Tuesday Sweep: 02 Jan 2018
Welcome to 2018!
A New Year means buying new calendars for those of us who like paper. The bullet journal, a trend in calendaring and To-Do lists that I find appealing, doesn’t really seem to be for those without a lot of free time. The myriad of youtube channels with talented illustrators drawing their own layouts every month makes it all a bit intimidating. For 2018 I’m going to try out this bullet journal thing, but lazy coder style, generating SVG files of layouts instead of drawing them by hand. I felt I had to pick either Python or Javascript to be the most helpful to others, but to be honest, both languages leave me feeling kinda “meh.” So why not both? That way it will be at least interesting to compare language quirks. I’ll update the repo with instructions as the week wears on. I’m new to hand coding SVG files, so I make no claim to using best practices. My pages will be going into a disc binder, a format with an educational patent history.
Also, start thinking about the Quarterly Review which we’ll do next week.
Your weekly reminder to back up your data, update software and otherwise pay attention to your digital environment. (Oh, and to go to the CRASH Space meeting…)
Jump in Here
- Welcome. If you haven’t been following along, it’s okay. You’re not behind, you’re just where you are.
- I highly recommend the coach tool at the Crash Override Network has a great step by step break down for many of the same introductory steps we did here. There’s a new one on the street: https://securityplanner.org Haven’t used it but it comes recommended by people I trust.
- Feeling more ambitious? Review the list of OneThing articles and pick one to catch up on.
Sweep
The basics.
- Updated software recently? Pick a new device to check on today.
- Backups still up and running? When was the last time you made a clean disk image? Here’s a new great article on how to design a backup system.
- App and Password Gardening: Delete a low quality app from your phone or delete an account that you don’t need that doesn’t make you happy. Digital cruft builds up. Delete it. If you’re keeping it, can you move the password to your password manager (delete it from everywhere else) and add two factor authentication?
- Move to offline archive & delete your histories where you can find them.
- Double check privacy settings on your phone, social media accounts. The folks running the companies can change the TOS and add “features” before you notice them.
- Have you frozen your credit yet?
Learn
Where do you scan for news?
- Dov Ganchrow’s ‘a love/hate thing’ feels like a visual anthem for my 2018. Do read the article, the process for making it involves electrodes.
- I’m off temporarily off Twitter so I haven’t been able to maintain my scan of the Tuesday List but I can still come up with some stuff be running through the usual suspects by hand.
- I’m glad that the Akita starts the conversation about improved home network security, but for this crowd the WiFi deauther by Travis Lin on Tindie seems to have all the functionality, without the pretty box.
- Need a movie to go to this week? Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story has showings in LA at the Laemmle through THURSDAY ONLY!!!
- I’m going to give places until next week, but expect the round up of rounds ups next week.
- Update Sonos speakers and unplug the Bose.
- In LA we can get McMaster-Carr orders lightning fast, and everyone can download their awesome CAD models. Hack-a-Day primer on how to shop there.
- I like the look of this bill on voting machines. Worth calling around to say you support it, and to thank Kamala Harris for being one of the sponsors.
Reflect
Feeling dumb or stupid about how not-l33t you are? Angsting over some silly thing you “know better than to do.” Stop. That isn’t useful. Regret is only of use if it prompts an actual change in behavior. Maybe it’s NOT you that sucks. Could be it’s the technology and you could come up with a fix that would help lots of people. Look forward and make a plan.
Engage
We are a community. You are a welcome part of it.