Recent Posts

1951

Living Room / Re: Am I the only person that has a real big problem with software like this?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 04, 2013, 07:33 AM »

Have we really sunk to the point where Orwellian monitoring of our children is considered proper? Instead of taking the time to build a rapport of respect and trust with them??!?

-Stoic Joker (October 04, 2013, 06:47 AM)

-
I have mixed feelings about this whole issue - but in fairness SJ, monitoring does *not* exclude "taking the time to build a rapport of respect and trust with them".
I think if your kids dont talk to you about things that they see/experience that they might find uncomfortable or worse, you're both in trouble anyway, monitoring or no :-(

-tomos (October 04, 2013, 07:15 AM)

I hear Ya man ... But it's a theory vs. practice game. In theory it doesn't...but in practice *Sigh*

1952

Living Room / Re: Am I the only person that has a real big problem with software like this?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 04, 2013, 06:47 AM »

I think we have a serious scale issue going on here, between black and white/all or none assertion. How many people remember the old commercials with the tag line "It's 10 O'clock...do you know where your children are?" Here's a hint for those that don't remember them...they're from the 1970s!

Now, Orwell time - the scale part kicks in. In the 1970s it was simply a matter of asking the kids where they were going, who they were going with...and paying attention to the GD answer. That was called parenting. But our society has devolved to the point where there isn't time to pay proper attention to much of anything so why not offload the whole parenting responsibility crap on technology! YEAH! Let the computer keep track of the little monsters...I don't have time.

Seriously???

Have we really sunk to the point where Orwellian monitoring of our children is considered proper? Instead of taking the time to build a rapport of respect and trust with them??!?

The real key problem here is that if the kid has a GPS target painted on their back, then they're just as easy for anyone to find...and not all anyones have said child's best interests in mind. But yet we have obviously been trained to accept the idea of Big Brother-esq monitoring systems as righteous and good ... Because it's... For. The. Children.

The fact of the matter is that if the kid wants to get lost. They're going to get lost. technology be damned.

1953

Living Room / Re: Silk Road Seized - Dread Pirate Roberts Arrested

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 03, 2013, 03:57 PM »

In fact, if this evidentiary trail was submitted in any reputable court of law under the rule of law, then the whole case should, by the same rule of law that you're trying them under, be thrown out.

-wraith808 (October 03, 2013, 03:07 PM)

Do we actually have any reputable courts left? Judges just hate having a disappointed crowd when folks show up for a hanging only to find out the guy ain't guilty...


Sorry, couldn't resist having a bit of fun. I agree with you in principal...I just fear that those ideals - put in place to protect us from tyranny by the founding fathers - are from a time that has passed.

1954

Living Room / Re: Blacked Out Government Websites Available Through Wayback Machine

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 03, 2013, 12:03 PM »

So in some senses this is a "legal" way for the agencies to say they are annoyed - of course the content isn't going to go sour in a day, but it's now more "in the face" of average Americans.

-TaoPhoenix (October 03, 2013, 10:15 AM)

They did not request, nor were granted a permit for this protest. The American people do not need anything rubbed in their faces regarding how badly the US government handles money. Congress OTOH should be immediately fired in total, and the janitorial staff should be allowed to clean up the mess...in an expedient fashion. Which I would happily bet a testicle they could pull off by sundown with time to spare.

1955

Living Room / Re: Blacked Out Government Websites Available Through Wayback Machine

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 03, 2013, 07:03 AM »

I think the funny part is that the seem to expect us to believe that they went totally busted flat broke at exactly the stroke on midnight ... Because apparently they're operating critical systems without any cash buffer what-so-ever. Really??!? They operate so close to zero that nobody has a single red cent left in any of the government accounts? Bull Shit!

Complete theater indeed.

1956

Living Room / Re: Silk Road Seized - Dread Pirate Roberts Arrested

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 03, 2013, 06:51 AM »

Things to note:

The 29-year-old University of Texas graduate had first created a trail for himself, however, by asking for help working with Tor dark web tactics on coding site StackOverflow.com, the complaint says. His original question appears to remain on the site here.

