With Security Nailed, Zoom Returns to Its Sillycon Valley Roots
April 8, 2020
DarkCyber knows that you have been waiting for another great Zoom feature. “Zoom: Free Video chat filters Can Give You a long Beard, Devil Horns or an Egg for a Head” reports that Zoom compatible filters have arrived. Plus, you can replace your head in a business video conference with an egg. Well, that’s the story. The write up points out:
With a free app called Snap Camera. Snap Camera has been around since 2018 and it essentially allows you to add Snapchat style filters to video conferencing apps like Zoom.
There are other options; for example, devil horns for frisky Sillycon Valley quarantine sports.
Great innovations cannot be hindered by a mere pandemic.
Stephen E Arnold, April 8, 2020
Voleflix: Public Domain Videos
April 7, 2020
Just a short note to document the existence of Voleflix. This is a public domain video and film site. (Anyone remember Xoom.com?) The Web page says:
Cheaper than Netflix and Prime! Dozens of free public domain movies plus our Voleflix Originals
What’s on Voleflix? This warning sets the stage:
If you are into free and interesting (unusual), point your kick back thing at https://vole.wtf. Yep, WTF.
Stephen E Arnold, April 7, 2020
Google: Ever Amusing, Ever Innovative
April 3, 2020
Quick note about two Google services. (If you are a Googler, jump to another project, preferably one with traction.)
First, Google innovators are going to duplicate to some degree the TikTok approach to video. Hopefully the me too service will lack some of the Chinese craftsmanship. The world does need more 30 second videos, just with pre roll, in video, and post roll advertising. Why didn’t Google think of this ad inventory burner quicker? Right, “think.”
Second, Google has learned (finally) that the Nextdoor.com approach is tough to implement in India. (Google’s service is neighborly for a few months more. The Google announced that it will keep its competitive service Neighbourly alive until October 2020, probably with a lone intern keeping the lights on. Like enterprise search, Neighbourly learned that some services require a bit more than Google imagining sales and sustainable revenue. (Hey, those payoff require work by someone.)
To sum up: One innovation arrives; another departs. So life goes for the Google. I was taught to spell neighborly without the stiff upper lip “u.” I know, I know. I am not neighborly and I don’t get the short video thing.
Stephen E Arnold, April 3, 2020
Zoom: Room for Improvements and Hardly a Joke
April 1, 2020
Yesterday a former CEO asked me, “Who is this Ben guy?” The question was in bounds. Since I signed up for Zoom three or four years ago, I sniffed the Silicon Valley outfit and learned that there was some smart money from the Middle Kingdom supporting the operation. Further poking around revealed mixed signals about security. Despite the nice looking interface, some effort was taken years ago to omit, obscure, or misdirect one’s attention from some basic functions. Then there was icon litter. There’s the lack of statefulness when one leaves a meeting from the Zoom Web site to an instant meeting on a user’s computer. There are other oddities if not efforts to do a digital magician’s trick.
The Facebook data thing has been publicly exposed, and allegedly Zoom has cleaned up its act. The Zoom bombs featuring people exposed some individuals who follow the dress code of Adam and Eve have been revealed.
I spotted “Zoom Meetings Aren’t End to End Encrypted, Despite Misleading Marketing.” News on March 31, 2020. Not exactly a revelation to our Ben fellow, but the information is now public:
Zoom is using its own definition of the term, one that lets Zoom itself access unencrypted video and audio from meetings.
Now where does that information go? Maybe the Middle Kingdom?
Ben’s Zoom set up involves:
- A prepaid credit card which is used to pay for the “pro” service
- An email created just for Zoom
- A network separated Mac Mini just for video conferences
- A hot spot so that traffic flows through a pre paid service, not DarkCyber’s regular provider
- No use of Zoom cloud recording
- Turn off anything that allows an attendee to fiddle around
- Ignore in meeting message functions.
Not perfect but for those students who had a bit of a surprise when Zoom bombed, our approach has prevented this type of revelation.
Stephen E Arnold, April 1, 2020
DarkCyber for March 31, 2020, Now Available
March 31, 2020
DarkCyber video news program interviews Robert David Steele, a former CIA professional, about human trafficking. Among the topics touched upon in the video are:
- Why human trafficking is useful to intelligence operatives
- The mechanics of running an entrapment operation.
- Jeffrey Epstein’s activities
- The role of Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of Israeli spy Robert Maxwell.
Mr. Steele’s comments reflect his involvement in a book about human trafficking. The video provides a link to a free download of information not widely disseminated.
You can view the program on Vimeo at this link or on YouTube at this link.
Kenny Toth, March 31, 2020
Great Moments in High School Science Club Management: Twitter and Zoom
March 30, 2020
Bird is a company with venture money renting scooters. One effect of scooteritis is the desire to throw scooters in ponds, dumpsters, and bushes.
A string of Tweets at this link report an example of the HSSCMM or high school science club management method. The technique is to use the Facebook friendly Zoom video conferencing app to hold a company meeting. (Why not have everyone move their Alexa close to the conference call too?)
