Hi Mom,

It’s Mother’s Day again, and I realize how little I express my appreciation for you and everything you’ve done for me over the years. I know it wasn’t easy raising the 3 of us, but you did a pretty good job. As I see my friends and family raising children of their own, I am able to better understand the sacrifices you chose to make for us. I am fortunate to have a mother that loves me enough to have put her own needs second to mine.

Thank you for raising me with a sense of what is right and wrong. Thank you for teaching me that hard work and perseverance can get you far in life. All that I am is a direct result of your hard work.

I know I don’t say it enough, but I love you, Mom.

Happy Mother’s Day!

E.

I came across a topic today that seems worth discussing: RFID Credit Cards. Many people know this technology as “PayPass,” or something similar where you can pay for items just by waving your credit card near a sensor. Apparently, many banks are sending out new credit cards with this technology embedded, some lacking a non-RFID option. I felt it would be beneficial to post an overview of RFID technology, how it is being used with respect to credit cards, and why you should RUN THE OTHER WAY if your bank tries to push one of these cards on you.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips are electronic components used to communicate small pieces of information without any physical contact between the data carrier and the data receiver. The technology used is similar to wireless networking or mobile phones (both use radio frequencies to transmit data), but with a shorter range, and less security. The interested reader should check out the Wikipedia article on RFID for a more complete description. One common application of RFID technology you might be familiar with include those pesky security devices inside the DVDs you purchase from Wal-Mart. These are passive devices that are read by the turnstiles at the exits. Another application of RFID technology is the electronic identification tag you can have placed under your pet’s skin. A third common application is security access badges. For applications where little harm can come of the data being transmitted, RFID is a great technology. For applications requiring security of the data carried, there is much debate.

An article from The Register explains just how insecure some of these RFID credit cards are. The article details the findings of University of Massachusetts professor and RFID Consortium for Security and Privacy (RFID-CUSP) member, Kevin Fu. Fu tested 20 credit cards from all of the major issuing companies, and found some discouraging results. Fu found that while many credit card companys claim to use “encryption,” most did not actually encrypt the data on the card. He also found that the data could be read from a “few feet” away. This would make it easy for a hacker to walk through a crowd or sit by a door and sniff credit card information from the unsuspecting consumers that happened to pass. According to the article, the equipment for launching this type of attack could be had for as little as $150.

You may think that this use of RFID technology for transmitting sensitive data is limited to the credit card companies, but you’d be wrong. The United States government is issuing passports with embedded RFID chips in them as well. The scary thing is that these documents contain more private information than credit cards (like a digital image, etc.), and the government appears to be aware of the problem of unauthorized “snoopers” (they put a thin metal layer in the cover of the passport to try and prevent this). They are called “e-passports”, in case you are wondering, and, in my opinion, you should stay away from them as well.

There are steps that can be taken to minimize the risk of your credit card information being stolen, like wallets and passport cases specifically designed to block RFID signals. According to one poster on Slashdot, you can microwave the credit card for 3 to 5 seconds to destroy the RFID chip without damaging the magnetic strip. However, the easiest way by far of protecting yourself is to not allow them to store your private, sensitive data.

There are arguments on both sides, of course, but the fact of the matter is that there is still a great deal of uncertainty about the security of using RFID devices to transmit sensitive data. It may be that the practice is perfectly safe, but I seriously doubt it. I for one will not be using an RFID credit card or passport any time soon. I’ll wait for the version that makes it impossible for someone to gain unauthorized access to my sensitive information.

E.

Those who know me are familiar with my recent adjustments to my lifestyle. For those who don’t, here’s the synopsis: Over the last 7 months, I have quit smoking, lost 50 lbs., and taken up running as a hobby. Some of this change was due to my interest in scuba diving and my desire to be better at that particular physical activity, but it was also in part due to my desire to get back into shape. I say get “back” into shape because I used to be pretty fit in my high school days (13 years ago).

