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- November 26, 2017
- Intel announces vulnerability in firmware
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A late development in the hardware security arena revolves around the security alert issued by Intel regarding management firmware on a number of recent workstation, server, and Internet-of-Things processor platforms being vulnerable to remote attack.
Luckily, remote management of processors isn't really something I value on a workstation so while at work this is more of an ominous announcement I ran a few tests on networked standalones at the crib which all test as not vulnerable.
I'll be checking my server boxes along and along but I really don't envision those being problematic either as they likewise do not contain the remote management features.
I'm more of a manual hands on type of guy and simply didn't feel the need for any integrated lights out management or integrated management modules behind the firewall.
There are another of these embedded systems on the Oracle boxes at work and I feel a good testing rolling on out next week.
Sometimes the simpler place in time renders more inherent security because you have to "go there" to do something.
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- November 25, 2017
- That Persistence which was Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz
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Of all those leaders of countries considered to be "less than modernized" and on that cusp of fascism called "dictatorship" few were more enduring than Fidel Castro.
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz
August 13, 1926 – November 25, 2016
When I was a child in Key West Florida I recall watching him on the fuzzy broadcast television signal and he was instantly recognizable going off on a rant regarding some political communist rhetoric in Spanish and I was constantly amazed at his persistence upon the world stage given how the odds were stacked against him with some very formidable enemies of state.
My memories of him were sporadic but always left me in awe of a man who could pretty much speak his mind with little in the way of consequences — and maintain rule in the presence of that retro culture which was (and is by and large) Cuba today.
Then we have that nepotism which is the continued regime under his brother, Raul Castro. It makes me think this is one of those 'cult of personality' things such as that which goes on in the former Soviet Union with decidedly clique elements playing out power on the world stage.
His Marxist–Leninist model and anti imperialist political bent was decidedly to the left. That single communist party he used to nationalize business and industry and socialist reforms remain today.
In the end, he was not so much a threat to the United States but a gadfly out to banty rooster his way in the fickleness which is public opinion. We had the Cuban Missile Crisis where he was confronted in no uncertain terms. Lessons of history regarding The Bay of Pigs Invasion however make me think that some things should have been omitted from the equation of politics and diplomacy between Cuba and the United States.
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- November 24, 2017
- Evolution Day
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Today we celebrate Evolution Day, commemorating the anniversary of the November 24, 1859 first publication of On the Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin.
I have it on fairly good authority that it is one of the secularizations of the world which has transpired by the atheistic movement and while I don't begrudge any particular belief system (or lack thereof) those tenets which arise secondary to that conflict of secular versus sacred ideology become somewhat tedious in my mind. Suffice it to say that the secularlists seek to disprove religion while theology prefers to include evolution in that list of tools wielded by The Almighty.
Me, I tend to embrace multiple aspects of both schools of thought. As the song goes, I can swear there is no Heaven but I pray that there's no Hell.
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- November 23, 2017
- Happy Thanksgiving
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This Thanksgiving is going to be very low key for me. I have a little illness going on and have opted to rest and relax given the very tumultuous past several weeks it has caused ... and I'm afraid that the celebrations are something which don't fit this year.
Regardless, I hope your Thanksgiving is everything for which you can hope and that like me you will not forget to GIVE THANKS.
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- November 22, 2017
- Remembering Shemp Howard
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When I was a child I was a fantasy case through and through. My imagination took off on various tangents throughout my existence lasting well into my 28th year when I came to the realization that the world was no longer amused with me and I needed to fire those retros and reenter reality.
Samuel Horwitz, aka
Shemp Howard
American Commedian and Actor
March 11, 1895 – November 22, 1955
The Three Stooges was a comedy team which predominated the television habits of my childhood in their syndication reruns. I even suffered those accusations of "being retarded" when I persisted in my emulations of Curly because that was who I was.
Shemp Howard was in that mix along with Moe and Curly who were his younger brothers along with Larry Fine. I still have flashbacks of various routines involving these guys and by and large I keep those to myself lest I revisit that intolerance of my childhood due to my choice of figurative idols.
Shemp was that third stooge and he was a successful comedian and actor during those spates between that time he portrayed one of the Stooges.
He died on this day in 1955. I was a scant six months old at that time.
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- November 21, 2017
- Charles Manson Dead at 83
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Imagine the country in a state of unpleasantness beyond the mess the liberals and so-called progressives have made of the place.
Some totalitarian degradation brought on by the few overpowering the many.
This was the dream of Charles Manson and his "family" of followers.
From the murders of the 1960s through very recent history his communication proselytized an apocalypse of murder and mayhem beyond comprehension of the stupid social justice warrior.
Beyond the twisted scheme which is antifa.
Beyond the farthest dystopian reaches of the sickest mind you you might imagine.
This cult leader has died day before yesterday at the age of 83 after his second hospitalization in recent months for what appears to be the effects of aging.
