The Kid Who Broke Into Palin's Yahoo Account

By now I feel everyone remotely interested in the political debate for our next President has heard about the "private e-mail account" Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin used during her typical work hours. (NOTE: There are actually three accounts, the first two were deleted soon after the media discovered the story.) I've heard speculation that the remaining active account could have been used to conduct official state business, which would put Palin in hot water with prosecutors.

Enter today, when Tennessee media broke the story that the person responsible for the compromised Yahoo account was 20-year-old University of Tennessee student David Kernell -- son of state Rep. Mike Kernell, (D-Memphis). David gained access to Palin's e-mail by tripping the "Forgot Password?" that essentially resets it after asking for a security question. I'm assuming at this point that the question was common knowledge, like a maiden name.

You can, and should, read more in an article from the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Right here is about the moment you'd expect to find a judgement of the perpetrator's actions. After doing this it should become quite clear which political party I align myself to and essentially either enrage or enthrall you.

But, I'm not going to do that.

Instead, I'm going to say that the actions of David Kernell were unforgivable because he did break the law and should be punished accordingly. At the same time, the fact that the potential vice-leader of our great nation was duped by a 20-year-old with too much time on his hands... that to me is also unforgivable. I wouldn't say that my own mother would do any better given the situation, most people who were not born into a world of e-mail and Web sites would probably fall victim to this sort of compromised security. So instead, lets examine the situation for what it is and what it is not...

If all it takes to throw you into attack mode for your party because the perpetrator is obviously democrat and the person at the other end is a Republican, then please move on. There are plenty of other issues to argue about until your blue in the face. This should not be one of them. What happened here is an example of our security flaws coming to the root of a larger problem: How much should people know about the technology they're using?

The answer isn't a simple response but its also not very complicated. If you know how to use the tools you're working with, you can use them to the best of your power to get the job done more effectively. Conversely, someone who does not know how to use the tools given to them is doomed to do a less effective job -- such as a team of IT security staffers who do not permit certain functionality due to possible flaws caused by an ignorant user. And if such an IT staff does not exist, then security will likely be compromised.

I still know people who refuse to download ANYTHING because they think they're might be a virus attached to it. That may be an ultra safe practice when downloading things from unfamiliar sources via the internet but when you know the person sending you the file through a direct connection...there is NO chance of virus.

So really what I'm pointing out in this situation is our ignorance about technology. It's unforgivable and eventually, it's going to bite us in the ass.

-TechGOnzo

World of Politicraft's New Expansion

A while back you may recall a post about a fundamental change to the way I view government in this country. It happened when the U.S. Department of Intelligence wised the hell up and realized the huge hotbed of criminal activity that calls itself World of Warcraft. Well, after that day everything just became much clearer mostly because I sort of can't tell the difference between the two worlds.

Game reality and the governmental double standard are essentially all jumbled up. Recently it's been really hard to distinguish between them.

I'll try to explain...

With online role playing games, once you hit the top level for your character, interest typically trails off. And true to form I got bored and needed a break from World of Politicraft. It's like, I watched the primaries and after all that excitement, after all the glory...it was just pretty much...meh. This feeling will likely continue until November when a new expansion is released. It's called Wrath of the McCain Campaign and its totally awesome!

See, it's about how this king-demon-old-dude casts darkness across the land because he doesn't know how to use the Internet. Eventually he goes on to create a race of undead patriots who eat lots of hotdogs because nothing else is available. (I'm SO FRIGGIN` PUMPPED!)

Check out this screen shot from the beta tester: (click for larger image)

Yeah, sort of lack luster but don't judge before I explain what's going on. First of all you'll notice that no one else is around in this shot. That's no big deal, I've been assured that other people still exist in WoP. That's good because I have way too much invested into this Country to just up and start a new one where I know nothing at all.

Next you'll notice that McCain doesn't really have a huge chunk of change in his bag. Again not to worry. He's got that covered on two fronts: His smokin` hot mistress is a level 80 CEO-Plastic Warlock and totally hooks him up with gold whenever he needs to go play the slots or feast on human flesh (not hotdogs though). Also, since other people in the game won't have the luxury of a plastic sugar momma, someone from McCain's guild was nice enough to put together a few lists where you can buy more money for next to nothing.

