UPDATED IA STUFF + Procrastination

My greatest skill is procrastination. I really am the best, most skilled procrastinator I know. It takes all of my will power to stay consistent with anything, including this blog, which is why (among other things) I am not banking like Darren Rowse or Steve Pav, two of my favorite bloggers.

YOU SEE, I am such a good procrastinator that JUST procrastinated on getting to the REAL subject of this article, security, IA updates.

A fellow IA Analyst wrote me with questions that got right to the heart of IA, change.

She asked about AFI 33-202.
And I said:

Right as I felt I had mastered the contents of 33-202, the airforce moved to 33-210 (to replace all its C&A stuff). I believe 33-202 is now obsolete and replaced with 33-200 & 33-202 and others.. last time I was with the AF, anyway.

What about IT LEAN?
I said:

As for IT Lean, you can find that on AF Knowledge Now site and I think they have links to it on EITDR. If you are interested in IT Lean you’ll be REALLY interested in 33-210:
33-210

But if you are working with the Air Force and want more on the IT LEAN process you should be digging into AFCAP, Air Force Certification & Accreditation Program, an AF version of IT Lean.

CNSS 1253:
A lot of people also ask me to send them a copy of the CNSSI 12-53. But it is actually OUT. Its the CNSSI 1253. I, personally, have not had any clear direction (currently NO direction) on how to start moving some of the CNSSI to the systems I work on. I suspect that the Govt. will start this within the next couple of years and start phasing out DIACAP.. but who the hell knows what a bureaucracy of their size will do next!

Lastly, my fellow IA Analyst asked me about EITDR
and I said:

You’ll find the EITDR POCs on the Air Force Portal or Knowledge Now. Log on to the Air Force Portal (if you don’t have an account get one.. you may have to get sponsor by the Govt to get it). Once on the AF Portal search for EITDR and they’ll have tons of stuff on it. Waaaaay more stuff than you want to read. You’ll also find the person you need to start the EITDR process with.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Hack the Censors

During the renewal of the USA Patriot Act, the various communities on the Internets began frothing at the mouth. I recall one (alleged) Chinese citizen saying something about how China was more free than the United States. Which is (circa 200X) a pretty ridiculous thing to say. In response, I wrote something like “F@KK the President of the United States George W. Bush. Can you say that in about Hu Jintao in China?” He said, no.

In some countries, it is pretty dangerous to be a blogger with a free mind. Its ironic because, for me, that is what blogging is all about. Its sad that bloggers have to watch their collective mouths in countries like China, Iran and others

Apparently, searching for words like “women” in Iran will give you an “404 – Dear Subscriber” page. I’ve heard that searching from behind China’s legendary Great Firewall words like “Freedom” and “Democracy” are not allowed.

Other netizen controllers include (but are not limited to): Saudi Arabia, Syria and Pakistan

Governments with this level of blanket censorship do not understand the nature of the Internet. Organizations around the world like Global Internet Freedom Consortium, Voice of America, and Falun Gong conspire to get around the censorship. Devices such as Tor and Psiphon have been developed to go around the firewalls.

In the war of suppression of ideas, China has actually hired thousands of people to flood the Internet with government messages to out due dissenters.

The best thing China, Pakistan, Iran and other countries can do to control the flow of ideas is to take care of their people not suppress them. The unfortunate thing about taking care of the people is that it requires giving people freedom to speak which is dangerously close to democracy.

Inspired by NY Times article on the subject.

Popularity: 3% [?]

One Decade to Cyber-Real Impacts

When I started my blogs at the end of 2005 my sites made about $1/month. As of October 2008 they made over $800 dollars. $800 is pretty good pocket change, but I know of at least two bloggers who make $10,000 per month! This is only possible because of computers, the Internet and web technologies. The additional money from my blogs is a great boost to my over all income allowing me and my family to live more comfortably, however I know that a higher living standard is only the beginning of what information technology (IT) has in store for me and humanity particularly over the next ten years.

In ten years, IT will directly impact my life style by allowing me to better manage everything from energy used in my home and car to the health care. IT will connect me to and even higher “work from home” socially networked life style. And finally, in ten years, IT will change my perception of reality both literally and figuratively.

Within one decade, IT will change how much gas I pump into my car and how much energy I use in my home. It will manage my over all life style. How and why will this happen? What do computers have to do with petroleum? In ten years IT will have everything to do with gas.

