Ordo Ab Chao – Page 129 – Shane Dempsey muses on Life and Technology

Uncategorized

RE: [SEEPP2004] too many secrets

Post author By shaned
Post date September 19, 2005
No Comments on RE: [SEEPP2004] too many secrets

Hi all, =

The person who set up the group =
should
have a username and pwd to configure/administer it. =

I presume that’s the first =
person
who posted to the group & the group moderator, one Kevin J Clarke. =

However, it’s worse than that =
as
this group supports unapproved membership do anyone could join and =
listen in.

If anyone has his number then =
please call
him and get this sorted out.

Sincerest regards, =

=
…shane

//=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
// Shane Dempsey
// Technical Director,
// Gaisan Technologies Ltd.
// e: sdempsey@gaisan.com =

// u: http://www.gaisan.com=

// t: +353 (0)51 304224
//=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

From:
Peter Lyons [mailto:peter.lyons@keyflow.ie]
Sent: 19 September 2005 =
11:33
To: =
nikolaushealy@eircom.net;
info@fairwaysireland.com; devingreene@futurewebmedia.com; =
sdempsey@gaisan.com;
tom@impactbroadcasting.com; kevin@KevinClarkeEngineering.com;
Roland_Besler@Linguaglobe.com; brian@dki.ie
Subject: RE: [SEEPP2004] =
too many
secrets

Ooops, that is a nasty one alright. =
It is
easy to find too. If you search for SEEPP on Google or Yahoo the link to =
the
e-mails is only 13 or so down the list. It is highly likely that the =
SEEPP
people may have found it too.

How do we get it =
closed?

—–Original =
Message—–
From: =
SEEPP2004@yahoogroups.co.uk
[mailto:SEEPP2004@yahoogroups.co.uk]On Behalf
Of sdempsey@gaisan.com
Sent: 18 September 2005 =
19:12
To: =
SEEPP2004@yahoogroups.co.uk
Subject: [SEEPP2004] too =
many
secrets

Hi gentlemen,
In general, there are too many secrets in =
today’s
society. So it’s nice to see
that SEEPP members have none… http://uk.groups.yah=
oo.com/group/SEEPP2004/
All posts to this list are wide open to =
anybody
with internet access. I found
them while testing a new google-API tool =
that I’ve
written for tracking
appearances of Gaisan or any of our =
products or
service on the web.

Considering the rather full and frank
(confessional) nature of some of the posts
over the past few months I’m not sure =
this is a
good idea and the yahoo-group
admin should fix it =
immediately.

sincerest regards,

…shane

Yahoo! Groups =
Links

To visit your group on the web, go =
to:
http://uk.groups.yah=
oo.com/group/SEEPP2004/

To unsubscribe from this group, send an =
email to:
SEEPP2004-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.co.uk

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to =
the Yahoo! Terms of =
Service.

—
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.11.1/104 – Release Date: =
16/09/2005

—

No virus found in this outgoing message.

Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.

Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.11.1/104 – Release Date: =
16/09/2005

Uncategorized

RE: [SEEPP2004] too many secrets

Post author By shaned
Post date September 19, 2005
No Comments on RE: [SEEPP2004] too many secrets

Hi all, =

The person who set up the group =
should
have a username and pwd to configure/administer it. =

I presume that’s the first =
person
who posted to the group & the group moderator, one Kevin J Clarke. =

However, it’s worse than that =
as
this group supports unapproved membership do anyone could join and =
listen in.

If anyone has his number then =
please call
him and get this sorted out.

Sincerest regards, =

=
…shane

How do we get it =
closed?

Considering the rather full and frank
(confessional) nature of some of the posts
over the past few months I’m not sure =
this is a
good idea and the yahoo-group
admin should fix it =
immediately.

sincerest regards,

…shane

Yahoo! Groups =
Links

—
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.11.1/104 – Release Date: =
16/09/2005

—

No virus found in this outgoing message.

Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.

Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.11.1/104 – Release Date: =
16/09/2005

technology

It’s a conspiracy your honour

Post author By shaned
Post date September 15, 2005
1 Comment on It’s a conspiracy your honour

Ever been snapped by one of those pesky gatso cameras driving a little on the high side (above) of the limit. I spotted this article on the web and decided to do a little bit of research into the worldwide attitudes to speed cameras & whether such a defence would be acceptable here. The answer seems to be that in many of the countries where speed cameras are deployed to discourage speeding they are not admissible as court evidence. The reason being that the cameras are operated by semi-state or private organisations without the direct involvement of the police where private individuals and organisations are financially rewarded based on the number of infringements. In California, for example, the practice is deemed “unreliable” by the state superior court on this basis. The situation is the same in Colorado. In the US there is also the issue of correct identification of the driver. In California the cameras are required to produce a recognisable picture of the driver’s face for identification purposes. As far as I know, this is the case in Ireland where vehicle owners are asked to provide the name and address of the vehicle’s driver at the time the picture was taken.
As leading Internet security expert Bruce Schneier points out it’s true that MD5 is broken but very likely that the motorist in the australian case was guilty. However, theoretical security is important when the legal system assumes innocence before guilt and also places a burden of proof upon the prosecution.
So I guess the question you’re all wondering is whether the Irish garda use MD5 in a similiar way for non-repudiation purposes or whether the cameras are operated by a semi-state or private organisation on cash-per-infringement basis. Well AFAIK the cameras are installed and operated by Serco and Pulse uses MD5 checksums in places. I’m going to do some digging here but it does have fascinating and wide-ranging implications.
Anyone interested in reading more about the MD5 vulnerability have a look here
I’m neither advocating speeding nor castigating cameras but the following statistics are telling. In the UK cameras deployed in accident hotspots tend to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities by 30-40%. However, cameras tend to increase the ratio of fatalities to injuries wherever they’re deployed. Many of these fatalities are due to pile-ups caused by offending motorists quickly slowing down before cameras. There are a number of theories explaining these statistics.

Some believe that cameras are distracting causing drivers to pay more attention to the speedometer rather than the road. Many studies have backed this up.
Many serially irresponsible drivers slow down just before the cameras and immediately speed up again once past them, increasingly the likelihood of an accident during braking & while they try to make up lost time.

humour

Finding value in rip-off Ireland

Post author By shaned
Post date September 14, 2005
No Comments on Finding value in rip-off Ireland

While watching the last in the series of Rip-off Ireland a thought occured to me about the industry that I know best, Information Technology. I’ve paid plumbers and electricians around 60 euro/hour to fix problems during normal working hours. Assuming a dilligent independent electrician working at these rates for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 42 weeks a year (holidays are vital to recharge the batteries) we get yearly earnings of over 100,000 euro. However, I never checked to see that the electrician who came around wasn’t an apprentice charging a a steep rate while remaining on a relatively modest salary. I just wanted my wires uncrossed 🙂. I must admit though, I did feel slightly ripped-off. As a software developer and web designer I meet the same customers who pay over 80 euro an hour to the plumber to come in and fix a leak late at night. However, the big difference is that they think they have some appreciation for what the plumber or electrician does whereas IT is a mystery. Even in this rip-off republic IT is often available for FREE!!! If that sounds too good to be true it’s because it is.