Instead of a meeting Bird terminated with HSSCMM 400 employees. The happy news was provided by a pre-recorded Zoom message. Another Twitter service user insisted that the message was delivered by an allegedly human person who “started crying halfway through.”
Okay, Zoom. Firing lots of people. Nifty HSSCMM nevertheless. It will be interesting to see what the next “coming down to earth” high technology company can extend this method.
Efficiency when dealing with those NOT in the science club.
Stephen E Arnold, March 30. 2020
Duh Research: Screen Time Dumbs Down Mental Processes
March 26, 2020
Baby Boomers complain that Millennials spend all their time on their phones, the latter complain that the older folks are stuck in their ways ands ruined the world. Generational arguments are tales as old as humanity and the Arkansas Democrat Gazette preaches to the choir, “Screens Encourage Shallow Reading; Here’s How To Dive Deeper.”
Due to the amount of work done digitally, people have developed habits to complete their work quicker. This includes skimming emails, texts, and other reading materials. People have the intention of going back to their reading lists and completing them later, but more work and more reading piles up. The “going back” never happens. Skimming content without fully digesting it or even delving into deeper mental dives does create a reading problem.
Wise reading involves searching for clues, key details, and practicing sequential thinking. If these skills are not used, they wither.
Other schools of thought, however, believe that digital work will not mess with brain functions, but there are disadvantages to digital reading. People comprehend and retain material better when it is printed on paper. It does not matter, though, how content is published it is meant for entertainment.
Digital reading platforms imitate physical books by including “page turns” and removing distractions like ads, while others send the reader encouraging notifications or they are designed like social media platforms.
The way people read has changed and the articles explains that new and old technologies have their own languages. There is a list of suggested habits to practice better reading and screen time:
When you can, pick the right environment.
“For a lot of us, it’s kind of romantic to read in a coffee shop,” Willingham said. “But if you’re doing difficult reading, that may be pretty distracting.”
Then, cut out remaining distractions. Turn off WiFi or even put your phone in airplane mode, Willingham said.
Take breaks. There’s lots of evidence that taking breaks truly refreshes your mind, Willingham said. The best timing for those breaks could vary from person to person.
Don’t use breaks for Instagram and email. “That’s not actually very restful, it’s just a different type of work,” Willingham said. It never hurts to take a walk.
Take mornings or evenings (or both) off-screen. Contemplation and reflection are just as important as the work you’re leaving behind, Wolf said. Get in the habit of bookending your days with an “alternative view of what productivity really needs.””
It is the same advice listed in other similar columns and beats down to: turn off the screen. Screen time is addictive, but it does not make people stupider. It makes them less observant. Moderation is the key to everything, but how often is that taught? Answer? Duh.
Whitney Grace, March 26, 2020
DarkCyber for March 24, 2020, Now Available
March 24, 2020
DarkCyber for March 24, 2020, covers four stories. You can view the video on YouTube or on Vimeo.
The first story explains that phishing is a contentious issue in many organizations. Managers see phishing one way; information and security professionals often have a different view. The divide can create more vulnerabilities for organizations ignoring the escalating risk from weaponized email.
The second story provides some information about Banjo (a US firm engaged in providing specialized services to law enforcement) and BlueDot (a Canadian company applying advanced analysis to open source and limited access medical information). The story makes clear that the methods of these firms provide excellent insight into how some specialized software systems deliver high value intelligence to law enforcement and intelligence professionals worldwide.
The third story provides information about a Department of Justice report aimed at Dark Web researchers. The document is available without charge from the url provided in the program. Failure to follow the guidelines in the document can convert a researcher into a bad actor.
The final story reviews recent steps taken by the Russian government to exert tighter control over Internet applications. The affected software includes Tor and the Telegram Open Network. Mr. Putin has become Russia’s first digital tsar.
Kenny Toth, March 24, 2020
DarkCyber for March 10, 2020, Now Available
March 10, 2020
DarkCyber for March 10, 2020, includes four stories. The first is a look at how BriefCam’s smart software generates video synopses of surveillance viden. The second presents information about the geotracking capabilities enabled by aggregated data from vendors like Venntel and Oracle, among others. The third story dips bnack into phishing-rich data flows. There’s is a reason why bogus email exploits are increasing. Watch to find out the reason. The final story discloses the Amflyfi and Deep Web Technologies mergers. Is a new intelware giant taking shape. Check out this week’s video to learn what DarkCyber thinks.
Kenny Toth, March 10, 2020
Tools for TikTok and Twitch
March 5, 2020
DarkCyber spotted “JOBY Launches New Line of Accessories for Content Creators.” The idea is that there are quite a few people streaming video. The equipment required for IRL and some popular streaming situations has to be cobbled together. Enter Joby. The company offers a
- Video streaming kit for $200
- An LED halo light for $90
- A stand for iPhone and Android devices for $40.
Are there other brands competing for the vloggers’ money? Yes, Razer, Neewer, and Homall among others.
If you want to locate these products, be sure to search for products tagged for games, vloggers, streamers, and Twitch. Amazon will sell you beannie’s, hoodies, and a book “Twitch for Dummies.”
A new Amazon Basics category may be coalescing. TikTok fame awaits.
Stephen E Arnold, March 5, 2020
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