China FTW!
Yeah, I KNOW. Like I thought they were making it up too, but then I checked and it turns out Asians spend their entire lives farming for "cheaper" money so I can buy it for $9.99. The fundamentals of our economy are strong indeed!

Proof:

But then I started getting nervous. I mean, this game is going to be F@&*%#@ AWESOME so naturally it'll attract plenty of new comers that will no doubt annoy the shit out of me. Nothing is more annoying than having to rez in the middle of a raid against the Undead-former middle class Americans. You might consider banning the game entirely, too, unless they make the gameplay insanely difficult for new people so the can't get ahead at all unless they devote, like, their entire lives to working at it. You don't even have to tell them what you're doing. Just use half-truths and refuse to discuss anything when it looks like you might lose. Also, you could really sell the point if you hired on a nooblet to appear in public with you:

- TechGOnzo

Coming Soon: US spies increase queue waiting time

I'm sure many people heard the news that the CIA recently decided Second Life had become a liability and a possible hotbed for terrorists. As ridiculous as this may seem I shrugged it off because Second Life has no real point to it. I mostly think of the whole thing as a refreshingly ineffectual way for legitimate businesses to reach their consumers---not terror cell.

Jokingly, I thought to myself, the next virtual realm they'll invade must be World of Warcraft. Its already a hotbed of tension with its barely understandable abbreviations and violent red text. But, How you would go about distinguishing actual terrorists from 40-something pimply fat guys with too much time on their hands... well that's what made everything so ridiculous.

Then I read this story, which basically says U.S. spies will invade WoW to protect us...

So from now on this is how I choose to view our government:

Yes that's right. Our President---peeved and bored after all his friends were bad and sent home to think about their actions.---has decided to bridge the gap between establishment and citizens. Now, not even distance will keep our president from his good friends Rummy, Alberto, Scooter, Tom Delay, MC Rove...and the rest of the crew. (Of course they would play horde side since the Alliance are all N00blet sissies.)

But what will the new GOPwnage Guild do during down time when the terrorists refuse to log into PvP because they have shitty gear and no time to play?

Well I've come up with a pretty good idea of how they will fill their time....Picture below:
-TechGOnzo

The state of media, government and zombies... Romero's Blog

Zombie movies, which can be classified as apocalyptic fiction, have always been a good source of fuel for making me think about things in a different way. Take away the dead people walking around, the constant smack of flesh being eaten, and the creepy mood music and you're viewing a 90-minute version of a major catastrophe that our government was unable to overt.

I cannot vouch for all zombie movies, just the ones directed by George A. Romero, the father of this particular flavor of horror genre.

But, when I began looking for information about his new movie Diary of the Dead, all I wanted was release dates and theater listings. However, I ended up finding a blog posted to what I believe is the film's official myspace page. If it is genuine, Romero himself authored the blog, which contains much more information than the undead--just like you'd find in any of his films. Here's an excerpt:

"So first of all, can I tell you how much I distrust the net?

"That's actually part of what DIARY is about -- that and a bunch of zombies trying to kill our heroes, who are young film students making a horror movie when they discover the real horrors of the dead coming back to life.

"There's so much misinformation online. So many lies. In the old days, there were three networks, so we got three lies. Now there are thousands – millions – of bits of information, so there are thousands – millions --- of lies.

"Okay, so don't call them lies. Call them opinions. Viewpoints. How do you choose from among them? You have to work. You have to think. You have to do your homework.

"Everyone just uses the new media to reinforce what they already believe. Facts should be facts. But the net has turned them into gossip, rumor, opinion.

"We've always been conned, but at least when there was some management behind what we were hearing, it was benign. Now, with so many voices, with so little management, anyone can say anything, and find someone who will believe it.

"If Hitler were alive today, he wouldn't need a town square. He could just start blogging and attract millions of supporters in a fraction of the time it took him to take Germany to war.

"I'm not trying to do the same thing, to get people to listen to me or to influence opinion. I'm just saying what I think, and that's what DIARY OF THE DEAD does.

"I hope it's a good story and an entertaining, scary ride. But like all my zombie films, I intend it to be more than a zombie film. The monsters are allegories for what's happening in the world. They are any catastrophe. A hurricane, like Katrina. A war, like Iraq. A tragedy, like 9/11. The movie is about what people like you and me do in such situations, and how the government is unable to help us cope."

Link to the full blog post can be found here.
I can't wait to see it.

Trailer:

Super Tuesday

Today is Feb 5, 2008 - also called Super Tuesday for about half of the country. Both political parties are holding presidential primaries in 25 24 states. I voted at 7:08 a.m. Central time.

Did you vote yet?

The apocalypse or world peace? I report, YOU decide

A little over a year from now, citizens in the United States will begin the long, arduous process of choosing a new President.

I offer this bit of advice to my fellow men and women: Choose and Choose wisely -- for the wrong candidate in office could proof disastrous on an apocalyptic scale. But there are some perks to enjoy until the nuclear-filled end of days comes to pass. For instance, it's an exciting time for anyone with a busy schedule, a fast Internet connection and a desire to follow 43-minute long American produced melodramas.

Prime-time television shows are now available online at no cost to the viewer.

Last year I remember ABC having by far the best of the best when it came to video players, which surprised me. I didn't think it was possible for a corporation to cut through all the red tape and become so successful in pushing content into a new medium. It all seemed vaguely familiar...

Convergence-Smonsmergence...(or something)
ABC has actually had quite a bit more experience at converging programming into a new medium. After all, the major TV networks got their start in radio. Although, critics once scorned by online video programing will probably claim that the path from radio to television was much, much easier than from television to Internet.

The truth is we don't know that yet, however, we do know ABC has figured out how to make online programming work. But, what's really important here is the fact that free prime time TV via Internet is a sign that we can have everything we've ever dreamed of, which I'll explain in a moment.

A viable business model for online video programing is just recently becoming a reality. Do you think the major networks realized the full and utter potential television had to offer when the medium was just an infant? Very doubtful. The daily news hour wasn't created until long after the big three (ABC, NBC, CBS--now called the big five) converged programming.

So ABC, CBS, and NBC are doing pretty well if you compare their services to the CW and FOX, which are pure wastes of time. Fox and the CW, therefore will not deliver us our wildest dreams and only serve to bring us closer to the apocalypses.

But getting back to what surprised me about ABC: they're doing this all without commercials for now. How can you have a successful business model without selling ads?

Then it dawned on me where I had seen this crazy put the customer first tactic before.

Someone over at Disney/ABC -- I don't know who -- but someone figured out that television missed the beginning of a consumer revolution where people decided to use a new medium (the Internet). Since television initially ignored the revolution, people started illegally downloading shows and streaming them from ghost servers around the world.

Bottom line? People were doing it anyways.

ABC is making the right move because they understand one thing. To sell advertising on a product, it first has to be in great demand...not forced down our throats.

Steve Jobs = Free TV online
Now, I may have lamented on the death of Business 2.0 magazine in a previous post, and then followed up with analysis of television corporate business models, but I assure you I don't find money very interesting at all.

I do, however, find it interesting that ABC leads the pack by doing all the right things after Steve Jobs took over as head of Disney/ABC/ Pixar.

*Sigh* Now if only he would run for President. The equation would then be altered slightly: Steve Jobs + Presidency = Everything I really want but don't know about yet.

*Things I really want but don't know about yet could possibly include, but not limited to: Pterodactyl transportation vessels that run on cottage cheese, people actually using segways, a cure for cancer based on burping truthiness, world peace, an end to global warming, world peace again and a insanely revalued greenback....

Oh....and one more thing:
State of the Union Addresses will be given in the form of Keynotes from now on. Oddly enough each keynote speech includes at least one cheap shot on Bill Gate AND PEOPLE STILL LAUGH.

Now I understand most of you are wholly against the idea of a Steve Jobs Presidency. You may be against allowing your inner apple fanboy to dictate your political decision. I understand that. But much the way a frustrated Windows user doesn't know what he's (or she) getting into after using a mac for the first time, You really don't know what you want.

