joi, 2 ianuarie 2014

gamer4ever: "The Walking Dead Season 2 Episode 1: All That Remains - Bad/Rude/Wr..." and more videos

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Seth's Blog : For startups and those about to start: a new course on Skillshare

 

For startups and those about to start: a new course on Skillshare

http://skl.sh/19WeEP0

To start off the year, the folks at Skillshare asked me to teach a course for them. You can find the details on the course at the link above. Reviewing the final footage, I'm excited at how well it turned out, and I'm hoping it will resonate with you.

In this course, I'm teaching specific tactics, and using the Skillshare platform to provide supplemental materials and a chance to interact with others if you choose.

Lately, it feels like I've recently had precisely the same discussion with a dozen different entrepreneurs. They've built (or are about to build) something they're proud of, and then, without warning, they hit a wall.

The problem, surprisingly, isn't their marketing. It's a miscalculation buried deep into the structure of their project. Again and again, the same issues keep coming up. I decided it would be worth creating a course to share my thoughts on how these seven different issues can be avoided (or even better, turned into advantages).

The course features seven lessons plus an intro about business models, together with exercises for each. You get about an hour of original video, along with ebooks, exercises and a chance to post your questions and your work.

If you use discount code BLOG (until January 10) on their site, you will save a few bucks.

I'm going to be actively answering questions online for the first round of students who take the course when it starts on January 10 (it's self-paced, so you can watch it when you want). Hope you find it worthwhile.

       

 

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Publicat de 1 la 03:22 0 comentarii

miercuri, 1 ianuarie 2014

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

America's First Marijuana Stores Open in Colorado; Record Opium Crop in Afghanistan; Six Beneficiaries of "War on Drugs"

Posted: 01 Jan 2014 09:52 PM PST

Colorado ushers in the new year as the first US state to allow retail cannabis sales.
Marijuana users celebrated as Colorado became the first US state to allow retail cannabis sales, putting it in the vanguard of efforts across the country to legalize the drug.

The western state famous for its ski resorts and breathtaking mountain vistas has issued 348 retail licenses -- including for small pot shops -- that can sell up to 28 grams of pot to people aged 21 or older, starting Wednesday.

Washington state on the Pacific Coast will follow Colorado several months from now, when it also allows stores to begin selling cannabis.

Iraq war veteran Sean Azzariti was the first person to legally purchase cannabis for recreational use in the United States.

State officials here anticipate that marijuana sales will generate some $67 million in annual tax revenue.

Colorado and Washington are creating a recreational market in which local authorities will oversee growing, distribution and marketing -- all of it legal -- for people to get high just for the fun of it.

The market is huge: from $1.4 billion in medical marijuana in 2013, it will grow by 64 percent to $2.34 billion in 2014 with recreational pot added in Colorado and Washington, according to ArcView Market Research, which tracks and publishes data on the cannabis industry.

Washington state is expected to open more than 300 pot shops in June.
Record Opium Crop in Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, despite US presence for 13 years, Record opium output boosts Afghan warlords' power base.
Afghanistan, long the world's main heroin supplier, has seen its total area of poppy seed plantations explode to 516,000 acres - a 36 percent increase from 2012, according to the report, released on Wednesday.

Last year, the war-torn Central Asian country accounted for 75 percent of the world's opium supplies; Jean-Luc Lemahieu, head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Afghanistan, has said in the past that supplies may reach 90 percent of the global total this year.

The new data surpasses the previous record set in 2007, when 477,000 acres were cultivated, according to the UN drug watchdog. Total opium output is estimated at 5,500 tons, up 49 percent from 3,700 tons in 2012.

At the same time, efforts to eradicate poppy fields have waned, with the total area targeted down 24 percent from last year.

With profits from opium cultivation nearing $1 billion, or 4 percent of gross domestic product, insurgency groups like the Taliban will only benefit from the cash crop.

The US-led coalition has rejected any crop eradication operations by its soldiers for fear of bankrupting farmers and forcing them to join the insurgency.
Time to End War on Drugs

It's time to admit the war on drugs was a miserable failure. The move in Colorado and Washington is a welcome start.

