Opus 2016-207: DEFCON: Black Hat/White Hat

Computer hackers are people who have a desire to find out how computers work and look for holes in the software that might allow activity that would damage the owner of the computer.  They also look for flaws in the software that could cause you problems.  Most of the time they wear a white hat.  They do it because it is fun.  They may get into your computer and cause a message to appear on your screen to let you know they have been there.  They found flaws in the Tesla electronics and told the company about it.  Sometimes they are listened to, sometimes not.

Sometimes they wear a black hat.  It is possible for hackers to cause a lot of problems for others.  One of the concerns of the white hats is the vulnerability of our electrical grid.  There are hundreds of ways that it can be attacked by malicious individuals or countries and bring us to our knees.  It is controlled by computers.  Many of the decisions being made are being made faster than people can think.  What would happen to your morning if a few select power managing stations were hacked to deny you power.  It has already happened in sections of the country.  Think of the millions being lost by banks and corporations because hackers get into the system.  Think of all the parts of our society that are dependent on the GPS systems.  Hackers can be criminal and destructive.

Fortunately most of them are not out to destroy you, just annoy you or get the ego trip of showing you how you are open to manipulation.  This causes them to have a flexible code of ethics which means that sometimes the hats are gray.  It is often a fine line between curiosity and criminal.  The hackers that I met years ago were concerned about the freedom to push the limits.  They were concerned about government control.  They wanted to see what was possible.  This tends to make them have a sense of right and wrong that is a bit myopic.  They often tend to think that an action is okay for them but wrong for others.  For instance, they see no real problem with having access to your computer if you leave it unprotected but they overflow with righteous indignation if the government does it to them.

They can make the world a better place.  They can bring it to its knees.  Let’s hope the white hats win.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-206: DEFCON: Mouse Traps

One of the sessions I attended yesterday involved the vulnerability of cordless mice.  To hackers vulnerability means that there is a way that the device can be used or controlled by a person who has no right to mess with it.  For instance if you have an electric outlet on the outside of your house anyone with a plug can use your power without your permission.  If you had a phone jack on your back porch someone could come into your yard with a plug in phone and make calls.  You are vulnerable.

Wireless mice have that little gizmo that you plug into the USB port on your computer.  It is designed to receive the signals from the mouse you bought with it.  Evidently there is a simple way for a hacker to send a signal through that gizmo and make the computer think you are typing on the keyboard.  Think of the fun you could have in a classroom with teachers that leave their computers on all the time. 

I don’t understand the tech.  I am not a geek but my son and I have begun to make it a habit to pull the gizmo out when we are not using our laptops.  We have over 30,000 hackers and wanna be hackers at this convention and the odds are that some deviant person is trying the tricks that were shared.

Be alert.  They are out to get you.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-205: Do You Have Any Allergies?

Something has changed.  When we went to dinner we were asked at least three times, “Do you have any allergies?”  We have been to the restaurant before and were not queried on this topic.  My guess is that someone tried to sue them when they had an allergic reaction.  I hope it was thrown out of court.

I understand that allergies can be serious.  I understand that they can lead to death.  I don’t think that the entire world needs to be on alert because an individual wants to live in denial.  If you have a reaction to something that is common to everyone else around you they should not be forced to remove that from their lives.  If you start down that road we will be limited to the most boring diets and have no variety in life.  Think about all the things that some people are allergic to from peanuts to shell fish.  Will we need to eradicate bees too?

My wife has issues with certain spices and it is a litany we go through every time we eat out.  The burden is on us to be alert, not on the Mexican restaurant to leave all types of chili out of their dishes.  The burden is on us to ask.  They are quite willing to work with us.

Pray for sanity to return.  Being considerate is foundational, expecting someone else to do your due diligence is selfish. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-204: Crap Shoot

What do you do when life dishes out more crap than you can handle?  We all have been there.  Where nothing is heard but discouraging words and the skies remain cloudy all day.  You have choices.

You can dig a new outhouse.  I guess you could try to relocate.  Find a fresh group of complainers and rain clouds.  I am not sure it would do any good but if you can it is worth a try.  Maybe change jobs to something that is not so demanding.  Of course the salary might be less than impressive which will bring a fresh bunch of issues to the wife’s attention.

Recycle.  How do you recycle crap?  The same way you recycle garbage:  Pass it on.  Forget turning the other cheek and the golden rule.  Sometimes if you can find someone below you to dump on it might make you feel better.  It violates every standard of Christian behavior but if God knows your thoughts you won’t be any worse off, will you.  Rationalize that you are helping the minion to become a stronger person.

Let it pile up.  Just ignore it.  Since all things change it will either go away or get tired and need a rest.  Maybe if it piles high enough someone else will deal with it. 

