What would you do?
Picture this:
You work in your company's Human Resources (HR) department as a recruiter. Yours is a large company, and resumes come in by the thousands. To help you manage the work, you have a contract with one of the largest, most respected HR consulting companies (you know the ones - they have huge job boards, and when people apply to them, they screen the applications and forward promising candidates to you).
One day, you get an email from that consulting company. It contains a spreadsheet called "2011 Recruiting Plans". Somehow, that email has found its way into your junk folder, so you retrieve it from there and put it back into your inbox.
And then you open the attachment....
That's how one of the most secure companies in the world got hacked. The company that practically wrote the book on security got hacked by someone pretending to be someone else. As a result, the security company's clients - including some of the biggest names in MILITARY and GOVERNMENT - were compromised as well.
All because someone thought a "junk" email wasn't really junk.
Give this some serious thought. What would you do if you received mail from someone you knew and trusted? Would you open their attachments? What might have been an obvious answer now becomes less clear. Keep your guard up at all times when it comes to emails. Because you never know when something like this could happen to you.
I'm not an exciting person, but anything that crosses my mind that I care to share with the rest of the world will appear here.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
Unbelievable!
A 46-year-old B.C. man has been charged with pimping out his underage daughter to three clients, aged 34, 63 and 67. I don't know how old the girl is, because she can't be identified. However, her 67-year-old "client" came forward and indicated he had no idea she was underage. He also happens to be running for mayor of the town they're from.
I guess there's so much sleaze in government, people aren't even waiting until they're elected to start doing immoral stuff. There was no mention in the article whether the mayoral candidate intends to withdraw from the race.
A 46-year-old B.C. man has been charged with pimping out his underage daughter to three clients, aged 34, 63 and 67. I don't know how old the girl is, because she can't be identified. However, her 67-year-old "client" came forward and indicated he had no idea she was underage. He also happens to be running for mayor of the town they're from.
I guess there's so much sleaze in government, people aren't even waiting until they're elected to start doing immoral stuff. There was no mention in the article whether the mayoral candidate intends to withdraw from the race.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Happy Birthday, Jessie!
It's not often these days that our daughter finds herself back in her home town on her birthday. But this week, Jessie has been back visiting, and today was her birthday. So, to celebrate, she took us all out for lunch, and this evening, we took her!
It was a fun time, and I'm glad she allowed us to share in her special day.
It's not often these days that our daughter finds herself back in her home town on her birthday. But this week, Jessie has been back visiting, and today was her birthday. So, to celebrate, she took us all out for lunch, and this evening, we took her!
It was a fun time, and I'm glad she allowed us to share in her special day.
Huh?
July 1st was a landmark day in tablet history. Hewlett Packard, one of the most innovative and respected players in the computer game for nearly a century, came out with their own take on the tablet PC. Slightly larger than the Apple iPad, much quicker, more versatile, and with the ability to handle Flash (a display animation product from Adobe that all computers except the iPad and iPhone can use), the HP Tablet PC promised to be one of the most formidable challengers to the dominant iPad.
On paper anyway.
It seems sales of this unit have been slow. Like nearly non-existent. I looked at one just yesterday and marveled at how good websites looked on its screen. I'm lucky I didn't buy one though, because today, they were discontinued. The groundbreaking new operating system (WebOS) - discontinued. The division that designed and manufactured the OS, and the phones and tablet that used it - about to be shut down or sold.
The people at Apple must be dancing in the street. Further confirmation that the iPad is the only tablet that people even think about came yesterday when it was reported that 95.4% of people who want to buy a tablet, want to buy the iPad. Mind you, there are a LOT of non-Apple phones out there, and the same program that powers those phones has been making its way into non-Apple tablets, but for now, Apple is king!
Tablet PC's are a real dilemma. They are not PC's. They don't run software programs like the ones traditionally found on your typical computer. They run "apps", small applications that can be easily purchased and downloaded from app stores online. They won't run your business software (at least not yet), but they make really cool ebook readers (which can be used to purchase and read books, magazines, and newspapers), web browsers, email devices, and game consoles for dumbed-down games.
But, despite their limitations, they are selling like hotcakes. Either people will eventually wake up from the novelty and realize these things are really not good at anything but entertainment, or the business community is going to start making REAL business applications web-capable, and you WILL be able to use business software on your tablet - over the web!
