Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×

Submission + - Middle school students best their teachers with social engineering

Submitted by lukej
lukej writes: In Ketchikan, Alaska a small group of unidentified students gained access to school owned computers by using phishing techniques on their teachers. The then used the elevated access to remotely control their peers computers.

Fortunately the school administrators seem to have a taken a realistic and pragmatic viewpoint of the situation, although no official punishment has yet been determined.

"Kids are being kids," (Principal) Robinson said, adding that he was surprised something like this had not already occurred. "They're going to try to do what they try to do. This time we found out about it."

Comment Re:11 years? (Score 1) 35

by lukej (#42662213) Attached to: Tour of the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Lab
Just for the heck of it, I'll defend my semantics. Yup... DUSEL was proposed in the early 2000s right after Homestake shutdown. And the key being, using that site "as an underground science laboratory". Prior to that, it was indeed used... "as a goldmine" (with some science on the side). So it indeed seemed like a 'new' proposal.

As the NSF was asking for RFPs at the time, there were three or four contenders (a new mine in Colorado, and an existing mine in MN, and of course Homestake). At the time, Homestake had a lot of positive elements, but also some serious problems (ownership, EPA liability, and many thousands of vertical feet of water). So, at the time it was only a "possibility", and far from a sure thing that DUSEL would ever come to fruition. I would speculate that even today, given the nature of science funding and grants... it's still a bit touch and go.
Science

Submission + - Tour of the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Lab (rapidcityjournal.com)

Submitted by lukej
lukej writes: Over eleven years ago, the possibility of using the retired Homestake Mine as an underground science laboratory was first proposed.
Today the local newspaper gives a science-filled tour of that facility, along with a short photo tour, and decent descriptions of some of the experiments it hosts (Majorana, LUX, Long Baseline Neutrino Experiment). Some fairly interesting deep, dirty, and real physical science!

Comment The Choices (Score 1) 4

by lukej (#42598797) Attached to: Choose your own adventure: IT Job Titles
Also, as bit of a corollary to my question...
I found it kind of interesting that most IT titles were composed out of a set of about ~30 total words/options.
It seemed like they could be juggled fairly interchangeably in their role as a prefix, root, or suffix.

The ad hoc list I eventually compiled was (in no order):
Network Server Database HelpDesk Programmer Software Support Security System Web Telecommunications IT/IS Operations Systems Administrator Architect Engineer Technician Analyst Specialist Designer Developer Officer Programmer DirectorSenior Junior Lead Manager Director EnterpriseTechnical

Did I miss any?
IT

Submission + - Choose your own adventure: IT Job Titles (about.com) 4

Submitted by lukej
lukej writes: A few years back, the somewhat un-managed and arbitrary nature of IT job titles was covered here on Slashdot (I suspect not much has changed since then.) However, I am now in the unique position of my Director asking for my opinion on a new job title. Being generous, he wants to to help me assure that HR properly classifies and compensates me, as well as a nod to my resume/CV and potential future employment.

So, beyond my personal situation, has IT made any progress on standardized or uniform job titles (and associated compensation)? A couple of quick searches yielded some mediocre results.

There are several journalistic articles out there about 'best paying job titles' ... but I'm simply not a Business Continuity Analyst or a Senior Design Architect. In reality, I manage the Systems Administrators and Network Engineers of a small IT department. As such, my current inclination is the boring, and nondescript option of "IT Systems Manager". Any suggestions for something better?
Idle

Submission + - US Navy sells Skunk Works ship (gsaauctions.gov)

Submitted by lukej
lukej writes: Springtime is when many Americans might consider purchasing a new boat, and if you are in the market for a 118 foot long ex-Navy stealth boat, you are in luck! The GSA has listed the Sea Shadow (IX-529) as up for sale, with a respectable starting price of $10,000USD. Probably not a bad price for a ship that cost $50M and was used sparingly 1983-1993, even if it is almost 30years old.

Submission + - Recommeded Serial Port Servers? (slashdot.org)

Submitted by lukej
lukej writes: Over a year ago the fate of Serial was debated . At my work, within our small data center, we have the usual collection of misc IT gear (Cisco, SANs, SUNs, etc) that ALL still have serial ports, and that leads me to believe Serial is here to stay. So, what do those of you in the professional IT field recommend when it comes to networked serial port servers (or aggregators)? . Personally, I'm partial to the few old Digi Portservers we have for functionality (but haven't tried other vendors). However, I have a hard time overcoming the price-per-port costs for this obviously 'simple' protocol and hardware, or justify hanging a serial port server in every rack. Is there a cheaper solution, and if not what is the best commercial product available?
Input Devices

Will the Serial Console Ever Die? 460

Posted by kdawson from the can-you-say-are-ess-two-three-two dept.
simpz writes "Will the serial port as a console connection ever be displaced — especially for devices such as switches, routers, SAN boxes, etc.? In one sense it's a simple connection. But it is the only current port that, in order to use, you need to know about wiring / baud rates / parity, etc. It has non-standard pinouts. And it is becoming too slow to upload firmware to dead devices, as the firmware updates get larger. Also, the serial port is rapidly disappearing from new laptops — which is where you often really need it, in data centers. Centronics, PS/2, and current loop are mostly defunct. Is there any sign on the horizon of a USB console connection?"

Comment Burden of the reciever? (Score 1) 35

by lukej (#29324241) Attached to: Woman Says Officer Tried To Sell Her Stuff On Craigslist
Neither article mention's what the proper response of the receiver of these goods should have been. If someone told you Walmart was giving away all it's products, would you just go in and load up your cart?

I think the users of Craigslist are naive, much like new email users who believe every spam they receive. There were comments on the DallasNews site from readers to the effect of 'this should be against the law'. But it's not. There is no law against lying (outside of commercial product misrepresentation, lying under oath, etc).

Hopefully, Craigslist users will wise up soon. Get 'Bills-of-Sale', or at least determine the proper owner and get permission for 'free' items.

Comment Re:Hmm (Score 1) 2

by lukej (#26947187) Attached to: Web and Content filtering recommendations?
I appreciate the sarcasm about the BW control... but just in case somebody was that naive, and for posterity... At my work place we have a 'tube' of Internet, and while there is QOS going on at the routers, sometimes it's nice to have Squid help keep the YouTube fanatics at bay, and ensure there is BW available for other applications; e.g. the inbound VPN users. I can only assume 'cutting the wire' probably wouldn't please the traveling C-level execs with their laptops.
Security

Submission + - Web and Content filtering recommendations? 2

Submitted by lukej
lukej writes: So it's clear everyone here dislikes content filtering, but there are few discussions on how to do it well.
Clearly, some of us in IT are tasked to provide filtering for a variety of reasons, including bandwidth control, compliance, pseudo-HR, etc.

I think the available options are mostly clear: Classic appliance based filters, or the newer 'cloud' solutions, Blacklists/whitelists vs. heuristics, Per user/machine control, and broad policies, Reporting and statistics, etc.

For the record, right now we're using DansGuardian/Squid, and, as always, looking for experiences and suggestions.

Slashdot Top Deals

Never ask two questions in a business letter. The reply will discuss the one you are least interested, and say nothing about the other.

Close