Cool list!
http://www.sellsbrothers.com/fun/msiview/default.aspx?content=question.htm
I've heard about a few of these before. The cool thing to remember is there is no right or wrong answers, the idea is to keep your cool and let your personality shine through as you explain HOW you would go about solving it. Novel twists are more important than brute force solves.
Two good articles on why this stuff is doomed from the start and a curse for consumers.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15818852/site/newsweek
http://www.boingboing.net/2006/11/22/audio_from_xbox_hack.html
First, you're bright right? You wouldnt be fooled by one of these scam businesses would you? Shameful I know, but the truth is I thought exactly the same thing and I was scammed myself about 15 years ago, when I was a little older than most of you... Maybe someday I'll write up the whole story and put it on MY blog...
The scams are getting a LOT more convincing and they can totally devastate your life. The worst part is they are actively TARGETING smart people! They focus on people who they can say 'those other losers failed because they werent smart or driven like you are...'
http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/archives/2006/11/network-marketing-is-a-big-fat-scam.html
Variety says it is official, VHS is dead. Someone let my Mom know please!
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117953955.html?categoryid=20&cs=1
British passports cracked, we are scheduled to get this stupid technology soon in the US:
http://it.slashdot.org/it/06/11/17/065214.shtml
PS3 out, riots ensue:
http://games.slashdot.org/games/06/11/17/1414252.shtml
Stupidest thing I've read this week, besides the Higher Education thing from yesterday:
http://www.todaystmj4.com/_content/news/topstories/story_5438.asp
Lots of interesting news up on the sites this morning, lots of stuff on the Japanese PS3 launch and the American media getting their Wiis and PS3s to play with (go to www.engadget.com or www.gametrailers.com to see some great unboxing and initial reactions, or even better, go to EB, Gamestop or Walmart and give the systems a try yourself).
Still think the HBO documentary on Hacking Democracy was all hogwash? Guy voted for himself and still got ZERO votes:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/11/zero.votes.ap/index.html
How to write a great resume:
http://www.rockportinstitute.com/resumes.html
Google says free cell phones for everyone (someday maybe)
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061113-8206.html
Vista and Office 2007 already Pirated 40 days+ before retail availability (shocker)
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061112-8204.html
Java is now opensource!
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061113-8205.html
Zune launches tomorrow:
http://apple.slashdot.org/apple/06/11/13/1149228.shtml
Pogue says Zune stinks (I agree, version 2.0 will be a lot better, count on it):
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/09/technology/09pogue.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Vista to feature lame startup sounds (MSNBC has a clip):
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/11/11/1945244
http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,72045-0.html?tw=wn_story_page_prev2
Security theater really drives me insane. We make things more difficult
for people (and affect them mentally by scaring people needlessly!)
without putting REAL detterents in place. If we give in to these stupid
policies just to show 'hey at least we are doing SOMETHING' then the
terrorist have WON.
ETS (the makers of the SAT) seem to be cooking something like this up...
LA times looks at why net gambling is legal but offline isnt:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-op-ackman29oct29,0,656569.story?coll=la-opinion-rightrail
Brits most spied upon country in west:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,2761-2426874,00.html
The art of image altering (photoshopping)
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/29/sunday/main2135644.shtml
For Halloween PCWorld has 15 freaky websites:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,127508-page,1/article.html
Has Myspace already jumped the shark?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/28/AR2006102800803.html
Another free font collection:
http://neatfonts.com/
From the IP list. Spooky!
Sam
-----Original Message-----
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/10/26/schwarzenegger.consumers.ap/index.html
California shoppers, Schwarzenegger is watching you
POSTED: 2:54 p.m. EDT, October 26, 2006
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Gin or vodka? Ford or BMW? Perrier or
Fiji water? Does the car you buy or what's in your fridge say
anything about how you'll vote?
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign thinks so.
