Fire-Wired Blog

This article was first published by  dmcityview.com Horror films are commonly built around characters that do things that seem destined to fail disastrously. Whether it’s the 1958 horror classic “The Fly” about a scientist whose teleporter crosses his DNA with a fly, or next week’s “The Lazarus Effect” about researchers who concoct a method to reanimate recently deceased living beings, common sense rarely exists in the horror genre. With that said, if these fictional characters could protest, I’m sure they’d all say their experiments started with mankind’s best intentions in mind. In the real world, several innovations follow this same storyline (think napalm and DDT), and if I were to pick one modern invention that may slowly be turning from societal gift to oppressive burden, it might be Wi-Fi. The ability to network electronic devices and gadgets via wireless connections has been an absolute godsend to modern living. Phones, televisions, computers, remotes, cars, watches, ca...

This article was first published by  dmcityview.com Can anyone truly prepare for a crisis? One can purchase insurance, open a rainy day savings account or plan an escape route in case of a fire. But being prepared for a crisis, in a way, changes the very definition of the word. For instance, imagine reaching for your phone and not only being locked out from using it, but the screen is showing someone making huge purchases, controlling your device remotely. Being hacked is the most modern digital crisis imaginable. Sure, you have a passcode on your phone or virus protection software on your computer, but if either fails, you will likely find yourself helpless to whims of whatever has impinged on your digital liberties. The Urbandale hack Doug Stillwell, superintendent of the Urbandale School District, knows the feeling all too well. Doug Stillwell, superintendent of the Urbandale School District Around 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2014 — approximately the time most...