The Actuator – November 7th

This version of the Actuator comes to you from Barcelona, where I am attending VMworld. This is one of my favorite events of the year. And I’m not just saying that because in Barcelona I can buy a plate of meat and it’s called “salad.” OK, maybe I am.

As always, here are some links from the Intertubz that I hope will hold your interest. Enjoy!

The Cybersecurity Hiring Gap is Due to The Lack of Entry-level Positions

Yes, the hiring process is broken. This post helps break it down. You could replace cybersecurity with other tech roles, and see the issues exist everywhere.

Directions

Brilliant post from Leon where he helps break down a better way to conduct an interview. This is something near and dear to my heart, having written more than a few times about DBA jobs and interviews.

That sign telling you how fast you’re driving may be spying on you

It’s one thing to collect the data, it’s another to use the data. I think the collection is fine, but you need a warrant to search that database. And this is also a case where you can’t allow someone to be given SysAdmin access “just because.”

Who Is Agent Tesla?

Is it a monitoring agent? Is it malware? Why can’t it be both? Folks, if your “monitoring software” is asking for payment in Bitcoin, then you are asking for trouble when you install.

Lyft speeds ahead with its autonomous initiatives

Because I haven’t been including enough autonomous car stories lately, I felt the need to share this one. And when I am at AWS re:Invent later this month, I hope to use one.

Inside Europe’s quest to build an unhackable quantum internet

I don’t know why, but I’m more bullish about quantum computing than I am Blockchain. The quantum internet sounds cool, but the reality is most data breaches happen when Adam in Accounting leaves a laptop on a bus.

Apple Reportedly Blocked Police iPhone Hacking Tool and Nobody Knows How

Score one for the good guys! Wait. When did Apple become the good guys again?

I love the salad bars here in Barcelona:

meat_salad_cp.JPG

  • I agree, and when I talk to someone we might hire I try to find out what they are learning and how they use it, and I try to find out about a problem they took ownership of and ensured it was fixed. Ideally they worked through the details to solve the issue, but I want to hear that they stayed with it to the end and didn't walk away when some one else got involved.

  • Wow, the links are very helpful. Thx for this.

  • The car in the Lyft article reminds me of Deckard's car in the original Blade Runner.

    The article mentions an interesting problem that reveals a bit of how they approach the problem.  They mention they need really good maps.  That pretty much tells you they aren't going for full autonomy but rather figuring out where they are in a stored map.  So what happens when the map changes unexpectedly?  Road work, random detours, shifted lanes, that sort of stuff.  I'm sure they're dealling with it but the challenges may make a practical solution further out than they anticipate.

  • The link to the "Directions" article is broken. Well, at least for me. I will keep trying later because I am very interested in that article. Interviewing is not my strongsuit and I recognize that I need improvement.

Thwack - Symbolize TM, R, and C