In Today’s News

by Bryan

12 comments

1 Badtux { 09.30.14 at 4:59 pm }

And I made my first use of AARP discounts, getting 10% off and free WiFi at Motel 6. Which is just as newsworthy as the above. I.e., not much.

2 Bryan { 09.30.14 at 5:24 pm }

Actually the safe you found in the middle of nowhere in the desert had more dramatic possibilities, as long as Geraldo wasn’t involved.

What I don’t get is why the historic marker and not the safe. The safe surely has a higher value for scrap metal. If the tumblers aren’t frozen, old safes aren’t that hard to open.

3 Kryten42 { 09.30.14 at 7:00 pm }

Here’s some news that made my breakfast so much more enjoyable! LOL

An interesting article regarding Patents and the Alice decision! LOL Seems that it will hit Oracle particularly hard, but also M$, Google, IBM, Apple and other hi-tech companies. 😀

Analysis Suggests More Than Half Of Google & Microsoft’s Patents Likely Invalid Thanks To The Supreme Court

Over the last few months, since the Supreme Court’s ruling in Alice v. CLS Bank, we’ve been noting the good news that the courts seem to be interpreting the ruling to invalidate a ton of software patents. Even some trolls have decided to just give up after seeing how the Alice ruling is being interpreted.

A new analytical study of patents held by big tech companies, done by ktMINE, suggests that more than half of Google and Microsoft’s patents are invalid under Alice. The biggest loser of all, however, may be Oracle, with an astounding 76% of all of its patents vulnerable to the ruling. Twenty five companies are listed — and there are some interesting ones. Rockstar — which is a patent troll “privateer” set up by Microsoft and Apple has 31% of patents at risk. Intellectual Ventures has 24% of its patents at risk (I would have expected more). IBM — which has a tremendous patent portfolio — has 49% at risk.

Truly made my day! 😀 Larry must be foaming at the mouth! LOL It’s also interesting for all those who never believed that M$ and Apple are working together, despite so many similarities. 🙂

4 Bryan { 09.30.14 at 10:55 pm }

It is really nice that courts are now looking at the reasonableness of the patents, and not just at possible infringement on the patents. Actually it frees up a lot of court time and resources if they can just invalidate the patents at issue which makes the rest of the case moot.

5 Badtux { 09.30.14 at 11:53 pm }

Bryan, the safe was a) very heavy, b) a 1 mile hike from the nearest drivable road, and c) had been hidden by very dense mesquite brush until a recent fire burned its way through. The historical marker plaque, on the other hand, you could just drive right to it.

Regarding patents, I am of mixed thoughts regarding Alice. I wrote the code that implements an innovative new way of computing certain values in a certain field and we’ve filed a software patent on it. The values in question are of significant importance to our customers and there are no other practical ways to compute them. This means that when we have competitors (right now we don’t, we’re basically inventing a new business model), they won’t be able to do everything we can do, and we gain the benefits of having innovated a new way of doing things. Well, theoretically, anyhow. Practically speaking, a multi-billion dollar corporation could squash us if we tried to enforce our patent against them. But that’s another story. But it’s not clear our patent would survive the Alice test.

To me, the big problem is the patent trolls, not the inventors who are actual practitioners selling what they invented. If there was some requirement that you have to actually implement and sell what you patented in order to defend your patent, that would be a return to the original goal of the patent system as defined by the US Constitution, which was about fostering commerce, not about extortion. These “non-operating entities” (patent trolls) that merely accumulate patents in order to sue people aren’t in keeping with the Constitution’s goals at all… same deal with these giant corporations who have patented stuff they’ll never implement and sell just to squash companies who do want to implement and sell those things. That’s completely against the goals that our founding fathers set forth when they set up the patent office, which was about encouraging people to invent and sell stuff, not discourage people from inventing and selling stuff. But Alice doesn’t appear to touch this particular problem at all…

6 Bryan { 10.01.14 at 12:30 am }

If patents couldn’t be sold, but only licensed, that would solve a lot of the current problems and support the people actually being creative.

Intellectual property law has morphed into a mess. Courts aren’t really equipped to handle it and the Patent Office doesn’t have the staff to actually police it. The trolls are taking advantage of the system and using the system to extort money.

7 Kryten42 { 10.01.14 at 6:54 pm }

If you want something really scary, and absolutely disgusting… check this article out @ EFF:

The Epic List of Agencies Giving Out ComputerCOP

It seems that the main aim of ComputerCOP, is a KeyLogger for various LEO agencies. Not to protect anyone, least of all kids. And… the public paid for it!

