Conficker’s next move a mystery to researchers

‘Impossible to know’ what massive botnet will do April 1, researchers say….

March 23, 2009 (Computerworld) Security researchers are in the dark about what will happen next week when the newest variant of Conficker, 2009’s biggest worm by a mile, begins trying to contact its controllers.

“It’s impossible to know until we see something that has a clear profit motive,” said Joe Stewart, director of malware research at SecureWorks Inc. and a noted botnet researcher.

This Worm promises to be the next generation of infections, and with April Fool’s day set as the “date”, many are under the impression that if they stay offline that day, they will be ok. Not hardly. If they are already infected, waiting a day to log on won’t make a bit if difference. More HERE

KBR sucks even more with giving rotten food to troops

I believe in capitalism. No, I really do. Like Science, the practice of capitalism is the surest way to find the vaulue of things, to allow the evolution of good products to win over bad products.

So the basic idea of using private industry in place of some government entities doesn’t bother me. The problem is: it’s not really capitalism, because there are leeches out there that keep getting paid for serving the American public and military badly, instead of being sued and driven off a cliff. I mean, if any other company like KBR (former Halliburton spin-off) was found to be serving rotten food and drink filled with body fluids to people they’d be shut down within days.

But oh, no – not the good people KBR who are serving our fighting forces! Because to punish them would be against capitalism, or some other dumb ass reason out there.

The History of the Hummer. Blech.

It’s the symbol for everything that’s wrong in auto manufacturing in America. Big. Bloated, Pointlessly overpriced, and with a gas mileage that would make Al Gore vomit – and Salon gives us the short life of the Hummer.

May it die in pieces.

Banking – from the Muslim perspective

This was a really interesting read – Inside Islam goes provides an explanation on how banking in the Islamic religion is suppose to work. The most surprising thing? No interest on loans!

According to Business Week, instead of earning interest banks and individuals profit from investments in other ways. Investments are technically considered leases, where the individual will pay back the total sum borrowed in a set amount of time with “rental payments.” Alternatively, the bank turns over the payments to a third party. The third party, Citibank for example, shares the profits with investors in return for service. By charging a “service fee” for doing its part in the transaction, Citibank can earn steady profits from providing a line of credit.

OK – so it’s kind of like interest. But not. Still, an interesting look on where religion and economics meet.

All the clues the Bush administration missed about the economy

Remember how the Bush administration was shocked – shocked! – to discover that Iraq didn’t really have WMDs? Or that the levees around Katrina wouldn’t break (even with all of the warnings that they would)? Or – as it turns out – they didn’t seem to notice that there was a gigantic financial failure looming either.

My bet: they were hoping nobody would notice until 2009, and then they could blame it all on the Democrats. If only we had given them a few more months!

The untalked about issue with the big 3 auto: Pensions

Turns out there’s a topic that most people don’t think of with the potential of the Big 3 auto workers going under. Sure, there’s the potential of 3 million jobs lost all at once – but what about those who aren’t working? Mainly, the chance that the pensions of thousands of retired workers might go under with the auto workers going out of business.

It’s like a rotten onion – the deeper you go into the issue, the more crap you keep finding to worry about.

Why is Honda still doing so well?

Why is Honda doing so well, when so many other manufacturer’s are struggling? The answer: engineers run the company, not the financiers. In other words: the people who make stuff to sell rule, while the bean counters provide advice on how to do it.

What might GM become if it gets a lifeline

There’s some questions about whether GM’s even going to survive the next year, if not the next six months. But if it does, it might turn into a smaller, leaner, meaner company, if Joan Muller is right.

It really will be for the best, in my humble opinion. Say goodbye to Hummer for anyone non-military, to say the least.

Now what? AT&T is laying of 12,000

Looks like there will be a lot of guys wandering about going “Can you hear me now? No!” as AT&T announces it’s laying off another 12,000 employees.

Anyone with some good news?

Bush administration still can’t clean crap

Tons of debris left behind from Hurricane Ike is still sitting around, when FEMA was suppose to assist in getting it cleaned up.

You could probably blame the local people too for not getting off their asses and helping to clean up – but once again, Bush’s FEMA sucks. Heck of a job!