From Pine View Farm

Geek Stuff category archive

Geeking Out 0

Mageia v. 7 with the Plasma Desktop on my Zareason desktop. The wallpaper is from my collection.

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Geeking Out 0

Mageia v. 7 with the Plasma desktop environment. The wallpaper is from my collection.

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The Disinformation Superhighway 0

Follow those internet directions and you may lose your waze.

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It’s All about the Algorithm, All the News that Fits Dept. 0

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No Place To Hide 0

At the San Francisco Chronicle, Joseph W. Cotchett note the efforts of Big Data to weasel out from under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Here’s a snippet (emphasis added):

At first glance, the CCPA looks like it is finally wresting control of our private information from these companies and returning it to the users. However, we shouldn’t feel totally empowered yet. Some companies have expressed their intent not to follow the CCPA. It’s been reported that Facebook claims it is not subject to the CCPA because it does not sell information, but instead, “shares” information.* This is typical of the anything-goes attitude of the internet and the power that flows from personal information. This follows a $5 billion penalty and new restrictions on Facebook in July for violating consumer privacy.

Face, we have admitted–nay, invited–these parasites into our most private lives and now, like electronic bed bugs, they have no intention of leaving.

__________________

*A distinction without a distinction, methinks.

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Geeking Out 0

The QMMP media player with the Catubi3000 Winamp skin playing The Broken Rosary from Librivox on the Fluxbox window manager on Ubuntu MATE on a Zareason MediaBox. The wallpaper is from my collection.

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Geeking Out 0

Slackware 14.2 with the Fluxbox window manager on a Zareason desktop.

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Make TWUUG Your LUG 0

Learn about the wonderful world of free and open source. Use computers to do what you want, not what someone else wants you to do. Learn how to use GNU/Linux and its plethora of free and open source software to get stuff done with computers.

It’s not hard; it’s just different.

Tidewater Unix Users Group

When: Monthly TWUUG meeting at 7:30 p. m. on the first Thursday of the month (December 5, 2019). Pre-meeting dinner at Chicago Uno, JANAF shopping center, 6:00 p. m. (map)

Who: Everyone in TideWater/Hampton Roads with interest in any/all flavors of Unix/Linux. There are no dues or signup requirements. All are welcome.

Where: Lake Taylor Transitional Care Hospital in Norfolk Training Room (map). (Wireless and wired internet connection available.) Turn right upon entering, then left at the last corridor and look for the open meeting room.

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A Boxing Day Wallpaper 0

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Thus endeth the season of self-indulgent screenshots.

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A Christmas Wallpaper 0

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A Christmas Wallpaper 0

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Click for a larger image.

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A Christmas Wallpaper 0

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Phoning It In–Even When You Don’t Want To 0

Zandar explains.

I only turn on “Location Services” when I have a positive need, which is hardly ever, but, after reading Zandar’s comments at the end of his post, I explored my “smart” phone and found and changed some privacy settings I was previously unaware of.

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A Christmas Wallpaper 0

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A Christmas Wallpaper 0

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A Christmas Wallpaper 0

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A Christmas Wallpaper 0

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A Christmas Wallpaper 0

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Facebook Frolics 0

Old style frolics. From El Reg:

Facebook has lost a copy of the personal details of 29,000 of its employees after hard drives containing unencrypted payroll information were stolen from an employee’s car.

The antisocial network said it is in the process of informing those who were exposed, though so far there is no indication of the purloined details being used for fraud, it is claimed.

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A Christmas Wallpaper 0

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From Pine View Farm
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It contains no private information. It does not drop persistent cookies, does not collect data other than incoming ip addresses and page views (the internet is a public place), and certainly does not collect and sell your information to others.

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I do collect statistics, but I use a simple stand-alone Wordpress plugin, not third-party services such as Google Analitics over which I have no control.

Finally, this is website is a hobby. It's a hobby in which I am deeply invested, about which I care deeply, and which has enabled me to learn a lot about computers and computing, but it is still ultimately an avocation, not a vocation; it is certainly not a money-making enterprise (unless you click the "Donate" button--go ahead, you can be the first!).

I appreciate your visiting this site, and I desire not to violate your trust.