Employing technology honed in President Bush's 2004 victory, the
Republican governor's re-election team has created a vast computer
storehouse of data on personal buying habits and voter records to
identify likely supporters. Campaign officials say the operation is
the largest of its kind in any state, at any time.
Some strategists believe consumer information can reveal a voter's
politics even better than a party label can.
"It's not where they live, it's how they live," said Josh Ginsberg,
the Schwarzenegger campaign's deputy political director.
The idea is an outgrowth of techniques that businesses have long used
to find new customers. Using publicly available data, the Bush
campaign in 2004 knew voters' favorite vacation spots, religious
leanings, the music and magazines they liked, the cars they drove.
Few people might realize how much information is publicly available,
for a price, about their lifestyles. Companies collect and sell
consumer information they buy from credit card companies, airlines
and retailers of every stripe.
Using microtargeting, as the practice is known, Bush's campaign
teased out supporters in swing states such as Ohio. Schwarzenegger --
whose political operation is run by two Bush veterans, campaign
manager Steve Schmidt and strategist Matthew Dowd -- is ripping a
page from that book.
<snip>
Following on some other high profile contests for fans to remix their favorite songs, Peter Gabriel released a sound pack to help his fans remix Shock the Monkey. The winners and runners up have been announced!
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/oct2006/gb20061018_117320.htm
The winning track is here:
http://www.realworldremixed.com/remix.php?remix_id=KZ2Y83edFlCVmBU.
http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2006/10/digging_deepercreative_commons.html
(Almost) All of my Flickr photos are CC licensed. It is definitly cool when someone finds a piece of work that you have done and likes it enough to use it in their own projects. Sometimes you dont even know that they have done that, which is just fine with me, so long as they arent selling the derivative work.
Sam
http://outlook.monmouth.edu/Issues/06-Spring/04-19/The%20Outlook%20April%2019%202006.pdf
Not sure why I didnt hear about this when it went down. But consider
this: Even if Google removes the data from its cache, there is no
guarantee that anyone who ever accessed that data directly from Monmouth
or Google will have.
So what can you do? Well, first thing to do is try an 'Ego search'
every few months. Don't just use google, try some of the other sites
(and make sure they arent now using Google's search engine and data) =)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ego_search
Also try a Technorati or other Blog search (Icerocket perhaps)
www.technorati.com
www.icerocket.com
http://outlook.monmouth.edu/Issues/06-Spring/04-19/The%20Outlook%20April%2019%202006.pdf
Not sure why I didnt hear about this when it went down. But consider this: Even if Google removes the data from its cache, there is no guarantee that anyone who ever accessed that data directly from Monmouth or Google will have.
So what can you do? Well, first thing to do is try an 'Ego search' every few months. Don't just use google, try some of the other sites (and make sure they arent now using Google's search engine and data) =)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ego_search
Also try a Technorati or other Blog search (Icerocket perhaps)
www.technorati.com
www.icerocket.com
We all know college is a huge debt trap. Even if you are on scholarship
you can run up huge credit card debt going out partying, eating, buying
clothes, and the unexpected costs you didnt think about for your
classes.
I've been checking out both Quicken and Microsoft Money and found them
to be huge helps wrangling personal finance, but more than that, its
keeping a pulse on the money sites on the web has been a huge help too.
Here's a few of my new favorites:
http://www.pfadvice.com/
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/
http://www.fivecentnickel.com/
http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/
http://www.2millionblog.com/
http://www.fool.com/
http://www.pfblog.com/
http://www.stopbuyingcrap.com/
http://youngandbroke.typepad.com/young_and_broke
What about you guys? Are there any financial advice web sites that you
cant live without?
As shown in TV commercials:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/10/16/2312238
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15221095/
Like I tell our class, this isnt me just being a paranoid conspiracy theorist. These technologies already exist and are being exploited, by marketers, lawyers, local police and the national government.
OK, I get the appeal of Myspace and Facebook, but are people REALLY friending ads and shills?
