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Comment Re:Do those things actually sell? (Score 1) 226

I think it may be the way you were using it. My wife swipes with big swirling curlicues, and the software appears to suggest random crap instead of every other word. She hates it with a passion.

I draw angular shapes that go from letter to letter, sometimes with pauses on double letters, and only rarely need to correct it. I love it.

My mental model of how it works is by matching shapes (points here, curves there, pauses there) with a dictionary of words that could be created with letters near the shape's distinctive features. I'm sure that's not exactly how it works, but when I act on that mental model, I end up drawing over specific letters, with as clear a line as possible to the next one. Consider trying it this way, and you might find you like it better.

Comment Re:Neverwinter is excellent (Score 1) 555

I'll second that: Neverwinter's gameplay is one of the best I've seen in an MMO. The capitol city was terribly laggy, but the combat felt __very__ satisfying. Unfortunately, the few people I talked to indicated that there were some class balance issues -- I took that with some grain of salt -- , and my pocket healer expressed a lot of frustration that as a cleric he couldn't really healbot. Healing mechanics requiring you to face people to see their health didn't make it any nicer, he said.

We're hopeful that Elder Scrolls Online (beta soon!) will be nice.... but honestly I'm not eager to maintain two subscriptions, so the bar for awesomeness is that much higher.

Go where your friends go, though. If my guild rolled to a different game, I'd go with them.

Comment Re:yeah no (Score 1, Insightful) 682

Perhaps he misses the bus and is worried.
Maybe he is lost in a store.
Maybe his mom's car crashes and the kid can call 911.
Maybe he misses talking to his dad and wants to talk to him.

A phone is a tool, if you treat it as one. Seeing the unbridled joy as my son ran off with his aunt's iphone to do face-time with his grandmother was a life-changing moment: I finally understood the value of the smartphone as a tool. A knife is a tool, too, and some cultures are OK with teaching kids how to use them.

Comment Re:hidden weapons (Score 1) 496

I would not be keen on being in a situation where I would need to argue that in court, with my resources frozen and a set of frothing federal prosecutors on the other side of the bench.

Comment Re:Realtime voice encryption apps? (Score 1) 146

Encrypting the communication will likely not encrypt the routing or connection information: the cell network has to know where to send your call. Signals intelligence can get a LOT of information about you from knowing to whom you are talking, even if they do not know what you are saying.

GNOME

GNOME 3.8 Released Featuring New "Classic" Mode 267

Hot on the heels of the Gtk+ 3.8 release comes GNOME 3.8. There are a few general UI improvements, but the highlight for many is the new Classic mode that replaces fallback. Instead of using code based on the old GNOME panel, Classic emulates the feel of GNOME 2 through Shell extensions (just like Linux Mint's Cinnamon interface). From the release notes: "Classic mode is a new feature for those people who prefer a more traditional desktop experience. Built entirely from GNOME 3 technologies, it adds a number of features such as an application menu, a places menu and a window switcher along the bottom of the screen. Each of these features can be used individually or in combination with other GNOME extensions."
Electronic Frontier Foundation

DOJ Often Used Cell Tower Impersonating Devices Without Explicit Warrants 146

Via the EFF comes news that, during a case involving the use of a Stingray device, the DOJ revealed that it was standard practice to use the devices without explicitly requesting permission in warrants. "When Rigmaiden filed a motion to suppress the Stingray evidence as a warrantless search in violation of the Fourth Amendment, the government responded that this order was a search warrant that authorized the government to use the Stingray. Together with the ACLU of Northern California and the ACLU, we filed an amicus brief in support of Rigmaiden, noting that this 'order' wasn't a search warrant because it was directed towards Verizon, made no mention of an IMSI catcher or Stingray and didn't authorize the government — rather than Verizon — to do anything. Plus to the extent it captured loads of information from other people not suspected of criminal activity it was a 'general warrant,' the precise evil the Fourth Amendment was designed to prevent. ... The emails make clear that U.S. Attorneys in the Northern California were using Stingrays but not informing magistrates of what exactly they were doing. And once the judges got wind of what was actually going on, they were none too pleased:"

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The meat is rotten, but the booze is holding out. Computer translation of "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

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