Bic Crystal Ballpoint Pen, Medium Point, Black

I wrote this prank review (inspired by this earlier review for the same product) several years ago, but I'm not sure anyone noticed.

Be sure and read the comments posted to the earlier one.

How to Enter Sensitive Passwords on Public Computers

Update: this tip is no longer as secure as it once was. It's now quite easy to install, along with the sneaky software that captures and logs keystrokes, software that captures and logs the content of clipboards.

That said, to evade run-of-the-mill maliciousness, this "bathroom door lock" solution is still reasonably effective. If 100 people use a (compromised) public computer in a week, your data will be by far the biggest headache to extract, and trolling for passwords is a "low fruit" sort of enterprise.

But in any situation where you feel you may be personally singled out (e.g. someone's after you, or you're the sole American customer in a 3rd world cybercafe run by dodgy characters), this may not be your best move.

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Prudent people hesitate to enter sensitive data on shared computers (e.g. in Internet cafes). Such computers may have been maliciously set up with keystroke capturing programs that track each letter typed on the keyboard. The problem is, how do you log onto critical online banking, or personal email, when the only option is an untrustworthy public computer?

Here's a low-tech trick. Don't type paswords. Cut and paste them, character-by-character! Open a new browser window or tab, and go to any page dense with text (Google News works well). Then individually copy the characters of your password and paste them in to the appropriate field. You can save some hassle at little additional security risk by directly typing a few characters. 

Yes, it would be theoretically possible for a hacker to create a program that captures the screen location of each click, precise window location, plus a cached version of the fast-changing Google News page to know what was being clicked, but that would require vast technical accumen, massive storage and horrendous data-sifting headaches entirely unsuited to a low-fruit ploy like stealing passwords from public computers.

This does the trick when you're on the road and need to grab your mail in some scummy Kinko's!

Exciting Times for Smartphones and Cameras

There's never been a better time not to buy a smartphone. 

With its iPhone, Apple has again innovated an entirely new standard of quality and design...and, for the first time, drawn credible competition. The new Razr and the new Blackberry may not be perfect, but they offer a fancy touchscreen, slick interface, look real good, and have started to push forward with features notoriously missing from the iPhone (e.g. video, cut and paste, zoom, flash, removable battery). There's every indication that Apple will compete aggressively to defend their position...something they've never particularly had to do. And that can only mean a much better product at a much better price. To buy a smartphone now would be crazy; we'll be seeing amazing things in the next year (if we're not all too poor and unemployed to buy such things).

Same for cameras; Micro Four Thirds technology, recently introduced with Panasonic’s DMC-G1 camera (see David Pogue's review), allows S.L.R. quality and flexibility without the bulk and full expense of a reflex lens. The Panasonic is still pretty large, pretty expensive, and lacks some important features, but other manufacturers are busily working on the technology and in the next year we'll see some amazing products.

So...take good care of your smartphone and your camera. This is no time to replace them!

Suckered

It turns out I was suckered on that "George Bush Gets Snubbed by World Leaders" story, which I wrote about yesterday. Just before the video in that report, Bush had warmly greeted everyone present...and so did not need to do so again.

I thought I could trust a report from CNN. Rick Sanchez should be ashamed of himself. Not only is this wretchedly poor reporting, but it fuels the right's indignation about liberal media, about CNN simply being the left wing analogue of Fox News, etc, etc. And that line isn't mere bluster...the constant pressure placed upon "liberal media" is responsible for the sort of overcompensation that caused a lot of American mass media to stifle their doubts re: the Iraq War.

Far Better Than Netflix

Netflix isn't for me. I don't like time pressure on my leisure activities, I don't like having slim viewing choices at any given moment, and as someone who survived many years on very low income by learning to minimize overhead (and still must do so today, until I can finish and sell the books I've been working on), I'm very hesitant about adding yet another $$/month obligation to my monthly nut.

