Personal Transitions and Preparations

Mount Everest as seen from Drukair

The dictionary says that a transition is “the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another” and it says that preparation is “the action or process of making ready or being made ready for use or consideration.” When I think of the last few months these definitions speak in detail as to what I have been going through. It is true that getting ready for anything in life takes preparation if your goal is the successful attainment of something and when it is difficult it sometimes takes a fundamental transition of one’s self and habits.

I have been focusing on my next travel plan and it is neither an important trip by any means nor is it something that is remarkable to anyone but me. It is simply a walk in the Himalayas to a place where in a time of heroes, giants walked (Major Mount Everest Summits-Wikipedia).  I will be cold for sure because of the time of year that I selected for the journey.

From Wikipedia: “The Himalayas, also Himalaya, (/ˌhɪməˈleɪ.ə/ or /hɪˈmɑːləjə/; Sanskrit, him (snow) + ālaya (dwelling), literally, “abode of the snow”) is a mountain range in Asia separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau.”

So being an abode of the snow; the weather forecast states that the daily temperature should be 3-6 Degrees Fahrenheit (-16 to -14 Celsius) daily on this trek, I am sure that it will be below that when adding a few thousand feet and taking away the sun!  But that is OK. I have a very firm personal belief that a life that is not challenged is not lived. 

So it is a simple thing that I will do and a personal challenge that matters only to me, I will spend thirteen days at high altitudes and will do a ton of hiking. It is a time to be alone with my thoughts and my world. In normal life we are surrounded with so much noise that it is hard to think. We stress the small things and live with our first world problems that are nonsensical. So for these days on the trek I will walk, labor, and be in the moment from one second to the next searching for the perfect moment in time while not focusing on anything.   The past will be there and the future will be there and the present will be a subconscious mechanical effort requiring no thought or better put it will be absent from thought.

It takes something like this Everest Base Camp (EBC) trek to allow me to hear my own thoughts again. It is simply a statement that I needed transition to get to this point. I became a runner and transitioned from a place in time where I was out of balance – where my mind was strong but I let my body get lazy. In this transition I have lived the quantified life and now I am a runner that watches everything that I put into my body and how much energy I get from the same. Now I have both a stronger mind and body. Preparations were also required. Cold weather gear to “Gu” all acquired. Batteries and Solar Panels. Blood pressure perfect, Blood Oxygen Perfect, everything is good to go!

There really is not much more to say – in the grand scheme of things this is a meaningless trip but to me the mountains are a temple where I go to seek spirituality and meaning. I look forward to this journey and to the absence of light, air and noise pollution. I look forward to the challenge; whether I fail or succeed is not important the only thing that matters to me is that I walk the path. Hopefully I get some good pictures as well!  So time to finish packing!

Ciao,

Rob

Vilnius – As Last Days Go

I have been concerned that I was not working out enough when on this trip to southern and Eastern Europe. Well Spain was a great deal of walking and Lithuania was both more walking and lots of hill hiking. Today is my last day in Vilnius and it was a great day for exercise. I had just one thing to do today and when done I went on a two hour walk around town. You know you have walked when you are happy to take a seat if even for a few minutes. After my two-hour walk I went for another two-hour walk up to the Museum of Genocide and it was closed today, but it was a good walk. By three o’clock I was back in the room for a second and then back out to do a hike up the hill of crosses. In the end I walked and hiked for six to seven hours – not bad for a Tuesday in Vilnius.

The highlight of the day was that I duplicated what you would get in a Vilnius city tour but I added a bit more. I did two new things on this trip. First, I went to the National Museum of Lithuania. This was a great spot and I wonder why I missed it in the past but I am glad I went this trip. Second, I hiked up the hill of crosses. These crosses are the subject of some of my past artwork and it was great to see them up close: Here is a link to some photos: http://yonaitis.shutterfly.com/14448 . I also was able to get some great shots from my morning walk: http://yonaitis.shutterfly.com/14391 .

