Burger King Sold to McDonald's! Oh wait...hackers...whoops...

I signed out of Facebook yesterday, and it's amusing that some people would ask why. Well, the internet has lots of security flaws--not much of a newsflash--and I want to keep my data safe from hackers! The original internet architects never worried about security, and we're still trying to work around that. Before my internet programming class, I blindly believed that most websites were secure. Not so. Dr. Daniel Zappala, both my professor and the head of BYU's Internet Research Lab, indicated that some 64% of websites are vulnerable to cross-scripting attacks. While such attacks don't represent all internet security issues, it makes me wonder how secure any website really is. By the way, this includes websites with "secure" servers and certified HTTPS protocols. In any event, it's relatively easy to manipulate a user's account simply by crafting URL's when they are logged in. What other ways have hackers found to take control of "secure" data or accounts? Logging out of web applications, along with other basic internet safety practices, may not significantly reduce the potential for such threats. However, despite the annoyances of such practices, isn't the "better safe than sorry" approach worth the effort when dealing with your sensitive data?

http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/18/technology/burger-king-twitter-hacked/index.html

Just Say Logout!

Let's all sign out of our online accounts. Please? Stats show that 64% of internet sites aren't protected against cross-scripting attacks. There are also a bunch of other internet vulnerabilities that hackers can easily exploit. These vulnerabilities are what give hackers their power--loopholes that allow smart, malicious programmers to introduce fiendish code that destroys our data and our sanity. Thankfully, these days we are more conscious of computer security. Many companies and governments invest a lot of money in data protection and data integrity. However, despite these precautions, hackers still tend to get through and cause problems. Signing out of online accounts reduces that risk! I understand that there are virtually no negative consequences for the large majority of internet account users who don't log off. Will you be attacked if you don't sign out of Facebook? No, probably not. But, it only takes that one instance of identity theft to reek havoc in the life of the victim. It doesn't require much effort--just hit the "logout" button and enter your password when you want to open it again. It might save you a big headache in the future.

Women + Computer Science = ?

Analysts have concerned themselves with the small women-to-men ratio in the computer science field. Why? The answer is twofold: the growing issue of gender equality (specifically in employment situations), and America's drive to lead out in scientific research. We should wisely consider the effects of pushing more women into computer-related fields. Research shows (and common sense confirms) that men and women differ in some fundamental ways. Research also indicates that each gender solves problems differently. Women are just as competent as men--I accept this without question. However, perhaps women constitute a smaller percentage of this field because their talents are better utilized elsewhere (be it in the home or in other occupations, I see no significant difference). In other words, capitalistic natural selection may be responsible for gender imbalance in computer science. I don't mean to suggest that the economy would suffer if women computer scientists increased in number, but I do submit that such might be less efficient. I'm all in favor of placing more women in my field, provided its effects are positive. Let's just make sure not to allow the sheer momentum of the gender equality movement to overrun sound logic and experience.

Goldeneye Isn't Violent (...?)

Some years ago, socialist China placed a ban on "unhealthy"--violent or pornographic--video games. Generally, I consider bans of this nature to be inappropriate and unfair. However, in this case, China might be onto something. I have heard the phrase "video games don't affect my behavior" from many individuals; yet these same individuals are known for dedicating ridiculous amounts of time to console gaming. Let's face the facts: video games do (at least in one way) alter behavior. If gaming has an impact, then, wouldn't violent and/or pornographic gaming potentially have a dangerous influence on society? The video game ban isn't completely doing its job--a flourishing black market exists for illegal Chinese video games. However, if video games of such a nature are indeed dangerous, at least China has made an effort to impede their propagation. Governmental regulation doesn't seem to be the answer, but it's about time for all affected by electronic gaming to consider its aggregate effects.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/30/china-console-ban/