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1476

General Software Discussion / Re: Frustrated Mom Creates ‘Ignore No More’ App To Get Teen Kids To Return Calls

« Last post by Renegade on August 18, 2014, 08:57 AM »

...just how much I hate phones and won't use one unless I have to.

-app103 (August 18, 2014, 02:05 AM)

I can relate to that!

Just because your kids and you are so well connected through technology, doesn't mean you can't give them the space and trust they need. Yeah, sure they will do dumb stuff. You can't stop that. Better that they do the dumb stuff while they still have you around to help them learn not to do it again, than to have you hovering over them every moment of every day, removing every opportunity for them to learn how to be independent, mature human beings, because you are afraid they will do all the stupid things you did. You learned your lesson, and they will too...in time...but only if they are allowed to make mistakes and learn from them.

-app103 (August 18, 2014, 02:05 AM)

But sometimes you really do NEED to contact someone. Kids included.

Like any tool, this one can certainly be abused. No doubt about that.

Say for example your 16 year old is going to be driving home, and you hear weather reports about black ice. 16 year olds aren't really the most experienced drivers. Being able to advise on an alternate route would probably be a good thing.

But, for every good example, there is a bad example of how it can be abused.

I don't think that this tool will make bad parents much worse. There are far more insidious ways that parents can destroy their children.

1477

Living Room / Re: Anybody else sick of hearing "OMG Facebook is spying on us!"?

« Last post by Renegade on August 17, 2014, 09:01 PM »

Thing is, Big Data doesn't need any "important" information. They can figure things out well enough already.

e.g. Your disparaging comments against the Daily Mail already show attitudes that can be used to target you. Your username includes information that can be used to link to other accounts (albeit other data is likely needed to increase the confidence in linking).

Facebook (and similar) doesn't weigh things in their favour by dropping 1 kg weights on the scales; they drop a grain of sand at a time. They boil frogs.

1478

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by Renegade on August 17, 2014, 08:20 PM »

http://www.zerohedge...ms-go-horribly-wrong

When Venn Diagrams Go Horribly Wrong

1479

Living Room / Re: Anybody else sick of hearing "OMG Facebook is spying on us!"?

« Last post by Renegade on August 17, 2014, 08:14 PM »

My guess is that if you knew more about what is happening with Big Data you would be scared shitless and on the opposite side of the fence.

Also, services like Facebook conveniently have clauses that allow them to change the terms of their agreements without your consent. So, you go from your camera being used to simply do video chats with friends, to your camera being used to monitor your facial expressions while you're reading online in order to push content at you, which may be ads or political messages or content designed to alter your mood, etc.

They need to have strong conditions in their agreement regarding the usage of devices and stop altering the T&C. Until then, it's not worth the bother of agreeing then uninstalling/deleting/whatever once you're done using it.

But, I stopped using Facebook.

While I don't use extreme measures for my cameras, they are pointed at the ceiling when not in use.

1480

Living Room / Re: Homebrewing

« Last post by Renegade on August 17, 2014, 08:03 PM »

Until you are in a position where you can get to the other end of the noodle where you can pull... go with the flow, and hang on to your end, as uncomfortable as it may be. When I sit down for supper, and chocolate pie for dessert, and momma says "go wash your hands before you can eat" you can bet that I'm on the way to the bathroom 

The system is bigger than both of us but it takes two to tango. If we object to and stop tracking then the freebies stop!
I'll take the free books, free software, free deodorants, or anything else that I can use and the donors can follow me around all day if they want. (I'll admit it was tough giving up the porno movies  )

Your VM idea sounded good at the outset but I get all these free newsletters, book lists, freeware lists and deodorant samples streaming in via push technology, so I just go with the flow. Messing around with a VM takes effort and that puts a value on the freebies which I wouldn't pay very much...