Information technology will influence and permeate the energy technologies (ET) needed for a new renewable energy infrastructure. Millions of electric cars on the roads and over 10% of electricity coming from renewable sources (1) will need IT. The impact can be seen even through the jaundice vision of latter-2008 eyes. All the leading candidates of the 2008 election made “green” a part of their talking points and stump speeches. Our early American 21st century problems are no longer being ignored (1,2):

* having to fund oil rich petro-dictators
* lack of export industry/increased unemployment
* pollution/global warming
* the causes and support structure of terrorism

*these issues are address much further in Thomas Friedman’s book Hot, Flat and Crowded (3)

The issues we face are all linked to one problem… energy. America is run on oil so it must buy from oil rich dictators (many of whom are sympathizers of extremists who support acts of terrorism). America is 70% dependent on energy from foreign sources (4) which in-turn exports a large portion of wealth and jobs overseas. But in ten short years, I will no longer be a part of the blind slow degradation of the U.S. because ET with its IT interface and IT processing power will allow me to pump less gas and download more clean electrons into my hybrid car. But IT won’t only be impact my carbon foot print. It will also increase my assets.

In 2004, I was still fresh out of the military and struggling from the high costs of civilian life. My wife and child were consistently in and out of the hospital and the mortgage was a monthly battle. I was thinking about rejoining the Air Force or getting a second job. I was reluctant because my whole reason for getting out the military was to spend more time with my family.

I decided to start a business. Almost immediately, I got sucked into Internet Marketing. Although I lost some money on more than one failed venture, I actually ended up learning a lot about e-business and methods of making money online. I got into blogging at the end of 2005. My blogs started making money with a few months. And by mid-2006, it was pulling down a couple of hundred dollars per month. I immediately saw the great potential of this. A few times the blogs even made more than enough to pay the mortgage. Its 2008 and the blogs still make hundreds of dollars per month.

In 2018, the Internet will make more than what I make at my full time career. The impact will be a revolutionary and comprehensive change to my life style. I will be able to work from home, spend more time with my family and have even more interaction with my extended family who live in another state. But I believe that among the most shocking and exciting vision of pre-2020 is the future predicted by Ray Kuzweil in his book Age of Spiritual Machines (5).

Ray predicts the following:

“Three-dimensional virtual reality displays, embedded in glasses and contact lenses, as well as auditory ‘lenses,’ are used routinely as primary interfaces for communication with other persons, computers, the Web, and virtual reality.

High-resolution, three-dimensional visual and auditory virtual reality and realistic all-encompassing tactile environments enable people to do virtually anything with anybody, regardless of physical proximity.

Paper books or documents are rarely used and most learning is conducted through intelligent, simulated software-based teachers.(5)”

Virtual reality advances will allow me to bring cyber space into the real world. How will I distinguish real from cyber-real with hyper-real overlays of real world objects, disembodied voices from GPS devices personalized to my specific location and velocity whispering in my ear? Furthermore, how will I define reality if virtual reality phones make distance from callers irrelevant? I will be able to see a full body representation of a caller standing in front of me.

Ten years will usher in comprehensive changes in my life coming from IT. This will be the decade that brings in a more responsible change in energy use, unprecedented worldwide increases of standards of living and an overall change in our perception of reality. It will be a virtual brave new world.

Works Cited:

1. Office of the President-elect. 2008. Energy and Environment Agenda http://change.gov/agenda/energy_and_environment_agenda/
2. Governors Global Climate Summit. 2008. Finding Solutions Through Regional and Global Actions. http://site.governorsglobalclimatesummit.org/
3. Friedman, Thomas L. Hot, Flat & Crowded. 2008. Farrar, Straus and Giroux
4. Energy Information Administration. U.S. Imports by Country and Origin. http://www.eia.doe.gov/ http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_impcus_a2_nus_ep00_im0_mbbl_m.htm
5. Kuzweil, Ray. The Age of Spiritual Machines: Time Line. http://www.kurzweilai.net/meme/frame.html?main=/articles/art0274.html?

Popularity: 11% [?]

Obama and McCain Differ on Net Neutrality – Internet Policy

If your an Internet geek like me, this issue will have a great influence on your vote.

“It wasn’t a contentious topic at last night’s presidential debate, but network neutrality is the hot-button issue on the mind of PM’s senior tech editor. He explores the candidates’ stands on the issue in a Geek the Vote edition of his biweekly trends column.” – digg via PopMech (link below)

Obama’s view on Net Neutrality:
Protect the Openness of the Internet: A key reason the Internet has been such a success is because it is the most open network in history. It needs to stay that way. Barack Obama strongly supports the principle of network neutrality to preserve the benefits of open competition on the Internet.