I had the opportunity to watch Mr. Bing Gordon, president of Electronic Arts, speak at the Digital Life show at the Javits in NYC last week.
http://static.flickr.com/102/269809879_5ef8769ff2.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/95/269818271_0126466962.jpg
I _think_ the full video of his talk is available here:
http://www.dotnetjunkies.com/WebLog/paul/archive/2006/10/14/150587.aspx
I cant tell tho because the video feeds are disabled here at work.
Anyway, Mr. Gordon knew that his audience was going to be packed with about 2000 high schoolers who are interested in digital media, and his talk focussed on areas that they can concentrate on to find interesting careers. His message was that Movies, TV, Books and other media arent being replaced so much by games and net communities but integrating together and forming new bonds that make for compelling content. I wrote to Mr. Gordon to ask him some follow up questions and he was nice enough to provide his lecture notes, and they can be found here:
http://zorak.monmouth.edu/~posten/BingGordon.ppt
He concludes: The chances of you making a living playing video games is VERY small. Obviously players like Thresh and Fatal1ty are the exception. The opportunity to make a living by making games has never been greater in his opinion tho.
Give his slides a look, there is some neat info in there that might give you some ideas for avenues you might like to explore.
Not sure which is crazier, how honest Ballmer appears to be or how much I actually agree with his answers (And it is RARE that I agree with anything from Microsoft besides the 360).
"[Take open source.] Open source is not a new technology area. It was a new business model. In the last three or four years, we have competed very well by extending our value. Open source never goes away as a business model or competitor. We have learned how to compete with open source, and we will compete with it for the rest of time. But competing with open source will have to be something that's burned bright on the foreheads of our senior people.
The second big competitive force is advertising as a business model. Typically, people just want to reduce that to Google, and if you want to do that, you can. But it's do we embrace advertising fully enough as a business model? Because at the end of the day, anybody who comes at you with a cheaper-to-the-customer proposition, you got to worry about. And advertising looks cheaper to a consumer than something you pay for.
In the case of open source, we couldn't adopt the business model. We adopted a competitive approach that so far has worked very well. In the advertising case, we can embrace that model. We don't have to sit here and say it's that bad."
It's only taken 25 years of evidence to get the message across, this is very encouraging.
Good info on why Spore will be different from anything before it.
BTW, those of you who asked when they could preorder their Playstation 3s? If you didnt get to Gamestop or EB before 10:15 this morning you missed that window. Keep your eyes peeled at the big tech web sites for your opp at Toys R Us and Circuit City, those will go even faster. And for those who miss it, expect to pony up over $2k to get one on Ebay.... Or wait till March.
IBM presents: you make the call! If I take my library of legally purchased iTunes tracks and use a ‘hacker’ tool to convert them to open mp3s, does that make me a criminal? The DMCA says yes.
Absolutely ridiculous use of technology (a computer database) gone awry because of the knucklehead people using it. Embarrassing and unacceptable.
-----Original Message-----
Begin forwarded message:
From: Rich Kulawiec <rsk@gsp.org>
Date: October 6, 2006 3:32:17 PM EDT
To: David Farber <dave@farber.net>
Subject: 60 Minutes gets its hands on the no-fly list
Unlikely Terrorists On No-Fly List
Steve Kroft reports lists includes President of Bolivia,
dead 9/11 hijackers
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/05/60minutes/main2066624.shtml
Excerpt:
Gary Smith, John Williams and Robert Johnson are some of those
names. Kroft talked to 12 people with the name Robert Johnson, all
of whom are detained almost every time they fly. The detentions
can include strip searches and long delays in their travels.
"Well, Robert Johnson will never get off the list," says
Donna Bucella, who oversaw the creation of the list and has
headed up the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center since 2003. She
regrets the trouble they experience, but chalks it up to the
price of security in the post-9/11 world. "They're going to be
inconvenienced every time ... because they do have the name of
a person who's a known or suspected terrorist," says Bucella.
Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
As anyone who has followed the development of the game Halo will tell you, Microsoft is VERY good at Viral Marketing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viral_marketing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haunted_Apiary
Somehow tho, this just doesnt seem like its going to make me want to buy MS Vista...
http://www.clearification.com/
It seems like MS is trying to fight back against the very successful (and funny) Get a Mac campaign, but MS just isnt that cool, or funny.
Heck, it doesnt even measure up to Burger King's Subservient chicken =)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Subservient_Chicken
http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=1930
05696
The DRM in these formats is really a killer to me, it takes away a lot
of the consumers rights. I dont think it will last, but the fight will
be long and bloody.
http://yahoo.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_39/b4002414.htm
One of the things you must credit Apple with is making computers more than just dull white boxes. Ive and Jobs work together to make design, function, and 'experience' more than just buzzwords. They genuinely CARE and want to make cool AND functional products. One term I've heard is 'lickable'. That pretty much nails it in my opinion.
This got a huge response on Digg this morning for good reason, it works better than any other free font site I've ever seen.
To install, download the ones you want, extract em all to a folder (don't worry if the readme files get overwritten!) then go to control panel, fonts, then select the folder you created and select em all, and voila, they are all available for you in Word and other apps!
Wow, this actually has a possibility to radically change how music is used. It’s a GOOD START:
http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/06/09/18/1046247.shtml
Maybe things like the DRM protests
http://defectivebydesign.org/en/node
And bands like Nine Inch Nails and barenakedladies encouraging their fans to remix are starting to get through!
http://www.boingboing.net/2006/09/16/barenaked_ladies_go_.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hand_that_Feeds
http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/14/wii-packaging-revealed-wii-sports-bundled/
http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/14/live-at-nintendos-nyc-wii-press-conference/
First, the Wii. I'm not personally too interested in it because it won't work really well with High Definition TVs and projectors in particular (You haven't really seen an Xbox 360 until you've got one running on a 96+" screen!)
BUT one thing they are doing that is really slick is the whole user customization thing. I wouldnt have believed this a week ago, but it is surprising how many gamers really get into the 'image' they portray when playing a game when given the chance. Look up pictures for the custom outfits people have posted of their avatars from WoW, Saint's Row or Grand Theft Auto to see what I mean. When you think about it, it's kind of like the equivalent of grown men and women playing dress up with a doll, yet it seems very engaging. Here's two examples...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wondermonkey2k/236473156/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davemoran/242228637/
Also carrying over things like the Xbox's Gamertag stat tracking but with an actual avatar you can bring from game to game really seems to be something people will embrace to me. IF the whole 3D controller works as well as they imagine (I have my doubts given the lazyness of most couch potato gamers) the Wii could outperform it's lame tech specs.
Next, Microsoft's Zzzzzzune. Er Zune. Sorry if I didnt get excited there, the brown put me to sleep:
http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/14/microsoft-launches-the-zune/
Not much there thats new, tho sharing tunes for 3 days and an integrated FM tuner (which Sandisk and creative and Iriver have done for years, even if the iPod hasnt) are ok I guess.
STILL DRM oriented tho, which is a shame.
This site (which, to be fair, is used to promote a book about the technology) tells you all you need to know.
iTunes 7 launched yesterday with some really slick updates, and now Apple are selling movies, just from Disney to start but you can be sure more studios will follow. Sadly the quality is less than DVD and not even remotely Hidef, but still pretty great looking for low resolution:
http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/itunes-7-with-itunes-movie-store-announced/
http://news.com.com/2100-1041_3-6114835.html
More at www.techmeme.com
Interested in a better user experience for freely made and distributed movies than what youtube puts out? Check out the democracy player:
http://www.boingboing.net/2006/09/11/democracy_player_for.html
Newsweek on WoW and other MMORPGs
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14757769/site/newsweek/
DO NOT FORGET to register for SAM. That’s all we will be doing most of Thursday. Either register on your own or bring your CD case with the key you need to get in.
