ExoldWhy don't I blog much about software development? · 20 July 2008
I’ve almost entirely avoided blogging about my work, for a couple of reasons. First, the one time I did write about non-technical issues — specifically, communication — in a way that both sanitized the participants (or so I thought) and presented the issues fairly and respectfully (or so I thought), I nearly lost my job, and I did lose a long-standing friendship that I valued greatly. Since then, I’ve stayed far, far away from nontechnical discussions related to my work in any way.
I mostly don’t write about the technical side of things because there are really only two classes of subject that I would find interesting to write about, and one is “general software development stuff about which there are already 995,000 bloggers talking, some of them producing very, very good writing.” The other is “fascinating, deeply technical information that is found rarely, if at all, on the internet.” Unfortunately, although it seems like the world of software development is vast and wide (and it is), there are areas that are not so vast, where in fact certain areas of black magic may be known in depth to very few practitioners, and such areas would be immensely useful to competitors (of which there are a surprisingly small number, these days). The areas of application packaging and distribution, security policy compliance, and the like fall into that category.
So…mostly I don’t write about my job
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Fonts & Clocks: Day 8 · 20 July 2008
Cuckinetic Clock
Nylon and Draylon
CQN Molecular
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Fonts & Clocks: Day 7 · 14 July 2008
PIXymbols Boxkey
0 Opus-Regular
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Fonts & Clocks: Day 6 · 29 May 2008
For the kiddies. Add in your own platitude about “kids at heart” if you feel it necessary.
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Harmless amusements...or are they? · 26 May 2008
So I received a message on a social website recently, one of the things where someone “tags” you with an amusing quiz for which you’re supposed to supply answers. I figured I’d have a go at it, at least until I read the first question, which rang immediate alarm bells because it asked for the name of my first pet. This, of course, is a common “security” question used on many websites. Not only that, in the context of the quiz, there’s not really a good reason to ask for that particular piece of information instead of any of a number of other choices.
With my paranoia thus aroused, I scanned the rest of the quiz with an eye toward security exposures, and came up with four common security questions (first pet, mother’s maiden name, mother’s middle name, father’s middle name) and six questions that could be used to narrow down your “real” identity, with the remainder being questions mostly on various favorite items (potentially useful for passwords and/or certain security questions). There were also a couple of things that were obvious fluff.
This is a very sophisticated way to gather potentially compromising data, capable of being used to break into user accounts on many other websites (including banks and the like), and it’s particularly nasty in that it encourages user participation in viral transmission via social networks. Very, very tricksy. I’ve included the entire text of the “quiz” below, for your edification — the ostensible theme is “making up various types of names for yourself.” Keep an eye out, and warn your family (especially teenagers!).
1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first. last name: first three letters of mother’s maiden name, fist three letters of the city you grew up in)
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink, add ‘The’ )
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne, favorite candy)
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names )
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now)
14. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
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