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January 15, 2016
by Bruce Schneier
CTO, Resilient Systems, Inc.
A free monthly newsletter providing summaries, analyses, insights, and commentaries on security: computer and otherwise.
For back issues, or to subscribe, visit <https://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram.html>.
You can read this issue on the web at <https://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram/archives/2016/...>. These same essays and news items appear in the "Schneier on Security" blog at <http://www.schneier.com/blog>, along with a lively and intelligent comment section. An RSS feed is available.
In this issue:
- The Internet of Things that Talk About You Behind Your Back
- Using Law against Technology
- DMCA and the Internet of Things
- News
- NSA Spies on Israeli Prime Minister
- Replacing Judgment with Algorithms
- Schneier News
- IT Security and the Normalization of Deviance
The Internet of Things that Talk About You Behind Your Back
SilverPush is an Indian startup that's trying to figure out all the different computing devices you own. It embeds inaudible sounds into the webpages you read and the television commercials you watch. Software secretly embedded in your computers, tablets, and smartphones picks up the signals, and then uses cookies to transmit that information back to SilverPush. The result is that the company can track you across your different devices. It can correlate the television commercials you watch with the web searches you make. It can link the things you do on your tablet with the things you do on your work computer.
Your computerized things are talking about you behind your back, and for the most part you can't stop them -- or even learn what they're saying.
This isn't new, but it's getting worse.
Surveillance is the business model of the Internet, and the more these companies know about the intimate details of your life, the more they can profit from it. Already there are dozens of companies that secretly spy on you as you browse the Internet, connecting your behavior on different sites and using that information to target advertisements. You know it when you search for something like a Hawaiian vacation, and ads for similar vacations follow you around the Internet for weeks. Companies like Google and Facebook make an enormous profit connecting the things you write about and are interested in with companies trying to sell you things.
Cross-device tracking is the latest obsession for Internet marketers. You probably use multiple Internet devices: your computer, your smartphone, your tablet, maybe your Internet-enabled television -- and, increasingly, "Internet of Things" devices like smart thermostats and appliances. All of these devices are spying on you, but the different spies are largely unaware of each other. Start-up companies like SilverPush, 4Info, Drawbridge, Flurry, and Cross Screen Consultants, as well as the big players like Google, Facebook, and Yahoo, are all experimenting with different technologies to "fix" this problem.
Retailers want this information very much. They want to know whether their television advertising causes people to search for their products on the Internet. They want to correlate people's web searching on their smartphones with their buying behavior on their computers. They want to track people's locations using the surveillance capabilities of their smartphones, and use that information to send geographically targeted ads to their computers. They want the surveillance data from smart appliances correlated with everything else.
This is where the Internet of Things makes the problem worse. As computers get embedded into more of the objects we live with and use, and permeate more aspects of our lives, more companies want to use them to spy on us without our knowledge or consent.
Technically, of course, we did consent. The license agreement we didn't read but legally agreed to when we unthinkingly clicked "I agree" on a screen, or opened a package we purchased, gives all of those companies the legal right to conduct all of this surveillance. And the way US privacy law is currently written, they own all of that data and don't need to allow us to see it.
We accept all of this Internet surveillance because we don't really think about it. If there were a dozen people from Internet marketing companies with pens and clipboards peering over our shoulders as we sent our Gmails and browsed the Internet, most of us would object immediately. If the companies that made our smartphone apps actually followed us around all day, or if the companies that collected our license plate data could be seen as we drove, we would demand they stop. And if our televisions, computer, and mobile devices talked about us and coordinated their behavior in a way we could hear, we would be creeped out.
The Federal Trade Commission is looking at cross-device tracking technologies, with an eye to regulating them. But if recent history is a guide, any regulations will be minor and largely ineffective at addressing the larger problem.
We need to do better. We need to have a conversation about the privacy implications of cross-device tracking, but -- more importantly -- we need to think about the ethics of our surveillance economy. Do we want companies knowing the intimate details of our lives, and being able to store that data forever? Do we truly believe that we have no rights to see the data that's collected about us, to correct data that's wrong, or to have data deleted that's personal or embarrassing? At a minimum, we need limits on the behavioral data that can legally be collected about us and how long it can be stored, a right to download data collected about us, and a ban on third-party ad tracking. The last one is vital: it's the companies that spy on us from website to website, or from device to device, that are doing the most damage to our privacy.
The Internet surveillance economy is less than 20 years old, and emerged because there was no regulation limiting any of this behavior. It's now a powerful industry, and it's expanding past computers and smartphones into every aspect of our lives. It's long past time we set limits on what these computers, and the companies that control them, can say about us and do to us behind our backs.
This essay previously appeared on Vice Motherboard.
Surveillance is the business model of the Internet:
Cross-device tracking:
Smartphone apps that follow us around:
License plate data collection:
Ethics of our surveillance economy:
Using Law against Technology
In mid-December, a Brazilian judge ordered the text messaging service WhatsApp shut down for 48 hours. It was a monumental action.
WhatsApp is the most popular app in Brazil, used by about 100 million people. The Brazilian telecoms hate the service because it entices people away from more expensive text messaging services, and they have been lobbying for months to convince the government that it's unregulated and illegal. A judge finally agreed.
In Brazil's case, WhatsApp was blocked for allegedly failing to respond to a court order. Another judge reversed the ban 12 hours later, but there is a pattern forming here. In Egypt, Vodafone has complained about the legality of WhatsApp's free voice-calls, while India's telecoms firms have been lobbying hard to curb messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Viber. Earlier this year, the United Arab Emirates blocked WhatsApp's free voice call feature.
All this is part of a massive power struggle going on right now between traditional companies and new Internet companies, and we're all in the blast radius.
It's one aspect of a tech policy problem that has been plaguing us for at least 25 years: technologists and policymakers don't understand each other, and they inflict damage on society because of that. But it's worse today. The speed of technological progress makes it worse. And the types of technology -- especially the current Internet of mobile devices everywhere, cloud computing, always-on connections and the Internet of Things -- make it worse.
The Internet has been disrupting and destroying long-standing business models since its popularization in the mid-1990s. And traditional industries have long fought back with every tool at their disposal. The movie and music industries have tried for decades to hamstring computers in an effort to prevent illegal copying of their products. Publishers have battled with Google over whether their books could be indexed for online searching.
More recently, municipal taxi companies and large hotel chains are fighting with ride-sharing companies such as Uber and apartment-sharing companies such as Airbnb. Both the old companies and the new upstarts have tried to bend laws to their will in an effort to outmaneuver each other.
Sometimes the actions of these companies harm the users of these systems and services. And the results can seem crazy. Why would the Brazilian telecoms want to provoke the ire of almost everyone in the country? They're trying to protect their monopoly. If they win in not just shutting down WhatsApp, but Telegram and all the other text-message services, their customers will have no choice. This is how high-stakes these battles can be.
This isn't just companies competing in the marketplace. These are battles between competing visions of how technology should apply to business, and traditional businesses and "disruptive" new businesses. The fundamental problem is that technology and law are in conflict, and what's worked in the past is increasingly failing today.
First, the speeds of technology and law have reversed. Traditionally, new technologies were adopted slowly over decades. There was time for people to figure them out, and for their social repercussions to percolate through society. Legislatures and courts had time to figure out rules for these technologies and how they should integrate into the existing legal structures.
They don't always get it right -- the sad history of copyright law in the United States is an example of how they can get it badly wrong again and again -- but at least they had a chance before the technologies become widely adopted.
That's just not true anymore. A new technology can go from zero to a hundred million users in a year or less. That's just too fast for the political or legal process. By the time they're asked to make rules, these technologies are well-entrenched in society.
Second, the technologies have become more complicated and specialized. This means that the normal system of legislators passing laws, regulators making rules based on those laws and courts providing a second check on those rules fails. None of these people has the expertise necessary to understand these technologies, let alone the subtle and potentially pernicious ramifications of any rules they make.
We see the same thing between governments and law-enforcement and militaries. In the United States, we're expecting policymakers to understand the debate between the FBI's desire to read the encrypted e-mails and computers of crime suspects and the security researchers who maintain that giving them that capability will render everyone insecure. We're expecting legislators to provide meaningful oversight over the National Security Agency, when they can only read highly technical documents about the agency's activities in special rooms and without any aides who might be conversant in the issues.
The result is that we end up in situations such as the one Brazil finds itself in. WhatsApp went from zero to 100 million users in five years. The telecoms are advancing all sorts of weird legal arguments to get the service banned, and judges are ill-equipped to separate fact from fiction.
This isn't a simple matter of needing government to get out of the way and let companies battle in the marketplace. These companies are for-profit entities, and their business models are so complicated that they regularly don't do what's best for their users. (For example, remember that you're not really Facebook's customer. You're their product.)
The fact that people's resumes are effectively the first 10 hits on a Google search of their name is a problem -- something that the European "right to be forgotten" tried ham-fistedly to address. There's a lot of smart writing that says that Uber's disruption of traditional taxis will be worse for the people who regularly use the services. And many people worry about Amazon's increasing dominance of the publishing industry.
We need a better way of regulating new technologies.
That's going to require bridging the gap between technologists and policymakers. Each needs to understand the other -- not enough to be experts in each other's fields, but enough to engage in meaningful conversations and debates. That's also going to require laws that are agile and written to be as technologically invariant as possible.
It's a tall order, I know, and one that has been on the wish list of every tech policymaker for decades. But today, the stakes are higher and the issues come faster. Not doing so will become increasingly harmful for all of us.
This essay originally appeared on CNN.com.
Brazil and WhatsApp:
Other countries and WhatsApp:
Our resume is our first ten hits on Google:
Right to be forgotten:
Good essay on Uber:
Slashdot thread:
DMCA and the Internet of Things
In theory, the Internet of Things -- the connected network of tiny computers inside home appliances, household objects, even clothing -- promises to make your life easier and your work more efficient. These computers will communicate with each other and the Internet in homes and public spaces, collecting data about their environment and making changes based on the information they receive. In theory, connected sensors will anticipate your needs, saving you time, money, and energy.
Except when the companies that make these connected objects act in a way that runs counter to the consumer's best interests -- as the technology company Philips did recently with its smart ambient-lighting system, Hue, which consists of a central controller that can remotely communicate with light bulbs. In mid-December, the company pushed out a software update that made the system incompatible with some other manufacturers' light bulbs, including bulbs that had previously been supported.
The complaints began rolling in almost immediately. The Hue system was supposed to be compatible with an industry standard called ZigBee, but the bulbs that Philips cut off were ZigBee-compliant. Philips backed down and restored compatibility a few days later.
But the story of the Hue debacle -- the story of a company using copy protection technology to lock out competitors -- isn't a new one. Plenty of companies set up proprietary standards to ensure that their customers don't use someone else's products with theirs. Keurig, for example, puts codes on its single-cup coffee pods, and engineers its coffeemakers to work only with those codes. HP has done the same thing with its printers and ink cartridges.
To stop competitors just reverse-engineering the proprietary standard and making compatible peripherals (for example, another coffee manufacturer putting Keurig's codes on its own pods), these companies rely on a 1998 law called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DCMA). The law was originally passed to prevent people from pirating music and movies; while it hasn't done a lot of good in that regard (as anyone who uses BitTorrent can attest), it has done a lot to inhibit security and compatibility research.
Specifically, the DMCA includes an anti-circumvention provision, which prohibits companies from circumventing "technological protection measures" that "effectively control access" to copyrighted works. That means it's illegal for someone to create a Hue-compatible light bulb without Philips' permission, a K-cup-compatible coffee pod without Keurigs', or an HP-printer compatible cartridge without HP's.
By now, we're used to this in the computer world. In the 1990s, Microsoft used a strategy it called "embrace, extend, extinguish," in which it gradually added proprietary capabilities to products that already adhered to widely used standards. Some more recent examples: Amazon's e-book format doesn't work on other companies' readers, music purchased from Apple's iTunes store doesn't work with other music players, and every game console has its own proprietary game cartridge format.
Because companies can enforce anti-competitive behavior this way, there's a litany of things that just don't exist, even though they would make life easier for consumers in significant ways. You can't have custom software for your cochlear implant, or your programmable thermostat, or your computer-enabled Barbie doll. An auto repair shop can't design a better diagnostic system that interfaces with a car's computers. And John Deere has claimed that it owns the software on all of its tractors, meaning the farmers that purchase them are prohibited from repairing or modifying their property.
As the Internet of Things becomes more prevalent, so too will this kind of anti-competitive behavior -- which undercuts the purpose of having smart objects in the first place. We'll want our light bulbs to communicate with a central controller, regardless of manufacturer. We'll want our clothes to communicate with our washing machines and our cars to communicate with traffic signs.
We can't have this when companies can cut off compatible products, or use the law to prevent competitors from reverse-engineering their products to ensure compatibility across brands. For the Internet of Things to provide any value, what we need is a world that looks like the automotive industry, where you can go to a store and buy replacement parts made by a wide variety of different manufacturers. Instead, the Internet of Things is on track to become a battleground of competing standards, as companies try to build monopolies by locking each other out.
This essay previously appeared on TheAtlantic.com.
ZigBee standard:
Keurig cup DRM:
HP ink cartridge DRM:
John Deere DRM:
Slashdot thread:
More commentary:
Last month, the city of Los Angeles closed all of its schools -- over 1,000 schools -- because of a bomb threat. It was a hoax.
New paper: "On the Security and Usability of Crypto Phones," by Maliheh Shivanian and Nitesh Saxena. Their findings should come as no surprise: users often compromise their own security by making mistakes setting up and using their encryption apps.
The Intercept has "a secret, internal U.S. government catalogue of dozens of cellphone surveillance devices used by the military and by intelligence agencies." Lot of detailed information about Stingrays and similar equipment.
Gene Spafford writes about the history of "Practical Unix Security."
If you like puzzles, GCHQ has one for you.
Just don't let it distract you from fighting the UK legislation giving the GCHQ new surveillance powers.
Juniper has warned about a malicious back door in its firewalls that automatically decrypts VPN traffic. It's been there for years. It's a complicated story, and here are some good links that talk about it.
The Intercept published a 2011 GCHQ document outlining its exploit capabilities against Juniper networking equipment, including routers and NetScreen firewalls as part of this article. This doesn't have much to do with the Juniper backdoor currently in the news, but the document does provide even more evidence that (despite what the government says) the NSA hoards vulnerabilities in commonly used software for attack purposes instead of improving security for everyone by disclosing it.
In thinking about the equities process, it's worth differentiating among three different things: bugs, vulnerabilities, and exploits. Bugs are plentiful in code, but not all bugs can be turned into vulnerabilities. And not all vulnerabilities can be turned into exploits. Exploits are what matter; they're what everyone uses to compromise our security. Fixing bugs and vulnerabilities is important because they could potentially be turned into exploits. I think the US government deliberately clouds the issue when they say that they disclose almost all bugs they discover, ignoring the much more important question of how often they disclose exploits they discover. What this document shows is that -- despite their insistence that they prioritize security over surveillance -- they like to hoard exploits against commonly used network equipment.
Note: In case anyone is researching this issue, here is my complete list of useful links on various different aspects of the ongoing debate.
This interesting article by medieval historian Amanda Power traces our culture's relationship with the concept of mass surveillance from the medieval characterization of the Christian god and how piety was policed by the church.
Two good pieces of writing on the Second Crypto War. The first is "Wanting It Bad Enough Won't Make It Work: Why Adding Backdoors and Weakening Encryption Threatens the Internet," by Meredith Whittaker and Ben Laurie.
The second is "The Second Crypto War Is Not about Crypto," by Jaap-Henk Hoepman.
This weird story describes a "porn dog" that is trained to find hidden hard drives. It's used in child porn investigations. I suppose it's reasonable that computer disks have a particular chemical smell, but I wonder what it is.
Earlier this month, a Las Vegas taco shop was robbed in the middle of the night. The restaurant took the video-surveillance footage and turned it into a combination commercial for their tacos and request for help identifying the burglars.
Brian Krebs has a story about PayPal's substandard authentication. Bottom line: PayPal has no excuse for this kind of stuff. I hope the public shaming incents them to offer better authentication for their customers.
A lot of Pennsylvania government officials are being hurt as a result of e-mails being made public. This is all the result of a political pressure to release the e-mails, and not an organizational doxing attack, but the effects are the same.
Our psychology of e-mail doesn't match the reality. We treat it as ephemeral, even though it's not. And the archival nature of e-mail -- or text messages, or Twitter chats, or Facebook conversations -- isn't salient.
Cory Doctorow has a good essay on software integrity and control problems and the Internet of Things. He's writing about self-driving cars, but the issue is much more general. Basically, we're going to want systems that prevent their owner from making certain changes to it. We know how to do this: digital rights management. We also know that this solution doesn't work, and trying introduces all sorts of security vulnerabilities. So we have a problem.
This is an old problem. (Adam Shostack and I wrote a paper about it in 1999, about smart cards.) The Internet of Things is going to make it much worse. And it's one we're not anywhere near prepared to solve.
De-anonymizing users from their coding styles.
Micah Lee wrote a good article that talks about how Microsoft is collecting the hard-drive encryption keys of Windows 10 users, and how to disable that "feature."
More useful information:
Recently declassified: "Deception Maxims: Fact and Folklore," Office of Research and Development, Central Intelligence Agency, June 1981. Research on deception and con games has advanced in the past 35 years, but this is still interesting to read.
