The Blog of Harald

I found it wonderfully ironic that this appeared in my inbox on the same day that we are moving into a new cubicle farm:

Schneier on Security: Cubicle Farms are a Terrorism Risk

Maybe I’m a magpie, but I think that “Google Finance”:http://www.google.com/finance?q=HPQ&btnG=Search is tres cool…

“The problem with Space Elevators”:http://nikon.bungie.org/misc/stuntmutt.html?type=main&image=187

(The joke doesn’t work for me in Firefox, because I’m missing a plugin :-(

feint and attack; move and countermove. The escalation is constant.

Steel armor meant the end of bows and crossbows. Firearms that could punch through armour made it useless as a defense, since armor only made the soldier slow and uncoordinated; a sitting duck. A close formation of infantry firing volleys by the numbers was unstoppable, until the devasation of the machine gun spelled their demise. Kevlar armor influenced the development of armor-piercing rounds (which, incidentally, are *less* deadly because they tend to go through their targets).

Technology is no different:

* Many modern computer viruses and trojans are capable of automatically disabling anti-virus software.

* Carjackings are on the rise, not because criminals necessarily like violent crime, but because with modern auto security systems it’s the only way to steal the car.

* In Denmark, criminals are breaking into stores and ransacking them; not because they like trashing stores, but because they can install ATM card-skimming hardware while everyone is distracted.

* In the Netherlands, they’re less subtle; they simply blow up the ATM and scoop the cash as it flutters down. (Kind of reminds me of the back-hoe technique of driving up and scooping the ATM out of the wall :).

Plus ca change, plus le meme chose.

It’s amazing how quickly people stop stealing your bandwidth when you substitute the images they were “borrowing” with something relatively disgusting.

I’m evil, it’s true. On the other hand, the traffic load from the image theft was bringing down the server, so…

“The Queen’s Guard”:http://www.cfrq.net/~rolemaster/queensguard/

Not much there yet, but knowing Rob, there will be real soon now…

must … not … strangle …