I was reading an interview one time, with I think Tim Ferriss, and the topic was expensive dining experiences. The gist of the conversation was that he was happy to pay for an expensive drink and food if it guaranteed exclusivity or privacy. The theory was that the higher prices would keep out the general public and therefore the drink and location could be enjoyed in relative peace at a premium price.
I’ve been thinking about this recently. Prices are generally high for everything these days, but there are a few places that seem to charge way more over the average. Discounting those that are obviously fleecing or are in a premium area of real estate and have to cover higher business rates, there are a few places that offer exclusivity and privacy if you are prepared to pay a higher premium for drinks, food, or whatever else it is that they are selling.
In return for a quiet space with ambience (and wifi) I find myself willing to pay the extra as a form of price of admission. Are you?
Owning something expensive
When owning something expensive the expense is not just associated with the purchase price. The cost of use also needs to be taken into consideration.
I learned this the hard way in my youth when purchasing a second-hand sports car. I could just about afford the car and could only see how much fun it would be to drive it and how cool I would look. (The latter turned out not to be true).
The car was indeed fun to drive but when parts failed they were expensive to replace, servicing was costly, and it didn’t do great on fuel, so trips to the fuelling station were frequent.
It was fun while it lasted but when considering owning something expensive, whatever it is, consider the cost of ownership and not just the purchase price.
Passing through cold space
I had a weird thought.
I was thinking about absolute versus relative locations and fixed points and how we are all essentially travelling through space on a giant rotating ball. With each rotation our physical bodies are passing through fixed points in space previously unoccupied. Somewhere right now in deep space is a fixed point that contains nothing but extreme cold, waiting for you to physically pass through on a future rotation, occupying it for a brief moment.
Each day we are passing through cold space.
There’s can and should
There’s can and should.
You can drink as much as you want, but you probably should drink, and eat, healthy.
You can watch as much TV as you want, in theory. But you should probably go outside more and enjoy the world and all it has to offer.
Can and should. The freedom to choose what you do. It’s both liberating and a curse. The state of your health and life in general can be broken down into lots and lots of tiny decisions adding up.
You can do whatever you want, but should you?
Speed reading
I have this rule with books; If it’s boring and doesn’t entertain, inform, or grip you in the first 5 chapters or around 30 pages, bin it. That is to say don’t continue reading just for the sake of it. Just because your favourite aunt bought it for your birthday or your sister bought it for you for Christmas. Sell it, donate it to charity, or re-gift it to someone you think is more likely to appreciate it.
That was my rule.
I’ve slightly modified this rule for where the book contains content or information that you need to know, or you have been asked to read it for work, a book club, or another reason whereby you will be asked questions later. In this scenario I speed-read it.
Speed-reading is an artform in itself and each individual undertakes it differently. For me it depends on whether the book is fiction or non-fiction.
For fiction I kind of stare at the page unfocused picking out key-words and following the gist of the story. I look for any change in pace or emphasis on something important in the text. I take around 5-seconds a page this way, taking longer when I find something worth reading. I can guarantee that after some considerable practice I can finish most fiction books in an hour or two max.
For non-fiction I’ll read the back-cover, the inside jackets, and scan the table of contents. Then I’ll flick through each page only stopping if anything of interest catches my eye. I’ll have already noted sections or pages that I want to take a little more time with from reading the TOC. This way I’ll have gotten what I wanted from the book.
Not every book should be read from cover-to-cover. True, you may have your favourites, well worn copies that you’ve read many times. But you will encounter tomes that are just dull, badly written, with no life in them. And the older you are the less time you are willing to waste on bad prose. In fact feel free to speed-read these posts or skip them all together. I’m not writing them to make money. I’m writing them for me. But they may contain some nuggets of wisdom, so feel free to practice your speed-reading.
Telemetry data
Have you monitored the data flowing in and out of your home network? You can use tools such as port scanners and packet sniffers to see just how noisy the devices are in your home. Whether your printer is calling home to see if there are any firmware updates or your set-top TV boxes are receiving scheduling updates you may be surprised just how much traffic is flowing in and out of your home network without any of your knowledge.