Prices would collapse overnight all drugs were legal. And by taking out all of the profit, all of the drug addicts who steal to get their fix would no longer need to do so.

Moreover, there would be no pushers attempting to get people hooked for the sole purpose of gaining customers.

Finally, states could save massive amounts of money by freeing all the people sitting in prison for drug-related crimes. States would also get tax revenues whereas profits now go to smugglers.

Beneficiaries of War on Drugs

  1. Smugglers who benefit from high prices
  2. Cops on the take
  3. Those employed fighting the war on drugs
  4. Prison guards and unions who benefit from every person incarcerated
  5. Warlords in Afghanistan 
  6. Du Pont 

Background on Hemp Ban

Here is a section on "hemp and the environment" from my post on The Politics of Ethanol. It will explain point number 6 above on Du Pont.

Unfortunately, the link below no longer works. It was to an MIT article.

Inquiring minds are asking about Hemp and the Environment.
An acre of hemp produces four times as much paper as an acre of trees. Every pot-smoking hippy in the country knows that. The problem is, why doesn't anyone else? In this short article, I will attempt to educate you, the reader, of the many ways in which hemp can Save The Planet. No kidding.

Herbicides are also virtually unnecessary as the plants grow 6 to 16 feet tall in only 110 days. The complex root structure prevents erosion and decays quickly after harvest.

That's all well and good, but what do you do with the hemp? Well, as I mentioned above, it's great for making paper. That's most of the reason that industrial hemp is illegal in the U.S. See, in the mid-1930's, there were two industries that had just made breakthrough machines that would make paper productions much more cost-effective. One was the hemp industry, the other was DuPont. Coincidentally, the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act was passed, effectively making hemp illegal by charging transfers $1/ounce or, for unregistered dealers, $100/ounce, even for industrial grade hemp.

So, with hemp out of the way, DuPont was free to become the giant corporation that it is today, and to produce the great majority of the toxic sludge that contaminates our Northwestern and Southeastern rivers. Had hemp become our primary paper source, this pollution would have been vastly reduced, and here is why: Hemp means no deforestation, which results in less topsoil erosion, more oxygen, less carbon dioxide, less destruction of natural habitats, etc. Hemp paper is much easier to bleach, and does not require chlorine, which means no more thousands of tons of toxic sludge pouring into the water. Scientists in Sweden have developed a hemp-bleaching process that uses only natural enzymes and some pounding of the pulp.

Cotton, the other big evil, is grown on 3% of the world's arable land and uses 26% (wow!) of the world's pesticides and 7% of the world's fertilizer annually. It requires heavy irrigation, depleting the water supply even as it poisons it. Many developing countries grow cotton as a cash crop, trying desperately to pay off foreign debt. While the country's land and water is being destroyed, food crops are neglected, so the people go hungry.

Hemp can be used to make clothing that is, if treated properly, soft like cotton and far more durable, thus rendering cotton unnecessary. Adidas and Ralph Lauren already have hemp products, and Calvin Klein insists that hemp will hit the fashion industry full-force in the years to come.

While an acre of trees is about 60% cellulose, and acre of hemp is nearly 75%. How much hemp is necessary to meet current US energy needs? Somewhere between 10 million and 90 million acres, depending on how efficient the production is. Every year, the US government pays farmers (in cash or "kind") to *not* farm what they call the "soil bank", which happens to be about 90 million acres of farmland. The math is pretty simple.

Hemp seed oil is very similar to petroleum diesel fuel, and produces full engine power with reduced carbon monoxide and 75% less soot and particulates. Hemp stalk (different than the part that can make paper and textiles) can be converted into 500 gallons of methanol/acre.

It seems so simple, you must be saying. If this is true, why are we still using petroleum and paper and cotton? Well, there are corporations who sponsor politicians that have a reason to keep hemp down, like, the oil industry, etc.
"War on Drugs" or "War for Drugs"

Our policy is so stupid one has to wonder if it's a "war on drugs" or a "war for drugs" and against the environment, specifically  for the benefit of the above groups.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific.

