VPro Intel Chips Contain Back-Door Processor

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New Intel-Based PC’s Permanently Hackable

So you think no one can access your data because your computer is turned off. Heck it’s more than turned off, you even took the main hard drive out, and only the backup disk is inside. There is no operating system installed at all. So you KNOW you are safe.

Frank from across the street is an alternative operating systems hobbyist, and he has tons of computers. He has Free BSD on a couple, his own compilation of Linux on another, a Mac for the wife, and even has Solaris on yet another. Frank knows systems security, so he cannot be hacked… or so he thinks.

The government does not like Frank much, because they LOVE to look at everything. Privacy is a crime don’t you know, and it looks like Frank’s luck with privacy is about to run out.

The new Intel Core vPro processors contain a new remote access feature which allows 100 percent remote access to a PC 100 percent of the time, even if the computer is turned off. Core vPro processors contain a second physical processor embedded within the main processor which has it’s own operating system embedded on the chip itself. As long as the power supply is available and in working condition, it can be woken up by the Core vPro processor, which runs on the system’s phantom power and is able to quietly turn individual hardware components on and access anything on them.

Intel’s new Anti Theft 3.0, which put 3g connectivity into every Intel CPU after the Sandy Bridge version of the I3/5/7 processors. Users do not get to know about that 3g connection, but it IS there.

To read more: New Intel Chips Contain Back-Door Processor, Hackable Even When Computer is Turned Off | PopularResistance.Org

http://www.webcitation.org/6iaL5L0PS

No, you are not doing DevOps (…and nor am I)

Good rant and insights.

A subset of #2, keep the operators and sysadmins, but make them subordinate to developers, who will define new production architectures that can be changed just as fast as their continuous development environments. They get to play around in production, ignoring many years of experience in managing large scale infrastructures. Oh they will eventually get things stable, and working well, with a custom mix of tools and patches. However the next batch of developers will wonder “what it going on?” and they will start rewriting things until they understand it. Of course business will not mind unstable web sites, down time, and lots of engineers working to continuously reinvent things.

bronto's avatarA sysadmin's logbook

A word of caution

This post is addressed to all those people who think they know what DevOps means, but they don’t. If you don’t recognize yourself in this post, then maybe it’s not for you. If you recognize yourself, then beware: you’re going to be insulted: read at your own risk and don’t bother asking for apologies.

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Your Call Water Series – Feedback

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To: feedback@yourcallradio.org
Subject: Your Call Water Series - Feedback

This is in response to: “Your Call Water Series” [webcitation] radio program on KALW, 91.7 in San Francisco.

I’ve listened to a few of your programs on water. There have been mentions about learning from other communities and countries. Most of the focus seems to be on “big solutions,” but water cycles happen at global, regional, and local levels. We need solutions that address the problems at all these different levels.

Of course, there is a need for large water projects, to move water to large cities. But the large projects will not solve the water problem if the “small water cycles” are not addressed. Those cycles need to be addressed at more local levels. For example, water-retention landscaping methods can revitalize areas where the water and land have been abused.

Continue reading Your Call Water Series – Feedback

Planned Obsolescence in Software

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“Fast, Cheap, Good – pick two!”

In any software project (or probably any project where you are creating something), you cannot lock down all three of these dimensions–i.e., you cannot define what you want for all of them. If you are very experienced, realistic, and have control of all external factors, you might get close. For most projects to succeed, one of these dimensions needs to be more relaxed than the others.

Fast and Good

The usual expectation is that “fast and good” won’t be cheap. Lots of people or money will be needed. But lots of people does not mean it will be done fast (see the book “The Mythical Man-Month”). So part of the solution is usually bought instead of created. That gets it done fast. But will it really be good? Maybe if you spend a lot of money, to buy something really good–essentially, you’re paying for the time that others spent on it at another company. This also assumes the part you buy will be exactly what you want.

Good and Cheap

The expectation is that a “good and cheap” solution will take a long time–that one person working on a project for a long time will be cheaper than lots of people. But will it really be good? Usually, it takes more than one person to make things good. For example reviews, proofreading, and brainstorming requires at least two people. So a few people over a long time could make a good product, but that doesn’t sound like it will be all that cheap (unless the people work for free).

Fast and Cheap

“Fast and cheap” is not likely to be good. And that is the usual way projects are started. The project gets accepted by most companies when those paying for it are convinced that it can be done fast and cheap. The assumption is that it will need to be just good enough for customers to want to buy it.

Cost, Features, Quality

But let’s break the discussion across slightly different dimensions, because “fast-cheap-good” may be a fun quip, but most product and project discussions revolve around Cost, Features, and Quality.

Continue reading Planned Obsolescence in Software

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