One trend in technology lately has been to embrace a minimalistic user interface. This has entailed using a lot more icons and a lot less text. I can agree that this approach isn't all bad. You are able to fit more on a screen and with smaller devices you are able to make the buttons bigger for an easier touch interface. In many instances, the context can explain what an icon … [Read more...]
Disclosing software vulnerabilities isn’t against the EULA?
Software is just a compiled bunch of code but it represents ingenuity, innovation, effort and time. It is also a very interesting product. When you purchase software, the software is licensed to you, not sold. The Terms of Service and End User License Agreement can do some pretty interesting things such as disallowing participation in a class action lawsuit and requiring … [Read more...]
Shopping smarter online
The recent heatwave of 100+ degrees here in East Central Illinois has me revisiting an old project in my head. I previously tried a window unit air conditioner for my office. The computers and network equipment generate enough heat that the central air isn't able to keep up comfortably. Unfortunately, the window unit allowed too many bugs in to be satisfied, so it got pulled … [Read more...]
On this Independence Day, celebrate Internet freedom
4th of July with its fireworks, hotdogs and hamburgers, and celebrating the birth of a free nation, gets everybody feeling pretty patriotic. That pride in our independence is making a strong push this year to defend the Free Internet. With SOPA, PIPA, ACTA, and other proposed laws under our belts, we must remain vigilant against others that wish to overstep and legislate the … [Read more...]
EFF jumps in to push Patent Reform
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has done some great things when it comes to defending our rights in the digital realm over its 22-year long existence. Now, the company is inserting itself as an interested third party in the patent wars that have only been growing more and more out of control. The organization is compiling petition signatures into a whitepaper to present to … [Read more...]