When I was losing weight, I was looking for ways to exercise to help me drop the pounds. I bought an elliptical machine and used that quite regularly for a while. As it turns out, this was a very good way to transition from loafing on the couch watching TV to being more active. I set up the elliptical machine in the living room and watched TV while exercising instead of sitting on the couch. However, once my level of fitness improved, I found the elliptical machine to be somewhat boring (even while watching TV) and yearned for something more. I had (and still have) visions of resurrecting my mountain bike and hitting the trails, but there are only a few places to ride close to where I live. The logical choice for me was to take up running.

I must say that when I first started jogging around the neighborhood, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to do very much with my new found hobby. My first runs were short, slow, and painful. That has gotten better now, and my runs are long, slow, and painful. Some days more painful than others, but invariably I will have some kind of nagging pain after a run. Portions of my body have become more accustomed to the abuse to which running subjects it, but others are slower to adapt.

Given that I have come to enjoy my time on the roads, I am now in search of ways to reduce or eliminate the pain I feel when I run. There are different types of pain, and I am sure there will be a solution for each, and I will be sure to update this blog with any solutions I find. Specifically, I am experiencing joint pain in my knees and left hip, and some minor lower back pain while running (this quickly subsides once my run is over). I’m hoping that the joint pain will start to go away as I run more, but it seems to get worse as my runs get longer. Maybe something like Cosamin will help to restore the soft tissue in the joints, and I’m sure that the back pain will go away eventually. If not, I may be looking for new shoes…

For now, the pleasure I get from running through the surrounding neighborhoods taking in the sights is worth a little discomfort.

Stay tuned!

E.

As the Thanksgiving weekend winds down, I find myself with a feeling of relief that one of the 2 big holidays is finally over. However, I am also filled with some sense of impending doom as the Christmas shopping season enters full swing. I have no interest in joining the masses of crazed bargain hunters flocking to shopping malls and stores all over the country, but at some point I will likely be forced to.

It wasn’t always this way. I used to enjoy shopping for Christmas gifts for family and friends. It would actually increase my enjoyment of the holiday season to go on a trek for the perfect token of my love and appreciation of various people in my life.

However, the last few years have brought an ever increasing resentment of the holiday season. It seems that Christmas starts earlier every year with each participant wanting to make it bigger and better. My next door neighbor is a perfect example of this.

My neighbor’s yard decorations are pretentious and annoying, and have grown each year since I moved into my house. They started out simple enough with strings of lights outlining his house and a couple of small displays in the yard. This year, though, they have grown to the point where he has taken over other neighbors’ yards in order to expand his display. There are 3 foot tall candy canes surrounding his yard and the 3 other yards in the cul-de-sac. He has animatronic reindeer and angels, and an animatronic Santa Claus on his sleigh. The amount of light given off by these decorations keeps people up at night.

This is just one example of the scope creep of the holiday season and how it brings out the worst in people. We have shoppers getting in fist fights (and worse) over toys because they can’t tell their children no. Suicide rates increase during the holiday season, as do instances of violent crime. Nobody seems to even remember the reason why we celebrate Christmas any more. Whatever happened to peace on earth and good will towards man? These lessons have been overshadowed by people’s desire to not only keep up with the Joneses but to prove themselves better than the Joneses to fill the emptiness of their own self-loathing.

Don’t get me wrong, there are things I like about the holiday season, too. It gives familys a chance to gather in good cheer and catch up on the last year. The problem is that the holidays have been over-commercialized. The traditional meaning has been lost in the tide of Corporate America’s need to use the 4th quarter of each year to meet Wall Street’s expectations.

Holiday Spirit, thy name is Capitalism. Bah Humbug!

E.

Greetings and salutations. Welcome to the 2orbs Blog!

What is 2orbs? Easy. It’s the orb we live on, and the orb circling it. This blog will contain some (hopefully) relevent discussions of the world and universe in which we live. For more information, check out the About page.

So, set back, grab your thoughts, and get ready! A real topic will be coming soon…

E.