Article on the Economy
TECHNOLOGY WHAT YOUR MOTHER SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOU.
The older I get the more I can appreciate how far advanced we are technologically. As a youth living in Detroit, Michigan, my mother took us on an outing that I believe was presented by one of the big three auto companies. One of the many displays was about the future; I was about eight years old at that time. There where two things that stuck in my mind. First was a telephone, which had a small TV screen on it. We were told that someday we would be able to see the person we were talking to. The other was a sign up list (I think Pan Am) for a commercial flight to the Moon. With all these new computers and the many ways in which these microchips are used the future has now arrived. I would imagine my name must be pretty high on that list for the flight to the Moon since I signed up when I was eight.
Due to technology, the average American is living better than any king or queen in the past. Any soccer mom knows the Internet is where to find information about any subject even if they don’t own a computer themselves. What most moms don’t know is how dangerous the Internet could be to our country and world events. Technology has made the U.S. the most powerful super nation in the world. Technology is a power that is incalculable and unstoppable. It is our sustaining rise, but is it our Kryptonite fall? America is rapidly moving into some perilous times and we all are beginning to see how quickly our cushy lives may change. Many people are losing everything they own and many huge corporate conglomerates are tumbling to the ground like the Twin Towers. The news media is relentlessly grinding our hopes to powder. A feeling of some huge quantum leap is about to take place in our world. We are hearing about limited nuclear war of late and most people understand how devastating a nuclear bomb could be. Thankfully, making these devices is costly, not so easy to come by, and they are highly monitored by the powers that be. The unseen force that threatens the U.S. will be an invisible attack like the Kryptonite Radiation that renders Superman helpless; it is an Internet cyber attack. The FBI considers cyber attacks to be the third greatest threat to the security of the United States. Nuclear war and weapons of mass destruction hold the first two positions. When you consider that a small group of cyber hacker terrorists may inflict a great deal of damage to the United States with ease, from half way around the world. I would move the threat to the number one position since building nuclear bombs and weapons of mass destruction are complicated to attain. What would be the effects of a cyber attack? The most likely effect would be an economic blow to the nation’s financial infrastructure; it would cripple the country’s economy. A small attack took place in February 2000, it was a Denial of Service attack with an estimated cost of $338,854 and it shut down Yahoo. A cyber attack could also shut down electrical grids leaving us without electricity causing wide spread blackouts "similar" to an EMP above ground nuclear blast. The United States has recently had such an attack on a limited basis. An Article in the National Journal reported by Shane Harris May 31, 2008 said; "Chinese hackers pose a clear and present danger to U.S. government and private-sector computer networks and may be responsible for two major U.S. power blackouts." " These officials believe that the intrusion may have precipitated the largest blackout in North American history, which occurred in August of that year. A 9,300-square-mile area, touching Michigan, Ohio, New York, and parts of Canada, lost power; an estimated 50 million people were affected." In a worst-case scenario, multiple systems or networks would be attacked simultaneously especially military computers. The attacks would gather sensitive information such as troop and convoy movement, secret projects and the like. Limited attacks have already taken place on our military computers in Afghanistan just last year. We believe the cyber attack came from China at first, but now it is thought it came from Russia. In a full-scale cyber war, successful simultaneous attacks would collapse our economy, shut down electrical grids, and disable our military communication as well as the civilian communications, hospitals and other critical infrastructures. If these synchronized attacks were successful, the cyber attack would then be followed by military strikes. Few people know the World Bank was badly exploited and comprised last year. Actually, to the best of our knowledge, the bank was high jacked in the summer of 2007 and sensitive information about many of the banks security, secrets and corporate and personal accounts were ravaged for over a year. This was the largest and most prevalent cyber attack in our history. In a story reported by Richard Bahar of Fox News, "The World Bank Group’s computer network-one of the largest repositories of sensitive data about the economies of every nation- has been raided repeatedly by outsiders for more than a year." These attacks are not kids using sophisticated hacking programs. Our fears are hackers that are working in foreign governments and military, China and Russia our main concern. Is Vladimir Putin’s "new weapon" a cyber bomb? Was it not Nikita Khrushchev that said before the UN "America will fall without a shot being fired?" The compromise of the World Bank has driers consequences for the United States. Don’t kid yourself. Dr. Joel Brenner executive from National Counterintelligence said, "If instead of attacking the Twin Towers al-Qaeda had taken down a major bank, the economic consequences would have been an order of magnitude ten times greater than the economic consequences of 9/11", and "taking down a piece of our banking system would be enormous and it would reverberate through the world financial system." Is this what really happened? What we are seeing was caused by the cyber attack on the World Bank and other institutions that have been comprised by cyber attacks. The mortgage crisis and stock market downturns may just be the domino affect of these cyber exploits.
Bill Conkis Sassy’s Computers, Inc. 3-1-09
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Article on Cell Phones
BIG BROTHER IS NOT THE ONLY ONE LISTENING!