China's Bill for Cleaning Air Pollution Mounts; State TV Promotes Benefits of Smog

Posted: 01 Jan 2014 04:31 PM PST

As China enters 2014 reeling from one of the worst polluted winters in recent years, experts from two major research institutes have openly disagreed over what is the main culprit behind the capital city's dismal air pollution.

Please consider Cars or coal? Scientists split over main culprit of Beijing's air pollution
The Chinese capital has for many years suffered from serious air pollution. Primary sources of pollutants include exhaust emission from Beijing's more than five million motor vehicles, coal burning in neighbouring regions, dust storms from the north and local construction dust. A particularly severe smog engulfed the city for weeks in early 2013, elevating public awareness to unprecedented levels and prompting the government to roll out emergency measures.



A Chinese couple wears protective masks while going around the Tiananmen Square on December 7, 2013. Photo: EPA

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the country's top research body, released a study on December 30 saying motor vehicle emissions were only responsible for less than 4 per cent of Beijing's PM2.5, the most health-threatening fine air pollutants. Instead, the study identified fossil fuel burning as the largest contributor of PM2.5, contrary to popular beliefs that the nearly 5.5 million cars clogging the capital's streets were chiefly to blame for its air pollution.

However, barely 24 hours later, Pan Tao, president of the Beijing Municipal Research Institute of Environmental Protection, openly challenged the findings, telling People's Daily online that motor vehicle emissions were "undoubtedly" the major source of Beijing's air pollution.

The CAS study analysed air samples in the capital on a seasonal basis, and found that pollutants generated from industrial production and coal-burning the source of Beijing's PM2.5 pollutants. According to the study, coal burning, industrial pollution and secondary inorganic aerosol, a catch-all term for inorganic particulates formed as a product of complex chemical reactions among pollutants, account respectively for 18 per cent, 25 per cent and 26 per cent of the air pollution at large.

Combined waste incineration and motor vehicle emissions are responsible for 4 per cent of the hazardous PM2.5 fine particles in Beijing's air, it says.

But the academy's conclusion appears self-contradictory as motor vehicle emissions are themselves a major contributor to secondary inorganic aerosol, argued Pan Tao from the Beijing institute. Moreover, Pan asserted, it was simply impossible that car exhaust could account for as little as 4 per cent of Beijing's main air pollutants.
Chinese Hospital Opens Smog Clinic

The Huffington Post reports Chinese Hospital Opens Smog Clinic To Combat Worsening Air Quality
A hospital in southwest China has opened a clinic for patients who are suffering symptoms related to smog, a doctor said Wednesday, highlighting how big a concern pollution has become for Chinese.

One public health expert suggested hospitals may follow suit to cash in on China's notorious smog.

The rising middle class in China has become increasingly fed up with air pollution that has accompanied the country's spectacular economic growth. The term PM2.5, which refers to tiny particles in the air that can penetrate deep into the lungs, has become a common part of the vocabulary.

On Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu, which measures air quality, gave it an index reading of 160 — or "unhealthy" — based on a PM2.5 reading of 73 micrograms per cubic meter. A safe level under WHO guidelines is 25 micrograms per cubic meter.

The Chinese reading, which also takes into account other pollutants and has a different classification system, came out as "lightly polluted."
Pollution in China's Heilongjiang Province



Local residents travel on a tricycle in the smog in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang province, on October 21, 2013. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images

Worries in the Path of China's Air

It's not just China suffering from China's pollution. Please consider Worries in the Path of China's Air
When China's skies darken with pollution, it is not the only nation to suffer.

Soot, ozone-forming compounds and other pollutants from China can blow east to Korea and Japan. Ultimately, some even reach the west coast of the United States, scientists say.

Other nations generate pollution too, of course, so the wafting of bad air from China adds to local problems. China's emissions worry countries in the path of the plumes, but in a region where political tensions often run high, international solutions are largely elusive.

