Category: Google Plus Archive

Spamfighting vs. Privacy – K²R

A look back at the history of the spam wars by a former Gmail spamfighter got me thinking: We not only accept that email providers will read our email to filter spam and viruses, we *expect* it. That’s downright weird when you compare it to our expectations of, say, postal mail privacy.

Spamfighting vs. Privacy – K²R

As a former email admin, I found this history of spamfighting from a former Gmailer fascinating. The implications of widespread encryption are sobering.

On LinkedIn and Google+

Spamfighting vs. privacy (and a brief history of the spam wars)

On Twitter

So apparently I messed up the link between WordPress and Google+

So apparently I messed up the link between WordPress and Google+ a month ago and all my posts have been shared privately. I just figured no one was reading them over here. Which I guess is technically true…

Stacy remarks: Yes, but not for lack of trying.

Which is kind of nice to know, actually!

Wearable computing and Comic Con. Two great tastes…?

Wearable computing and Comic Con. Two great tastes…?

Originally shared by Speed Force:

I was reading up on wearable computing today, and with the SDCC badge presale looming, I found myself wondering whether a smart watch would be useful for Comic-Con. I actually came up with some use cases.

https://hyperborea.org/journal/2014/02/smartwatch-comiccon/

The caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland is totally a Vorlon.

The caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland is totally a Vorlon.

He’s always asking “Who are you?”, has a short temper, speaks cryptically, and when he offers help, he won’t explain it. He relies on an alternate atmosphere supply. And in the Disney version, he even sheds his external skin and reveals himself as a winged being.

I don’t think he was ever named, but I think I should call him Kosh.

Cross-Posted at K2R
On Twitter

Serious Security: How to store your users’ passwords safely

A nice writeup on various methods of storing passwords (and which ones NOT to use).

Serious Security: How to store your users’ passwords safely

Following our popular article explaining what Adobe did wrong with its users’ passwords, a number of readers asked us, “Why not publish an article showing the rest of us how to do it right?”

On LinkedIn
On Twitter

One of my pet peeves about mobile apps: always assuming you have a live connection

One of my pet peeves about mobile apps: always assuming you have a live connection right at that moment. Not always, and there are better ways to work around it than just tossing up an error message.

https://hyperborea.org/journal/2013/11/design-offline/

Discussion from Google+:

Brion: This drives me nuts about feedly, which I otherwise quite like!

Me: Oh, yeah. I imagine they want to avoid pushing too much data too often, but it can easily be narrowed down. They’ve already got prediction for what you’re most likely to read, and you can put things in the must read category. That sounds like a practical solution to that issue. Or you could have a “sync for offline now” button you hit before your commute/flight/etc. So that it only pushes everything when it’s needed.

Brion: The old Google Reader app had a predictive offline fetch but I found it pretty flaky. I’d be happy with just fetching all text contents (text compresses well!)

Cosette has a fright as mysterious shadows and footsteps stalk the Rue Plumet Garden. #spooky

Well, it’s perfect that I ended up writing up this section in the Halloween season. Someone’s sneaking around Cosette’s garden at night, freaking her out. But wait: That shadow was just a chimney! Well, maybe…if chimneys can run away when they’re spotted…

On Google+

Cosette has a fright as mysterious shadows and footsteps stalk the Rue Plumet Garden.

Creeping Around the Garden

#spooky

On Twitter
On Twitter

Not convinced that “custom URL” is the right term for a pre-selected FirstLast pattern

I’m not convinced that “custom URL” is the right term for something with a pre-selected FirstLast pattern, but google.com/+KelsonVibber is certainly a lot more readable (and memorable) than the old plus.google.com/114592653976491624719

On Google+

Not convinced that “custom URL” is the right term for a pre-selected FirstLast pattern, but google.com/+KelsonVibber is certainly more legible

On Twitter

Is Google still doing A/B testing on the toolbar vs. drop-down UI…

Is Google still doing A/B testing on the toolbar vs. drop-down UI for their various services, or did users reject the change? I could have sworn I’d gotten the new UI every time I connected for the last week or so.

Discussion from Google+:

Brion: I have different toolbars on different accounts. It’s pretty annoying, since I have a lot of Google windows open on both all day long…

Me: On my work box, I tend to clear cookies & log back in fairly frequently. Come to think of it, maybe it only seemed settled b/c I happened to have the new UI on Friday & Monday.

But yeah, switching back just when you’ve gotten used to the new variation gets to be a pain. It’s funny how bigger differences are easier to manage than smaller ones — something about the way the brain handles the context, I guess.

In case anyone else is finding that Fedora suddenly has a double-lock screen, with the second screen…

In case anyone else is finding that Fedora suddenly has a double-lock screen, with the second screen not accepting keyboard input (making it impossible to unlock): You might have both Gnome and Cinnamon installed. Try to look past the lack of professionalism in the bug report conversation (Because it’s not as if Linux users like to tinker and experiment with different software, right?) and get to the solution.

Bug 1019405 – cinnamon-screensaver causes unwanted screen locking when running GNOME

Description of problem: If both the GNOME and Cinnamon desktops are installed, then while running GNOME, cinnamon-screensaver is running, and causes screen locking, even if it is turned off in GNOME. Sometimes it’s impossible to get focus in the Password window, and