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5351

General Software Discussion / Re: CryptoLocker and CryptoPrevent

« Last post by wraith808 on November 04, 2013, 08:05 AM »

such viruses teach people to do regular backups.

-Raven (November 03, 2013, 02:28 PM)

It's not sufficent, as certain ransomware attack all the hard disks.
People should do backups in a removable device and then they should disconnect it.

-Giampy (November 04, 2013, 04:56 AM)

This.

So I guess, this brings up the other point...

...are the perpetrators of Cryptolocker held to reliability in unlocking the files by the fact that if they don't people will stop paying?  And since most people that pay are individuals, then are they held to a certain maximum price by the same regard?

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General Software Discussion / Re: Instagram ads arrive RIGHT when Instagram becomes available for Windows Phone 8

« Last post by wraith808 on November 03, 2013, 09:57 PM »

Don't know if and how much one has to pay for the development software, what extra license costs are needed to meet the requirements of the development software, the version control software, buying the necessary hardware, taking programmer(s) from other in-house projects and/or hiring new programmer(s), re-arranging/more office space, extra HR administrative tasks, making a test environment, setting up test procedures, fulfilling all requirements to be in the Microsoft store.

I have no clue what these companies make, how stretched their employees already are etc., etc.

-Shades (November 03, 2013, 05:36 PM)

None of what you've stated is really a reason not to develop for a platform when you're talking about the big players- the costs of these things are no different than what they did to get on one platform already.  There's also the fact that MS is pushing to get App developers to develop for the platform- even a cursory search shows different programs for this and there's many articles on developing the same in MSDN.

I couldn't comment on the marketing, but since windows 8 apps either use native or HTML5 applications, I think that developers are covered in getting the apps to the phone.  And the rest really doesn't matter if the application is already intended to be free.

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General Software Discussion / Re: Instagram ads arrive RIGHT when Instagram becomes available for Windows Phone 8

« Last post by wraith808 on November 03, 2013, 11:18 AM »

I think the cost for making apps is only on the back end, similar to the App Store, i.e. if I make a free app, it doesn't cost anything.  At least from my limited look at the development side, this seemed to be the case.  In fact, if I make a free app, then I have a chance of getting free stuff from MS.  So only if the app would be a pay app would MS get anything... just like the App store.  And instagram doesn't cost anything from what I know.

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

« Last post by wraith808 on November 02, 2013, 12:23 PM »

There's already a humor board in the basement.  And it's already for registered members only.  And there's conversations that go on there.  It's just that some things are inappropriate for even a NSFW silly humor thread.  Not really sure why it had to be NSFW since we aren't 4chan as Stoic pointed out.

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

« Last post by wraith808 on November 02, 2013, 10:03 AM »

While I personally did not find it to be offensive...I do agree that it was far to close to the razor's edge. Just because the thread is marked NSFW doesn't mean that folks are cleared for takeoff to go sky-shotting over the top.

So granted while some of us do push the language barrier a bit at times. A modicum of restraint is to be reasonably expected...because this is not 4Chan.

-Stoic Joker (November 02, 2013, 08:37 AM)

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Community Giveaways / Re: SteamGifts Giveaway: Devil May Cry Key

« Last post by wraith808 on November 01, 2013, 08:11 PM »

It was a gigabyte one...

http://www.newegg.co...Item=N82E16813128619

It was in a bundle with the DMC deal a while ago... just kept forgetting to post it.

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Community Giveaways / SteamGifts Giveaway: Devil May Cry Key

« Last post by wraith808 on November 01, 2013, 07:19 PM »

I picked up a MB, and it came with a free copy of DmC: Devil May Cry on Steam (49.99 value)

Not really interesting to me, so I put it up on SteamGifts.

http://www.steamgift...vJ/dmc-devil-may-cry

I'm going to let it go for a week... if there are no entries, I'll just make it a regular SteamGifts giveaway.

1. Get a steam account
http://store.steampowered.com

2. Join the Donation Coder group on Steam

PM  "wraith808","Deozaan", or "lanux128" your steam name, and tell him/her you want to join  the group.
http://steamcommunit...groups/DonationCoder

3. Log in to http://www.steamgifts.com via your  steam-account

4. Enter the giveaway

5. Follow the steamgifts rules and read the FAQ: http://www.steamgift...b/faq-and-guidelines

6. The entrants will have to post their forum profile as a comment on the giveaway.

Note that the Steam community for DC is not a general purpose community- it's for active members of DonationCoder.

