7 IT New Years Resolutions

I'm writing a long piece on computer security. It might be a book or it might just be an incredibly long blog post, I don't know yet. But the core message can be summarised thusly;

1. Passwords. Get better with passwords, change them and don't use the same one on all your web sites.

2. Anti virus. Remove obsolete products, get current ones. Microsoft free being my pick for Windows and nothing at all being my pick for Mac. You are still more likely to GET a virus by trying anything on your Mac than if you leave it alone. A lot of the anti-this-and-that software on Mac is actually a virus in disguise.

3. Backup. Make an off site backup. 321. 3 copies, 2 different types of media and 1 off site. eg. External hard drive, DVD, Carbonite (or Dropbox or Crashplan).

4. Clean up your hard drive. Remove obsolete programs. Use Windows control panel add/remove programs. Mac users just delete the icon from your Applications folder.

5. Clean your keyboard, mouse and screen. Destroy a few billion germs. Turn it off, use an Iso-wipe or one of those hospital wipes in the little packet. You could consider stealing one next time you visit a friend in hospital. I am sure you can buy them somewhere...

6. Realistically evaluate if you need a new computer. The answer is probably No.

7. Be more productive and spend less time doing IT stuff. You bought your computer to get work done didn't you?

8. Write more blog articles, or at least publish more of the stuff you wrote. (oh, that one was for me) 

Did RSA do something wrong?

RSA is a security company. They make those cute little tokens with the LCD window that displays a random number every 60 seconds, ever changing. Your bank (or similar) uses RSA tokens to provide a second factor to your login. You need your username and password (something you know) and the token (something you have) in order to login. This two factor authentication is much more secure than passwords alone. Even if someone guesses your password, they can't login without the token.

The most sacred information RSA holds is the database of cryptographic keys to every token they have ever made. The keys are the only way to know what magic number will appear on your token at any given time. That's the keys to the kingdom.

Well RSA got hacked. Apparently a secretary opened a malicious PDF in an email and her PC got infected. Nothing new there, happens every day. What happened next is her PC had access to this super secure database and the bad guys got the database.

What the bloody hell was the database doing on a network that can even spell Internet, let alone be connected to it? That is what RSA did wrong, very, very badly, wrong.

There are other brands of tokens out there and they are not affected, only RSA branded ones.

So if you have an RSA token, time to get it replaced. The keys are out there. If a thief knows the serial number of your token, they can calculate the magic numbers at any time. Serious.

RIP Peter Neilsen

I first met Peter in the late 80's when he signed up as a customer for my bulletin board system (BBS). This was part of a full featured global network with email, files, forums and social networking, all years before the Internet became a public thing. It all ran on dial up modems and at 33k (modern broadband is 256-5000k typically) it ran well and rarely seemed slow. The cost of telephone lines, phone calls and the computers meant most BBS operators begged a subscription from their customers. Peter was my first subscriber and the most generous, taking the "premium package" without question.

We chatted online for hours before we ever spoke on a phone or met in person. We became the most unlikely of friends. Peter was a devoted Christian and of course I'm a Pagan. But religion never got in the way, in fact later on his church were most accepting and never made me feel unwelcome or uncomfortable. I continue to support them to this day through donations of computers.

Peter was practically house bound. There were a number of heart attacks and increasing "turns" where he blacked out, sometimes for hours, sometimes for a day or more. Apart from his insistence that chain smoking was the only thing that kept his synapse firing, Peter never complained and soldiered on. He often told me The Lord wasn't ready for him. Despite the differences in our beliefs, I have to admit this one made a lot of sense.

Later we started a business together around '94. I had a pile of used computers thrown out by my IT customers. They needed them removed, wiped and disposed of appropriately. This was years before anyone talked of e-waste or recycling. Peter suggested we re-furbish them and sell them to those that couldn't afford the latest and greatest. Peter was heavily involved with the Uniting Church and the Wesley Mission. He knew poor people. But rather than prey on them for a few bucks, Peter wanted to offer computers to those that couldn't buy one, but at a price they could afford. The sale price always reflected what they could afford. Many computers were "sold" for no money at. This was never a problem. Although we did trade a Mac which I wanted to blow up and Peter talked me out of it. (funny how my attitude to Macs has changed!)

Being the generous Christian he was, Peter helped out many less fortunate than himself. His wife Beryl became a minister and when she was posted to Queensland, Peter stayed, preferring the cold climate which better agreed with his medical condition and their husky dog.

A neighbour experiencing some kind of psychotic break attacked Peter with a knife, nearly killing him. Peter insisted on turning the other cheek and I believe no charges were ever laid. Beryl did step in and Peter joined her in Queensland.

