@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:

@pmoncho said in Non-IT News Thread:

@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:

@pmoncho said in Non-IT News Thread:

Then the NY Times puts out partial information to the public.

Are we concerned that the information is partial? Yes. Whose fault is that? Blame the people forcing it to be partial, not the people informing the public.

Absolutely we are concerned that its partial. It's plain crappy journalism.

How does that make it crappy? One moment you are questioning how they got what they got, now you are complaining that they didn't get enough. Can't have it both ways. Either it's absolutely amazing journalism as they are the only ones who managed to get it at all. Or it's crappy that they released anything. Can't be crappy because they only got so much, as it's the best out there.

I am not complaining they didn't get enough for a short story but not something that would be considered a story with journalistic integrity. Its a freaking blurb with political bias.

@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:

@pmoncho said in Non-IT News Thread:

@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:

@pmoncho said in Non-IT News Thread:

@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:

Donald Trump 'paid $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017' - NY Times

Donald Trump paid just $750 (£580) in federal income tax both in 2016, the year he ran for the US presidency, and in his first year in the White House, the New York Times says.
The newspaper - which says it obtained tax records for Mr Trump and his companies over two decades - also says that he paid no income taxes at all in 10 of the previous 15 years. The records reveal "chronic losses and years of tax avoidance", it says. Mr Trump called the report "fake news". "Actually I paid tax. And you'll see that as soon as my tax returns - it's under audit, they've been under audit for a long time," he told reporters after the story was published on Sunday. "The IRS [Internal Revenue Service] does not treat me well… they treat me very badly," he said.

Ummm... Shouldn't the question be how did the NY Times obtain a copy of private confidential tax records?

Then the NY Times puts out partial information to the public. Isn't that technically something that anyone here that worries about Information Security have a big issue with?????

There is a lot of assumption in that. First of all, this is NOT private information, it's public information for national security. I'm concerned that anyone is allowed to run this country without this being public, in fact, it's essentially treason. Anyone doing so without showing that they are eligible for office, isn't actually eligible for office.

Not according to this.

https://tax.findlaw.com/federal-taxes/tax-return-confidentiality-and-disclosure-laws.html

I'm not sure how any of that applies. That the IRS can't disclose your taxes is what that is talking about, not that people you have shared them with cannot. Unless you are implying that the IRS is who published them, and I assure you that they did not, I don't know what you are trying to point to. Once the IRS has returned your taxes to you, the confidentiality of the information is on you to protect.

This is true of all your private information. That something is private under certain conditions changes under many conditions - the biggest one being when you yourself disclose it.

It applies because it states that tax returns are considered private and confidential. Plus, I'm sure there is a law somewhere that then applies to anyone else who touches that information. One doesn't need to be a tax lawyer to know that.

@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:

@pmoncho said in Non-IT News Thread:

Then the NY Times puts out partial information to the public.

Are we concerned that the information is partial? Yes. Whose fault is that? Blame the people forcing it to be partial, not the people informing the public.

Absolutely we are concerned that its partial. It's plain crappy journalism. Although journalism from NY Times is like news from CNN (yeah, that's just an opinion).

@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:

@pmoncho said in Non-IT News Thread:

@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:

Donald Trump 'paid $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017' - NY Times

Donald Trump paid just $750 (£580) in federal income tax both in 2016, the year he ran for the US presidency, and in his first year in the White House, the New York Times says.
The newspaper - which says it obtained tax records for Mr Trump and his companies over two decades - also says that he paid no income taxes at all in 10 of the previous 15 years. The records reveal "chronic losses and years of tax avoidance", it says. Mr Trump called the report "fake news". "Actually I paid tax. And you'll see that as soon as my tax returns - it's under audit, they've been under audit for a long time," he told reporters after the story was published on Sunday. "The IRS [Internal Revenue Service] does not treat me well… they treat me very badly," he said.

Ummm... Shouldn't the question be how did the NY Times obtain a copy of private confidential tax records?

