Regular person: “I have lots of ideas but don’t know how to express them”
Writing pervert: “no one has ever had an idea without writing about it first. If you thought that your ideas were worth anything, you’re an idiot. Writing comes first, ideas second, or maybe never”
It's a bitter pill for video gamers: a growing number of older but still-popular titles are being dropped by publishers -- with servers going dark overnight -- in a practice the EU is being urged to outlaw. u.afp.com/SEb3
CPSC is hiring!
As an IT Specialist (Cloud Engineer) you'll provide full range support and security for cloud computing services and platforms. You'll ensure that all infrastructure components adhere to agency standards at an agency that helps save lives every day!
www.usajobs.gov/job/865604700
I think my health insurance just tricked me by asking for a security code that was actually an acceptance to sign up for text messages. I had already gone through my MFA prompt and then was asked for a second code. I couldn't continue logging in w/out it, but then it signed me up for text messaging.
Gross.
No one tells you this, but if you live near a bald eagle's nest there are some days that they just sit there and scream. All. Day. Long.
Majestic bird? Yes. More annoying than nails on a chalkboard? Also yes.
... and i thought they just sold sneakers 🥁
Thank you!
#Privacy matters! It makes you money.
"Brands with strong privacy practices saw 12.31% higher purchase intent than brands with weak practices. The effect was even greater (255%) for brands that customers already liked."
hbr.org/2026/05/data...
The FCC determined Netgear routers are secure enough to be sold in the US because it filed cybersecurity details such as "Justification on why any foreign manufactured router is not currently manufactured in the US, including why these foreign sources were selected and whether alternatives exist."
I've been a guest speaker at this twice over the years. The people who participate in this workshop seem to get a lot out of it. I encourage organizers to apply.
The US router ban has only gotten more ridiculous now that Netgear is suddenly, inexplicably exempt.
Here's why:
www.theverge.com/tech/911888/...
I'm working on it. 😞
If you would like me to send you some info, email me at stacey.higginbotham.consultant@consumer.org and let me know what state to cover.
Maybe. Every router that is sold in the US will have to get this waiver even if it is security theater. Ideally, they won't market off of that though.
If you live in either of those states, I'm happy to help you tell your lawmakers to support our bill. We need to show them that this is an issue that consumers actually care about.
If they have stopped providing software updates, it is no longer secure and you should take it off of your network. However, we do have legislation in NY, CA and MA that would require to tell you how long they plan to support a device when you buy it, so you can make the best decision for you.
So now consumers will actually think Netgear has done something additional to secure its routers, when there is absolutely no evidence that it has adopted any new security practices to achieve this waiver.
Netgear just emailed customers to promote the waiver with phrases like, "We hope this recognition gives you added peace of mind — knowing that the network powering your home meets rigorous standards."
Here are the questions the FCC posted last month for companies seeking conditional approval to sell their routers in the US.
Only the question about the bill of materials looks remotely cybersecurity related. But I'm hoping there's something more because router security does need to improve.
The FCC determined Netgear routers are secure enough to be sold in the US because it filed cybersecurity details such as "Justification on why any foreign manufactured router is not currently manufactured in the US, including why these foreign sources were selected and whether alternatives exist."
Y'all. I am in tears.
"Those who don’t want sexual predators as lawmakers probably imagine someone else could run for Congress. But the United States has spent centuries developing a leadership pipeline that favors maximal male sliminess."
I explained this to my extremely liberal therapist the other day and he was shocked and appalled. So keep spreading the word. There are a lot of people who don't yet realize this and don't want to support that.
I've been thinking similar thoughts. My years of reading post-dystopian fiction are allowing me to look past the current misery to the future that we could all build together 😊
Yes, just like the bubonic plague killed a third of the population but did have the long-term effect of eliminating feudalism and serfdom in parts of Europe. I am bummed that I will live during the plague years and not in the years of a newly created middle class with new rights.
... but UL resigned in December. This set back the program by almost a year. The program launched with the FCC and the Biden administration in summer 2023, following an executive order seeking an IoT cybersecurity label in 2021. At this rate, maybe we'll see a label on products at the end of 2027.
The FCC named IoXt Alliance as the new Lead Administrator of the US Cyber Trust Mark program replacing UL, which resigned after the FCC accused it of having close ties to China. The FCC never provided public evidence of UL being anything other than a normal testing lab with operations in China ...
Sorry I forgot about Fireplace.
Every song on REM's Document is a banger. I'd make a change my mind meme, but I am too busy singing along to Exhuming McCarthy.
A misty lake with a few thinned out trees and rocky ground in the foreground. It's very bleak and there is a reflection of the trees lining the lake.
A thick log bridge in the foreground and behind it are hummucks of moss-covered trees. It's misty and there are trees in the background.
A forest floor covered in Moss with a broken tree trunk that is still naked to one side. There are pine trees come up but the focus is on everything covered in yellow and green moss.
Birthday hike yesterday featured so much mist and moss!