Why publish this software?

Threat to computers for industrial systems now serious | InfoWorld | News | 2008-09-10 | By Robert McMillan, IDG News Service

Finisterre released his attack code as a software module for Metasploit, a widely used hacking tool. By integrating it with Metasploit, Finisterre has made his code much easier to use, security experts said. "Integrating the exploit with Metasploit gives a broad spectrum of people access to the attack," said Seth Bromberger, manager of information security at PG&E. "Now all it takes is downloading Metasploit and you can launch the attack."

I have to admit, I will never understand the open source and hacker crowd. Particularly the hackers.

I can understand researching to identify risks.
I can understand developing exploits to further understand and define those risks.
I can even understand publishing an academic style paper on said risks and my research, which was very clever indeed.
I CANNOT understand giving away the frellin' crack for somthing like this. I mean, honestly, isn't this a bit like handing out lock-picking kits at a grade-school?

There's nothing more disturbing than someone who thinks they know God's will for the world

Palin: Iraq war 'a task that is from God' - Yahoo! News

Heavenly Father, please deliver us from the very good intentioned and earnest, even Godly people who would do crazy things in Your name.

I just don't even know how to fight that sort of earnestness and misguided certainty.

They select their path, please direct their footsteps.

In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

Selecting Palin might have been brilliant. McCain just increased his stock with evangelical Christians (who are STILL, apparently, in a state of complete cognitive surrender to the Republican party, and still hell-bent on legislating their personal moral beliefs based on some bizarre perspective that this nation was founded to be "Christian".). He might also get some of the Hillary vote in terms of people who see their first allegiance to Womankind rather than to a party or ideal or issue.

He's a sly old fox, that one. And it won't likely backfire. I don't think that the same evangelicals who think that homosexuality is an abomination will see a man with a man and a woman out of wedlock as two sides of the same sin of sexual desire in 2008. The homosexuals are "them", and the pregnant republican girl is "us", and that's WAY more important that a consistent, loving world-view derived from the teachings of Christ.

I'm still pullin' for ya', Obama. But I gotta say, I really think that this nation and the Christian Church may be just messed up enough to NOT elect you. Good luck, man.

The Transitive Property of the Bible

BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 100 versions and 50 languages.

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.”- Isaiah 26:3

A steadfast mind is a difficult thing. Do I want a steadfast mind? What about constantly questioning, taking new data, and integrating that data as best I can into my overall world-view?

I don't think it's saying that we shouldn't do those things. For me, this says that at the bottom of all the churning and doubt to be faced by someone who is really willing to examine something in the cold hard light of day, there lies a steadfast belief that our God works all things to the good of those who love Him.

That's probably not what the writer meant, but filtered through my values and experience, it's what I come out with.

The mental exercise above is something like the transitive property of multiplication gone biblical. PERHAPS there was a certain amount of humanity combined with inspiration in the writing, as there is in the reading, and God's great trick the creates a one-size-fits-all solution in a world where there is no such thing is that these things balance each other out on each side of write=read equation?

No, that doesn't sound right at all. The fact that this doesn't work would be why different people can read the same scripture and draw such remarkably different conclusions. Their humanity add weight to certain inspiration. OR, is that that their inspiration gives rise to certain features of their humanity which inform their view of scripture and how to implement it in their lives?

Well, that's all just quick muttering before a meeting. I'm sure I'll never take the time to develop it further. ;-)>

For me, To live is Christ, To die is gain

Philippians 1:21 (New International Version)

New International Version
(NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International
Bible Society

21For to me, to live is Christ and to
die is gain

Taken in a vacuum, it is difficult to know exactly what this means. However, in the context of the rest of the paragraph that it nestles within, it's clear that the writer is saying that his life is "fruitful labor" for the kingdom, and his death will be welcomed because he will be with Christ.

Lord, may I be a blessing to someone today. May my labor be fruitful for the kingdom. May I be a useful enough servant that it is indeed "more necessary" that I be here rather then going on to my reward, but also help me to trust that you would work even my death to the good of those in whom I have tried to instill a love for You.

Give me a back strong enough to carry whatever cross you have for me today, and to do it while setting an example of the fruits of the spirit.

Give me enough of You within me to fill the gap between what I can do and what I should do.

In Jesus' name, so be it.

Rejoicing in following the statues of God... Theory 1

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Psalm 119:14

Derin asks:

Does it mean I love money too much or not love God's statutes enough? Or both?

I'm still mulling this one over, but here are some thoughts.

I think it goes deeper than what I love and how, or immediate vs. spiritual.

Money is food, shelter, water, the best health care, good education, more money (it's easy to make money if you've got money), etc.

These are, of course, things for which I tell myself that I rely on God. But ...

In reality, though, I don't think any of that is the issue.

I had a bit of an epiphany when reading Mere Christianity last night (yep, still working on it). I have much in common with Lucifer. Primarily in the form of Pride. A big pile of money is MY thing that I can use to fix MY problems. And YOUR problems, and my family's, and my church's, and little childrens' in Brazil.

It's like when, in the (fictional) Book of Nod, God sent an angel to Cane (the angel Urial, if memory serves), to presented to him the chances for redemption. Again and again it was offered, again and again Cane said something to the effect of "No, by My Own power shall I overcome your judegements." Each time the curse upon him grew worse, until in the end he was unrecognizable, twisted, and evil.

So: There's Lucifer, Cane, and Joe. Excepting that I recognize this pride and make effort to humble myself before God and men. But somewhere deep down ...

Rejoicing in following the statues of God... Theory 2

One of the most bitter points of my Naz upbringing was the way in which we were taught to hate ourselves for really very normal, harmless, and indeed necessary things.

One of the ways in which this devilry was insinuated upon an eager young man with a tragically dysfunctional under developed bullshit detector was in the form of the doctrine of holiness, as presented.

I say "as presented". This is important. I don't know what the official doctrine states, just how it was presented to me.

Holiness in Word, Thought, and Deed. It's not enough that you don't sin, you really shouldn't even want to. If you FEEL this, you're sinful. If you THINK that, you're sinful. Come to the alter and let's pray about it. I hate to admit how weak-minded I am, but, oh-boy, did I swallow the hook on that stuff.

So, where's the connection between this and my not living up to

14 I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.

Well, as much as I'd like to think I've undone my childhood and adolescent religious perspectives, I must admit that even when I succeed in "following [God's] statues", I'm still kicking myself. Maybe because I didn't do it with a joyous enough heart, or didn't do it soon enough, or didn't do it every time forever, or maybe I just really would have liked, deep down, to have behaved differently.

We need to stop kicking ourselves for wanting to do what every other person on the planet would want to do, and start patting ourselves on the back for doing the right thing, despite the fact that 9 out of 10 people we know would not have done so.

My internal bar is set too high, and it often robs me of the joy that I should be experiencing from following God's statutes. Still working on it, I'll get there God willing...

I've never won this argument with the folks at my church, and as it turns out I haven't truly won it with myself. My position is that I'm responsible for my ACTIONS, not my FEELINGS.

Rejoicing in following the statues of God...

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Psalm 119:14

14 I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.

Wow. When I think of how I would rejoice in great riches, I'm not sure that I come anywhere close to measuring up to this. I'll be challenged by this one for a while.