Computer security

This article (found at Slashdot.org) goes to show that your computer can be as secure and uncrackable as possible, but if you don’t have physical security, then you might as well not have any security.
Talk about balls.

Friday Five

1. What housekeeping chore(s) do you hate doing the most?
Cleaning
2. Are there any that you like or don’t mind doing?
Laundry
3. Do you have a routine throughout the week or just clean as it’s needed?
I usually try to tidy up on weekends. I try to vacuum weekly, but more often than not, it ends up being every 3 or 4 weeks. The wife usually makes us go on a cleaning binge whenever someone’s coming over.
4. Do you have any odd cleaning/housekeeping quirks or rules?
Not really
5. What was the last thing you cleaned?
The mess that got made when I accidentally dropped a jar of applesauce on the kitchen floor.

That spider

Well, after a little bit of Google searching, I managed to figure out what that spider was.
First I started at the International Society for Arachnology page. The web was kind of orb-ish, so I clicked on the Orb web spiders page. Lo and behold, there was a picture of the spider, Argiope aurantia. This spider apparently goes by several aliases: Yellow Garden Spider, Black-And-Yellow Argiope, Golden Orb Weaver, Yellow Argiope, Writing Spider, Golden Garden Spider. According to this page, the spider should be mostly harmless. Sure doesn’t look it.
So there you are. Yet another illustration of the power of the Internet :).

Motorbikes

My brother-in-law is planning on getting a Yamaha FJR1300 sometime next spring. He’s trying to convince me to get a motorbike too. I doubt I’d get one like he’s planning on getting, but the new Honda Silverwing scooter looks pretty cool, and is a little more my speed (no shifting to deal with). My father-in-law already has a 1987 Honda Helix that I’ve ridden. It’s a fun little bike to ride.
I doubt I’ll be getting a bike anytime soon, although a Trek 2300 would be pretty sweet. For the type of riding I do, it’s probably overkill, so I’ll settle for a Trek 2000.
Since we’re saving for a house now, any big purchases will have to be carefully scrutinized. I don’t think I’ll be getting any of these for a while yet. Besides, I have nowhere to store them until we do get a house.