"1. A true engineer would is proud of the work that they do, therefore not hiding it. Hard to hide a bomb that you are proud of."
When it goes off it is no longer hidden.
"2. Engineers can't lie (see Dilbert). Therefore, when asked, "Are you a spy?" they answer yes."
Gotta catch them to ask them first.
"3. That when they see a problem, they bring it to the attention of others. So, when they see a security hole, they will point it out instead of abusing it."
Qassam rockets point out "holes" in IDF defenses quite nicely!
"4. When they do something, they will tell everyone about it."
Including publishing tech data so other folks can build similar ordnance.:)
It certainly is. Toolkits have historically been provided by the mechanic (I've been a mechanic for many years), as the selection reflects personal preference. I found the link below by Googling the common phrase in want ads for mechanics "Must have own tools". The reason it is used is that only extreme newbs (or screwups who pawned their gear!) DON'T have their own tools. Mechanics often start their careers by buying tools as students (hence the vendor student discounts on basic sets) and will buy tools throughout their careers. Tool vendors visit shops and sell toolkits to mechanics on payment plans. It is common for tools to be insured because they are so expensive.
"The most important instruments a technician or mechanic uses are hand tools. Typically workers will use their own tools, and a lot of experienced technicians and mechanics own tool sets worth thousands of dollars."
"Most mechanics have to buy their own tools. As an apprentice, the mechanic may have to spend up to $500 or more on tools. By the time they reach journey- level, a mechanic may have spent up to $10,000 on tools. Mechanics with a specialty like those who work on foreign cars may spend even more on tools because foreign cars need metric tools."
"I have a friend who admins my gbsd network and he doesn't even run a a/v on his windows box. He is that confident in his ability to discern good/bad archives/files/websites. I just burned him by giving him the g2p.org link, and he search for something (probably porn huh?) and BAM! Had to ghost his system."
Proof complacency has consequences. Wanna surf pron? That's a fine use for a VMware appliance.:)
"So even though he KNOWS he should run an a/v, he doesn't because he trusts himself."
That's why you train people to do it right, and test them. In the military it isn't about "trusting yourself" beyond safety procedures.
"PS, my major concern with the USAF is my buddy who is a mechanic. He was always so drunk,"
As long as it wasn't on duty, it's his business until it causes legal or performance problems. If he shows up drunk on station that would be time for rehab.
"I don't think they needed to try this on the military with so much data out there."
I think that the military should try more such exercises to keep their people aware of such security issues. If they do it enough, the standard response to such emails will be to verify the source and report it as required. Even with that somewhat computer literate USAF folks I served with, these "exercises" would have been very helpful.
"Basically, I just finally told my boss that I would buy my own personal equipment and software and set that up at home. It serves me well, as I do freelance work at homne anyway."
The vast majority of auto mechanics are expected to provide their own hand tools, and a well-stocked toolbox can run tens of thousands of dollars. Why not have users provide their own computer (cheap by comparison) if they support it?
I'd be happy to provide my own PC anywhere I worked if it were permitted. I bring my own peripherals anyway.
"It was not the RAF who killed the german banker, the job was simply too precise and too high-tech for looney terrorist. "
Being a terrorist doesn't automatically imply "lunacy" or technical incompetence. One may be smart, intelligent, capable, willing to kill political enemies, and willing to study in order to do it with style. A copperplate charge was old news, so were the sensors, so was the ability to measure the distances required. Putting them together was the nifty bit, but certainly not beyond educated people. Books on ordnance and explosives wouldn't have been hard to find (I read plenty of them before the intarweb made it fashionable) in ordinary libraries.
BTW, terrorism is not the least "looney". It is merely fighting, and it often works.
"Tires already come with RFID tags, which can also be read and tracked remotely."
Not much range on such scanners.
"Cars probably also emit all sorts of other unique signals that can be recognized and tracked."
Car electronics systems are well understood. Only a system with a car-specific signature that emitted a strong enough signal would be practical to exploit.
"Of course, cars also come with this thing called a "license plate", which can also be tracked remotely and wirelessly."
License plate scanners must have line-of-sight to the license plate to work. If you have a line-of-sight view of your target it's toast, but such scanners are bulky and expensive.
"Basically, if you drive, you can be tracked."
By the government, of course. I'm not fond of tech that is easy for non-government folks to exploit _either_.