The hardest is to change yourself.  Maybe you are the problem, our should I say, maybe I am the problem.  First you need to acknowledge such an unlikely possibility and then motivate yourself to do something about it.  You might decide it isn’t worth the effort.  You would rather be yelled at for always being late than to get up five minutes earlier.  I understand.  Just give it a moments thought..........okay, lets move on.

The second hardest is to change the world’s diet.  If your chili is too hot you might leave out the cayenne.  If your neighbor has a dog that barks at bedtime you might want to ask him to take it inside.  You might also take legal action or buy some big speakers to blast praise music back at him.  Use your imagination.  You could change the way you vote.  You could change the way you drive.  You could change anything that might effect the world around you, including turning the other cheek.  You have heard it, read it and maybe even talked about how silly it was.  Now might be a time to try it. 

Take your pick.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-203: DEFCON: Long Lines before It Starts

It is time for DEFCON again.  DEFCON is a convention for computer hackers and computer security people.  It meets every year in Las Vegas.  This year it is taking up the convention space in two hotels, Paris and Bally’s.  The sessions run from the extremely technical, which I avoid, and the political landscape, which I try to get to.

The adventure began with the trip this year.  The voice of Google told me the traffic was light and I could make the trip in under four hours.  Even when I was sitting in the middle of a 2 ½-hours-to-go-10-miles traffic jam Google kept telling me the same thing.  I have never been so locked in before.  There is only one route to follow and a couple of huge trucks had spread themselves all around the landscape.  It looked like a war zone and it makes you wonder how they were able to totally destroy the cab of an 18 wheeler.  My bladder held out but I was starting to worry about my radiator.  Engines are not designed to idle for that long in 95̊ heat.

I was still 45 minutes away from the single lane being allowed through and I could see the cars stretched behind me as far as the eye could see.  Eyes can see far on a clear desert day.

I hope this is not an indication of the lines at DEFCON.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-202: Critical Thinking Skills

It is really easy to get carried away when evaluating other people.  Jesus warned us about the tendency when He uttered what has become the mantra of millennials, “Judge not”.  The problem He was addressing was the way in which we are critical of the faults of others while we ignore our own weak points.  It would be like a blind man criticizing the hearing of a deaf man. 

What areas do I find a need to practice humility?  What areas do I find myself being critical when I don’t have a leg to stand on?  The problem is that we rarely see our own weak spots because, well, they are weak spots.  So where do I start feeling self-righteous?

I start feeling holier than thou when I see people who have not lost weight.  I watch them struggle to walk or driving their little electric carts.  I am probably a bit jealous because the electric carts look like fun.  So far I have been able to ignore that fact that my weight continues to creep up.

I feel very spiritual when I see people watching TV.  I don’t watch TV and that makes me superior.  Of course my wife, who does watch TV, points out that I spend a lot of time on my computer and when she catches me with a You Tube segment wants to know what is the difference between that and TV. 

That brings up another point of superiority.  I don’t answer stupid questions, specifically questions that question my superiority. 

I am sure that other people are aware of many other areas I need to develop humility.  For the moment I have enough to work on.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-201: Firsts: Uber

Been there.  Done that.  Because of a number of circumstances that made it seem like the best option and the encouragement of my geek son, we took an Uber home from the airport on this trip.  For those who have not had their TV off this month, Uber is a company that allows people to use their spare time and their empty cars to haul the masses around like taxi’s have been doing for years. 

It has the advantages of the taxi.  You can call at the last minute and have someone there to pick you up in minutes.  You don’t need to crowd in with a lot of people you don’t know.  If you need to stop at a bathroom it can be done.  You go straight home.  None of these can be used to describe a trip on a bus, train or shared ride like Supershuttle.

It also has the disadvantages of the taxi.  It is expensive to my taste.  The fare is determined by the distance, which doesn’t change, and also the time.  In rush hour it costs more because it takes longer.  We had a long way to go and it was rush hour in Los Angeles.  When I can plan ahead and travel by myself I can get a shared ride van to haul me home for $21.95 plus tip.  Since my wife was with me and other needs we took an Uber and it cost us $122 including a $20.00 discount.  Ouch.  Double ouch.  Actually it is almost sextuplet ouch.

I salute the men and women driving Uber.  It is a successful company and their flexibility might make me use them in a crisis but that experience was a bit rich for my blood.  I was worried about connecting with the driver.  With the Uber App and a smart phone it was no problem.  I knew the price would be high so I did not have a stroke.  More power to them but I don’t want their success to be built on my blood.

Uber, a first, and I hope, a last.

homo unius libri