It comes about that there is no way to get Windows to display only a “limited” account on the logon screen. These limited accounts are entirely necessary for an operation like my Internet access business. No way can I afford to have users using an administrator account. My entire array is in lockdown over that one.This brings up a secondary problem with Café Manager Lite. Their system is geared toward a single logon system. By definition, a single account would mean administrator. This represents another severe defect in their programming. Every time the system times out or logs out, it reverts to the Windows welcome screen or worse, not to the Screen Shield I spent so much time adjusting. It will require considerable practice time before the system becomes reliable.
You never realize how little most people know about computers until you work in the repair field. The problem is somewhat worse with laptops. Yet every day we see magnificent morons bringing in $2,000 Toshibas and IBMs with anti-virus programs that have never been activated or updated. For that, I partially blame the software people because they plaster their update sites with advertising. People on the Internet are put off by screens full of logos.
The media went ballistic over the non-hurricane, Faye. Schools were closed and houses evacuated far beyond the limits of “better safe than sorry”. The locals knowingly went about their business despite all the hoopla. I would not doubt that real disastrous weather is made more serious by the way these weather people cry wolf. So many people follow the storm on the Internet that you would know instantly if it came your way.
The Hollywood library doesn’t have a single book on computer programming. There are around sixty software manuals, but nary one volume on how to write that software. I was looking for more information on ftp. The only compiler I have won’t load. The web sites that offer compilers have a confusing format showing lists of hundreds of files. The instructions say pick the ones you want. How is that determined? So I went hunting for a book on the subject. No luck.
Instead I found a huge work on Internet security and privacy. The parts on security were useless as the author gave all the instructions and examples in Unix. The chapters on privacy were great as they traced the changing facets of the problem since computers appeared. The author quotes a great number of passages but in the end, one has to conclude there is no comprehensive definition of privacy. Among the better quips were that privacy is “the right to be left alone”, “the right to protect oneself from being judged out of context” and “the right not to be surprised”.
The Constitution expresses the right to be free from arbitrary search and seizure but to some people this is not a guarantee of privacy. Yet it specifies that mere suspicion is not good enough, the authorities must have enough to get a warrant before doing any kind of search. The police recently used face recognition software to scan the entire crowd going through the turnstiles at an arena in Florida. I agree with those who say concert attendance is not permission to put everyone there into a police lineup. Who was it that said freedom won’t die with a bang, but in the rustle of file folders?
What grabbed my attention was a reference to the software for face recognition. It has become extremely efficient. I was hoping the author would cover the topic, but the only new fact was that a single home computer could check the faceprint of every person on Earth within one hour. I say again that the police and government have shown they are not to be trusted with that kind of power. As usual, it takes fifteen years before anyone agrees with me and by then it is too late for them.
One passage was an eye-opener, where the author dissects the personally identifying information (PII) that is gleaned and cross-referenced from a single on-line transaction. Particular attention is paid to your shipping address. Much fame awaits the person who devises a method for people to purchase things anonymously using their own credit card. If I thought for a moment I could collect a commission, I’d set up shop tomorrow. You tell me what you want and pay for it with your credit card, then I order it for you using a different credit card. I’ll email you when it arrives. True, I would know your buying habits, but I’m not a credit reporting agency, the government, or an insurance company.
Yes, the insurance companies are very interested in how much red meat you buy. While it is true people who eat read meat should probably pay more for their policies than those who don’t indulge, it is also true that there is no assurance the same information would not be used for other purposes. I’d rather pay slightly higher premiums and disallow the intrusion. There will never be a protest until it is too late, for the author also pointed out that “your privacy is not as important to others as their own”.
