Posts by Scottie Taylor

Sony expands legal offensive to more PS3 hackers

Re: Boycott this

"Pissing off the geek costs Sony nothing. Talk of a boycott is so much hot air."

Wrong. Pissing off the geek costs Sony plenty. It costs them repeat and return customers. It costs them new customers. It costs them revenue. It costs them integrity and reputation. There's lots of things that it costs Sony when they piss off their customer base.

For instance, since last year when Sony took away the secondary OS capabilities with the update I haven't bought a new PS3 game or blu-ray disc. Haven't even turned on my PS3. I fix appliances and electronics for a living. My customer base quite often asks my opinion on good brands for new TVs and home entertainment equipment. Since then, my answer has routinely been to avoid Sony whenever possible. Figure that if one or two customers ask me out of a dozen or so a day, spread across almost a year, that's a few hundred sales potentially lost right there and new customers they don't get. I love to buy new gadgets and I admit my bank account suffers for it at times from me buying something I want on a spur of the moment. And since Sony's bit last year, I've bought exactly zero Sony products. I avoid them like the plague.

The boycott does happen. It may not be wide spread and probably never will be. I doubt everyone in America will throw up their arms in disgust and throw their Sony products into a great big bonfire to burn in effigy. However, it is happening, person to person, place to place. There are people who are boycotting Sony, telling others to avoid Sony.

I'm one person and I've personally told well over a hundred to avoid Sony and why. I've spread the message. I've refused to buy their products. I'm aware my actions are a drop in the bucket for Sony, completely insignificant. But that's over a hundred potential sales lost. It adds up eventually..

Unhackable PS3 finally jailbroken, video claims

A title is not required, dagnabbit!

Sony wont ever come out and flatly admit if the hack is real or not. But we'll have a sure way to tell. Look for one of the next firmware 'updates' on the PS3 to include disabling of third-party USB devices on the system. They'll say it's to balance gameplay or something.

Flash bursts onto Android

Now we play the waiting game...

Now we have to wait for Motorola/Verizon to roll out the 2.2 update for us. Yes, I'm aware I could just root my Droid and do it myself but I'm hoping that they'll roll out the update here soon so I won't have to.

Megan Fox exits Transformers 3

not about acting

Ummm, duh? We all knew that anyway. There's no real acting in either of the movies. It's slapstick stupidity coupled with Michael Bay's fan-wanking the military. The movies are utter crap and I've said so since I saw the first one in theaters.

Fox was nothing more than eye-candy anyway so it's not like she was of critical importance to the movie. I'd say to the story but hell, there really isn't much of that. Though really I think she's better off away from them. She might find a decent movie to attach too now.

Sony sued for dropping Linux from PS3

Count me in

Whenever it goes to Class Action status and people can start opting in I'll be more than happy to sign up. I've already filed complaints with the FTC, BBB and my state's attorney general.

I don't want money or a refund. I want my console the way I bought it. With the secondary OS option allowable as well as allowing me to update and play the newer games and blu-rays. In short, the way it was prior to downgrade 3.21

Transformers up for seven Razzies

Only 7 nominations?

Seriously? They only got 7 nominations for that crapfest of epic failure? I'm shocked that they got that few. Really, I'm of the opinion there should have been new categories created just to provide awards for this waste of film.

I'm a huge Transformers fan. Have been most of my life. But Bayformers? No. Just... no. They're worthy of nothing but scorn and hatred. What could be more awesome than Bayformers? Anything.

Microsoft urges Flash makers to pay fat dollar for exFAT format

64ZB

Whew, 64ZB. That's more acceptable. I was beginning to worry about my available drive space... Now if I could just convince the companies to start pumping out the 20TB drives already and stop holding me by the curlies with their 2TB drives I could do something! You'd think that with close to 30TB of drive space I wouldn't have these issues... but live and learn...

Pirate Bay website sinks as 'sell out' accusations fly

Thanks

Well, if BrokeP reads this, which is doubtful most likely, thanks! You've put years of your life into a project you wanted to succeed and work. So thank you. You did the world a service. Thanks.

iPhone owners are superior beings, says survey

A numbers game

Seriously, this entire study is completely meaningless and in the end they more or less admit that. The survey was conducted with a brand new trendy hot item was first released and the only people who bought the things are:

1) The ultra trendy gotta have the latest fashion thing now types

2) The cultists of Jobs

3) A significantly smaller percentage of those who actually thought it was going to be a great phone to get for what they used a phone for and made an educated and informed buy.

