If you are currently using an 8 character (or less) password than you really have no security at all. With today’s cheap and fast computing power, a skilled hacker can crack an 8 character password in under two hours. And it doesn’t matter if your password is “H%gd1f4&” or “password”. Today’s fast computers will iterate through all possibilities, from AAAAAAAA to zzzzzzzz (or for you computer geeks: from !!!!!!!! to ~~~~~~~~) and everything in between, in under two hours.

For now, it is best to switch to a 12 character password. Using current computer power would take about 17,000 years to crack. However, computer speed continuously increases, so that number is shrinking by the day.

So what to do? Experts say that thinking of a “pass-phrase” rather than a “password” would be better: think of a phrase like “The Capital Of Canada Is Not Beavertown!” or “My son’s name is not Sally” or even “Count Iggy is Not a Canadian”. Of course, there are still a large number of online businesses and even banks that do not allow passwords longer than 8 characters. This will have to change soon, so you better get ready memorizing that new pass-phrase!

Here’s the link.

I understand you need some votes, but to go as far as to threaten people to actually vote for you in order to keep you far away in Toronto for four more years is going too far.

link

Waking up this morning, I am left wondering: how much more can we take? It seems that every morning there is a new idiotic “green” announcement that makes no economical or ecological sense.

This one involves IKEA, the Green (furniture) Giant. The Swedish company is using one of Ontario’s ill-conceived green energy programs to install 6.4M dollars’ worth of (taxpayer subsidized) solar panels on some of their stores so they can generate energy and claim to be (taxpayer subsidized) “Carbon Neutral”. I say “taxpayer subsidized” because, although the initial investment is covered by IKEA, the good government of Ontario (ie: you) is going to pay IKEA a whopping 71.3¢ for each kilowatt of power produced. At this rate, IKEA will be making back its investment in about 7 years, and since solar panels are good for about 20 years, IKEA will be making good coin off the taxpayer of Ontario for the following 13 years, AND can affix a “prestigious” (for those who still believe) Carbon Neutral statement on their front doors.

And Dalton just stands there and smiles and says this is A-OK.

Next October can’t come soon enough.

I just hope Walmart doesn’t find out…