Last week (for the purpose of trying to increase our standing with various spam filters), I asked readers to respond with a simple comment… something like “the Browns will lose to the Cowboys by 20”. Many of you did, and it was great to hear from you (even though the Browns played like they lost by 40). I spent Friday afternoon responding to everybody who wrote in and gave me their Browns predictions, recent concerts attended, and other random items. Let’s do it again today! Love to hear your thoughts on the next bit of trouble that Browns QB (I use that term lightly) Deshaun Watson will find himself in…
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Evaluating Vendor Risk
I’ve touched many times on the risks that you face from third party vendors. Whether it was the time Target got hacked through one of their HVAC vendors (one of the first big data breaches that I recall) or the more recent Crowdstrike fiasco, any vendor you work with can put you at risk of a data breach. Our security partners at Sophos recently presented a webinar about the Crowdstrike issue, but also what you can do to limit the risk presented by working with vendors. It’s only about 45 minutes long, has a lot of great insight, and is available on-demand.
New Apple Products
If you’re an Apple diehard, you’re probably already aware of the new devices and features announced earlier this week. If you missed it, there are new iPhone 16s, Apple Watches, and AirPods, along with various new features like a camera button on the side of the phone. The Wall Street Journal has a good video in this piece, highlighting the new features as well as upcoming AI functionalities.
Real Estate
I know that the current real estate market has the more expensive homes sitting on the market for longer periods of time, but 12 years? That’s how long Michael Jordan’s Chicago home has been for sale. Good thing he’s in no hurry to get rid of it. The price has been cut in half and the 56,000SF mansion can now be yours for just under $15M. Not sure which would take less time, touring the house on foot or watching this 31 minute video tour.
Frying Pans
This one isn’t really about frying pans. It’s about a lighthouse called ‘Frying Pan’ 30+ miles off the coast of North Carolina. The lighthouse is privately owned (purchased from the government for the paltry fee of $85,000) and is open to the public for overnight visits. Looks like it’d be a cool place to visit! If you choose to fly to North Carolina before your boat ride to the lighthouse, you should study the airplane’s windows and see if you can figure out why their rounded.
Internet Service Providers
This one didn’t actually come through my inbox, but it was something I’d never considered before. You’ve probably changed your home internet service provider (ISP) on numerous occasions to get a better rate or better service. It’s pretty simple according to Forbes, but there’s one thing to consider when you’re changing at the office; a firewall.
Most home users don’t have firewalls that need to be programmed and configured, but at the office you do (don’t you?). When you change ISPs, your IP addresses change, and unless you’ve had your firewall reconfigured, you won’t be able to reach the internet with the new connection.
So, when you’re considering changing your business internet connection, make sure to speak with your technology partner before you do. They’ll make sure to walk you through the transition, and they might even be able to get you a better rate through their partners.
Security Updates
Lots of Microsoft updates this month, with many covering SQL and Sharepoint. Adobe’s list was shorter, and includes updates for Photoshop and Illustrator, and while we don’t do much with Cisco products, I know a lot of companies like to spend more money to get big name solutions…
More Malvertising
Last week I made mention of the uptick in “malvertising”, which is the use of malicious Google ads seeking to gain users’ trust and get them to provide their personal information. It seems that hackers have replicated the internal employee benefits site for Lowe’s, and have tricked numerous people into providing pertinent user account details. My question is, why on earth would somebody search Google for their corporate intranet site? Wouldn’t you just go to the company intranet directly?
Beer League Hockey
I know of at least a couple of beer leaguers who read this, and I’m sure they’ll appreciate the story of an NHL hall of fame goalie showing up to play a beer league playoff game. Back when I was playing, the best we could ever claim was a former D1 forward who used to play in net for us on occasion.
I’ll leave you with Wells Crowther and the story of the man in the red bandana, since Wednesday was the 23rd (wow) anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I’ve shared this one in the past but it never gets old.
Have a great weekend.
Abbey