5358

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

« Last post by wraith808 on November 01, 2013, 01:29 PM »

The 'we' used there is the greater we.  Which, indeed, unless you're actively doing something about it...

Well, there's two sides, not three.

And on the revelation front, the guardian has posted a new piece:

http://www.theguardi...ns-decoded#section/1

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

« Last post by wraith808 on October 31, 2013, 08:24 AM »

Oh, I knew the page was old... which was actually one of the reasons that I used that page.

This *isn't* new.  (Which we seem to agree on).

It's just that ... we ignored it.

That's why I didn't think it was tinfoil hat material.

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

« Last post by wraith808 on October 30, 2013, 10:58 PM »

Just a few years ago you were a kook if you talked about the NSA data centers, e.g. the mega-center in Utah. Now? Not so much. Seems the tinfoil hat crowd had a point after all.

-Renegade (October 30, 2013, 09:51 PM)

I didn't think it ever was a tinfoil hat... they just weren't as paranoid as they should have been.

http://www.nsawatch.org/echelonfaq.html

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

« Last post by wraith808 on October 30, 2013, 09:32 PM »

^ The question I'd ask is ... why?  It seems like a lot to risk for little gain. So is it merely that the NSA is now a reasonable target for such allegations for other reasons?

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General Software Discussion / CryptoLocker and CryptoPrevent

« Last post by wraith808 on October 30, 2013, 12:52 PM »

MakeUseOf has an article on CryptoLocker and CryptoPrevent, and though I don't quote the linkbait title, it does bring up an interesting question.

If you do fall victim to cryptolocker, and payment does work, is it ethical to pay?

(CryptoLocker was also discussed in the Bitcoin thread)

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

« Last post by wraith808 on October 30, 2013, 08:59 AM »

You're right. This is straying off topic.

-Renegade (October 29, 2013, 10:38 PM)

I will add, however, there's truth, and there's ways of communicating the same.  Since all of us have been on the wrong side of this at one time or another, it would seem that a bit of respect in communicating this wouldn't be out of order.  Just a reminder would be good.

David Cameron threatened on Monday to act to stop newspapers publishing what he called damaging leaks from former U.S. intelligence operative Edward Snowden.

"If they don't demonstrate some social responsibility it will be very difficult for government to stand back and not to act," Cameron told parliament.

More on this story over at Techdirt.


I'm wondering how many more heavy handed attempts will be made at derailing the revelations before somebody with access to the documents decides to do a preemptive mass data dump of the entire remaining collection?
 

-40hz (October 29, 2013, 02:01 PM)

Well, it's a bit less heavy handed than the US would probably be in such a situation.  At least people aren't disappearing.  Yet.  That's a bit of progress, right?

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Living Room / Re: Facebook Requiring Government ID?

« Last post by wraith808 on October 29, 2013, 02:33 PM »

They got some explaining to do .. NSAy what?

-Stoic Joker (October 29, 2013, 02:12 PM)

You owe me a keyboard! 

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

« Last post by wraith808 on October 29, 2013, 02:32 PM »

There is a big difference between spurious omission and answering a simple yes or no question incorrectly. The first simply allows one to hold back a few cards ... And the other is a flat out lie.

-Stoic Joker (October 29, 2013, 02:19 PM)

This.

Personally, I'm bad at either, which is the reason that I hate to bargain, and hate to barter.  I just set what I'm interested in and say it... and if the person hedges or tries to bargain, I walk away.

That isn't to say that I question the morals or approach of anyone who does it differently.  I'm just aware that people are good at that, and are able to do that with proficiency, and alter my approach correspondingly.

Diplomacy is a question of degrees in a lot of cases, and coming to such a common ground.  You may respect someone that is open, earnest, and honest on a personal level.  But that person will not make a good diplomat IMO.  You have to be able to walk that line between your country's interests, and bargaining in good faith.

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Living Room / Re: Confessions of a drone warrior

« Last post by wraith808 on October 29, 2013, 01:57 PM »

I think that many don't echo your sentiments, however, and view his service as somewhat less than someone who put boots on ground in the face of enemy aggression.

But I consider him more a tragic figure than a hero. As I do all the patriotic and highly honorable men and women who have served this country in needless conflicts orchestrated by those who put their own interests and agendas ahead of those of their nation.

