Book of Odds - Are You A Believer?
A Harris poll the following November found the odds a person believes there is a God are 1 in 1.35 (74%), down from 1 in 1.27 (79%) in 2003.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Schneier on Security: Fun with Secret Questions
Schneier on Security: Fun with Secret Questions
Fun with Secret Questions
Ally Bank wants its customers to invent their own personal secret questions and answers; the idea is that an operator will read the question over the phone and listen for an answer. Ignoring for the moment the problem of the operator now knowing the question/answer pair, what are some good pairs? Some suggestions:
Q: Do you know why I think you're so sexy?
A: Probably because you're totally in love with me.Q: Need any weed? Grass? Kind bud? Shrooms?
A: No thanks hippie, I'd just like to do some banking.Q: The Penis shoots Seeds, and makes new Life to poison the Earth with a plague of men.
A: Go forth, and kill. Zardoz has spoken.Q: What the hell is your fucking problem, sir?
A: This is completely inappropriate and I'd like to speak to your supervisor.Q: I've been embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from my employer, and I don't care who knows it.
A: It's a good thing they're recording this call, because I'm going to have to report you.Q: Are you really who you say you are?
A: No, I am a Russian identity thief.
National_ID_Card.pdf (application/pdf Object)
National_ID_Card.pdf (application/pdf Object)
The Constitution does not explicitly provide a right to privacy, but in Griswold v. Connecticut (1965),
the Supreme Court held that “various guarantees create zones of privacy. The right of association
contained in the penumbra of the First Amendment,” and the Third, Fourth, Fifth and Ninth
Amendments were held to give people a right to privacy, and this doctrine has been used in many cases
since. However, there has been some debate over whether the constitutional right to privacy includes
the right to anonymity. Alan Dershowitz, for example, makes the argument that the right to privacy is
solely the right to control one’s personal information and its dissemination, not hide one’s identity. He
said, “American taxpayers, voters, and drivers long ago gave up any right of anonymity without loss of
our right to engage in lawful conduct within zones of privacy.”13 However, the Supreme Court has at
least intimated to a right to anonymous political speech under the First Amendment in a number of
cases.
The Constitution does not explicitly provide a right to privacy, but in Griswold v. Connecticut (1965),
the Supreme Court held that “various guarantees create zones of privacy. The right of association
contained in the penumbra of the First Amendment,” and the Third, Fourth, Fifth and Ninth
Amendments were held to give people a right to privacy, and this doctrine has been used in many cases
since. However, there has been some debate over whether the constitutional right to privacy includes
the right to anonymity. Alan Dershowitz, for example, makes the argument that the right to privacy is
solely the right to control one’s personal information and its dissemination, not hide one’s identity. He
said, “American taxpayers, voters, and drivers long ago gave up any right of anonymity without loss of
our right to engage in lawful conduct within zones of privacy.”13 However, the Supreme Court has at
least intimated to a right to anonymous political speech under the First Amendment in a number of
cases.
Microsoft's Windows Monopoly Now At Risk As Tablet Market Sprouts Without It
Microsoft's Windows Monopoly Now At Risk As Tablet Market Sprouts Without It
HP was dissatisfied with Windows as a tablet operating system, according to TechCrunch. Instead it will look at using Google Android, as well as its newly acquired WebOS. And the Courier just wasn't up to snuff. The era of touch devices that use styluses has long passed.
HP was dissatisfied with Windows as a tablet operating system, according to TechCrunch. Instead it will look at using Google Android, as well as its newly acquired WebOS. And the Courier just wasn't up to snuff. The era of touch devices that use styluses has long passed.
CHART OF THE DAY: Has Any Company Lost As Much Money On The Internet As Microsoft?
CHART OF THE DAY: Has Any Company Lost As Much Money On The Internet As Microsoft?
Last night Microsoft revealed that its Online Services Division lost $711 million in the first three months of this year. That's a jaw-dropping $2.8 billion loss annual run rate.
