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Domain: aarongreenspan.com

Stories and comments across the archive that link to aarongreenspan.com.

Comments · 7

  1. A few more resources... by ThinkComp · · Score: 1 · on Keeping Up With IT Developments In Education?

    I get the Wired Campus newsletter digest daily from the Chronicle of Higher Education:

    http://www.chronicle.com

    There's also plenty of books out there about technology and/or education. Harry Lewis, the former Dean of Harvard College, wrote one:

    http://www.amazon.com/Blown-Bits-Liberty-Happiness-Explosion/dp/0137135599/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224705390&sr=1-1

    And I wrote one, myself:

    http://www.aarongreenspan.com/authoritas.html

    Aaron

  2. The Price of Working with Microsoft by ThinkComp · · Score: 3, Interesting · on Facebook & Myspace Taking Some Spammers To Court

    When I suggested to Mark in 2004 that he make Facebook the largest spam-free e-mail system in the world by continuing to require user authentication, he said that he didn't want to compete with Microsoft. I didn't know at the time that Microsoft would become a large investor. It seems now that for Facebook, Inc., taking that investment has come at a price, which may be minuscule by comparison in monetary terms, but is still real. We're still desperately in need of a reliable messaging system that works, which I think probably means that it needs to be closed.

    Aaron

    Authoritas: One Student's Harvard Admissions and the Founding of the Facebook Era

  3. WSJ: What makes Finnish kids so smart? by ThinkComp · · Score: 1 · on How Do You Fix Education?

    There's obviously no short answer to this question, but this article from the Wall Street Journal presents a really interesting alternative to the American educational system, which is a mess that's I've written about extensively. Essentially, hours upon hours of homework followed by regular tests are not the answer. Allowing kids to have enough time to think for themselves would be a start.

  4. The Same Problem, Yet Again by ThinkComp · · Score: 0, Redundant · on German Survey Company Loses 41,000 Survey Records

    I've written several white papers and op-eds about how this problem has affected various companies and government entities. Sadly, it never seems to go away.

  5. Re:Essay: Catch 222-22-2222 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting · on What Should We Do About Security Ethics?

    I wrote an essay about this very issue a while back.

    http://www.aarongreenspan.com/essays/index.html?id=9

    The sad fact is that I don't report flaws anymore because I've been threatened too many times. Actually... there IS a way to report this sort of stuff semi-safely. I've done it. How it has worked for me is having a relationship with the local FBI computer crime division (you do that by helping them with stuff informally over time). Then, when I run across something, I first call the folks over there and alert them to it. Once they have validated it (and the report is entered in their system, even if they won't anything about it since no crime has been reported), I ask for permission to contact the company in question.

    While companies do get defensive, once I mention having spoken to the feds already, I never hear from lawyers. I think in a way, I've covered my ass in advance. And problems do seem to get fixed. And it never hits the papers, making everyone more or less happy.

    Sure, nobody knows who I am, and my name isn't on anyone's "clever security guy" list. While I sure could have used the publicity as a consultant, that isn't really the point. The only thing is that I never seem to be able to get a gig out of any of these findings, even though it would have made perfect sense to hire me to help. THAT one I haven't figured out yet. Oh well.
  6. Essay: Catch 222-22-2222 by ThinkComp · · Score: 4, Interesting · on What Should We Do About Security Ethics?

    I wrote an essay about this very issue a while back.

    http://www.aarongreenspan.com/essays/index.html?id=9

    The sad fact is that I don't report flaws anymore because I've been threatened too many times.

  7. Makes this guy a visionary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1 · on Microsoft to Pay $240 Million for Stake in Facebook

    http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/10/16/0015203
    "A few weeks ago I wrote an open letter to my former friend from school, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, telling him to take Yahoo's money before it's too late."

    http://www.aarongreenspan.com/letter/index.html - hire this dude, he's a visionary