Monday, August 10, 2015

The scientific method - when the data doesn't fit change the data - What I am reading 8/10/2015

Wired - Here’s What Disaster Preppers Pack to Survive for 72 Hours -

Sam seems to have the right idea otherwise most of these preppers seem to be of the kill my neighbor and live off their supplies school of disaster preparedness.

Register - Sunspots drive climate change' theory is result of ancient error -

The adoption of the new Sunspot Number doesn't change our understanding of the Maunder Minimum, the low sunspot activity period between 1645 and 1715 that coincided with the “Little Ice Age”.
However, the recalibration does overturn a previous consensus that the data set showed a 300-year upward trend in sunspot activity, culminating in a “grand maximum” in the 20th century.
As Physicsworld says, the dataset “nullifies the claim that there has been a modern grand maximum”.


OK, look I believe the data was probably badly calibrated or whatever, but this really does look like an example to changing data to fit a theory.  Lot's of people are going to be calling BS on this.

Network Computing - Network Change Management Best Practices -

Suggestions include:

  • Don't Blindly Follow Orders
  • ?
  • Peer Review
  • ?
  • ?
  • Keep backups
  • ?
I guess my method of just blindly applying patches whenever and wherever isn't the way to go :-(



Burns clearly has her work cut out for her. Results of an information security audit presented to lawmakers Wednesday laid out thousands of security vulnerabilities in Interior’s public websites.
The White House in 2004 first mandated all federal system logins require the use of both a password and a smart card, a process known as two-factor authentication.  
"That's an important control that's needed. We were already working on it," Burns told members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Wednesday. "We were making slow progress. When the incident happened, it just created a different lens on looking at the need, and I think it made it crystal clear to everybody why it was so critical that we achieve two-factor authentication."
I am not a fan of the PIV cards but 2 factor authentication is plainly overdue.

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