and in the spirit of pointy-haired bosses everywhere it means little. The administration is going to squeeze whatever good press they can garner from the comment and then do nothing. Oh, wait, there will be a panel of learned IT staff, then a study group, then a plan-for-a-plan group, then a project planning group then a phase I project and then, wait for it, a cut in funding that cancels the project.
Federally guaranteed student loans put the federal government in charge of deciding who can and who cannot attend college. The loans are not given on the basis of financial ability to repay they are given on the basis of an interesting set of criteria that make little financial sense.
Part of the societal benefit of these loans is that they can be repaid by becoming a teacher and other several other forms of public service. This puts the federal government in the business of recruiting for these positions.
Those who do not go into public service find themselves with a large financial challenge - a set of loans that often are out of line with their working life. Some fields of study, while expensive, do not lead to lucrative careers. People in those fields will never be free of their student loan debt - their only relief will be death, or perhaps disability. This puts the federal government, in all it's benevolence, in the same position as the post-civil war plantation owner who loves his indentured workers.
State university systems for their in-state students stand the most to gain - without easy access to loans many students will be forced to choose the budget education rather than throwing caution to the winds and signing up for the much more expensive private institutions.
Someone gets poked with a pencil, ban pencils and so on. This sort of "generals preparing to fight the last war" problem comes from a reactive posture rather than moving to address the real problem.
If you're worried about violence in the school get a really good security professional to watch the kids as they come in. Focus on the ones who "look like trouble".
Profiling has become a bad word in the US when it should be the focus of much of the security push. Profile, focus on behavior and get ahead of the threat.
In the cloud computing means you're not only putting all your eggs in one basket, you don't own or control the basket!
Worry disclosure risk (if the data in the cloud gets loose how bad is it for you/your company?) and be prepared to do your work elsewhere (locally, another cloud, whatever) when your primary cloud isn't available.
It's all the same problems we have today, just with someone else's hardware and a network connection required for everything.
or salvation army or whoever in your city will take them (Austin TX has a very active Goodwill Computer Store).
Full format them first (not perfect, but there are so many drives with data on them that it is unlikely that someone will go to great lengths to read the edges of formatted tracks). If they don't format then break them down (cool magnets and platters that are better for target practice than CDs - they don't shred as easily).
Keep a few around, especially USB keys - better than burning something to CD is you need to hand data to someone.
Lots of speculation can be solved by spending a few minutes with the details at http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Sections/NEWS/PDFs/081016_copyrouter.pdf (the link in the article was subtle).
This is a deep packet PROCESSING application (not INSPECTION). Given a chance to change the requests in flight, one could remove compression and encryption. Yes it's evil to remove the encryption from the initial request (change to a NULL encryption method) and it can be expensive to remove compression but boy does it make this sort of detection easier.
As others have noted, changing the file even a bit causes a new hash. This tool will catch the lazy/stupid/naive bad guys trading child porn and the like.
It will be interesting to see how this holds up at trial - just because the FBI does it doesn't make it legal. If anything, this may hinder prosecution if the "evidence" found in these activities is found to be inadmissible.
On the other hand, if the courts turn a blind eye to that whole "due process" bit it may well be time to move to a country that makes to pretense of "freedom".
Of course, I have nothing to hide (well, except the full bookshelf of banned Paladin Press books, a few chemicals, some explosives and a few other odds and ends).
It's time to wake up and do something! Help pre-college kids have fun with technology - the USFIRST program has kids in Kindergarten-High School building things that move, from simple machines up through 25 kilo semi-autonomous robots. Team oriented so the kids learn more than just technology - teamwork, competition and professionalism to name a few. See http://www.usfirst.org/ for details.
Technology that has been around for years - either the X-10 motion detector/wireless receiver/light switch replacement for the front door (imagine never having to worry about light to find the damn keyhole) or even simpler infrared detector switches for mudrooms and such. Of course you don't want lights blazing when you walk into every room - the 3am half-drunk run to the toilet comes to mind, enough light to hit the toilet (more or less) and no more!
