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SmokyBorbon

60 karma · joined March 28, 2013

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SmokyBorbon··on Show HN: AlexaRank.io (free alternative to Alexa's $120 tracker)
Pick a domain name that contains the name of the company you're trying to undermine. What could go wrong?
SmokyBorbon··on Is Microsoft Excel an Adequate Statistics Package?
> factories run on excel...terrifyingly so

Chemical plants too. But that does not mean there is no code.

An Excel document can be programmed with VBA to make connections to network resources, read/write files, send emails, etc.

I might not be the most effective tool for every task but it's everywhere and allows workers to automate work without making a request to hire a developer or buy new software. Someone can gradually automate business tasks on their own initiative rather than go through multiple layers of corporate bureaucracy.

SmokyBorbon··on FBI May Demand iOS Source Code, Signing Key
I think his point is that, if the FBI gains this ability, foreign governments will ban iPhone use which will damage an American company.
SmokyBorbon··on The Families Funding the 2016 Presidential Election
This article is about direct contributions from individuals. This is just a fraction of the donations to political campaigns. For example, you don't find any mention of labor unions which provide more money than individuals and donate almost exclusively to democrats. And we haven't mentioned corporations.

Imagine a giant hammer and sickle and a McDonalds arch so large that you can't see the pile of monopoly pieces or even the White House behind them.

SmokyBorbon··on How to Download a List of All Registered Domain Names
It could be used to create a competing system. ICANN would never allow this. If someone tried to put this together, I think they would quickly find their access to the data revoked.
SmokyBorbon··on An open source tool to generate a complete backend from a MySql database
The first screenshot is of PhpMyAdmin. That's embarrassing.
SmokyBorbon··on Obama to announce proposals to reform NSA surveillance
He's a liar. He will announce that a panel will look at the issue. Nothing will actually be done.
SmokyBorbon··on Obama, tech executives met to discuss surveillance
It's time to start calling them "collaborators".
SmokyBorbon··on Lavabit abruptly shuts down
Atlas shrugged and dropped the world wide web.
SmokyBorbon··on Lavabit abruptly shuts down
It's over.
SmokyBorbon··on Nvidia Shield
The future of mobile gaming is IOS. Ports of KOTOR and XCOM have shown its potential.
SmokyBorbon··on The Sun's Magnetic Field is about to Flip
Nothing to do with global warming people. That's still cow farts. Move along. Nothing to see here.
SmokyBorbon··on Catch.com: Terminating service next month
They caught things. I'm not sure what but apparently those things did not include "on".
SmokyBorbon··on Coinbase hires Charlie Lee, creator of Litecoin
I do not think you sufficiently understand Bitcoin or double spend attacks work.

You should read this section of the Bitcoin FAQ: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/FAQ#Do_you_have_to_wait_until_my_...

SmokyBorbon··on A Low-Tech Mosquito Deterrent
Texas mosquitoes laugh at your feeble attempts. Might work on sissy New York mosquitoes though.
SmokyBorbon··on Prism Break
You completely missed the point. The NSA is tracking everyone. They're building a database of everyone's activities. Nobody knows who the "terrorists" are going to be 20 years from now. The moment you become a suspect, they can bring up everything they've recorded you saying or doing and use it against you.

The NSA is above the law and the rules they follow are set by a secret court appointed by a single man who has his position for life.

SmokyBorbon··on Stop Penalizing Boys for Not Being Able to Sit Still at School
60 years ago boys had no problem paying attention in class. The problem is too many teachers today have degrees in education instead of the subject they are supposed to be teaching. They've turned schools into daycare centers. They rely on "projects", worksheets, videos, and busywork that have little to do with what the kids should be learning. When children are bored and resentful that their time is being wasted, they act out.

We can fix this by making it easier to fire bad teachers, require math, science, and English teachers to have degrees in math, science, and English, and prevent school funds from being used on new textbooks, televisions, videos, workbooks, or other wasteful materials.

SmokyBorbon··on "Disable Javascript" option removed in Firefox 23
Firefox

2002-2013

SmokyBorbon··on A Hacker's Replacement for Gmail
You can use http://www.mxtoolbox.com/ to see if your domain or IP have been blacklisted by any ofthr public lists. Also, if you get blacklisted you should receive a bounceback email telling you who blacklisted you and where to go to get yourself removed.m
SmokyBorbon··on Carberp Source Code Leaked
A Linux boot CD would be secure but I think it's awkward to have to reboot your computer all the time. I use Linux but I have stopped using my computer for anything like banking. Instead, I use my bank's app on my iPhone or iPad neither of which are jailbroken.
SmokyBorbon··on Snowden: US hacks Chinese mobile phone companies, steals SMS data
> Who knew in 2008 that during the Obama administration it may get to the point of people wishing for the good ol' days of George W. Bush?

Republicans.

SmokyBorbon··on Our planet just had the third warmest May in recorded history
This May was as warm as it was 15 years ago.

FTFY

SmokyBorbon··on On TV and the Lecture Circuit, Bill Nye Aims to Change the World
Just a religious nutjob craving attention. Everyone who's not delusional should know by now that anthropogenic global warming is a fraud.
SmokyBorbon··on Ancient Roman Concrete Is About to Revolutionize Modern Architecture
If by recently you mean like 50 years ago, then yes, recently.
SmokyBorbon··on Seems cool - Free Ubuntu VMs w/ the push of a button (for 35min)
Does not appear to work.
SmokyBorbon··on Microsoft Has Hired People To Make Positive Comments About Xbox One On Reddit?
Worked for Obama.
SmokyBorbon··on Mark Zuckerberg addresses PRISM
Oceania had always been at war with Eurasia.
SmokyBorbon··on Poll: What is your primary desktop OS?
Just made the jump to Linux. I'm using Pear OS, a Ubuntu-based Linux distro that's a decent clone of OSX.

Linux finally getting unofficial Netflix support was the last thing holding me back. I have three iPhones, two iPads, and an Apple TV but Macs are too expensive, especially when you already own a PC.

SmokyBorbon··on After 25 years in jail, the Internet blew my mind
Except for computers and the internet, science and technology have been stagnant for the past 50 years. Our civilization is in decline. In 25 years, we will only have slightly refined versions of what we have today.
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