Maple Engineer

I had a traveling farm hand from France who had never been trick or treating. She was 34. She was super excited to go so we took her when we took our kids out. At each house I said, “She’s 34 and from France and has never been trick or treating.” She got a bunch of candy and was very pleased.

I’m currently in treatment for Hodgin Lymphoma. An old friend that I rarely see volunteered to take me to chemo every two weeks for six months. We have really good visits while I’m in the chair. Last week I got out my tablet and showed him my farm in Minecraft. I don’t like being asked how I’m doing or how I’m feeling because literally everyone asks and I get tired of answering. I prefer, “Do you need anything?” or “Can I help in any way?” I’m not good at asking for help. A friend who I have helped several times just showed up with her partner and four kids and their partners and got our place ready for fall. One of the kids partners was a plumber and he installed a couple of sinks for us. We have a bunch of people around us who have offered to help and meant it. One got up early and drove my son and his bike to school two days after chemo. Another has done groceries for us and taken my wife grocery shopping because she doesn’t drive. If you offer to help mean it and do anything you can to help. Otherwise, just be there and do things other than talk about cancer. Normalcy is welcome. If she wants to talk, talk. If she just wants you to be there, be there.

In the days before *nx, “terminal” meant a VT terminal and “clear” wasn’t a thing.

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Is one of my favorites. Of course, most of you are too young to know what that means.

26 when your brain is almost certainly fully myelenated to 65 since the future of young people is far more effected by elected officials than the futures of retired people.

This is rage bait. How many times a year would this happen? Two? Three? There are more important things to talk about. That’s why they’re taking about this

It violates noise laws where I live. I have called the police because my neighbours were having drunken, obscenity filled screaming matches on their driveway at 3 am. The police have come and told them to knock it the fuck off or they will drag one of them off the jail each time. They haven’t done it outside where they can disturb their neighbours, we are far from the closest, since the third or fourth time I did that.

Two months ago the lymph node under my left collar bone got very inflamed. I went to the doctor who ordered an ultrasound and chest x-ray. The ultrasound was, “worrying” so they ordered a CT. The CT suggested that my lymph nodes had gone bad. I spent the last two months afraid that I was going to leave my kids unsupported as one was finishing her first year of university and the other his first year of high school. A couple of days ago I got the best possible news under the circumstances that I have Hodgkins Lymphoma which is curable and I am expected to go on and live a long life.

That largely depends on who you talk to.

Christofascists think I’m bad. White supremacists, white nationalists, racists, anti-vaxers, neo-Nazis and Nazis, anti-choicers, anti-maskers, Covid deniers, vegan extremists, incels and incucks, Puritans, the US Taliban, magats and the anti-reality crowd, the convoyists, the Save-The-Children crowd and Queen Dildo and her ragtag band of morons, PETA, the rabid pro-gun I’m-terrified-of-everything-so-I-need-a-grenade-launcher-to-buy-donuts crowd, and others think I’m bad but so do the tankies, and trans extremists, the anti-gun crowd, and others who hate the first group. Just about everyone who lives in an echo bunker would think I’m bad.

I do things that many people think are bad but they tend to be the controlling-what-other-people-do mob but generally I think I’m a good person and the people around me seem to think so too no matter where they lie on the political, religious, or social spectrum.

My wife had my first when I was 39. I wish I had had kids sooner. I love going to minor hockey games and taking to my daughter about her crafts and school.

Can I use my dick head?

“You want me to unlock my phone? I used the head of my erect penis. I’m not going to get it up myself. Knock yourself the fuck out.”

The other problem with biometrics is you can’t change them. With the OPM breach a few years ago they lost 5.6 million finger prints. Those finger prints are now useless since they are in the wild and can’t be changed. Not a problem for your average phone user but in my world that’s a really big deal. In my world biometrics are a convenience and convenience is bad for security.

As long as you’ve considered and accepted the risks you’re good.

You’ve done a threat and risk assessment and decided that the inconvenience of uninstalling or disabling the app is with accepting the risk of your device being competing and your data stolen or ransomed, your banking or other credentials being stolen, your friends, family, and other contacts being targeted, and your employer being put at risk if you use your device for work. That’s an acceptable way of handling the situation. You can always accept the risk.

That’s a threat and risk assessment. You’ve decided you’re willing to accept the risk of anyone being able to unlock your phone. For me, I’m not really worried about someone in the street strong arming me. I’m more worried about a state actor, border guard, police officer, etc demanding that I unlock my phone. They can physically compel you to unlock your phone by pointing it at your face or putting your finger on the pad but they cannot compel you to give them your password.

You’re exposing yourself to unpatched vulnerabilities for convenience instead of updating or deleting the app. If you lose half the functionality because of an update it’s time to find a new app in my books.

Something like that. Hardened personal devices in one and things like TVs and game consoles in the other.

Yup. Also having an agreement that an X from any family member means they are uncomfortable or in trouble and you should call them in one minute, tell them that there is an emergency, and you need to pick them up right now. Get them safe and don’t ask questions unless they want to talk.

That’s my expert opinion. Take it or leave it. It’s your device.

I always have a firewall inside the ISP device. I also have segmented network with the devices I mostly control on one network and the devices that the manufacturer mostly controls on another.

I work in information security.

Don’t use biometrics to secure your devices. Biometrics are a convenience feature to make it easier to access your device. Biometrics are NOT security. You can be compelled to unlock your device by having it pointed at your face or your finger forced onto the reader. Don’t do it.

Use 2FA/MFA everywhere you can. If it’s an option, turn it on.

Use a password manager that generates strong passwords and use a different password for every service you use.

Update, update, update. Allow your devices, OSes, and software/applications to update automatically.

Talk to your parents about safe surfing. Tell them that their bank won’t send them an email or text asking them to send personal information. Set a password with your family to identify them if they are in trouble and need help. Tell parents and grandparent not to send you bail money to get you out of jail in Morocco.

Teach your kids that everything they post on the internet is public and permanent. Teach them that if they do something that they think will get them in trouble and someone is blackmailing them that it’s better to tell you and ask for help than to give in to the blackmailers.