 Recent research in Japan suggests that China's contribution to average annual fine-particle pollution ranges from 40 percent in the Tokyo area to 60 percent in Kyushu, which is closer to China, according to Hiroshi Tanimoto, who heads the global atmospheric chemistry section at Japan's National Institute for Environmental Studies. On average, about 10 percent to 20 percent of Japan's springtime ozone comes from Chinese emissions, he said.

"Transport of air pollutants from China enhances the background level entering into Japan," Dr. Tanimoto said in an email. The impact to effect on Korea is even greater, he added.

China's main effect on pollution in the United States, however, involves ozone, scientists say.

China, which accounts for more than half of the world's coal consumption, is trying to reduce its pollution for the sake of its worried citizens. It has cut its emissions of sulfur dioxide, which can lead to acid rain and fine-particle creation; it is rapidly building clean- energy plants and setting some limits on coal; and it orders reduced car travel on days of bad smog. But its fast-growing economy makes the pollution problem hard to solve.

Whereas Europe had success in working to reduce cross-border air pollution in the 1970s and '80s, "there's really been no history of that regional cooperation in Asia," said Loren Cass, an associate professor of political science at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts.
China to Invest in Air Pollution Treatment

XinhuaNet reports China to invest heavily in air pollution treatment
China needs to invest 1.75 trillion yuan (290 billion U.S. dollars) for its air pollution treatment plan from 2013 to 2017, an environment expert has estimated.

Wang Jinnan, deputy head of the Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning, said at the 4th Caixin Summit in Beijing that the investment would drive up GDP by nearly 2 trillion yuan and create over 2 million jobs.

According to Wang, 36.7 percent of the investment, or 640 billion yuan should go on cleaning up industry, followed by 490 billion yuan (28.2 percent) on cleaner energy sources. Cleaning up motor vehicles will absorb 210 billion yuan.

The State Council issued the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan in September to control PM2.5 (airborne particles of less than 2.5 microns diameter).

The action plan requires PM2.5 in populated regions and metropolises to be reduced significantly by 2017. The annual average of PM2.5 in Beijing would be expected to drop to 60 micrograms per cubic meter.
Broken Window Fallacy Yet Again

Did you catch the huge flaw in the above article?

Pollution cleanup does not contribute to GDP. At best, it shows prior GDP was overstated by the amount of cleanup necessary.  The GDP improvement thesis is just another version of the broken window fallacy.

Simply put, broken windows, hurricanes, tsunamis, and pollution do not add to GDP.

Benefits To China's Smog?!

Even more preposterous than the broken window fallacy is the notion there are Benefits of a Smoggy China.
Northeast China was struck by the most severe smog attack this past week, sending air quality index in more than 40 cities above the 300 hazardous level and forcing schools in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province to shut down. But instead of halting their outdoor modeling show, organizers of a jewelry exhibition in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province had all the models wear face masks on the runway.

an expert from China's Ministry of Environmental Protection just claimed that the smog is there to stay for ten to twenty years. Amid the gloomy outlook, however, there's some silver-lining—CCTV, China's national broadcaster, has identified five benefits of the smog: first, it has made people more united, because smog is a common enemy everywhere in China. Second, it has made people more equal, because both the rich and the poor have to inhale the same polluted air. Third, it has made the Chinese more clear-headed as to the price that the nation has to pay for becoming the "world's factory." Fourth, it has made the Chinese more humorous. Sarcasm abounds when it comes to the topic of smog, and "that sense of humor is the source of strength for defeating the smog." Fifth, it has made the Chinese more knowledgeable, as people become educated on concepts like PM 2.5, important historical events like the London Great Smog of 1952, and even English words like "haze" and "smog."

The Party's mouth piece, The Global Times, has suggested that smog may be also beneficiary to military defense.
Fashion Show Images











In all, xinhuanet.com displayed "56 smog is beautiful images"

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific.
Publicat de 1 la 23:05 0 comentarii

As of today:

 

Americans across the country have new health insurance that starts today, thanks to the Affordable Care Act.

