More Privacy Invaded

Well .. holy crap, Morgan.. lol.. The very least you could do, is respect
the title.. hmmm.. After all that furor over the election.. "runoffs",
"hanging chads", "recounts".. etc. etc. Even the committees that I
appointed during that memorable time on this newsgroup, I'm surprised that
you'd consider there was anything controversial about all that.. lol..

As I recall, there was even some consideration of doing a Charter for the
newsgroup.. In the best interests of my constituents.. I even appointed a
committee to develop that Charter.. hmmm.. Sadly, the committee disappeared
and migrated somewhere, up north.. I believe..

Those were really the "good old days" weren't they ? Regards, Morgan

Bill Walker
Irving

 

‘‘Beemer wrote earlier)''Bill was elected moderator of this
group in a public vote a year or to ago.
I dont recall anyone voting against him and he assume the Grand Wizardly
Moderator title un-opposed. I even got a picture of him setting on his
porch with a cell phone approving posts to this here group. I can't show
the pic anymore as he said not to. '' Beemer)!

''Beemer,well, my apologies to Bill, then. I guess I oughta keep my
trap shut, since I wasn't here a year ago!   I thought this was just
another unmoderated newsgroup. ''

(Jesse '88)!


BILL Walker writes): LMAO... Well. I can almost accept that
explanation, if I didn't know better.. <grin> Beemer nearly got it
right.. As I recall, after all the votes were counted, the complete
title and honors bestowed on me, at the time was "Illustrious Grand
Wizardly Moderator" or something like that.. Pretty impressive title,
don't you think ? Regards
Bill Walker)!

‘‘ Group, I am still naive at times about how this usenet
stuff works. Here's where I am a little mixed up. So I don't mind asking
adumb Question? Is the positions, UseNetter Sheriff, and online newsgoup
moderator, the same? To me,if not, I would imagaine that the Sheriif
actually has more authority.'' I remember when the election took place,
I remember it taking a spell to count the dozen or more, txMoto votes.''
(chuckling, bjay)!

'Ya'll take care'' --BJAY--

 

Authentication is best when it is 3 way. Those 3 ways are:

1) something you know (password/PIN)
2) something you have (the card)
3) something you are (biological features you have, for example)

So in this case the card company is requesting 2 pieces of the 3 even if
one of them is lame.

In the case of your transaction they are asking for zip as a PIN/password
for "something you know" since you already have the card or "somethng you
have".

This is the basis for any reasonably secure authentication scheme. The
more specific data you have in any of the three areas, the higher the
likelyhood you are who you say you are.

Consider the following:

You present your card.
You enter a pin or password
You place your thumb over the scanner.

Seems pretty foolproof but there are those that would complain that it is
too easy to track them. The truth of the matter is that your are tracked
already. The only thing that is untrackable is cash but the risk of
carrying cash is yours and yours alone. As soon as a company is involved,
then the security goes up as there is now two people at risk.

Make sense?

1984 come and gone and Big Brother is watching and has been for a long
time.

OTOH you are generally limited to $50.00 of liability if something goes
wrong.

If I was concerned about card security I would change to a password
protected card. But I would need to enter the PIN every time it is used.

Privacy? Forget it. If you want your life to be private, you have to move
to a select few third world countries. There may be some life style and
attitude changes that you will have to make if you decide to do that.

pierce

 

I always ask my barber. He knows everything.

pierce

 

EDS? EDS doesn't know their ass from a hole in the ground. What a bunch of
goofs! If you ever want to see how NOT to run an organization, use EDS as a
model.

I firmly believe EDS is responsible for all the outsourcing going on. We
recently received a memo from EDS that stated that there is now going to be a
mandatory wait of 45 business days for any change to occur. That is 9 weeks.
I can order a server, have it built, shipped, OS loaded, application
installed, configured, cabled, and operational in less time than that.

pierce

 

That is correct. I haven't, I won't and I can't. I trust you can
appreciate my position.

Now my comment about EDS may be unfair but from where I sit some of the
policies at EDS are quite absurd.

