Through the Keyhole - November 2021

 

IT Services - Business Consulting - Digital Marketing NOV 2021 Through the Keyhole Take a break from your day... Not your typical company OR newsletter

"This landscape was made famous by something that changed the world this month in 1963.  It is a bustling city with great people, big attitudes and cowboys.  And if you like BBQ, then this city is for you."  Can you guess the location? November has arrived... Well November is here and the days are growing shorter...  My favorite day is the winter solstice where we have the sun setting at 3:30pm (just kidding).  I don't know anyone who likes little daylight.  This time of year you need to remember to take some vitamin D to supplement the lack of sunlight and natural absorption of it. Obviously, this month has Thanksgiving which is a very nice day where no matter what race, religion or creed you you follow. It is a great day to get together with family and friends to watch football, and eat too much.  Incidentally, the table pictured above is not my house. I think it was something from the Hallmark Channel. Speaking of Hallmark...GAME ON. Did you know that the full moon in November is traditionally called the Beaver Moon in the US?  I didn't either.  I also find it interesting that November is National Nutrition Month.  Pass me some more dressing... The weather in November is starting to get a bit intense, too! For those in the northern hemisphere, fall is coming to an end, the last leaves are falling, and it’s getting quite cold out. November is unsurprisingly quite different for those who live in the southern hemisphere. Temperatures are already ramping up with the beginning of summer just around the corner. By now you’ve hopefully dusted off the barbecue and cleaned the pool, as they’ll be the stars of your home for the next few months!  For our South African employees, they have the good months ahead! Like every other month of the year, November has plenty to show for itself. November’s name has remained unchanged since the ancient Roman calendar, which was in use until 45 BC. This first Roman calendar was only made up of ten months, with November being the ninth month. November actually translates rather appropriately into “ninth month” in Latin. When the Julian calendar was adopted in 45 BC two new months were added, which pushed November back to the 9th Despite its change in position, November was never renamed. November 3, 1957, was a historic day for both Soviet Russia and the world. It was on this day that the first spacecraft carrying a live passenger was successfully launched into space. The passenger was Leika the dog, an unassuming looking stray pooch who had been found on the streets of Moscow. The Soviets used stray dogs in their tests because they assumed that they would be used to the hunger and cold that they would inevitably experience in outer space.  Yeah right. It's also "Movember" so start growing that facial hair guys. William Shakespeare apparently wasn’t all too fond of November. Hailed as one of the all-time greatest writers of English literature, Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets and 37 plays which are still in production today. In all of the works that Shakespeare wrote the month of November isn’t mentioned a single time.  I never really liked reading Bill Spear... While this can be a bit of a depressing concept, it’s good to keep in mind that while winter is coming, so are the first days of snow!   Who Won Halloween?  WOAH. Important Message About SECURITY   Real threats are happening to every computer network on the planet. In the past 12 months alone there has been a 718% increase in ransomware attacks. These ransomware attacks impact businesses every 11 seconds with 30% of all breaches impacting small businesses. It is ALARMING to see this trend. Unfortunately, it is not a matter of IF your network will be attacked but rather a question of WHEN… TURNkey has some very powerful tools deployed on your network to fight these criminals right now. However, there are additional measures that can be taken to ‘level up’ your protection. Imagine having a team of security specialists constantly hunting threats on your network 24x7x365. No matter if it is Christmas morning or Sunday at 3 am, they are actively monitoring, hunting and resolving threats in real time. This team of people (based in Indianapolis) are constantly leveraging the technology already deployed on your network to ‘super charge’ its effectiveness on your behalf. When a threat is found, it is eliminated. Seamless protection, all happening in the background of your network. The cost of this real time threat hunting service (called Sophos Managed Threat Response) is $11/user per month and during the month of October, we are waiving the $500 setup fee. Also, having this service deployed on your network may give your company favorable rates for cyber insurance. Quite simply, this type of service is best of breed and unbelievably effective. It is very important to remain vigilant and keep your network protected at every level. Please strongly consider this service and call me if you care to chat further. My direct number is 847 850 7940. Sophos Managed Threat Response It is not a matter of IF but WHEN Having a real time team of human beings to look after your network using powerful tools of technology is a game changer.  It is one thing to have cyber insurance to recover after an attack, it is another to avoid the attack.  Sophos MTR does just that and we are proud to offer it.  For just pennies per hour, we can monitor and respond to threats in real time to keep your information and network safe. Call us today to find out how we can further protect you. Guess the Location Game Last month the winner of the guess the location game was NO ONE GOT IT who guessed the right answer.  