-Cuffy (August 17, 2014, 01:12 PM)

I take a different approach. There's enough FLOSS software out there, and enough clean paid for software that I can always find something. For actual content, there's tonnes of it out there. Now, some may not be as good as others, but you can still get decent material. For example, this is just insane:

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f82/

Craziness. So much... You could never get through that in a lifetime.

I'm fine with freebies that use tracking dying up. I'm fine with seeing Gmail and other "free" email die off. I pay for a lot of stuff I use, and there are some free ones that I use as well - but the tracking stuff... the online storage? The cloud storage? The 'keeping my data somewhere out of my control'? Nah. Done with it all. Forever. Period. I've been burned way too badly far too many times. When I control things, everything goes smoothly. When I don't, I have problems - catastrophic problems.

1481

General Software Discussion / Re: Frustrated Mom Creates ‘Ignore No More’ App To Get Teen Kids To Return Calls

« Last post by Renegade on August 17, 2014, 07:52 PM »

...oftentimes our children do not think

-Edvard (August 17, 2014, 04:48 PM)

Guilty.

Because I did it as a kid, and I have to admit, some of those things were an awful lot of fun; but I can honestly say that in most cases I did not think through the consequences before doing it. 

-Edvard (August 17, 2014, 04:48 PM)

You're not alone.

Anyone care to count how many times they put themselves in **stupid** situations where they could have easily been killed?

My mother would have had an instant heart attack if she knew where I was and what I was up to, because she loved me dearly and wanted to continue seeing me in one piece for as long as possible. 
That's NOT an unreasonable desire on the part of any parent. 

-Edvard (August 17, 2014, 04:48 PM)

+1

You don't point electronic surveillance/control technology at a loved one. At least not in my school of ethics.

-40hz (August 17, 2014, 07:25 PM)

Perhaps it might be better thought of as, "I bought this device for you to use. The next thing it is going to be used for is to call me."

1482

Living Room / Re: Homebrewing

« Last post by Renegade on August 17, 2014, 07:14 AM »

I did another batch of ginger ale today.

3 large lemons
750 grams of ginger
250 ml water

Puree the above (a bit at a time). Dump in large pot.

1 L water + (water to get almost full as needed)
2 kg sugar
2 heaped, swirled spoonfuls of honey (1 cheap organic supermarket honey, 1 natural, lightly (if any) filtered organic honey from farmers market - the good stuff with pollen and wonderfulness inside)
500 grams super market malt extract

Boil & simmer for an hour.

Strained into fermenter.

Strained mass and continually rinsed & strained to get all the sugar & flavour.

Topped fermenter to 22 or 23 L total & stirred.

Added essential oils:

~10 drops ginger
~2 drops cinnamon bark
~4 drops lemon (might have let a 5th in)

Stirred thoroughly to mix in oils.

Added champagne yeast & stirred in.


FUNKY COOLNESS

With the "waste" material (strained mass), I boiled that again and strained it to make ginger lemon tea. And wow... was it goooood! I could have done another boiling for more tea, but I was tired & lazy. So, we saved half of the mass to use later.

Waste not, want not.

But that tea could just as easily be poured over ice for a refreshing and invigorating drink.

Also, it's great for colds & flus or just when you're sick. (Ginger and lemon are fantastic anti-virals, etc.)


Now, there's still a good amount of particulate matter in there (the ginger ale), so I'll be filtering it again when I bottle it. My last batch still had too much particulate matter, though it tasted darn good.

Crossing fingers... the essential oils are a real gamble there. They could destroy the entire batch.

Excluding the oils, the cost of the above is about $40 AUD, which is about the cost of a case of the cheapest beer on sale here.

No idea how it will turn out...

I saw some much more complex recipes, but figured I still want to try to stick to fairly basic ingredients until I get a better grip on some of this. And besides... the store was closed and I didn't want to wait for the stars to align for me to have time to get there while it was open. Make hay while the sun shines & all that.