Then the NY Times puts out partial information to the public. Isn't that technically something that anyone here that worries about Information Security have a big issue with?????

There is a lot of assumption in that. First of all, this is NOT private information, it's public information for national security. I'm concerned that anyone is allowed to run this country without this being public, in fact, it's essentially treason. Anyone doing so without showing that they are eligible for office, isn't actually eligible for office.

Not according to this.

https://tax.findlaw.com/federal-taxes/tax-return-confidentiality-and-disclosure-laws.html

@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:

Donald Trump 'paid $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017' - NY Times

Donald Trump paid just $750 (£580) in federal income tax both in 2016, the year he ran for the US presidency, and in his first year in the White House, the New York Times says.
The newspaper - which says it obtained tax records for Mr Trump and his companies over two decades - also says that he paid no income taxes at all in 10 of the previous 15 years. The records reveal "chronic losses and years of tax avoidance", it says. Mr Trump called the report "fake news". "Actually I paid tax. And you'll see that as soon as my tax returns - it's under audit, they've been under audit for a long time," he told reporters after the story was published on Sunday. "The IRS [Internal Revenue Service] does not treat me well… they treat me very badly," he said.

Ummm... Shouldn't the question be how did the NY Times obtain a copy of private confidential tax records?

Then the NY Times puts out partial information to the public. Isn't that technically something that anyone here that worries about Information Security have a big issue with?????

@Grey said in Miscellaneous Tech News:

@mlnews said in Miscellaneous Tech News:

Dark web drugs raid leads to 179 arrests

Police forces around the world have seized more than $6.5m (£5m) in cash and virtual currencies, as well as drugs and guns in a co-ordinated raid on dark web marketplaces.
Some 179 people were arrested across Europe and the US, and 500kg (1,102lb) of drugs and 64 guns confiscated. It ends the "golden age" of these underground marketplaces, Europol said. "The hidden internet is no longer hidden", said Edvardas Sileris, head of Europol's cyber-crime centre. The operation, known as DisrupTor, was a joint effort between the Department of Justice and Europol. It is believed that the criminals engaged in tens of thousands of sales of illicit goods and services across the US and Europe. Drugs seized including fentanyl, oxycodone, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and MDMA.

That's a lot of people for the amount seized. You would think there'd be more cash or actual drugs. It seems like a lot of effort for little reward.

Pandemic affects all markets apparently.

@siringo said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

how do you guys know when Mesh Central and Zerotier are updated?

For MeshCentral, you can go on the "My Server" tab and click "Check Server Version" to know if you want/need to update.

With so much development, I just update ever two or three days.

@mlnews said in Miscellaneous Tech News:

Facebook staffer sends 'blood on my hands' memo

Fake accounts have been undermining elections around the world, an ex-Facebook employee has claimed.
In a 6,600-word internal memo to fellow workers, data scientist Sophie Zhang said she made decisions "that affected national presidents" without oversight. "I have blood on my hands," she wrote in the memo, parts of which were published by Buzzfeed. In response, Facebook said it was working hard to stop bad actors and inauthentic behaviour. In her memo, parts of which were published by Buzzfeed without her permission, Ms Zhang said: "In the three years I've spent at Facebook, I've found multiple blatant attempts by foreign national governments to abuse our platform on vast scales to mislead their own citizenry, and caused international news on multiple occasions.

Not much difference, other than speed, between FB/Social Media and another form of communication for hundreds of years.

@JaredBusch said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@scottalanmiller said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@siringo said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@pmoncho said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@JaredBusch said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@pmoncho said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

Dang, just noticed that the XPS doesn't have a numeric keypad.

On a laptop? yeah, no thanks.

Yeah. I use it quite a bit.

yeah, I use the numeric keypad alot, but I find it really annoying when working on several remote machines, it's on, it's off, it's on it's off. Don't have to worry about that when you don't have one.

