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steve2470
steve2470's Journal
steve2470's Journal
March 18, 2014
BY SASCHA SEGAN MARCH 17, 2014 01:03PM EST
Do we want a tech world defined by compassionless jerks?
I've written before about the toxicity of the Silicon Valley/San Francisco cult of "disruption," which has no empathy for the disrupted, and little place for any empathy at all. But my hackles were raised again by a BusinessWeek review of venture capitalist Ben Horowitz's new book, which confirmed that Silicon Valley's power brokers are passionately devoted to creating a society at war with itself.
The issue came up again with the departure of Julie Ann Horvath from Github, just the latest Silicon Valley bullying saga. Remember that Github is the place that had a minor scandal over code full of racial slurs before one of its code leaders decided to take a "brave stand" against using non-gendered pronouns in code, presumably because the chicks should just get over it.
This isn't about gender, not really. Horowitz makes clear that he welcomes women willing to really get into the 24/7 fight, "Sultans of Swat" who play "motherf**kin' chess." It's a co-ed game of f**k you and grab-ass out there, where the kick in the balls doesn't pay attention to whether your reproductive organs are internal or external.
Why I Don't Want My Daughter to Work in Silicon Valley
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2455042,00.aspBY SASCHA SEGAN MARCH 17, 2014 01:03PM EST
Do we want a tech world defined by compassionless jerks?
I've written before about the toxicity of the Silicon Valley/San Francisco cult of "disruption," which has no empathy for the disrupted, and little place for any empathy at all. But my hackles were raised again by a BusinessWeek review of venture capitalist Ben Horowitz's new book, which confirmed that Silicon Valley's power brokers are passionately devoted to creating a society at war with itself.
The issue came up again with the departure of Julie Ann Horvath from Github, just the latest Silicon Valley bullying saga. Remember that Github is the place that had a minor scandal over code full of racial slurs before one of its code leaders decided to take a "brave stand" against using non-gendered pronouns in code, presumably because the chicks should just get over it.
This isn't about gender, not really. Horowitz makes clear that he welcomes women willing to really get into the 24/7 fight, "Sultans of Swat" who play "motherf**kin' chess." It's a co-ed game of f**k you and grab-ass out there, where the kick in the balls doesn't pay attention to whether your reproductive organs are internal or external.
March 18, 2014
A Florida man told authorities he was sleeping as his daughter hosted a party with over 100 guests that sent five teenagers to the hospital.
The Huffington Post reports that police were called to the Winter Park, Fla. home on Friday night and arrived to find teens fleeing. Steve Miller said he had no idea that there would be alcohol or drugs at the party. "If my daughter told me they were going to have alcohol I wouldn’t have permitted it," he told WFTV, adding that he didn't see any drugs.
"We found five teenagers who appeared to have overdosed on alcohol and we are not sure of what type of drug right now," Orange County Sheriff's Office Lt. Paul Hopkins told WFTV. Five of the teens—including Miller's daughter—between the ages of 15 and 17 were hospitalized; two of them were in critical condition, but they're currently recovering.
Though Hopkins said he wasn't sure what type of drug the teens mixed with alcohol, the Huffington Post said that it was Xanax. No charges have been filed at the moment.
*end*
The latest in my FloridaMan
series. How in the world could he sleep through all that ?
Florida Man Keeps Right on Sleeping as Over 100 Teens Party in His House
http://www.complex.com/city-guide/2014/03/florida-man-sleeps-through-party-over-100-teens-in-houseA Florida man told authorities he was sleeping as his daughter hosted a party with over 100 guests that sent five teenagers to the hospital.
The Huffington Post reports that police were called to the Winter Park, Fla. home on Friday night and arrived to find teens fleeing. Steve Miller said he had no idea that there would be alcohol or drugs at the party. "If my daughter told me they were going to have alcohol I wouldn’t have permitted it," he told WFTV, adding that he didn't see any drugs.
"We found five teenagers who appeared to have overdosed on alcohol and we are not sure of what type of drug right now," Orange County Sheriff's Office Lt. Paul Hopkins told WFTV. Five of the teens—including Miller's daughter—between the ages of 15 and 17 were hospitalized; two of them were in critical condition, but they're currently recovering.
Though Hopkins said he wasn't sure what type of drug the teens mixed with alcohol, the Huffington Post said that it was Xanax. No charges have been filed at the moment.
*end*
The latest in my FloridaMan
series. How in the world could he sleep through all that ?
