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Recent Posts

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451
Living Room / Re: Interesting "stuff"
« Last post by Renegade on May 05, 2015, 10:59 AM »
This might be considered humor if it wasn't so sad...

Texas School Suspends 9-Year-Old For Terrorism Because He Brought Imaginary Hobbit Ring To Class
-wraith808 (May 05, 2015, 08:08 AM)

And people wonder why I think that the education system as it is should be entirely scrapped. Viscously. Without mercy. Without remorse. With fury and fire.

But, further comment is a Basement discussion.

However, I'll be damned if I don't mention 2 names:


Those 2 people are GIANTS in a world of Lilliputians.

Richard Grove has interviewed both of them.

452
Living Room / Re: Technology moving anxiety...
« Last post by Renegade on May 05, 2015, 10:48 AM »
Indeed ... Which is precisely why I don't want to be bothered with any electronics while I'm...mellowing.. ;)
-Stoic Joker (May 05, 2015, 10:35 AM)

I think this is a relatively common theme among some of us that are deeply involved in technology --- a hatred for it. Or a disdain, or rejection, or whatever anyone wants to call it.

I was at a Bitcoin meetup and chatting with a few new people that I'd just met. I'd mentioned some of my plans that one might expect from some kind of hippie, and one fellow jumped in very quickly, "Let me guess. You work in software or IT, right?"

It's almost as if for some people, working in tech will turn you into some kind of variant of Ted Kaczynski with a radical anti-tech aversion. (To one degree or another.)

453
Living Room / Re: Technology moving anxiety...
« Last post by Renegade on May 05, 2015, 10:43 AM »
Unless I take it outside (when I'm at home) for a smoke instead of my tablet, then it's news and "Dice Wars".
-Renegade (May 04, 2015, 08:39 PM)

While for the most part I stick with my now 0 nicotine eCig, I do still occasionally (at the end of ruff days...) sneak out for one of the wife's cigarettes. At which point the absolute last thing I want to even see is anything electronic...unless we're about to play how high will this MF'er bounce.. :D
-Stoic Joker (May 05, 2015, 06:51 AM)

You are far better than me in that area (I'm pathetic). I'm planning to get my eCig fired up again and quit over the long journey to Canada. God only knows if I'll be able to do it. I've been prepping for months now on organic tobacco cigs. I suck at quitting...

Once in a while during the day, I'll read an actual paper book, but rarely. I smoke fast, and can get through a few news articles or a game or two of Dice Wars or Drisk (on the tablet) while I smoke. Books aren't the same. Or not the ones I read anyways. I need a protracted period to read. A few minutes doesn't cut it.

454
Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: compressed archive NSE (7Z/RAR/ISO etc)
« Last post by Renegade on May 04, 2015, 08:42 PM »
^ That iFilter looks interesting. Do you know how it performs? I tend to avoid installing much of anything as I've had performance issues in the past with some software and figured it's often not worth it to bother.
455
Living Room / Re: Technology moving anxiety...
« Last post by Renegade on May 04, 2015, 08:39 PM »
Yes - it's like, "Oh, wait... I'm going to be without an Internet connection for **HOW LONG**???"
-Renegade (May 04, 2015, 10:35 AM)

rather ironic considering what you just wrote here ;D ;D ;D
-Target (May 04, 2015, 04:26 PM)

Heh! True. For me, I don't need to be "connected" when I'm out of the house. It's just at home that I used the Internet. My phone is for occasional calls and that's about it. Unless I take it outside (when I'm at home) for a smoke instead of my tablet, then it's news and "Dice Wars". :)

456
Living Room / Re: Kickstarter Highlight: Onion Omega
« Last post by Renegade on May 04, 2015, 12:02 PM »
That looks extremely cool.

However, I'm still pretty much terrified of IoT.

I've read the policy papers and whatnot, and I'm utterly terrified.

Know what the "security" section reads?

Out of scope.

While this looks like a really cool little device, the security issue in IoT is still an issue.

For example, your nice little Wi-Fi equipped automatic cat feeder provides a way for Johnny Nasty to download kitty pron onto other device on your network. Cue the police, and your days as a kitty cat rights activist are doomed.

But that's just the start.

Would I use it... Probably if it fit my needs.