Last night Microsoft revealed that its Online Services Division lost $711 million in the first three months of this year. That's a jaw-dropping $2.8 billion loss annual run rate.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Q&A: HP's strategy chief on the Palm acquisition - Big Tech - Fortune Brainstorm Tech
Q&A: HP's strategy chief on the Palm acquisition - Big Tech - Fortune Brainstorm Tech
is is about the webOS and app development kits and the app space that they’re building up. It gives us a chance to really grow in a market that, standalone, is more than $120 billion and has grown 20% annually. We think it’s where a lot of the action is going to be in the next generation. The webOS is a modern, very capable operating system that is nicely differentiated
is is about the webOS and app development kits and the app space that they’re building up. It gives us a chance to really grow in a market that, standalone, is more than $120 billion and has grown 20% annually. We think it’s where a lot of the action is going to be in the next generation. The webOS is a modern, very capable operating system that is nicely differentiated
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
The Sarcasmist - The World, brought to you by the Sarcasm Society
The Sarcasmist - The World, brought to you by the Sarcasm Society: "An immigrant rights group has convinced all immigrants to give back the jobs that were so ruthlessly ripped away from the bosom of Americans.
“We will be organizing the first ever Job Transfer Fair this summer. The way the fair will work is that a list of jobs currently held by immigrants will be posted in the auditorium, from which unemployed non-immigrants will be able to pick their new careers. The job lists will be broken down based on industry and the number of positions available in each.” said a representative of the immigrants’ rights group.
The Sarcasmist was able to obtain a short list of some of the lucrative jobs that will be available.
- Lawn trimmer
- Fruit picker
- Dish washer
- Housekeeping attendant
- Busboy"
“We will be organizing the first ever Job Transfer Fair this summer. The way the fair will work is that a list of jobs currently held by immigrants will be posted in the auditorium, from which unemployed non-immigrants will be able to pick their new careers. The job lists will be broken down based on industry and the number of positions available in each.” said a representative of the immigrants’ rights group.
The Sarcasmist was able to obtain a short list of some of the lucrative jobs that will be available.
- Lawn trimmer
- Fruit picker
- Dish washer
- Housekeeping attendant
- Busboy"
GM's Phony Bailout Payback - Reason Magazine
GM's Phony Bailout Payback - Reason Magazine: "he Obama administration put $13.4 billion of the aid money as 'working capital' in an escrow account when the company was in bankruptcy. The company is using this escrow money—government money—to pay back the government loan.
GM claims that the fact that it is even using the escrow money to pay back the loan instead of using it all to shore itself up shows that it is on the road to recovery. That actually would be a positive development—although hardly one worth hyping in ads and columns—if it were not for a further plot twist.
Sean McAlinden, chief economist at the Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research, points out that the company has applied to the Department of Energy for $10 billion in low (5 percent) interest loan to retool its plants to meet the government's tougher new CAFÉ (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards. However, giving GM more taxpayer money on top of the existing bailout would have been a political disaster for the Obama administration and a PR debacle for the company. Paying back the small bailout loan makes the new—and bigger—DOE loan much more feasible."
GM claims that the fact that it is even using the escrow money to pay back the loan instead of using it all to shore itself up shows that it is on the road to recovery. That actually would be a positive development—although hardly one worth hyping in ads and columns—if it were not for a further plot twist.
Sean McAlinden, chief economist at the Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research, points out that the company has applied to the Department of Energy for $10 billion in low (5 percent) interest loan to retool its plants to meet the government's tougher new CAFÉ (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards. However, giving GM more taxpayer money on top of the existing bailout would have been a political disaster for the Obama administration and a PR debacle for the company. Paying back the small bailout loan makes the new—and bigger—DOE loan much more feasible."
