Cyber Security
Wired Magazine has a fascinating article on how three bored college students concocted a scam to give them an advantage in the game of MineCraft. But the software that they wrote, which basically attacked their competitor’s servers, was so effective, it set new records for Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. At its heart, it simply co-opted IoT (Internet of Things) hardware that had not had its default access passwords changed. However, it was so efficient that it was able to infect over 600,000 simultaneous devices at any one time and achieve bandwidth rates of over 1.1 Terabytes. By comparison, the previous known record was about 50 Gigabytes. It managed to take down one of the largest Internet providers in the U.S. last year, leaving much of the east coast with very spotty Internet connectivity.
Hackers halted Schneider Electric SE plant operations in a cyber attack. Reader M.P. notes: “While this particular attack seems to have been at a site in the Middle East, the software involved is used widely in the energy industry. The article warns of the likelihood of copy cat attacks elsewhere, but I think it is more likely that others will use this as a stepping stone to even more damaging types of attacks, not just more of the same. A successful attack on some generation parts of the energy grid would be bad. A successful attack on others, such as nuclear plants, could be even more catastrophic, depending on what other actions are part of a particular hack.”
UN on U.S. Soil
A Chicago area county commissioner wants the U.N. to step in and help with the violence. Yep, you heard that right. Richard Boykin visited the United Nations in New York to meet with the Secretary General and ask for help in dealing with Chicago’s gun violence. Of course the violence predates the McDonald vs. Chicago verdict that repealed much of the city’s draconian gun laws. The mayor believes it is merely a political stunt and the police chief doesn’t believe it would help. Just one more proof that the left considers the UN as a defacto world government. Thanks to G.P. for the link.
#LeavePublicSchool
You can’t make this stuff up. 37 examples of real college courses including “Vampires”, “Zombies”, and “Hooking Up”. Reader H.L. notes:
“I would not allow my child to take any of these useless courses, and if he/she went against me, then he/she could PAY for their entire 4 years of college! I would hope that I had raised my child to know better than to waste any money on this useless, even corrupting kind of class. Only classes that are essential to achieving knowledge to further the child in their chosen career field should be taken. And it better be a field that allows the graduate to be employed, and not end up as a barista or waiter/waitress with a student loan that they cannot pay off!
However, the beginning of a career choice starts in the child’s early life by exposing the child to things such things that lead to engineering, medical field, organic or inorganic chemistry, advanced math, physics, the sciences, and the like. Degrees in Social Worker, Women’s Studies, Art History are all well and good, but the graduate can study on their own on time or read books. There is a difference between a lucrative career (necessary in high cost of living America) and a hobby!
Mechanically minded youngsters can also make a good living in the “trades” and start their own businesses. Plumbers, electricians, those with IT computer/robotic skills can make a darn good living, and are in demand! I notice that many of the Supervisors/Managers have grey hair, and they cannot find enough men and women who want to learn how to create things we all need! A mechanic can find a job anywhere in America and make a good living. Engineering jobs go unfilled. America still makes things!”
“Never Again” Becomes “Never Mind”
Anti-Semitism in Europe has risen to such a level that French-Jewish families are being forced from their homes in Paris suburbs. It isn’t just from the Muslim immigrants that are flooding Europe either. This is coming from the indigenous people of the respective countries. More than 5,000 departures were recorded in 2016 on top of the 7,900 who left in 2015. This is beginning to look a lot like 1930s Germany. Thanks to H.L. for the link.
Second Amendment
New Jersey has a long history of being anti-gun and for years the new Jersey Second Amendment Society has claimed that only politicians, judges and their friends can obtain concealed carry permits. For years they have been labeled as paranoid. Permit holder information has been a closely guarded secret, immune to public records requests. Now, a prosecutor has admitted prosecutor has admitted that Judge Michael Donio was the only non-police officer in Atlantic City to receive a concealed carry permit. Paranoid? I think not. Thanks to DSV for the link.
