Mountain Views News          Saturday, September 18, 2010

12

THE WORLD AROUND YOU

 MountainViews-News Saturday, September 18, 2010 


NEW SPACECRAFT DESIGNED TO “TOUCH” THE SUN

Operating at 2,550 degrees Fahrenheit…

 IN A MID-20TH CENTURY SHORT STORY titled “The Golden 
Apples of the Sun,” sci-fi author Ray Bradbury writes of a manned 
spacecraft bound on a mission to literally “touch” the Sun, scooping 
up a sample and returning it to Earth. Its intrepid captain almost 
destroys the craft and crew in the fiery attempt, as refrigeration 
systems fail in the thousand-degree solar atmosphere, but he finally 
succeeds in bringing them back safely from this inferno.

 Now, after more than half a century, earthlings are preparing to 
change Bradbury’s science fiction into science fact-though with a 
robotic spacecraft, not a manned one. When NASA’s Solar Probe 
Plus (SPP) launches before the end of this decade, it will carry a 
suite of cutting-edge scientific instruments, of which one-the Solar 
Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons (SWEAP) Investigation-will 
directly sample the Sun’s outer atmosphere. Designed by scientists 
at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), part 
of SWEAP will extend beyond the probe’s heat shield to scoop up 
some of the Sun’s tenuous gases.

 “While the other instruments are hidden, we’ll be right out 
there getting blasted by the Sun, literally ‘touching’ a star for the 
first time,” said Justin Kasper, SWEAP principal investigator and 
Smithsonian astronomer.

 On Sept. 2, NASA announced the funding of five SPP proposals. 
The SWEAP proposal will receive $67 million for instrument design 

and development.

 Solar Probe Plus promises to transform our understanding of 

our home star and its effects on the solar system. It will get closer to 
the Sun than any other spacecraft, swooping to within four million 

miles (for comparison, the Earth is approximately 93 million miles 
from the Sun).

 At closest approach, the Sun will appear more than 20 times 

wider than it does on Earth, stretching across more than 10 degrees 
of the sky. It will bathe SPP in 500 times more light than we see on 
Earth. As a result, the probe will have to withstand temperatures 
exceeding 2,550 degrees Fahrenheit, as well as blasts of radiation 
and particles. A revolutionary carbon-composite heat shield will 
protect the spacecraft.

 SPP will plunge through the Sun’s outer atmosphere not once 
but repeatedly. In order to be able to observe the atmosphere under 
all conditions, the SWEAP Solar Probe Cup will look around the 
heat shield directly at the Sun. The SWEAP Solar Probe Analyzers 
will sit in the shadow on either side of the heat shield and make 
detailed measurements of the atmosphere flowing around the heat 
shield. On each dive, SWEAP will scoop up the main components 
of the corona and solar wind and determine quantities such as their 
speed, temperature, and relative abundance.

 CfA researchers have devoted significant resources to finding 
materials able to not only survive a scorching, but also return useful 
data. That groundwork included testing materials in a furnace at 
temperatures up to 4,700 degrees F.

 “We took enormous steps to reduce NASA’s risk in accepting 
the proposal to fly this instrument,” said CfA deputy director Roger 
Brissenden.

 The team found two materials that could potentially be used to 
build SWEAP: tungsten and doped, single-crystal silicon carbide. 
(Silicon carbide is already used in a wide variety of commercial 
applications, including drill bits and other cutting tools.)

 You can contact Bob Eklund at: b.eklund@MtnViewsNews.com.


Ask jai……

 “How Strong Is Your Schmooze?” 
was the open invitation line for 
some of cyberspaces’ best hackers 
to test their Social Engineering 
skills at the “Capture The Flag” 
competition hosted at DEFCON 
18 earlier this year. DEFCON 
bills itself as one of the longest-
running and largest annual hacker 
conventions in the world. Due to 
the concentration of high-powered 
hacking intellect assembled at 
these get-togethers, there is plenty of attention 
paid to the displays, seminars, endorsements and 
pans in attendance and this year was no exception. 
While the high-tech exploits and sophisticated 
techniques used by 
hackers to attain their 
ends are often the stuff 
that grabs headlines and 
comprises movie plots, it 
is most often the low-tech 
skillset that comprises 
what is known as Social 
Engineering that gets the 
ball rolling in network penetration efforts. 

 Social Engineering is most simply the act or 
compounded acts of getting the user of a computer 
system to divulge information about that system 
or network to an unauthorized third party. The 
Social Engineering attack vector owes much of its 
success to the fact that, for any number or reasons, 
people don’t always do what is right or smart when 
it comes to the use of computers. SE attacks rely 
on human interaction exclusively.

