Dose of Paranoia - 2025-01-18
It gets worse before it gets worse...
Weather Stuff
Looks like NYC is going to get some shovelable snow tomorrow, but the real news will be the post snow arctic blast. It is gonna be wicked cold this coming week, so be safe out there! Better yet - don’t go out there and stay in. This is the kind of cold that can result in frostbite, hypothermia and other cold weather risks. Be safe - and look in on elderly/vulnerable family, friends, and neighbors.
Infosec/Scam Stuff
Crime is now legal (part 834) - Two days before the inauguration, our soon to be rapist/felon/grifter in chief is using the most powerful office in the world to start a pump and dump memecoin scheme. If you want to understand just how bad this is, check out this brief video explainer. The only good news here is that the people who are going to be the biggest losers out of this one are going to be hard core grassroots MAGA supporters, who are frankly just too stupid to be trusted with real money anyway. More about how memecoins work to separate stupid people from their cash and siphon it off to grifters here. Stay tuned for $BERGCOIN… and please rise for our new national anthem.
After this scam, there just does not seem to be any scam related news that can even compare this week. Except… apparently, CapitalOne is joining Paypal/Honey in getting sued over a fake “savings app” that really cheated the influencers that marketed it out their affiliate commissions.
One last scammy thing for the week - keep an eye out for this new trick SMS scammers are using to get iPhone users to turn off a key phishing protection feature. Don’t fall for this. Don’t respond to texts from unknown numbers.
I think I may have to rename this section to “Infosec/Business as Usual” for the time being. I mean, even nuns aren’t safe!
Fun Stuff
Sumo! - I don’t understand why Sumo wrestling has not become more popular here in the US. It’s the perfect sport for the Instagram era with matches lasting just a few minutes each. The rules are easy to understand and there is lots of lore, drama, stats and other fan service material out there. Amy and I started watching NHK’s coverage of the tournaments during the pandemic and have continued ever since. Check your cable lineup for NHK World or download their app from the app store of your choice to check it out.
Captain Groovy - where are you (and your Bubblegum Army?) - Maybe you can save us from what’s coming…
And finally, did no one tell the felon/rapist/grifter in chief that this was just a leeeetle bit too on the nose?