McCain’s view on Net Neutrality:
OOPS! – the link doesn’t work.
The page cannot be found
The page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.
——————————————————————————–

The irony is that Obama’s likely win is probably specifically because of the Internet. His teams organizational skills on the ‘Net have been unparalelled. The only other guy who came close to his fame on ‘Net is Ron Paul.

read more | digg story

Popularity: 3% [?]

My First “Notice of Libel” Yippee!

Johnny Cash says it best.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Forget Security… start blogging!

To all would be Information Technology specialist, geeks, and security professionals! Do not put all your eggs in one basket. The corporate world isn’t all that great. Do you really want to be a corporatized zombie in a cubicle farm? Do you want be a work junkie strung out on caffeine with coffee ivy jammed directly into your left ventricle? These are not rhetorical questions. Verily, I say unto you from the front lines of corporate and government mind fields, financial stability is no more unless you have multiple streams of passive income.

I too once dreamed of corporate back rubs, company cars, company Visas. But I’m telling you that on the bottom end of the corporate and government ladder, Robin Leech is not going to wish you Champaign dreams and Strawberry wishes. Robin Leech is going to make you fix his bloody computer and hook up his filthy 802.11g wireless. Robin Leech is going to piss on you like Robert Kelly did to that teenage girl… and you know what the sad part about that is.. you are going to learn to love that golden shower.

Listen. Seriously. All joking aside. I am not an ingrate. I appreciate my employment. I enjoy technology, security and even some of my trips to Hawaii . I get paid more money than anyone in my family (which isn’t saying much) but one thing I’ve come to realize is that TIME is infinitely more valuable than money (especially the US dollar circa 2008). I figure the only way to get more time is to become completely self employed. Which is something I’d like to do via blogging, one of my favorite pass times (aside from pr0nagraphy). This blog actually makes me a few hundred dollars every month. The crazy things is that Steve Pavilina and Darren Rowse make more in one month from their blogs than many people make in one year. That is what I want to do. And if you are smart (and I KNOW you are) you do too. Start blogging yesterday. Talk about anything to start then turn it into a cash machine as you learn from the Jedi Knights of blogging.

Blog you will, hmm. — Master Yoda

Popularity: 5% [?]

Drupal 5.1 is pretty bad ass

I’ve loaded up Drupal 5.1 on one of my blogs and I am very impressed.  I’ve always like drupal for is swiss army knife of content management systems.  It is superior to most content management systems by it is FREE!  

I’ve messed around with Expression Engine and Joomla and Drupal wins over both of them.  Joomla is pretty and Expression Engine is gorgeous in design and implemenation making it easier for web designers, but Drupal has been around longer and has all kinds of cool tools. 

One thing that is rather consistently sucky about all CMS’s is that it is difficult to get your content off of them and on to WordPress or Typepad.  Content transfer is very important to me, because I like to try different things.  I’ve lost content on Drupal because I simply could get the stuff out of their without a whole lot of copy and paste. 

Drupal 5.1 is much easier to implement than some of the older versions of Drupal.  The designs are also much better.  Drupal has the open source, linuxy, mysql, do it yourself feel that I really like, however there is the a “cost to be the boss”.  The geek factor required on Drupal is something many people don’t want to deal with.  An I must admit there are times when I just want to post a blog, not figure out why I’m getting some sql error cause by some new tool I just added. 

Popularity: 3% [?]

Troubles with video

I’ve had trouble with getting video on my blog until now. If you’re having problems check out Jack Humphrey’s video about the subject.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Over 15,000 Comments

I’m getting thousands of comment spam.  Way to many to sort through.  Its too bad to because comments used to be one of my favorite things about blogs. 

I’ll have to mass delete them.  Before I was using Akismet.  It was working pretty good against spam until my SQL comment table got corrupt.  I had to go into the MySQL database and clear out all the data.  Since I didn’t back up, it delete all my old comments. 

I guess I’ll have to turn Akismet back on again.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Hacking Blogger Beta: Building a Three Column Template, Removing the Navbar

Looking for a three column Blogger Beta template? Looking to remove the Blogger Navbar? Looking to add a picture to your header? Then look no further! This article explains step by step how to do it all. Includes download links to ready-made templates.

read more | digg story

Popularity: 5% [?]

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