Perhaps the biggest surprise this week was the Trakai Island Castle.   This was a tour and it was a good one. A very pleasant tour guide made the difference. What a nice day in general, perfect weather for a long walk in and around the castle. There was some great beauty to see – as there often is around a lake. I took some photos that I hope can communicate the beauty of the Island Castle: http://yonaitis.shutterfly.com/14277 .

If you have never been to Lithuania you should consider going. As for me I have to be up in nine hours to hop in a taksi and head to the airport. I will be in Madrid tomorrow afternoon and then I have to cut my trip short and head back to the states on Thursday.

Cheers,

Rob

Posted – My New Year’s Resolutions 2012

When I was a smoker it occurred to me that quitting smoking was the most perfect New Year’s resolution to make and  and I made it every year. I think we can be naive about how hard it is to start or change habits. So every time I tried to quit I failed. After many attempts I remembered advice from a family member that was simple; “Cold Turkey is the only way that works”, alas that was always followed by the advice; “no you need meds, nicotine gum and of course counseling.”  One day, no resolution required, no grand announcements required and at no particular time I simply quit.

So, as I look at 2012 I think it is important to define what New Year’s Resolutions are to me. I have adopted the method of making a list for everything. I am unsure if it comes from being a trained engineer or if it is something I received from a friend at some point but it is what I practice. Additionally – a big focus of mine is making things part of me.

What does this mean you may ask? Simply put, we are surrounded with information; we can know so much without really understanding anything. I always think of a travel commercial that stated; “You wouldn’t search Bing for Pictures and have them printed and put them in a scrap book. – Would you?”  This speaks to the simple truth that you can read and learn about something, but it is never part of you until you truly understand it by actually experiencing it.  Just think of reading about a job or a book or a game; you may truly learn the rules, requirements and have knowledge of it but until you actually go and participate you will never know if it is for you nor will you understand its true nature.

My resolutions are divided into parts as always and for Travel:

• I would like to understand North America beyond reading and pictures and having said this it is my goal to try to go to as many major cities and minor ones by train, plane or car as possible. I will also try to reach out on-line via different avenues to further understanding.

• I would like to do one of two treks; “leave it all behind on the mountain” a Kilimanjaro trek or Pick a route and trek to El Camino de Santiago (the way of St. James.)

• I would like to go to Mexico City and get a feel for the capitol and travel to other Cities in Mexico.

• The explorer in me is demanding new adventure and as I approach my departure for Antarctica, I am thinking that it is time to get to know my inner fish better and take up scuba. By thinking of – I mean it is time to do it!  As you may know it is true that man has explored more of the surface of the moon than it has the ocean.

And for health:

• I have been blessed with good health and strength since I died, however, nothing is guaranteed. As we age it is harder – not easier to keep our health. Understanding this I will work to keep and exceed my current health and strength: 50% more weights, run at least 3 days a week in the new tear, at least 20 miles a week on my treadmill.
• I will eliminate all toxic items that I can from my diet – not that I have tons to eliminate.

And for art:

• I will paint more, as I come closer to developing my own style and this is important, I will try to paint and sketch a few days a week, giving; at least 1 painting or sketch a month.
• I will finish the my new Novella

And in general:

• In all other areas I will endeavor to improve myself; spiritually, physically, and in general knowledge of all things.
• I will source all my products food, electronics, and general to assure that I do not support, via my purchase, slavery or exploitation anywhere in the world.
• I will increase my charitable contributions

This may seem like much but they are actually minimal goals and I generally exceed my minimal goals. The trick for me is writing it down because then I have a measure. I have left out material things as I have made the mistake of doing something once in my life for material gain only. In doing this I learned, success aside, if your goal is simply monetary gain you will receive just this. I have found that if you love what you are doing all kinds of successes will follow so I never focus on things like money. This list does not include professional goals as I always hold them separate from personal goals Life is much fuller if you keep these things separate.  I hope that all my friends and family have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Cheers,

