Why Don’t All Merchants Adopt Two-Factor Authentication?

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Ronster

With all the stories in the media regarding customer accounts being hacked, it makes me wonder what type of authentication protections those merchants have. Of course, the big buzz in security is to enable two-factor authentication wherever possible. I agree … in fact, all my social media accounts (including WordPress), has some type of two factor authentication.

Thanks to Google Authenticator, when I go to Google, WordPress, or Evernote, it will ask me for a second factor of authentication. First is the password on the web site. Once I authenticate there, then it asks me for a second authentication, which I locate on the Google Authenticator app that is on my phone (and only on my phone). Other sites have their own individual two factor authentication scheme. With twitter, when I am prompted for a second authentication, it alerts me on my phone, and I simply do one click on the phone, then it allows the app through. On Facebook, I go into the Facebook app on the phone, and look for the code authenticator, then punch in that code. So as you see, no outside hacker would be able to authenticate as me. The only concern is what if they stole my phone … well, that’s another issue.

For any online merchant, where you would log in for sensitive data, two factor authentication, IMHO, is a must. So Target, Starbucks, why oh why don’t you adopt two-factor authentication? This could have prevented customers having their accounts drained. Now, I’m not saying it would never happen, but it surely would reduce the likelihood of having your account drained, due to someone hacking into your account.

This is one reason why I cringe when I see someone pay at Starbucks with their phone. Even if you have a cute password, it can be hacked. I use a password generator, and I have it changed on a periodic basis. Will this prevent being hacked? No, definitely not, but it’s all about making it harder for someone to hack you. It’s just like locking your bike to a bike rack. Will it prevent someone from stealing your bike? No, but it will make it harder to do.

Bay Area Bike To Work Day 2015

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Ronster

It was Bike to Work Day, Thursday, May 14, 2015. It’s the time of the year to ditch your car, take your bike, and ride into work. Actually, it’s more of a routine for me, since I bike to work nearly every day.

This year, there was forecast of rain, and a possibility that it would dampen the morning commute. However, that did not materialize, and it was still a pleasant ride into work (although a bit cloudy). That did deter a bunch of people from riding in, as some of the volunteers did mention that the turnout was lower than in previous years, due to the threat of rain.

I decided I wanted to get as many free swag as I can possibly get. I planned it the night before, and my goal was 8 Energizer Stations. I made it to 6 of them. I followed the Energizer Station Map to determine my route, but two of them were not out there, nVidia and Marvell. Either they couldn’t make it, or I was looking on the wrong side of their building. I should have stopped by Oracle, as they had a big gourmet spread, but I had to be in the office by 8 am.

: First stop, Kaiser

My first stop was Kaiser on Homestead, and I arrived there around 6:10 am, and much to my surprise, they were there, ready to serve me and greet me. Kudos for them to be out there that early, and they had a pretty nice spread too.

No Smoothies this Year 😦

One of the stops was along the San Tomas Aquino Multi-Use Trail, which in previous years served smoothies. It was pretty funny, because they had a bike, on a trainer, and the drivetrain would also drive the blender. This year, the guy couldn’t find his pitcher, so no smoothies this year.

: Bloom Energy

: Yahoo

We actually had two stations that were very close to work. One was by Bloom Energy, who had a spot right outside of the Sheraton Hotel. The other was Yahoo, and the guy there recognized me from previous years. That was cool.

Hope you all had a great Bike to Work day. It didn’t rain on the ride home either (although I was in the office late enough, where I couldn’t attend the Ride Away From Work bash in San Jose).

Saddle Slip, How Does That Happen?

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Ronster

I was riding along, just getting in some miles before my first climb. It’s a flat stretch along Foothill Expressway, then all of a sudden, I felt something sink. It wasn’t a flat, and it felt like my saddle position dropped. It wasn’t too dramatic, and I decided to keep riding on, until I reached the intersection. I checked, and it looked a little low, and my knees were bent a little more than usual. I better head back, then suddenly, the saddle height dropped quite a bit more … it got to a point where it sank about 1-2 inches. I couldn’t even ride seated.

I proceeded to ride standing … it is difficult to ride without your saddle. I knew it would be tough, but this was ridiculous. I went back to Los Altos Community Center, where I saw Dillon there, getting ready for another Pescadero ride with Steve.

Luckily, Dillon had a torque wrench, specifically designed for the saddle. We loosened it all the way, and even then we had a problem raising the saddle height. If we had this problem changing the saddle vertical position, then how in the world did the saddle height sink? I did a ride the previous day, climbing Saratoga Gap, with a good 40 miles, 4000 foot climb … good thing my saddle didn’t slip while on that ride.

I took the bike over to Bicycle Summit. There was ample grease on the seat post, so it wasn’t a lubrication problem. Perhaps it just wasn’t torque’d down enough. I still find it strange that it suddenly sank on me, and then we had problems raising the saddle height. Oh well … I guess that’s one mystery that will not be solved.

Oh, while I was there, I might as well ask for a torque wrench. The guy goes back, grabs a torque wrench from their tool kit, and gives it to me. Let me say again, he gives it to me – For free. “Are you sure”, I ask … he says they have plenty of them. Really .. Well, that’s customer service for ya!

San Tomas Aquino MUT Closed During Bike to Work Week?

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Ronster

Update: Enough people emailed the water district and prompted them to postpone the maintenance work … so Bike to Work will go on, and still be able to use the San Tomas Aquino MUT.

Simply incredible .. Bike to Work week is next week, and they decide to close San Tomas Aquino MUT (which is the bike trail I usually commute on, to get to work). Huh?

Here’s what the City of Santa Clara web site says:

“The Santa Clara Valley Water District will be conducting maintenance work along the San Tomas Aquino Creek Trail between May 12 and May 15. Sections will be temporarily closed between Highway 237 and Walsh Ave. ”

Of all the times to close the bike trail, they chose bike to work week? WTF???

http://santaclaraca.gov/index.aspx?recordid=3902&page=50

Picked up the Crash Replacement

Posted on May 2, 2015 by Ronster

So I finally decided to go forward with the bike crash replacement. I was thinking of letting it go, but thinking of how smooth the ride is, I had to get a replacement.

I would be getting the Liscio 2, which for the most part is the same as Liscio 1, with the exception of the frame bottom bracket was changed to make it more standard with other components. I decided to also upgrade the disc brakes to TRP Hy-Rd hydraulic disc brakes.