IoT Benedict Arnolds
Sweethearts! I hope your Thursday is going well so far, and that you’re optimally caffeinated and ready to take on the world. It’s a short one today, since I am busy writing and preparing for my Odd Salon talk next week on the “Spaghetti Tree” and other hoaxes. So Bay Area dwellers, or anyone in town for a spell, come out to Public Works on Tuesday, June 19th to hear me and five other nerd badasses examine the theme “Prank.” Tickets are on sale now.
If you’re like me, and have ever had nightmares about the security vulnerabilities, existential challenges and potential malcontent of “personal assistants” and connected devices like Amazon Echo and Google whatever-the-heck-it-is-called, Friend of the Missive and EIC of The Parallax Seth recently published an explainer of how, as DDoS attacks come for Alexa, we may be fucked. It's a good and accessible story on a complex topic. Come for the history of DDoS, stay for why the hell y’all NEED to stay on top of your application and device security updates. In fact, go do that now. Check for updates and install that shit. I’ll wait.
Welcome back! A Trump Appointee Compiles Loyalty List of U.S. Employees at U.N., State, and there’s nothing downright sinister and autocratic about that, nope nope nope.
And no, I won’t be seeing the film some are calling “the scariest movie ever,” Hereditary (see: earlier Missive on how I deal with horror movies,) but by golly, I am intrigued based on the myriad of #hottakes we’re seeing on the film. Today, The Hollywood Reporter looks into "Why 'Hereditary' Is Dividing Audiences."
I adore you all. Be kind to each other.