Uh oh.

http://www.businessinsider.com/russias-economy-ministry-we-will-not-collapse-2014-11?google_editors_picks=true

Russia's Economy Ministry: 'We Will Not Collapse!'

The Russian Economy Ministry just tweeted a bizarre quote from Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev. On its official account on Twitter the ministry posted a picture of the minister alongside a quote saying — "We will not collapse!".

Still something fishy here. Word is, this was an inside job.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/707be63a-76dc-11e4-944f-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3KMtAnU75

Sony Pictures sheds no light on hacking

… Sony, the Japanese entertainment and electronics group, offered few details on what progress it was making with fixing the computer problems at its US unit, which is closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.

… Some reports suggested the data contain PDF files of passports, visas and other documents belonging to cast and crew members working on Sony productions.

A “Forest Gump Moment” (stupid is as stupid does) Are managers really this ignorant? Definately something for my Computer Security students to read.

http://www.troyhunt.com/2014/11/this-is-your-bank-please-verify-your.html

This is your bank, please verify your details – No, you verify YOUR details!

… The problem with this exchange was that it set off a heap of the typical scam signals. I’ve dealt with more than my share of them in the past so I have a bit of sense of how these things normally go down and those signals include:

1. Call by an unlisted number: clearly scammers don’t want to be identified.
2. Long delay on connect after picking up: typical of a cheap VOIP connection.
3. Foreign accent, particularly from a developing nation: especially prevalent with scams run out of India and beyond most foreign governments’ reach.
4. Establishing a sense of urgency: claiming to be your bank is always going to make people sit up and pay attention (is my money alright???)
5. Requesting information before establishing identity: asking for address or other personal info.

Some of these may be unavoidable in a legitimate query, but a combination of multiple signals should immediately put you on high alert.

Tools & Techniques for my students.

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-sync-files-smartphone-tablet-without-cloud/

How To Sync Any Files To Your Smartphone Or Tablet Without The Cloud

… Sure, there are hacks that let you sync your entire Dropbox with Android, but with BitTorrent Sync, the process is easy: just set up the app and your files will sync whenever both your computer and your mobile device are on.

I too have access. Now all I need is time.

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/create-cloud-based-presentations-microsofts-powerpoint-destroyer-sway/

Create Cloud Based Presentations With Microsoft’s PowerPoint Destroyer Sway

Sway is a novel tool for building cloud based presentations. Sway offers a rapid design experience, focusing on the collation of images, text, and video, sourced from the web or your computer. It’s a canvas for your ideas, quick to create, and easy to share.

… Sway is part of Microsoft’s Office Online collection. Unlike PowerPoint, a Sway presentation has no borders, page breaks or slides...

… PowerPoint is continually criticised for its stale, dusty environment. Meanwhile, web based contenders are on the rise. Prezi resides over an estimated 50 million userbase. SlideShare engages another 58 million individual users per month. That’s 108 million people Microsoft are hoping to attract with Sway.

This infographic is for my students, who will get to it when they get to it.

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/15-ways-to-beat-procrastination/

15 Ways To Beat Procrastination

Via Essay.Expert