-The Article

...But you have nothing to hide right?? When asking a simple coding question on a coding site gets you tossed on a watch list ...Hm... Yepper things has gone way too far at a point what's well past now.

1957

Living Room / Re: The issue of Ad-Blocking in our browsers.

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 03, 2013, 06:40 AM »

   PhasmaFelis
    So has anybody ever tried to address the root cause of adblocker use, i.e. ads are really fucking annoying? I don’t like ads in general, nobody does, but that alone wouldn’t be enough to make me bother to install and maintain AdBlock. What does it is strobing “YOU MAY HAVE ALREADY WON” and animated “one weird trick” scams and softcore porn. This shit is *everywhere*, even on allegedly respectable news sites.

    If you want me to turn off AdBlock, you need to insist on reasonable, non-offensive, non-animated ads. If your ad provider doesn’t do that, get a better one, or lean on yours until they do. If this industry spent one-tenth as much energy pushing ad services for better quality standards as they do wringing their hands about ad blocking, shit would happen.

-Comments:

I'd say they nailed it quite nicely there. It infuriates me to no end when a page freezes for x seconds because so lame assed ad element hasn't managed to drag its poorly coded or BW provisioned carcass into memory. Hay add companies...you have 3 seconds to lose my attention...so keep it light, as in ultra light, ultra fast, ultra quiet. I don't need to have to keep cleaning my chair because I just shit myself after getting screamed at by some idiotic video in a silent room when I'm researching something in the middle of the night.

1958

Living Room / Re: When will the trademark madness ceace

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 02, 2013, 11:52 AM »

Now for a bit of fun...

Checkout the comment section explosion at www.thingsthegame.com. The people appear to be speaking loudly and clearly.

+1 for the internet!

Terrible Things looks like it would be a blast. I'd just love to see how far off the rails the Banned Deck's content goes!

1959

Non-Windows Software / Re: WinDirStat for OS X?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 02, 2013, 11:17 AM »

I'd like to clean up my Mac a bit.

-Renegade (October 02, 2013, 08:27 AM)

Just use a garden hose if you have the latest OS...I hear it's waterproof.


(Sorry man, I just couldn't resist)

1960

Living Room / Re: Knight to queen's bishop 3 - Snowden charged with espionage.

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 01, 2013, 12:54 PM »

It's been going on since at least 1975. Well, different equipment and capabilities, but same steamy pile.

9/11 was just the best thing ever to happen as it let them justify, or try to justify the worst abuses of privacy in history -- and that was just the dinner mint. They got wars and all kinds of goodies out of it.

-Renegade (October 01, 2013, 06:47 AM)

Interesting... I've long suspected that when the fall of the American empire is retrospectively and objectively documented that MADD will be at the very testing phase top of the when-they-came chain. I say testing phase because it really was a sentinel moment/game changing proof-of-concept for how much spin doctored shit "We the people" would eat if it was packaged (for the children...) just right.

And according to his timeline, in February 2001 — some six months before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks — he was approached by the NSA and asked to spy on customers during a meeting he thought was about a different contract.

-article

  Wait...what? I was always of the impression this nonsense was (9/11) overreactional. But this would make it rather decidedly premeditated.

-Stoic Joker (October 01, 2013, 06:31 AM)

You really didn't think any of this was reactionary and/or coincidental did you?

Premeditated, strategized, and meticulously planned are the words of the day.

-wraith808 (October 01, 2013, 08:02 AM)

Coincidental no. But yes, I did have the general impression that 9/11 was a strategically seized opportunity to had the keys to the kingdom to the Hun in prime time. Previously, there seemed to be more of a honor-among-thieves feel to it where only bad cops/feds or desperate ones would step over the line in extreme circumstances. So the spying was more discreet/testing phase instead of the full bore pervasive insanity we have now.

