Recent Posts

9426

Living Room / Re: Anyone playing Mass Effect 2 game yet?

« Last post by wraith808 on February 18, 2010, 03:21 PM »

I've started playing (my wife got it for me for my birthday on Steam).  It's really gripping so far- I had ME1, but never got around to playing it, so I can't make any comparisons there, but the story so far is really good, as is the action.  I'll definitely agree with Subsailor, the henchmen are useful without micromanaging; in fact the only time I manage them is to use their biotics, or if I need them to specifically do something for the mission in most cases.

There's a detailed plot analysis; I haven't read it since I'm not done, and it's of course full of spoilers.  But other than that, most reviews have been very enthusiastic about it, and I am too so far.

9427

Found Deals and Discounts / Manning Books - Buy 2, get 42% off

« Last post by wraith808 on February 18, 2010, 03:16 PM »

Manning books is having a promotion through 2/25

Buy 2 books, get 42% off.  Manning is another place I get a lot of books from.  They have a list of books on the promotion, but from the wording, I think it applies to all of their books.

Use code pick242 when you check out at manning.com.
Offer expires February 25, 2010.

9428

Living Room / Re: Responsibility in Web Services

« Last post by wraith808 on February 18, 2010, 02:49 PM »

This is actually getting quite interesting   Let's take it up a notch, shall we?

From The Patriot Post:

The Obama administration has argued that Americans don't enjoy a "reasonable expectation of privacy" when it comes to their whereabouts as revealed by their cell phones, and therefore warrant-less tapping is allowed. Not only that, but lawyers for the U.S. Department of Justice say that "a customer's Fourth Amendment rights are not violated when the phone company reveals to the government its own records" showing where calls were placed or received.

Now, you know that your cell phone has a GPS tracking device in it, and you make a call anyway.  If someone uses that information against you, your argument would be that the Obama Administration was correct in their argument?

To take it further still, from the EFF:

Residences. Everyone has a reasonable expectation of privacy in their home. This is not just a house as it says in the Fourth Amendment, but anywhere you live, be it an apartment, a hotel or motel room, or a mobile home.

However, even things in your home might be knowingly exposed to the public and lose their Fourth Amendment protection. For example, you have no reasonable expectation of privacy in conversations or other sounds inside your home that a person outside could hear, or odors that a passerby could smell (although the Supreme Court has held that more invasive technological means of obtaining information about the inside of your home, like thermal imaging technology to detect heat sources, is a Fourth Amendment search requiring a warrant). Similarly, if you open your house to the public for a party, a political meeting, or some other public event, police officers could walk in posing as guests and look at or listen to whatever any of the other guests could, without having to get a warrant.

So, in the case that I am outside of your home, in a public location, do you still have a reasonable expectation of privacy?  It seems to only cover the inside of your home.

9429

Living Room / Re: Responsibility in Web Services

« Last post by wraith808 on February 18, 2010, 02:02 PM »

But Google isn't aggregating the information.  Your ad analogy also leaves something out as you are intentionally submitting your information to an aggregator (the newspaper).  I suppose something in the middle would be more to the point, i.e. I'm walking by and you're talking on your cell phone about leaving the country.  Then I tell someone who robs you.  Did you broadcast to me specifically?  No.  But it was public.  So did I do anything wrong?

9430

Living Room / Re: Responsibility in Web Services

« Last post by wraith808 on February 18, 2010, 12:40 PM »

Quote from another site about how these socio-stalking-services^TM is used:

Collectors and repo-men are using these social networking sites to skip-trace where you could be and will come take your stuff. They'll openly admit to "cyber-stalking" to find where you are.

9431

Living Room / Re: Responsibility in Web Services

« Last post by wraith808 on February 18, 2010, 10:02 AM »

And you can't really expect to blame it on the person when it happens, can you?

Honestly? ...Yes.

-Stoic Joker (February 18, 2010, 09:57 AM)

So, to carry it a bit further, if I case your house, then let someone know when you're gone, and they happen to rob you, it's your fault.  You let me know when you were leaving by driving out of your garage, so you can't blame me... right?

9432

Living Room / Re: Antivirus companies support virus writers?

