Research

Much to our own surprise, last August my wife and I decided to buy our first new “new” house in the Desert RIdge area of Phoenix. The closest I’ve ever come to having a house built was helping build a house. Needless to say, this was a perfect opportunity to get my geek on. I could tell you all the wonderful things about the place like our cabinet and counter selections, tile and carpet, or number of rooms. But let’s be honest, if you’re reading this blog you won’t be interested in any of that stuff. I barely am, and I’m paying for most of it. Here’s the good stuff. On the electrical front I got to design the lighting and even the circuits. We put in dedicated circuits behind the TV, in the garage (for the power tools), and in the server closet. Yep, I get an office with a server closet (air conditioned, of course, although that was just blind luck). We also put an outlet at eye-level behind the TV for the wall mount flat panel, and a floor outlet in the office. Thanks to a mistake by the installer, there are eye-mount level panels to run wires down to floor-level for any wall mount TVs. The entire house is wired with Cat6 and coax. Even the phone lines are just Cat6 lines. Every room has at least one Cat6 and one coax line, but usually more. Behind the TV area we doubled up on everything, with enough coax lines to run 4 channels of high definition satellite signals (for the TiVo, of course, pre-wired to the South facing side of the house). All the lines run to a central panel in the… you guessed it… server closet. I can mix and match anything without having to run new lines. But even Cat6 won’t last forever, so we ran conduit to all the bedrooms, the family/TV room, and another general room upstairs. Fiber? No prob, unless it’s fatter than 1.5 inches. For audio we put ceiling speakers in the living/dining room and out on the patio, all running to the TV area where the stereo will sit. We also put in overhead rear-surround speakers, which can double up as general stereo speakers. It’s not whole-home, but I don’t think we really need that. There’s crawl space access upstairs and even between floors if we need it. If I want to shoot audio upstairs I’ll just go wireless. We did a slight upgrade on the security panel and added a serial interface. I run Insteon home automation off a Mac Mini, and I’ll be able to interface directly with the alarm. That will let us do all sorts of cool stuff like turn off the lights when we activate the alarm, or get a nice web display of all open doors/windows. For security reasons we added a door sensor to a deck door on the second floor, a glass break detector in the back of the house, and a smoke detector. It seems weird to me that while we got integrated smoke detectors throughout the house, none of them connect to the alarm panel to call the fire department. The firefighter in me also sprung for the residential sprinkler system. If we ever have kids, and they ever set it off, I’m going to kill them. While I made a serious bid for a secret passage disguised behind a bookcase, that was a definite no go. Last week we got our close date- June 19. Less than 2 months until I’m living in gig-ethe et heaven… (…anyone want to buy a condo in downtown Boulder, CO?) Share:

I turn 36 today. I’m not really sure how that happened. Neither are a lot of other people. I realize 36 is still fairly young, but it’s definitely not my 20’s anymore. My father died around age 64, so technically I’m past mid-life by his standard, although I’m pretty darn certain I can stretch well past that. With cryogenic freezing advances I might even make it to “indefinite”. I’m also now in the “over 35” category for martial arts competitions. In just 4 short years I have to look forward to a new addition to my annual physical and will begin choosing my physicians based on the size of their hands. (Smaller is better.) This weekend I’m also finishing up EMT refresher class so I can transfer my Colorado certification to Arizona since it expires in a couple months. I first certified as an EMT in 1990/91, and was a paramedic in 1993 for 3 years before dropping back to EMT. I’m not the oldest in the class, but I’m definitely the only one there with extensive field experience. Back when I first became certified I remember listening to the war stories and wondering how I’d react. Mostly I thought, “cool! I hope I get to do that!” The nastier and bigger the better. Now, when I’m not telling my own stories, I think to myself, “damn! I hope that doesn’t happen to me!” So much for the invulnerability of youth. I expected hair loss, slower healing, and degradation of my vertical jump, but it was a slap in the face to realize how much more aware I am of my own mortality. Crap. (On a good side, I realize how much age has improved my skills as a health care provider. Not the physical skills nor the technical knowledge, but despite being a bit of an asshole in general I realize I focus much more on patient comfort and compassion than showing off my skills. It’s now about them, not me.) Share:

I really don’t mean to turn this blog into a media rant, but I’m on a roll today and will keep it short. I was, like most of you, disappointed that the media’s been exploiting the VT tragedy with nonstop coverage and pathetic interviewing of anyone they could get their hands on to fill the 24 hour news cycle. That’s fine, I can mostly turn it off and just get the occasional update from the web as facts emerge. That was until I saw the paper this morning. Here’s a hint guys- if you plaster ego-shots of some twisted sociopath in movie scene poses with guns all over your papers, websites, and broadcasts, all it does is turn him into some martyr for the cult of the deranged. You’re creating an anti-hero for that miniscule fraction of society born without all the right wires connected. No, these images won’t encourage a normal person to cross the edge to insanity after getting turned down for a date one too many times. But with 300 million people in this country, never mind internationally, the law of averages ensures that some miniscule fraction of society will lack the neurons that ensure our social fabric. These images, with those of Columbine, encourage that fraction of fractions to go on a spree for their 15 minutes, rather than just taking themselves out. I’m not talking censorship. It is completely within the rights of news outlets to show whatever they get their hands on. But stop pretending you bear no responsibility for the actions you take. This story could have easily been covered without turning this kid into a martyr. This isn’t censorship, it’s discretion. What do you think the odds are the next maniac will mail you a package of images before committing atrocious acts and seeing if he can break the old record for domestic body count? Guess what guys, this is also how terrorism works. You don’t think suicide bombers make those videos just for their families, do you? Wake the fuck up. Stop giving these people an outlet and making them famous. I’m not naive enough to think that it will stop these events, but we sure as hell don’t have to encourage them. Alright. Rant over. Back to your irregularly scheduled blogging… Share:

The 24 hour news cycle has officially killed the Fourth Estate. Seriously, if there is, tell us in the comments. I’m sick of the exploitation, just give me the damn news. I gave up on local news about 10 years ago after a baby died in a parked car and the reporter decided to throw an oversized thermometer in a car during the day to show how bad it was. Fox is propaganda, and CNN lost me a couple years ago. Can’t remember the exact incident, maybe Terry Schaivo. This week is just obnoxious and degrading, and with all the TVs all over coffee shops and airports, it’s inescapable. sigh Share:

Do you ever have days where you feel that you’re not so much writing as you are psychically channeling the obscure hallucinations of an illiterate eight year old? Me too. Share:

(Physical security, that is) Road House “Be Nice.” “Until when?” “Until it’s time to not be nice.” Don’t forget the rest of the quotes. Seriously- even you non-physical security types need to watch this. The ultimate expression of the security mindset. (This post inspired by this link) Share:

This is so stupid. Terrorism is a tactic, which is also defined as a particularly nasty crime. There are a lot of definitions, but I tend to use various versions of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations: …the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives” (28 C.F.R. Section 0.85). So tell me, how does the following meet the definition of terrorism? A 14-year-old boy who allegedly kidnapped a classmate at knifepoint and was later found with a backpack full of restraining devices and weapons will be charged with terrorism, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas said. The Mesa boy, who attended Powell Junior High School, also faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping and carrying weapons on a school campus. A very bad crime? Yep. Terrorism? Nope. Only in the heads of over-zealous prosecutors who don’t understand terrorism, or the risks of abusing the laws against it. This kid needs to be dealt with, but how can you possibly compare this to real terrorist acts? This is a sick kid. Not a terrorist. Share:

Working from the library today and they have this on every door. Boulder was pretty liberal, but even they didn’t have a gun check at the library. I love living in the Southwest. Of course I know a bunch of people with concealed carry permits, just not here in Phoenix/Scottsdale. (yes, I know it also means knives and such, so stop spoiling everyone’s fun) Share:

troll 1 |trōl| noun: 1. A cowardly creature that hides behind anonymity to demean, harass, or threaten others (sometimes illegally) because they lack the intelligence to engage in real dialog or debate. 2. A pathetic, almost-life form that leaches off society without contributing anything of value. Trolls are the lowest form of life. Ugly, pathetic creatures of absolutely no worth, they strive to destroy the good work of others through intimidation. Trolls may lack intelligence, but they can be persistent pests, and in large numbers they can destroy a community. Some trolls are more aggressive and represent a physical danger, and must be dealt with harshly only by trained professionals, typically law enforcement. Trolls have been tolerated in our society for too long- these… things… must be confronted and destroyed. While full eradication is impossible, concrete steps can be taken to limit their impact on the world. Trolls can be marginalized through persistent effort, but only when a community acts together to condemn their behavior. You can participate in the Troll Eradication Project by taking a few simple steps: Reduce their habitat: Trolls live anonymously; very few have the intestinal fortitude to carry out their activities when they can be identified. Should trolls appear, forcing them to identify themselves will often scare them away. In some cases, more radical action needs to be taken and their ability to communicate restricted. Confront them: Trolls are cowardly, and will often flee confrontation when a community bands together. Some trolls may attack individuals, but few are willing to confront entire communities openly. Eliminate their food: Trolls feed off the negative energy they create. In some cases, persistently ignoring them may cause them to seek food elsewhere. Call in a professional: Some trolls are dangerous and violate the law. In these cases, law enforcement should be notified promptly. Outright threats and harassment are clearly illegal and should only be dealt with by professionals. Remember- only YOU can prevent trolls. We must control the troll threat before our communities are overrun. < p style=”text-align:center;”> Seriously folks- after yesterday’s events, we just can’t put up with this anymore. Share:

I read a few posts today on the deplorable harassment of Kathy Sierra (read Scoble, Feld, Kathy’s Site). Basically, Kathy is giving up on blogging and public speaking out of fear due to a series of death threats and online sexual harassment. It’s absolutely disgusting. And as someone who has been a member of online culture since the BBSs of the 1980’s, I’m simply embarrassed. There is one way to describe those who perpetuate this- fucking cowards. I know these people. They are everywhere on the Internet- hiding behind semi-anonymous IP addresses and spewing their garbage on every forum, IRC channel, or blog they can slap their pathetic personality on. I know them in the real world; too cowardly to face authority, but more than willing to make anyone they perceive as weaker miserable for no more reason than to inflate their pathetic egos. I’ve helped more than a few of them learn just exactly how “special” they are as we kicked them out or took them to jail. I’m probably violating my policy of not blogging about technology, but this is a cultural issue, not an industry issue. Except that it highlights the need for those of us in security and law enforcement to provide the same protections online that we do in the physical world. We can’t do this just by hiding behind our own walls; we need to band together as a community and figure out ways to improve online safety without violating online privacy (the usual mistake). Our society has very very few limits on freedom of speech, but threats and harassment to create fear are clearly unacceptable. Reading Kathy’s blog it looks like she is already working with law enforcement, and I sincerely hope they catch and prosecute those involved. There is no excuse for this. We cannot tolerate it. And those of us in security have the same responsibilities online as we do in the physical world to do our part. Share: