#element string of numbers and letters is the same though. so like it should work idk why its notttt

[oysterie]

tumblr app going to shit. now pinterest changed something so i cant block the "sponsored posts" anymore on the site. we should kill someone.

[diddlesanddoodles]

Dumpling ch. 17

(author’s notes: I’M NOT DEAD!)

Keral sent along his message to Hev the blacksmith informing him of Nenani’s need for a new marker with a servant who came to replenish the wine decanter and deliver a few papers and notes to Maevis. Once a fresh post of tea had been brewed and Keral’s wine glass filled, they got to work.

In no time at all, the number of books being taken down from the shelves were taking over the table and along with them came seemingly endless rolls of parchment upon which Maevis furiously scribbled as many notes and citations as his quill and ink could produce. Keral, for his role, thumbed through various books and whenever he came upon something, he slipped a small piece of parchment in the page and sat it before the magician. The library had taken on an air of solemnity.  

However, as was his nature, Jae did not much care for the weight of the room and did his best to keep the mood from sinking any further.  

“So a smoke mage,�� he wondered aloud to to one in particular, lounging against a stack of books. “What makes a smoke mage so dangerous? Because by the name alone, I think the fellow may have drawn the short end of the magic stick.”

“No mage is inherently dangerous,” Barnaby said. “But we do not know this mage’s intentions and what we do know is that they are violent and not above meaningless killing.”  

He was on his second cup of tea and comfortably seated on a cushion close to where Maevis was working. After trying to aide in the research himself and suffering a slight dizzy spell, Maevis all but demanded that the old archivist sit and rest.  

“It won’t do to tire yourself, my friend,” the magician had told the human gently in an attempt to mask his worry. “Best rest a while.”

“I am fine,” Barnaby replied with a disregarding wave, but he still lowered himself onto the cushion nonetheless. “Just a bit over excited, mind you. I’ll be right as rain in a bit.”

“Not very nice t’be worryin’ old Meeves now,” Keral added. “He already frets over ya like a hen. Won’t be helpin’ ‘im much to be actin’ fragile, eh? Let us do the heavy liftin’ and if ya remember anything, we’ll write it down.”

Barnaby huffed mildly at being accused of acting fragile, but stayed put and did not refuse Jae when he handed him his tea. Nenani watched with confusion as the two giants worked and fussed and Jae fidgeted. She knew very little of magic and prior to meeting Maevis, she had never seen it used.  

“What’s a mage?” she asked.  

All at once, she became the focus of the room and she felt her face flush. Perhaps it had been a silly question.  

“Well,” Maevis began thoughtfully. “A mage is a person who uses magic.”

“Like the kind of magic you do?” she asked.  

“Not exactly,” he replied patiently. “I learned magic from studying it in books and from other magicians. A mage does not learn magic, they are born with it. Sometimes they are called Elementals, because a mage’s magic often times coincides with a particular element.”

“Like fire?” she asked. “Fire mages?”  

“Correct,” Maevis replied. “Though it is also important to note that while all Elementals are considered mages, not all mages are Elementals.”

Nenani made a face. “I...I don’t...huh?”

Keral laughed at her as he sat a book down. “Elementals are human, but one of us big folk could be a mage. We just wouldn’t be called an Elemental. Like that Bertol fellow.”

Now it was Maevis’s turn to make a face and Keral released a loud bark of a laugh.

“Oh, come now,” Keral replied. “Don’t y’know Bertol is the greatest prophet who ever lived?”

“Bertol the bumbling buffoon,” Maevis replied dryly, “Is as much a prophet as that tea pot over there and not nearly so useful. And only by the skin of his teeth does he have any right to claim himself a mage.”

Keral grinned, laughing. “Don’t care fer his ramblings either then? Hm. Neither does the King.”

“I would not blame King Warren if he should one day decide to place that idiot in the stockades and conveniently forget him.”  

“Who is Bertol?” Nenani asked, glancing between the two giants, feeling more confused than ever. Mages, Elementals, and now prophets?  

“Bertol is a Vhasshallan mage,” Maevis replied sourly. “He is thought by many in Vhasshal to hold the gift of foresight. That he can see the future and make predictions based upon his visions. He was the one responsible for the Gold prophecy.”

“Gold…?” she asked, trailing off.

“It’s why Warren’s called the Gold King,” Jae added before biting into a biscuit.  

Seeing her confusion, Keral reached for a book sitting on the edge of the table, a smallish black volume with gold lettering, and he flipped it open and began to read. His voice was even and mellow, but the words that sprouted from his lips brought with them a sickening sensation of her guts being pulled and ice dripping down her spine.

“The river runs uphill to the dying songs of the fall of fools and Kings that tear flesh from bone and the crown from the mountain. Water runs red with fire and shall rise when the old blood runs new. The flesh taken will be paid in blood and the dead walls will rise with gold.”

He closed the book with a snap and tilted his head down to regard Nenani with an open expression, but froze, brows drawing together, and he bent down. “Ya alright there lass? Yer a bit pale.”

In depths of her memory, she could feel the cool stone of the catacomb and see the empty hollows that once held eyes of those that had once been a person. Those voices chanting. Her dreams that played out in her mind every night. The smell of smoke, the screams of men dying as the fishing boats burned. A man in black, his face obscured by the skull of a stag. Her Uncle calling to her as he died.

And those words…

“...shall rise when the old blood runs new.”

She felt thick fingers wrap around her shoulders and Kerals voice broke through the fog of her mind. Abruptly she broke free and she was no longer within herself but back at the library. The scent of smoke and ash replaced by that of parchment and ink and tea. And Keral’s body odor.  

She met his eyes and was surprised to find her cheeks wet. “I...I don’t know...”

“Oi now, don’t go lettin’ them words scare ya. Yer alright,” he told her quietly. “Nothin’ to be upset about. They’re just words, remember. Besides, it already came to pass. Nothin’ to fear, eh?”

Barnaby and Jae were both studying her with a mixture of expressions from worried to bewildered. Now aware that everyone was intently focusing in on her, Nenani flushed and scrubbed at her cheeks in slight embankment. “Sorry. I’m fine.”

“You’ve had quite a day,” Maevis said, an air of suggestion in his tone. With a gloved hand, he waved behind towards the door just beyond the curtain. “Would you like to have a rest?”

“Best thing t’do would get ya back to th’ kitchens,” Keral added as he rubbed his chin in contemplation. “But if ya showed up without a marker, Farris would have a right apoplexy.”

“Yeah, Hev’s work is good,” said Jae. “But metal working takes time. And it’ll take most of the afternoon for Connor to do the detail work.”  

Nenani shook her head. “I’m fine. I don’t need to rest. That poem, er – prophecy. I’ve heard it before, but I didn’t know it was a prophecy.”  

Maevis expression of concern shifted into mild disdain. “Yes, well. I wouldn’t put much weight nor worry to those words. The one responsible for that dribble has as much foresight as a week old turnip.”

“First a tea pot and now he’s a turnip,” Jae sniggered. “So which one is he?”

“What has that poor old buggar done to earn your ire, Meeves,” Keral asked. “Didn’t think you had it in ya t’hold a grudge. Even against someone deserving of it.”  

Maevis took a moment to take a long and slow breath, placing his folded hands atop the table, and seemed to collect himself.

“Anyone can string together phrases with grandiose words so vague as to be perfectly useless,” Maevis replied, his irritation smoothed over, but still there. “There are many who take themselves for grand prophets and mostly their predictions fall to deaf ears. Bertol has managed to convince people his words are true and by the God’s graces, I haven’t the foggiest inclination as to why they would listen to him, of all people.”

“He had good timing,” Keral offered in response. “Folks were looking for something to cling to. They'll cling to hope if they smell it. Makes ‘em desperate.”

“My meaning, precisely, Keral! Words have power when people make it so. Bertol’s words were hallow and meaningless. Just enough vague enough for opportunistic fiends to take advantage. They see themselves in his words and are convinced that they’re meant to grander things. Bertol’s words are reckless. And therefore, dangerous.”

…………………………………………….

“Tell me master Barnabas,” Keral said with surprise formality. He sat in the same chair, but his glass of wine had been replaced by a cup of tea by Maevis after the ranger had all but drained the pitcher all on his own. Beside him stood a small stack of books. Maevis held his own cup and nursed it. Beside him sat a much more impressive amass of books and tomes.

They had paused their research for a break and Barnaby was looking over the slate he had given to Nenani to draw on, showing her how to hold the chalk and how to use the lines to create an image. Keral had been watching them with an enigmatic expression, though Nenani tried not to let it bother her. Keral had managed to subvert her expectations of what kind of a person he was, but there were occasions she had caught glimpses of something else.

Something that she could not help but feel nervous about. But no one else seemed at all concerned, so Nenani decided she was just being silly.

At hearing his name, Barnaby looked to Keral inquisitively and the ranger continued. “How common was red hair in Silvaara?”

The question was odd. Odd enough to catch the room by surprise and then as a consequence, all eyes turned to Nenani. The only one of them with red hair.  

Feeling the weight of their curious eyes, she shrank away from their peering gazes. “What?”

Barnaby turned back to Keral, perplexed. “Not too common. Black or brown is more common, such as young master Jae. I myself had brown hair. When I was young. And had hair. Why?”

“What about the highborns?” Keral asked. “Nobles and the like?”  

Barnaby’s eyed widened as understanding struck him. “Oh. Well, red was much more common. A genetic consequence of the blood purity obsession that took over the last decades. Though it was wildly held as truth that those with red hair were born of fire and were more likely to hold the Flower’s blessing.”

Jae watched with mild curiosity and then laughed, eyeing Keral skeptically. “What? You think Nenani’ might be a long lost highborn?”

Keral shrugged. “I get curious. The Hill tribes are all brown and black haired save for the last one Farris picked up from Dornbey. Poor sod had quite the reception when I delivered ‘im to Gregis. It was all m’lord this and m’lord that. Practically swarmed th’fellow. He was already outta his head. Poor bastard.”

“Well,” Barnaby continued, glancing at Nenani. “That was one subject I had hoped to broach with you dear. As Jae may have explained, I am an archivist and I write histories. Whenever a human comes to live here on castle grounds I write down their histories. To persevere what little of Silvaara remains. And after your first visit and all that transpired, I had quite forgotten to ask you about who your parents were as I did not want to upset you any further. And Keral has made a fine point. Your hair color tells me I may be able to find your family history if you can tell me your family name.”

“Family name?” Nenani asked, thinking back. “I don’t think we have one...”

“Oh, nonsense,” Barnaby replied. “Everyone has a family name. We’ll start with your father, then. What was his name? Many families passed down names to the first born sons. I might be able to trace you to a particular family.”

“That’s how I got my name.” Jae added in.

“Hayron,” Nenani said. “Papa’s name was Hayron.”  

Barnaby, who had taken up a quill and spare parchment to take notes, paused and he peeked over the top of the parchment with raised eyebrows. “Hayron, you said?”

Nenani nodded. “Yes. My Uncle’s name was Halden.”  

He placed the the quill and parchment on his lap and seemed to consider her for a moment as though seeking something in her face. After a long moment, he asked “And you’re mother?”

His tone was quiet and almost...seeking?

“Oira.”  

The longing look in his eyes dissipated and he nodded. Almost sadly, as though he was disappointed in her answer. “Oira. Hm. I do not know that name. But I do remember Haryon.”  

Nenani blinked. “Huh? You knew Papa?”

“And Halden in some respects, though I cannot recall ever speaking to him very much. He took his duties quite seriously, if I’m remembering correctly. They were junior members of the Thorn Guard.”

“Yes!” Nenani exclaimed excitedly. “He told he once that he was in the Thorn Guard. But I don’t know what that is.”

“Oh, whoa. Thorn guards?” She heard Jae whistle and glanced back at him to find her fellow human grinning. Behind him, Keral was expressionless, but his eyes were sharp and focused and she knew his interest had been peaked.  

“Hayron is an old name that is fairly common among the Thorn Guard families. However, I only knew one Hayron with a brother named Halden. They were the sons of Captain Hayier.”

Nenani was quiet a moment. “I remember his sword. It had thrones on it. The one they think killed him.”

Barnaby’s eyes turned sad and empathetic and he sighed. “Your father was a good man. Dedicated to his duty and family. All sons of Thorn Guards were under immense pressure to perform and live up to expectations. Competition for high ranks was fierce and even being the son of the captain was not a guarantee of a rank. He earned his mark. As did his brother. I am sorry to know that fate was not so kind to him in the end.”  

“So would that make her a Daelg?” Keral asked suddenly. “Or was it Daeleg? I was never much for studying all them Silvaaran Houses.”  

“You had it correct, sir. It is Daelg. Unless there was another pair of brothers named Hayron and Halden in the Thorn Guard,” the archivist replied with a grin. “I would be most confident that you’re family name is Daelg.”  

The name did not stir any memories and it felt foreign and odd. However, she was not nearly as curious in regards to the name as the revelation that Barnaby had known her father. She had questions now. So many questions. But mostly, she just wanted to know him more. It seemed forever ago that he died. A whole world away in another time. Another life even.  

“So, she is highborn?” Jae asked, glancing between Barnaby and Nenani. “I don’t have to start calling her m’lady do I?”

Keral snorted into his drink and turned away to cough into his elbow.  

“No, the Thorn Guards were not nobility,” Barnaby replied, amused. “They were in a caste all their own. Above merchants and below Nobles. Once upon a time, marriage between them and highborns was permitted, but it was almost always for a financial gain or the belief that the two would produce exceptional progeny. However it fell out of favor decades prior to the war and in someways expressly forbidden in the name of blood purity. The King and therefore his court were all obsessed with the idea of pure blood. The more pure the line, the higher chance that they would produce a mage of fire.”

“Fire Mages.” Keral added with a final and disdainful cough to clear the tea from his lungs. “Crazy bunch of inbreds.”  

“So,” Jae asked. “Speaking of Mages and all that. What exactly is a smoke mage, then? If that’s what you think might be skulking around the countryside killing Vhasshalans.”  

“It is an ancient variety of deviant magic. So rare, there does not seem to be any contemporary sources ever describing the existence of one,” Barnaby replied. “But when I was a lad, I was told that a smoke mage is a fire mage that sinned so greatly that the Gods stripped them of their blessing and their fire and leaving only the smoldering ruin of a person. Cursed to wander the world, creating chaos, and suffering in their wake.”

“Well,” Keral said, standing and stretching out his back. “Smoke mage or not, I’ll be needin’ more to work with than an old folk tale. I appreciate your help lads, but until we know more, the only thing to be done is to be out there scoutin’ and reportin’.”  

“You’re going back out?” Jae asked. “You just got back.”

“Not tonight. I’ll be with the boys organizing the routes first. First light tomorrow, perhaps,” Keral regarded the boy with a lopsided grin. “Why? D’ya miss me when I ain’t here to hold yer hand, lad?”

Jae glared at the giant. “No.”

“Yer welcome t’use my room when I’m out if ya be needin’ a place to hold up,” Keral said. “Beats sleepin’ in them moldy tunnels.”

Jae glowered, his cheeks flushed. “No thanks. Your room smells like armpits. Besides, I like the tunnels. You bastards can’t go in after me.”

“Young master Jae,” Barnaby snapped indignantly. “I cannot condone such language. Least of all when a young lady is present.”

“It always amazed me how that for a King’s ward,” Maevis observed with a suppressed grin. “Your decorum lessons never have seemed to find proper purchase.”  

“Warren does not keep me around to lick his boot,” Jae quipped with a shrug. “He’s got advisers and the court for that.”

Keral laughed. “Ah, well if ya changed yer mind about the room, the offer stands. Y’know the way in.”

The ranger gave his made his excuses and an apology to Maevis’s for leaving him with all the books to put away, but the magician wave him off.  

“Nonsense. You never put them back in their proper place when you do feel inclined to return them, so it matters not. I know you have your duties to perform and would hate to keep you from them. I will let you know if I find anything that might be of use.”  

With a grin and a wave, the ranger was gone.  

[justalittlelitnerd]

Pretty Reckless by L.J. Shen

This book really surprised me not only because of the characters, but the writing itself was truly beautiful. In my own personal experience with romance novels they’re not always the best written and I think that has more to do with the industry and the genre and the lack of support romance novels and their authors get than a lack of talent on the writer’s part. Most romance novels are self-published with whatever resources or connections the author has in terms of editorial work which in the end just means the final result is *typically* (note: not always obviously) a little rougher than say if it went through the traditional publishing process where an agent works with the author for months to fine-tune the story before it goes to an editor who will then work for months to fine-tune the writing and on and on until it’s finally published. 

Sorry that was a long tangent just to say that I’ve gotten into a habit of skimming romance books because I’m in it for the characters and the romance and the HEA more than the writing itself (honestly characters and their relationships are far more important to me than writing), but I found myself taking my time with this book because there were so many beautiful lines that I wanted to savor. 

Basically, Daria Followhill and Penn Scully meet at age 14 when both their lives are falling apart in very different ways. Daria is teeming with the jealousy only a fourteen-year-old girl who feels her mother loves another girl more than her can feel and she finds herself in possession of a letter that would change everything. Penn enters, unaware of the letter’s contents or the effect it will have on his family, and in an attempt to win Daria’s attention he trashes the letter, leaves her with a piece of sea glass, her first kiss, and a promise of more. But the letter contained his sister’s future and when she thinks she didn’t get in she runs away from Penn and their abusive family, never to be seen again. 

Fast forward four years to Penn’s 18th birthday and it’s clear that a lot has changed, but there’s still an undeniable pull between the two. When Penn’s mother dies and his step-father kicks him out, Daria’s mom (who feels residual guilt over his sister’s disappearance) offers him a place to stay and he makes it his mission to make Daria pay for the role she played in what happened. But Daria’s already paid and is still paying. What neither of them expected was love. Or the return of a ghost.

*TRIGGER WARNING* in general there’s quite a bit of violence, mentions of rape/assault, and an abusive relationship between the principal and Daria which started when she was 14. 

All in all if you like classic enemies-to-lovers, fated romance, complicated family dynamics, tough guys with soft hearts, and dark elements with your romance than this book is probably worth a shot.     

Keep reading for the quotes!

Boys can smell heartbreak from across a continent. Even at fourteen. Even in the middle of an innocent summer afternoon. We girls have an invisible string behind our belly button, and only certain guys can tug at it. This boy…he will snap it if I let him.

He studies me with quiet interest as though I’m a painting, not a person. My heart is rioting all over, and the dumbest thought crosses my mind. Ever notice how the heart is literally caged by the ribs? That’s insane. As if our body knows it can break so easily, it needs to be protected.

My voice hardens around the words. Like tin. I’m desperate. I have no lead. I want to rip the world apart to find her, but the world is not mine to destroy. The world just continues turning at the same pace, because kids like Via and me? We disappear all the time, and no one notices.

His scent messes with my head. I want to reach out and caress his face. Kiss his wounds better. Beg for forgiveness. Curse him. Push him away. Cry on his shoulder for what we’ve done. For how it ended. For what we became afterward. Because I’m full of crap, and he is totally empty. We ruined ourselves the day of our first kiss.

She stares at me with the same wild gaze that made me give her the sea glass four years ago. As though I’m the most fascinating creature in the world. I want to pocket that look and save it for the next time the world lets me down. Which should be in the next twenty minutes.

Normally, he’d drag my ass out and give me a piece of his mind. Not today. He and I both know he can’t be that much of a hypocrite. If he saw someone hitting on Luna, he would rip them to shreds and dump whatever’s left of them on the side of the road. I’ve seen him screw people up for less than looking at her. The only problem is, Penn is not my Luna. We don’t have some long, elaborate, angsty childhood friendship that’s dancing on the edge of more.

“And miss out on all this delicious teenage angst?” I murmur, mesmerized by how beautifully she fits under my palm. As though she was born to have my hands on her. “It’s practically Netflix for free.”

“You’re Saturn,” she whispers. “Made of iron-nickel and surrounded by protective rings of ice and rock.” “How do you know that?” I smile, and I know the smile is warm. I know it’s fucking up something in her chest, and even though I shouldn’t, I like it. After all these years, I still want to ruin her. Then put her back together. Then do it again and again and a-fucking-gain.

He stops, cupping my face in his hands. His eyes twinkle, but maybe I see what I want to see. I didn’t mean to save him all my firsts. But it happened, and a part of me is glad that it did. Because he was the first boy to give me a gift. The first boy to kiss me. To want to become my friend not because I was popular, but because I was me. He was the first boy who noticed the injured animal behind the camouflage of hostility and tried to give it water and shelter.

Luckily, I have a lot of experience when it comes to fakeness. My personality is basically one hundred percent recyclable plastic. The only person who can still scrape a bit of authenticity from me is her brother.

The Scullys are too smart to fall for this type of Riverdale nonsense.

She is wrong. I can look at her face all fucking day. I wish it were a legit job so I could make money doing it. I would put in all the extra hours and become a billionaire within a year. (The math doesn’t add up, by the way, so don’t try to do it.)

My world, however, is narrow-pathed and dingy. I don’t believe in fairy tales. I think Shakespeare got it right. When two people try to go against the grain, they get fucked up. End of story.

“It’s not like that,” I say hurriedly. If I have to tell him what’s going on with Prichard, I will. I’m not proud of it, but pride is a very slippery slope where love is involved. Marx. Love. I don’t use the L word lightly. I don’t go around telling people I love pizza or chocolate or Riverdale. I like those things. Love, I save for the important stuff. But I am hopelessly, tragically in love with Penn Scully. That’s why I can’t really hate his sister. Not entirely, anyway. She is an extension of him, and he has my heart.

Love. Four letters can’t cover what I feel for Daria Followhill. They seem too trivial, too small, too overused.

And love IS humbling, I know now because I want to punch myself in the face for being the smug bastard who assumed he’d just walk out of this shit unscathed. The tin man didn’t ask for a heart—but got one anyway. I love you, Daria Followhill, and I think you love me, too. In fact, I think we fell at the same time. You, like rain, in drizzles, over the weeks. Me, like the fucking sky above my head, all at once, crashing without the faintest chance of stopping.

My mouth goes dry, and I shake my head slowly. She takes a step closer and folds my shirt under her palm so that the hole in my chest looks like it’s closing in when, in reality, it opens up like a shark’s jaw. “Everything I touch is tainted, Penn. Everything I want turns to ash. I spent the entire semester trying to be yours, but you’ve never once claimed my heart. I’m sending you to Adriana’s arms, not because I don’t care, but because I do. So much. Maybe too much. Because I screwed up so many relationships, the only way for us to heal is if I take myself out of the equation.” You are the fucking equation, I want to yell in her face. The riddle and the answer and the numbers within it. You’re math. You make sense.

“You were never a drizzle, Penn Scully. When I fell for you, you came beating down, and I felt you everywhere. You were hail.”

“I’ve loved you in secret, and I’ve loved you openly in front of both our worlds, and if you think I’ll stop loving you if you put an ocean between us, you’re dead wrong.”

I want her to tell me that I’m not the only one here feeling like every breath is a fucking nail jammed straight into my lungs. If this is what love feels like, it’s complete bullshit. I want my money back because Shakespeare was right all along. True love truly sucks ass.

I’ll go wherever Daria goes. Even if it’s straight to hell.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. You know that, right?” No, I don’t, and I’m trying to tell myself not to get my hopes up because they are slamming their little fists against the door of my brain’s basement, wanting to gush out.

Last time we spoke to each other, she promised not to leave, but she did. I’m not taking any chances. She might as well file a restraining order because I’m not letting her out of my sight.

[maksylmyheart]

t's a balmy evening in June, the air rich with the smell of fresh flowers, the breeze rustling the trees and wafting the distant lilt of music on strings. The magical is meeting with the practical here: the idyllic beauty of a Provencal wedding reconciled with the aching realities of spending an afternoon walking gardens and gravel paths in a pair of heels. Instead of slipping away to gaze lovingly into one another's eyes, the bride and groom excuse themselves for a quick wardrobe change so that she can be more comfortable at the reception—not a fairytale romance, but the real world kind.

But just as it seems that the evening might be coming back down to earth, wonder reasserts itself. As they make their way back to their guests, the blue kiss of twilight turns buttery yellow under strings of lights woven between a lane of stretching plane trees, their friends and family seated for a feast beneath the glow of the lights.

"We just kept taking deep breaths and trying to take it in because I think that was one of the most impactful moments," says the bride, Meryl Davis. "We'd been dating for a long time and we've loved one another for a long time, and yet the experience of sharing that moment with each other was so beautiful. It's probably my favorite memory ever up to this point."

And that's some stiff competition: after all, for an Olympic medalist and Dancing With the Stars champion, there are plenty of spectacular memories to choose from.  

How Meryl and Fedor Got Together

Hailing from the suburbs of Detroit, an international hub for professional and competitive skating, Meryl Davis spent much of her young life training to achieve the heights of Olympics greatness that she reached with partner Charlie White at the 2014 winter Olympics, when the duo took gold in ice dancing.

"I didn't have to move away from my family or across the country or to a different country in order to pursue skating, which is pretty rare," she explains.

Meanwhile her now-husband Fedor Andreev, himself a professional skater, was in some ways the opposite—born in Russia, he moved to Canada as a child with his mother, Marina Zoueva, who would later go on to be Meryl's longtime coach. From there, he lived in a number of cities, including several years living and training in Detroit.

"We certainly got to know each other within the context of sport and within the figure skating community," said Meryl. "Fedor was five years older than me, and when you're young, that that feels like a big difference. So we are friends who've sort of blossomed over time."  

With such busy lives, the couple didn't begin to date until 2010, around the same time Fedor was preparing to retire from competitive skating. Not that retirement slowed their pace down much; in the years since they got together, Fedor graduated from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business (Meryl is getting her anthropology there as well), Meryl earned first a silver and later a gold medal at the Olympics before retiring from the competition, and both have continued managing active careers on and off the ice.

Starting Their Adventure Together

"Adventure and travel has always been a part of our lives," explains Meryl. "I've always traveled to with figure skating for competition and I think I just gained an early appreciation of how much a sense of place can impact your experience. And then with Fedor being from Russia and moving to Canada, New York, Hong Kong, Detroit, he's a worldly person, so that's really been a part of our lives as a couple; traveling and experiencing different places."

They brought that love of travel home with them, too. "When we were renovating our home in Detroit, I wanted to incorporate sort of a French countryside element. I stumbled upon this Instagram account where this woman was sharing the renovation of an 18th century farmhouse in Provence."

The property in question was Le Mas des Poiriers, a 65-acre farm outside of Avignon with a seven bedroom farmhouse and cottage owned by Connecticut couple Shauna Varvel and her husband, who spent three years renovating the property after purchasing it in 2015.

"I was just completely fascinated by her eye for design and authenticity of the renovation, making sure to maintain the integrity of the home and the property," says Meryl.

When Meryl and Fedor got engaged in the summer of 2017, the property felt like a natural fit for their ceremony.

"Fedor and I visited the property and we both just were completely in awe of this magical place," says Meryl. "There's something about that part of the world that inspires you to embrace a slower pace; just sitting down and enjoying a meal and a glass of wine with your family and friends. That's really what we envisioned for our wedding, just really trying to be present and be in the moment."

Planning a Wedding Overseas

Despite their love of travel and the dreamy locale, a wedding in Provence did require some careful consideration, though.

"We spent a lot of time going back and forth trying to decide whether or not a destination wedding made sense because obviously it's an investment for not just us and our families, but for our guests as well," says Meryl. "Ultimately we felt, especially after talking to a lot of our friends and family who were like, 'oh, we'd love to come,' that adventure is just such a part of our lives and we were excited to utilize this opportunity to do that, not just together, but with our friends and family."

However, the couple were mindful of the fact that the style of their wedding meant foregoing some of the now-standard wedding extras. "Once we made that decision that it was going to be the destination, we wanted to keep everything else as simple as possible," Meryl explains. "I didn't want to ask people to do anything or plan any other trips, so I decided not to do a bachelorette party or a bridal shower. We just wanted everyone to have a good time and enjoy it and not feel obligated to do anything other than show up and have a great time."  

As for the technical aspects of the planning, the couple relied on event planners Matthew Robbins and Luis Otoya of Matthew Robbins Design for all of the details.  

"Matthew is the preferred event planner of the homeowner, so she introduced us to him and Luis. They were the first wedding planners we really spoke to and we were sold right away," says Meryl. "It feels like planning a destination wedding in Europe for just under a hundred people should be really stressful and complicated, but our planners made it such a pleasure and so easy."

Breaking With Tradition

For two people who have spent much of their young lives globetrotting and competing on the world stage, it's hardly a surprise that Meryl and Fedor aren't exactly your typical couple, nor could theirs be your typical wedding.

"We really want the weekend to be a reflection of us and who we are as opposed to just sticking to tradition for the sake of sticking to tradition," explains Meryl. "We stayed together throughout the week in France instead of having separate rooms or not seeing each other the day of the wedding. We wanted to enjoy the day of the wedding together and, and enjoy what an exciting time it was in our lives."

The couple chose to read personal letters to one another in place of classic wedding vows. Meryl's uncle, Cam Davis, served as the officiant for the ceremony.

Instead of a large bridal party, they chose to get their families involved in other ways. Meryl's uncle, Cam Davis, served as the officiant for the ceremony, and her brother Clayton was the man of honor. Fedor's cousin, Danielle Vincent, owner of beauty brand Kimiko, served double-duty as both his best lady and as Meryl's makeup artist.

"It was nice to have that personal touch, to have family doing my makeup," Meryl says. She adds, "I actually had the hairstylist that I worked with during Dancing With the Stars in 2014 come with us and she did my hair throughout the weekend, so that was really fun as well."

Both of Meryl's parents walked her down the aisle to her favorite song, "The Swan" by Camille Saint-Saëns.

"For me it was all really pragmatic, tactical things that I cared about," says Fedor. "That probably tells you something about our personalities too, but I wanted to not draw the ceremony out too long because the summer gets pretty hot and people are wearing suits. So we wanted to keep it as intimate as possible—maybe 10 to 12 minutes total."

At the reception, the couple opted for a parent dance instead of the typical father-daughter dance. "My dad and I danced while Fedor and his mom were also dancing." Meryl laughs, adding, "That was more because my dad doesn't like being the center of attention."

The Proposal

Of course, their wedding wasn't the start of their less-than-traditional streak. "I think Meryl would not have loved a super traditional proposal," says Fedor, "So it was a bit of a challenge kind of planning it."

In July 2017, as the couple were planning a trip to Napa with Meryl's parents in conjunction with a business engagement in San Francisco, Fedor decided to use their shared love of the outdoors and hiking to create a unique memory.

"I decided that it was a good idea to pop the question on a hike that we had never done before," he laughs. "I had no clue how challenging it would be. Because I had never been on the trail, I didn't know where the perfect place to do it would be, so several times I started taking the ring box out of my backpack and then was like, 'Whoa, no, abort, abort.'  It ended up working out on the back of the loop, right as we were going over a crest overlooking the ocean, I was like, 'Well, it's now or never cause there's only a quarter of a mile left.'"

"I always like taking pictures of the ocean and then when I turned around and put my phone down, Fedor was on one knee," Meryl explains. "That was a really beautiful emotional moment, just the two of us in the woods overlooking the ocean."  

The Ring

"The year prior [to our engagement] we had been on vacation in Santorini and Fedor was admiring some watches in a jewelry store," says Meryl. "I stumbled upon a ring I just loved, and apparently Fedor took note. When we got home from our vacation, he began designing and seeking out the perfect yellow diamonds."

Fedor jokes, "Apparently I was the only person to ever come to jeweler with a full PowerPoint presentation on what I wanted. I did a lot of research and I just wanted to make sure that it really captured everything that was important to Meryl."

Their Something Blue

While her engagement ring features yellow diamonds, the colors for the wedding went a different direction, inspired by Meryl's family.

The five-tiered wedding blue and white cake by Catherine Pierard from Provence-based Made In Cake.

"When I began telling [our wedding planners] Matthew and the Luis what I envisioned, it was sort of an elevated backyard dinner in the summer, with flowers that felt like they could be taken out of the garden," says Meryl. "Just very warm and welcoming. And for me, when I think of like warm and welcoming, I think of sitting down to family dinner around a table of blue and white Chinoiserie. That has sort of been our family tradition; my grandmother has collected those pieces for as long as I can remember."

Meryl's grandmother's collection served as the inspiration for the five-tiered wedding blue and white cake by Catherine Pierard from Provence-based Made In Cake, as well as the table settings in vintage china from Le Bazar de rêve by Veronique for the Brunet Frères Traiteur meal, with table linens from Linen Way and Juliska napkins.  

The food for the reception was catered by Brunet Frères Traiteur.

For the flowers, they kept to the blue theme with an equally familial inspiration.

"My parents still live in the same house in Michigan that I was born in, and Michigan summers are truly spectacular," says Meryl. "We always had these gigantic blue booming hydrangeas that just for me are the epitome of, you know, running barefoot through the grass and just being in the garden in the summer. It just felt like home, and it was also elegant."

The Dress

In keeping with her style, Meryl and her stylist Cynthia Cook Smith chose a Monique Lhuillier dress in a subtle neutral instead of the classic white.

"It was an interesting experience picking the wedding dress, just because ice dance tends to be very theatrical and ornate and, and costume design has been a really enjoyable part of our sport for me; I've always designed costumes with my mom."

Meryl's mother Cheryl Davis helped her get ready.

"Coming in, I thought, 'Do I really want something that looks like a skating dress or to purposefully gravitate away from what I would wear on the ice and make it very simple?' Ultimately, I just decided, I know what I feel comfortable in. We went shopping at a lot of really wonderful boutiques in Los Angeles, and actually the dress that I ended up picking was the very first wedding dress I ever tried on. It just felt like exactly what I had envisioned for the wedding. It was whimsical and it felt as though it would fit into the backyard garden setting."

Meryl and Fedor, right before he saw her in her dress for the first time.

Oliver Fly Photography

"The one thing that was actually traditional [about the wedding]," Fedor adds, "was that I didn't get to see the dress or Meryl wearing the dress prior to the wedding day. It was absolutely breathtaking getting to see Meryl walking out of the house. It was just extremely, extremely elegant."

The Reception

"One of the things that we were most struck by was just how surreal it was to have so many of the people that we love most from different parts of our lives together in one setting," says Meryl.

Along with their families, the happy couple were joined for the celebration by friends from school as well as colleagues from the skating world including Brian Boitano, Kristi Yamaguchi, Madison Chock, Evan Bates, and Meryl's partner on the ice, Charlie White and his wife, Tanith Belbin White.

"We were really emotional and overwhelmed by just what a once in a lifetime experience that was;, that collection of people who meant so much to us," says Meryl.

To maximize their time with their guests, the couple chose to extend the festivities with a pool party at the venue on the day after the wedding as well as an extended wedding week with their nearest and dearest.

Meryl changed into comfortable dancing shoes for the reception.

"It was a really nice way to connect with everybody in a very informal way," says Meryl. "Weddings go by so quickly, especially when it's just the wedding itself. We stayed in the house for a little under a week. Getting to experience the wedding weekend and then continue this celebration and spend time with our closest family was really special. We didn't want it to fly by, we really wanted to try to purposefully be present and take in as much as we could."

Photographs by Oliver Fly Photography; Event Planning by Matthew Robbins Design; Venue: Le Mas des Poiriers; Cake by Made In Cake; Catering by Brunet Frères Traiteur; Styling by Cynthia Cook Smith; Makeup by Danielle Vincent

Lauren Hubbard

Writer Lauren Hubbard is a freelance writer and Town & Country contributor who covers beauty, shopping, entertainment, travel, home decor, wine, and cocktails.

[soveryanon]

Reviewing time for MAG144!

- I’m… really fond of the statement’s atmosphere, and Martin’s reading of it: he did emphasise a few words right at the beginning, giving them more heaviness, bloating them and completely installing the crushing dragging feeling of decay/dullness/spleen/boredom and degradation.

(And then: nervous laughter about the fact that OOOOOOOOOOOOOPS, the statement itself might have reminded Martin of some elements of his own personal life, uh. Caring for a sick (unsupportive) parent, getting stuck in a situation with them but worrying anyway (+ Gary Boylan feared that he would become his father and… well, We Know That Martin Looks Like His Dad), until the parent died on them while they were getting involved with Spooks.)

- So. There was a big emphasis, in the statement, about the code itself, and the fact that what lay behind was the actually horrifying things… but there was still a “message” and things actually struck when Gary Boyle understood it.

(MAG144, Gary Boylan) “I didn’t return to the pylon for a long time, except to confirm that the numbers weren’t changing between days. I had them though, and the numbers were all that mattered. I didn’t know why. I’m sure there wasn’t a reason, not really, but… I knew it was in there…! Realistically, it would be impossible to decode it without whatever key the cipher might have been using – and honestly, for the longest time, it seemed to be. I did as much reading as I could on cryptography, and codebreaking, and all of it seemed to point me towards one simple conclusion: breaking this code by myself was… simply impossible. But I still tried. I spent weeks in my room, desperately applying every method I had available. Nothing worked. But I didn’t stop. The alternative was looking after my dad, whose recent breathing issues had left him more ratty than ever. So, I worked myself into exhaustion instead, staring at those meaningless strings of numbers until I almost collapsed, and my eyes couldn’t focus on anything. And that was when I realised: it wasn’t the numbers. It wasn’t the code. It’s what was behind the numbers, shifting, and waiting, and–and coming towards me like a tidal wave – and I knew what the message was, the urgent and terrible message. About the destruction that was coming on the heels of mankind; about the cold and cruel warmongers who play their games of code, and conspiracy, hidden behind the endless streams of numbers. And within those numbers are all of our dooms. If you know how to read them. And I read them. I read them all, and saw the doom of everyone who lives, and breathes, and hopes for life and happiness. There are terrible things coming. Things that if we knew of them, would leave us weak, and trembling, with shuddering terror at the knowledge that they are coming for all of us. We all made them, and their course is already plotted. You can see them in the numbers. If you’d only learn how to read them.”

I wonder: did Gary himself power The Extinction (or whatever it is) with his own fears? Because it’s when he understood that a disaster was meant to happen that it… happened. If he had just carried on with his life, would it have happened? Or was everything set into motion because he heard the words and spiralled into dread/doom?

Because… if the code was, in the end, relevant and important… I’m kind of super-glad that MARTIN read this statement; and there is someone who should probably not read it ever. Because, who is canonically good at breaking down codes (probably through insta-translating Beholding abilities)…?

(MAG126) ARCHIVIST: … I remembered Gertrude’s notebook; we found it alongside the plastic explosives, but it rather got lost amongst the business of… [SIGH] saving the world at the cost of two lives… It… it’s borderline incomprehensible, not because of any code or cypher – there’s every chance I could read those; just simply because… most of it is… numbers or fragments of sentences that would no doubt mean something to her, but… well, not to me.

… Like, OOPS. I’m not sure it was a coincidence.

(…………. And if Martin read the numbers himself… will he be okay. Or is he unleashing… something, without being aware of it, too.)

- Aaaand we live in such a fandom that someone had already managed to decode the thing in half a day! The numbers:

593756 3058392846 4749 162830165049 564846474827

Actually formed the message “The World Is Always Ending”. Indeed less… personal than The End, here. (But the message itself is kind of… comforting? I mean, it’s like life overall: you know something is living because it’s heading towards its death. Of course the World/the Earth isn’t supposed to be permanent…? Or is it linked to the consciousness that we’re accelerating its decay, or that it absolutely disappearing would mean making things disappear as concepts, too – nobody, nothing, to remember anything, that anyone ever existed in the first place…?)

(- Amusingly, I did think of Beholding with Gary’s whole… stance:

(MAG144, Gary Boylan) “There was nothing to be done, nowhere to go – just watch, and wait, and think about the decay of it all.

And the fact that his main activity was to listen to the numbers. He kind of checked all three points of the Institute’s motto?

And why did he give his statement? It’s not always the case but, pretty often, statement-givers do explain why they wanted to share their stories – because they were seeking help, or pursued, or feared that they were suffering from hallucinations, etc. Here, it was as a… non-personal warning? But he spread the numbers and that doesn’t sound very good…)

- Gary did warn about the Danger of knowing (because it doesn’t help) but. But Beholding’s shtick is apparently also to cannibalise other Fears a bit by Knowing about them:

(MAG144, Gary Boylan) “There are terrible things coming. Things that if we knew of them, would leave us weak, and trembling, with shuddering terror at the knowledge that they are coming for all of us. We all made them, and their course is already plotted.”

(MAG032, Jane Prentiss) “There is no right word because for all your Institute and ignorance may laud the power of the word, it cannot even stretch to fully capture what I feel in my bones. What possible recourse could there be for me in your books and files and libraries except more useless ink and dying letters? I see now why The Hive hates you. You can see it and log it and note its every detail but you can never understand it. You rob it of its fear even though your weak words have no right to do so.”

Is that why Peter needed a Beholding-touched person? Because Beholding could understand the new fear and depower it a bit…?

- I did my usual relisten of “Binary”, since we got new information about The Extinction, and I’m still at a loss for that one and not… really feeling that it fits The Extinction? It feels more personal, more… people-oriented than concerning a community/the world? Or was the “message” of that one in the symbols appearing on Tessa’s computer and/or about the danger of Sergei’s fate possibly happening to others…? In Jon’s dreams, she’s seen typing furiously, trying to “fight” against the computer:

(MAG120) ELIAS: The Archivist waits, expecting to awaken, but there is nowhere for him to awaken to; no avenue of escape from these dreams. He turns to see the familiar screen, the familiar woman beneath it. She looks up at him with an expression of recognition and weary dread. She types, and types, and types her fingers a blur, flying across the keyboard, and yet never fast enough to outrun the relentless words that flow like dark water across the screen that stretches off into the sky. “It hurts.” She is shaking her head, defiant in her well-worn terror, and tries with every corner of her will to force back the rolling tide of words. “It hurts.”

Tessa’s reasoning about how a human brain isn’t made to fit in a computer, and that analog and digital operate differently, could fit The Extinction… but not the spooks she experienced herself, I feel? Was that just plain old regular Spiral, or something Web/Beholding, or The End? Or was it truly Extinction/the same larger fear that encompasses it?

- If we take “Binary” into account, there has been an acceleration of the manifestation of the Extinction through time:

* End of 1867: Garland Hillier disappears after a last publication, “Les Héritiers”, the same year Robert Smirke died (MAG134). [* 1983: According to the urban legend, Sergei Ushanka, who was dying, tried to upload his mind into a computer (MAG065).] * Some time before late 2005 (which is when Adelard Dekker heard about her): Bernadette Delcour entered Garland Hillier’s flat and witnessed the world of the Inheritors before managing to get out – Adelard suspects that she might have disappeared too, by January 2006 (MAG134). * In August 2009: Gary Boylan heard the “Numbers” track near a pylon somewhere in the English countryside; his father and neighbour were eradicated (MAG144). * Around 2012: Adelard didn’t think that The Extinction had begun to take Avatars yet (MAG113). [* Before January 7th 2017: Tessa Winters downloaded a program named “ushankasdespair.exe”, which forced her to watch him swallow his computer for 17 hours (MAG065).]

So, indeed giving the feeling that… something is getting closer and closer.

- Something that MAG134 and MAG144 have in common: the fact that the manifestations were linked to a form of communication (Garland’s diary and overall works, the numbers heard by Gary), in specific places (Garland’s flat, the pylon in Gary’s countryside), places that were specifically described as… frozen in time / unmoving compared to the world around them:

(MAG134, Adelard Dekker) “On the fifth floor of an apartment building on the rue Lagarde, near the Panthéon, some construction workers had uncovered a door, that had at some point in the past been completely plastered over. Removing the covering and breaking through the old wood revealed another apartment, one apparently unnoticed by any of the other residents, or indeed the owners of those sections of the building, each of which had assumed the space was owned by one of the others, and connected to a different part. As far as anyone was able to determine, the apartment had been sitting there, sealed and undisturbed, for almost a hundred and fifty years. It was untouched, pristine, with barely a thin layer of fine dust coating the possessions and belongings that had stayed there for so long. […] The place felt strange, she told me. Like a tiny pocket of another time. A bubble, where the world had never changed. And stepping inside, she almost felt like she would never change either. Even the light that came through the window seemed to be of a different quality, muted and gentle. The street chatter of Paris, which usually reaches all but the most remote of windows, seemed to vanish entirely. There was a sense of peace to it all, shot through with a strand of disquiet – a wrongness, she told me she could not identify, but she could almost smell it. […] Every single shrivelled ashened face was contorted in a scream of agony, every sharp and jutting jaw cracked and twisted in an expression of horror – of understanding not just of their death, but the end of everything they knew. It was clear that they had been this way for years, if not decades. Bernadette says she was sure that nothing had moved in that dead city for a hundred years.”

(MAG144, Gary Boylan) “Something kept me rooted there, sleeping in a bedroom that hadn’t changed since I was fifteen, and caring for a man who I’d rather just shut up…! [SIGH] We were both… trapped there, I think. Bound together in a sort of wordless misery. I would look at him, and see a grim sort of destiny for myself: trapped here, until I became him – any future I might have had, sacrificed to his. […] That summer seemed to drag on forever. The boredom and irritation of trying to care for my dad was only heightened by the weather, and we were both feeling it. Just didn’t have anything to do…! I don’t… really want to go into my living situation here, but it’s enough to say I wasn’t working a regular job and, while I could theoretically contact my old mates, they’d all got on with their lives without me. The world had moved on. … I was left behind.”

Places/people that feel like they can’t change or move forwards, while everything else does. (And we’ve had so many talks about people “changing” this season… Mmmmm…)

Note to self that with the beginning of the statement, I did wonder if it wasn’t Something Lonely – we were dealing with isolated places, the statement-giver was spending a lot of time alone and wasn’t… really connected to anybody, there was “the huge metal skeleton of an old disconnected power pylon” in the background – pylon which turned out to be the place where the numbers could be heard… So, mmmm… Why is Peter, avatar of The Lonely, specifically so invested in stopping that newcomer…?

- Outside of the RQ-extended-universe crossover inside-joke about “DOOOM”, I feel like Gary Boylan’s use of the word might be especially relevant because… he specifically differentiated it from “dread”.

(MAG144, Gary Boylan) “Do you know that one of the symptoms of a heart attack is literally a sense of impending doom? [INHALE] Well, I wasn’t having a heart attack, but I think I know what they mean…! What settled over me wasn’t dread; there wasn’t enough uncertainty for that. No. It was… doom. I was certain that some sort of disaster was on the horizon. […] And within those numbers are all of our dooms. If you know how to read them.”

… and “dread” was the word that Robert Smirke personally used to refer to the Fears:

(MAG138, Robert Smirke) “I have been blessed with a long life, something few who crossed paths with the Dread Powers can boast, but now… at the end of it, my true fear is that I have wasted it, chasing an impossible dream. […] I have been thinking, of late, about the first origin of the Dread Powers, if… such beings can really be said to have true origins. Are they eternal, or are they created from our own fear, by some grand accident – or, worse: some grand design? I believe the latter to be the case, as you well know, for I have in vain struggled to reconcile their creation with the existence of a Loving God.”

It's possible that Smirke’s vocabulary was… too restrictive, but I do wonder if… in context, it isn’t hinting that The Extinction-or-whatever-it-is isn’t actually a Fifteenth Fear, but something operating too differently from the others…?

- I’ll never get tired of Martin’s… little troubles when introducing statements – it never goes smoothly, he marks small pauses, has troubles reading the numbers, etc., compared to Jon’s… seamless professional voice (… except when some of his emotions are showing: sometimes impatience, sometimes… listen, when he introduced the statement in MAG129? He was still brooding SO MUCH after the disaster of a conversation he had had with Martin shortly before). In the same way, I… love how Martin’s own speculation is so awkward and potentially off the mark afterwards? Reminder that Martin barely remembered the name “Maxwell Rayner” in MAG098, and he sounded SO PROUD in MAG110 when he was able to guess that The Spooky Book Mentioned Had Probably Been A Leitner (“I mean… I think it sounds like a Jurgen Leitner book. About spiders. Hm.” mARTIN that was an easy guess… x””D); and in the same way, his conclusions in MAG138 were… a bit awkward compared to the content of the statement:

(MAG134) MARTIN: Anyway. Smirke was clearly wrong about the powers balancing each other, at least. I mean, i–it’s, [SHORT LAUGHTER] it’s obviously impossible. There’s too much variation in, in how much something is feared by people at any one time. And, and if that’s the case, I… suppose it’s… not impossible that Peter… [LONG PAUSE] might be telling the truth. I don’t know what he’s talking about when he mentions Millbank. The old prison, I guess? Tim said the tunnels under the Institute were all that was left of it, but… Jon said he’d checked them pretty thoroughly. 

(M… Martin, what “other Millbank” do you think it could be, given the discussions/researches in the Archives………………….) To his credit, he was trying to guess why Peter had given him this statement, so he had a certain Way Of Looking At Things, but. Still. Smirke’s statement wasn’t really about the “variations” of how people experience fear(s)…? And in the same way:

(MAG144) MARTIN: Statement ends. [CLEARS THROAT] [INHALE, EXHALE] … Right. Another… statement. Another side to… Peter’s “Extinction”. I think. I… Y– I– [HUFF] I, I couldn’t follow some of his reasoning, but I think it was about… nuclear weapons, or… or maybe doomsday’s weapons…? In keeping with the theme, I suppose.

Martin miiight be paying too much attention to concreteness and things he Already Knows, and failing hard to essentialise and theorise…? Obviously, yes, the symptoms evoke the destruction caused by nuclear weapons, both in MAG134 and MAG144 (destruction, corpses melting/being absolutely blasted), but the Fear itself… is something broader, probably? (So: is he accidentally absolutely spot-on? Or totally off the mark, and the fact that he went with “nuclear weapons” mean it isn’t this, at all?)

- ;; It has been a constant in season 4 when we have Martin’s statements and Jon’s statements: they… would both progress much better if they had access to each other’s statement.

MAG134’s (Smirke’s letter to Jonah) would have helped Jon to define a bit more Jonah’s whole character, after MAG127, and potentially retrace what happened to him – Jon labelled him as already “evil” in the 1830s, but turned out that he had apparently taken a step back, before falling deeper into Beholding shortly before 1867, apparently because he was afraid to die (… does that remind you of something, Jon?). Plus, indication towards the Watcher’s Crown. Meanwhile, Jon… learned that Adelard had helped Gertrude to stop The Flesh’s ritual in 2008, and could have pointed out a few old statements: MAG078 where Adelard tried to trap the Not!Them with the table and, more importantly, MAG113 where Adelard mistook an End avatar for an Extinction thing (… and we’re still not sure What The Heck  “Binary” was, but Jon could have pointed to MAG065… in case Tessa’s experience was related). And Jon could maybe just Know a few things, and help overall.

But they don’t communicate, they’re in their own bubbles, and information isn’t getting shared right now. (Though Martin was planning to communicate his tapes to Jon… MAG138, especially, could be helpful to deal with the Institute on its own…)

- I love Jon’s reading, alright, and I love Martin’s too for different reasons. He tends to put more emphasis in words, bloating some here and there? He gets so nasal sometimes? So casually sassy? Jon often has an edge, but Martin… Martin feels Less Charitable in his delivery and I love it. AND I ESPECIALLY LOVED:

(MAG144, Gary Boylan) “Something kept me rooted there, sleeping in a bedroom that hadn’t changed since I was fifteen, and caring for a man who I’d rather just shut up…!”

That. That “Shut up!” was so Beautiful And Martin.

- I’M SO EMOTIONAL OVER THE FACT THAT DAISY AND MARTIN ARE BECOMING KINDA FRIENDS WITH MAG142 AND MAG144… and then kinda nop. But the fact that Daisy was comfortable enough to come back, to share with Jon that she had talked with Martin, and that she wanted to give information about him (/them) to Martin in return… ;w;

(MAG144) [KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.] MARTIN: [SHORT SHAKY INHALE] [SILENCE] [KNOCK–KNOCK–KNOCK] MARTIN: [RUFFLING PAPER] Come in. [DOOR OPENS.] DAISY: Mind if I join you? [SCRIBBLING SOUNDS START.] [DOOR CLOSES] DAISY: They’re back. I thought you might wanna know. [INHALE] Seems like it went smooth – too smooth for Basira, sounds like. Keeps looking at Jon like she can’t believe he made it back. [SILENCE] I, uh… I mentioned our conversation to him; he asked me to check on– MARTIN: Just leave. DAISY: Sorry? MARTIN: [INHALE] Get out. DAISY: Oh. Right. Sorry, I didn’t– MARTIN: It’s not difficult! Just get out! DAISY: Fine. … Fine. Just thought you– MARTIN: No! No, you didn’t! [DOOR OPENS.] We’re not… we’re not friends, Daisy! None of us are! We’re all just trapped together, here, and–and kidding ourselves that we don’t hate it! Christ, there are more important things than, than “feelings”– DAISY: [INCREDULOUS EXHALE] MARTIN: –right now, alright, so just… leave me alone! For good! [SILENCE PUNCTUATED BY AGGRESSIVE SCRIBBLING NOISES] DAISY: … Right. You got it. [DOOR CLOSES]

The things Martin said… were very reminiscent of Tim’s own reasoning (and the overall idea that Tim… did feel trapped, and insisted on it, and was adamant about reminding everyone of that fact):

(MAG079) TIM: There is something in this place, and it’s messing up our heads. It watches us all the time. It stops me quitting. I’m pretty sure it would stop Elias firing Jon even if he decided to actually try running this place for once. MARTIN: You’re sure you don’t just want to stay? TIM: I’m. sure. MARTIN: But, like, deep down– TIM: No. MARTIN: … Oh. […] TIM: I… I’m not just going to leave you down here. MARTIN: You were all about quitting. TIM: Oh, for God’s sake, this isn’t about you. MARTIN: It never is. TIM: Alright, fine. Fine. What do you want? What’s your light at the end of these spooky damn tunnels? And don’t say “everyone happy forever”, because that’s not happening. … Well? MARTIN: I don’t know. I don’t know! I want to find out what’s going on. I want to save Jon. I want everyone to be fine and, you know what? If we were all happy that wouldn’t actually be the end of the world!

(MAG102) ARCHIVIST: Does the rest of the Institute know what’s going on down here? I mean, I never really paid attention, but… MARTIN: N–not really? I think? I mean, Tim’s been going on about it to anyone who listens, but I think they just… think he’s had a bit of a breakdown. ARCHIVIST: Well, I mean… MARTIN: I mean, they can quit.

And it also was a bit reminiscent of Gary Boylan’s own situation in his statement (MAG144: “We were both… trapped there, I think. Bound together in a sort of wordless misery.”). I’m not sure, then, that we should believe everything Martin told Daisy, especially since he pointed out to Peter that he had purposely wanted to drive Daisy away… partially to prevent Peter from wooshing her:

(MAG144) [VERY SHARP SQUEAL OF DISTORTION] MARTIN: [LONG SIGH] … Well? PETER: I’m impressed! And grateful. MARTIN: I didn’t do it for you. PETER: Even better. MARTIN: … It’s easier, this way. I’m sure you’d have had no problem sending her away. PETER: I hadn’t really thought about it. And now, thanks to you, I don’t need to. MARTIN: Yeah, well. It seems to be your go-to move for dealing with anyone.

He… did tell Daisy that there were “more important things than feelings right now”, and it’s heart-breaking when taking into account that he AGGRESSIVELY (and so beautifully snappily.) wanted people to be Happy at the end of season 2… but I want to Believe in Martin being good at Manipulating people in the direction he wants. Martin has a history of weaponising his own feelings when it served his purpose: he knows how to use them against others, and it’s precisely how he managed to make Elias do exactly what he needed, in MAG118 – it’s because he had Feelings that it worked. But at the same time, I do think a bit of truth might be sneaking out, even in this case, and that Martin’s own bitterness… might be showing some of his true feelings, too. To put it more simply: I heard the exchange and Martin making Daisy leave as a conscious move from his part, focusing on the goal… but I’m not sure that all of his words were faked and false. And that might be another danger of The Lonely, too? That Martin pushing people away and thinking he is in control… might lead to him falling deeper into The Lonely, because he’s cutting ties and working alone. There is something so dangerous in thinking that you’re friends with people, that you care for them… while you refuse to share anything anymore with them, push them away constantly, only know them from afar and dread more and more to interact with them. And I’m not sure that Martin is taking that into account as much as he should. What is the point of sacrificing himself to protect others if it makes everyone miserable in the process, including him?

- One glimmer of hope is that it had been pointed out, during their last interaction, that Daisy was “observant”:

(MAG142) MARTIN: … Yeah. [LONG INHALE] I suppose. [LONG EXHALE] You’re… you’re pretty observant, you know? DAISY: Detective, remember? MARTIN: Yeah, you did mention.

Daisy showed that she was good at paying attention, reading people and their feelings. So she might be able to correctly interpret what Martin said, and guess that… Peter was around. Martin did talk like a hostage trying to make another bystander leave before they’d get involved (he’d sounded like that with Jon, already, in MAG129).

(But I’m worried that Daisy might feel let down by him at the same time, and take his words at face value despite it all? ;;)

(… Another option: MAG142 ended with the tape recorder being cut off, while Martin and Daisy were still together and talking. So it’s possible that they strategised a bit after that about how to act/behave, and about the fact that Peter can turn invisible, and that Daisy knows a bit more about Martin’s whole situation. I don’t know ;; I’m stupidly hoping that Team Archives could finally manage to… plan together… and achieve things…)

- I’m so glad that Daisy has been around……………… She tried to act as a bridge between Jon and Martin, between the two Main Threads of the season 4, and? It’s really not what you would have expected from her when she first appeared in MAG061, and with her whole attitude in season 3, aaaaah…

(- And OOPS over the fact that Martin, who had decided to be cold and dry since the beginning of their scene (aggressively scribbling and pointedly… not making it sound like he’s available: the message was clearly that he was busy and she was bothering him and unwanted)… snapped and exploded and cut her off when she mentioned Jon and Jon using Daisy to get to him. Aouch. Is it that he’s unallowed anything Jon as far as Peter is concerned? Or because Martin really wants to prevent Peter from focusing on Jon?)

(- Also! Martin was chill with Daisy talking with him in MAG142, but not here in MAG144. Is it because now, he likes Daisy and wants to protect her, while he didn’t care in MAG142 because… he didn’t know much about Daisy’s actual personality outside of The Hunt? Or is it because Martin is beginning to be able to tell when Peter is spying on him, and when he isn’t? He directly addressed Jon through the tape at the end of MAG138, implying that he assumed that he was safe from Peter back then (he tried to lure him out and Peter didn’t manifest… but that wasn’t a guarantee). Here, he didn’t slip anything and was expecting Peter to pop up, from the start. So: can he feel it, now?)

- Peter’s logic is… so frightening:

(MAG144) PETER: I’m impressed! And grateful. MARTIN: I didn’t do it for you. PETER: Even better. MARTIN: … It’s easier, this way. I’m sure you’d have had no problem sending her away. PETER: I hadn’t really thought about it. And now, thanks to you, I don’t need to. […] Oh! Speaking of which: I’ve had a report of a workplace dispute in the library, and I would value your input. I’m trying to get out of the habit of, what did you call it…? “Sending them away”? MARTIN: [SIGH] … Fine.

It’s… really that Martin is trapped in this situation where only he can damage-control Peter, and they both know it, and Peter uses it fully to get Martin close and wrapped around his little finger, too (although Martin still snaps a lot and nags Peter and unleashes his pettiness at him in return). And Martin had already told Jon, during their last exchange:

(MAG129) ARCHIVIST: At least, The Eye hasn’t gone after our own. Lukas has vanished two people! MARTIN: Yeah, and if it wasn’t for me, it would’ve been a lot more. [SILENCE] This isn’t helping anything.

And… Martin was right back then ;; (And Peter probably wooshed these two people just for Martin to know that he could prevent it if he just… complied and stayed around and kept a close eye on Peter and did all his work. Martiiiiiin, you’re so absolutely stuck in an abusive relationship…)

- (not) SMOOTH, PETER, (not) SMOOTH:

(MAG134) PETER: Martin… My patron, hopefully our patron someday, doesn’t give me any sort of special insights. I’m not quite the accomplished voyeur that Elias was. I have to keep tabs on things the old-fashioned way. MARTIN: What, turning invisible and eavesdropping? PETER: If you like. But… I’m only one person, and I can’t keep an eye on everything.

(MAG138) MARTIN: I think he wants me to join The Lonely. ELIAS: Then it sounds like you have a decision to make.

(MAG144) PETER: I’m just not big on confrontation. You understand, I’m sure. MARTIN: We. Are not. The same. PETER: Of course. […] MARTIN: So what’s our next step? PETER: For you, keep researching. I’m sure we haven’t found all the statements in here that deal with The Extinction yet. One of the downsides of not serving The Ceaseless Watcher is that we have to actually look things up. Not to… mention the fact that Gertrude was distressingly good at obfuscation. The more you know about our enemy, the better.