There's an excellent article in Foreign Affairs on how the European insistence on data privacy -- most recently illustrated by their invalidation of the "safe harbor" agreement -- is really about the US talking out of both sides of its mouth on the issue: championing privacy in public, but spying on everyone in private. As long as the US keeps this up, the authors argue, this issue will get worse.
Stewart Baker on the same topic:
Nice essay that lists ten "truths" about terrorism. Nothing will be news to regular readers of this newsletter
Fascinating "New Yorker" article about Samantha Azzopardi, serial con artist and deceiver.
The article is really about how our brains allow stories to deceive us.
Mac OS X, iOS, and Flash had the most discovered vulnerabilities in 2015. The article goes on to explain why Windows vulnerabilities might be counted higher, and gives the top 50 software packages for vulnerabilities.
The interesting discussion topic is how this relates to how secure the software is. Is software with more discovered vulnerabilities better because they're all fixed? Is software with more discovered vulnerabilities less secure because there are so many? Or are they all equally bad, and people just look at some software more than others? No one knows.
Last week, former NSA Director Michael Hayden made a very strong argument against deliberately weakening security products by adding backdoors.
This isn't new, and is yet another example of the split between the law-enforcement and intelligence communities on this issue. What is new is Hayden saying, effectively: Hey FBI, you guys are idiots for trying to get back doors.
On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, the Dutch government has come out against backdoors in security products, and in favor of strong encryption.
Meanwhile, I have been hearing rumors that "serious" US legislation mandating backdoors is about to be introduced. These rumors are pervasive, but without details.
An analysis of the opsec Sean Penn used for his meeting with El Chapo. There has been lots of speculation about whether this was enough, or whether Mexican officials tracked El Chapo down because of his meeting with Penn.
Cory Doctorow has a good post on the EFF website about how they're trying to fight digital rights management software in the World Wide Web Consortium. The W3C added DRM to the web's standards in 2013. This doesn't reverse that terrible decision, but it's a step in the right direction.
Troy Hunt has identified a new spam vector. PayPal allows someone to send someone else a $0 invoice. The spam is in the notes field. But it's a legitimate e-mail from PayPal, so it evades many of the traditional spam filters. Presumably it doesn't cost anything to send a $0 invoice via PayPal. Hopefully, the company will close this loophole soon.
NSA Spies on Israeli Prime Minister
The Wall Street Journal has a story that the NSA spied on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli government officials, and incidentally collected conversations between US citizens -- including lawmakers -- and those officials.
US lawmakers who are usually completely fine with NSA surveillance are aghast at this behavior, as both Glenn Greenwald and Trevor Timm explain. Greenwald:
So now, with yesterday's WSJ report, we witness the tawdry spectacle of large numbers of people who for years were fine with, responsible for, and even giddy about NSA mass surveillance suddenly objecting. Now they've learned that they themselves, or the officials of the foreign country they most love, have been caught up in this surveillance dragnet, and they can hardly contain their indignation. Overnight, privacy is of the highest value because now it's *their* privacy, rather than just yours, that is invaded.
This reminds me of the 2013 story that the NSA eavesdropped on the cell phone of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Back then, I wrote:
Spying on foreign governments is what the NSA is supposed to do. Much more problematic, and dangerous, is that the NSA is spying on entire populations.
Greenwald said the same thing:
I've always argued that on the spectrum of spying stories, revelations about targeting foreign leaders is the least important, since that is the most justifiable type of espionage. Whether the U.S. should be surveilling the private conversations of officials of allied democracies is certainly worth debating, but, as I argued in my 2014 book, those "revelations ... are less significant than the agency's warrantless mass surveillance of whole populations" since "countries have spied on heads of state for centuries, including allies."
And that's the key point. I am less concerned about Angela Merkel than the other 82 million Germans that are being spied on, and I am less concerned about Benjamin Netanyahu than I am about the other 8 million people living in that country.
Over on Lawfare, Ben Wittes agrees:
There is absolutely nothing surprising about NSA's activities here -- or about the administration's activities. There is no reason to expect illegality or impropriety. In fact, the remarkable aspect of this story is how constrained both the administration's and the agency's behavior appears to have been by rules and norms in exactly the fashion one would hope to see.
So let's boil this down to brass tacks: NSA spied on a foreign leader at a time when his country had a major public foreign policy showdown with the President of the United States over a sharp differences between the two countries over Iran's nuclearization -- indeed, at a time when the US believed that leader was contemplating military action without advance notice to the United States. In the course of this surveillance, NSA incidentally collected communications involving members of Congress, who were being heavily lobbied by the Israeli government and Netanyahu personally. There is no indication that the members of Congress were targeted for collection. Moreover, there's no indication that the rules that govern incidental collection involving members of Congress were not followed. The White House, for its part, appears to have taken a hands-off approach, directing NSA to follow its own policies about what to report, even on a sensitive matter involving delicate negotiations in a tense period with an ally.
The words that really matter are "incidental collection." I have no doubt that the NSA followed its own rules in that regard. The discussion we need to have is about whether those rules are the correct ones. Section 702 incidental collection is a huge loophole that allows the NSA to collect information on millions of innocent Americans.
Greenwald again:
This claim of "incidental collection" has always been deceitful, designed to mask the fact that the NSA does indeed frequently spy on the conversations of American citizens without warrants of any kind. Indeed, as I detailed here, the 2008 FISA law enacted by Congress had as one of its principal, explicit purposes allowing the NSA to eavesdrop on Americans' conversations *without warrants of any kind*. "The principal purpose of the 2008 law was to make it possible for the government to collect Americans' international communications -- and to collect those communications without reference to whether any party to those communications was doing anything illegal," the ACLU's Jameel Jaffer said. "And a lot of the government's advocacy is meant to obscure this fact, but it's a crucial one: The government doesn't need to 'target' Americans in order to collect huge volumes of their communications."
If you're a member of Congress, there are special rules that the NSA has to follow if you're incidentally spied on:
Special safeguards for lawmakers, dubbed the "Gates Rule," were put in place starting in the 1990s. Robert Gates, who headed the Central Intelligence Agency from 1991 to 1993, and later went on to be President Barack Obama's Defense Secretary, required intelligence agencies to notify the leaders of the congressional intelligence committees whenever a lawmaker's identity was revealed to an executive branch official.
If you're a regular American citizen, don't expect any such notification. Your information can be collected, searched, and then saved for later searching, without a warrant. And if you're a common German, Israeli, or any other countries' citizen, you have even fewer rights.
In 2014, I argued that we need to separate the NSA's espionage mission against target agents for a foreign power from any broad surveillance of Americans. I still believe that. But more urgently, we need to reform Section 702 when it comes up for reauthorization in 2017.
Glenn Greenwald on the story:
Trevor Timm on the story:
2013 Merkel story:
Ben Wittes on the story:
Section 702 incidental collection:
NSA surveillance rules regarding Congress:
My argument to break up the NSA:
Jake Laperruque on the story:
Marcy Wheeler on the story:
Replacing Judgment with Algorithms
China is considering a new "social credit" system, designed to rate everyone's trustworthiness. Many fear that it will become a tool of social control -- but in reality it has a lot in common with the algorithms and systems that score and classify us all every day.
Human judgment is being replaced by automatic algorithms, and that brings with it both enormous benefits and risks. The technology is enabling a new form of social control, sometimes deliberately and sometimes as a side effect. And as the Internet of Things ushers in an era of more sensors and more data -- and more algorithms -- we need to ensure that we reap the benefits while avoiding the harms.
Right now, the Chinese government is watching how companies use "social credit" scores in state-approved pilot projects. The most prominent one is Sesame Credit, and it's much more than a financial scoring system.
Citizens are judged not only by conventional financial criteria, but by their actions and associations. Rumors abound about how this system works. Various news sites are speculating that your score will go up if you share a link from a state-sponsored news agency and go down if you post pictures of Tiananmen Square. Similarly, your score will go up if you purchase local agricultural products and down if you purchase Japanese anime. Right now the worst fears seem overblown, but could certainly come to pass in the future.
This story has spread because it's just the sort of behavior you'd expect from the authoritarian government in China. But there's little about the scoring systems used by Sesame Credit that's unique to China. All of us are being categorized and judged by similar algorithms, both by companies and by governments. While the aim of these systems might not be social control, it's often the byproduct. And if we're not careful, the creepy results we imagine for the Chinese will be our lot as well.
Sesame Credit is largely based on a US system called FICO. That's the system that determines your credit score. You actually have a few dozen different ones, and they determine whether you can get a mortgage, car loan or credit card, and what sorts of interest rates you're offered. The exact algorithm is secret, but we know in general what goes into a FICO score: how much debt you have, how good you've been at repaying your debt, how long your credit history is and so on.
There's nothing about your social network, but that might change. In August, Facebook was awarded a patent on using a borrower's social network to help determine if he or she is a good credit risk. Basically, your creditworthiness becomes dependent on the creditworthiness of your friends. Associate with deadbeats, and you're more likely to be judged as one.
Your associations can be used to judge you in other ways as well. It's now common for employers to use social media sites to screen job applicants. This manual process is increasingly being outsourced and automated; companies like Social Intelligence, Evolv and First Advantage automatically process your social networking activity and provide hiring recommendations for employers. The dangers of this type of system -- from discriminatory biases resulting from the data to an obsession with scores over more social measures -- are too many.
The company Klout tried to make a business of measuring your online influence, hoping its proprietary system would become an industry standard used for things like hiring and giving out free product samples.
The US government is judging you as well. Your social media postings could get you on the terrorist watch list, affecting your ability to fly on an airplane and even get a job. In 2012, a British tourist's tweet caused the US to deny him entry into the country. We know that the National Security Agency uses complex computer algorithms to sift through the Internet data it collects on both Americans and foreigners.
All of these systems, from Sesame Credit to the NSA's secret algorithms, are made possible by computers and data. A couple of generations ago, you would apply for a home mortgage at a bank that knew you, and a bank manager would make a determination of your creditworthiness. Yes, the system was prone to all sorts of abuses, ranging from discrimination to an old-boy network of friends helping friends. But the system also couldn't scale. It made no sense for a bank across the state to give you a loan, because they didn't know you. Loans stayed local.
FICO scores changed that. Now, a computer crunches your credit history and produces a number. And you can take that number to any mortgage lender in the country. They don't need to know you; your score is all they need to decide whether you're trustworthy.
This score enabled the home mortgage, car loan, credit card and other lending industries to explode, but it brought with it other problems. People who don't conform to the financial norm -- having and using credit cards, for example -- can have trouble getting loans when they need them. The automatic nature of the system enforces conformity.
The secrecy of the algorithms further pushes people toward conformity. If you are worried that the US government will classify you as a potential terrorist, you're less likely to friend Muslims on Facebook. If you know that your Sesame Credit score is partly based on your not buying "subversive" products or being friends with dissidents, you're more likely to overcompensate by not buying anything but the most innocuous books or corresponding with the most boring people.
Uber is an example of how this works. Passengers rate drivers and drivers rate passengers; both risk getting booted out of the system if their rankings get too low. This weeds out bad drivers and passengers, but also results in marginal people being blocked from the system, and everyone else trying to not make any special requests, avoid controversial conversation topics, and generally behave like good corporate citizens.
Many have documented a chilling effect among American Muslims, with them avoiding certain discussion topics lest they be taken the wrong way. Even if nothing would happen because of it, their free speech has been curtailed because of the secrecy surrounding government surveillance. How many of you are reluctant to Google "pressure cooker bomb"? How many are a bit worried that I used it in this essay?
This is what social control looks like in the Internet age. The Cold-War-era methods of undercover agents, informants living in your neighborhood, and agents provocateur is too labor-intensive and inefficient. These automatic algorithms make possible a wholly new way to enforce conformity. And by accepting algorithmic classification into our lives, we're paving the way for the same sort of thing China plans to put into place.
It doesn't have to be this way. We can get the benefits of automatic algorithmic systems while avoiding the dangers. It's not even hard.
The first step is to make these algorithms public. Companies and governments both balk at this, fearing that people will deliberately try to game them, but the alternative is much worse.
The second step is for these systems to be subject to oversight and accountability. It's already illegal for these algorithms to have discriminatory outcomes, even if they're not deliberately designed in. This concept needs to be expanded. We as a society need to understand what we expect out of the algorithms that automatically judge us and ensure that those expectations are met.
We also need to provide manual systems for people to challenge their classifications. Automatic algorithms are going to make mistakes, whether it's by giving us bad credit scores or flagging us as terrorists. We need the ability to clear our names if this happens, through a process that restores human judgment.
Sesame Credit sounds like a dystopia because we can easily imagine how the Chinese government can use a system like this to enforce conformity and stifle dissent. Our own systems seem safer, because we don't believe the corporations and governments that run them are malevolent. But the dangers are inherent in the technologies. As we move into a world where we are increasingly judged by algorithms, we need to ensure that they do so fairly and properly.
This essay previously appeared on CNN.com.
Facebook's patent:
Employer use of this data:
How social media posts can land you on the terrorist watch list:
Algorithmic secrecy:
Chilling effect of surveillance:
The necessity of oversight and accountability:
Schneier News
The Technoskeptic has posted a good interview with me on its website. Normally it charges for its content, but this interview is available for free.
IT Security and the Normalization of Deviance
Professional pilot Ron Rapp has written a fascinating article on a 2014 Gulfstream plane that crashed on takeoff. The accident was 100% human error and entirely preventable -- the pilots ignored procedures and checklists and warning signs again and again. Rapp uses it as example of what systems theorists call the "normalization of deviance," a term coined by sociologist Diane Vaughan:
Social normalization of deviance means that people within the organization become so much accustomed to a deviant behaviour that they don't consider it as deviant, despite the fact that they far exceed their own rules for the elementary safety. But it is a complex process with some kind of organizational acceptance. The people outside see the situation as deviant whereas the people inside get accustomed to it and do not. The more they do it, the more they get accustomed. For instance in the Challenger case there were design flaws in the famous "O-rings," although they considered that by design the O-rings would not be damaged. In fact it happened that they suffered some recurrent damage. The first time the O-rings were damaged the engineers found a solution and decided the space transportation system to be flying with "acceptable risk." The second time damage occurred, they thought the trouble came from something else. Because in their mind they believed they fixed the newest trouble, they again defined it as an acceptable risk and just kept monitoring the problem. And as they recurrently observed the problem with no consequence they got to the point that flying with the flaw was normal and acceptable. Of course, after the accident, they were shocked and horrified as they saw what they had done.
The point is that normalization of deviance is a gradual process that leads to a situation where unacceptable practices or standards become acceptable, and flagrant violations of procedure become normal -- despite that fact that everyone involved knows better.
I think this is a useful term for IT security professionals. I have long said that the fundamental problems in computer security are not about technology; instead, they're about using technology. We have lots of technical tools at our disposal, and if technology alone could secure networks we'd all be in great shape. But, of course, it can't. Security is fundamentally a human problem, and there are people involved in security every step of the way. We know that people are regularly the weakest link. We have trouble getting people to follow good security practices and not undermine them as soon as they're inconvenient. Rules are ignored.
As long as the organizational culture turns a blind eye to these practices, the predictable result is insecurity.
None of this is unique to IT. Looking at the healthcare field, John Banja identifies seven factors that contribute to the normalization of deviance:
The rules are stupid and inefficient! Knowledge is imperfect and uneven. The work itself, along with new technology, can disrupt work
behaviors and rule compliance.
I'm breaking the rule for the good of my patient! The rules don't apply to me/you can trust me. Workers are afraid to speak up. Leadership withholding or diluting findings on system problems.
Dan Luu has written about this, too.
I see these same factors again and again in IT, especially in large organizations. We constantly battle this culture, and we're regularly cleaning up the aftermath of people getting things wrong. The culture of IT relies on single expert individuals, with all the problems that come along with that. And false positives can wear down a team's diligence, bringing about complacency.
I don't have any magic solutions here. Banja's suggestions are good, but general:
Pay attention to weak signals. Resist the urge to be unreasonably optimistic. Teach employees how to conduct emotionally uncomfortable
System operators need to feel safe in speaking up. Realize that oversight and monitoring are never-ending.
The normalization of deviance is something we have to face, especially in areas like incident response where we can't get people out of the loop. People believe they know better and deliberately ignore procedure, and invariably forget things. Recognizing the problem is the first step toward solving it.
This essay previously appeared on the Resilient Systems blog.
Ron Rapp's article:
Diane Vaughan on the topic:
People are the weakest link in security:
John Banja's article:
Dan Luu's article:
Me on the future of incident response:
Since 1998, CRYPTO-GRAM has been a free monthly newsletter providing summaries, analyses, insights, and commentaries on security: computer and otherwise. You can subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your address on the Web at <https://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram.html>. Back issues are also available at that URL.
Please feel free to forward CRYPTO-GRAM, in whole or in part, to colleagues and friends who will find it valuable. Permission is also granted to reprint CRYPTO-GRAM, as long as it is reprinted in its entirety.
CRYPTO-GRAM is written by Bruce Schneier. Bruce Schneier is an internationally renowned security technologist, called a "security guru" by The Economist. He is the author of 12 books -- including "Liars and Outliers: Enabling the Trust Society Needs to Survive" -- as well as hundreds of articles, essays, and academic papers. His influential newsletter "Crypto-Gram" and his blog "Schneier on Security" are read by over 250,000 people. He has testified before Congress, is a frequent guest on television and radio, has served on several government committees, and is regularly quoted in the press. Schneier is a fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School, a program fellow at the New America Foundation's Open Technology Institute, a board member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an Advisory Board Member of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, and the Chief Technology Officer at Resilient Systems, Inc. See <https://www.schneier.com>.
Crypto-Gram is a personal newsletter. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Resilient Systems, Inc.
Copyright (c) 2016 by Bruce Schneier.


