RANT: It would seem that politicians govern us rather than being “equal in front of the law”.

Tuesday, May 9, 2006

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=50094

***Begin Quote***

It's becoming increasingly obvious that we have two standards of justice in this country – one for you and me and the other for "the commissars" like Kennedy.

This guy was born, not just with a silver spoon in his mouth, but with a get-out-of-jail-free card in his back pocket. Because of their position, their money, their "stature," people like Patrick Kennedy – just as his father did – are able to get away with murder.

***End Quote***

RHIP (Rank Hath Its Privileges)

http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/14417.html

***Begin Quote***

But like a lot of well-to-do Cape and Islands landowners and sailing enthusiasts, {Ted} Kennedy doesn't want to share his Atlantic playground with an energy facility, no matter how clean, green, and nearly unseen. Last month he secretly arranged for a poison-pill amendment <polnotes.typepad.com/windfarmblog/2006/04/the_language_in.html>, never debated in either house of Congress, to be slipped into an unrelated Coast Guard funding bill. It would give the governor of Massachusetts, who just happens to be a wind farm opponent, unilateral authority to veto the Cape Wind project. 

***End Quote***

RHIP

It would seem that politicians govern us rather than being "equal in front of the law".

When do the sheep rise up?

Leave a Comment » | Ranting | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

TECH: It finally came to me. My problem with web-based programs is … …

Tuesday, May 9, 2006

… based on my problems with the new version of Yahoo Messenger …

… … is that you are not in control of your computing environment. You have the illusion that you are but you're not!

 If I was, I could fall back to an old version of Yahoo Instant Messenger. I have the old version. At one time, I felt that I'd always wanted to keep what I was installing locally. Remember my winrot experience. But, now neither YIM version installs.

Reported earlier, LinkedIn changed their UI which disrupted my modus operendi.

It just seems that I keep losing control.

That loss of control wastes my time. Which is the most critical resource to me.

So officially declare me "not a fan of web based apps"!

Leave a Comment » | Technology | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

TECH: BLUE FROG is getting more results … (i.e., spammer’s admins “inconvenienced”!)

Tuesday, May 9, 2006

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/security/0,70831-0.html

***Begin Quote***

"Blue Security is indeed hurting our business, but not by taking down our websites," the purported spammer wrote. "Instead, they create a daily nuisance to our server administrators."

***End Quote***

Awhhh, poor spam server administrators … have … daily nuisance. They better not make their identities known or they will have a hard time finding work in the industry.

Already, when they pop out of their rat hole, they get pounded.

A spammers website got "dug", (i.e., equivalent to slashdotted) and their link collapsed under the traffic (i.e., ping times a grazillion people tends to abosorb your bandwidth). Akin to Dlink's NTP fiasco. Only this time it was deliberate.

***Begin Quote***

There is a great discussion going on about BlueSecurity and the jerks at specialham.com. (Search for Spammers in Digg). 544 comments when I checked a few minutes ago. There's a lot of good tech info on how the bad guys jump around the globe hourly to avoid detection.

The Digg effect and the Digg Army did a great job of bringing specialham.com to its knees. Even though Alexa is not the most reliable source of information, you can see there was a huge increase in activity on Sunday at the specialham.com site. Here is a link to the most recent Alexa chart. The daily reach went from 25 million to 450 million in one day. That is a big RED FLAG for their advertisers and sponsors. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbenson2/143175992/ 

***End Quote***

And one digg commentator summed it up nicely:

***Begin Quote***

A MESSAGE FOR THE BLUE SECURITY SPAMMER…

Since I've seen plenty of evidence that you're trolling anywhere on the web that people are discussing Blue Security and your deeds, I'm absolutely certain that you will read this.

Some things I need you to consider:

1) It's ridiculous for you to say "If you want to be removed from our mailing list, please opt out first." We tried that. You didn't listen. Blue Frog seems to make a concerted effort to *make you listen*. Seems to have worked. You're reading this right now, aren't you?

2) It's even more ridiculous for you to say "The point of it is to get Blue Frog software to stop turning its subscribers' computers into zombies that attack our servers". Why? Because you use botnets / zombies to do a bulk of your spamming. And you used them again to give Blue Security fits for a few days. The difference between Blue Security and you is that their software is on our computers by *our choice*. I don't think you can say the same of your vast botnet that sends spam.

