Massive DDoS Cuts Myanmar Off From Net 149
Trailrunner7 writes "The nation of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, found its access to the Internet severed by a massive denial of service attack, according to a report by Arbor Networks. The source or motivation of the attack isn't known, but it is believed that the distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks have targeted the country's Ministry of Post and Telecommunication (or PTT), the main conduit for Internet traffic in and out of the authoritarian nation."
All the computers were unable to connect (Score:3, Funny)
both of them.
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It might actually be even better computer culture, since it's social activity and not just sitting alone at home.
Computer use in the presence of other people isn't any more social than reading a book in a room full of people. I take my netbook to the bar once in a while, and people are a distraction. If you want social interaction, go to a bar, church, or coffeehouse and leave the computer at home.
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Re:All the computers were unable to connect (Score:5, Funny)
That said, I'd like to personally apologize to the people of Myanmar. I know you're trying really hard for that third computer. You're almost there, just a bit more!
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"Being a joke doesn't preclude people from reacting negatively to it."
Well, you can certainly conclude that people who do are extremely weak-minded.
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Why, because the only people who react negatively to jokes are under the influence of a jedi or sith lord?
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Yes.
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"Being a joke doesn't preclude people from reacting negatively to it."
Well, you can certainly conclude that people who do are extremely weak-minded.
What a load of rubbish, people have the right to offend and be offended, it does not make either one of them weak-minded. However the expectation that labeling your speach a joke somehow magically takes away everyone else's right to be offended is a sign of a weak (or at best immature) mind.
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"What a load of rubbish, people have the right to offend and be offended"
Much like I have the right to offend people who are offended!
"it does not make either one of them weak-minded"
If they get mad over a simple joke, to me, it does. I personally think that anyone who gets upset over mere words (such as swear words) is a sign that they have a weak mind. They're just strings of imaginary letters.
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I mean, haven't you told a racist joke before? You just read one, after all.
That wasn't a racist joke.
It was a political joke referring to the junta's restrictions on internet use by the country's population.
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What could possibly be more anti-human than operating your privately owned machine alone?
Posting about it on Slashdot?
Rambo (Score:2)
I suspect Rambo.
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Posting it on slashdot (Score:5, Funny)
clever attempt at social engneering for more
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and nobody noticed (Score:3, Funny)
Re:and nobody noticed (Score:4, Funny)
Burma (Score:5, Informative)
Seems to me that if your country is ruled by a military junta, having your internet cut off is only to be expected. Being next door to China probably doesn't help.
Re:Burma (Score:5, Informative)
It's not based on country, merely the leanings of the people you work for that decide which name you give it. Yes, the UK and US generally go for Burma, but even in the UK some call it Myanmar.
Re:Burma (Score:5, Insightful)
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In the same vein, "Germany" has no name (that I am aware of) in English that is remotely close to what the natives call it: Deutchland.
So... Yeah. "Burma is the English name for that patch of land" works for me.
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To finish off that hopelessly confusing statement, the Dutch (who call themselves Nederlanders) come from a country which English-speaking people call the Netherlands, while the Pennsylvania Dutch (deutsch) actually came from Germany (Deutschland).
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To finish off that hopelessly confusing statement, the Dutch (who call themselves Nederlanders) come from a country which English-speaking people call the Netherlands
Nope the confusion isn't remotely finished yet:
Most of the english speaking people I know call the country the Dutch come from Holland.
To ratchet up the confusion even further, Holland is a province in the Netherlands.
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And the Holland tunnel connects NYC to New Jersey.
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And NYC was once called New Amsterdam, which is derived from the name of a Dutch city in Holland, the Netherlands. QED.
(BTW, the Dutch people I know refer to their home country as Holland; calling it the Netherlands is more formal, while if you're talking about your homeland it's Holland.)
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(BTW, the Dutch people I know refer to their home country as Holland; calling it the Netherlands is more formal, while if you're talking about your homeland it's Holland.)
Yes, but is that because the Dutch people you know are from the province Holland in the Netherlands? Or do -all- Dutch people tend to refer to the country as Holland even if they aren't from the Holland part?
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Technically speaking, Holland is a part of the Netherlands. The other parts actually don't care much for Holland being identified with the whole Netherlands.
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And NYC was once called New Amsterdam, which is derived from the name of a Dutch city in Holland, the Netherlands. QED.
(BTW, the Dutch people I know refer to their home country as Holland; calling it the Netherlands is more formal, while if you're talking about your homeland it's Holland.)
Seriously I think my head just exploded.
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No, the friend I see most often is from Zeist, east of the city of Utrecht, and he most definitely calls the country Holland, all the time.
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As I just replied to a previous poster, the friend I see most often is from Zeist, which is technically in the province of Utrecht, but he refers to the country as a whole as Holland, almost universally. Maybe that's because he learned English in schools that had a UK-centric view of Europe, but I dunno.
