Posts by Mark 85

Simples... that would require ethics instead of greed to paramount emotion of the stockholders and the board.

Re: Risk

Or maybe there were people who believed whatever they were doing was worth risking their lives for?

We don't have many of them left these days...

Actually we do. There's several groups in the sandy lands who embrace the possibility.

I am just emptied of fight. I know that's what they want but there's only so much that scattered, concerned individuals can do.

You just answered your own question. The politicians know that we in IT who are concerned are scattered and not a majority. The agencies know where we live and work. Right now, we're sort of like flies... not worth the trouble to go after. The vast majority of folks either feel like their voice doesn't matter, or they like the warm, fuzzy the politicians and agencies are keeping us secure and "thinking of the children".

At some point, the house of cards may crumble and they'll point to us in IT and say "see... there's the problem." They are past masters of the blame game and in that game, they will win, we will lose.

At some point, they'll just wear us down and their perfect world and state will be in place. Unless, the majority of the populace stop playing with their shiny toys and look around... then there will be a chance. Keep questioning and fighting. It's people like you, myself and others who do this that keep us from falling fast into the pit. And if it does fall over, we can still hold our heads up in the knowledge that we were free and we fought with the tools we had.

Re: Aviation

Much like using CCTV's' for physical security. It's not about catching things in the act, it's about the fallout afterwards. In someways this is proper and right and in other ways, it's very bad. Periodically going over the logs is a good idea just as having someone eyeball the tapes (even if just in fast forward) is a good idea. Just because an alarm wasn't tripped doesn't mean that something "not good" is going on.

Re: 'The more computers you have, the more cables you need'

There are times when discretion is the better part of valor (or valour). This would be one of them.

Since they are a professional team, I'm thinking there's more to that scoreboard than score, fouls, time remaining. Maybe fancy graphics and music? Oh... and ads.. gotta' have the ads.

Re: Don't they know anything?

It might very well real right now. Just not in our part of the universe. Hmm... or maybe not this universe....

Re: Convenient Escape

Could be.. could be not. We don't know what the guys at the top think. Nor do we know if Congress is rational or just flat out of their minds. And by that I mean "have they lost touch with reality?" "Do they seriously believe this stops terrorism?" "Do really believe this doesn't go against the Constitution?"

Re: Inconsistent

It's very inconsistent. If I went to a Jewish delicatessen and insisted (by invoking the current laws) that they had to serve me a pork sandwich because the law said they couldn't discriminate, I'd be literally tar and feathered by both the right and left. Or what about a Muslim going into a restaurant and demanding (followed by a lawsuit) over the restaurant's lack Halal?

It works both ways... or should. Businesses shouldn't be allowed to discriminate on customers and vice versa.

Apple controls it's ecosystem. China controls it's ecosystem. Both seem to rule with an iron fist.

Re: Weird thought

They appear to be rather tiny.. maybe 10 cm - 12 cm from the photos in the article. I'm guessing they were the crayfish (crawdads) of that period. It would take a bunch to make a dinner. Yeah... we'll never know if they were better broiled and dipped in butter or boiled in some Cajun hot sauce....

You're right.. But lately the application has been, shall we say, misguided. Go wander about certain places in the middle east and profess to be a follower of the prophet Jesus and see what happens. Discrimination is applied rather harshly there.

Re: And....

So "fair use" doesn't apply over there? Hmmm.... all the IP swapping/stealing/borrowing and for a bit of free publicity you couldn't link to it in the article? Strange civilization we live in these days.

Re: free

Just like the American version that's "free"... the taxpayers will pay and pay and pay.

Re: Can GitHub take China to court in the WTO?

If that's the case, can any site take any of the 5-eyes to court? Seems to me it would be easier (maybe not) to block "outside China" users form hitting Baidu. Which is perhaps, what the Chinese government would like to see?

Re: No judgement on Ms. Porat's abilities, but ...

and then there's the under-the-table non-poaching agreements for the troops in the trenches to hold their pay down... Yeah.. I think a judgement can be made about ethics.

Re: Effective?

Have an upvote for reminding me of the 99 Slaps Principle. Sales Droids and Con Artists (think all those phone calls about virus in your computer, etc.) know this very well.

Re: This one's not about patents though is it?

Well, what I inferred from the article was that they did a meeting with FB on data centers. Probably brought plans, etc. with them. I'm betting someone forgot to get an NDA signed.... which basically would have told FB.. "you can't use this". Since an NDA wasn't mentioned... there's something else going on.

@ MYBACKDOOR Re: Not worth going then...to an A-Sexual event.

The I.T. industry is turning cold, bland, and colorless like a convention for insurance agents.

The wildest convention I ever saw (and I've seen a few over the years) was for funeral directors. I got stuck in Chicago for a weekend and the hotel had a convention of funeral directors. Not at all dull. It was jumping more than a frat house on a Friday night. And we shouldn't insult insurance agents as I've heard their conventions come in second after the funeral guys. I think IT is falling down below accountants as far as these kinds of events.