… he slightly stressed that last “we” and it sounds like he absolutely does count Martinas being on the same side as him now and… not much as a Beholding agent? Getting hunches and being directed towards statements is Jon’s thing but the way Peter was dividing Beholding things and how he himself (and Martin alike) has to operate was a bit striking… ;;

(- On that note: I’m curious about how Peter mentions that Gertrude “was distressingly good at obfuscation” – we knew that already, right, but… Adelard’s letter in MAG113 (circa 2012) explicitly stated that Gertrude was “dismissive” of the possibility of a New Threat, and Adelard had chronologically already labelled it as The Extinction to her (MAG134’s letter is from 2009). Yet, Peter is assuming that Gertrude hid the information around the new Fear on purpose? Is it because Peter doesn’t know (yet) about the fact that Gertrude didn’t believe in it (and Gertrude might have accidentally labelled this and that statement with other Fears’ stamps), or did Gertrude… actually get more concerned about it, in her last years, and hide information on purpose…?)

- Re: Peter’s distaste for Confrontation and his implications that Martin is the same… it makes sense as a Lonely thing, but also: it… isn’t Very Martin, in fact? Because Martin held back, but he also did end up confronting people here and there – exploding at Jon in MAG039, nagging him into eating, orchestrating The Intervention, and trying to get him to talk to Tim in season 2, exploding in front of Tim in MAG079, literally confronting Elias in MAG118. But at the same time: it’s true that it Takes A Lot for Martin to finally snap.

But the thing about being non-confrontational is not exclusively Lonely and I’m reminded of these moments in relation to Martin:

(MAG138) MARTIN: … What? [HUFF] That’s it? No, no monologue, no mindgames? You love manipulating people! ELIAS: That makes two of us.

(MAG128, Breekon) “The Spider’s always an easy job – no fuss, no complication, everything planned and prepared. It knows too much to truly be a Stranger, but hides its knowing well enough to endure.”

So mmmmmm, I might be grasping at straws and I still want to hope about Web!Martin but. What Martin is doing can still perfectly be read as absolutely Web-y: not confronting and mostly getting people where and how he wants them, making them believe they are the ones in control of their own actions and decisions, while hiding in plain sight.

- I’m… so sorry for Martin, why is your life SO HARD baby:

(MAG138) MARTIN: Great. Great, great. So, what you’re [NERVOUS LAUGHTER] actually saying is that you’re gonna be… no help whatsoever! ELIAS: … Just like old times~ MARTIN: I don’t know what I expected.

(MAG144) MARTIN: You’re not just going to tell me, maybe? PETER: When have I ever? MARTIN: [LONG-SUFFERING SIGH]

Martin had to deal with BOTH of them, do you even realize how shitty his life is? He got the Worst Of Elias, and he’s been dealing with Peter for months, and They’re Just The Same. (Lonely Eyes rubbing off on each other, I GUESS? :w)

(- On that nsfw note:

(MAG144) MARTIN: And you? PETER: I have my own explorations I need to attend to. […] I’m absolutely delighted with your progress, and I feel you’ve earned some straight answers. MARTIN: But not from you. PETER: Oh, no. That sort of conversation makes me very uncomfortable.

1°) “Straight” (answers) make Peter uncomfortable 2°) Peter has his “own explorations” to take care of

… was that a reference to Elias, Peter.)

- The Dark is (presumably) dealt with so now, we’re getting new Questions in the Speculation Game, namely: who is Peter’s “friend”?

(MAG144) PETER: I have my own explorations I need to attend to. And a, hum… meeting. To arrange. For you…! MARTIN: For me? PETER: I’m absolutely delighted with your progress, and I feel you’ve earned some straight answers. MARTIN: But not from you. PETER: Oh, no. That sort of conversation makes me very uncomfortable. No, I’m owed a favour by a friend of mine. I’ve asked him to stop by, when he’s back in the country. MARTIN: You’re not just going to tell me, maybe? PETER: When have I ever? MARTIN: [LONG-SUFFERING SIGH] PETER: Oh, come now. What would life be without the occasional twist?

It’s a “he”. People we’ve heard about that I’m considering:

* Mikaele Salesa: we got reminded of his existence in MAG141, and he’s been revealed to be Officially Dead… through a third-hand account, who never saw the body, and it was after retrieving an item with an unknown purpose (but a broken camera lens… brought me to mind Beholding or Dark stuff, and something allowing you to conceal instead of revealing?). We know that Peter and Salesa were on good enough terms, back in MAG066, for them to… bet on whether someone would survive getting accidentally stuck in one of Salesa’s items, and he looked a bit relieved that the dude hadn’t died, so Peter opening the crate sounded like he was doing him a favour => could be the one Peter is referring to, or something else, but at least, they know each other, they both are Sailors People, etc., so learning a bit more about how they came to be acquaintances/them working on some projects together would make sense.

* Simon Fairchild: Peter said that his friend would be “back in the country” and we know that Simon Fairchild, who travels a lot, is actually from Hackney (if it’s the same con artist who was active in the 1930s that Jon had worked on, as he mentioned in MAG051). The Lukases and Fairchilds participated together in the Daedalus project, both “families” (Gerry told us that while the Lukases are about bloodlines, Fairchilds are… more of a brand?) are filthy rich, and, overall, Jon jinxed it back in MAG124 when he spat that “I do not think I ever wish to meet him.”

* Adelard Dekker…? I would be very surprised if he had been on friendly terms with Peter, but then, we don’t know much about Adelard (he tended to save people or prevent more victims when he was around… but it was more about neutralising threats than caring much about collateral damages: he did use explosives to stop The Flesh’s ritual). I’m kinda expecting Adelard to either have turned into an Extinction avatar by present time, or have been killed researching it, or have been killed… by Peter, hence Peter knowing so much about his researches but not asking for his help in tracking down his statements. (I had also considered at some point that MMM, what if Adelard and Peter are actually the same person under aliases…? But they’re both Rare Cases of characters who have had official descriptions: Peter is very pale even for a white man, while Adelard is a Black man. So nah.)

* Oliver Banks…? I’m not suggesting him because I love this sneaky little shit and would love to hear him more – er, not only because of it. But overall, Peter was able to explain to Martin why The End had never tried a ritual attempt and wasn’t interested in it, while he wasn’t as certain of The Web’s motivations for doing the same (and not carrying out its ritual)… so that could fit with him being actually pretty well acquainted with an End avatar as an inside source. Not banking (get it? get it?) on it, but. (Also, canonically handsome mlm Oliver never met Tim (as far as we know), which is a shame, but. Martin is still right here. And Oliver knows a bit about Jon’s dreams and overall situation with the Spiders. So could be an interesting encounter.)

* Another Lukas…? Peter said “friend”, though, but I’m pretty sure he would call Martin a “friend” to someone else if asked, and they’re not friends. (… This sentence sounds like SF’s Trexel.)

* I’m trying to “be in Peter’s head” and imagine what it would take for him to use that wording, and: I’m not expecting it at all, because I think he… won’t be relevant ever aside from what we were told in MAG118. But. But if Peter’s “friend” was actually Martin’s dad, this is probably the wording he would use, and it would be awful.

- So we got an update and Basira&Jon made it “home” safely:

(MAG144) DAISY: They’re back. I thought you might wanna know. [INHALE] Seems like it went smooth – too smooth for Basira, sounds like. Keeps looking at Jon like she can’t believe he made it back. [SILENCE] I, uh… I mentioned our conversation to him; he asked me to check on–

We technically don’t know how long it took them through Helen’s corridors, but presumably not much time. (… Martin had apparently felt like he had been stuck with Tim in Michael’s for weeks, although it was actually at most a day or two? He did spit that it had been “weeks” at Elias but we know the dates at the end of season 2 / beginning of season 3, it can’t have been weeks.)

Why is Basira surprised that Jon managed to make it back…? Is it because she thinks he should be dead from the Dark Sun…? (Because… I would expect Basira to be surprised that she herself made it back – and we had confirmation that she wasn’t planning to get rid of Jon against The Dark, since she tried to convince him to not Try To Get Himself Killed and even suggested that leave a potential threat untouched, in MAG143… So why the focus on Jon?) Daisy interacted with him and didn’t mention anything amiss, so I doubt he got blinded, in any case?

In summary: we’ve… been cut-out from Jon’s POV since MAG139/MAG140 and Jon Still Remains A Mystery – what is he thinking, when did he begin to forcefully torture and extort live-statements from innocent people (… if it was indeed him in MAG142 and not the rib he gave to Jared mutating or something)? Martin has been gradually taking more importance, in season 4: he was barely seen at first (MAG124, MAG129), began to have his moments alone/with Peter (MAG126), went back to reading statements (MAG134, MAG138, MAG144) and to having episodes solely dedicated to him interacting with people and wondering about his own researches (MAG138 when he first visited Elias, MAG142 when he received the Unnamed Female Victim’s complain). Martin’s episodes are getting more and more frequent, to the point of… alternating with “Jon”’s episodes since we came back from the hiatus. While Jon’s own thoughts are currently hidden to us, Martin has been more transparent and has received focus of his own. He’s stepping up as a protagonist, right now… and it could be the sign that we’re meant to lose Jon (whether because he would die-die or die-as-Jon) soon…?

(- Last time Martin and Jon interacted was fifteen episodes ago, in MAG129 (holy Mew) and… at this point, I’m doubting more and more that if they do interact ever again, it would go… well. Whether because Peter is in the room and Martin pulls the same thing he did with Daisy (shouting at her until she left, screaming/pretending/maybe being more honest than he thought about his own bitterness), or because Martin takes into account what he’s been told by the woman in MAG142, or… anything. Even if Jon picks up, like the fandom did, on the fact that he’s been led by Elias to experience other Fears and that the Lonely is missing… pointing out to Martin that Martin is possibly meant to be the one inflicting the Lonely on him, and that Peter’s schemes were mostly to keep Martin occupied and push him towards the Lonely to have an effect on Jon… would be devastating for Martin? It’s still a possibility (though I personally do believe that there IS indeed a new threat, whether it’s The Extinction or… something else, that they’ve all been misinterpreting), and it was brought up, whether it’d be true or not, I can’t imagine Martin reacting well to the thought that he’d have only been used and never mattered in the first place. How could Jon and Martin even interact, nowadays? Jon has already told Martin that he missed him. Daisy implied that Jon sent her to check on him. Martin knows that Jon is worried and cares – he knows, and it’s not enough, because there is the new threat and Peter to deal with at the moment. And in the meantime, Jon has apparently fallen deeper into Beholding than we previously thought. How could they even find a common ground after this…? (………………… except by sharing mourning over Tim and Sasha, I guess. I miss Tim.)

Title for MAG145 is out and OOOOH BOY. Obviously, it brings to mind the whole content of MAG139 and Jon’s tirade at the end – AND it screams “Corruption statement” (finally!! baby is maybe finally making it into season 4!!). We have a link between Desolation and Corruption through Diego’s beliefs in “Asag” (who contained both aspects), and the fact that Arthur Nolan had been “demoted” from cult leader to The Hive’s landlord and… we still don’t know the story behind that. But I’m not sure we would dig into Desolation/Agnes-related matters so soon, since Eugene had explained that they had lost their chance for their ritual for a few decades – it’s not an urgent matter for Jon, I doubt he’ll keep investigating right now, after having just confirmed that they aren’t a current threat? So, mmm, things I’m considering:

- Jon digging into Corruption/Desolation history again anyway.

- Jon digging into the Corruption to check if they got their ritual attempt – it’s missing on our list, could have been what the worms were trying to do in the tunnels but we still don’t know… and overall, we don’t know a lot about how Corruption operates past independent avatars (The Hive/Jane Prentiss, and John Amherst, Maggie/Gordie): would a ritual be carried out by a lonesome avatar, or would it need a collaboration between many?

- Another of Gertrude’s tapes, this time about The Corruption and their plans for a ritual? Because perhaps the double meaning of the title could… be about her own thoughts (since we already had a look at Jon’s own in MAG139).

- MELANIE digging into Corruption-related matters to track down (or establish what happened to him, if he’s dead) John Amherst’s moves after MAG036/MAG055’s reports.

As for the second meaning: I doubt it would be about Martin, and I’m not sure if it can be about Jon again so soon after MAG139 (unless… it’s about Something Else, ie Jon, what are your current thoughts about The Watcher’s Crown. Have you never mentioned that you wanted to stop it because you’re afraid of negative repercussions if you say it outright, or because you actually do not not want to prevent it.)… so, the assistants about Jon? Or about Martin, since he chased Daisy away? Or an overall realisation that they thought they were doing their own things, but have probably been played by Elias all through season 4?

[mybreadlover]

What is Data Encryption and How Does it Work?

What is Data Encryption and How Does it Work?

Data encryption protects your data from being seen, hacked, or stolen. VPNs provide data encryption at the consumer level, but how about end-to-end encryption? Is a VPN the best option, or are there other solutions out there? What does data encryption even mean? Find out with our guide to everything you need to know about data encryption.

What is data encryption?

Data encryption is a system that encodes your data so other people can’t read it. Consider this:

Hibu JT epub fodszqujpo? No, that’s not a massive typo — that’s the phrase “What is data encryption?” encrypted with a simple Caesar cypher, or shift cypher. Each letter is replaced by the letter that follows it in the alphabet, so when you see the encrypted phrase, it’s just gibberish. You can’t decrypt it if you don’t know the encryption system.

Data encryption works along the same lines, but with far more complex encryption systems. These transform regular data, stored as plaintext, into what’s known as “ciphertext” — a seemingly nonsensical string of letters, numbers, and symbols. You can only unscramble the data, or decrypt it, with a specific decryption key.

Why use data encryption?

Data encryption is all about protecting your personal information from anyone who’d like to get their hands on it. This idea stems from humanity’s long history of encoded communications, the use and study of which is known as cryptography. Some of these encryption systems, such as the writing used in the Renaissance-era Voynich manuscript, still remain uncracked, even with the aid of modern computing.

So why is data encryption important? In short, using encryption protects your personal data. You can use data encryption to safeguard yourself against a multitude of online threats, including identity theft, hacking, and fraud.

Many businesses also use encryption algorithms in network security to defend against spyware and other malware. Anyone who manages to obtain encrypted data won’t be able to read it — preventing hackers from gaining access to business secrets. That means data encryption also protects against certain strains of ransomware that hijack data and threaten to publish it unless a ransom is paid.

» How can encryption be used to protect information?

Did you know that you’re benefiting from data encryption nearly every time you use the internet? Here are a few uses of encryption that you may encounter in your daily online life:

HTTPS encryption

Many modern websites feature HTTPS encryption — you’ll know because the URL begins with https, or because your browser shows you a little padlock icon in the address bar. Check your address bar now, and you’ll see these indicators here on our site. AVG Signal’s looking out for you.

HTTPS encryption protects your internet traffic while it travels between your device and the website you’re using, preventing anyone from either listening in or altering the data while it’s in transit. You should never divulge any sensitive personal data, such as credit card numbers, while on an unsecured website with plain old HTTP. If you don’t know how secure a certain site is, it’s always best to do a quick website safety check before entering any personal information.

Email encryption

Gmail and Outlook — two of the most widely used email platforms — encrypt all emails by default. The encryption they provide should be sufficient for the average email user, but there are more secure options available. Both Gmail and Outlook offer upgraded encryption with premium accounts, and ProtonMail is a securely encrypted email service that anyone can use.

Secure messaging apps

Many messaging apps also protect users with data encryption. Signal and Wickr are two popular options providing end-to-end encryption: the data is encrypted all the way from the sender to the receiver.