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Enemy Lurks in Briefings on Afghan War - PowerPoint - NYTimes.com
Enemy Lurks in Briefings on Afghan War - PowerPoint - NYTimes.com
“PowerPoint makes us stupid,” Gen. James N. Mattis of the Marine Corps, the Joint Forces commander, said this month at a military conference in North Carolina. (He spoke without PowerPoint.) Brig. Gen. H. R. McMaster, who banned PowerPoint presentations when he led the successful effort to secure the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar in 2005, followed up at the same conference by likening PowerPoint to an internal threat.
“It’s dangerous because it can create the illusion of understanding and the illusion of control,” General McMaster said in a telephone interview afterward. “Some problems in the world are not bullet-izable.”
“PowerPoint makes us stupid,” Gen. James N. Mattis of the Marine Corps, the Joint Forces commander, said this month at a military conference in North Carolina. (He spoke without PowerPoint.) Brig. Gen. H. R. McMaster, who banned PowerPoint presentations when he led the successful effort to secure the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar in 2005, followed up at the same conference by likening PowerPoint to an internal threat.
“It’s dangerous because it can create the illusion of understanding and the illusion of control,” General McMaster said in a telephone interview afterward. “Some problems in the world are not bullet-izable.”
Breathing While Undocumented - Opinionator Blog - NYTimes.com
Breathing While Undocumented - Opinionator Blog - NYTimes.com: "“A person is guilty of trespassing,” the law provides, by being “present on any public or private land in this state” while lacking authorization to be in the United States — a new crime of breathing while undocumented"
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Libertarian socialism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Libertarian socialism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "A key difference between libertarian socialism and free-market libertarianism is that advocates of the former generally believe that one's degree of freedom is affected by one's economic and social status, whereas advocates of the latter focus on freedom of choice. This is sometimes characterized as a desire to maximize 'free creativity' in a society in preference to 'free enterprise.'[24]
Libertarian socialists believe if freedom is valued, then society must work towards a system in which individuals have the power to decide economic issues along with political issues. Libertarian socialists seek to replace unjustified authority with direct democracy, voluntary federation, and popular autonomy in all aspects of life,[25] including physical communities and economic enterprises.
Many libertarian socialists argue that large-scale voluntary associations should manage industrial manufacture, while workers retain rights to the individual products of their labor.[26] As such, they see a distinction between the concepts of 'private property' and 'personal possession'. Whereas 'private property' grants an individual exclusive control over a thing whether it is in use or not, and regardless of its productive capacity, 'possession' grants no rights to things that are not in use.[27]"
Libertarian socialists believe if freedom is valued, then society must work towards a system in which individuals have the power to decide economic issues along with political issues. Libertarian socialists seek to replace unjustified authority with direct democracy, voluntary federation, and popular autonomy in all aspects of life,[25] including physical communities and economic enterprises.
Many libertarian socialists argue that large-scale voluntary associations should manage industrial manufacture, while workers retain rights to the individual products of their labor.[26] As such, they see a distinction between the concepts of 'private property' and 'personal possession'. Whereas 'private property' grants an individual exclusive control over a thing whether it is in use or not, and regardless of its productive capacity, 'possession' grants no rights to things that are not in use.[27]"
Format Document
Format Document: "13-2412. Refusing to provide truthful name when lawfully detained; classification
A. It is unlawful for a person, after being advised that the person's refusal to answer is unlawful, to fail or refuse to state the person's true full name on request of a peace officer who has lawfully detained the person based on reasonable suspicion that the person has committed, is committing or is about to commit a crime. A person detained under this section shall state the person's true full name, but shall not be compelled to answer any other inquiry of a peace officer."
A. It is unlawful for a person, after being advised that the person's refusal to answer is unlawful, to fail or refuse to state the person's true full name on request of a peace officer who has lawfully detained the person based on reasonable suspicion that the person has committed, is committing or is about to commit a crime. A person detained under this section shall state the person's true full name, but shall not be compelled to answer any other inquiry of a peace officer."