Here are some clips from the drop box:
-I have a decent background in working with computers. I do not know all the technical terms, but I do know how to navigate the Microsoft office applications
-Nowadays, I use the computer for writing papers, researching, listening to music and chatting. I expect to become better with my skills in the applications mentioned above but also expand my knowledge
-My current level of expertise with computers is average. I use my computer all the time to instant message my friends and to use the internet to check my emails and to look up information. ... I want to know all of the different websites where I can find information I would need for research papers or any other project. Also, I would like to learn about viruses and how to detect them on your computer.
-I am always on my computer e-mailing, checking websites, and IMing through AIM. In school I have touched upon using Power Point, Excel, and Word. However, I am no expert in the programs. Out of this class I hope to be able to use the computer to all its capabilities and use the programs without becoming frustrated
-I am sad to admit that I do not know very much about computers. I am actually very nervous about this class and the fact that I might struggle to keep up
-I wouldn't call myself an expert because there a lot of things that I don't know about computers
-I unfortunately have a minimal experience with computers and computer programs
-I hold no interest in IT but must take it regardless. Perhaps, over the weeks, I will attain some desire to be in the class.
-As I mentioned before, I'm not very much into computer technology. I know just the basics, and that's always worked for me
-I have been exposed to most of the Microsoft Office Suite numerous times, and am quite familiar with its uses and applications. I also use email, AOL Instant Messenger, and am well aware as to how to use the Internet. However, I think that learning more about other software applications such as Maple and/or other programs that I may encounter later in my academic and/or professional career would be beneficial. Also, I am interested to learn more about what security and privacy issues surround the IT community
-Currently, I am very comfortable with using a computer but there are always more things to learn
-Other than the various video games I play on the computer I can work quite well with Microsoft word, excel, and PowerPoint. When it comes to going deep into my system and figuring out why my computer is slowing down and how to fix it, I usually call up one of my friends and ask him what to do
-I have been using computers since I was five years old. At my elementary school, we had computers and we had the chance to work with some of the programs like Paint
-I primarily use the computer to communicate, perform research, and complete school work. I know my around when it comes to internet browsing or interaction, however, I'm not as familiar with some major programs.
-I personally have a pretty solid background when it comes to computers. I can say that I can recognize different aspects of all the Microsoft Office tools which would include Word, Excel, Outlook, and Microsoft Picture Manager. I frequently use my own personal web page to connect with other people via both Facebook, and Myspace
Thanks for all of your very detailed replies! We have quite the range of experience, so those of you who are relatively new to Infotech will find a lot to like and those of you who have more experience will find areas to learn some new tricks in as well, and hopefully become better users of the tools you already have.
Sam
There are at least 4 things due tonight:
-1 Read chapter 1 of discovring computers and go do the companion reading and exercises at scsite (link in the syllabus)
-2 Read an article and submit a 1 paragraph review and 1 paragraph personal response in the drop box at ecampus.monmouth.edu
-3 Submit a 2+ paragraph write up for expectations and previous computer experience in the drop box.
-4 Think about how you would answer the simple question "What is a computer" and why that might not be so simple to answer.
Also make sure you check our blog at infotechbuzz.blogspot.com a few times a week!
Sam
-----Original Message-----
Good evening professor Posten. I was wondering what the assignment was
that's due thursday. I know about the reading but I was wondering what
the things that we had to mail to you were. Please write back with an
answer.
Thank You,
MSNBC's Steven Levy on letting search engines store your search history long term:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14639922/site/newsweek/
---
50th birthday for the hard disk:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14096484/site/newsweek/
---
We talked last night about the first hard disk I bought. Here is a picture of one that was a little bigger than mine:
http://www.russelltexas.com/pcparts/quantum4.JPG
It cost over $800 and I had to save for 6 months to buy it. I figured I would never fill it. I replaced in less than a year for a drive five times as big for about $200. I couldnt believe how fast the prices dropped.
