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Tuesday, December 27, 2005

The Security Threat of Unchecked Presidential Power

Yet another link (YAL?) to a blog saying what's in my heart and mind. This time a posting by Bruce Schneier - the security expert's expert. His posting is in turn a list of links but it's put together in his usual intelligent - lead you by the hand - manner.

I will ask one question of all this - How do we get all of the well meaning Bush voters to understand that the act of questioning the president's actions does not constitute an attack on our beloved country?

You can have my privacy when you pry it from my cold, dead, encryption algorithm!

America after 9/11

WOW! Great op/ed in the Miami Herald by ROBERT STEINBACK. Couldn't have said it better.

My favorite quote

"Are we agreeing, then, to give the king unfettered privilege to defy the law forever? It's time for every member of Congress to weigh in: Do they believe the president is above the law, or bound by it?"

Friday, December 23, 2005

The Pagan Clause

Ok - For some reason this year I've been deluged by emails reminding me about the "true meaning of Christmas". I get the feeling that some of my friends are maybe trying to save my poor misguided soul - or have been in range during one of my tirades about the commercialism of the season - or seen me have a "Wal Mart Moment" (resembles a conniption, very scary).

A friend put it pretty well when I mentioned that I just might have a tree in my home this year. "How interesting" He said, "A pagan symbol - co-opted by western Christians for their own purposes - tainted by US commercialism (a religion in itself methinks) - in the home of a Buddhist curmudgeon"... "Pretty much sums it up." I said.

In short I refuse to stop using the phrase "Happy Holidays" simply because any one of the religions that lay claim to this time of year think that their assertion is better than anyone else's.

Dear friend, please click the link. Read what the author has written so much better than I. Understand - when I and most people say those two words, it's a genuine wish of goodwill and not an attack on your beliefs. For those too lazy to click the link - Here is possibly the best quote from the page (it's near the end btw):

"The danger is not in the originally pagan symbols, nor in it's establishment by the Bishop of Rome, but in the commercialism and secularization of the holy day; we are losing the real meaning of the holiday to an orgy of spending and politically correct saccharine cuteness. The meaning of Christmas is not found in how many presents we can give or get, nor in how much money we can spend on it, nor in how prettily we can decorate our home, but in the Message of the Child.

Christmas (call it Yule if you want to!) is a holiday and holy day that can be kept by Christian and pagan alike, and one that brings joy to the world indeed.

And if the devil has been trying to "pervert it's symbols thru the ages, giving them pagan meanings," then to view them as such is to fall into Old Scratch's trap, isn't it?

Little Children: Love One Another!"



HAPPY HOLIDAYS one and all!

Update:
Someone pointed out in the comments that the links werent working. Should be now. Look for a link below:

Monday, May 16, 2005

DRM - Battle two

Apparently the new Dave Matthews disk is "protected" in some way on Windows systems (details). However Linux wins this one for me. I jammed it in my Mandrake/Mandriva box. Fired up my trusty copy of Grip and moments later had a directory of beautiful .OGG files.

Sad to see this happen though. Even though DRM didn't cause me any problems personally - in this instance - Stand Up still will probably be the last Dave Matthews disk I ever buy. See Dave, DRM works! Nothing protects your rights like treating your honest paying customers like criminals and keeping them from listening to your music! I guess if you piss off your customers and don't sell any CDs there isn't anything for anyone to steal - DRM wins again!

Tell Dave what you think - fanmail@davematthewsband.com

Saturday, May 14, 2005

Hell no!

Not only no but HELL NO! Why should I pay Microsoft to "protect me" from the problems that they created in the first place!

It's time that Microsoft users woke up and noticed that they are handing over hard earned WADS OF CASH to be misstreated. Literally screaming "here's all my money - frustrate me, destroy my work, treat me like a criminal! - ooh a new logo and name - here's more money!".

WAKE UP!!!

Saturday, February 26, 2005

Geeks and Normals

As I've mentioned previously - I've been making a living in the IT world for a long time. In fact I'm closing in on 20 years in this business! Over that time I've come to be fairly comfortable with the concept of "Geeks" and "Normals".

Geeks are those odd ones among us that seem to be able to effortlessly understand technology. They are the ones that we all run to with anything electronic. It doesn't seem to matter if the device in question was dropped on their head from a UFO or purchased at the local Wal Mart. If it's got buttons and a screen they are one with it. You can pick out Geeks in a crowd. They are the ones standing alone against the wall at a party with their expensive micro-brew in one hand and apparently engrossed with some contraption in the other. They are the ones rolling their eyes as they try to help their in-laws in the computer aisle. They are the ones you always call to show you how to find the Superbowl on your overly complex television setup and then invite to the party out of guilt.