Today, health reform is real in a new way for people like Daniel, a 22-year-old student who enrolled in a gold-level insurance plan and is paying just $70 a month after subsidies. It's real for Lucy, from Texas, whose deductible is dropping from $7,500 to $3,000 a year, and for Mark, a small business owner who says that keeping his health care costs down will help his consulting business thrive.

Today, these people are covered.

That means welcome packets and insurance cards in the mail. That means new appointments for check-ups are on the books. And it means the peace of mind, security, and dignity that comes with taking your health care into your own hands.

Making sure more Americans like Daniel, Lucy, and Mark can know that feeling in the weeks to come will take all of us speaking out.

So if this means something to you -- whether you have new coverage today or know someone who does -- we want to hear your story. Share it here.

With the passage of the Affordable Care Act, millions of young adults have been able to stay covered under their parents' plans. Tens of millions of Americans have gained access to free preventive services. More than a hundred million Americans no longer have lifetime limits on their coverage.

We've still got a lot more work to do. But after all the politics and rhetoric, we know the real bottom line:

Today, for the first time, many Americans for whom insurance wasn't previously a possibility can say that they are covered. And many folks who had insurance previously just saw their coverage improve: As of today, insurers can no longer cut off benefits when an individual reaches an annual cap. Insurers can no longer charge you more just because of a pre-existing condition or because you are a woman. And health plans sold to individuals or small businesses must offer comprehensive benefits, including things like mental health services and maternity care that plans used to sometimes exclude.

That's what the President has been fighting for, and why this law is so important.

Whether you've got new coverage today, know someone who does, or simply want to help get the word out about the importance of getting covered, we want to hear from you. Share your story here.

Thanks -- and Happy New Year,

David

David Simas
Deputy Senior Advisor
The White House
@Simas44 


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Publicat de 1 la 12:33 0 comentarii

Seth's Blog : Welcome to Paris

 

Welcome to Paris

You've saved and scrimped and spent hours on the plane, and now you're in Paris for the trip of a lifetime. It's likely you'll never be here again, and you've only got three days.

Question: How much time are you going to spend in the hotel room watching reality TV on cable? For that matter, how much time will you spend checking your email, grooming your social network status or browsing around online to see what's new?

You only have three days.

Now it's a week later, and you're back at your desk. Consider the fact that the most interesting or most beloved or most trusted people you will ever know are sitting right next to you, or can be invited over in just a few minutes. Is it worth postponing that once-in-a-lifetime interaction so you can do a Netflix binge or watch some YouTube videos?

The world is waiting. Your turn....

       

 

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Publicat de 1 la 03:21 0 comentarii

marți, 31 decembrie 2013

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Happy New Year (and Some British Humor)

Posted: 31 Dec 2013 06:44 PM PST

Looking for a laugh? Play the video below "Putting Out the Dog"



Link if video does not play: Mrs. Brown's Boys

Happy new year to you and your loved ones!

Wishing 2014 to be your best year ever.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific.

Apple Denies Working With NSA on iPhone Backdoors; NSA Toolbox Catalog; Celebrate the New Year: 1984

Posted: 31 Dec 2013 11:51 AM PST

Today Apple denied creating backdoors on the iPhone for the NSA to exploit. First let's review some articles that preceded the denial.

Within the last few days came numerous reports NSA Reportedly Has Total Access To The Apple iPhone.

Back in September, Der Spiegel online reported iSpy: How the NSA Accesses Smartphone Data

AppleInsider notes "New documents revealed on Monday show the U.S. National Security Agency has the capability of deploying software implants on Apple's iPhone that grants remote access to on-board assets like SMS messages, location data and microphone audio."

NSA Toolbox

Please consider Der Spiegel article Shopping for Spy Gear: Catalog Advertises NSA Toolbox by Jacob Appelbaum, Judith Horchert and Christian Stöcker.
After years of speculation that electronics can be accessed by intelligence agencies through a back door, an internal NSA catalog reveals that such methods already exist for numerous end-user devices.

