Ramblings of a Poorly Shaved Ape

[poorlyshavedape]

Taking back privacy in the post-Snowden cloud

Governments aren’t going to fix cloud’s privacy problem. It’s up to the industry—and us.

An interesting look at when and where we gave up privacy for simplicity.

[poorlyshavedape]

Europol along with the Feds has now arrested 17 people in as many countries and seized hundreds of Dark Web domains associated with over a dozen black market sites.

This is likely from "old fashioned" police work or turning somebody involved to gain access to a host to be able to identify 414 .onion addresses yet miss some that are on the target list.

[goooooooodmorning-deactivated20]

[carrotcatmd-deactivated20130708]

STORY: On my way home from work, I stopped at Taco Bell for a quick bite to eat.  I have a $50 bill and a $2 bill. I figure with the $2 bill, I can get something to eat and not have to worry about irritating anyone for trying to break a $50 bill.  Me: ‘Hi, I’d like one seven-layer burrito please, to go.’ Server: ‘That’ll be $1.04. Eat in?’  Me: ‘No, it’s to go.’ At this point, I open my billfold and hand him the $2 bill. He looks at it kind of funny.  Server: ‘Uh, hang on a sec, I’ll be right back.’ He goes to talk to his manager, who is still within my earshot. The following conversation occurs between the two of them: Server: ‘Hey, you ever see a $2 bill?’  Manager: ‘No. A what?’  Server: ‘A $2 bill. This guy just gave it to me…’  Manager: ‘Ask for something else. There’s no such thing as a $2 bill.’  Server: ‘Yeah, thought so.’  He comes back to me and says, ‘We don’t take these. Do you have anything else?’  Me: ‘Just this fifty. You don’t take $2 bills? Why?  Server: ‘I don’t know.’  Me: ‘See here where it says legal tender?’  Server: ‘Yeah.’  Me: ‘So, why won’t you take it?’  Server: ‘Well, hang on a sec.’  He goes back to his manager, who has been watching me like I’m a shoplifter, and says to him, ‘He says I have to take it.’ Manager: ‘Doesn’t he have anything else?’  Server: ‘Yeah, a fifty. I’ll get it and you can open the safe and get change.  Manager: ‘I’m not opening the safe with him in here.’  Server: ‘What should I do?’  Manager: ‘Tell him to come back later when he has real money.’  Server: ‘I can’t tell him that! You tell him.’  Manager: ‘Just tell him.’  Server: ‘No way! This is weird. I’m going in back.  The manager approaches me and says, ‘I’m sorry, but we don’t take big bills this time of night.’ Me: ‘It’s only seven o’clock! Well then, here’s a two dollar bill.’  Manager: ‘We don’t take those, either.’  Me: ‘Why not?’  Manager: ‘I think you know why.’  Me: ‘No really, tell me why.’  Manager ‘Please leave before I call mall security.’  Me: ‘Excuse me?’  Manager: ‘Please leave before I call mall security.’  Me: ‘What on earth for?’  Manager: ‘Please, sir..’  Me: ‘Uh, go ahead, call them.’  Manager: ‘Would you please just leave?’  Me: ‘No.’  Manager: ‘Fine — have it your way then.’  Me: ‘Hey, that’s Burger King, isn’t it?’  At this point, he backs away from me and calls mall security on the phone around the corner. I have two people staring at me from the dining area, and I begin laughing out loud, just for effect. A few minutes later this 45-year-oldish guy comes in.  Guard: ‘Yeah, Mike, what’s up?’  Manager (whispering): ‘This guy is trying to give me some (pause) funny money.’  Guard: ‘No kidding! What?’  Manager: ‘Get this. A two dollar bill.’  Guard (incredulous): ‘Why would a guy fake a two dollar bill?’  Manager: ‘I don’t know. He’s kinda weird. He says the only other thing he has is a fifty.’  Guard: ‘Oh, so the fifty’s fake!’  Manager: ‘No, the two dollar bill is.’  Guard: ‘Why would he fake a two dollar bill?’  Manager : ‘I don’t know! Can you talk to him, and get him out of here?’  Guard: ‘Yeah.’ Security Guard walks over to me and…… Guard: ‘Mike here tells me you have some fake bills you’re trying to use.’  Me: ‘Uh, no.’  Guard: ‘Lemme see ‘em.’  Me: ‘Why?’  Guard: ‘Do you want me to get the cops in here?’  At this point I’m ready to say, ‘Sure, please!’ but I want to eat, so I say, ‘I’m just trying to buy a burrito and pay for it with this two dollar bill. I put the bill up near his face, and he flinches like I’m taking a swing at him. He takes the bill turns it over a few times in his hands, and he says,  Guard: ‘Hey, Mike, what’s wrong with this bill?’  Manager: ‘It’s fake.’  Guard: ‘It doesn’t look fake to me.’  Manager: ‘But it’s a two dollar bill.’  Guard: ‘Yeah? ‘  Manager: ‘Well, there’s no such thing, is there?’  The security guard and I both look at him like he’s an idiot and it dawns on the guy that he has no clue and is an idiot. So, it turns out that my burrito was free, and he threw in a small drink and some of those cinnamon thingies, too. Made me want to get a whole stack of two dollar bills just to see what happens when I try to buy stuff. 