While most so-called “child safety” software programs are sold through stores, ComputerCOP has found its way into homes across the country through law enforcement giveaways. Sheriffs, police chiefs, district attorneys, and other officials have purchased the software in bulk and distributed it to the public as part of their outreach initiatives.

But ComputerCOP may actually may make your family’s data less safe. You can read all about that, and some of the misleading ways the product has been marketed, in our in-depth investigative report, available here.

We have identified more than 245 agencies that have distributed ComputerCOP over the last 10 years.

…
In Florida alone:

Brevard County Sheriff’s Office – In 2009, Sheriff Jack Parker spent $22,780 on ComputerCOP.

Clay County Sheriff’s Office – In 2009, the sheriff’s office spent $5,700 on ComputerCOP.

DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office – As of 2014, Sheriff William Wise was distributing free ComputerCOP discs on the department’s website.

Flagler County Sheriff’s Office – In 2010, Sheriff Don Fleming purchased 3,000 copies with roughly $10,000 in asset forfeiture money.

Hendry County Sheriff’s Office – Sheriff Ronnie Lee distributed ComputerCOP for free in 2008.

Highlands County Sheriff’s Office – In 2008, Sheriff Susan Benton used $42,500 in drug seizure money to buy 10,000 copies, one for every family with a school-age child in the county.

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department – The sheriff’s office spent $25,004 on ComputerCOP software in 2011.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office – The sheriff’s office paid $5,000 for ComputerCOP software in 2012.

Manatee County Sheriff’s Office – According to its 2013-2015 strategic plan, the sheriff’s office distributes ComputerCOP for free at the county fair.

Martin County Sheriff’s Office – In 2008, Sheriff Robert Crowder distributed copies of ComputerCOP, with the keylogger.

Miami-Dade County Schools Police Department – The school district’s police department distributed ComputerCOP as part of the U.S. Marshall’s G.R.E.A.T. program. The Miami-Dade edition is also available on eBay for as little as $0.99.

Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office – The sheriff’s office distributed ComputerCOP for free in 2008.

Another story here (TechDirt):
ComputerCOP: Keylogging Spyware, Distributed By Police And Federal Agents With Your Tax Dollars

The EFF has put together a rather astounding bit of investigative reporting, digging into a program called “ComputerCOP” that is apparently handed out (in locally branded versions) by various law enforcement agencies — generally local police, but also the US Marshals — claiming to be software to “protect your children” on the computer. What the EFF investigation actually found is that the software is little more than spyware with weak to non-existent security that likely makes kids and your computer a lot less safe. Aren’t you glad your tax dollars are being spent on it?

The way ComputerCOP works is neither safe nor secure. It isn’t particularly effective either, except for generating positive PR for the law enforcement agencies distributing it. As security software goes, we observed a product with a keystroke-capturing function, also called a “keylogger,” that could place a family’s personal information at extreme risk by transmitting what a user types over the Internet to third-party servers without encryption. That means many versions of ComputerCOP leave children (and their parents, guests, friends, and anyone using the affected computer) exposed to the same predators, identity thieves, and bullies that police claim the software protects against.

Furthermore, by providing a free keylogging program—especially one that operates without even the most basic security safeguards—law enforcement agencies are passing around what amounts to a spying tool that could easily be abused by people who want to snoop on spouses, roommates, or co-workers.

The question, of course, is who is benefiting from having a KeyLogger distributed to millions of families across the USA? Not hard to guess.

8 Kryten42 { 10.01.14 at 7:05 pm }

Oops! I left out a few Florida LEO agencies that distributed ComputerCOP (just for completeness!)

Polk County Sheriff’s Office – In 2007 and 2008, Sheriff Grady Judd distributed ComputerCOP for free.

Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office – Sheriff Tom Knight’s website currently offers ComputerCOP, with keylogger.

St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office – In 2008, Sheriff Ken Mascara purchased 5,000 copies of ComputerCOP, with the keylogger, using asset forfeiture funds.

Sumter County Sheriff’s Office – In 2011, Sheriff Bill Farmer teamed up with the Sumter County School Board to distribute the software for free to parents of middle school and high school students.

Tequesta Police Department – In 2011, Tequesta police distributed ComputerCOP for free.

Walton County Sheriff’s Office – In 2008, the sheriff’s office distributed ComputerCOP for free.

