tom 's BestNetTech Comments

Latest Comments (374)

• On the post: Biggest Ransomware Attack Yet Crippled U.S. Hospitals Last Weekend

  

  tom ( profile ), 01 Oct, 2020 @ 02:49pm

  In the US, there is a Federal mandate to move medical records to electronic format. Some of the requirements of that mandate including the ability to easily transfer patient records between providers, pretty well requires Internet access. Things like HIPPA mandate patient privacy but allow disturbing bypasses. Add in the growing tendency of developers to link to third party scripts/libraries to do important processing without checking what that code really does. Don't forget the whole 'Patient is the marketable data product' thing as well. This is going to get far worse before it gets better.

• On the post: Facebook Sued For Not Preventing A Bunch A White Guys With Guns From Traveling To A Protest To Shoot People

  

  tom ( profile ), 28 Sep, 2020 @ 02:08pm

  This suit has the hallmarks of sue everyone with money and see if something lasts long enough to encourage a settlement. Regardless of the legal merits of the case, FB doesn't want a case surviving to trial. FB vs Grieving Family has a good chance of a jury win for Grieving Family.

• On the post: On Appeal, 'Star Trek Discovery' Still Doesn't Infringe On Video Game's Copyright

  

  tom ( profile ), 27 Aug, 2020 @ 08:46am

  Giant living critter in space. Not exactly new material for the Star Trek universe. ST-TOS The Immunity Syndrome featured a giant single celled critter. Not exactly a tardigrade but given the effects budget and ability at the time a pretty good try. Wonder how many monster in space games, stories and etc were inspired in part by someone watching that episode?

• On the post: Arizona State University Sues Facebook With Bogus Trademark Claim To Try To Stop COVID Parties Account

  

  tom ( profile ), 26 Aug, 2020 @ 02:57pm

  Quick Internet search:
  ASU - Appalachian State University
  ASU - Alabama State university
  ASU - Arizona State University
  ASU - Angelo State University

  Could be others.

  All seem to use some version of yellow/gold as one of their school colors based on website visuals. Guessing that each has an exact Pantone color definition for their school colors.

  Seems the use of ASU isn't exactly unique in the college/university trade area.

  Wonder if Arizona State verified the colors used on the accounts in question were the trademarked colors or merely generic yellow/dark red shades? Assuming they actually did get trademarks on specific colors.

• On the post: South Carolina Supreme Court Says Cops Aren't Getting Any No-Knock Warrants Anytime Soon

  

  tom ( profile ), 21 Jul, 2020 @ 06:48am

  Any judge that signs a no-knock warrant that results in injuries or death(s) should have to go through an administrative review much as police do after a shooting. Questions like did the judge query the police as to why the no-knock was needed? Is the information leading to the warrant corroborated by a 2nd source?

  For that matter, perhaps there should be a periodic review of all warrants a judge signs. How many resulted in good arrests and prosecutions? How many resulted in evidence being tossed due to bad warrant or poor execution?

  If judges start being held accountable for their actions, maybe they will pay more attention to what they are being asked to approve.

• On the post: In The Middle Of A Pandemic, ICE Says Foreign Students Must Attend Physical Classes If They Don't Want To Be Kicked Out Of The Country

  

  tom ( profile ), 07 Jul, 2020 @ 01:32pm

  I don't know what percent of classes have to be in-person to qualify a visa holder for staying but it should be possible for a university to create a in person class in a large auditorium or empty sports arena so that students can maintain proper safe distancing while attending an in person class. Or a class could have a mandatory in person "Expectations" lecture followed up with a series of on-line guidance sessions. Many possibilities if the schools want to keep the money flowing in from visa holding students.

• On the post: New 'National Security' Law Threatens Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Protesters With Life In Prison

  

  tom ( profile ), 07 Jul, 2020 @ 09:05am

  The UK probably got the best deal they could at the time. The earlier Falklands War with Argentina had shown the UK just how far they had fallen as a military power. They won but not by that much against a small country also fighting a remote war. China is neither small nor remote from Hong Kong.

  Anyone in HK that doesn't have a go bag packed and an escape plan prepared wasn't paying attention.

  China picked a good time. The rest of the world is dealing with Covid19 and other political issues.

• On the post: YouTube Jacks Live TV Streaming Prices 30%, As Streaming Sector Starts To Resemble Good Old Cable

  

  tom ( profile ), 02 Jul, 2020 @ 07:18am

  The more things change, the more they stay the same. Or in this case, repeat.

  When cable first came out, it was a affordable way to get a variety of local + new stations without the hassle of having to put an an antenna + rotor(if you were between stations.

  Once cable got enough folks hooked and the antennas had come down(sometime due to local laws or HOA rules), cable started jacking up prices.

  Streaming is following the same playbook. Low intro price, no or simple controller box, better channel options. Now that enough folks are hooked and have turned in those cable boxes, Streamers are raising prices and in many cases adding in those same high cost channels that folks used to hate in the cable bundles.

  If the Streamers keep this up, physical media may make a come back.

