News that makes us laugh, cry, or both

Ganbare Gincun · Post by **Ganbare Gincun** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 1:48 am

cthulhu wrote:VNC has been out for 10 years. It's been used in brokered applications like this once since VNC was opensourced in 2002.

Hell, you can get a variety of VNC clients on your iPhone now!

Crissa · Post by **Crissa** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 2:04 am

Exactly what do virtual networks have to do with a proprietary hardware solution which puts the system's resources on a network without the system's software being aware?

It is reinventing the wheel, hence my warnings.

-Crissa

cthulhu · Post by **cthulhu** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 3:27 am

VNC isn't a virtual network?

Data Vampire · Post by **Data Vampire** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 6:13 am

South Carolina mayor bans police from chasing after criminals on foot.

cthulhu · Post by **cthulhu** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 6:53 am

lol, that is insane.

Though I am reminded of a bit in the wire where two cops start chasing after some street kids, then one says "Why the fuck am I chasing after them? I know where they live and where they hang out" then he goes and picks them up later.

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 7:21 am

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/weeki ... al.html?em

Draco_Argentum · Post by **Draco_Argentum** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 7:57 am

Crissa wrote:Exactly what do virtual networks have to do with a proprietary hardware solution which puts the system's resources on a network without the system's software being aware?

It is reinventing the wheel, hence my warnings.

-Crissa

Please, back in the old days of dumb terminals that connected to a mainframe it was possible to shadow another user's session without them knowing. Everything done on a corporate machine has always been owned by the corporation, the modern era is actually a lull in the level of control. Thats about to change, expect virtual PCs running on the modern equivalent of a mainframe to be the standard in the next few years.

Crissa · Post by **Crissa** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 8:37 pm

Please what? That the data wasn't secure then, or that people who think their PC is secure at their home or office are now mistaken?

Anyhow, new news: Why Capitalism Fails, an article about Minsky who predicted this bubble but died a few years back. Actually, he described the situation, there are more than a few who mapped out the bubble.

-Crissa

CatharzGodfoot · Post by **CatharzGodfoot** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 1:13 am

Crissa wrote:Anyhow, new news: Why Capitalism Fails, an article about Minsky who predicted this bubble but died a few years back. Actually, he described the situation, there are more than a few who mapped out the bubble.

Damn', I was worried that Marvin Minsky had died. I like how that article illustrates that the best kind of prophet is a dead one--one who can't contradict "interpretation" of her work.

cthulhu · Post by **cthulhu** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 3:17 am

The problem with most of the 'OMG I CALLED THE BUBBLE' is that they haven't doubled their money shorting the share market.

cthulhu · Post by **cthulhu** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 3:21 am

Crissa wrote:Please what? That the data wasn't secure then, or that people who think their PC is secure at their home or office are now mistaken?

Nothing you say makes any sense. I'm not sure where your remake about VPNs came into the discussion, and how this comment fits into your discussion of VPNs?

Heath Robinson · Post by **Heath Robinson** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 6:06 am

http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/envi ... -g0tw.html
http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/nati ... -g0x8.html

This is beautiful. Were any Denners around for it?

cthulhu · Post by **cthulhu** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 7:05 am

Yeah when it came through Canberra yesterday. Beautiful is a strong word - it covers everything in fine dust, then started raining hard so now my car is muddy, as are all the windows. I don't even the people with solar panels who now have to clean those

and the dust gets everywhere!

Vnonymous · Post by **Vnonymous** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 7:18 am

I was there for it. Woke up early today, got a message, saw the entire world turn red.

Then I had to walk through an omnipresent brown cloud to get to uni. I'm still rubbing dust out of my eyes, and EVERYTHING is dirty now.

Cars, roads, trees, houses, etc etc.

PhoneLobster · Post by **PhoneLobster** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 7:21 am

Heath Robinson wrote:This is beautiful. Were any Denners around for it?

It was across the entire state. I was up at dawn to pot lotus plants "before" the wind picked up, everything was red,orange, and later pink. And stupidly windy and there was a black out. A tree fell on the chicken coop.

I took the day off.

Draco_Argentum · Post by **Draco_Argentum** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 8:01 am

Yeah, I saw it roll in up here. Its not just a state thing its all the way up here. Everything is covered in fine dust. Its crap.