3) The threats and lies you spread are so outrageous, I wonder how you think anyone is going to believe them — or for that matter — your whole facade of "I'm the the good guy" and "what these Blue Security people are doing is illegal." What you fail to understand, Mr. Spammer, is that this is a very sophisticated community of people you are dealing with; the early adopters of Blue Frog. We've put up with your Spam for years and years, we're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore.

4) It really doesn't matter if you have my email addresses. If my email addresses were so unbelievably private and well-guarded then I wouldn't have a Spam problem, now would I? So how do you think you can threaten me? Do you really think that I'm going to notice an increase in Spam as a result of your efforts when I routinely filter 500 a day? Think again.

5) The more attacks you pull on Blue Security and especially ** read this ** on regular guys like me, the more you draw attention to yourself and increase the possibility that the real big guns of the Net will get involved and squash you. And at the same time, you make Blue Security even more powerful and well known. Everyone I know is installing Blue Frog now.

I guess your threats had the reverse effect than you intended.

***End Quote***

DITTO!

Come on inet, let's get mad!

Leave a Comment » | Technology | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

MUNY: I’d prefer to have my copies online somewhere. Protected but online!

Tuesday, May 9, 2006

http://www.lifehacker.com/software/credit-card/what-to-do-if-your-identity-is-stolen-172308.php

***Begin Quote***

Be smart, have copies of your CCs in a lockbox somewhere, track your credit report etc.

***End Quote***

"have copies"

This isn't too helpful if you are on a trip somewhere. My personal preference is to have a hidden directory on my website, password protected, with an encrypted file. That file contains my credit card information AND the 800 numbers for domestic or international to report stolen cards. In another file, encrypted and password protected, are scanned images of my birth certificate, passport, and drivers license. Ditto, for poa, hcp, advanced directive, and all important paper work that I might need in a pinch.

Recently when Mom was hospitalized, and the docs were giving me a hard time, I just gave them my website and two magic words, and they were able to see my Mom's designation of me as her Health Care Proxy. End of hard time.

The next day I changed the magic words.

I have an index card with all the words scrambled in my wallet. In case, I don't have my data fob with me. If I can get an inet connect, I can get to my info.

I think that's important.

Leave a Comment » | MONEY | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

LIB: Rockwell posits some excellenet questions … … (should be asked of every politician!)

Tuesday, May 9, 2006

http://www.lewrockwell.com/rockwell/british-dentistry.html

***Begin Quote***

Will he or you be the one to suffer if something goes wrong?

Who is going to be held to account if the plan results in deprivation rather than plenty?

What is the exit strategy for abolishing the system if it doesn't work?

Where is the guarantee that this exit plan will be followed?

***End Quote***

With all due respect to Lew, I'd suggest a few more.

(A) Where is the unequivocal universally agreed definition of the problem? It is not enough to say, for example, "homelessness", or "poverty" or "campaign finance".

(B) Where is the evidence that this proposal is a timely solution to that problem. Government and Politicians are great a providing solution to problems that are on their way to being fixed already only to make things worse.

(C) Who is going to pay? How much? And, who will make up the difference between your estimate and reality? The answers are universally the taxpayer, too much, and are you kidding. Estimates of cost are usually off by orders of magnitude.

IMHO

Leave a Comment » | LIBERTY | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

TECH: Google has Google Reader for RSS feeds … … (interesting?)

Monday, May 8, 2006

http://www.google.com/reader/things/intro

***Begin Quote***

Welcome to Google Reader

Spend your time reading what you care about most.

***End Quote***

Nifty! 

Plug in https://reinkefj.wordpress.com/feed/ to read my feed in it.

You need a signon so if you need a gmail invite, drop me a note. I have lots of them. As does most GMail users. It is important to play with all these gems. Just to know what is in Web2.0. Or whatever the hyped name for the future of the web is being used today.

Leave a Comment » | Technology | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

TURKEY: Data-Information-Knowledge-Wisdom (DIKW) confirmation

Monday, May 8, 2006

http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2006/04/moving_up_the_w.html 

***Begin Quote***

Data-Information-Knowledge-Wisdom (DIKW) hierarchy

***End Quote***

Interesting that the author feels we spend way to much time down at the data level and little if any time up at the wisdom level.

I agree. BUT, how does an organization or an individual move up that tree?

Leave a Comment » | JOBSEARCH | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

TURKEY: Be aware the “rules” have changed. Be very aware. And the change isn’t good for you!

