Never Forget

Security thru Obscurity doesn't work for Nukes either

In the computer world, many companies used to rely on their closed code and poorly-documented functionality to keep pirates and hackers from gaining unauthorized access to their systems. This was termed "security thru obcurity" and it worked pretty well until the Internet Era. Then the sharing of information allowed hackers to pool their knowledge and skills to defeat even the most obscure code. Nowadays, vendors have to resort to encrypted code or "signed apps" in order to secure their systems (one of the reasons for the Apple App Store).

But nuclear policymakers are still relying on "security thru obscurity" as a way to stop proliferation of nuclear weapons. They figure if they carefully control the spread of nuclear knowledge, and track materials, then no one can secretly develop their own nukes. Unfortunately, recent news that the tiny nation of Myanmar (formerly Burma) is developing nukes with North Korean help puts the lie to this theory. So long as nations can benefit from nuclear weapons - and can afford the raw materials - they will try to build them as protection against other nuclear powers.

One policymaker was rumored to say during the Manhattan Project, "Why did we build these devices if not to use them?" We then nuked Hiroshima and Nagasaki. How long until a North Korean or Myranmar politician decides the same thing? Welcome to Cold War II.

"Right to Remain Silent" changed by Supreme Court

It is a refrain familiar to anyone who has watched a cop show - "You have the right to remain silent." The right, enshrined by the Supreme Court, is to remain silent until speaking with a lawyer. But now, the Supreme Court has changed this right slightly by ruling that not explicitly invoking that right is equivalent to waiving the right. This has the potential to put additional pressure on the less educated who are arrested.

The high court upheld the murder conviction of a man who did not verbally assert his right to remain silent during his police interrogation. In a 5-4 ruling, the court said a suspect must explicitly tell officers he or she is asserting that right, known as Miranda rights.

My father was a lawyer and he always advised me that FIRST thing to do if arrested - whether you are innocent or guilty - is to ask for a lawyer. Otherwise, you risk unwittingly saying something to get yourself in trouble.

Unemployed not eligible for employment?!

It is a dirty little secret amongst recruiters that they tend to sort people without a current job to the BOTTOM of the pile. This is why most advisers will tell you to NEVER quit a job before you find the next one. But some companies are letting the secret out by explicitly stating in their ads that unemployed people will not be considered. That may be acceptable during good times, but in the middle of the Great Recession, that is a recipe for a permanent underclass of unemployable (yet skilled) people.

Peter May, of Atlanta, said he was hoping Orlando-based recruiter "The People Place" would help him find a job with Sony Ericsson. The company is moving its headquarters to Buckhead, which is located outside Atlanta.
May said he was mortified when he read the message on the website. In all caps, and bold type, it said, "No unemployed candidates will be considered at all."

Note to recruiters - time to change your attitude, before politicians and regulators decide to change it for you!

Nomad's Data Usage for on AT&T for iPhone

With AT&T's announcement of the end of "unlimited" data plans, new iPhone buyers will have to choose between a 200 MB and a 2 GB data plan. I thought Mod-Blog readers would be interested to see how much data I have been using.

I blame the recent spike in data usage on my new love for Evernote.

Scott Adams predicts the end of paid written content

Scott Adams of Dilbert fame is known for being willing to float a crazy theory here and there. But usually, even when floated for comic effect, his theories have at least enough truth to make you go "Hmmmm..." So when he predicts the end of paid writing - and the possible end of quality writing - it is time to pay attention.

Those of you reading this blog are already savvy enough to find and download any content you want for free. But I'll bet the average 40-something user of the Internet still wouldn't know how to search the Internet for criminally free content. At some point, I assume, a Google search for any popular book title will return an illegal source at the top of the page. When that happens, Amazon.com will primarily be selling electronics, household products, and clothes.

I predict that the profession known as "author" will be retired to history in my lifetime, like blacksmith and cowboy. In the future, everyone will be a writer, and some will be better and more prolific than others. But no one will pay to read what anyone else creates. People might someday write entire books - and good ones - for the benefit of their own publicity, such as to promote themselves as consultants, lecturers, or the like. But no one born today is the next multi-best-selling author. That job won't exist.

What do Mod-Blog readers think? Is the role of paid novelist a doomed profession? The professional cartoonist?

Google is phasing out Windows in favor of MacOSX

The reason given is security. Apparently, after the Chinese Hack, the company is looking for any operating system with a better security record than Windows. Then again, maybe it is simply an attempt to make nice with Steve Jobs, after the anti-iPhone screeds at Google I/O. (Linux is also an approved alternative to Windows at Google.)

New hires are now given the option of using Apple’s Mac computers or PCs running the Linux operating system. “Linux is open source and we feel good about it,” said one employee. “Microsoft we don’t feel so good about.”

In early January, some new hires were still being allowed to install Windows on their laptops, but it was not an option for their desktop computers. Google would not comment on its current policy.

Windows is known for being more vulnerable to attacks by hackers and more susceptible to computer viruses than other operating systems. The greater number of attacks on Windows has much to do with its prevalence, which has made it a bigger target for attackers.

You can expect an exasperated quote from Steve Balmer shortly.