I have worked for a great many companies and *every single time* the
company has relied on an outside vendor for critical IT services it has led
to problems and more often than not it led to BIG problems. EDS is no
exception. Some of the people that work at EDS are less than helpful.

Consider the following conversation with EDS. This is close to what
happened to me.

EDS: Hello. This is John. May i help you.
me: Hi John. I am an engineer at Xyz Corp. I need some help. I need to
get a piece of equipment delivered and installed. What do I need to do.
EDS: You have to fill out a form. <long pause as I am waiting for more
info....nothing comes forth>
me: Where do I get this form?
EDS: It is on our website. <another long pause as I wait for the
URL...Nothing>
Me: Which website is that?
EDS: That is our forms request webste. <another long pause - no info>
Me: What is the URL for this website?
EDS: It is http://somename.eds-offline.com <i am typing the url I get a
DNS error>
Me: I am trying to get to that site and I cannot.
EDS: That is an internal only site. < long pause as I wait for additional
info> I suspect that he knew this was internal only and he was trying to
get rid of me.
Me: So how can I get this form?
EDS: You have to contact a help desk person and have them fill it out for
you. < another long pause as I wait for additional info...none is forth
coming. You would think that I would learn by now.>
Me: What is the number for this helpdesk and what do I tell them?
EDS: The number is 800-888-9999 and you tell them that you need to fill
out a form 132 which is a request to allow equipment to be delivered.
Me: Is there any special info that I will need?
EDS: No. <I find out later that his definition of "Special Info" is
different than the rest of the civilized world.>
Me: Ok thanks John.

I call the other number.
EDS: EDS, this is Jane. May I help you?
ME: Hi this is Pierce from Xyz Corp. I need to fill out form 132 so that I
can have some equipment delivered.
EDS: What is you customer number?
Me: What customer number?
EDS: If you don't have a customer number I can't help you.
Me: Where do you work?
EDS: I am in the data center in Foobatt.
Me: Located as 12 main street?
EDS: Yes.
Me: We own that data center and everything in it and you are running it
for us. Can't you look up the custormer number?
EDS: Hang on a second.
Me: OK
now i wait a while while she runs off and does something. 3 minutes later
she returns.

EDS: i have your customer nmber. It is 54321.
Me: OK.
EDS: Who is your equiment delivery contact?
Me: What equipment delivery contact?
EDS: You have an engineer assigned to you that takes care of all equipment
deliveries.
Me: I have no idea.
EDS: I have no way of looking that up.
Me: You mean to tell me you don't know how that person is even though we
own the building and everything in it?
EDS: Yes
Me: Let me ask you something.
EDS: Yes?
Me: Is there anything else I will need to get ths equipment in and
installed?
EDS: Do you have a floor space or rack space approval number?
me: No. Where do I get that?
EDS: You have to fill out a data center space request.
Me: Where do I get that?
EDS: From our website < I wait for the URL that never comes forth.>
ME: Which website is that?
EDS: That is on http;//blech.eeddss.info <I type in the url..no response.
Me: I can't get there.
EDS: You will then have to call another number to have someone help you
with that form.

This goes on and on. Finally after 3 more phone calls I find someone that
will email me the correct form. I wait for it and it does arrive. I fill
it out and send it in. Then I wait 4 days. It comes back saying "Denied"
with no explaination. I call. The guy I talk to that emailed me the form
is in training for the next 4 days.

Now my boss is asking me when we will get the new equipment installed. I
tell him that it will be a minimun of 6 months. He flips out. I tell him
this whole sequence of events and then he calls EDS. He gets nowhere too.
We tell out woes to another person that works in a different department in
my company. He says that we have to call Barry White and that he takes
care of all those forms for us. I ask who the hell is Barry White? He
says he is out secret EDS contact...someone that cares about the customer.
I call. He says he cannot fill out forms for us anymore but that he will
mail me the forms.

This process goes on and on and on. We have to find ut aisle and row
numbers, switch port numbers, switch id numbers, etc,etc. I think I could
have built a data center by now.

