computing

Passwords

July 5, 2018 By Joe 5 Comments

cmdr-shane-610506-unsplash

I freely admit I have been quite lax when it comes to certain things & the internet. I have some very secure passwords that I use, but I tend to reuse them because they are secure! For a while now I have been working towards becoming a website developer, front and back end. That process continues, but it has been part of the process that the old way of dealing with passwords is no longer viable. And making sure the passwords I use will actually stop a person gaining entry to the site I am trying to protect.

My initial intention was to just pick a password manager that works well and there you go all done. I am kind of like that, rush to get it sorted type. When it comes to certain types of software I either will be patient or I won’t; let me explain!

I am mostly on a mac or Linux so I don’t use virus software, but because of the nature of virus software (protect my system) I expect it to work, from the get go! I shouldn’t have to trouble shoot it on the installation, it’s a trust thing!

So I am checking out some password managers, 1password & Lastpass, I will give a review after a few weeks testing them. There is a bit of a learning curve as I already have Key Chain on my mac and at work I use chrome which already do a great job remembering passwords. The difference is that a password manager will stop or try to dissuade you from reusing the same password all the time. Let you know when it’s weak aka dogs name! And they have a password generator that creates strong passwords.

Although both password managers I am looking at have their differences I do trust they are both fairly secure. Nothing is completely secure but the chances of them being hacked are slim to almost none. Which leaves me to consider install and ease of use, there is also a price difference which I will take into consideration.

Regardless of what I am doing if you don’t use a password manager you should consider it in this day and age, even if you just used it for your financial websites. It pays to have the extra layer of security these days.

Be safe People!

Dealing with the Internet these days.

May 18, 2018 By Joe 2 Comments

security-protection-anti-virus-software-60504

I work in the security business, I also deal with other aspects of security in regards to the internet. This means bad bots & malware and privacy are things I focus on often.
I try to keep myself informed in regards to data and where it’s going these days, not just the general stupidity of Facebook. But also what will be the deal now that AI is taking over much more of the daily grind when it comes to pretty much anything online.
Google Duplex Demo:

It’s apparent that AI, machine learning is moving ahead in leaps and bounds. The world moves on and even though our fool of a president eliminates the cyber security department to allow his Russian friends to do their stuff unimpeded.
It’s still an issue that I want the people who can make our data safe as possible are in fact doing so?
The internet as you probably know is or has for a while been moving to mobile. Google ranks websites on not only loading times, security certificates, but also if the work on mobile devices. malware on mobile has increase and so has robocalls.
If you are interested on checking what google has on you they are fairly open and transparent about it. go here Google sign in and check your stuff.

For Apple go to Apple’s Privacy Policy page:
(https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/en-ww/)
Scroll down to the section titled “Access to Personal Information.” It’s worth reading and says explains that Apple will provide you with a copy of the information it holds if you request it.
Click the “Privacy Contact Form” link.
Choose your language.
Select “I have a question about privacy issues” from the drop-down box.
Fill in your first and last name, email, subject and comments.
Click submit.

Apple is much better with privacy, and Google is transparent, for Facebook we are just a commodity so don’t be surprised!
As for the future, if we can get passed the sharing our lives on the web without thinking about the consequences of how and what we share. AI will I think come to the rescue as computer systems can be taught to defend us.
AI will also be used to attack our systems and learn from it’s mistakes at speeds we can only imagine.
If I seem to contradict myself it’s because we are probably going to see both. To win we will have to take out the players, in the same way servers are taken when dark web actors are arrested these days.
I have a Facebook account, and I believe that Facebook learned a lesson after Trump won. You have a responsibility to the people who provide you with their data as much as you do to the companies you allow us the data to make money. I personally think Facebooks biggest mistake was the new Feed, Facebook isn’t a news source, it’s a social network, it takes no responsibility for the news it shares on it’s feeds. When legitimate news sites are not trusted and Facebook is we have a serious problem.
Our Data whether we like it or not is a commodity, and we should treat it as such. This feels like we are moving into Black Mirror territory!

Just another day in paradise!

Robot is going to take my Job, and the government doesn’t care!

January 11, 2018 By Joe 6 Comments

Human Employee Termination Workers Silhouettes

Ever since the 1970’s with the advances in automation we have seen the decline in manufacturing jobs. Between 1990 and 2007, machines killed off up to 670,000 US manufacturing jobs alone. These jobs will never return because it’s cheaper to have many machines and one operator maintain them.

