Tuesday Sweep: 24 October 2017
Your weekly reminder to back up your data, update software and otherwise pay attention to your digital environment. (Oh, and to go to the CRASH Space meeting…)
Jump in Here
- Welcome. If you haven’t been following along, it’s okay. You’re not behind, you’re just where you are.
- I highly recommend the coach tool at the Crash Override Network has a great step by step break down for many of the same introductory steps we did here.
- Feeling more ambitious? Review the list of OneThing articles and pick one to catch up on.
Sweep
The basics.
- Updated software recently? Pick a new device to check on today.
- Backups still up and running? When was the last time you made a clean disk image? Here’s a new great article on how to design a backup system.
- App and Password Gardening: Delete a low quality app from your phone or delete an account that you don’t need that doesn’t make you happy. Digital cruft builds up. Delete it. If you’re keeping it, can you move the password to your password manager (delete it from everywhere else) and add two factor authentication?
- Move to offline archive & delete your histories where you can find them.
- Double check privacy settings on your phone, social media accounts. The folks running the companies can change the TOS and add “features” before you notice them.
- Have you frozen your credit yet?
Learn
Where do you scan for news?
- CORRECTION: I sloppily said gold was “most” conductive last week when it’s only a paltry third in line!
- The DTLA Mini Maker Faire Call for Makers deadline is October 28th. The event will take place on December 2nd at the Central Library in Downtown Los Angeles.
- I don’t remember if I’ve mentioned them before, but those of you further east should know about the active SVGTech group of social special interest groups. The SVGLUG has it’s next meeting with speaker Dr. Corbett Moran on November 9th in Pasadena.
- If you have or take Halloween off next Tuesday, consider checking out LACMA’s Tuesday Matinee Film series showing Creature from the Black Lagoon at 1 PM for 4$. Den of Geek posted an article about the history of the movie. If you get inspired swing but Reynolds Advanced Materials for monster suit making supplies.
- I’m not entirely sure why but the article on Apple watches being denied cellular service in China and the FBI director Christopher Wray implying that he want a back door into everything seems deeply philosophically connected. As the United States continues its crawl away from democracy, reading these two articles one after the other… Well I got a little chill at Christopher Wray’s “keep the the public safe” line in this context. I’m definitely doing a face-wrinkle. Super glad there is an EFF out there.
- The latest IoT botnet in town goes by the name of Reaper. Apparently it’s been written to move more slowly and quietly through networks. For more in depth technical details and what to do about it, Check Point Research (the original announcer) and NetLab posted interesting reads.
Reflect
Feeling dumb or stupid about how not-l33t you are? Angsting over some silly thing you “know better than to do.” Stop. That isn’t useful. Regret is only of use if it prompts an actual change in behavior. Maybe it’s NOT you that sucks. Could be it’s the technology and you could come up with a fix that would help lots of people. Look forward and make a plan.
Engage
We are a community. You are a welcome part of it.
