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Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Site Updates / Systems within System Forms

Hello all,

As the old Monty Python saying goes, "I'm not dead!" While you've been reading articles about how to protect your finances (Lose the Fear and Follow the Spirit, The Total Warrior) and how to fight off online attackers (30 Moves of Cyber Security), I've been ninja-ing around in the background and you haven't even noticed!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

30 Moves of Cyber Security

The Basic Form: 30 Moves
 
There is a basic form that Sifu teaches each new student when they join the class.  It's called '30 Moves'.  It's a wonderful form that teaches the student how to move through the basic Kung Fu stances while incorporating punches, kicks, as well as blocks.  It has both linear and circular movements that contain different layers of interpretation.  With practice you will learn to go through the form in a confident and efficient manner.  I know you are wondering, what does a basic Kung Fu form has to do with cyber security?  Perhaps more than you imagine, let me explain.

Defining the Problem

You may not realize this, but each day there are billions of attempted attack from the dark corners of the internet on our personal information online.  They are automated, sophisticated, and relentless, and they succeed from time to time.  Lately it seems that the hackers are winning some key battles.  Just this past year for example, Sony's PlayStation Network was hacked into with millions of account information stolen, Gmail accounts of federal government employees were hacked into last month, and Citigroup just announced that financial information of 200,000 customers were just stolen this month.  Can you imagine if a hacker obtains access to all your emails from your gmail, hotmail, or yahoo account?  What if you can never access that account again?  Worse yet, what if someone with an agenda simultaneously obtains your social, family, financial, medical, and personal information, what kind of damage can they do without you ever knowing who they are and where they are located?   In light of this, we should review our own internet usage practices to make sure that we minimize our exposure to unnecessary online risks.  Defending our online presence is like defending our physical presence, it takes knowledge, practice, and discipline, just like practicing forms.  For some sacrifice in convenience and time, we gain a peace of mind and stronger online presence.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Lose the Fear and Follow Spirit


To the brethren court and Jen,

Today's Laugh Line: "President Obama's top economic adviser, a man named Austan Goolsbee, is stepping down: He will be replaced by something a little more effective ... the magic 8-ball." - Jay Leno


On a more serious note, thanks so much for the comments that were posted! I actually thought the same regarding "a freakin pause button" while I sat through the entire video beginning at 1:30 AM! The second comment, "if America falls..." has been the subject of many personal reveries. Recently a Chinese finance official (my apologies, I can't remember his name) has warned that by not raising the debt ceiling come August 2, 2011 that the U.S. is "playing with fire." India, another country who own a large amount of dollars, does not believe that the U.S. would actually let a default happen as the resulting impact on the global economy could be potentially catastrophic. Yet many current republicans are of the opinion that allowing a temporary default (potentially 3 to 4 days) would benefit the U.S. economy, "forcing dramatic spending cuts." They claim our debtors won't mind waiting 3 to 4 days for their interest payments if it means that they are more likely to received future owed monies once the our economy is, for lack of a better word, "fixed."

In any case, I intend to pursue that matter a bit further and attempt to understand what the recommendations are the of people I actually respect in the field. More on that later...

Sunday, June 5, 2011

The Total Warrior

A note of humor to start things off:
"A new Facebook app is coming out that will remind users exactly what they were doing a year ago from that day. Nine times out of ten, the answer will be 'wasting your time on Facebook' " - Conan O'Brien

It has been long, long time time since our forefathers have unraveled the mysteries of focus and harmony that have paved the way for our own training. The circumstances that dictated their cultivation are unquestionalbly different than the issues that characterize the present day. Yet, even on the broadest environmental level, similarities abound.

A quick peak beneath 'spiritual surface', will reveal that the Shaolin monks too were immersed in a world governed by money, politics, and power. I do not wish to have a discussion on the financial and polictal yesteryears of Shaolin monks. It is my intent to convey that in our struggle to become complete warriors today, as was the case of the monks in their day, a proper understanding of money, politics and the flow of power is essential.