I’ve been using BTSync for a while now and it is fantastic. I have a Mac mini server to sync with, but if you don’t then this solution from Shane Reustle looks like a great solution. I’d love it if the hard drive could be encrypted too — I am sure it is possible.
Month: October 2013
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Schneier on Security: NSA Eavesdropping on Google and Yahoo Networks
Bruce Schneier:
> Although the Washington Post article specifically talks about Google and Yahoo, you have to assume that all the other major — and many of the minor — cloud services are compromised this same way. That means Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Badoo, Dropbox, and on and on and on.
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Portable Electronics Frequently Asked Questions
You heard you can now use your iPad during all phases of the flight, right? Well don’t get too excited:
> Can I use my e-book reader/tablet/cell phone throughout my flight now?
> Once your airline has shown the FAA its airplanes can safely handle radio interference from portable electronics, they can let you use your devices in airplane mode only most of the time. At certain times — for example, a landing in reduced visibility — the Captain may tell passengers to turn off their devices to make absolutely sure they don’t interfere with onboard communications and navigation equipment.So the FAA has approved it, but now the airlines themselves have to send data to the FAA to allow passengers to use these devices. That shouldn’t take *any* time.
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Quote of the Day: Moron Rogers
“You can’t have your privacy violated if you don’t know your privacy is violated.” -
‘I Challenged Hackers to Investigate Me and What They Found Out Is Chilling’
Adam L. Penenberg:
> The newly updated OSX malware, which another member of the team, digital forensics specialist Josh Grunzweig coded, was dropped on to her machine. SpiderLabs now had complete access to her laptop whenever it was on the Internet.
> On Charlotte’s machine were our family’s W2s, which included our social security numbers as well as our income and all of our deductions, paperwork and copies of credit card and banking statements. They also came upon a password to our home router. More frightening, they discovered her password and log in to our Chase online banking account.
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Dark Mail Alliance
> To bring the world our unique end-to-end encrypted protocol and architecture that is the ‘next-generation’ of private and secure email. As founding partners of The Dark Mail Alliance, both Silent Circle and Lavabit will work to bring other members into the alliance, assist them in implementing the new protocol and jointly work to proliferate the worlds first end-to-end encrypted ‘Email 3.0’ throughout the world’s email providers. Our goal is to open source the protocol and architecture and help others implement this new technology to address privacy concerns against surveillance and back door threats of any kind.
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‘Think You Can Live Offline Without Being Tracked? Here’s What It Takes’
Sarah Kessler:
> Friends can be an impediment to a life off the radar. For one, they probably think they’re doing you a favor when they invite you to a party using Evite, add you to LinkedIn or Facebook, or keep your information in a contact book that they sync with their computer.
> But from your perspective, as someone trying to remain as untraceable as possible, they are selling you out. “Basically what they’ve done is uploaded all of my contact information and connected it to them,” Sell says.Proof that I am not nearly paranoid enough.
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‘NSA infiltrates links to Yahoo, Google data centers worldwide, Snowden documents say’
New Snowden documents are out, and show how the NSA captures data traveling between Yahoo and Google servers, thus giving the NSA access to a large swath of data. Barton Gellman and Ashkan Soltani for The Washington Post:
> In an NSA presentation slide on “Google Cloud Exploitation,” however, a sketch shows where the “Public Internet” meets the internal “Google Cloud” where their data resides. In hand-printed letters, the drawing notes that encryption is “added and removed here!” The artist adds a smiley face, a cheeky celebration of victory over Google security.
> Two engineers with close ties to Google exploded in profanity when they saw the drawing. “I hope you publish this,” one of them said.The Google engineer reactions are great. I think companies like Google have long suspected that these things *could* happen, but now that they know it will be interesting to see how they combat it. And I think they must combat it to stay competitive.
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Transporter Sync
Looks really neat, like the original File Transporter that you can just plug into any USB drive. This is probably a better solution than the “normal” File Transporter, but I have yet to try one.
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Fantastical 2 for iPhone
While [Shawn Blanc thinks Fantastical 2 for iPhone is *the best*][1], I am more reserved. I think Fantastical 2 is tied with Horizon ((I have a business relationship with the developer of Horizon, but no business interests in Horizon itself.)) for a very close *second* place, as Apple’s built in calendar app stands atop the mountain.
First let me explain my two problems with Fantastical 2, as both can be seen with a screenshot.
1. When there are no events for the day, that is not immediately evident if you are prone to taking a quick glance. Instead one could be forgiven for mistaking tomorrow as today. (see the red arrow) I did this dozens of times while testing the app.
2. Why are all-day events given the same priority of time based events? That is, I think of all-day events more like reminders (hey garbage day idiot), than I do as appointments. I cannot be alone here. I would love to see all-day events de-emphasized a bit.Other than that, Fantastical is a superb app. However I like Apple’s offering better for two specific reasons:
1. The live date in the icon without an icon badge is just killer. I know third-party developers cannot do this, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love it.
2. The “search view” in Calendar is excellent for my needs. (But suffers from the same problem as Fantastical’s #1 issues listed above. While they both handle “all day” events similarly, I give an edge to Apple here as I find it easier to note it is all day. That’s a highly subjective call though.)I know a lot of people hate the new Calendar app, but I am not among them. For those that just hate it for some reason that I cannot comprehend, both Fantastical 2 and Horizon offer excellent alternatives. If pressed, I’d give a slight edge to Fantastical 2 over Horizon as I find it “fitting” better visually on iOS 7.
[1]: http://shawnblanc.net/2013/10/review-fantastical-2-iPhone/
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The Ultimate EDC Pocket Knife
After I found the Spyderco Sage series of knives I had pretty much stopped searching for a better everyday pocket knife. I was exceedingly happy, with the Sage I in particular. However, as things changed, I became annoyed by the physical width of the knife. Particularly when I wanted to keep it in my pocket, instead of clipped to the top, it was too wide to slide my hand past to get at other things in my pocket.
There was only one other knife I wanted to try: the Chris Reeves Small Sebenza. I ordered the left-handed model (which means that the blade lock and opening nub are flipped to make the knife accommodate a left handed person) and put it through a few months of testing.
Upon opening the knife I immediately noticed it’s build quality. The Spyderco knives are excellent but the Sebenza is an entirely different level of quality. The best evidence is the back of the knife blade: On almost every other knife I have tried the back is angular in some way. It’s not something you really want to touch if you can avoid it.
But the back of the Sebenza is something I really want to touch — a disturbing amount. The back edge is rounded and polished. It feels smoother than the back of an iPhone. Even the jimping, which is cut-in to provide better grip for your thumb in wet conditions, feels smooth and civilized.
In fact I think “civilized” is the most apt description for this knife. Every knife has a personality. Most SOG knives feel aggressive. The Spyderco Sage knives feel like trusted tools. The Sebenza just feels civilized.
The opening and closing actions are smooth as silk. There’s no jitter, even when the knife contains a bunch of pocket lint. One downside: This knife is slower to open than the Spyderco, but that’s largely due to the width difference and thumb stud versus large cutout that Spyderco is known for. Where the Spyderco can provide easier grip and more leverage, the Sebenza has neither, but makes up for it in overall width savings.
Sage I bottom. The knife itself looks absolutely stunning. The blade material is topnotch S35V. ((Older models use S30V, new models use S35V.)) The frame is a nice titanium finish, which will show wear.
Of all the knives I have tested this blade stands apart for two reasons:
- It is shockingly sharp. I don’t know if it’s due to shape, blade design or the upgraded S35V steel, but it always feels sharper than other knives — even just after sharpening. I went a full two months without sharpening and it still felt sharp.
- It collects a lot less “tape goop” than the Sage knives. (Tape goop is that crap that sticks to your knife when you cut open packing tape.)
The Sebenza, unlike any other knife I have tested, is truly a fantastic knife to use, look at and handle. It’s also three times the price of the next best knife. Is it worth it?
The Sebenza is absolutely worth every penny. However, as an everyday carry, it’s not that much better than the Spyderco Sage 1. If you prefer a smaller profile knife, then the Sebenza is the only other knife I would recommend. For me, the Sebenza is worth it, but it’s not a knife I would recommend to everyone. If you can comfortably pocket the Spyderco, that’s your knife. Replacement and guilt costs are lower with the Sage I. If you can’t pocket the Sage I, or you want the absolute best (price be damned), Chris Reeves Small Sebenza is the one.
Buy Them:
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Quote of the Day: Dave Pell
“Anyone who’s been within a thousand miles of one can tell you… There is no tantrum like a Put-Down-the-iPad Tantrum.” -
iPad Air Reviews Are Out
The iPad Air reviews are out, and they appear overwhelmingly positive. As for which you should buy, only [John Gruber tackled that question][1]. Here’s his wrap-up on how I suspect most readers here will be using the iPad (as a laptop companion):
> For me, personally, with my primary uses of the iPad being reading web pages, Twitter, email, and books,2 the larger display of the Air doesn’t have as much appeal. I think I’m going to hold out and buy a new iPad Mini for myself. But it’s a damn close call.
Impressive that it is that close of a call, leading me to believe it really is more of a personal call than a call that can be backed up with clear reasons why. Interestingly, Gruber notes that thumb-typing on the mini is very important to him:
> But for me, as an iPad thumb-typist, the Mini makes it easier to type.