So really, this study is utterly meaningless. Here's some survey data for you...

83% of iPhone users I know make less than $30k a year

100% of iPhone users I know are extremely dissatisified with at least a few things about it

90% of iPhone users I know do not have a college degree of any variety

100% of iPhone users I know do not drive a fancy car or pay $80 for a steak and baked potato

Startling... the iPhone users i know seem to be the complete and total freaking opposite of the ones this study identified. Gasp! Could it be that surveys are utterly meaningless? That they're full of lies, misrepresentations, mistruths and skewed numbers?

Sadly, I'm apparently not smart enough to answer my own rhetorical questions since I don't own an iPhone. I just use a standard smartphone. Woe is me. Maybe one of our all knowing all money making Cultists can give us the answers by putting the figures into their super nifty super amazing super priced comuptators. *eye roll*

I'll be over here doing stuff on my much cheaper phone while working on my much cheaper custom built PC.

USAF slammed for pranging Predators on manual

X-box fighterjocks?

@Crabs: No, no no, the only people who get medals and awards in the AF are the ones who don't do anything and don't deserve them. That would include, finance, admin, plans & scheduling, services, etc. Anyone who actually works in the AF doesn't get jack. Well, at least in aircraft maintenance at any rate...

Ahem... back to topic...

This just goes to prove what everyone who has ever dealt with USAF flight crew has always known. They're useless, worthless and can't fly worth shit. That a 'trained monkey' could fly better than they can. And those flight crews hate that. In the AF we're expected to treat officers like lords and kings and flight crew like gods. With announcements like this it's hard to maintain that air of superiority. But as I said, most anyone who's ever worked with the morons figured that out about 3 days into the job. They're the biggest bunch of babies you could imagine, especially when it comes to trying to get them to fess up that they fucked up. At my old base, we were ordered to never fill out paperwork using certain error codes on CAMs such as "User error" or "Operator error." Not because it wasn't these things, but that it implied that our officers weren't perfect.

Of course about 95% of the problems were in fact user error. I believe the sign-off of the month on those jobs in the 781s was something along the lines of "R2 yoke mic switch actuator." What a yoke mic switch has to do with a RADAR problem, nothing. But the thing that activates that switch...

Microsoft asks laid-off staff to refund overpaid redundo cash

Letter in the mail, you say?

What letter? I got no letter. Never received the damned thing. So sorry that I was not informed in writing that you screwed up. I'm afraid that I can't accept a verbal notification, after all what proof do I have that you actually represent Microsoft?

Hell, if they ever take them to court and you know they're going to win? Walk in with sacks of pennies and dump them on their table. Payment given in front of witnesses. Just because it wasn't in the form they wanted, you did pay them.

RIAA filesharing target Jammie Thomas wins retrial

The system working how it's suppose to?

"Requiring proof of actual transfers would cripple efforts to enforce copyright owners' rights online – and would solely benefit those who seek to freeload off plaintiff's investment," a lawyer for the association said in a court filing in May.

I read this and basically translate it as: Oh, shit, you mean we have to actually prove guilt now?

Requiring proof of actual transfers would cripple efforts... basically they've just been told they can't write blank checks for their lawsuits anymore. A shame, really. They had such a good run. Maybe now they'll have smarter court cases when they do go to trial and win something fairly. Maybe not. But hey, maybe they'll just go under after operating in the red so long. We could only hope.

US court waves through border laptop searches

Secrets

This brings up the question of password protected files and encrypted folders, etc. Can they force you to open those? What if you don't have the password? Are you guilty until proven innocent then? Are they able to legally violate confidentiality agreements and NDAs? Can they hold the laptop hostage while they search and decrypt everything because you have a passworded file that can't be opened on the spot? And more importantly, how pissed off are they going to be when they spend that many resources on trying to decrypt that file full of pictures only to find that they're all pictures of o'rly owls and lolcats?

Dungeons and Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax dies

RIP

Rest In Peace Gary. You will be missed. Your game has brought joy and happiness to untold numbers and your addictive and entertaining ideas have passed days beyond measure.

Giant athletic todger defends Pennsylvania

Re: What game is that??

It's fairly common for high school football fields to be surrounded by the track. At least in American. Or at least at the high schools I've been too. We've always had a football/soccer field surrounded by the track. It's not a different game.