Normals are everyone else.

One thing I have always found constant is that there are Normals that want to enjoy a certain amount of whatever it is that makes geeks what they are. Don't get me wrong, they don't want to be geeks, they just want to be good at using their *insert gadget here*.

I have seen some Normals successfully make this transition so I know it's possible. However, being good and comfortable with most people, Normals go about this like they would in any situation - by finding a geek, being nice, and asking for help. Not understanding the species, they usually go about it badly and end up in frustration. The geek sits down - rattles off the whole process as fast as possible. Fixes the one issue, grabs a handful of your imported candy and bails down the hallway. Mostly because the trade off for that amazing geek talent is that it's usually balanced by a complete and total lack of social ability and interpersonal skill. In fact, not only a lack but an actual disdain for interpersonal skill.

To make sure there is no mistake - I consider myself a geek. I can literally bleed programming code in about 20 languages. Configure any flavor of Unix in my sleep, and am generally annoyed as hell at any electronics store employee. However I've made it my avocation to become a capable member of normal society. I've been successful. Mostly. I seem to be able to navigate in the world of management without causing any social house of cards to come fluttering down (unless I really am totally, socially blind and just missed it). I've been know to really have fun at parties from time to time, and I've also somehow managed to stay married to an incredibly intelligent and stunningly beautiful - certifiable non-geek for 15 years. (this alone costs me my geek stature in most hardcore circles)

So here is my advice and guidence to the "normal", seeking their inner geek.

First - you are on the right track. Find a willing geek mentor. In fact, you probably already have your quarry in mind. You just need to approach this relationship with some knowledge. My advice - find an old geek. A silver back as we call them. Young geeks are just as capable with the gadgets but they usually lack patience and definitely lack the life experience for the needed interpersonal skill. Know this and use them appropriately. Young geeks can be very handy when simply used as tools. Have them setup your stereo and program your cell phone. Feed them, or better yet, get them a gift certificate from Amazon.com. Don't feel guilty unless you pulled them away from their favorite science fiction TV show.

You must know a few things about geeks before you approach. First of all - we hate crowd scenes. If we are in one it's with a purpose and we are counting the nanoseconds till we can escape. We go to the mall only to purchase one thing. We park as near to that one store as we can. We go not only directly to that one store but to the exact location of the one item we need - going out of our way several aisles to avoid sales folk and any Normals that may be shopping. We make the purchase standing impatiently in line, and then bugger off to install said item in our personal digital nest. We do that only because we couldn't get it in a timely manner online. We go to parties only for free beer and the possibility to be near that one special member of the opposite sex that we secretly adore but have never actually spoken to. We "make an appearance" at any work related social function just to poach the meeting food and take it back to our desk. If you ask us to participate in an "icebreaker", "team building exercise", or (God forbid) a "role playing" game, just expect your files to be deleted, your password changed, and your network connection to become "somewhat unstable" for at least 6 months. It's your fault. That's the way we are. Wrap your head around it. Know it. Above all - do not make your initial approach at a crowd scene.

Do not call us on the phone! In general we hate the damn things. The only reason we carry that huge PDA/Phone on our belt is to talk to the 2 other geeks we consider worthy (and truthfully because it has high speed Internet access). The worst thing a normal can do with me personally is to leave a v-mail and just ask me to call back. I never will. (this is ok for other geeks however - I know you wouldn't call unless it's interesting/important) If you must use v-mail - make it worth the effort to log in by leaving actual information. If you need something - ask for it directly. Basically - If you ever want to get a reply SEND US EMAIL!!! Use the email to schedule a face to face -at OUR office- and when you do - bring food. The three Cs are your friends - Carbs, Caffeine and Chocolate.

Third - be direct and have a purpose. The lack of social skill is firmly backed up by a driving need for directness and an addiction to being efficient. Don't drop by because you were "in the neighborhood" and expect to shoot the shit and finally sidle up to the request from oblique angles. This qualifies as a social event to us and makes us skittish. Be direct.

Fourth (here is the real meat). Have confidence in yourself. Don't tell us how stupid you are and how smart we are. It makes us uncomfortable as hell and simply isn't true. We are just better at something than you are. You are most certainly better than us at other things.