Me too, I live on the numeric pad.

I user it lightly. not enough to want a larger keyboard on my laptop, thus pushing me to a screen size bigger than 13"

If I really need it, I need to be docked and on a full keyboard.

My eyesight isn't the greatest so I stick to 15" screens myself. I tried the 13's for a while and just couldn't handle it. Now, if I could doc everywhere, that would be awesome.

@siringo said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@pmoncho said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@JaredBusch said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@pmoncho said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

Dang, just noticed that the XPS doesn't have a numeric keypad.

On a laptop? yeah, no thanks.

Yeah. I use it quite a bit.

yeah, I use the numeric keypad alot, but I find it really annoying when working on several remote machines, it's on, it's off, it's on it's off. Don't have to worry about that when you don't have one.

I run into this also but it is a small price to pay.

@siringo said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@pmoncho said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@Dashrender said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@brandon220 said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@Dashrender The XPS are nice, but I doubt I would ever use the "tablet" function.

Then buy the laptop version.

XPS 15 is pretty sweet.

Just wondering if others purchase warranties or not? While many of us could fix normal issues, I always tell normal users to purchase it but I normally limit myself to basic just because I don't want to have to deal with finding parts if they are needed.

yep, the xps15 is gorgeous. I like my macbook for it's aesthetic appeal as much as anything else, it's sleek, the lid still aligns perfectly, the keyboard is still clear and functional and i've never come across a trackpad that is any better and then there's the display.

battery life is pretty good, sound is great AND I LOVE TELLING MAC PEOPLE I'M RUNNING WINDOWS ON IT.

I bet. The do look good. No doubt

@JaredBusch said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@pmoncho said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

Dang, just noticed that the XPS doesn't have a numeric keypad.

On a laptop? yeah, no thanks.

Yeah. I use it quite a bit.

@Dashrender said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@pmoncho said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@Dashrender said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@pmoncho said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@Dashrender said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@brandon220 said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@Dashrender The XPS are nice, but I doubt I would ever use the "tablet" function.

Then buy the laptop version.

XPS 15 is pretty sweet.

Just wondering if others purchase warranties or not? While many of us could fix normal issues, I always tell normal users to purchase it but I normally limit myself to basic just because I don't want to have to deal with finding parts if they are needed.

For work, I considered it, I bought 25 laptops and hot damn... it was a fortune to add warranties to them all - instead I just bought an extra two laptops to act as a replacement, still saved a bundle over warranty cost.

Good call. Makes total sense. Unfortunately, I have never been in that situation. I get to play with buying RAM and SSD's off Ebay to keep the 7 year olds running.

I believe it was you that mentioned you liked the XPS because of the "nose camera." Do you use a different camera instead (if you have web meetings)? Or just use your phone?

uh - what? no, I disliked the older XPS because of that camera placement... they have changed it.. put it back at the top where it belongs....

Dang, just noticed that the XPS doesn't have a numeric keypad. Bummer. Back to latitude I go. Although, thinking of checking out the MSI's on Amazon

@Dashrender said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@pmoncho said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@Dashrender said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@pmoncho said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@Dashrender said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@brandon220 said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@Dashrender The XPS are nice, but I doubt I would ever use the "tablet" function.

Then buy the laptop version.

XPS 15 is pretty sweet.

Just wondering if others purchase warranties or not? While many of us could fix normal issues, I always tell normal users to purchase it but I normally limit myself to basic just because I don't want to have to deal with finding parts if they are needed.

For work, I considered it, I bought 25 laptops and hot damn... it was a fortune to add warranties to them all - instead I just bought an extra two laptops to act as a replacement, still saved a bundle over warranty cost.

Good call. Makes total sense. Unfortunately, I have never been in that situation. I get to play with buying RAM and SSD's off Ebay to keep the 7 year olds running.

