Tuesday Sweep: 4 September 2018

Your weekly reminder to back up your data, update software and otherwise pay attention to your digital environment. (Oh, and to head to the CRASH Space meeting…)

• On the blog
• On the repo
• See all the zones

When does fall start? Well, according to Astronomical Calendars, Saturday, September 22, 2018, at exactly 6:54 P.M. PST marks the moment of the Fall Equinox. According to Meteorological Calendars September 1st kicked off Pumpkin Latte season.   Here in SoCal, the warm growing season wraps up this month, with the cool growing season kicking off in October.  LA Unified started instruction about two weeks ago, although I still think of September as the start of school. In fact, September marked the beginning of the civic calendar back since it really was the Seventh Month.  Jewish Communities will be celebrating a New Years that goes back for thousands of years in less than a week and it’s time to get your moon cakes. This time of year has cultivated it’s liminal vibe for eons.  So let’s go with that.

What does that mean for this week? We return to the theme of Connectivity.  How do we connect? What do we connect to? This week time though, in honor of September, spend a little bit of time thinking – Why do we connect at all?

Jump in Here

• Welcome. If you haven’t been following along, it’s okay. You’re not behind, you’re just where you are.
• Need a instant pick me up? Jump straight to our Easy Wins.
• There are more recommendations under Start Here.
• Feeling more ambitious? Just wait for the Learn section!

Sweep

Weekly Basics

• Check that backup systems are actually running. (more)
• Update main computer(s), phone(s) and tablet(s). (more)
• Clean out and reset wallet/purse/laptop bag/vehicle. (more)
• Spend some time adding passwords to your password manager and updating flagged passwords. (more)
• Wipe down your main devices, physically! (more)
• What neglected inbox will you check today? (more)

This Week’s Focus:

Zone 01:  Connectivity

• Any new ISP choices available to you? Hassled your elected officials lately about that? Have fun researching alternatives! (more)
• If you’ve rolled your own VPN, update it. (more)
• Reboot your router at the least, reset it if possible.  (more)
• Double check firewall settings (more)
• Update antivirus software (more)
• Make sure HTTPs everywhere is fully enabled. (more)
• If applicable, re-image sacrificial devices (more)
• Spend a little time learning how the internet works. (more)

Learn

News and Updates

Where do you scan for news, include a politics update!

• Bruce Schneier has a new book called Click Here To Kill Everybody (Amazon Affil Link | Publisher Link (no SSL))
• Please call your Senators, even here in CA, to prevent the Kavanaugh Confirmation. Calling Senators that support your position helps keep them strong. It’s easier to prevent a nomination
• Go Net Neutrality in CA. Governor still needs to sign, so might as well give him a call, and make she he knows that Californias think it’s worth fighting for and to prevent them from weakening it as people keep trying. While you have them on the phone, say YAY for carbon-free energy too! (If your assembly and state senate folks voted for these, say thank you!)
• Not to jump on the Elon-Bashing train, b/c dide is clearly in the middle of a breakdown and thats sad when it’s anybody – but as a really interesting review of why people skills are tech skills masquerading as dishing about bad back-end design in Tesla cars.  In a related post, The peculiar hazards of megaprojects.
• Doing Logic Analysis To Get Around The CatGenie’s DRM

Engage

We are a community. You are a welcome part of it.

• Did you learn something cool in your sweep? Make something? Share it!
• Speak up
• Give
• Like going to conferences? Maybe one is coming up!
• Show up at CRASH Space.

Relax

I have a plant acquisition problem. I don’t always have a too many plants in my yard problem, because well, in our heat, let’s just say they weed themselves.  That said I got a ton of sacrifices new members of the family while stopping at the Drought Resistant Nursery in Monterey last week. You can blame my jaunt along the coast for why y’all didn’t get a Tuesday sweep. I brought home a ton of Salvia‘s a couple of osteospermum and a (not pictured) Arbutus Marina.  Also in picture,  Angelonia and Echinacea bought, um, since getting home… (hides face)