Rob

My thoughts on a Personal and Professional Bucket List

A friend of mine asked if a trip I recently booked was on my bucket list as I called it “number seven”. It was not a bucket list item but a goal of sorts. I think the two do not have to be the same while in some ways they have similarities. So I thought I would take a moment to explore the differences between my goals versus a simple bucket list and I found them to be equal so I decided to put out some current goals. First, I am reminded of Shakespeare and what Hamlet said to Horatio:  “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” Second, I am reminded of a simple quote from a very interesting man, ‎”We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time and no imagination left for being. As a result, men are valued not for what they are but for what they do or what they have – for their usefulness.”  Thomas Merton. These two thoughts are my starting point.

These guiding principles help me to think about and define the things are that are the most important for me to accomplish before I die, “Kick the Bucket”

• Go to Mt. Everest and achieve basecamp from Nepal or Tibet – Next Year
• Hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro -Next Year
• Finish up stepping on (literally) and doing some level of exploration on all seven continents with Antarctica (That is what started this post) – January
• Of course that leaves to Madagascar and the Seychelles Islands as they are not designated as part of the seven (I believe-more research is needed) – Future
• Paint the perfect self-portrait – No idea if I will ever do this but I will not stop trying
• Build an airplane – Yup
• Learn to dive and explore the ocean – Soon
• Learn to speak Spanish, Italian and Latin – Ongoing
• Play the piano well at one of my Christmas parties
• Spend a few million that I have yet to make over the next 50 years
• Help others  and continue my education – Ongoing
• #########

I think people get too focused on hoarding or spending and owning things, cash or people, to ever enjoy just being. So my focus is to value myself as a person versus stuff, this explains the last item on my list. I also must add that I did not discuss my professional life and education but those are not bucket list items. From a professional perspective I would add:

• The best accessibility resources free and open source that will solve the issues of education and tools that remain in the space today. – Working on it
• Finish three different books  that I am working – Working on it
• Make dynamic and flexible Quality Assurance Tools – ConPraxis Baby (Working on it)
• Educate engineers and technical advocates on the true power of simplicity – Every day
• Help others achieve their professional goals – Everyday
• Contribute to organizations that support my professional beliefs and goals- Ongoing
• #########

Spiritually speaking, I will continue to strive to have a better personal understanding of and participation in my faith and to live my beliefs to the best of my ability. This includes Charitable giving to organizations in the form of participation, money, and time. I also fully believe that the accomplishment of any of the things any of  my lists has to be done on my own without causing anyone any harm and the same is true on the professional side with regards to good business ethics. E.g. Bernie Madoff probably did some amazing things, donated to charities, gave people raises and was genorous but he did it by theft and fraud and who needs that darkness on their soul!

The ######### represents the things that I do not know of that will change my list dramatically. I would argue that many things I have done in my life never would have been on my list, either.  So that is why I believe in lists. If you want to do something you need to write it down, a pencil is fine (with a good eraser). I find that if we do this we are more likely to start something. Without the written list, we are not likely to start. I think we can all also agree that if we do not start something it is a sure thing that we will not complete it. I also add check back in 10 years and I will have a new list, or better put 10 minutes.

~ Rob

Oh wait: I did not get to fly a plane over the Serengeti/Africa in General, this is definitely on my list for my next time in Africa! I would also add that my friends and family fall in all of the categories.

And Wait: So goals are basically a bucket list to me, some long and some short term, especially the ones that I write down!

My thoughts on sellouts

Today I am at a very informative conference. I also am very aware that there is always a need to both trust and verify.  I am sure you know what I mean.  Sellouts, we all have personal experiences with this and we have heard of countless anecdotal experiences. The broad definition of a sellout is someone who betrays a cause for personal advancement. Now this means that the person must have control of the situation and their advancement can be personal, ego, monetary, security or like objects. We will stick to business here versus personal investigations, at the same time remembering that business gains can lead to great personal and social gains outside of business.

