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Cuba has already begun its transition from vile “socialist paradise” to reformed free-market model. Obviously, they’re not there yet, or close. But they’re moving in that direction, and that’s significant. Why? B/c no free-market-oriented nation can stay authoritarian for very long.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121728651034091275.html?mod=opinion_main_review_and_outlooks
“Fannie Mae’s Political Immunity”
Apparently, the big tax-subsidized “companies” (Fannie and Freddie) are giving (subsidized) dollars to “charity” (including members of Congress) to ensure their continued existence.
I’m not convinced that Fannie/Freddie are still needed–maybe they are, but I’m not convinced–but they certainly shouldn’t be allowed to blow through tax-subsidized money to bribe influence persons to support them (and continue their funding, as per the recent “bail-out” bill).
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121720170185288445.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries
“How to Get the Biggest Bang for Ten Billion Bucks”
Good perspective by Bjorne Lomborg that boils down to this: while carbon emissions are problematic, throwing money at the problem is counter-productive. I.e., let’s spend wisely to tackle the problem, but not forget the other problems out there, including hunger and disease in the developing world.
My last post on full disk encryption offered suggestions for protecting your machine from “offline” attack scenarios. I.e., if a tech-savvy thief steals your laptop and tries to read your personal/business data (bypassing the Windows login prompt is trivial), FDE protects the data on your machine from being compromised by a knowledgable and determined thief.
But FDE does not protect you from “online” attack scenarios; i.e., where the operating system has booted. Online attacks may–or may not–refer to attacks that occur over the web. Increasingly though, network-facing services and applications provide entry points into client computer systems (web browsers, email clients, and such). I’ll list some simple (but often neglected) steps to avoid infection of your client system.
First, I’ll assume you’re using either Windows XP or Vista. If you’re using MacOS, these suggestions may also apply (conceptually if not pragmatically). If you’re using Linux, you almost certainly already know these suggestions.
There you go. Just 4 steps (forget those silly “top 10″ lists). Surprisingly, most of the top 10 lists out there say nothing about DEP, even though DEP (aka, NX/XD) offers hardware-assisted protection from a common software attack (buffer overflow exploits).
Logging in as a non-priviledged user is also one of those items that’s excluded from most top 10 computer security lists. Log in as a standard user (not a power user). If you need to run a program that requires admin privs, do a “run as.” If you’re using Vista and the application is UAC-aware, you will automatically be prompted to run as a higher-priviledged user.
Item 3, keeping software & anti-virus defs up to date actually is covered by the top 10 lists. It’s obvious, but I’ll say it anyway. Use anti-virus and keep it up to date. Keep your Windows updates up to date (by default, Windows will do this automatically and occasionally require you to reboot). Keep other non-Microsoft software up to date as well.
Use common sense. That’s tough given the rather cogent malware, utilizing both technical attacks and social engineering (like, emails that look legit that coax you into downloading and installing software). Don’t fall for it. Be suspicious of emails, and demand digital signatures for software that you download (and be careful where you download software). Be quasi-paranoid about trusting email attachments and “urgent notifcations” from your bank. If it looks suspicious, it’s probably a scam.
I’m calling this blog “laptop security” but it applies to desktops as well. I focus more on laptops b/c they’re so much more mobile and, therefore, easily lost/stolen.
If you’re not already aware, FDE stands for full disk encryption, and it’s a technology that allows you to encrypt the entire disk. I’ll skip some techno-distinctions in this blog entry (like the difference between a volume and a drive) for simplicity. Windows Vista (Ultimate) includes a FDE feature called BitLocker Drive Encryption that can be used right out of the box if you have that edition of Vista.
Home users can also use TrueCrypt for FDE. The feature, called “system encryption” within TrueCrypt, allows you to encrypt your Windows system (all partitions) with a passphrase. BitLocker, by contrast, relies on a TPM micro-chip or, alternately, a USB stick for authentication.
Other FDE solutions have been around for quite a while. But with FDE available built-in in Vista and with the open-source TrueCrypt software now supporting FDE (previously, you could create encrypted partitions and container-based encrypted volumes), there are few excuses left to not adopting FDE on your home system to protect your financial documents and personal information.
Note that FDE does not replace good security practices. FDE protects against what is known as “offline attacks”; it does nothing if someone (or malware) tries to attack your system after having already booted. Additionally, FDE can be defeated under some circumstances, like a poorly chosen passphrase or a “cold boot” RAM attack (though there are mitigations for that scenario).
