In Germany a survey was held to investigate how the data retention policy on email, phone and mobile communication influences ones behaviour. The survey shows that many Germans don’t use phone and mobile for most confidential contacts anymore. These contacts have nothing to do with crime but with confidential stuff like marriage- or drugs counseling. Here is a clear indication that data-retention changes people. People under surveillance behave differently that people who are free.
Needless to say that people with bad intentions are not using these forms of communication anyway so this doesn’t help in fighting crime. Data-retention is useless.
I don’t like Microsoft. True: without windows the peneratation of the personal computer would not have been as high as now. So also the widespread use of internet would not have been possible without Microsoft. Albeit I really have a problem with the way Microsoft does business. The latest scandal is that MSN and live messenger now block URL’s with YouTube links in them. So you can’t send any funny YouTube video’s to your friends who are using MSN of Windows live messenger.
This kind of practices really make me sick. I hope this will backfire on Microsoft in ways they can’t imagine.
Update: The junta in Redmond reversed the policy after being exposed.
Did you wonder why the linux support of your graphics card from ATI or Nvidia is so crappy? Why don’t they just open source the driver? Now we know: here’s a link that shows you how to upgrade your consumer Nvidia GeForce videocard into a (way more expensive) Nvidia Quadro card. Of course you are not instructed to solder extra GPU’s on your videocard, this is a software modification. It allows you to use the premium drivers intended for the Quadro series on your GeForce. So the hardware is very similar but you pay around $1000 extra for the driver to make the card faster in professional 3D software.
So know you know why there never will be high quality open-source drivers for your graphics card: the manufacturers want to rip you.
Hans Reiser (inmate BFPS63) finally heeds the advise of his lawyers. After ignoring the advise of his lawyers and taking the stand to defend himself at his trial Hans now resorts to silence. A juror said after the trial that Reiser might have been acquitted had he exercised his constitutional right against self-incrimination.
Too bad Hans resorts to silence now because Threat Level, who have been following the Reiser trial all the way, came to visit Hans Reiser in Santa Rita jail to ask him some questions. All for nothing because Hans declined any comment “on the advice of my attorneys”. From the article:
And as he hung up the telephone handset connecting us through the glass, all this reporter could think was that Hans Reiser waited too long to start heeding his lawyers’ advice.
Microsoft presented Windows Vista as the most secure Windows ever. It is, by far, the most annoying Windows version ever. It has a security measure called UAC (User Account Control) in which programs run under a restricted user (not new, Unix anyone?). When an application wants to do something that requires a higher privilege-level UAC will show a pop-up in which the user has to agree on the raised privileges. The result of this is a constant, non-stop, bombardment of pop-up windows bothering the user constantly with “security” questions. It feels secure. You think you are in control. Now read this. These guys created a program that lets you reboot Vista without UAC kicking in even once. The trick? Let part of your program run as a service which has “System Administrator” privileges.
Windows Vista is not more secure than windows XP is. All Vista users can now deactivate UAC since it is a hoax anyway. Cancel or Allow?
I heard Snoop Dog appeared on stage during a Willie Nelson concert on the 21th april 2008 in Amsterdam. Now there is some footage out that shows this. I think this is rather remarkable. This is a country and western song, not your regular Snoop Doggy-style.
Now this is a remarkable piece of technology. Ksplice allows you to patch a running Linux kernel without the need to reboot your system. Of course there are restrictions. The patch should not introduce semantic changes to kernel datastructures. Now this is not really a restriction since most security patches won’t change the kernel datastructures and this technique is typically used to apply security patches to running systems. ZDnet also reports on Ksplice.
When I have the time I will definitely play around with this software.
Now this struck me as a joke however this is dead serious. A German publishing company (Random House, part of the Bertelsmann group) is going to print & release the German Wikipedia on paper. Who in their right minds would want a fully cross-indexed, clickable online encyclopedia on dead paper?
I really feel this is a step in the wrong direction. We have to move away from publishing and printing on paper anyway. I do realize that a lot of people still prefer paper version of documents and books but an encyclopedia is all about references and links. Just click and you’re there!
Would you buy a static, dead version of wikipedia on paper?
Oh the lucky bastard. This guy went to a flea market and came across roms for the old Colecovision console as the label read ” Cabbage Patch Kids’ Day in the Park” which was only released on Coleco, and a very poor game by the way. At home he took a close look at all the eproms and noticed some labels mentioning “CPKPark Atari 2600″. An amazing find. The 2600 rendition of the game is never seen by anyone other than its creator Ed English as described here.
Now he only needs someone who can help dump these eproms. Great story! The Atari 2600 scene is very much alive these days so hopefully we will get some screenshots soon
The Hans Reiser trial is coming to an end. Hans Reiser, owner of namesys and developer of the reiser filesystems, stands trial for murdering his wife. The prosecutor, Paul Hora, held his closing argument trying to convince the jury to convict Hans Reiser for murder. Hora addressed the jurors with the statement “You know he killed her. You know he killed her”. The circumstantial evidence against Hans Reiser is overwhelming.
The defendant’s attorney, William DuBois, is expected to begin his closing arguments after the lunch break. You can follow the proceedings of the trail here.
Soms valt alles als puzzelstukjes op z’n plaats. De OV chipkaart is zo lek als een mandje en wel in die mate dat zelfs staatssecretaris Tineke Huizinga er niet in gelooft dat de OV chipkaart op 1 januari 2009 ingevoerd kan worden. Hoe moet dat nu? We kunnen niet met z’n allen door blijven scheuren in onze auto’s want op dit moment zijn we de laatste druppels van ’s werelds olie-reserve aan het opmaken. Als de nood het hoogst is regelt moedertje natuur altijd een oplossing. Zie hier, een gloednieuwe grote voorraad aan olie bij Brazilië. Ik laat de auto vannacht lekker stationair draaien, dan is ie morgenochtend al lekker warm gedraaid als ik naar mijn werk ga…
Firefox is the best browser in the world universe. An article on wired describes how a nebula captured by the hubble space-telescope looks a lot like the firefox logo.
Ik had dit gemist maar woensdag was er een schandelijke vertoning in de tweede kamer. In principe vind ik dat alles gezegd moet kunnen worden maar de woorden van Dion Graus (PVV) tegen Henk Jan Ormel (CDA) waren louter bedoeld om Ormel te beledigen. Ik kan geen andere manier verzinnen waarop “mogelijk bent u een beginnend lijder aan Alzheimer” uitgelegd kan worden. De voorzitter van de kamer (Ernst Cramer) greep in en richtte het woord tot Graus die echter onverstoorbaar verder ging. Daarop draaide Cramer het geluid weg van Graus en dat pikte Graus niet. Hij raapte zijn papiertjes bij elkaar en liep weg naar zijn plaats. Daarop schorste Cramer de vergadering voor een moment en dat was aanleiding voor Graus om de kamer te verlaten. Het is net een zandbak bij een kleuterschool tijdens het speelkwartier. Wat een zielig gedoe.
I don’t like Microsoft. True: without windows the peneratation of the personal computer would not have been as high as now. So also the widespread use of internet would not have been possible without Microsoft. Albeit I really have a problem with the way Microsoft does business. The latest 
Microsoft presented Windows Vista as the most secure Windows ever. It is, by far, the most annoying Windows version ever. It has a security measure called 