[mulishmusings]

Gosh probably close to 10 yrs ago there was an incident at a Best Buy in MD where they refused to take a $2 bill from someone because they said it was fake and they were mad at him. He ended up arrested. Seriously.

[poorlyshavedape]

2005 - arrested at Best Buy for $2 bills. Link: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2005-03-08/news/0503080089_1_bolesta-pole-baltimore-county

Secret Service involved to validate that $2 bills are legal currency.

Bonus quote: ""It's a sign that we're all a little nervous in the post-9/11 world." said in 2005.

[privacyandtechnology]

From the Summary:

"Various kinds of Internet monitoring techniques are applied side by side with more traditional surveillance techniques. We find most of the Internet monitoring applications both ethically and legally impermissible, assessing them poorly in comparison with traditional, non-technology based surveillance methods. Furthermore, the Internet monitoring techniques compare poorly with the traditional techniques also in terms of usability. […] Internet monitoring techniques, with the exception of targeted social networking analysis, represent an unacceptable interference with fundamental rights to privacy and data protection, the deepest ethical risks of chill and damage to trust, intrusion and discrimination, while also violating moral norms of proportionality of methods and consent of the policed. Meanwhile these high moral and legal costs reflect a mostly middling to poor usability benefit, performing worse with regard to cost, efficiency and privacy-by-design than lower tech alternatives. The case for a mass Internet monitoring system is found wanting. "

See also: SURVEILLE publications for public dissemination.

[amnhnyc]

The goliath bird eater spider has been making the news recently, after the appearance of a “puppy-sized” specimen surprised a scientist out for a nighttime walk in a Guyanese rainforest. Said the scientist Piotr Naskrecki, “When I turned on the light, I couldn’t quite understand what I was seeing.”

What he found was the goliath bird eater (Theraphosa stirmi), one of the biggest spiders in the world, and one of the stars of the American Museum of Natural History’s Spiders Alive! exhibition.

Learn all about the impressive goliath bird eater. 

[biblically-accurate-bimbo]

This is honestly the best poster I have found in a while supporting breast cancer awareness. I am honestly so sick of seeing, “set the tatas free” and “save the boobies”. There is no reason in hell a life threatening, life ruining disease should be sexualized. “Don’t wear a bra day,” go fuck yourselves. You’re not saving a pair of tits, you’re saving the entire package: mind, body, and soul included. Women are not just a pair of breasts.

[archiemcphee]

Master builders from the VirtuaLUG online LEGO User Group (previously featured here) teamed again to create another awesome collaborative build. This time they’ve turned their attention from Ancient Greece to 1980s American cinema with a phenomenal diorama depicting all of the locations and unforgettable scenes from The Goonies.

