Intolerance is Intolerable - The 2016 American Presidential Election

When I was a kid, many of my grandparents' friends had tattoos on their forearms from the concentration camps. They didn't talk about it, but they certainly didn't hide it.

I was fascinated - probably because it was taboo - and started reading everything I could get my hands on. No small feat, as back then you had to go to the library.

The more I read, the more horrified I became, and swore in my heart that I would speak out if ever I saw impending evil. To this day, I don't like watching movies or reading books set in the WWII era. It is too real. My personal scary monster under the bed.

The Hitler regime hated everyone who wasn't them. It wasn't just the Jews. They tried to exterminate gypsys and homosexuals and academics and Poles and Roman Catholics - anyone who was not part of the Master Race, an Aryan. At least 11 million people died - as many as 20 to 30 million. For most, it was a horrible, excruciating death. Those gassed on the trains were the lucky ones. The Nazis collected mountains of shoes, hair, and teeth. They were slaughtered like cattle, every piece of the human body was used, both living and in death.

I am forever haunted by the pictures...the walking skeletons. Lamp shades sewn from human tattoos. The bombs. I don't know how people survived this terrible time.

The Holocaust was the direct result of Hitler's propaganda. The German people were reeling from economic crisis. Hitler convinced the people that Germany would be great again if the degenerates and racial inferiors were eliminated.

Sound familiar?

I didn't believe for a minute that Trump would be nominated the Republican candidate, nor did I believe his vile rhetoric could retain, let alone gather, supporters. 

And yet here we are: 38 days till the election - and it's close.

To be clear: I am a life-long independent specifically because I don't like politicians and have issues with both (all) parties. I am used to voting for the lesser evil. I understand my vote doesn't matter because of the electorate. I have cast empty ballots, voted Libertarian, Green Party, written in Mickey Mouse - whoever comes closest to aligning with my values at that time.

This election is different. Words matter.

America is struggling. There is inequity. Injustice. Corruption. 

We live in a time of great change. The population explosion of the past century has impacted the livability of large geographic areas resulting in militarized pursuit of critical resources and mass migrations.

I feel so fucking lucky to live here, in America; the land of the free, home of the brave. Of opportunity and hope. A country born of the tired, the poor, the hungry. Born of the belief that all people have the right of liberty, freedom of speech, and pursuit of happiness.

It's the power of those words that binds us together - even though these basic tenets of American democracy were tested at inception and to this day; these rights are for all people, regardless of race, religion, or sex.

It's the words that give us the strength to question - and to compromise. Because if it's not for all, then it's for none. In the melting pot of our differences lay our equality. We don't have to agree. We don't even have to listen. But we do have to respect each others right of personal choice, as long as those choices do not impact other peoples' rights.

Forget about the appalling ignorance, the crass genital references, the 5th grade level vocabulary, the impulsive diarrhea of the mouth that spews forth day and night. Donald Trump's words are the antithesis of American democracy. He believes "We are a nation that is seriously troubled." And the reason? "...people are pouring into our country."

This sociopathic megalomaniac has managed to convince enough of the American populace that they are exempt from being classified as part of the problem - even though all of us, except Native American Indians, are here by the grace of migration. I do not - cannot - believe the majority of Trump supporters agree with his racist bigotry and misogynistic attacks. The siren call of Trump propaganda is to play on feelings of economic disadvantage and fear from the recession.

Ironically, history tells us isolationist nations fall into economic stagnation - and typically collapse. Cutting international trade agreements and building The Wall will result in the one thing Trump supporters fear most: less money to buy things. Like any good salesman, Trump has conned people into wanting. More.

Maybe the worst part about blaming the changing job market and losses on immigrants and foreign nations is it leaves us, as a nation, completely unprepared. Indeed, there are less jobs - and it's only going to get worse. We are in the midst of what will probably be known as the Tech Revolution. I think will have more impact on society than the Industrial, if for no other reason than there are more of us. It is already happening. The development and deployment of self-driving vehicles, autonomous robots, and artificial intelligence may be keeping pace with rising sea levels.

I don't like Hilary. She's a liar - like most politicians. Condescending. Probably corrupt. But this election isn't about choosing the least evil or making a personal statement. It's about democracy, warts and all. The inalienable rights that are granted to all people. Intolerance is intolerable.

