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As a follow up to the last post, my girls reminded me that every day as I took them to school we would practice their memory tricks so they would always know their address and my phone numbers. Amazingly enough, 10-15 years later they *still* remember the numbers!
Living proof that the tricks work!
My girls and I were having lunch with some friends of mine and we got to talking about this trick: If you have a little child, teach them a memory rhyme or cheer to help them remember their phone number. It's absolutely amazing how much this can help even the youngest child recall things.
This is the season for pickpockets according to the Washington Post and various other papers. I won't bother giving you the links to the stories, you can find them yourself if you google today's date, the WP and "pickpocket". But they give various tips to avoid losing your wallet and IDs. For men the suggestion is to use an inner jacket pocket to carry the wallet; for women the suggestion is to keep the purse close to the body. OK, fine. If you are wearing a jacket etc. etc. But if not, think about using a tummy pack with a zipper closure. The things are ugly and out of style, but they do work. Another thing you can do (if you are wearing pants and a belt, is to tuck the wallet over your pants and under the belt.
BTW, you can expect more and more stories about pickpockets because of the damage they can do. It's no longer just the money and credit cards they get away with--now they can steal your entire indentity! So be careful.
Walking. I bet you never knew it could be so complicated. For that matter, I bet you, the reader, never knew that victims could be picked out with great accuracy by merely watching them walk. The same is true for attackers. Cops know this. So do many martial artists. Today I'll talk a little about how to walk so you don't look like a victim.
So how does a victim look when walking? Do they walk with balance? No. Do they swing their arms? Yes. Are they carrying a lot of stuff? Yes. When walking, do they come down on their heels? Yes. Do they wobble from side to side? Yes Is their head down? Yes Bobbing like a bobble-head doll? Yes. Is their fanny sticking out behind as they lean forward? Yes. Is their chest out and arms stiffly held by the side? Yes. Now, all victims don't do all these things but these are the things that make you look like a victim. And that's something you don't want.
So, how do you walk? Can you tell? If so try not to walk like this.
How should you walk? A good walk is balanced, smooth. No arm swinging but arms not held stiffly either. Just a little sway. No wobbling side to side and no head bobbing. Fanny tucked in so the center of the pelvis and the center of the shoulder are in a straight line. Feet picked up and put down with minimum impact. The impression should be of smooth, balanced travel. And believe me, while it may be subliminal, attackers know who is a good target and who is not; they tend to stay away from people who look like they are more trouble than they are worth.
We all have passwords, PINs, and other identifying numbers. They are for bank accounts, computers, phones, and everything else you can think of. I *think* I have 12 or 13 of them but it could be more.
And most of us do 1 of 2 things: we either use the same password for *everything* or we make a list. And then we put the list where we can find it when we need it--like in our wallet, or on the PDA under "Password" or on a yellow sticky tab on the computer. Then, when we lose the wallet or PDA etc. we lose everything! and the access codes too.
Instead of doing that, try this: make your list of different passwords and put *it* on the computer or PDA. Then use a password you cannot possibly forget hide the list. Other lists have suggestions for for a password that is both memorable and hard to crack. I really don't care what you use provided that it uses letters, numbers and "special" characters. So if your name is "Elizabeth" you might use the password "31iz@b3th" or you might use "E1*z@b3th" or any other variations you might wish to use. Similarly, dates can be written "YYYYMMDD" or "ddmmyyyy" and numbers can be written using Roman Numerals. Anything can be used as long as you don't forget it.
If you do this, when (not if) you lose your PDA or phone or laptop you won't lose *everything* --at least as long as you have been backing up *everything* like you are supposed to. (You have been backing up your data haven't you?) ;-}
Here's another conflict over what the police suggest you do and how to resolve it: The conflict is simple: You are in your car (usually, but not always, at night) and are being followed by another car. Suddenly the other car turns on its "bubble gum machine" and signals you to pull over. But you are worried that it may not actually be a police officer. The police want you to pull over immediately and if you don't they could (and frequently do) charge you with trying to evade a police officer. But they also tell you that, in case of doubt, you should drive to a well-lit area or to a police station for help.