Nintendo confirms Wii DVD support coming

DVD support

Now, given the history of Nintendo's additions to the Wii and giving them away for free to the people who weren't offered them to begin with, I wonder if they'll likewise give the customers something for free if the DVD playback isn't a firmware update?

Transformers director favours Blu-ray Disc

Re:For God's Sake Get Your Facts Right!

so Bay is directing the next TF movie? Damn. I had my hopes up for a minute there when someone posted that he wasn't. I was hoping against hope that there might be some redemption from that first piece of crap that was Michael Bay's Transformers. I guess not. Oh well. I still have my original series DVDs and G1/G2 comics from the different continuities so I'll happily boycott that piece of shit when it comes out.

US Navy to remodel Hitler's San Diego bunker

Nazi?

Ummm, who cares? Honestly. It's a waste of money. It's been around for 50 years, and only now does someone say something about it? Who cares. It's not that big of deal. Anybody who wants to get all up in arms over something so stupid needs to just simmer down and go away.

Halo 3 packaging in disk-scratch rumpus

Blando

Halo really isn't that great. It's more atypical uberwanking FPS characters. The only reason I'm getting the third one is to finish the story for me. Granted, I could probably wait a week and read it for myself, but I'd rather play it through to see it first hand.

As for other great FPS that have added shit to the genre that Halo hasn't. Deus Ex. Deus Multi-ending, insanely immense, find new shit every time you play through it Ex. I loved that game. Favorite FPS by far. Shame Invisible War sucked. But it had an awesome soundtrack courtesy of Kidney Thieves so that made up for it.

But yes, Halo isn't that great but it's still a fun playthrough regardless. I liked Gears of War better though

USAF seeks control of aerial kill-bots

give up the air force?

Speaking as a current member of USAF and as an Aircraft Maintainer here. While I dislike flight crew and their ilk, that's mainly for personal reasons. However, to say that the USAF is a worthless and useless service is just asinine. The Navy and the Army does not do what we do, nor could it without a large overhaul.

We're more then just glorified taxis. We're responsible for a VERY large precentage of the destruction of enemy forces. This is due to bombing and strategic strikes with fighters and close air support. When the marines hit Falujah, they damn sure didn't call for Navy. They called for the AC-130 gunships from Air Force Spec Ops Command.

The Air Force is far from worthless and useless. Simply because we're smart enough to avoid having to go into close combat where we lose four or five thousand of our troops doesn't mean we're useless. It just means we utilize a different set of capabilities to solve our problems then just sending wave after wave of bodies at it till it gets solved.

A Defcon survival guide

False security

I agree with Brian, there is no such thing as totally secure. This is Defcon. This is the most hostile computer network in existance. You will get hacked eventually. Unless you're the second coming or something there is always someone out there that knows that one critical bit of information that you don't that exploit that one tiny insignificant flaw and then it's over.

But, hey, it's a learning experiance. If you can survive Defcon and walk away with all that nice new information they hand out so readily there, securing most other computers and networks should be cake in comparison. Note the most however, there are, of course, jobs and systems where it's pretty much a given your system will come under constant attack.

But go, have fun, enjoy yourself and take something from it.

Fort Bragg grunt in gay porn vid shocker

It's both, and either

To the questioners of why the man was discharged; was is because he was gay or because he did porn. The answer is either and both. Some of you may, or may not, recall Febuary's issue of Playboy this year featuring a US Air Force Training Instructor for Lackland AFB(Air Force Basic Training) featuring her in and out of her uniform. She was booted out of the Air Force for this.

So to an extent, it really is because he brought dishonor upon the military name by participating in adult entertainment videos, which is covered in the UCMJ as "conduct unbecoming" (And for the joke: But I bet he was becoming in the video. Becomings lots of times. Possibly on someone's face..).

However, the military also has the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy which he sort of blew all to hell(shit, I'll get my coat...) with his open preformance in a gay porn. You can be discharged from the military for being homosexual. Like it or not, that's the way it works.

Now, when you combine the two, it's pretty much a given that he got the boot. So again the answer: Either, or both.

It's both, and either

To the questioners of why the man was discharged; was is because he was gay or because he did porn. The answer is either and both. Some of you may, or may not, recall Febuary's issue of Playboy this year featuring a US Air Force Training Instructor for Lackland AFB(Air Force Basic Training) featuring her in and out of her uniform. She was booted out of the Air Force for this.

