2016-08-11 Core: hackers and podcasts

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
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Homework: read the article on p. 99 and do parts 2, 3, and 4 on p. 98
part 2 - the first definition
part 3
1 They look for weak points in security systems and fix them or share how to fix them.
2 They are not young geeks trying to gain illegal access to things.
3 They also look at other kinds of security such as physical and electronic locks.
4 They pass the information onto the companies that can plug the security holes.
5 The mix of cultures and appearances and the fact that they’re not interested in the usual signs of social status.
6 It is a cyber game of network attack and defense.
7 They are ignorant about security issues (and use the same password for 90% of their online existence).
8 They try to prove who is better and they are passionate about online freedom and privacy.

white hat / black hat hackers - White hats try to find security problems to help fix them, while black hats try to exploit them.
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https://www.wired.com/2015/07/hackers-remotely-kill-jeep-highway/ - Even modern cars (that are not completely automated) can be hacked and disabled--by someone with no physical access.
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Password tips:
- Use a passphrase instead of a password. (Sentences are usually pretty easy to remember.)
- Use the first letters of every word in a sentence if you can’t type the whole sentence.
	(Utfloewiasiycttws)
- Use a password manager (which remembers your passwords so you don’t have to).
- Use a password hash program to generate a secure password from a keyword and a master password.
	(https://milliways.cryptomilk.org/passhash.html)
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What else can you do to protect your information?
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p. 98 part 6 - In summary (in one sentence of your own words), what is the writer’s opinion about these things.
1 They place more importance on knowledge than appearance, which the writer finds refreshing.
2 It has to be improved because sadly, we have few tools to protect ourselves now.
3 They’re good people passionate about our online freedom and they want to protect our privacy.
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Idioms with “break”

part 8 - Decide what the bold expressions mean in each sentence. Then try to guess or find out why the expression has this meaning (especially “break the mold”).
1 d
2 b (When you “warm up” to people and get to know them, the interaction is no longer “cold”, so you have “broken the ice”.)
3 a (“mold” as in what’s used to cast an object from metal or something, so if a thing is very different from usual, it can’t use the same mold)
	(Contrarily, we also have the expression, “cast from the same mold”.)
4 e
5 c
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paragraph 2 - “a gross misrepresentation” - what does “gross” mean here?
	big, excessive (It can also mean “disgusting”, which is not totally separate from this expression.)
paragraph 6 - “strewn everywhere” - “strewn” = thrown or scattered (messily or haphazardly)
paragraph 6 - “the room is mesmerizing” - “mesmerizing” = hypnotic or captivating
dim = without much light
dimly lit = lit, but not very brightly
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BREAK
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p. 100 - Podcasts
“podcast” = pod + (broad)cast, “pod” as in iPod, which was the first really popular portable mp3 player
What kinds of news and reports/discussions most interest you? Why?
part 2 - What is happening in the photo?
part 3 - Listen and answer these questions (and decide what type of news report it is)
1 They knew that the light came from phytoplankton, a type of small sea creature.
2 The movement of the water causes electrical signals to make chemical reactions in the phytoplankton.
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Hedging language
If you hedge a bet, it means you make another bet to avoid losing too much money.
If you hedge your statements, it means you use additional words to avoid losing too much face.

(Hedging language, together with passive reporting verbs, can sometimes include “weasel words”, which misleadingly give the appearance of neutrality or objectivity but are intentionally vague. “Many scientists believe…” - which scientists? “It is believed that…” - believed by whom?)

part 4 - match the hedging expressions from the box with the statements that follow them
1 arguably
2 tend to
3 which suggests that
4 Perhaps
5 It seems that
6 It’s reasonable to assume
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It’s reasonable to say this.
It’s not unreasonable to say this.

It’s good.
It’s not bad.

This kind of statement can be understatement or hedging.
“It wouldn’t be terrible,” can mean either, “It would be amazing”, or “It wouldn’t be great, but I could live with it.”
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In groups of three, talk about what type of podcast you could prepare for tomorrow. (What’s the theme? What topic will you talk about? Remember that you can be as specific or general as you want.)
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p. 102-103 - “Talking dictionaries”
parts 1-4
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Homework: Look up additional information you will need for the podcast you planned.