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Technology Industry News & Career Management information, brought to you by BrainWave Consulting Company.
October 2007 - Posts
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From the UK: "We continuously monitor the effectiveness of, in particular, the liquid security measures..." How, one might ask? But hold on: "The fact that there has not been a serious incident involving liquid explosives indicates, I would have thought,... Share Post: Read More...
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AT&T has done the research: They use high-tech data-mining algorithms to scan through the huge daily logs of every call made on the AT&T network; then they use sophisticated algorithms to analyze the connections between phone numbers: who is talking... Share Post: Read More...
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Dear Bob ...Mind another comment about compensation? I'm commenting on your point that companies can figure out the value delivered by the sales force ("Comp logic," Keep the Joint Running, 10/29/2007).Even paying sales people based on what they sell doesn't necessarily measure value! When they sell Read More...
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A specialized printer used to print Missouri driver's licenses was stolen and recovered. It's a funny story, actually. Turns out the thief couldn't get access to the software needed to run the printer; a lockout on the control computer apparently... Share Post: Read More...
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Oh, the stupid: State officials have decided not to publicize their list of polling places in Pennsylvania, citing concerns that terrorists could disrupt elections in the commonwealth. [...] "The agencies agreed it was appropriate not to release the statewide list... Share Post: Read More...
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This otherwise amusing story has some serious lessons: John: Yes, I'm calling to find out why request number 48931258 to transfer somedomain.com was rejected. ISP: Oh, it was rejected because the request wasn't submitted on company letterhead. John: Oh... sure...... Share Post: Read More...
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Here's a interesting paper from Carnegie Mellon University: "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Internet Miscreants." The paper focuses on the large illicit market that specializes in the commoditization of activities in support of Internet-based... Share Post: Read More...
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"You're advising people to lie!" is a comment that comes up on a regular basis here at Advice Line. It came up a couple of times recently - regarding the manager who had helped an employee improve his performance but then was instructed to fire the guy anyway ("When your boss tells you to terminate an Read More...
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This is so silly I wasn't going to even both blogging about it. But the sheer number of news stories has made me change my mind. Basically, the Swiss company ID Quantique convinced the Swiss government to use quantum cryptography... Share Post: Read More...
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More from the Comments:As a matter of curiosity, I'd like to ask Bob and the commenters who agreed with Bob, what exactly is wrong with Mr. Drowning ("An excellent pickle," Advice Line, 10/17/2007) telling the first company exactly the truth - more or less as he describes it to Bob? And for that matter, Read More...
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Why is this news? The Russian company Elcomsoft has ported password cracking software to a graphics card, boosting speed by 25 times. The Utah company AccessData has been doing this sort of thing much longer, and has way better technology.... Share Post: Read More...
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So, this pedophile posts photos of himself with young boys, but obscures his face with the Photoshop "twirl" tool. Turns out that the transformation isn't lossy, and that you can untwirl his face. He was caught in Thailand. Moral: Don't... Share Post: Read More...
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Maybe: The Colorado Rockies will try again to sell World Series tickets through their Web site starting on Tuesday at noon. Spokesman Jay Alves said tonight that the failure of Monday's ticket sales happened because the system was brought down... Share Post: Read More...
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Brandon Mayfield, the Oregon man who was arrested because his fingerprint "matched" that of an Algerian who handled one of the Madrid bombs, now has a legacy: a judge has ruled partial prints cannot be used in a murder case.... Share Post: Read More...
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A school in the UK is using RFID chips in school uniforms to track attendance. So now it's easy to cut class; just ask someone to carry your shirt around the building while you're elsewhere.... Share Post: Read More...
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From the Comments about "When your boss tells you to terminate an employee," (Advice Line, 10/14/2007):For some semblance of balance, may I lend some support to the minority side here (which appears to be the rather less than endearing Mr. GeorgeC), and try to do so without being disingenuous to the Read More...
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Yet another movie-plot threat to worry about: One of the cheapest and most destructive weapons available to terrorists today is also one of the most widely ignored: insects. These biological warfare agents are easy to sneak across borders, reproduce quickly,... Share Post: Read More...
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I made my own as a kid. These are much nicer. You can even order your hollow book by topic, the better to blend it into the rest of your library.... Share Post: Read More...
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I want to be able to disguise myself as a Japanese vending machine.... Share Post: Read More...
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Good essay: Politicians of both major parties wield this as the ultimate political threat. Its invocation typically predicts that if a certain piece of legislation is passed (or not passed) Americans will die. Variations may warn that children will die... Share Post: Read More...
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Dear Bob ...Developing Developer again, with a follow-up to the question you addressed in your last post ("What has the most impact on software quality?" Advice Line, 10/21/2007).Our class has been discussing the waterfall methodology so that is where the question is coming from. I stated the requirements Read More...
