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Andrei Posted 22 years ago
Grammar
A needle in a stack of hay
Some software pirates are part of organised crime gangs and tend to keep a very low profile online he explained. Others are chattier, using bulletin boards to discuss the latest releases.
There is also a lot of evidence gathering for potential prosecutions. Mr X works closely with customer and trading standards officers, lawyers and law enforcement bodies such as the Hi-Tech Crime Unit and the FBI.
As well as a degree of technical knowledge and a legal mind, Mr X needs to have a great deal of persistence as the job can sometimes be a case of two steps forward and three back.
"Sometimes it does feel like that," said Mr X. "I will think I've seen this guy already today, why has he popped back up?"
"The result for me is just to have a clean internet. There is so much filth out there and it is satisfying when it goes down," he said.
Peer-to-peer headaches
With so much pirate activity going on online an outsider would be forgiven for thinking that Mr X is looking for a needle in a haystack.
Pirated programs are a major headache for the software industry
But there are four main types of piracy to follow-up.
First there are direct downloads. These are websites with a link which enables people to download illegal software straight on to their machines.
Secondly there are websites, set up to look like legitimate e-commerce sites but trading in pirated goods.
Then there are sites which offer programs known as cracks which allow users to get around copyright protection.
Lastly there are legitimate auction sites which are selling pirated business software, films, music and games.
It is much to cover in a day's work and there is a new headache for the investigators in the form of the number of peer-to-peer networks which allow users to download music, films and other software for free.
There can be moments when the job is rewarding though.
"On one occasion we e-mailed an e-commerce site to tell them they were hosting pirated software and they e-mailed back to thank us as they hadn't realised and wondered why so much bandwidth was being used up," said Mr X.
What is the meaning of a needle in haystack? Obviously, it will be a tall order to find a needle in stack of hay. People will forgive someone for looking a needle in haystack. If I place a needle in a stack of hay, it is almost impossible to find it. Of course a strong magnet will attrack it.
In the given context, the meaning is murky, as far as I am concerned.
There is also a lot of evidence gathering for potential prosecutions. Mr X works closely with customer and trading standards officers, lawyers and law enforcement bodies such as the Hi-Tech Crime Unit and the FBI.
As well as a degree of technical knowledge and a legal mind, Mr X needs to have a great deal of persistence as the job can sometimes be a case of two steps forward and three back.
"Sometimes it does feel like that," said Mr X. "I will think I've seen this guy already today, why has he popped back up?"
"The result for me is just to have a clean internet. There is so much filth out there and it is satisfying when it goes down," he said.
Peer-to-peer headaches
With so much pirate activity going on online an outsider would be forgiven for thinking that Mr X is looking for a needle in a haystack.
Pirated programs are a major headache for the software industry
But there are four main types of piracy to follow-up.
First there are direct downloads. These are websites with a link which enables people to download illegal software straight on to their machines.
Secondly there are websites, set up to look like legitimate e-commerce sites but trading in pirated goods.
Then there are sites which offer programs known as cracks which allow users to get around copyright protection.
Lastly there are legitimate auction sites which are selling pirated business software, films, music and games.
It is much to cover in a day's work and there is a new headache for the investigators in the form of the number of peer-to-peer networks which allow users to download music, films and other software for free.
There can be moments when the job is rewarding though.
"On one occasion we e-mailed an e-commerce site to tell them they were hosting pirated software and they e-mailed back to thank us as they hadn't realised and wondered why so much bandwidth was being used up," said Mr X.
What is the meaning of a needle in haystack? Obviously, it will be a tall order to find a needle in stack of hay. People will forgive someone for looking a needle in haystack. If I place a needle in a stack of hay, it is almost impossible to find it. Of course a strong magnet will attrack it.
In the given context, the meaning is murky, as far as I am concerned.
Top answer
it is a well known phrase used to suggest an impossible "search" mission!
- it is a well known phrase used to suggest an impossible "search" mission!
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3 Answers
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it is a well known phrase used to suggest an impossible "search" mission!
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I was just reading a review of a book called Serendipity, and the reviewer quoted someone's humorous definition of this word: Serendipity is when you're looking for a needle in a haystack and the farmer's daughter comes out!
Change that to the farmer's son if you're female, I guess.
It just goes to show that this is a very well established, stock expression. The review I r
Change that to the farmer's son if you're female, I guess.
It just goes to show that this is a very well established, stock expression. The review I r
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In the given context (much more than necessary supplied, by the way), "looking for a needle in a haystack" just describes searching for a particular object within a large number of similar objects - in this case, distinguishing pirates that are a part of organised crime gangs from ordinary, minor pirates.
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