Mister Ian's Weblog

Blog

  • Internet Security Advice

    This following is good advice. I noticed this on the cell phone payments site that they wanted my pin and it wasn’t secure! So of course I didn’t use the site.

    In fact, I don’t know how these sites are able to validate the card like this. It is extremely insecure.

    Recently, companies in Kuwait are allowing online payments on their website using KNET ATM cards where the user is asked to enter his KNET ATM card number and his KNET card PIN number.

    This is not a secure practice and it is recommended that you follow our 10 security tips below to avoid being the victim of online fraud and scams.

    1. Try to use an Internet shopping card for online transaction and do not use your credit card or KNET ATM cards for online payments
    2. Do not enter your KNET card number, PIN number, bank account number or any other banking details online or by e-mail or over the phone. Do not save your KNET card number and pin number on your PC
    3. Always make sure the site your using provides secure online shopping, check for the “lock sign” at the bottom right-hand corner of your browser screen. Place your mouse cursor on the lock icon. A tool tip will appear indicating 128-Bit SSL security. The tool tip should read “SSL Secured (128 Bit)”.
    4. Do not disclose your personal information (names, birthdays, address, civil ID numbers, mobile numbers, etc) online or by e-mail or over the phone
    5. Always check your bank account regularly to spot any suspicious transactions and immediately report them to your bank
    6. Do not use public PC and public internet wireless hotspots for conducting online payments. Always use your home PC and make sure it has updated operating system patches and antivirus and has a configured personal firewall. When using wireless at home make sure it is encrypted.
    7. Never leave your PC unattended when conducting your online payments and make sure you sign-out of the website when are done. Always clear your internet cache, cookies and Temporary Internet Files before you logout of your PC
    8. Always make sure you access the website by typing its address. Never click a link from an email
    9. Make sure that you physically close your computer and disconnect it from the internet when not in use
    10. Use anti-spyware software to regularly scan your computer for software that secretly collects your personal and user information while on the Internet.

    >

  • Man flies 193 miles in lawn chair – CNN.com

    lawnchair
    Crazy!

    Man flies 193 miles in lawn chair – CNN.com

  • Where’s Cleo now

    Cleo

    I heard from her new owners that Cleo is now living in Medicine Hat.

    Cleo loves the river and the neighbours and the sprinkler and Boo. They are now VERY close. All the time.

  • Diving Qaruh

    We went on a full day trip to dive the wreck near Qaruh Island. I found out that Qaruh (pronounced garou) is named for the oil seeps that are near the island. With so much oil and gas in the ground the island got this name as in Kuwaiti Arabic gar is the word for tar.

    So anyhow, the diving day began as all others, with the tanks and diving gear in baskets on trolleys getting pushed to the boat. The dive gear is normally carried in square plastic laundry baskets as the size is ideal and the baskets fit under the seats on the boat.

    We walk beside the trolleys that are being pushed by the Indian workers to make sure nothing falls off. Well, the trolley with my basket was not being watched closely enough by someone else and my basket fell off into the water.

    Fortunately, as I was warned some time back to make sure to fasten the bungee cords that we cross over the top of the basket through the heel strap of the fins. That way, if it does fall the fins don’t fall out and everything stays in the basket. This was advised by someone who dove in the disgusting muck of the dock to get a fin that sank. (Not all fins sink, mine do.) So, everything stayed in the basket and we managed to grab it before it sunk. So all was well.

    Then off on the 90 minute boat trip Qaruh. It is a boat that was sunk by a helicopter in the First Gulf War. It is a challenging dive. And can be a challenge to find. But that is good, otherwise there would be too many people going to it and damaging some of the pristine and unique corals developing on it.

    I was leading a couple of other divers on their deep dive specialty. As part of this specialty it is important for the divers to do an exercise to show them how their judgment can be impaired and reactions delayed at depth due to nitrogen narcosis.

    So the plan was to give them a simulated out of air situation by me.

    So here’s how it went.

    Well, the visibility wasn’t great and I was with the two of them and we were circling the upper portion of the wreck. Then we got separated as there were some other buddy teams on the wreck and I mistook them for the two I was with. So when I saw it wasn’t the right two, I circled back around to the top of the conning tower and waited for them to return.

    When they appeared and then I remembered, time for the drill.

    So I went up to one of them and gave one of them the out of air signal from about half a meter away.

    out of air

    And he just looked at me with the signal “I don’t know” (In other words “huh?“.) This is an example of impaired judgment due to the narcosis and also the challenging dive conditions.

    I don’t know

    So I gave the signal harder. By then the other guy who was about a meter away and slightly below quickly swam up to me and offered his spare regulator which I took. Then he gave me the OK signal.
    OK
    And he made good eye contact and gave the signal to ascend.
    going up
    All very good in accordance with training and proper practices. Then I gave him the OK signal and showed him my pressure gauge that I had plenty of air so we don’t need to ascend. Then he understood, it was a drill. Needless to say, we’ve had a lot of laughs about this.

    But wait there’s more
    (more…)

  • New 7 wonders of the world named

    New 7 wonders of the world named – CNN.com
    The final tally produced this list of the world’s top human-built wonders:

    1. The Great Wall of China – I’ve hiked it.
    2. Petra in Jordan – The whole family was there in April 2006.
    3. Brazil’s statue of Christ the Redeemer – I’ve seen it while driving through Rio.
    4. Peru’s Machu Picchu – Not yet.
    5. Mexico’s Chichen Itza pyramid – Don’t care to see it.
    6. The Colosseum in Rome – Been to Rome but not there.
    7. India’s Taj Mahal – Not interested in seeing it. There are many other things to see in India.

    And the Egypt pyramids get honorary mention.

  • Going over the top on a bicycle

    It is a funny article. Read this quite carefully:

    I do like riding bicycles. I like riding them to the shop to buy a newspaper, then riding them home to read it, preferably in bed. In summer, I sometimes even ride my bike to work. Often, if the following summer is nice, I’ll ride it home.

    Going over the top on a bicycle – CNN.com