* Posts by Charles 9

16605 publicly visible posts • joined 10 Jun 2009

Bethesda all out for 'Fallout 4', fallout for global productivity foretold in countdown

Charles 9

Re: "Setting"

Don't know about Philly since 3's The Pitt was set in nearby Pittsburgh.

Boston I'll give you since it would provide a canon tie to the Commonwealth, mentioned in 3, especially since we need a new adversarial power if we assume the Enclave is not a significant force in this area after its collapse in Washington.

PS. As for New Orleans, perhaps not as a mainline setting but a prime candidate for an expansion.

Charles 9

Re: Fallout 4 setting confirmed

Consider the developers and the setting. All the settings so far have been in America. 1 and 2 were on the west coast, 3 in Washington (with DLCs set in Pittsburgh and Maryland), and New Vegas in the Mojave desert around Las Vegas and surrounding. A non-canon spinoff IIRC was set in Texas.

Anyway, consider this will be a prime candidate for an expanded game world compared to 3 and New Vegas. That's why I figured New York would be a prime candidate. Other major cities like Chicago could also work. Boston's another candidate. New York and Boston would make sense canon-wise because of 3's mention of the Commonwealth, which canon notes is centered in New England (meaning around Boston, and New York's close enough to be under its influence).

Charles 9

Anyone know the setting? I'm betting on New York: the Rotten Apple, as I think of it in that kind of setting. As for the player character, perhaps a Sole Survivor (from a Vault, that is) this time.

IT-savvy US congressmen to Feds: End your crypto-backdoor crusade

Charles 9

Re: There's a simple way to explain it to them...

"The only thing that will is "If you try to push this through, I won't vote for you again"."

That won't work, either. They'll counter, "One smart vote against ten stupid votes. YOU LOSE."

Charles 9

Some people are willing to go that far by using networks of PEOPLE (as in a spy network like an enemy state, a crime syndicate like the Mafia, or a terrorist group like Al-Queda). Which means odds are there's a LOCAL guy SOMEWHERE.

Charles 9

Re: There's a simple way to explain it to them...

"Watch how fast the bastard backpeddles on wanting that backdoor installed & try not to laugh too hard at the smoke blowing, hand waving, "That'll never happen! We're the Government & we're Secure!" style bullshit starts to flow out their mouths."

They'll add, "If that were true, you can do it with physical keys, too. Why aren't we seeing a rash of break-ins into high-security sites courtesy of copied keys, hmm?" And any argument you put against it will be applied to the crypto argument. You need an argument that has no physical analogue.

Secure web? That'll cost you, thanks to Mozilla's HTTPS plan

Charles 9

Re: Time for HTTP-ES

"The benefits of HTTP-ES would be: no broken bookmarks, lower overhead when all you need is cookie or header obfuscation, increased protection against MitM attacks and some compatibility with external cache servers."

The big drawback, as some ISPs have shown, is that even this initial handshake can be exploited to man-in-the-middle the connection BEFORE the secure phase can take place. About the only way you can prevent this is to start the connection with the key exchange and don't continue without it being complete; otherwise, that crack in the door is enough to get the proverbial foot in. IOW, don't do ANYTHING in the clear, not even a request to go secure; you MUST go secure from the get-go.

Charles 9

Re: But ...

It means the stuff can't be altered in transit by an ISP or a malicious party. Think Verizon's client ID or the Chinese Cannon. Encrypted EVERYTHING is the most practical way to deal with these kinds of man-in-the-middle alterations, and a TLS-based protocol is the best option we have that's in wide use. Also, HTTPS has the big benefit that it's already in use, unlike Berners-Lee's proposal which is over 15 years old (RFC2817) and requires browser rewrites to support a protocol that doesn't exist yet (which may not be an option for old-but-still-in-use programs).

Charles 9

But Mozilla has a point. How do you get some stubborn sites to switch if they're not willing to take the carrot?

It may interest you to know they've been trying Berners-Lee's approach since 2000 (RFC2817), but no one's been listening.

Silk Road boss Ross Ulbricht to spend LIFE in PRISON without parole

Charles 9

Ever thought some people CAN'T think BUT still have loving relatives? These relatives have a hard enough time trying to make him/her come around, especially if things like an intervention fizzle or even backfire. And note that if you tell them anything that portrays them in anything but a sympathetic light, you'll make YOURSELF into their enemy.

Charles 9

Pled not guilty then was convicted by jury. So no, crying crocodile tears now didn't help him and in fact hurt him because he now looks like the kid with his hand in the cookie jar trying to curry sympathy. If he really were sorry, he would've pled guilty from the start.

Charles 9

Re: Keep in mind that "life" actually means ...

Well, Compassionate Release was how Al Capone finally got out of Alcatraz. Then again, he WAS terminally at the time, out of his mind, and barely lasted a year afterward.