Just this week I bought a drive that is mid sized at 320GB for $99. And I expect that will be overpriced in 6 months! That is 1/8th the price for a 9,696x storage increase!!!
Here is a chart that shows you how hard disks ballooned in size and shrunk in price incredibly fast:
http://www.alts.net/ns1625/winchest.html
Here is a picture of my first PC, a Tandy 1000TX. This is circa 1987 or so I guess. Before that I had an Atari 2600 with Basic programming game pack, a TI 994/A amd a Commodore 64.
http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/reach/435/trs1000.htm
http://www.oldskool.org/shrines/pcjr_tandy/#history
http://www.switchtech.us/Tandy1000/T1000Catalog.GIF
http://www.answers.com/topic/tandy-1000
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tandy_1000
Memories!
NYTimes on World of Warcraft:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/05/technology/05wow.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5090&en=dde1dfedf8263b49&ex=1315108800&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
PS3 to get scaled back launch, start standing in line now if you want one:
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060906-7672.html
http://games.slashdot.org/games/06/09/06/1210244.shtml
Major changes to Facebook, students go berzerk, film at 11:
http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/06/09/06/0112231.shtml
Business week on RFID snooping:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_37/b4000401.htm?chan=tc&campaign_id=bier_tcst0
Vista testers say it still needs work:
http://slashdot.org/articles/06/09/05/1930204.shtml
New iMacs (24" Core2Duo!) and Mac Minis today, new Macbooks and Ipods on the 12th?:
http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/09/06/imac/index.php
http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/09/06/mini/index.php
http://www.macuser.com/events/its_showtime_event_confirmed_f.php
http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/06/apple-spec-bumps-imacs-minis-adds-24-inch-imac/
Shaw Wu says Apple iPhone is real:
http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=2017
http://ask.slashdot.org/askslashdot/06/09/03/2227230.shtml
Interesting question. MIT has had some success opening up its entire coure structure and I know a lot of Universities are experimenting with Podcasts and videocasts. We'll probably do a short Podcast in class later in the semester if I can round up the audio gear to do so.
Timesonline discusses Trojans:
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,20411-2340545,00.html
Itunes movie store rumored to launch Sept 12:
http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=2016
NICE Eavesdroppers:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/04/AR2006090401003.html
The Slashdot commentary is here:
http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/06/09/01/176251.shtml
"This operation Strikeback confirms our worst fears about the uses to which these databases can be put," said David L. Warren, president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, which represents 900 institutions. "The concentration of all this data absolutely invites use by other agencies of data that had been gathered for very specific and narrow purposes, namely the granting of student aid to needy kids."
Via Scobleizer (http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/)
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/385
"It's possible to use your laptop safely in a coffee shop, but you have to take a bit of responsibility for that security. You'll need to use your common sense, change a few habits, and perhaps install and use some new software. I know that this is a lot for most people, but aren't your private data and conversations worth it? "
Spooky, and IMO completely useless unless we go down the total big brother path. This is not a world I want to be a part of. Lets not forget about the chances of this being abused or broken into either.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/29/AR2006082901520.html
The FBI has built a database with more than 659 million records -- including terrorist watch lists, intelligence cables and financial transactions -- culled from more than 50 FBI and other government agency sources. The system is one of the most powerful data analysis tools available to law enforcement and counterterrorism agents, FBI officials said yesterday.
The FBI demonstrated the database to reporters yesterday in part to address criticism that its technology was failing and outdated as the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks nears.
Bruce Schneier says the cure for terrorism is refusal to be terrorized. http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,71642-0.html?tw=wn_index_20
Wired also wonders if the PS3 can save Sony. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.09/sony.html
From the IP list, 2006 Security Stupidity follows.
