Month: September 2012

Lack of IT readiness (security)

This article highlights a lot of problems that exist in the infosec field today. There is a great quote in there:

Most IT Security organizations are busy checking some boxes on an audit list, and effectively missing the forest for the trees when it comes to actual security.”

I would sign under every word. That’s also the jist of the argument of people who are vehemently against PCI, though I wouldn’t necessarily include myself in that camp.

http://h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/Following-the-Wh1t3-Rabbit-Down/On-lack-of-IT-readiness-Security-Edition/ba-p/5791579#.UEeytI1mQik

Haproxy SSL support

Finally. Haproxy added native SSL support. You could always use stunnel which made for a pretty ugly configuration, though I tended to prefer Nginx, which does a pretty effective job at SSL termination.

In any case, assuming the performance is on par, this is a key new feature in a product which is already a rock solid load balancer and is as good at core functions as any commercial product.

http://blog.exceliance.fr/2012/09/04/howto-ssl-native-in-haproxy/

 

 

Soccer (football) in US

Top flight European football is just about to become a lot less accessible in US. There is a considerable debate of why soccer isn’t very popular in the States and I think a huge part of the reason is lack of access to see the best in the world. People don’t want to watch 3rd tier players and that’s why MLS gets ratings comparable to AA baseball. To get people to become fans, you have to show them what the game looks like when it’s played at the elite level by world-class players.

This is a huge step in the wrong direction not only for fans but for the future of soccer in US.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1135765/la-liga,-serie-a-vanish-for-many-u.s.-viewers?cc=5901