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Incite 6/6/2012: Universally Awesome

Mike Rothman June 6, 2012 2 Comments

With all the vacation I have planned this summer, finding time for work may be a challenge. We had 4 days at home after the Barcelona trip and then headed down to Orlando where the girls’ dance troupe did a performance at Downtown Disney. Yup, a 7-hour drive, a pair of 3-day Park Hopper tickets (which we didn’t use), costumes, hotel, and meals, so we could see the girls dance for less than 30 minutes – melting in 90+ degree weather. And it was worth every penny. They love to perform and we love to watch them. The owner of their dance studio always does a nice job with the choreography and getting all the age groups involved. Thankfully for my wallet’s sake, the Disney trip only happens every two years, so I get a 24-month respite from Orlando in June. But it wasn’t all dance all the time. On Monday we did the Universal theme parks, where the highlight was the Harry Potter attraction in Islands of Adventure. XX1 is a huge Potter fan and she has been looking forward to touring Hogsmeade since the park opened – right after the last time she performed in Orlando. Touring Hogwarts was great and checking out the shops provided a few hours of fun as well. Even better, we survived the trip without buying wands, though we did bring home some of the famous Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans. Amazingly enough, I wasn’t keen on trying the rotten egg flavor. Go figure. I also got my bi-annual dose of roller coasters. And then some. We went to the park with a group of folks on the dance trip, and a few were fans of the coasters. So I had some running buddies. Normally the Boss allows me to peel away from herding the kids to jump on one coaster. But with a lot of help around and with some of the kids old enough to ride the coasters themselves, I had a lot more flexibility to ride away. I did the Hulk Coaster twice. There is nothing like the feel of being shot out of a cannon. I rode the Dragon Challenge as well, where your feet dangle to provide a different feel. But the highlight of the day was the Rockit with XX2, who was on her first real roller coaster. She wasn’t tall enough to ride the other rides and just made the requirement on this one. The kind folks at Universal gave us a VIP pass (because she was so excited when she passed the height requirement), so we scooted to the front of the line and jumped into the front row. It isn’t just an ordinary roller coaster. You ascend 167 feet vertically (literally), and then the fun begins. XX2 is a real daredevil – she not only wasn’t scared, but she lifted her hands as we descended through the first drop. By the way, I was holding on for dear life. She was so excited, I’m just glad I was able to share that experience with her. We also dragged the other kids (kicking and screaming) on a less intense ride, and they seemed to enjoy it. I explained to my kids that for me, roller coasters represent the fear that can paralyze many folks in every aspect of their lives. Too many folks don’t try things or take risks or live their life to the fullest because they are scared. The only way to overcome that fear is to face it and realize it all works out. I have come to enjoy the anticipation of the experience, the adrenaline surge as you climb the hill, the trust needed to let go and just enjoy, and finally the feeling of accomplishment as the ride comes to a grinding halt at the end. Not to be too melodramatic, but roller coasters kind of reset my worldview when I was a kid. My Dad forced me to go on the Comet at Hershey Park when I was about 10 or 11. I didn’t want to go. I was scared. And every time I strap into a roller coaster I remember that day. I remember overcoming self-imposed limitations of what I can do and what was safe. XX2 needs no convincing to do anything. She came out of the womb fearless. The other two need a bit more coaxing, and I can only hope that 30 years from now they thank me for forcing them out of their comfort zones. –Mike Photo credits: “Life is a roller coaster…. you have your ups and downs unless you fall off” ~ Happy FRISKY Friday ~ originally uploaded by turtlemom4bacon Heavy Research We are back at work on a variety of blog series, so here is a list of the research currently under way. Remember you can get our Heavy Feed via RSS, where you can see all our content in its unabridged glory. And you can get all our research papers too. Understanding and Selecting Data Masking Technical Architecture How It Works Pragmatic Key Management Understanding Data Encryption Systems Introduction Evolving Endpoint Malware Detection Control Lost Understanding and Selecting a Database Security Platform Final Paper Available Incite 4 U The weakness of account recovery: We got another stark reminder that it’s not if, but when you get popped, this week. CloudFlare’s CEO lost control of his email when attackers reset his password. But Prince says passwords are at least 20 characters, random, and not used on other services. So how did they get his account? Leave it to Krebs to figure out what really happened. The attackers gamed the account recovery process at Google (where he had both personal and corporate email) by tricking AT&T into forwarding his voicemail to a different account. It’s a pretty complicated hack, but if you use Gmail (or Google apps) for email, their 2-step verification is a must. Just remember that, depending on your phone, taking advantage of their SMS backup system might be as simple

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