Own a piece of the Sunsphere for $5

Own a small piece of history for only $5.00  You will get one small display casing with shattered glass from the Sunsphere. I have included a photo below of what the item looks like and video of the event which produced the shattered glass. Email me at politicalleverage@gmail.com for more details. Shipping and handling not included. About the glass. I first went to the City of Knoxville. They sent me to the Public Building Authority. Then it was determined that since Icon's insurance policy paid for the glass, it was Icon's. So the owner said I could have the glass.  So this is 100% legal.

http://www.wbir.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=2516233042001y5

#Jestersblackphone Friday!

So, here is what I am willing to donate to Silent Circle forever! If I win #jestersblackphone.
1) The Silent Circle baseball cap. The original preproduction autographed brochure! The personal letter possibly the first written letter ever recorded  (not via email) to have a saying "Circle up." Oh and as "Journalist Zero," I have one more gift I would love to send to Silent Circle for the Museum or the office...On June 25th, 2014 the Supreme Court came back with a monumental ruling. http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/13pdf/13-132_8l9c.pdf During that day, I placed an email to Silent Circle...later on that day I would receive a phone call that would change my life! Phil Zimmermann, the founder of Silent Circle, made a call to me directly! It was an amazing phone call. Which I would later document throughout my blogs....

So, as some of you may know, I am really huge on saving history. I know that from being a volunteer at a lighthouse many years  ago. The lesson I still carry with me to this day is when history is lost, it is lost forever! So, that brings me to this. If I win #jestersblackphone, I will gladly donate it forever to Silent Circle. History should be kept in museums, not in people's basements. That being said; I will also donate everything you see below.  Including the notes, I took while on the phone with Mr. Zimmermann.  If I do not win, hey that is cool. I will still be willing to donate my " Silent Circle Artifacts" to the circle. However, if you can cut me a discount on my current subscription that would rock! Well, as we have said from the beginning Circle up!

Today's Encryption forecast for Knox County

Good morning. Here is today's encryption forecast.  Highly recommending all precautions be taken when communicating with any reporters in  the St. Louis area. Knox County has many former reporters in that area. After monitoring cyber traffic last night it appears that due to the Ferguson shooting, many hackers are making everything in that area a target. At this time I would strongly advise high levels of encryption be implemented on all communications. Also, I think that with such a high amout of hackers going after St. Louis reporters, we in Knox County may get some "daisy chain." Meaning if they can hack into one reporter's communication device, then they will try to use that to hack into other reporters devices by slipping malware.

As for the color code of the day: Still at Red.

End of report.

Remember I am not an expert. This is just my opinion. Consult with an expert.

How to prevent remote spying on your phone for under ten cents

Yes two rubber bands some black electrical tape and we are all good!  First, create a slide on slide off camera cover for front and back. To do that we simply place the rubberband horizontally. We place the electrical tape VERTICALLY! Next, add a lot of tape to the second rubberband in one specific spot.  Now simply place the rubberband over the case going VERTICALLY! Now line up the black electrical tape over the other microphone.Now with the pressure from the  added padding (electrical tape) you have just defeated any girlfriend, boyfriend, government agency, or hacker group. trying to remote spy on you!

PS. I thought of this clever idea while trying to win #jestersblackphone So I am going to call this #silentjester ! In honor of Silent Circle  and Jester!

For an idea of what remote listening is visit this website http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/06/the-single-most-important-step-to-protect-yourself-from-government-spying.html

Please note. I am not an expert so consult with an expert and your on your own. I take no responsibility for this.

Creating a new Journalist Encryption Alert Level

Working on a new way to bring awareness of encryption for journalists. Today, I introduce an open source idea.  I call it #journalistzero. Each morning we look at the current local and global society and formulate why we believe that encryption is neccessary.

While I firmly believe everything should be encrypted, I feel if we create a number system as to why people should encrypt, it will give the public and journalists more reasons to do so.

THIS IS EXPERIMENTAL...Remember encrypt everything!

Journalist Encryption level for Knox County...

Currently: Red

Situation or reason: Multiple high profile open source (openly reported in media) ongoing federal  investigations.

Suggestions: At this time it is highly advisable to encrypt all phone communicatications. 

At this time I have done the following.

a)Rooted Android

b)Backed up all data to the cloud (phone numbers and contact info via people calling me on Silent Circle app is not backed up, rather it is destroyed.

c) Strengthened the Kernal, 

d) Mobile: Installed VPNs, multiple walls of protection, multiple antivirus apps (paid), 

e) Home: I ran a number of scans on computer.

.

Ghosting a cellphone?

