So someone knocks on the door, right? You want to see who the heck it is, without giving away the fact that, well, you’re checking them out. (This isn’t an issue at my house–there’s simply too much glass around the door to hide.) Maybe you even have one of those fisheye lens peephole viewer things. Which is okay, I guess, but this is the digital age, and maybe you can do better, don’t you think?… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...
For a computer nerd, I’m pretty bad about data privacy and data security. I had just pretty much decided years ago that I’m hosed; my data is going to be compromised, and it’s only a matter of when, and by who. I do my best with passwords and opening email and such, but I’m resigned. But that absolutely doesn’t mean that I don’t support the fine work done in the area of data privacy, data security, and electronic civil rights (not to mention being safe from online predators) by such organizations as the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the National Cyber Security Alliance. Quite the contrary; I very much want to be proven wrong, and I support their goals in trying to assure that my data and yours is private and secure.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...
You know how it goes: doing backups is a pain in the tuckus, and so you put it off, or you don’t do it regularly, or some such. And then . . . the blue screen of death! Or the Genius Bar guy utters those fateful words, “You’ll have to do a full restore.” Or your IT person says, “We’re going to have to reimage your disk.” Panic!
Code 42 software wants to help you with their CrashPlan software:
Code 42 Software Inc., developers of award-winning onsite, offsite and online backup solutions for consumers, businesses and the enterprise, today announced updates and new security enhancements to the CrashPlan and CrashPlan PRO mobile apps. The latest version adds support
The title is a Portal reference … if you haven’t played, you should. I’ll provide a video at the end for context. The basic theme is that Aperture Science (Google) does what it ‘must’ (cruel human experimentation in the name of science) because it ‘can’ (no one can stop them). But also realize that it is presented humorously in-game, and I don’t intent it seriously here.
Today we learn that Google is going to be combining all of the login and account data across every service we access with the same credentials.
Yawn, right? Well, not exactly Orwellian, but not innocent either.
Here are some details from the Washington Post:
The
Things like split heart necklaces for shared love used to be common, or swapping high school or college rings, or a shirt or other things. Apparently the new sign of trust, love and commitment is … sharing online passwords.
According to the New York Times article:
The digital era has given rise to a more intimate custom. It has become fashionable for young people to express their affection for each other by sharing their passwords to e-mail, Facebook and other accounts. Boyfriends and girlfriends sometimes even create identical passwords, and let each other read their private e-mails and texts.
They say they know such digital entanglements are risky, because a souring relationship
Image courtesy WTOP
We interrupt my seemingly weekly rant on our ever-encroaching police state to remind you that there are plenty of normal everyday people lurking around looking to circumscribe public discourse and force their bizarre conspiratorial views on others. Those people live on this crazy place called ‘Facebook’ … and here is the latest example of just how crazy they are!
Apparently Pepsi in the Middle East and Africa has recently come out with a new design, and a soldier leaving Iraq saw the can and made some wild paranoid conspiratorial leap that Pepsi was ‘celebrating’ the 9/11 attacks.
Here is my problem – for some… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...
If you watch FOX News, aside from being statistically underinformed about actual events (and I suppose OVER-informed about … something?), you would think that the pepper spray that has gained notoriety from the spate of ‘police state’ actions this fall is simply a ‘food product’. But how many food products do YOU know that Amnesty International labels as ‘cruel, inhuman and tantamount to torture’? I didn’t think so … anyway, here is an interesting look at the new cologne being applied to ‘smelly protestors’ everywhere …… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...
If you follow the news at all, you’ll know that lately–like, since 9/11 especially, but definitely in the last few weeks during the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations around the country–it seems like our Constitutional rights, enshrined in the Bill of Rights, are being abrogated left and right. Warrantless wiretaps; illegal and invasive searches for the crime of just wanting to get on an airplane; American citizens being killed with no due process; peaceful protesters being physically abused, tear-gassed, and pepper-sprayed; our mobile phones being monitored down to our very keystrokes . . . it’s not a good time for the Bill of Rights.
All the more reason then to take note of Bill of Rights day… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...
Are you feeling a bit spooked by all the recent stories about how our mobile phones are transmitting our GPS data, who we are talking to, and other possibly sensitive information? Here is one solution that might help: buy a bag that has a wireless security shield. What that means is that when your phone is placed in the pocket — even if it is turned on and otherwise fully functioning, no data, calls or GPS will be able to come or go.
Wireless Security Shield™
In an effort to help provide ultimate security for your Bluetooth enabled Cell
We’ve got another free book for you: regularly $9.99, for one week you can get the PC Security Guide for FREE.
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Each of us is now faced with the daunting task of protecting ourselves and our families in the virtual worlds we travel. To make the job a bit easier, the editors of the Windows Secrets Newsletter have compiled some of the best security stories from their archives.
The PC Security Guide is a concise eBook that provides simple and straight forward advice for secure computing. It’s designed
I doubt that anyone would seriously debate that we have lost significant freedoms in this country over the last decade, though it is generally presented with a caveat that what has changed was needed for enhanced security. Sometimes this is true, other times it is for the appearance of greater security, and other times it is simply an authoritarian power grab.
Which is why this story is so awesome! Last week I heard about the high school girl had gone to a ‘Youth in Government’ program event and had tweeted:
Just made mean comments at gov brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot
Although she actually didn’t speak out at the… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...
You are wandering around the mall on Friday, heading from the Gap to FYE to Macy’s to Hickory Farms to Best Buy, not necessarily thinking about anything but getting as many great deals to justify braving the crowds as possible. But thanks to FootPath Technology, your cell phone will be pinging in with its location, and the mall will be able to mine data about traffic patterns, which stores got the most visitors, correlations between stores and more!
Sound a bit invasive? Well, if you are in one of the malls testing this out, your only option is to turn off your cell phone!
According to an article in the Chicago Tribune
This post brought to you by Norton Small Business by Symantec. All opinions are 100% mine.
The back bone’s connected to the neck bone, the neck bone’s connected to the head bone.
Small business’ the backbone of the economy, technology’s the backbone of small business.
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones,
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones…
All silly children’s songs aside, small business owners know that technology is the backbone of all they do. Yes, in a recent survey of small business owners, nearly one in three respondents (28%) identified technology as one of their top business priorities.
Unfortunately… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...
I grew up in a time when you respected authorities, but didn’t place blind trust in them. The government was still reeling from Watergate and Vietnam, which led many to instantly question anything said by those in power. The downside was that soldiers returning from Vietnam who were themselves victims of a draft were lumped in and treated poorly (my kids have a hard time connecting with the treatment of Rambo, but I remember it all too well from people in my town growing up). When Ronald Reagan took office, a new wave of pride and feeling of positivity in being an American replaced the so-called ‘malaise’ of the… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...
Whenever a wireless carrier discusses your private information, you can be sure of one thing: they are trying to squeeze more money out of you by leveraging your information, but know that if they don’t give you an opt-out they will have regulators breathing down their necks. So … this week we get an email from Verizon Wireless.
What information are they storing?
Mobile Usage Information:
• Addresses of websites you visit when using our wireless service. These data strings (or URLs) may include search terms you have used
• Location of your device (“Location Information”)
• App and device feature usageConsumer Information:
• Information about your use of Verizon products
