Tuesday Sweep: 2 May 2017
My heart made that glowstick cracking noise, with the blue sadness leaking out. It made that noise twice on Saturday night. Once when the very nice young woman said she was surprised I was so technical because I seemed so artsty. (I was wearing a scarf?) The second crunch landed when a different even younger woman agreed that folks are either creative or technical, and, further, she said that she was not creative which is why she’d do just fine in computer science.
My goal for me in this shockingly common situation has always been not to react to the ooze starting to cover my face. The job is to smile, to recruit, to teach about creative coding and STEAM initiatives. The job is to tell these young folks that they don’t have to layer their fantastical dreams away in tissue paper to be engineers or simply to do some engineering. Even though I know how hard it’s been for me. It should be easier for them. Please let it be easier for them. Please help me make it easier for them.
I need even more evidence, so this Tuesday Sweep I’d like to make a request. I’d like to add a new item to the check list. Please make sure to publish your crazy projects and the things that you’ve learned. Even if they seem little and stupid. Especially if they seem little and stupid. If you’re a member do it here. Do it on hackaday.io. Put it on instructables, your own site. Also especially on places where the someone might randomly run into it. Instagram, Youtube, where ever. Publish. Publish. Publish. Wear your projects on you back pack. Put them up in your cubicle. Carry them around on your phone. Print out a function you’re particularly proud of on archival paper and frame that sucker up. There is a whole new generation with the exact same hang ups as before. STILL! We must show them!
The technical is creative and the creative is technical. If any city in the world can show that off, it’s us here in LA. We know this message here at CRASH Space. Let’s show it!
Weekly Round Up
Where do you scan for news?
- Ever feel like you live on a foreign planet here in LA? It’s because so many are filmed here at Vazquez rocks and elsewhere around town. If you want to plan further vacations around favorite SciFi destinations, those are easy to find, too. Get out there!
- On point from above, Amanda Rousseau’s profile in the article Infosec careers: There is no one true path (really could be said for any career ever!)
- Worth a watch: Ars Technica Live: Why it’s important to defend hackers, even the not nice ones
- Hack-a-Day reviews the Keysight 1000 X series Oscilloscope. It’s not necessarily the best for oscilloscope music, but even just reading the review will help you learn for some oscilloscope basics.
- I love the run down of crazy hacks on Schneier’s blog. The synestesia that computers regularly engage in to port information over air gaps makes for amazing art project fodder. I just can’t get enough! He also gives a non-sensationalist run downs of some of the crazy that seems to be happening in the security world. This weeks highlights:
- Essay by him: Who is Publishing NSA and CIA Secrets, and Why?
- Essay he highlights: Reading Analytics and Privacy “The article illustrates the way reader privacy concerns are shifting from government to commercial surveillance, and the interactions between government and the private sector in this area.”
- Two Factor Authentication can mean calling and getting confirmation over the phone what you are looking at in an email, and it would have saved one poor family their life savings. Double-checking by a second method is good for oven thermometers. It’s good for making sure you have the right time in your calendar. Don’t think of it as being overly suspicious. Think of it as having a nice reason to reach out and have a human moment during your busy day. Okay. For many of us that sounds awful, but multistep protocols, folks. Especially if email is part of that chain. Learn ’em, live ’em, love ’em.
Sweep
This list will be getting longer, but lets keep it simple while folks are still setting up.
- Updated software recently? Pick a new device to check on today.
- Backups still up and running? When was the last time you made a clean disk image? Here’s a new great article on how to design a backup system.
- Reduce your attack surface: Delete a low quality app from your phone. Delete an account.
- Add a password to your password manager… and delete it from everywhere else.
- Anywhere you could add two factor authentication?
- Double check privacy settings on your phone, social media accounts.
Reflect
What’s are the frictions keeping you from doing “what’s right”? Regret is only useful if it leads to a plan on how to improve.
Continuing Set Up
We’ve covered so much so fast. You’re not behind, you’re just where you are. Pick something to do.
- If you’re having trouble with all the set up, the coach tool at the Crash Override Network has a great step by step break down for many of the same introductory steps we did here.
- Review the list of OneThing articles so far and pick one to catch up on.
Engage
We are a community. You are a welcome part of it.
