Computer ownership...

[BuzzKillington]

Ok, I'm gunna give this guy benefit of the doubt and say he may have learned something I've never heard about... but I heard my mom's BF talking about making sure she had 100% ownership of the computer.

I assumed he meant that I wasn't allowed to use it or something so I had a talk with him making sure he knew he had no place to be making demands like that.

He said no, just so she has complete ownership of the brain!

I automatically thought of like a system/server admin where "owner/admin, superuser, root, w/e" has control over the other users on the network.

Apparently, he thinks our little network is like it is at Barona Casino where he does construction work...

He said No. Where you OWN, literally have complete ownership of the entire system!!

I'm like... wtf are you on? if you have possession, the world thinks it's yours. There's nothing inside the OS that you can claim as yours besides user accounts.

He said noooo, it's not the software! you physically OWN every component in the computer!

At this point I walk away because he's a nut job that took one computer class and apparently took it as some kinda crazy science experiment. I guess this is what happens when 50 year olds are introduced to technology.

Anyway, am I wrong or right? the only "ownership" is through user accounts? I just want to make 100% certain that I'm not missing something.

[Drum Thumper]

WTF indeed. The only thing that remotely comes to mind is physical ownership. Maybe he's wanting to pawn it or something like that. Who knows.

[BuzzKillington]

I'm almost positive he was thinking of superuser or something because he had the idea that other computer "out there" can gain access and use her files yada yada. I told him we're not on that kind of network... it's a private network with 2 whole nodes on it. My laptop and her desktop and sorry bub, if I truly wanted remote access to it I could simply install it on there considering it's in my house and have plenty of time while they're away. I don't want remote access over it... I have my own computer so quit spazzing mr.conspiracy.

I'm still frustrated from the conversation... No matter how much I kept telling him there's nothing that binds anything to anyones ownership... you don't register it to the government or something... you enter your name in user accounts... you can choose to set a password... woah!!! 1337 H4X02 5k11z!

I read up a little and:

Windows NT

In Windows NT and later systems derived from it (Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Vista), there may or may not be a superuser. By default, there is a superuser named Administrator, although it is not an exact analogue of the Unix root superuser account. Administrator does not have all the privileges of root because some superuser privileges are assigned to the Local System account in Windows NT. The user may gain access to the Local System account by making Task Scheduler start a command prompt. Since Task Scheduler starts programs as Local System, the user can run any program as Local System. However, this may be regarded as a vulnerability.

In Windows Vista or later, you can use User Account Control to run a process with elevated privileges (for example, by right-clicking (Windows 2000 users must hold the SHIFT key while right-clicking) on the program and selecting Run as administrator). In earlier version of Windows, the command runas fulfils this task

That's as much as I could find worth mentioning. All in all not a big deal and completely pointless to mention considering it's my moms computer... she doesn't know how to turn it on. He mentioned it to throw out big, important sounding words to make him sound like a tech god that works for the government or something.






Which leads me to my next story... while listening to their conversation outside my window I heard my mom talking about how the computer was messed up. (posted about it in the computers not working thread) He said with an attitude of power or knowledge... "don't worry... I'll take care of this, I've dealt with these kind of problems, I know what I'm doing."

I didn't know if I should laugh or run out and punch him. The stupid prick didn't and still doesn't know what the problem was! He never tried to turn it on so how would he know just what kind of issue awaits him? What's eating me is my mom just takes it in in awe.

I go out there and my mom asks "can you please fix it?" and he interrupted and said "what's wrong with it?" I told him I didn't know, he's the computer tech... right? He can fix it. :)

[mtekk]

There are some hardware items that you can't own, the one that comes to mind is a cablecard. If you have one in a special, very expensive ($300) tuner card in your computer, that cablecard used to get encrypted channels is leased from the cable company.

Or, if you have one of those internet agreements that gave you a discount on the computer for a service contract then you don't technically own the computer until the contract is up.

Software itself you do not own, you own a license to use it. Maybe he's confusing software with hardware. He may also be inquiring about any media (e.g., music, movies, etc.) on the computer and its license status, which again you can't actually own (unless you purchase the full copyright of the work) but rather own a license to use. I'm pretty sure he meant software/media not actual hardware (when people say in the computer, they actually mean on the hard drive (or what ever "long term" storage medium is) not the hardware in the actual case as we'd think).

