The Day Before Google I/O I'm All In

Tomorrow is Google's annual developer conference, Google I/O, a rite of passage for any serious developer. One in which I've yet been able to attend. Well, there's always next year.

Leading into this years conference I've decided to make a few changes in my social networking usage and strategy. Not just for me personally, but also for my business.

I'm going all in on Google and in particular Google Plus.

At What Point do Cyber Attacks Turn Into a Conventional War?

If you're an online business or a person of interest, then at some point someone has tried to hack into your computer or your organizations computers.

This past week Mandiant, an information security company, released a report that exposed one of China's government cyber espionage units. China for its part vehemently denied the report.

"APT1 is among dozens of threat groups Mandiant tracks around the world, and one of more than twenty attributed to China that are engaged in computer intrusion activities," said Kevin Mandia, Mandiant's chief executive officer. "Given the sheer amount of data this particular group has stolen, we decided it was necessary to arm and prepare as many organizations as possible to prevent additional losses."

Observation Log September 24, 2012 - The moon, the Double Double, Jupiter and the Pleiades

This is a new feature I'm starting on my site as I've decided to get back into astronomy. As a young boy I was given my first telescope when I was 10. Throughout my teens I observed, when I could, and enjoyed it. Some of my fondest memories are from viewing at our home on the West Island of Montreal looking at Orion or Saturn in the frigid winter months with the crisp clear air. But then, as is the case with many people who don't make astronomy their careers, you move on to other things that dominate your life.

Important: Securing Your Data

You may have heard about this or not. Regardless there are some important lessons here. Last week a prominent writer for Wired had his account hacked. While accounts getting hacked is not unusual what was learned from this hack was disturbing to say the least.

I know many people are lax when it comes to Internet security and passwords. But if you get hacked there is a steep price to pay. A little vigilance goes a long way. The writer who was hacked wasn't even specifically targeted other than the hacker liked his short Twitter account name. So it can happen to anyone.

My First Book - Join me on the Journey

For several years now I've toyed with the idea of writing a novel. Many years ago I even attended a writers festival when I lived in Vancouver. The festival itself did not inspire me, or set me on the path to be a novelist. Now though, I've decided to write my first book. Why not follow me on my journey?

I've never attempted to write anything longer than a feature piece, say up to 4000 words, which I've published online and in my magazine Space Quarterly. Those works relate to my job and are non-fiction.

However at various times the last few years I've outlined ideas for a few novels, both fiction and non-fiction. I've done little research on what it takes to be a novelist. I'm already a writer, but the transition to novelist is going to be an exhilarating, liberating and probably trying experience at times.

I'm going to have to learn the technical side of writing a novel along with managing the flow of ideas and storyline.