Monday, May 8, 2006

http://execunet.blogspot.com/2006/05/talent-management-vs-career-management.html

Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Talent Management vs. Career Management
Dave Opton
Norwalk, Connecticut, United States

http://www.blogger.com/profile/10891844

***Begin Quote***

What lots of us wanted to think of as company sponsored career management was really company sponsored talent management, and there's a significant difference as I am guessing anyone who has read this far already knows. Talent management is the WIFM for the employer. Career management is the WIFM for the employee. If they happen to match up from time to time, that's great, but make no mistake about where the interests lie for each.

***End Quote***

This sparks the thought that we have been fooled into thinking that things haven't changed.

The gold watch era, where the Greatest Generation stayed with an employer for a lifetime, ended silently. It started as we shifted from an agrarian society to a manufacturing one. It ended imho when the aircraft industry was caught firing older engineers to defraud them out of their pensions. That led to the government getting involved (always a bad idea) with the ERISA laws which dictated 5 year pension vesting.

This led to the era of what I call the "Five Year Employee". That lasted until the dot com boom, the entrepreneurial age,when working for yourself became the rage.

The government's tax structure had a hand in that too. As a consultant, I could deduct my commutation expense. As an employee, I couldn't. My employer can give employees qualifying health care tax deductible. As a consultant, I can deduct my own health care premiums. As an employee, I can't.

So, we have now recently emerged into the era where because of the entrepreneurial bust, people have gone back to working for companies. The standing joke is "they pretend to pay me and I pretend to work".

Defined benefit pension plans are being converted to cash value as quick as possible by companies who want to unload the liability. Litigation follows because people are being weenied. Pensions are now unknown outside of the government.  Existing pensioners and future beneficiaries are hung with an unfunded liability by companies that can go bankrupt to weenie them. Those with big fat pension funds are a target for rogue management or corporate raiders. It's not just social security that's a scam. The whole "retirement" metaphor is a risky scheme.

First rule: What you have is yours; what's promised is exactly that … … a promise. It has to be discounted by a number of factors. It all revolves around "collectability".

Second rule: You have to deduce what the new "rules" are for yourself.

WIFM (What's in It For Me)

I have to create a rule book that works for me. Everyone has to recognize that their "rules", as well as their mileage, will vary.

My thinking is that if one is "lucky" enough to collect on a promise, like a pension or social sedulity, you should thank your lucky stars because that is not everyone's experience.

Leave a Comment » | JOBSEARCH | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

GUNZ: Jacksonville man fatally shoots robber. (Good job!)

Monday, May 8, 2006

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/breaking_news/14519667.htm

Posted on Sat, May. 06, 2006
Jacksonville man fatally shoots robber; son injured in shooting
Associated Press

***Begin Quote***

"The father, sensing something was wrong, decided to defend his family … pulled out a gun and he shot and killed the suspect on the scene," Jefferson said.

***End Quote***

Yup, like I was saying, the criminals have to guess correctly. Guess wrong and it's self-elimination form the gene pool.

I'm sure the Victim Disarmament crowd will cry tears and tell us what a nice fellow this criminal was. But, he threatened someone with a gun. That's a crime in any reasonable person's mind. It didn't happen by accident. He wasn't collecting for charity and all he had to knock on the window was his gun!

I regret the loss of life. The dead criminal might have been the one to cure cancer. I don't like to see any life wasted. But, in the land of hard choices and scarce resource, reality world, I'd rather have one dead criminal than five dead family members.

Pop did good. IMHO!

Leave a Comment » | GUNS | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

TECH: BLUE FROG engaged in heroic battle!

Monday, May 8, 2006

***Begin Quote***

Reference number: LTK6904419311X Please use this ticket number in any correspondence with us.
Subject: from email
Dear reinkefj,

Thank you for joining Blue Security community.

Unfortunately, because of a major DDos attacks, we are currently focusing on maintaining our facilities, therefore your Blue Frog will not post opt out requests in the next few days and the spam reporting may fail. Please report us your spam messages only after the service will start function properly again. Thank you for your patience.
Thank you again for your support.

Should you require further assistance or information, please do not reply to this message, but simply use this Support form.

Best regards,

Idan Liron
Support Team
www.bluesecurity.com  

***End Quote***

Go get 'em guys. This is one of the first offensive strikes back at spammers. I think they deserve our support. It doesn't surprise me that at least one spammer doesn't want to lose his revenue stream.

I would think that those interested in cyber-defense of the USA would be watching this epic struggle as a prototype of what could happen to our national infrastructure.

Leave a Comment » | Technology | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

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