Michelle Obama among other celebrities with hacked financial info

FBI is currently investigating a Russian website (see below) containing names, social security numbers, dates of birth, and credit reports of the first lady, Michelle Obama, and other celebrities and politicians.

The list includes: Kim Kardashian, Joe Biden, Robert Mueller (FBI Director), Hillary Clinton, Eric Holder (U.S. Attorney General), Charlie Beck (LAPD Chief), Mel Gibson, Ashton Kutcher, Jay Z, Beyonce, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Sarah Palin, Hulk Hogan, Donald Trump, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Al Gore, Kanye West, Kris Jenner, Stacia Hylton (U.S. Marshals Service Director), Mitt Romney, Tiger Woods.
Huffingtonpost reports more details about how the hackers accessed the information:

UPDATE 4:19 p.m. -- Equifax, one of the three credit reporting agencies, said Tuesday that hackers who allegedly posted sensitive data belonging to 17 celebrities and political figures obtained some of that information from a website that allows consumers to access their credit reports.
The hackers entered enough personal identifying information, or PII, on four of the alleged hacking victims to log-in as them on the site annualcreditreport.com and obtain their credit reports, which contain sensitive financial data and Social Security numbers, according to Timothy Klein, a spokesman for Equifax.

It's interesting that thousands of people have their information stolen every year without much attention from the media and the government.  The credit monitoring business seems to be the latest scam to make the people feel better about protecting their information.  Let's be honest: no level of security can protect your personal or financial information.  There is always a human factor and every information has its price.

Besides the lack of the true security protecting our data, reliance on the social security number to tie in all the information is the one of the worst ideas ever.  First of all, SSN wasn't designed to be a secure identifier for all Americans, it was intended for the social security checks when people retired.  Then, IRS jumped on the wagon, state agencies, credit card companies, background checks, insurance companies, and rest of the commercial world looking for an easy way to identify customers.

Second of all, how can we protect the personal information in the digital age?  We just can't.  Hacking, phishing, social networks - it's all design to expose as much data as possible.  Can biometrics help in protecting our information?  Perhaps, using such technology will help but again, there is a human factor.  What prevents some crook from establishing a fake credit check agency and have access to all the information anyway?  Remember Global Payments and the hacking scandal that exposed 1.5 million credit and debit card numbers?  I will not even mention hundreds of other incidents.

Bottom line: if it's so easy to hack the First Lady and the Vice President, where do we go from here?  Putting pressure on the government and the companies to design a better security scheme would be a way to go.  For now, you can freeze your credit with all three major credit companies for a small fee to protect the release of your data.  Switching to one credit card and cash is another idea.  Keeping your passwords stronger is a must.  Above all, stay smart with whom you trust when providing your personal data.

The Hangover 3 official trailer

It's finally here! The Hangover 3 official trailer. The Wolf-pack is going back to Las Vegas to give it one more try. Will it top the original movie? I hope so, because the second one, in Thailand, wasn't that great at all. Feast your eyes on the new crazy adventures.

Sequester this and sequester that

Lately, the word sequester is the most overused word in the United States.  Another example of a catch phrase of the day.  Lockbox anyone?  WMDs anyone?  It's all smoke and mirrors again. 

Even worst word, sequestration, sounds like castration.  Yes, it's like removing the balls of the economy.  Or is it?  What jobs will be really affected?  Time will tell us. 

Right now, my bet is: life will go on and the impact of the budget cuts won't be as dramatic as painted by both Republicans and Democrats.  Why?  Because all that talk about economy collapsing and huge impact on the markets was just a vessel to our packets to extort more money by another tax.  I will leave it at that.

Some articles:
New York Post
Washington Post

Time travel: back in time or into the future?

Last night, my nine year old son, asked me a simple yet baffling question: If you could time travel and had to choose between going back in time and going into the future, what would you choose?

Simple question with enormous consequences of your choice.  