So to an extent, it really is because he brought dishonor upon the military name by participating in adult entertainment videos, which is covered in the UCMJ as "conduct unbecoming" (And for the joke: But I bet he was becoming in the video. Becomings lots of times. Possibly on someone's face..).

However, the military also has the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy which he sort of blew all to hell(shit, I'll get my coat...) with his open preformance in a gay porn. You can be discharged from the military for being homosexual. Like it or not, that's the way it works.

Now, when you combine the two, it's pretty much a given that he got the boot. So again the answer: Either, or both.

Miss America calls for mandatory internet safety classes

@Chad H.

I don't think it's so much that parent's are properly knowledgeable to teach their children, though that is part of it, so much as they just don't care. If we can all recall the protests against violence on TV and video games because they corrupt the kiddies, then we can rationalize what has to be done to solve this problem.

The problem in itself isn't the people on the internet. The 'net is worldwide and can't be controlled by a government. Nor should a government try to force its citizens into mandatory training just to surf the web. The ultimate responsibility for teaching a child right from wrong, good from bad, and how to behave in a situation is, and I know everyone is going to hate this answer, that of the parents. Yes, that's right. It's the parents problem and the parents should be the ones dealing with it, not congress.

That's the reason why we have so many problems now. TV, video games, the internet, have all become babysitters for kids and parents no longer care about what they teach their youngsters.

Waaa, my child got abused and raped because of Myspace. No, your child got abused and raped because you were an irresponsible adult and didn't bother to check up on them. Don't let a web site be a babysitter.

It really is that simple folks. There doesn't need to be any formalized training for this, there doesn't need to be some sort of class with a PhD holding educator trying to teach this. There needs to be some common sense and parenting, that's all. And in response to anyone who wishes to point out the parents who work 2 or 3 jobs for 90 hours a week just to make ends meet, maybe you should give them a library card instead of a modem. Tell them to entertain themselves with reading instead of bangmymom.com and myspace. In the end it all comes down to parental responsibility.

Online games turn British man into hero

Re: What's wrong with this country!

Des, your comments are completely stupid. Have I ever been involved in witnessing a crime of that sort? Nope. Instead I've served in the military and been involved in operations in the Middle East.

Let me tell you, if you decide you're going to rush an armed opponent unarmed and unarmored then you're foolish and suicidal. Nothing was gained from this and he made himself into worse then a victim, he made himself into a potential hostage for the gunman and endangered others in the line of their jobs. He didn't help things at all, only hindered them.

The man is no hero at all. He's the worst type of person to be in such a dangerous situation: an amatuer. He interefered in an operation, putting himself into danger, giving the criminal even more leverage and hindered the security detail because they then had to worry about some dumb civilian stuck in the middle of it, infinitely increasing the danger level and complication of the events.

The man was full of false bravado and stupidity. Truthfully if there was justice in this world the man would be dead for his stupidity. But maybe this way he'll learn a valuable lesson. Don't get into a situation you aren't trained or paid to handle. There are professionals for this reason.

Oh, and I love your comparison of the crimes of a woman being raped and some young man's cellphone being stolen. I'm glad you valuable your cell enough to even present the crime in the same sentance as the rape of a woman. It's stupidity like yours that has made this country what it is...

Don't let Paris Hilton do bird

It's gone!

Paris' little whiney blog on her myspace page is gone, along with the thousands upon thousands of comments it generated. Poor Paris. Guess she got tired of looking at 50% of the people commenting on it telling her what a pathetic waste of oxygen she is.

I hope the judge rescinds his previous ruling and puts her in the hole for a full 90.

Fine her assloads of money, since that's the only thing she cares about anyway.

Take away her liscense and have her car impounded.

Bitches like her are lucky more common folk aren't judges. Her ass would be in the slammer before she left the court house...

Jail the trogolodyte

The original petition to see her pardoned was just disgusting. Because Mel and Britney didn't get in trouble, Paris shouldn't either. It's typical of the sociolite fan world in general. Their idols can do no wrong and should never be forced to pay for their mistakes.

Honestly, I hope the troglodyte gets all 45 days and then some. I think celebrities should be held to the same standards as the rest of us, if not harsher ones. They're "role models", people that for some odd reason some of us seem to look up to.