In my last post on this subject I was pondering how different countries are dealing with the advent of AI taking over many of the manual jobs done by people today and how this will change the idea of work when it relates to a persons identity.

Governments will be playing a big roll in the transition to an economy with 46% of the population not actually having a job. Because this is something that companies will not do, it’s not their roll. And to be brutally honest the United States Government with many crying socialism at the hint of the government actually helping a citizen has a shit reputation in this regard. With the advent of the driver-less vehicle, cars and trucks no longer needing a person will add millions of people to the lines of the jobless. Manufacturing jobs while in some markets (next generation energy production), may expand in the United States for the most part they are not coming back.

In the US there seems to be a cry to go back to the 1950’s when there was lots of manufacturing jobs and people were paid a wage that led to a decent life. I agree it was probably great and why not want that again. Those jobs are not coming back, if someone tells you they are they are bullshitting you. Whether we like it or not it’s a global economy now. And however altruistic you might like Apple to be they cannot and won’t be bringing production to the US, all the parts are made in Asia and they have many more qualified engineers than in the US.

Alas the United States is its own worst enemy, China has universal health care, that’s 1.6 billion people, while it is always a work in progress for health care they still manage it and it’s cheaper per person than in the US. That’s a big saving for any company, and with a state educational system they are bouncing out many more engineers and scientists than the United States. The US could and should be competing but it’s not. This is because in the US it’s not about workers or education or healthcare. It’s about the people in government making a dime and convincing the people that their problem is because of other people in the US, people of color, migrants, homeless, mentally ill, when in fact in the end it is always been about money.

I really don’t mean to bitch about this but it breaks my heart to see waste, and while some in the US are crying take America back. it’s not going to happen and any politician that promotes this crap is doing them a injustice. We must look to the future and find the kinds of jobs that will be open for people. And for those that won’t be able to work because the job just isn’t there. It will be OK because the government had made plans to give you some dignity & options to try because you don’t have to worry about where you are eating next.

The issue of the race against the Robots is not just a issue for the United States, it’s a global issue which every nation is going to have to grapple with. Some will do better than others because the population is better educated and can adjust to different types of jobs that will be needed in the future. Other nations will be hit harder because they had their head in the sand, for either politics or personal gain. We shall see!

Leaving Windows 10 for Linux

April 19, 2017 By Joe Leave a Comment

The End Of Windows 10

First I do say that Windows 10 wasn’t terrible, but it has some major issues which I will tell before I talk about Linux.

I had a clean install of Windows as my computer XPS dell notebook became a brick not too long after the free upgrade from windows 8.1. I liked it as a clean install and was content for a short while. Start times were long and with virus software it really slowed down the machine. I tried a few different virus programs to see if I could speed it up & in the end went back to windows defender. Which was fine, not that I was going anywhere to get a virus & I am careful about that kind of stuff anyway.

I held out before changing as I had purchased software for windows which wasn’t cheap and I was reluctant to give it up. But even with being careful one fateful day my computer decided to not see the optical drive, I tried various ways to sort out the issue but in the end it was going to take a reinstall of windows 10. My issue is although I forget the reason I had reinstalled windows 10 about two weeks prior & this was the last straw as the saying goes!

Hello Linux

Well having decided I was done with windows my decision was which Distro of linux was I going to use? I have tried a couple in the past & Ubuntu struck me personally as too much work for a newbie, I wanted something that works out of the box. I decided to go with Linux Mint 18.1 Serena.

Absolute Joy

I cannot tell you how much I love this operating system, it’s familiar yet different. It starts up & shuts down faster, I don’t need virus software, and it comes with practically all the tools you need to function with a computer. I have installed some software that was open source that I liked and I was lucky that some of the software I had purchased the license was good for a linux version, which was wonderful!

As I mentioned I was concerned that I would have to discard windows software now that I was in Linux world. My worries were unfounded by a piece of software called Wine. This wonderful software allows me to install a run windows software & I didn’t even have to install a windows OS, it makes moving to linux a no-brain-er.

Terminal

Okay so the major difference switching to Linux is how you install software, it is a learning curve but there are resources available to find answers. I am still very new to the terminal, but after a few weeks I am getting the hang of it a little. It does give a me a sense of accomplishment when I get it right, but it is a learning curve; it’s also the reason you don’t need virus software, which is great!