But... I'm still pretty much on the terrified side for now.

The lure of being able to program in any language against an API to deal with all that stuff... that's just way too cool...

I need to learn Python.
457
Living Room / Re: Interesting "stuff"
« Last post by Renegade on May 04, 2015, 11:31 AM »
Digital Life - Time to put down that smartphone
-Arizona Hot (May 03, 2015, 04:54 PM)

A lot of people in Miami do phone no matter what else they are doing.  Biking down the street.  Skateboarding.  Driving their cars.  Walking.  On trains and elevators.  I see people using it as a mechanism to avoid dealing with people.  I see many people scolling the same text up and down.  Perhaps if it is class notes it is useful for studying.  But I think mostly it is used to be alone in a crowd.

When not reading or looking at photos they are talking to someone.  I don't know who it is on the other end of the line at 4:00 AM.  Maybe they are pretending thinking if they are in contact wih someone they cannot be mugged.  Like the News Cameraman who thinks because he has the violence in the frame it cannot reach through to him due to nebulous magic.

When I hear people speak I don't look to see who is talking.  I just assume they are talking into the phone.  I often wonder who listens to the drab play by play.. "I'm crossing 8th street.  I'm almost to the other side.  I'm stepping up on the curb..."  Is anyone really listening to that drivel?  Or maybe they pick up the hand set every few minutes and say "Uh huh."  Perhaps it is Cortana.  :)

I thought it would be a great thing when cell went flat rate.  Way wrong on that one!    :)


-MilesAhead (May 04, 2015, 07:46 AM)

Some good points and well raised.

What I have noticed is that smart phones are nothing but an amplifier or magnifying glass for what people normally do.

One thing that I have noticed over pretty much my entire life is that if I didn't move while walking down the street, I'd hit people everywhere because nobody looks where they are going. And that goes back to before smart phones were a thing.

One of these days, I should just walk down the street with a phone in hand and ignore where I'm walking. Actually... no. I tend to walk much faster than most people and I could hurt someone if I did that, so I wouldn't. (Could also be because I'm Canadian. :P ) But I'd like to so that I'd know what it's like to walk around oblivious. I've actually tried it at slower walking paces, and guess what... people just don't move at all. It's like they're zombies.

I think most people just want to tune out from the entire world around them. I don't know why.

458
Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: compressed archive NSE (7Z/RAR/ISO etc)
« Last post by Renegade on May 04, 2015, 10:41 AM »
That looks pretty darn useful. I would stop using ZIP files so much and switch with that. I need to give that a spin.
459
Living Room / Re: Technology moving anxiety...
« Last post by Renegade on May 04, 2015, 10:35 AM »
I just moved, and it was pretty stressful technology wise- and it was only a mile!
-wraith808 (May 04, 2015, 10:24 AM)

Yes - it's like, "Oh, wait... I'm going to be without an Internet connection for **HOW LONG**???"

460
Living Room / Re: IRLDD DC Meetup April 2015: Upcoming Trip to Singapore and Malaysia
« Last post by Renegade on May 04, 2015, 10:32 AM »
(see attachment in previous post)

In case folks don't know, that is me on the right and lanux128 on the left.  I had a great time visiting, and he and his family were unbelievably gracious hosts.  I didn't want to leave.

Mouser, shall I tell the story of the mugs, or would you like to do the honours?   :P
-skwire (May 04, 2015, 06:34 AM)

Great pic!

And I see star fruit! :D :P NOM~!

Very shortly, I will be PIGGING OUT on fresh tropical fruit juice.

mouser could send mugs per email from now on :)
-tomos (May 04, 2015, 09:53 AM)

He'd better step on patenting it then as the trolls are still out in full force. :)

461
Living Room / Technology moving anxiety...
« Last post by Renegade on May 04, 2015, 10:15 AM »
We're moving overseas, and blowing out everything in the house.

Today I got rid of my iMac because the box is 13 cm in circumference too large to ship...  :wallbash:

And got rid of 1 monitor.

So I'm down to 2 monitors from 4, and can't use Synergy to flip my mouse over onto the Mac.

It feels weird.

