Internet matters

The second rule of the internet

January 30, 2012

in Geek stuff,Internet matters,Rants,Security

Back in 2010, I described what I called the ‘first rule of the internet‘: Against a sophisticated attacker, nothing connected to the internet is secure. To this, I feel like I should add a second item: Everything is internet now. While there were once large numbers of electronic systems entirely disconnected from the internet, nowadays [...]

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Demonstrating British Columbia’s beauty

January 25, 2012

in Canada,Internet matters,Photography,Politics,The environment,The outdoors,Travel

One of the big reasons for opposing the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline is because of how 200 oil tankers a year would threaten the coast of British Columbia. I think everyone who has seen that coastline understands its beauty and ecological importance. At the same time, I suspect the idea can be made more salient [...]

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Repeated ad infinitum

January 24, 2012

in Geek stuff,Internet matters,Psychology,Rants

XKCD is right, this is worth a look today: List of common misconceptions From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Note: Nero didn’t fiddle while Rome burned. The ancient Greeks knew that the Earth was spherical, and how large it was. Napoleon was not short. He was slightly taller than the average Frenchman. The Emancipation Proclamation didn’t [...]

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#ShotOnKodakFilm

January 19, 2012

in Geek stuff,Internet matters,Photography

Kodak has filed for bankruptcy. They are the company that created mass photography, so this is something of a historic moment. If you have some suitable photos online, please consider posting them to Twitter with the hashtag #ShotOnKodakFilm.

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SOPA blackout

January 18, 2012

in Canada,Geek stuff,Internet matters,Law,Politics,Writing

Many websites in the United States, Canada, and around the world are joining together to protest SOPA – the Stop Online Piracy Act. The bill, which could become law in the United States, would have unfortunate consequences for the internet as a whole. I agree with Michael Geist that Canadians should be concerned. I remember [...]

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Open-source Mac software

January 15, 2012

in Economics,Geek stuff,Internet matters

There seems to be some useful software here: Open Source Mac – Free Mac software, all open-source, all OS X. For the unfamiliar, open-source software is software where the authors provide the underlying computer code to everybody. That lets you examine how it really works, compile it to run on a range of machines, and [...]

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Where Macs come from

January 9, 2012

in Economics,Geek stuff,Internet matters,Law,Politics

This week’s episode of This American Life is powerful and thought- provoking. It’s about manufacturing in China, the ten million person city of Shenzhen, and how most of our computers and phones and miscellaneous gadgets are made by hand by millions of workers working at least twelve hours a day. Apple has been conducting its own [...]

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Stratfor hacked

December 29, 2011

in Economics,Geek stuff,Internet matters,Security

A few times before, I have mentioned the website Stratfor. They normally provide a very ‘realist‘ take on global politics. They have interesting sources of information and arguments, and I have found them to be worth reading. Unfortunately, their entire database of past and present subscribers has been stolen by hackers and released online. If [...]

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Retraction Watch

December 8, 2011

in Geek stuff,Internet matters,Science,Writing

This is a good idea: Retraction Watch. They have been reporting on retracted scientific papers since 2010.

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Dwolla

November 16, 2011

in Economics,Internet matters

This is a good idea: a cheap way to transfer money between people or businesses, without paying credit card or PayPal fees. It’s just in the United States, for now, but transfers only cost $0.25, regardless of size.

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