Cryptocurrency

If you’ve dabbled at all in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) or Ethereum (ETH), you’ve also enjoyed the protection of data encryption — though if you’re savvy enough to be using these, you probably already knew that. Cryptocurrencies protect their users by encrypting transactions and storing them in a shared historical record known as the “blockchain.” Once a transaction joins the blockchain, it can’t be reversed or forged.

VPNs

VPNs are a popular solution for data encryption — you can even download a VPN on your mobile phone for encryption on the go. If you’re on an unsecured public Wi-Fi network, a VPN is an ideal solution for keeping your data safe. We’ll explore VPNs in more detail later in this piece, but for now, think of them as on-demand data encryption that’s both convenient and secure.

Try AVG Secure VPN for FREE

How does data encryption work?

Data encryption revolves around two essential elements: the algorithm and the key.

The algorithm is the set of rules that determine how the encryption works. The Caesar cypher algorithm we used earlier in this article substitutes each letter with another letter that sits a fixed distance away from it in the alphabet.

The key determines the encryption implementation. Keys are randomly generated and combined with the algorithm to encrypt and decrypt data. In our Caesar cypher, we used a key of +1. A is replaced by B, B is replaced by C, and so on. In data encryption, keys are defined by their length in bits.

The algorithm and the keys it generates both contributes to the overall security of the encryption method. Key length is one factor in encryption security, but it’s not an exclusive determinant — the mathematical systems behind the algorithm also influence encryption security as well. Some algorithms with shorter keys may have equivalent or greater security when compared to other algorithms with longer keys.

» Cryptographic keys

Modern cryptography algorithms generate new data encryption keys for each use so that two users of the same algorithm can’t decrypt each other’s communications. Symmetric-key algorithms use the same key for encrypting and decrypting, while public-key algorithms (also known as asymmetric-key algorithms) have separate keys for each process:

In a symmetric-key algorithm, the encrypting and decrypting parties all share the same key. Everyone who needs to receive the encrypted data will have the same key as everyone else. It’s a simpler system but with greater risk, as it takes just one leak to expose the data being transmitted by all involved parties.

Symmetric algorithms share the same key between encryption and decryption.

Symmetric encryption uses either stream cyphers or block cyphers to encrypt plaintext data.  

Stream cyphers encrypt data on a per-byte basis. Each byte is encrypted individually. It’s a complex system that uses a different key for each byte, but the reversal is relatively easy.

Block cyphers encrypt data in blocks of 64 bits (8 bytes) or larger. Reversing block cypher encryption is much harder than with stream cypher encryption.

Our Caesar cypher example is a symmetric-key algorithm since you can encrypt and decrypt a message using the same key: the number of letters in the shift from plaintext to ciphertext and back.

A public-key algorithm is more secure than its symmetric-key counterpart. The public key is widely available for anyone to use in sending communications, but there’s a second key — the private key — that’s needed to decrypt the message. The algorithm creates both keys at once, and only these two exact keys can work together.

Public-key or asymmetric algorithms use different keys for encryption and decryption.

So how does data encryption protect data? Without the decryption key, you can’t unscramble the data — unless you’re willing to invest a lot of time and effort into other means of breaking the encryption. We’ll dive into what those measures look like towards the end of this piece.

» What about hashing?

Hashing is a process that uses an algorithm to convert plaintext into numerical values. Any website worth using will hash user credentials to protect them in the event of a data breach. If you encounter a website that still stores passwords as plaintext, run away and never look back.

Common encryption algorithms

There’s not just one data encryption algorithm out there. Here, we look at several of the most common encryption algorithms and quickly break down how they work.

» Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)

AES is a secure symmetric algorithm that’s easy to use, making it ideal for situations in which secrecy is important. Users can set the key length to 128, 192, or 246 bits, and AES supports block lengths of 128 bits for block cypher encryption.

» Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA)

Names for its three creators, RSA is one of the earliest public-key algorithms and still sees widespread use. RSA uses large prime numbers to create its keys and compared to other systems, it’s rather slow. For this reason, RSA is most often used to share a symmetric key, which is used in turn to encrypt the actual data that needs protecting.

» Triple DES

Triple DES (or TDES/3DES) is asymmetrical block-cypher algorithm that encrypts each block three times over using a 56-bit data encryption standard (DES) key. But what is the data encryption standard in the first place?

DES is a pioneering encryption algorithm developed in the 1970s that was used as the US federal standard until being replaced in 2002 by AES. At the time, DES was strong enough to defend against contemporary threats. Even with its three layers of encryption, TDES is no longer considered reliably secure by modem standards.

» Perfect forward secrecy (PFS)

PFS isn’t an algorithm, but a property that an encryption protocol can have. An encryption protocol is a system that defines how, when, and where an algorithm should be used in order to achieve encryption. When a protocol has PFS, it means that if the private key in a public-key algorithm becomes compromised, prior instances of encryption will still be protected. This is because PFS protocols create new keys for every encryption session.

Because of the way PFS protects prior sessions from future attacks, it is a critical feature for the security of any encryption system. You’ll also see PFS referred to simply as “forward secrecy” or FS.

Data at rest vs. data in transit

The majority of the encryption conversation focuses on data in motion encryption, or how to protect data in transit — in other words, data that’s on its way from one place to another. When you encrypt your web traffic with a VPN, that’s data in transit encryption in action.

But not all data is constantly in motion. Data that are stored in one place is called “data at rest.” There’s plenty of data on your computer that isn’t going anywhere but maybe even more sensitive than anything you’d be communicating to other parties.

It’s just as important to practice data at rest encryption as well, in case your device gets hacked or stolen. You can easily protect your local data by encrypting or password-protecting files and folders on your computer or external storage device.

We’ll show you some encryption best practices for data at rest in the following sections, “How to encrypt your PC” and “Mobile data encryption.”

» Transparent data encryption (TDE)

Introduced by Microsoft in 2008, transparent data encryption (TDE) protects databases by encrypting the files on the servers as well as any backups. Microsoft, IBM and Oracle use TDE to provide enterprises with SQL server database encryption.

The encrypted files are automatically decrypted by any authorized applications or users when accessing the database. This is why it’s “transparent” — if you’re already allowed to access the data, you don’t need to do anything extra to see it. Think of TDE like an employee ID badge that grants entrance to a secure facility. If you have a badge, you can waltz right on in.

As an additional security measure, TDE stores the encryption keys separately from the encrypted data files. This way, if the physical storage media or files are stolen, they’ll still be protected against unauthorized access. You can’t open the data files without the correct key.

How to encrypt your PC

Ready to protect the data on your PC against snoops and hackers? We’ll take you through three types of data encryption that you can use to protect your PC.

» File encryption

If you only need to protect a few sensitive items, consider file encryption. This method encrypts individual files, so it’s best for cases where you don’t have too much encrypting to do. For example, if you’ve created a document that contains your backup codes for a certain website or application, file encryption is a great way to safeguard that information.

But what is file encryption, anyways? Simply put, it’s the act of scrambling a file so that it can’t be unscrambled without the correct decryption key. It’s the same thing as data encryption, just on a per-file basis. Here’s how to use encryption on your device with AVG Internet Security:

AVG Internet Security’s Sensitive Data Shield scans your entire computer for files that you might want to secure, then protects these items from unauthorized access. It’s a good option for anyone using Windows 10 Home since Microsoft hasn’t included any built-in tools there for file encryption. You’ll need to rely on third-party solutions if that’s your situation.

Mac users are in more luck. Apple allows for file encryption within macOS by using the Disk Utility tool. You can encrypt folders by navigating to File > New Image > Image from Folder. Choose the folder to encrypt, select your encryption method, and hit Save.

» Full-disk encryption (FDE)

Rather than go from file to file, you can cut to the chase and encrypt your entire computer with FDE or whole-disk encryption. You can even combine both together for added security — even if someone gets through your FDE, they still won’t be able to access your encrypted files.

Windows 10 Home allows for FDE, though not all PCs accommodate this feature. Open your Settings, click Update & Security, and if your device supports FDE, you’ll see Device encryption at the bottom of the left-side menu. Click it, and you can begin encrypting your PC. You’ll need to sign in with your Microsoft account in order to enable FDE, as Windows will save your recovery key on Microsoft’s cloud.

Users of Windows Professional, Enterprise, and Education can use the BitLocker tool for more secure encryption, and you’ll find it in the same place. But either way, that’s how to encrypt your PC!

Mac users can also enable FDE on their machines with the FileVault tool. Open your System Preferences, then select Security & Privacy. From there, head to the FileVault tab and turn it on. It’ll take some time for FileVault to complete the encryption, but it’ll look like this when you’re done:

» Network layer encryption

This final method protects data in transit, but not locally on your device. If you need to encrypt all the traffic coming to and from your PC, network layer encryption will help. It’s one reason that many people choose to protect their privacy with VPNs. HTTPS provides another type of network-layer encryption.

With network-layer encryption, you can send data securely across unsecured networks. But it’s just as important to ensure that the data is equally protected at its source and at its destination. If you haven’t encrypted your PC with one of the two above methods, any data you receive over an encrypted connection won’t be protected once it’s downloaded locally to your machine.

AVG Secure VPN encrypts all the internet traffic on your device. With a VPN, all your online activities are covered — everything you’re doing in your web browser, but also your emails, games, anything you download, and any other apps you use.

Try AVG Secure VPN for FREE

Mobile data encryption

You’re probably already protecting your Android or iPhone with a PIN, passcode, pattern lock, or fingerprint/face lock — and that’s great. Security measures like these are essential in the fight against unauthorized access. But there’s another way you can safeguard the data on your mobile device: encryption.

iCloud and Google Cloud both encrypt your data automatically, so you won’t need to handle the cloud data encryption yourself if you’re using these services. And just as you can configure FDE on your PC, you can also encrypt your phone. Should you lose your device, your encrypted data will be safe. Both Android and iOS devices allow you to encrypt your device by default. Here’s how:

» iPad & iPhone data encryption

As soon as you set up a passcode on your iOS device, your data is automatically encrypted. If you don’t have a passcode yet, perform the following procedure:

Open your Settings and tap Passcode. Newer iPhones may instead say Touch ID & Passcode or Face ID & Passcode.

Once here, follow the prompts to set up a passcode and any other security measures you’d like to include. After you’re done, your iOS device will be encrypted.

» Android data encryption

The procedure for encrypting your Android device may vary depending on its manufacturer and Android version. Here’s how the process looks in Android 10 on a Google Pixel 2:

Open your Settings, then tap Security.

Scroll down and tap Encryption & credentials.

Follow the prompts here to encrypt your device. When you’re done, confirm your phone’s Encrypted status.

from WordPress https://ift.tt/314KsSF via Blogger https://ift.tt/2V73qV4

[nehakukreti]

What is Data Encryption and How Does it Work?

What is Data Encryption and How Does it Work?

Data encryption protects your data from being seen, hacked, or stolen. VPNs provide data encryption at the consumer level, but how about end-to-end encryption? Is a VPN the best option, or are there other solutions out there? What does data encryption even mean? Find out with our guide to everything you need to know about data encryption.

What is data encryption?

Data encryption is a system that encodes your data so other people can’t read it. Consider this:

Hibu JT epub fodszqujpo? No, that’s not a massive typo — that’s the phrase “What is data encryption?” encrypted with a simple Caesar cypher, or shift cypher. Each letter is replaced by the letter that follows it in the alphabet, so when you see the encrypted phrase, it’s just gibberish. You can’t decrypt it if you don’t know the encryption system.

Data encryption works along the same lines, but with far more complex encryption systems. These transform regular data, stored as plaintext, into what’s known as “ciphertext” — a seemingly nonsensical string of letters, numbers, and symbols. You can only unscramble the data, or decrypt it, with a specific decryption key.

Why use data encryption?

Data encryption is all about protecting your personal information from anyone who’d like to get their hands on it. This idea stems from humanity’s long history of encoded communications, the use and study of which is known as cryptography. Some of these encryption systems, such as the writing used in the Renaissance-era Voynich manuscript, still remain uncracked, even with the aid of modern computing.

So why is data encryption important? In short, using encryption protects your personal data. You can use data encryption to safeguard yourself against a multitude of online threats, including identity theft, hacking, and fraud.

Many businesses also use encryption algorithms in network security to defend against spyware and other malware. Anyone who manages to obtain encrypted data won’t be able to read it — preventing hackers from gaining access to business secrets. That means data encryption also protects against certain strains of ransomware that hijack data and threaten to publish it unless a ransom is paid.

» How can encryption be used to protect information?

Did you know that you’re benefiting from data encryption nearly every time you use the internet? Here are a few uses of encryption that you may encounter in your daily online life:

HTTPS encryption

Many modern websites feature HTTPS encryption — you’ll know because the URL begins with https, or because your browser shows you a little padlock icon in the address bar. Check your address bar now, and you’ll see these indicators here on our site. AVG Signal’s looking out for you.

HTTPS encryption protects your internet traffic while it travels between your device and the website you’re using, preventing anyone from either listening in or altering the data while it’s in transit. You should never divulge any sensitive personal data, such as credit card numbers, while on an unsecured website with plain old HTTP. If you don’t know how secure a certain site is, it’s always best to do a quick website safety check before entering any personal information.

Email encryption

Gmail and Outlook — two of the most widely used email platforms — encrypt all emails by default. The encryption they provide should be sufficient for the average email user, but there are more secure options available. Both Gmail and Outlook offer upgraded encryption with premium accounts, and ProtonMail is a securely encrypted email service that anyone can use.

Secure messaging apps

Many messaging apps also protect users with data encryption. Signal and Wickr are two popular options providing end-to-end encryption: the data is encrypted all the way from the sender to the receiver.

Cryptocurrency

If you’ve dabbled at all in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) or Ethereum (ETH), you’ve also enjoyed the protection of data encryption — though if you’re savvy enough to be using these, you probably already knew that. Cryptocurrencies protect their users by encrypting transactions and storing them in a shared historical record known as the “blockchain.” Once a transaction joins the blockchain, it can’t be reversed or forged.

VPNs

VPNs are a popular solution for data encryption — you can even download a VPN on your mobile phone for encryption on the go. If you’re on an unsecured public Wi-Fi network, a VPN is an ideal solution for keeping your data safe. We’ll explore VPNs in more detail later in this piece, but for now, think of them as on-demand data encryption that’s both convenient and secure.

Try AVG Secure VPN for FREE

 How does data encryption work?

Data encryption revolves around two essential elements: the algorithm and the key.

The algorithm is the set of rules that determine how the encryption works. The Caesar cypher algorithm we used earlier in this article substitutes each letter with another letter that sits a fixed distance away from it in the alphabet.

The key determines the encryption implementation. Keys are randomly generated and combined with the algorithm to encrypt and decrypt data. In our Caesar cypher, we used a key of +1. A is replaced by B, B is replaced by C, and so on. In data encryption, keys are defined by their length in bits.

The algorithm and the keys it generates both contributes to the overall security of the encryption method. Key length is one factor in encryption security, but it’s not an exclusive determinant — the mathematical systems behind the algorithm also influence encryption security as well. Some algorithms with shorter keys may have equivalent or greater security when compared to other algorithms with longer keys.

