Pod slurping

A company called Sharp Ideas has created a proof-of-concept program to suck down company confidential information to an iPod (or other USB device), to emphasise the concept that information security needs to take into account physical security. Pod slurping is the name they give it, and it sounds more sinister than it really is.

My first impression when I heard about it on Slashdot Review was that it would search the network for unprotected shares and, using some algorithm, would decide what was juicy and what was not, and download those juicy elements. The reality is that it just copies certain file types from the Documents folder on the local PC.

Personally, I don't think the iPod specifically has caused a major change in how security needs to deal with technology. I could just as easily walk out with a hard disk, laptop, or even paper copies of documents. What has changed is the ease with which large, unfiltered and untargetted amounts of information can be stolen. I also think that locking down USB access on PCs is overkill, and may only stop the opportunist thief, while preventing the innocent from being as productive.

The moral here is that you need to take care of the information at the source, and limit access to only those who are trusted and authorised to access them. Banning or blocking portable devices is only useful as part of a defense-in-depth strategy, and you should look at the trade-offs before implementing.

The Postal Service - We Will Become Silhouettes - Lyrics

Heard this song on a snowboarding movie recently and loved it.

The Postal Service - We Will Become Silhouettes - Lyrics

I've got a cupboard with cans of food,
Filtered water and pictures of you,
And I'm not coming out until this is all over,
And I'm looking through the glass,
Where the light bends at the cracks,
And I'm screaming at the top of my lungs,
Pretending the echoes belong to someone,
Someone I used to know,
And we become silhouettes when our bodies finally go.

I wanted to walk through the empty streets,
And feel something constant under my feet,
But all the news reports recommended that I stay indoors,
Because the air outside will make,
Our cells divide at an alarming rate,
Until our shells simply cannot hold,
All our insides in, and that's when we'll explode,
And it won't be a pretty sight.
And we'll become silhouettes when our bodies finally go,
And we'll become silhouettes when our bodies finally go,
And we'll become silhouettes when our bodies finally go,
And we'll become silhouettes when our bodies finally go.

And we'll become,
And we'll become.

Broken Wrist

Well, it had to happen sooner or later. I've been watching more snowboarding movies this season and this encouraged my confidence to overstep the mark last weekend in Silvretta Nova (Austria).

I was on the boarder park doing jumps when one went wrong. I leaned back too much in the jump and was coming down backside first. Fortunately (unfortunately?), my natural reaction took over as I came in to land, and I put my arm out to stop me cracking my head as back met snow (or rather, solid ice).

See for yourself (14MB video).

It took about 30 seconds for my wrist to start swelling and I knew instantly that it was bad. I packed snow onto it and fought the pain, before continuing on down the mountain, up the chair lift, and into the first aid centre. They bandaged me up and we went to wait in the bar until it was time for the coach to bring us home. :)



We got to the hospital around 10.30pm, and after having an x-ray the doctor told me I needed an operation to put a metal plate in my wrist. We got home around midnight, packed a bag and went to bed, ready for a 9am return to the hospital.



Sunday was rather surreal. One minute I'm down in the emergency reception, the next I'm being wheeled out of my room upstairs and into the operating theatre, saying goodbye to my nearest and dearest. It took about 10 minutes from passing through the doors to going unconscious, and the next thing I know I'm in a corridor waking up. I remember being wheeled back to the room, and sleeping for a couple of hours until Dew came to visit.



Monday was x-ray day, and all my visitors came in the evening (thank you!), and I left the hospital on Tuesday. Now I'm at home, resting my arm but still trying to do what I can. Typing is so much slower one-handed...



See more pics in the gallery.

Dohoggeddiadiaemmerdohogged

dohogged
Originally uploaded by Surferbill.

Found this sign above a bench outside a restaurant near the castle in Tuebingen, Germany. It's written in Schwabisch (local German dialect), in proper German would be, "Da hocken die, die immer da hocken" and loosely translated says, "Here sit those who always sit here", implying that the bench is popular with (or intended for) regular visitors.

Diggnation in Reno-Tahoe

I would love to go to this...

The Diggnation guys are filming a live video podcast in Tahoe and will spend the rest of the weekend snowboarding, playing poker and holding a LAN party. Want want want!

Overheard in the Office: The Voice of the Cubicle

Overheard in the Office: The Voice of the Cubicle