It's Friday, I have the day off, the weather is gorgeous in #Minnesota, and I need some fresh ideas on what to do.
Fifteen years ago, a couple of MIT students planned to give a talk at Defcon about a vulnerability in the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority's (MBTA) subway fare system. It was entitled Free Subway Rides For Life. The MBTA sued the students, and got a restraining order, canceling the talk and preventing the students from communicating truthful information to the public. I represented them (along with other EFF attorneys).
Fast forward to now. Two high school students have replicated the vuln, extended the research and gave a talk at Defcon this year. No, MTBA didn't bother to fix the problem.... BUUUT they did refrain from suing the researchers this time. And they even invited the students to HQ to give a presentation about their research.
I love this story and these students and am proud to have been a part of this history, and even more pleased that authorities have learned a lesson about appreciating hackers and the important work that you do.
https://www.wired.com/story/mtba-charliecard-hack-defcon-2023/
Looking for #gaming recommendations on the #PC. My faves of late have been #Satisfactory and #OxygenNotIncluded. #DiabloIV has been a nice distraction, but it hasn't grabbed on to me.
It can be AAA or indie, and the distribution can be whatever platform.
What say you, internet?
Can someone remind Canada that this is not what we mean by a purple state? #AQI #AirQualityAlert #mnwx
I continue to be mystified by the sentiment that being a First Amendment advocate means *socially* tolerating people I find obnoxious or contemptible. I keep getting “what kind of free speech advocate blocks people?” The kind who doesn’t deal with assholes when not professionally compelled to do so. The First Amendment isn’t a hair shirt.
Is anyone else concerned that Mom is wearing a cooking apron depicting a poke ball on a spoon? #Pokemon
1/ It's almost a law of nature that upon election to public office, graduates of elite law school either forget everything they learned, or make a conscious decision to just completely ignore it.
Today's example comes to you from Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), who introduced the wildly unconstitutional HR 61 that creates a category of "white supremacy inspired hate crime": https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/61/text
Loss and Grief
My family lost our oldest member last week; she passed at age 103. She was one of the last remaining members of my grandfather's generation, but someone I didn't know very well.
However, my 7yo was devastated; this is his first loss and there was a bond forged when he was 3 thru a Christmas gift from her, a gift she was embarrassed about. Yet he was over the moon for those red fox slippers and he's held on to them even though he's well outgrown them.
To help out, my wonderful wife turned one slipper into a cuddle, which has been magical. He got thru school yesterday without crying, just knowing the cuddle was in his backpack.
For me, the grief has been watching him process his own and understand what it means to no longer see someone ever again.
And it's also a reminder that what seems like a small or meaningless gift can have an outsized on people.
Thank you, Great-Aunt Elsie. We'll miss you.
Father of twins, aspiring woodturner, mental illness haver, and easily distracted by the next shiny thing to learn