1483

Living Room / Re: Interesting "stuff"

« Last post by Renegade on August 17, 2014, 06:45 AM »

http://www.zerohedge...-language-your-state

The Most Commonly Spoken Language In Your State Is...

1484

General Software Discussion / Frustrated Mom Creates ‘Ignore No More’ App To Get Teen Kids To Return Calls

« Last post by Renegade on August 17, 2014, 12:41 AM »

Here's an interesting app:

http://newyork.cbslo...ids-to-return-calls/

Frustrated Mom Creates ‘Ignore No More’ App To Get Teen Kids To Return Calls

Parents in the Tri-State and around the world can relate: Trying to reach your teen by phone, only to get ignored.

One frustrated mom decided to do something about it.

As CBS 2’s Alice Gainer reports, Sharon Standifird, was livid the day she called and texted her teenagers and they didn’t respond.

Once she knew they were safe but ignoring her calls, she got an idea, Gainer reported.

“We need to develop an app that just shuts their phone completely down and they can’t even use it,” Standifird said. “And I started — literally just started researching how to develop an app.”

So after months of design and working with developers, “Ignore No more” was born.

With one tap, a list of only parent-selected contacts come up. The child can call, get the password and unlock the phone.

“Bradley needs to call me because I’m the person that has the unlock password,” Standifird said.

“It takes away texting, it takes away the gaming, it takes away calling their friends. The child will always be able to call 911,” said Standifird.

“So much for my daughter saying she didn’t get my text,” a woman named Deborah from Hoboken, N.J. told CBSNewYork.com. She added she loves the idea and is going to download the app.

CBSNewYork Facebook fan Teresa said she “loves it.” Antonio commented on Facebook that he would use the app, “especially since I’m the one paying the phone bills.”

So far, it seems the app has been a success. Standifird says her son responds to her texts and calls more quickly than he used to.

Her son Bradley, however, likes the idea, but not for himself. “Um, well I thought it was a good idea, but for other people, not me.”

“Ignore No More” is available only for Android phones on Google Play.

Heh. Clever.

1485

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by Renegade on August 16, 2014, 11:12 PM »

Donations you say?

1486

Living Room / Re: What *Should* We Be Worried About?

« Last post by Renegade on August 16, 2014, 11:06 PM »

Am I free to go?

1487

Living Room / Re: Homebrewing

« Last post by Renegade on August 16, 2014, 10:43 PM »

I don't understand your reluctance......

-Cuffy (August 16, 2014, 12:50 PM)

DOH! I have a VM... It was late last night when I did all that. I'll just fire up the VM.

Do you have an aversion to Kindle itself or PC readers in General? 

-Cuffy (August 16, 2014, 01:45 PM)

I have an extreme aversion to any software capable of accessing the network that is created by a large company or a company capable of partnering with a Big Data company.

off-topic about software - just me complaining

On a side note, I also don't use supermarket loyalty cards. I don't like being tracked. I know that we all are, but I try to minimise it as much as possible.

Also, I utterly LOATHE any software that requires me to login to use it. My reaction to having started a program, then seeing a login (with very, very few exceptions), is "it's broken and doesn't work." I don't care if "if you just create and account and sign in, everything works." Nope. I'm much more stubborn than that. If it requires a login, it's broken and doesn't work -- by design -- and I don't care whether it crashes or whether it's broken by design -- it's still broken. My forgiveness in this extends to 1 program that I use, which is for my stock trading account.

I'm less averse inside of a VM though.

1488

Living Room / Re: What *Should* We Be Worried About?

« Last post by Renegade on August 16, 2014, 12:26 PM »

(in a kangaroo court kind of way)

-Stoic Joker (August 16, 2014, 12:11 PM)

Kind of?

I've found a portrait of the judge...

This from Popehat:

Cops, and prosecutors, and other public employees in the criminal justice system have power. It is the nature of power to make people believe that they are better than the rest of us, and entitled to privileges the rest of us do not enjoy.