So here's what I do instead of Netflix. It's cheaper and better:

I buy my DVDs used, and, after watching them, I sell them secondhand for close to the same price. I get to hold onto titles for as long as I like, I have an even wider pool to choose from than Netflix offers, I don't get charged for those months when I'm busy or out of town, I get to enjoy the full packaging, and my net expense is never as high as $20/month. If I'm feeling over-extended, I can sell more aggressively, and if I want to languish with a bunch of unviewed titles, I can do that.

I buy mostly on Half.com, and from some Amazon Marketplace vendors (I tolerate lower vendor ratings on Amazon than on Half/eBay, because clueless consumers there rate vendors much more capriciously...always read the actual feedback on Amazon), sometimes from eBay, and buy new on Amazon when the price is right (they have tons of great DVDs for under $15; Amazon's new price sometimes dips below the prevalent used price, especially if you're an Amazon Prime customer, as I am, who gets free shipping). I also buy some directly from indie filmmakers, who rarely charge more than $20. I never buy popular titles until the first wave of purchasers starts flooding the secondhand market, bringing the price down. And when I sell, I always price 50 cents less than the competition to ensure that my DVD moves quickly. I keep DVD mailers handy so packing's not a hassle.

If I really like a film, I can keep it. And if the stock market ravages my savings, as it did this week, my DVDs are essentially liquid assets, easily sold off.

Why Things Suck

Leff's First Law: Things suck for a reason. Systems maintain a vested interest in preserving their sucky, dysfunctional status quo, and will tenaciously repel efforts toward improvement.

Fwiw, here are my other laws

Michael Jackson's "Failing to meet The Ginger Man"

I just stumbled upon this absolutely lovely piece by my late friend Michael Jackson, the beer hunter. His prose is staunchly direct and simple, yet so nuanced and vividly evocative. 

Jackson gets credit for sparking the microbrew revolution (and for informing Belgians that their beer's great art...until he said so, they'd had no idea), but he never got the recognition he deserved as a writer beyond niche. If you'll read the above I think you'll agree that he was really something.

Did You Know Amazon Has a House Brand?

I'm an Amazonoholic, but I didn't know about their high quality house brand until I read a tip from an Amazon.com employee:

"Pinzon is an Amazon brand and everything I see at work that is Pinzon is really amazing - everything housewares, ovenware, etc. really well made brand."

Seems true enough...all the Pinzon products seem to rate 4 1/2 to 5 stars. 

The Pinzon throw blankets are particularly highly rated, though pricey....but they seem to frequently appear at drastic discount as part of Amazon's "Gold Box" program.

Salesmanship in Love and Politics

It's easily observed that the skills required to run for office don't have much to do with the skills required for the actual job. The hope, invariably vain, is that smarmy politicians will effortlessly transform into thoughtful, wise leaders when the time comes. 

Having recently managed to fumble away the latest in a string of potentially significant others due to my clumsy courting skills, it occurs to me that romance is exactly the same. I'm a vastly better boyfriend than a wooer. In fact, my wooing is woeful.

Really, it's unsurprising that so many people wind up in relationships with skilled suitors who make poor partners, or that electorates so often wind up with politicians who don't know how to govern. But I have a solution. My proposal is that every candidate for office or romance be permitted to appoint a "designated hitter," a glib smoothie who steps in with unsinkable confidence and brio...and steps out of the way once the deal's clinched.

Electorates, like potential girlfriends, always insist they're looking for values and quality. Steak, not sizzle. But, obviously, vast evidence belies that claim. Since the impression-making process is all about salesmanship, why not let sales specialists handle all that?

Update: Hmm...come to think of it, isn't this exactly the route Cheney/Bush took? Dick Cheney may not be your cut of beef, but there's no denying that he's more steak than sizzle! I wonder who Palin will be fronting for in 2012...

Fresh Air Interview With Bill Ayers

Interesting Fresh Air interview with Bill Ayers, who (unlike Rev. Wright) kept his mouth tightly shut during the campaign...but, unsurprisingly, has a lot to say now that it's over.