The Difference Between the Government and the Mafia

I saw this in a discussion over on Slashdot about New York sales/use tax – someone mentioned that “New York has always been a bit bizzare about taxes.” Someone else replied with: They’re not bizarre; they’re just greedy for every dollar they can get their grubby little paws on. Just remember that the only difference… Continue reading The Difference Between the Government and the Mafia

Microchip (RFID) Passport Cloned

In case there was any doubt that this whole digital passport / RFID passport thing was never about security (via Slashdot): “New microchip passports designed to be foolproof against identity theft failed the test when a researcher was able to manipulate one in minutes. The cloned passports were accepted as genuine by the computer software… Continue reading Microchip (RFID) Passport Cloned

Check-box reply

Found on Seen On Slash: Your post advocates a (x) technical ( ) legislative ( ) market-based ( ) vigilante approach to fighting spam. Your idea will not work. Here is why it won’t work. (One or more of the following may apply to your particular idea, and it may have other flaws which used… Continue reading Check-box reply

News from the Not-To-Distant Future

From a Slashdot comment on the story “Big Six UK ISPs Capitulate To Music Industry“: BBC News April 2nd 2010 ISPs have detected a massive spike in encrypted activity on the internet. Indecipherable “SSL” packets have increased in volume massively in recent months. This trend is seen as “disturbing” in the words of one child… Continue reading News from the Not-To-Distant Future