 In the “Capture The Flag” competition hosted at 
DEFCON 18 each participant was assigned a target 
company and given the task of and given various 
assignments that consisted mainly of gathering as 
much data about the target company as possible 
in a given amount of time. The contestants’ main 
challenge was to wade through the many entry 
vectors available and secure the objective in as few 
hops as possible. This challenge was made all the 
more easier due to the innate human tendency 
to be helpful, especially if employed in a service 
capacity, when interacting with the public at 
the workplace. If the “tendency to be helpful” 
premise seems a bit far-fetched consider the fact 
that no employee wants to be fired in these tough 
economic times over something as trivial as being 
rude to a customer or higher-up 
for no good cause. 

The results of the contest were 
compiled in a report and analyzed. 
Probably the most alarming find 
was the fact that it didn’t take a 
seasoned or experienced hacker 
to make significant penetration 
into most of the companies targeted. With today’s 
social media saturated Internet environment, 
a great deal of information about the various 
companies targeted and their inner-workings are 
available through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, 
Google Search and Google Street. Add Call 
Centers and Customer Service departments that 
are typically focused on customer satisfaction to 
the mix and there were ample resources available 
to gain valuable information about all of the 
companies targeted in this years competition. Any 
resistance encountered could easily be overcome 
by hanging up and calling back until a more 
compliant employee could be reached. 

No sensitive information was targeted during 
this competition but enough insight was gleaned 
to show the very real threat that SE attacks pose 
to corporate users. Companies in the age of the 
Internet would do well to ensure that all phases of 
their workforce that interface with the public are 
well-trained in keeping confidential information, 
confidential.


Ask jai is a weekly column that will strive to honestly answer your job search 
questions relating to job searching techniques, networking skills, resume 
writing and interviewing. The employment situation is getting better, however, 
it is still a challenge finding were the jobs are located and how to get pass the 
“gate-keepers”. As an Executive Recruiter I was privy to working directly 
with Corporate Recruiters and understanding their process in selecting which 
candidates to interview and hire. I will candidly answer your questions, 
possibly bluntly answering you questions, but I will be totally honest. My 
objective is to help you achieve your employment goal. 

How Strong Is Your 
Schmooze?

Q: Is it important to include my computer skills on my resume? I am a computer professional and 
feel that employers should know that I am expert in my field? What other skills should I list on my 
resume? Kenny

Dear Kenny,

 Yes, it is very important for you to list your computer skills on your resume. Employers do not 
have the time to contact you and find out if you have specific skills. Employers use keywords and 
criteria when searching for candidates in resume databases. 99.9% of employers will use applicant 
screening software to identity candidates. Having the correct skill set keywords included in your 
resume is mandatory in order for an employer to find you. 

 If you do not include skill sets on your resume, an employer might assume that you do not feel 
that the skills are important enough to performing the position or, worse yet, not important to you 
at all. Not including skill sets on your resume or application could result in you being screened 
out of consideration for a position. I know candidates who were not hired because they did not 
include Microsoft Word and Excel on their resume. The employer just assumed they were simply 
not computer savvy. 

 As a high tech or computer professional, you should definitely include your technical and 
professional skills. These include skills performed in a job, task, or class, acquired by reading, training, 
or education. Create a Computer Skills section with sub-headings on your resume. I suggest that 
you place this section at the beginning of your resume and include any operating systems, hardware, 
software and programming skills that you have experience using over the past 5 years. It would be 
to your advantage to list all your computer skills rather than lose a job opportunity, because you were 
too selective. Do not just list “Microsoft Office”, list each individual software program (i.e., Microsoft 
Word, Excel, Power Point, etc.). 

 Add any proprietary software programs that you learned at a former company. Listing proprietary 
software programs will reveal to the employer that you can adapt to any computer system. Include 
any foreign languages that you may speak or write in a Language Skills section. I know job seekers 
who were interviewed and hired based solely on their foreign language skills. Technical Skills and 
Equipment Skills are great sections to add to your resume as long as they are relevant to the position 
you are seeking. Any special projects that you have participated in or managed can be included in 
an Occupational Skills section. The Work Experience and Education Section of your resume should 
support your skills sections. These two sections should explain how you acquired the knowledge, 
where you used the skills and your accomplishments. 

The Social Engineering attack 
vector owes much of its success 
to the fact that, for any number 
or reasons, people don’t always 
do what is right or smart when 
it comes to the use of computers.

KATIE Tse ..........This and That

RICH Johnson

....English and the Word UP


A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO 
THE P.O......................

