This is why I don't click on links I don't know. And why I don't use Outlook! Those that still click on unknown links may deserve what they get. Just saying.
If you want to be sure your outsourced IT company isn't doing something wrong, hire a third party to routinely audit your systems. The best option would be on-going monitoring with live response, but at least a periodic audit would tell you if something was wrong. Inform your IT company you are auditing them, and the likelihood of them doing anything bad will drop. If they don't like it, find someone else. There is no reason to object to auditing in this type of situation.
Go solar without buying a system. You can actually save money right from the start depending on your utility rates. Check it out:
http://www.jointhesolution.com/pskishter
What would be really interesting would be combat robots that were programmed to eliminate weapons, not people. Imagine sending in an army of robots that destroyed all the opposing army's guns, tanks, etc. without a single casualty. You would still win the war as they would have no effective means to fight. Of course, you'd still have a problem on the cyberwar side, but that's a different topic. Hey, maybe they'd destroy all the computers too. Then everyone would have to buy new ones and the economy would boom, right?! That's what I'm going to do with my tax rebate!
I can see your point and to a certain level, I agree. One thing I would say is that, for me at least, playing these games has given me a greater respect for those that actually fought in the war. The realism in some of these really brought home to me a glimmer of what it must have been like. Storming Omaha beach was brutal and I was quite aware that there was no trying again for those that actually did it. When I finally got to the beach, I had to stop playing for a while because the reality of it hit me hard. How many times did I "die" trying to get to the beach. How many people really died doing just that. It was brutal and crushing. My chest felt heavy and it was almost too much. They didn't have the option to hit pause and regroup. I guess my point is that some good can come from these games.
One other thing I want to say:
I have great respect for your grandparents. We kill when necessary to defend our families, our country, but we should never forget that no matter who the "enemy" is, they are people, and killing them cannot be undone. It pains me to see the numbers of Allied deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, but how often do we see the numbers of Iraqi and Afghani deaths. Why do we seem not to care about those deaths? There is something very wrong with that. A life is a life, no matter the ideology or politics, etc. I hope those that read your post take to heart and understand what a great thing it is that your grandparents really seem to cherish life, all life. They are truly an inspiration. Thank you for sharing that.
Slashdot Mirror
This is why I don't click on links I don't know. And why I don't use Outlook! Those that still click on unknown links may deserve what they get. Just saying.
If you want to be sure your outsourced IT company isn't doing something wrong, hire a third party to routinely audit your systems. The best option would be on-going monitoring with live response, but at least a periodic audit would tell you if something was wrong. Inform your IT company you are auditing them, and the likelihood of them doing anything bad will drop. If they don't like it, find someone else. There is no reason to object to auditing in this type of situation.
Go solar without buying a system. You can actually save money right from the start depending on your utility rates. Check it out: http://www.jointhesolution.com/pskishter
What would be really interesting would be combat robots that were programmed to eliminate weapons, not people. Imagine sending in an army of robots that destroyed all the opposing army's guns, tanks, etc. without a single casualty. You would still win the war as they would have no effective means to fight. Of course, you'd still have a problem on the cyberwar side, but that's a different topic. Hey, maybe they'd destroy all the computers too. Then everyone would have to buy new ones and the economy would boom, right?! That's what I'm going to do with my tax rebate!
I can see your point and to a certain level, I agree. One thing I would say is that, for me at least, playing these games has given me a greater respect for those that actually fought in the war. The realism in some of these really brought home to me a glimmer of what it must have been like. Storming Omaha beach was brutal and I was quite aware that there was no trying again for those that actually did it. When I finally got to the beach, I had to stop playing for a while because the reality of it hit me hard. How many times did I "die" trying to get to the beach. How many people really died doing just that. It was brutal and crushing. My chest felt heavy and it was almost too much. They didn't have the option to hit pause and regroup. I guess my point is that some good can come from these games. One other thing I want to say: I have great respect for your grandparents. We kill when necessary to defend our families, our country, but we should never forget that no matter who the "enemy" is, they are people, and killing them cannot be undone. It pains me to see the numbers of Allied deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, but how often do we see the numbers of Iraqi and Afghani deaths. Why do we seem not to care about those deaths? There is something very wrong with that. A life is a life, no matter the ideology or politics, etc. I hope those that read your post take to heart and understand what a great thing it is that your grandparents really seem to cherish life, all life. They are truly an inspiration. Thank you for sharing that.