I believe it was you that mentioned you liked the XPS because of the "nose camera." Do you use a different camera instead (if you have web meetings)? Or just use your phone?

uh - what? no, I disliked the older XPS because of that camera placement... they have changed it.. put it back at the top where it belongs....

I misunderstood. All cleared up now.

@Dashrender said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@pmoncho said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@Dashrender said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@brandon220 said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@Dashrender The XPS are nice, but I doubt I would ever use the "tablet" function.

Then buy the laptop version.

XPS 15 is pretty sweet.

Just wondering if others purchase warranties or not? While many of us could fix normal issues, I always tell normal users to purchase it but I normally limit myself to basic just because I don't want to have to deal with finding parts if they are needed.

For work, I considered it, I bought 25 laptops and hot damn... it was a fortune to add warranties to them all - instead I just bought an extra two laptops to act as a replacement, still saved a bundle over warranty cost.

Good call. Makes total sense. Unfortunately, I have never been in that situation. I get to play with buying RAM and SSD's off Ebay to keep the 7 year olds running.

I believe it was you that mentioned you liked the XPS because of the "nose camera." Do you use a different camera instead (if you have web meetings)? Or just use your phone?

@scottalanmiller said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@pmoncho said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

Just wondering if others purchase warranties or not?

I never do. Warranties make the vendor money, which means that they lose you money. Over time, it's always cheaper to take the risk and service yourself. You have more flexibility than they do, so it's generally dramatically in your favour not to use a warranty.

I get that. I always think to myself, it a product makes it 90 days, it will work for years so why bother. That is why I went to just basic which for 3 years @ $150, it wasn't a bad deal.

With that being said, I sit here on my Dell E6530 (off Ebay) 6.5 years later never having an issue other than needing a new battery.

@Dashrender said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@brandon220 said in What Are You Doing Right Now:

@Dashrender The XPS are nice, but I doubt I would ever use the "tablet" function.

Then buy the laptop version.

XPS 15 is pretty sweet.

Just wondering if others purchase warranties or not? While many of us could fix normal issues, I always tell normal users to purchase it but I normally limit myself to basic just because I don't want to have to deal with finding parts if they are needed.

@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:

@pmoncho said in Non-IT News Thread:

@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:

@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:

@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:

@pmoncho said in Non-IT News Thread:

Putting a few billion dollars and many years into development of a product only to have it abused by another in one month is not a good thing.

There is already protection for that, though. No need for patents.

What is that protection?

Trade secrets.

Trade secrets is just a form of short term internal patent with the ability to create high short term pricing. The company would just calculate how long it would take for another to reverse engineer their product and add that to the intial cost. Thus, drug A will be three times the amount vs being able to have a 10 year patent. (just what I think would happen)

No, it's quite different. They are quite the opposite. One is "figure things out and make money on your knowledge" the other is "file legal paperwork and make money based on the legal system and government"

In the end, Product A's price will include the reverse engineering fee until Product B is created and sold. Doesn't matter if it is held as a trade secret within the company or the entire schematic laid out on paper for all to see.

If a protected time period doesn't exist, initial pricing will be three to five times more than it is already. Product A will be duplicated and Company A has to get on the ball for the next drug using the extra Billions it received from Product A's initial HUGE price.

@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:

@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:

@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:

@pmoncho said in Non-IT News Thread:

Putting a few billion dollars and many years into development of a product only to have it abused by another in one month is not a good thing.

There is already protection for that, though. No need for patents.

What is that protection?

Trade secrets.

Trade secrets is just a form of short term internal patent with the ability to create high short term pricing. The company would just calculate how long it would take for another to reverse engineer their product and add that to the intial cost. Thus, drug A will be three times the amount vs being able to have a 10 year patent. (just what I think would happen)

@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:

@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:

@pmoncho said in Non-IT News Thread:

Putting a few billion dollars and many years into development of a product only to have it abused by another in one month is not a good thing.

There is already protection for that, though. No need for patents.

What is that protection?

You can tell we are both in healthcare.