Holiday App Guide (for iOS)
Well, it is that time of year when we all dip into our pockets a bit and give the gift of gaming and productivity to those around us (especially if you want folks to shell out the $9.99 to play Carcassone). This year, I started publishing my own set of App Reviews. I...
BYOC Research: First Edition
As I continue to work through the BYOC Model, and the idea that we should “flip” the roles of students and teachers in BYOD, I am still constantly trying to find research and best practice for BYOD/BYOT in an educational setting. Since the BYOC model that...
Disney World and Galactic Starcruiser
Episode 2 (September, 2023) Whelp, what can I say, we went again. As soon as I got back from my whirlwind trips on the Halcyon, at Batuu West, and then Batuu East, I wanted to dive into everything and really truly understand how the Halcyon fits into the grand world...
A Private Move
Well, it is official… I am moving. In some ways, this move is more difficult than if I were moving in real life. I am moving my virtual life, from where it has been for two decades and trying to engage in the fight for privacy that I have been advocating for so...
Remember, Remember, the 18th of December…
Last week, Congress passed, and President Obama signed the Omnibus Spending Bill (HR.2029). Attached to that bill was the most widely opposed CyberSecurity Law in history – known as CISA (Division N of the Omnibus Spending Bill). Many Technology Companies,...
Privacy Review: TutaNota
Tutanota is one of the “up-and-coming” encrypted email providers. What I like about Tutanota is the ability to send emails to anyone – regardless of if they have the encryption keys or not. As the video shows, you can send messages to anyone with a predefined password. You will of course need to communicate with those folks to give them the “secure” password. Tutanota is free right now and has a wonderful app (and is one of the few encrypted services that does). There is a soft spot in my heart for TutaNota – simply because it was one of the first Zero-Knowledge providers that I began to work with. For a free service, they cannot be beat – organization of emails is easy, creating emails is simple, and the app is streamlined. They are missing two very important things: Drafts and PGP Support.
Privacy Review: SpiderOak
SpiderOak is one of my favorite Zero-Knowledge companies. A few months ago, I was sent a promotion on “Supporting internet Privacy” and a locked price “Unlimited” storage amount on SpiderOak. Up until that point, I had not even heard of the company – or Zero-Knowledge for that matter. I jumped in to see what it was like, while I still sorted out my 1Tb Google Drive.
Privacy Review: Silent Circle
That is a great question! I had not heard of the Circle until I started researching how to make the internet free. When you do that research (and you should), you will come across several important names: Edward Snowden (the notorious whistle-blower), Julian Assange (founder of Wikileaks), Sir Tim Burners Lee (widely credited with creating the internet), and usually Phil Zimmerman. Phil Zimmerman created a program known as PGP – or pretty good privacy. When he created it in 1990, he was arrested by the US Government for distributing encryption systems across borders. After winning his court case in 1996, Phil has worked tirelessly to create systems that ensure privacy on the internet. His most recent project is the Silent Circle.
Is Privacy Important?
Over the past two months, I have been asking myself and my social networks the same question. The answers I have sought to uncover were masked by partisan politics and moral indecision. Following the advice of Richard Ledgett (of the NSA) I continued to learn and dig...
Shifting Privacy
Privacy is important to me. I had forgotten that. As a technologist, and an amateur hacker, I spent five years of my life learning the means to hack by joining gangs and buying books. Back then, I was an idealist, and definitely toed the grey line of technology. I...Game Review: Dead Trigger 2
Dead Trigger is one of my favorite iOS franchises. Even though it has been in my Pocket since I first owned an iPhone 3, I have never taken the time to review a game in the franchise. When the first game came out, I spent hours leveling my character so that I could smoke a couple of zombies with the crossbow and golden gun. Dead Trigger had everything you wanted: waves of endless zombies, creative weapons, and an engaging storyline. Dead Trigger 2 has been out for some time now and it takes the mold made by Dead Trigger and creates a more engaging story and improves upon its own gameplay mechanics.