Webistemology

Relocation

2009-01-23T23:41:00.001-05:00

My occasional blog posts can now be found at http://wunderlich.ca/blog

Google Blogger Widget

2006-10-14T23:06:00.000-04:00

Just testing:

Coming back after an absence, triggered by seeing the new google blogger widget off the new google mac blog, and also the availability of a gaping void widget to add to the site. Convenience and something interesting at the same time! Who am I to resist. What you see below is the default text put in place by the blogger widget.

This widget has successfully logged in! Replace this text with your
first post.

You can use ⌘-B and ⌘-I to make text bold and
italic.

Audible Auto Link

2006-07-25T20:41:00.000-04:00

When I reinstalled my PalmOne software on my iMac, and then went into the extra software, I got this:

Protect Personal and Financial Privacy: Cell Phone Privacy Sold for $110

2006-01-08T00:32:00.000-05:00

Protect Personal and Financial Privacy: Cell Phone Privacy Sold for $110: "Chicago Sun Times Crime Reporter Frank Main bombshell privacy story (linked above) tells of a web site called LocateCell (one of dozens of similar services) where the cell phone records of any phone can be purchased for $110 for a list, plus $50 more for length of calls. "
This business model pretty much guarantees the introduction of legislation.

Footprints in the Sand.jpg

2006-01-07T22:49:00.000-05:00

Footprints in the Sand.jpg
Originally uploaded by JohnW_1956.

It was pretty cold this morning in Montreal, so I thought I'd post this shot from a trip to Florida in November.

Remembrance of warmer times.

Internet News Article | Reuters.co.uk

2006-01-07T21:46:00.000-05:00

Internet News Article | Reuters.co.uk: " Forgetting computer passwords is an everyday source of frustration, but a solution may literally be at hand -- in the form of computer chip implants. With a wave of his hand, Amal Graafstra, a 29-year-old entrepreneur based in Vancouver, Canada, opens his front door. With another, he logs onto his computer. Tiny radio frequency identification (RFID) computer chips inserted into Graafstra's hands make it all possible."

Is it just me or does this strike anyone else as a two edged sword. Never mind the obtrusive advertising of the "Minority Report" base on retina scans, think what marketers and security staff can do with this one!

Happy New Year

2006-01-02T09:19:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy new year!

Also wanted to give kudos to give bloglines kudos for their creative under construction notice.

Federal agents' visit was a hoax: 12/ 24/ 2005

2005-12-24T12:11:00.000-05:00

Federal agents' visit was a hoax: 12/ 24/ 2005: "The UMass Dartmouth student who claimed to have been visited by Homeland Security agents over his request for 'The Little Red Book' by Mao Zedong has admitted to making up the entire story.

The 22-year-old student tearfully admitted he made the story up to his history professor, Dr. Brian Glyn Williams, and his parents, after being confronted with the inconsistencies in his account."

Although there was suspicion from the start that this was a hoax, the original reporter stuck by his story, until this latest addendum by the student.

Thanks to Bruce Shneier for this blog post on this.

Schneier on Security: Vehicle Tracking in the UK

2005-12-22T17:08:00.000-05:00

Schneier on Security: Vehicle Tracking in the UK: "The problems and insecurities that come from living in a surveillance society more than outweigh any crimefighting (and terrorist-fighting) advantages."

All I can say is that isn't it ironic that Orwell was a Brit?

Innovation Happens Elsewhere

2005-12-21T17:57:00.000-05:00

Innovation Happens Elsewhere: "Innovation Happens Elsewhere" is the name of a recent book on the business uses of open source. Available on the web thanks to a Creative Commons license.

Schneier on Security: How Much High Explosive Does Any One Person Need?

2005-12-20T17:10:00.000-05:00

Schneier on Security: How Much High Explosive Does Any One Person Need?: "If anyone is looking for something to spend national security money on that will actually make us safer, securing high-explosive-filled trailers would be high on my list."

Mine Too!

The Winnipeg Free Press Online Edition

2005-12-18T20:47:00.000-05:00

The Winnipeg Free Press Online Edition: "Privacy rules let con man drain funds"

In this piece the bank for an old woman, who appears to have been bilked for her life savings by a young 'opportunist', correctly claims that that they shouldn't presume to know better than the customer what they want to do with their money. One of the woman's sons claims that only an alert from a bank employee - which breached his mother's privacy - enabled them to detect the alleged fraud. This highlights the wrong issue at the bank. The customer's privacy does need to be protected, as does her fiscal well being. Protecting the customer's privacy is something that the bank has to do, and has the power to do. Making decisions about her money or who to disclose her transactions to violates both the customer's privacy and removes from her the possibility of acting on her own behalf - even to the extent of making bad decisions.

I have to say that I share the view that the bank has some culpability here. The pattern of withdrawals described is at least suspicious, and it seems to me should have alerted the bank to do something more concrete than the internal hand-wringing that was described. Had this been a case of identity theft, with money disappearing unbeknownst to the customer, clearly the bank would have some explaining to do. A notice to police of possible fraudulent activity would not, in my mind, constitute a privacy breach, and would enable the bank to protect all clients and not just those with diligent sons.

At this point, only civil or criminal proceedings present any hope, and if the 'handy man' of the story claims that the money given was given freely, then this just might unfortunately be the end of the story

Caveat emptor!

