In reply comments at the bottom of TFA you see they are NOT talking about de-orbiting things this way, only making minute changes in orbit to avoid collisions.

Perhaps preventing collisions allows natural decay to remove debris faster than it accumulates, but other than that, their plan was not about de-orbit of debris.

It gets my blood pressure up a bit every time I read about "revealing" someone's SSN as having penetrated an inner sanctum. The password-secret treatment of that number needs to be dropped. It's time for legislation in the US that makes it invalid and indefensible in court to treat knowledge of an SSN as an authentication factor. Any organization that treats knowledge of the SSN as an authentication factor should be fully liable for the consequences of any fraud that results.

Note I'm talking about authentication, not identification. Nobody thinks Google shouldn't be able to identify the contestants, and an SSN is more unique than names. The problem only comes from the ability to use that number as a "password" to authenticate for access to things (like bank accounts). Treating the SSN as a "username" would not cause the problem; it's using it as an authenticating secret despite the fact that it's easily accessible that makes revealing it a terrible security lapse.

Knowing your SSN should be no more helpful to a fraudster than knowing your full name or hair color. It should be treated as information too readily available to be of any use for authentication. Reliance on that kind of information for authentication should be evidence of failure in due diligence, and lead to liability for that inappropriate reliance. If your bank lets someone take all the money out of your account just because they know your full name they should be liable. If they do just because they knew your SSN it should be treated the same way.

On re-reading the grandparent post, it seems even more likely it was just a typo of 'DC' for Damage Control. I say that because it wasn't referring to actual steam lines, but rather drains.

Some auxiliary steam lines might be zebra fittings and secured for General Quarters, but steam to primary mission systems like the catapults on a carrier would only be secured if actually damaged, not as a precaution. Most drains however are secured for condition zebra.

So it was more like "...steam lines, leading to condensation, requiring additional drains... and the additional DC valves to go with them."

'DZ' may be a broken reference to "Zebra Fittings", meaning valves that must be shut in every compartment when the ship goes to material condition Zebra (as for General Quarters or Battle Stations). Electrical systems are controlled at a central switchboard, but at every point where a steam line crosses a water-tight bulkhead, there will be additional valves that can be secured to isolate that space for damage control purposes. Those valves bring additional maintenance themselves.

The 'D' means that fitting would be secured for Darken Ship also, which would be odd for a steam valve. An external door would be marked 'DZ', or "Dog Zebra", because you would secure it for either condition Zebra or for Darken Ship.

Roger that. An AC posted the relevant part of the Contribution agreement above:
"User hereby irrevocably and perpetually assigns, transfers, conveys and sets over to OISF, and OISF hereby accepts the assignment, transfer, conveyance and set over, User's entire worldwide and perpetual right, title and interest in and to the Materials including but not limited to all Intellectual Property Rights in the Materials. User will give OISF or its designee all assistance reasonably required to register, perfect, enforce and apply for and obtain in OISF's name patent, copyright, trademark and other Intellectual Property Rights in any and all jurisdictions"

I guess the remaining question is, does SNORT use the same smelly tactic?

From the OISF Download page:

"The Suricata Engine and the HTP Library are available to use under the GPLv2."

Followed on page 2 of same by this:
"Membership in the OISF Consortium Group provides a non-gpl limited license for the Suricata IDS engine in return for ongoing support. There are multiple tiers available for consortium participation that simplify the varying levels of support and involvement possible for all types of interest. Contributions may range from man hours in development assistance, technology donations, hardware and infrastructure, to financial assistance."

I get that if the code is their copyright, they can dual license at will. But doesn't the above mean any contributions from either a community or "Membership" cannot themselves be GPL, since any code accepted will in turn be distributed "non-gpl" among the membership? Also, are there "multiple tiers" of "non-gpl limited license"?

Now, to see how much explosives it takes to MAKE it fail!

This is my favorite part! :-)

Insurance fraud!

Is there an obvious plan for the crawler failing half way up the cable? In this test you just set it down with the chopper, but what do you do half way to geosync orbit?

I guess a second crawler has to go up underneath the failed one, trigger some kind of mechanical release and carry its dead weight down.

The bankruptcy judge in New Jersey has lifted the stay on SCOX's suit in Utah.

Remember how that went down:
1. Utah judge agrees with Novell in Summary Judgements that SCOX did not get the copyrights, that they owe Novell money, and are guilty of conversion.
2. Novell tells the judge that SCOX is about to go bankrupt and that he should put the money in constructive trust.
3. SCOX successfully convinces the judge that they are NOT about to go bankrupt, and the judge says there is no need before the trial.
4. On the Friday before the trial was to start Monday, 17 September, 2007, SCOX declares bankruptcy in New Jersey, causing an automatic stay in Utah.
5. Novell asks the BK judge to lift the stay.
6. Today, the BK judge agreed.
7. Now the SCOX v. Novell case in Utah will go before that judge, who may not be happy with the way he was very publicly suckered and made to look foolish by SCOX's bankruptcy ploy.

It will be interesting to watch... on Groklaw.

:-)