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which English-speaking people call the Netherlands
Either the Netherlands, or Holland, which just adds to the confusion, since two of the eleven provinces are called Noord Holland and Zuid Holland (north and south), and in general people from the other 9 provinces dont consider themselves hollanders, some will even take offence to the term...
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Actually, the Pennsylvania Dutch came from both the Low Countries (BENELUX) and Germany.
"Even old New York was once New Amsterdam. Why they changed it I can't say. People just liked it better that way!" - TMBG
--
BMO
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Except for the Pennsylvania Dutch whose ancestors came from Deutschland (Germany).
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Since the U.S. (and many other countries) uses the name "Burma", due to not recognizing the Military Junta that currently rules this country, should /. not follow suit?
Should the US government dictate what countries are called? Maybe we should ask the residents of Chinese Taipei.
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Since the U.S. (and many other countries) uses the name "Burma", due to not recognizing the Military Junta that currently rules this country, should /. not follow suit?
They decided to cave in just this once to everyone's demands about Slashdot users not being US centric.
Don't worry, your polls will still be in inches and pounds.
Re:Burma (Score:5, Funny)
Oblig. quote (Score:3, Funny)
Q: Why did you say "Burma"?
A: I panicked.
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Since the U.S. (and many other countries) uses the name "Burma", /. not follow suit?
due to not recognizing the Military Junta that currently rules this country,
should
Burma shave.
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the trend is of countries previously under the thumb of european powers to reject their colonial names. for example, madras is now chennai, rhodesia is now zimbabwe, northwest territories is now nunavut, etc.
it's a healthy trend, but in burma/ myanmar's specific case the renaming happened under a regime which can fairly be called more brutal than anything that happened under colonialism there. many burmese themselves reject the renaming for this very reason
therefore you have the healthy desire to reject col
Re:Burma (Score:5, Informative)
regime which can fairly be called more brutal than anything that happened under colonialism there.
That's an understatement. From Wikipedia:
Under British administration, Burma was the second-wealthiest country in South-East Asia. It had been the world's largest exporter of rice. During British administration, Burma supplied oil through the Burmah Oil Company. Burma also had a wealth of natural and labor resources. It produced 75% of the world's teak and had a highly literate population. The country was believed to be on the fast track to development.
...
After a parliamentary government was formed in 1948, Prime Minister U Nu disastrously attempted to make Burma a welfare state and adopted central planning. Rice exports fell by two thirds and mineral exports by over 96%. Plans were partly financed by printing money, which led to inflation. The 1962 coup d'état was followed by an economic scheme called the Burmese Way to Socialism, a plan to nationalize all industries, with the exception of agriculture. The catastrophic program turned Burma into one of the world's most impoverished countries. Burma's admittance to Least Developed Country status by the UN in 1987 highlighted its economic bankruptcy.
...
The economy is still rated as the least free in Asia (tied with North Korea). All fundamental market institutions are suppressed. Private enterprises are often co-owned or indirectly owned by state. The corruption watchdog organisation Transparency International in its 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index released on 26 September 2007 ranked Burma the most corrupt country in the world, tied with Somalia.
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Under British administration, Burma was the second-wealthiest country in South-East Asia. It had been the world's largest exporter of rice. During British administration, Burma supplied oil through the Burmah Oil Company. Burma also had a wealth of natural and labor resources. It produced 75% of the world's teak and had a highly literate population. The country was believed to be on the fast track to development. ...
After a parliamentary government was formed in 1948, Prime Minister U Nu disastrously attempted to make Burma a welfare state and adopted central planning. Rice exports fell by two thirds and mineral exports by over 96%. Plans were partly financed by printing money, which led to inflation. The 1962 coup d'état was followed by an economic scheme called the Burmese Way to Socialism, a plan to nationalize all industries, with the exception of agriculture. The catastrophic program turned Burma into one of the world's most impoverished countries. Burma's admittance to Least Developed Country status by the UN in 1987 highlighted its economic bankruptcy. ...
The economy is still rated as the least free in Asia (tied with North Korea). All fundamental market institutions are suppressed. Private enterprises are often co-owned or indirectly owned by state. The corruption watchdog organisation Transparency International in its 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index released on 26 September 2007 ranked Burma the most corrupt country in the world, tied with Somalia.
Dare I say - an example of benevolent colonialism? It's not always bad, y'know. Check out Zimbabwe for another example of a country that's gone down the toilet since the Brits moved out.
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Is the brutal military junta not made out of former Burmese?
I do not respect most of the US government, but I do not refer to it as the thirteen colonies.
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Or we could face reality and call it what it is, Myanmar.
Claiming it ain't so is childish and does not change reality.
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It was called "Burma" when I was in Thailand in 1974. How about we stop calling cars "cars" and start calling them "franlobs"? It's the same damned thing. Burma isn't the new name, Myanmar is.
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You mean when you were in Siam? ;-)
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Oddly, the natives of Thailand call their country "Bangkok". So I have no idea why it was ever called "Siam" or "Thailand".
Re:Burma (Score:4, Insightful)
Not to mention that it's amazingly coincidental that the internet goes away days before the first elections in 20 years.