Windows 10 upgrade ADWARE forces its way on to Windows 7 and 8.1

Charles 9

"Vulkan (glNext) is going to offer the same performance improvements as DirectX 12. It's also likely to be the more tempting development target, given that it will be freely available on every OS, including Windows 7, Linux and the Mac, fully open-source, with no Microsoft licensing or lock-in."

Perhaps, but it's not ready yet. Plus Microsoft still has the institutional momentum and is willing to directly back winners since it also sells consoles. I think if Valve and the like want to get their foot in the door, they're going to have to get MUCH more aggressive with Vulkan support in order to convince developers to code multiplat (which to this date they haven't had as much success as they would like). Even stuff you would think would be easy to port like stuff on UE4 don't get ported as much in reality.

Charles 9

Re: @Charles 9 - Why are Microsoft giving this away?

"Well ... they use free in reference to FREEDOM."

But when you're in an environment where a word can get confused (in this case, one where a free lunch can easily be confused with free speech), then one or the other words should be changed in order to distinguish between them. Now, as it happens, there aren't too many easy contextual synonyms for free lunch (complimentary, cost-free perhaps) vs. free speech (unrestricted, unfettered), and the latter are in more common usage. So, rather than mince words, say what you mean, mean what you say, and say it so others know which way you mean it.

Charles 9

Re: Universal applications

Trouble was "suitable" was a moving target. And given the broad spectrum of hardware it was meant to run in, trying to set a hard-and-fast specification for "suitable" was a pipe dream.

Charles 9

Re: WMC removal?

Your CDs are fine. It's DVD playback that's broken due to the MPEG-2 license issue. It's like how Wiis don't play DVDs nor did the orignal Xbox without a dongle (the dongle had the license price attached). They're physically capable but legally incapable because they don't have their licenses paid for. And since many people don't use their PCs as DVD players (why wear then out when you can use dedicated players hooked up to the TV is the noted justification--many times PC DVD drives are used for ripping, not playing), it means like a decent amount of bucks a copy Microsoft has to pay for something that doesn't get used.

Charles 9

Re: @Charles 9 - Why are Microsoft giving this away?

""Free" has at least two meanings. One is zero cost. The other translates into French as "libre" and means "at liberty" or "not confined" or "not restricted"."

By my reckoning, the first definition (the one further up the dictionary) is "free". The second one is what I normally call "unrestricted". I've learned early on that it's very important to be very concise and precise in one's oration else one gets easily misinterpreted.

Charles 9

Re: @Charles 9 - Why are Microsoft giving this away?

"Microsoft free is not like Linux free."

Free is free is free? Am I able to get it at no cost to me? Yes, so it's free. End of.

Charles 9

Re: Why are Microsoft giving this away?

Ever thought they may be realizing that an App Store model may be the better way to go, a la iPhone and Android? Besides, it gives them an incentive to keep people from jumping to a Linux distro (since they now have free to counter free combined with the advantage of familiarity and better compatibility).

Charles 9

Re: It's notice-ware not adware

Well, as long as they don't nag you and you can make the icon go away once you've made your decision, then it's just a friendly by-the-way, and I don't mind that.

That said, when I ran the update check, it noted the common Broadcom Bluetooth Adapter isn't on the compatibility list as of this time. Now a deal-breaker as the checker notes, but it still raises an eyebrow as to what other types of hardware aren't going to make the cut.

Creationist: The Flintstones was an accurate portrayal of Dino-human coexistence

Charles 9

Re: @ AceRimmer (was:@Bernard M. Orwell (was:Atheists call their imagination science.))

"Honest question: How many times have you heard your .fav Shaman refer to it as "the books of the bible" (plural), as opposed to "the holy book" (singular)."

That's nothing new. People normally refer to anthologies (which the Bible essentially is) in the singular even today. Only when multiple specific books are referenced to we switch to the plural (such as in "The Gospels").

Charles 9

Re: @ AceRimmer (was:@Bernard M. Orwell (was:Atheists call their imagination science.))

It could be either, as it's a corruption. It could be a corruption of "biblion" (singular) or "biblia" (plural), unless you can show the specific etymology that can rule out "biblion".

Charles 9

Re: In defense of the Americans

No, it's ONE. If not an exclamation point. The thing is, many religions deal in absolutes and make themselves as the only way for the universe to make sense.

Charles 9

Re: same with conspiracy theorists

But what if they're plague-like, meaning even if YOU ignore them, many others won't until you find yourself surrounded with unbelievable believers?

Charles 9

Re: The Nightmare

"Omnipotent being responsible for everything and we will see her when we die - no problem.

Same being created the whole world a couple of thousand years ago - nightmare."