« Last post by wraith808 on February 18, 2010, 09:42 AM »

I've been harboring much the same ill feelings toward AV companies for years. I'm an advocate for common sense, it's twice as effective, uses (wastes) no system resources, and is free.

-Stoic Joker (February 18, 2010, 07:04 AM)

And unfortunately doesn't protect you against drive-by exploits on hacked legitimate sites :/ - the only thing I've been hit by the last 10+ years. (I still don't run any AV software, though ).

-f0dder (February 18, 2010, 07:06 AM)

It is also not feasible when you have young children using the computer.  They only go to sites which I approve, but even the advertising on some of those sites is suspect and a prime candidate for someday having a drive-by.

9433

Living Room / Re: Responsibility in Web Services

« Last post by wraith808 on February 18, 2010, 07:05 AM »

But there are better ways to do it- the search based on username and location is the largest part of what I have a problem with.  If they just posted and scrolled it off the page (which they do), I wouldn't have a problem with it as a social awareness project- but to actually allow searches?  And it's a lot different than a party- a party is only a few hundred people, and what are the chances that someone in your circle of friends or their circles being a crook.  Now expand that to the online community- what are the chances that someone there is? (Considering that convicts get cell phones smuggled in, pretty large, I'd say).  Then what is the chance that someone will use this in a negative way?  And you can't really expect to blame it on the person when it happens, can you?

9434

Living Room / Re: Responsibility in Web Services

« Last post by wraith808 on February 17, 2010, 10:24 PM »

I'm not talking about protection, though.  If there is something you forget, there's something you forget.  But this is an intentional service.  There's a big difference between driving up an down streets, casing a location, and typing in a location on a web page and getting results.  I'm not talking about protecting people from themselves, I'm talking about not putting the exploit in the open for someone to take advantage of.  If we're talking natural selection for instance, there's a very big difference between an idiot driving along a road at high speed and losing control, and someone knowing he's going to drive at high speed so sabotaging the brakes to make sure he can't slow down on the curve.

I'm definitely against protecting people from their own actions and/or people whinging because they made a mistake and it came back to bite them in the butt.  But this is something different, IMO.

9435

Developer's Corner / Re: Get 40% off The Pragmatic Bookshelf

« Last post by wraith808 on February 17, 2010, 09:57 PM »

I just got this same e-mail LOL   And yes, I can recommend the site!

9436

Living Room / Re: Responsibility in Web Services

« Last post by wraith808 on February 17, 2010, 05:42 PM »

No, they can't ... because people really are that thick. Just look at the texting while driving stats)

-Stoic Joker (February 17, 2010, 04:02 PM)

But does this make them any less culpable?  What if someone cased your house, then told a 3rd party that you weren't home- so they could rob you.  Would they be culpable?  Of course.  Why not this?

"Because in this case, you're the one telling."  So... what about the case that you tell someone that you'll be over, or make an appointment with a doctor, or give anyone the information that you won't be at home, and they provide that information to a 3rd party.  Would they be at fault?

Just because the information is there, and they put it out there, there's no excuse for packaging it up like this.

9437

General Software Discussion / Re: Why the aversion to .NET Frameworks?

« Last post by wraith808 on February 17, 2010, 05:38 PM »

As I now have to deal with the very real possibility that there is now a new problem that I just created by installing X which is (conflicting with Y) now compounding the issue that got me called to the site in the first place.

-Stoic Joker (February 17, 2010, 03:51 PM)

And this is different from all the other "DLL Hell" issues out there how?  I mean just because it is a different name doesn't change the way you troubleshoot.  And just because the technology changed doesn't mean that the issue is new.  It just looks different with a different player.

-steeladept (February 17, 2010, 03:58 PM)

I've never, ever seen this happen with a .Net application.

One of the big advances that .Net gives you over the old COM model that's tied up with the Windows registry is that .Net understands versioning of code. It's perfectly possible for two apps to want different versions of an assembly, but (if the code is built properly) .Net is able to handle this automatically and provide the correct versions as required. That's what strong naming and the GAC are all about.

Properly building this stuff as a developer can be a pain, but the thing is, at least you're able to worry about it if you choose to. Other Windows frameworks don't even give you the opportunity, and I'm not aware of any other framework on other platforms that do either.

