Internet of Things and Security

I've seen several articles about the Internet of Things (IoT) being big in 2014. I am, in general a fan of the advantages of connected devices and the cloud, but I'm not unaware of the problems.

Bruce talks about the security issues of the IoT and routers:

"And the Internet of Things will only make this problem worse, as the Internet -- as well as our homes and bodies -- becomes flooded with new embedded devices that will be equally poorly maintained and unpatchable. But routers and modems pose a particular problem, because they're: (1) between users and the Internet, so turning them off is increasingly not an option; (2) more powerful and more general in function than other embedded devices; (3) the one 24/7 computing device in the house, and are a natural place for lots of new features."

Hans pointed out an example of a security issue on my post about the WRT54G router.

Part of my hope is that companies will take this issues more seriously. Security should be planned just as any other requirement for the application or tool. The market should severely punish companies like SnapChat that approach security issues with arrogance. And Nest had a painful, confusing experience when some of their smart/connected thermostat users were left without heat. I'm sure it will get worse before it gets better, but like given time I expect these devices will mature... or we will quit using them. At least the ones we have a choice in.

And maybe I don't want my toothbrush connected after all.

Impact and Perception

I posted about the Wouxun problem.
Hans posted about the Wouxun problem.
Matt posted about the Wouxun problem.
David posted about the Wouxun problem.
It is making the rounds on the Yahoo Group.
It is making the rounds on the forums like eHam.net, QRZ, and AR-15, CalGuns.net.
[ EDIT TO ADD: ] The QRPer posted about the Wouxun problem.


That's in less than 24 hours. I know we don't represent a huge part of the total internet, but for the Chinese radios, we are what I like to call a non-trivial number. Wouxun had a huge lead on the other manufacturers. The KG-UV920R was a disappointment. Losing the guy that bought these radios to the US market is another step back. Culture issue? Poor management? Inability to manufacture? With alternatives like Baofeng, AnyTone, and a multitude of others, more problems or perceived problems* will make them go the way of AOL.

* Especially considering the price increases as they became more popular. My first Wouxun was less than $110.

Healthcare.gov Usability

At one point in my life, I thought about using my psychology degree in a field like usability, so I find myself nodding my head in agreement when I read these suggestions to improve healthcare.gov.

Dumb Glass

From my Twitter feed:

BenedictEvans Spoke to a big UK broadcaster this week - apparently their strategy team is worried about the TV becoming 'dumb glass'. Nice new jargon...
Thu, Sep 12 13:06:46 from Twitterrific for Mac
retweeted by tim

I can't wait until it is smart enough to filter the ticker that runs across the bottom of my screen, so I can eliminate all those MLB and NBA scores that I don't have any interest in.

Bad Hacker, Good Map

Via Business Insider

Time to China

whatifnumbers 216: Minimum possible ping time, in milliseconds, to the opposite side of the world via surface fiber-optic cables Sun, Apr 07 20:47:47 from web retweeted by LA3ZA

My results…

C:\ping a_china_server

Pinging a_china_server [10.55.6.14] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 10.55.6.14: bytes=32 time=339ms TTL=124
Reply from 10.55.6.14: bytes=32 time=335ms TTL=124
Reply from 10.55.6.14: bytes=32 time=342ms TTL=124
Reply from 10.55.6.14: bytes=32 time=349ms TTL=124

Ping statistics for 10.55.6.14:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 335ms, Maximum = 349ms, Average = 341ms

Google Inactive Account Manager

google Plan your digital afterlife with Inactive Account Manager goo.gl/FJNQ9Thu, Apr  11 14:29:30 from web

"You can tell us what to do with your Gmail messages and data from several other Google services if your account becomes inactive for any reason. 

For example, you can choose to have your data deleted — after three, six, nine or 12 months of inactivity. Or you can select trusted contacts to receive data from some or all of the following services: +1s; Blogger; Contacts and Circles; Drive; Gmail; Google+ Profiles, Pages and Streams; Picasa Web Albums; Google Voice and YouTube. Before our systems take any action, we’ll first warn you by sending a text message to your cellphone and email to the secondary address you’ve provided."

The DDoS That Almost Broke the Internet

arrington The DDoS That Almost Broke the Internet post.ly/AJ8GF via @CloudFlare Wed, Mar 27 14:38:54 from Tweet Button

Google Keep Retirement Date

Based on Google's history, it's brand new Evernote competitor, Google Keep, is expected to be retired in March 2017. That's why they didn't call it EverKeep. Ha!

Via Slashdog.org

Draw a Stickman

Just what it says... http://www.drawastickman.com. It is a neat little time waster.

Kitten Wars All the Time

Don't steal this guy's wifi.

Bandwidth vs. Latency

FedEx vs. The Internet.

I think bandwidth is important, but I think the real magic will happen when we have batteries for our mobile devices that last for weeks or months or even years.

Biggest Websites in the US

I did not make the list this year.

On-Line Banking PSA

Here is my public service announcement for the week: Tips for Safer Internet Banking. Some good tips like using the mobile apps. I use the mobile app for my bank, but primarily for the convenience -  I hate driving to  the bank to deposit a $32 check. Extra security is a bonus!

App vs Service

I like this definition...

asymco I have a simple rule to distinguish between an app and a service. If you have to supply a username and password to an app, it’s a service.Tue, Oct 16 12:32:52 from Twitter for Mac

Quote of the Day

"Remember – The Constitution does not grant rights.

SysAdmins, on the other hand…"

Portability of Personal Data

If it is portable for you, it is portable for the bad guys, too.

Zapier

I've played with IFTTT, but haven't really found the need for it to do anything for me. I'm still intrigued by the potential of the tool to automate tasks and so I'm glad to see other options like Zapier.

.radio Domain Name

With all the other drama around new TLDs, I had not even thought about this one.

arrl IARU Supports Proposal for .radio Domain Name: The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) has expressed public... bit.ly/OqBBNIWed, Aug 29 10:03:03 from twitterfeed

Let the Wikipedia Games Begin!

Wikiwars... I thought it was going to be about making battling updates to controversial wiki. Instead, you start on a random page then navigate as quickly as possible to another randomly chosen page. You can only navigate by clicking the links within the current wiki - no searching or using the menu bars. Generally you race head to head with someone using the same start and destination pages, but I just played around in a solo match. I couldn't (easily) get from the start to the destination page, but I tried going the other way and was successful in a relatively few clicks.