His death has been stated as the result of "natural causes" ... but rest assured there was nothing natural about this man.
Normally I say rest in peace. In this particular case I'll merely state good riddance and what took you so long to relieve the world of that cancer which was you.
Charles Manson is dead. Hurrah.
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- November 20, 2017
- Transgender Day of Rememberance 2017
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So we have these individuals who feel they have been assigned the incorrect gender by genetics. Forgive me for not espousing sympathy for this situation, but my personal opinion is of the inclination that should you feel your genetic assignment of gender is incorrect the problem is not in your chromosomes but in your head.
Yes, I've heard the limp argument that "sex" is in the loins and "gender" is between the ears — but from those days of Mendelian genetics and Punnett squares of my youth I have been conditioned to go with the genotype first and "feelings" really don't even enter the picture for me.
I'm sure that having a young child who wishes to pursue an orientation which is not a straight lifestyle for an XX or XY individual poses some monumental issues regarding self image, self esteem, self identity, and any number of other spheres involving "self" but the fact remains that if you are of an XX genetic complement you are female and if you are XY you are male. Case closed as far as I am concered.
As previously mentioned elsewhere the only viable exception to this is the chromosomal mosaic inheritance indigenous to the true intersexed individual who may assume either sex that suits them in that realm called "normal".
So today is a day observed to memorialize those who have been murdered due to the so-called "transphobia" which is also quite the misnomer along with "homophobia" and all the other phobic conditions which indicate some inherent "fear" for an individual due to some aspect of who they are or how they view themselves.
Well then, while i have decidedly stark definitions by which I identify sexuality I am also of the opinion that NO ONE should be harmed because of this notion that they are different from the chromosomal configuration under which their body operates.
Just because I disagree with you doesn't imply that I will ever hurt you. The most I'm going to do is really piss you off.
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- November 19, 2017
- International Men's Day
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I recall my disgust at the "womyn" movement where feminists attempted to "remove men entirely" from what they are. I thought it to be unreasonable, unnatural, unnecessarily contrary, and counter productive to interpersonal relations between the two genotypes.
Of course this protest is independent of mosaic intersexed individuals who may (and now do) claim that gender (or lack thereof) which suits them.
As such, I am fairly opposed to exclusivity when celebrating humanity. The recent history of "white male exclusion" on the basis of some perceived "privilege" (which I've never known, by the way) is that factor which has turned me against celebrations involving subsets of humanity.
HOWEVER, seeing how I don't run the planet (nor care to) I don't make any rules for others, only those for my personal comportment and interactivity so therefore we have these exclusive observances regardless of what I think which really doesn't amount to a hill of beans ...
IMD (International Men's Day) is one of those international observances held annually originating from private concerns beginning around 1992 as a grass roots movement. Those tenets celebrated by the observance are known as The Six Pillars of International Men's Day:
The observant countries have grown over the years and what began as something small has become a very large set of participans indeed ... to the point that in places the entire month of November is recognized as International Men's Month.• To promote male role models • To celebrate the contribution that men make • To focus on men’s health and wellbeing • To highlight discrimination against men the inequalities that men and boys face • To improve gender relations and promote gender equality • To create a safer world for everyone
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- November 18, 2017
- National Apple Cider Day
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I once was addicted to unfiltered apple cider.
This innocuous appearing affectation was dangerous for me personally. During the course of a week I would purchase some 4 to 6 gallons of the stuff from the local Bi-Lo (they had the brand I prefered by taste) and I would counsume tall chilled glass after glass with great gusto.
It seems that the carbs reeked havoc on my metabolic syndrome x. I dare say it was contributing to my case of full blown adult onset diabetes.
When I realized the side effects I was forced to put this beverage down for less caloric refreshments and took up drinking distilled water instead.
The moral of the story is moderation in all things. Those beverages laden with carbohydrates are probably better left to those with less insulin tolerant metabolisms.
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- November 17, 2017
- Attack of the Libtards
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The amalgamation of "liberal" with "retard" is found offensive by various others depending on their orientation to the world and people in general.
Persons with disabilities and special needs individuals should surely be insulated from such crass and colorful euphemisms in a perfect world ... but indeed; given the environment and the insidious attack on freedom of speech and other personal liberties I really don't see it happening.
This is why I'd just as soon throttle someone reacting to my use of the word or any of it's root components as look at them and surely I shall arrive on death row for the demise of some idiot thinking they have the moral high road and daring to call me on it at most any critical juncture now.
For I am not afraid of labels and those figurative sticks and stones cast at me cannot faze me in my understanding of the nature of the world and those sociopolitical mechanisms at work despite the idiotic rantings of some social justice warrior out to spout some faulty position or stand in front of my vehicle so they can claim "assault" when actually self defense is the reason I'm going to cream them into the pavement.
Yes, I pack but I'm not a threat to those who do not threaten me. Yes I'm quick to bitch slap some one's stupid liberal bitch ass but it's not without extreme provocation.