-CWuestefeld (February 17, 2010, 04:21 PM)

This +1

By putting the installer into VS, and putting the control over the GAC in the hands of the OS, DLL Hell has been reduced (dare I say it eliminated for the most part?)  It's a lot different from the cowboy days of VB and MSVC.

9438

General Software Discussion / 10 Things to Avoid in Social Media

« Last post by wraith808 on February 17, 2010, 03:25 PM »

A very good article on adoption of Social Media (via Web Worker Daily)

When I listen to people get all excited about social media as if it were some newfangled discovery, I keep wanting to say “It’s just online community. We’ve had that for over 20 years now. We’re just getting it via new applications with more integrated features. But it’s community!” Friends, fans and followers? We used to call them community members or our online friends.

Despite having been in this same place before, I have to admit I’m still excited about the possibilities. My concern is where things could be headed if we’re not smart about how we use the new tools at our disposal — we could end up repeating many of the mistakes made during the Web 1.0 years. With that in mind, here are my ten things to avoid in social media:

Read more

9439

General Software Discussion / Re: Why the aversion to .NET Frameworks?

« Last post by wraith808 on February 17, 2010, 02:50 PM »

I can get behind the whole OS thing... if I'm programming in C# it's for Windows users, just as if I program in Objective-C it's for MacOS users.  But *most* people using Windows have a version of .NET on their machine already.  And from one version, to do an upgrade is not a huge download, so I just don't get it.

9440

General Software Discussion / Re: Why the aversion to .NET Frameworks?

« Last post by wraith808 on February 17, 2010, 02:03 PM »

As Windows goes forward, most of the people that use it (especially new versions) are pretty much tilting at windmills, aren't they?  So it comes down to people with outdated OSs or non-windows users that won't have a the framework at all.  That makes me question the whole aversion thing.  After all there are all sorts of frameworks out there in use on all platforms... and those are just as required, aren't they?  Is the issue non-portability, or something else?

9441

Living Room / Responsibility in Web Services

« Last post by wraith808 on February 17, 2010, 02:00 PM »

There is a web service called Please Rob Me (at predictably enough http://pleaserobme.com) that takes location based social networks and streams all of the locations that people are at when they aren't at home (hence the name).  They say that their intent is not that people get robbed- but what if a robber does use the service?  Does a simple non-intent statement get them off the hook?  Admittedly broadcasting your location is a bit silly (I don't even broadcast my name and such), but to aggregate all of that information with a convenient search by username and location seems a bit much...

9442

General Software Discussion / 15 Hacks Every Dropbox User Should Know

« Last post by wraith808 on February 16, 2010, 11:28 PM »

From MaximumPC

When you get right down to it, Dropbox is a pretty simple app. It syncs folders—that’s it. But what makes Dropbox amazing is the sheer number of different ways you can use that functionality, by itself or in conjunction with other programs, to improve your computing experience. We like Dropbox so much that we’ve written about it several  times  before, and we still haven’t gotten to every cool thing you can do with the program.

That’s why, in this article, we’re going to share with you a whopping 15 things that we think everyone should know about Dropbox, from how to get extra storage for free to how to use Dropbox to control your Bittorrent client.

Read More

Some good stuff there- and definitely some things I didn't know about.  But it seems that they were able to get around the problem with junctions- they use symbolic links to the files.  I'll have to try this...

9443

General Software Discussion / Re: Battle of the Free Online Storages

« Last post by wraith808 on February 16, 2010, 09:53 AM »

The thing I'm not sure about is how long will these new providers be around? I use Live Mesh, Skydrive and Dropbox and I know that they are big enough names that my data will be around.

-MrCrispy (February 15, 2010, 04:30 PM)

That's my concern too.  I only use SkyDrive and DropBox (and mostly DropBox at that).  I also use my own server to host things that I know about in advance, since I can get space on that for a lot less than any of these services.

9444

Developer's Corner / Re: Resurrecting Ubiquity for Chrome

« Last post by wraith808 on February 14, 2010, 09:17 PM »

The group seems pretty active to me.

http://groups.google...firefox/topics?pli=1

The developers seem pretty reactive to problems, and even acknowledge they haven't been on top of anything other than development builds...

