I thought I would toss my two cents in – regarding the whole Facebook and privacy issue. The internets seem to have their collective panties in a wad. There are two distinct sides to this battle. And I am not really sure there is much of a middle ground. You have the group that says – this is the internet expect no privacy. And then the other side – that thinks Facebook is Google on steriods – that Facbook is going through their underwear drawer – then telling the whole world. I think there is some middle ground in this issue though. Sure – it’s the web and nothing is private. I’ve always been of the thought that if you wouldn’t wear it on a t-shirt, don’t post it to the web. Facebook I believe just needs to be more aware of the privacy issue – and quit tossing privacy to the wind.
Here is yet another . . . Palm Pre update.
I’ve not smashed the phone in to tiny pieces – so that’s a good sign. Right?
Ever since the 1.4 update (and 1.4.1) – I have experienced sluggish performance in several applications. The main one being the photo app. It really seems to hang way too often. I can see it has been a long time since I have seen the too many cards error message pop up. To be honest – I am not sure Palm will ever get this right. The phone is nice – WebOS was a nice concept. There has been a lot of news circulating around lately about Palm being sold off as a company. If they were to stay strong – they would have to come out with a 2nd generation Pre – that knocked the socks off of the competition. But let’s face it. It’s not going to happen. Palm couldn’t make the leap from business oriented phones to consumer oriented phones. And they didn’t have enough tie in in the business market. RIM has this market wrapped up. However I am starting to see more and more iPhones in the hands of business executives.
I think for Palm it’s a case of too little too late.
I was listening to Andy Stanley the other day – it was one of his more recent podcasts. The title was “On Location: Shine”.
But it’s how the message started out that got me thinking. For lack of better summary the lead up the “shine” part of the message was about progressing in life and then reaching that pause. Starting about the age of 5 you are put on a track – or so to speak. You go through elementary school. Then off to middle school or junior high, what ever it’s called now. Then high school. Then for some college. Up to that point in your life, without your fault, it’s been one new thing after the other. Then you land a job, get a new car, a new apartment – then it sets in. Work. Your there every day nothing changes. This is the pint where some start getting in to trouble. The look for the next adrenaline rush. I was luck in the sense. Shortly after my new job – I got married. Then got another job, then had kid number one. Then got a house, then got another job. Then we had kid number 2. Maybe I coped with the lack of adrenaline rush with new jobs. . . . and then the breaks are hit. Your head smacks the windshield. You’re stuck. Or are you? Maybe you are right where you should be. Right where Jesus needs you. It’s at this point that some people may reach for vices to keep the adrenaline flowing. Andy finished up the message about being the light – a city on a hill. Our purpose in life as Christians is to be that light. So that others can see God – can see the works of god.
Do you struggle with life after “everything is done”. Does waking up, going to work, coming home – frustrate you?
Turn on WPA
Seems simple to us tech nerds. No one in their right mind would run wide-open or WEP (argument could be made that it’s the same thing). So you’re going to need to turn on WPA. What is WPA? For starters WPA is short for Wi-Fi Protected Access. You’ll pick a pass-phrase, otherwise known as a pre-shared key (PSK). Make the key difficult. WPA/WPA2 has been broken/hacked – but the process to hack it is way too complex at this point.
Name your SSID something stupid
Really. Go crazy. The SSID of your wireless router is it’s public name. It’s what you look for when connecting a new device to your wireless network. Name your SSID something stupid. Don’t name it SmithNetwork. Or ILuvCats – if you have 15 cats and are known as the cat lady. Or StarTrek if you attend conventions every weekend. Pick something random. By doing this you are making it a little tougher for someone to target you and your wireless network.
Turn off SSID broadcast
Now that you have named your SSID something crazy. Turn off SSID broadcasting. You’ll have to endure a few extra steps when first bringing a laptop (or other device) on to the wireless network. By turning off broadcasting – your network will not show up as an available network to connect to on devices.
Enable MAC filtering
Consider this bonus. Most people won’t bother. I don’t blame you. In short – by enabling MAC filtering you are saying only these machines/devices are allowed on my network. Is it bullet proof? No. But it slows the bullet WAY down. A MAC address is unique to each and every networkable device in the world. A MAC address can be spoofed/faked. But it’s not something that’s going to keep you up at night.
These are only steps to make it harder for someone to wirelessly gain access to your network. WPA alone – is going to go a long way in securing your network. The others are gravy. If someone wants in bad enough – they are going to get in.
I have decided to take a hard look at the way I consume media. And what types of media that most often get my attention. My media consumption depends a whole lot on my location. I can usually be found either driving, at work , or at home. I would say that covers about 90% of my locations . When driving most all of my media consumption is done via podcasts, audio books, or music. Most of the time while driving – I am listening to a podcast. At work media is consumed via Twitter, the interwebs, some Facebook, and music (usually streaming via Pandora). At home – the family and I get most of our media via streaming (Roku + Netflix). The kids do watch a little Disney Channel or Nickelodeon. You can also through in a little internet usage – and smart phone usage as well.
As you can see – my media consumption is all over the map. It would not have looked the same 5 years ago even.
How about you? How do you consume media? Is it mostly internet related – whether it is Twitter, Facebook, or streaming?
Like it or not. The iPad is dropping this week. Apple will either famously pull it off and we all will be carrying one around in three years. Or it will go the way of Google Buzz. According to news reports – Best Buy stores will get 15 units each. By getting units out to Best Buy stores and Apple Stores – Apply is flooding the market. I am glad to see them distributing this way. I am sure more Americans live closer to a Best Buy store than an Apple store.
While I would love to get my hands on one – I am going to wait. Lately I have been burned too many times buying the first version – only to see new ones come out six months later.
How about you? Is there an iPad in your future?