Seeing people (both allies and adversaries) die over half-truths and untruths will take its toll on anyone with a shred of humanity still left inside them. Small wonder so many have come back from conflicts such as this one with serious emotional and mental issues. Small wonder so many who live in the region of conflict will also live out their lives similarly scarred.

-40hz (October 29, 2013, 01:37 PM)

This I can definitely get on board with.  We seem to wash them with the same colors and end up with ribbons on our cars, and tip jars to support our troops, branding them in the same way that the threat boards of the theater of combat does to a different extent when they're looked at as resources and casualties rather than people whose lives and deaths have a very real impact on the country.

We calk about the cognitive dissonance of waging war from behind a screen at increasing distances... I think that there is more of a cognitive dissonance between those that wage war as enlisted and those that formerly waged war under the same terms.  Because it seems that the men to a large extent become less important when that man isn't you.

5367

Living Room / Re: Can someone do a quick Photoshop gag for me?

« Last post by wraith808 on October 29, 2013, 01:20 PM »

You should do you John and Joan... make a family portrait 

5368

Living Room / Re: Musician Lou Reed has died

« Last post by wraith808 on October 29, 2013, 10:17 AM »

Neil Gaiman on Lou Reed: 'His songs were the soundtrack to my life'

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Living Room / Re: Confessions of a drone warrior

« Last post by wraith808 on October 29, 2013, 10:15 AM »

Out of curiosity - why there?

It would be more efficient and cost effective to keep it in Nevada. No shipping charges! And certainly more secure in that there would be no risk at all of a command unit being destroyed - or even  worse, captured by the enemy. IIUC these systems use satellite communications for their control systems - so physical location of the commander doesn't seem to be all that important. (It certainly isn't for the "hitman" drones operating in Pakistan and other places.)

-40hz (October 29, 2013, 08:43 AM)

I'm not sure why there... but I'd assume that for the same reason that is pointed out in the article that you linked... link latency.  He was performing flyovers at the base to accompany patrols and reinforce base security.  Link latency would be a problem, I'd think, especially when lives are on the line.  It's of little importance if the drone lands safely to be recovered when the link goes out if there's no one to recover it.

And does the reason lessen the fact that he is now on foreign soil in enemy territory?  And that he volunteered for deployment?

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Living Room / Re: Confessions of a drone warrior

« Last post by wraith808 on October 29, 2013, 08:22 AM »

That wasn't my intent when I posted it for sure... it was more the merging of the technology and the warrior, and the psychological effects thereof.  I think that the medals isn't off-base with the international aspects of DC IMO.  But it does point towards the attitude and conversations that surround the use of the drones, i.e. that it isn't really worthy of mention as battle and isn't worthy of recognition as battle, which I dispute.

Especially given that at times, the combatant in question isn't 5000 miles away... as when the soldier in the article above deployed to Iraq.

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

« Last post by wraith808 on October 28, 2013, 10:26 PM »

"Trust, but Verify."

Why is that maxim such a powerful statement?

True, there does have to be a certain level of trust.  But lying by omission is still lying- but not necessarily bad faith.  So having a budget of $500 on a purchase, and not telling the other person your true budget or telling a different budget and driving a hard bargain based on that, prepared to if it comes to the wall to increase that amount... is that lying?  Or good bargaining tactics?

Do you lay everything on the table?  Trusting that the other person will do the same?  Or do you do your own due diligence and drive the hardest deal possible?  Where does that line lie?  True, you shouldn't deal in bad faith... but what's bad faith to one person isn't necessarily to the other.  Especially when you're dealing with different cultures and different aims. 

It's not as black and white as it may appear, IMO.

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Living Room / Re: Yay! New Laws for Crowdfunding!

