hal_pomeranz

hal_pomeranz, 6 months ago to random

I’ve been in the Computer Science field long enough to have seen multiple rounds of the AI hype machine. It’s always snake oil, smoke and mirrors. It never even approaches what a reasonable person would consider to be a thinking machine.

What it really turns out to be is an elaborate “pump and dump” scheme where early investors push the hype, knowing it’s all BS. Once a sufficient number of rubes jump on the bandwagon, the early investors cash out at a profit and leave the gullible behind to absorb the losses when people eventually realize that there is no value anywhere in the AI companies.

Oopsie! There went your retirement plans!

Do not be fooled by this chicanery.

hal_pomeranz, 4 months ago to random

Vulnerability after vulnerability on Fortinet products. At what point does your risk assessment turn to, “Rip that gear out and replace it with another vendor!”

hal_pomeranz, 4 months ago to random

Hey folks the phrase is “wracked your brain” or “nerve-wracking” NOT “racked” or “racking”. Thanks for attending my TED talk.

hal_pomeranz, 8 months ago to random

If you still have on-premises Exchange servers, keep a close eye on user logins originating from those servers to the rest of your environment. That should probably not be happening.

But really, get rid of your on-prem Exchange. No good will come from continuing down that road.

hal_pomeranz, 4 months ago to random

After seeing “Godzilla: Minus One” in the theater, I shared the 1964 classic “Godzilla vs Mothra” with my sons (age 15 and 18) last night. Their minds were boggled because they’d never seen such low-budget visual effects before. I feel I’ve been remiss in my parenting somehow.

Btw, if you are at all a kaiju fan you really should see “Minus One” on a big screen. The monster effects are awesome!

hal_pomeranz, 8 months ago to random

Yes, we're starting the Christmas music early this year. Really, we're the fun house.

hal_pomeranz, 4 months ago to random

Despite repeatedly testing negative for flu, COVID, and RSV, I spent a couple days in the hospital and even more time at home recovering from some very nasty respiratory stuff. Be careful, keep up on your shots, and mask up as appropriate. There’s a lot of stuff floating around out there that you definitely don’t want to get.

hal_pomeranz, 7 months ago to random

Ugh. Trying to get a handle on family device backups after a long period of inattention is no fun. But happy to get a window to make sure everything is squared away—it’s been weighing on my mind.

hal_pomeranz, 7 months ago to random

Oh goodness. They have actual White Castles here. #GuiltyPleasureFoods #MayNotEndWell

hal_pomeranz, 6 months ago to random

Our Thanksgiving table always features Lebanese dishes— tabouleh, kibbeh, stuffed grape leaves—in honor of Danielle’s paternal grandmother. What are some of your unique family traditions?

hal_pomeranz, 8 months ago to random

The real enemy of people all over the world is the military industrial complex and the governments they control. The slaughter of innocents will never end until the true enemy is defeated.

hal_pomeranz, 6 months ago to random

Snowman down! #HolidayCarnage

hal_pomeranz, 4 months ago to random

Just a reminder that I will be talking about Systemd Timers today at 12:00 US/Eastern on the Antisyphon Anticast https://www.antisyphontraining.com/event/anti-cast-all-about-linux-systemd-timers-w-hal-pomeranz/

How are timers configured? What forensic artifacts do they leave behind? Who the heck thought this was a good idea?

Actually, I’m not sure I have a good answer for that last question…

hal_pomeranz, 4 months ago to random

The trite life advice about “being your authentic self” comes from a place of incredible privilege.

It presumes your “authentic self” is not too neurodivergent, queer, kinky, sad, angry, disabled, ethnic, sick, poor, unhoused, phobic, self-medicating, or any of a million other things that can send unwanted signals when interacting with people in a largely homogenous society in the real world. Either that or you are wealthy enough that you can simply not GAF.

So quit giving out this life advice and recognize that many people have to hide who they are just to get themselves through life. And they have to deal with the constant stream of negative feelings that result from that. Have empathy, because people really are fighting hard battles out there.

And if people feel safe enough around you to reveal even a small fraction of their authentic selves to you, take it as a high honor. Embrace them and show love. Strive to make the world a safer place for all.

hal_pomeranz, 1 year ago to linux

Why do old fogey Sys Admins like me get twitchy when they see cron jobs scheduled to run between 2am and 3am? Why do modern Sys Admins not care?

#Linux #DFIR #CommandLine #Trivia

hal_pomeranz, 6 months ago to random

Idiotic headline for today— “What Will It Take to Stop Healthcare Worker Burnout?” Um, I don’t know. How about we pay them a decent wage and maintain reasonable staffing levels?

hal_pomeranz, 8 months ago to random

Saw a headline that read “The Three Biggest Threats to the US Economy” and I couldn’t help but think the answer was the Republicans, the Democrats, and SCOTUS

hal_pomeranz, 9 months ago to random

Health insurance in the USA is the most Kafkaesque nightmare. My insurance provider and my doctor are telling me contradictory stories. It's all very polite, but so very, very frustrating. And such a waste of my time.

hal_pomeranz, 5 months ago to linux

My first public training of 2024 will be Linux Forensics at Black Hat Asia, Apr 16-19 https://www.blackhat.com/asia-24/training/schedule/#linux-forensics-virtual-35826

This is a fully virtual class and I won't actually be in Singapore. I'll be flipping my day/night cycle and teaching from East Coast USA. This could get interesting in many different ways.

#Linux #Forensics #DFIR #SleepDeprivation

hal_pomeranz, 6 months ago to random

“Goodnight Wesley! Good work. I’ll most likely kill you in the morning.”

hal_pomeranz, 9 months ago to random

As far as I can tell, area code 971 is only used for spam calls

hal_pomeranz, 8 months ago to random

A reminder plea/warning to all travelers. Never pack expensive computer, camera, video, etc equipment in your checked baggage. Never put medicines in checked baggage. You will never see your bag again.

Unfortunately, I failed to teach my daughter this lesson and she is now heartbroken because somebody who handles bags for Southwest Airlines in Pittsburgh decided to supplement their income with the contents of her bag. This includes a brand new digital camera that she worked and saved all summer to buy, plus two other cameras she borrowed from her school as part of her photography degree program.

And to whoever did this, life is full of choices and you made a bad one. I believe the threefold rule applies here. May whatever you gain from the contents of her bag bring you three times the misery she and all of us are feeling right now. To hell with you.

hal_pomeranz, 8 months ago to random

I am fucking sick of hearing “alt-right” and “white nationalists”. They’re fucking Nazis and a stain on our country that needs to be scrubbed out.

hal_pomeranz, 8 months ago to random

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
The battle outside ragin'
Will soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'

hal_pomeranz, 4 months ago to random

This is not a “woe is me” post, but rather a “canary in the coal mine.”

I’ve now been dealing with debilitating bronchial symptoms for five solid weeks. All COVID/RSV/flu tests have come back negative throughout this time. But I’m currently in my second period of being unable to taste or smell anything. The standard medical interventions—antibiotics and steroids—are not fixing the problem.

I think we need to start being honest about a few things. People face a real risk of contracting a respiratory disease that can have significant, long-term consequences. We lack effective tests for this syndrome. We do not have effective therapies. The true impact of this situation is being suppressed. Proper resources are not being devoted to these issues.

Please take care of yourselves, my friends. You do not want this in your lives. Vaccinate, mask up, stay away from people if you can. I will be OK. I hope the same for you and yours.