1961

General Software Discussion / Re: wont boot normally!

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 01, 2013, 12:28 PM »

XP/2000 had a bad habit of dropping drives down to PIO mode, but I don't recall ever having heard of that effecting Win7.

After the machine boots slowly, does it continue to run slowly, or does the resource usage calm down after a bit. When the machine is slow does the CPU show 80-100% high usage? Or is it sitting at/under 10%.

I'm just thinking out loud in the direction of heat. Like something along the lines of dust buildup or a CPU/chipset heat sink that is no longer seated well.

1962

Living Room / Re: Hating on new Google Maps

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 01, 2013, 06:49 AM »

Or put another way, I want it to tell me the most efficient order in which to visit all of those places.

-Deozaan (October 01, 2013, 02:51 AM)

Ah! I'm not sure I'd trust a computer to do that. Unless I was looking for something like UPS's right turn only delivery routes. Jus strikes me as having too many subjective variables for a puter to get "right". *Shrug* ...Unless of course it was the NSA's computer in which case I'm sure they know much more about me than I do...

1963

Living Room / Re: The LED lights in your home could be spying on you!

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 01, 2013, 06:39 AM »

Which would make it only slightly less useful than the much simpler, more readily available, and mature technologies that have been available for decades.

-Vurbal (September 30, 2013, 10:09 PM)

Except that unlike the typical RF bug this can't be swept for - no transmitter to catch per se - Which puts it in the parabolic or laser mic class oh shit category.

Remember back when it was "safe" to just shut off your cell phone..?

1964

Living Room / Re: Knight to queen's bishop 3 - Snowden charged with espionage.

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 01, 2013, 06:31 AM »

And according to his timeline, in February 2001 — some six months before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks — he was approached by the NSA and asked to spy on customers during a meeting he thought was about a different contract.

-article

  Wait...what? I was always of the impression this nonsense was (9/11) overreactional. But this would make it rather decidedly premeditated.

1965

Living Room / Re: Hating on new Google Maps

« Last post by Stoic Joker on September 30, 2013, 06:30 PM »

I am at point A. I need to end up at point Z, but I want to visit points B, C, ..., X, and Y somewhere in between. Now you (meaning the Map service) do the hard work and figure out the most efficient route for me to take.

-Deozaan (September 30, 2013, 06:02 PM)

maps.yahoo.com - Grab the route line and drag it to whatever route/stops you want in between ... It's a beautiful thing!

1966

Living Room / Re: Expanding WiFi coverage in difficult buildings

« Last post by Stoic Joker on September 27, 2013, 01:21 PM »

Hm... Okay, I'm assuming by "mains networking" (I'm not familiar with that term) you are referring to powerline networking...yes?

If you can get an electrician to go over a few of the runs in the buildings, and to reseat the grounds in the main panels that should get the mains (/powerline) networks to function within their own rings. Then connect the rings with much less network cable and run the wireless access points off the powerline (/mains) network.

Basically run the network cable through whatever space is the easiest, and then branch vertically with the powerline units to position the WAPs for maximum coverage.

Our office used to be a small shopping center years ago...so the wiring here is all chopped to hell. But I had many successful test runs with powerline boxes after tinkering around in the panel a bit to get the grounds working properly ... So it might be worth a shot.

1967

Living Room / Re: Expanding WiFi coverage in difficult buildings

« Last post by Stoic Joker on September 27, 2013, 06:51 AM »

Can you give us a bit more detail on what they have now, and how much of it works. Overall size of complex/distance between buildings, etc.?

I've always been a fan of powerline networking in a pinch...but if their electrical wiring is antique/crap/both it could end up being a different version of a worse problem. Depending on size of complex, they may need fiber, or just bite the bullet and replace key sections of the network wiring.

If the backbone can't handle the traffic load fancy end points won't help the situation.