Not really. See, God, BEING omnipotent, can make ANYTHING, including making something LOOK like something else. As well as create trials and ordeals to test us and forge us into better people when our times comes. That's their reasoning, at least. Even babies taken before they have a chance to think for themselves are seen as test for the parent(s). It appears to be all-encompassing and able to explain nigh everything, so it's hard to get an argument in.

Charles 9

But what if B argues from a different angle, say from the perspective of a gestalt, for example a quartet: greater than just the sum of four performers?

Mac bug makes rootkit injection as easy as falling asleep

Charles 9

Re: Without...

If you can rewrite the EFI firmware and bypass the signature check, you can install your own checks to make it nigh-impossible to remove, meaning you either go about with a pwned machine or consign it as a brick. As for checking the hardware, the thing about a low-level hack is that it's low enough to lie to the OS unless the OS itself can go straight to the metal.

Long, sticky summer ahead: Win 10 will be with OEMs by 31 August

Charles 9

Re: What happened to the talk about the "free" upgrades from 7 & 8?

The editions being priced as of now are enterprise versions not eligible for the free upgrade.

Welp, PEAK GIF is upon us! Facebook now supports animated images

Charles 9

Whatever happened to MNG and ANG? Why are we sticking around with a patent-encumbered format that only supports 256 colors?

The 'echo chamber' effect misleading people on climate change

Charles 9

Re: Not Just Climate Change

"I'm not saying get rid of it, or censor it, just that humanity needs better education on this topic."

And if people don't WANT to learn? That trying to drag them kicking and screaming will bring their buddies and start a riot?

Charles 9

Re: If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck...

But can it be done at the same power levels? That's always been the 6-billion-human question. Because last I checked, very few are going to volunteer to be culled just because the cleanest tech available only provides 10% the power of today.

Unmasking hidden Tor service users is too easy, say infosec bods

Charles 9

Re: Curious

But the age-old trust issue has a caveat. You have to trust someone at some point. If you go into full DTA mode, you've basically isolated yourself.

Hardcore creationist finds 60-million-year-old fossils in backyard ... 'No, it hasn’t changed my mind about the Bible'

Charles 9

Re: Not 6 literal days.

Furthermore, that phrase "And there was evening and there was morning, the first day." reinforces the Hebrew tradition that days don't start at sunup but sundown since night came before day.

Aye-aye Eyeo, go safely on your way-o, says German judge

Charles 9

Re: It is the advertisers fault

I've been trying to find a specific episode of a TV show. It's no longer on the air. It's not on disc. It's not available through any download sites, black or gray. No torrents, no P2P sources. The ONLY sources I've found CHARGE for the privilege, and they're ALL DRM'd. So far, I've resisted the temptation and have simply gone without for now because I won't take it with strings attached, but it highlights the fact that, for some people, it really is a Take It Or Leave It proposition.

Charles 9

Re: It is the advertisers fault

And if none exists (trust me, I speak from experience)?

Charles 9

Re: It is the advertisers fault

So what happens when you try to block an ad and find that blocks the actual content as well?

Charles 9

"Yes, that may be the way to get attention. But for many of us that attention simply results in hate for whatever-it-is they're plugging. That one hit out of a million isn't worthwhile if the other potential or actual 99 customers are sufficiently pissed off to decide they'll never touch whatever-it-is again in their lives. It's actually to the benefit of the vendors of whatever-it-is that the ads get blocked."

They'd consider YOU nonconvertible and safe to ignore. The ONE they snag is more than enough for them, even if they never hear from you again. That's how advertising works. Millions of ignores just to get that ONE hit that makes it all worthwhile. And to draw on P. T. Barnum, there WILL be that ONE somewhere.

Charles 9

Re: According to Eyeo, AdBlock Plus is used on 50 million devices

The Admen will just find ways to get around AdBlock. Even without paying for the whitelist treatment, they'll probably start using ad-blocker-blockers that deny you access if you have it or anything like it like NoScript on. And before you say, "I'll just go somewhere else," suppose the site has exclusive content you need or ALL the sites with the stuff do the same thing, forcing you into a Take It or Leave It situation (submit to the nauseating ads or go without that important file you need like an obscure driver)?

Sony sees the cold light of optical archives, buys ex-Facebooker's upstart

Charles 9

Re: Robotics

It's an interesting thought, yes, but the capacities are just too small to be practical at this point. BluRay has fallen behind the times which is why I'm eyeing Archival Disc with some anticipation. Not only are the disc sizes closer to what's needed for large consumer backups in the terabyte range, but they're designed for "cold" storage.

Charles 9

What about reuse issues? Can't a tape be used a few times before it has to be replaced?

WOODEN computer chips reveal humanity's cyber elf future

Charles 9

Re: Is it really 'friendly'?

"The technique works with silicon as well, but does not seem to provide any the environmental advantage."