So, yes, to reiterate, give her the maximum penalty along with the rest of her cretinous celebrity ilk. Because you can believe that no normal, non-world famous person would dare to try to petition the governor over a 45 day jail stint when they're clearly guilty. And you can be equally sure that they wouldn't have the resources to pull off this travesty, or to have thousands come to their aid.

This entire media stunt by her is typical of the U.S. legal system as a whole. If you're famous, you'll never do much jail time, if any at all. If you're rich, the judge slaps you on the wrist, if that, because they know your overpriced lawyers and crack legal teams will surely find some minor archiac loophole to get you off, or drag the case out beyond the point of stupidity. They don't want to deal with that crap so they usually let it go. I'm glad one judge had the balls to say that the law applies to all citizens equally, rich or poor, attractive or Paris Hilton.

And as for all of her "fans" who came to her aid? You all disgust me! Really. You're all clamoring over the title of her biggest fan. And what does that get you? Not a damned thing. She'll never thank you personally. She'll never sign your myspace. She'll forget you guys did any of this the second she's off the hook. And the worst part is you vapid bottom-dwellers will thank her for it! "Oh, that's just Paris' way. She's Paris, and we love her for it."

Seriously, look at the facts here. She's famous for what? Flashing her bare ass all over the world in a porn tape. That was made famous only because she has a buttload of money that she was born into. And she's honestly not that attractive. She's about as attractive as a sea cow, all the depth of a kiddie pool, and the personality of a spoiled stuck up snob.

Ask yourselves one real important question here. She didn't hit somebody this time? What if she had hit someone in your family? Your mother, your father, your brother or sister, husband, wife or kid. Or one of your friends. Would you still be clamouring for her pardon?

"Well sure she killed somebody, ruined the lives of some people and all, but let her off the hook govenor! She's learned her lesson! Really!"

Why Last.fm isn't sweating the RIAA's royalty hike

How?

How could the RIAA collect royalties for non-participating parties without their prior consent? Now, forgive my ignorance here, but I'm pretty sure that's kind of illegal. I'd say immoral, but we all know the RIAA has no morals, ethics or any sort of conscience to speak of.

Basically what you're saying is that if Person A creates something and Person B uses Person A's something, Person C, who has no knowledge or association with Person A, can demand money from Person B based on absolutely nothing.

Now I know the RIAA has a lot of sway in Washington but I still have a hard time believing they're going to get that one passed into law.

I mean it's the equivilent of me saying "No, I didn't create The Register. No, I didn't write any of the articles, donate to the site or in any way, shape, or form contribute to its making or day to day dealings and/or upkeep and maintenance. However, dispite the fact that I'm not providing any sort of service to you that deals with the register at all, and have no affiliation with you or The Register, I'm going to charge The Register $1USD per reader per article."

I expect my check in the mail, Reg ;)

Last thought? Huh?

Mike wrote:

The IRAA may ask that the ISPs or similer stop the stations outside the US from being heard!! unless they pay sound exchange could happen

What you're talking about is borderline impossible really. As soon as the ISPs blocked the sites there would be complaints from the customers as well as a huge up-in-arms from the ACLU.

Plus there's also proxy servers and sites. Hundreds of them. Thousands of them. Free for the use and all it takes is a simple googling to find them.There are programs you can run on your computer to hop to a different proxy server every few microseconds if you're that paranoid. And once in a proxy you can transfer to the site through it. The ISPs would have to block every free open proxy in the world to truely stop it in the US. And they would have to update the lists twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred and sixy-five days a year. Because a new one would open up and it would start over again.

Then you've got to get to the cell phone companies that offer internet through cells. And satelites connections. And repeater sites that find ways around it and broadcast still.

It's a very unfeasible idea to have every ISP and web provider in the U.S. block all of that.

But it wouldn't surprise me to see the RIAA try. I can easily foresee the day when the idea of free internet radio is a dirty word and punished for its existance.

But someone had the right idea. If you can't play American bands without paying, then don't play em. There are thousands of independent unsigned artists out there that would kill for free world-wide publicity like internet radio to stream their music.Go find them and stop wasting money on artists that most of the time suck anyhow and can only release a single worthwhile track on a album of 13 and sell it for $20 a pop. Find the no-name unsigned unheard of bands that are really good and support them.

Truely, the RIAA only believes the power is in their hands. They can make it so you can't hear what you want, but they can't make you listen to what you don't want to. And in the end that will hurt them just as much as any piracy.