» Cryptographic keys

Modern cryptography algorithms generate new data encryption keys for each use so that two users of the same algorithm can’t decrypt each other’s communications. Symmetric-key algorithms use the same key for encrypting and decrypting, while public-key algorithms (also known as asymmetric-key algorithms) have separate keys for each process:

In a symmetric-key algorithm, the encrypting and decrypting parties all share the same key. Everyone who needs to receive the encrypted data will have the same key as everyone else. It’s a simpler system but with greater risk, as it takes just one leak to expose the data being transmitted by all involved parties.

Symmetric algorithms share the same key between encryption and decryption.

Symmetric encryption uses either stream cyphers or block cyphers to encrypt plaintext data. 

Stream cyphers encrypt data on a per-byte basis. Each byte is encrypted individually. It’s a complex system that uses a different key for each byte, but the reversal is relatively easy.

Block cyphers encrypt data in blocks of 64 bits (8 bytes) or larger. Reversing block cypher encryption is much harder than with stream cypher encryption.

Our Caesar cypher example is a symmetric-key algorithm since you can encrypt and decrypt a message using the same key: the number of letters in the shift from plaintext to ciphertext and back.

A public-key algorithm is more secure than its symmetric-key counterpart. The public key is widely available for anyone to use in sending communications, but there’s a second key — the private key — that’s needed to decrypt the message. The algorithm creates both keys at once, and only these two exact keys can work together.

Public-key or asymmetric algorithms use different keys for encryption and decryption.

So how does data encryption protect data? Without the decryption key, you can’t unscramble the data — unless you’re willing to invest a lot of time and effort into other means of breaking the encryption. We’ll dive into what those measures look like towards the end of this piece.

» What about hashing?

Hashing is a process that uses an algorithm to convert plaintext into numerical values. Any website worth using will hash user credentials to protect them in the event of a data breach. If you encounter a website that still stores passwords as plaintext, run away and never look back.

Common encryption algorithms

There’s not just one data encryption algorithm out there. Here, we look at several of the most common encryption algorithms and quickly break down how they work.

» Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)

AES is a secure symmetric algorithm that’s easy to use, making it ideal for situations in which secrecy is important. Users can set the key length to 128, 192, or 246 bits, and AES supports block lengths of 128 bits for block cypher encryption.

» Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA)

Names for its three creators, RSA is one of the earliest public-key algorithms and still sees widespread use. RSA uses large prime numbers to create its keys and compared to other systems, it’s rather slow. For this reason, RSA is most often used to share a symmetric key, which is used in turn to encrypt the actual data that needs protecting.

» Triple DES

Triple DES (or TDES/3DES) is asymmetrical block-cypher algorithm that encrypts each block three times over using a 56-bit data encryption standard (DES) key. But what is the data encryption standard in the first place?

DES is a pioneering encryption algorithm developed in the 1970s that was used as the US federal standard until being replaced in 2002 by AES. At the time, DES was strong enough to defend against contemporary threats. Even with its three layers of encryption, TDES is no longer considered reliably secure by modem standards.

» Perfect forward secrecy (PFS)

PFS isn’t an algorithm, but a property that an encryption protocol can have. An encryption protocol is a system that defines how, when, and where an algorithm should be used in order to achieve encryption. When a protocol has PFS, it means that if the private key in a public-key algorithm becomes compromised, prior instances of encryption will still be protected. This is because PFS protocols create new keys for every encryption session.

Because of the way PFS protects prior sessions from future attacks, it is a critical feature for the security of any encryption system. You’ll also see PFS referred to simply as “forward secrecy” or FS.

Data at rest vs. data in transit

The majority of the encryption conversation focuses on data in motion encryption, or how to protect data in transit — in other words, data that’s on its way from one place to another. When you encrypt your web traffic with a VPN, that’s data in transit encryption in action.

But not all data is constantly in motion. Data that are stored in one place is called “data at rest.” There’s plenty of data on your computer that isn’t going anywhere but maybe even more sensitive than anything you’d be communicating to other parties.

It’s just as important to practice data at rest encryption as well, in case your device gets hacked or stolen. You can easily protect your local data by encrypting or password-protecting files and folders on your computer or external storage device.

We’ll show you some encryption best practices for data at rest in the following sections, “How to encrypt your PC” and “Mobile data encryption.”

» Transparent data encryption (TDE)

Introduced by Microsoft in 2008, transparent data encryption (TDE) protects databases by encrypting the files on the servers as well as any backups. Microsoft, IBM and Oracle use TDE to provide enterprises with SQL server database encryption.

The encrypted files are automatically decrypted by any authorized applications or users when accessing the database. This is why it’s “transparent” — if you’re already allowed to access the data, you don’t need to do anything extra to see it. Think of TDE like an employee ID badge that grants entrance to a secure facility. If you have a badge, you can waltz right on in.

As an additional security measure, TDE stores the encryption keys separately from the encrypted data files. This way, if the physical storage media or files are stolen, they’ll still be protected against unauthorized access. You can’t open the data files without the correct key.

How to encrypt your PC

Ready to protect the data on your PC against snoops and hackers? We’ll take you through three types of data encryption that you can use to protect your PC.

» File encryption

If you only need to protect a few sensitive items, consider file encryption. This method encrypts individual files, so it’s best for cases where you don’t have too much encrypting to do. For example, if you’ve created a document that contains your backup codes for a certain website or application, file encryption is a great way to safeguard that information.

But what is file encryption, anyways? Simply put, it’s the act of scrambling a file so that it can’t be unscrambled without the correct decryption key. It’s the same thing as data encryption, just on a per-file basis. Here’s how to use encryption on your device with AVG Internet Security:

AVG Internet Security’s Sensitive Data Shield scans your entire computer for files that you might want to secure, then protects these items from unauthorized access. It’s a good option for anyone using Windows 10 Home since Microsoft hasn’t included any built-in tools there for file encryption. You’ll need to rely on third-party solutions if that’s your situation.

Mac users are in more luck. Apple allows for file encryption within macOS by using the Disk Utility tool. You can encrypt folders by navigating to File > New Image > Image from Folder. Choose the folder to encrypt, select your encryption method, and hit Save.

» Full-disk encryption (FDE)

Rather than go from file to file, you can cut to the chase and encrypt your entire computer with FDE or whole-disk encryption. You can even combine both together for added security — even if someone gets through your FDE, they still won’t be able to access your encrypted files.

Windows 10 Home allows for FDE, though not all PCs accommodate this feature. Open your Settings, click Update & Security, and if your device supports FDE, you’ll see Device encryption at the bottom of the left-side menu. Click it, and you can begin encrypting your PC. You’ll need to sign in with your Microsoft account in order to enable FDE, as Windows will save your recovery key on Microsoft’s cloud.

Users of Windows Professional, Enterprise, and Education can use the BitLocker tool for more secure encryption, and you’ll find it in the same place. But either way, that’s how to encrypt your PC!

Mac users can also enable FDE on their machines with the FileVault tool. Open your System Preferences, then select Security & Privacy. From there, head to the FileVault tab and turn it on. It’ll take some time for FileVault to complete the encryption, but it’ll look like this when you’re done:

» Network layer encryption

This final method protects data in transit, but not locally on your device. If you need to encrypt all the traffic coming to and from your PC, network layer encryption will help. It’s one reason that many people choose to protect their privacy with VPNs. HTTPS provides another type of network-layer encryption.

With network-layer encryption, you can send data securely across unsecured networks. But it’s just as important to ensure that the data is equally protected at its source and at its destination. If you haven’t encrypted your PC with one of the two above methods, any data you receive over an encrypted connection won’t be protected once it’s downloaded locally to your machine.

AVG Secure VPN encrypts all the internet traffic on your device. With a VPN, all your online activities are covered — everything you’re doing in your web browser, but also your emails, games, anything you download, and any other apps you use.

Try AVG Secure VPN for FREE

 Mobile data encryption

You’re probably already protecting your Android or iPhone with a PIN, passcode, pattern lock, or fingerprint/face lock — and that’s great. Security measures like these are essential in the fight against unauthorized access. But there’s another way you can safeguard the data on your mobile device: encryption.

iCloud and Google Cloud both encrypt your data automatically, so you won’t need to handle the cloud data encryption yourself if you’re using these services. And just as you can configure FDE on your PC, you can also encrypt your phone. Should you lose your device, your encrypted data will be safe. Both Android and iOS devices allow you to encrypt your device by default. Here’s how:

» iPad & iPhone data encryption

As soon as you set up a passcode on your iOS device, your data is automatically encrypted. If you don’t have a passcode yet, perform the following procedure:

Open your Settings and tap Passcode. Newer iPhones may instead say Touch ID & Passcode or Face ID & Passcode.

Once here, follow the prompts to set up a passcode and any other security measures you’d like to include. After you’re done, your iOS device will be encrypted.

» Android data encryption

The procedure for encrypting your Android device may vary depending on its manufacturer and Android version. Here’s how the process looks in Android 10 on a Google Pixel 2:

Open your Settings, then tap Security.

Scroll down and tap Encryption & credentials.

Follow the prompts here to encrypt your device. When you’re done, confirm your phone’s Encrypted status.

from Blogger http://quicksolvocom.blogspot.com/2020/06/what-is-data-encryption-and-how-does-it.html

[minurvaaa]

CHAPTER ONE.

the way of the program

It is important to remember that problem solving is the most important skill for a computer scientist to have, acquire, & develop. Without the ability to break down an issue to its simplest form and working one’s way through to a solution, a computer scientist would fail at their job the majority of the time. Thus, learning how to properly program & learning how to problem solve go hand in hand, serving two ends.

1.1 --- what is programming ?

As defined by the textbook, a program is a sequence of instructions that specifies how to perform a computation. That said, such computations can be either math - based or text - based. For example, a program could be given the job to solve an equation or be crafted in a way that it will search for & / or replace text. Though it seems complex, this is the reality of what a program is.

1.2 --- what is computer science ?

Computer science is a science that is entirely based on the execution of algorithms that, when compiled, make up a program. These algorithms are the steps that are taken in order to alleviate the problem that the program is attempting to solve. Of course, when designing these programs, one is bound to make errors. The action of finding these issues & fixing them is referred to as debugging. This serves as a great workout for the brain & may even help one figure out better ways to write algorithms in the future.

1.3 --- programming languages

The programming language that will be explored in this course is Java, a high - level language. As with all high - level programming languages, Java must be translated into machine language --- a low - level language. This, unfortunately, takes some time. For this inconvenience, however, there are two advantages to using this kind of programming language. Even if the translation process takes time, it takes less time to program in a high - level language, which more than makes up for it. They are also portable and able to be run on any computer they are moved to.

There are two ways of translating a program: an interpreter, a program that reads the high - level code and follows it, or a compiler, a program that reads the high - level code and completely translates it. By way of compiling, the Java source code can be made into object code or an executable. These programs run faster than interpreted ones because they do not need to be compiled to be run again. Byte code serves as the middle ground between the high - level language and the machine language as the Java compiler will instead translate high - level code into byte code before allowing that code to be interpreted ( through the use of the “ Java Virtual Machine ” ) into machine language. So, simply put, Java makes use of a compiler and an interpreter.

This can all be done without nearly as much thought, but it is always nice to understand the process.

1.4 --- the hello world program

This is the first program that most people write when they are first learning how to code --- a displayed message that says “ hello, world ! ”. Though the output is an underwhelming one, the depth of knowledge required to even have the system to even display it has more to it. The program is composed of classes and methods, and methods are, in turn, made up of statements that define them. These statements execute simple operations. The statement that is used here --- System.out.println(“Hello, World!”); --- is referred to as a print statement. Since Java is case - sensitive, this statement must be typed exactly the same each time or it will never run. 

The method that this program is defined as main and contains all statements. Methods, additionally, are held in classes, collections of methods. Classes are usually defined with names starting with a capital letter. The class must always match the name of the file. If the file is named hello.java, the class must be named hello.

To group things in Java, curly braces ( “{” & “}” ) must be used. The methods of the program are contained within the curly braces of the classes they belong to while statements are contained within the curly braces of the methods they define. To add a line of text to the code that does not change it in any sort of way, two slashes ( // ) must be at the beginning of that line.

1.5 --- displaying strings

Any number of statements can be included in main. Meaning, one can display as many messages as they’d like. These messages, referred to as strings, can contain letters, punctuation marks, symbols, spaces, tabs, and others. System.out.println automatically sends code to the next line. If print is used in place of println ( ex: System.out.print ), the following code will not appear on the next line.

1.6 --- escape sequences

Using an special character such as “/n” will allow you to add another line to the string without the creation of another. This is what is referred to as an escape sequence. There should be no space between the escape sequence and the word following or preceding it unless one desires there to be an additional space when the statement is printed / displayed. By using a backslash before a quotation mark ( /” ), one can include a quote within the string without interrupting it.

1.7 --- formatting code

A lot of things can be left to the coder’s own discretion when formatting code, but other things are necessary for the code to run properly.

There must always be spaces between words, but any other sort of spaces are allowed. Newlines are optional as well. Even so, one must take into account the fact that their program’s code must not only be easy for the creator to understand but for anyone else who uses it to be able to understand it as well. Without allowing for others to comprehend the components and purpose of their code, the computer scientist will fail at a key element of their job. This also allows for easily pinpointing / debugging problems in the code.

Google has its own standards that can be found here.

1.8 --- debugging code

It’s a good idea to intentionally make mistakes when learning how to code so that those mistakes can be worked through and the method for fixing them can be understood. Debugging is a necessary part of programming & demands that a computer scientist is aware of how to carry out the process. In that same vein, the process can grow frustrating, so it is okay to ask for help from others that are more experienced.

1.9 --- vocabulary

problem - solving: The process of formulating a problem, finding a solution, and expressing the solution. 

program: A sequence of instructions that specifies how to perform tasks on a computer. 

programming: The application of problem - solving to creating executable computer programs. 

computer science: The scientific and practical approach to computation and its applications. 

algorithm: A procedure or formula for solving a problem, with or without a computer.

bug: An error in a program. 

debugging: The process of finding and removing errors. 

high-level language: A programming language that is designed to be easy for humans to read and write. 

low-level language: A programming language that is designed to be easy for a computer to run. Also called “ machine language ” or “ assembly language ". 

portable: The ability of a program to run on more than one kind of computer. 

interpret: To run a program in a high-level language by translating it one line at a time and immediately executing the corresponding instructions. 

compile: To translate a program in a high-level language into a low-level language, all at once, in preparation for later execution. 

source code: A program in a high-level language, before being compiled. 

object code: The output of the compiler, after translating the program. 

executable: Another name for object code that is ready to run on specific hardware. 

byte code: A special kind of object code used for Java programs. Byte code is similar to a low-level language, but it is portable like a high-level language. 

statement: Part of a program that specifies one step of an algorithm. 

print statement: A statement that causes output to be displayed on the screen. 

method: A named sequence of statements. 

class: For now, a collection of related methods. ( We will see later that there is more to it. ) 

comment: A part of a program that contains information about the program but has no effect when the program runs. 

string: A sequence of characters; the primary data type for text.

newline: A special character signifying the end of a line of text. Also known as line ending, end of line ( EOL ), or line break.

escape sequence: A sequence of code that represents a special character when used inside a string.

[bethanymcateer-blog]

Ten Blunders Most Lottery Players Make

Which Mistakes Are you Producing?

Confident you can easily stroll into just about any store and buy a lottery ticket. It really is just that straightforward. That is just since it ought to be. Playing the lottery is often a entertaining and straightforward diversion using the possibility of a major payoff. You, even so, are a a lot more really serious player. The truth that you happen to be reading this shows that. You happen to be motivated adequate to wade by way of detailed facts to find out how you can cut out the poor habits and practices and locate a better solution to play the lottery in an intelligent manner. Here can be a list of ten also widespread blunders that lottery players make. Each and every single one particular of these things could be costing you ticket cash, time, frustration, and maybe even millions of dollars. Study them, take them to heart, and then put them into practice.