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Translation: Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc. is offering up its Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle (amazing name, I know) for pre-order starting April 22, Earth Day.
This vehicle, like Nissan's Leaf, is all electric all the time. The only other full-on electric car commercially available is the Tesla Roadster, which will set you back about $100,000. Tesla's sleek Model S sedan, which also boasts a 300 mile charge life and claims zero to 60 in 5.6 seconds, costs about half that and comes out next year.
The $41,000 Chevy Volt is also on the streets. One was spotted by my co-worker Sandy Nax recently at a Kingsburg auto show. The Volt also features a gas engine for backup. Its all-electric range is 40 miles, not quite half the $32,780 Leaf's 100-mile advertised distance.
But according to Washington Examiner reporter David Freddoso, the news isn't all that electrifying for Chevy. Freddoso writes in his blog in March that sales of the Volt in February were a "very modest 281," down from 326 in December. Read some of the comments on the post, and it appears to be an issue more of supply than demand. One commenter says his Volt won't be delivered until late April or May.
After several delays, Fisker appears on track to begin delivering its Karma sedan in June or July, reports Products & Tech News. The blog says "Fisker's Roger Ormisher also points out that the company did begin 'limited series production' at the end of March as planned, and he says the company is 'ramping up slowly to ensure absolute quality.'" The all-electric luxury car will cost about $100,000.
Comparatively, the entry-level 2012 Mitsubishi i will set buyers back a measly $27,990. Add in the federal tax credit and the price drops to $20,490, "a substantial savings ... when compared to its mass-produced production EV competition," the company says in a statement.
For a couple thousand more, buyers can get the SE package with "360-watt, eight speaker sound system, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, upgraded seating material with silver interior accents, unique two-tone interior and door panels, 15-inch alloy wheels and fog lamps." Another upgrade includes a quick-charge port for 80 percent recharge in 30 minutes and other fun stuff.
The MiEV will be on display at Earth Day San Francisco 2011 on April 23 in the Civic Center Plaza. For more information, go to http://www.earthdaysf.com/.
Mitsubishi didn't offer a driving range for the MiEV on its press release, but Michael Boxwell of thechargingpoint.com says the automaker claims a range of 92 miles. He said while testing the car, he was able to achieve a range of 92.7 miles in the city. "However, at higher speeds range does drop off considerably," Boxwell says. "On a trip down the motorway my range dropped to a little over 50 miles, while cross-country motoring gave me a range of 64.4 miles."
Blogger Phil T has been testing the limits of his newly purchased Nissan Leaf on Southern California roads and had this to say of its range: "I measured 86.5 miles of range on a day when I decided to try to run the car out of power to see what the range would be. I drove some of the miles gently and others aggressively, with no freeway miles. I know that the car is capable of more range, and I may try it again with a full 'tank' of careful driving."
I'll be following the exploits of Phil T, who just recently picked up his Leaf in Costa Mesa. I mentioned to him my fear of going all electric. (I have considered converting my black custom 1974 Super Beetle.) Phil says not to worry: "No point in being afraid, Mike. After all, 'faint heart never won fair maiden,' as they say."
In my defense, I will say I won the fair maiden 20 years ago.
Phil says it's just a matter of factoring in conditions and whether a driver's daily trips fit the range of an electric vehicle. "That and you'd need a plan for longer trips," he says.
So, if you've taken the plunge, I'd love to hear about your experiences.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Best Exercises to Lose Stubborn Belly Fat Quickly
There have been many exercises created for the stomach muscles. However, truly there are just three best exercises to lose stubborn belly fat. By doing only these three along with a sound eating routine, anyone can easily the extra and unnecessary calories of their stomach area.
Anything Cardiovascular
Fat is burned off through cardiovascular exercises and not through target works out. So, the best and most effective trick is to do anything that produces lots of sweat. These exercises may include running, walking, and jumping jacks. These are the best ever exercises to lose stubborn belly fat. Exercises that give to the muscles like curl-ups are not as successful when consuming off calories. However, they are equally effective and following are the reasons why.
Curl Ups
Curl-ups are one of the common target workouts for a flatter stomach. What this activity does is to build up the muscles so excellently formed abs will show up once the fat is melted by the cardiovascular workout. Muscles really use up energy even while they are inactive, which implies that they accelerate calorie consumption. Hence, in spite of the fact that curl-ups itself do not consume fat, this activity is in a way a factor.
Riding a Bicycle
The bicycle workout focuses on the stomach just like curl-ups. However, it additionally powers the thigh area to work which is really helpful in building up the leg muscles. Like curl-ups, the objective of the cycling exercise is to develop the fat consuming muscles.
Obviously, for the individuals who need a variation in their workouts, trying out various abs exercises is additionally conceivable. However, you should carry out these weight loss exercises with a good dose of cardiovascular workout since this is the key exercise that gets rid of stubborn belly fat and other unwanted body to fat.