I appreciate all of the participation.  THANKS FOR PLAYING! ANSWER: La Palma, Canary Islands, SPAIN "This group of islands has no coal mines but it does have a pretty hot island where some of the palm trees are literally on fire.  It is a popular destination for tourists but with the threat of one of the islands splitting apart, it may be wise to stay away for now..."  Can you guess the location? La Palma is a pristine paradise, set against a backdrop of volcanic landscape. Perhaps the best way to experience La Palma’s rugged beauty is a hike through the Caldera de Taburiente National Park or the narrow gorges of Los Tilos. The cool waters of natural swimming hole Charco Azul beckon on a steamy day. The dark sands of Playa Nueva are great for sunbathing and cat naps. La Palma, also San Miguel de La Palma, is the most north-westerly island of the Canary Islands, Spain. La Palma has an area of 708 square kilometres (273 sq mi) making it the fifth largest of the eight main Canary Islands. The total population at the end of 2020 was 85,840, of which 15,716 lived in the capital, Santa Cruz de La Palma and about 20,467 in Los Llanos de Aridane. Its highest mountain is the Roque de los Muchachos, at 2,423 metres (7,949 ft), being second among the peaks of the Canaries only to the peaks of the Teide massif on Tenerife. In 1815, the German geologist Leopold von Buch visited the Canary Islands. It was as a result of his visit to Tenerife, where he visited the Las Cañadas caldera, and then later to La Palma, where he visited the Taburiente caldera, that the Spanish word for cauldron or large cooking pot – "caldera" – was introduced into the geological vocabulary. In the center of the island is the Caldera de Taburiente National Park; one of four national parks in the Canary Islands. Residents on Spain’s La Palma island braced Wednesday for the possibility of bigger earthquakes that could compound the damage from a volcano spilling lava more than five weeks since it erupted. Seismologists said a 4.6 magnitude earthquake shook the island a day after they recorded a 4.9 magnitude quake that was the strongest so far of the hundreds that have occurred under La Palma since the volcano’s Sept. 19 eruption. Flows of molten rock from the Cumbre Vieja volcano itself have caused the evacuations of about 7,500 people and destroyed more than 2,000 buildings, mostly homes. The rivers of lava cover over 900 hectares (2,200 acres) of mostly farmland, while one major flow is extending the island into the Atlantic as it cools. No deaths have resulted from the eruption. Other than in an area on the island’s western side, life continues as normal for La Palma’s 85,000 residents except for having to clean up volcanic ash. The last eruption on the island, in 1971, lasted 24 days. Its longest, in 1949, lasted 47 days. The current activity is on day 39 and shows no signs of stopping. All eyes on La Palma. Footage of the volcano erupting ~1 min. Lava is powerful ~ 2 min.  ~7 min. EPIC Halloween Costumes Hooters Girl... Teenager hitting on the waitress ~20 seconds (turn up the volume) Entertaining Pizza Place He's good ~2 minutes Missing the Boat (literally). 2 minutes of people not making it back on time for their cruise... Show me your papers... Them: Hello, welcome to ABC restaurant. Me: Hi, table for 5 please. T: Sure, and your name? M: Sean T: Great. And do you and your guests have your vaccination cards? M: First, can you tell us who our server will be? T: Um, looks like Jill will be your server tonight. M: Great. Can you show us Jill’s vaccination card? T: Um… M: I will need to see proof of her flu shot. T: Um… M: And also, can you provide me with proof that Jill is not a carrier of HIV, Hepatitis A or B, or any other communicable diseases? T: Um… M: Also, we would prefer not to be served by someone who is on or uses recreational drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, meth, fentanyl, etc, so if you could provide us with Jill’s most recent tox screen, that would be great. T: Um… Let me get the manager for you. M: Great idea, thanks. Oh and while you’re at it, I’ll need all those same items for you, the manager, the cooks and the busboys. Thanks so much. Parents Leave Notes to Their Kids Tree Trimming I don't know why this is so satisfying... ~1 minute Magic Rope Trick This is worth your time. ~ 2 minutes 34 seconds of STUPID... Everyone Survived. Edgy. 1 in a Million Lucky Moments Lucky people ~ 8 minutes Randomness... Perfect Guacamole Ingredients 3 soft and ripe avocados (not too ripe) 1/2 red onion 1 bunch of fresh cilantro 1 or 2 limes Garlic Salt Pepper   Preparation 1) Wash and dry cilantro. Chop leaves finely.  Try to not use too many stems. 2) Finely chop red onion 3) Cut avocados in half around pit.  Remove pit.  4) In a large bowl (so you can avoid things running over) scrape out avocado with a spoon. 5) Add some of the cilantro and red onion 6) Slice lime and squeeze the juices over avocado, cilantro and red onion.  Add some garlic salt and pepper as desired. 7) Using the bottom of a sturdy glass, smash ingredients in the bowl ensuring to press the onion juice out of the onions until a desired texture is reached. Stir. 8) Taste. 9) Add more lime juice, garlic salt, pepper, cilantro, or red onion as needed. 10) Taste again. 11) Repeat steps 9 - 11 until perfect. 12) Enjoy with good, thin, salted tortilla chips (but it is good on toast, burgers, or whatever).   This is a hit at every gathering I bring it to and you will perfect it over time.  Give it a try. SALUD!  All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 210 S. Milwaukee Ave. Wheeling, IL 60090 USA