Episodes
Thursday Mar 29, 2018
Browse Without Being Tracked | Interview with Trip Elix
Thursday Mar 29, 2018
Thursday Mar 29, 2018
Trip Elix has worked as an investigator and associated with business leaders along with the computer underground. He has been a computer forensic technician; security consultant, administrator, programmer, and system analyst, who has used or owned almost every version of every operating system used since the 1980’s. He currently attends security conferences held by the computer underground including Defcon, Hope, and Bsides. Learn more about Trip at www.tripelix.com and download his free guide “Browse Without Being Tracked” – which is discussed during this episode of The Safety Doc Podcast. HACKERS ARE NOT THE BAD GUYS. Trip states, “People often forget that Facebook itself was written and maintained by hackers. For the most part they do the right thing.” He regularly attends conferences for hackers and shares that the emphasis of such events is to find vulnerabilities in software – including a “capture the flag” challenge. The goal, as some in the general public might assume, is not to trade industry secrets on how to harvest personal data or extort individuals or companies. This is a misperception. Many companies, including the popular computer security firm Malwarebytes, openly welcomes and encourages independent researchers to report vulnerabilities in products and often reward the researchers with hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Mr. Elix notes that there are “bad actors” in any profession, but for the most part, we should recognize that computer hackers are well-meaning individuals that alert companies to gaps in their electronic security protocols. I recall the 1983 fictional movie WarGames in which a high school student unwittingly hacks into a military supercomputer while searching for new video games. He ultimately contributes to closing a system loophole that could have brought upon the rogue launch of ballistic missiles. With all of this being said, Trip certainly brings awareness to the intersection of large corporations and harvesting personal data. YOUR CHILD’S DATA IS FOR SALE AT A BARGAIN PRICE. Trip works extensively to protect the privacy of children and in 2017 released “Protecting Kids Online!: Keeping Them Safe from Perverts, Stalkers, Data Thieves and Scammers.” The book is available in multiple formats on Amazon or from his website. He states, “Being spooked by your own devices is not OK. The sanctuary of our homes is being invaded by companies that sell what we do and it not just what you do online. Children’s information is for sale. Anyone can the buy the name, address, and phone number of the children in your neighborhood. The same companies that bring us spam, harassing telephone calls and junk mail are now endangering our children. You don’t have to put up with any of it there are things you can do.” Mr. Elix exposes the abuses of those that are using big data to threaten our lives and are the direct causes of Identity theft for millions. He explains to Dr. Perrodin that for the price of a few postage stamps, a parent can become empowered by mailing the primary data brokers a letter directing them to not sell their child’s information. YOU STILL NEED A SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILE. Dr. Perrodin identified a trend in school safety to encourage youth to abandon, or greatly limit, use of social media. While such a measure might seem to have surface merit, Mr. Elix quickly counters that the absence of a social media profile could be detrimental to youth during the college admission or job application process. Instead, he lays out a plan to build a robust, social-media-competent profile for youth including a non-political blog – perhaps about a hobby, cooking or anything that won’t be subject to a skewed interpretation due to the shifting sands of time. He also offers a blueprint for developing a safer social media profile for children under the age of 14. This is absolutely vital knowledge decreasing the risk that a child might become the target of a groomer. A RIGHT TO PROPERTY. Trip begins the show with the story of how his entire neighborhood had been the target of an identity thief. This admission seems counter-intuitive given Mr. Elix’s deft knowledge of privacy protection, yet it reveals that countless companies collect our information and sell it to the highest bidder. And, that information is then packaged per specific subset characteristics and legally re-sold to data miners for as little as $15. He urges people to explore the website “Mailing List Finder” to discover that over 60,000 postal, email and telephone mailing lists from more than 1,400 vendors are for sale to anyone. Your personal data is on those lists! The site address is https://lists.nextmark.com/ Trip’s 2015 book, “A Right to Property – It is your information” has received glowing reviews. It is available in multiple formats on Amazon or his website. LEARN THE SECRETS THAT THE HACKERS USE TO LIVE UNDER THE RADAR. Several of these questions and points are discussed during this punchy episode: (1) Who is tracking us and why, it is not only our own government; (2) Why privacy isn’t about hiding anything and how apathy can make you a victim; (3) What’s the first sign that your personal and private info is at risk; (4) What is a data pimp; (5) How is artificial intelligence going to affect us; (6) Are government agencies, our leaders, America’s infrastructure, the corporate world doing anything to protect us; (7) What’s the single most effective thing people can do to protect themselves; (8) What do you think of those loyalty cards given out by everyone from gas stations to casinos; (9) How can you stop companies from selling your info; (10) Why do you say that hackers are actually protecting us? FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com David will respond to comments & emails. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests and do not reflect positions of The 405 Media or supporters of “The Safety Doc Podcast”. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. Email David: thesafetydoc@gmail.com LOOKING FOR DR. TIMOTHY LUDWIG, PHD? Dr. Perrodin’s “Safety Doc Podcast” negotiates school and community safety. To be informed about industrial safety, please contact Appalachian State University Professor Dr. Timothy Ludwig, PhD, at www.safety-doc.com. LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS EPISODE'S GUEST: www.tripelix.com
Friday Mar 16, 2018
Rituals Make Us Stronger | Interview with TJ Martinell
Friday Mar 16, 2018
Friday Mar 16, 2018
Author/Writer/Reporter/Outdoorsman TJ Martinell appraises routines, rituals and experiences versus accumulation of "stuff". Embracing an authentic, minimalism-grounded lifestyle from his svelte-outfitted cabin, TJ suggests that finding yourself begins with reconnaissance and locating the empirical origins of both ancestry and philosophical epistemology. Making the world perceptible, TJ describes his pilgrimage to view the US Constitution or stand upon the "ghostly" battlefield soil of Gettysburg. TJ’S BOOKS & CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE 10th AMENDMENT CENTER. As an accomplished author, his 2016 novel "The Stringers" seemingly foreshadowed the current kleptocrat implants that sift, winnow, blot and skew the narratives mainstream media reporters feed to an information-saturated and knowledge-starved public. Imagine a [future] time when the contraband is information and censorship is commonplace. A contributor to the Tenth Amendment Center, TJ reminds listeners that per the 10th Amendment, the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or the people. This emerges as a fascinating segment of the show as TJ helps us to understand that we are passively surrendering our rights simply due to insufficient education and activism of the 10th Amendment. Learn more about this specific topic at http://tenthamendmentcenter.com/ RITUALS or ROUTINES. TJ and David share their interests and disdain for professional sports as they build a foundation for a discussion to address the confabulation of routines with rituals. TJ questions the one-sided vesting of a sports fanatic and how this desire for some distorted sense of tribal collectiveness, or simply to be a part of a group (fans), does not advance the individual. There is no accomplishment in wearing another man’s jersey. Painting your face blue before each home game is a ritual although it holds no practical value. David pokes fun at the scant amenities provided to fans by a 1980s Lambeau Field – home of the Green Bay Packers. He shares the thrill of a new out-of-town scoreboard added to the stadium in the early 1990s – still pre-dating the first video board. Routines are performed as part of a regular procedure rather than for a special occasion. TJ shared that he often smokes a pipe when he achieves the summit of a climb (a ritual) – and that preparing a pipe is actually much more intricate than the simple strike of a match per Sherlock Holmes tobacco acumen. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT RISK... David cites the recent cancellation of an 8th grade class trip in Ohio due to "perceived" terrorism risks as a frightening precedence of conveying to young adults that it is not safe to engage in reconnaissance and authentic experiences. TJ framed a deft counter argument to the parents seeking nullification of the trip by underscoring that risk at the center of founding the country. Per TJ, "We believe that you seeing these things are worth it because they didn't come without risks. When the Declaration of Independence was signed, these men were likely signing their own death warrants had they lost the war. Explain that the documents matter as they were worth the risk of founding the United States of America." TJ argues that the crux at making a decision should not only be "is this safe" - as Jack London's biography would support that adventure and experience bring richness to life and risk will always be a part of the human experience - by choice or by chance. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com David will respond to comments & emails. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests and do not reflect positions of The 405 Media or supporters of “The Safety Doc Podcast”. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. Email David: thesafetydoc@gmail.com LOOKING FOR DR. TIMOTHY LUDWIG, PHD? Dr. Perrodin’s “Safety Doc Podcast” negotiates school and community safety. To be informed about industrial safety, please contact Appalachian State University Professor Dr. Timothy Ludwig, PhD, at www.safety-doc.com. LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS EPISODE'S GUEST: www.tjmartinell.com TJ’s BOOKS on AMAZON https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=TJ+Martinell
Wednesday Feb 28, 2018
First Upon An Accident | Interview with Justin Dooley
Wednesday Feb 28, 2018
Wednesday Feb 28, 2018
Justin Dooley shares his harrowing experience of arriving first to a gruesome motorcycle accident scene while donned in formal wedding attire. In the second half of the show, he challenges Safety Doc Podcast host David Perrodin to select the best safety items to keep in a car. This episode addresses the moral and practical considerations of stopping to render assistance at a vehicle accident. Ultimately, is the best option to remain in your vehicle and dial 911? Jumper cables, a window hammer, revolutionizing potable water storage, glowing cats and traversing the town at night in a full black running suit – don’t miss this episode of the ages! TO STOP OR NOT TO STOP. Justin mentions the moral check that crossed his mind as he arrived upon a man who had wiped out his motorcycle on a busy road. With little mental wrangling, Justin defaulted to stopping to lend help to the injured man. Upon reflection, David and Justin surface numerous personal safety issues one is exposed to when trying to assist at the scene of accident. What if the victim becomes combative? What if an inattentive driver hits you? How about the new powerful mind-altering drugs that penetrate traditional gloves – is this person impaired due to an overdose? Am I opening myself to liability by being a part of this? WHAT TO DO AT AN ACCIDENT? Justin shares how the injured man just wanted a towel to keep the sun from his eyes. With regret, Justin, who has, but does not endorse, a Snuggie, did not have a towel. The instinct to rush to someone’s aid can be at one’s own peril. David recalls that during his firefighter training he was instructed to never step off a rig without first surveying the scene for downed power lines. Surprisingly, many bystanders retrieve their phones and record the scene as if capturing footage for a documentary. David suggests taking a few photos of the scene to potentially assist police in understanding the context before vehicles or people are moved and to also document license plates in case someone flees. WHEN TO CALL 911? As the show progressed it became apparent that the best course of action upon arriving at an accident was to find a safe place to pull over and then dial 911 – especially in construction zones with very narrow shoulders. Describe what you see to the 911 dispatcher, your location (this can be quickly ascertained if you have a GPS or OnStar), and then ask the 911 dispatcher what you should do. Should you try to position your car to serve as a buffer between the victim and traffic? How about checking on the vital signs of the victim? Does following the dispatcher’s suggestions provide you with a layer of legal protection? TOP 7 SAFETY ITEMS FOR YOUR VEHICLE. Generated from a hybrid list of the suggestions by Justin and David, the following were deemed to be the top safety items to keep in your vehicle: first aid kit; tire pump; jumper cables; industrial glow stick; Snuggie; portable phone charger; and window smasher! FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts RSS feed. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com David will respond to comments & emails. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests and do not reflect positions of The 405 Media or supporters of “The Safety Doc Podcast”. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. Email David: thesafetydoc@gmail.com LOOKING FOR DR. TIMOTHY LUDWIG, PHD? Dr. Perrodin’s “Safety Doc Podcast” negotiates school and community safety. To be informed about industrial safety, please contact Appalachian State University Professor Dr. Timothy Ludwig, PhD, at www.safety-doc.com.