Posts by Darling Petunia
43 posts • joined Wednesday 4th June 2008 23:19 GMT
Posted in Apple's Retina Macs: A little too elite?
Retina MBPro
Our town Apple Store had three retina MBPros on display for demo's alongside some new version MBAir 13's. These were only for display, and to the disappointment of at least four ready-to-buy customers, no retina MBPro were in-stock. (The three folks I spoke with were ready to buy the maxed-out version). We were told that there was a several week delay on the retina MBPro.
As for being able to add memory or SSD's later, iFixit ( http://ifixit.org/) did a teardown of the retina MBPro and found that this is the least friendly Apple laptop to fiddle with. Battery glued in, track-pad backside unreachable, new and unique SSD connector and design.
Posted in Samsung SSD 830
Lovely, but too much gloss
I recently installed an 128GB 830 in my Lenovo X220. I'd appreciate pro/con comment on encrypting the drive. The web offers up warnings, and not, on introducing software encryption into an SSD. Whether it be Bitlocker, TruCrypt etc., apparently large reductions in read/write speed results.
Posted in Apple Thunderbolt Display 27in monitor
Lovely, but too much gloss
As a 2-decade Apple 'investor' I appreciate the fine products, with the exception of the move to 'gloss' monitor screens. My glossy MBPro 13 is 'O.K.' as I can maneuver the screen to fit most lighting. On the desktops I 'suffer' with the matte screened 'old' Apple displays. I tried the 24" iMac, but could not find a placement in the office that did not result in a light-show going on in peripheral vision while trying to work.
It's truly ashamed that Apple has not offered the matte option (even at a premium) on their lovely new IPS displays.
No problem with 4S battery. Probably because I'm not using iCloud, and watch the data usage like a hawk.
lionel_ritchey@yahoo.com
Note that At&t & Verizon wireless are spending mucho to assist the GPS consortium in the lobbying & blasting of LightSquared. The concept of wholesale bandwidth not being controlled by the duopoly scares these greedy folks.
Texas
This little town in the armpit of Texas is known for its' manure and their courthouse patent whoring. A big state, but full of very, very, small minds.
Posted in Top CEOs agree: US is down the crapper
lionel_ritchey@yahoo.com
U.S. CEO's might reflect on their decades of off-shoring jobs, as well as filling U.S. tech jobs with HB-1 Visa's so they boot them on a whim . Jobs, skills, and technology lost to inflate their earnings. How much hard technology have these CEO's sold-off to China? (such as specialized tools for building aircraft, processors etc.) Pleasing the major stockholders has a cost.
lionel_ritchey@yahoo.com
As of 1750 hrs. Pacific time, Wikileaks is offline.
lionel_ritchey@yahoo.com
How often do you test new hardware for 'altered' architectures? As I recall, the US Navy was a bit concerned over sourcing for the computer internals on some of its fighting ships. Seems that hardware can be built to open doors. The ic's may be designed in secret labs, but where is it that budgets determine where chips are mass produced and put on to boards?
Choicepoint
They are to be frightened of. They have influenced national elections and are part of the data-mining setup under the GW Bush regime. Richard Armitage, John Ashcroft, Viet Dinh (wrote the US 'Patriot' Act) are part of the hierarchy.
Foxconnnnnnnn
Known poor work environment. Free trade.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/15/AR2006061501898.html
http://www.chinalaborwatch.org/Foxconn%20edit.pdf
Posted in BlackBerry update bursting with spyware
RIM
'Intelligence' agencies have been after RIM for access, and likely have been monitoring traffic for quite a while, despite RIM's claims to the contrary. RIM's a honey-pot. Recall that last year India was forcing access to data to allow continued sales.
Google - Too Big to Fail
I enjoy the 'free' Google 'net goodies, but deep down know that nothing is free. A cost must be extracted.
Private Water Co.s
As a resident to California area (unincorporated) suffering under the ever increasing bills from a private water company, I am firmly convinced that greed and water (a necessity of life) do not mix. All water systems must be government owned/controlled. By the people and for the people. Ask the folks in Bolivia.
Games
The American Psychological association did extensive studies and concluded: "Repeated media violence exposure increases aggression across the lifespan because of several related factors. 1. It creates more positive attitudes, beliefs, and expectations regarding use of aggressive solutions. 2. It creates aggressive behavioral scripts and makes them more cognitively accessible. 3. It decreases the accessibility of nonviolent scripts. 4. It decreases the normal negative emotional reactions to conflict, aggression, and violence.
This is not rocket-science, but the game-makers have lots of money.
Making Noise
Poor judgement here by the 'Home Secretary" in providing publicity for the foul Mr. Savage. He's a hack for the sale of radio ad time and appeals to the dimwits that want us all to live in caves.
Posted in Bush-era NSA wiretap violations exposed
NSA
The urge to sneak a listen is irresistible when you above the law. Omnipotence breeds excess. It always has and always will.
Morality
Politicians and clerics have always used morality as the tool to control masses. Rather than deal with tangible problems, they inflate the monsters that lurk in miniscule darkened corners. The masses, judgement limited by corrupted 'truth', sway as orchestrated, OR realize the fraud and revolt. I hope it's the latter.
Politicians
So much hot air and so few brains. Politicians only have to look good. They do not have to demonstrate intelligence.
Posted in NASA talks little green men with Vatican
Universe & God
Read or listen to: "A short history of nearly everything" by Bill Bryson.
Religion is an elementary school playground.
Posted in Info chief slaps Met on CCTV in pubs
On-Camera
When shall we expect the people of Britain to rise-up and recover their freedom?
