Yearly Archives: 2011

The Data Security Myth

Dropbox Lied to Users About Data Security, Complaint to FTC Alleges | Threat Level | Wired.com

Yes, it seems the whole Internet is talking about this story. That said, here is the general rule of thumb we all should be aware of as a blanket statement of security about everything:

If you want your data to be 100% secure, here’s the solution:

Don’t have data.

Anything on or attached to the Internet could be accessed no matter what. This is especially true of anything you willingly give to someone else, no matter what they promise. The only way to be safe is to locally encrypt all of your data and never, ever, attach it to the Internet. Though, that is only as safe as someone taking your machine and breaking the encryption which, well, the government could surely do if they wanted to.

The bottom line is that the moment you even have data it is at some level of risk. So the real question is how much risk are you comfortable with?

For instance, I’m reasonably sure my hosting provider could read my IMAP based email anytime they want to. I’m also reasonably sure that, someone with the right skills could hack into my local machine from afar and read whatever they wanted. Therefore, I’m not at all surprised that a company that syncs data to the cloud that I allow it to and then to other machines has the ability to read that data and hand it over to authorities if pressed to do so under threat or law.

By connecting with the Internet in the first place I’m assuming some level of risk. Having my email hosted by a 3rd party I’m assuming another. Put any of my data in the hands of anyone else (Dropbox in this instance), well, that is yet another. 

Osama Bin Laden spent years not connected to the internet and encrypting his data. This still has not stopped our government from taking his machine and finding his porn stash.

I’m trading security for personal convenience in all of these cases and it’s a risk I have, thus far, been comfortable with in the instances I have done so. A big part of that comfort comes from knowing that most of our ideas about security are stories we like to tell ourselves and each other to help us sleep comfortably at night. The Internet knows much more about us then most of our friends do from the moment the cable guy flips the switch.

So, yes, back to the Dropbox thing…

Just be reasonably careful so you can be reasonably comfortable and know that there is no such thing as secure data.

Have a nice day!

Our Natural State is Now

In a child’s mind, everything happens right now. Have you ever suggested something to a child, especially a two or three year old, with the intention of it happening at a later date. For instance, suggesting having ice cream after dinner or going to a movie later in the day? My results are always that they start heading straight for the freezer with bowl in hand or to the door ready to take in a show. It takes effort and explanation to sway them from the idea that there even is something called “later” let alone that these things are happening there.

I believe there is a reason for this. It is because later does not exist. The future is great in concept and theory but, until the future becomes now, it is as real as a fairy tale or an imaginary friend. Everything that exists in the world around us exists only in the now. Our natural state is now.

Therefore, imagine how strange and complex a subject the idea of later must be to the mind of a child. Especially one who is only just beginning to grasp the concept of time.

Perhaps we should all try to approach life and our time in it in the same way. Let the past be prologue. Let the future be fantasy. Let your thoughts and actions exist in the now.

Societal pressure to ‘keep house’

Societal pressure to ‘keep house’

Personally, unless a home is filthy or is a danger to the person who lives there or a burden to others, I don’t care about the clutter. I just hope the person is happy and the clutter doesn’t interfere with her ability to pursue the life she desires or anyone else’s. Not only do I think gender is irrelevant to this topic, I believe we need to stop cluttering up our thoughts and time by concerning ourselves with how other people have chosen to live. If someone chooses to be an unclutterer, I think that is an amazing decision. However, I don’t think everyone should or needs to be an unclutterer to pursue a remarkable life.

What we believe in.

Just like Erin, if anyone were to see my home at any given time, they would likely think that the person who curates this site was a complete charlatan. I live in an old house. There are constant remodeling projects in ious stages of completion. I have a three year old daughter who messes it up as quickly as I can pick it up (so why even bother most days). My office area is in such a state of disarray that I can barely stand working in it. Plus, I married someone who, by their own admission, is the opposite of a minimalist. A big part of my desire to have a more minimal existence with my technology and other personal items is driven by the fact that it is the one thing I can control. It is the one area I can reduce some clutter and friction without forcing others around me to conform. 

Therefore, I’m always surprised when people think I judge them and how they choose to live and work. That I care about how much they have on their desktop or think poorly of them for having a messy desk. Quite the opposite actually. I want people to live and work in whatever way is best for them. All I try to promote here is the idea that we should not just let these things “happen” to us. We should all ask questions, in this increasingly crazy world, about what we can do to make our own lives a little bit more sane.