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About US
CODE (Community of Developers & Entrepreneurs) is the heart of tech and entrepreneurship at Babson College, the top entrepreneurial school. We are a living learning community in Van Winkle comprised of 21 residents. We are proud to say most of our residents are working on solving tough problems around the world they are passionate about through a startup.
We view technology as a tool to form disruptive companies that change the world. CODE is a platform to find co-founders, collaborate on ideas and learn more about technology and entrepreneurship as a whole. CODE also consults to technology startups through the Blank Center of entrepreneurship at Babson.


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Record oil prices and news of a bear market in the U.S. helped to balance out strong consumer services and finance sectors, leaving Latin American markets up slightly Friday.
In Sao Paulo, the Bovespa gained 0.4% to close at 64,229.5.
In Mexico City, the IPC index climbed 0.3% to 29,289.1, with shares of banker Grupo Financiero Inbursa up 3.4% to bolster financials and telecommunications company Axtel closing up 2.3%.
Grupo Modelo shares also fell, losing 2.5% after news of 50% owner Anheuser Busch's BUD, +1.77% rejection of InBev's (000379310) $65-a-share takeover bid and BUD's subsequent announcement of its own plans to improve shareholder value.
Department store managing company Lojas Renner gained 3.9% in Brazil as part of a stronger consumer services sector. Net Servicos de Comunicacao NETC, +0.00% gained 2%, and Latin oil giant Petrobras PBR, -0.90% gained 0.2%.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +1.20% lost 0.9% to drop it 20% off its high, signaling an official bear market. The index lost 4% for the week.
Also in the U.S., crude oil prices closed at above $140 for the first time ever, up 57 cents a barrel to end the day at $140.21. See Futures Movers.