I’ll discuss common, everyday security from time to time on this blog for those who are interested on a continuing basis (in layman’s terms). Thoughts and suggestions are welcome.
MarginalRevolution (well-known economics blog) has interesting write-up on left-wing and right-wing whiners and what motivates their whining, and claims that they don’t apply their values consistently. (That’s probably not a very good summary, so just read the article.)
Here’s an excerpt:
Take the so-called “right wing.” I believe that some people on the right do not like those they perceive as “whiners.” They do not want these whiners to rise in relative status. That means they must argue against the whining and also they must argue against the presuppositions behind the whining.
If the whiners say that times are bad, the rebuttal is that times are pretty good or times will become better again. But if the whiners want to increase government benefits (perhaps there is a victim to whine about), we hear about the need to tighten our belts and all the talk about good times is, at least temporarily, muted. Fiscal discipline is now in order.
Take the so-called “left wing.” Some of these people favor a kind of meritocracy. They feel it is unfair that money so determines access in capitalist society and they do not want the monied class to rise in relative status, certainly not above the status of the smart people and the virtuous people. It is important to fight for the principle that the desires of this monied class have a relatively low priority in the social ranking. Egalitarianism is the rhetoric of the day, and readjusting the status of other Americans to the status of this monied class often receives more attention than elevating the very poorest in the world to a higher absolute level.
So, different things lead one partisan group to whine, or to defend an initiative or the status quo.
Solution: become independent, and force yourself to read perspectives by your “political opposition” (if you tend to side with one group over the other). The “other side” then becomes more humanized and real, for starters. Also, arguing against perspectives you don’t agree with becomes more genuine and more convincing (as it’s obvious that you’ve genuinely studied and considered both/all view points).
Here’s some advice that makes way too much sense:
To quickly boost its biofuel supply, the U.S. should partner with Latin America. Sugarcane ethanol from Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Central America should become an integral part of the U.S. energy strategy. An increase in Latin American cane ethanol capacity is the fastest, most cost-effective and lowest-risk strategy to secure abundant ethanol fuel. The U.S. needs Latin America for energy security, and Latin America needs the U.S. for capital and technology infusion. It’s a classic win-win partnership — provided U.S. trade barriers to sugarcane ethanol are eliminated.
Here’s the step by step:
First, while the corn industry improves productivity and sustainability, the U.S. should treat the commercialization of cellulosic technologies as a matter of national security — a new Manhattan Project deserving all the necessary resources to accelerate deployment.
Second, the U.S. should pursue closer energy integration with Latin America though regulatory convergence and open biofuels trade, thus encouraging private investment in sugarcane ethanol production. This is the fastest and most efficient means to boost ethanol availability within three to four years, and displace gasoline use to an extent significant enough to cause oil demand and prices to drop.
Third, consumers should be educated and financially incentivized to switch to flexible-fuel vehicles, creating demand for mass production of such vehicles, which will dramatically cut U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
Only reservation is that it sounds very Big Gov-oriented. But I find it acceptable given our current regulated energy industry. I.e., given governmental involvement in the energy sector already, the Gov needs to “do something” to do what market forces would naturally be doing now (if it weren’t for existing regs and trade barriers).
So, free trade–an anathema to the Old Right and the New Left–will do nicely to get us away from oil and build strategic relations and business connections with our southern neighbors. (So, like, which presidential candidate is more likely to push for this?)
There is also an array of items buried deep in the legislation, and the implications of some of them are not yet clear. There are provisions, for example, that grant or extend Section 8 federal housing subsidy eligibility to residents of specific properties in Malden, Mass. and San Francisco. And one business tax incentive seems intended for a specific but unidentified automobile manufacturer “that will produce in excess of 675,000 automobiles” between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2008.
No offense, but isn’t government interventionism part of the problem? Like, if Fannie and Freddie are such great ideas, why do we need the government to subsidize them? Why not rely on the private sector (with the exception of the VA)? Commercial banks and credit unions can do the job nicely without Big Gov. (Note: I’m not implying that Fannie and Freddie are solely responsible for the current crisis.)
Also note that other “freebies” in the legislation, per the Times, including the big one to what is obviously a domestic car company. Ridiculous.
(I should note, however, that under present circumstances, I don’t doubt that Paulson [the Treasury Secretary] is doing what he feels needs to be done.)