Seriously, there are lots of X-10 setups that are flaky. Since you're starting from scratch, put in the X-10 device on the main line into the house that blocks other X-10 signals. Beyond that, use X-10 where it makes your life simpler not more complex (applying automatic blinds to a small window may be more trouble than it's worth).
Nothing says hi-tech like your lights being on when every one else is dark - check out the natural gas powered generators that sit outside the house in a (mostly) soundproof enclosure - automatic power within a few seconds after the power fails. Doesn't replace UPSs large and small for your electronic gear but it's another one-time investment that pays off in peace of mind.
I buy green coffee from Sweet Maria's ( Tom at http://sweetmarias.com/ is a true coffee "Mad Scientist") roast them myself (a wide variety of gadgets are available, I use a bbq roaster from Ron http://rkdrums.com/ ) wait a day or two for the flavor to fully develop (depends on the bean, follow Tom's directions)then make espresso (or Americano) in a mostly automatic Solis Master 5000 (see http://sweetmarias.com/prod.solis-espresso.shtml ).
If you don't want to roast your own, you can buy roasted coffee from Tom at SweetMarias.com - he ships it the day it's roasted, so when you get it a couple of days later it's ready to drink.
In a pinch (either time or money), buy roasted coffee from Costco - many stores roast it in house so the stuff you buy was green beans a few days ago. They roast much of it a little darker than I like, but it's fresh.
Don't drink burnt coffee that's been sitting around for weeks, the darker roasts obliterate the character of the bean (with some of the crap green coffee the majors use this can be a blessing).
A library I worked with a couple of years back used windows with a restore-on-reboot card. They'd get hit with a virus, or some other bad thing would happen to a system, but they could bring the system back to a known state by turning it off and back on.
Not the be-all answer (no fun if you have to restart XXX times a day) but in conjunction with not-too-frequent patching (weekly?) and a decent anti-virus package it can be good.
Also handy for getting rid of content/screen savers/other unwholesome content that a user might download.
(I'm not a fan of windows, just relaying an experience)
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and in the spirit of pointy-haired bosses everywhere it means little. The administration is going to squeeze whatever good press they can garner from the comment and then do nothing. Oh, wait, there will be a panel of learned IT staff, then a study group, then a plan-for-a-plan group, then a project planning group then a phase I project and then, wait for it, a cut in funding that cancels the project.
Federally guaranteed student loans put the federal government in charge of deciding who can and who cannot attend college. The loans are not given on the basis of financial ability to repay they are given on the basis of an interesting set of criteria that make little financial sense.
Part of the societal benefit of these loans is that they can be repaid by becoming a teacher and other several other forms of public service. This puts the federal government in the business of recruiting for these positions.
Those who do not go into public service find themselves with a large financial challenge - a set of loans that often are out of line with their working life. Some fields of study, while expensive, do not lead to lucrative careers. People in those fields will never be free of their student loan debt - their only relief will be death, or perhaps disability. This puts the federal government, in all it's benevolence, in the same position as the post-civil war plantation owner who loves his indentured workers.
State university systems for their in-state students stand the most to gain - without easy access to loans many students will be forced to choose the budget education rather than throwing caution to the winds and signing up for the much more expensive private institutions.
Someone gets poked with a pencil, ban pencils and so on. This sort of "generals preparing to fight the last war" problem comes from a reactive posture rather than moving to address the real problem.
If you're worried about violence in the school get a really good security professional to watch the kids as they come in. Focus on the ones who "look like trouble".
Profiling has become a bad word in the US when it should be the focus of much of the security push. Profile, focus on behavior and get ahead of the threat.
In the cloud computing means you're not only putting all your eggs in one basket, you don't own or control the basket!
Worry disclosure risk (if the data in the cloud gets loose how bad is it for you/your company?) and be prepared to do your work elsewhere (locally, another cloud, whatever) when your primary cloud isn't available.
It's all the same problems we have today, just with someone else's hardware and a network connection required for everything.
or salvation army or whoever in your city will take them (Austin TX has a very active Goodwill Computer Store).