[OvRiDe]

In alot of cases businesses lease computers. This way they can write off the cost of the lease, and they can upgrade their computers every 2 years or so. Possibly he was thinking that consumers do the same???

Either way .. WTF is it to him!!

[TheGreatSatan]

I thiink this is even weirder to me when reading it at nearly 1 a.m. Does this just not make any sense or am I just really tired?

[d_stilgar]

Yeah, I have no clue what anyone means . . . rent to own, licenses, admin access, hackers and bots . . .no clue.

[Datech]

The only other thing I can think of that is remotely related is how cable internet and TV companies lease the router and tuner box to you. Maybe he has some messed up notion of how this applies to computers or extrapolated some other scenarios from the little he seems to know. It wouldn't matter if you did lease a router or TV box from a big company though, because their TOS and all other legal docs expressly forbid accessing anything past the router.

[NightrainSrt4]

I wouldn't listen to him. Take anything he says with a grain of salt. He's a douche, that much has been made very clear from before.

And about your mum awing over him, there isn't much you can do. She's looking for some kind of bond or attachment, and unfortunately this guy was the first to do it. She's going to be in awe over pretty much anything he says or does, even if its wrong, stupid, ass-like, and sometimes even mean. If she is anything like my mom, it's not something she can control, as much as you can look at it from an outside perspective and go wtf???. Until he does something that really makes her snap back and realize everything, at least by my experience of 22+ years, he's going to be in her world, and may never actually break out of it.

He sounds like a tard. Much like my father who tried telling me on a visit that he had the best video card in the world and paid 450$ for it. What was it ... ... ... a 7300LE. Apparently the numbering system meant nothing as my 7600GS in SLI was worse, and so was my 8800GTS 320MB Superclocked. Ohh, and Pentium 4 is still the best processor in the world, AND having more ram than 512MB does absolutely nothing and will actually make the computer slower.

Those were exact statements he made to me. I turned and laughed right in his face and he stormed off. Looking back, I'm lucky he didn't freak then and try to stab me lol. Then again I doubt he would be in prison after that lol. ;)

[xRyokenx]

Hahaha, people thinking they know what they're talking about and being wrong is hilarious and infuriating at the same time. It's a good thing the "Warshovel of Common Sense" doesn't actually exist or I'd probably have broken it from extreme use. :D

[nevermind1534]

Hahaha, people thinking they know what they're talking about and being wrong is hilarious and infuriating at the same time. It's a good thing the "Warshovel of Common Sense" doesn't actually exist or I'd probably have broken it from extreme use. :D

There was a guy who sat next to me in my CAD class last year, and he could never admit when he was wrong. He really pissed me off for that and a number of other reasons.

[BuzzKillington]

I'm glad I'm not the only one then. I tried quoting him as thoroughly and closely as possible but even so you all are in my same state of wtf-ness.

I still think he was thinking of "owner" the default admin account name when setting up XP. Because he's a nobody, he probably has an absolute restricted account where he has to have permission to move the mouse. He probably assumes that's how every computer is and he wants my mom to be in complete control and have complete access to her desktop of nothingness. A stripped, fresh install of XP. Have at it.


It will make your day to hear he also:
has friends that set up the government security in the Air Force! If he can't do it he has his sources that can!!

[x88x]

Where be this WarShovel of Common Sense? I must have one! Maybe if we reinforce the handle with carbon-fibre rods for increased strength and flexibility it will last longer :D

I wonder if in that one computer class he took he overheard somebody talking about an attacker "owning" a target system....and many uninformed logical jumps later arrived at...something...something very, very strange O_o

[BuzzKillington]

That would make sense too since he and my mom like filling in their own storyline between bits of information they receive to make the story... a story.

For example, I picked myself up some work boots after destroying my only pair of every-day shoes in a warehouse. I showed my mom and was reading her the oath they put with every pair that it's their duty to make the most comfortable and best fitting boots you'll ever wear. I told her from what I've read, they target a lot of law-enforcement and military and from their reviews, they said they were the best boots they've ever worn. Aside from reviews, I also went to bootworld and tried on a pair...niiiiiiice... except for the 130 dollar price tag. (I found them online for 75 dollars shipped)

Anyway, I heard her talking to Martin about how I bought them from a cop-shop and they wanted like TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS for them! He then said that there was nothing wrong with my shoes. He then went on to say that his steel-toes were 200 dollars as well. I didn't know they sold high-end boots at Wal Mart (not that there's anything wrong with boots from wal-mart...just don't say they're 200 dollars).