InfoSec Basics for Families

Information Security Basics: What every family should know about using the Internet

“Digital security education is like drug education and sex education in that people believe all kinds of things that are simply not true.” Eva Galperin, Global Policy Analyst at EFF

Everyone gets pwned. Some don’t know it. Others don’t want to admit it.

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/worlds-biggest-data-breaches-hacks/

The chances of an intrusion going from bad to worse - identity theft or social ostracization -  are reduced when families openly discuss and support each other without edicts, judgement, shame, or blame. Open, frequent discussion about how to protect personal (inter-related) information and how to practice safe surfing are key to maintaining online privacy.

Know Thy Enemy - Hackers are like witches; there are good hackers and bad hackers.

• “Getting Hacked” is a bunch of FUD; sensationalized news about targeted POI or organizations that are famous, gatekeepers, or victim of personal revenge or bullying
• Bad Hackers use FUD to sway the masses

• Joe Blow and Jane Doe? Chronic long-term disregard for basic security, safety, and privacy settings. Bad Hackers use sophisticated readily available automated tools and high powered computers to process 1000s of records to glean a few hundred logins. Then:

• Try the combination and variations on other sites
• Match against other sources and start building a profile
• Sell the data or publish for free

Basics:

• Set devices to automatically lock after a period of time
• Use 2 Factor Authentication whenever possible
• Use a (reputable) Password Manager to generate and store passwords
• Apply OS and application updates as soon as possible
• Choose your browser well (aka All browsers are not made the same)
• Unsubscribe from email you don’t care about
• Freeze your credit, and avoid establishing credit for your child as long as possible

Intrusion:

• Mechanisms: Email attachments, Click-bait, Phishing, Spear-phishing, SE, Shoulder surfing, Brute force, Re-using Logins, Wifi & Bluetooth, Anti-virus SW, Flash, USB & other external storage media,
• Malware: Trojans, Adware, keyloggers, browser hi-jackers, backdoors, ransomware,
• RATs: Camera & Mic - Tape the camera!
• Location tracking

Calculate Risk:

• Accessible vs. Hardcore (Linux, Signal, Tor, and PGP)

Build Common Sense:

• Instead of relying on Filtering vs. Monitoring...neither are very effective.
• The Internet never forgets; archives of old emails, chat rooms, blogs, tweets, etc.
• Don’t dox yourself or your family. Avoid using key identifiers in social media like names, (DO)Birthday, locations, pictures, credit cards, 1st paycheck, pic of your house with address number, pic of your car with the license plate, etc.
• Write (post) like everyone is watching
• Don’t give your trust to strangers - or acquaintances
• Think before you click (aka There is no such thing as “free”...)
• Be Prepared!
• Backup your devices
• Air gap personal data
• Secure physical medium: Cross-cut paper shredder

Defcon 24 Badge Challenge - Symbology 3

The symbols are most everywhere - and maybe that's the point. If you want to solve 1o57's puzzles, you have to get out and look. The more we automate, the more they feed; AIs consume data faster than we can conceive. And yet they can never feel the wind on their face, sand under their feet...the touch of love without even touching.

The one true defense against the rise of the machines is in meatspace. Embrace the physical world...and the sacred geometry.

Defcon 24 Badge Challenge - Symbology 2

Here's another potent clue: at least one T-shirt is related to what you do. The first I found was war10ck gam3z; QR is hot...so on my way, I found a few more possibilities. Take what you will. Good luck to all the teams!

Defcon 24 Badge Challenge - Symbology 1

Here it is my gift to you: I scoured Bally's and Paris, every level I could. There's probably more, but now you will see, the code at the bottom. What can it be? No further ado, here ya' go. Please share with each other. Good luck! And stay tuned...

Rats!

No, not RATs; the warm-blooded, sneaking rodent kind.

Most folks don't like to talk about it. It's kind of embarrassing. The Bay Area has a rat problem, primarily roof rats (Rattus rattus). I have spent more time studying abatement than I ever imagined or wanted to. Here's the benefit of my research.

Rodent (and pest) control is about reducing shelter and food sources. Although the following information is specific to roof rats, most of the abatement measures are applicable to other species and vermin (including raccoons, skunks, and possums).