If you really want to be in our graces explain the task you want to accomplish and what you've done so far toward that goal. We live to see people really use their electronics. Nothing makes the IT guy happier than a user who actually uses their pc for something other than printing out their email. If you attempted to create a database and failed - GREAT! You tried to setup your PDA but cant get your todo list to sync? Terrific! You want to record voice overs and add animation to your presentation! Here's a printer just for your office!

Since the topic of this post is to be somewhat of a virtual geek mentor - here is my advice:

It was the job of the person who wrote the software for the gadget in question to think of everything you, as a user, might want to do and all the possible ways you would want to go about it. So whenever doing battle with a hunk of wire and silicon assume whatever it is you want to do is possible and attack the software from that point of view.

For example: Lets say someone you generally think of as intelligent and capable just sent you a document. When you open it the damn thing turns out to be scanned and is rotated 90 degrees so you have to turn your head sideways to read it. Instead of calling the sender stupid and inept or calling the help desk and having a fit - go back to your first impulse. It sure would be nice to rotate that document. I would bet you lunch that there are at least 2 ways available in the software to do just that (3 to 5 in good design standards - Generally there is a button, a menu item and a key sequence). Expect the software to be logical.

Brace yourself. Here's a glimpse into the alien thought process of a geek in this situation.

"Ok -I've never seen this software... Hmm what do I want to do? I want to rotate the document so I can view it - or to say it differently, I want to rotate the document view... Check the toolbar. What would a picture of ROTATE look like? Maybe a button with curved or rotating arrows on it. Hmmm, no button - go to the menus. These two look promising. One called "View" and one called "Document". Let's stab at view - Voila! An item called "rotate"! BINGO!

Total time, about .2 milliseconds. This looks to the "Normal" person watching like maybe I wrote the software, but the truth is that all the magic was just in the way I approached the problem. Learn to have confidence. Don't be offended by the machine or run yourself down because the answer didn't just jump into your head. It doesn't work that way for geeks either. We just tend to approach the problem like a puzzle to solve - not a personal shortcoming.

To summarize so far: 1) Don't ask us to do anything social 2) Be direct where you normally would want to be friendly and social, and 3) Know that geeks tend to approach EVERYTHING as a logic problem. From changing fonts in a word processor they have never used, to getting a date with that hottie in the next cube. As you might guess, we tend to fair better with software... To my geek mind it appears that Normals tend to approach things from a more emotional point of view. Normals watch the geek do what I just described. It looks like magic. They feel like the universe left them behind when brains were passed out. It didn't. It left geeks behind when social skill and comfort was the order of the day. We've just found a good way to compensate.

When working with your Geek let them know how you learn. Geeks, pay attention here! Some people (most geeks) can work from verbal description alone. Some need graphical representation (flow charts) but most need one or both of the former plus hands on - working through the problem themselves with occasional guidance. Geeks, learn to resist the urge to do it for your Normal. Normals - DO NOT EVER attempt to learn technology by writing down each and every step. This only works when a process is absolutely static with no variation. Ever. This never happens with tools. Ever. Imagine asking someone to show you how to use the oven and writing down the steps as they cook a frozen pizza. This is your entire "learning" in regard to the oven. You now know that your tutor pressed that button once and then this button 4 times. What did that button do? How does it relate to cooking a turkey? How do you make toast?

When you think you have your chosen process down cold, ask your geek to stick around while you work through a similar but different task (now is a good time for the food bribe). This builds your confidence and gives you experience with approaching the gadget as a logic problem. The Geek becomes your safety net instead of your driver. If your geek rattles off a description that you just don't get - ask them for a reference where you can learn about the topic. Even if you never intend to read the reference, the geek will appreciate this apparent genuine interest and you will be on your way to building a good relationship.

I hope this starts off at least one positive "Geek" - "Normal" relation. If it does - please let me know. I'm eager to try my hand at Progressive - conservative relations too. (just kidding)

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Who will guard the guards?

I've been doing a lot of thinking about security lately for some reason. Both personal and information related. Maybe it's my upcoming battle with airport security (I'm headed out of the country next month) that has me rattled. I know this will be an adventure because I'm the guy that always gets stopped at the gate for the "random" screening. Always. Every flight I've taken since 911. (about 20 in case you are wondering) Think of me the next time you see the poor sucker turning the top of his pants down and lifting his bare feet for the metal detector as you walk down the jetway and use the last overhead bin.

There will most likely be several posts forthcoming about this. That's the way my so-called brain works.