Steve Jobs can give you want you don't know you want. And anytime things start heading down the wrong path? No worries, we'll have Vice President Woz to save us.

Think different, think America.

Logical, Constitutional Laundry

In a way, Ron Paul is a lot like that mother figure who screams at you for not doing your laundry in the month before you're shipped out to college. Of course my mother always did my laundry all the way up until the end. I completely ignored her requests to teach me how to do this mind numbingly easy task.

And then I learned how to do my laundry.

Paul would argue that America is more than capable of taking care of its own without the interference of a federal government. In "his society," it is the consumer groups that take care of its less fortunate citizens-- meaning that the less fortunate people needing better health care, housing and education would look to the likes of Google, Microsoft and AT&T. OK maybe not those companies specifically, but after watching the 2008 Republican Presidential candidate hopeful speak to employees at the Googleplex, I sort of understand why he's so polarized toward the free market.

Taxes are something, I'd argue, we need to pay more of because we're not seeing results in basic sectors of our society. If governments do not have enough money to spend on things everyone needs, such as public transportation, then we'll simply be stuck with the costly alternative that we may not always be able to afford.

Paul's argument challenges my original train of thought because some things do work outside the spectrum of government regulation. I would cite Newspapers as one such example. If you look at how a newspaper would gain credibility, it certainly doesn't happen overnight. It (arguably) doesn't happen over a decade either. Take the New York Times for instance, they became a symbol for the national press because of their consistent ability to inform the masses of truth. If they had not then they'd never have survived in this new world where we have an Internet.

In Paul's mind, we've been living in this perpetual state of dependence where the government is forever doing our laundry and warning that we'll have to learn sooner or later. Either that or we'll have dirty clothes on all the time. Who's to say if this is correct logic outside of the argument.

Check out the video of his appearance at the Googleplex below:

An open challenge to coders, programmers

Facebook's open application integration certainly made their social networking site fresh again. I'll be the first to admit that I was teetering on the edge leaving the site all together before this wave of applications. While I don't care for the majority of them, I was tickled that someone created integration for digg.com.

But I have beef with their 2008 Presidential Election tool, which hurts more than it helps.

The tool, which is sponsored by Newsvine, allows you to in effect "endorse" a particular candidate by displaying information on the facebook profile page. The main problem I have with this app is that it only allows one person to be chosen. This is absolutely pointless considering that the election is 18 months away. Even the primaries don't choose until -- at the very least -- six months from now. So why the hell would you encourage people to start picking "just one" person this far in advance. If there are two or three candidates to choose from, I could understand the logic, but there are 21 different names on that list. Some of them don't even plan on running.

What's worse is that the Newsvine `08 Election app gives you a choice to pledge support for a party. Now I have to worry about how it'll appear if I choose a Republican candidate. I don't want to be classified as a Republican. Congruently, If I were to choose a Democratic candidate I'd have people accusing me of aligning with that party. I don't care for parties because they exist to tailor your decision making, your morality and they were invented to do nothing other than pool votes. For those who want to disagree, please read George Washington's stance on political Parties found in his farewell address. I do not want to classify myself as one side or another. Let the politicians do that. I feel like any efficient facebook election app should reflect the best man or woman for the job.

Perhaps the most blasphemous thing found in the application is the option of "I hate politics." If you hate politics then don't bother adding this application to your profile. The last thing this country needs is people rallying behind a choice not to care anymore. Hating politics is bad. Newsvine should know better. (Then again, what do you expect from a list of apps that includes an eat and drink updater.)

What I'd like to see is the ability to pick several candidates whom I like. At the same time I wouldn't mind listing the ones I don't like either. I'd like to see less emphasis of political affiliation and more on the actual candidate's stances. (Although I'd settle for the first.) There is no chosen candidate on my page because I refuse to fit into the tiny confines of this application that lacks ambition.

An Open Challenge to Coders:
So I'm calling out for a new improved 2008 election application --one that fosters tolerance of ideas and thwarts bipartisan voting bases. Sadly, I do not know the first thing about coding.

