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Category: think

Simulated gambling in the App Store? The only winning move is not to play.

Simulated gambling in the App Store? The only winning move is not to play.

From the arrival of Apple’s iPhone App Store, they’ve elected to keep the platform, shall we say, “Family Friendly”. While the guidelines for developers who elect to sell their software through the App Store are always evolving, they seem much more constant and consistent versus when the store first opened. In general, it’s still about keeping it a warm fuzzy place, while allowing some evolution so the App Store can grow and thrive. Apps which which violate terms include those that offer pornography,…

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The Apple Watch is perfect. On paper.

The Apple Watch is perfect. On paper.

This week, I’m doing something that I don’t remember ever actually doing before. I’m taking back an Apple device, for a refund. After spending less than a week with the Apple Watch, I have to say, I’m disappointed. A bit in the device. But more in Apple. The software is simply not done. Perhaps it’s my use of a 5s as the host device for it. Perhaps my expectations are too high. Perhaps I’m right, that it’s not ready for prime…

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You have the right… to reverse engineer

You have the right… to reverse engineer

This NYTimes article about the VW diesel issue and the DMCA made me think about how, 10 years ago next month, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) almost kept Mark Russinovich from disclosing the Sony BMG Rootkit. While the DMCA provides exceptions for reporting security vulnerabilities, it does nothing to allow for reporting breaches of… integrity. I believe that we need to consider an expansion of how researchers are permitted to, without question, reverse engineer certain systems. While entities need a…

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How I learned to stop worrying and love the cloud

How I learned to stop worrying and love the cloud

For years, companies have regularly asked me for my opinion on using cloud-based services. For the longest time, my response was one about, “You should investigate what types of services might fit best for your business,” followed by a selection of caveats reminding them about privacy, risk, and compliance, since their information will be stored off-premises. But I’ve decided to change my tune. Beginning now, I’m going to simply start telling them to use cloud where it makes sense, but…

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Be the toolmaker

Be the toolmaker

We are toolmakers, humankind. To resist this tendency to solve riddles, to complete tasks faster, with more efficiency, with less risk or human cost, is to resist our gift of ingenuity. Humans are not born to be cogs. We are not born to be tools. We are born to be toolmakers – to make the world better than we found it. Making tools is not without risk or obligation, however. Efficiency often comes with financial benefit to the toolmaker, but…

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Mobile devices or cloud as a solution to the enterprise security pandemic? Half right.

Mobile devices or cloud as a solution to the enterprise security pandemic? Half right.

This is a response to Steven Sinofsky’s blog post, “Why Sony’s Breach Matters”. While I agree with parts of his thesis – the parts about layers of complexity leaving us where we are, and secured, legacy-free mobile OS’s helping alleviate this on the client side, I’m not sure I agree with his points about the cloud being a path forward – at least in any near term, or to the degree of precision he alludes to. The bad news is that…

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Who shot Sony?

Who shot Sony?

I’m curious about the identity of the group that broke in to Sony, apparently caused massive damage, and compromised a considerable amount of information that belongs to the company. For some reason, journalists aren’t focusing on this, however. Probably because it doesn’t generate the clicks and ad views that publishing embarrassing emails, salary disclosures, and documented poor security practices do. Instead, they’re primarily focusing on revealing Sony’s confidential information, conveniently provided in multiple, semi-regular doc dumps by the party behind…

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Shareholder Shackles

Shareholder Shackles

Recently, Michael Dell wrote about the after-effects of taking his company private. I think his words are quite telling: “I’d say we got it right. Privatization has unleashed the passion of our team members who have the freedom to focus first on innovating for customers in a way that was not always possible when striving to meet the quarterly demands of Wall Street.”, and “The single most important thing a company can do is invest and innovate to help customers succeed…” Early…

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On the Design of Toasterfridges

On the Design of Toasterfridges

On my flight today, I rewatched the documentary Objectified. I’ve seen it a few times before, but it has been several years. While I don’t jibe with 100% of the sentiment of the documentary, it made me think a bit about design, as I was headed to Dallas. In particular, it made me consider Apple, Microsoft, and Google, and their dramatically different approaches to design – which are in fact a reflection of the end goal of each of the…

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It is past time to stop the rash of retail credit card “breaches”

It is past time to stop the rash of retail credit card “breaches”

When you go shopping at Home Depot or Lowe’s, there are often tall ladders, saws, key cutters, and forklifts around the shopping floor. As a general rule, most of these tools aren’t for your use at all. You’re supposed to call over an employee if you need any of these tools to be used. Why? Because of risk and liability, of course. You aren’t trained to use these tools, and the insurance that the company holds would never cover their…

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