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Roller Blinds - Modern Classics
Yukon Phantom (3705)
Customer Feedback Rating5.0 (10) Click to see all reviews...
Very modern chic, the luxurious weave with the hints of silvery grey thread woven through, gives you an understated elegance to your window.
Yukon is another beautiful thermal backed fabric for this season. Named after the clean open spaces of the Yukon province in Canada it inspires simplicity in its weave giving a subtle textured look. This fabric makes up into a gorgeous blind thats looks stunning and the Yukon fabric range comes with a full five year fabric warranty.
My son is coming after work tonight to see if i have managed to get them up myself.if i havent he will put them up for me.
Thank you so much for your prompt service,which is great when you live in the country.will definately deal with you again and tell all my friends.
Kind Regards
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Thank you guys for everything...fantastic service and productPosted on 17th April 2019 by Bill from Hamilton
The only slight complaint I would have was the communication regarding expected date of dispatch. BUT am VERY VERY pleased with the product. For the price I would have to say the quality is much better than expected. I have no hesitation in recommending. Thank you.Posted on 19th June 2018 by Jane
Great product with a great price,makes a difficult very easy. Thanks againPosted on 24th November 2017 by matthew from Lower Hutt
Love the blinds...so coolPosted on 11th November 2017 by Bill from Hamilton
I ordered new blinds for the entire house we were renovating and they all fit and look beautiful! I could not be more impressed. We needed the blinds urgently, I spoke to Sean and he organised this without any issues. Well done I am so impressed with the quality and service I will definitely use Rods and Blinds again.Posted on 9th November 2017 by Angela from Paremata
Blinds are excellent and were easy to install. Thank you very happy with them 😃Posted on 27th October 2017 by Stephen from auckland


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Well, Amiee has been a brilliant actress and her usual acting has won millions of Fans hearts all over the world. As the fans are willing to know about her dating history and married life here we have tried to collect everything about this Dexter actress. Let's begin uncovering her secret affair history.
Famous among millions of people, Ammie Gracia has hardly revealed her dating life and her relationship. She keeps her personal life under the warps and even had a high profile relationship sometimes back.
Previously, Amie was in the limelight because her relationship was with a footballer Anthony Cook. The couples were had a very romantic relationship and were often seen hanging out together but the actual information about how they met is still unknown.
Their relationship rumors were swirling all over the web and people also speculated that the former couple was ready to share their vows too. Well, once she was even caught in a jewelry shop in search of a ring, but later she was slammed as the news labeling it as bogus and closed the doors for all rumors and later the couple went through a mutual break-up as well.
Must-See: Is Lauren German a lesbian? Her homosexual rumors spread all over the internet
Scrolling down her Instagram, we have found some photos of Amiee visiting different places and covering new stories. So far she hasn't hinted that she is with any man!
In recent days, Amiee was not spotted with anyone, or maybe we can say that she is busy with her professional career rather than personal life, and we hope in near future, she finds a perfect husband to settle down.
Find-out: Lauren German Net worth, Salary, Career, and Movies
Also See: Who is Lucifer star Aimee Garcia Dating? Or is she married? Know her past affairs and relationship
Moreover, we have found some pictures of Amiee with her costar, but the relationship is hard to predict. Added the fact that there is no any rumor and news regarding her relationship, nither she has disclosed it.
So far we can only wait and watch for the actress to disclose her affair or relationship until then keep up with Hitberry for more.


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Stella York 5977
Stella York 5977
Wedding runways throughout the world are featuring vintage inspired wedding dresses like this Lace over Lavish Satin sheath dress. Specifically designed for exceptional fashion and fit, this designer gown offers gorgeous detailing like a whispery-soft illusion neckline, elegant keyhole back and traditional chapel train. The back zips up under crystal buttons. Choose from ivory Lace over ivory or café Lavish Satin, or white Lace over Lavish Satin in white. Imagined and handcrafted with stunning detail, this Stella York wedding gown was fit-tested on a variety of body types and constructed with the optimal level of support for an exceptional fit. Available in ivory/ivory, ivory/café or white/white in sizes 2-28.
Add To Cart


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While the Nashville Symphony is just wrapping up the second year of its Accelerando program, they are already looking forward to its long-term results. Meant to foster the talent of young musicians from underrepresented ethnicities, the initiative works to prepare students for careers in the classical field with private lessons from Nashville Symphony players, among other perks.
Walter Bitner, the Symphony's Director of Education and Community Engagement, hopes that in the decades to come, Accelerando will help orchestras "begin to look more like their communities." Representing Accelerando for Live in Studio C was 16-year-old violist Emily Martinez-Perez and 17-year-old flutist Aalia Hanif, and audiences can hear a concert from all of the Accelerando students at the Schermerhorn on June 11.
Set List:
George Philip Telemann: Viola Concerto in G
- mvts. 3 & 4
- Emily Martinez-Perez, viola
- Megan Gale, piano
Paul Hindemith: Flute Sonata
- mvts. 1 & 2
- Aalia Hanif, flute
- Megan Gale, piano


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Model: Squier Stratocaster, FMT – Crimson Red Transparent
Music genre / Additional gear
A standard well known name for a budget guitar often purchased by those starting out on the electric guitar. It's sound is designed to appeal to a larger group of guitar players, those who want to play pop or commercial music. It a great guitar to use for some bluesy tones, achieved with an Blackstar ID30 30W Programmable 1X12 Combo with built-in Effects, very useful for beginners, who cannot afford additional effects.
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Build quality
When choosing a new guitar pay attention to these following features:
- Body: This model has a Agathis with Flame Maple Top body with a Gloss Polyurethane finish.
- Neck: The classic Fender neck made from maple and rosewood fingerboard. The fret size is medium jumbo with 22 frets and Pearloid dots.
- Tuning system: The tuning system is the same as the previous models. We used for tuning this guitar the Korg TM50BK Instrument Tuner and Metronome, it' s pretty cheap and it does the job well.
- Pick-ups: The standard SSS format with Standard Single-Coil Strat Pick-ups. Alnico single-coil pickups provide plenty of punch.
- Control knobs: Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Middle Pickup). The volume knob is very well placed and easy to use.
- Pick-up selector: The classic five position blade.
- Output jack: The jack is the same.
The Squier Standard Stratocaster is a great playing guitar with a traditional vibe and modern feel. The 22-fret fingerboard and a slimmer neck make for easier playing and choke-free bends. Just like the Fender Stratocaster Standard Model the 22 frets are not enough for the solo parts, when playing some heavier stuff.
This Standard Stratocaster, FMT, Rosewood Fingerboard, Crimson Red Transparent is an elegant alternative to the more expensive Fender Model.
[content-egg module=Youtube]
Feel free to rate this guitar or leave a comment below.