Crissa, its pretty clear you have no idea about enterprise desktop systems. All data is stored on a remote server anyway, its inherently not owned by the user. Its also inherently accessible by all the admin staff. I have access to every file on our servers, and if some smartass changes the permissions so I don't I have the ability to override the change. This is a good thing, any data stored on a PC's local hard drive won't be backed up and isn't protected from hard disk failures.

The fact that you're confusing VNC for VPN is telling. It actually sounds like you've never worked for a company with enterprise scale IT at all. Everyone knows that the help desk can remote into your workstation to view your screen when you work for the government.

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 10:55 am

My state was not hit by the haze. So allow me to say:

Ha ha ha and HA!

Crissa · Post by **Crissa** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:01 pm

Obviously I have 'no' idea about desktop systems and a product which allows access to the harddrive via a hardware addon that connects it to a network connection and turns it into a dumb network device powered completely separate of it being used as an independent personal computer.

I mean, because that's totally the same as having all the data stored on a central server which processes connections and keeps access logs, and that's totally exactly like using a VPN to connect to the operating PC and use its processor via VNC. Or maybe it isn't.

Come back when you read the fucking article.

-Crissa

NativeJovian · Post by **NativeJovian** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:57 pm

Crissa wrote:Come back when you read the fucking article.

Okay!

The Fucking Article wrote:And in many ways, it is similar to current remote-access products that rely on "Wake-on-LAN" packets to power up a PC so it can then be controlled remotely. The difference here is of degree.

Hey, look, it's just like WoL except that you don't have to turn the computer completely on when all you need is access to the hard drive.

How eeeeeeeeevil.

Crissa · Post by **Crissa** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 10:24 pm

How is that Enterprise computing, where everything is stored on a server?

And how is that evil when I said it is insecure?

Why are you here and what purpose do you serve?

-Crissa

NativeJovian · Post by **NativeJovian** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:30 am

Crissa wrote:How is that Enterprise computing, where everything is stored on a server?

"enterprise computing" isn't a technical term; it just means computing as it relates to (generally large) businesses rather than individuals or public labs (like those found in schools and libraries). It's not uncommon for businesses to have their employees store data on a network drive on a server, rather than on their computer's hard drive, because then if the computer has a problem (say, a virus infection or corrupted program files) you can simply wipe it clean and start from scratch without losing any of their data, rather than spending a lot of time (and therefore money) on attempts to recover lost data.

Crissa wrote:And how is that evil when I said it is insecure?

I was exaggerating for effect. I even used a smiley for emphasis.

Crissa wrote:Why are you here and what purpose do you serve?

Would you like a dissertation on existentialism, or should I just take this as a rhetorical question?

May I take your lack of response in regard to the actual issue being discussed that you understand why the technology discussed in the article doesn't represent a security risk, a threat to jobs, or an invasion of privacy above and beyond any number of already-existing and widely used technologies?

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 3:07 am

Today was the first time I did an actual wallbanger

I was passing through the lobby on the 1st floor at work. I'm developing a knack for keeping an ear out, and Hardball was on the TV that's on 24/7. I push the button for the elevator, and listen to this clip, up until the part of about 'government interference'.

By then I was in the elevator and, in fact, heard the words 'government interference' right as the doors closed.

And I headbutted a stainless steel wall. I wasn't thinking about it. I just realized what was being said, what had BEEN said and now couldn't be unsaid, went, "EERGH!" and banged the elevator wall panel with my forehead

Here's why:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#32994045

Crissa · Post by **Crissa** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 5:13 am

Saving money in IT? == Less jobs.

Access on net? == Less secure.

Hardware independent of the PC it is installed in? == Double insecure.

Why are you arguing with me? This isn't VNC. This isn't open source. This isn't any of the things anyone on the thread arguing with me said it might be.

-Crissa

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 6:16 am

Maxus wrote: By then I was in the elevator and, in fact, heard the words 'government interference' right as the doors closed.

Too much government interference? Any less and it'd be Somalia! Seriously, she'd do just fine in the Austrian school of economics, where they use the same logic as my dog.

Because "There was almost no government control here, and it all went to hell, what we need is... LESS government interference!" is basically the same as "I keep scratching yet my face is still itchy, in fact even more itchy. I know! I need to scratch MORE!"

Gelare · Post by **Gelare** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 6:33 am

I got about two minutes into that and couldn't go any further. The problem isn't that she mentioned government interference - in the right context, okay, some of the government programs certainly put into place certain incentives that exacerbated the situation - but overall that woman is just so hopelessly unqualified to talk about anything other than moose hunting, it makes my head explode.