Joke for the day

"A drunk went into a telephone booth and dialed at random...
'Salvation Army' came the answer.
'What do you do?' asked the man.
'We save wicked men and women' came the reply.
'Well, save me a wicked woman for Saturday night.'"

Schneier on Security: How to Recover from Identity Theft

Schneier on Security: How to Recover from Identity Theft:

"How to Recover from Identity Theft

A 24-point checklist: U.S. specific."

Slashdot | Scientists Threatened For "Climate Denial"

Slashdot | Scientists Threatened For "Climate Denial"

Forrest Kyle writes "A former professor of climatology at the University of Winnipeg has received multiple death threats for questioning the extent to which human activities are driving global warming. '"Western governments have pumped billions of dollars into careers and institutes and they feel threatened," said the professor. "I can tolerate being called a skeptic because all scientists should be skeptics, but then they started calling us deniers, with all the connotations of the Holocaust. That is an obscenity. It has got really nasty and personal." Richard Lindzen, the professor of Atmospheric Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology [...] recently claimed: "Scientists who dissent from the alarmism have seen their funds disappear, their work derided, and themselves labelled as industry stooges. Consequently, lies about climate change gain credence even when they fly in the face of the science."'"

Repairing Old Photographs

clipped from www.photoshoptalent.com

Perhaps one of the most useful uses for photoshop has got to be repairing all those old photos that are slowly rotting up there in your attic. You now have the chance, not just to maintain alive a piece of history (which by itself is important enough), but also to learn more about your old, old folks, and let me tell you, you'll be amazed at how much you'll learn from one repaired old photograph.

Smart Ass Awards......

THE 6 BEST SMART ASS ANSWERS OF 2006

SMART ASS ANSWER #6
It was mealtime during a flight on Hooters Airline.
"Would you like dinner?" the flight attendant asked John, seated in front.
"What are my choices?" John asked.
"Yes or no," she replied.

SMART ASS ANSWER #5
A flight attendant was stationed at the departure gate to check tickets.
As a man approached, she extended her hand for the ticket and he opened his trench coat and flashed her. Without missing a beat, she said, "Sir, I need to see your ticket not your stub."

SMART ASS ANSWER #4
A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store but
She couldn't find one big enough for her family.
She asked a stock boy, "Do these turkeys get any bigger?"
The stock boy replied, "No ma'am, they're dead."

SMART ASS ANSWER #3
The cop got out of his car and the kid who was stopped for speeding rolled down his window.
"I've been waiting for you all day," the cop said.
The kid replied, "Yeah, well I got here as fast as I could."
When the cop finally stopped laughing, he sent the kid on his way without a ticket.

SMART ASS ANSWER #2
A truck driver was driving along on the freeway. A sign comes up that
Reads, " Low Bridge Ahead." Before he knows it, the bridge is right ahead
Of him and he gets stuck under the bridge.
Cars are backed up for miles. Finally, a police car comes up. The cop gets out of his car and walks to the truck driver, puts his hands on his hips and says, "Got stuck, huh?" The truck driver says,
"No, I was delivering this bridge and ran out of gas."




SMART ASS ANSWER OF THE YEAR 2006
A college teacher reminds her class of tomorrow's final exam. "Now class, I won't tolerate any excuses for you not being here tomorrow.
I might consider a nuclear attack or a serious personal injury, illness, or a death in your immediate family, but that's it, no other excuses whatsoever!"
A smart-ass guy in the back of the room raised his hand and asked, "What would you say if tomorrow I said I was suffering from complete and utter sexual exhaustion?" The entire class is reduced to laughter and snickering. When silence is restored, the teacher smiles knowingly at the student, shakes her head and sweetly says, "Well, I guess you'd have to write the exam with your other hand."

Schneier on Security: Dogbert's Password Recovery Service for Morons

Schneier on Security: Dogbert's Password Recovery Service for Morons: "Dogbert's Password Recovery Service for Morons

Here and here.

Posted on January 25, 2007 at 12:51 PM"

What to do with a pile of leaves!

Leaves 06

Words to live by!

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, Body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Social Security agency warns of e-mail scam

By Jaikumar Vijayan, Computerworld, 11/10/06

The U.S. Social Security Administration is warning the public about a fraudulent e-mail purporting to be from the agency and designed to lure users into divulging personal information.

In a statement published on its Web site, the SSA said it has received several reports of an e-mail being circulated with the subject header of "Cost-of-Living for 2007 update." The e-mail is designed to appear as if it were from the agency and provides information about a 3.3 percent benefit increase for 2007. It then proceeds to ask the recipient for personal information warning that those who failed to provide it by Nov. 11 would have their accounts suspended indefinitely.

The mail contains a link to a Web site designed to look like the official one where users are asked for information such as Social Security numbers, as well as bank account and credit card information, the statement said.

Perceived Risk vs. Actual Risk

From: Schneier on Security - A weblog covering security and security technology.

I've written repeatedly about the difference between perceived and actual risk, and how it explains many seemingly perverse security trade-offs. Here's a Los Angeles Times op-ed that does the same. The author is Daniel Gilbert, psychology professor at Harvard. (I just recently finished his book Stumbling on Happiness, which is not a self-help book but instead about how the brain works. Strongly recommended.)

The op-ed is about the public's reaction to the risks of global warming and terrorism, but the points he makes are much more general. He gives four reasons why some risks are perceived to be more or less serious than they actually are: