Automattic, the makers of popular blogging software WordPress (this site is based on the self-hosted version), have released a newly re-vamped set of tools and software around the blogging platform. The idea appears to be pushing WordPress into the new generation of web tools.
Just after I picked up the Nikon AW1 camera, I needed to shoot something. I was so excited, grabbing my camera and running outside looking for something to capture. Thankfully, this spider was there having lunch, ready for me to sit on the ground and slowly grab this image. This turned out so well, I’ve been using it as a wallpaper. Enjoy.
Just like medical journals, it seems like every new day brings some new report or another on the “state” of technology. Some reports are “nothing is secure, and you can never be secure“, while others take a more alarmist “secure everything” approach. I’m always sceptical when I hear of these things. They’re flashy, push people’s buttons, and generally feel like squeeze pages for a larger sales tactic. In fact, the first thing they should disclose is what they sell. At CWL we provide technology support services, so this topic is one that I’m acutely interested in. That said, there are often good things to glean from even the worst.
With the recent support for Ad Blockers in iOS 9, many have been discussing the ethics of blocking advertisements on the mobile platform (and elsewhere). Up until the end of September, ad blockers were the #1 applications on Apple’s app store. The discussion about these has continued after Marco Arment pulled his ad blocking application named Peace. I wanted to offer my perspective on this.
You may have heard earlier this month that Logmein has purchased the password management tool LastPass. The announcement itself contained some very important information about how this tool might evolve, especially if you look at what they aren’t saying. This is most certainly bad news for Lastpass users.
I’ve recently found a great tool for archiving files. I think you’ll want to check out truepax. This open source tool is cross-platform (made in java unfortunately), and it features
the ability to create TrueCrypt and Veracrypt containers on the fly. Even better, trupax doesn’t require the installation of those tools to work. truepax might might your file archiving process faster and more secure than ever before.
I try to give away truly useful stuff; but from a technology perspective. This time around, I turn my attention to travellers. If you fly a lot, you know how difficult it can be to comply with baggage rules and size limitations. Different airlines have different rules and even local airports can handle bag sizes and dimensions in ways you might not expect. For this contest, I’m going to give away a small travel pack that includes a portable luggage scale and a measuring tape.
The focus on piracy has always been intense for tools that have offered intellectual property (IP) for free. Over the years, services and software such as Napster (music), Megaupload (cyberlockers), and uTorrent (Bittorrent) have become focal points for the intense battle to remove pirated content from the greater Internet. But, perhaps unexpectedly, new and novel legitimate services are being created that can also be used to display pirated content. The future of piracy may be a trojan horse in every legitimately used service.
The marketplace for entertainment is a changing fast. A large number of people are moving away from cable television, and looking for lower cost alternatives. They want the flexibility of seeing TV shows and movies on their terms, but also want a better selection than the cable television providers offer. This article is for you, cord-cutter. Here is what I consider the ideal path to killing that ongoing cable TV package.
For cord-cutters (or those leaving cable tv behind), I usually recommend one solution. You need to have a full desktop or laptop computer running Windows, OS X, or Linux attached to your television via an HDMI port. Other options just don’t provide the kind of flexibility that’s required in such a changing landscape. It seems like Intel was listening to me and created a small computer for this purpose. Can this device replace the “Computer attached to Television” scenario I recommend?
Kevin Costain