The question is this: are we so addled by generations of "law and order" and "war on crime" and "thin blue line" rhetoric that we'll accept it?

Read the full article here.

-40hz (August 16, 2014, 11:29 AM)

Interesting quote. Let me follow that up with another:

http://www.copblock.org

Badges don't grant extra rights.

All police outfits are based on double standards. They are incentivized to be draconian. Cease buying into those those failed ideas and institutions. You Own Yourself. Think, and Govern Yourself.

Another thing to worry about - groups of armed thugs that think they're better than everyone else.

Talk to them. Don't talk to them... they'll get you. Because they're better than you.

1489

Living Room / Re: Homebrewing

« Last post by Renegade on August 16, 2014, 12:10 PM »

Here's a free one right now but it may have a price tomorrow 

Homebrew Beer: How to brew beer the right way the first time and experience tantalizing tastes from unique beer making ingredients (Fermentation Series Book 1) [Kindle Edition]
Eric Andrews (Author), Joyce Zborower (Editor) 
 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)



Digital List Price:  $2.99 What's this?     
Kindle Price:   $0.00   
You Save:   $2.99 (100%) 

The above is a link in the list and it takes you directly to Amazon where you click once to buy. FREE!!!
Get an account.........
Check the price.......
Click once for free purchase........

-Cuffy (August 16, 2014, 11:51 AM)

Sigh... I'm bowing out there. I did sign up and create an account, etc. etc.

But I have to install Kindle and can't just download the file to use in another viewer. I'm simply not willing to install Kindle. I'm ok with downloading a file, but... not Kindle itself. Oh well.

Thanks anyways. I do appreciate it.

I'm making some more ginger ale tomorrow!

1490

General Software Discussion / Re: Chrome and Malware detection

« Last post by Renegade on August 16, 2014, 11:25 AM »

Oooh! Posting from Opera now after browsing a few pages. Very snappy. 

1491

General Software Discussion / Re: Chrome and Malware detection

« Last post by Renegade on August 16, 2014, 11:21 AM »

Use 'autoruns' from the Sysinternals Suite before you install Chrome. Repeat this after Chrome is installed. There are quite some additions. One of these is Google Update. When using 'autoruns' to disable it from running when Windows starts...you just get a new entry of Google Update, that is set to boot automatically. Repeat ad infinitum.

Technically Chrome is not malware, but accompanying Google software behaves just like it. So....pot calling kettle black?

-Shades (August 15, 2014, 02:30 PM)

That's as major reason why I will not run Chrome, except in a VM.

I've recently been playing with Opera 23, which is based on Chromium and almost as fast as Chrome, but without the baggage.  Furthermore, it can be run as a portable app from a USB or a hard drive.

Opera 2x is still a work in progress, ,missing some critical features, like print preview, and some of the things that make Opera 12 such a joy, like the Wand password manager.  It is, however, noticeably faster than Firefox or Opera 12, so I'm using it more and more for casual surfing and reading, even if it isn't ready yet to become my main browser.

-xtabber (August 16, 2014, 10:59 AM)

THANK YOU FOR THAT POST!!!

I've flipped between browsers for ages, and have always loved Opera, but left it a while back for a few reasons. (And Firefox has just been too resource intense for a while - not that Chrome isn't a pig...)

Installed it. Set it as my default browser. Thanks.

I've been wanting to get off Chrome, but been lazy to look into things. -- Better to just figure out who the smart people in the forums are then leech off of their experiences.

1492

General Software Discussion / Re: Chrome and Malware detection

« Last post by Renegade on August 16, 2014, 11:04 AM »

I've seen it and I agree with wraith -- this is yet again a move by one of the big corporations to "protect" users by penalizing and scaring people about the software made by small independent coders.
It is an irresponsible act that inevitably penalizes the small guys and pushes everyone towards products made by large corporations with the clout and money to be whitelisted.