For starters, let's establish some ground rules of the time travel based on the solid scientific knowledge drawn from the top 50 time travel movie hits.  My picks include only the movies I've seen, sorted by likeness.  Also, the assumption is that you could come back after your time jump.

Groundhog Day (1993) - my all time favorite movie with Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell based on the famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.  The movie was actually filmed not far from Chicago, in Woodstock, Illinios.  The bed and breakfast manor was actually for sale couple of years ago.  
Rules: there are no rules or consequences 

The rosiest, make-you-feel-good time travel trilogy with Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd:
Back to the Future (1985)
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
Back to the Future Part II (1990)
Rules are simple: you need a DeLorean with flux capacitor, any change will affect the future.

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) - first movie of the Austin Powers trilogy starring Mike Myers, Heather Graham, Elizabeth Hurley, Seth Green, and Mini-Me, Verne Troyer.
Rules: you can travel into the future in cryonic state, you keep your mojo.

Planet of the Apes (1968) - this one is a classic with the great Charlton Heston and awesome special effects.
Rules: you need a spacecraft with hibernation technology, respect the monkey.

The Butterfly Effect (2004) - without a doubt, this movie makes you think about the consequences of your actions, heavy flick but Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart are great in it.
Rules: to change the future, you must change the past, your actions affect lives of people you love.

12 Monkeys (1995) - who doesn't like Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, and Brad Pitt in this disturbing hit? The movie brings a lot of questions regarding our actions that destroy the future.
Rules: you can't bring any technology with you to the past or the future, unreliable time travel, hit or miss destinations.

Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) - the best movie when it comes to fixing your present time.  Your knowledge of the history, technology, and music can pay off nicely.
Rules: you need a magic hot tub with Russian energy drink, steal any idea from the future.

Timecop (1994) - he's no Bueller, but Jean-Claude Van Damme fights for his true love played by Mia Sara. 
Rules: you need a high-tech delivery system and, apparently, your own power plant. Change your future with no regrets.


Deja Vu (2006) - Denzel Washington is just good.  Even when it comes to time travel.
Rules: you can only affect the past four days, limited travel

Looper (2012) - Bruce Willis just likes time travel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt figures our the paradox, and I just like Emily Blunt.
Rules: you need friends at Triad to access the time travel capsule, you can take technology and metal with you.

The Philadelphia Experiment (1984) - movie is based on the actual US Navy experiments during WWII.
Rules: you need a giant destroyer

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1988) - besides Keanu Reeves, how come Alex Winter and George Carlin didn't get the Matrix roles?
Rules: you need a phone booth and you can bring/take anything/anyone from the past 

Finally, the Terminator saga started by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton.
The Terminator (1984)
Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
Terminator Salvation (2009)
Rules: you can only travel to the past, you can't take any weapons, I guess you would need to be a mighty hacker to actually change anything related to Skynet.

It looks to me that travel to the past is a more efficient way of changing your future, meaning present time.  So, I will go with traveling to the past.  Of course, I would choose the time travel technology that would allow me to take a laptop or some almanac to play the stock market or build a web search engine UberNoogle.  The possibilities are endless and your imagination could run wild.  

As for my son, remember: all you need to change your future, is to make smart choices in your life and the good things will happen.  I know you will.  Tata.

The hidden truth behind mass food production in America

If you care about the food-related health issues in America, you must read below articles. By the health issues, I mean obesity, coronary disease, hypertension, high blood pressure, diabetes, hypersensitivity, and other food-related issues. By America, I mean the United States of America. Thanks Mike and Moira for sharing those articles.

I urge you to read it whole. It’s amazing. And by amazing, I mean WTF!

The New York Times: The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food
100 Days of Real Foods: Food Babe Investigates: How Food Companies Exploit Americans with Ingredients Banned in Other Countries

One comment. If you indulge in junk or processed foods, you better save those receipts because my suspicion is that in the near future, the class action suits against major food corporations and fast food chains will follow. Just my 2 cents.

