Alan Miller :verified_paw: 🇺🇦

Small biz IT support/consulting in Chicago's NW burbs; software dev before that; BA-CS before that. Tries to make tech understandable and not overwhelming for clients. Desperately in need of a haircut. Known associate of felines. Probably ascended once in Nethack many years ago.

Public Key

npub1qjwp87dml5gm7twjyfscv5zx8kr9l66xl4t7yuxr6xxlzlds7aqqdpka6r

NIP-05 Address

fencepost@infosec-exchange.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsqf8qnlxal6ydl9hfzycvx2prrmpjladr064lzwrparr030kc0wsq342xqp

Author Public Key

npub1qjwp87dml5gm7twjyfscv5zx8kr9l66xl4t7yuxr6xxlzlds7aqqdpka6r

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Last Notes

2025-04-07 14:21:19

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@nprofile…r0kn a tariff pause seems likely but also just demonstrates the problem and chaos that will prevent any of the investment #Bronzer claims he wants. Only a fool builds on shifting sands.

2025-04-05 20:24:36

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@nprofile…d2rl safe travels!

2025-04-05 15:16:40

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@nprofile…d2rl re SPY, don't worry, #Bronzer has plans to erase the Biden years and take it back to around 380 where it was at the end of his first term.

2025-04-04 16:52:51

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@nprofile…5k2y Never do things that would make an attorney want to ask "What were you thinking?!?" despite knowing better

2025-04-03 20:35:02

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@nprofile…5k2y The quote in there was what really jumped out at me. IIRC Coristine was involved in "running" at least one VPN? Hosting? service when he was an under-18 teenager and I'm sure that could be considered exactly what this kid was talking about.

2025-04-03 20:22:42

Cleaning up tabs and hit this @nprofile…5k2y piece from December - a month before the #DOGE fratboys were turned loose. This quote really stuck out to me as something I could picture a bunch of them saying (though in this case I don't think they've hired the supposed 13-year-old):
“It’s almost like there’s no consequences. I have small legal side hustles, like businesses and shit that I can funnel everything through. If you were to see me in real life, I look like a regular child going to school with my backpack and shit, you’d never expect this kid is stealing all this shit.”
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2024/12/how-to-lose-a-fortune-with-just-one-bad-click/

2025-04-02 20:10:07

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@nprofile…5k2y "There's only room for one chaos monkey in this town!"

2025-04-02 16:28:19

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@nprofile…d2rl will you posting it have any impact on their insufferableness? I'd say not, but posting it may help people falling into that bubble.

2025-04-02 07:02:58

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@nprofile…d2rl my father and I were so pleased by an auto-generated email account password years ago that he kept a variation of it for years. "notstrom" back in the days when yes password generators actually did use 8 lower and nothing else.

2025-03-31 22:39:21

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@nprofile…r0kn time to send an orchid to whoever you know over there?
@nprofile…5lc3

2025-03-29 23:49:37

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@nprofile…r0kn ah the magical tree spooge.
https://media.infosec.exchange/infosec.exchange/media_attachments/files/114/248/390/210/218/066/original/c11011a7afa9c1fb.mp4

2025-03-28 00:46:26

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@nprofile…d2rl on the upside, they're having the election just a few months after the "he couldn't possibly *really* mean that" future canonical example took office.

2025-03-26 21:01:27

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@nprofile…d2rl I have no illusions of being a good writer, way too wordy.

2025-03-26 16:00:06

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@nprofile…5k2y @nprofile…wkjx @nprofile…6yg2 worth noting, on iOS 18 if you long hold an app icon you can require biometric authentication to launch it. I know that's been available on Android for years (unless it was a launcher feature? Used it some time ago)

2025-03-26 00:41:10

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@nprofile…5k2y "Hey farmers, your guy is screwing you even without the petulant child tariffs!"

2025-03-25 18:32:24

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@nprofile…5k2y I thought 'DUI hire with prison gang tattoos' Hegseth's denial was interesting. Technically he's correct that he didn't share classified material via text message - if by 'text message' you mean traditional SMS or RCS carried by cell carriers.
Kind of like saying "I've never even driven out to the old quarry where they found the bodies" when you were a passenger in the car.