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Clever technique to put a checksum into the bill total when you add a tip at a restaurant. I don't know how common tip fraud is. This thread implies that it's pretty common, but I use my credit card in... Share Post: Read More...
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Dear Bob ...I am arguing ... wait ... having an intelligent discussion with my instructor this week regarding software development processes. The class is Fundamentals of Software Programming. I was hoping to get your opinion on the question in discrepancy.The question is, "Drawing upon your knowledge Read More...
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Interesting advice: He cites a key advantage to bringing in lawyers up front: "If you hire a law firm to supervise the process, even if there are technical engineers involved, then the process will be covered by attorney-client privilege," Cunningham... Share Post: Read More...
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From The Onion: "Your outdated ideas of what terrorism is have been challenged," an unidentified, disembodied voice announces following the video's first 45 minutes of random imagery set to minimalist techno music. "It is not your simple bourgeois notion of... Share Post: Read More...
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A photo of the still unnamed species: A 0.2-inch-long (0.5-centimeter-long) larval squid is seen through a microscope's lens in this handout image released October 16, 2007, by WHOI. The young squid was caught within 328 feet (100 meters) of the... Share Post: Read More...
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A classified 2006 TSA report on airport security has been leaked to USA Today. (Other papers are covering the story, but their articles seem to be all derived from the original USA Today article.) There's good news: This year, the... Share Post: Read More...
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Fascinating story of insider cheating: Some opponents became suspicious of how a certain player was playing. He seemed to know what the opponents' hole cards were. The suspicious players provided examples of these hands, which were so outrageous that virtually... Share Post: Read More...
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There are no details of what the "hacking" was, or whether it was anything more spoofing the Caller ID: Randal T. Ellis, 19, allegedly impersonated a caller from the Lake Forest home shortly before midnight March 29, saying he had... Share Post: Read More...
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It's not true that no one worries about terrorists attacking chemical plants, it's just that our politics seem to leave us unable to deal with the threat. Toxins such as ammonia, chlorine, propane and flammable mixtures are constantly being produced... Share Post: Read More...
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Excellent three-part series on trends in criminal malware: When Jackson logged in, the genius of 76service became immediately clear. 76service customers weren't weren't paying for already-stolen credentials. Instead, 76service sold subscriptions or "projects" to Gozi-infected machines. Usually, projects were sold... Share Post: Read More...
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Dear Bob ...I'm in a bit of a pickle -- I've just received an offer from one place, and they want me to start on Monday. However, I've got another interview on Tuesday morning with a place that I like better, and I'd rather work there (better pay, better benefits, better match for my skills and where Read More...
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Have fun: If I could only install one "offensive" extension, it would absolutely be Tamper Data. In the past, I used Paros Proxy and Burp Suite for intercepting requests and responses between my Web browser and the Web server. These... Share Post: Read More...
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Security researcher Christopher Soghoian gave a presentation this month warning of the potential phishing risk caused by online political donation sites. The Threat Level blog reported: The presidential campaigns' tactic of relying on impulsive giving spurred by controversial news events... Share Post: Read More...
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A handful of prominent security researchers have published a report on the security risks of the large-scale eavesdropping made temporarily legal by the "Protect America Act" passed in the U.S. in August, and which may be made permanently legal soon.... Share Post: Read More...
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Now this is a good idea: In a letter sent Thursday to the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Security Standards Council, the group responsible for setting data-security guidelines for merchants and vendors, the National Retail Federation requested that member companies be... Share Post: Read More...
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It's nice to see the Palisades Medical Center take this kind of action. I wish places would do the same when the personal data of non-celebrities is exposed.... Share Post: Read More...
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I've seen several articles based on this press release: Computer and behavioral scientists at the University at Buffalo are developing automated systems that track faces, voices, bodies and other biometrics against scientifically tested behavioral indicators to provide a numerical score... Share Post: Read More...
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Dear Bob ...A few months ago I became the manager of our IT group, and inherited a long-term employee with stunningly inadequate performance. I have worked with him to set clear performance standards, which are now being achieved.Two weeks ago, my manager asked me to fire him on the basis that his long Read More...
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There's always more squid cartoons. And don't forget "How to be Happy."... Share Post: Read More...
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Okay, this xkcd cartoon is really funny.... Share Post: Read More...
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Fascinating: Magic fingers and an unerring eye gave “Hologram Tam”, one of the best forgers in Europe, the skills to produce counterfeit banknotes so authentic that when he was arrested nearly £700,000 worth were in circulation. Thomas McAnea, 58, who... Share Post: Read More...
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Dear Bob ...Commenting on your recent series about business archetypes ("Jung at heart," Keep the Joint Running, 9/24/2007 and "More business archetypes," 10/1/2007):Of course there are the business archetypes that never make it into leadership but are leaders themselves. For example, there are the "Mechanics" Read More...