I suggest you call 911 (using your pre-programmed cell phone) and tell the operator what is going on, ask them to contact the officer following you, and get reassurances. It seems to me that this could solve the conflict--but you never know for sure.
If anyone has better ideas on how to resolve this conflict, please let me know.
I was giving a speech this morning and, as always, invited suggestions and questions. One of the participants came up with this one, which I had never thought of: If your vehicle has a GPS installed (and more and more cars do), do NOT program it for "HOME". That tells anyone who hits the button where you live and leaves you vulnerable. Seemed like a good point to me.
This is not something everyone needs or wants. But under the right circumstances (like being stalked) it can be a useful tip.
If you are concerned about being held hostage or kidnaped or otherwise detained against your will, you can establish a code phrase or phrases. The way this works is for you and your contact (wife/so/kid/partner etc.) to select a key phrase to use on the phone in case something really bad happens (kidnaping, break-in, etc.). The phrase should *sound* innocuous, like, "I'm fine. Be well ." It could be the use of a pet "name" which really isn’t one.
Now if you are *really* worried, a 'code phrase' that is NOT used may be a clue. In other words, if someone is holding you and telling you to read from a script, and you can't say "I'm fine, take care of yourself" then they won't know that you're in trouble. If, on the other hand, your code is, you always end the conversation with "Take care of yourself" and you don't use it, THEN the other party knows you're in trouble.
The phrases themselves are not important. It’s what they mean that counts.
Someone asked me for some quick thoughts about computer security. After a little thought, this is what I came up with:
90% of computer security is keeping your brain switched on. Computer security can be divided into 2 types of threats: directed threats and undirected threats. Undirected threats are general viruses, Trojans etc. etc. that are put out into the internet and let go. There is no *personal* malice in the sense that the author is not trying to hurt any *specific* person. These threats are defended against by virus protection, firewalls, etc. Most computer IT people know about these precautions even if they don't actually take effective steps to protect against these threats. But *Directed Threats* are aimed specifically at *YOU* and no one else. These threats can take the form of software threats or physical threats.
Physical threats involve securing your actual computer. General anti-theft devices, burglar alarms etc. Should work to protect against theft of destruction of the machine. But there is another, more dangerous threat that is not used very often: an actual invasion into your office or home and a key counter is inserted between the key board and the machine. These little devices (they are maybe the size of a small adapter) can store over 1,000,000 keystrokes. And then, when recovered, they can tell what keys were used. In addition, software can be physically inserted onto your machine to take it over without you knowing it. Software threats are very sophisticated Trojans that can either take over your machine remotely or read back your key strokes.
The cures for the software threats are simple--their strength is that you don't know they are there. So run checks regularly to find out what software is being used, when the internet is accessed etc. and find out what your computer is doing. The cures for the physical threats are also simple: you just have to find them and remove them. So *look* at the system periodically when you vacuum out the dust or do regular maintenance. Check for scratches, extra "parts" that you don't know what they do etc.
Yesterday my older daughter came home a little early and a little upset. And she had blood on the knuckles of her right hand. She *had* to talk to me right away. The story was simple: she and another girl had been collecting samples of creek water for a high school environmental science class when 2 somewhat younger boys showed up. My daughter wasn't comfortable with the situation (she was in the creek) and moved around so she could watch the boys and not have her back to them. Suddenly the boys grabbed the girls' backpacks (with their wallets, keys, phones and pda's) and took off-with my daughter in hot pursuit. She ran 1 down, punched him twice in the head and mouth (hence the bloody knuckles) and got her pack back. Then she headed for the other boy who dropped everything and ran away.
Now, I'm proud as punch of her and what she did can be a lesson to us all: 1) she listened to her instincts; 2) she retained situational awareness and did not let them get behind her and 3) she reacted well under crisis. Some things you should know before you object that she could have been hurt by the boys: a) she's been training in the martial arts for 17 years (since she could crawl); b) she regularly works out the Marines and c) she's used to the idea of going barehanded against weapons. Still, this is absolutely *not* what any untrained person should do and she did take a big chance. O, one last thing: this morning I made sure to check on her Tetanus shot records to see if she needed another shot.