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Don Diablo Reveals New Remix for Martin Garrix Out Friday [FIRST LISTEN]
It's only been four days since Martin Garrix & Khalid dropped Volume 2 of their "Ocean" remixes, with new cuts from Holy Goof, Myrne, and more. And yet, we're already getting another special remix of the track from none other than Hexagon leader Don Diablo this Friday.
As with most Don Diablo tracks, it follows a similar pattern with some distorted vocals, piano, and future house synths that will no doubt get you dancing. The remix was played at during his set at Tomorrowland this year, which you can see below!


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Although known for their fish head steamboat, you can also order from the wide array of zi char dishes that rarely disappoint. For the most value for money, go for their off-the-menu Claypot Mee Tai Mak.
Although known for their fish head steamboat, you can also order from the wide array of zi char dishes that rarely disappoint. For the most value for money, go for their off-the-menu Claypot Mee Tai Mak.
We followed the recommendations of other regular foodies and neither of the dish was average as they were more than good … Sweet and Sour Century Egg: No track of the weird ammonia taste. The sweet and sour sauce just made it surprisingly delightful … Claypot Mee Tai Mak: Once the dish arrived, quickly mixed the raw egg into the gravy. After my first mouthful, I simply couldn't resist myself from going for a second bowl. Highly recommended to add more chilli padi to cut through the thick savoury flavours … Simple good execution of the basic zi char dishes. Read full review. +
Although the signboard shows that it's known for their fish head steamboat, there is a wide array of zi char dishes that you can check it out too. Here, the chef deep fried the century egg to give it a mild crisp. Sweet & spicy sauce is drizzled over the century eggs which helps to cover up the ammonia odor and perfectly balances the rich, unctuous egg … When we arrived, almost every table ordered their Claypot Mee Tai Mak. With a brilliant wok hei, it is a clear winner on hands with slippery mouse-tail noodles full of smokey aroma, thick umami gravy spiked with raw egg, prawns, minced meat and crunchy vegetables. It makes for a great comfort food this rainy season. Read full review. +
I thought food here was just normal but quite oily and you can get it at any neighbourhood zichar restaurant. Perhaps their signature dish, fish steamboat, is the main attraction of the restaurant. I think they used fish bones to prepare the soup and the broth tasted quite rich. There was also ginger taste and makes the soup taste quite refreshing. The yam was really chunky and felt substantial as I think they are afraid that it will disintegrate if sliced thinly. The other dish that was quite special was the tang chu century egg which looked a little not appetising. The century egg was first fried with batter and then had tang cu sauce poured over it. Tasted springy and a little crispy, sweet and sour. Quite an interesting taste and I like it. Read full review. +-
The chef's reccommendation was a dish called Mongolian Tofu. The Ring was made of reconstructed tofu, flour, seasonings and diced water chestnuts. It had a very peppery sauce and seafood filling of prawns and scallops. I did not like this … Fish head Steamboat: On first taste, the broth was light and refreshing. It got richer as the fish released its flavour into the stock. As our tongues tasted hint of citrus-sourness from the preserved salty plums, heat from the fried ginger began to warm up our body and soon we were perspiring on a cold rainy night. The fried yam was powdery when bitten, very good indeed. Fish is very delicate… Lucky for us, we had good fish tonight and everything was right. Read full review. +
Braised Mee Tai Mak: O M G! This is a freaking must try! Finally, other than the usual soup/fried mee tai mak, there is a braised version of it! … Wasabi Prawns: Do not be fooled by the strong smell of the wasabi that this dish gives off… It does not choke your nose like how normally wasabi will do. The mayonnaise definitely balances the spicyness and you can never go wrong with Wasabi Prawns! … Fish Head Steamboat: Do try the fish head steamboat! They gave a generous helping of fish and usually when there is this dish, I only just whack the soup. The soup, is really delicious! Read full review. +
The first dish that arrived was the Mongolian Beancurd. It is made like the usual Yam Ring dish but instead of yam, they used beancurd instead. Taste pretty good! … Another unique dish that we ordered was the Sweet & Sour Century Eggs. We had never seen century eggs could be cooked in the sweet & sour style. The first few bites of it taste good but… maybe not too much of it – share! … Definitely worth going back again. Read full review. +
Their signature dish is obviously their Fish Steamboat. We usually order their Red Grouper Steamboat. I loved the soup as its tasty and thick, filled with pieces of fish, yam, seaweed, chinese lettuce etc. I also like dipping my fish meat in their chilli sauce which is watery and has a sweet & sour taste … Some of the other dishes which I had tried before were the Claypot Tofu (which was so-so only), Mongol Tofu (home-made tofu) and Salted Egg Pork Ribs. But these dishes IMO were not as impressive. Read full review. +
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13 Jun Encouraging Those You Lead
Posted at 01:03h in Leader Training
Mother Teresa said, "Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are endless."
Everyone enjoys and benefits from encouragement.
As leaders, we have the power to lift up those we lead by encouraging them. Encouragement is simply pouring courage into others. We can all use a dose of courage.
Find ways to pour courage into those you lead this week.
* Send a handwritten note or card
* Call a member of your team/group just to talk and catch up
* Single out a team/group member that is doing something good and praise them in front of others
* Point out a strength of every member of your group/team the next time you meet


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Cabbage and I have a love/hate relationship. I often can't pass one by in the grocery store, it just looks so tight and green and waiting for a good casserole, soup or salad. I buy it and then it sits in my second vegetable drawer and mopes for awhile. I know the cabbage is there but I can't decide just what dish to use it in. I have to be in the mood for cabbage.
This week I wanted bacon with my cabbage. I imagined it fried together then baked in a casserole with other ingredients. And I found just the recipe! It included potatoes and cheese, what's not to look forward to there? It was called a Polish dish and it's always fun to try dishes from other cultures!
I diced the bacon and got that frying up in a large nonstick skillet. The bacon was dwarfed by the skillet but the next round needed the bacon grease and a bit more room to roll around in it..
Bacon browned and crispy and set aside in a bowl, I sliced up a large onion and the cabbage. I put it into the skillet and let it fry and soak up all of the lovely bacon flavored grease. Did I say this was a low calorie dish? Of course not! I added salt and pepper to the cabbage and stirred it occasionally. It shrunk a bit and wasn't falling out of the pan any more.
While the cabbage and onions wilted and browned slightly, I peeled and cut up some russet potatoes. I put them into a kettle of salted water and boiled them until they were firm fork tender. I stirred the apple cider vinegar into the cabbage mixture to deglaze the pan. I drained the potatoes and added them to cabbage and potatoes. I stirred in the bacon as well.
The half and half and bread crumbs were added to the skillet next, along with a large pinch of garlic powder that I thought would amp up the seasonings.
I stirred well and poured the mixture into a sprayed 9×13-in baking dish. I covered it with foil and put the dish into the oven, setting the timer for 20 minutes.
At 20 minutes I uncovered the casserole and let it bake another 20 minutes to golden brown. It smelled and looked heavenly. I was so hungry!
I loved the cabbage casserole! Loving cabbage, particularly cabbage that has been sautéed in bacon grease is not a problem. Adding the potatoes and cheese and bread crumbs was a great idea.
I could curl up with a bowl of this any night! I considered it a complete meal. Even my P.S. was happy with the dish for dinner. He thought maybe next time we should use ham instead of bacon but the bacon grease on the cabbage is what makes the dish so luscious.
Polish Cabbage, Potato and Bacon Casserole
3 medium russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 slices (about 4 ounces) thick-cut bacon, diced
1 small but heavy head green cabbage (about 2 pounds), quartered, cored, and sliced into ribbons
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
Nonstick cooking spray
3/4 cup grated mild white cheese, such as edam or gouda
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Boil potatoes in a medium pot, adding 1 teaspoon and just cover with water. Bring to a boil then lower heat to medium, cooking until potatoes are firm fork tender. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet, add bacon and cook over medium high heat until crispy and browned. Remove bacon and reserve grease.
Over medium-high heat, and add cabbage, onions, a teaspoon of salt and a half teaspoon of black pepper and stir occasionally. Cook until well wilted and lightly browned, 15-20 minutes.
Add apple cider vinegar and deglaze pan scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom.
Add potatoes to cabbage mixture and stir to combine. Add reserved bacon, parsley, half-and-half, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder and breadcrumbs and stir well again.
Pour mixture into a sprayed casserole dish evenly. Top casserole with a layer of grated cheese and cover pan with foil.
Bake for 20 minutes, remove foil and bake another 20 minutes until casserole is bubbling and cheese has browned
Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Serves 6
Adapted from Serious Eats


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Evaluating Limitations
Ice is a more limited resource on public sessions, so it's a challenging setting to practice figure skating. Sometimes it's self-destructive to compromise on resources when learning – for example, it would be terrible to rent skates instead of buy them, because bad skates make it impossible to learn correct form.
When starting out, skating on public sessions are great! You can practice most basic skills, and public sessions may be the only option anyway, besides group lessons. Without time pressure, it can be nice (and effective!) to work on one difficult skill for an entire public session, because that's the easiest way to detect progress. I also found that working on something invited helpful suggestions from more advanced skaters.
Once past the basic levels, I don't advise practicing on public sessions as a substitute for freestyle sessions; having space is too important for jumps and spins. But attending additional public sessions is still useful if you have things to practice or polish. Often I've found that doing things slowly on a public session promotes the body awareness I need to solidify a skill. Public sessions are often at more times (not only in the pre-dawn hours) and they're cheaper. They're also an opportunity to build confidence by skating on a rougher surface and a good time to make friends!
Following are suggestions of things to practice on a public session.
Beginning skills:
- Forward skating on one foot
- Forward swizzles / wiggles
- Forward stroking
- Lunges
- All types of stops
- Edges in semi-circles
- Crossovers (around curves, or if you can find a less-trafficked circle)
- Mohawks
- Turning from forward to backward / vice versa on two feet
More advanced skills:
- Forward power pulls
- Forward cross rolls
- Three turns or brackets in semi-circles
- Beginning one-rotation twizzles
- Spread eagles
- Pivots (these might be a beginning skill. But I only recently realized I should know them, so I don't know where to put them)
- Centering spin exercises (I have a lot of trouble pulling into my spins correctly, so my coach suggested I start them standing still from my feet in a T position)
- Backspins
Being careful
It's necessary to be respectful of people around you at public sessions, because most people won't be able to respond quickly. It's possible to skate backwards if you can spot an open area, or if someone is watching out for you. A center space can be good for practicing regular spins, although camel spins make me a little paranoid since they take up more space.


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The UK's current account deficit is still running at a near record high, stoking fears about a balance of payments crisis in the wake of the UK's referendum on the EU.
The deficit – a measure of the difference between money coming in and going out of the country – came in at £32.6bn in the first three months of the year according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). That equates to 6.9 per cent of the UK's GDP, the second largest figure for any quarter on record.
The ONS also said the deficit at the end of 2015, which was the worst quarter on record, was even higher than previously thought. It now estimates £34bn was sucked out of the country between October and December 2015 – 7.2 per cent of GDP, up from the previous calculation of seven per cent.
The current account is made up of three different components – trade, primary income and secondary income – and the UK is running a deficit in every single one of them.
The trade balance is the difference between exports and imports; primary income measures the difference between how much UK residents earn on foreign assets and how much foreign residents earn on UK assets; while the secondary balance includes remittances and other payments such as foreign aid.
The high current account deficit has raised fears about how well the UK economy could weather an economic shock, such as a vote to leave the European Union. Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney said the high deficit left the UK relying on "the kindness of strangers" – something which could disappear after a vote to Leave.
However, others see the current account deficit as a sign of strength in the UK economy. For instance, strong consumer confidence could result in imports jumping. Similarly, if UK companies perform well, then overseas investors will be taking chunks out of the country in dividend payments.


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ISLAMABAD: The Council Of Islamic Ideology (CII) Wednesday declared that the term 'Black Friday' should be renamed as 'Blessed Friday' and there was no harm in providing commodities to consumers on cheaper prices and discounted rates on the day.
Chairman CII Dr Qibla Ayaz told reporters that the council had discussed the core meaning of the term 'Black Friday' and look at it from an Islamic point of view.
The term Black Friday has come under much criticism from religious quarters as various brands and stores began offering massive discounts in keeping with retail and consumer trends in the United States.
The CII observed that Islam encourages giving discounts to consumers, however, the word Black should be replaced with Blessed. Thus, discounts should be continued as benefits the people.
He said the CII had decided to prepare a research report regarding protests and blockade of roads in light of Islamic teachings.
The CII also debated draft Transgender Bill 2017 to provide members of the transgender community more rights.
The council stressed on re-drafting and making the draft bill more comprehensive.
The CII appreciated the joint declaration of Paigham-e-Pakistan announced last night at Aiwan-e-Sadr.
The meeting was attended by Allama Abdul Hakeem Akbari; Jusitce (Retd) Muhammad Raza Khan; Dr Noor Ahmed shahtaz; Dr Samiha Raheel Qazi; Sahibzada Zahid Mehmood Qasmi; Maulana Imdadullah; Abdullah; Allama Syed Iftikhar Hussein Naqvi; Justice (Retd) Manzoor Hussein gillani; Dr Qari Abdul Rasheed; Arif Hussein Wahdi; Abu Zafar Ghulam Muhammad Sialvi; Maulan Hafiz Fazalur Raheem; Malik Allah Bakhsh Kalyar; Khursheed Ahmed Nadeem; Dr Sahibzada Sajidur Rehman and Dr Raghib Hussein Naeemi.— APP


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622 SLX Review Published in Red Kite Prayer
Seven Cycles' bikes have found their way into many glowing reviews by experienced cyclists who ride bikes - many brands and types - regularly. Highly-respected cycling blog Red Kite Prayer and blogger, Patrick Brady AKA Padrig, wrote a full review (in two parts) on the Seven 622 SLX, the newest bike innovation which incorporates the best-of features developed at Seven Cycles, a company committed to serious R&D. Hearing from someone who is around many other kinds of bikes and people who ride other bikes is educational for us.
For example, after the Shimano tech assembled the Seven 622 SLX alongside many other bikes he'd built up with the Dura-Ace 9000 group, the tech approached Padrig. According to Padrig:
"He wanted to make clear to me that of all the bikes that they assembled for this shindig, the Seven was the easiest to install the group on, the most fun to work on because the cable routing was so straightforward, and all the fittings and threads so perfectly cut."
Sometimes we take the ease of working on and with Seven's bikes for granted. It's nice to be reminded of details like this that aren't trivial.
We have two 622 SLX demo bikes here. We received the first of these demo bikes very soon after the 622 was introduced to the market. This was also before any reviews came in about it. It was impressive: its inaugural demo rider, after taking the bike on a century ride, came back and told us, "That bike made all of the difference." He immediately scheduled his custom kit conversation and fitting. A few short weeks later, we delivered a custom 622 SLX built for him which he's been riding with joy ever since. Our other 622 customers have all returned from their demo rides with the same I've-just-been-blown-away reaction. These customers are very discerning and did a lot of demo riding prior to coming to the 622 SLX.
Padrig describes the vibration-control qualities of the bike:
"The ride is ice-cream smooth, quieter than a field of wheat on a windless night, and more comfortable than your mother's arms."
He discusses the ride qualities of this bike extensively.
"While the 622 slx attenuates vibration, I need to be clear that this frame is not lifeless. It's far from that."
He continues:
"Once you...just focus on the qualities that will make a bike enjoyable on group rides, on solo rides, at long gran fondos and short recovery rides, this bike does it all very well. It was yet another occasion of packing a bike in a box only under duress. I'd have continued to ride it regularly."
The 622 SLX is a road bike and, like all Sevens, can be outfitted and designed for almost anything beyond road riding. It is a proven race machine and an "everything" bike. Ride Studio Cafe Endurance Team member Matt Roy is testing the limits of the 622 and can't seem to find them. Matt and his bike are endurance racing machines. They appear to be a perfect match for each other. He recently loaded up the bike and rode it from Oregon to Colorado logging 100+ mile days. Matt is, like the other 622 riders we know, astounded by its many qualities.
"This bike can endure," Matt says. "It's an endurance bike, made for 200+ mile days, races, 40c tires and it can take a rack. It's literally the bike you can do anything with: race it in a cross race, road race, do a brevet or tour with it."
Matt summarized his glowing review of the bike: "Is it the perfect bike? Yeah... I love it."
Email us to reserve a demo ride on the 622 if you want to see what everyone is talking about.
For another good look at the 622 from every angle, see this 622 SLX video, too, made by Bike Radar.


