Via Scobleizer (http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/)
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/385
"It's possible to use your laptop safely in a coffee shop, but you have to take a bit of responsibility for that security. You'll need to use your common sense, change a few habits, and perhaps install and use some new software. I know that this is a lot for most people, but aren't your private data and conversations worth it? "
Spooky, and IMO completely useless unless we go down the total big brother path. This is not a world I want to be a part of. Lets not forget about the chances of this being abused or broken into either.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/29/AR2006082901520.html
The FBI has built a database with more than 659 million records -- including terrorist watch lists, intelligence cables and financial transactions -- culled from more than 50 FBI and other government agency sources. The system is one of the most powerful data analysis tools available to law enforcement and counterterrorism agents, FBI officials said yesterday.
The FBI demonstrated the database to reporters yesterday in part to address criticism that its technology was failing and outdated as the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks nears.
Bruce Schneier says the cure for terrorism is refusal to be terrorized. http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,71642-0.html?tw=wn_index_20
Wired also wonders if the PS3 can save Sony. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.09/sony.html
From the IP list, 2006 Security Stupidity follows.
-----Original Message-----
> PI announces the 2006 Stupid Security Competition > > 21/08/2006 > > STUPID SECURITY AWARDS > http://www.privacyinternational.org/article.shtml?cmd[347]=x-347-541996
> > We've all been there. Standing for ages in a security line at an > inconsequential office building only to be given a security pass > that a high school student could have faked. Or being forced to produce > photo ID for even the most innocent activity. > > If you thought after Enron that the accountancy profession was bad news, > just wait till you hear how terrible the security industry has become. Even > before the recent "liquid bomb" scare a whole army of bumbling amateurs has > taken it upon themselves to figure out pointless, annoying, intrusive, > illusory and just plain stupid measures to "protect" our security. > > Stupid security has become a global menace. >From the airport that this month > emptied out a full plane because a passenger was drinking from a lemonade > bottle, to the British schools that fingerprint their children to _stop_ the > theft of library books, to the airline company that refused to allow > passengers to bring books or magazines onto the plane, the world has become > infested with bumptious administrators competing to hinder or harass us - > and often for no good reason whatever. > > The sensitive and sensible folk at Privacy International have endured enough > of this treatment. So we are running an international competition to > discover the world's most pointless, intrusive, stupid and self-serving > security measures. > > The "Stupid Security Awards" aim to highlight the absurdities of the > security industry. (clip) > > * Most Egregiously Stupid Award > * Most Inexplicably Stupid Award > * Most Annoyingly Stupid Award > * Most Flagrantly Intrusive Award > * Most Stupidly Counter Productive Award > > The competition will be judged by an international panel of well-known > security experts, public policy specialists, privacy advocates and > journalists. > > The competition is open to anyone from any country. Nominations can > be sent to stupidsecurity@privacy.org. > > Details of previous award winners can be found below, or at > http://www.privacyinternational.org/ssa2003winners.
Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
http://www.windowsmarketplace.com./
Expect a big launch today/tomorrow.
I'm a big xbox 360 marketplace fan, it is just brilliantly done, and one
thing I really like is getting free videos in 720p to display in high
definition. Looking at this windows marketplace it looks like a big
mess tho, it certainly isnt as slick as the 360s, it tries to do too
much I think. We'll see how it evolves.
Speaking of the 360 marketplace, One thing they launched this week were
two preview videos of a new childrens TV program based on their upcoming
game Viva Pinata. I dont know jack about kid's TV but I DO follow 3d
graphics intensely, and I will say with certainty that these are
GORGEOUS looking and are as good as anything pixar has shown, it is that
good. I found em pretty funny in a kiddy kind of way, not bad for a
first effort thats for sure. If you have young kids in the house (and a
360!) have them check it out, its worth the several hundred megabyte
download.
Probably the most comprehensive coverage is in this article:
http://www.informationweek.com/software/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=1923
00431
You can see full coverage from around the web at Techmeme:
http://www.techmeme.com/
A meme is an infectious idea, for those of you not familiar with the
term.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme
I've been running "Google for your domains" for a while now as my
private emailer, am running Google's Blogger on my private domain, and
am launching a bloggerBeta/blogspot webpage for this class at this time.
I guess I've drunk the google koolaid =)
You can watch the development of this class's webpage at:
http://infotechbuzz.blogspot.com/
Right now it's just a placeholder and the layout looks like garbage.
