We all use software everyday. Some of it you pay for, like Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop, but much of it you don't. In fact, when I look at the software that I use everyday I find that the vast majority of it has no monetary cost. I use Firefox and Thunderbird for web and mail, Eclipse is my preferred development environment, Google and their apps fill all kinds of niches, iTunes handles my music, and Digsby cleans up my IM mess. You have to admit, we as users get a lot of value out of free software.
The problem comes when a users are not savvy about exactly what is going on with their computers. It's a simple fact, most users don't really have any idea the fulls scope of what most of this software does for them, on behalf of them, and *to* them.
Two recent examples.
Digsby is my unified IM client. It is available free of charge from their website, and allows me to use a single piece of software to manage all my IM accounts, as well as track Facebook and LinkedIn. It checks my email accounts and tells me when I have messages there as well. It's attractive, slick and works great. The problem comes from the fact that until recently, unless you knew where to look, Digsby was hijacking the computer and using it to do distributed processing work, for which Digsby was making money. This situation didn't hold for me, as I knew the setting was there and disabled it. Today, Digsby still offers this 'feature', but it now defaults to 'off'. This change was made after a huge outcry online, and is probably a case of closing the barn door after the horse has left. Digsby lost users over this, guaranteed.
When I booted up my computer a week ago, it prompted me to upgrade iTunes to Version 9. The Apple Software Update window told me updates were available for iTunes + Quicktime, as well as the iPhone Configuration Utility. But I don't have an iPhone. So I unchecked that box, and let the software go on it's merry way, updating iTunes. (That later caused drama as well, but it's unrelated to this post.)
Today, during my morning read, I discover that the iPhone Configuration Utility was not only completely unnecessary for just about everyone, but it actually installs an Apache Web Server on your PC, which is simply appalling to me. The software itself is probably useful for some - specifically System Admins on a corporate network integrating iPhones with their message systems - but a complete security risk for just about everyone else.
We put a lot of our lives into bits and bytes that we then store on our personal computers, as well as on online services. The number of people who are cognizant of the security and privacy issues is growing, but it still isn't high enough. Add to that mix companies who are, in effect, preying on this user ignorance and you have a serious problem that will only get worse. Do you believe that the trend of digitizing one's life is going to reverse? Me neither. And I'm also afraid that most people are going to maintain just the bare minimum of awareness and skills to protect themselves. Companies such as Digsby and Apple need to recognize this, and act accordingly. As the number of software options increase, the company with the best track record of privacy and security awareness will fare better in a crowded market.
More reading on the issue:
http://lifehacker.com/5336382/digsby-joins-the-dark-side-uses-your-pc-to-make-money
http://blogs.computerworld.com/14808/apple_shovelware_problems_again_iphone_configuration_utility
Tuesday, September 29
Monday, September 28
Fatal Infection Rate Visualization
Saturday, September 26
Battlesharks Soccer - CSA Game 1
via youtube.com
Excerpt from this mornings game. This is U12, Capital Soccer Association, and D3 plays for the Battlesharks (navy blue). They are all nine and ten year olds who are playing up and having a great time.
Friday, September 25
Top 10 Unanswered Questions in Geeky Movies
via wired.com
I have an opinion on the Raiders of the Lost Ark submarine issue, but the rest seems dead on. About half of these I had never even considered before (ESB for one).
Thursday, September 24
Hybrid Airship Will Deploy to Afghanistan in 2011
via gizmodo.com
Found this via Slashdot, and it fit well into my Afghanistan reading this morning.
The video is of the Lockheed Martin prototype flying in 2006. The newer version is bigger.
This technology is coming fast, and may prove to be a very cost effective way to get sensors over the battlefield, particularly in environments like Afghanistan and Iraq where there is no air defense.
I wonder what William Gibson thinks of this?
Categories:
Afghanistan,
Aviation,
Geek,
Video
Afghan Warlords are Looking for US Support
The Washington Times has an article this week that describes how Gen. Dostum, a long time Afghan warlord, states that he could defeat the Taliban if the U.S. would provide support. Dostum has been around the block several times, and was a partner of U.S. Special Forces during the post-9/11 invasion. However, the situation in Afghanistan is never that simple (ever), so go read the article.
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/sep/22/afghan-warlords-will-fight-if-us-gives-aid/
For more background, I recommend you pick up the book 'Horse Soldiers' by Doug Stanton. It chronicles the early days of U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan, and features Dotsum as well as a few other warlords.
http
Suffice it to say, Afghanistan is a thorny problem, and will remain so. Whatever the solution, I'm convinced that we will need the support and action of the locals to deny the Taliban and al Qaeda
refuge there.
Categories:
Afghanistan,
al Qaeda
You Can Get a Ticket Anywhere...
via wired.com
Air Force Security Police *running radar* at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Or more accurately, running 'laser'. Which of course, brings up the scenario... If the SP is using a laser, and the speeder doesn't stop, can the same laser then be used to guide in munitions? I think the Defense Department needs to look into that.
I can see the Raytheon/Lockheed Martin/General Dynamics commercials now... "The new LSGU-233 - detecting speed infractions more efficiently. With a flip of a switch, the user can tell the unit to either log speed and print a ticket, or interface with an loitering Predator-SP drone and direct a strike using precise munitions."
Wednesday, September 23
Information is Beautiful: Troops in Afghanistan
via flickr.com
Interesting representation of relative troop strength in Afghanistan. From Information is Beautiful (http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2009/four-infographic-morsels/)
Categories:
Afghanistan
Picasa 3.5 Released, Now With Facial Recognition
Google has announced the release of Picasa 3.5. The biggest new feature is the facial recognition and tagging, which looks like an adaptation of the existing Picasa Web Albums functionality. Having this option on the desktop should make the process faster, not to mention that I don't upload much to PWA anymore.
If you haven't tried Picasa at all, it's worth a look. For the average home user, it does just about everything you should need to organize digital photos.
"The Year of the Flood"
"The Year of the Flood" is a new novel by Margaret Atwood. First, if you haven't already, go read "Oryx and Crake". This new
novel is set in the same "time slice" (Atwood's term) as Crake, which
means it's post-apocalyptical with a unique flavor. I'm looking
forward to this one. http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385528771
novel is set in the same "time slice" (Atwood's term) as Crake, which
means it's post-apocalyptical with a unique flavor. I'm looking
forward to this one. http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385528771
Categories:
Reading
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