Why You Should Care About the Protections Enshrined in The Constitution

Imagine how different this story would have been if chip-embedded ID cards/passports had existed; or AI facial recognition, or consolidated national databases; or the massive deployment of cameras in every venue that aggregated data on the movement of every individual into a national intelligence database, etc.. This is why I am opposed to the promotion by insurance companies of car tracking devices - to offer you discounted rates. It is the terrible potential for misuse and abuse of that data - which the government can subpoena with secret warrants.

It is not a question of IF - but WHEN - governments will devolve into tyranny and autocratic rule.
For the fascist to use fear to drive the populace to elect demagogues was the basis of Hitler's rise to power - and that same prelude is being repeated in our own time - and not just in the United States - but in the lurch toward extreme right-wing ideologies in countries around the world - where dictators are admired by tRump.

This is why the Right to Privacy and to Liberty, enshrined in the The Fourth and Fifth Amendments, are so vital to protect - as our country's foundational bones.

Evil must be named and confronted with Truth

This is an exercise of my First Amendment Right, under the United States Constitution.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

If you suffer under any delusion, that tRump is not a racist white nationalist - then please carefully read his twitter posts from this morning that I've included below.

Note tRump's use of the plural "congresswomen" - and "they".

Congresswoman @AyannaPressley

-born in Chicago.

Congresswiman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @AOC

- born in NYC.

Congresswoman @RashidaTlaib

- born in Detroit.

Only Ilhan Omar was born elsewhere. She arrived in 1992, and has been a U.S. citizen for 19 years, six years longer than his immigrant wife.

The sitting U.S. President is a racist white nationalist. For the blind and ignorant, let me clarify: His views can only be described as being most closely aligned with two groups: The KKK, and Nazis.

He promotes divisive policies.

He promotes hatred of immigrants.

He promotes hatred of other religions.

This is no longer something that can be ignored for the sake of keeping peace between parties, between friends, between families. This is an evil - and must be named and confronted with the Truth.

Silence is acceptance. 

Silence is to be complicit. 

This is how the beginning of atrocities against the Jewish people began in Germany, during the rise of Hitler. Would you have been silent then too?

In 1980, I swore an oath at the time of my enlistment in the United States Army.

"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God." (Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).

 Note that the instruction to defend the Constitution precedes obeying the orders of POTUS. That was repeatedly impressed upon every soldier - that there is such a thing as an unlawful order. The Congress must act against his continued attacks on our Constitution - and against The Rule of Law.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1150381394234941448

Music Video: Symphony of Science - the Quantum World!

Securing Your Computer's Financial Transaction Activity

Security is never absolute. It is a balancing act of trade-offs. Effort/Cost vs. Potential Benefit.

Security is not one thing - it is the intentional creation of a layered defense-in-depth.

An IT engineer I know reported that his computer was compromised yesterday. He stepped away to have dinner with his family - and when he came back - his cursor was behaving erratically. Then, he noted that his crypto-wallets had been completely drained. He assumes that all of his passwords have been compromised.

A few things someone could/should do to help protect themselves:

1. Make sure your base OS is running the latest version/patch (e.g. Windows Update FAQ)
2. Ensure that you have a Firewall and Anti-Virus software installed and running.  On Windows - you should minimally be running two Anti-Virus products: Windows Defender - and Malwarebytes.
3.  Create two Linux virtual machines - running one of the security-focused Linux distributions (e.g. Kali or Qubes might be my first options to consider). Docker can be very helpful in setting these two VMs up. Both VMs are launched fresh each time. You only launch __ONE__ of those VMs when you need to do a transaction. Never both at the same time.
4.  Use the Chrome browser in one - just for financial/banking/bill paying transactions.
5. Use the Firefox browser in the other one - just for the crypo transactions. 
6. ***NEVER*** visit any other web sites with either of the browsers - in either of those VMs - other than the financial transaction sites you regularlyh use. 
7. Close those browsers and VMs when you are not using them.
8.  Use a USB for cold storage of all crypto-wallets. These should never be left connected to any machine.
9. The VMs should be configured with encrypted disk mounts.
10. Change passwords at least quarterly
11. Enable multi-factor authentication on every account that supports it.
12.  For financial accounts, enable alerts for any transaction activity above a specific threshold (my level is set at $1)

Isolation and launching a fresh/known Linux - can go a long way to protecting your financial assets - and help prevent the leaking of passwords that may be kept unencrypted in memory in the base OS (i.e. Windows).

