Gone In 20 Minutes: Unpatched PCs Have Low Survival Times. Ad hoc patches, as pushed by Microsoft for years as the key to computer security, are not a solution to today's security problems. CNET News reports on a new study that concludes: [A]n unpatched Windows PC connected to the Internet will last for only about… Continue reading Gone In 20 Minutes: Unpatched PCs Have Low Survival Times
Month: September 2004
Labor Day
Labor Day. This is my month to stop taking things for granted, starting with today’s holiday. Labor Day, if it means anything to most Americans, probably means the last cookout, back-to-school shopping, and time to watch out for drunk drivers. It’s all too easy to forget that the holiday, which originated as an annual march… Continue reading Labor Day
Wal-Mart Hit By Gift Card Scam
komo news | Wal-Mart Hit By Gift Card Scam. SEATTLE – Thieves have found a way to secretly cash out your gift card before you have a chance to go shopping. The biggest target so far is the nation's largest retailer: Wal-Mart. We uncovered the problem after tips from local consumers. Wal-Mart won't say much.… Continue reading Wal-Mart Hit By Gift Card Scam
In Internet Calling, Skype Is Living Up to the Hype
In Internet Calling, Skype Is Living Up to the Hype. Skype is the easiest, fastest and cheapest way for individual customers to use their computers with broadband connections as telephones. By JAMES FALLOWS. [The New York Times > Technology]
It All Started With a Good Cup of Coffee
It All Started With a Good Cup of Coffee. Ten years ago last Wednesday, Cafe Cyberia, billed as the world's first Internet cafe, opened in the West End of London. By ERIC PFANNER International Herald Tribune. [The New York Times > Technology]
eBay: Sold on Grid
eBay: Sold on Grid. Eweek has a long interview with Marty Abbott, SVP of technology at eBay, who walks us through their online operations. Among other things, he explains how the backend databases evolved over the last five years: “We went from one huge back-end system and four or five very large search databases. Search… Continue reading eBay: Sold on Grid
New Post to Global Guerrillas
New Post to Global Guerrillas. Global Guerrilla Target: The North American Power Grid. A long-term target of global guerrillas will be the US power system. Here's the method they will use to analyze it for target generation. [John Robb's Weblog]
WP
WP. Putin, faced with Russia's own 9/11, is a quandry. Sergei Markov, a political analyst with close ties to the Kremlin, said the deadly outcome of the school standoff had left Putin at a loss as to how to respond beyond the former KGB colonel's instinct to strengthen police powers and centralize control over government… Continue reading WP
CSM
CSM. Polls show the war on terror remains his (Bush's) strongest asset, with the president beating Kerry by as much as 20 points on that count. But by offering such a single-minded focus, the Bush campaign is also effectively counting on the fact that terrorism will trump all other issues – such as the economy… Continue reading CSM
NYT
NYT. From 2000 through 2003 the median household income fell by $1,500 (in 2003 dollars) – a significant 3.4 percent decrease. That information becomes startling when you consider that during the same period there was a strong 12 percent increase in productivity among U.S. workers. Economists will tell you that productivity increases go hand-in-hand with… Continue reading NYT