A) Not from a cop shop... B) Where did that number come from? and C) When exactly does he examine my shoes?

[xRyokenx]

Where be this WarShovel of Common Sense? I must have one! Maybe if we reinforce the handle with carbon-fibre rods for increased strength and flexibility it will last longer :D

Sadly, it is only a figment of my imagination at this moment. Ooh, great drawing idea: draw said shovel inside of a case with a glass cover and have a label on the case say "For Use In Case Of Extreme Stupidity."

@Buzz: I also have absolutely no idea where people get things from. I was taken to court over a rant on how flat out awful the school's food is/was. I didn't mention a single threatening thing yet they still figured I communicated a threat... but that's another story, one preferably to be forgotten lol. ...I think people just like to exaggerate and make **** up just for the sake of telling a story. These same people are probably also the ones that watch those crappy soap operas and (non-)reality TV. :rolleyes:

[BuzzKillington]

Their life is just so pathetic their stories aren't worth anything on their own so they need to make up details to sound important, look important and be important to someone that is otherwise ignorant on the topic.

The other day he was also telling my mom that FLAX SEED will make you fail a drug test (He's thinking of poppy seed)... honest mistake I suppose UNTIL... "Ya, they sell flax seed oil at a ton of places... it will MESS YOU UP!" My mom asked, why haven't they pulled it from the shelves!? He said, "Because they haven't caught onto it yet."

*sigh*

[Datech]

Their life is just so pathetic their stories aren't worth anything on their own so they need to make up details to sound important, look important and be important to someone that is otherwise ignorant on the topic.

The other day he was also telling my mom that FLAX SEED will make you fail a drug test (He's thinking of poppy seed)... honest mistake I suppose UNTIL... "Ya, they sell flax seed oil at a ton of places... it will MESS YOU UP!" My mom asked, why haven't they pulled it from the shelves!? He said, "Because they haven't caught onto it yet."

*sigh*

Where do you live? I seriously want to meet this guy now. Show up with a trenchcoat on and some flax seed oil and try and sell it to him all shady like.

You know, this is the internet. We can 'make stuff happen' if you really want it to...

[BuzzKillington]

Hell, I could make reformatting a computer sound like rocket science to someone that's computer illiterate.

You need to strategically place the marking mechanism on the sheet of uniform compressed material applied with a substance created in labs to make it absent of all color. You then need to steadily move the utensil in such a way it takes years of schooling to comprehend and even then many will not master it in their lifetime. You need to know where each character connects otherwise you could ruin the entire script causing complete chaos! Given the right circumstances, such an error could be lethal! There you have it! Your name, written cursively.

[SXRguyinMA]

lol

[xRyokenx]

"Stupid people make the world go round... but only because they're too stupid to not know how to make the world go sideways."

[Drum Thumper]

Because he's a nobody, he probably has an absolute restricted account where he has to have permission to move the mouse.

Windows has this already, It is called 'Vista' or some such thing. :P

And on a more serious note...I've been watching this thread. I'm willing to let the vague threats slide for now. Any more talk of 'making things happen', however, will result in a bit of a vacation from the boards. I'm also going to point out that wiretapping is illegal.

Consider this your only warning.

[TheGreatSatan]

Trust me. It's just better to agree with the guy and snicker whenever he comes around

[BuzzKillington]

I didn't say anything about wiretapping although eavesdropping is also illegal so I see what you're saying. My intentions weren't to be posting illegal activity on the boards so I went ahead and edited out the part about contemplating recording their convo via wireless mic. It was more of a thinking out-loud/venting type of thing anyway. It was just one of those "you've got to hear to understand" type of things. They're crazy.

[Xpirate]

I'm really sorry that your mom is hooked up with this kind of dude. There are a lot of people out there that are just like him. TGS suggested the best way to deal with him. Just laugh about the nonsense behind his back.

But, I know that it would be a lot easier to do that if he was not with your mom. I have a brother-in-law that does some of the same things. But I really hate it when his bone-headed ideas have an adverse effect on my sister's life.