2025-03-24 04:57:52

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@nprofile…d2rl @nprofile…g4n6 possibly useful depending on your time remaining, Peter Patterson Glassworks in Mundelein does some things with cremains in glass sculpture or paperweights. Likely no paperwork required. might also be someone closer, I just know Pete and his assistant Sue.
https://www.eternalglokeepsakes.com/

2025-03-23 20:48:57

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@nprofile…d2rl would a private party sale (not to me) make sense? That's what I'm doing with our old/extra vehicle that needs some TLC, selling to a mechanically inclined friend with a garage to work in for more than Carmax would offer but well under the repaired value.

2025-03-23 20:45:49

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@nprofile…d2rl *sobs quietly in the mound of obsolete computers and equipment*
Though I may run over to OfficeDepotMax to just buy one or two of their ewaste disposal boxes just to make a bunch of stuff go away ("Tech recycling box"). I do not need to keep those old switches, routers, 802.11bg access points, etc.

2025-03-23 16:45:02

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@nprofile…kxpq personal concern about document theft is why I dropped use of small publisher photo-to-pdf ("camera scanner") apps on Android. Turns out every one I dug into was from a Russian software company (different ones AFAIK). That concerned me, so I switched to Office Lens - Microsoft may have its issues but I was a bit more comfortable with it anyway.

2025-03-23 15:46:10

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@nprofile…cl5w I really wish Toot! Wasn't abandoned.

2025-03-22 22:47:31

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@nprofile…e3an I'm not sure the other strings count if you only ever touch four of them.

2025-03-22 18:57:04

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@nprofile…d2rl I just figured it was because the right hates artists, and generally artists aren't fond of the right either.

2025-03-21 23:36:12

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@nprofile…d2rl I wouldn't be surprised to see something like ERIC (https://ericstates.org/) formed, or for its remit to be expanded at least in terms of election security for the states that are members.
Notably absent are such top tier states as Alabama, the state that can't spell its own name (Louisiana), Misery, Mississippi, etc.

2025-03-21 23:28:20

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@nprofile…d2rl pretty positive if my parents were giving money to Columbia (both got postgrad degrees there) this would be the end of it.

2025-03-21 17:37:12

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@nprofile…5k2y the threat actor is going to owe Oracle SO MUCH in licensing fees.

2025-03-20 15:35:42

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@nprofile…5k2y they're just thinking ahead. If they address Russia stealing Ukrainian children where will the Republican incels get their white Russian brides in 15-20 years?

2025-03-19 20:22:21

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@nprofile…wjfe Canada should probably also talk loudly about adding tariffs "due to the terrible job the US is doing at keeping fentanyl and other dangerous drugs from being smuggled from the US into Canada"

2025-03-17 14:15:02

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@nprofile…d2rl @nprofile…wdwp @nprofile…9qfk @nprofile…qs3q @nprofile…2ush wish I could be there to go from parasocial following/listening to to social "have actually met" but planned travel says no. Such is life.

2025-03-16 21:18:25

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@nprofile…5k2y I feel like I'm going to hate it when I run out of coffee in a few months. I'm a barbarian who drinks cheap coffee so I went a bought several months supply when the idiot started yapping about tariffs on Colombia.

2025-03-12 22:05:30

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@nprofile…r0kn is it wrong that my immediate reaction when the notification popped was "JHFC what the hell has the asshole done NOW"

2025-03-12 02:54:22

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@nprofile…r0kn @nprofile…pj45 worth keeping in mind: with the exchange plans you're looking at premiums and separately at max out of pocket. If you KNOW you'll have high expenses it may be a wash, but if not then a Silver plan may have the same total at the end of the year - you'll just pay more as you use services instead of prepaying it all in premiums.
Also, spreadsheet time. Unfortunately I'm not aware of a convenient way to get all the relevant info in a tabular format but I could be wrong.

2025-03-11 17:25:20

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@nprofile…kxpq JHFC. How long before they rename it CoPilot?

2025-03-11 02:18:15

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@nprofile…d2rl top grade resume fodder for foundations "Uncashed Check to Me Drawn on The Bank of Sans Seriffe"
(no I don't have one)

2025-03-11 02:13:19

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@nprofile…d2rl I could see only having some of that for a CS degree with more focus on math, algorithms, possibly AI fundamentals -- but on the same grounds if you have a decent CS degree I'd expect you to pick the other stuff up quickly due to a better understanding of the fundamentals.