-----Original Message-----
> PI announces the 2006 Stupid Security Competition > > 21/08/2006 > > STUPID SECURITY AWARDS > http://www.privacyinternational.org/article.shtml?cmd[347]=x-347-541996
> > We've all been there. Standing for ages in a security line at an > inconsequential office building only to be given a security pass > that a high school student could have faked. Or being forced to produce > photo ID for even the most innocent activity. > > If you thought after Enron that the accountancy profession was bad news, > just wait till you hear how terrible the security industry has become. Even > before the recent "liquid bomb" scare a whole army of bumbling amateurs has > taken it upon themselves to figure out pointless, annoying, intrusive, > illusory and just plain stupid measures to "protect" our security. > > Stupid security has become a global menace. >From the airport that this month > emptied out a full plane because a passenger was drinking from a lemonade > bottle, to the British schools that fingerprint their children to _stop_ the > theft of library books, to the airline company that refused to allow > passengers to bring books or magazines onto the plane, the world has become > infested with bumptious administrators competing to hinder or harass us - > and often for no good reason whatever. > > The sensitive and sensible folk at Privacy International have endured enough > of this treatment. So we are running an international competition to > discover the world's most pointless, intrusive, stupid and self-serving > security measures. > > The "Stupid Security Awards" aim to highlight the absurdities of the > security industry. (clip) > > * Most Egregiously Stupid Award > * Most Inexplicably Stupid Award > * Most Annoyingly Stupid Award > * Most Flagrantly Intrusive Award > * Most Stupidly Counter Productive Award > > The competition will be judged by an international panel of well-known > security experts, public policy specialists, privacy advocates and > journalists. > > The competition is open to anyone from any country. Nominations can > be sent to stupidsecurity@privacy.org. > > Details of previous award winners can be found below, or at > http://www.privacyinternational.org/ssa2003winners.
Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
http://www.windowsmarketplace.com./
Expect a big launch today/tomorrow.
I'm a big xbox 360 marketplace fan, it is just brilliantly done, and one
thing I really like is getting free videos in 720p to display in high
definition. Looking at this windows marketplace it looks like a big
mess tho, it certainly isnt as slick as the 360s, it tries to do too
much I think. We'll see how it evolves.
Speaking of the 360 marketplace, One thing they launched this week were
two preview videos of a new childrens TV program based on their upcoming
game Viva Pinata. I dont know jack about kid's TV but I DO follow 3d
graphics intensely, and I will say with certainty that these are
GORGEOUS looking and are as good as anything pixar has shown, it is that
good. I found em pretty funny in a kiddy kind of way, not bad for a
first effort thats for sure. If you have young kids in the house (and a
360!) have them check it out, its worth the several hundred megabyte
download.
Probably the most comprehensive coverage is in this article:
http://www.informationweek.com/software/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=1923
00431
You can see full coverage from around the web at Techmeme:
http://www.techmeme.com/
A meme is an infectious idea, for those of you not familiar with the
term.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme
I've been running "Google for your domains" for a while now as my
private emailer, am running Google's Blogger on my private domain, and
am launching a bloggerBeta/blogspot webpage for this class at this time.
I guess I've drunk the google koolaid =)
You can watch the development of this class's webpage at:
http://infotechbuzz.blogspot.com/
Right now it's just a placeholder and the layout looks like garbage.
Will be a lot more up to date as we get closer to the school year and as
soon as the Blogger Beta supports FTP sites it will be moved to
www.infotechbuzz.com domain which I own. These email blasts will be
mirrored there at a minimum, as will relevant class info.
I believe it was Mark Twain who said 'Dont let school get in the way of
your education'. Guy Kawasaki comes up with 10 things he thinks you
should get educated on this school year, and most of them you wont find
in the normal lectures but they are things you can and should learn at
school before you get tossed into the working world:
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/08/ten_things_to_l.html
Clip:
"This is a list of what I wished I learned in school before I graduated.