I've said this before (as my good friends would groan and tell you). But it's really worrying me how the TSA is handling our so called safety. You see, after working with IT security for a number of years you start to see things in a different light. You are forced to think in a logical fashion. Actually consider possibilities and find ways to close holes before they are exploited. You can't just setup an expensive firewall and walk away. If you do - hope that your employer is as naive as the US voter when you blame the inevitable hack on the firewall and ask for an even more expensive model.

Anyway, I find that explaining my ramblings tends to work best in metaphor. So here we go.

Say you are a medieval thug bent on getting into your rival's castle. Stop and think for a minute. How would you go about it? Grab a pen and make a short list. Go on. Now lets go down it. Unless you are a complete moron, I bet "attack the wall" is nowhere on it. You probably had visions of ladders and battering rams. If you are a snow boarder you probably even thought of shooting yourself over the wall with your newly completed trebuchet.

The hackers among you (or hacker IN you) thought of other things like finding secret doors. Flooding the fortress. Playing Celine Deon records really, really loudly for days. Or convincing someone on the inside that you are actually their long lost nephew and that they should open the gate and let you in. I mean you ARE the heir to Great Ant Einie's treasured sweet potato pie recipe after all.

Now apply the same thought process to airplanes... Make your list.

In the meantime ponder this photo and read This post on Bruce Schnier's blog.

Then be angry and afraid - not of the terrorists but the so called experts. And remember that the 911 terrorists had "valid id" and passed through the same basic security we now pay 4 times the price - both monetarily and in lost civil rights - to employ.

UPDATE: 3-15-05
Ok I'm back - The charm has been broken. I WAS NOT randomly selected for anything this trip. In fact my trips through security were pretty uneventful - not counting the little side trip through an "Agricultural Screening" upon return to the US. "The difference?" You ask. This time I was traveling with my wife and two boys - not alone. I actually watched the officer in Mexico look at my documents - then me (eyes narrow) - then my little tribe. Hesitate, Sigh, and then wave me on to the plane. Interesting.

Also - found this little related tidbit this morning.

Sunday, January 09, 2005

DRM does work!

Ok - here we go again. Seems like I only post to this thing when I need to rant. Well that's not true, as my friends would surly tell you - if I posted every rant I'd wear out a keyboard every couple of weeks...

Current topic: Digital "Rights management". Jeesus what a euphemism that is! Rights apparently means the rights that the music industry seems to think it has to your wallet. Management refers to the effort of making sure you cannot play the music once you give up your cash.

Here's my saga. I heard a song on Sirius that I thought was real funny and topical (it's a rant in song form - ok?). I'm not about to buy a whole CD for one song but I wanted instant gratification. I really don't agree with distributing illegal copies of music on the net. So I had to choose an online vendor. My logic goes something like this... First of all I had to actually switch to a windows box (euew!). Then choose my poison. Itunes - don't have an Ipod. Real's product - well to tell the truth I am still P.O.d at them for all of the spyware and popups in their client (they are making points with the Helix project and hacking the Ipod though). Windows media - the mutha of all great digital evils. Finally MusicMatch - At least it has the AutoDJ feature and it's already installed on my box. So - off I go. Purchase the song without problem - until, the actual download.

For some reason I can do everything on MusicMatch except actually download. Must be blocking something at the firewall methinks. Sure - so I go digging through ALL of the help/faq files available. No mention anywhere of what ports/protocol they use. So I wait until that evening at home.

Decided to d/l and install on my son's win98 box. I grab the latest version of MusicMatch. Takes about 30min for it to finish (this is on a cable modem mind you). Another 8 to 10 min to run the installer and re-boot twice. Then I run it. First message that pops up is that this version will not run on 98 and I must get an older release... So back through the same steps again. This time -after the install and reboots - it runs but, for just about every click thereafter for the next 45min I'm told I need to update this plugin or that browser (IE6 - run screaming). So after 4 (count em) more reboots I discover that I can't d/l the song I already purchased. I CAN look at my purchase history but I can't actually get the song. So I think "Ok, Screw it $2 for a song. Fine - just GIMME!"

After the download - which works without a hitch - I can listen to my shiny new song (that I paid for twice btw). On this computer. That belongs to my son. In the corner of my basement.

I can't put it on my player - apparently because Iriver doesn't have a kickback arrangement with musicmatch. I can't convert it to a format I CAN move. My only choice is to burn it to a CD. Assuming that this box had a burner I could then blow an entire CD on one song - so that I could then rip it to a non-DRM format and then break the CD in half and use it to slit my wrists... Arrh! Next time I'll just blow the $20 on the whole CD!

Perhaps this is why CD sales are up 2.3% AGAIN this year. I guess DRM does work!