 If you read this paper in its entirety each week, you might know 
that I’m somewhat of a new contributor. I love Sierra Madre and 
am excited to be part of the Mountain Views News team –but I 
think my mom is even more excited. It’s probably something to do 
with being an only child, but even though I’m grown and married, 
my mom is still my biggest, loudest fan. Whenever something 
good happens to me, her friends are the first to know. Of course 
I’m grateful for the support, but it is a bit embarrassing when she 
includes folks like her boss and dentist among the people to share 
my latest news with. So, I shouldn’t have been surprised when she 
told me she picks up about five copies of the newspaper each week 
to clip and send to our relatives.

 “Why don’t you just email them the link?” I ask, as she expertly cuts precise borders 
around my story.

 “Aunt Addie doesn’t have email at the nursing home,” she replies. “And besides, people 
like getting things in the mail.”

 I contemplate this. Well, with her memory loss, at least my column will seem new and fresh 
to her every day. 

 Recently, my mom 
stopped at the post 
office and picked up her 
weekly supply of The 
Mountain Views News. 
Coming down the steps, 
however, she was startled 
when a man (who shall 
remain nameless, but will 
recognize himself if he 
reads this) leaned out his 
car window and called, 
“Excuse me! Why are 
you picking up so many 
papers?”

 A newspaper-stealing 
deer caught in the 
headlights, she showed 
him my article and 
admitted that she was 
sending it to friends and family. After a good laugh, he asked why she thought he wanted 
to know her reason for taking the papers. Thinking for a moment she replied “I think you 
might have a column in it, too?” Well, he did! He pointed out his article and said he’d read 
mine.

 Everyone she told got a kick out of her story.

 “Was he picking up a bunch of copies, too?” I asked.

 My mom didn’t think so. 

 However, if he writes about the experience in his column, as well, then I guess he’ll betray 
himself. Now go read the rest of the paper and find out!

 Every summer the 
area around my office is 
populated with dozens 
of college age students 
who train to become ESL 
teachers. ESL? What is 
ESL? English as a Second 
Language. I suspect teaching 
this ESL is the most difficult 
job in our society. 

 

 You think English is easy? Ha! Here are some 
examples of our profound language that may give 
you insight into the difficulty of grasping our 
native tongue:

 

 The bandage was wound around the wound.

 The farm was used to produce produce.

 The dump was so full that it had to refuse more 
refuse.

 He could lead if he would get the lead out.

 The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the 
desert.

 A bass was painted on the head of the bass 
drum.

 When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

 I did not object to the object.

 The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

 There was a row among the oarsmen about 
how to row.

 They were too close to the door to close it.

 The buck does funny things, when the does 
are present.

 A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer 
line.

 To help with planting, the farmer taught his 
sow to sow.

 The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

 Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a 
tear.

 I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

 How can I intimate this to my most intimate 
friend?

 Since there is no time like the present, he 
thought it was time to present the present.

 
If this column were a court of law I would 
simply say, “Your honor, I rest my case.”

 You want more? Okay, I can give you more.

 

 If writers write why don’t fingers fing; or 
grocers groce and hammers ham?

 

 One goose, 2 geese. Why not one moose, 2 
meese? Teachers taught but did the preacher 
praught? Vegetarians eat vegetables. So what do 
humanitarians eat? How come slim chance and 
fat chance mean the same thing, but a wise man 
and a wise guy are opposites? You fill in a form by 
filling it out, and an alarm goes off by going on. 
Did you ever see some poor soul’s house burn up 
as it burned down?

 

 Possibly the most difficult word in the language 
is a simple two letter word: UP. We wake UP. 
A topic comes UP. We speak UP. It’s UP to the 
secretary to write UP a report. We call UP our 
friends. We brighten UP a room, polish UP the 
silver; warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the 
kitchen. We lock UP the house while some guy 
fixes UP the car. People stir UP trouble, line UP 
for tickets, work UP an appetite and think UP 
excuses. The various definitions of UP go on and 
on. 

 

 If you are UP for it, look UP the definition of 
UP in the dictionary. It will take UP a lot of your 
time, but if you don’t give UP and build UP a list 
of the many ways UP is used you may wind UP 
with a hundred or more definitions. Of course, 
it’s UP to you.

 

 I think I’ll wrap UP my column because I’m 
certain it is way past the time to shut UP! : ) 


WRITING SERVICES 

 Could you use help in preparing 
written communications for your 
business? I have extensive experience in 
writing and editing business documents 
including brochures, proposals, 
newsletters, resumes, customer success 
stories, press releases, and articles for 
newspapers and magazines. 

 Current work includes writing the 
column, “Looking Up with Bob Eklund,” 
in Mountain Views News, and writing 
newsletters for the Mount Wilson 
Observatory. I recently published 
a book, First Star I See Tonight: an 
Exploration of Wonder, and am 
finishing a second book, Winds Aloft. 
For writing samples and resume, see 
my web site: www.bobeklund.com. OR 
beklund@sprynet.com (310) 216-5947