Many years ago, a relative visited us in Chicago on Thanksgiving. The turkey was very impressive, and he said whole turkeys were expensive in Germany. The day after (this was before black Friday), we bought a large frozen turkey at half price. We scoured suburban Chicago for a stryrofoam cooler, and finally found one at the local hardware store, high on a shelf waiting for spring.
Said relative packed the turkey into the cooler and took it as hand luggage aboard the flight to Frankfurt. Going thru customs, he was asked for his Meat Importer's License, because obviously so much turkey must be to carve up and sell. After a long explanation, the customs agent, in very unGerman fashion, threw up his arms and waved him and the turkey through the line.
When we flew over (via London) at Christmastime, we brought sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cranberries, stuffing mix and the rest of the fixins. Saw a turkey for $100 at Harrods fool hall. Yikes.
It was hard to find ground veal and shallots in Germany in those days (the veal was minced, not ground) but we perservered, and I cooked up a big holiday feast for the whole familyin my mother-in-laws post-war kitchen. The stove was primitive, but she did have a new fridge that held more than a watermelon and a six-pack. It was a wonderful time.
Cross-cultural exchanges, even among families can be illuminating, and we should all try to understand different cultures. I have been reading Washington Irving's "Tales from the Alhambra" and it is very illuminating apropos the Moors in Spain. Did you know that in the early Middle Ages, the Jew, Moors and Catholics were able to co-exist in Southern Spain? How is it that they can't now? Makes you wonder.
Happy Thanksgiving to all. In The Shadow Warriors, Emma, the narrator, makes a Caesar Salad to take to a party with many international students. Someone dances the Lambada. I always think of that when Lambada comes up on the tape in my aerobics class. What a crazy world.
The Shadow Warriors is a genre-busting novel of suspense, incorporating international locales (Singapore, Hong Kong, Boston, Brussels and Germany), technology (software agents) and the derring-do at a German university. The story is framed by an outbreak of information warfare. Emma Lee Davis, a web security consultant, must dredge up a painful summer in her past to discover a means to end the info-war that has disrupted civilization.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
The FBI and Cybercrime
The FBI Investigates Cyber Crime
Here is another link to some testimony: Cyber Crime On Social Networking Sites
My Facebook Account was hacked and a "message" sent out to my friends trying to lure them to a website with the promise of a photo of them. I had to email everyone and warn them not to visit. This was embarrassing and I was even "defriended" by a few. It also took up a lot of my time, and I had to change not only my Facebook password but all my email passwords. Major pain in the ass, quite frankly. These hacks seem to have died out a bit lately. Maybe Facebook has beefed up their security.
A manuscript that I'm currently trying to sell has facial recognition software playing a big part. I made "my" software ahead of the curve in that it can recognize many faces at one time. The software agents I devised for The Shadow Warriors have probably come to pass. What do you think? Are software agents alive and well and cruising through networks and running amoke?
Here is another link to some testimony: Cyber Crime On Social Networking Sites
My Facebook Account was hacked and a "message" sent out to my friends trying to lure them to a website with the promise of a photo of them. I had to email everyone and warn them not to visit. This was embarrassing and I was even "defriended" by a few. It also took up a lot of my time, and I had to change not only my Facebook password but all my email passwords. Major pain in the ass, quite frankly. These hacks seem to have died out a bit lately. Maybe Facebook has beefed up their security.
A manuscript that I'm currently trying to sell has facial recognition software playing a big part. I made "my" software ahead of the curve in that it can recognize many faces at one time. The software agents I devised for The Shadow Warriors have probably come to pass. What do you think? Are software agents alive and well and cruising through networks and running amoke?
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Sunday, July 31, 2011
The Coming Cyber Wars
Today's Boston Globe has an interest op-ed page about cyber warfare and what the U.S. government admits and does not admit. All the gurus on this topic agree that the cyber war will be a "when" not an "if" scenario, and of course industry is lagging behind any meaningful readiness. As a result, the government may have to intervene to keep electric grids and the whole infrastructure safe(r).
Most people are unaware of this whole concept. Scary, really. If you want to read about the kind of war I'm talking about in an earlier time, a "what might have been" scenario, it's just as frightening today as it was for the fictional participants then. And just as puzzling. Who knew? And today? Who is ready? Maybe the U.S. government, perhaps other governments, and perhaps no one is really ready. Read about it here…
Most people are unaware of this whole concept. Scary, really. If you want to read about the kind of war I'm talking about in an earlier time, a "what might have been" scenario, it's just as frightening today as it was for the fictional participants then. And just as puzzling. Who knew? And today? Who is ready? Maybe the U.S. government, perhaps other governments, and perhaps no one is really ready. Read about it here…
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