1968

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

« Last post by Stoic Joker on September 26, 2013, 05:25 PM »

-Arizona Hot (September 26, 2013, 01:53 PM)

I don't get it. What's humorous about that?

-Deozaan (September 26, 2013, 03:54 PM)

Probably just that he's mooning us.

1969

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

« Last post by Stoic Joker on September 25, 2013, 06:32 AM »

Ok... this is hilarious.  Especially as GTA V just came out.

http://www.funnyordi...el-l-jackson-s-fault

-wraith808 (September 24, 2013, 09:45 PM)

Class A dig on people needing to take responsibility for what their kids watch/do ... Not to mention that SLJ has been a favorite of mine for years.

1970

Living Room / Re: Faces Averaged with Software

« Last post by Stoic Joker on September 24, 2013, 03:02 PM »

(or is it just me getting older and thinking everyone under 30 looks good :p)

-tomos (September 24, 2013, 02:24 PM)

I'll plead the 5th...so as not to get us both in trouble

1971

Living Room / Re: iOS 7 Makes Devices Waterproof! WOW! ;D

« Last post by Stoic Joker on September 24, 2013, 11:46 AM »

Yeah, it sucks for them... but seriously? Can you be that incredibly stupid and expect sympathy?

-Renegade (September 24, 2013, 07:45 AM)

O hell I'm pretty sure at that level of ignorance these people would expect sympathy for poking themselves in the eye with their own finger ...(probably during a nose picking accident)...But they ain't gonna get any from me.

Not to mention spotting this in the product features list for the "water proof" case:

Integrated X-MOUNT design, a conveniently detachable yet solid lock that connects your mobile device with interchangeable clips designed for bikes, motorcycles, boats, etc. Mounts sold separately.

Pray tell how the hell is someone going to use a cell phone on a motorcycle??!? ...There ain't time for that shit...you got way too much to do just trying to stay alive to be fiddling with a freakin' phone. Christ! That's an aspiring Darwin Award winner right there for sure!


-----------------------------------------------------------------//-----------------------------------------------------------

I heard that the new iPhone IronMan app will make you fly, strong enough to stop a train, and bullet proof!

1972

Living Room / Re: iPhone 5S fingerprint system easy to fool

« Last post by Stoic Joker on September 23, 2013, 04:00 PM »

From the Gizmodo comments: http://kotaku.com/lo...pparently-1360743607

Ya just gotta love the Japanese.

1973

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

« Last post by Stoic Joker on September 23, 2013, 07:00 AM »

Several attempts to contact the university have garnered little information about why a vehicle, which was specifically designed for asymmetric warfare, is needed on campus.

-Renegade (September 23, 2013, 06:43 AM)

Militarized campus cops vs. kids with water balloons - yep - that's asymmetric warfare!
[/quote]

Yes, because Ohio has such a stellar track record with the use of force... (4 dead in O-Hi-Ooo...)

1974

Living Room / Re: National debt/defecit: what does it REALLY mean??

« Last post by Stoic Joker on September 20, 2013, 06:34 AM »

Guess I have something else to look forward towards!

-Renegade (September 20, 2013, 06:05 AM)

Ah, yes... Like the why phase. It's a lot like a police interrogation...but much, much worse...

1975

Developer's Corner / Re: Odd/Fun Ways You've Learned Programming

« Last post by Stoic Joker on September 17, 2013, 11:37 AM »

Back in the mid/late 90's I picked up a copy of "Sam's Teach Yourself C in 24 Hours" at a Staples, which came with a copy of the Borland's C++ v4.52 IDE. I took it home, installed the compiler, and began reading ... About a week later, it slowly began to dawn on me that Sam...was totally full of shit.

A few months later, a friend of a friend walked me through the code (line by line) necessary to get a MessageBox to compile and run. This is actually surprisingly difficult if one doesn't define the project properly (or at all) and therefore has to define/declare everything in pure C ... Especially if the one in question also does not happen to posses the slightest clue wtf they're doing.