Further agencies listed on ComputerCOP’s map: Dade County Sheriff’s Office, Davie Police Department, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Florida School for the Deaf & Blind, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Hollywood Police Department, Jacksonville County Sheriff’s Office, Longwood Police Department, Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.

And there are several examples in other States like this one from New York (via EFF):

“Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office – ComputerCOP is based in Suffolk County, where local agencies have been especially interested in purchasing the software since at least 2001. Current Sheriff Vincent Demarco has distributed more 43,000 copies of ComputerCOP to families since 2007, a fact he emphasizes in his reelection materials. Meanwhile, ComputerCOP has donated to his political campaign at least nine times over roughly the same period.”

Bought, and paid for! So, people are voting for LEO’s who are going to make them far less secure online. Wonderful. 🙂

9 Bryan { 10.01.14 at 11:13 pm }

Given the number of Florida Sheriffs involved this must have been recommended by their statewide association as a campaign tool. If you have a large enough order they probably put at least the Sheriff’s name on the CDs.

I assume that the departments get the special ‘administrative disk’ that allows them to ‘monitor the effectiveness of the system’ … especially the keylogger.

After it has been on the home computer for three days or less one of the kids will figure out how to use the keylogger to get their parents’ passwords, and all bets are off.

If you have kids, especially kids who play computer games, you need really good anti-virus software because they are going to visit ‘cheat’ sites that are swamps of worms, viruses, and spyware. While politicians are hustling filters, most filters don’t block game sites. Anyone taking computer advice from a politician, even one with a badge, deserves what they get. The software is free and worth every penny you paid for it.

10 Kryten42 { 10.02.14 at 5:49 pm }

Yep! 😀

Well, here’s a follow up in the “from the sublime to the insane dep’t!” LOL

Sheriff Slams EFF As ‘Not Credible,’ Insists ComputerCOP Isn’t Malware & Would Have Stopped Columbine

Say what now??! Bwaaahahahahahahahahaaaaa… [gasp] Must… breathe… 😉 😀

Damn! I am gonna be laughing and having tears all damn day now! LMAO

I won’t be able to design and buy bit’s for my new PC build (my Linux box finally died last night, the only surprise being it lasted this long, truly!) It’s my old Athlon 64 X2 6400+, which suffered from a few sudden power outages over the years. I replaced the PSU & gfx card, but knew the old DDR2 MoBo had some kind of weakness that made it BSOD on prolonged use (varied from 6 to 14 hours). Been planning to replace it and have been slowly buying parts. Only need the MoBo/CPU/RAM now. 🙂 Decided to go with an Intel i7 4790K, which is overkill for a linux server box, but I figured I may as well so I’ll have a backup system in case my main system dies or an expensive part goes faulty. 🙂 In fact, it will only cost a couple hundred $ more than a cheaper I5 or AMD system anyway. *shrug*

Intel i7 4790K, 4.0GHz/4.4GHz, 4 Cores/8 Threads, 8 MB L3 Cache, CPU $389.00
ASRock Fatal1ty Z97-PROFESSIONAL, 4 x DDR3 3200, USB 3.0 4F/4R, 2x SATA Express, M.2 Gen2 MoBo $229.00
G.Skill F3-2400C10D-16GTX TridentX, 16GB (2x 8GB), DDR3-2400, 10-12-12-31-2N RAM $209.00
TOTAL: $827.00

May add a couple parts (maybe a couple HDD’s or SSD’s, maybe extra RAM) as I’ll be taking out an unsecured no-interest loan, and I can borrow up to $1,200. May as well think ahead, as I can’t get another loan until this one is paid in 2 years. *shrug* 🙂 I’ll think about it over the weekend. 🙂

11 Badtux { 10.02.14 at 6:10 pm }

EFF “not credible”? BWAHAHA! The EFF’s stupidest unpaid teenage intern has more knowledge about computers in his little pinky than the average Southern sheriff has in his entire Sheriff’s department.

These people are idiots, yet they don’t know just how stupid they are. That’s what’s frightening about them… people who are stupid but think they’re smart do stupid things in the most destructive way possible, under the delusion they’re doing smart things, and then don’t have the slightest clue what they did or why people are criticizing them for doing it. Sigh, the stupid, it burns, it burns!

12 Bryan { 10.03.14 at 12:35 am }

Have some mercy guys, Limestone County is the home of the Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant, which had the worst nuclear accident in the US until Three Mile Island grabbed the crown.

I would be interested in hearing his theory as to how this software would have prevented Columbine. He is such a typical Southern Sheriff it is sad.