Builders contributing to this project include Tyler Halliwell, Davey Sterling, Stacy Sterling, Dennis Price, Betsy Sandberg, Heath Flor, Lee Jones,Chris Phipson, Hans Dendauw, and matt rowntRee. They constructed Mikey’s and Data’s houses, the wishing well park, One-Eyed Willie’s ship, and so much more.

Trying to take in all of the details they worked into this massive build is like going on your own treasure hunt. It’s a LEGO masterpiece and a wonderfully geeky love letter to an awesome movie. The VirtuaLUG team just displayed this diorama at the 2014 BrickCon in Seattle, where it was awarded the prize for Best In Town.

Click here for additional images.

[via Nerdist]

[poorlyshavedape]

DropBox and 2-Factor Auth

Dropbox suffered a security breach announced on 10/13/2014 that has resulted in the publishing of thousands of passwords online. Please change your Dropbox passwords immediately, and if possible, enable a form of 2-factor Authentication (where a cell phone is used to receive a secondary 6-digit PIN that is required for you to log in). You can enable 2-factor Authentication by logging into Dropbox, clicking the drop-down in the upper right-hand corner, choosing Settings, then the Security tab, and clicking “Enable” next to “Two-Step verification”.

If the account is shared, you will either need to choose a device you all have access to, or go on without the two-factor authentication.

For the record, you can also enable two-factor authentication on services like Evernote, Gmail (and all Google apps), OneDrive, iCloud, Hotmail, eBay, and many common banking websites. You can view a list of sites that support it, with instructions for each of them, at this URL: https://twofactorauth.org/

[privacyandtechnology]

Julian Sanchez (Just Security) | US | Smartphone 'backdoors' and open computing

From the blog post:

"I’ve spent much of the past week trying to better understand Apple’s security architecture, and the method they formerly used to provide law enforcement with access to user data. What I’ve read, and learned from talking with actual crypto experts, has affirmed my confidence in two core points. First: Apple is not just inexplicably thumbing its corporate nose at law enforcement. They are fixing a poor security design choice that previously left specific types of sensitive data on phones inadequately protected. Second: Apple, with its closed ecosystem, might actually be unusually well situated to satisfy the FBI’s demand for backdoors, but the idea is in profound conflict with more open computing models."

See also: Related blog post.

[poorlyshavedape]

Do you trust your smartphone? Do you trust your provider? Do you trust the people running he Government (different than trust in Government itself being fundamentally decent)?

[love-nola]

May the force be with everyone: Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus becomes religion

[ironmansapprentice-deactivated2]

For the millions of people who enjoy Mardi Gras through the years, Carnival can be a religious experience.

not surprised haha

[mulishmusings]

Nope, I know these peeps well, not surprised at all.

[poorlyshavedape]

All Hail Our Sacred Drunken Wookiee!

[poorlyshavedape]

DOJ In Silk Road Case: The FBI Doesn't Need Warrants To Hack Foreign Servers | Techdirt

The government has filed another document in response to discovery requests in the Ross Ulbricht/Silk Road case. Again, it argues that there's no Fourth Amendment concerns here, so Ulbricht's legal team isn't entitled to receive any...

  Well, this is certainly a frightening read. Without getting into a discussion about the Silk Road website, TOR, and other items the crux of this article is that the DOJ says if your server/resources are hosted offshore then it does not violate the 4th Amendment to access those resources through any means available. If that continues it is certainly chilling for the whole cloud industry and Internet resources as a whole. I wonder what it means for US-based companies that have data replicated to an off-shore location as well...

[popthirdworld]

This comic was an frikking epic to put together. Like my FB page for more! And share it to your FB buddies!

[poorlyshavedape]

Job Requirements: be breathing

I'm trying to figure out if someone is serious or having fun at the expense of HR/recruiters...