I personally will never be going back to windows on my personal computer again, it was a decision that I did anguish over, but I was so frustrated with having to fix issue practically weekly I had gone through enough frustration. If you ever find yourself questioning what operating system might be the best for you I would highly recommend checking out linux, mint might not be for you but as you can run all the different distro’s from a disk there is no excuse.

Robot took my job!

January 18, 2017 By Joe Leave a Comment

Our future.

robonaut-600982_960_720

It would seem self-evident that robots and artificial intelligence will be taking a bigger place in our lives in the not too distant future. There is much discussion on how this will impact society, and how this may be addressed.

First & foremost is the question of where the money will come from, which in our present society is a relevant question. In a way it’s like giving a caveman an iPhone and expecting him to know what to do with it. Removing the idea that my identity is connected to my work and gives me value is indoctrinated in western society. So to think that people made redundant due to a robotics takeover can just be paid off is putting the issue too simply. There will be a loss of dignity, of value and a feeling of injustice.

Governments must come to terms that there will be jobs that people will no longer do, and what it will require its citizens to do instead of those jobs. Until this question is answered there will be a conflict between the working and non-working citizens.

It’s fair to say that different countries around the world have different attitudes toward government and its role in society. I am originally from Europe so I can accept government healthcare and other social benefits without crying socialism or communist, because I know that’s not what they are. Having society provide a safety net when things go wrong isn’t an alien concept even in the united states, Medicare and Medical are government safety nets, as is social security. And I am sure many Americans are pleased to be getting their benefits after paying into them their entire lives. The only difference is in Europe you don’t have to wait until your 67 years old to get some benefits.

And this difference in attitude lends itself to people in Europe being more accepting of a basic wage for all citizens. So it’s probable that countries in Europe will go down this path quite soon, as half of the jobs done by humans will be replaced by machines before 2025.

But make no mistake, this question will need to be answered in the United States as the people out of work due to machines will be a reality in the next ten years, if society doesn’t act to provide a safety net businesses will suffer and it will be much harder to change attitudes after the fact!

Which brings me to the questions this new world order bring up:

In country “A” every citizen gets a basic wage and training to do work for the community or they have the time to start a business when the machines take over jobs; so there is no feeling of desperation in paying the bills.

Country “B” hasn’t yet adopted the idea of a basic wage, so when you lose a job because it’s cheaper for machines to do the work, you are left out in the cold with very few options.

It would seem obvious that as a citizen of country “B” I would be much better off in country “A”. But will I be able to move to country “A”? How will immigration and border control be managed?

In this world where there is already such a difference in attitudes and education from one country to the next, is it correct to think that such a new paradigm will even more alienate the progressive countries from those that struggle with change. And how will this difference be addressed by government and business leaders of the world?

Of course there is no privacy!

April 17, 2016 By Joe

How can I be Hacked?

In my opinion.

As a society we talk about government and social media and our privacy. This is a conversation worth having, but the point has been missed when the people using the internet put their lives on the web, including much more personal information than they realize.

First remember that to social media companies we are not the customer, we are the product for sale, and in order to get the most money from us they must know as much as possible so we can be sold effectively. This includes our location, family, friends, work location and contacts, pictures, race, gender, social interests, shopping history.

Do you feel any part of that list is private, it’s not once you send it to the internet. It’s not that Facebook, LinkedIn, or any other social media company are bad or trying to get you in trouble. They say they keep our data safe and that’s fine, that isn’t the only issue. It’s the things we choose to place on these sites willingly that we don’t realize can be used by hackers, pieces of a puzzle, and we the consumer give out the crumbs for those who have the knowledge to look and put the puzzle together. The threat isn’t from direct selling of your information, which will be done anyway! It’s the marketing sites that keep tabs on your internet browsing, shopping, and this information is moved about the web from one interested party to another. It’s said that the only thing sold is metadata, that they really don’t know who you are, crap! Sorry to tell you but if someone with the right knowledge and tools wants to find you it’s not as difficult as you would think.

There are ways to make it harder to be found on the internet, but social media probably isn’t the best we to achieve that. Yes we live in a world now that it’s normal to have a digital self, but remember to place a barrier between personal information and personal interaction. Use the rule that if you have two pieces of information on a social media site you can be identified, be careful what you post (on vacation for two weeks and the jewels are in the brown box)! Use encrypted messaging for personal conversation, iMessage is great if your on IOS, if you’re on Android there are services you can use, but your phone messaging service is not secure so avoid personal information. Facebook and other services may say they look after your information, but remember you are the product so you are being tapped for usage. Enjoy and be safe.