Hacker News Reader

datenon Firesheep: Easy HTTP session hijacking from within Firefox

The responsibility is with every admin that setup an insecure access point, not with every security researcher to stay quiet about widely known and widely exploited vulnerabilities.

This isn't new. Point and click tools for doing this existed 10 years ago. Making a firefox plugin just pushed it back to the top of the headlines. This is actually a good thing because if word spreads more people will be aware of the already existing risk and will be more security conscious.

Does this mean everyone should stop logging into their personal accounts over unsecure wifi at school or starbucks? ABSOLUTELY.

Hopefully this new attention on an old hole will motivate more admins to fix their networks and more users to realize how vulnerable they are.

datenon Do something positive - leave your job

Great as in emotionally satisfying to the parents? or great for society and the environment?

datenon Apple changes words in order to change the debate

A few weeks ago I bought an "Epic 4G" phone from Sprint. This is one of the Samsung Galaxy S variants. It has a custom GUI called "TouchWiz" made to look more like the iphone and is loaded with Sprint applications including a game demo, nascar related and football related applications that are installed as "system applications" and cannot be removed by the user.

It also has a Sprint replacement for the wifi hotspot tethering so the user is required to pay $30/mo for that feature that is normally native to Android even when they're already paying for an unlimited data plan.

It has sprint logos and music that plays on startup and shutdown that cannot be removed without rooting the phone.

A recent update added a media portal where the user can purchase movies and tv shows from Sprint partners. Also a "system app" that cannot be uninstalled.

datenon Apple changes words in order to change the debate

I think it's inaccurate to say "Android" isn't "truly open". It's open when it leaves Google and the code is still out there. I can still benefit from that openness even on a phone that carriers added some restrictions to.

The blame should rest entirely with the carriers.

This isn't "Apple vs Android" this is "Apple vs Carriers".

datenon Photos from the making of Empire Strikes Back

This link is work-safe. At least with noscript. I don't know if there are any racy ads I'm not seeing.

datenon How many users have JavaScript disabled?

There may be lots of reasons to disable javascript or not have it available at all such as security policies, bandwidth restrictions, limited hardware devices or other things you haven't anticipated.

I think it depends on what content you're providing and which users you want to reach.

I've seen text-only blogs that involve javascript in their visual design and cannot be read without it. I've also seen websites where the site navigation links are rendered by javascript. In both cases the sites are inaccessible to non-javascript users.

In my opinion if you can provide the same content without requiring active scripting, you should. If you're providing an interactive experience that can't be achieved without scripting at least be aware that you're limiting your user base. Even if users have scripting available but disabled by choice, they may decide that your content is not worth enabling scripting for.

I'm also concerned that technical users who disable javascript by choice might not frequent a site like "yahoo" as much as non-technical users. I'm curious if a more neutral but still popular site would have a larger percentage of non-javascript visitors.

datenon A great logo is recognizable in any form

It could save other readers the time of loading a link that isn't going to work? I thought it was contributing in that sense.

He was -3 when I commented originally.

datenon A great logo is recognizable in any form

The link is 404, I don't understand why aw3c2 was downvoted.

datenon Android is Google's Agent Smith

I still think your perspective on general knowledge is off. I think plenty of people with phones still don't know what an operating system is, especially people over the age of 30 who didn't grow up with the internet and ubiquitous computers in school. But I could be wrong.

If it's true that only technical users are buying Android phones because it's still exclusive to the smart-phone market, what your saying makes sense.

I wouldn't be suprised if non-technical users with money to burn buy smart phones they don't understand just for the sake of vanity though.

datenon Android is Google's Agent Smith

The summarizing line of the article:

For things to really work for them, maybe there should be one kind of device, one OS version and one App store (sounds familiar?).

I'm not saying I agree, I was disappointed with the author's opinions.

datenon Android is Google's Agent Smith

Plenty of users buy phones without knowing what Android is or even what an "operating system" is. All thee know is compared to their old phone with a random proprietary OS, this phone has a much more polished interface and apps similar to their friends iPhone.

I'm sure most of the people that read HN care about the details you listed, but I wouldn't assume your average mall-shopper that walks into a cell phone store not knowing the difference between any two phones knows or cares about version numbers or compatibility.

Most non-technical people I've talked to about it have been so confused about the marketing of a phone named "droid" that they think any reference to "android" means that phone.

datenon Facebook Now Allows You To “Download Your Information”

I think this would be more interesting if it included the behavior profile facebook keeps on you. I've read articles where they describe tracking every page you visit, when, how many times and for how long. Facebook is interested in knowing which of your friends you're paying attention to, who comments you read and which photos you like.

I would like to see their "file" on me. I would like that to be more transparent to users who don't realize it's being kept as well.

Google started doing something like this where they let you see (and delete?) the browsing and search histories they keep based on your gmail account, google cookies and advertising partners logs.

datenon [dead]

I don't think the advice was to avoid socializing. I think it's just to spend time socializing with people who care about or share values with.

The article didn't say how you're supposed to find those people in the first place though. I guess it assumes you were concentrating on pleasing others until this point, and have been exposed to different groups already.

datenon Facebook Down, Like Buttons Vanish, Internet Implodes

The significance of the "like" button missing from other sites is lost on me.

I've been using the Application Boundaries Enforcer feature of no-script in Firefox to block facebook content when I'm not visiting a facebook site directly.

