Experian data hack? Multi-state investigation.

This goes back to the Vietnamese criminal, who plead guilty when suckered on to U.S. territory and arrested, who had full access to credit and personal information of somewhere on the order of 200 million people and was selling them, making an estimated $1.9 million on it. The company was subsequently bought out by Experian, but he continued to have access for two months after that happened.

At least two states are investigating Experian. This makes me very happy.

The fault really lies in the original company that was bought out by Experian, and I'm sure it takes some time to conduct a full audit when you buy a company. It's possible that they shut the guy down as soon as they detected him, I'd like to think that. But considering how these data aggregators work with zero oversight and how they've managed to conflate my dad's traffic accidents with my records because we have one name in common, I'm not holding my breath that they're lily-white.

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2014/04/u-s-states-investigating-breach-at-experian/

I can't resist a good Glenn Beck rant

"I'm not kidding you, you put him on a balcony in a military uniform, this guy is a full-fledged dictator...He's a sociopath!"
—Glenn Beck on President Obama

dictator |ˈdikˌtātər|
noun
1 a ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained power by force.
• a person who tells people what to do in an autocratic way or who determines behavior in a particular sphere: the prewar era was a period whose apple-cheeked dictator was Doris Day.
• (in ancient Rome) a chief magistrate with absolute power, appointed in an emergency.

sociopath |ˈsōsēōˌpaTH|
noun
a person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior and a lack of conscience.

I don't think so. I love the media's failure to use words correctly. I love the conservatives forever pronouncing Obama as a wuss or a tyrant. Wouldn't a tyrant have more leverage with Putin? Must have been wearing his wuss panties that day. Can't have it both ways, sweetum's.

I'm reminded of a Star Trek comedy routine that I heard long ago.

Dr. McCoy: I'm a doctor, dammit, not a floor wax!
Announcer: But wait! The NEW Dr. McCoy IS a doctor AND a floor wax!
Dr. McCoy: He's dead, Jim, BUT LOOK AT THAT SHINE!


I'm also reminded of the first episode of the new BBC series Sherlock where a female cop tells Watson to watch out for Sherlock because he's a psychopath. He replies, "I am not, I'm a highly-functioning sociopath."

No, I don't know why I was reminded of that routine. My brain is a dark and occasionally frightening place.

Free RPGs!

No, not rocket-propelled grenades, though that could make life interesting. We're talking role-playing games. Lots of good stuff in here: Traveler, Call of Cthulhu, Eclipse Phase, Night’s Black Agents, Firefly, etc. They’re mostly demo packs, but still an excellent overview of new RPGs that might be worth checking out.

I have no idea how much longer this free bundle will be running. Their web site has been getting slammed, so you might have to refresh your browser over time to get in and get the bundle.

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=128081&it=1&SRC=Newsletter_FPW_CTArpg