March 18, 2014
Your "FloridaMan TM" story of the day. Yikes, mental note to self, don't post photos without permission on the internet.
eta: It goes without saying, many condolences to the poor man's family and friends and poor customers who had to witness this. One can feel bad for the alleged killer's family also. Morbid humor strikes at moments like this, sigh.
Florida man hacks boss to death in front of 20 terrified diners after his picture posted to Facebook
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/florida-man-hacks-boss-death-facebook-pic-article-1.1723949The disgruntled dishwasher stabbed the West Boca eatery owner three times on his left side and once in the back — and attacked another employee, who has not yet been named — Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said.
Horrified customers called authorities, and Karaloukas was rushed to hospital. He died soon after.
Deputies found Lebrun, wearing his black work apron and carrying the alleged murder weapon, walking down a nearby road.
Lebrun, who emigrated from Haiti in 2005, reportedly told cops in Creole: "I killed him because he took my photograph on March 2 and posted it on the Internet."
Horrified customers called authorities, and Karaloukas was rushed to hospital. He died soon after.
Deputies found Lebrun, wearing his black work apron and carrying the alleged murder weapon, walking down a nearby road.
Lebrun, who emigrated from Haiti in 2005, reportedly told cops in Creole: "I killed him because he took my photograph on March 2 and posted it on the Internet."
Your "FloridaMan TM" story of the day. Yikes, mental note to self, don't post photos without permission on the internet.
eta: It goes without saying, many condolences to the poor man's family and friends and poor customers who had to witness this. One can feel bad for the alleged killer's family also. Morbid humor strikes at moments like this, sigh.
March 18, 2014
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-orlando-home-sales-20140317,0,2061579.story
Orlando home prices rise, along with number of listings
The median price for a single-family home in the core market, which includes mostly Orange and Seminole counties, was $158,000 during February, up 6 percent from a month earlier and 19 percent from a year earlier, according to the report, which was released Monday by the Orlando Regional Realtor Association.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-orlando-home-sales-20140317,0,2061579.story
March 17, 2014
Alaska's Bristol Bay region, adjacent to the Bering Sea in the state's southwest corner, is rich with large and productive reserves of natural resources. One of those resources, the world's largest sockeye-salmon fishery, generates an estimated $1.5 billion annually. The thousands of pristine acres of surrounding wetlands, ponds, and lakes are treasured because there isn't much untouched land left in America. Bristol Bay is also home to a large population of Alaska Natives, whose cultures and lifestyles revolve around the region's "wildness" and especially its salmon. Those are the living, breathing resources of Bristol Bay. And then there are the inorganic resources—oil and gas and mineral deposits, not yet fully explored or exploited but representing a whole lot more wealth than Alaska's accessing now.
A particularly significant deposit of gold, molybdenum, and copper—the largest known untapped copper deposit in the world, in fact—has been identified in Bristol Bay. It's known as the Pebble prospect. A Canadian company called Northern Dynasty Minerals started exploring the area in 2000. In 2007, Northern Dynasty partnered with U.K.-based Anglo American to form the Pebble Partnership and buy the rights to all the minerals in the deposit. The corporation's plans to build the "Pebble Mine" have yet to progress much beyond the idea stage, as the Pebble Partnership website says itself:
The Pebble Mine has yet to be built because the process of getting state and federal permits for a project of this size is long, but also because it's highly controversial. The mine pits two of Alaska's biggest industries—fishing and mining, both of which are extractive, but only one of which is "sustainable"—against each other in a classic resource war: Weighing gold against salmon is weighing money against nature.
Is Alaska's Pebble Mine the Next Keystone XL?
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/03/is-alaskas-pebble-mine-the-next-keystone-xl/284251/Alaska's Bristol Bay region, adjacent to the Bering Sea in the state's southwest corner, is rich with large and productive reserves of natural resources. One of those resources, the world's largest sockeye-salmon fishery, generates an estimated $1.5 billion annually. The thousands of pristine acres of surrounding wetlands, ponds, and lakes are treasured because there isn't much untouched land left in America. Bristol Bay is also home to a large population of Alaska Natives, whose cultures and lifestyles revolve around the region's "wildness" and especially its salmon. Those are the living, breathing resources of Bristol Bay. And then there are the inorganic resources—oil and gas and mineral deposits, not yet fully explored or exploited but representing a whole lot more wealth than Alaska's accessing now.
A particularly significant deposit of gold, molybdenum, and copper—the largest known untapped copper deposit in the world, in fact—has been identified in Bristol Bay. It's known as the Pebble prospect. A Canadian company called Northern Dynasty Minerals started exploring the area in 2000. In 2007, Northern Dynasty partnered with U.K.-based Anglo American to form the Pebble Partnership and buy the rights to all the minerals in the deposit. The corporation's plans to build the "Pebble Mine" have yet to progress much beyond the idea stage, as the Pebble Partnership website says itself:
What is the Pebble Mine?
