Category Archives: Computers

StoryPress: “Can we profit from your work product without compensating you?”

Much ado has been made recently about Lena Dunham’s intention to invite seven lesser known artists to warm up the crowds during her upcoming book tour, without actually paying them. More generally, it seems like there has been a growing backlash against the idea that it’s OK to offer artists “opportunities” for “exposure” without actually… Read More: StoryPress: “Can we profit from your work product without compensating… »

EZ-Pass Massachusetts credit card replenishment stupidity

I’ve had my share of run-ins with the incompetent bureaucracy of EZ-Pass Massachusetts (née “MTA Fastlane”), but somehow they’ve avoided being deservedly mocked on my blog. Well, the free ride is over. Several months ago, I had to change the credit-card number associated with my EZ-Pass account, because of a lost credit card. Unfortunately, EZ-Pass tried… Read More: EZ-Pass Massachusetts credit card replenishment stupidity »

Here’s what’s wrong with the Ice Bucket Challenge

Raising money for a worthy charity is a good thing. Raising awareness about a (currently) incurable disease that afflicts 30,000 people in the U.S. and many more worldwide, is a good thing. Encouraging people to think about the needs of others is a good thing. Doing all this using social blackmail that is guaranteed to… Read More: Here’s what’s wrong with the Ice Bucket Challenge »

My letter to the FCC about the open internet proposal

To: openinternet@fcc.gov Subject: Internet must remain open To the commissioners: Those who object to regulating internet service providers to ensure an open internet, as the FCC is currently proposing to do, adhere to the rigid political philosophy that regulation, by definition, stifles competition, innovation, growth, etc. However, this philosophy is only even theoretically true when… Read More: My letter to the FCC about the open internet proposal »

Using Selenium to monitor Phone Power international call usage

Back when I was using Vonage, I wrote and shared a Selenium script to alert me automatically if I was approaching my monthly usage limits. Then I kicked Vonage to the curb and switched to using Google Voice plus an OBi202 box for my home phone service, lowering my monthly bill from around $14 for… Read More: Using Selenium to monitor Phone Power international call usage »

We need a “/heartbleed.txt” standard, and we need it ASAP

Those of us who help create and maintain “the internet” that everyone benefits from are now tasked with helping the world recover with one of the biggest, if not the biggest, security holes in the history of the internet. To be certain they aren’t vulnerable, users need to change their passwords at every site that… Read More: We need a “/heartbleed.txt” standard, and we need it ASAP »

TURN OFF two-factor authentication before restoring an Android phone

Android phones have this awesome feature whereby your list of installed applications, your application settings, your Wi-Fi settings, etc., are backed up automatically inside your Google account, such that when you set up a new phone and link it to your Google account during the initial setup, all that stuff gets restored automatically, making for… Read More: TURN OFF two-factor authentication before restoring an Android phone »