2025-03-10 23:41:00

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@nprofile…5k2y I reading that a bit differently, but it's ambiguous (and not technically feasible?). That sounds like 1) 25% export fees 2) exports restricted to NY, MI, MN.
I'm not sure how feasible that second is and how many interconnection points there are, or perhaps it's just that those are the states that share a border with Ontario so Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, etc can be smacked by Quebec instead.

2025-03-09 07:18:48

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@nprofile…r0kn I really expect that the first human trips to Mars will be staffed with terminally ill volunteers. Socially I don't think we're there yet but given the challenges it seems like there's a good chance it'll be a one way trip intended or not, so why not send more equipment that might be useful for a possible future trip.

2025-03-06 16:54:02

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@nprofile…5k2y "covered with Cheetoh dust"

2025-03-06 03:26:06

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@nprofile…r0kn are you back home? I thought you were in Florida for recent pics but FL doesn't look like it has much weather going on

2025-03-03 22:13:46

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@nprofile…r0kn don't worry, the warnings will stop soon.

2025-03-03 20:05:36

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@nprofile…r0kn @nprofile…kxpq the issue here is that much like the couch story *the problem is that it's plausible enough to be believed.*
And given the administration's actions so far, any denials should absolutely end with "yet." "The policy has not changed YET."

2025-03-02 23:32:12

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@nprofile…k0zs if you think you might switch to business later then renting at that volume definitely makes sense

2025-03-02 21:19:23

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@nprofile…k0zs Comcast? If you're in an area with traffic caps (usually 1.2 TB IIRC) then adding their 'unlimited' option on a self-owned modem is as much as the cost of renting+uncapping, at least a few years ago when I replaced my old modem.

2025-03-02 00:48:40

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@nprofile…5k2y this has been a big concern of mine for a long time - not just malice, but domains expire and get repurchased all the time (recent ex: Enron).

2025-03-01 01:15:29

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@nprofile…d2rl @nprofile…606h might be worth exploring a(nother?) work provided device if you won't have a US point of presence for billing - or such a device with dual esim for convenience.

2025-03-01 01:07:14

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@nprofile…5k2y I'm just waiting for the announcement that they're switching to Kaspersky security software in all branches of the government and military

2025-02-28 23:58:52

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@nprofile…5k2y I can't help but wonder if this accelerates any behind the scenes discussions by other #NATO members about forming a new version without the US. It seems clear that mutual defense support from the US will be nonexistent or highly transactional, and they can't throw the US out but they could certainly work around it.
They might also find it worthwhile to boot out any US military presence since at this point it's unclear which side of a conflict it would actually be on. Intelligence sharing should also likely stop, possibly made easier by the possible recent dismissal of any individuals they were working with.
#trump #ettd #uspol

2025-02-28 20:26:17

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@nprofile…5k2y I used it years ago with a Minecraft Factions team, does that count?

2025-02-26 22:02:25

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@nprofile…d2rl it won't survive. Places that are already seen as healthcare deserts (or maternal care deserts, talking about you Idaho) will lose what hospitals they have left. If I lived anywhere except a major metro area I'd look hard at buying air ambulance insurance.
This is an elevation of what I was thinking when the Republicans previously tried killing the ACA - if they'd succeeded then it might have been the best chance the US had of moving to Medicare for All, with some pretty crappy years in between.
I was listening to a podcast episode ain the last week or so about what happens to small towns when colleges there fold, and the specific case being discussed was one in which the college also sponsored and hosted the local (small) medical center. Now they didn't just have the loss of college jobs and student spending, they also lost local healthcare.

2025-02-25 23:55:26

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@nprofile…d2rl disappointed that I may not get a chance to actually meet you in person before you're 17 hours ahead of here.