Right now, it’s an idea. An idea that could help power our nation’s green energy initiatives. An idea that could bring jobs and infrastructure to Southwest Alaska, helping families remain in their villages and thrive. An idea that all of this is possible in harmony with the environment.
Right now, it’s an idea. An idea that could help power our nation’s green energy initiatives. An idea that could bring jobs and infrastructure to Southwest Alaska, helping families remain in their villages and thrive. An idea that all of this is possible in harmony with the environment.
The Pebble Mine has yet to be built because the process of getting state and federal permits for a project of this size is long, but also because it's highly controversial. The mine pits two of Alaska's biggest industries—fishing and mining, both of which are extractive, but only one of which is "sustainable"—against each other in a classic resource war: Weighing gold against salmon is weighing money against nature.
March 17, 2014
The sharpest young gun in your IT shop might have a precocious set of in-demand skills, from cloud computing to mobile development to Hadoop and other big data platforms. But ask them to find their way around a mainframe, and they'll likely say: "A what?"
Keith Kohl, director of product management at Syncsort, recently encountered this firsthand when speaking with a group of Hadoop pros. "They understood Hadoop, they understood big data, they understood distributed -- like Linux -- systems," Kohl said in an interview. But there was a notable gap in the group's collective expertise. "It became apparent they didn't even know what a COBOL copybook is, which is absolutely required for mainframe data -- it's one of the most common schemas for mainframe files. They don't even understand how to get the structure of mainframe files and use that to ingest mainframe data into Hadoop [or elsewhere]."
While you might not find the mainframe much in today's startup environments, many longstanding enterprises still rely on the machines, which date back to the 1950s. That's especially true in sectors such as banking and financial services, healthcare, retail, and telecommunications, according to Kohl. The lack of mainframe experience among younger generations of IT pros could become a pressing problem for CIOs in those and other fields in the not-so-distant future.
"The people that do run the mainframes are starting to retire," Kohl said. "It's not uncommon for the systems programmers, the mainframe developers [and] architects, to have been in their jobs for over 30 years, 35, even 40 years -- which is getting up there."
*end*
Don't we have a few COBOL programmers here on DU ?
Mainframe Brain Drain Raises Serious Concern
http://www.informationweek.com/infrastructure/networking/mainframe-brain-drain-raises-serious-concern/d/d-id/1127720?f_src=informationweek_editorspicks_rss&google_editors_picks=trueThe sharpest young gun in your IT shop might have a precocious set of in-demand skills, from cloud computing to mobile development to Hadoop and other big data platforms. But ask them to find their way around a mainframe, and they'll likely say: "A what?"
Keith Kohl, director of product management at Syncsort, recently encountered this firsthand when speaking with a group of Hadoop pros. "They understood Hadoop, they understood big data, they understood distributed -- like Linux -- systems," Kohl said in an interview. But there was a notable gap in the group's collective expertise. "It became apparent they didn't even know what a COBOL copybook is, which is absolutely required for mainframe data -- it's one of the most common schemas for mainframe files. They don't even understand how to get the structure of mainframe files and use that to ingest mainframe data into Hadoop [or elsewhere]."
While you might not find the mainframe much in today's startup environments, many longstanding enterprises still rely on the machines, which date back to the 1950s. That's especially true in sectors such as banking and financial services, healthcare, retail, and telecommunications, according to Kohl. The lack of mainframe experience among younger generations of IT pros could become a pressing problem for CIOs in those and other fields in the not-so-distant future.
"The people that do run the mainframes are starting to retire," Kohl said. "It's not uncommon for the systems programmers, the mainframe developers [and] architects, to have been in their jobs for over 30 years, 35, even 40 years -- which is getting up there."
*end*
Don't we have a few COBOL programmers here on DU ?
March 17, 2014
At Pwn2Own 2014, an annual computer hackfest in Vancouver, Mozilla’s Firefox has proven yet again that it’s the least secure major web browser. While all four major web browsers — Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari — were successfully exploited, for a grand total of $850,000 in prize money awarded to successful security researchers, Firefox was by far the least secure browser, racking up no less than four zero-day vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities, if they were in the wild, would allow a hacker to do just about anything with your computer if you visited a specially crafted website.