No election observers, no foreign journalists, no connection with internet. All signs point to the junta cutting off its people from the rest of the world.
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US ignores
Their new name
Parent wants Slashdot
To do the same.
BURMA SHAVE!
Myanmar vs. Burma (Score:2)
As I understand it, the social/political situation is complicated, but you can view it as "Burma" refers to the people (and overthrown democratic government, long disappeared in practice), and "Myanmar" refers to the military rulers and government, and supporters. "Myanmar" is essentially still at war with "Burma" (most of the people still consider themselves Burmese) but it has stopped short of genocide.
After the Boxing Day tsunami, Myanmar used soldiers to prevent aid workers from even attempting to he
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Or people who care about reality and not your feelings. Seems far more PC to call it Burma so the tards around here do not get mad.
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Now I can't buy my tiger skins online.... (Score:2)
Unknown? (Score:1)
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(hehehe)
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Ad campaign ... For users of razors ... You won't need to shave ... When I'M FIRIN' MAH LAZ0RZ ... /b/urma Shave
According to Wikipedia... (Score:4, Informative)
Myanmar...
According to Wikipedia, it's still called "Burma", not Myanmar.
Re:According to Wikipedia... (Score:5, Informative)
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Yes, it says Burma for the article title. Then directly after it...
Read the discussion of the name issue on the article's discussion page, and you'll see the point I didn't make too well...
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Attacks sent / to Myanmar / Have no internet / Near and far / Burma-Shave
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Why'd they change it? Did people just like it better that way?
Re:According to Wikipedia... (Score:5, Informative)
Why'd they change it? Did people just like it better that way?
I don't think people have much of a say when they live under a military dictatorship.
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Why'd they change it? Did people just like it better that way?
I don't think people have much of a say when they live under a military dictatorship.
Whoosh! [wikipedia.org]
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Burma was the name given to the country when the british invaded it, i dont think the government currently there really wants to be reminded of that.
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The stars commanded it. [boston.com]
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Why'd they change it? Did people just like it better that way?
That's nobody's business but the Burm's
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USA, in a pro-democracy stance, still officially recognize it as Burma because ruling military of Burma declared it Myanmar and refused to allow the democratically elected government to take power (1989).
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You call it pro-democracy I call it anti-reality. Pretending it never happened is not a way to solve anything.
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"Reality"? That's a bit of a stretch. Who decides what a country is "really" called? You're just going to accept the decisions of whoever has the most guns?
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Who decides what a country is "really" called? You're just going to accept the decisions of whoever has the most guns?
That's usually how it's done.
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Yeah, that is the traditional method.
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When did I ever say I believed that?
Personally in that one both are as guilty as the other and the UN even more so. I believe Israel is just an apartheid state forcing those folks into that area in the same way the USA once forced Indians onto reservations.
And just as they are about to recover... (Score:1)
15Gps (Score:1)
Burma? (Score:5, Funny)
DDoS
Problems?
Script
Kiddies
Punch 'em
Out
Burma
Shave
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In Myanmar
through nerd's obsession
DDoS hits
gone are your sessions
Burma-Shave.
Too bad... (Score:1)
I guess now we wont know when the end of the world will be,
as we no longer have online access to the Myanmarian calendar.....
or was that mayan, i get those 2 confused all the time....
Brilliant (Score:1, Insightful)
"Hey guys, I just got a great idea. How about we make a statement to the most authoritarian and oppressive government on the face of the Earth?"
"I like it. What do you have in mind?"
"Here's what we're going to do. We're going to cut off the entire country from the most democratic medium on the planet and the best source for the free flow of information. We'll kill their internet connection!"
"Kill the free flow of information to an authoritarian nation? Brilliant! I'm sure the people of Burma will really app
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Burmese junta stiffed Chinese military on payments (Score:2)
(there should be a ? at the end; why are Slashdot subjects so short?)
Maybe the Burmese junta had some deal with the Chinese military and/or Chinese organized crime and stiffed them?
Is it opium extract season?
Operation Burma (Score:1)
Massive argument over name disrupts thread (Score:2)
Seriously. /. is supposed to be full of net wonks and we get this pissy pile of subthreads about the name of the place?
There were 71 posts when I came in. You all should have found the h4xx0rz by now.
Aung San Suu Kyi house arrest extended. (Score:2)
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How the fuck am I supposed to get my news from the Myanmar Country Gazette web site, you insensitive clod!?!?
Myanmar Times? (Score:3, Informative)
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Hey, at least this way they won't sue you for reading page two.
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So what do you call China, North Korea, Pakistan, etc etc etc?
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According to a BBC article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11693214 [bbc.co.uk] , the country of Burma has 45Mbps connectivity to the internet. That is a single DS-3 connection and 50 broadband connected PCs can flood that type of connection ... until the firewall guys start blocking those specific IPs.
In related news, a bot net of 50 machines has declared war on Burma. Wikileaks is silent on the subject.