And shortly I'm going to have to live off of my laptop for a month... with 1 screen... and a small keyboard... for a month...
462
Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]
« Last post by Renegade on May 03, 2015, 10:48 PM »
delete
463
Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]
« Last post by Renegade on May 03, 2015, 10:39 PM »
...But this part was really more of a question. Like, for someone with professional data recovery equipment (and a 3 letter name..). What impact would the corrosion really have on the readability of the platters? I'd almost swear I'd seen it done on a DR companies promotional video somewhere.


A few of them really did cave in nicely though. Not as deep as the shotgun blast though.
-Renegade (May 02, 2015, 09:29 PM)

Here again it's a question of professional DR folk being able to straighten the platter if the metal hasn't been deformed (as in silly putty level stretched) enough to alter the alignment.

Hell, even with the shotgun blowing a quarter sized hole in the platter (blue shirt visible through drive in blown up photo), TBH I'm not entirely sure pros couldn't glean something useful off the remaining (arguably) pristine section of the disk ... Because DR is nowhere near the center of my skillset.
-Stoic Joker (May 03, 2015, 07:33 AM)

Hmm... given that... I do still have a few drives that I was going to give to 4wd, but he lives a ways away from here, and probably won't be able to make it over before we leave... so... NEW IDEA~! 8)

Back once I have evidence... ;)

The hammer is to get holes in the drive to let the salt-water in.  I would have used some sort of awl... but it seemed to work pretty good.
-wraith808 (May 03, 2015, 01:39 PM)

The hammer seemed more violent and entertaining. :D Next up may be more fun... we'll see though.

EDIT: Drat. Looks like they have those hex-star screws that I don't have a driver for. :(
464
General Software Discussion / Re: radius by time
« Last post by Renegade on May 03, 2015, 03:10 AM »
Yes. You'll need to consult the API for the map provider/developer for information on how to do that.
465
Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]
« Last post by Renegade on May 02, 2015, 09:29 PM »
I'm not sure I'd trust the salt to make it that unreadable...and hammering the outside casing only warps the platters a bit. So for a low tech destruction on a drive that can't be electronically burned (or shot...), I go with disassembly, fold the platters in half by hand (surprisingly not that hard), and then hammer a sharp crease in the folded platter.
-Stoic Joker (May 02, 2015, 12:54 PM)

It's certainly not the best way, but entertaining. :)

The salt is just to increase electrical conductivity and help corrode it over time. They're at the bottom of a large garbage bin.

A few of them really did cave in nicely though. Not as deep as the shotgun blast though.

466
Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]
« Last post by Renegade on May 02, 2015, 09:02 AM »
Data Recovery... (see attachment in previous post)
...Not Going to Happen!  :D
-Stoic Joker (February 21, 2015, 04:44 PM)

When you lack cool toys, data destruction can be done low-tech.



467
Living Room / Re: Interesting "stuff"
« Last post by Renegade on April 30, 2015, 10:18 AM »
Does NASA have a warp drive?

http://au.ign.com/ar...nvented-a-warp-drive

According to posts on the NASA Space Flight forum, when lasers were fired into the EmDrive resonance chamber, it was found that some of the beams were travelling faster than the speed of light.

If this is true, then it would mean that the EmDrive is producing a warp field or bubble. A forum post says that "this signature (the interference pattern) on the EmDrive looks just like what a warp bubble looks like. And the math behind the warp bubble apparently matches the interference pattern found in the EmDrive."

Link to NASA forum thread: http://forum.nasaspa...php?topic=36313.1860

Was Star Trek predictive programming? Or inspiration?

THEY LIVE! 8)

468
Living Room / Re: Automakers Want to Outlaw Gearheads From Working on Their Own Cars
« Last post by Renegade on April 30, 2015, 08:59 AM »
You can't possibly suggesting there were any ulterior motives behind the government subsidizing car purchases right when the auto industry was scrambling to survive their self inflicted wounds.
-Vurbal (April 29, 2015, 07:50 PM)

Who? Me? Oh, never~! :P

Reality is *exactly* as described on the 6 o'clock news.
469
Living Room / Re: Automakers Want to Outlaw Gearheads From Working on Their Own Cars
« Last post by Renegade on April 29, 2015, 07:09 PM »
The law of unintended consequences can't be avoided, even by - especially by - governments.
-CWuestefeld (April 29, 2015, 01:43 PM)

I have a very difficult time believing that the consequences weren't unintended. When you have decision power over that kind of money, you're generally pretty smart and have lots of other smart people around you. While the maxim "never attribute to malice that which can be attributed to incompetence" often holds, I just can't see that in the Cash for Clunkers program.
470
Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]
« Last post by Renegade on April 29, 2015, 06:56 AM »
Ath,
That's beyond epic!