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This is too funny: Fear that terrorists could poison children has led three Dover aldermen to begin inspecting gumball machines. They've surveyed 103 machines in the Morris County town and expect to report their results on New Year's Day. Aldermen... Share Post: Read More...
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Here's a video of my talk at Defcon 15.... Share Post: Read More...
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I'm not sure this is a good idea: Starting with about 20 models for 2009, the service will be able to slowly halt a car that is reported stolen, and the radio may even speak up and tell the thief... Share Post: Read More...
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Under a new law that went into effect this month, it is now a crime to refuse to turn a decryption key over to the police. I'm not sure of the point of this law. Certainly it will have the... Share Post: Read More...
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I flew through Orlando today, and saw an automatic shoe-scanner in the lane for Clear passengers. Poking around on the TSA website, I found this undated page. It seems they didn't pass the TSA tests, and will be discontinued: The... Share Post: Read More...
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Maybe this on directed acyclic graphs is a bit too geeky for the blog, but I think it's interesting. The idea of drawing cipher DAGs certainly isn't new; DAGs are common in cryptographic research and even more common in cryptographic... Share Post: Read More...
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Only $166. It's the size of a cell phone, has a 5-10 meter range, and blocks GSM 850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz. I want one. Pity they're illegal to use in the U.S.: In the United States, United Kingdom,... Share Post: Read More...
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How not to delete evidence. First, do something bad. Then try to delete data files that prove it. Finally, blame it on adult content. Hawaiian alleged Murnane -- who was placed on a 90-leave by Mesa's board last week --... Share Post: Read More...
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Wow: Burma's ruling junta is attempting to seize United Nations computers containing information on opposition activists in the latest stage of its brutal crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations, The Times has learnt. [...] The discs contain information that could help the... Share Post: Read More...
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Methanol fuel cells are now allowed on airplanes. This paragraph sums up the inconsistency nicely: In some sense, though, that's missing the point. Read the last restriction again. So now, innocuous gels/liquids/shampoos are deemed too hazardous to bring inside the... Share Post: Read More...
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Dear Bob ...I work for an Heir, a Psychopath and Protégé (see "More business archetypes," Keep the Joint Running, 10/1/2007). As you can imagine, projects are interesting and can drag on forever. I view myself as a mechanic. Mechanics rarely make it to management. They have a bad habit of telling heirs, Read More...
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This is all strange: In a telephone interview, Fischvogt also told me, "we received word from the pilot about the suspicious activity before the flight landed." Fischvogt explained that when Flight 518 landed, it sat on the tarmac for 45... Share Post: Read More...
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Clever: If you've seen a Hollywood caper movie in the last 20 years you know the old video-camera-spoofing trick. That's where the criminal mastermind taps into a surveillance camera system and substitutes his own video stream, leaving hapless security guards... Share Post: Read More...
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Dear Bob ...Your first paragraph (in "More business archetypes," Keep the Joint Running, 10/1/2007) caught my eye. I think people who have never been in the military haven't a clue what it really like. Most people confuse the word 'militaristic' with 'authoritarian'.The most authoritarian organizations Read More...
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Wow: In a startling discovery, officials of the Kalutara Prison on Horana Road have found a tunnel nearly 200 metres long and eight feet below the prison ground leading to the Kalu Ganga complete with electricity and light bulbs, dug... Share Post: Read More...
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Amber Alerts are general notifications in the first few hours after a child has been abducted. The idea is that if you get the word out quickly, you have a better chance of recovering the child. There's an interesting social... Share Post: Read More...
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Now this seems to be a great idea: Security officials at Los Angeles International Airport now have a new weapon in their fight against terrorism: complete, baffling randomness. Anxious to thwart future terror attacks in the early stages while plotters... Share Post: Read More...
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Your tax dollars at work: Frustrated by press leaks about its most sensitive electronic surveillance work, the secretive National Security Agency convened an unprecedented series of off-the-record "seminars" in recent years to teach reporters about the damage caused by such... Share Post: Read More...
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In California, if you want to buy a police uniform, you'll need to prove you're a policeman: Assembly Bill 1448 by Assemblyman Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks, makes it a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine for vendors who... Share Post: Read More...
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Remote controlled toys are getting more scrutiny: Airport screeners are giving additional scrutiny to remote-controlled toys because terrorists could use them to trigger explosive devices, the Transportation Security Administration said Monday. The TSA suggests travelers place remote-controlled toys in checked... Share Post: Read More...
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The Storm worm first appeared at the beginning of the year, hiding in e-mail attachments with the subject line: "230 dead as storm batters Europe." Those who opened the attachment became infected, their computers joining an ever-growing botnet. Although it's... Share Post: Read More...
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