But even with these precautions - it is important to note that there have been several critical security defects reported, over the past few years, in which the crypto-wallet itself was the key vulnerability in the attack vector.

Excuse me, I'm going to strap on my scuba gear to check on my gold & silver stash, in the safest place i know...

Mr. Hardcastle

Hi name was Mr. Hardcastle.

As a child, growing up in the countryside - I would walk about a 1/5 of a mile up a hill to road juncture - where I would catch a bus every morning to elementary and junior high school.

The bus driver, during my junior high school years - was a man by the name of Mr. Hardcastle.

One day, I left my saxaphone case on the bus.

My mother somehow found Mr. Hardcastle's phone number - and called - and confirmed that he had my saxaphone - so we drove to his house (a trailer) and picked it up.  That is probably the first really distinct memory I have of him.

In my final year of junior high - we moved to a subdivision in the city - and I was able to walk to school every day.

In my first year of high school, I signed-up for a geometry class - and was surprised to find out that Mr. Hardcastle wasn't just a bus driver - he was a math teacher as well.

I have warm memories of him as a teacher. He was kind, patient, and it was obvious that he cared about his students.

I don't know if he recalled that I was the same kid that left a saxaphone on his bus. I suspect he did.

Another favorite teacher in high school was Mr. Screeton, who taught Physics and Chemistry - both of which I took with him.

Now, the interesting thing about both of these men - was that they had both served in Vietnam:

• Mr. Screeton had been a Marine Sniper.
• Mr. Hardcastle had been a Green Beret.

In my voracious reading - I had happened upon a paperback book at a local used book reseller: The Green Berets, by Robin Moore - and I was fascinated by the elite role they played, their specialized military training; and the types of mission for which they were assigned. They were unsung heroes.

During this same period of time - I was working toward achieving my black belt in Shotokan Karate - and had joined the Air Force Junior ROTC in my junior year.

In my senior year, I was a finalist for an Air Force ROTC Scholarship - and later, was notified that I would be awarded the scholarship.

As the events of November 4, 1979 unfolded in Iran - with the storming of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran - and the seizing of 52 American hostages - a sense of duty overcame my desire to proceed straight to university - and a sense of weariness from academic studies was also probably a factor (having been working 32 hours/week at a part-time job, teaching classes 2-3 times per week at my Karate Dojo, and having carried a heavy academic load all throughout both junior high - and high school - in preparation for college).

One Saturday, I went to the local U.S. Army recruiting station and asked about opportunities to join the Green Berets. Sadly, that wasn't possible. But, the next-best strategy - was to sign-up as an Airborne Ranger - and then seek to volunteer for the Green Beret program once I had a few years of the mandatory qualifying service completed.

And so, I was probably quite jubilant when I stopped by Mr. Hardcastle's classroom, prior to my graduation in  1980 - and told him of my plans.

Unexpectedly, he did not share in my excitement.

He was a wise man - and knew the risks and dangers that would certainly lay ahead for me.

Once I left home for the U.S. Army, I never saw Mr. Hardcastle again - but the impression he made in my life has had a lasting effect.

If you had met him - you would never guess that he was a deadly trained Special Forces warrior. 

In all his mannerisms, speech, and duty-of-care as a teacher - he was a gentleman, with a quiet disposition - who exuded a mild sense of sad melancholy. Some of that sadness was likely due to the ending of a romantic relationship he had with a fellow teacher - that was widely known.

I remember both him, and Mr. Screeton (Billy Louis Screeton), with great fondness for the wisdom and instruction I received.

In their own rights, they were exemplary manifestations of all the best qualities of "The Doctor" [Who] - in real life.Thus, my deep and abiding heartfelt connection with all that the character of Doctor Who represents.