Just another _temporary_ Wordpress site
““What is Google? What do they sell?” asks Don Norman, the author of The Design of Everyday Things and a demigod of the design world.
“They have lots of people, lots of servers, they have Android, they have Google Docs, they just bought Motorola. Most people would say ‘we’re the users, and the product is advertising’,” he said. “But in fact the advertisers are the users and you are the product.””
Don Norman — Tech News and Analysis
Via Daring Fireball
“We’ve been made aware of a security issue caused by the Netherlands-based CA DigiNotar, who mistakenly issued a valid SSL wildcard certificate for google.com. The existence of this certificate, coupled with the implied lack of proper verification at DigiNotar, means that we consider it inappropriate that our systems continue to trust DigiNotar to issue SSL certificates.”
Apparently there is a rogue Google security Certificate being used somewhere out there on the Internet.
This is a major flaw, as this is the way your computer knows when “he” is actually talking to Google.com or Gmail or any other site belonging to Google, probably including Google Checkout as well.
Recommendation is that you should disable any security certificate from DigiNotar and the post tells you how to do it.
As warning, although i do believe this is a safe practice to do and i currently think that you should do it, i’m not completely sure of it. So decide for your own and do your research before.
The only apparent downside is that you may find some sort of “this website security certificate can’t be trusted” on other sites than Google. But if Google certificate got hijacked how safe do you think that website you’re apparently visiting is?
Update: Apparently Microsoft is also recommending removing DigiNotar Certificates from your computer, so never mind my initial objections.
I guess finally Chrome did what everyone was scared off in the beginning and finally split up the friendly relationship between Google and Mozilla Firefox. At least that is what i understand from this image.
I was trying to setup an Adwords campaign for this site, using a free coupon i got. When inserting the keywords i wanted the add to appear next to, apparently Firefox is an “Unacceptable Business Practices”.
Is there any other meaning for the word Firefox that i am unaware of?
“You have cut off my communication, disrupted my personal and professional life, effectively stolen vast amounts of my personal and professional data, accused me of something without telling me that I am accused, accused me of something without telling me what it is that you have accused me of, blocked any direct communication with my accuser, and given me no ability to appeal this decision or to speak with someone on the facts of the case. This company is headed down a very, very menacing path if it continues in this way.”
This is why i left gmail as my primary email address provider and started my own domain and email service with a small ISP.
These days, email is just too valuable to be left with an unknown company with whom you have no way to contact and no commercial relationship to demand responsibilities.
The only way you can contact with Google is by literally going to their doorstep and knocking. Which, considering i’m way across the Atlantic, is a bit unpractical.
So if you trust Google’s Gmail with your personal and work communication and you have years of valuable data there, don’t!! Own your identity!
I am not against rewarding good management, and i actually think that good management is the most crucial element in a good company. You need no more examples than taking a good look at the currently adrift Microsoft to understand that.
But I do believe that Shareholder value is being dismissed by these self-awarding prices from the Management to the Management. The day should come when this kind of behavior wouldn’t be allowed by an active vigilant Shareholders. Better “checked” Companies generate more profits now and on the long run. And this goes for the Calpers proposal on Apple’s Board of Directors.
Unfortunately i can’t put my measly wallet where my mouth is. Just waiting for that Google gold watch…
*Pretty please?