But if there's one thing I do know, it's that tech geeks are passionate about what matters the most.

So who thinks they can create a better app than the one we've got?

Crazy idea: Lawmaking 2.0

When the first 2008 debate aired on MSNBC last week, I had every intention of watching it. But I ended up passing out 30 minutes into the broadcast. The next day I stumble upon a Three-minute video clip from some guy by the name of Mike Gravel.

The title read: "Some of these people frighten me."

What a hook. I watched the entire debate via YouTube shortly there after.

The man with the mouth
I decided Gravel, the former two term senator from Alaska, was the only person not trying to bullshit me into a vote. He's responsible for a five-month filibuster that ended the Vietnam draft, declassified the papers that cleared the Washington Post from a Libel suit against Nixon and set up programs of critique for clean energy. So:

-Proven track record
-Smart clean energy policy
-Promotes transparency

More importantly, after checking his Web site I found that he had an interesting view and it did not neglect to utilize the Internet to polarize the people. He's a fan of something called the National Initiative, which basically allows for regular U.S. citizens to create the laws of this country.

"The central power of government in a democracy is lawmaking –– not voting," Gravel stated on his Web site. "Those who make the laws determine how, when, and if voters can vote."

It makes a lot more sense than what's gone on in the past. But then again I don't know how it could specifically integrate with our current law making system. But hey as far as I'm concerned, this is a fresh and new idea that no one else seems to be discussing. It also came from someone who sounds frighteningly like my Grandpa.

The man was labeled a "Nutty Liberal" the minute he spoke up at the debate. He's also been labeled as old, cranky and insane.

Using mass communication via the Internet to suggest a better law making system....that's insane.

Congruently, all the other candidates that silently reveal plans that do not concern the Internet directly, while showboating to gain votes? Insane? No, sorry this is considered normal.

I don't know about you, but my Grandpa made a lot of sense. He was just never insane enough to run for office.

Five ways Pres. candidates can get tech geek votes in `08

I believe Jon Stewart said it best: “why do all the fringe candidates make the most sense?”

And truth be told, they usually do. That's what costs them any real chance at winning the primary. Thankfully the Internet is set to have a much larger influence on public opinion than in previous election years. So naturally, the first group of people you really want to impress is the tech geeks. But they aren't going to be impressed by some campaign manager who knows how to hire a good web designer to make that shiny new social networking site.

What they need is a stance on Technology that sits between "public policy" and "Natl Security." Here's a list of things to add to the public forum:

1) Net Neutrality
This is obviously the biggest issue tech geeks are concerned with since it has the power to drastically change the Internet from its current state. Whether they agree with it or not it should be explained to the masses and added to the public discussion. There are plenty of Web sites that debate this issue so there is no need to spend more time on it. Moving on...

2) Government Web services 2.0
I dare anyone to try and gather definitive information from any governmental site. Its true that a simple Google search will more than likely turn up the results (whether it be PDF legislation, or simple contact information), but our tax dollars paid for this stuff. I want someone to make this stuff appealing and search-able to title and verse. And that's just concerning documents. What about the limitless other possibilities. (Think: "Google" is charged with revamping of all official Government Web.)

How many of you have been confused by annoying federal Web sites that yielded less than perfect results? If my mother can't figure it out, then its not done properly. Next...

3) A commitment to E-business
Stop treating everything new like its old business. Also: stop amending laws to fit an ever changing e-marketplace. What this really comes down to is how businesses love to complain about how the Internet is giving their stuff away for free.

What makes even less sense is that the rich corporate suits complaining the loudest are the same ones who teach their kids that the best market will work. This means if a business is losing money because it refuses to adapt to what people want, it will eventually fail.

RIAA? Sorry, this isn't the governments concern. Internet gambling anyone? I'd like a presidential candidate who is committed to speeding up this thought process and adding it to the congressional discourse.

4)Limiting the power of information
Any candidate who wants to win votes from techies will have to agree to some degree of transparency. If you want us to believe that you need to access personal information to protect us of the threat of terrorism, then start giving us gobs of information you deem classified. There are probably millions of documents and case files that could be declassified but otherwise sit in some basement somewhere because no one cares to check and see if its still valid. Lets not just make that freedom information act just sit there, force the federal government to make it accessible too.

