Erase? Of Course!

commenting on the Malaysian pilot's computer files:

"If the the computer has been intentionally wiped, then you know there is something that the owner of the computer wants to conceal from someone"

- Christopher Voss
former FBI Special Agent
one of the lead agents in the TWA 800 crash investigation 

You bet.  I use the open-source program Eraser to erase every file I intentionally erase.  You mean you don't?

I even erase innocuous files.  If I only erased files with private data, then someone hacking in would have an easier time figuring out what to try to unerase.  By erasing everything, I hope to add to a hacker's confusion.

And yes, I guess I'd have to confess that I erase my files because I own the computer and I want to conceal the files from pretty much everyone.  If I could figure out how to do it while still accessing the files for myself, I'd erase my current files.   Frankly it's none of their (whoever they are) business.

I also shred pretty much every piece of paper with my name on it or any information about me on it.

                                                                 

Paperwork Reduction

Happy Tax Day Everyone!

Hope everyone is done and relaxed for the rest of the year now.

I was looking at some of the forms and was struck by the prevalence of the paperwork reduction act notices.  Yes, they've been there for years, but I guess I have too much time on my hands now.

But I was curious so I counted the pieces of paper that are my 2012 returns. 
A whopping 26 pages.

That is both federal and state and to be fair, that 1 page return was when NJ didn't have an income tax. 

How much paper to produce those 26 pages?  88 pieces of paper.  W-2, 1099, charitable donation receipts, etc. etc. 

Whew.  Glad we've reduced all that paper.

Back in the 60s my tax return was a single piece of paper.  True I have investments I didn't have back then and I didn't own a house etc.  This is my 1967 tax return.

That's it.  Eleven pieces of information.  Address is item 1 and my refund is line 11.  Now that's paperwork reduction.

Mommy, I feel sick today

from the New York Times:

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton suffered a concussion early last week after fainting and striking her head, the State Department disclosed on Saturday.

As a result, she will not testify as scheduled on Thursday before Congressional committees investigating the September attack on the American diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya.

. . .

Acting on the advice of her doctors, Mrs. Clinton will not go to the State Department this week but will work from home, the State Department said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/us/politics/hillary-clinton-concussion.html?smid=pl-share

Hmmm

Only a week working at home? 

That leaves about a month left as Secretary of State.  That of course assumes that Obama appoints Kerry to start as soon as his second term starts.  Now Congress might quit for Christmas within a week so I guess Hillary's exposure is only about 2 1/2 weeks.

What will be her excuse when Congress is back in session after the new year?  "My dog ate my testimony"?