Finally we get the right engineer at EDS to look at things. He goes out on
the floor and says "Crap. You don't want rack 43-987, you want rack 44-76.
Who engineered this anyway?" I reply "EDS". He says "Harry Block I'll
bet." I say "YES!" He says "That guy is an idiot". "Thanks for letting
us know"

BTW the equipment still hasn't been delivered because all this junk has to
be done before it hits the dock.

We have even come across a few Catch-22 in their procedures.

Yes EDS is wonderful.

pierce

 

What EDS does is what EDS does.

Explain to me how waiting 45 working days to implement a change improves
quality or security. Pleasse show me a book or document that explains how
this improves quality or security. I have looked. There is no such
document or book that I can find. Not even the IBM mainframe and
datacenter infrastructure manuals tell me I have to wait 9 weeks to make a
change.

EDS and companies like them will drive IT jobs offshore and it has already
started. Companies are not going to tolerate 9 week lead times to cable
a server or change a switch. They will move their data center to India and
save a bundle and get better service.

It wasn't John or the chick but it is the entire infrastructure and
mentality at EDS. They have more excuses for not doing work than any
single company I have yet to encounter and that includes the goverment both
at the state and the federal levels. I have had banks be speedier and more
through than EDS when it came time to make network additions. I have had
to correct the EDS engineers when bringing up connections so many times I
have lost count. I got called today to fix another of EDS's engineering
mistakes. Those goofs wanted to route a gateway device insteaed of
assigning a NAT and routing the NAT. This is a constant battle and to be
honest I am getting tired of doing their job and mine.

Go ahead. Hire EDS. Work for them. I don't care. Just don't ask me to
interface with them. I have had it with those people. Mine isn't the only
horror story either. The list is quite lengthy. The only way that I would
work for them would be to placed in a position when I could actually hire
people that wanted to work and fire those that didn't.

Sorry if I stepped on your toes but what I am talking about is the truth
and it is not exaggerated in any way.

Put another way, I don't have a problem with the company I work for. I
don't have a problem with EDS. I DO have a problem with EDS working for my
employer.

pierce

 

When you learn to ride the crotch rocket, Nurick.. You just might like to
get your fat ass dusted real good by that "little cruiser".. Say what ? You
sure do a lot of talking about someone's motorcycle, but in all they years
I've seen you on usenet, no one has come forward and testified that they've
been on a RIDE with you.. Ain't that interesting.. ??

 

ROTFL... Ain't this a hoot..?? You tried to change the oil in that fucking
crotch rocket just a few months ago, realized you didn't know what the hell
you were doing and had to ping someone on usenet to get instructions..

First of all, you are so far over your head with that crotch rocket, you
have never rode it to speed or limits.. Secondly, you've never gotten it too
far from home.. Thirdly, you are just another little usenet creep and a
wannabe.. Sheesh.. other than you batman disguise, you aren't even a decent
poser.. you usenet pussy...

 

I am sure that EDS can provide a higher level of service than one that has a
9 week lead time.
Again, all it takes is money. A higher level of service typically costs
more.

 

LMAO.. Your circles are getting smaller, Bedwetter... <chuckle> You've
already commenced to get all concerned about my health again.. Usually, you
don't do that one until close to the time you have shown your ass again,
really bad..

 

A couple of years ago it was manageable. Dealing with EDS was less
painful. There were a few catch-22 situations but those were the
exception.

I received the memo stating the 45 working day minimum wait time withing
the last 60 days.

pierce

 

BILL WALKER says):''When you learn to ride the crotch rocket,
Nurick.. You just might like to get your fat ass dusted real good by
that "little cruiser".. Say what ? You sure do a lot of talking about
someone's motorcycle, but in all they years I've seen you on usenet, no
one has come forward and testified that they've been on a RIDE with
you.. Ain't that interesting.. ??''
===============================
‘‘Bill, that brings up a point I have been meaning to post
about. I have one close riding buddy here in town. Skunk, is my main
one. Kirby, Joe and L.B. are mainly weekend ridding buddies. My point
here is;
I wonder how many others on here, who I count as txmoto regulars, have
local riding buddies. Skunk and I ride real often. Sometimes just to go
eat, and visit someone, and that's about it. For instance, take Albert,
he use to mention riding on errands related to his work. I have read
where he rode some on the weekends around Houston, etc. I wonder if he,
or even Brian,Beemer,even wakko, have a buddy that lives local, to ride
with. I left out JC, cause he has ole Iceman, a local buddy. It
seems, most, ride solo.
(Note, we all know that IGGY absolutely doesn't have riding buddies. He
doesn't appear to even have a motorcycle, atleast there is no evidence
demonstrated by his responses on TxMoto)

