Category Archives: Security

Food, History, Poetry, Security

the carrot

Leave a comment

by Kgafela oa Magogodi

the carrot attracts a crooked habit

rabbits cross the floor to chew the rot

vote right

there’s no carrot on the left

the parrot sings praises cos the carrot

is in the pot

the only truth to the tooth is the carrot

liars strangle no more they dangle the carrot

to suck you into the rot

they put the carrot in your pocket

to keep you quiet

no more riot

no more riot

no more riot

just the grinding of rot

the carrot dance is a national sport

see how they run like judas iscariot

to grab the all mighty carrot

now children are taught

that life is about who eats more carrot

to excrete more rot

lairs raise the flag of the carrot

even in the toilet

no more riot

no more riot

no more riot

just the grinding of rot

you’re a true patriot

even if you get caught

stealing the carrot

nobody takes you to court

it matters not if you forgot

to give to the poor a cut

of the carrot.

Interesting work from South Africa by a poet invited to facilitate Steve Biko Foundation poetry workshops. This poem and the following praise for Magogodi caught my eye on the Centre for Creative Arts site:

Reading … listening to Kgafela oa Magogodi’s poetry and song is a shattering experience. His linguistic chisels go far beyond ‘causing blisters in the eardrums of society’. They are like a shattered mirror, with each piece of glass throwing at you a reflection, an image of its own. His art is not something that you can fix a label on without going drastically wrong.

Nobody likes labels, but we depend on them.

Food, Security

Eat the peel

Leave a comment

Growing up I had the fine opportunity to eat fruit right from the tree. One of my favorite parts of citris fruit was the peel. As I grew older I succumbed to the habit of Americans to throw away the peel and just eat the fruit. This was mostly due to the advice from some to avoid the pesticides and harmful wax/polish chemicals used in industrial growing, but also to avoid being teased as a peel-eater. Kumquats were one of the few things I could get away with.

Well, lo and behold, mom was right and the nutrients are really best consumed in the peel:

Salvestrol Q40 is found at higher concentrations in tangerine peel, than in the flesh of the fruit.

The researchers suggest the modern trend to throw away peel may have contributed to a rise in some cancers.

The center is probably designed, very intelligently, to make the peel more palatable. The idea that there should be something that is “garbage” or something to dispose for everything good may be a completely artificial notion. When you think about it, the food industry has been isolating and focusing on the wrong success factors. Industry has been completely mistaken in their race to harness sweet and succulent products, without regard to complex nutrients, and create a disposable wrapper for everything they sell.

This reminds me of companies that ask if they can be made more secure, even more compliant, without actually doing anything that would cost them money. I tell them they might as well ask me if they can be fit without exercise, healthy without eating food.

Security is sometimes described as a harsh pill, but if more business leaders learned to raise their companies on a better diet they would have far fewer emergencies later in life.

I love peel.

Security

Windows 2000 SP4 and the missing MS07-051

Leave a comment

Anyone else notice that MS07-051 disappeared today? I was working on this vulnerability, when I noticed the link stopped responding. All that remains is the reference from the September bulletin page:

Bulletin Identifier: Microsoft Security Bulletin MS07-051

Bulletin Title: Vulnerability in Microsoft Agent Could Allow Remote Code Execution (938827)

Executive Summary: This critical security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability. A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Microsoft Agent in the way that it handles certain specially crafted URLs. The vulnerability could allow an attacker to remotely execute code on the affected system. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

Maximum Severity Rating: Critical

Impact of Vulnerability: Remote Code Execution

Detection: Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer can detect whether your computer system requires this update. The update will require a restart.

Affected Software: Windows. For more information, see the Affected Software and Download Locations section.

Patch if you can.

Security

Canon Camera Hack

1 Comment

Linux.com provides a detailed explanation of how to get the most out of your Canon camera:

If you have a point-and-click digital camera made by Canon, you may be able to turn on all sorts of features usually reserved for more expensive SLRs. That includes live histograms, depth-of-field calculation, under and overexposure highlighting, and — best of all — shooting your pictures in RAW. The secret is CHDK, an enhanced, free software replacement firmware.

Even more interesting than the advanced picture control features is access to the scripting/automation language:

When you get comfortable with CHDK, you can check out user-supplied scripts. CHDK’s scripting environment uses a simple BASIC-like language that lets you write your own scripts to automate camera functions — but not to create whole new features for the camera. User-contributed scripts are available on the CHDK wiki, and implement interesting functions like HDR stacking, focus bracketing, time-lapse movies, and lightning photography.

Whoa, Bessie. How do you trust those scripts? Could there be malicous or mischevious consequences? Despite those risks, I’m now more tempted to buy a Canon (I have traditionally used everything but Canon, with a focus — ha ha — on Nikon and Olympus) than ever before.