Cue the Lawsuits...
This is California afterall.... I guess those folks should count themselves lucky they didn't have "smart" gas meters as well. They would have ended up with more than just a few blackened sockets.
12880 publicly visible posts • joined 22 Nov 2012
I'm not sure those can actually be used together as in "our cloud is secure". Questions should be raised... secure from whom? Yes, the US has a problem because of Snowden. One of the problems this leads to is "what about other countries?". So, other than the US, we really don't know what any country is doing to clouds hosted in any particular place.
It's very much a false sense of secuirity to move your data to the cloud or even from provider to provider with out actually knowing who's getting access.
Perhaps I need a tinfoil hat here, but I would never recommend that any company put its data out there. Even with all the malware and idiot employees who will open any email (and answer "yes" to "xxx wants to install. Allow?", this just opens up another venue to attack that is outside of the corporate IT security's hands.
Moon/Sun. Never sure if people are seriously when they suggest stuff like this but on the offchance I always like to point out what happens when rockets go bang in the atmosphere. Doubt many Floridians would like highly reactive waste raining doing on their houses and half the Atlantic coast.
The real reason for not doing it is economics. The spent waste is dense and the shielding just as bad. At the price per pound to launch, it's just too expensive.
I think you might be right, even though that phase has been around and eon (or so it seems). Politics doesn't seem to draw the noble minded folk or at least let them attain any "rank" within the party like it supposedly once did. Those are not corrupt, obviously don't have the power nor want it. Those that have the power want more.
It's the same way here, the "leaders" (as they like to call themselves) set the stage for the rest to fall into line. Which is a big part of the divisiveness in the US Congress. The concepts of compromise and rationality have gone by the wayside. I believe that was once called statesmanship. Although there is the reality that many were not much different then what we have now.
Sidenote: I wonder if this conversation will lead to stay in Gitmo for us? Or at least a visit by some guys driving a black SUV?
Dan,
I seriously believe the old statement about "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely". We're living in a time when that has become very true. I'm of the age where I should be sitting back in my easy chair and yelling back at the TV, but instead, I fear for those younger than I. I believe that at some point, they (collectively) will hopefully open their eyes and realize that those of us raising our voices were right. But I fear it may be too late. I guess I'm still a dreamer in that I have hope and that things will turn around. That freedom isn't just a meaningless word is more important than corporate greed or political power. Security does come at a price.. you either give up freedom or you have to be vigilant to protect freedom. This isn't something that politicians will do for you. As long as there's some hope, there is some freedom.
Yes, there are those who would trade their freedom (not just political, but thoughts, jobs, even lifestyle) for security or at least the false sense of security. They and those who crave power will be the ones shouting us down.
You are correct on the media. Here in the States they play very much into the left-sided or right-sided thinking when it suits them*. And all of it comes from politics. Trending is more important real journalism. The Constitution only means something to them if they are threatened or if suits them*.
Funny, my dad always said what Douglas Adams said... "Find the guy who doesn't want the job and give it to him. He'll do it right."
*i.e.: it sells newspapers or get clicks.
I am just emptied of fight. I know that's what they want but there's only so much that scattered, concerned individuals can do.
You just answered your own question. The politicians know that we in IT who are concerned are scattered and not a majority. The agencies know where we live and work. Right now, we're sort of like flies... not worth the trouble to go after. The vast majority of folks either feel like their voice doesn't matter, or they like the warm, fuzzy the politicians and agencies are keeping us secure and "thinking of the children".
At some point, the house of cards may crumble and they'll point to us in IT and say "see... there's the problem." They are past masters of the blame game and in that game, they will win, we will lose.
At some point, they'll just wear us down and their perfect world and state will be in place. Unless, the majority of the populace stop playing with their shiny toys and look around... then there will be a chance. Keep questioning and fighting. It's people like you, myself and others who do this that keep us from falling fast into the pit. And if it does fall over, we can still hold our heads up in the knowledge that we were free and we fought with the tools we had.
"At that point we are essentially a continent-sized gated community for relatively rich humans."
Sadly, many Americans are ready for that to happen. They will trade everything for the security of getting their hands on the latest bling, making the latest FB post, and watching inane TV programming. It probably goes back to the 60's war protesting and "thinking of the children"...
They'll give (not sell) their souls for a "happy moment" and not want to think of what's out there in the real world or in even next door. The <fill in LEA of choice> will protect us they scream. They want it all but aren't willing to stand for anything.
Personally, I'd rather die standing for what I believe in and being able to taste freedom of thought then cowering in the corner waiting for some "agency" to protect me. Or waiting on (as some fruitcakes have said) 'the inate goodness in people not to do evil".