He also notes that he doesn’t like thumb-typing on the Air, while [Jim Dalrymple on the other hand noted this about thumb typing on the Air][2]:
> This smaller size is great. If you have decent sized hands you can type with two thumbs on the iPad in portrait, something I wasn’t really able to do with the last generation iPad without a lot of stretching. Clearly a full-size iPad is not something you will be thumb typing with all the time1, but it does give you an idea of how much smaller the iPad Air is.
I still think iPad-thumb-typers are crazy, but it’s good to know the Air is making it possible for *some* people.
[Over at AnandTech they have a great photo][3] (hit the link to see it) of the new angle that the smart cover holds the iPad at when in “movie viewing” mode. It looks like it will be a much better angle for typing with a bluetooth keyboard too.
I will say the three-panel smart covers are crap compared to the four panel ones, but the omission of metal on the cover is, erm, *smart*. ((Apologies.))
I stand by my [assessment that the Air is the way to go][4].
[1]: http://daringfireball.net/2013/10/the_iPad_air
[2]: http://www.loopinsight.com/2013/10/29/review-iPad-air/
[3]: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7460/apple-iPad-air-review
[4]: https://brooksreview.net/2013/10/air-always-the-air/ -
Speeding Up Touch ID
I’ve received a lot of confirmation today on App.net that my iPhone wasn’t an anomaly: deleting your Touch ID fingerprints and re-adding them in 7.0.3 dramatically speeds up the system.
I had about a 50% success rate before 7.0.3 and now it is near 100% and works instantly. The difference is really dramatic.
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When Gizmodo Takes Down The New York Times
This is a great article by Brian Barrett, I may have to start reading Gizmodo again (just not for the latest Apple product release reviews — BURN):
> This coming Sunday’s New York Times magazine blows the lid off of an Apple conspiracy more outrageous than a dozen Foxconns. Cracking the Apple Trap, it’s called in the print edition. Why Apple Wants to Bust Your Phone, online. But in our hearts, let it be known only as Uhh… Seriously? Time to sigh together, point by point.
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TBR’s Stuff for Sale
I’m selling some Tom Bihn gear and a laptop stand. Go check it out if you are interested.
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‘To Air is Human; to Mini, Divine’
E. Jones on iPad HQ counters my argument for the iPad Air and bangs the familiar tune of “size & weight” in favor of the mini.
The mini will always be better to hold, no matter your hand size, but hand size is still a factor. I discount any arguments for “one-handed this” when it comes to the mini because that’s not universal — and unless you are in the NBA, likely not comfortable for over 5-10 minutes.
That said, the mini is good, but I think the iPad Air is better for the majority of people. Luckily no one has to take my word for it and we can all go to the Apple store and play with (and possibly return) things.
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‘Is There a Dark Side of Google?’
Arsham Mirshah:
>Now, after years of happily co-existing, Google is making a power play. It’s withholding key data and justifying it in the name of privacy. This really hurts businesses that were relying on that data, yet leaves Google nicely situated. It’s pretty clear who’s now getting the most out of the “free” transaction.
>Admittedly, there are two sides to the privacy debate, and Google is correct that withholding the keyword data does help the general population in securing their privacy. At the same time, two parties still have access to this data: Google and its paying advertisers (those using Google Adwords). Hmm… pretty interesting…At least the Google stock he owns is doing well.
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Thats the Question Now, Isn’t it
[Conor Friedersdorf](http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/10/someone-is-lying-about-nsa-surveillance-of-angela-merkel/280907/):
> If I had to bet, I’d put my money on Obama having known all along. But if he didn’t know, it’s absurd to insist that it would’ve been too impractical to tell him.
Which is worse: the President not knowing what his own spy agency is doing (either because that agency is lying to him, or he doesn’t want to know), or the President knowing about it all, approving it, and then lying to the rest of the world (including those that elected him)?
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‘iPad Mini for Content Creation’
[Federico Viticci on why he likes the iPad mini better,][1] includes this bit in his article:
> You don’t hear people saying that, because of the size differences, the 13-inch MacBook Air is for consumption and the 15-inch MacBook Pro is for creation.
Viticci’s post is really solid, but this is a really odd point. It’s odd because the better analogy is the 11″ and 13″ MacBook Air. Those two really mirror the iPad (and the coming Air) and iPad mini situation better, where the smaller is (seemingly) a lot more popular, but for many the slightly larger 13″ screen is likely the better option.
My assumption is that most people aren’t going to buy both, and are likely to use the iPad *a lot*, and given that assumption I still think he Air will be the better option (just as I would recommend the 13″ MacBook Air). If you want a smaller screen for portability, the iPhone 5S *is* the best choice.
[1]: http://www.macstories.net/stories/iPad-mini-for-content-creation/