Even you Bill, mention at times that a coupla local buddies ride up, and
ya'll ride somewhere to eat fish or something. I guess, my main point
is, how many have a friend to ride with, around the local area, & it
not having to be a Trip, just a little ride, so to speak. Anyway. (<:
(grin, Bjay)!

 

You betcha, I bet most of us do. Riding in large groups is a PITA. I
find groups of two or three makes for a good day ride. And the bulk of
my miles is made up in day rides. Last season I did almost 30,000
kilometers on the Venture. I went on one major ride cross country and
one weekend ride to Osoyoos. Those two totalled maybe 14,000
kilometers. The rest was made up of nothing more than day rides. Many
of those day rides were with friends, usually no more than one or two
bikes.

That being said, I have no problem with riding alone either. I don't
know how to express it but there is just something very special
enjoying the solitude of cruising a mountain highway alone.

Now my day rides might be longer than most. 500 to 800 kilometers is
pretty much the norm but it is not the distance that makes a rider, it
is getting out there and enjoying the ride. That might involve riding
80 kilometers to that favorite restaurant or an 800 kilometer circle
route. It's all good.
--


Don
RCOS# 7
No Riding Today

2000 - Yamaha Venture Millenium Edition
http://www3.telus.net/public/dbinns/radium1.htm
http://www3.telus.net/public/dbinns/banff.htm
http://www3.telus.net/public/dbinns/kananaskis.htm
http://www3.telus.net/public/dbinns/walkercalgary.htm
http://www3.telus.net/public/dbinns/calgarybrowning.htm
http://www3.telus.net/public/dbinns/venture.htm
http://www3.telus.net/public/dbinns/gem.htm
http://www3.telus.net/public/dbinns/highwood.htm
http://www3.telus.net/public/dbinns/reynolds.htm
http://www3.telus.net/public/dbinns/sask.htm
http://www3.telus.net/public/dbinns/osoyoos.htm

 

You sound as if you have a fiduciary responsibility or interest in EDS.

I do have to admit that in some areas the people are great. The people who
do support these certain areas care, are effecient, and are competent.
Some are sorely lacking technical training. I had to teach a fellow how to
use telnet last week but that isn't too bad.

pierce

 

"BJayKana" ''Bill, that brings up a point I have been meaning to post
about. I have one close riding buddy here in town. Skunk, is my main
one. Kirby, Joe and L.B. are mainly weekend ridding buddies. My point
here is;
I wonder how many others on here, who I count as txmoto regulars, have
local riding buddies. Skunk and I ride real often. Sometimes just to go
eat, and visit someone, and that's about it. For instance, take Albert,
he use to mention riding on errands related to his work. I have read
where he rode some on the weekends around Houston, etc. I wonder if he,
or even Brian,Beemer,even wakko, have a buddy that lives local, to ride
with. I left out JC, cause he has ole Iceman, a local buddy. It
seems, most, ride solo.
(Note, we all know that IGGY absolutely doesn't have riding buddies. He
doesn't appear to even have a motorcycle, atleast there is no evidence
demonstrated by his responses on TxMoto)

Even you Bill, mention at times that a coupla local buddies ride up, and
ya'll ride somewhere to eat fish or something. I guess, my main point
is, how many have a friend to ride with, around the local area, & it
not having to be a Trip, just a little ride, so to speak. Anyway. (<:
(grin, Bjay)!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good topic BJay!! I'm not much for rideing in large groups either. I
have a friend, Bob, who's probably much like your friend 'Skunk' when it
comes to rideing buddies. We're both retired and share quite a few intrests
other then Motorcycling. He just got a bike this last summer after being
without one for a number of years. There is seldom a day goes by in the
summer that we don't go 'somewhere' on the bikes.

