worked 9-5 in their time zone so they weren't much help either.

The issue is that you can't keep doing the same old trick. We've seen this pattern for years. Moving staff offshore to India and then onshore them for IGS projects... not really smurt.

Then there was the effort to try and convince ex-pats to return to their home countries to work at their same job now off shored from the US but at local salaries. (Even if they had achieved perm residency. )

Yes the wonders never end... And people wonder why I think of IBMers as being arrogant.

Ian Michael Gumby
Alert

I feel sorry for her...

She's inheriting a mess and a lot of expectations to manage.

Sorry, but IBM had been cutting things too close to the bone for a long time and the margins are shrinking on their software and services.

Something has got to give and it will soon.

Unless she can get the company to recognize their core values... S&D will end up sinking the ship.

Survey: Future IT guys will 'crowd-source' to fix stuff

Ian Michael Gumby
Devil

@Arctic Fox... either you or I is mistaken...

My take was that they would want to hire less experienced staff and then use crowd sourcing the answers on the web as a way to handle the heavy lifting.

That's going to drive down the use of outside contractors because some maroon will think that they can just google for an answer, or post a question to a board and expect to get a serious answer quickly.

Their misguided thoughts are due to seeing people like us answering some simple questions that have a high 'Doh!' factor. Like someone who should know the answer but couldn't come up with it. Or its a newbie question and someone felt too kind to type RTFM in the response as not to discourage them...

Of course we're talking about the same dimwits who thing a programmer is a programmer, regardless of experience and training, and went to the offshoring model to save money.

Ian Michael Gumby
FAIL

Crowd Sourcing won't work...

Ok...

If you have a question ... you just google the net for it.

If you want a good answer, you have to sift through that information and figure out how accurate and reliable is the post.

Also depending on the question, you may or may not even get an answer.

You want to try to crowd source... just hang out on some of the technical forums on LinkedIn. Ask a question and see how long it takes to get an answer.

WikiLeaks on verge of financial collapse, founder says

Ian Michael Gumby
Mushroom

Yo!~ Gordon Geko

"Alternatively there's a tea partier who thinks that the US Govt leaning on the credit card co's rather than using due process and the law is acceptable. Given that I hope no one is that stupid I hoping it's for the Asshat."

Actually Gordon, the US government has a legal obligation to inform the Financial Institutions that there could be criminal charges brought against them under the existing laws...The fact that Ass-n-age didn't endear himself to the banks clearly made their decision easier.

Ass-n-age is currently trying to sue them. However... that case aint going to survive since the US corporations have to assess their risks under US law and protect themselves.

This has nothing to do with the due process of law. That's still working its way through their investigation. There's a lot of unknowns and now that Assange had further alienated himself from the press... not a smart move.

Sorry. But I'll take a look and see what OpenLeaks produces. Wikileaks aint no whistle blowers unless its Assange looking for some tail.

Ian Michael Gumby
WTF?

@AC

The point I was making was that there was in fact real whistle blowing being done by others. Wikileaks hasn' t blown an whistle on anything.

Somehow I'm not amazed that the thought of real whistle blowing rather than airing dirty laundry went right over your head.

Also along the point of Wikileaks... two of their more prominent sources are facing jail time. One in Europe and one in the US. I guess that's another point of separation. Whistle blowers who went to the real journalists and press aren't sitting in jail for their actions.

Ian Michael Gumby
Boffin

@Turtle...

What is the truth?

So far what Assange claims to be the truth doesn't mesh with reports from others who were also involved.

And what one perceives to be the truth is irrelevant at this time.

Manning knows some things. He's not talking.

The reporters involved in working w Assange know some things... and what they've so far said, doesn't jibe w Assange's recollection of 'the truth'.

Other members of the Press condemn Assange's release of unredacted information on the public, which also can call to question Assange's version of 'the truth'.

The bottom line... it will be many years before 'the truth' is known and even then... its debatable as to its accuracy of what really happened.

Ian Michael Gumby
FAIL

@Tom Welsh...

First, I suppose that if Assange died from some untreated STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease), that you would blame it on a US conspiracy, even though he's facing rape charges for attempting to have unprotected sex... (Showing that he had a proclivity for having unsafe sex.)

But that's all a US/UN plot. Right?

So what exactly did Assange show in all of his 'whistle blowing' activities?

And that's the point. Nothing of Probative value. Note: This isn't to say that members of the US armed services and the US government didn't do things that could be questionable...

But who broke the story about Abu Graib ?sp? prison? (Hint: It wasn't wikileaks.)

Who broke the story on Water Boarding? (Hint: Again, it wasn't wikileaks.)

Clearly son, you need to go back to school and get an education.

I mean, heck... what's the probative value in knowing some snot nosed young diplomat thinks Germany's Merkel is BORING!

Groupon sues ex-sales heads for defection to Google

Ian Michael Gumby
Boffin

@UKForest you're not...

You have two issues.

'Right to Work' States where the employee has the right to work and utilize his skills.

This is being weighed against a company's right to protect their proprietary trade secrets.

Here's an example. Suppose you're a Java developer for Company A. You quit to go work for Company B as a Java Developer. Company B is a competitor. You have a non-compete contract that prohibits you from working for a set of specific companies for a period of time.

Unless Company B is specifically listed, you can work for them.

If Company B is listed, you may have to wait for your lockout time. (Which you were compensated for when you signed your non-compete contract) The reason this is legal is that your skill can also be applied at another company, lets call it Company C where you can also work as a Java Developer.

Now the higher up the food chain in an organization, the more proprietary knowledge you learn and the smaller the list of companies where you can go to work.

This is where it gets difficult to say what will happen. The courts have to balance your right to work against those of the company. So its possible that you can go to work for Company B where you are not in a position to advise or work in direct competition against Company A.

There's a lot of case history in Chicago.

It all depends on what was in the agreement and if its enforceable.

When Informix got borg'd by IBM, some employees got a retention package. In the agreement, there were two clauses. One said you couldn't go to work for any company that did business w IBM. (This clause is unenforceable.) The second clause specifically barred one from going to work at two named competitors. (This clause was enforceable.)

McKinnon's mum up for human rights gong

Ian Michael Gumby
Devil

@Jedit...

I wonder how many US citizens go off and hack an Eastern European Country's banking system to steal money and create fraud and identity theft?

So to your point, just because there isn't a 'one for one' number of extraditions, doesn't mean that there's any asymmetry. Or undue action on the part of the US.

Like you and other commentards who think that the US Government is the 'big bad wolf' and needs to be taken down... guess what. Most US citizens think that the EU governments are just whinny bitches who aren't worth the bother of hacking.

So where's the symmetry in that?

BTW, If you had any understanding of the history of the last century, you would understand why the US does what it does. But I guess being a Brit, knowing something about the War of the Roses is somehow much more relevant in today's society? :-P

Ian Michael Gumby
WTF?

@Jedit

"I am, however, a supporter of justice, and I know full well that McKinnon will not receive any if he is extradited. "

Really.

You must think really highly about yourself.

You also don't know much if anything about the law.