Rats can nest hundreds of feet away from their hunting grounds. You have to vigilantly maintain your environment as there is little you can do to control your neighbors. You can tell a pathway by the greasy black trail they leave behind (no, that's not soot from the chimney or traffic exhaust). Rats are agile climbers; they will use service wires and cables to "rope up" into your attic.

They also tunnel. Extensively.

Setting traps on a known path is useless as they are VERY smart and will avoid the traps unless there is no other food source. Look for tell-tale signs of activity: droppings, broken snail shells, half eaten fruit, holes under fences, noises, that smell.

If you think you have mice, think again. Mice are cute.

Roof rat babies are too. They are born in litters of 6 to 8, and start eating solid food around 3 weeks - which means they are out scavenging. Rattus rattus is thought to reach sexual maturity between 3 to 5 months, but most of what we "know" is from studying domestic lab rats because it is difficult to study rats in the wild.

Humans are the only effective control mechanism. Cats and birds of prey will not dent the population. We make the habitat. We are the only ones who can effectively eliminate an infestation.

There are three variables that affect population: sanitation, proofing, and control.

Control: Control is a polite euphemism for "killing". Even though most people don't like the idea of killing, you will have to engage in control if your property is infested. You will know the habitat is no longer desirable when the traps are clean for 6 to 8 weeks.

Please trap instead of using bait. Rodenticide is highly toxic to birds of prey who eat poisoned rats. If that is not sufficient motivation, they will crawl into an inaccessible location - like your walls - and die. The decaying corpses smell really bad, and it takes about 2 weeks for the odor to go away.

Sanitation: ​It is vital to maintain continuous good housekeeping in ​and​ around building​s​ or ​the ​benefits of all other control and proofing measures will be lost ​and​ the pests will return quickly.

• Make off-the-ground storage for pipes, lumber, firewood, crates, boxes, and gardening equipment.

• ​Thin or remove dense vegetation, especially hedges and climbing vines on fences and buildings. Prune tree limbs within 3’ of roof. Plants should be no more than 10" high. Remove species that are known to harbor roof rats in the Bay Area:

• Hedera canariensis — Algerian ivy
• Thuja orientalis — Arborvitae
• Bambusa spp. — Bamboo
• Rubus procerus — Himalayan blackberries
• Lonicera caprifolium — Honeysuckle
• Cupressus sempervirens — Italian cypress
• Populus nigra “Italica” — Lombardy poplar
• Juniperus sabina “Tamariscifolia” — Juniper tams
• Phoenix dactylifera — Date Palm trees
• Cortaderia selloana — Pampas grass
• Trachelospermum jasminoides — Star jasmine

• Frequently collect and dispose of garbage and garden debris in cans with tight-fitting covers. If you compost kitchen scraps, invest in a raised tumbler or line the bin with 1/4" mesh screen.

• Store pet food in rodent-proof containers. Do not free-feed outside. Do not free-feed inside, especially if you have a dog or cat door.
• Roof rats particularly love bird seed. Clean around outdoor feeders and in cages daily.

Proofing: Proofing can be a daunting task, especially when dealing with an infestation. A good service will take care of any clean-up, replace fouled insulation, screen, trap, and guarantee their work for at least 3 years. You need to seal all entry points to your home that are larger than 1/4".

• Seal openings around pipes, cables, and wires that enter through walls or foundation

• Repair/replace ventilation screen around foundation and under eaves

• Repair/replace internal screens on roof and attic air vents

• Put screens on rooftop plumbing vent pipes in excess of 2” diameter

• Put screens on windows that open

• Make sure all doors and windows are tight fitting and weatherproofed at the bottom

• Put a tight-fitting cover over the crawl space

You've heard the phrase "like rats fleeing a sinking ship"? There won't be many left in the house after screening, but be prepared to deal with a red mite infestation when the hosts are gone :/

​Aside from rodent borne diseases that infect humans (Hantavirus, bubonic plague, salmonellosis, rat-bite fever),  there is a significant risk to household pets. Rats hunt caged birds and carry fleas.