When the Red Army Faction assassinated Alfred Herrhausen in 1989, they used a photocell trigger to set off an "IED" in a bicycle bag. It was a superbly precise job which targeted the actual position in the car occupied by Herrhausen.
Fast forward to now. One might scan the sensors on a target vehicle as it drives a common route, emplace IEDs on multiple routes, and break out the popcorn (or pita as the case may be) until the target drives by. This would be ideal for political hits where the target uses a specific armored vehicle.
"probably 9 out of 10 will have a pirated windows installed more sooner than later."
No shit. Unless one is a zealot there is no reason not to pirate software. Most people are not Slashdot idealists. I use Linux because I prefer it, but for most people (whose reason for having a Windows machine is compatibility with other Windows machines) there is no reason to bother with the learning curve.
XP Corporate is free on the web along with every other version. The custom install CDs are often easier to use than the original. There is no reason for many people not to use them.
So do many of the people that dumped them and instead get their news from the internet. It is easy to crosscheck content from my laptop, I don't have to pay for dead tree media which I then have to dispose of, and I can save and forward content I wish to share.
I can pay a newspaper for a single POV, or view many for free.
The world is divided into those of us who are ugly and those who will be.:)
Beauty wears off anyway, so pick a smart one you can love when she/he/it eventually (as do we all) gets old and looks like my nutsack. It's nice if they start off attractive, but brains and creativity last far longer than looks.
FWIW I'm an old fart who has been happily cohabiting/married for twenty years. Neither of us looks like we did two decades ago, and that's OK.
Reducing hardware installs is different than OS advocacy. People need someone to install hardware, so slamming a hardware coompany can give potential purchasers pause. Of course, if you repair computers you can send plenty of business away from an "enemy" company.
More like "was atrocious". back in the Shovelhead days now decades gone. FWIW even those were so easy to work on that they very rarely went to scrap, unlike (check any cycle salvage if you doubt me!) most other brands.
Since the Evo engine in the 1980s, Harleys have been boringly reliable, and are easy to support with aftermarket parts. You can build a whole motorcycle from such if you wish. Going over 100K miles on an Evo isn't uncommon.
"A lot of people don't ride their harleys to the bike rallies: they drive their car and cart the harley in a trailer."
That applies to every brand as the riding population ages. Plenty of Gold Wings etc can be seen on trailers headed for Daytona etc, and they are sweet highway rides.
I've wrenched on all brands for years. Since I put a premium on being able to easily work on reliable bikes, I own a Harley and a BMW. Those are brands that not only work well out of the box, but you can continue running them for many years.
"Someone please try to justify evicting one and a half million people for the Olympics."
The Olympics is no longer a big deal to us, but it is a huge opportunity for China. 1.5 million people is a lot to us, not so to them. They way to modernize such a large country at a rapid pace is by force. Note how far China has come since 1948.
"If US just plants a news story about the parts, then PRC doesn't know, "shipping error" creates plausible deniability. PRC can't make a scene, but can wonder, does the ROC have a nuke now."
A Supply Fart (clerk inputs number from Fed Log into system, maybe crosses to a "suitable substitute" for the original item, item ships because it was not in a "classified" warehouse section or whatever) is really quite plausible considering the staggering amount of shit that flows through the Supply system. Plenty of stuff gets mis-classified, and the system is designed to deal with that. (You get wrong part, tag it and turn it back in, call Supply and inform them of the problem. No biggee.)
Deliberately informing the media about what (supposedly) is a minor mis-shipment strikes me as a ploy to make Beijing wonder...
Slashdot Mirror
"Truly I say unto thee, Real Men write CMOS infecting viruses."
:)
Don't remind them.
"1. A true engineer would is proud of the work that they do, therefore not hiding it. Hard to hide a bomb that you are proud of."
:)
When it goes off it is no longer hidden.
"2. Engineers can't lie (see Dilbert). Therefore, when asked, "Are you a spy?" they answer yes."
Gotta catch them to ask them first.
"3. That when they see a problem, they bring it to the attention of others. So, when they see a security hole, they will point it out instead of abusing it."
Qassam rockets point out "holes" in IDF defenses quite nicely!
"4. When they do something, they will tell everyone about it."
Including publishing tech data so other folks can build similar ordnance.
