Thoughts of Dan

When I was a kid we went to Congregation B'nai Israel in Galveston, Texas. You wouldn't think it, but Galveston has an old congregation by Texas standards and a beautiful Temple built by one of the great leaders in Texas Jewish history, Rabbi Henry Cohen . Every year we would do the first Passover seder at the Temple with a hundred other people. It was wonderful to share this OLD tradition and hear from elders in the temple about their Passovers in the past. But of course kids look forward to one thing more than anything else during Passover. I remember Rabbi Stahl in 1974 standing in the center of the room, surrounded by the children, their eyes wide with anticipation. "Children, the afikomen you are about to search for is not just a piece of matzah. It represents a significant part of our Passover tradition. The seder, this special meal that tells our story of freedom, cannot continue without the return of the afikomen. It's a symbol of redemption and hope, reminding...

Throughout the Star Wars saga, the Force manifests in various mysterious ways. It guides, it connects, and sometimes, it influences. One of the most controversial and debated relationships in the series is that of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala. Their love story seemed rushed and, to many fans, somewhat inauthentic. Was it truly love or was there an unseen Force at play? Unintended Influence and Late Training Anakin Skywalker was discovered by Qui-Gon Jinn at a much older age than most Jedi initiates. As a result, Anakin began his training with a raw, uncontrolled connection to the Force. Unlike his peers, who were trained from infancy to hone and control their abilities, Anakin had unknowingly relied on the Force in various aspects of his life, sometimes not for the better. It is entirely plausible that his strong and uncontrolled emotions towards Padmé inadvertently created a Force bond. This bond may have made her feel a deeper connection to him than she othe...

Abstract This white paper proposes a novel " supertoken " authentication system that incorporates multi-vendor verification. The supertoken system allows users to authenticate with multiple authorities, and then utilize this supertoken to verify their identity across various web platforms. This enhances security measures and mitigates the risk of a single password compromise or impersonation, by leveraging multi-vendor checks for user validation. 1. Introduction As the digital landscape continues to expand and evolve, the need for robust and secure authentication mechanisms has never been greater. Traditionally, users log in to each platform separately, exposing them to multiple points of vulnerability. A breach in any single platform could potentially lead to unauthorized access to user's data. Our supertoken system addresses this challenge by introducing multi-vendor authentication, creating a unified and secured method of user verification. 2. Multi-Vendor Authenticati...

Shield Your Wallet: The Importance of RFID Blocking Cards in Preventing Remote Skimming  tl;dr  Buy this for $10, protect 4 wallets. RFID Blocking Wallet Inserts In our increasingly connected world, technological advancements have revolutionized the way we carry out daily tasks. From contactless payments to smart transportation systems, convenience has become paramount. However, as we embrace these innovations, we must also remain vigilant about the potential risks they may pose. One such risk is remote skimming, a threat that can compromise the security of our financial information. Thankfully, there is a simple and effective solution at hand: RFID blocking cards . In this blog post, we'll delve into the world of remote skimming, exploring why you should consider adding an RFID blocking card to your wallet for enhanced protection. Understanding Remote Skimming: Remote skimming, also known as RFID skimming, is a technique employed by malicious individuals to steal sensitive da...

One of the big hassles in starting a non-profit is the pain in the ass of setting up a bank account.  Most of the big players have high fees. In my last nonprofit we were constantly being hamstrung by Truist, who is among the worst banks in the world, at least for nonprofits.  I'm not kidding when I say I had to go into their physical office over 8 times. So this time I recently opened an Business Advantage Fundamentals account with Bank Of America for my new non-profit Let.Live .  BoA is a giant multinational bank -- but that has some good and bad this associated with.  Some of the best things about a giant bank are excellent security, stability and services.  BofA isn't going to do a First Republic on you. The bad things about BofA And because they are really a big bank, they know how to do everything WELL. I never had to go into an office -- we did everything over the phone. Contrast that to Truist where I had to be physically in a branch in Virginia at the ...

Friends, My time at People for Liberty has come to an end. I'm very proud of the work I did there and what I accomplished with my colleagues.  PFL is continuing on, and I wish them every success. I am seeking new adventures. I'm available for contract work or potentially more. I've also got a few irons that have been in the fire for quite a while, and I'm looking forward to turning them. I'll be writing more on twitter  and here.