Primary sources and for more information:

UC Davis:

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74106.html

City of Berkeley:

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Health_Human_Services/Environmental_Health/Control___Preventions_of_Rodents.aspx#Guidelines_When_Speaking_to_a_Pest_Control_Service

​Alameda County Vector Conrtol - will conduct free site assessments!

http://www.acvcsd.org/services/rodent/rodentcontrol.htm

Censorship and Respect

I'm the kind of person who has to understand how things work, especially if there is data. I can't help it. I've always taken things apart, changed conditions, watched for impacts, and tried to replicate. I didn't know this was "hacking" until fairly recently. It's just something I do.

As a Product Manager, I spent quite a bit of time studying SEO, mostly because the if we depended on the Marketing Director to do her job the product would've died. The more I fell into tuning the landing and product pages to maximize hits, the more fascinated I got in the data we were collecting about who visited. Admittedly I had the best-est of partners who shared my interest in feeding data back into our message. We were very successful. What the company viewed as a minor add-on product to get the Sales Rep's foot in the door accounted for over 85% of the web traffic.

I can't help but be equally interested in my Twitter account stats. It's not about monetizing. I actively review and Block ANY followers that are: selling more followers, T&A, or obnoxiously hawking their wares.

I just love seeing how well I can communicate and what people are interested in...

The first time I noticed an anomalous drop in Twitter impressions was last Fall. My husband commented, half joking, that it happened right after posting a less than favorable tweet about Twitter. It wasn't rude, but it was critical. In my world, criticism is how you make things better, and Twitter hasn't exactly been too well as a company.

After posting sunshine and rainbows for a couple of weeks, my stats went back to normal. Hmmm.....I kinda brushed it off, but have been frustrated but the glaring lack of information about how Twitter calculates the stats reported on the analytics dashboard.

Then I saw the very same inexplicable behavior after I posting my Ted Cruz-resembles-GrandPa-Munster tweet:

The number of impressions were up to 9,960 after 36 hours - and then stopped. Same number next morning. I thought that was weird. By that evening, the number of impressions for this tweet dropped 75%. So of course I took to Twitter.

I started gathering more data because now I had a pattern. In the course of researching the problem I bumped into a few articles about Twitter censoring authors via shadow bans. I was initially skeptical, so I decided to test. 

I typically see 30 - 40 impressions within the first hour, unless there are re-tweets, which was what happened with my Ted Cruz-as-Munster funny. Impressions are defined as simple how many unique timelines your tweet appears in. It doesn't mean anyone sees your tweet, they just have the opportunity. With 80+ followers and being on a few Lists, 30 - 40 impressions is a logical number.

But, after I posted the following tweet, impressions for that and any other post I made dropped to zero - regardless of the content:

Hmm. There may be merit to the shadow banning rumor. Next test. I decided to publish how I feel about Twitter censorship, if indeed that is what happened:

What's interesting is impressions remained zero, until the following tweet to .@Jack (Mr Twitter himself):

Within 4 hours, impressions on ALL my tweets started to increment, including the Ted Cruz-as-Munster offender. But still not exactly where I would expect the numbers to be.

I wanted to see if innocuous tweets would get me completely out of the dog house, so I over-participated in the 2BitTues game. Bingo. The oh-so-offending tweet is now over 15,000 impressions and here is my current 7-day stats:

CONCLUSIONS

I think shadow banning is very real, but maybe far more subtle than folks may realize. 

My guess is users report abuse to Twitter when they bump into content that they find offensive. Twitter probably has some kind of level of tolerance where if there are so many reports within a time period, they ban first and review later. Rather than something as insidious as Twitter employees shadow banning accounts, maybe it's just gangs that group report what they don't like - knowing whatever that golden threshold of silence is...

THE IRONY

While I am fairly well disgusted by the SJWs imposing their over-emotional expectations on other people, my reaction is to filter the bullshit rather than engage. Like, whatever.

The irony of all this is #TheTriggering would've never even entered my radar except for this experience.

Apparently, someone(s) can't take a joke - or criticism. 

So here's what I have to say: Fuck your labels. 

You are what you DO. You can't demand or expect respect. The very best you can do is give it. Respect is earned, and it will always elude you if that's what your goal is, instead of supporting a community, being dependable, helping folks out just because it really feels good to make a difference. You have to sincerely care about people to win their trust.