Most of our rideing consists of day trips. He owns a trailer that he
keeps in a park about a hundred miles north of here. That has been a
destination we've made it to a number of times this last summer. We'll
combine motorcycling with a number of our other intrests, fishing, metal
detecting, even a little squirel hunting, lol. Even though we have'nt done
the 'tour' thing lately, we've both managed to put over 7000 miles on the
bikes over our 'too short' summer. That's really nothing to brag about, but
concidering the fact that we never really go anywher, it's not too bad for a
couple of old farts, lol.

A couple of trips we've talked about for next year would include a trip
to Dayton Ohio, to see that big aircraft museum, and posibly a trip to South
Dakota, for a get-together with some friends. I don't know how you and your
friend Skunk plan your trips, but if it's any way close to how Bob and I do
it, the planning is almost as fun as the trip, lol. Especially when the
winters are as long as they are up here, lol.

Regards,

Vic

 

No, but we are implementing some new IT "best practices" that explicitly
state that you never say "No" to a customer...you just tell them that
whatever they want outside the norm will cost more.
Quicker response time...more money. More frequent backups...more money.
Higher service levels...more money. Etc.

 

Bjay post)
''Even you Bill, mention at times that a coupla local buddies ride up,
and ya'll ride somewhere to eat fish or something. I guess, my main
point is, how many have a friend to ride with, around the local area, &
it not having to be a Trip, just a little ride, so to speak. Anyway. (<:
                          (grin,
Bjay)!
----------------------------------------------
------
     '' Good topic BJay!! I'm not much for riding in large
groups either. I have a friend, Bob, who's probably much like your
friend 'Skunk' when it comes to riding buddies. We're both retired and
share quite a few interests other then Motorcycling. He just got a bike
this last summer after being without one for a number of years. There is
seldom a day goes by in the summer that we don't go 'somewhere' on the
bikes.'' VIC)!

----------------------------------------------
''Vic, thanks. I was just trying to get a few opinions from you all,
about whether you have someone, in close vicinity, to ride with,
around town, eat and whatever. Ya know? Brian, could have shared with us
something to the effect that he does, or he doesn't, or he hasn't rode
his bike in 3 months, I don't know. I know he didn't ride in any Toy
Run.this year! And from months of posting on here, he hasn't
demonstrated, to me, that he's rode much. Man,It don't get no more
simple'er than that. <G> Vic, it ain't no big deal.
I don't care if he hasn't rode much. Heck I have gone weeks, without
riding much further than around the farm roads out here. I don't ride
every day. I ride about 3 times a week. Now Skunk rides might near
daily. This is a motorcycle Riding newsGroup, for crying out loud.'' <G>
Bjay)!

'Ya'll take care'' --BJAY--

 

Hey Bill, have you ever read a book or wondered about something, and
made an effort to learn? People who are interested in technical things
ask questions, and enjoy discussing details with others with similar
interests.

Don't take my word for it - you might want to check out another NG,
rec.motorcycles.tech. People post re. everything imaginable on all
kinds of motorcycles. Do you think that asking a question about a
component, assembly or procedure makes an individual ignorant or
stupid? Interacting with others and exchanging information is what
makes a hobby fun. Obviously this concept is completely foreign to
you.

Man your world must be dull.

Also, do you have some sort of satellite based telemetering device
hidden on Albert's bike? Tell me how it works, sounds interesting.

 

I would like to say simply "OK, then I won't get techinical with you" and
hang up. What I would really say to the customer is that since that it is
impossible to troubleshoot a technical device with getting techncal I was
terminating the call. I would then say thanks for calling, bid the person
good day and hang up. I do not tolerate abuse and that is abusive.

Did you ever hear the recording of the guy that calls up drunk with a
problem with his computer and by the time the call is over he has destroyed
his monitor and has bits of glass all over the place?

The calls that always get me going are where it magically starts working
and the engineer at the other end says he did nothing.

pierce