Firefox has never had a great record at Pwn2Own. While the format of the contest has generally changed every year since its inauguration in 2007 (different platforms, different rules, different attack vectors), Firefox has been involved in some way or another since 2009. While Chrome went unhacked in 2009, 2010, and 2011, the only year that Firefox wasn’t hacked was 2011. Since 2012, however, as security researchers have grown ever more wiley, every major browser has fallen to at least one zero-day vulnerability. That four separate vulnerabilities were found in Firefox at Pwn2Own 2014, however, is impressive. (Read: The death of Firefox.)
Firefox’s weaker security is generally attributed to its lack of a sandbox — a shell or firewall around a piece of software that keeps it segregated from the rest of the operating system. In theory, the sandbox should prevent the browser from running other programs, reading the contents of your RAM, or opening other files. Chrome, Safari, and Internet Explorer (newer versions) all have a sandbox, while Firefox does not. In short, if someone finds a big enough vulnerability in Firefox, there’s nothing preventing them from gaining complete access to your computer. It is slightly disconcerting that security researchers found four such vulnerabilities in just three days at Pwn2Own. (Read: How to surf safely: From LastPass to tin foil hats, and everything in between.)
Somewhat fortunately for us, since Pwn2Own 2013, all of the vulnerabilities are reported to the web browser makers so that they can be fixed in a timely fashion. Still, it is a good reminder that Firefox might not be the best choice of browser if security is one of your primary concerns when surfing the web. As for why Firefox doesn’t have a sandbox, it’s most likely because it was conceived in an era when security on the web was still a nascent and naive topic. Chrome, which was developed a few years later, was intentionally designed from the outset to be very fast and secure. Likewise, Microsoft went through a complete overhaul between IE8 an IE9, adding a sandbox and other modern features so that it could actually stand next to its peers without being snickered at. Mozilla would like to add sandboxing to Firefox, it’s very hard to add sandboxing to a program that wasn’t originally designed for it. (For technical people: It’s closely linked to the Electrolysis project, which will eventually give Firefox per-tab processes.)
Firefox is still the least secure web browser, falls to four zero-day exploits at Pwn2Own
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/178587-firefox-is-still-the-least-secure-web-browser-falls-to-four-zero-day-exploits-at-pwn2ownAt Pwn2Own 2014, an annual computer hackfest in Vancouver, Mozilla’s Firefox has proven yet again that it’s the least secure major web browser. While all four major web browsers — Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari — were successfully exploited, for a grand total of $850,000 in prize money awarded to successful security researchers, Firefox was by far the least secure browser, racking up no less than four zero-day vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities, if they were in the wild, would allow a hacker to do just about anything with your computer if you visited a specially crafted website.
Firefox has never had a great record at Pwn2Own. While the format of the contest has generally changed every year since its inauguration in 2007 (different platforms, different rules, different attack vectors), Firefox has been involved in some way or another since 2009. While Chrome went unhacked in 2009, 2010, and 2011, the only year that Firefox wasn’t hacked was 2011. Since 2012, however, as security researchers have grown ever more wiley, every major browser has fallen to at least one zero-day vulnerability. That four separate vulnerabilities were found in Firefox at Pwn2Own 2014, however, is impressive. (Read: The death of Firefox.)
Firefox’s weaker security is generally attributed to its lack of a sandbox — a shell or firewall around a piece of software that keeps it segregated from the rest of the operating system. In theory, the sandbox should prevent the browser from running other programs, reading the contents of your RAM, or opening other files. Chrome, Safari, and Internet Explorer (newer versions) all have a sandbox, while Firefox does not. In short, if someone finds a big enough vulnerability in Firefox, there’s nothing preventing them from gaining complete access to your computer. It is slightly disconcerting that security researchers found four such vulnerabilities in just three days at Pwn2Own. (Read: How to surf safely: From LastPass to tin foil hats, and everything in between.)
Somewhat fortunately for us, since Pwn2Own 2013, all of the vulnerabilities are reported to the web browser makers so that they can be fixed in a timely fashion. Still, it is a good reminder that Firefox might not be the best choice of browser if security is one of your primary concerns when surfing the web. As for why Firefox doesn’t have a sandbox, it’s most likely because it was conceived in an era when security on the web was still a nascent and naive topic. Chrome, which was developed a few years later, was intentionally designed from the outset to be very fast and secure. Likewise, Microsoft went through a complete overhaul between IE8 an IE9, adding a sandbox and other modern features so that it could actually stand next to its peers without being snickered at. Mozilla would like to add sandboxing to Firefox, it’s very hard to add sandboxing to a program that wasn’t originally designed for it. (For technical people: It’s closely linked to the Electrolysis project, which will eventually give Firefox per-tab processes.)
