Amazon is rolling out a new feature for its Echo and Ring product lines called Amazon Sidewalk. The basic idea is that it will create a wireless local network that allows all of these devices to connect to the internet from just about anywhere, even if your personal internet is down. Sounds cool, but the
We’ve all heard the hyperbolic declarations that this is the most consequential election in modern history. While we do live in the age of clickbait headlines, I’m actually inclined to agree with this particular assertion. There’s a lot at stake here, regardless of your political leanings. During this pandemic, many people have decided to vote
If the upcoming contentious election weren’t enough to put us on guard (given the foreign influence campaigns in the 2016 election), we now have a pandemic that has suddenly infiltrated the highest levels of the US government. In the next two months, you should fully expect to see concerted efforts by various people and groups
[UPDATED: See the end of the article] Obviously, the corona virus (COVID-19) is on everyone’s minds these days – largely because you can’t avoid the super scary, 24/7 news coverage about death tolls, cruise ships full of infected people, global heat maps, and all the click-bait articles. But whenever there is a big, scary news
[Updated: Nov 30, 2019.] The holiday shopping season is once again upon us! And that means it’s time to update my annual gift guide. Unlike other guides, I’m not here to tell you about the hottest Black Friday deals or how to get free overnight shipping on Dec 23rd. My naughty and nice list is
I’ve written a comprehensive guide to choosing the best web browser (which you should definitely read), but the choice just keeps getting clearer. If you’re not already using it, you really need to switch to Firefox. Privacy vs Security The main point of my browser guide is that there is a big difference between security
It’s that time of year again! Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Boxing Day and all the other gift shopping days between now and the end of the year. (Already missed Singles Day, though.) But you need to make sure that you’re not giving away your gift recipient’s privacy or giving hackers a means to rip off
It’s no secret that I’m a big Apple fan. I’ve bought Apple computers for literally decades. (Okay, I did once have a cheap, sordid affair with a Power Computer Mac clone, but I swear it was meaningless.) That said, I’ve used Windows and Linux machines professionally over those same years. While each systems has its
According to the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), you can’t charge sick people more for their health insurance and you can’t deny people coverage due to pre-existing conditions. But given the current administration’s penchant for gutting regulations and their vehement dislike of the ACA, those protections may not be around much longer. If so, in
UPDATE [Jan 7, 2021]: Facebook is now forcing WhatsApp users to share their data or have their service cut off. It’s time to quit using WhatsApp. I suggest using Signal. Also, a good article on getting started with Signal. Ever since WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook in 2014 for a staggering $19B, the extremely popular
