(re) blog: dialogue with Redemtech

Dance Troupe’s Loss Shows Importance of Keeping On Your Toes

This week’s entry for unusual data security story from an obscure source comes from the Mandurah Mail in Western Australia, and despite the fact that the data theft does not concern a major corporation, educational institution, manufacturer, retailer or government agency, as so many data breach stories these days do, it’s nonetheless devastating to those who are experiencing the pain of lost data. The story also serves as a fine example of why we constantly warn our customers on the vulnerability of off-network data theft.

‘Recycling” Companies and the Dillinger Myth

Notorious criminal John Dillinger was in the headlines again recently, 75 years after he was gunned down in an alley near the Biograph Theater in Chicago. The release of a new movie romanticizing Dillinger and his criminal career brought back a lot of memories for me. No, I wasn’t around when Dillinger originally made headlines, but I had the good fortune to work as a newspaper reporter in one of the small towns whose bank was hit by the Dillinger gang back in 1934.

A Reminder of Why Due Diligence on E-Waste is Crucial

You may remember that awhile ago, I expressed concerns over low e-waste export fines, and compared the recommended fines with a similar Mexican export action that resulted in millions in fines and jail time for the exporter and company’s principle. Well, this saga continues.

Let me set the background: 19 years ago, I was called in as a consultant by the owner to inspect and recommend action to mitigate environmental effects during a state-mandated shutdown of two illegally operated smelters. One was located in Mexico, and the other was in California. My responsibilities included sulfuric acid treatment, emission controls, and community and employee protection during the scheduled shutdown.

E-waste Exports ARE Dumping

Now that an ewaste export ban has been drafted in Congress, opponents are adding a new twist to an old argument to justify their toxic trade; they claim that THEIR ewaste exports only go to responsible recyclers in developing countries, and that such legal sales must be permitted AS A MATTER OF FREE TRADE.  This position is tantamount to asking for license to dump hazardous ewaste in jurisdictions where the locals have no recourse for the toxic exposure they suffer.

Touching Others, One Person at a Time

In our line of work, we’re in the business of helping others do business better. As business process outsourcers, we derive our greatest satisfaction from helping our clients operate more efficiently, and thus enabling them to touch more of their clients with their products and services.

Data Security Incidents Go A Lot Deeper Than Headlines

Two headlines amid a tidal wave of data security news this week amused me. The first appeared atop a story in the Chard and Ilminster News out of the UK. I’m often kidded by coworkers for my ability to locate data security material from obscure news sources, and I admit that I had to look up on the map where Chard and Ilminster are located, even though the towns have been around since 725 A.D. (See? I also looked up their histories!)

“Distinctive Laptop Stolen in Burglary” screamed the headline, making me instantly wonder what made this particular laptop “distinctive” and think the device must have contained some pretty darn important data. The answer, the news article explained, was that the computer is missing the “y” and “u” keys from the keyboard. This definitely makes the laptop unique and undoubtedly difficult for any thief to unload, what with all the law enforcement agencies watching for people who can’t type the word “yttriferous.” 

Why Not Use This Slow Period to Look At Your Company’s Performance Metrics?

For years, I’ve heard too many busy people in busy organizations talk about what they’d like to do, if only they had a little more time. Some of these leaders indicated that they’d love to be able to step back a little from day-to-day business and apply a set of internal performance standards on their organizations. They sensed they could be doing things better and more productively.

A Return to Better Times Means Bad Players Are Riding High Again

Recycling e-waste has always been an interesting challenge to me, and it continues to hold my interest. And after a marked slowdown during the recession, the commodity market and resources are adjusting. I noticed in the last 60 days that prices on most e-waste categories are rebounding from their slump and showing increased value strength. But as some regions indicate, demand hasn’t rebounded proportionately to the overall price increases.

E-waste and Mass Extinctions – There is a Connection

Scientists who have studied Earth’s history say there have been five mass extinctions in which at least half of the species on the planet disappeared. With names like the Late Devonian extinction and the Permian-Triassic extinction event, each of these tumultuous occurrences resulted from national disasters such as rapid climate change or huge meteors smacking into the Earth like the one whose remnants are found at the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula.

These mass extinctions wiped out everything from trilobites to dinosaurs, in due time. The trilobites and the dinosaurs might’ve tried to stop what was eradicating their species in a relatively short period of time, but like trying to halt the flow of lava or the breaking apart of continents, they were not in the best position to prevent their extinction.

So it turns out that humanity is the only species dumb enough to bring about its own extinction, the Sixth Mass Extinction for those who are counting, also known in scientific circles as the Holocene Extinction Event. It isn’t a natural catastrophe that is driving this extinction event, although our natural environment is at the heart of the matter. And in case you haven’t already caught my continental drift, this event covers the time in which all of us are currently living.

Redemtech Makes History with First-ever Capitol Hill E-waste Recycling Event

The U.S. Capitol is all about history, from the groundbreaking ceremony for the original Capitol building in 1793 where George Washington laid the cornerstone to what would become the meeting place for the U.S. Congress to the construction of the now-familiar Rotunda and first dome of the Capitol during Abraham Lincoln’s administration.

History was made again this week on Capitol Hill when the first-ever Capitol Hill Electronics Collection Day was held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. in an effort to provide federal government staffers with an opportunity to properly dispose of their electronic waste.