• On the post: How An NYPD Officer Can Hit A Teen With His Car In Front Of Several Witnesses And Get Away With It

  

  tom ( profile ), 02 Jul, 2020 @ 07:08am

  As a small child, I was taught to look BOTH ways before stepping into the street, for exactly this reason. You never know what idiot is doing something stupid on the road. Getting hit is on the kid.

  Shouldn't absolve the 'Professionally Trained' Officer of being disciplined for being stupid enough to speed the wrong way on a Trick or Treat night. Or the rest of the Dept for the follow on round ups and subsequent cover up.

• On the post: One Of The World's Largest Web Tracking Companies Leaks Tons Of Personal Info From An Unsecured Server

  

  tom ( profile ), 23 Jun, 2020 @ 09:01am

  The investigation will likely find that the 'Two Companies' have few assets subject to tort recovery and the contracts between the companies and Oracle and others clearly put all financial responsibility on the 'Two Companies'.

  Wouldn't be surprised if said contracts are being printed off now and back dated by a fully activated Oracle legal staff.

• On the post: AT&T Has Now Eliminated 41,000 Jobs Since Its $42 Billion Trump Tax Cut

  

  tom ( profile ), 22 Jun, 2020 @ 08:59am

  Looks like AT&T may become the next GE. A long slow painful decline while the stock pickers are yelling "BUY!" because of the high dividend and large cash flow.

• On the post: More Schools Are Ending Contracts With Cops Following Protests Over The Killing Of George Floyd

  

  tom ( profile ), 15 Jun, 2020 @ 04:23pm

  This will probably end poorly. The SROs became popular as an easy way for school administrators to off-load responsibility for handling discipline issues to someone else. They are not going to want to take that responsibility back. I predict that a lot of schools dropping out of SRO contracts will soon have contracts with 'Joe's School Security Corp, est - 2020'. And not too long after, there will be a growing number of posts here about how bad an idea it is for schools to hire private security guards who earn slightly more then minimum wage to patrol the hallways.

• On the post: New Study Finds No Evidence Of Anti-Conservative Bias In Facebook Moderation (If Anything, It's The Opposite)

  

  tom ( profile ), 02 Jun, 2020 @ 03:37pm

  Re:

  Please do your own homework. Your request has nothing to do with my posting.

• On the post: New Study Finds No Evidence Of Anti-Conservative Bias In Facebook Moderation (If Anything, It's The Opposite)

  

  tom ( profile ), 02 Jun, 2020 @ 10:09am

  Gee, A study of Facebook by an company owned by Facebook declares that Facebook is doing a good job. What could go wrong with that?

  It seems the results of this study really depend on how the various groups are classified. The linked CNN report calls Fox News a Conservative Network. Does this put CNN in the straight forward category for this report? If you classify Fox News as straight forward network, this probably moves CNN,ABC etc. into the Liberal camp and would likely change the report outcomes.

  Would be really nice if they would publish the list of how they classified the various networks and organizations.

• On the post: As Some Are Requiring People To Give Up Their Info To Dine, Stories Of Creeps Abusing That Info Come Out

  

  tom ( profile ), 16 May, 2020 @ 01:28pm

  Re: Re:

  Get out a lot. Just don't advertise that there is a house that won't have anyone home for a while. If your security policy is counting on stupid or un-organized criminals, I hope you have good insurance.

• On the post: Disney: If We Can't Run Club Penguin, No One Can Run Club Penguin [Updated]

  

  tom ( profile ), 15 May, 2020 @ 05:36pm

  If the real reason the one site was targeted is the operator's alleged bad actions, maybe the other sites will be allowed to keep operating sans DMCA notice.

• On the post: As Some Are Requiring People To Give Up Their Info To Dine, Stories Of Creeps Abusing That Info Come Out

  

  tom ( profile ), 15 May, 2020 @ 05:23pm

  Giving out an address in a public place where someone can overhear and knows that you are likely to be there for a hour or so is just begging for your house to be robbed while you are enjoying your meal. Could even be one of the employees phoning associates who do the crime.

  If the place insists, you could just provide the name, home address and office phone number of the mayor or governor that issued the order. Plus pay with cash.

• On the post: AMC Theaters Pouts Like A Child Because NBC Universal Proved Movie Release Windows Are Nonsense

  

  tom ( profile ), 30 Apr, 2020 @ 08:03am

  This shouldn't be a tough call for NBC-Universal. Release via theater and have to share the gross. Release via VOD and keep all the gross. Gross in either case is similar.

  Of course this is a sample size of 1. Other movies may react differently. But I imagine that most will react similar to Trolls.

• On the post: The System Works: Deputy Who Randomly Fired His Gun Through His Windshield Into Rush Hour Traffic Fined $2

  

  tom ( profile ), 26 Apr, 2020 @ 07:53am

  Wonder when some attorney will help this menace to society file a claim against the county for on the job hearing damage caused by his discharge of a firearm in an enclosed space while on duty?

• On the post: How Much Data Does Clearview Gather On People? The Answer (Sadly) Will Not Surprise You.

  

  tom ( profile ), 27 Mar, 2020 @ 11:47am

  So Clearview copied 4 billion copyrighted pictures without permission? Why isn't one of the *AA organizations on top of this? Seems 4 billion violations $50,000 per violation would be a rich pot to go after.

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