• The Conformer – this type of sellout is one who is hired by an organization because of fame or notoriety they have earned for themselves as related to a certain cause. They are then put in a situation to use their fame and or trust to push the company position and they knowingly do so even though they know the position is false and harms the cause that they worked for in their past career.
• The Exploiter – this type of sellout builds a career in a specific space and then uses this to extort “reward’ from people in that space for positive mention or coverage regardless of negative impact that their promotion will produce. Their main goal is personal gain.
• The Entitled – this type of sellout believes that they have worked hard enough in a cause and because of that they are now they are entitled to cash in on it and that it is time for someone else to suffer. They take cash and fabulous prizes while the whole time believing that they have suffered so much that they deserve it. While they work in the space they no longer work their belief system but someone else’s regardless of the harm that it does to a cause.
• The Guilty – this type of sellout is a special case, they are ones that have some success or fame just by luck (or unearned gift) and they look at everyone else to be like them and thus unworthy. This twisted belief leaves them to lash out against all in the cause, believing that everyone else must be less then deserving as this sellout views themselves that way.
• The Money – this type of sellout is one that is given control in an organization and with this control they begin to corrupt the cause of the organization to line their own pockets in every way.
• The Helpless – this type of sellout deems themselves helpless and harms a cause that they believe in or know it to be needed/true because they fear the loss of their position if they speak up.
• The Just Wrong – this type of sellout is one that uses the rules of the game that were intended to aid the less advantaged to profit from those rules while knowingly harming the less advantages with bold assertions of how great they are for helping the same.

This is just a short list but there are some things to think of here and they are important to consider as you look to choose your next position, potential promotion, community group or outreach position.

We are in the middle a great period of change in the USA and perhaps the world. People are standing up for their causes but as we do so we have to be very careful, we need to spot sellouts! So the next time you are at a rally, conference or a unconference you must be open to follow the money and motive. Look to the speaker do they practice what they preach and what is their gain? It is amazingly easy to spot a Sellout! What is sad is the disappointment you experience when you know the sellout & remember them before the time that they sold-out…

Sometimes Strength can be determined by Patterns

This weekend I conducted an experiment related to the human body and the impact of staying submerged in water (neck-deep) with constant movement for times from one to three hours with a minimum of three hours per day, giving that the temperature would vary but it would always be below body temperature. In addition to this I completed the three-day study with a final one hour in the same water while over the head (preventing any rest) and doing constant fandango laps. No, Fandango is not a technical term; it is the name of a sail boat. The experiment was used to see the impact on my body and test stamina. There were several results:

• Was able to eat anything I wanted where anything is equal to you cannot believe how hungry being in the water for three hours makes you.
• My body temperature had no problem regulating itself
• Supported claims that Timothy Ferris, author made in his book “The Four Hour Body”

After doing this I also decided it was time to start flying again and to create some new applications for my iPad to support this endeavor.  So, being me, observing my life patterns, it seems I have entered one of my creative periods. I am unsure how to describe the last couple years, work, stuff, friends, but it lacked something. While I am not sure what was lacking I am sure that my more interesting patterns are back. I have been writing again, I will get my FA Medical soon and then start flying again, I am coding nonstop and some of the things I am coding will make no sense to most people! These are all positive things and I hope my friends and family can put up with how busy/obsessed I will become with these things and of course accept my advance apology but this stuff is cool!

Ciao,

Rob

P.S. Some photos from the weekend can be found on my share site: http://yonaitis.shutterfly.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

A hundred degree hike up Lake George’s Black Mountain

Looking back I made a few assumptions about the day that were wrong and I was able to overcome them. The assumptions were; a 2600+ foot summit was not going to be a hard hike, after all, how could such a small mountain be hard to hike, and the heat would not be a problem as I was leaving in the early morning and I would be done the hike by noon. Let’s review the assumptions. ..

Early in the day it all seemed easy, (as seen in the main photo I selected for this post is of me after disembarking from the boat at a secluded dock, labeled “A”), I looked happy and ready, albeit a bit tired, to get started with the hike. In the beginning, I even commented that the hike up the mountain was “easy” compared to Mt. Washington, NH.