Bill Gates and Chad Holliday - Energy sector poised for innovation -- with the right spark
Bill Gates and Chad Holliday - Energy sector poised for innovation -- with the right spark: "And despite talk about the need for '21st-century' energy sources, federal spending on clean energy research -- less than $3 billion -- is also relatively small. Compare that with roughly $30 billion that the U.S. government annually spends on health research and $80 billion on defense research and development."
The Stones and the true story of Exile on Main St | Music | The Observer
The Stones and the true story of Exile on Main St | Music | The Observer: "the original version of Exile on Main St, in all its ragged, full-on, rock'n'roll swagger, is all we need. 'This is just a tree of life,' said Tom Waits, when he selected it as one of his all-time favourite records a few years back. 'This record is a watering hole.'"
Saturday, April 24, 2010
The Piranha Brothers
The Piranha Brothers: "They would select a victim and then threaten to beat him up if he paid the so-called protection money. Four months later they started another operation which the called 'The Other Operation'. In this racket they selected another victim and threatened not to beat him up if he didn't pay them. One month later they hit upon 'The Other Other Operation'. In this the victim was threatened that if he didn't pay them, they would beat him up. This for the Piranha brothers was the turning point."
Friday, April 23, 2010
Philosophy, et cetera: Libertarian vs. Utilitarian Justice
Philosophy, et cetera: Libertarian vs. Utilitarian Justice: "Libertarian and utilitarian theories of justice are, in many respects, diametrically opposed. Libertarians hold that the free market is inherently just, and redistributive taxation violates people’s property rights.[1] Utilitarians, by contrast, are fundamentally concerned with the promotion of human welfare. They hold that society ought to be organized in whatever fashion would best achieve this end – potentially justifying massive redistribution of wealth to the needy. The two theories also differ significantly in their temporal perspectives. Libertarian ‘entitlement theory’ understands justice to be a purely historical matter: “whether a distribution is just depends on how it came about.”[2] Utilitarianism, on the other hand, is purely forward-looking: justice is determined by what would have the best consequences for all concerned."
Newsvine - You Might Be A Teabagger if...
Newsvine - You Might Be A Teabagger if...: "If you are currently on Medicare and you're holding a sign that reads, 'I oppose government run healthcare', you might be a tea bagger."
Don't ignore the Tea Party's toxic take on history. - By Ron Rosenbaum - Slate Magazine
Don't ignore the Tea Party's toxic take on history. - By Ron Rosenbaum - Slate Magazine: "The muddled Tea Party version of history is more than wrong and fraudulent. It's offensive. Calling Obama a tyrant, a communist, or a fascist is deeply offensive to all the real victims of tyranny, the real victims of communism and fascism. The tens of millions murdered. It trivializes such suffering inexcusably for the T.P.ers to claim that they are suffering from similar oppression because they might have their taxes raised or be subject to demonic 'federal regulation"
McAfee Security Insights Blog » Blog Archive » An Update on False Positive Remediation
McAfee Security Insights Blog » Blog Archive » An Update on False Positive Remediation: "Of course many of you are asking how the faulty DAT made it past our quality assurance checks. The problem arose during the testing process for this DAT file. We recently made a change to our QA environment that resulted in a faulty DAT making its way out of our test environment and onto customer systems.
To prevent this from happening again, we are implementing additional QA protocols for any releases that directly impact critical system files. In addition, we plan to add capabilities to our cloud-based Artemis system that will provide an additional level of protection against false positives by leveraging an expansive whitelist of critical system files. (More details are available in an FAQ that was published Thursday night.)"
To prevent this from happening again, we are implementing additional QA protocols for any releases that directly impact critical system files. In addition, we plan to add capabilities to our cloud-based Artemis system that will provide an additional level of protection against false positives by leveraging an expansive whitelist of critical system files. (More details are available in an FAQ that was published Thursday night.)"
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