« Last post by wraith808 on October 28, 2013, 10:19 PM »

But back to the issue at hand:

There's a better (IMO) breakdown on Forbes.  Specifically:

• Crowdfunding caps an amount an issuer can raise to $1 million in any 12-month period.
• Crowdfunding caps the amount a person can invest in all crowdfundings over a 12-month period at 10% of annual income or net worth (incomes of $100,000 or more) or the greater of $2,000 or 5% of annual income or net worth (incomes of less than $100,000).
• Crowdfunding must be done through a registered broker-dealer or registered “funding portal.” Broker-dealers and funding portals may not solicit investments, offer investment advice or compensate employees based on sales. Traditional investment banks have shown little interest in crowdfunding, leading to speculation that crowdfunding will be facilitated by lesser-known financial institutions with little or no retail investment track record.
• Crowdfunding requires a disclosure document to be filed with the SEC at least 21 days prior to first sale, and requires scaled financial disclosure, including audited financial statements for raises of over $500,000.
• Unlike Regulation D Rule 506 private placements to accredited investors following the JOBS Act, crowdfunding does not allow advertising except solely to direct investors to the appropriate broker/funding portal.
• Annual reports must be filed with the SEC by a company which completes a crowdfunding round.

These rules are specifically about control, not fraud.  In fact, there's nothing in there to do anything with fraud, other than limit the amount that an individual project can bilk people for.  In the meantime, it puts a burden that the smaller companies can't even afford to take on for the amounts of money we're talking about, and there are no exemptions.

I might be reading that wrong... but it appears that Forbes agrees with that take on it.

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Living Room / Re: Confessions of a drone warrior

« Last post by wraith808 on October 28, 2013, 09:52 PM »

An air-conditioned trailer in Nevada is not "at risk in combat' in any real sense of the word. And certainly not the same thing as being stationed on a US military base in an area of conflict on foreign soil.

-40hz (October 28, 2013, 09:28 PM)

Did you not see what I quoted?  He wasn't in Nevada.  He was in Iraq.  That is an area of conflict on foreign soil, right?

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Living Room / Re: Confessions of a drone warrior

« Last post by wraith808 on October 28, 2013, 08:17 PM »

In my small corner of the universe, you draw it at the place where "at risk" becomes real. Military personnel at sea stations or over hostile airspace are definitely at risk. As are the missile silo commanders and crew who know (with certainty) that either a first-strike or retaliatory missile has already targeted them and will be heading their way - and is guaranteed to impact long before they could get beyond the radius of total destruction.

Sitting in an air conditioned and totally secure command area someplace in Virginia and remotely piloting an unmanned aircraft? Hmm...that seems a somewhat different a type of 'valor' to me. Sure, it serves a necessary function in a military operation. But it seems more to me like somebody acting responsibly and doing the job they're being paid to do rather than serving bravely or with valor. Right up there with the guys packing medical supplies and MREs back in the US for the folks over there.

-40hz (October 28, 2013, 08:07 PM)

The closest Bryant ever got to “real” combat—the roadside bombs and mortar fire experienced by combat troops—was after volunteering to deploy to Iraq. He spent the scorching summer and fall of 2007 stationed at the airfield in Balad, flying Predators on base-defense missions—scanning the area for insurgents.

Does that change it at all?  Or not because he's not out in the field?  Especially since bases have been attacked and military personnel killed... or is that still not close enough?

(And I'm really wondering... not just throwing things out there.  Seeing things from a different perspective of a dissenter is a good part of debate that people sometimes miss )

And what if it was a different sort of service badge... would that be acceptable?  Or is it just off the table in general as some seem to think?

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

« Last post by wraith808 on October 28, 2013, 08:05 PM »

A rather revealing and self-defining statement about one's personal standards and integrity.

-IainB (October 28, 2013, 08:33 AM)

Not really. Just a sociological observation. Not all lies are created equal. We all tell lies as we negotiate our daily existences. You don't believe me? Try for a day not to tell a lie like in the movie Liar Liar. When your missus asks you the next time "Does my bum look big in this?", just go ahead and say yes and see what happens...

-dr_andus (October 28, 2013, 11:14 AM)

I think you'd be surprised. I tell my wife exactly what I think and she appreciates it. I don't have to lie.

But in the case you outlined, the subtext is more along the lines of, "This makes my butt look a bit big, but I'd really appreciate it if you'd simply compliment me so that I feel better." The actual words are merely a small portion of the communication.

But even if we tell white lies in our daily lives, that doesn't excuse black lies in public office. Public office doesn't have that subtext communication that we have in our more intimate conversations with those close to us.

-Renegade (October 28, 2013, 07:29 PM)

But, in the context of those negotiations, even if they are allies, they are jockeying for advantage.  That might be mutual advantage, but if it's not, that's ok too in many cases.

In bargaining and bartering and all such interactions, the truth is not as much of a consideration in the things that the person that you're bargaining with is telling you than your own truth and perceptions are.