Journalist Zero is back. OK, so what if we made a cellphone with the best of both worlds. One that could go on and off the grid instantaniously? Huh? As I have mentioned before the problem with cellphones is they have to go to a cell tower. So what if we made a duel supply cellphone with a physical micro power cut? Think of an external battery with two pistons for connectors. If you want to use VOIP then they power only the core of the VOIP.  If you want to power the cell phone, no problem. This would be done manually so you know phone is off.

The end result is if you need to go dark to avoid a pattern of life or high value location setting attacks, then you can easily perform the feature with my idea,

#jestersphone

Why do I want the #jestersphone so bad. Seriously, Google "FBI+ Knoxville+Investigation." and look at the section of news! So a lot of people want the #Jestersphone." But I got a couple "historic" encryption articles of my own I would like to donate to the museum. As an original believer in Silent Circle I was one of the few journalists that covered the start of Silent Circle http://www.knoxfocus.com/2012/10/five-questions-with-silent-circle/   So what do we got? An original signed brochure by Phil Zimmerman Mike Janke and Vic Hyder. An original baseball cap. Finally a personal thank you letter from Christine Blake an original member of the PR team.  If I receive the Black Phone, I will donate this to the Spy Museum...

In conclusion I bleed encryption. Have been covering and writing about it for years. If you believe as strongly in encryption as I do... You will select me for this prestigious award . Sincerely , Journalist Zero! Dan Andrews

South Doyle High School and what it means to me...

So earlier in the week my editor said to me "You can cover any game you want in Knox County Friday night, look over the list and get back to me." I immediately responded... "I'm going to South Doyle." The crowd is amazing and if I am going to be out on a Friday night, I want to be where the energy is. With the exception of the Farragut Admirals student section, I will be honest. I can't think of any school that is really blowing me away. Look, if you think I am wrong, prove me wrong, tell me to come to your school. Show me your passion for the game, the school name, and build your legacy like the vaunted South Doyle student section  is doing!
   Things got so crazy, so amazing, so awesome, that Commissioner Mike Brown got a picture with the student section and he was so pumped! Bragging and beaming showing the pride, and just so proud to be part of something so amazing!

Look, I live out in Concord, Tn. On the Knox/Loudon County. I am from New York, and for years I heard of the "legendary high school football fan base." However, I hardly ever saw it. I love the game of football. I love the game of sport. But most of all, as a photographer that covers everything from the White House to local barber shop ribbon cuttings, I love passion!!!! I love seeing people passionate, determined, I love taking pictures of energetic situations...That is what makes a good photo and to be honest that is what keeps me in business.

So, I conclude in my personal letter saying this. Why did I go to South Doyle? Well, I would rather travel almost an hour to cover a team/student section/ and community  that resonates with passion, pride, and energy, throughout the game...then attend a game 10-20-30 minutes away where the student section shows up...but the passion, integrity, and pride does not!



Post by The Knoxville Focus

Knoxville has a Seismograph reader somewhere in a Knox County Library

http://folkworm.ceri.memphis.edu/heli/heli_sm_ceri/SHTN_HNZ_NM_00.2014092612.gif

In the "you can't make this stuff up" category, it has come to the attention of the this investigative reporter that for some interesting reason, somewhere in a Knox County Tennessee Library, there is an earthquake reading machine!

http://folkworm.ceri.memphis.edu/REQ3/html/station2.html

I have reached out to  the Knox County Mayor's communication director Michael Grider, and he is looking into the matter.

On a side note, maybe Bigfoot does exist...and he is being kept in the room with the earthquake equipment...

Developing...

Can journalists modify http://www.wheresgeorge.com/ to be an awesome encryption tool?

OK, I'm going to ask an interesting question...Can journalists use the website http://www.wheresgeorge.com/ to communicate via encryption? Think about it. A journalist can create an algorithm of their choice. Share the algorithm with with their source...then months down the road use their algorithm to write in code! Example both parties agree the algorithm will be set at the 5-8th dollar bill entered in on that day.  It seams kind of simple. Thoughts?

PS this is just an idea...it has not been tested...your on your own...I am not an expert!

Dan

Sneaky tricks by the government to snoop on us?

OK, two thoughts. First, if any federal government knew of the Shell Shock Bash Bug and didn't do anything then they should be fired and jailed. Many researchers are calling this worse then the Heart Bleed bug!

http://www.zdnet.com/first-attacks-using-shellshock-bash-bug-discovered-7000034044/

So anyway, I think I might have virtually reversed engineered another interesting trick that spy agencies and hackers can play on the public using a "Faraday cage" device.