What if I told you I could hear everything you were saying in your house, your car or wherever you are, and I could track your every move on my computer? What if I told you I could do all of this from miles away, not like the old listening devices where one had to be in the close vicinity of about 300 feet? What if I told you I could do all of this for free with no cost of any sophisticated equipment? Do I have your attention yet? This technology has been used by the FBI to nab criminals as reported by Declan McCullagh and Anne Broache staff writers for CNET News, on December 1, 2006, “two alleged mobsters, John Ardito and his attorney Peter Peluso, were used by the FBI to listen in on nearby conversations.” The real problem is Big brother may not be the only one listening to you. About a year ago a former employee used this technology to eavesdrop on me, he is unaware that I know what he did. This technology is a software program that uses your cell phone and can be installed in ten short minutes. The program is undetectable on the whole. It claims to be invisible. The software programs are a free download (in most cases) from the Internet and will flash the firmware’s read only memory or ROM of the cell phone. Essentially giving the cell phone new instruction allowing the would be spy, full control of your cellular phone. Changing the phone number will not help. The scary thing about this technology is the phone company as well as the police are totally clueless of it, even though it has been around for years. The software will allow the perpetrator to read your text messages, hear your every call, turn on the cells microphone when you are not using it to listen into any room or car conversation, and track your movements on their computer with the phones built-in GPS unit. Copy and paste the following you-tube link into your web browser and see what happen to this poor girl that was featured on NBC’s today show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCyKcoDaofg
Ham radio operators could listen into cell phone calls by modifying their ham radios and scanners to exceed the FCC’s requirements, but this took some electrical and soldering knowledge. This type of ease dropping could not track your movement and turn on your phone to listen into conversations. The new wireless blue tooth cell phone head sets or ear pieces are very easy to compromise without having to gain physical access to your phone to install it. An informative article as well as a short video, written by Mike Celizic Aug 14, 2007 entitled, “Privacy pirates: Blue tooth’s hidden danger” is worth watching see link below:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20264578
How can tell if your phone is comprised? 1). If your phone is warm even if you have not been using it could be a sign that it was activated without your knowledge while someone listened into your conversations. 2). Another way to tell is if you notice your battery keeps draining down when you have not been using it that much. 3). If you hear a buzzing noise coming from the phone when near a speaker, this feedback may indicate it is being bugged.
What do you do Recommendations: Do not leave you phone out where anyone can get to it; this includes your kids or their friends. Do you have your phone in your purse or draw at work? Lock it in your car where so-called friends and fellow employees cannot get to it. Remember 10 short minutes can comprise your phone. The only protection against a comprised phone is to get it replaced or pull the battery out of it. Turning it off is not enough.
I talk to a lot of people that say, “I have nothing to hide”. Don’t give up your freedom it cost our fathers too much for us to have it. Knowledge is power are you listening???? THE HACKERS ARE!
Bill Conkis Sassy’s Computers, Inc 4-17-09
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Article on Seizures
“Certain individuals are born with special sensitivity to flashing lights or contrasting visual patterns, such as stripes, grids and checkerboards. Because of this condition, their brain will produce seizures when exposed to this type of visual stimulation.” Dr Erba goes on to say this type of seizure is genetic and may be present in several members of one family usually effecting children and adolescents before age 20.
“A similar kind of effect occurred
accidentally during an episode of the original Pokemon anime, aired on December
16, 1997. According to Bill Christensen Technovelgy.com. During one sequence,
Pikachu stops some vaccine missiles with its Thunderbolt attack; the resulting
explosion was done with a technique called "paki paki." Bright strobe
lights blinked at 12 Hz full screen for several seconds. “Thousands of viewers
reported a wide variety of symptoms: nausea, headaches, blurred vision, seizures
and convulsions. Doctors found that only a very small number were actually
children with photosensitive epilepsy”.
There is no question that
flashing lights and patterns can affect the brains visual
cortex, which may cause multiple symptoms.
In fact the military has come up with a new generation of non-lethal
strobe light weapons. The scientific
community was not convinced of its effectiveness, but after the test results the
project became classified and secret (this is what the military calls going
black). Wired magazine reported on
the project March 3, 2009 in an article entitled:
“Strobe Weapons Go Black After mmobilization’ Tests”
David Hambling quotes a
researcher, who wishes to remain anonymous but whose credentials check out.
“There
have been a number of [unpublished] studies on strobing of light and other
electromagnetic sources that can not only render people dazzled, but also
unconscious and even to the point of seizing (like epileptic seizures). The
point of undiagnosed light sensitive epilepsy is an underreported phenomenon and
was partially responsible for this project going black. It is possible to
photically drive just about everyone and find the point at which their visual
cortex “drives” or responds to the frequency that is being presented as a
visual stimulus… if the stimulus is powerful and coherent enough, just about
everyone can be affected.”
Computers can trigger seizures
and people watching TV also have experienced some of the same kind of symptoms.
It has even been reported that a person while traveling on a train,
looking at the light between fence posts or the glare of light from a near by
lake between the moving leaves of a tree, has experienced seizures. So what do
you do if you are a photosensitive and pattern-sensitive epileptic?
Some of the suggestions that may help to avert computer-triggered
seizures are:
1.
Avoid working or playing on the computer if you are tired. 2. Look away from the
screen frequently. 3. Cover one eye if you are feeling ill 4. Do not play on the
computer if you had alcoholic beverages.
5.
Limit the time you spend on the computer, just to name a few.
Bill
Conkis
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