  Site .facebook.com .fbcdn.net
  Accept from .facebook.com .fbcdn.net
  Deny

This is motivated by privacy concerns of Facebook's ability to track which partner sites I visit.

datenon Android First Impressions

I've noticed the same problems on the Samsung Galaxy S phone I got from Sprint last Tuesday. It's the "Epic 4G" variant. I also have issues with camera and GPS apps freezing or crashing pretty frequently.

datenon Obama administration: "Piracy is flat, unadulterated theft"

I assumed the quoted song-writer does. I'm not sure how else he justifies not being able to retire from his work. He doesn't seam to be suggesting the quality of his work is to blame. I know quality and personal interest is the reason I don't purchase (or pirate) most popular American music.

datenon Obama administration: "Piracy is flat, unadulterated theft"

“While the Internet has provided tremendous opportunity for the creators of copyrighted works, including music and movies, to distribute their works around the world at low cost, it has also given rise to a global epidemic of piracy,” reads his plan. “John McCain supports efforts to crack down on piracy, both on the Internet and off.”

http://www.zeropaid.com/news/9702/mccain_no_netneutrality_ne...

datenon Obama administration: "Piracy is flat, unadulterated theft"

From the article: Locke then lamented the fate of songwriters. "Recently, I've had a chance to read letters from award winning writers and artists whose livelihoods have been destroyed by music piracy. One letter that stuck out for me was a guy who said the songwriting royalties he had depended on to 'be a golden parachute to fund his retirement had turned out to be a lead balloon.' This just isn't right."

I don't believe the assumption that every download is a lost sale is remotely true. It's also possible that many downloads led to increased sales or that the downloader already owned a copy of or access to the media and was just getting it in digital form for convenience.

If I download the mp3 copy of a CD I own a physical copy of, am I a criminal? Did I steal from the artist?

datenon Obama administration: "Piracy is flat, unadulterated theft"

Biden was one of the few Senators I knew by name before he was VP. I was also concerned about how his views on copyright would affect the stance of the current Administration.

Here's more on the history of Biden's pro-copyright campaign.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10024163-38.html

datenon Developer Productivity - The Red Pill

I agree. While interruptions in something like watching a movie in the theater might break my concentration for several minutes, I find context switching to help my productivity at work. I can get stuck on a problem without a distraction where changing my focus briefly usually helps give me a fresh perspective and allows me to solve the problem faster.

datenon Developer Productivity - The Red Pill

Another poster mentioned "tmux" in reply to this comment but they deleted their post before I could reply. I had not heard of tmux before. Apparently it's an alternative to "screen". I would have upvoted you for making me aware of it.

http://tmux.sourceforge.net/

datenon Time lapse screencap video of a games programmer

If you're like me and still have no idea who "Notch" is.. http://www.mojang.com/notch/

datenon There is no nanotech, stop talking about it and start laughing at it

Those are actually "micro" machines. That's a very different scale.

datenon Inception explained in one infographic

I don't see a title on that graphic. Is that for Primer? Which I haven't seen yet? Should you include a spoiler warning?

datenon Traffic Experiments -- How to clear traffic jams

I would love seeing fewer drivers in cars already reading on their way to work. Educating human drivers may be just as good as replacing them.

datenon Traffic Experiments -- How to clear traffic jams

I agree in the situation where all other drives on the road are equally intelligent and paying attention when they drive.

Sadly, in the area I drive in, many drivers are constantly paying more attention to their phone than the road. Those drivers cause all of the traffic problems I see. They likely contribute to many of the accidents as well. They will end up leaving huge gaps in front of them at the expense of traffic behind them even when traffic ahead of them is moving smoothly and quickly.

The cost of letting cell phone drivers in front of you can be many minutes to your commute per each driver. Add a few minutes for each traffic light or merge lane that you will spend behind the inattentive drivers.

In a 5 mile commute, following the flow of inattentive drivers can add 45 minutes to my drive. Attentive driving and following the flow of other "aggressive" drivers can make it a 10 minute drive total.

So what I have actually found helps, in a real world scenario, not a fictional one where all drivers are equal, is trying to identify and cooperate with other "aggressive" drivers helps the group of aggressive drivers get through traffic efficiently and gives the cell-phone drivers plenty of time to concentrate on their conversations.

datenon Traffic Experiments -- How to clear traffic jams

If you're stuck in traffic for a long time, your leg engaging the clutch can get very tired. So you're constantly switching to neutral to rest your leg.

It's also not uncommon for traffic to go from stopped, to fast enough to warrant 2nd gear, back to stopped.

datenon Traffic Experiments -- How to clear traffic jams

I'm concerned that when cars doing this are the minority, with other traffic constantly going around them, they just become an obstacle in traffic. If you inspire other cars to change lanes to pass you, because you're intentionally driving slower, you may be making traffic less safe.

datenon Traffic Experiments -- How to clear traffic jams

He's right, this has been posted on HN before. I seam to remember the old article having more animated illustrations. I don't know if it's the same page, same author or just similar content.

datenon Traffic Experiments -- How to clear traffic jams

I live and work in DC. I go to Dallas at least once a year and drive every day during the week and weekend. I agree this would be impossible in Dallas traffic. It doesn't feel as intentionally aggressive as DC traffic, instead it's like everyone in Dallas can't take their foot off the accelerator even if they wanted to. It's hard enough finding a space between two cars to merge, you usually have to just go for it and hope the rear car can find his brakes.