Security Idiocy

Here it is, the funniest [IT industry] slideshow I have ever seen ("12 ways to be a Security Idiot"), via eWeek.

I feel better about what I've been preaching every time I read. It hurts to laugh so much, it truly, truly does.

Just a perfect day/Drink sangria in the park

Well, I didn't have sangria in the park, but had I known it was going to be as gorgeous a day here in Toronto as it was, I would likely have made some for the road...

Took the waterfront trail out to Cherry Beach (sidebar here - I was not impressed with the detour on the trail that took me onto Lakeshore Road underneath the Gardner up to the Don Roadway; I didn't jump onto the trail to play in traffic with semis... what the fuck are you supposed to do if you're on rollerblades down there?) and then along Commissioners to Ashbridge's Bay.

Here's the view of downtown from Ashbridges:

Not the most flattering view of the city, but a fun one to get to on a single speed ;).












After cruising out to Kew Gardens, I headed north up Glen Manor to Queen East. Once there, I found a bustling Beaches neighbourhood and a long, narrow corridor between traffic and parked cars. I got on the hoods and sped up.
My tour north up to Dundas was nothing to remark on - nor was the run over to Jarvis.
Jarvis was busy but manageable. Mount Pleasant I found to be a misnomer after a point.
Did you know Summerhill doesn't cross the subway lines? I found that out.
Mount Pleasant was much more pleasant to deal with between Inglewood and St. Clair East.

So yeah, I have a sunburn (from yesterday's yard work at the "in-laws", made worse by today's excursion), my legs aren't sore yet but may be in the morning... and I don't care.

Now, if you'll excuse me I need to go find a beer as I have no sangria handy...

Microsoft's $3 Plan for Education (everywhere)

There has been some coverage of this in the last couple of days.
I think Joe Wilcox from ZDNet's Microsoft Watch made a very good point in this blog post:

Microsoft will start offering the $3 suite [which includes Windows XP Starter Edition, not Vista Starter Edition -G.C.] to governments in the second half of 2007, which indicates how the company really sees the future state of Vista hardware support. Actions speak louder than marketing messaging.

Yes, even as I write this up on my work laptop running Vista Business (and we're a Gold Partner... where's the Enterprise love for the channel this time around?) and I think of the nightmares several of my colleagues have had trying to get Vista x64 to, well, work without optical drives disappearing randomly and my own issues of trying to find a working virtual CD/DVD drive in January... Shudder.

My own selfish reasons for not liking the message this program sends now dealt with, let's take the long view of what this project really means:

1. Linux and other F/OSS projects have a strong presence in the developing world, Microsoft does not.
2. Given 1, Microsoft's future market dominance is, at best, doubtful as information-based economies outside of Europe and North America begin to flourish and begin to rapidly grow infrastructure - an infrastructure not based on MS products, not on the server side, not on the desktop side, not on the mobile side.
3. Given 2, the future is not that bright for Microsoft - unless something changes.
4. Given 3, Microsoft, in order to grab a bigger piece of developing markets, had best start getting software in front of the upcoming generation at a (relatively) affordable rate before initiatives like One Laptop Per Child introduce the world's largest potential markets to F/OSS operating on a large scale.

So, is this altruism or indoctrination of potential consumers in the guise of an educational quick start?
Let me think about that...

Going mobile

I'm too damn busy these days to properly blog, so I am mucking about
with mobile blogging.

I have an ulterior motive though - I want to be able to blog the start
and finish of an attempted century this year, and this is definitely
the easiest way to do it.

Some good news... some bad news...

First, the good news: my girlfriend and I recently got new rides: a mountain bike for her and a single speed/fixed gear (flip flop hub on the rear wheel for me).





Ain't it purty? I like it.






And the bad news - we are in exile. There is something in the air in the apartment that is simply doing us in. We got home on Monday and it went right for the eyes; we bailed and have been squatting at her sister's ever since.
Went back to the place tonight after the landlords replaced the ceiling tile in the bathroom and gave the common areas a polish - still the same crap going on. First the eye irritation, then nauseau, then reactions on the skin, then general itchiness.

This is pissing me right the fuck off. I think I am going to be living somewhere else at the end of the month.

Well, fair enough; still living somewhere else now, but living in a different somewhere where I have a lease and pay rent.

This sucks. Fortunately, I can always ride if I want to blow off steam.