If I buy a tablet (strictly as a means of verifying what my websites will look like to people who use tablets), it probably will be an Android device. Not because it will eventually beat the iPad (remember that 95.4% figure), but because you get more tablet for the buck when you're buying an Android device. But, as of now, there are no Android devices that measure up to the overall capabilities of the iPad, so I'll continue to sit on the sidelines for a while longer.
July 1st was a landmark day in tablet history. Hewlett Packard, one of the most innovative and respected players in the computer game for nearly a century, came out with their own take on the tablet PC. Slightly larger than the Apple iPad, much quicker, more versatile, and with the ability to handle Flash (a display animation product from Adobe that all computers except the iPad and iPhone can use), the HP Tablet PC promised to be one of the most formidable challengers to the dominant iPad.
On paper anyway.
It seems sales of this unit have been slow. Like nearly non-existent. I looked at one just yesterday and marveled at how good websites looked on its screen. I'm lucky I didn't buy one though, because today, they were discontinued. The groundbreaking new operating system (WebOS) - discontinued. The division that designed and manufactured the OS, and the phones and tablet that used it - about to be shut down or sold.
The people at Apple must be dancing in the street. Further confirmation that the iPad is the only tablet that people even think about came yesterday when it was reported that 95.4% of people who want to buy a tablet, want to buy the iPad. Mind you, there are a LOT of non-Apple phones out there, and the same program that powers those phones has been making its way into non-Apple tablets, but for now, Apple is king!
Tablet PC's are a real dilemma. They are not PC's. They don't run software programs like the ones traditionally found on your typical computer. They run "apps", small applications that can be easily purchased and downloaded from app stores online. They won't run your business software (at least not yet), but they make really cool ebook readers (which can be used to purchase and read books, magazines, and newspapers), web browsers, email devices, and game consoles for dumbed-down games.
But, despite their limitations, they are selling like hotcakes. Either people will eventually wake up from the novelty and realize these things are really not good at anything but entertainment, or the business community is going to start making REAL business applications web-capable, and you WILL be able to use business software on your tablet - over the web!
If I buy a tablet (strictly as a means of verifying what my websites will look like to people who use tablets), it probably will be an Android device. Not because it will eventually beat the iPad (remember that 95.4% figure), but because you get more tablet for the buck when you're buying an Android device. But, as of now, there are no Android devices that measure up to the overall capabilities of the iPad, so I'll continue to sit on the sidelines for a while longer.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
We'll keep the light on for ya ...
You've seen the ads for a motel chain that is always ready to accept you. Well, apparently, that's the way Canada runs its borders.
In an article published today in the Winnipeg Free Press, the Canadian government has revealed that, unlike other countries, we don't keep track of the status of visas. If your visa expires, don't bother leaving, because no one will ever know you didn't.
Here is the disturbing article.
You've seen the ads for a motel chain that is always ready to accept you. Well, apparently, that's the way Canada runs its borders.
In an article published today in the Winnipeg Free Press, the Canadian government has revealed that, unlike other countries, we don't keep track of the status of visas. If your visa expires, don't bother leaving, because no one will ever know you didn't.
Here is the disturbing article.
Monday, August 15, 2011
It's the patents, dummy
The tech world is abuzz today regarding Google's decision to buy Motorola Mobile. Why would they pay $12.5B for a company that has been losing money and market share hand over fist in the mobile market?
The title of this post says it all. A while back, Google put out an opening bid for the communications patents of Nortel, a company which during its heyday had been among the premiere R&D companies in the world. When Nortel declared bankruptcy a few years ago, its products were purchased by a rival, but its patents remained with them - their ace in the hole for raising cash to pay creditors.
Well, Google may have made a bold initial bid, but then, Google's rivals ganged up on it and created a consortium that outbid it and won Nortel's patents with an outlandish bid of $6.5B.
Why are companies willing to pay so much for a portfolio of intellectual property patents? Because, they act as a shield against litigation. It's like in the old days of the cold war, when the U.S. and Russia each avoided confrontation on a nuclear scale because each knew that the other had the means of a retaliatory strike even after they were doomed to destruction themselves. Back then, it was called MAD (mutually assured destruction), and the concept is still relevant today.