To put this in context, anyone who has ever hiked to the top of Mt. Washington understands the difficulty of the hike, on any of its trails. Upon entering the trails of Mt. Washington to begin the hike to the summit, I always think of the Inferno and Dante and what he saw when passing through the gates of Hell. Dante views the inscription with the famous line, “Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch’intrate“, which translates to “Abandon all hope, ye who enters here.”  If you are going up to the summit and you have done it before you understand that the trail (on Mt Washington) is never the same and the hike remains an affirmation that you can do anything you set your mind to!  So Black Mountain made me think of – Bring a couple of bottles of water, a camera, and your video camera, it will be fun. You may think I am making this up but check out this YouTube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUUAescYawk ) where I mention how easy the hike is initially. I say initially because while Black Mountain itself is no Mt. Washington, and not even a Mt. Tom, when combined with the other incorrect assumptions this would be a long day.

The mountain is a small mountain so how it can be hard. Let’s review some facts on the mountain.  At 2,655 feet Black Mountain is the highest peak in the two ranges that shelter Lake George. If you go to this link, http://www.summitpost.org/black-mountain/150871 you will be able to read that my chosen trail, by water, was actually the “Hard” Trail. The trail I had reviewed before climbing was the trail from the Road that was not as steep in fact at some points I would consider the trail from the water as moderate with a tendency towards relentless, even on a cool day.

To complete the picture I need to discuss the heat.  The temperature was at least 94 degrees in the shade and there were far too many bouts with the sun. A local thermometer showed the temperature 96-98F (around 35C) and as any Pilot or climber knows as you go higher the sunlight has less atmosphere to traverse (the sun is hotter) thus wear your sun block. The weather forecast, which I got, did show the temperature to be this oppressive and the meteorologist defined it as America trapped under a heat dome.  Still, I figured that if I started early enough, taking two hours up and one and a half down, I would easily beat the heat and go for an immediate swim after the hike.  But wait, I planned the trip on the wrong trail, the time for where I was going was 3 hours up and two hours down. Nonetheless getting there early I would be headed down by 10:30 – 11 am. Well, of course never having been there before I got lost, by the time the boat was tied down at dock “A” It was 9:30 am. Giving my bad planning, wrong trail and all, that meant I would hit the summit around 12:15, High Noon! Does anyone think two bottles of water per person would work on a steep climb in temperatures at 80 degrees at the beginning of the hike and no breeze for a hint of respite?

summit view - Black Mountain

rob at lookout point - 1/2 mile from summit

All assumptions aside it was a great hike. It was a great climb to the summit, and though I considered turning back as the water went down, I remembered the old saying, “No shortcuts to the top.” Any of us that ever founded a business understands that while you make assumptions based on sound science, sometimes you have to be flexible. I had set a goal for the hike. I just planned badly; however, I would complete the hike. Water rationing and hats on in the sunlight made the hike both safe and doable. So I hiked to the summit as planned and ate a sandwich with rationed water at the top as water was needed for the walk down. Here is a video of the view on the way to the summit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMxAAEzl1ZY .

After getting up to the summit and having a small lunch it was time to hike down, in heat that was easily 105 Degrees Fahrenheit in the shade! The water lasted almost to the midway point down.  Here is a five minute snippet of the hike down: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0tuG4K0oPs . In the end there are no shortcuts to achieving anything meaningful. If you achieve something great and there were shortcuts to the achievement you most likely were not the one doing the achieving!  In fact you were probably stealing someone else’s achievement or part of someone else’s achievement.  When it comes to hiking up and down a mountain there are no shortcuts, and in the end you know you accomplished something. It is a good feeling, even when the mountain is only around 2600 feet versus being around 7000 feet. So, my legs may have been a bit sore this morning but the pain in my calves does not speak of failure, it speaks of me being able to achieve anything I set my mind to do. So get out there, pick a mountain and hike up/down, just remember to plan a bit better than I did!