One such type of data that has interested me recently is telemetry data. This is data that operating systems and devices send back to their manufacturer to help them improve their products.
Let’s take Microsoft Windows as an example. It has four levels of telemetry data:
Security to help keep their OS secure.
Basic for everyday use.
Enhanced for how you are using the OS.
Full for collecting as much info as possible.
The worrying thing is they don’t go into much detail about what exactly they are collecting and how this may affect your privacy.
Searching online we learn that the telemetry data should include:
Device specifications and health
App usage and performance
Error reports and crash dumps
Feedback and ratings
Browser history and search queries
Location and activity history
Advertising ID and interests
This data could be used to help them improve their software, but it could also be used to profile you. What software you use, what devices you have, when you are online and from what location, what you are viewing and buying online. All valuable information. To someone.
So are you happy for your devices to send telemetry data?
Thoughts on Infostealers
I’ve been thinking about infostealers. Why? Well I’ve been doing a few ethical hacking challenges recently and when you find an exploit like an LFI, directory traversal, XSS, or some other method of obtaining data from a target you tend to build a playbook of places to look for data. I have a list of configuration file locations based on the target OS, and what appears to be installed (thanks to nmap and whatever the LFI can return).
Infostealers work in a similar way. They are essentially software programs designed to look for patterns: file name extensions such as PDF DOC DOCX etc, files containing bank details (X-digit strings), email addresses, contact books, login credentials, browser history. You get the idea. Depending on the infostealers purpose it will be programmed to look for patterns on each target. Once installed they begin scanning, looking for possible matches. They collate this data then covertly send it back to whomever set the infostealer in motion.
Treat infostealers like any other malicious software: employ a good antimalware strategy. Use a firewall, install good antivirus and antimalware software and keep your sensitive data protected with encryption and 2FA. Keep regular backups and monitor your accounts.
Protect your data.
How long is a piece of string
In the UK we switched from imperial to decimal measurements decades ago. That’s the official line. What actually happened is that we found it hard to switch and even the latest generation are confused.
Stand on the scales and you can report your weight in pounds and stone or kilos. Measure your new carpet in meters or feet and inches. Don’t get me started on how we measure a field.
If visiting the UK and you have a question about measurements, prepare to have a converter at hand.
Benefits of many bank accounts
There are several benefits to opening multiple bank accounts. By bank accounts I mean current accounts at high street banks and building societies. There are many such banks in the UK and it’s worth having one at each bank containing at least the minimum balance.
So what are the benefits?
The first is that when you need to open a savings account, ISA, or other type of savings or investment account you will find that the more favourable rates are only offered to existing customers with a current account at that particular bank. If you have such an account you can then open the more beneficial account straight away.
The second benefit is that on occasion banks offer their customers free money. For example when they de-mutualise or are bought by another company, existing customers are often offered money or some form of bonus for doing nothing more than being a customer. I have received both cash and shares in the past from this very scenario.
And the cost of opening so many accounts? Just your time.
The Matrix of the brain
There’s a line in The Matrix that escapes me, it’s where Neo or someone asks Trinity if she knows how to pilot a specific type of helicopter. She replies that she will in a moment as that knowledge is downloaded directly into her brain. If only.
The real world doesn’t work like that. Not quite. But you can still download knowledge into your brain, only it takes a little longer. Yet it amazes me how many people don’t bother learning stuff any more. To actively seek out new knowledge.
I enjoy learning. I’m an autodidact. I think that’s the right word. Essentially I just keep teaching myself stuff. I love the process. You can teach an old dog new tricks and I teach myself every day.
I love comparing the me after to the me before. This morning I know nothing about a particular subject but I’ve gathered some books, articles, or web resources together and I’m ready to learn. Then at the end of the day, or week, or however much time I’ve allocated to learning about the new subject, I look back at what I now know that I didn’t before. I’ve downloaded new knowledge and information into my head. Stuff I didn’t know before that I do now. I think that’s cool.
I’ll think about what I’ve learned and combine it with other things I know and my brain will sort out all the connections like a Neo4J database. Only this database is big with limitless capacity. At least I’ve not hit any discernible limits yet.
What shall I learn today?