Category: Society

Development, Electronics, Social, SocietyLeave a comment

Lazy Sunday

SysRisk

I’m back in Japan and back to the grind after a good, short vacation on Guam. I was called back to JP for some clean-up work before I change jobs, and also thought it would be a good idea to do some programming on the home development server to release WorkPapers Windy 2011; which is about two weeks past due.Lately, I have been programming a lot of python in order to create a REST API for WorkPapers (http://workpapers.pro). The first version of this API will be used for push/pull/replication functions in this upcoming release of the desktop application. While working … Continue reading Lazy Sunday

politics, Social, SocietyLeave a comment

Back To Normal

SysRisk

Or, as normal as a foreigner living in a Japanese nuclear leakage zone can be. Packed my brief case, put on a necktie, and headed into Tokyo this morning. Was interesting with dark train cars, no heating on the trains, darker train stations, and all the escalators shut down. It’s a different Japan and will be different well into summer of this year. Our house is zoned outside of the regular power outages, so I can keep this new home server humming and continue to develop, script, and otherwise hack unencumbered. Well, almost unencumbered. This little server screams – it … Continue reading Back To Normal

politics, Social, SocietyLeave a comment

Sensation Sells – CNN Is A Cauldron Of Liars

SysRisk

Throughout my life, the wiser individuals have pointed out propaganda, sensationalism, and how one should only believe a part of the news that’s broadcast. This experience has been a big lesson and has made those advisories so clear; especially as it applies to CNN and Wolf Blitzer. I am in Japan and have lived in Japan for a third of my life at this point. I read, write, and speak the language fluently at a near-native level. I am not confused by the events here… unlike the stupid American reporters that keep claiming ‘mixed signals’ or ‘unclear messages’ or ‘changing … Continue reading Sensation Sells – CNN Is A Cauldron Of Liars

politics, Social, SocietyLeave a comment

All Shook Up In Japan

SysRisk

Just as I start to write this blog entry the NHK station that I incessantly stay tuned into reports an upcoming earthquake warning… yet again. Since Friday March 11, there have been over 300 after-shocks only about 40 of which I can remember actually feeling or experiencing. Also, if the only news you have is from Wolf Blitzer on CNN, then you are drastically misled about the current situation.Since I was small child I have experienced four major natural disasters – the first was typhoon Pamela when I was 11 years old growing up on Guam. Then the 1989 San … Continue reading All Shook Up In Japan

Social, SocietyLeave a comment

Let The Tablet Wars Begin

SysRisk

This morning I had the great opportunity to sneak-peak the Samsung Galaxy tablet. Not yet released in Japan, so this was a ‘special’ occasion made available to preview Samsung’s morsel of toy. I have to say, ‘it is nice’. The accelerometer, the touch screen, the screen is all really nice. Okay, okay, you know there is a big BUT coming….Here is a nice picture and article from Reuters.I do not know how to describe what I am about to write, so I’ll be careful. What I notice with the my wife’s Android phone, I also see in the Galaxy tablet … Continue reading Let The Tablet Wars Begin

Governance, Risk, and Compliance, SocietyLeave a comment

‘Cloud’ Consultants

SysRisk

You know when something has gone a bit far and it’s time to differentiate when so-called professionals start (calling themselves that) actually making a profession out of something. Huh? Back in 1987 when I was first hooked up to the internet as an individual through The Well community in San Francisco, I would have never imagined that just six years later job advertisements would appear for full-time email system administrators.  That came to pass and by about 2000 I was not interested in the administrative side of the business of IT any more and started working on consulting projects. Right … Continue reading ‘Cloud’ Consultants

Cybersecurity, Governance, Risk, and Compliance, Social, SocietyLeave a comment

This is big news on a cyberattack…. 75,000 Systems Breached!

SysRisk

This is big news on a cyberattack…. 75,000 Systems Breached! This Washington Post article just released details one of the biggest cyber attacks in history that has been recently revealed. The attack started in late 2008, but was just discovered last month. Again, highlighting the sophistication of hacker groups, demonstrating that they are gaining power equivalent or greater than nation states ability to protect themselves from such attacks.Read more at the link above. Continue reading This is big news on a cyberattack…. 75,000 Systems Breached!

Cybersecurity, Social, SocietyLeave a comment

Facebook, Social Networking, and Spammers

SysRisk

TechCrunch has an interesting article that claims Facebook drives 44% of social networking. This is very interesting to me in the sense that a lot has recently been chronicled about how hackers and spammers are targeting social networks more, for a couple of reasons – recent new computer users are introduced to social networks as a method of keeping interest in computing. Some even purchase computers just to social network and keep up with peer conversations. Those newer users are prime targets. Another reason is that all the user profiles are there for exploitation without a phisher, hacker, or spammer … Continue reading Facebook, Social Networking, and Spammers

Cybersecurity, Governance, Risk, and Compliance, SocietyLeave a comment

Suck Your Guts In – Full Body Scanner Coming To An Airport Near You!

SysRisk

Well, from looking at the news and some of the evaluation discussions coming through here in Japan, it appears that at least Japan and the US will be implementing body scanners for boarding processing in the next year. Bruce Schneier touches on this subject a couple times throughout his blog, but in Japan’s case, I have some very reliable insight to some of the considerations by local officials. Of course, Japanese throw the latest, greatest technical solution at something as a CYA move all the time. Nobody wants to be responsible for a bad decision, so little thought goes into … Continue reading Suck Your Guts In – Full Body Scanner Coming To An Airport Near You!