AES government-grade data encryption at the hardware level is an exciting new technology. If someone steals your portable hard drive, you now have no protection against data loss unless you’ve configured it with some sort of software data encryption. While software-encrypted portable hard drives are a great leap forward, knowledgeable hackers can still get to your data. Not only that, but the software-encrypted drives are tedious to switch between different machines, which defeats the whole purpose of portable drives.

Pushing encryption down to the hardware level also has the benefits of speed and stability. Several years ago I used software to encrypt the hard drive on my main home machine. I was fortunate to have made backups because within an hour after installing the encryption software, the hard drive crashed. Software encryption has improved since then, but once bitten, twice shy.

This is where encryption at the hardware level comes in. Seagate recently announced the upcoming release of a 160GB portable hard-drive that has AES government-grade encryption built in at the hardware level. From Seagate:

LAS VEGAS-January 6, 2008-Extending its lead in providing solutions to protect business and personal data from loss or theft, Seagate Technology (NYSE: STX) today introduced at CES, the Maxtor® BlackArmor™ encrypting storage solution that provides AES government-grade encryption protection against unauthorized access to valuable and private information. The Maxtor BlackArmor solution is a 160GB portable storage device that delivers the confidence and reliability of robust security in a compact consumer-friendly design.

Designed for those who have valuable information they wish to keep secure and private, the new Maxtor BlackArmor product is an attractive, portable solution that provides unparalleled security for direct attached storage devices. Using Seagate Secure™ technology, Maxtor’s BlackArmor drive is designed to keep data locked up and protected in the event of loss or theft. Seagate Secure technology is a hardware-based encryption, making the encryption transparent to the user and free of complicated installation and use procedures required by software based security.

The Maxtor BlackArmor external storage solution uses a government-grade AES encryption certified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to deliver the strongest commercially available data security available for external storage. The Maxtor BlackArmor product provides transparent, real-time encryption of all the data on the device, not just selected files; providing performance and ease of use advantages over manual software-based security controls. The BlackArmor product also puts all security keys and cryptographic operations within the device, delivering stronger protection against hacking and tampering than traditional software alternatives. The BlackArmor product’s key encryption technology can also securely wipe out the data for simple, cost-effective redeployment or disposal of the product – an important capability for organizations of all sizes.

Last year, Seagate introduced the Momentus® 5400 FDE.2 Hard Drive for laptops that provided the same hardware-level AES data encryption. Full Disk Encryption (FDE) is a hot security these days. Hardware and software encryption both have their places and we can only expect the marketplace to give us better and cheaper solutions.

Another day, another desecration of Jewish graves. Anti-semitism in Europe has risen to levels not seen since before World War II. Anti-semitism has also risen in America on the left. But usually it's more subtle than in Europe. They call anti-Zionism or anti-Israeli occupation. Never mind that Arabs live better in Israel than in any other Middle East country.

Here's a portion of the story from the Chicago Sun-Times with photos by Brian Jackson. Click on the photos to view full-sized images.

Nearly 60 gravestones at a Jewish cemetery near Norridge have been desecrated with spray-painted, anti-Semitic graffiti and slurs, Cook County Sheriff's police said today.

The vandalism, which left an estimated $100,000 damage, occurred last weekend in a portion of Westlawn Cemetery, on Montrose between Chicago's Northwest Side and Norridge, officials said.

At least 57 stone grave markers were damaged with blue spray-paint, police said. No one has been charged with the vandalism, which Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart described as a hate crime.

The tombstones were desecrated with symbols that included swastikas, nooses and gallows. Slogans that included "Aryan Power,” "skinhead” and "juden raus” — German for "Jews out” were painted on other grave monuments.

Look at the pictures and weep. What is happening in our country?

For those of you who are Christians, what should be our response? I was raised as an evangelical and was taught from early childhood that Jews were and still are God's chosen people. God told the Jews in Genesis 12:3: "I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." 

Check out this list of Jewish Nobel Prize winners. It's no surprise to many of you, but the world has been tremendously blessed by the Jewish people. The proper Christian response is to bless the Jews in in turn. That doesn't mean dogging them to become Christians. It means action. Actively love the Jewish people. Make Jewish friends and take a real interest in everything going on in their lives. Donate money to Jewish organizations and synagogues. If you have a local Holocaust Museum, like we do in Dallas, visit it, buy their books and tapes, and give of your money and even your time. Take your teenage children to Holocaust museums and show them the horror of what happened a mere 60 years ago. If your town has a Jewish retirement center or home for the aged, go visit them.

Don't do these things to get a blessing from God; love the Jewish people because Jesus commanded us to love everyone, regardless of their race, religion, or background.

In short, love the Jewish people. Fight anti-Semitism with every fiber of your being. The Holocaust must never happen again.