1 Must Read & 1 Must Watch

Folks, this article sums up the ‘big picture’ quite nicely, and everyone would be well-served to understand/know it.

Today’s Must Read: The future of computing is a battle for your personal information

“The organizations that are looking to invent, and dominate the next era of computing are, at their heart, based on advertising revenue, and in the process of owning the future, these companies and their device-based competitors will treat the personal information of consumers as a prized commodity.” Read more ..

Today’s Must Watch Viral Video: Winner of the Tech Paul Two Thumbs Up Award

[ For those seeking to see an intelligent rebuttal to the above video, click here. ]

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Today’s quote: “Promise Yourself

To be so strong that nothing
can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity
to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel
that there is something in them
To look at the sunny side of everything
and make your optimism come true.

To think only the best, to work only for the best,
and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others
as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past
and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times
and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself
that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear,
and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world,
not in loud words but great deeds.
To live in faith that the whole world is on your side
so long as you are true to the best that is in you.”
~ Christian D. Larson,

Copyright 2007-2014 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
And please, never forget – one person can make a difference.
Find a way to make someone’s day today.
(Best advice I ever heard? Don’t sweat the small stuff.)

Weekend goodies

Folks, here are this week’s ‘pretty picture’ and ‘fun video’.

Click on image to see more by this artist

“water fun” by afu007 , courtesy of Flicker Commons

And today’s video:

Today’s quotable quote: “Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

Copyright 2007-2014 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
And please, never forget – one person can make a difference.
Find a way to make someone’s day today.
(Best advice I ever heard? Don’t sweat the small stuff.)

Facebook (and more)

Here are a few items worthy of your consideration.

* Facebook: Unethical, untrustworthy, and now downright harmful

“News of Facebook experimenting on its users’ emotional states has rattled everyone. Worse, the tool used to perform the experiments is so flawed there’s no way of knowing if users were harmed.” Read more..

[ Yet again, I’m reminded how glad I am that I’ve  never touched Facebook… ]

* Do you have one of those “fitness” doodads? The scary truth about data security with wearables

“Data brokers collect data from numerous sources for everyone in the US. It is alarming how much data is collected and the potential for security breaches, particularly from wearable devices.” Read more..

* How to Block Online Tracking

“Many sites track user behavior using a variety of invisible third-party software. This means any time you visit a Web page, you’re likely sharing data about your online habits, from clicks to views or social shares, whether you realize it or not. But there are a few ways to combat online tracking—although none can block some of the more sophisticated tracking techniques, such as “fingerprinting” and “onboarding.” Here are three tools that block the most common trackers.” Read more..

So.. you want a career in IT?

* Chinese Hackers Target Logistics & Shipping Firms With Poisoned Inventory Scanners

‘ZombieZero’ still actively pushing rigged handheld scanning devices, reviving concerns of doing business with Chinese tech companies.” Read more..

[ “Concerns”??? How asleep-at-the-switch are people?
Related: Oculus Suspends Oculus Rift Dev Kit Sales in China

“An undisclosed amount of reselling has forced Oculus to suspend sales of its Oculus Rift dev kits in China.” Read more..

Someone at Oculus there may do well to look up the term “reverse engineering” too..]

* 8 Geeky Summer Projects to Keep Kids Busy

“These projects will keep you and your kids entertained this summer.” Read more..

Today’s quote: “The Paradoxical Commandments:

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.” ~ Kent M. Keith

Copyright 2007-2014 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
And please, never forget – one person can make a difference.
Find a way to make someone’s day today.
(Best advice I ever heard? Don’t sweat the small stuff.)

Use Tor or Hotspot Shield? You’re a terrorist!

(Or even Google’d those words?)

One “must read” for all you thinkers out there.

* The NSA Thinks You Are an Extremist If You Care About Privacy

“You don’t have to perform a search about pressure cooker bombs or terrorism to get on the National Security Agency’s radar. Just being a little privacy-conscious and curious about Tor is enough.” Read more..

I suggest forwarding that to your friends and family, as well.

Wow. It’s a fair bet I am on The List because of typing those words… Double “wow”!

Today’s quote: “Maybe this world is another planet’s hell.”  ~ Aldous Huxley

Today’s relief: Another one of those ‘buried into my subconscious’ songs..

“Googled” is a word. How nuts is that?

And speaking of Google: I received an info-Email informing me that Orkut is Kaput (soon).

“After ten years of sparking conversations and forging connections, we have decided it’s time for us to start saying goodbye to Orkut. Over the past decade, YouTube, Blogger and Google+ have taken off, with communities springing up in every corner of the world. Because the growth of these communities has outpaced Orkut’s growth, we’ve decided to focus our energy and resources on making these other social platforms as amazing as possible for everyone who uses them.”

I had to say, “Who? What the ___ is an “Orkut”? (jk)
“Outpaced growth”…
Snicker.

Too bad they didn’t pitch it/mod it to be the place where all the kids go (now that grown-ups [parents and grandparents] have flooded Facebook). Then it might be “monitize-able”….

Copyright 2007-2014 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

---

All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
And please, never forget – one person can make a difference.
Find a way to make someone’s day today.
(Best advice I ever heard? Don’t sweat the small stuff.)

Sunday Beauty #162

Folks, here is another ‘pretty picture’ for your Sunday.

And I’ve got a question for you. How long has it been since you’ve performed a “random act of kindness”?
Really?
Well.. what are you waiting for?

Click on image to see more by this artist (reco’d)

“Autumn river scene” by chefranden, courtesy of Flickr Commons

Today’s quote: “The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.” ~ Bertrand Russell

Copyright 2007-2014 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

---

All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
And please, never forget – one person can make a difference.
Find a way to make someone’s day today.
(Best advice I ever heard? Don’t sweat the small stuff.)

The Best of Times

I love fireworks! (And I love 3 day summer weekends!)

Happy Birthday America

Independence Day is the national day of the United States.

In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States.

Today’s quote:

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” ~ Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address

(I have heard tales told where, in the golden olden days, students were required to memorize and recite this Address.. but then, I have heard that they were required to learn Latin too.. Today I hear tales that students cannot even read this Address.. Bah. Just musing out loud.)

We here at T4E Headquarters (me, myself, and I) wish you a joyous and safe holiday.

Bonus 1: The 4th is a great time to get out to one of our National Parks. If you cannot do that, perhaps setting your desktop “wallpaper” to a spectacular image might be a good “second option”. (Some awesome nature photography here.) Public domain Desktop wallpaper from US National Parks

Bonus 2: If you like fireworks too.. 20 Incredible Photographs of Fireworks Reflected in Water

Copyright 2007-2014 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

---

All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
And please, never forget – one person can make a difference.
Find a way to make someone’s day today.
(Best advice I ever heard? Don’t sweat the small stuff.)

Kinda blows my mind..

I saw a bargain deal today that reminded me of Moore’s Law, and how much things have changed since I first started working with “personal computers” (and hard drives were 4 Gigabytes..)

A quality 32 Gigabyte ‘smart’ thumb drive (aka “memory stick”, aka “flash drive”) for $12. (And I’m not talking 1990’s dollars, either, but today’s, basically valueless dollar.)

Of course, it’s not just the cost-per-Gigabyte I’m impressed by.. but some may remember buying devices called “Zip drives” so we could have a whopping 100 Megabytes of ‘portable storage..

Blast from the past…

Oh. If you’re interested in the thumb drive deal, click here. [Note: Offer expired. Now it’s $16.]

Today’s quote: “Humans beings always do the most intelligent thing…after they’ve tried every stupid alternative and none of them have worked” ~ R. Buckminster Fuller

Copyright 2007-2014 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

---

All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
And please, never forget – one person can make a difference.
Find a way to make someone’s day today.
(Best advice I ever heard? Don’t sweat the small stuff.)