Tag Archives: social conscience

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Ransomeware

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Among many other things my home network has two network access storage devices (NAS) made by QNAP ( Taiwanese company).  These boxes run the QTS operating system (a linux variant).

They are inexpensive and hugely multi-functional with leading edge storage and media management functions together with virtual machine capability among many other things (like Kodi capable)

 Danger Will Robinson

One of my favourite and most endearing characters is Robbie the robot from the mid-sixties TV series lost in space.  Whenever his young charge behaved without fear, as 12 year olds will do, Robbie would pipe-up “Danger, danger Will Robinson.

I am not 12 but my enthusiasm for exploring technology without fear can lead me into dangerous situations as it did young Will Robinson. For me, Robbie’s warning are best ignored just as Will did.

Spoilsport

While I enjoy exploring emerging technology as a hobby, for me it is not about economic gain or even permanency, basically in the moment I may develop something just because I can.  I enjoy the challenge in the moment.

Hackers are the bane of my existence as they can spoil everything by   interrupting my complacency and shocking me back to the real world.

Leave me Be

Over the years I have met with many different attacks from machine takeover to attempting data theft.   On April 23rd I was subject to encrypted archiving of the data stored on my NAS devices.

Not sure how it occurred because I don’t download to these devices and I am running pretty sophisticated malware detector which did flag and remove the malware, just too late I guess.

Of course the hacker made a kind offer to let me purchase the encryption key for bitcoin (not sure how much).

I suspect the malware was embedded in a QNAP media application with an auto update, I think they fixed it but unfortunately too late for me.

Ah well, those annoying thieves won’t be getting any bitcoin from me.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

The Collective Conscience

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We can display our individual conscientiousness through conformity to what we consider to be correct, right, or morally good. Our social or cultural norms should be key influencing factors.

The collective conscience is displayed when all members of a social group practice consistent behaviors.  That is everyone accepts and conforms to the beliefs of the whole relative to what is right.

Laws/ Consequences

Voluntary adherence to societal norms is ideal.   History has shown while the majority of the population complies with cultural expectations a small percentage requires more motivation.

Hence our construction of laws with associated penalties or consequences of some sort.   These consequences can range from a slap of the hand to death.

Pandemic Context

A serious topic on everyone’s mind of late is the rapidly spreading Covid 19 illness.  Caused by the Corona virus, which seems to be easily and readily spread efforts toward containment require adherence to the collective conscience.

That is we need to isolate ourselves from others rigorously and respect each other’s space.   In North America, we are relying on personal integrity for adherence.

Stories from China and starting to emerge from Italy indicate a more forceful lockdown is taking place as some just don’t consider the need to adhere based on their own personal conscience.

We are seeming a lot of this behavior throughout the U.S. as well.  I find it puzzling given the requested self-isolation is only for the good of all.

Do we really need to be forced to do what only makes common sense?   I guess for some, sadly, that is the case.