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How to Choose the Best Shredding Service
"Destruction is the mother of creation." This golden phrase instils the idea of having destruction prior to any evolution. However, there are several things that need to be destroyed for good. Data is primarily one among them, and it often needs proper disposal in order to avoid complications. We all are well acquainted with the word "data" in our day-to-day lives. It is actually information of any sort, in any form. Information may be either commercial or personal depending upon the content it carries. Irrespective of its type and orientation, data always calls for adequate storage and safe disposal. Document shredding in Houston is emerging as the trending way to get rid of any unwanted or confidential data in the form of paper documents.
The market today is flooded with service providers who offer document shredding services at affordable prices. This post suggests that you to consider some standards for determining the best shredding service provider before hiring one for the disposal of hard copies of information.
Commercial Shredding
Businesses aim at making a profit. Efficient management coupled with prudent systems definitely aid in reaping favorable returns. Document shredding in Houston is indispensable and valuable for fulfilling corporate goals. The safety of commercial data is of prime importance, as any leaching can lead to grave consequences. Moreover, shredding data is the apt way to destroy the it irreversibly so that no intruders can gain access to all your confidential pieces of information and abuse them in any form. Shredding is a versatile process that not just destroys your precious data but simultaneously helps in retrieving it for your employees when it is needed. Document shredding in Houston also includes agencies that provide data storage and destruction services on the go.
Residential or Private Shredding
Information is universal, and so are the copies of it. A hard copy of any information is data that is often generated and stored in houses or by private individuals. Residential data also needs safe disposal services with an aim to prevent any misuse. Thus the idea of shredding private or residential documents by certified shredding agents becomes necessary. With the advent of mobile document shredding in Houston, it has become a lot easier for individuals to remove undesirable data permanently, thus avoiding chances of fiscal or identity theft.
Hard Drive Destruction
A recent study revealed that only about 53 percent of corporate offices around the world use certified shredding services to destroy hard drives or USB pen drives that store larger chunks of information. Documents, whether on paper or stored inside disks or devices, need to be physically shredded to get rid of statistical facts so that nobody ever uses it for inappropriate interests.
With corporate social responsibility gaining strong grounds around the globe, companies prefer the eco-friendly ways of doing business. Recycling of waste paper left over after shredding is important and wise as well. A business wishing to dispose of all unwanted data is prone to pave the way for environmental damages and littering the earth. On the contrary, recycling of leftover papers provides optimum chances for saving energy and environmental conservation. Apart from this, document shredding in Houston with amazing recycling options promotes goodwill and ease of doing business among entrepreneurs and other professionals.
Professional Approach
Professionalism is all about having hands-on expertise corresponding to any work. Hiring professionals for any job certainly gives positive implications with fruitful results. Document shredding in Houston undeniably requires maintaining the safety and confidentiality of customers by preventing any leaching of information. This ultimately calls for smart and secure handling of all undesirable data with some extra care.
Professional agencies ensure thorough management and disposing of information adhering to all types of storage under the surveillance of trained staff. Consequently, employing only certified agents to get rid of data in the form of documents is indeed a better option, as only the recognized companies can prove trustworthy to tackle document shredding in Houston like a pro.


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Kani Ka Pila Grille at the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort is Honolulu's hot spot for live Hawaiian music. Hawaii's most legendary musicians -- new local talent and island artists of international renown -- fill the weekly schedule of nightly performances.
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: July 18Blue Note Hawaii presents Kuana Torres Kahele
Later Event: July 19Kani Ka Pila Grille Live featuring Weldon Kekauoha


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BARRY ISLAND TOY & TRAIN SALE - SUNDAY 11th. AUGUST 2019.
We are delighted to be back on the station at Barry Island again in 2019 (and not to be clashing with the unexpected 10k races and closed roads!). In fact, we have now moved the original date (4th August 2019) by one week to SUNDAY 11th AUGUST 2019 in order to get away from any clashes with the local running races and the resultant highly inconvenient road closures. ACCESS TO BARRY ISLAND THIS DAY WILL BE 100% NORMAL AND UNAFFECTED BY ANY OTHER EVENTS.
THE VERY POPULAR LLANGOLLEN SHOW, another of our special annual events, will take place on SATURDAY 20th. JULY 2019 at the excellent Llangollen Pavilion in North Wales and we are hoping to expand the event as demand for tables is growing. Up to another 10 tables may be located in the cafe area which is now fully joined on to the main hall and linked by large double doors. Please note that this show is one month earlier than usually.
ANOTHER OF OUR VERY POPULAR ANNUAL SHOWS IS AT MINEHEAD AND IT WILL BE TAKING PLACE ON SUNDAY 28th.JULY 2019 at THE MINEHEAD EYE, MART ROAD, TA24 5BJ. This venue is very close to and just opposite the popular WEST SOMERSET RAILWAY'S MINEHEAD STATION and has now become firmly established as the home of the Minehead show.
Book your table today


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Vermilion Pleasure Night was a short-lived Japanese late-night variety and comedy skit TV show which mixed animated and live-action segments. A recurring skit on the show was Cathy's House, featuring four women in clothing, sets, and situations evocative of Barbie dolls.
It's weird. It makes no sense. I'm now having nightmares.
YouTube link
(via Everlasting Blort)


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|Position ID:
|ASU-School of Social and Behavioral Sciences-NSFPYSCHPOSTDOC [#13009]
|Position Title:
|Postdoctoral Scholar in Psychology and Forensic Science
|Position Type:
|Position Location:
|Glendale, Arizona 85306, United States [map]
|Subject Area:
|Psychology / Law and Psychology
|Appl Deadline:
|2019/02/15 finished (2018/12/21, finished 2019/08/18, listed until 2019/04/15)
|Position Description:
Postdoctoral Scholar in Psychology and Forensic Science
The School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) at Arizona State University is searching for a Postdoctoral Research Scholar to begin in Summer or Fall 2019. This is a 12-month NSF-funded position with possibility of renewal for a total of 24 months.
This scholar will join a pair of ongoing initiatives at ASU that bridge the behavioral and forensic sciences. The postdoctoral scholar will be expected to spend 20 hours per week focused on research and activities pertaining to these initiatives, with the remaining 20 hours per week dedicated to continuing the scholar's individual ongoing program of research.
There is no specific research project associated with this position; rather, the scholar will work with faculty mentors on further developing these initiatives at ASU and creating and assisting with new lines of research related to the psychological study of forensic science, broadly defined, including science communication, expert bias, lay (and juror) understanding of science, and legal evidence. More information about these initiatives can be found at http://lawpsych.asu.edu.
About the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences: SBS houses faculty and programs in several interdisciplinary research clusters, including Law and Psychology, Social Justice and Human Rights, Resilience and Stress, Social Technologies, and an emerging cluster in Cognition and Data Science. SBS is the home of ASU's undergraduate and master's-level programs in Forensic Psychology as well as the Ph.D. program in Law and Psychology. More generally, SBS also offers on-campus undergraduate and terminal MS programs in Psychology and oversees ASU's online psychology programs. More information about ASU's School of Social and Behavioral Sciences can be found at https://newcollege.asu.edu/directory/sbs.
Required Qualifications: a) Candidates must have an earned doctoral degree in psychology or related field by the time of appointment (Summer or Fall 2019).
Desired Qualifications: a) Expertise in the psychological study of forensic science, science communication, expert bias, lay / juror understanding of science, or legal evidence (or, alternatively, expertise in a more general area such as judgment and decision making, motivated reasoning, persuasion, juries, etc. with a willingness and interest to examine these topics in the context of forensic science); b) a record of research and scholarship that demonstrates an ability to develop and execute high-impact psychological research; c) good organizational and communication skills.
Deadline: February 15, 2019 if not filled, every two weeks thereafter until search is closed.
Application procedure: Applications will only be accepted electronically via Academic Jobs Online. https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/13009.
Requested material will include: 1) a letter of application, 2) a current curriculum vitae with contact information, 3) a statement of research interests and future directions and 4) three letters of recommendation.
Arizona State University has a strong commitment to a diverse faculty and staff, one that is reflective of the contemporary United States.
ASU conducts pre-employment screening for all positions which includes a criminal background check, verification of work history, academic credentials, licenses, and certifications. Employment is contingent upon successful passing of the background check.
Arizona State University is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. ASU's full non-discrimination statement (ACD 401) and Title IX policy are located at https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.htmland https://www.asu.edu/titleIX.


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This site's main purpose is to serve as the Official Engineering Notebook for the team.What is an engineering notebook? I shall explain: An Engineering Notebook is an extremely detailed, documented journal of every change made to our robot,
every piece of code added or subtracted to our software, and every idea thought at the team meetings.
At this point you're either thinking "This is amazing, their entire notebook is online for anyone in the world to see!" or "Robots? Teams? What is FIRST? How did I get here!?" To answer those who might be pondering the latter, see the FIRST website: https://www.firstinspires.org/. For more information regarding the Mississippi FTC program visit http://msftc.org.
~The team members of The Techno Warriors Advanced


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Government Executive reports that GSA is increasing its use of online training for employees government-wide, to cover "conference etiquette," among other things:
The agency has teamed up with the online learning platform Blackboard to provide Web-based training to federal employees across government. A manual and in-person process for registering for and attending classes is moving online, allowing feds to register, pay for and attend classes via Internet. The Blackboard platform also provides tools such as discussion boards to collaborate, Concklin said.
GSA plans to launch its first online course, "Travel Basics," through Blackboard in January, Concklin said. Another course – "How to Attend a Conference" – will go live in February or March, she added.
"Thanks to the big mistake we had in the last year, GSA is using that as an opportunity to say, 'here's what we did wrong,' and helping other federal agencies to learn from our mistakes," Concklin said. "So 'How to Attend a Conference' is one course that's going to be piggybacked off that theory."
The new online platform also is enabling GSA to offer training in a more creative, game-like setting. "There is a difference in the way generations like to be trained, but one thing we know for sure is that the old click-style of PowerPoint training isn't always the most effective, especially when it comes to training employees on things like travel," Concklin said. "Doing it in a more integrated, creative way is more engaging."
Most online training I've seen has been marginal at best. It allows you to "check the box" and say "We had training on Topic X," but it is rarely as effective as in person alternatives. I look forward to seeing if GSA's efforts are more effective.