Let's say one of Google's partners markets a device and is sued by Apple for patent infringement. Without a bargaining chip, Google's partner, if found guilty, is liable for substantial damages. But let's say that Google also owns patents, and when faced with a lawsuit from Apple, Google's partners respond: "Well, if you sue us for violating patent 'X', Google will sue you for violating their patent 'Y'."
This standoff eventually leads to both parties agreeing not to sue one another. Google lost its opportunity to buy such relief when its bid for Nortel's patents was trumped by the consortium (which included Apple and Microsoft). Now, with the (more expensive) purchase of Motorola, Google will gain some patents that will help it defend in patent battles from its competitors.
In the bargain, Google will get manufacturing facilities and a household name in the phone industry (although, at the moment, that name is a bit tarnished). Google will have to convince its other handset partners that the primary reason for this purchase was to acquire patents; and not to directly compete against them.
If Google can operate behind a Chinese wall - granting access to the latest software features to all its partners at the same time - they will be able to successfully integrate this purchase without offending the companies that have made Android so successful.
Remember, Google hasn't been charging a fee to the handset providers for the use of Android, so it's not like Motorola will get preferable pricing. It's just a matter of ensuring that Motorola doesn't get first access to new versions of Android. If Google can maintain that fairness, all will be well. If not, Google will have just spent a fortune to shoot itself in the foot.
The tech world is abuzz today regarding Google's decision to buy Motorola Mobile. Why would they pay $12.5B for a company that has been losing money and market share hand over fist in the mobile market?
The title of this post says it all. A while back, Google put out an opening bid for the communications patents of Nortel, a company which during its heyday had been among the premiere R&D companies in the world. When Nortel declared bankruptcy a few years ago, its products were purchased by a rival, but its patents remained with them - their ace in the hole for raising cash to pay creditors.
Well, Google may have made a bold initial bid, but then, Google's rivals ganged up on it and created a consortium that outbid it and won Nortel's patents with an outlandish bid of $6.5B.
Why are companies willing to pay so much for a portfolio of intellectual property patents? Because, they act as a shield against litigation. It's like in the old days of the cold war, when the U.S. and Russia each avoided confrontation on a nuclear scale because each knew that the other had the means of a retaliatory strike even after they were doomed to destruction themselves. Back then, it was called MAD (mutually assured destruction), and the concept is still relevant today.
Let's say one of Google's partners markets a device and is sued by Apple for patent infringement. Without a bargaining chip, Google's partner, if found guilty, is liable for substantial damages. But let's say that Google also owns patents, and when faced with a lawsuit from Apple, Google's partners respond: "Well, if you sue us for violating patent 'X', Google will sue you for violating their patent 'Y'."
This standoff eventually leads to both parties agreeing not to sue one another. Google lost its opportunity to buy such relief when its bid for Nortel's patents was trumped by the consortium (which included Apple and Microsoft). Now, with the (more expensive) purchase of Motorola, Google will gain some patents that will help it defend in patent battles from its competitors.
In the bargain, Google will get manufacturing facilities and a household name in the phone industry (although, at the moment, that name is a bit tarnished). Google will have to convince its other handset partners that the primary reason for this purchase was to acquire patents; and not to directly compete against them.
If Google can operate behind a Chinese wall - granting access to the latest software features to all its partners at the same time - they will be able to successfully integrate this purchase without offending the companies that have made Android so successful.
Remember, Google hasn't been charging a fee to the handset providers for the use of Android, so it's not like Motorola will get preferable pricing. It's just a matter of ensuring that Motorola doesn't get first access to new versions of Android. If Google can maintain that fairness, all will be well. If not, Google will have just spent a fortune to shoot itself in the foot.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Just my luck - a layoff notice
When I got my layoff notice a few years ago, I saw the writing on the wall. Knowing it was just a matter of time until I lost my job, I started my own business.
Maybe what I should have done is buy a lottery ticket!
When I got my layoff notice a few years ago, I saw the writing on the wall. Knowing it was just a matter of time until I lost my job, I started my own business.
Maybe what I should have done is buy a lottery ticket!
