Displaying comments 1 to 50 of 2550
MeFi post:
Password Chart
Anyone here actually have an account hacked because of an insecure password?
There's this question from someone who had their Facebook account broken into. It isn't clear if it's due to a weak password but I'd wager that's more likely than the alternatives, given the high incentive on social networking sites coupled with the fact that people who would want to break into your account probably know a lot about your personal details already.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 3:37 PM on July 21, 2008
Also, today I had to alter our password policies on the FTP server since I noticed a series of dictionary-based attacks. It would only have been a matter of time before it succeeded.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 3:39 PM on July 21, 2008
MeFi post:
Old dangerous playground equipment.
My favorite has to be the strangely-named merry-go-round, which in fact should be called almost-pass-out-go-round and the absolutely insane underneath of it. As far as I can tell, it was actually a series of giant long razor ribs designed to maul children.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 3:09 PM on July 21, 2008
MeFi post:
science
I think there has to be a "one way or another" with gay marriage advocates specifically because they've made the idea that being gay isn't a choice as an anchor to their entire platform. As I said, I don't have a clue as to what's right, although I tend to lean toward Warner's theory.
But I'm not advocating public policy; pro-gay marriage groups who are trying to change the law are. And there should be some internal consistency in their... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 8:56 PM on July 13, 2008
but not for reasons you think.
Please explain why you're against gay marriage.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 5:48 AM on July 14, 2008
but not for reasons you think.
Please explain why you're against gay marriage.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 7:26 AM on July 14, 2008
MeFi post:
Lightning Strike on Camera
I dated a girl in high school who had been struck by lightning indirectly along with all the other people sleeping in a particular tent. Their dog was killed instantly. She's undamaged with the exception of having a 1-inch circular welt on her shoulder where she was in contact with the ground. She also still has the shirt she was wearing with a gaping burn mark in that exact spot, along with thousands of tiny holes in it.
She's awesome.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 1:55 PM on July 13, 2008
MeFi post:
WhoTubes?
dnab; I have never spoken with you before. I have read the entirety of your comments. You're being completely ridiculous at this point - the level to which you believe yourself to be the center of all this is astounding. It's not about you. It's about having a functional discussion. Part of that is agreeing on a common vocabulary and sticking to it. In a lot of discussions we don't have the benefit of a common vocabulary, but luckily in this one we do have such a thing, and... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 9:32 PM on July 4, 2008
MeFi post:
Decision on FISA delayed
Obama's stance is truly baffling.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 11:41 AM on July 4, 2008
MPDSEA, I can't tell if you're being serious, but even if you aren't your comment isn't really intelligible.
And yes, this is of particular importance, because the law was broken at least twice - first this administration breaking the rules set by FISA, second by the companies that agreed to turn over access to their networks and thus to their customers' data. This is a non-trivial issue. It is very, very likely that your conversation, what we're typing right now, what... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 12:04 PM on July 4, 2008
What are the monetary damages associated with having a telecom snoop on you? I don't know if there are statutory damages, but the real damages seem, to me, totally insignificant. What's being redressed is a weird hybrid political/dignitary harm, and I simply don't see the point of it.
What the fuck is wrong with you? What's the "monetary" damage of being spied on illegally by your own government? Is that seriously your question? You're... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 2:55 PM on July 4, 2008
MeFi post:
Wow-e: Malthusian Fear Mongering Can Be Annoying
Thank god someone finally figured out how to make a WALL-E post so we can discuss it.
Seriously, it was the most awesome movie I've seen in a long, long time.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 11:53 AM on July 1, 2008
Mister_A: yes. It's fantastic. The only problem I had with it was the fact that they interspersed live-action with rendered people. I would have preferred a Sky Captain approach where live actors were embedded into the CGI, since the rest of it was really, really well done. Pixar just hasn't figured out people yet.
But, yes, the rest of it is awesome. I actually wouldn't classify it as much of a kid's movie, though, since it's perfectly enjoyable to a range of ages - it... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 12:02 PM on July 1, 2008
The apple-ness totally shows with Eve's otherwise hidden indicators that shine through the casing. This is straight from most apple devices right now.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 1:17 PM on July 1, 2008
Man! I can't believe I forgot to mention Presto, which was proportionally as awesome as WALL•E.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 1:50 PM on July 1, 2008
Jessica Rabbit couldn't sell lunchboxes
Jessica Rabbit could sell anything.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 9:51 AM on July 3, 2008
MeFi post:
Liquid mirror telescopes
Wait, why can't they redirect columns of sky light to the lens by means of prisms and mirrors that would handle the sky tracking?
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 10:00 AM on July 2, 2008
MeFi post:
Music of the spheres
Maybe you could take some road death statistics and produce something akin to a jolly Irish jig;
Did someone say Mefi Music Challenge?
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 9:48 AM on July 2, 2008
MeFi post:
¡Atención!", "1234567890"
Agreed, very spooky. Can't an MI5 or CIA agent just connect to a friendly satellite?
