Ed's Posterous

Just stuff.
 

Karma strikes back

Karma strikes back: On my way to work this morning (bad idea by the way) from Peabody to Boston, driving conditions were pretty bad with up to 5+ inches already on the ground. Some guy driving up my backside, flashing high beams and beeping. Apparently I was going too slow for him. He finally managed to whip around me on Rt. 1, politely saluting me the way most Boston drivers do.. About 3-5 miles further down Rt 1.. There he was again.. facing the wrong way on the highway, buried in the snow bank on the side without his front bumper, which lay about 15 feet further up the snow bank.. I beeped and politely waved as I passed him.. Thank you Karma..!

Posted January 21, 2011
// 1 Comment
 

My Snow Day Top 10.

  1. Getting a head start on the shoveling with the help of my Dad.
  2. Snowballs of course
  3. Snow angels
  4. Kick ass snow forts.
  5. Hot cocoa w/ marshmallow
  6. The beauty of fresh undisturbed snow covering everything.. I have a thing for snow covered landscapes
  7. No traffic, No noise, No rush.. A sort of peaceful quiet
  8. Looking forward to the fireplace and a relaxing night (after hard labor and shoveling)
  9. Riding my imaginary Tauntaun around the back yard.
  10. "Accidentally" knocking my wife into the snowbanks. ;)

 

Posted January 12, 2011
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Happy Anniversary Tracy.

Seven years ago today, I stumbled to one knee before catching my balance in the soft sands on a beach in Bermuda. I remember thinking "I hope no one saw that". Then looked up and saw the expression on Tracy's face. Us on a beach and me on one knee? So to save face and avoid looking like a clumsy fool, I did what any guy would do. I proposed. Coincidentaly, i had a diamond ring in my pocket, what are the odds? We were married on the same day two years later. Five years later, I wouldn't have it any other way. Happy 5th Anniversary Tracy!!

Posted August 27, 2010
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Microsoft Security Intelligence Report Volume 8

The Microsoft Security Intelligence Report (SIR) is a comprehensive and wide-ranging study of the evolving threat landscape, and addresses such topics as software vulnerability disclosures and exploits, malicious software (malware), and potentially unwanted software.

Volume 8 of the Security Intelligence Report (SIR v8) covers July 2009 through December 2009. It includes data derived from more than 500 million computers worldwide, each running Windows. It also draws data from some of the busiest services on the Internet, such as Windows Live Hotmail and Bing.

In this volume, the analysis is from the perspective of the three Microsoft Trustworthy Computing Security Centers in addition to several Microsoft product groups.

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via microsoft.com

Microsoft has released volume 8 of their Security Intelligence Report. 248 pages of in-depth information about malware, spam, malicious Web sites, vulnerabilities, and exploits with Mitigation Strategy, advice and best practices from Microsoft's own IT organization. Should make for some good weekend reading.

Filed under  //   malware   microsoft   security  
Posted April 29, 2010
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Technology and IT Training on a Budget.

Keeping your skills sharp with free online training and educational resources.

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In my opinion, one of the biggest challenges faced by IT and Technology Professionals is keeping up with technology. It’s also one of the most important for any Technology Pro that plans to stay relevant and remain competitive in the field. This is something I can speak on from experience. Technology is in a constant state of change, and everything you’ve mastered today might be less relevant in 6 months or a year. It is important for Tech Pros not only to keep up on the latest technology, but also to revisit and brush up on some of the standard technologies as well. More available at http://bit.ly/dkgz0z

via edwardstafford.com

 

Filed under  //   education   Information Technology   learning   training  
Posted April 20, 2010
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Tech Humor: Password Policy

Found this in an IT blog comment about Network Password Policies.

During a company’s recent password audit, it was found that a blonde employee was using the following password:

"MickeyMinniePlutoHueyLouieDeweyDonaldGoofySacramento"

When asked why she had such a long password, she said she was told that it had to be at least 8 characters long and include at least one capital.

 

Posted March 9, 2010
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Bestbuy, FourSquare and The Mayor.

I frequent my local BestBuy quite a bit and occasionaly I remember to "check in" using my FourSquare account. Apparently, I've done it enough to claim the FourSquare Mayorship of BestBuy. Cool huh?