I was variously an avionics troop/engine mech/crew chief. If the ChiComs want info they'd get more from open sources like f16.net. :)
"Is this even true? Source?"
It certainly is. Toolkits have historically been provided by the mechanic (I've been a mechanic for many years), as the selection reflects personal preference. I found the link below by Googling the common phrase in want ads for mechanics "Must have own tools". The reason it is used is that only extreme newbs (or screwups who pawned their gear!) DON'T have their own tools. Mechanics often start their careers by buying tools as students (hence the vendor student discounts on basic sets) and will buy tools throughout their careers. Tool vendors visit shops and sell toolkits to mechanics on payment plans. It is common for tools to be insured because they are so expensive.
http://www.careeroverview.com/auto-mechanic-careers.html
"The most important instruments a technician or mechanic uses are hand tools. Typically workers will use their own tools, and a lot of experienced technicians and mechanics own tool sets worth thousands of dollars."
http://www.calmis.ca.gov/file/occguide/MECHAUTO.HTM (note the date, the price figures are low)
"Most mechanics have to buy their own tools. As an apprentice, the mechanic
may have to spend up to $500 or more on tools. By the time they reach journey-
level, a mechanic may have spent up to $10,000 on tools. Mechanics with a
specialty like those who work on foreign cars may spend even more on tools
because foreign cars need metric tools."
"I have a friend who admins my gbsd network and he doesn't even run a a/v on his windows box. He is that confident in his ability to discern good/bad archives/files/websites. I just burned him by giving him the g2p.org link, and he search for something (probably porn huh?) and BAM! Had to ghost his system."
:)
Proof complacency has consequences. Wanna surf pron? That's a fine use for a VMware appliance.
"So even though he KNOWS he should run an a/v, he doesn't because he trusts himself."
That's why you train people to do it right, and test them. In the military it isn't about "trusting yourself" beyond safety procedures.
"PS, my major concern with the USAF is my buddy who is a mechanic. He was always so drunk,"
As long as it wasn't on duty, it's his business until it causes legal or performance problems. If he shows up drunk on station that would be time for rehab.
"I don't think they needed to try this on the military with so much data out there."
I think that the military should try more such exercises to keep their people aware of such security issues. If they do it enough, the standard response to such emails will be to verify the source and report it as required.
Even with that somewhat computer literate USAF folks I served with, these "exercises" would have been very helpful.
"Basically, I just finally told my boss that I would buy my own personal equipment and software and set that up at home. It serves me well, as I do freelance work at homne anyway."
The vast majority of auto mechanics are expected to provide their own hand tools, and a well-stocked toolbox can run tens of thousands of dollars. Why not have users provide their own computer (cheap by comparison) if they support it?
I'd be happy to provide my own PC anywhere I worked if it were permitted. I bring my own peripherals anyway.
"Sounds like a real PITA for that bicyclist and Alfred..."
The bicyclist wasn't there, just the bicycle.
"It was not the RAF who killed the german banker, the job was simply too precise and too high-tech for looney terrorist. "
Being a terrorist doesn't automatically imply "lunacy" or technical incompetence.
One may be smart, intelligent, capable, willing to kill political enemies, and willing to study in order to do it with style. A copperplate charge was old news, so were the sensors, so was the ability to measure the distances required. Putting them together was the nifty bit, but certainly not beyond educated people. Books on ordnance and explosives wouldn't have been hard to find (I read plenty of them before the intarweb made it fashionable) in ordinary libraries.
BTW, terrorism is not the least "looney". It is merely fighting, and it often works.
"Tires already come with RFID tags, which can also be read and tracked remotely."
Not much range on such scanners.
"Cars probably also emit all sorts of other unique signals that can be recognized and tracked."
Car electronics systems are well understood. Only a system with a car-specific signature that emitted a strong enough signal would be practical to exploit.
"Of course, cars also come with this thing called a "license plate", which can also be tracked remotely and wirelessly."
License plate scanners must have line-of-sight to the license plate to work. If you have a line-of-sight view of your target it's toast, but such scanners are bulky and expensive.
"Basically, if you drive, you can be tracked."
By the government, of course. I'm not fond of tech that is easy for non-government folks to exploit _either_.
When the Red Army Faction assassinated Alfred Herrhausen in 1989, they used a photocell trigger to set off an "IED" in a bicycle bag. It was a superbly precise job which targeted the actual position in the car occupied by Herrhausen.