According to Juniper Networks' online PR copy, the company's products are "ideal" for protecting large companies and computing centers from unwanted access from outside. They claim the performance of the company's special computers is "unmatched" and their firewalls are the "best-in-class." Despite these assurances, though, there is one attacker none of these products can fend off -- the United States' National Security Agency.

A document viewed by SPIEGEL resembling a product catalog reveals that an NSA division called ANT has burrowed its way into nearly all the security architecture made by the major players in the industry -- including American global market leader Cisco and its Chinese competitor Huawei, but also producers of mass-market goods, such as US computer-maker Dell.

A 50-Page Catalog

These NSA agents, who specialize in secret back doors, are able to keep an eye on all levels of our digital lives -- from computing centers to individual computers, and from laptops to mobile phones. For nearly every lock, ANT seems to have a key in its toolbox. And no matter what walls companies erect, the NSA's specialists seem already to have gotten past them.

This, at least, is the impression gained from flipping through the 50-page document. The list reads like a mail-order catalog, one from which other NSA employees can order technologies from the ANT division for tapping their targets' data. The catalog even lists the prices for these electronic break-in tools, with costs ranging from free to $250,000.

In the case of Juniper, the name of this particular digital lock pick is "FEEDTROUGH." This malware burrows into Juniper firewalls and makes it possible to smuggle other NSA programs into mainframe computers. Thanks to FEEDTROUGH, these implants can, by design, even survive "across reboots and software upgrades." In this way, US government spies can secure themselves a permanent presence in computer networks. The catalog states that FEEDTROUGH "has been deployed on many target platforms."

Some of the equipment available is quite inexpensive. A rigged monitor cable that allows "TAO personnel to see what is displayed on the targeted monitor," for example, is available for just $30. But an "active GSM base station" -- a tool that makes it possible to mimic a mobile phone tower and thus monitor cell phones -- costs a full $40,000.
Inside TAO

A second Der Spiegel article takes a look Inside TAO a top-secret National Security Agency team known as Tailored Access Operations.
In January 2010, numerous homeowners in San Antonio, Texas, stood baffled in front of their closed garage doors. They wanted to drive to work or head off to do their grocery shopping, but their garage door openers had gone dead, leaving them stranded. No matter how many times they pressed the buttons, the doors didn't budge. The problem primarily affected residents in the western part of the city, around Military Drive and the interstate highway known as Loop 410.

Fault for the error lay with the United States' foreign intelligence service, the National Security Agency, which has offices in San Antonio. Officials at the agency were forced to admit that one of the NSA's radio antennas was broadcasting at the same frequency as the garage door openers. Embarrassed officials at the intelligence agency promised to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and soon the doors began opening again.

It was thanks to the garage door opener episode that Texans learned just how far the NSA's work had encroached upon their daily lives.

An internal description of TAO's responsibilities makes clear that aggressive attacks are an explicit part of the unit's tasks. Indeed, TAO specialists have directly accessed the protected networks of democratically elected leaders of countries. They infiltrated networks of European telecommunications companies and gained access to and read mails sent over Blackberry's BES email servers, which until then were believed to be securely encrypted. Achieving this last goal required a "sustained TAO operation," one document states.

Having Fun at Microsoft's Expense

One example of the sheer creativity with which the TAO spies approach their work can be seen in a hacking method they use that exploits the error-proneness of Microsoft's Windows. Every user of the operating system is familiar with the annoying window that occasionally pops up on screen when an internal problem is detected, an automatic message that prompts the user to report the bug to the manufacturer and to restart the program. These crash reports offer TAO specialists a welcome opportunity to spy on computers.



When TAO selects a computer somewhere in the world as a target and enters its unique identifiers (an IP address, for example) into the corresponding database, intelligence agents are then automatically notified any time the operating system of that computer crashes and its user receives the prompt to report the problem to Microsoft. An internal presentation suggests it is NSA's powerful XKeyscore spying tool that is used to fish these crash reports out of the massive sea of Internet traffic.

