Observations of a geek.

The problem with security questions

Posted Mon, 2009-02-16 23:56 by geekwisdom

In this video Software Architect, Steve Moitozo, addresses the problem of providing secure answers to "security questions" on Web sites? He's written about this issue in the past in Death to the Secret Question and thought it would be helpful if I addressed it here in video form.

Gaming Social Networks

Posted Fri, 2008-12-19 12:30 by geekwisdom
Brad Ward's post shows how easy it can be to game a social network. I suspect this kind of gaming is already going on in various other types of groups within social networks like Facebook and MySpace.

Estimated Relative Impact on Resources

Posted Thu, 2008-12-18 15:37 by geekwisdom

Problem:It is difficult to prioritize projects without some concept of the relative impact each one will have on the group doing (or commissioning) the work. For instance, if I have three projects and one is huge while two are small is it reasonable to think that the two small ones could be completed in parallel; assuming there are no dependency or resource contention issues?

Checkwashing Countermeasure... A Pen!

Posted Wed, 2008-12-03 12:01 by geekwisdom

I less than four minutes a crook can steal your check, selectively erase your writing, and make the check out to himself for any amount. That's checkwashing and it's preventable.

Most pens use dye, not pigmented ink. The uni-ball® 207™ uses ink with certain color pigments that bond with the paper fibers in checks making it very hard to "wash" the ink off. This pen, and others like it, could be a simple defense against the threat of checkwashing, which is simple and fast to do. The use of a pen like this, combined with the habit of properly filling in all the blanks on each check, and routine audits of bank statements will help you defend against checkwashing.

E-petitions Don't Work

Posted Fri, 2008-11-21 12:01 by geekwisdom
Imagine being frustrated about a new tax and going into the basement to scream. Great, you've had a little therapeutic outlet but unless the people who levied the tax are in your basement it will not change anything.

I'm just as irritated as the next guy when it looks like an injustice might be perpetrated through the passage of a new bill or some court ruling. I want to do something and I want to be efficient when I do it.

At first blush the e-petition seems like a great way to influence the powers that be. Get thousands of people who agree with you and have them all sign it, but there are a number of problems with it.

Inline MP3 Audio Player Insertion with JavaScript

Posted Mon, 2008-11-10 10:08 by geekwisdom

Using simple JavaScript it is possible to automatically insert inline audio players after hyperlinks to MP3 files. If multiple player types are desired simple CSS can be used to control the visibility of the players.

Consolidating Quality Attribute Scenarios

Posted Mon, 2008-09-22 15:39 by geekwisdom
One of the steps in a Quality Attribute Workshop is to consolidate the raw quality attribute scenarios that have been gathered. A helpful question to apply to each scenario when evaluating it for consolidation is, "Can this be abstracted without losing the essence of the scenario while at the same time covering more scenarios?"