9445

General Software Discussion / Re: Bartels Media paranoia

« Last post by wraith808 on February 13, 2010, 05:31 PM »

My apologies mouser.  I should have take a bit away from the computer to cool off.  I will bow out of this conversation (a bit late it seems).  Again, apologies to mouser and the whole board.

9446

General Software Discussion / Re: Bartels Media paranoia

« Last post by wraith808 on February 13, 2010, 04:28 PM »

I removed the comment that you quoted before you quoted it, so you did this just as an irritant

You made my day: You write junk. Then, you realize that it was junk and removed it. Now, you accuse me of "irritating" because I accidentally took your junk serious?!

Wow! This requires a very strong personality.
 

My statements were in direct response to the claims against DA, which I do use, so please don't twist what I said?

No twist at all. I can also help you in this case (Byte-wise stealing at 1:03). But no need to reply on that one. I have provided it to you already and you ignored it at that time.

One thing is strange anyway - Is it that you have an "agenda" and set a Google Alert trigger on us just waiting to bash? I wonder because you show up   e v e r y   s i n g l e   time whenever our name is mentioned. Why not just ignore, please? I asked you that before but you ignored that as well. Do so from now on, PLEASE!

-BartelsMedia (February 13, 2010, 04:20 PM)

I'm on the boards regularly.  It's you that does it.  Look at my post count, and how many times I post in relation to you.  And I removed the post in reference to mouser's request.  And now I'm done.  Thanks.

9447

Living Room / Re: Buzzzzzzzzinggggg - Google Buzz - Gmail with facebook features

« Last post by wraith808 on February 13, 2010, 03:56 PM »

I never thought about lawyers/journalists/doctors/anyonewithpriviledgedinformation and buzz- but someone did.

1. Blog post to lawyers about turning it off - http://bit.ly/caBn6s
2. Blog post to lawyers about legal implications - http://bit.ly/bJC1CD

It's not wise to piss of litigation minded masses, IMO...

9448

General Software Discussion / Re: Bartels Media paranoia

« Last post by wraith808 on February 13, 2010, 03:44 PM »

Two suggestions: if you want a text expander that launches, try Typing Assistant, which does.  It's payware.  If you just want a launcher that works from shorthand/keywords, have you written off SlickRun, freeware?

-rjbull (February 13, 2010, 02:39 PM)

I haven't tried either, but SlickRun requires you to bring up a window, and I use FARR in that regard, and don't really want to bring up a window to launch.  Thanks for the suggestions, though!

9449

General Software Discussion / Re: Bartels Media paranoia

« Last post by wraith808 on February 13, 2010, 03:39 PM »

<snip>
I'm using Nagarsoft's wording.
</snip>

-J-Mac (February 13, 2010, 02:38 PM)

Oh, I understand your reasoning, I just don't think that was the intent, as I clarified by asking Nagarsoft directly, hence the "lost in translation" reference.

> "It was basically about features being integrated rather than a byte-for-byte copy that I remember."

@wraith: You already impressed in earlier postings by never willing to recognize the actual information provided. Just one example and evidence to help you regarding the byte-for-byte theft accusation.

-BartelsMedia (February 13, 2010, 03:11 PM)

I'm not getting drawn into this, as I've already deleted the comment, but let's just say that I never rebutted any statements you made about that software (and indeed, never discussed it with you, as I don't know anything about it, nor have I ever used it).  My statements were in direct response to the claims against DA, which I do use, so please don't twist what I said?  And can we drop it since I removed the comment that you quoted before you quoted it, so you did this just as an irritant, which in the end is irritating mouser more than me.

Thank you for doing so.

9450

General Software Discussion / Re: Bartels Media paranoia

« Last post by wraith808 on February 13, 2010, 02:28 PM »

I was using DA, then switched to MacroExpress Pro, but it's a bit too heavy for launching applications (though good for a lot of other things)

-wraith808 (February 13, 2010, 10:15 AM)

You might like to know that Insight Software, makers of Macro Express, also offer ShortKeys, which seems to be specifically an expander, and presumably a subset of Macro Express itself.

-rjbull (February 13, 2010, 02:15 PM)

Thanks, but that doesn't launch apps, which is really what I use DA for.