Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Hacking my old computer?

My internet provider, comcast.net has gracefully offered me the use of a new computer protection. I figured they must have a reason, so I just installed it.
In 2 hours, I have been attacked 4 times. I got curious and ran the IP numbers (admire what a 70 years old woman can do, and do not laugh.)
These attacks came from China.
I 'm flattered; here I am peacefully minding my own business and writing novels on my old computer that nobody will read. If you are curious, however, the links to my novels are HERE.
What on earth do these Chinese want? Do they expect to fall by accident on some dark military secrets or to rob a bank or what?
One thing I am pretty sure of: they do not want to spend time on my computer.
If they only knew.
By the way, there is a marvelous early novel on hacking you would enjoy if you like the subject: the technology has changed, but humans remain the same, and I loved that book: The Cuckoo's egg.

27 comments:

Cerulean Bill said...

"(admire what a 70 years old woman can do, and do not laugh.)"

I do.

I do not.

Claude Lambert said...

Thank you, younger Bill -:)
I like your blog.

Cerulean Bill said...

Why, thank you -- I do, too!

I read The Cuckoo's Egg several times. I really liked it. He was the first one to make me think that perhaps not ALL hackers were untrustworthy.

Claude Lambert said...

Glad you liked it: one of my favorite books. Only a scientist could be fascinated by a difference of a few cents and hang in there until he knew what was going on. The author became a glass blower among other things. It is amusing: look at http://www.kleinbottle.com/
Best to you!I'll check back on your blog.

Cerulean Bill said...

The temptation for him to just blow off those few cents must have been overpowering at times. Makes me think of the times I've done things like that when trying to explain something - just kept digging. Though, in my case, it's because I'm persistant, not because I'm smart.

The blog -- it's going to be static, next couple of weeks. I'm going to a small town in France to visit with friends. Coincidentally, they have the same last name as you!

Claude Lambert said...

Persistent beats smart all the time!
What town? I lived in France 30 years, Lambert is like Smith, very common, generally originates in the North of France (I was born across the border, in Belgium close to the "battle of the bulge")

Cerulean Bill said...

It's a small town in Burgundy. This will be our first trip to it, to Burgundy, and to France. We've never met these people before, either (hosted their daughter last year as an exchange student), so it's a first for them, too. They speak very little English. I've spent the last 10 months going from no French at all to basic communication skills - or as I like to say, Je parle francais, mais pas tres bien!

Claude Lambert said...

French people will go out of their way if you make an effort to speak French: no problem! You are very lucky to start with Burgundy: people are nice, food is outstanding, they have the best wine. Plus it is beautiful and there is an old medieval castle or church to visit ever three miles. They also have the best bread...it will make you jealous. Their idea is to make crusty bread, so it does not last, but it is great. And I told you not about the cheeses...Have a great time, write when you come back! claude

Cerulean Bill said...

Well, now you would be giving me reason to go even if I didn't already have one!

Like others, I've always enjoyed and been a bit bemused by the sound of the French language, so I took this trip as the opportunity to get basic proficiency. Besides, I figured it is a bit tacky to go to their country and expect them to speak MY language if I couldn't at least make a stab at theirs. I'm nowhere near fluent -- and, from what I read, I never WILL be -- but I can do what I think I'll need to be able to do. In fact, I've told my wife that if someone speaks English, I'm still going to attempt communication in French. If it isn't working - well, then we'll switch to English.

I mentioned my pet phrase; my wife's is "Je suis desolée; je suis Americaine, et je ne parle pas française." Which is not totally true, but she figures it will keep her from getting into trouble when she says Bonjour and gets a rapid-fire French response!

Claude Lambert said...

Bill, try to buy a map of the region, it will give you independence on what you want to see(but of course i recommend that you talk to every bakery in sight). Or print this at a good resolution http://www.carte-france.info/region-bourgogne/ or http://www.viamichelin.fr/web/Cartes-plans/Carte_plan-Bourgogne-France?strLocid=3aMTEzMTM3MTBjTkRjdU16STNNakU9Y05TNHdORE01T1E9PQ==
on this one, every green dot is something to see.
If you tell me where you go, I might get you to read a novel where the place is mentioned. For instance Nevers is important in Le Bossu from paul Feval. Ever French kid read it, but I cant find it in English. On the other hand you can watch it in a version called On Guard (1998)with French actor Auteuil.

Cerulean Bill said...

Well, that's a funny thing. We wanted to rent a car at DeGaulle, but a combination of a)most of the rental cars are stickshift (which I can drive, but it's been quite a while) and b)small (three people's luggage for two weeks? Ugh), and c) a warning that French drivers generally, and Parisian drivers specifically, are - well, aggressive seems overstated -- say enthusiastic - all of that makes me think that rental at the airport wouldn't be wise. Our host tells us that she has several things in her area -- she lives in Palinges, which is a small town about two hours west of Digion-- that she wants to show us. So we're just going to go with her wherever she thinks would be interesting. If we do nothing but drive around for a few hours each day, I'll be happy. We're low-maintenance tourists.

I would MUCH rather read a French novel (where I can stop every other paragraph to lunge for the dictionary) than listen to a French movie. My goal over the next couple of years is to be able to listen to rapidly spoken French (which I can do now) and understand it (ah, not so much). I'm not exactly sure why I want to do this, because I don't know if we'll ever be back (sounds good, but oh, the airfare). The intellectual challenge, I suppose.

Claude Lambert said...