Full format them first (not perfect, but there are so many drives with data on them that it is unlikely that someone will go to great lengths to read the edges of formatted tracks). If they don't format then break them down (cool magnets and platters that are better for target practice than CDs - they don't shred as easily).
Keep a few around, especially USB keys - better than burning something to CD is you need to hand data to someone.
Lots of speculation can be solved by spending a few minutes with the details at http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Sections/NEWS/PDFs/081016_copyrouter.pdf (the link in the article was subtle).
This is a deep packet PROCESSING application (not INSPECTION). Given a chance to change the requests in flight, one could remove compression and encryption. Yes it's evil to remove the encryption from the initial request (change to a NULL encryption method) and it can be expensive to remove compression but boy does it make this sort of detection easier.
As others have noted, changing the file even a bit causes a new hash. This tool will catch the lazy/stupid/naive bad guys trading child porn and the like.
It will be interesting to see how this holds up at trial - just because the FBI does it doesn't make it legal. If anything, this may hinder prosecution if the "evidence" found in these activities is found to be inadmissible.
On the other hand, if the courts turn a blind eye to that whole "due process" bit it may well be time to move to a country that makes to pretense of "freedom".
Of course, I have nothing to hide (well, except the full bookshelf of banned Paladin Press books, a few chemicals, some explosives and a few other odds and ends).
The number of US students going into Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers dropped in the 1994-2004 period ( http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-06-114 ).
It's time to wake up and do something! Help pre-college kids have fun with technology - the USFIRST program has kids in Kindergarten-High School building things that move, from simple machines up through 25 kilo semi-autonomous robots. Team oriented so the kids learn more than just technology - teamwork, competition and professionalism to name a few. See http://www.usfirst.org/ for details.
Technology that has been around for years - either the X-10 motion detector/wireless receiver/light switch replacement for the front door (imagine never having to worry about light to find the damn keyhole) or even simpler infrared detector switches for mudrooms and such. Of course you don't want lights blazing when you walk into every room - the 3am half-drunk run to the toilet comes to mind, enough light to hit the toilet (more or less) and no more!
Seriously, there are lots of X-10 setups that are flaky. Since you're starting from scratch, put in the X-10 device on the main line into the house that blocks other X-10 signals. Beyond that, use X-10 where it makes your life simpler not more complex (applying automatic blinds to a small window may be more trouble than it's worth).
Nothing says hi-tech like your lights being on when every one else is dark - check out the natural gas powered generators that sit outside the house in a (mostly) soundproof enclosure - automatic power within a few seconds after the power fails. Doesn't replace UPSs large and small for your electronic gear but it's another one-time investment that pays off in peace of mind.
I buy green coffee from Sweet Maria's ( Tom at http://sweetmarias.com/ is a true coffee "Mad Scientist") roast them myself (a wide variety of gadgets are available, I use a bbq roaster from Ron http://rkdrums.com/ ) wait a day or two for the flavor to fully develop (depends on the bean, follow Tom's directions)then make espresso (or Americano) in a mostly automatic Solis Master 5000 (see http://sweetmarias.com/prod.solis-espresso.shtml ).
If you don't want to roast your own, you can buy roasted coffee from Tom at SweetMarias.com - he ships it the day it's roasted, so when you get it a couple of days later it's ready to drink.
In a pinch (either time or money), buy roasted coffee from Costco - many stores roast it in house so the stuff you buy was green beans a few days ago. They roast much of it a little darker than I like, but it's fresh.
Don't drink burnt coffee that's been sitting around for weeks, the darker roasts obliterate the character of the bean (with some of the crap green coffee the majors use this can be a blessing).
A library I worked with a couple of years back used windows with a restore-on-reboot card. They'd get hit with a virus, or some other bad thing would happen to a system, but they could bring the system back to a known state by turning it off and back on.
Not the be-all answer (no fun if you have to restart XXX times a day) but in conjunction with not-too-frequent patching (weekly?) and a decent anti-virus package it can be good.
Also handy for getting rid of content/screen savers/other unwholesome content that a user might download.
(I'm not a fan of windows, just relaying an experience)
http://www.juzt-reboot.com/
http://www.hddguarder.com/