The Good
It gets better. After becoming "Mayor", my mayorship status was posted to my twitter account where the local BestBuy picked up on it and contacted me about an idea they were throwing around. My local BestBuy is considering a program that works with FourSquare to award the Mayor (and possibly friends and family) each month with some "benefits" and thought, who better to ask than the current Mayor. Keep in mind this is not a done deal and I don't want to start any rumors but you should know it won't include giving away any 50" Flat Panel HDTVs or other big ticket items or services. Think reasonable.

The Bad
This also happened on the same day that @jbum (aka Java_Monkey) broke the news of how he was able to "hack" the foursquare system using automated scripts to auto-"check-in" at locations that he set without actually visiting them. See, the idea behind FourSquare is that you only check-in WHEN you are physically at a particular location. Bad Java_monkey..Bad!!

The Maybe
Now, I think BestBuy's intention is a good and this could be a great way to generate some friendly competition among customers who want to reap the rewards of Mayorship and generate some buzz and maybe even more foot traffic into the store. Who wouldn't a little extra "benefit", right? BUT I also see it as an opportunity for others to scam the system the way Java_Monkey did.
So, assuming the potential for scamming is removed and this actually works, here are some ideas that I had regarding the "benefits". Some of these are building off thoughts shared with me by BestBuy.
  1. A reward/gift card.
  2. Personal Assistant (shopper) who could also provide service to friends and family (Tell'em the Mayor sent you!). Seriously, What good is a Public Figure without a personal assistant.
  3. Mayor's Gala Event - invite a few friends / family to view after hours movie on one of the kick-ass Magnolia Home Theater Systems.
  4. Corner office with gold embossed engraved name plaque ;)
What do you think would be some reasonable "benefits" that come with Mayorship?

Posted February 23, 2010
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Lobster, Cockroach, or Alien Creature

Foodcreature

This was on display at New Brothers Restaurant and Deli in Danvers MA. this morning. Apparently, someone wasn't listening when mom told them not to play with their food.

Not sure what it is. A lobster, a cockroach, some Alien creature? Got any ideas?

Posted February 21, 2010
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FTW - Netflix takes a proactive approach, steps up and owns it.

I signed up for a Netflix account recently after purchasing a new Blu-ray player that supports Netflix movie streaming. I figured "Wow, this is great. I can watch movies when I want from my netflix queue." My only worry was, would my current internet connection be able to sustain a quality viewing experience. I still have Verizion DSL. My town does not have FiOS available (and no plans to), and my location has an effect on overall DSL speeds. I've learned to live with it.

So when I had some intermittent problems accessing and watching movies via netflix, I assumed it was due to my connection. That is, until I received an email from Netflix that stated:

"Recently, you may have had trouble instantly watching movies or TV episodes via your Netflix Ready Device due to technical issues.

We are sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused. This is not a great way to begin your Netflix membership. So that you can properly experience Netflix, we would like to extend your free trial.."

I did not complain about the service, and in fact attributed it to my sometimes questionable DSL connection. But Netflix was right there to voluntarily step up, take the initiative and say oops, we goofed. It's refreshing to see a company take responsibility for their service without being prompted.

There is the argument that I am still on a trial membership basis, and they are just trying to initiate some damage control to keep me on as a paying user when the trial expires. Maybe, but it's good to know they are keeping tabs on the service and own it when something goes wrong.

Posted February 11, 2010
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What are your credentials worth?

Security Watch posted an interesting article today discussing the value of personal login credentials, or username and password combinations used to access online services. I often get asked question about why people hack into computers, or write and spread viruses and malware. My answer has always been that it's less about damaging computers or systems anymore, and more about being stealthy and collecting valuable information that can be used for monetary gain. This article paints a general picture and help to explain of how much our information is worth, answering the question - Why do they do it?. 

Twitter credentials worth $1,000 to cybercriminals
Gmail account worth $80.00 +

According to the article, the actual value of account credentials is based mainly on popularity of the application, and the `popularity’ of the account, but I'd also include type of application, authority of the account holder, and the probability of an account granting access to additional valuable data as determining overall value of the credentials.

Read the full Article here.

Filed under  //   cybercrime   google   hackers   security   twitter  
Posted February 3, 2010
// 0 Comments