Happy Earth Day, Frank Herbert

Repeating the blog from 2015:

Here is a much younger me in 1980 with my friend Frank Herbert. Sure, Frank's Dune, along with his other science fiction, eerily foresaw our current geopolitical battle lines, where technology became sufficiently advanced that one individual could wreak havoc on the entire planet. But his justifiable concern for Planet Earth, and his Philadelphia speech on the first Earth Day in 1970, is also appropriate for today. Ignoring the shrill rhetoric on both sides of the ecology argument, Frank's agenda was apolitical and common sense. We had many high-bandwidth conversations about everything from technology to religion to politics. Sure, he talked me into running for the U.S. Congress back in 1978. It might have been interesting, had I won and tried to live up to his vision of me as his "Tactful Saboteur" Jorj X. McKie. Who am I kidding, though? I'd probably be in jail today, having slipped a thumb drive past the capitol's legislative firewall and wreaking havoc on the Beltway Bandits' meal ticket.

Happy Earth Day, Frank.

Sincerely, Rick Jorj X. McKie Bennett.

Personal appeal to Ukraine government

Since I started this blog in 2011, the most popular single audience outside the United States has been Ukraine. To wit:

Pageviews by Countries Entry United States Ukraine France Russia China Germany Israel United Kingdom United Arab Emirates Canada

Ukraine has hit this site tens of thousands of times. I think I'm trusted. So, Ukraine claims to have evidence of 2016 election tampering, but complains that nobody in the U.S. government is interested in reviewing the information.

The plea. Post it here. I'll publish it. Of course, I'll insist on authentication of the source being the Ukrainian government and not some misinformation hackers.

Please accept this invitation from…The Destroying Angel.

Test-fly an F-35 From Your Armchair!

Want the ultimate thrill of taking Uncle Sam's Club's latest into combat? Here is that chance. Check out the U.K. Register article (read it here). The highest-priced weapons platform ever is "unprepared against malware infections and other hacking attacks," according to POGO (the non-profit watchdog Project on Government Oversight). As Oracle's Ellison once said (read the article here):

You could kill everyone in the neighborhood in one week with an AR-15, but an F-15 could do the job in an afternoon.

 Talk about "the Christmas present that keeps on giving."

The Brits wise up about Huawei

Two U.K. Register articles make the point (read 1 here and a 2nd here).

Huawei, Heawei, Huawei down south, in…Huawei Hell

The End

Huawei Walks Into A Texas Courtroom…

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The most interesting cyberwar showdown yet (see the full U.K.Register story here) will be in an East Texas federal district court, where Huawei will seek a permanent injunction against the U.S. Government ban on use of their hardware. Instead of waging a PR war (the smartest thing to do, offering a reward for anyone who can demonstrate a back door in their hardware or software), these idiots will rely on judge shopping and laughable arguments. I mean, imagine China asking for a “fair hearing” anywhere, given their record in so many areas.

Attorneys representing the USA do have one dilemma. Do they share the Zero-Day info they have on Huawei’s kit, and lose a big-time NSA tool, or do they claim national security concerns and obliquely argue their case?

Get some popcorn, the super-size soft drink of your choice, and enjoy the show.