Monday, January 21, 2008

Have you been Phished? Has Your Identity Been Stolen?

Identity thefts due to on-line phishing continues to be a massive problem. Despite both low tech and high tech security strategies introduced by online payment vendors, credit card companies and banks, there still remain 'holes' that attackers can penetrate. These are often referred to as "Man-In-The Middle (MITM) and "Man-In-The Browser" attacks.

Consumers can't really protect against many of these types of incidences-hackers have a variety of ways to perpetrate your PC and lift your info--the most common of course is sending you an email that appears to be from your bank, from PayPal or from Amazon. Even the most experienced computer industry execs have been tricked into clicking on those links and supplying 'correct billing info".

We've just heard about KeyID, a new company that has come up with a very interesting solution that banks and credit card companies can integrate into their systems and otherwise add a completely new level of protection for their customers... We'll keep you updated as we hear more about KeyID !

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Marketing and the Presidential Campaign

For those following my musings, you'll know that I have a tendency to be acerbic--but I try to stay away from political opining--and leave that to Bill Maher and Rupert Murdoch's Bill OReilly--as I don't need to risk potential consulting clients to be offended by my personal political viewpoints.

With that said, the current Presidential campaign, and particularly Mike Huckabee's comments today suggesting that his God supercedes the US Constitution has ignited my need to opine.

Have we gone so far off the path of common reason that more than 100 responsible, educated people would even consider voting for someone that suggests that religous beliefs should supercede the US Constitution. When and if the US Govt gives me back the right to vote, the odds of my voting Republican are pretty close to zilch, but if I had to choose, Ron Paul would be my fav.
I chuckled when I saw Huckabee's "Christmas" ad--but today's salvo compelled me to reach for Alka-Seltzer.. Is this guy a total lunatic?

Sure--I'm an east coast, quasi liberal. Harry Truman was my Dad's favorite President. But I can be a switch hitter--as I truly believe that party affiliation is less important than the personal perspectives of the top gun with his finger on the button.

I will always believe that Jack Kennedy was an inspiration for his and generations yet to come, that Ronald Reagan was a lousy screen actor, but smart enough to surround himself with very smart people; that Gerald Ford might have tripped on stairs--but he was a true American hero--that Jimmy Carter was the second worst President of the last 30 years--George W winning the trophy for that title--and that Obama should have changed his name if he wanted to be a serious consideration.

My fav would be Mike Bloomberg (notwithstanding his being a meglomaniac of sorts)--but alas, this country isn't ready to elect a Jewish person to the highest office--and its becoming ever more doubtful that we're mature enough to elect a woman or a person of color.

Lesson to be learned--any worthwhile contender for the highest political office necessarily needs to be politically astute--and his/her "message" will have to be re-engineered/tweaked to appeal to the targeted audience. The risk in overtweaking--or posturing a message that is so obviously designed to 'sell' one particular audience, and then changing it the next day to appeal to another audience is one that few people can afford to take. And right now, none of the candidates have demonstrated the ability to manage that kind of risk. There's a guy named Putin looking for a job--his posture is more appealing than Huckabee's. Mike-time for you to bow out and leave it to Mitch and John to duke it out. Sorry Rudy-you were never a realistic choice, and I'm a New Yorker that lost 10 good friends in the WTC on 9-11.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Cornel Bucks Privacy Concern-Stands Out in Outing Troubled Students

Let's give a round of applause to Cornell University--and their innovative approach to making sure that troubled (and potentially suicidal students) are under constant watch--and when even the slightest hints of danger are displayed, parents are the first to be called. This is a philosphy that every single school in teh country should be taking--as opposed to nambsy pamsy fear of violation of privacy laws---and in fact--universities that incorporate programs similar to Cornell's should be receiving federal grants--and those that don't should be losing their federal grants .

There. I said it... Ron Paul---are you listening?

Buffet To Start Bond Insurer--Marketing Coup By Branding Genius

Warren Buffet only gets better with age.. And the stock price for Berkshire is miles higher than any other company--not only because it trades at $135,000 per share--but because Warren is uniquely masterful at identifying opportunities and leveraging the power of brand integrity.

Seizing the moment-Buffet is launching a municipal bond insurer--in a time when every other competitor is on the ropes as a result of investments in mortgage debt---he's starting with a totally clean slate, an over capitalized balance sheet, and the integrity of the Berkshire brand. Our bet is that in two years, this new company will be bigger than Ambac and MBIA combined.