Fast forward to now. One might scan the sensors on a target vehicle as it drives a common route, emplace IEDs on multiple routes, and break out the popcorn (or pita as the case may be) until the target drives by. This would be ideal for political hits where the target uses a specific armored vehicle.
http://www.german-way.com/aherrhsn.html
"Maybe in the future we can all roll to work in giant hamster balls."
That would be quite a hamster.
Run Debian and install a variety of window managers. Debian makes it easy enough to do.
http://penguinpetes.com/XWM_Guide/index.php?mode=Intro
"Use FreeDOS. I use it on my 8GB USB flash disk, and I still have 7.999GB free."
Your post is worthless without screenshots!
"probably 9 out of 10 will have a pirated windows installed more sooner than later."
No shit. Unless one is a zealot there is no reason not to pirate software. Most people are not Slashdot idealists.
I use Linux because I prefer it, but for most people (whose reason for having a Windows machine is compatibility with other Windows machines) there is no reason to bother with the learning curve.
XP Corporate is free on the web along with every other version. The custom install CDs are often easier to use than the original. There is no reason for many people not to use them.
Powerpoint viewer is a small solution for someone just wanting display capability.
"I thought that they were all tabloids."
So do many of the people that dumped them and instead get their news from the internet.
It is easy to crosscheck content from my laptop, I don't have to pay for dead tree media which I then have to dispose of, and I can save and forward content I wish to share.
I can pay a newspaper for a single POV, or view many for free.
The world is divided into those of us who are ugly and those who will be. :)
Beauty wears off anyway, so pick a smart one you can love when she/he/it eventually (as do we all) gets old and looks like my nutsack. It's nice if they start off attractive, but brains and creativity last far longer than looks.
FWIW I'm an old fart who has been happily cohabiting/married for twenty years. Neither of us looks like we did two decades ago, and that's OK.
It could be that Scientologists joined the group and perpetrated the attacks to discredit it.
It isn't too sophisticated a ploy for them to pull off.
Reducing hardware installs is different than OS advocacy. People need someone to install hardware, so slamming a hardware coompany can give potential purchasers pause.
Of course, if you repair computers you can send plenty of business away from an "enemy" company.
So, um, what was the brand name of the "scruffy, ugly" box? They deserve to sell if they work.
Quite right. There are and will remain many gaps in broadband coverage. Also, price pushes many poor folks away from broadband and to dialup.
More like "was atrocious". back in the Shovelhead days now decades gone. FWIW even those were so easy to work on that they very rarely went to scrap, unlike (check any cycle salvage if you doubt me!) most other brands.
Since the Evo engine in the 1980s, Harleys have been boringly reliable, and are easy to support with aftermarket parts. You can build a whole motorcycle from such if you wish. Going over 100K miles on an Evo isn't uncommon.
"A lot of people don't ride their harleys to the bike rallies: they drive their car and cart the harley in a trailer."
That applies to every brand as the riding population ages. Plenty of Gold Wings etc can be seen on trailers headed for Daytona etc, and they are sweet highway rides.
I've wrenched on all brands for years. Since I put a premium on being able to easily work on reliable bikes, I own a Harley and a BMW. Those are brands that not only work well out of the box, but you can continue running them for many years.
Prayer isn't research, it is wishful thinking.
Prayer is the substitution of mystery worship for the pursuit on knowledge.
"Someone please try to justify evicting one and a half million people for the Olympics."
The Olympics is no longer a big deal to us, but it is a huge opportunity for China. 1.5 million people is a lot to us, not so to them.
They way to modernize such a large country at a rapid pace is by force. Note how far China has come since 1948.
"If US just plants a news story about the parts, then PRC doesn't know, "shipping error" creates plausible deniability. PRC can't make a scene, but can wonder, does the ROC have a nuke now."
A Supply Fart (clerk inputs number from Fed Log into system, maybe crosses to a "suitable substitute" for the original item, item ships because it was not in a "classified" warehouse section or whatever) is really quite plausible considering the staggering amount of shit that flows through the Supply system. Plenty of stuff gets mis-classified, and the system is designed to deal with that. (You get wrong part, tag it and turn it back in, call Supply and inform them of the problem. No biggee.)
Deliberately informing the media about what (supposedly) is a minor mis-shipment strikes me as a ploy to make Beijing wonder...