Good idea about the car: in france, the guy with the biggest ego gets the right of way: no rules. I was more thinking of you being able to make requests. Palinges is a beautiful places, parks nearby where you can walk, bicycle, fish etc. Keep an eye for the castle of Paray-le-Monial (about 7 mi) and Cluny's abbey(about 20 mi, one of the most famous abbeys in france). FEVAL LE BOSSU is easy to read except for a few terms of swashbuckling. Great book!Vincenot wrote many novels about Burgundy, the most well known Le pape des escargots. Quentin Durward (walter scott) would give a you good history background on the powerful dukes of Burgundy. Also check this site: http://www.thefullwiki.org/Margaret,_Duchess_of_Burgundy a reminder that Burgundy one included Belgium!!!
Your guests will appreciate a gift that they can show off (anything american from a pic of their daughter in the US to a quilt!) and the french tradition is that you would take them out to a good restaurant before you leave (meaning one with reservations). Best I cn do for you! Have fun!

Cerulean Bill said...

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, and Get-the-hell-out-of-my-way-itee?

I'm heartened to hear you say that about Palinges - I've only seen a very, very few pictures of it, and the maximum-zoom picture of it from Google Maps makes it seem -- well, not perhaps industrial, but not particularly attractive. We were hoping for a cafe or two, at which to lounge in the mid-day sun...

And yes, we agree about the restaurant. Though it'll be a bit tricky, as we want to go to a good one and pay for it without actually bringing up the subject of money, which I'm given to understand can be tricky. Perhaps McDo's.....

Claude Lambert said...

You got a sense of humor; in the last French McDo I went to(and it was in Burgundy), they dumped back in the pot the leftover coffee from customers.
Not to worry about the place: bakery, winery, old churches,castle, parks, a good book: you could stay a year and not see how time passed. I would exchange it for Savannah in a blink.

Cerulean Bill said...

But I'm told the McD's there are much better -- well, different -- than here!

I did tell our host that I wished we could stay longer. She said I could stay as long as I liked, to which I replied "Don't say that; I'll stay till Christmas. If not longer."

Claude Lambert said...

Less meat and no hygiene. Don't even try.

Cerulean Bill said...

Really? Hmmm....

Well, it would just have been for the novelty, anyway. A book I read by an American woman living in France says she found that even speaking French, she couldn't reliablly order in a McDo's. She had to do a fake french accent -- OM BUG GUH -- to get them to understand.

Claude Lambert said...

OK, you want to be loved over there, avoid Macs and Coke: it is considered insulting by many people. It is the result of 50 years of communist propaganda plus it is really contrary to the French culture (no space to explain it here). In Savannah, we cannot drink wine on Sunday or even in the yard during the week. I do like the Romans do. No reason to upset people for small stuff. The French do not have ice tea and their lemonade is poor and they serve nothing with ice. They do not have real good fast foods: they just don't get the concept. Kids might have a Coke or Pepsi, but they will resent it if you do (like you want to impose the American way instead of enjoying the French way).It is a small country which has not recovered from losing its 18th century hegemony. The British are the same: they lost their Empire: Europeans are more sensitive than you think.

Cerulean Bill said...

Loved? Not sure about that. I don't even try to be loved over here! On the other hand, I do want them to be pleased that we are there, and not too dismayed by our habits.

I remember wondering how in the world the exchange student can possibly think that coming here and living in a small Pennsylvania town (actually, not even in the town) could expose them to 'the American way of life'. Similarly, I've occasionally wondered how our exchange student last year viewed our meals, both for content and for the fact that we'd eat and be done in about twenty minutes. You would not BELIEVE the things they ate! And they just RAMMED it down!

I am sure that these folks are going to go at least a little out of their way to accomodate us. My goal is to do the same.

What the hell did these people do to a perfectly good pepperoni pizza?

Claude Lambert said...

First time I was in France, I was so surprised so many people take 2 hours for lunch break! Not quite any more, it was decades ago, but the spirit did not change. But the most surprising to me was how much they talk about food. I had a colleague who told me every morning what he had eaten the night before. I thought it was disgusting, but it is just a different culture. There is chance they'll spend on you more than they can afford, watch for that.

Cerulean Bill said...

Not just the French. When I was first married, I mentioned to my wife that my Italian inlaws seemed to talk about food a lot. She disagreed. The next morning, we were still in bed, and heard them discuss how dinner had gone the night before, what they could have done differently, what they might do the next time they made that meal, whether people liked it. Then they discussed what to make for breakfast once we were up, and when to start dinner, what to have with dinner.... She turned to me, astonished, and said I was right.

Claude Lambert said...

It is funny, I can see it!
First time I was in Italy, everybody was talking on the bus. I thought there had been some sort of catastrophe, because in Belgium, people on a bus keep silent as a tomb. I was wrong: Italians talk. Some things are the same everywhere(Japan, USA, Britain..): in all villages, people will greet you, in all towns they ignore you.

Cerulean Bill said...

I'm just trying desperately to remember my basic French. On a drive today, I'm thinking Dammit - is it DEMAIN or DERNIER that means 'last'??? Of course, as soon as I looked it up, I thought Yeah, I knew that....kind of.

In a week, my French will either be much better or nonexistant.

Claude Lambert said...

Don't worry about it. If you do: Barnes and N and books-a-million sell these cards with the 50 important sentences you need (such as where are the toilets). It is well done because the pronunciation is indicated and works with the French. It is about 7 bucks. They also sell books in French and English to read on the plane.

Cerulean Bill said...

You must have a better B&N than exists here. They do have some books in French, but very, very few. Et je voudrais parler moi-meme, et ne lire pas de un livre. Je suis drole cet facon.

Claude Lambert said...

Parfait mon ami, ne t'en fais pas!

Cerulean Bill said...

Oui, aujourd'hui, et ici. Mais demain, et en France? Ahh....