The automated crash reports are a "neat way" to gain "passive access" to a machine, the presentation continues. Passive access means that, initially, only data the computer sends out into the Internet is captured and saved, but the computer itself is not yet manipulated. Still, even this passive access to error messages provides valuable insights into problems with a targeted person's computer and, thus, information on security holes that might be exploitable for planting malware or spyware on the unwitting victim's computer.
NSA Intercepts Packages to Install Bugs

The NSA does not stop there. The Verge reports NSA intercepts laptops purchased online to install spy malware before routing to the customer.

OK, but what is Apple's, Google's, and Microsoft's response as to whether backdoors are purposely built into the phones and computers?

Apple Denies Working With NSA

Today, Techcrunch reports Apple Says It Has Never Worked With NSA To Create iPhone Backdoors, Is Unaware Of Alleged DROPOUTJEEP Snooping Program.
Apple has contacted TechCrunch with a statement about the DROPOUTJEEP NSA program that detailed a system by which the organization claimed it could snoop on iPhone users.

Apple says that it has never worked with the NSA to create any 'backdoors' that would allow that kind of monitoring, and that it was unaware of any programs to do so.

Here is the full statement from Apple:

Apple has never worked with the NSA to create a backdoor in any of our products, including iPhone. Additionally, we have been unaware of this alleged NSA program targeting our products. We care deeply about our customers' privacy and security.  Our team is continuously working to make our products even more secure, and we make it easy for customers to keep their software up to date with the latest advancements.  Whenever we hear about attempts to undermine Apple's industry-leading security, we thoroughly investigate and take appropriate steps to protect our customers.  We will continue to use our resources to stay ahead of malicious hackers and defend our customers from security attacks, regardless of who's behind them.

The statement is a response to a report in Der Spiegel Sunday that detailed a Tailored Access Operations (TAO) unit within the NSA that is tasked with gaining access to foreign computer systems in order to retrieve data to protect national security.

Among these options was a program called DROPOUTJEEP — a program by which the NSA could theoretically snoop on 'any' Apple iPhone with '100% success'. The documents were dated 2008, implying that these methods were for older devices. Still, the program's detailed capabilities are worrisome.

Researcher and hacker Jacob Applebaum — the co-author of the articles, coinciding with a speech he gave at a conference about the programs — pointed out that the '100% success rate' claimed by the NSA was worrisome as it implied cooperation by Apple. The statement from the company appears to preclude that cooperation.

This year has been an eventful one for NSA spying program revelations. Apple joined a host of large companies that denied that they had been willing participants in the PRISM data collection system — but later revelations of the MUSCULAR program indicated that the NSA could get its hands on data by monitoring internal company server communications anyway. This spurred targets like Google and Yahoo to implement internal encryption.
Operations Muscular and Prism

Inquiring minds may also be interested in these Tech Crunch articles.

Operation "Muscular": NSA Infiltrates Google And Yahoo Networks

Operation "Prism": Google, Facebook, Dropbox, Yahoo, Microsoft, Paltalk, AOL And Apple Deny Participation In NSA PRISM Surveillance Program

Reflections on NSA Gag Orders

Unfortunately, the NSA has made it difficult or even impossible for companies to comment on precisely what the NSA requires of them.

Clearly these gag orders makes backdoor denials at least somewhat suspicious. 

Apples Files Suit

On November 5, Tech Crunch reported Apple Files With U.S. Government For More Information Request Transparency As It Releases First Report.
Today, Apple has released its first ever report on government information requests, detailing exact numbers of account information and data requests internationally. The report highlights how restrictive the rules are for Apple in the US, as only ranges of 1,000 are represented there.

[Mish note: the link does not work. Three possibilities - I highly doubt the first: Either the link was in error, Apple took it down for its own reasons, or the NSA forced Apple to take it down. Tech Crunch has some of the details.]

Apple also specifies the exact FBI letters and requests that it had to comply with. In the report, Apple goes into detail about what it would like to see changed about the process.