There's no need to use the technique with silicon. Silicon's ridiculously abundant and non-contaminating, so it's a case of "If it ain't broke..."

Charles 9

Semiconductor manufacture is what's known as a "high initial, low incremental" industry in terms of costs. Much like a related article here about VFX firms. Once you actually plunk down and build the plant, going from a million to a billion is a trifle.

Why are all the visual special effects studios going bust?

Charles 9

"Tradition? I do realize back in like the 1950s, soap companies sponsored them. But, that's really not relevant now. I'd say at present, one show is not a genre. I don't know about UK, but in the US, General Hospital has been the one and only soap opera left for close to 10 years."

If that were true, the Soap Opera Digest would be LONG out of business. Truth is, soaps are still out there, and they remain soaps, as most are done by PGP (Proctor & Gamble Productions, as in the big soap conglomerate). There remain four soaps still running. You listed ABC's General Hospital already, NBC has Days of Our Lives, and CBS still has The Young & The Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful.

Charles 9

You can extend this line of thinking to utility companies as well, which is why you see a tendency toward natural monopolies there. Utilities have the same situation: high capital cost, low marginal cost. Plus they have the NIMBY issue: people will tolerate the necessary evil of ONE utility, but once more crop up their infrastructure can become an eyesore.

Blackhat hack trick wallops popular routers

Charles 9

Re: Checking?

The router's IP can be determined simply by doing some kind of internal ping on the client. The rules of DHCP and so on usually mean the weak-link client is on the same subnet as the router. And since the router's usually the hub of the home network (and therefore almost always device .1), Bob's your uncle.

Then I think the attack bypasses the authentication done on the device, making passwords useless.

Please inform us if this is not the case, as I've been unable to obtain particulars on this attack (or even if the CSRF is applied against the device's web-facing side directly, meaning no user intervention required).

Geofencing: The ultra-low power frontier for the Internet of Things

Charles 9

Re: Why does this stuff need to update ?

"If IoT can only work with a hardware portal to the Internet, then it is those things that can handle the security. The router could very well be configured so as to 1) not allow general interaction from the Internet or the local network to the IoT thingies, and 2) handle updates from the Internet to a given IoTmabob, on condition that said update is properly signed and comes from the proper domain (no use BitTorrenting an update here)."

Because, given the wireless nature of it all, what's to stop an interloper: someone inserting THEIR router into your network, masquerading as yours, and hijacking your devices? How do you reconcile this problem while at the same time making it easy enough for Joe Computer-Illiterate to use?

Boffins silently track train commuters without tripping Android checks

Charles 9

"Add to that the fact that the accelerometer won't tell you very much about direction: it can tell whether someone is walking or running but not in which direction."

Most phone accelerometers are TRI-AXIAL, meaning they can measure acceleration in a space. Most commonly, it's used to determine the phone's orientation by triangulation for g. They CAN know direction.

Charles 9

Re: Over a third of apps have location permission anyhow

But since there are perfectly legitimate reasons for background location tracking (navigation, geologging, et al), you'll just raise a culture of "Click OK to get the hell out of my way." Put mildly, the average person doesn't want to know all the gritty details. They just want their app and that's that. Sure, they complain when they get pwned, but they also complain when they have to jump through too many hoops (which is the only practical way to safeguard against being pwned without your knowledge). Sounds to me like you can't win.

Verizon: fibre is MUCH cheaper than copper, we're going all-FTTP

Charles 9

Re: There's only one reason to tear out copper

"with FTTP VoIP your reliant on the 8-16 hour UPS to keep the Fiber working for the phone"

I would think that the time you need to use the phone after a power failure is immediately after the event. The backup battery is intended to handle temporary outages of the old "line fell" or "rat chewed the wires": maybe worse-case a blown transformer. I know one of the first things I do is call the power company to either report the problem or learn how long it'll probably take to get back on. If I'm going to call anyone, it's going to be right after. Beyond this and you're probably going into disaster territory. Based on experience (I live in a hurricane zone), I can say that if your power isn't back on (or due back) within 12 hours, there are other problems. If you can't even REACH the power company (because the phone is cut off upstream), you might as well hunker down; you're in for a wait, in which case the phone isn't going to be of much use to you anyway. In any event, if an emergency arises during such a disaster (like a flooding that can warrant evacuation), the order will likely come from a truck in the street rather than the phone.

"some Primarily mobile masts have a backup generator or backup batteries"

SOME, but not many. So the cell phone isn't likely to be of much help in a major outage, either, unless you're willing to roam to find a working tower.

NSA bulk phone records slurp to end when law lapses next month – report

Charles 9

Re: Unfortunately

But what's to stop a black version of said agencies already existing and still doing the stuff you describe, only with no real way to keep them in check because its very existence is top secret?