I'm not perfect, I don't own a gun. I'm considered a "senior citizen" but I do what I want (without breaking laws) and as long as agencies and people don't stick their uninvited noses in what I do, I'm happy because I don't stick my nose in their business. In the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness, I don't need some agency watching me make sure that if I swing my arm, I won't smack you in the nose.
If you believe that trading everything (and give some serious thought to the concept of "everything" because that's what's at stake) for security and want to live an a world of fear.... feel free and downvote away...
Much like using CCTV's' for physical security. It's not about catching things in the act, it's about the fallout afterwards. In someways this is proper and right and in other ways, it's very bad. Periodically going over the logs is a good idea just as having someone eyeball the tapes (even if just in fast forward) is a good idea. Just because an alarm wasn't tripped doesn't mean that something "not good" is going on.
Anyone got a dollar so we can buy these guys a clue?
So encryption is bad... yet encryption is mandated by government for certain business (health care, for one). And communications in many businesses via email are supposed to be encrypted. Yet.. we might have a terrorist cell operating that has one member or two working in such a place.... Smart companies encrypt everything including the server data and all email.
The bad guys on the Net don't appear to be the terrorists, it's those who want the data for their purposes (profit!) be it the Cryptolocker types or the hijackers such as the Sony, Anthem, Target types.
Sure... encryption can go away...only when you can guarantee that no one will ever steal data, hijack a companies servers/POS or randomly grab emails looking for info for ID theft. It can also go away when you can guarantee us that we will never be spied on because "you can". Or that innocent people will never be accused of wrong doing because someone cherry-picked an email. Protect us from that and maybe encryption will not be 100% needed.
Could be.. could be not. We don't know what the guys at the top think. Nor do we know if Congress is rational or just flat out of their minds. And by that I mean "have they lost touch with reality?" "Do they seriously believe this stops terrorism?" "Do really believe this doesn't go against the Constitution?"
with the kind of supporting sentence that can only be crafted by the dead hand of investor relations.
Almost... they missed "synergies" and "shareholder value"....
There's also the question of information organisation: surgeons often need multiple screens in the operating room so they can check medical images, look over the results of previous surgery, and help navigate the patient's anatomy.
No ads then? Or tracking of the patient? Hmmm... this is so un-Google-like. Is the world coming to an end we haven't heard?
It's very inconsistent. If I went to a Jewish delicatessen and insisted (by invoking the current laws) that they had to serve me a pork sandwich because the law said they couldn't discriminate, I'd be literally tar and feathered by both the right and left. Or what about a Muslim going into a restaurant and demanding (followed by a lawsuit) over the restaurant's lack Halal?
It works both ways... or should. Businesses shouldn't be allowed to discriminate on customers and vice versa.
There's been a pile of articles on this lately and it boils down to: doesn't matter. There's no downside to not improving security. Even the cost of fixing the hack at Sony was a drop in the bucket and much covered by insurance. Same goes for Target and the other retailers. They don't care because improving their security costs more money then they would lose from a hack.
They appear to be rather tiny.. maybe 10 cm - 12 cm from the photos in the article. I'm guessing they were the crayfish (crawdads) of that period. It would take a bunch to make a dinner. Yeah... we'll never know if they were better broiled and dipped in butter or boiled in some Cajun hot sauce....
I take exception. Corporates are not people, they are businesses. I don't believe any corporation should be involved in politics or interpreting the Constitution as to rights, etc. Just because it might be the right thing to do in this case, can anyone guarantee that for the next thing?
Part of the reason we're in the mess we're in now is due to politics and business and also politics and religion. Those mixes are bad news for those who get in the way and it's generally the people.
While I'm on a rant.... those who want to practice this discrimination, etc... are they really that much better than those who want Sharia Law? I see the same narrow-mindedness in both groups.
Yeah... I'm a dreamer.
It goes back to "what's a watch do"? After it tells you time and maybe temperature, day of the week, maybe an alarm function what's next. Ok, this one let's you be Dick Tracy or a Secret Service wannabee talking into your wrist. It does some heart monitoring. After that.... we don't know since there's been no real "killer app". Big data may determine that app but for everything else, pretty much your phone can do it.
Ok.. Siri is a different critter as well as real-time info on things around your location. But that's really a job for the smartphone with a bigger screen. Or maybe something similar to Google Glass.
Until that killer app comes around, this watch is just a piece of eyewash. The trick will be finding that killer app AND some functionality (communication method) that will unlock the potential of big data, etc. without needing the smartphone as a go-between.