You see, there is a sector of the populace which remains conservative and informed not indoctriated by a public education system out to impart their taint to the school children supposedly there for an education.
The stupidity rampant in the United States is quite enough in the way of evidence for the mistake which has been public educators becoming administrators and hiring their own special brand of screwed up human being in the public school systems.
So inasmuch as I know who and what you people are maintain a wide berth and nobody will get hurt.
So much for political correctness and everything else bad imparted by a globalist personal pronoun of preference stupidity such as that which occupies New York City.
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- November 16, 2017
- Social Media Evangelists in China
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China is in the threads for their use of propagandists which have set the standard for manipulating public opinion online with other jurisdictions seeking to emulate that model.
These evangelists overwhelm varioius social media sites with positive spin on the Communist Party known as so-called “cheerleading content” and the push is toward controlling the message and drowning out criticism and negativity regarding the regime.
This illustrates precisely my problem with social media here. All they do is try to influence opinion and attitude and the muddled masses are simply too unsophisticated to note what is happening to them — with the even more poorly prepared millenials breaking off into splinter groups like SJW and Antifa in some misguided effort to achieve relevance in a population spawned by our generation of burger flippers back in the 1980s and 1990s.
That sum total of opinion is based on a subset of the facts with the indoctrination by a public educational system firmly rooted in the leftmost regions of political folly and now we're just going to have to ride it out while conciously trying not to take them out for the stupid misguided snowflakes and miscreants they are.
I maintain several weapons close to my person just for that time when confrontation becomes nasty and the threat becomes even more real than it already is.
We can tolerate those with different views. However my rights do not end where someone else's feelings begin. Social Justice Warriors are a bunch of screechy whiny mistakes created by the public school system in all it's lack of wisdom.
Antifa customizes their version of "fascist" to correspond to anyone they view as having dissenting ideas to put forth.
Both groups are incongruent with the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of The United States of America.
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- November 15, 2017
- Day of the Imprisoned Writer
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Repression of basic human rights is all relative. If you are an employee and your leadership constantly steals your ideas and presents them as their own, takes control of your writings and has the gall to place their copyright on them ... telling you how "we're all in this together" when it's actually just them it's a sure sign that somebody's toes are getting stomped.
Today is noted as the Day of the Imprisoned Writer. It's a yearly observance held internationally under the auspices of a consortium of writers called "PEN International" to support those writers who resist repression of the basic human right of freedom to express themselves and stand steadfast against the attacks made against their right to provide information.
It seems that persecution of writers goes well beyond the purview of crappy state technical colleges and their ignorant dolt administrations who can't "do anything" so they steal the work of others and call it their own.
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- November 14, 2017
- World Diabetes Day
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One of those consequences of excessive corpulence is "metabolic syndrome x" which has the same ICD code of 250 which is "diabetes".
The insulin resistance and associated morbidity from which I suffer is primarily an inhereted trait from my father's side of the family and it has caused me no end of grief from a late discovery/treatment by various persons rendering medical treatment to me over the years through the various attempts to treat it on my own.
Regardless, it is an illness with characteristic problems with which I'd just as soon never have been bothered ... but I must deal with reality and it is a part of my existence.
Today is World Diabetes Day an international awareness campaign for diabetes mellitus held annually on this day of the year under the auspices of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF).
The type 2 (adult onset) Diabetes I have is preventable and treatable and becoming a predominate worldwide health issue. Type 1 (juvenile onset) Diabetes cannot be prevented but can be treated with insulin.
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- November 13, 2017
- Another Sadie Hawkins Day
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One of those aspects of my youth which has gone away is the Sunday comics in the newspaper. Sure, they exist as a single page of limp offerings lacking a single shred of sophisticated humor ... but back in my childhood the comics section of the newspaper was a multipaged extravaganza of various cartoon depictions and situational humor we simply haven't seen since the start of the decline of the newspaper industry back in the 1980s.
Nowadays, the pitiful offerings make me think why even bother.
Among those comics I followed regularly was Li'l Abner by Al Capp about the hillbillies and their adventures and exploits.
Sadie Hawkins Day is an American folk event inspired by Mr Capp's comic strip. This began real-world Sadie Hawkins events as a result of the fun and frolic represented by it all and it's premise of women pursuing men for dates and dancing.
I must admit for a child the risque appearance of the attire of the ladies was a big plus for me in all my naieve interpretations of interpersonal relations and the entire thought of some female pursuing me instead of me pursuing them was likewise unprecedented in my thought processes up to that point.
I watched the movies, read the strips, and thoroughly enjoyed the Yokums, Scraggs, Hunks, and various pets throughout the years I read it each weekend. It's a shame that the newspaper industry has been so shoddy that they will likely go away in favor of the new electronic media presently displacing them like the hull of the titanic before striking the icebergs.
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