Blogs -- Perspectives on IT

The Gift of Gab

Published April 26, 2022

What is Gab?  It is a competitor to Twitter, yet twice deplatformed from the Internet.  Is this justice or simply pure monopoly power pushing out the competition?

Facebook -- What Say You?

Published April 25, 2022

The case of Alaska Watchman, they were censored by Facebook for misinformation.

What's Up with Parler

Published April 18, 2022

It is a classic victim of monopolistic power, and it’s survival demonstrates the illusive nature of monopoly. Parler is part of the monopolistic fringe, small companies that eat away at the edges of empire.

Out of Control: Security vulnerabilities in Control Systems

Published April 5, 2022

Control Systems.  Are they possibly the biggest security vulnerability?

The Case of Lorie Smith

Published March 22, 2022.

Can a web designer be compelled to create content?  The Colorado Human Rights Commission thinks so.  The case is now before the US Supreme Court.

Impersonators on Facebook

Published February 28, 2022.  Updated March 2, 2022; March 3, 2022

Probably the most frequent scam I encounter are impersonated accounts. These are folks I know who are requesting me to be their friend, except I am deeply suspicious that they are not the same person.

The Case of Josh Renaud

Published February 8, 2022.  Updated February 12, 2022, February 16, 2022, March 2, 2022

Accused of hacking a website of the State of Missouri, a journalist and his newspaper are being charged for criminal activity

SHAKEN but Not STIRred

Published January 23, 2022, Updated February 12, 2022

What to do with those mysterious links in text messages.  A closer look at a new protocol that will reduce the unsolicited spam on our cell phones.

Can GoDaddy Be Trusted?

Published September 13, 2021

As business owners and managers or IT consultants, you have to seriously evaluate the nature of content being communicated over the Internet. If there is any possibility of risk of censorship, the effects could be catastrophic.

Ransomware and the Mechanical Pencil

Published July 10, 2021

A review of the WannaCry ransomware attack in 2017 and what is fundamentally wrong with the computer operating system.

Tracking Scams in Phone Messages

Published June 1, 2021

Ever wonder what to do with suspicious messages on your phone or e-mail?  Here are a few suggestions.

Disaster Recovery -- Case of Parler

Published February 18, 2021

The day has now arrived where you will need to have alternative cloud and DNS registry platforms, as well as other redundancies.

Computer Vision Syndrome Update

Published January 11, 2021

A follow up on two previous articles addressing CVS. 

Spam Update

Published December 19, 2018

This is a follow up on a strategy I proposed back in 2016 on how you can beat spam.

Windows 10 and Computer Vision Syndrome

Published November 27, 2018

This article explores the challenges of modifying the display and presentation in Windows 10.

Computer Vision Syndrome

Published April 17, 2018

A modern day phenomena, computer vision syndrome has emerged to be one of the predominant side-effects of prolonged computer usage.  Follow my journey of what is often a painful experience, yet gain from my experience and that of many others.

Passwords:  The Gremlins of Cyberspace

Published February 20, 2017

On November 18th, John Smith was suddenly hit by a bus while texting to a friend about the merits of eating tuna. He left behind his wife and two children. Aside from the shock of losing a loved one, life did not stop.

Spam Filtering: Mastering Your E-mail

Published November 1, 2016

It is now a fact of life that e-mail traffic is largely spam, unwanted solicitations for your time and money, if not worse. I recall in the days of the mailbox that spam was the latest sweepstakes offer. That’s quite tame compared to the dozens, if not hundreds, of daily spam offers we encounter.  Spam cannot be avoided, but it can be controlled.

Email: A Method to the Madness

Published October 30, 2016

Memo to the Clinton Campaign:  How We Use  E-mail Determines the Risk

I had finished writing this piece when the latest blow-up over the Clinton e-mails grabbed the headlines.  I’ll speak on that later because what I wrote below pertains to them as much as to you.  Needless to say, whether you are Sarah Palin or Hillary Clinton, how you handle e-mail has significant repercussions.

Sustainable Printing

Published July 1, 2016

As a member of the "Green Team," I had the task of checking out the office printers.  This article provides suggestions for saving paper, toner and energy.

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