Random Access

When James Joyce does it, we call it "Stream of Consciousness."

When I do it, we call it "disorganized and lazy writing." ;)

Consider yourselves warned.

I read an artticle in the DC Examiner a few days ago that got me excited. It's about a new security firm with unique personnel and a philosophy that mirrors my thoughts on how lame "passive security" is.

To recap: most security works along this thought process. If I add alarms/defenses to my assets, the would be intruder/thief decides attacking my assets is too much trouble-- and then moves on to attack a less fortified target elsewhere.

What sort of bullsh*t approach is THAT? Do you think Van Helsing/Buffy would just put on a garlic necklace/demon repelling amulet and wait for the undead/demons to go elsewhere and start munching on some other soul? OF COURSE NOT! They go on the offensive and take the fight to the enemy.

(Okay, I know-- no one takes pop-culture/fantasy/SF examples seriously. Well, okay, except for when Reagan got all "Dirty Harry" on us, but that was the 80's.)

Let's take a REAL example from the REAL world of police law enforcement. Did you know that police have "sting cars" they leave out on the street as bait, and when a car thief breaks in and steals the car, they use technology in the car to either bust the car thief right then and there OR (and this is where it gets exciting, folks!) they let the thief drive away in the car and use technology to trace the car back to the chop shop where OTHER STOLEN CARS have been taken? It's like technological judo-- you want to take my car? Okay, that's fine-- but you're gonna pay for it later when I take away your freedom, your associates' freedom and the entire shop where you guys work.

Why should identity theft be any different? Create some form of RFID card with a bogus account (a "honeypot," if you will) and when someone tries to access the service with that dummy account, it logs their IP address information, captures any shipping address info that they might provide, etc. Don't just give me a wallet that blocks RFID signals! Give me a "sting RFID card" that'll get some of these thieves off the streets (or at least, off the Internet).

This new security company I was reading about-- it sounds like they have similar ideas. It should be interesting to see what they do.

On another note-- the Java lessons are slowly moving forward. I managed to get through Ch. 6, which was all about the Java APIs. My study partner seems to have a real mental block/philosophical problem with using the APIs. Not me. I don't have time or energy to "reinvent the wheel"-- and somehow, I don't think it's too likely that a Java tyro is going to create a better "wheel" than the seasoned Java vets who've put these API packages together over the course of several years. Honestly, some people just like to be contrary about anything, don't they?

Not sure why, but Jim Neighbors seems to keep popping up in the verge of my conscious awareness today. Pleasantly surprised to learn he is still alive-- I could have sworn he'd gotten ill and passed away.