SHORT: End-to-end encryption’s fatal flaw
End-to-end encryption is supposed to be ultra-safe. Unfortunately, it's not. Even though it sounds good on paper, the way E2EE is coded and used can make all the difference between security and epic data leaks. In less than 60s: YouTube:...
The Power Problem with Electric Vehicles
These days, it's all about Going Green. And what could be more green than an electric car? Zero emissions, baby! Well, sort of... While the acceleration may be awesome, the range leaves something to be desired. And range is directly related to power - specifically,...
Help! My computer is turning off even though I have a battery backup
So, you buy a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for your puter. You hook it up. Then, a power outage or brownout hits... POOF! Your puter reboots. "Hang on", you think, "Wasn't my battery backup supposed to prevent this?" Yes, it was... But there are a few things you...
Can aluminum foil protect you from your phone?
There are quite a few smartphone cases, Faraday bags, and other little gizmos out there that claim to protect you from the phones RF waves. A common method that people use is to line one (or both) sides of their phone case with good old aluminum foil. So, the question...
Fix Windows 10 won’t boot – Stop Error 0xc000021a
So there you are, minding your own business. You try to restart your Windows 10 puter, and you end up with the new Sad Face Blue Screen of Death! At the bottom of the screen, you see: Stop Code: 0xc000021a No matter what you do (like the automatic Startup Repair), you...
Why haven’t space suits changed much in 45 years?
When we watch sci-fi shows, we see these uber-fancy futuristic space suits. Yet when we look at the actual real space suits in use by astronauts today, we see the same big puffy white suits that look unchanged since the Apollo missions in the late 60's and early 70's!...
Windows 7 is going bye-bye – Upgrade to Windows 10!
If you're still using Windows 7, I've got bad news for you: On January 14, 2020, extended support for Windows 7 will end. That means Windows 7 will no longer get any updates or security patches. In other words, it's officially a "dead" version of Windows. And that...
Is Wi-Fi 6 really that much better?
There's a new flavor of Wi-Fi in town: Wi-Fi 6! In case you're confused, I'm talking about IEEE 802.11ax, the successor to 802.11ac (which is now called Wi-Fi 5). Are you confused yet? While I'm not a terribly big fan of wireless stuff, Wi-Fi 6 does include several...
Help! My USB stick is read-only in Ubuntu Server
If you use Ubuntu Desktop, using a USB stick is a piece of cake. You just plug it in, read/write files, and yank it out again. But what about Ubuntu Server? Try the same thing, and you end up with a USB stick that can only be accessed by root. Well, that's probably...
No more WiFi, Part 2: Home Powerline Networking and MoCA
So you've read all the studies about our Wireless Wonderland, and you'd like to go wired. You've also watched my first video, No More WiFi: How to wire your home for internet. You're not big on drilling holes and running cables everywhere, so you decide to use...
Scottie’s Holiday 2019 Tech Not-Shopping Guide
It's that time of the year again! Time to try to figure out what to buy everyone for Christmas - er, I mean, "The Holidays." Naturally, techie toys are highly valued gifts. But ya know, I have a better idea: Don't buy anything! Instead, give the gift that's becoming...
The Biggest threat to Privacy: Browser Fingerprints
A lot of people these days are talking about protecting their online privacy. We have hearings going on, threats of breaking up Facebook and other Big Tech companies, data leaks, and so on. Many people are going so far as to boycott Google (which is easier said than...
Fast USB 3 sticks that won’t break the bank
Ah, the USB stick. They're supposed to be handy for transferring files between computers. Unfortunately, most of the time they end being painfully slow. If you're frequently waiting several minutes for that large file to copy to your USB stick, then you're using the...
Windows 10 1909 Update: What’s new this time?
Yet another new version of Windows 10! A new update to Windows 10 was released just a few days ago, and once again the rollout was quite smooth. The difference this time was that 1909 isn't really a "Feature Update". It installs very quickly and changes... well,...
Nokia 2720 Flip + Why KaiOS dumbphones are truly smart
This one's a double header! First, I quickly review the new Nokia 2720 Flip 4G dumbphone. Then, I talk a bit more about exactly why dumbphones that run KaiOS are really NOT smartphones. Did I mention that the 2720's HUGE buttons are an absolute joy to use? Or that...
Upgrade to Thunderbird 64-bit, and go supersonic!
For those of us who don't like webmail because storing all our data in the The Cloud just seems like a Really Bad Idea, the best e-mail program available for puters is Thunderbird. There's only one problem: the default version you can download from Mozilla's web site...