22 months and counting
Today's newspaper flaunted it. Superstitious me thinks it was a big mistake talking about it. But it's hard to deny that my home town, just one mile away from one of the most notorious cities in the United States, has been murder-free for 22 months and counting.
I credit this to several factors...
1) A tighter international border and the requirement for passports or enhanced licenses has drastically reduced traffic from the U.S. into our Canadian border city. And with Canada having a lower drinking/gambling age than the U.S., that's a lot of younger adults that are being kept away from our downtown.
2) Our downtown area is pretty much a dead zone in the evening, save for a few hot night spots. The weakened economy has the side effect of reducing the number of drinking holes around the city. Fewer places to misbehave translates into more police presence per capita at the remaining locations.
3) The tough economy has lowered disposable income for people in this area (both in Canada and the U.S.). Even the people who still come downtown to blow off steam don't have the funds to drink as much. Less drink means less rowdiness. Less rowdiness means fewer fights.
It was announced this week that our city became the "all-time hottest city in Canada" with an official average temperature of more than 77 degrees farenheit for July. I was pleased that the very hot summer didn't result in any frustration-related deaths, although there were a couple of fairly serious assaults.
The last murder in this city occurred in September 2009, and was the result of a fight between two gangs outside a bar. Fights still occur, but not as frequently, and not as often with a gun.
Of course, this streak won't last forever, but I'll be happy and grateful for each day it goes on.
Today's newspaper flaunted it. Superstitious me thinks it was a big mistake talking about it. But it's hard to deny that my home town, just one mile away from one of the most notorious cities in the United States, has been murder-free for 22 months and counting.
I credit this to several factors...
1) A tighter international border and the requirement for passports or enhanced licenses has drastically reduced traffic from the U.S. into our Canadian border city. And with Canada having a lower drinking/gambling age than the U.S., that's a lot of younger adults that are being kept away from our downtown.
2) Our downtown area is pretty much a dead zone in the evening, save for a few hot night spots. The weakened economy has the side effect of reducing the number of drinking holes around the city. Fewer places to misbehave translates into more police presence per capita at the remaining locations.
3) The tough economy has lowered disposable income for people in this area (both in Canada and the U.S.). Even the people who still come downtown to blow off steam don't have the funds to drink as much. Less drink means less rowdiness. Less rowdiness means fewer fights.
It was announced this week that our city became the "all-time hottest city in Canada" with an official average temperature of more than 77 degrees farenheit for July. I was pleased that the very hot summer didn't result in any frustration-related deaths, although there were a couple of fairly serious assaults.
The last murder in this city occurred in September 2009, and was the result of a fight between two gangs outside a bar. Fights still occur, but not as frequently, and not as often with a gun.
Of course, this streak won't last forever, but I'll be happy and grateful for each day it goes on.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
A new trend in child labour practices
We've all heard about famous sportswear being manufactured by children who work in third world country sweatshops.
Well, could this be the new trend in child labour practices?
We've all heard about famous sportswear being manufactured by children who work in third world country sweatshops.
Well, could this be the new trend in child labour practices?
Sunday, August 07, 2011
I absolutely HATE snakes!
So, you find yourself driving along a highway, and all of a sudden, a water moccasin (a very poisonous snake) appears on your windshield. If this happened to me, I'd freak out and probably crash my car.
So, you find yourself driving along a highway, and all of a sudden, a water moccasin (a very poisonous snake) appears on your windshield. If this happened to me, I'd freak out and probably crash my car.
Saturday, August 06, 2011
I'll sleep so much better tonight
Reality can be so much more "unreal" than fantasy. Researchers at McAfee announced they had been monitoring successful attempts by foreign agents to infiltrate government, military, technological and other sources of sensitive information in fourteen different countries, going back five years.
Here's the story. And here's a slide showing a partial list of companies and countries targeted just in 2008. Click on the slide to make things large enough to read the details.
Sweet dreams!
Reality can be so much more "unreal" than fantasy. Researchers at McAfee announced they had been monitoring successful attempts by foreign agents to infiltrate government, military, technological and other sources of sensitive information in fourteen different countries, going back five years.
Here's the story. And here's a slide showing a partial list of companies and countries targeted just in 2008. Click on the slide to make things large enough to read the details.
Sweet dreams!