<--- Language skillz failing. Maybe Renny can help?


-TaoPhoenix (April 29, 2015, 05:03 AM)

The apotheosis of the Internet meme.  8)
471
Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]
« Last post by Renegade on April 28, 2015, 05:19 PM »
(see attachment in previous post)
How Drunk Are You This Bracelet Knows  Good Sht  OZY

Beautiful, drunk people.
-Arizona Hot (April 28, 2015, 10:15 AM)

I know there's a joke in there about needing bracelets to detect sobriety somewhere... maybe something about ballot boxes or waiting in line at the DMV...

And speaking lines at the DMV...



472
Living Room / Re: Automakers Want to Outlaw Gearheads From Working on Their Own Cars
« Last post by Renegade on April 28, 2015, 05:11 PM »
In that regard the cash for clunkers program really screwed me over. Thousands of perfectly good candidates that were the right age and while quite travelled still had plenty of useful life were collected and intentionally destroyed in the name of government subsidy. Since then the price of old cars has gone way up because an entire decade's worth of easily repaired used cars was lost.
-SeraphimLabs (April 28, 2015, 01:08 PM)

That was a colossal waste of money. Here's one rant about it:

http://ericpetersaut...6/cash-for-everyone/

473
Living Room / Re: Peer Review and the Scientific Process
« Last post by Renegade on April 27, 2015, 09:09 AM »
^ You lost me.

Can you tl;dr what Ahamkara is? The page there just blathers on and makes it sound like nonsense. Does it just mean "delusion"?
474
Living Room / Re: PayPal about to claim rights in all IP sold/licensed using PayPal for payments
« Last post by Renegade on April 26, 2015, 10:31 PM »
If you don't want to monetize your contributions... then don't.  But that shouldn't stop those that want to.
-wraith808 (April 26, 2015, 10:05 PM)

Stop trying to derail the glorious revolution!  :tease:

http://www.reddit.co...alize_how_important/

What I feared is that Valve's Steam will turned the once socialist free modding community into a capitalistic greedy system that will greatly affect poor gamers like me who barely saved enough money to afford a gaming PC. I am hoping that Valve and Gaben himself will soon realize how awful their system is and will leave modding alone for the community. There is no need for capitalism in modding.

 :wallbash:

TIL - Wanting to get paid for your labour is greedy.

Thank god PayPal is stepping into claim ownership over people's labour...

475
Living Room / Re: Knight to queen's bishop 3 - Snowden charged with espionage.
« Last post by Renegade on April 26, 2015, 10:21 PM »
Kind of off-topic, but still relevant:

http://pando.com/201...k-you-know-for-kids/



To help spread its message, the NSA has produced a coloring book. You know, for kids

By the time I found the National Security Agency booth on the expo floor at last week’s RSA Conference, all the best shwag was gone. The most prized giveaway was a faux-leather Post-it Note kit bearing the agency’s seal.

“We can’t print enough of those,” the agency rep manning the booth told me. “Next year, we are going to make the seal even bigger. Kids will really like that, like a badge to show their friends at school.”

Is it strange that the NSA, which takes such care to stay out of the public eye, should be so keen to capture the attention and aspirations of the young?

While I wasn’t able to score any government-issue school supplies, and none of the representatives could tell me if the NSA was still operating out of the hermetic former AT&T fiber optic hub down the street at 2nd and Folsom, I did walk away with a copy of the “CryptoKids Fun Book”, images from which you can see below.

Which anthropomorphic Myers-Briggs Type crypto-kid are you? I’m Decipher Dog, always looking for “the hidden messages behind the words, symbols and sounds,” and reading the latest robot news in Cryptobyte Monthly. That said, I don’t condone Dog’s habit of wearing shoes in bed and looking at kitty porn on his laptop. You bad dog you.

 :wallbash:

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