The Canadian Privacy Law Blog: Borrow the wrong book and get it personally delivered by the feds

2005-12-18T18:40:00.000-05:00

The Canadian Privacy Law Blog: Borrow the wrong book and get it personally delivered by the feds: "One of the problems with widespread monitoring is the huge incidence of 'false positives'. This example from the University of Massachusetts is instructive and a bit chilling to those who have commented upon it."

I just checked and I still have my copy of the little red book from my old days. Does admitting this in public make me more of a security risk than if I kept it secret?

BBC NEWS | Technology | What is it with Wikipedia?

2005-12-18T09:36:00.000-05:00

It was thinking about what is turning into an issue for Wikipedia that gave me the idea for the name for this blog....Webistemology

BBC NEWS | Technology | What is it with Wikipedia?: "The achievement of the Wikimedia Foundation should not be underestimated, but we should not be surprised if there are errors. No information source is guaranteed to be accurate, and we should not place complete faith in something which can so easily be undermined through malice or ignorance thanks to its open architecture."

Global Fast Cities

2005-12-14T15:27:00.000-05:00

Gotta love it!

Global Fast Cities: "Multicultural, tolerant, hip, and tech-oriented, it features both Old World European charm and modern high-rises. Among international cities, Montreal boasts the fifth-largest creative-class workforce. Overall job growth ranks in the top five among North American cities. Film production is flourishing: Montreal has more set and sound-stage space than any city in North America."

Lawful Access

2005-11-16T13:33:00.000-05:00

Here is the summary acompanying the new "Lawful Access Bill"

My question is why is this necessary? The police seem to have been making arrests and moving forward on cyber crime. What's up?

SUMMARY

This enactment requires telecommunications service providers to put in place and maintain certain capabilities that facilitate the lawful interception of information transmitted by telecommunications and to provide basic information about their subscribers to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the Commissioner of Competition and any police service constituted under the laws of a province.

Maybe this should just be labelled "Easy Access"

Enterprise Infrastructure > Servers and Mainframes > FALL IDF: Microsoft to support Linux with Virtual Server

2005-08-26T14:01:00.000-04:00

Is it just me or is this like a Chevy sedan trying to pull a Mack truck?

Enterprise Infrastructure > Servers and Mainframes > FALL IDF: Microsoft to support Linux with Virtual Server: "he next release of Microsoft Corp.'s Virtual Server product will support the virtualization of both Linux and Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Solaris operating systems on servers running the Microsoft Windows operating system (OS), a company spokesman said in an interview Wednesday."

Blogger For Word Test

2005-08-23T22:25:00.000-04:00

Addendum to prior post:
This is just a quick note that I’m putting in to text the Blogger for Word add-on.
More Later,
JW

This Magazine: The Rebel Sell

2005-08-23T17:29:00.000-04:00

Just read Rebel Sell, and agree with this blurb:
This Magazine: The Rebel Sell: "So here is Frank’s claim, simply put: books like No Logo, magazines like Adbusters, and movies like American Beauty do not undermine consumerism; they reinforce it."

www.GovExec.com - DHS policy shop may reshape agency priorities (7/20/05)

2005-07-22T15:43:00.000-04:00

So what's the subtext?
www.GovExec.com - DHS policy shop may reshape agency priorities (7/20/05): "Privacy abuses, Baker said, can be prevented by controlling access to data, conducting electronic audits, and through a cryptographic tool known as anonymization, which allows data to be shared while still controlling conditions of access to that data. For example, lists could be encrypted and then compared electronically. Only items common to both lists would be identified."

blogonnymity - bloggin On the Identity Trail

2005-07-06T14:48:00.000-04:00

Here's an interesting commentary by outgoing B.C. Information and Privacy Commissioner David Loukidelis:

blog*on*nymity - bloggin On the Identity Trail: "Before privacy laws or the Charter, there was little if anything to stop police or national security operatives from cajoling or coercing information from private sector organizations. A civic-minded government department or company could blab all it wanted about its customers or employees."

Schneier on Security: Wired on Identity Theft

2005-06-29T22:22:00.000-04:00

Schneier on Security: Wired on Identity Theft

Just passing on what seems a sensible set of recomendations.

Week in review: Revenge of the fedsI'

2005-05-29T15:15:00.000-04:00

Is it just me, or does this sound chilling to you as well:

Week in review: Revenge of the feds: "Homeland Security agents from several divisions served search warrants on 10 people around the country suspected of being involved with the Elite Torrents site, and took over the group's main server."

Silly me. I thought Homeland Security was supposed to be about terrorism, not intellectual property. I'm not taking a position here on whether or not the Bit Torrent site was involved in IP theft, or on peer to peer sharing generally. I'm just saying that even if you grant that this is a flagrant and egregious violation of creative and intellectual property rights, what has that got to do with 'Homeland Security'?

The Five Most Shocking Things About the ChoicePoint Debacle - CSO Magazine - May 2005

2005-05-03T10:25:00.000-04:00

CSO Magazine quotes Bruce Schneir regarding the ChoicePoint debacle: "It was like they put a big sign on themselves that said 'Regulate me,'' "

Identity theft: Attack the right issue

2005-04-15T10:20:00.000-04:00

Bruce Schneir writes in his blog: "The very term 'identity theft' is an oxymoron. Identity is not a possession that can be acquired or lost; it's not a thing at all. Someone's identity is the one thing about a person that cannot be stolen.
The real crime here is fraud; more specifically, impersonation leading to fraud. Impersonation is an ancient crime, but the rise of information-based credentials gives it a modern spin. "