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Sydney-Ruxcon-Hacking, More Articles, Websites, Socialist Left and Gay Animals..
Yesterday's post to convert_me also ended up in my personal journal. Apologies to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
angel80 for deleting it, because your comment was quite insightful!
This week has been dominated by going to Sydney withcaseopaya and attending Ruxcon. Sydney always strikes me as a slightly crazy place and the weekend proved to be no exception. As is my norm, the early morning was spent looking over the Opera House and the Habour Bridge, followed by a healthy stroll through The Rocks and an enormous pancake brunch. After booking ourselves at the very dodgy, but central and inexpensive CB Hotel, we took a long walk through Hyde Park and the Botanical Gardens. The former also included a war memorial (which was a long list of countries Australia had invaded which we're supposed to feel proud of) and the latter the most incredible collection of bats. In the late afternoon we managed a visit to Newtown to visit the venerable Bob Gould's bookstore (where he wanted the low-down on ALP factional fights in Victoria) and evening was spent taking the ferry and having fish and chips near Manly beach. Not a bad tour of Sydney for a single day!
Ruxcon was quite extraordinary. Some three hundredhackersIT Security Professionals under the one roof. Fourteen presentations and another half-dozen "activities", all of excellent content, albeit assuming that you have at least a modicum of knowledge in assembler and file formats. A "hardcopy" of Phrack 62 (dubious cover) was released, apparently on the second edition to make that format. Some speakers obviously weren't too great at giving lectures, but you get that with scientists. There were half a dozen members of the Australian Federal Police were there as well (of course) one even giving a presentation on the basis of "community relations", and dutifully avoiding questions on their resources. I earned my kudos of winning the chilli eating competition, no easy feat among the hacker community believe me. Four and half cups of increasing potent chilli sauce. For my suffrance I won a copy of the excellent "Firewalls and Internet Security". Both the book and the conference confirm a basic theme - you can't have a network and be secure at the same time.
Stean has just noted that the book title was probably a pun. Firewalls? Haha..
On a related note, a Friendster rep apparently stated: "We Have a Policy that we are not being hacked". Oh, of course. Why didn't I think of that. Just write it into policy. Problem solved.
Meanwhile, a genuine call to arms. Together we can defeat spam in two years. And the French do something right. Incredibly, people still use IE. Really, you should stop it. It is not secure.
New Politics has finally published my review of Paul Strangio's Keeper of the Faith, a biography of Dr. Jim Cairns. I wonder if I'll get a review copy? Also, my review of Cyberactivism for New Community Quarterly has been accepted as well.
It seems that I'm picking up a number of little IT contracts. New Community Quarterly want me to patch up their website and find them a domain name and archive their back issues, my accountant wants a domain name and a website and a restaurant I ate at last night wants the same. Seeming that I charge a low-low-low rate for people who want a really basic site, this is clearly a good angle of business.
I've nominated for the Socialist Left executive. As part of the factional deal between the SL and nearly all the FEA Pledge representatives two years ago, I should be elevated as their assistant policy convenor. Mind you, the state branch of the Party also promised by job would be safe on my return from East Timor and we know what happened there. Still, the old comments by the former Pledge convenor, Frans, remain true: The SL needs a swift policy kick up the rear - and I'm probably just the person to ginger them up and get the creative juices flowing. Hmmmm... Seems that I am getting back into the political scene again.
A related brain breaker of the week goes to Senator John Cornyn who compares same-sex marriage to be the equivalent of marrying a man and box turtle getting into wedlock. As I mention in the thread, it reminds me of Peter Lewis' famous comments about
ducks in Macau. Someone better keep on eye on the gay Penguins. They're damn whores as well.
angel80 for deleting it, because your comment was quite insightful!This week has been dominated by going to Sydney with
caseopaya and attending Ruxcon. Sydney always strikes me as a slightly crazy place and the weekend proved to be no exception. As is my norm, the early morning was spent looking over the Opera House and the Habour Bridge, followed by a healthy stroll through The Rocks and an enormous pancake brunch. After booking ourselves at the very dodgy, but central and inexpensive CB Hotel, we took a long walk through Hyde Park and the Botanical Gardens. The former also included a war memorial (which was a long list of countries Australia had invaded which we're supposed to feel proud of) and the latter the most incredible collection of bats. In the late afternoon we managed a visit to Newtown to visit the venerable Bob Gould's bookstore (where he wanted the low-down on ALP factional fights in Victoria) and evening was spent taking the ferry and having fish and chips near Manly beach. Not a bad tour of Sydney for a single day!Ruxcon was quite extraordinary. Some three hundred
Stean has just noted that the book title was probably a pun. Firewalls? Haha..
On a related note, a Friendster rep apparently stated: "We Have a Policy that we are not being hacked". Oh, of course. Why didn't I think of that. Just write it into policy. Problem solved.
Meanwhile, a genuine call to arms. Together we can defeat spam in two years. And the French do something right. Incredibly, people still use IE. Really, you should stop it. It is not secure.
New Politics has finally published my review of Paul Strangio's Keeper of the Faith, a biography of Dr. Jim Cairns. I wonder if I'll get a review copy? Also, my review of Cyberactivism for New Community Quarterly has been accepted as well.
It seems that I'm picking up a number of little IT contracts. New Community Quarterly want me to patch up their website and find them a domain name and archive their back issues, my accountant wants a domain name and a website and a restaurant I ate at last night wants the same. Seeming that I charge a low-low-low rate for people who want a really basic site, this is clearly a good angle of business.
I've nominated for the Socialist Left executive. As part of the factional deal between the SL and nearly all the FEA Pledge representatives two years ago, I should be elevated as their assistant policy convenor. Mind you, the state branch of the Party also promised by job would be safe on my return from East Timor and we know what happened there. Still, the old comments by the former Pledge convenor, Frans, remain true: The SL needs a swift policy kick up the rear - and I'm probably just the person to ginger them up and get the creative juices flowing. Hmmmm... Seems that I am getting back into the political scene again.
A related brain breaker of the week goes to Senator John Cornyn who compares same-sex marriage to be the equivalent of marrying a man and box turtle getting into wedlock. As I mention in the thread, it reminds me of Peter Lewis' famous comments about
ducks in Macau. Someone better keep on eye on the gay Penguins. They're damn whores as well.
no subject
I largely agree with both the intent and content. I will drop your dear pere a line.
The only problem I have with it - and I must confess getting a list like that which doesn't consist entirely of 'motherhood' statements is fairly impressive in itself - is the suggestion of the 'Tobin-tax'. This is an 'anti-globalization' measure which provides a disincentive to foreign investment. My preference, which is the favourite of nearly all economists (but very few politicians) is site-rental land and resources tax.