Ciao,

Rob

More photos from the hike: http://yonaitis.shutterfly.com/12033

Re-post: The browser padlock – Is it meaningless?

More than once, in the past months, I have found myself in the undesirable position of having to replace a credit card for fraud or having my bank send me a new card because their data was compromised. Their data included my personally identifiable information (PII).  Considering this, and my online practices, I found it necessary to evaluate my behavior when going to a website. While I was sure I had nothing to do with a banks’ system being compromised, I had to ask if my behavior might have led to identity theft or fraud that was used against me and my account. In my review of this data I found that while I was not at fault I had not considered if sites were secure enough before using them.  I found that I relied on simple information, the browser padlock, which was about as meaningful as a screen door lock, to determine if a site I was using was safe and secure. Considering this I have decided to make changes. But before I get into the changes let me describe the problem a bit more.

As an online culture it becomes important for us to protect our privacy related information from many sources of data leaks. The areas of concern are personally identifiable information, from here on out I will refer to this as PII.  PII is information that can be used to identify you and perhaps your location in some way. A simple non exhaustive list would be; full name, ID or driver license number, passport number, vehicle registration, face, handwriting, credit card numbers, social security number, mother’s maiden name, mother’s middle name, age, gender, race, job position, employer, criminal record. In fact PII is any information that can be used to identify you.

You may want to review:  the “Guide to Protecting the Confidentiality of Personally Identifiable Information (PII)”. By NIST.

Now, let’s return to the title of this article regarding the browser padlock and whether or not it is meaningless in the situations that I discussed above.  I would have to answer that no it is not meaningless, but in fact is dangerous as it creates a false sense of security. The browser padlock makes us lax on where and how we enter information. This is especially true when you consider the willingness that we have to enter PII into web based applications in situations where we know nothing about the company, their security practices or the quality of the application. What are some of the things that companies should be doing to protect their consumers? Here is a list that web developers need to consider:

1. The company privacy policy/statement should be in the websites user interface and it should be in the design area of the global footer. While from an application perspective this may not be very important, from the perspective of ‘Do I have a warm and fuzzy regarding the website’ it is huge. If a website does not have this I recommend going away and fast. But please note that having a statement does not mean that your information is safe!

2. Forms are of course a main concern with PII and not just forms but form elements and any other sort of user input. To the user these items are also not always present and to the application developer not trained in security they are often overlooked. Here is a shortlist of some of the elements that matter:

• Input
• TextArea
• Select
• Buttons
• Datalist
• Keygen

By themselves, these items are not inherently bad, but it is how they are used that can be bad. Again they are not always visible to the site visitor and they may be stylized to appear like anything but a form. So there are some form rules that developers and site visitors need to be aware of. First, a form should not use the get method, as a developer you should not use this method as related to PII, Authentication, etc…it is not necessary. Remember HTTPS does not provide an acceptable level of PII protection to the visitor in this case (Logs, History, and so on). In addition to the obvious issues with having PII in the URL it is important to never trust the user input. We do this every day, when we set patterns for completing a phone number but for some reason many developers do not find it necessary to prevent malicious user input. When we use textareas, inputs or any way to enter or display data as developers we must validate the input and take the extra step if available of encoding your html and using other forms of validation.  A take away here is that we need to evaluate all forms to see if they are developed and implemented in a secure manner.

3. Cookies, there are many types of cookies; session cookies, authentication cookies, third party cookies and so on. With regards to security and privacy a web site/application, to be safe, should use secure cookies for any cookie that exposes security or privacy information and they should also prevent mixed content.  Even with this precaution there can still be dangers to PII and other user account information. A take away here is that we need to evaluate all cookies to see if they are developed and implemented in a secure manner.

4. Mixed Content is an issue for many reasons with the first being, what it means to the site visitor. Most site visitors have no idea what it means and to keep it simple here it means content that is received via https and http and in many cases a user has the choice of whether or not they want to display the same. One of the problems with this can again be the developer of the web application and/or a lack of a content security policy in the development team. From Cross Site Scripting (XSS) to “spear fishing” and a lot in-between, the impact of mixed content can be huge because again the lock provides a false sense of security. A take away here is a company needs to develop a content security policy.