Given his poor health and the years that followed, awful as it is to admit, I had assumed The Lord had Peter some years ago. News of his passing reached me a few weeks ago. So Jonathan and I will take a lunch in Peter's honour and remember our friend, the generous, the undefeated Peter the Great.

RIP Steve Jobs

At the risk of Google deciding my blog is all about obituaries, I can not let the passing of Steve Jobs go un-blogged. Others have eulogised the man, his work and done a better job than I can hope for. But it is Steve Jobs the presenter that was my hero.

The presentation style of Steve Jobs is something for all (those that ever have to speak to another human being) to study and learn from. He was in my opinion the best orator, showman and speaker of our time. In an era dominated by (woeful) PowerPoint, Steve showed us a better way. His annual MacWorld keynote address was the highlight of the IT calendar for many years. He took the stage with the trademark black turtleneck and blue jeans, with no bullet points, a few simple images and stories that captured the world's imagination.

He put 1000 songs in our pocket. He promised to sell 10 million iPhones (in the first year) and went on to sell 13 million. He made technology sexy and changed the fortunes of geeks.

The presentation techniques that I teach are pure Steve. His style and methods translate to any subject. Effective communication will do that.

So long Steve, love your work.

There's an iPad for that.

I just didn't think I had an 9.5" hole in my life. Although the iPad is sexy and cool and full of Apple goodness, I had resisted getting one as I just couldn't see a use for it. Then my normally gadget conservative wife decided she wanted one for taking notes at meetings. What's good for the goose is good for the gander so I got one for me too. I had prepared a bit for this purchase with some background research. When I re-jigged our broadband setup, I got a Telstra wifi broadband device. This gets its Internet from the mobile broadband (3G) and provides a wifi hotspot so you can connect any wifi device to it. I use it for my laptop and iPhone. My thinking at the time was such a device is more useful than inbuilt or USB broadband which would be tied to a specific device. The wifi can provide Internet to anything that needs it. Even a friend's laptop. Certainly an easy way to get Internet on a potential tablet. Hence when purchase day came, it was the cheaper wifi iPad that we got.

The story of the purchase experience is also interesting too. I had long enough waiting unattended, unserved and unloved in Next Byte to try out the iPad and check the prices online and discover that JBHIFI had the best deal. At no stage was I bothered by a shop assistant. When I had finished my research I dutifully left and went to said JBHIFI and made my purchase in record time. I did make a point of holding it up and smiling through the window of Next Byte as I walked past. The "you wouldn't serve me so I bought it elsewhere" look!

Having a 16Gb iPhone which I haven't filled up made me think a 16Gb iPad might suffice. So basically I bought the cheapest model. Very unlike me. Most of my data lives in the cloud so local storage wasn't a priority either. I can save to DropBox. The power of the iPad is in the applications, the Apps as they are called. There are apps for just about everything. Apple makes a portable version of Pages, their word processor. There is Dropbox of course. That is the cloud storage and synchronizing app that runs on desktops, laptops and portable devices. Store something in Dropbox and it's available on all your devices.

You can certainly use an iPad for all the tasks you currently do on a laptop with the exception of really heavy data processing or tasks involving add on hardware. An iPad won't drive a USB data logger or a cash drawer for example.
There's a brilliant book by David Sparks called iPad at work if you want a practical guide to doing anything with the iPad.

I had thought of the iPad as a book reader. Having recently moved house, the concept of hundreds of actual paper books is a problem for me. The bloody things weigh a tonne literally. We are still to host yet another garage sale to divest the house of books we can't physically fit. So electronic books make so much sense to me. Both Amazon and Apple have excellent ebook stores. Loads of titles and instant delivery. Much of the science fiction I like has to be ordered in from the USA. You just can't find good books here in Tasmania. Our trips to Melbourne are punctuated with pilgrimages to our favourite shops - Swords and Science (books), DFO (clothes), Max Bremer (all things chocolate ), Allans Music and Myer. To name a few.
The promise of ebooks is good. International availability, instant delivery and no reinforcing the floor or costly book shelves.

My next discovery was that the iPad is like the worlds best portable DVD player. Whilst you can't play actual DVDs, you can rip DVDs or play downloaded movies and tv. The iTunes store has loads of movies and tv for rent or buy. And most stuff you've already downloaded will play too. A lot of my stuff is avi format and an app called CineXplayer plays them nicely. The quality is stunning and the movie doesn't skip if the car goes over a bump. For long car trips with kids this is bliss. Velcro the iPad to the back of the car seat and you have a complete in car entertainment system.
Oh and it plays games too. Lots of them.
So having held out for a while I see now resistance is useless I have been absorbed into the Borge that is iPad.