Sure, but that would require launching one or more satellites, developing receivers, establishing a secure one-way communication system that isn't vulnerable to eavesdropping, and making sure no part of the technology falls into enemy hands.
Number stations require setting up one or two shortwave stations, which can be anywhere with reliable... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 9:53 AM on June 30, 2008
For some reason, my family had a shortwave receiver built into our 'music center' in the 70s (was this unusual?).
Yes. Your father was a spy.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 9:28 AM on July 1, 2008
Actually, even NOW this is a hard problem. Electronic generation of true random numbers is extremely difficult.
That's what HotBits is for! This would be easy enough to set up independently, given the appropriate materials.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 9:29 AM on July 1, 2008
msalt, which is why if you were serious enough about your random number generator to use a radioactive source, you'd use one of your own design, not that one. It's the principle that's important - that randomness is all around us, and you don't need a special algorithm to take advantage of it.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 1:46 PM on July 1, 2008
MeFi post:
Harshing your mellow
How does legalization and taxation have any impact on that, aside from possibly giving the sate more money to track down and shut down these operations?
For a clear example of why legalization would take the wind out of all cartel-type operations, take a look at how prohibition made it possible for organized crime to make incredible amounts of money and grow extensively just by trafficking alcohol.
If pot were legalized it... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 1:28 PM on July 1, 2008
MeFi post:
A new jug ships clean
Costco here has had these for years. They're difficult to pour from initially. Not sure why this is newsworthy.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 6:51 AM on July 1, 2008
MeFi post:
Just a Spoonful of Ducats
Excellent point headspace. Another reason for noncompliance is showcased in rural India, where you can get a fairly good job driving around on your bike and visiting patients to give them antibiotics. Your job is to make sure they take them right then. The effort is to reduce the number of drug-resistant strains in the wild. When people take antibiotics without supervision, they'll generally stop when they feel better, not when the infection is completely gone, leading to drug-resistant strains.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 9:57 AM on June 30, 2008
MeFi post:
Tar-ism
Thanks for fighting zero-emission* nuclear power, greenpeace! These coal power plants are awesome.
* Zero-emission offer not valid in state of Nevada. Some groundwater restrictions may apply.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 9:54 AM on June 27, 2008
MeFi post:
The Website Is Down!
This is my job. Oh my fucking god... the remote desktop... "MY MOUSE IS MOVING YOU"RE MOVING IT!"...
except without the humour.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 5:11 PM on June 24, 2008
Of course, yes, the false premise that he would actually reboot a functioning server rather than diagnose the original problem the guy was having (slow internet) needs to be ignored for the rest of it to make any sense. But, yeah, really awesome. I loved the multi-desktop-as-camera aspect of it.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 5:15 PM on June 24, 2008
I think my favorite part is when the guy asks him if he received the "DO NOT REBOOT THE WEB SERVER!!!!" e-mail and he quickly opens up the guy's mailbox and deletes it from his sent items...
fucking...awesome.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 6:36 PM on June 24, 2008
I'm curious. What's the thing he did to delete the email from his boss's Sent folder?
Simple - add another IMAP account to your mail client.
Actually, since they're using Exchange, he opened the other guy's mailbox. In real life you'd have to already have permissions defined appropriately in active directory, which, is likely with certain sysadmins.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 1:03 PM on June 25, 2008
MeFi post:
First!
"Just be sure to include the copyright statement at the end of this video."
"Well, that's a given, you know how much we all value copyright."
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 6:04 AM on June 25, 2008
MeFi post:
Religious Groups' Official Positions on Same-Sex Marriage
Regarding "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion," it's seen as strictly such and passing a law banning gay marriage is not an establishment of religion since there is nothing in the law about religion.
That isn't the part of the constitution that such a law would violate.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 9:53 AM on June 24, 2008
i also think it's completely ludicrous that the government blindly accepts any union blessed by the church as a legally binding arrangement. people who want the legal & social protections granted by marriage (um, insurance, i guess) should have to first get a marriage license from the state (or city or federal or whatever) government, which should be the only legally binding document in the bunch.
Sorry, but, are there states where this is not... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 10:00 AM on June 24, 2008
what i'm saying, odinsdream, is that a church-sanctioned union would then become the responsibility of the church, not the state. right now, all the church does is the actual nuptials (and maybe some pre/post counseling). the church isn't bound to provide social services to the family of the union it sanctions. my poorly worded and hastily typed brain dump is that once you go beyond the state & seek the approval of the church, you become the ward of the church & the church... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 10:37 AM on June 24, 2008
mrgrimm, clearly if there wasn't a creator nobody has basic human rights.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 10:59 AM on June 24, 2008
quonsar, that's precisely my point. There should be a separate term for legal-non-religious-socially-sanctioned-marriage and in-the-eyes-of-god-marriage. Since there isn't, or since people refuse to be specific, we end up in this morass.
posted to MetaFilter by odinsdream
at 12:27 PM on June 24, 2008