5) Speed up broadband connections
North Korea has speeds of 100 Mb/s. They are also ruled by an insane dictator who wants to build nukes. I understand that the more control on top means yielding the best results (which in turn) means losing freedom and rights. But hey, we're the best country in the world right? A candidate that gets my vote will have to agree on that note. We can do better, and it shouldn't cost me either.

UPDATE: **I neglected to discuss open source, but it could easily fit in to this list.

Frank Miller: Conservative?

Let me first say, that I am not a Republican nor am I pro war.

But then again, neither is Frank Miller (necessarily).

My proof of this can be found in several essays the man has written against President George W. Bush AND the representation of Superman in his supremely bad ass graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns. Read that, then tell me Miller is pro anything.

Now I happen to be one of the few people on earth worthy of being called a fanboy—largely because I worked in a comic shop for the past four years and have read them for far longer. I know this about Frank Miller because I’ve read several of his stories. So for someone to tell me that this man has injected political propaganda into a work he created nearly a decade ago, well that person’s argument would have to stand up against quite a bit of force.

Such a person exists….my good Friend Valerie. Her Blog: http://blog.myspace.com/valerie_rose

Is this a pro war movie? Yes, because #!$%^ those Persian son’s of bitches. However, I fail to see its parallel with the Iraq war other than the fact that they are both wars and one side is much more powerful than the other. She makes some interesting claims about the film, which I do not believe are completely wrong. Yet, there is a bit of knowledge she doesn’t thoroughly list about them.

Lets start with the history of why this was perhaps the most important war our culture has ever been through.

The Spartans were not like the other societies in the Roman Empire. They were in fact a warrior cult. These men lived and breathed strength because they felt they must always be stronger than their opponents, who sought to take away their freedoms and enslave them.

This was the case when a Persian Army messenger came to Sparta with a request to their king. Simply acknowledge that they were stronger than Sparta, and no harm would be done. To King Leonida, this sounded as if the dark skinned messenger was saying “admit that slavery is ok, and we’ll let you play the ‘freedom game’ a little longer.” So when given the choice of fighting now or fighting later, Leonidas chose now.

But there was a problem. To go to war, you needed to seek the approval of the oracle, which was a high priestess of sorts who could glimpse into the future.

Valerie’s blog says that there are Christian references in the film many times and I cannot deny that there is. However, Leonidas didn’t care for Religion. He is not a man who let a ideology passed down thru the ages get in the way of his own. Nothing was going to get in the way of preserving Freedom, not even the church.

And so Leonidas took 300 of his men to fight the Persians. He never officially went to war. I can draw a conclusion from her blog that would compare this to Bush’s initial invasion. I would do this, however, this is what is known to have happened in ancient time. It wasn’t made up because it proves a political point.

These 300 men, why are they so important? Because if you’ll consult several historians who specialize in studying this particular period, you’d find that this is where they attribute the start of Western Civilization as we know it. It is believed, by several of these historians, that had Leonidas not taken these men to battle the Persian army, all of Greece would have fallen to a surprise attack from the Persian army.

Free will, individuality, democracy, a free flow of information…this would have all been lost in the event of a Persian takeover.

This is why Frank Miller chose to tell the story of this particular battle and not others. If the director decided to use imagery that suggested Christian references, such as the one Valerie mentions during the end of the battle. (the arrows in Leonidas pierced his body in the same places as Jesus’ crucifixion) If this were to be the case, then the message would be that Religion is not worth freedom.

And eventually what took over Rome was not a large Asian army, but rather the ideology of a religion that would take the place of the existing ideology, which did not protect the free men.

This is not propaganda. This is the story of how we came to be what we are. It is pledged to those 300 men who knew they’d die so that we could preserve the idea of freedom, and tarnish those who wished to erase it.

Is war a good thing? I don’t think so. However, if this particular war meant we continued western civilization…well in my opinion, that would say something about war itself.