Wages Vs Gifts

  

I just returned from an interesting discussion with my youngest grandson over breakfast. I made the young man oatmeal as he asked on my mornings when I do not have to go to my dialysis treatments. It all started with a question. "Papi, what do wages mean?" I told him it is a payment for something one does. "You understand that. No, Papi." Well, if one performs a service, that service is paid by a wage, meaning it is earned. "But what are you referring to?" Death Papi, what are the wages of death? OHHHHH, that's where you are going. So, I started "The wages of sin is death" (and my grandson finished the scripture by memory). After hiding the proud moment, I was having at the time. I then asked, what would that be if someone got something they did not work for and was done out of caring for another? After several perplexing moments where he blurted out what he thought I was thinking about to no avail, I said if I gave you five bucks to go to the store to buy whatever you wanted, what would that be? Several wrong answers later. I kept hammering at the question trying to make him think. OK, let's try this if you did something well, and I wanted to give you something, what would that be? "a reward" Yes, but what else would it be? He then had a look; you know this look (????????) OK, if it is your birthday and you get something you like, what would that be, he answered a present. Tell me the memory verse again, and we will figure it out. So, we said it together. The wages of sin is death, but the Gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our lord. Now what is what you get just because? After looking at him with that (I don't get it to look), I said OK, say the scripture and see if you can get it. The wages of sin is death but the Gift. (the what?) the Gift (let's say that again), the Gift of god. OK, so what is it? (Computing noises for a second or two) it's a gift. There you do, son. It's a gift. And now, what is a gift? Do you get a gift for working? Before you answer, I'll tell you work is work and deserves a wage, so it's never a gift because you have to do something. (Trust me on that one). So, what is a gift? Is it something because you deserve it (no Papi)? OK, what then is it? Is it something I get just because I'm here (or words to that effect)? All right then, now we know that wages are for work and you earned it and not deserving of it; we also know that a gift is given just because, but because what exactly? Because you are giving it to me for free because I am here, and……  Because I'm your grandson and you love me. There you go. Good, so if we get wages, it means we worked for it and earned it, but a gift is because of no other reason than the father, and in my case, the grandfather wants to give it to you; it's free and without any other reason that you are a son. Are we good now? Yes. I thanked him because he gave me something to write about today. I want to thank his teachers at church because it caused him to continue to ask questions that will serve him well in and outside of the faith.

Easy password Security

     

                                                         Easy Password Security

  At some time, I'm certain we are all obsessed with the different passwords and codes one uses daily. I'm a retired systems administrator for a military medical clinic, which will stay anonymous. I have various passwords that I must have for the numerous systems for which I was responsible. I have a password system compatible with all military security protocols that are extremely easy to form and store securely. Two capitalized, two lowercase, two numbers, and. two special characters. This secret phrase strategy can appear overwhelming, yet it isn't as convoluted as it looks. I don't mean passwords in the usual sense. What I mean are passphrases. Something easy to recollect yet complex to translate and copy. That combined with an encrypted location (also password protected) to store them if one has upward of 7 to 10 passwords to remember. More on that later.

    Passphrases are the way to an important thought. Here is an example of a passphrase "!TH@Magn@Charta1215" This passphrase has all the components and the intricacy that is ideally suited for the current security conventions. The secret phrase above alludes to a verifiable occasion, location, or historical event. The Magna Carta was a document that was signed in 1215 AD. Notice what it isn't. It isn't your little girl's birthday or her name spelled in reverse. Not an occasion can't be straightforwardly connected with any individual or is accessible in a data set with anybody as a subject of that pursuit. The magnificence of this is that it is extraordinary to the essayist and has vast conceivable outcomes. It isn't attached to reality. The occasions can be fictitious, for example, (for Star Trek fans) [!TH@K0b@ya$h1M@ru], or Something almost identical and less perplexing. !TH@S1xD@yW@r67. (! The six-day war, 67)

     Having numerous passphrases available can be overwhelming; however, There are secure areas in one's work area where they are saved. In Windows, an encrypted password-protected folder can be created on the desktop to store the password list if it cannot be remembered. An application in the Microsoft Office suite makes securing an encrypted file easier. In the OneNote app, there is a provision for a secure file that can contain a list of passwords. Be sure a backup of the data is available in the event that it is forgotten, as it is difficult or impossible to recover if that event. Forgetting one's password and the complications can be tricky, but any security is better than no security.    Remember, numerous applications require passwords, and the number of applications that require complex passwords is expanding rapidly.   As stated previously, I used to work on a military network. We have Common Access Cards that allow entry into the secure network. So many of my colleagues had password lists under their desks that contain the passwords they use daily. This policy of keeping hard copy lists is a bad security posture. It can lead to a disaster if not managed correctly. I spread this message to my colleagues and customers; some have taken that advice to heart.