How to talk to your boss. In college, you're supposed to bring problems
to your teachers during office hours, and you share the experience of
coming up with a solution. In the real world, you're supposed to bring
solutions to your boss in an email, in the hall, or in a five-minute
conversation. Typically, your boss either already knows about the
problem or doesn't want to know about it. Your role is to provide
answers, not questions. Believe it or not, but in the real world, those
who can do, do. Those who can't do, share with others who can't do.
How to survive a meeting that's poorly run. Unfortunately, it could be a
while before you run meetings. Until then, you'll be a hapless victim of
them, so adopt these three practices to survive. First, assume that most
of what you'll hear is pure, petty, ass-covering bull shiitake, and it's
part of the game. This will prevent you from going crazy. Second, focus
on what you want to accomplish in the meeting and ignore everything
else. Once you get what you want, take yourself "out of your body," sit
back, and enjoy the show. Third, vow to yourself that someday you'll
start a company, and your meetings won't work like this.
How to run a meeting. Hopefully, you'll be running meetings soon. Then
you need to understand that the primary purpose of a business meeting is
to make a decision. It is not to share experiences or feel warm and
fuzzy. With that in mind, here are five key points to learn about
running a meeting: (1) Start on time even if everyone isn't there
because they will be next time; (2) Invite the fewest people possible to
the meeting; (3) Set an agenda for exactly what's going to happen at the
meeting; (4) End on time so that everyone focuses on the pertinent
issues; (5) Send an email to all participants that confirms decisions
reviews action items. There are more power tips for running good
meetings, but if you do these five, you're ahead of 90% of the world.
How to figure out anything on your own. Armed with Google, PDFs of
manuals, and self-reliance, force yourself to learn how to figure out
just about anything on your own. There are no office hours, no teaching
assistants, and study groups in the real world. Actually, the real world
is one long, often lonely independent study, so get with it. Here's a
question to test your research prowess. How do you update the calendar
in a Motorola Q phone with appointments stored in Now-Up-To-Date? (I'll
send a copy of The Art of the Start to the first person with a good
answer.)"
http://www.wired.com/news/wireservice/0,71624-0.html?tw=rss.index
Whats worse is that some songs are specifically unavailable for a lot of
artists that do have their catalogue online, often their most popular
songs. Sinatra's New York New York, Joan Jett's I love Rock and Roll,
and The Butthole Surfers Pepper are three examples that I know of, tho
Pepper is now available on itunes. Even worse, if you buy these songs
off Itunes and then try to take them to a standard MP3 player it is very
cumbersome to reencode them to standard DRMless MP3. When I brought my
Itunes Library over to my Xbox360 for example I had to rencode literally
thousands of songs and it took hours.
From the department of redundant brainwashing department =)
(Via Professor Farber's IP list)
-----Original Message-----
Subject: RIAA releases DVD for students about copying music
The RIAA has produced and released a new DVD directed at educating
students about the consequences of downloading copyrighted materials.
You can download the video or order free copies of the DVD at
http://www.campusdownloading.com/
The RIAA is strongly encouraging schools (especially universities) to
use this video in their programs for incoming students --- some
universities are showing the video as part of a mandatory
indoctrination program before new students can have any network
access.
Of course, RIAA's video presents only one perspective on downloading
(and copying) copyrighted materials... for example, it completely
omits any mention of fair use; and it says that all sharing of
copyrighted music files is stealing... period, no exceptions such as
the Audio Home Recording Act, no Creative Commons, etc. just "it's
always illegal" -- which is simply not true and hardly the type of
presentation one would expect to see at an academic institution..
See http://www.boingboing.net/2006/08/23/steal_this_movie_doc.html for
some comments regarding the video's one-sided bias (and errors and
omissions).
It may be mere coincidence, but...
Weird Al Yankovic has just released for free download a parody of
anti-downloading messages (with a "We are the world" feeling) entitled
"Don't Download This Song". The music video of this is supposed to
premier tonight. see http://www.dontdownloadthissong.com/
