Island in the Net

Image from XKCD

Convenient Biometric Authentication

Consider this in the context of convenient biometric authenticaion like TouchID and FaceID.

Imagine you travelled to the US with a locked briefcase that contained every text message, email, and private message you’d ever sent to a loved one. It also included every web search you’d ever conducted, and?—?through your bank account and PayPal records?—?every purchase you’d ever made and every organization you’d ever donated money to.

The customs agent not only wants to open your locked briefcase?—?he also wants to copy all of its contents and store them forever in a database, which will be shared with all manner of law enforcement agencies and tax agencies, and will eventually be available to anyone working in any capacity in the government without the need for a warrant.

All your data will be stored in a database built by the lowest bidder?—?the same kinds of government contractors who brought you Healthcare.gov and the aborted $208 million California DMV database. It will be so valuable that all manner of malicious hackers will materialize from out of the woodwork to try and steal it.
That is what makes your locked phone different from a briefcase with a few personal details locked inside it.

20th September 2017 / 0 Comments

Do Not Disturb While Driving

Do Not Disturb While Driving is my most anticipated feature in iOS 11.

While this feature is enabled, the iPhone stops pushing most notifications. Emergency alerts, timers, and alarms can break through. You can optionally allow the phone to reply to incoming text messages with an explanation (and a way to break through if it’s really important).

Incoming calls are allowed to come through, but only when the iPhone is connected to a hands-free accessory like a headset or the car’s built-in audio system. Otherwise, the phone behaves like the normal Do Not Disturb—it will allow in the favorites you specify and repeated calls from the same person within three minutes.

Waiting for Spring

19th September 2017 / 0 Comments

Waiting

Aperture—ƒ/2.8
Camera—NIKON D40
Taken—26 January, 2011
Focal length—35mm
ISO—200
Shutter speed—1/200s

I pulled one from the Lightroom catalog. I didn’t encounrter any queues of people waiting. Or animals waiting. This is as waiting as it gets.

Each Wednesday, The Daily Prompt Photo Challenge provides a theme for creative inspiration. Participants take photographs based on their interpretation of the theme, and post them on their blog anytime before the following Wednesday. Elemental