Thanks

TR Daggett — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:13:07 -0400

To tell you the truth, it's no where near the blog post I wanted to write. I think it was more like an exercise in free writing with a little bit of editing after I hit the Preview button!

I'm a 'rambler' by nature, and when I'm tired my 'governor' doesn't work as well to limit that rambling. Last night/morning was one of those times. Thankfully I always clean things up a bit before finally submitting it!

I'm glad to hear you'r getting something out of it. With such varying levels of knowledge out there (including my own) I'm trying to keep things understandable and provide links to more information, and of course basic security alerts and news.

I intentionally repeat myself a lot from post to post to reinforce necessary security habits and to make folks understand how important their individual actions are to the Internet as a whole.

You know how things go. People as a whole (of course I'm generalizing here) tend to not think of the big picture and how each of their individual actions contribute to that big picture. That is until there's a problem. Then some say "How did this happen?". With Internet security, if every individual did what was necessary to secure their own computer and acted responsibly, and those responsible for maintaining and securing their part of the Internet infrastructure were competent, responsible, and provided with the time, training, and tools necessary to do their jobs, we'd have a relatively safe Internet. The cyber criminals would have a much harder time, people could confidently shop online, there would be much less identity theft, the online economy could grow faster, our critical infrastructure wouldn't be threatened to the dangerous point that it is currently....

.. and that brings me back to people and 'the big picture'. If God forbid we have a major cyber attack affecting our power grid, or the Air Traffic Control System, our military satellites and/or GPS, etc., many will ask "How did this happen?". Part of the answer will be that large groups of unsecured personal and business computers including servers were used as a 'botnet' (just as they are currently) to assist in the attack.

That may sound alarmist to a large portion of the general public who treat their computers as toys, dangerously ignorant of the potential consequences their individual actions (or inaction) amount to as a group. Right up to the point when their lives are affected. The power goes out, basic services are affected, they can't travel, a refinery or two are off line and the lines at gas stations are growing..

I don't want to look back and say I could have done something. I want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. I've caused enough trouble when I was younger, thinking only of myself, and I've turned that around. It makes me feel good to have a positive impact in the world, even in this small way.

I'm glad you're getting something out of my posts. I trust that others are too, and I appreciate the feedback I've received so far. To be able to bring readers of the Concord Monitor Online and BlogsNH some helpful information and interesting reading is great.

I'd love to see the Monitor's online presence grow into a big interactive community. Hopefully people will continue to contribute to our BlogsNH section, and I'm sure that sometime in the near future we'll be seeing interaction with the main section's articles in the form of allowing comments by readers. You can't grow an online community without the ability to interact. Then readers won't just be readers, and they'll become more of a community. That's something this world needs more of.

So thanks Bill.

By the way, your mention of the old rotary dial phones reminded me of past Easters in our old house when my parents would 'hide' jellybeans in the finger holes on the dial. Those were happy times..

Again

Bill Bunker — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 09:03:59 -0400

TR,

Again, another great and useful post. This topic like the others you write is packed with information that many of us would never know.

I also enjoyed the lead into the blog when you tell about the telephone. I remember similar experiences from the late 60's and 70's. Friends of my parents were the first to get a phone without rotary dial. I can remember asking why we could not have the same and they saw no reason to get one because ours worked 'well enough'.

I also remember the operator coming on after dialing a long distance call and ask "your number please?" I can also remember being on a 'party line'. For those younger readers it had nothing to do with meeting people; it was a collection of about 5 homes that shared one line. Humorously, it was only 35-40 years ago when it was quite common.

That black rotary telephone is still on my folks hallway wall. One room away, sits a brand new Dell computer and a brand new HP laptop; both operating on wireless internet. Even my folks, at 84 and 86 can't imagine what they would do without the new technology.

I get a kick out of them talking about running Norton and having to renew it or clearing out the history and temporary files, etc. It does keep them young and their minds sharp!

TR, you really add value to this blog community. I await your next topic; it is like a technology class, condensed without tuition and classroom!! Thanks!!

Hacking Your Life

TR Daggett — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:39:13 -0400

The term "Hacking" used to be a strictly negative term for many people, evoking thoughts of troublemakers and criminals. In some instances that was accurate, but another meaning is to 'take something and make it work the way you want it to', to personalize it.

blogsNH - Hacking Your Life - Comments

Thanks

Again

Hacking Your Life