Listing of Essential Functions: • Job duties are performed in a normal and clean office environment with normal noise levels. • Work is predominately done while standing or sitting. • Physical effort is required to lift, hold, and carry objects up to 15 pounds, occasionally. • Job duties entail using multiple body parts in a coordinated manner. • Manual/Finger dexterity in both hands is needed to operate a keyboard and manipulate small objects. • Sight, hearing, the ability to distinguish colors, and touching are required sensory abilities. • The ability to read, write, calculate, visualize, and analyze are required.

This was from a jr. programming job description. I'm trying to decide if this is satire from someone asked to write their own job description or a clever attempt to judge replies based on how the cover letter addresses the essential function.

[sdzoo]

How to train your dragon

[americanguide]

THE FRENCH QUARTER - NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

The visitor will find in the French Quarter a strange and fascinating jumble of antique shops, flop houses, tearooms, wealthy homes, bars, art studios, night clubs, grocery stores, beautifully furnished apartments, and dilapidated flats. And he will meet débutantes, artists, gamblers, drunks, streetwalkers, icemen, sailors, bank presidents, and beggars. The Vieux Carré is definitely the place in New Orleans where people go to live their own lives.

—New Orleans City Guide (WPA, 1938)

The sun rises as a man wearing a crooked pirate hat staggers and stumbles down Bourbon, still drunk from the night before. The street-cleaning trucks are like big woolly mammoths criss-crossing the narrow streets, spraying water, wiping the slimy, smelly muck off the pavement. Fresh fruit and seafood is brought in via hand trucks and shoulders. Many take a break and a puff leaning against brightly colored walls before starting a day at work.

The French Quarter of New Orleans has not slept, but begins its daily cycle once again. Throughout the day, the streets will see dog walkers, boozy babes, musicians, revelers, conventioneers, gutter punks, cops, maids, and dandies. There is constant movement by foot, car, bike, and mule. Beignets are powdered and oysters are shucked. Exclamations are shouted and secret corners are found. The haunting notes of the calliope soar in from the water’s edge.

At first glance, one might assume that The Quarter is frozen at a point in history for the enjoyment of tourists. It only takes a couple of blocks to experience otherwise. There is a daily rhythm, but the magical part of The Quarter is that it has a part for you to play. It requires you add to the life and times of this place and to keep it moving forward.

I work in The Quarter digitizing historic documents and photos. Before, after, and during these hours I roam the streets finding the special people who add to the impressive timeline. I am inspired by August Sander and Atget, Katy Grannan, Joan Didion, and more. I am fueled by the power of this place and plenty of iced cafés au lait.

* * *

Tammy Mercure is a State Guide to Tennessee and co-editor of THE AMERICAN GUIDE. A photographer living in New Orleans, Louisiana she enjoys photographing just about any event that includes loud noises and fast moving things. She was recently named one of the “100 under 100: The New Superstars of Southern Art” by Oxford American magazine. Follow her on Tumblr or on her website, TammyMercure.com. 

[abundance-mine]

You are personally responsible for becoming more ethical than the society you grew up in.

Eliezer Yudkowsky (via robotgod)

[kirkwa-deactivated20190108]

And This Is Why You Shouldn’t Get Sick In America

Many believe that the US healthcare system is the best in the world. Not so according to the World Health Organization’s ranking of the world’s health systems. The US doesn’t even rank in the top 25. It ranks 37th and is the most expensive in the world. I would argue that even if we had the best healthcare system in the world, what good is it, if no one can afford to access it.

Most companies are buying 60/40-policys for their employees these days, but even if you are lucky enough to have good insurance with 80/20-policy coverage, that 20 percent your responsible for can drive you right into bankruptcy as easily as the 60-40 policy given the cost of healthcare.

Insurance cost have been going up dramatically in the last two decades, long before the new Affordable Healthcare Act has taken affect, in some cases as much as 35% per year.

But have you noticed the latest trick the insurance companies have roll out?