You may notice at this point I have not provided any information on scanning or reviewing PII on pages yet and that may seem a bit odd, but I think by the end you will agree that it is not. The reason this is not odd is that there are a couple truths that need to be mentioned about your PII. First, if the site you are visiting does not use basic application security your PII is not safe on the site.  Second, if it is obvious that the site you are visiting does not have a policy on content security then all the scanning in the world for data leaks is meaningless. When a company considers a Privacy Scanner, like the ConPraxis Privacy Server (http://34alabs.com/conpraxis.htm), to proactively check to see if their visitors data is safe they also need to look to security factors before random and near meaningless scans for a SSN number and more.

So what can a site visitor do along the same terms as the company who purchased a privacy scanner?  The sad answer is “not much today”.  This is because the items listed above require that the site visitor be able to identify the security issues listed above, understand the context and then make a decision to go forward or leave the site. Personally, I find that I never do this and I know how to. So what do we do when we either do not have the time or the knowledge to review a website application?

When trying to solve a technical problem I always lean toward education and in this case education seems to be a perfect solution. In the next week or so 34a Laboratories will make available a free and online version of the ConPraxis Privacy Server that will be suitable for both developers and every day web trotters. It will allow you to enter a URL and see how it validates against a list of well-known web site security threats and security context threats and privacy/data leak issues. It will be a one page at a time tester used for educational purposes.  Its intention is to educate not to inoculate, so please do read the reports, learn and take an active part in protecting your PII and Online Identity.

An API will also be available to help you tie these validation checks into Visual Studio, Rad Studio and more. This will allow developers to perform a quick scan of their application from their IDE. Developers also need to consider their content security policy and tools like the ConPraxis Privacy Server and its plug-ins to different development and content environments are a good first step toward both developing and enacting policy.

We have all seen, and not read, a forty page privacy policy notice from our banks or cloud application providers. That may make sense if we trust the provider and we understand they are selling our PII to partners. However, when it comes to being willing to allow someone to steal our information we need to think twice, by educating ourselves on what the browser padlock really means and the security context of the items that appear in the browser chrome we will be safer.

So to state the obvious, I will repeat my previous answer, “No the browser padlock is not meaningless, but in fact is dangerous as it creates a false sense of security “, by educating ourselves, both developers and web trotters we can better protect everyone’s PII. Remember, in the end the browser padlock merely defines how information is being transmitted, it does not relay information on proper application development nor does it provide information on what the web sites content security policy includes.

Cheers,

Rob Yonaitis

A Response from My Senator

My Comments Inline: I basically do not think our senate is qualified to deal with the tough “Science” Issues

June 28, 2011

Dear Robert,

Thank you for contacting my office about online privacy. I appreciate hearing from you about this issue.

Internet access is a crucial driver of our economy, enhances educational opportunities and provides a connection to the global community. With more and more consumers doing business online and transferring sensitive health and financial information over the Internet, online privacy and cybersecurity are critical issues. It is important that consumers feel free to take advantage of the opportunities that the Internet has to offer. I believe individuals should be able to make informed privacy decisions to avoid online identity theft and the misuse of their personal information.

The Obama Administration has proposed standardizing the issue of online privacy by creating a voluntary program in which users could authenticate their identity through a universal online credential. Opponents have expressed concern that this proposal would result in a federal “Internet passport” and a reduction in online privacy.

Comment: This is such a primitive and uninformed solution, count me in as an opponent! 

Additionally, legislation has been introduced in the Senate to address online privacy, including the Commercial Privacy Bill of Rights Act of 2011 and the Do-Not-Track Online Act of 2011. These bills have both been referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, of which I am not a member.

