Tuesday, October 22, 2019

You'd Be Surprised

You might be surprised by the number of technical support calls that are ended by asking one question; "Is it plugged in?"

You may also be surprised how many tech folks, appliance repairmen and auto mechanics "Google" the brand, model number and problem before attacking your problem. You can try that, too before calling someone else.  example - "JVC LT-43MAW588 no power" (try it).

I spent nearly 30 years in IT, from tech support phone rooms to my own contract business installing entire networks for medium sized companies. 8 times out of 10 the bosses master password was in his secretary's desk drawer, or under her desk pad. At first it dismayed me, later it just pissed me off. Before long I started concentrating on the Bosses secretary (no, not like that. Gosh what a mind you have) and gave her special training, because she did all the work anyway.

You would also be surprised how many people use "password" as their password. That being said, it's not considered the worst password. (insert face palm here)

Quick tips:
Does your password have your name, birthday or address in it? Change it now.
Are you using the same password for everything? Don't. Use different passwords for your bank, utilities etc. NEVER use those same passwords for Facebook.
You're best bet is a password manager. Most IT sites (Spiceworks, Cnet, Pcmag, et al.) say this is the way to go.
I found one that is free for multiple devices.
Full version is only $36.00 / year

https://www.lastpass.com

 I have not used it yet, as I use my own system (28 years in IT) and sorry, I am NOT going to share it. Soon I will be using one, probably this one, because they are better than mine and easier to migrate (move from system to system).


Be prepared: You will be required to enter a 12 character password which is
At least 12 characters long
At least 1 number
At least 1 lowercase letter
At least 1 uppercase letter
Not your email

There are many other choices, Cnet has the most readable list, but you can just google "Best Password Managers" to find your own.
https://www.cnet.com/news/the-best-password-managers-of-2019/


Just for entertainment, here is a list of bad passwords, the top 10 are much the same anywhere you look. If your password is on there, get a password manager, NOW.

Source

#10  iloveyou
# 9  qwerty
# 8  sunshine
# 7  1234567
# 6  111111
# 5  12345
# 4  12345678
# 3  123456789
# 2  password
# 1  123456

Monday, October 14, 2019

Because a mis-informed Christian chose to argue with me about the Bible.

 I am an Agnostic. That means I don't deny the existence of a higher power (God, if you wish), but I don't support it either. I see no evidence and no reason to suspect there is a Higher Power. However, I see no reason to deny it's existence either.

 Let me take that a step further; I see nothing in the Universe (which includes You and I and the little barking puppy down the street) that can only be explained by the existence of this Higher Power. Life is inevitable; place the proper chemicals together and apply heat and life occurs. No divine intervention is required. That does not mean there wasn't any, just that it is not needed.


 It behooves me to let You believe whatever you wish, without calling you names or saying you're a fool for believing it. I hold others to that same standard. But, I will call out logical fallacies when they are used as proof in any circumstance, including religious proselytizing (oh, look it up). 


I do not ask that you believe as I do, I only ask that you do not shove your religion down my throat. That includes telling me to have a "blessed day". I don't wish to have a day like that, it is not in my belief system. However, I appreciate that you feel that I deserve to have one, based on your beliefs; Thank You.


What I truly resent is folks who insist that this is a "Christian" country and then cheer the caging of children, deny the FACT of climate change and support the lies and outright evil coming from some of our leaders. Folks who claim to be Christian and then cheat on their spouse. Christians who misquote the Bible (that really pisses me off).
I hold all religious people to this same standard; do not misquote the Bible, the Quran or the Torah. Do not twists the meanings of these sacred texts to suit your twisted ideas.

Things Christians should know about the Bible (but probably don't):

The Bible was written in Aramaic and Hebrew, not English. It was translated into Greek and then Latin sometime later. The current English version is based on the King James version (early 1600s) which expunged many references that King James and his Bishops didn't like; notably many about women.

The Roman Emperor Constantine convened The Council of Nicaea (AD 325) and decided what books would be henceforth included in the Bible. It was at this council that Christ was declared to be divine. Before that he was a Human.