"This report provides statistics on requests related to customer accounts as well as those related to specific devices. We have reported all the information we are legally allowed to share, and Apple will continue to advocate for greater transparency about the requests we receive," the report states. "At the time of this report, the U.S. government does not allow Apple to disclose, except in broad ranges, the number of national security orders, the number of accounts affected by the orders, or whether content, such as emails, was disclosed."
Open Letter on Government Surveillance

Recently AOL, Apple, Facebook Google LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter, and Yahoo sent an Open Letter on Global Government Surveillance seeking reforms that would limit government authority to collect user information.

Will anything come of it? I highly doubt it.

Celebrate the new year: 1984 is here.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific.

France in Review: Perfect Track Record of Economic Ineptitude

Posted: 31 Dec 2013 01:09 AM PST

In 2013 France stood out as the perfect model of economic ineptitude. It's very difficult to be perfect at anything, even failure. France managed. Here are some headlines.

  1. December 19, 2013: 50 Foreign Companies Operating in France Sound the Alarm
  2. December 16, 2013: Sharp Decline in France PMI; Private Sector Employment Drops 21st Time in 22 Months
  3. December 10, 2013: French Industrial Output Drops Unexpectedly; France Finance Minister in Complete Denial; Expect the Unexpected
  4. December 04, 2013: Taxed to the Point of No Recovery; France Plans Tougher "Exit Tax"November 17, 2013: France Tax Revenues €5.5 Billion Lower than Expected; Poll Shows 92% Do Not Believe Hollande's Tax Promises 
  5. November 29, 2013: Montebourg Targets UGAP Over "Made in France" 
  6. November 03, 2013: "France is Not a Cash Cow"; Riots Over Ecotax Continue; Is Anyone Happy? 
  7. October 25, 2013: Made in France: Montebourg Ridiculed in Text and Pictures; France Goes After "Red Bull" Energy Drinks to Finance Social Security
  8. October 18, 2013: Still More France Economic Idiocies: New Rent Price Controls, Mandatory Rental Insurance, "Unfair Competition" Laws
  9. October 10, 2013: Law of Career Security: France's Minister of Digital Economy Orders Telecom Companies "to be Virtuous and Patriotic" and to Use Alcatel-Lucent to Prevent Layoffs
  10. October 03, 2013: France Vows to "Save the Bookstores", Fixes Price of Books, Bans Free Shipping by Amazon
  11. August 20, 2013: Socialist Delusion: France Promises Full Employment, a Third Industrial Revolution, an Affordable Housing Utopia in 10 Years
  12. May 31, 2013: Bad Weather in France to Blame For ...
  13. May 30, 2013: Simmering Feud Between France and Germany Erupts Into Verbal Warfare; France Tells Brussels to Shove It
  14. May 24, 2013: France Private Sector Implosion Continues
  15. May 15, 2013: Triple Dip Recession in France; It's Not the Weather
  16. May 11, 2013: Germany France Feud Erupts Again; German Central Bank Head Blasts France
  17. April 02, 2013: Hollande Orders Employers to Pay 75% Tax; Top Executives Join France Exodus
  18. March 21, 2013: Le Monde Headline "No, France is Not Bankrupt"
  19. March 12, 2013: Housing Construction in France Lowest in 50 Years; Hollande Responds With Measures to Support Building "For the Public Good"
  20. March 10, 2013: France Postpones Austerity and Deficit Targets for Rest of 2013
  21. February 27, 2013: France Unemployment Highest Since 1997
  22. February 21, 2013: France Sinks Further Into Gutter; PMI Accelerates to 4-Year Low; "Core" of Europe Now Consists of Germany Only
  23. February 19, 2013: Incredible Letter from CEO of Titan to France Minister of Industrial Renewal, Blasting French Unions and USA: "How Stupid Do You Think We Are?"
  24. January 28, 2013: Hard Times: Dijon France Sells Half of Prized Wine Collection to Help Those Appealing for Social Aid
I will post my thoughts (not just links) on the global economy shortly.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com 
Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific.
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