Government is not hurting the economy – service economy it’s hurting itself

The Washington Post article by Ezra Klein, “Government is hurting the economy – by spending too little“, brought to my attention by my friend Michael, attempts to convince us that the government spending is the key to the robust economy. The statistics seem to work in Mr. Klein’s favor. The government spends less, the economy dunks.

Source: Der Spiegel 5/11/12

We all know, the statistical data can be interpreted in dozen different ways. One obvious conclusion from this article is the increased dependence of the service economy on the government spending. Just take a look at the Der Spiegel graph showing the correlation between the national debt, manufacturing jobs, and foreign trade deficit. Loosing well-paying factory jobs leads to an increasingly unstable service economy.

Want a proof? Why would a real estate bubble affect the US economy in such a devastating way? No, it’s not because of the foreclosures but because of the lost construction jobs in both residential and commercial markets. Housebuilding is one of the last, true manufacturing niches that remain in the US. Of course, until, someone in China develops an inexpensive way to build modular homes and ship them with ready-to-assemble manuals.

The basic foundation of Mr. Klein’s article if simply misleading. How is the “government” founded? Government this and government that. Government would not exist without OUR money. So really, we are already spending the money and helping the economy, except, in the confiscatory manner.

Is the private sector without a fault? Of course not! shipping thousands of jobs abroad to raise profits for selected few, killed the internal balance of making and spending money by the middle class (if such still exist). Service economy will never be able to fill the gap left by the heavy industry.

US government to the rescue. The interconnected paths of the private and government spending is becoming more and more important to the economy. With the federal government spending our money in every possible way, no wonder private companies look up to the mighty uncle Sam to throw them a bone. Cash for clunkers anyone? Electric vehicle credits? Military contracts? Shovel-ready jobs? Everyone jumps on those government contracts.

So the real question is, how can US survive without the artificial government spending? The larger slice of the economy is overtaken by the government, the more risky the economy becomes. PIIGS countries anyone?
Unfortunately, once the government starts growing without a control, going back is almost impossible without an unpopular and devastating cuts. By the same token, there is a limit of taxation by the government. How much tax confiscation will take for people to revolt? Learning from Gerard Depardieu and Nicolas Sarkozy, about 75%.

Finally, I would read Mr. Klein’s post as a warning and a lesson. If we continue to depend on the government spending, let’s just nationalize the economy and stop pretending that our current system is a pure capitalistic ever-profit-giving golden goose. Perhaps Mr. Obama should put aside the popular replacement issues (healthcare, immigration) and concentrate on what’s the most important at the time – our wallets.

Manti Te’O: Top 10 list of new names

Story of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Manti Te’O (MAN-tie TAY-oh) fake girlfriend, Lennay Kekua (leh-NAY kay-KOO-ah), took over the American media like an undocumented immigrant taking over roofing jobs in Chicago.  Of course, we don’t buy his explanation of a practical joke orchestrated by his “friend” Ronaiah Tuiasosopo (roan-EYE-ah Too-eee-ah-suh-SO-po).

Those pesky Hawaiians have their revenge for taking over Hawaii by the United States in 1893 and overthrowing Queen Liliʻuokalani, born Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Wewehi Kamakaʻeha. Easy for you to pronounce it. Ha.

Obviously, Manti had high hopes for boosting his career. The near future will show if NFL turns a blind eye on this dent in his resume.

Oh, screw waiting, yes, the guy will make ton of money and he will laugh all the way to his gold plated ATM in his new Lamborghini. There.

In case Manti Te’O needs to change his name to accelerate his career ever further, here’s the top 10 list of new names.

1. Wrongtie Yell’O
2. Lanai Spray’O
3. Manshy Hands’O
4. Taipei Pa’O
5. Gentile Tov’O
6. Meatpie Beat’O
7. Turdfly Lam’O
8. Moontie YoYo
9. Mantie Thong’O
10. Bowtie Telltal’e