A reality check for the guy who wins hearts instead of minds…
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/25/opinion/25brooks.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin
No offense to Obama-supporters. He’s definitely no idiot. And he’s very eloquent. But I get nervous when I think about him making hard choices or staring down his party base.
The CS Monitor has an article on Cuba that, basically says: Cuban youth want greater economic freedom and freedom to travel (note no strong desire for political freedom or even voting; they want pragmatic stuff, like iPods). Cubans are demanding their rights, esp young Cubans.
Helpfully, Raul Castro (Fidel’s brother) has eased up on the socialist ideals, now allowing certain luxuries (like cell phones).
Only a matter of time before the streets are bustling like bazaars, with trading of anything from corn to(pirated American) DVDs.
Good news for the “socialist paradise.”
Next step: American statehood, as Thomas Barnett predicted in Blueprint for Action? Maybe “51st state” is a bit ambitious. After all, 52nd is a bit more reasonable. Surely Puerto Rico will become a bona fide state before Cuba.
Reasonable suggestions (http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11791539) …
There are certainly areas where change is needed. The credit crunch is in part the consequence of a flawed regulatory system. Lax monetary policy allowed Americans to build up debts and fuelled a housing bubble that had to burst eventually. Lessons need to be learnt from both of those mistakes; as they do from widespread concerns about the state of education and health care. Over-unionised and unaccountable, America’s school system needs the same sort of competition that makes its universities the envy of the world. American health care, which manages to be the most expensive on the planet even though it fails properly to care for the tens of millions of people, badly needs reform.
There have been plenty of mistakes abroad, too. Waging a war on terror was always going to be like pinning jelly to a wall. As for Guantánamo Bay, it is the most profoundly un-American place on the planet: rejoice when it is shut.
Check it out. Per the article, the ADA is doing its part to make dental costs unobtainable for a portion of the population and more expensive for the rest of us. Teaser intro:
Q: What are the eligibility requirements to legally receive dental care from a therapist with a two-year degree?
A: Native American ancestry.
Some Alaskan native American tribes broke the rules for the sake of obtaining affordable dental care. It’s legal, per the courts, but the ADA doesn’t like it, since the “cheap dental labor” is bad for them.
This is analogous (but not identical) to the high price of healthcare in the US. Although the devil’s in the details, and more than one factor contributes to the price, my argument is that old fashioned protectionism raises the price substantially, primarily by constricting supply (i.e., limit the number of med graduates, making each one more valuable).
Classic state-supported protectionism, benefiting the few at the expense of the many.
Finally occurred to me to try out a feature built into most versions of Windows Vista: ReadyBoost. Without going into a lot of detail, ReadyBoost potentially makes your computer faster and more responsive. Depending on your AutoPlay settings (and group policy), it’s probably as simple as putting a USB stick in an available slot in your machine and enabling ReadyBoost when prompted. Or, worst case: access the drive’s properties via Explorer and enable via the “ReadyBoost” tab.
The web is full of more info on ReadyBoost, so if you’ve never heard of it, do a Google search on it first. Here are some impressions:
* It seems to work. On my older desktop (1 GB of RAM; single AMD Athlon64 processor), it appears to be more responsive (though I didn’t actually benchmark it).
* Works with BitLocker (which requires me to insert a USB stick on startup to boot the OS), though I had to do a few things to get all that working smoothly.
* ReadyBoost supports using an SD memory card instead of a USB memory stick. That’s good for aesthetic reasons (since SD cards are smaller & more subtle), but my old desktop doesn’t have an SD slot (my laptop does, but I use that slot and it’d be a pain to swap out the ReadyBoost card for the other card every time I wanted to copy pics to my PC).
Some quick facts on ReadyBoost:
* Speeds up your PC (specifically, operations that involve reading memory that has been paged to disk); instead of reading from the pages on disk, it reads from the pages that have been written to the USB/SD memory device (which tend to provide substantially faster random access times). So, the info is replicated on the USB/SD device; it’s not an extension of virtual memory, but another copy of some of the paging file on disk. (Bottom line: if you remove it all of a sudden, Windows just reads your paging file on disk.)
* The paging info on the USB/SD device is encrypted using AES (128 bit). If the device is lost/stolen, the data is irretrievable by the thief.
* You can leave your ReadyBoost USB (or SD) card plugged in constantly. No need to take it out during reboots.