Check this out. So many brands love to advertise how well they protect against signal strength...but what if hackers, government officials, foreign espionage companies put m malware on your phone that when the phone completely disconnects, it goes into silent record mode?

Now let's all think about this a second. If someone places their cellphone in a Faraday cage, then they might have something to hide or keep secret. So when the phone gets disconnected from all forms of communication, it still remains on. So how east would it be to put malware on a phone that turns on recorder when all forms of signal strength rapidly hit zero? So the computer saves the conversation and when the product comes out of the Faraday cage... it simply rapid uploads the taped conversation to whoever.

So I am thinking the main work around for this is to almost make a soundproof box or test the recorder in the device you have. Place device in refrigerator...or get a Vysk....

I am not an expert so don't take this information as fact. Only as an idea open for discussion.

How to recover text messages

OK, so a lot of talk this week about when you delete a text, is it deleted? As many people know I have friends in the fashion industry and this question keeps on coming up. So let's see what we can find on the internet.

Great websites for Android with good technical advise.

http://www.wikihow.com/Retrieve-Deleted-Texts

http://www.androidpit.com/how-to-recover-deleted-text-messages

For apple...
http://retrievedeletedtextmessagesiphone.aolor.com/

Again I am not an expert. Try at your own risk!

N.S.A. = Not Sticking Around

Well we have seen this coming for a while. With great minds like Gary Miliefsky over at http://www.snoopwall.com/ and Will Ackerly over at one of my favorite products https://www.virtru.com/ I see how true this article is from the Washington Post.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/top-level-turnover-makes-it-harder-for-dhs-to-stay-on-top-of-evolving-threats/2014/09/21/ca7919a6-39d7-11e4-9c9f-ebb47272e40e_story.html

What we have going on right now is sort of what happened at www.nasa.gov. Many of the best and the brightest went over to SpaceX  and many of the best and brightest are still at NASA.  It is in my opinion what we will see with NSA and DHS. We will see certain companies get stronger and then.

So how does this effect journalists? NSA members can't speak to the media...CEO's of technology companies  can.

Dan

Fake cell towers and a possible work around...

So the fake cellphone towers have really gotten to me. I mean  so called secure phones really aren't as secure as one would hope. So I might have found an interesting work around to the problem. Use an Apple touch Ipod. Then get a service like Silent Circle, that allows an encrypted calling plan over voice over internet protocol. Then for added safety, get a Silent Pocket to ensure that you don't have remote start up...and then use clean wifi signals to make encrypted calls over the net. That way you avoid the base cell tower all together.  Also upgrade to the latest version of Apple.

Please note, I am not an expert on security. This is just a thought. Please use caution when implementing security protocol and go under the assumption nothing is safe.
Any thoughts?

Yesterday's encryption, just might have gotten you killed

OK, when I started this project, I thought it would be simple. Find a couple "White Hats" (the good guys) update the outdated information for internet security on the SPJ toolbox...and find a new project. Easy right? Heck no! First off, the technology game is changing everyday.  Second off, organizations that are supposedly protecting journalists might be harming them. Finally, we get told by certain "encryption privacy companies "no back doors for the government to get your information..." and then we read how rogue cell towers that are fake and pretty easy to make can scoop all your data.  To top it all off, we  as journalists are suppose to believe that Eric Snowden, who is literally on executive boards to protect journalists....is protecting journalists. Huh? Snowden said to use the Tor Project.  http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/03/10/tor-snowden-sxsw/6263157/  So how did that go? Not good... http://www.idigitaltimes.com/best-alternatives-tor-12-programs-use-nsa-hackers-compromised-tor-project-376976 But wait it gets better. Remember Snowden on TrueCrypt? http://www.wired.com/2014/05/truecrypt/

So who do you trust if your a journalist? You start out at "Journalist Zero." That is the point where a journalist trusts zero people including me.  I am not an expert in the field of encryption. I do not give advice. I look for advice from the smartest people and hope to make a difference. Plus experts in the field have been way off.  However, the good news is more and more people are crowd researching and making encryption and encryption ideas stronger. We are currently in Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest. Weak encryption is getting destroyed on the daily.
Plus weak security features are being challenged daily.

So here is what I am doing. I am searching for the best information ro give journalists on a daily basis. I am trying to sift through the hype and the real. What works and what doesn't.

I am trying to think outside the box.

I am trying to save lives. The lives of journalists and their sources.

Slowly but very carefully I have created a network of the most brilliant minds on the planet involving security. I have developed a list of  "White Hats."  I will do everything I can to protect our sources and our journalists.

Video verification of this site.

Video verification by Dan Andrews