-mouser (August 15, 2014, 12:32 PM)

I'm glad you said it. I'd devolve into a blithering rant.

BTW - You were far too kind in your assessment.

1493

Living Room / Re: What *Should* We Be Worried About?

« Last post by Renegade on August 16, 2014, 10:57 AM »

Darting out into traffic without regard for how fast oncoming vehicles may be going is how squirrels get killed constantly ... And that's setting the bar for knowing better pretty friggin low..

-Stoic Joker (August 16, 2014, 09:32 AM)

Squirrels! Love the metaphor! But yes - exactly that.

I had the same basic thing happen to me before - totalled the car.

I'm driving along (at the speed limit) and a woman quickly guns a left turn in front of me to get into a supermarket parking lot.

I'm absolutely going to hit her - no doubt about that - so I pull hard right and hit her in the front of her car at her engine rather than hit her broadside and ricochet left into other cars. Good thing as her kid was in the passenger seat and probably would have been hurt. As it was, nobody was seriously hurt.

The intersection where I have to turn when I leave the house is pretty much blind due to an incline. I'm never in such a rush that I need to gamble on there being no cars coming. These things aren't rocket science.

But... the more dangerous thing in the article is that silence = guilt.

1494

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by Renegade on August 16, 2014, 06:57 AM »

Err... Yeah, I think this needs to be seen to be believed...

I'm not sure of the name of the band, but I think it might be "The Stockholm Singers".

1495

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by Renegade on August 16, 2014, 06:56 AM »

What happens when non-techies discover web dev tools.
 (see attachment in previous post)

-app103 (August 16, 2014, 06:03 AM)

HAHAHA!

Forcing all the children! Child labour!~ 

1496

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by Renegade on August 16, 2014, 04:36 AM »

GERMAN HEALTH AND SAFETY CHIEFS BAN SANDCASTLES AT BEACHES

Pfft... cowards. Still all paranoid since D-day I suppose.

1497

Living Room / Re: Gadget WEEKENDS

« Last post by Renegade on August 16, 2014, 04:33 AM »

Dare I ask if there are any downsides you've noticed (you got yours as a gift IIRC -- but perhaps maintenance costs)?

-ewemoa (August 16, 2014, 03:44 AM)

So far I can't see a downside to it. No maintenance so far, and I put it through the gears pretty hard sometimes.

1498

Living Room / Re: What *Should* We Be Worried About?

« Last post by Renegade on August 16, 2014, 04:30 AM »

Looks like straightforward no BS reporting from the Vice crew: The Islamic State (Full Length)

-IainB (August 16, 2014, 03:16 AM)

I'll need to check that out. I like Vice. They do cut through a lot of BS and they report on things that you don't see elsewhere in the MSM.


Another thing to be worried about...

http://news.msn.com/...sed-against-suspects

tl;dr - In California, if you say anything to the police, that CAN and WILL be used AGAINST you. Also, if you're silent, that CAN and WILL be used AGAINST you. Here's that as a nice little table.

/	Speak	Stay Silent
Held against you	O	O
Not held against you	x	x

1499

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by Renegade on August 16, 2014, 02:37 AM »

From a collection posted here:

http://imgur.com/gallery/hcchM

This one I found particularly funny.

1500

Living Room / Re: Gadget WEEKENDS

« Last post by Renegade on August 16, 2014, 12:55 AM »

a cheap, small paint brush might be better, but yes - definitely an idea.

-Renegade (August 15, 2014, 08:47 PM)

Please be sure not to buy anything synthetic for the job, and only those bristle types that are naturally anti-static (badger, black sable, boar). And don't reuse brushes that have been previously used for paint or other substances.

-app103 (August 16, 2014, 12:22 AM)

The calligraphy brush we have is natural hair. For paint brushes, I wasn't thinking of synthetic as they build up static charges, but good point to bring that up.