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Comment: The right to read. (Score 4, Interesting) 72

by scum-e-bag (#47343931) Attached to: Want To Resell Your Ebooks? You'd Better Act Fast











Dan concluded that he couldn't simply lend Lissa his computer. But he couldn't refuse to help her, because he loved her. Every chance to speak with her filled him with delight. And that she chose him to ask for help, that could mean she loved him too.

Dan resolved the dilemma by doing something even more unthinkable—he lent her the computer, and told her his password. This way, if Lissa read his books, Central Licensing would think he was reading them. It was still a crime, but the SPA would not automatically find out about it. They would only find out if Lissa reported him.

Of course, if the school ever found out that he had given Lissa his own password, it would be curtains for both of them as students, regardless of what she had used it for. School policy was that any interference with their means of monitoring students' computer use was grounds for disciplinary action. It didn't matter whether you did anything harmful—the offense was making it hard for the administrators to check on you. They assumed this meant you were doing something else forbidden, and they did not need to know what it was.

Students were not usually expelled for this—not directly. Instead they were banned from the school computer systems, and would inevitably fail all their classes.

Later, Dan would learn that this kind of university policy started only in the 1980s, when university students in large numbers began using computers. Previously, universities maintained a different approach to student discipline; they punished activities that were harmful, not those that merely raised suspicion.

Lissa did not report Dan to the SPA. His decision to help her led to their marriage, and also led them to question what they had been taught about piracy as children. The couple began reading about the history of copyright, about the Soviet Union and its restrictions on copying, and even the original United States Constitution. They moved to Luna, where they found others who had likewise gravitated away from the long arm of the SPA. When the Tycho Uprising began in 2062, the universal right to read soon became one of its central aims.

Comment: Just like Nuclear Fusion (Score 0) 256

by scum-e-bag (#46702355) Attached to: Navy Creates Fuel From Seawater

Just like Nuclear Fusion it will be commercially viable in 7-10 years...

From the Article:

The predicted cost of jet fuel using these technologies is in the range of $3-$6 per gallon, and with sufficient funding and partnerships, this approach could be commercially viable within the next seven to ten years. Pursuing remote land-based options would be the first step towards a future sea-based solution.

Comment: Passport belt (Score 0) 445

by scum-e-bag (#46307037) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: How Do You Manage Your Passwords?

A small notebook kept in a passport belt that never leaves your side should work well.

If you are required to have such a high level of security that this is not a good idea then you should use your memory. A failing memory means that you are not suitable for the job and should find something else, like working in a retirement home.

Comment: Re: So can I sue my college? (Score 1) 206

by scum-e-bag (#46123327) Attached to: It's Not Memory Loss - Older Minds May Just Be Fuller of Information

You just tell these primma-donnas what they want to hear so you pass the course, graduate the fuck out, join the world of adults and start creating/doing things that matter.

When you finally get into the world of adults you will find yourself kissing ass to a moron manager who doesn't know what he/she is talking about. These literature courses will serve you well in knowing how to bullshit your way around.

Comment: Re:Censorship != Damage (Score -1, Flamebait) 68

by scum-e-bag (#43660421) Attached to: Syria Falls Off the Internet Again

If Syria has dropped off the internet due to the inaccessibility of the .sy domain, then, the internet is not routing around the damage.

It's pretty bloody obvious.

TOR would route around these issues with minimal effort. The internet as it is now known, is being controlled and censored. The internet as it was, is now TOR. Get with the times and stop posting rubbish that is 20 years out of date.