Will be a lot more up to date as we get closer to the school year and as
soon as the Blogger Beta supports FTP sites it will be moved to
www.infotechbuzz.com domain which I own. These email blasts will be
mirrored there at a minimum, as will relevant class info.
I believe it was Mark Twain who said 'Dont let school get in the way of
your education'. Guy Kawasaki comes up with 10 things he thinks you
should get educated on this school year, and most of them you wont find
in the normal lectures but they are things you can and should learn at
school before you get tossed into the working world:
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/08/ten_things_to_l.html
Clip:
"This is a list of what I wished I learned in school before I graduated.
How to talk to your boss. In college, you're supposed to bring problems
to your teachers during office hours, and you share the experience of
coming up with a solution. In the real world, you're supposed to bring
solutions to your boss in an email, in the hall, or in a five-minute
conversation. Typically, your boss either already knows about the
problem or doesn't want to know about it. Your role is to provide
answers, not questions. Believe it or not, but in the real world, those
who can do, do. Those who can't do, share with others who can't do.
How to survive a meeting that's poorly run. Unfortunately, it could be a
while before you run meetings. Until then, you'll be a hapless victim of
them, so adopt these three practices to survive. First, assume that most
of what you'll hear is pure, petty, ass-covering bull shiitake, and it's
part of the game. This will prevent you from going crazy. Second, focus
on what you want to accomplish in the meeting and ignore everything
else. Once you get what you want, take yourself "out of your body," sit
back, and enjoy the show. Third, vow to yourself that someday you'll
start a company, and your meetings won't work like this.
How to run a meeting. Hopefully, you'll be running meetings soon. Then
you need to understand that the primary purpose of a business meeting is
to make a decision. It is not to share experiences or feel warm and
fuzzy. With that in mind, here are five key points to learn about
running a meeting: (1) Start on time even if everyone isn't there
because they will be next time; (2) Invite the fewest people possible to
the meeting; (3) Set an agenda for exactly what's going to happen at the
meeting; (4) End on time so that everyone focuses on the pertinent
issues; (5) Send an email to all participants that confirms decisions
reviews action items. There are more power tips for running good
meetings, but if you do these five, you're ahead of 90% of the world.
How to figure out anything on your own. Armed with Google, PDFs of
manuals, and self-reliance, force yourself to learn how to figure out
just about anything on your own. There are no office hours, no teaching
assistants, and study groups in the real world. Actually, the real world
is one long, often lonely independent study, so get with it. Here's a
question to test your research prowess. How do you update the calendar
in a Motorola Q phone with appointments stored in Now-Up-To-Date? (I'll
send a copy of The Art of the Start to the first person with a good
answer.)"
http://www.wired.com/news/wireservice/0,71624-0.html?tw=rss.index
Whats worse is that some songs are specifically unavailable for a lot of
artists that do have their catalogue online, often their most popular
songs. Sinatra's New York New York, Joan Jett's I love Rock and Roll,
and The Butthole Surfers Pepper are three examples that I know of, tho
Pepper is now available on itunes. Even worse, if you buy these songs
off Itunes and then try to take them to a standard MP3 player it is very
cumbersome to reencode them to standard DRMless MP3. When I brought my
Itunes Library over to my Xbox360 for example I had to rencode literally
thousands of songs and it took hours.
From the department of redundant brainwashing department =)
(Via Professor Farber's IP list)
-----Original Message-----
Subject: RIAA releases DVD for students about copying music
The RIAA has produced and released a new DVD directed at educating
students about the consequences of downloading copyrighted materials.
You can download the video or order free copies of the DVD at
http://www.campusdownloading.com/
The RIAA is strongly encouraging schools (especially universities) to
use this video in their programs for incoming students --- some
universities are showing the video as part of a mandatory
indoctrination program before new students can have any network
access.
Of course, RIAA's video presents only one perspective on downloading
(and copying) copyrighted materials... for example, it completely
omits any mention of fair use; and it says that all sharing of
copyrighted music files is stealing... period, no exceptions such as
the Audio Home Recording Act, no Creative Commons, etc. just "it's
always illegal" -- which is simply not true and hardly the type of
presentation one would expect to see at an academic institution..
See http://www.boingboing.net/2006/08/23/steal_this_movie_doc.html for
some comments regarding the video's one-sided bias (and errors and
omissions).
It may be mere coincidence, but...
Weird Al Yankovic has just released for free download a parody of
anti-downloading messages (with a "We are the world" feeling) entitled
"Don't Download This Song". The music video of this is supposed to
premier tonight. see http://www.dontdownloadthissong.com/