Yes, Higher Deductible… most averaging $5,000 per year, per person, but I have seen some as high as $10,000 per year. For those of you that are wondering, this tactic is specifically designed too stop you from using your insurance. It reduces the insurance companies out of pocket liability by shift costs onto consumers, especially those dealing with chronic illness such as diabetes and arthritis. Consequently, because consumers can’t afford the deductible they will avoid necessary care to save money.

Although insurance companies are a problem, the real crocks is the healthcare system it self. A corrupt and bloated system desperately in need of reform!

[violentxfemmes-deactivated20181]

This is absolutely ridiculous.

I live in New Zealand. My mum had a heart attack when I was 13, she was in hospital for at least 3 months and our government pays for most of our bills so I think my parents only had to pay around about $500 - 1k. With the option to pay it over a period of time.

Like????? Does the America government even give the slightest fuck about the people that live in their country???? Honestly.

[the-cinnamon-peelers-wife]

^Here’s the thing: it’s not a matter of whether or not the American government gives a fuck. That’s the point. Health care is privatized. The government has nothing to do with it. And people fight tooth and nail to ensure that the government has nothing to do with it because getting the government involved would infringe upon “Freedom,” and if there’s one thing America stand for, it’s the amorphic ideal of “Freedom” trumping all other practical, rational, and downright necessary things like health care and common sense.

[chronicallychillness]

Let me tell you a thing. My family’s insurance has a $4,000 deductible. We have to pay FOUR THOUSAND US DOLLARS out of pocket, before the insurance picks up 90%. Every January this resets. But wait! That deductible is only for peeps that our insurance picks out. So, if the entire office is covered by our insurance but the one doc who does the one ting we need for whatever reason isn’t we have to reach a separate deductible. Of $16,000. Every. Single. Year. We literally only go to the doctor if it’s a medical emergency, and even that we wait a couple of days and hope whatever is happening to us goes away because we literally cannot afford it. In High School I got a super bad concussion. Like, I passed out unconscious for like twenty mins, and my mom was like ‘nah, wait a couple days, if you don’t feel good still we’ll go to the doctor’. A week and half later of minorly passing out in school, nausea, and extreme dizziness the nurse is like ‘nah, you need the E.R.’, which the doctor’s there were like “how are you not comatose? Why did you wait so long??” In college I spent a few days in the psych ward and when my parents were like “can we take her home early we can’t afford this” the nurse literally was like “don’t you have insurance *looks up insurance on cpu* Yo, you can take her home today, damn”. I wish I took pictures of that damn bill. $1,500 was the ambulance ride alone. Google Maps tells me it’s 1.2miles from my dorm to the hospital, a 4min ride. It’s taken us years to pay that off. My father stopped taking medicine to prevent diabetes and for his cholesterol because it’s too expensive to get every month. I stopped taking my mental meds and seeing my psychiatrist because my parents are like “Your health, your money”. I pay $100/visit for my psychiatrist. I tried getting on Abilify, but on my insurance it’s $795 /month. The only reason I went back and got a therapist is because we reached our deductible due to my mother getting extremely ill and effectively being immobile for a month. Once January hits, I’m going to have to stop again. People in America are dying from preventable sickness because our healthcare system is garbage. People in America are killing themselves because it’s more cost-effective to keep popping aspirins than it is to get your heart checked and that super necessary surgery. Because it’s more cost-effective to to take an excessive amount of pain-killers instead of going to a doctor’s office to get antibiotics for the strep throat or infection they have. Because it’s more cost-effective to pay for a fucking funeral than be a million dollars in debt because you have lupus or cancer.

[mulishmusings]

This is why Americans don’t go on holiday. We can’t take a vacation because we have to make sure we have money in case we get sick. Even a minor sickness can set people back months or years. We literally work ourselves to death in fear of sickness.

[poorlyshavedape]

That part about not taking vacations because you cannot afford to get sick is spot on. Taking a job you hate (causes stress, etc.) just for the insurance because there is nothing else you can do, or staying with a job you hate because you need to keep the insurance leads to unproductive and self-destructive behavior further reducing the workforce.