Software Security Rant

I can no longer contain myself. A stock expert on one of the finance channels touted Microsoft products as one of his picks for secure software. In other words, buy the stock because they have really secure products.

Don't ever listen to a man who labels himself as an "expert," and thinks Microsoft has secure software. Some Microsoft products might be a little more secure than nothing. Not only has this giant been historically loose in security matters, their prominence in the industry often makes them a giant target for hackers, spies, as well as other forces of evil in the universe.

While UNIX-based and Mac systems rarely contract anything like worms, viruses, or spyware, several entire industries have been spawned from Microsoft's inability to protect its end users and servers from invasions! (Perhaps I should write that book for lay people. Be very afraid!)

I'd like to get another laptop, but am already paying $50+ a year for each of my other three computers in an attempt to make myself safer.

Microsoft might be a good stock pick, but I don't know any geeks types who would pick them as a security leader. I use some of their products because I don't have other viable options. The world, especially America, has already been indoctrinated. MS has marketed themselves into being the software of choice for many industries. Please note the fact that they became industry leaders because of excellent marketing, not quality or security.

"Secure" Microsoft products might be just as big a threat to our national security as open borders.

Blowing Through Heaters Like, uh, Microwaves?

As we complete some fairly major renovation of our Colorado mountain home, my husband and I are heating a couple of small areas with space heaters. The good news is space heaters, thanks to many foreign countries, have gotten a lot cheaper. The bad news is they hardly last a season. Previous heaters have remained functioning members of our family for about 20 years.

Are heaters intended to be disposable now? They're cheap. If you use them a lot, they break, but they're cheap, so you buy another one. This logic is enough to turn me into a rabid environmentalist! Is there a local chapter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Plastics I can join? Aren't we supposed to be worried about our garbage? Heaters can occupy a lot of land fill space. . .almost as much as microwaves.

In 1981, I saved up to purchase a microwave, which was on sale for $300. Years later, the electronic panel went out so I took it in for repair. The estimate was $150. A new unit was $100. Okay, this bothered me a little, but my old microwave was out-of-date and I could make good use of the new product's features. I bought the new one and since have had to buy at least three more.

Recently, I saw a microwave on sale for $27.99 at a major discount chain and realized that microwaves had gone the way of ink pens and cigarette lighters before them. They're "throw away" items, also known as disposables.

In the 70's, brightly colored plastic cigarette lighters were cool and cheap. After watching my father fumble for years, drizzling lighter fluid on the cotton guts of his old stainless steel lighter, this seemed like a great concept to me and it even cost less. Eventually, even Daddy gave in to the idea.

In those days, pen manufacturers also introduced disposable ink pens. A dozen of Bic's new pens were the same price as only a few refillable pens. How could we have known we were on the beginning of a downward spiral?

What's next? I haven't a clue and although there's probably no stopping this wasteful practice in the near term, we need to make sure we keep this philosophy in the realm of things. Contrary to what some would have you believe, people are not and will never be disposable.