Feinstein slipping ammendments
As to what to do: If you're a US res, send a message and phone your two Senators, write editiorials to you local media (as this is not getting ANY U.S. news play).
As to Tom. These folks are not fascists, they're a mixture of the dumb and the opportunists. The folks that just lost the election are fascists, and their Republican cronies, still in-office, are the fascists.
It's monied vs. not.
Hollywood
Senator Feinstein is planning to run for Governor of California, home to the majority of RIAA cronies. Favors.
Though a Democrat, Diane leans to the political right on too many issues. Her hubbie is CEO of an equity-investment management firm, and also serves on the board of Current Media LLC.
Gestapo
Amazing tale. Fear to keep the serfs in their place.
Oxymorons
For an treat read Ron Suskind's "One-percent Doctrine". The US intel agencies have been corrupted over the past eight years and damage has been done to UK intel agencies as a result.
Posted in Amazon probed by US Mail
USPS
I believe that the USPS has been slowly disassembled over the last 8 years in a effort by the NeoCons at privatizing the US Postal Service. There's now a push to do-away with Saturday deliveries. Recent (the past two weeks) USPS shipments from Amazon have been delayed, with the USPS 'tracking' being WORTHLESS. I recommend opting for UPS.
Posted in US mulls clicks for cameraphones
Click-free
Congressman King is an idiot and is trying to tug on every 'cause' to get re-elected.
Marijuana laws
I agree with this group:
http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php
Corruption Maximus
Berlusconi is about as corrupt as they come. You can fool all the people enough times to get elected, especially if you're rich and own all the nation's media. Addio libertà.
CTIA
CTIA is just another self-serving lobbying organization. The US Gov't already has policy and equipment in-place to allow a complete shut-down of all cellphone networks at the whim of whomever holds the reigns. Lot's of folks advertising jammers on the 'net
Cell Phones
Consider the 'all-eggs-in-one-basket" dilemma. There're docs on the web regarding US gov. (& European) systems in-place to allow completely shut-downs of cellular systems 'in the event of potential terrorism'. No doubt the result of phones being used to detonate bombs. Wired phones provide a bit of backup if you're concerned about keeping in contact in a time of need.
As to tracking via cell signature, even the most primitive evil-doers are aware of ESN scanning, GPS, data-mining etc, and are likely to use this tracking system to disseminate false info.
Another item is that there have been several instances of lost/injured people being found by cell-signal triangulation.
Robots
Recall your Sc-Fi library and recognize that the DARPA contractors and want-to-be's will make whatever they can sell, regardless of what 'problems' may follow. Of course, 'our nation's security' is paramount. Listen for the familiar justification for creating solutions that are guaranteed to have unexpected complications. Perfect we are not.
WD Firewire 800
Does this mean that Steve was in error re: the end of Firewire?
Reading
Anonymous Coward is right on target.
Recommended reading: Ron Suskind's - "The Shock Doctrine" and "The Way of the World".
Voting Machines
Just shows how criminally inefficient and/or corrupted the voting system is in a USA that boasts of freedom, and prides itself on technical achievement. We have giant profit-making cellular and Internet businesses, space-shuttles (sometimes), submarines, anti-satellite missiles, and yet our fumbling leaders can not guarantee an honest election. They (the government) have allowed crooks to sell faulty and easily-hacked voting 'machines' to local government, and have allowed the continued fractured national "vote".
Forgot to add
Mr. McCain, that fearsome candidate for US President, looks forward to appointing former EBay CEO Meg Whitman, as his Treasury Secretary. All that financial knowledge, no doubt.
http://blogs.wsj.com/frontlines/2008/10/08/of-note-meg-whitman-for-treasury-secretary/?mod=googlenews_wsj
Crooks and EBay
EBay as a tool of crooks has been going on since it's beginnings. EBay's relationship with law enforcement had been strained in the past as far a getting info on sellers.
Crooks working for the TSA are also a familiar problem due to poor hiring processes and lack of proper surveillance in back room areas. Most photographers know to carry-on gear, or use locked bags (of course, with the mandatory TSA openable locks).
Accountability is the key at TSA and Ebay.
OpenOffice 3.0
Excellent software. Using on Mac.
Live Long and Prosper
He looks honest? Right.
http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/national-news/portfolio/2008/07/16/Countrywide-Deals-Exposed
Netsol
Network Solutions sends account renewal 'reminders' ad nauseum
Airplanes
The wreckage of general aviation airplanes found while searching for Fossett had disappeared many years before and did not contain high profile occupants (less likely to have extraordinary search efforts).
The tandem-seat American-Champion/Decathlon that Fossett was reportedly flying is a 'rag & tube' aircraft, sturdy, and built for aerobatics. However, if you drive one into the ground it will become a very small ball of chrome-moly tubes & poly-fabric.
On the other hand, it is odd that I've not found reference to if/why such a pilot would be without the latest personal GPS enabled ELT. The aircraft should also have had an ELT, as is mandated for certified aircraft. Aircraft ELT's are designed to activate on impact in a crash.
Look to the hardware
US Navy had (has?) issues with system networking components provided by vendors buying from where all (most) our bits and pieces originate (China). The ultimate trojan, built into the foundation. No door knocking needed. But, Beijing is not alone: http://spaces.icgpartners.com/index2.asp?NGuid=827D4DA2FB37496AB3F3C7F8CB55DD4F
taps
Something our winkles elucidate successfully, ergo crustaceans reminisce erotic transactions longingly, yet safe emblems never define satisfying trumpets under false fronts.
Why waste time with PGP or steganography?
Just make it all a puzzle that no one likely to remain sane can resolve?
Covert action are best confronted by people talking to people, not combing infinity.