COMMENT: http://shaheen.senate.gov/about/biography/ what are her science credentials, is she qualified, how will we ever compete with the Chinese as all our senators appear unqualified from a science perspective.

I will keep your comments in mind should these proposals or any other legislation that would affect Internet privacy come before the full Senate for consideration. I know we can continue to respect consumer concerns and issues of national security while also preserving Internet freedom and encouraging continued economic innovation and growth.

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with me and please do not hesitate to contact my office with any future questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Jeanne Shaheen
United States Senator

“And now we’re going to live on the internet!” ???

Flag of the City Philadelphia Pennsylvania

In the movie, “The Social network” (2010), the character played by Justin Timberlake, Sean Parker, said, “We lived on farms, then we lived in cities, and now we’re going to live on the internet!” Recent news stories show us how dangerous “living on the Internet” can be and we need to view these stories as cautionary tales. But first, let’s take a look at the quote from the movie and parse it a bit. When we lived on farms, we got to know our neighbors personally (of course this is happening today as farms still exist (stuff does not grow on the shelves of the grocery store magically)). Living in cities we interact with other people, albeit not always in the best of forms, but we react with other humans and develop social skills. Finally, the “living on the internet” shows how misunderstood all of these living situations are.  Here are a few of the problems with concept of living on the internet:

• The validation that you get in social gatherings does not exist online
• Behavior is dramatically different

With regards to validation, very recently we have had the Syrian Lesbian Blogger event; most unfortunately this tragic tale of the gay girl from Damascus was in fact written by an imposter who was an American man living in Scotland.  What is comical is that people believed it to be true. While the concept of identifying yourself as someone you are not online may be quite familiar to anyone who has participated in online dating, this situation is harmful in new ways.  The blogger misrepresenting his identity perpetrated a fraud that not only hurts the readers, but also the groups impacted by the consequences.  Imagine the same blogger trying to fool the people on the farm or in the city? Frankly this fraud would be close to impossible.

With regards to behavior, people act differently online then they do offline, as a people, we give a voice online to those that normally would be rebuked in our farm or city, or worse. Imagine Congressman Weiner at a local party, going up to people to whom he had just been introduced, and handing out pictures of his underpants / other stuff. If he did this, we would not just throw him out of our house we might call the police. Or if you prefer consider the loudmouth person in a room that shouts to get his voice heard, (not referring to the congressman here), our reaction to this would be to tune them out promptly and they would have to find ways to change the unacceptable behavior or find a new city or farm on which to live. On the internet they do not have to change. Instead, they can continue to self-validate their ill-conceived behavior / topics. There is of course a darker side, think of a group of people fighting for independence in a nation, telling stories online of how they longed to be free after they just finished gang raping a reporter and right before they set off to burn some Christian churches.  On our farm or in our city would we consider them heroes?

You cannot take a farmer and drop him in the city and say live, just as you cannot take a person from the city and drop them on the farm and expect them to survive. What we need is to understand that social rules that existed on the farm and in the city have brought the global community a bit closer. Having traveled the world extensively I can tell you that there are still farms everywhere, in fact, I have worked on them just to survive. I can also tell you that each city has a distinct and unique personality.  It takes a village and validation to keep a conversation civil. When we come together in a group we can accomplish great things. Personally I believe we can do this because:

• We can sense the loudmouth person in the room
• We can spot the people that are not what they say they are

Moving from farms into the cities created a large majority of the population that probably could not feed themselves if they had to farm. If we are going to live on the internet in the future we will no doubt be in constant conflict as people will not learn how to behave in emotionless and faceless groups. As an Engineer I look at the internet as a tool rather than as a place to live. While the educational benefits of the internet, if validated, are huge, the social benefits or determents are not clear at this point.

More information about the Syrian blogger deception can be found at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303848104576383861153713734.html

If you live in a vacuum and have somehow missed the news about Congressman Weiner you can learn more at: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2011/06/17/2011-06-17_day_after_rep_anthony_weiners_resignation_sexting_scandal_scarred_expolitician_s.html 

Cheers,

Rob