We’ll keep it short and sweet this week, knowing that many of you are off for the holiday. We spent last weekend visiting our son and his fiancee in NYC, where we were visited by a fledgling redtail hawk who spent most of Saturday on the 13th floor balcony below our window, overlooking Central Park and telling everybody where he was. I imagine that, like us, he made every effort to be off the streets before NBA Finals game six was over, to avoid both the bedlam (win or lose) and the lack of Ubers/cabs. Unlike us, he most likely didn’t spend three hours sitting on the runway at Newark on Sunday evening, waiting for a storm to let up while the woman in the window seat (not Nancy) filled a few barf bags… The joys of travel.
I saw a great quote this week as it related to soccer fans from around the world enjoying their time here; “If you want to hate the USA, watch the news. If you want to love the USA, drive across it.” Spot on. Scroll down for more about those fans, Apple prices, naked bike riding, castles, and more. Enjoy.
Something about ...
Fortinet Users
If you’re using Fortinet firewalls or VPNs, click through to the following article about the most recent hack. Passwords to 73,000+ firewalls have been leaked to the darkweb, as well as corresponding company data like revenues and number of employees. If you’re using a Fortinet device, the recommendation is to change your passwords immediately. And for point of reference, the first article I saw about this on Wednesday suggested 30,000 devices were at risk. That means the number more than doubled one day out, and is probably getting worse.
Real Estate
Lots of real estate this week, and thanks to the readers who’ve been sending these my way. We have a $6M castle in Kirtland, an $8.5M picnic basket in Newark, OH, and a 103 year old home in North Carolina, built to look like a 1750-vintage home, and on the market for just under $10M.
I think I’ll take the Kirtland home, due to proximity, but I do like that NC option, too.
Return to Office
What happens when a large law firm with a cyber risk management practice gets hacked? They tell their employees that they’re no longer allowed to work remotely, unless they’re using company issued devices. BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and work from home both create significant security challenges, unless properly considered and configured. And with more and more companies requiring employees be back in the office, maybe this is how they make it happen.
World Cup Fans
I’m not necessarily a soccer fan, but as a sports fan in general, I pay attention to the larger events going on. So, while I never would’ve applied for the role of “Chief World Cup Watcher“, I have caught bits and pieces of a few games. And while fun (sort of) to watch, I’ve really been enjoying the stories about fans from all over the world coming to the USA and loving every minute of their experience.
From the Scots who drank Boston dry to Freddy from Germany (who may now be invited to The White House), the Japanese who clean up after themselves, and fans from many other countries who honestly seem to love everything they’re seeing and doing while here to watch soccer (even if some of it is rather gluttonous!
Apple Prices
I’ve had a lot recently on the huge price increases we’re seeing for PCs and laptops, due primarily to increase in cost for memory and storage, thanks to data centers snapping up all available inventory. Now even Apple is feeling the pinch, announcing that their devices will soon be getting a little pricier. Thoughts on $1,800 for a new iPhone?
Following up on my promise of short and sweet this week, I’ll leave you with two final items. The first is a reader-submitted follow up on a recent piece I shared about strange collections- this one being old school calculators– and the second being a bit on this year’s Naked Bike Ride through London. If I have to pick, I’ll go with calculators!
Have a great weekend!
Abbey