Last Friday I checked my blog and noticed that I had no comments. Sometimes that happens on the first day of publishing a post, but there was no comments section… at all. I checked my iPad and my Mac Book, one uses Safari and the other Firefox, no comments. So it was not my proxy server…

Then I went directly to Disqus.com and saw a high number of reports of connectivity problems. Then I opened the NYTimes and there it was – an unprecedented attack caused by “the internet of things” : webcams, baby monitors, smart TVs. Apparently, these things unleashed the new Mirai botnet, that spewed so much activity to certain sites they shut down. News sites were down, Twitter, Netflix, and many other vital sites. I know this happened in both the US and Europe. That this happened just before a contentious election, is concerning.

Here in the States, as the election is coming to an end, I see, hear, and read such a volcanic eruption of mean-spirited half-truths, outright lies, and disrespect for the Those governing our country. This is not new, but the level of it is. We have a government that is largely shut down, and people are afraid. I am. People are angry. There is talk of a civil war, and certainly civility and decency are under attack.

Sorry, my funny Halloween has been hijacked, by me, as I am writing this. I am worried about the coming days and all of the things that I can not control.

Scary!!

Silly to worry about those sorts of things, but how could a thinking person, not? I try to remind myself that most people are good, and that is my belief and my hope.