March 17, 2014
Computerworld - Google on Friday patched several vulnerabilities in Chrome and Chrome OS within 48 hours of their disclosures at last week's Pwn2Own and Pwnium hacking contests.
While all four targeted browsers -- Chrome, Apple's Safari, Mozilla's Firefox and Microsoft's Internet Explorer -- fell to researchers at the cash prize contest, Google's was the only one to have fixed flaws as of Sunday.
Four vulnerabilities were patched in Chrome to close the holes used by a team from Vupen -- the French vulnerability research firm and seller of zero-day bugs to government and law enforcement agencies -- and an anonymous researcher. Both had cracked Chrome on Thursday afternoon at Pwn2Own, the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI)-sponsored hacking contest.
Google posted its usual terse descriptions of the four bugs exploited by Vupen and the unnamed researcher in a short note about an available update for Chrome 33.
Google patches $310K worth of Chrome, Chrome OS bugs
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9246998/Google_patches_310K_worth_of_Chrome_Chrome_OS_bugs?source=rss_keyword_edpicks&google_editors_picks=trueComputerworld - Google on Friday patched several vulnerabilities in Chrome and Chrome OS within 48 hours of their disclosures at last week's Pwn2Own and Pwnium hacking contests.
While all four targeted browsers -- Chrome, Apple's Safari, Mozilla's Firefox and Microsoft's Internet Explorer -- fell to researchers at the cash prize contest, Google's was the only one to have fixed flaws as of Sunday.
Four vulnerabilities were patched in Chrome to close the holes used by a team from Vupen -- the French vulnerability research firm and seller of zero-day bugs to government and law enforcement agencies -- and an anonymous researcher. Both had cracked Chrome on Thursday afternoon at Pwn2Own, the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI)-sponsored hacking contest.
Google posted its usual terse descriptions of the four bugs exploited by Vupen and the unnamed researcher in a short note about an available update for Chrome 33.
March 17, 2014
Passengers on a Delta jet got a bit of a scare on Sunday when a panel on one of the wings apparently flew off during a flight from Orlando to Atlanta.
David Watterson told ABC News he was falling asleep when he heard a boom and saw a missing wing cover and hydraulic fluid leaking from the opening.
He told ABC News that while passengers remained calm, it was “concerning to see a big chunk of the plane missing.”
Michael Lowe later tweeted this image:
*end*
Is this a maintenance issue or ? Incredible.
Delta Jet Loses Wing Panel During Orlando-Atlanta Flight
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/17/delta-jet-loses-wing-panel_n_4977400.htmlPassengers on a Delta jet got a bit of a scare on Sunday when a panel on one of the wings apparently flew off during a flight from Orlando to Atlanta.
David Watterson told ABC News he was falling asleep when he heard a boom and saw a missing wing cover and hydraulic fluid leaking from the opening.
He told ABC News that while passengers remained calm, it was “concerning to see a big chunk of the plane missing.”
Michael Lowe later tweeted this image:
*end*
Is this a maintenance issue or ? Incredible.
March 17, 2014
Being a software programmer is one of the best jobs these days for your pocketbook and your job security, but it can be incredibly bad for your mental health.
Two things are going on that are literally driving programmers crazy.
One is something known as the "imposter syndrome." That's when you're pretty sure that all the other coders you work with are smarter, more talented and more skilled than you are. You live in fear that people will discover that you are really faking your smarts or skills or accomplishments.
Women programmers frequently confess to suffering from imposter syndrome, and that's not surprising. The syndrome was actually first documented by psychologists Dr. Pauline Rose Clance and Dr. Suzanne Imes as a particular issue for successful women. It's also the subject of a number of self-help books geared toward women.
The Stress Of Being A Computer Programmer Is Literally Driving Many Of Them Crazy
http://www.businessinsider.com/syndromes-drive-coders-crazy-2014-3?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+businessinsider+%28Business+Insider%29Being a software programmer is one of the best jobs these days for your pocketbook and your job security, but it can be incredibly bad for your mental health.
Two things are going on that are literally driving programmers crazy.
One is something known as the "imposter syndrome." That's when you're pretty sure that all the other coders you work with are smarter, more talented and more skilled than you are. You live in fear that people will discover that you are really faking your smarts or skills or accomplishments.
Women programmers frequently confess to suffering from imposter syndrome, and that's not surprising. The syndrome was actually first documented by psychologists Dr. Pauline Rose Clance and Dr. Suzanne Imes as a particular issue for successful women. It's also the subject of a number of self-help books geared toward women.
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