Diary of a Network Geek

At least, before you resell it.
It’s always amazed me how many people don’t think about this. Honestly, do you want people you only know through eBay to have your old financial records? Or erotic e-mail you wrote your ex-husband? Or old pictures of you before you started your diet? Or any of a thousand other dangerous or embarassing things that you might leave behind on a drive. After all, all it takes is formatting the drive twice and it should be pretty safe. If you want to get close to government standards, format it nine times. That should pretty well make it impossible to read the old data. For most folks, this really shouldn’t be a big problem, since most folks don’t resell their hard drives, but, apparently, it’s become enough of an issue that the BBC News wrote an article about it.
If you’ve ever bought, or sold, a hard drive on eBay, or anywhere else, read this article. It should frighten you half to death. And, the problem doesn’t stop with hard drives. Any kind of data storage is at risk. Even those memory sticks in that digital camera you sold. Like the idea of your family pictures just floating around out there? Yeah, me neither. So, do yourself a favor and wipe your old data storage devices before you get rid of them. No matter how you dispose of them.

Advice from your Uncle Jim:
"We have nothing to fear but fear itself."
   --Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Just when you thought it was safe!
Yep, this is the final sushi link for a while, at least. While I’m sure you all are getting tired of the sushi links, this was just too good to pass up. This site, The Original Sushi Pillow, has the perfect cushions for a post sushi party nap. They have several nigiri sushi pillow, including salmon and shrimp, and a whole mess of sushi roll pillows. I have to say that these pictures look really good! You can actually buy them, too, via an eBay store.

Way cool, and the perfect Friday Fun Link to end this series of sushi links.

Somehow I missed this story two weeks ago…

But, according to this story on Australian IT, someone was trying to sell three Vietnamese girls for a starting bid of $7,400. In response, eBay spokesman Hani Durzy said Friday,”There couldn’t be a clearer case of what’s not allowed on eBay.” San Jose-based eBay strictly forbids the sale or purchase of humans, alive or dead, you’ll be pleased to know. So, no, you cannot “buy” a “wife” on eBay.
You know, when I first read this I was appalled that such a thing could happen, but then, when I thought about it, it surprised me that it hadn’t happened sooner! Considering the sick, depraved things that go on just out of sight of our nice, safe street lights in this country, I’m surprised that it was a foreign issue, not a domestic one. Remember when the Internet was a relatively safe place to socialize? Before the sick whack-jobs figured out that you could masquerade as anything on the ‘net? Ah, well, things change. I just wish the changed for the better more often. Oh, what a sad place the Internet has become….

Will that be cash, check or charge?

Technology keeps marching on, doesn’t it? Now, according to this article on Wired News, there’s a Canadian company that offers churches a new way of collecting donations. An interactive kiosk. What will they think of next? Will indulgences be autioned off on eBay? Will “independant” churches offer PayPal as a method of donation? I wonder what God thinks of all this? Does this offend his sight? Are the money lenders in the temple?
It seems strange to me, but then, I guess it’s harder and harder to collect money for charity these days. Who knows if it will even work? It sure is an interesting idea, though. Even if it is a bit frightening.