2025-02-25 23:48:56

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@nprofile…r0kn sometimes known as "Empty" Greene (heart, soul, mind, who knows?) or in the memorable words of Rep Crockett, "bleach-blonde, bad-built, butch body"

2025-02-25 01:04:34

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@nprofile…r0kn chair+blanket+cat is the way

2025-02-24 00:51:02

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@nprofile…5k2y Elon and his boys going full Leeeeroy

2025-02-22 06:18:50

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@nprofile…d2rl the extent of my politeness will be including "please" as the first word of "get your ducking Nazi ass away from me"

2025-02-22 06:14:59

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@nprofile…r0kn the fun question is whether in 'moving fast and breaking things' they leave room to go after Musk's personal assets - and who'll be deciding that question.

2025-02-21 19:50:38

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@nprofile…r0kn it's only a special if there's anything worth buying.

2025-02-21 16:04:10

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@nprofile…cl5w is Spideroak still a viable option? It looks like they've moved the company focus away from their online storage business towards a much more "we paid our marketing folks a lot for this conceptual stuff so by God we're going to use it" edge computing thing.

2025-02-21 04:56:45

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@nprofile…5k2y he's just looking to loot their pension that the Republicans previously made them pre-fund for the next 70 years

2025-02-18 02:32:40

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@nprofile…d2rl I mentioned it on the video, but anyone whose parents immigrated may be able to claim the citizenship in the country they came from. Not sure if any allow claims further back but wouldn't be surprised.

2025-02-16 21:52:38

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@nprofile…d2rl I'm already contemplating whether it'll be necessary and/or possible to do late-year road trips to Canada for flu and updated covid vaccinations.

2025-02-16 21:50:54

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@nprofile…d2rl my thinking is that the US will either never come out of this (failed democracy single party corrupt authoritarian state like we've seen in so many seconds and third world countries) *or* there will be a major backlash and a rebuilding phase to reconstruct the elements of a stable country that will have to build on whatever limited foundations still exist after this term.
It's already clear that the US has forfeited any status as a global leader - Republicans have already pissed that away by marking the US as an untrustworthy ally or partner. I like the way Beau phrased it, 'nations don't have friends, they have interests." The interests of the rest of the world will now be 'US, you're now cash up front' and the damage to our economy will be enough that we're no longer that great a market. We've been like Walmart for a long time, driving our trade partners to shave their margins to the point of damaging themselves, but now we've effectively also shown that even after that we'll stiff them as well.
You have to be a fool to expose yourself to the risk of working with those who recognize honesty and trustworthiness as things to be taken advantage of in others but not as traits worth displaying yourself.

2025-02-15 04:44:17

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@nprofile…r0kn I should really jump back in and look at that

2025-02-13 01:23:27

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@nprofile…d2rl eh, I expect there will be even more stupid when Real ID goes into effect in a few months. Driving from the NW burbs to Plano in the early hours tomorrow because that's where it's possible to get appointments for Real ID licenses.
Truly kicking myself for not getting passports last fall. God knows what the gutting of staff will do to processing times now.

2025-02-10 21:53:31

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@nprofile…d2rl I wonder if he could trigger them by loudly announcing that he didn't vote for the orange one.

2025-02-10 18:00:43

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@nprofile…d2rl which grid? And unlikely - disruptions would probably be feasible, but the grids are designed to have sources connect and disconnect all the time, all the way down to the individual house level with net metering.
In reality or in the minds of executives?
The ones that let people get their jobs done.

2025-02-10 07:51:48

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@nprofile…k0zs they can even look to (shock!) Canada for how to handle it since they discontinued them more than a decade ago.

2025-02-08 23:02:51

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@nprofile…5k2y when a lot of MSP community moved online to Facebook in 2020 there was one well recognized MSP owner who had a 3-percenter logo as his profile picture for a while, so I'm not at all surprised. It is interesting how broad the community is, and I suspect you'll find that at this point it's divided between people on Mastodon & Bluesky vs people on Xitter and Pravda Social. Not sure where LinkedIn falls though.

2023-08-13 23:21:57

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@npub17lg…9uux no heros in this situation. Capita owned it but sold to ESS (retaining a license to sell until March 2023?). Capita says that was extended on a phone call (should know better, if not in writing it didn't happen). Meanwhile ESS told clients "welcome to your new 3 year contract, pray we don't adjust it further" until government interest got them to back down in some instances - original reasoning apparently being "we can do this because where else can they go?"
I wouldn't be saddened to hear that they were both running underlicensed Oracle software.