Wow. One of the people working on this is a former security guy at Intel. Makes me wonder if meltdown and specter were engineered into chips on purpose.
Meltdown and Spectre aren't backdoors or simple mistakes. They are the unforeseen consequences of speculative execution. Also, other companies' processors are affected too.
Spectre/Meltdown aren't the "tinfoil" (which might actually be legitimate) fears in Intel -- those are probably Intel Management Engine/AMT/etc. and general supply chain risk (maybe Intel processors in general are safe, but if you're a target, maybe the machines you order are "special" -- although making special CPUs in the latest process, especially if you're not Intel itself, is a lot harder than making "special" versions of other chips in older process in the system.)
Without other evidence pointing to deliberate design of the flaws, it's reasonable to think that an expert on security would be hired by Intel for that expertise on security, and that they would also be someone tapped to be in a high-level group that would be looking into security issues for the government. You can definitely disagree with the goals of the Justice Department and those involved in this matter without also attributing deliberately introducing flaws that resulting in Meltdown and Spectre.
You’re putting an awful lot of faith in the amount of work executives will do. Not to disparage all C-level executives. But I’m not surprised at all that “China is mad at this tweet...Fire the person on the other end of it.” Is as far as they were willing to dig. They usually fix symptoms, not problems.
See I wonder about that. In compromises conditions (many) drivers will drive slower and be more cautious. Perhaps computers need to be given a sense of fallibility? Computer can sense low light conditions and drive even more cautiously as a result.
I usually remain logged out of our Corp chat (Sametime) AND keep my phone unplugged. If you want me but can’t be bothered to stop by or send an email, then it’s probably not worth my time.
"Hole" and "in" are pretty good metaphors for what a black hole is. It's hard to have any particularly accurate metaphors for what a black hole is because time dilation, the speed of light, curved space, etc. just aren't a part of life for any humans.
My childhood was one of extreme poverty. We were never homeless. But my dad worked so much we never saw him. And the toll it took on him was such that my brother and I were basically terrified of him even into our early adulthood. He was brutal, mean, always angry. Our mother died when I was 10 and he abandoned us with our grandparents. I don’t blame him anymore. He had a breakdown. The world finally destroyed him. But life with our grandparents was better. They were kind and in their own harsh way taught us we had to be tough and make better decisions. It didn’t stick with my brother. He’s been borderline psychotic ever since mom died. I think it destroyed him, too. But even now at 30 I count every penny. Every expense is important. Even going on a date with my wife, I’m afraid the whole time. What if...what if..it’s nearly constant. All that to say I think I understand how you feel. And I agree, those who haven’t and don’t have to live like we did just can’t understand it. That’s not a value judgement. It’s just human nature.
Almost the same happened with my father. It's why I think poverty can span generations easily. I am grateful now my mom and dad got a divorce but during that dark time I only saw my dad if either myself or my brother were in trouble or if we happened to be running around the trailer late at night.