1. Playing the Wrong Lottery Games

Have you ever really regarded as which games you play and why? How much funds do you really require to win? What quantity of winnings would make an impact on your life? Right here in Texas we've lots of diverse options. You are able to play a big multi-state game like Mega-Millions with Huge multi-million dollar payoffs however the unfortunate odds of only 1 likelihood in 175,711,536 of taking house the jackpot! Wow, that is one particular ticket for each of more than half the population with the U.S.A.

Around the other hand the Texas Two-Step lottery prize begins at $200,000 and has typically reached a million dollars. The odds of winning the smaller sized game are only 1 in 1,832,600! By switching from the Mega-Millions game for the Texas Two-Step you improve your opportunity of winning a

prize by over 95 times! Place one more way you would need to get 95 Mega-Millions tickets to possess exactly the same odds of winning with 1 Texas Two-Step ticket.

Inside the region you live you'll find likely the exact same options in between compact games with tiny prizes like pick thee games, five and six ball games with mid-range payouts, and also the massive multi-state games with amazing odds against you.

two. Playing Birthdays as Lottery Number Picks

Trust me, I know. You have got a series of numbers that you just have chosen determined by your children's birthdays plus the day you got married and your mom and dad's wedding anniversary date. Negative move. Here's why.

Once you choose 사설토토사이트 numbers according to meaningful dates you limit your choices to the number of days within a month. In other words you happen to be limited to numbers from a pool of 1 to 31. As an instance in the difficulty in this technique feel about this. Within the Texas Lotto game six numbers are drawn from a pool of 54 numbers. 54 numbers give you a whopping 25,827,165 probable combinations! Any time you choose from the pool of numbers ranging from 1 to 31, how lots of combinations do you assume you can find to choose from? You'll find a measly little 736,281. Consider about that. Any time you opt for in between 1 and 31 you get 736,281 doable combinations BUT you completely, positively drop out around the other 25,090,884 probable combinations! Picking birthday numbers decreases any chance of your obtaining the winning combination by virtually 97%. That's insane.

I know, you study about quite a few people today who chose birthday numbers and won millions. I also realize that your string of birthday numbers has Exactly exactly the same chance of getting drawn as any with the other 25,827,165 possible combinations. It is true, each and every combination has the exact same chance of getting drawn. Still, are you prepared to reduce out nearly 97% of one's possible winning probabilities? I am not prepared to give up practically all of the possible winning combinations simply to work with sentimental possibilities. My goal will be to play smarter than that.

3. Inconsistent Playing

Consistency pays. It is actually for your advantage to become slightly fanatical about producing positive you will be within the mix for each and every drawing. Lottery corporations regularly chant the mantra 'You Cannot Win If you Do not Play' as a sales tool, however they are correct on the funds. You cannot win in the event you never play! You'll want to under no circumstances miss playing the game of the choice, the 1 you might have set your sights on winning. If you cannot afford to play some method you will be fond of or as lots of tickets as you wish you could possibly, should you have no partners to pool money with, whatever the purpose, you'll want to Constantly have no less than 1 ticket in every single drawing within your game.

Some lottery guides give the assistance to remain out of particular overplayed drawings. Possibly if the odds are extreme, the competition as well fierce, or the payoffs as well tiny, then yes. But in general there is no good cause to sit out. Believe about this, what when the numbers you meant to play were selected the a single night you chose to watch that rerun of that sitcom as an alternative to traipse out in to the globe to get your ticket? If that takes place, do not call me to cry, though I would like to hear the story. Just do not anticipate a shoulder to cry on. You have been warned. Sitting out with not even one particular ticket is definitely the very same as saying you do not want the chance of becoming filthy wealthy this week.

4. Playing Also A lot or Too Tiny

You must 1st decide which game may be the most effective 1 for you personally to play, than make a commitment to play it frequently. Subsequent it will be wise to produce a quick spending budget of what you may afford to play or what you happen to be comfy wagering. I as soon as read about a young immigrant man in Houston, Texas who won many million dollars. Great news! Then I study that he played several hundred dollars worth of tickets each week for various years just before winning. I in fact worried a little for him. Absolutely everyone has a budget they're able to reside with but most couldn't and wouldn't want to devote that substantially money on lottery tickets. Was he married? Was he neglecting his family? Did he possess a gambling issue?

So please, commit on lottery only the excess small amounts you could ordinarily invest on coffees or other treats. Don't spend cash you cannot afford to shed. Make sure you can afford the game you play. But ensure you also play, at the least after in each and every drawing. The one headline you might by no means see is definitely the individual that didn't acquire a ticket and nonetheless won the lottery.

five. Utilizing Faulty Information, Math, or Systems

Quite a few systems have superior written advertisements than actual materials and plans, and others use cumbersome application or call for endless hours of drudgery and record maintaining. Quite a few are some form of wheeling system that performs very best (and only a little bit superior than just possibility) when you can afford to purchase numerous tickets within a drawing. It truly is effortless to shed interest when a lot of operate is required and the possibility of winning doesn't modify a lot with all the technique. Seek out the ideal techniques of playing, ways that produce a lot more winners, require tiny or no perform on your element, and are uncomplicated to work with.

6. Playing Popular Combinations of Numbers

Study this meticulously. It could be a very good idea to avoid strange combinations of numbers. Examples could be 1-2-3-4-5-6 or 49-50-51-52-53-54. Avoid sequence choices for example 5-10-15-20-25-30 or 2-4-6-8-10-12 or 7-14-21-28-35-49. Never fill out a lottery slip by checking all of the boxes around the left, or ideal, or spelling out a number or letter or word using the darkened squares around the play slip.

Why? For the reason that in every drawing you will find dozens, occasionally hundreds, as well as a large number of people performing the same thing as you. Envision going to bed right after checking your numbers and knowing you had won a million dollars, only to wake up the following morning to discover 99 other people are sharing your million dollar dream. Hey, any lottery win is much better than no lottery win, but a million dollars will take you a great deal farther in life than $10,000! Go for the big one, and in case you have to share, hope it is having a lotto pool partner as an alternative to 99 strangers.

7. Being Tempted By New Plans and Schemes

You'll find dozens if not hundreds of difficult plans and schemes available that use slick advertisements and empty promises to sell the most recent flavor of information and facts on ways to win the lottery. One particular error lots of players make will be to fall towards the temptation from the slick marketing and empty promises. Are you currently one particular of those folks who generally must try just about every new lottery "winning" program you see? Do you get tickets a single way for a few weeks and then entirely switch your procedures? Lottery games are largely a losing proposition. The odds are Enormous and against you. Spending money and time on various faulty systems, plans, and computer software takes away out of your aim of in fact taking property the large one particular. Uncover one particular very good system and stick with it for the extended haul.

8. Providing Up On the Dream As well Quickly

Have you ever heard of your 'loser's limp'? It's stated that numerous a football player will make a beautiful run down the field, magically skirting previous opposing team members, only to slow and falter within the final handful of yards, getting tackled, and failing to make that all vital touchdown. You might have seen players do this very issue and wondered what in the world they had been undertaking. At times it tends to make me even wonder if the darn game is fixed! Truth is though, loser's limp is true and to be located not just in football but in every single human endeavor. It's constantly darkest prior to the dawn is what they say. Remember, when you never play you can not win. That 1 drawing you miss might have already been the 1. Persistence pays!

Don't quit on the dream. You may win the lottery! A person will!

9. Spending Revenue on Much less Efficient Games

I'm not a massive fan of, nor can I ever recommend that you commit money on, 'scratch-off' style games. Lottery odds are undesirable enough but in the event you dig deep inside the odds and payout figures on scratch off tickets, WOW, they're a significant hole in the ocean in which to toss your hard earned money.

I can practically hear you saying "But come on, they're a entertaining diversion". Hey, it really is your funds so devote it how you need to invest it but know in advance it's a losing proposition. Unlike the lottery exactly where creative varieties have identified a number of strategies that could substantially have an effect on the odds creating it a likelihood worth taking, scratch-off tickets are like shooting within the dark. Typically the bullet will hit you!

When you are going to inform me about Uncle Louie who "always wins with those items," effectively, I've dozens of buddies and not one of them ever has returned from Las Vegas with tales of losing revenue. They ALL won. Having said that do the casinos spend the electric bills on all of those neon signs? For the smart player scratch-offs are not an alternative.

10. Not Using Guaranteed Lottery Numbers

You have got countless selections on the best way to strategy lottery games. You may just blindly purchase swift pick tickets and let fate have its way with you. How has that worked out through the years?

Or you'll be able to invest massive amounts of cash into difficult systems, really hard to find out software program, and keeping records of cool and hot numbers, quantity sums, wheeling possibilities, plus a thousand other details, and in the finish have just concerning the similar opportunity of winning the lottery as if you started.

Or it is possible to make a smart option and use a proven technique that utilizes a proprietary system to pick essentially the most most likely numbers to become drawn, so potent that you are guaranteed to win lottery income!

[forlawfirmsonlymarketing]

The Ultimate Guide for an SEO-Friendly URL Structure via @clarkboyd

First impressions count. And when it comes to your website, your URLs are often the first thing Google and customers will see. URLs are also the building blocks of an effective site hierarchy, passing equity through your domain and directing users to their desired destinations. They can be tricky to correct if you don’t plan ahead, as you can end up with endless redirect loops. Neither Google nor your site visitors will appreciate those. So they are worth getting right. But getting URL structure right involves a complex blend of usability and accessibility factors, along with some good old-fashioned SEO. Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach, there are some rules we can all follow to get the most out of our URLs and set our sites up for future SEO success.

1. Use Your Keywords

Every time you launch a page on your domain, it should have a purpose. Whether transactional, informational, or administrative, its reason for existence should be clear at the outset. You’ll want this page to be discovered by the right people (and crawlers), so you will incorporate some keyword research and include the relevant terms. The most descriptive of these — the term that gets to the nub of what this page is about — should be included in the URL, close to the root domain. We’ll deal with multiple pages that broadly tackle the same topic later, but for now, let’s assume the simple example of a page that clearly handles one topic. Let’s go for whiskey. Generic example: https://example.com/topic Whiskey-based example: https://example.com/whiskey Even this isn’t quite as simple as it seems, though. Should we use “whiskey” or “whisky” as our standard spelling? Both are valid, with the former being an Irish spelling and the latter Scottish. The Irish spelling has been adopted in the U.S., but we’ll need more proof before proceeding with that as our chosen variation. The Moz Keyword Explorer is great for this sort of predicament, as it groups keywords together to give an estimate of the search volume for particular topics. In this era of vague keyword-level search volumes, it provides a nice solution. The search volume is with “whiskey” and our site is based in the U.S., so let’s run with that.

2. Build a Sound Structure for the Future

Perhaps the biggest challenge we all face when defining a sitewide URL hierarchy is ensuring that it will still fit our purpose for years to come. It is for this reason that some websites end up as a patchwork quilt of sub-domains and conflicting paths to arrive at similar products. This is poor from a user’s perspective, but it also sends confusing signals to Google about how you categorize your product offering. An example of this would be: https://example.com/whiskey/irish-whiskey/jameson https://example.com/bushmills The first URL flows logically from domain to category to sub-category to product. The second URL goes from domain to product. Hierarchically, both products should sit at the same level in the site and the Jameson example is better for SEO and users. We encounter this a lot, though. Why? It can be a simple lack of communication, with a product team launching a new item straight onto the site without consulting other parties. It can also be down to a failure of future planning. Either way, it’s essential to lay out your structure in advance. Work together with different teams to understand the future direction of the business, then add your SEO knowledge to shape the site architecture. It will rarely be perfect, but the more you plan, the fewer errors you will have to undo down the line.

3. Avoid Superfluous Words & Characters

As a rule of thumb, make sure a user can understand what your page is about by looking at the URL. That means you don’t need to include every single preposition or conjunction. Words like “and” or “the” are just distractions and can be stripped out of the URL altogether. Just as users can understand what a topic is about without these short words, Google will derive all the meaning it requires too. You should also avoid keyword repetition within URLs. Adding the same keyword multiple times in the hope of increasing your ranking chances will only lead to a spammy URL structure. An example of this unnecessary repetition would be: https://domain.com/whiskey/irish-whiskey/jameson-irish-whiskey/jameson-irish-whiskey-history The first two uses of the main keyword make sense, but the third and fourth are overkill. A few additional points to bear in mind on this topic:

Case Sensitivity: It is surprisingly common to find multiple versions of the same URL, with one all in lower case and the others using occasional capital letters. Use canonical tags to mark the lower-case URL as the preferred version or, if possible, use permanent redirects.

Hashes: These can be useful to send users to a specific section of a page, but restrict their use in other circumstances if possible. If the content users are sent to after the # symbol is unique, make it available via a simple URL instead.

Word Delimiters: Stick with hyphens to separate words within your URL strings. Underscores will serve to join two words together, so be wary of using these.

URL Length: After 512 pixels, Google will truncate your URL in search results pages. A good rule of thumb is to keep y0ur URLs as short as you can, without losing their general meaning.

4. Minimize Dynamic URL Strings

This one can be harder than it sounds, depending on the content management system you use. Some e-commerce platforms will automatically spit out character strings that leave you with URLs like: https://domain.com/cat/?cid=7078. These are a bit unsightly and they also go against the rules we’ve been outlining above. We want static URLs that include a logical folder structure and descriptive keywords. Although search engines have no problem crawling or indexing either variant, for SEO-based reasons it’s better to use static URLs rather than dynamic ones. The thing is, static URLs contain your keywords and are more user-friendly since one can figure out what the page is about just by looking at the static URL’s name. So how do we get around this? You can use rewrite rules if your web server runs Apache, and some tools like this one from Generate It are helpful. There are different fixes for different platforms (some more complex than others). Some web developers make use of relative URLs, too. The problem with relative URLs for SEO is that they are dependent on the context in which they occur. Once the context changes, the URL may not work. For SEO, it’s better to use absolute URLs instead of relative ones, since the former are what search engines prefer. Now, sometimes different parameters can be added to the URL for analytics tracking or other reasons (such as sid, utm, etc.) To make sure that these parameters don’t make the number of URLs with duplicate content grow over the top, you can do either of the following:

Ask Google to disregard certain URL parameters in Google Search Console in Configuration > URL Parameters.

See if your content management system allows you to solidify URLs with additional parameters with their shorter counterparts.

5. Consolidate the Different Versions of Your Site

As a rule, there are two major versions of your domain indexed in search engines: the www and the non-www version of it. We can add to this the complexity of having a secure (https) and non-secure (HTTP) version too, with Google giving preference to the former. Most SEOs use the 301 redirect to point one version of their site to the other (or vice versa). This tells search engines that a particular URL has moved permanently to another destination. Alternatively (for instance, when you can’t do a redirect), you can specify your preferred version in Google Search Console in Configuration > Settings > Preferred Domain. However, this has certain drawbacks:

This takes care of Google only.

This option is restricted to root domains only. If you have an example.wordpress.com site, this method is not for you.

But why worry about the www vs non-www issue in the first place? The thing is, some of your backlinks may be pointing to your www version, while some could be going to the non-www version. To ensure all versions’ SEO value is consolidated, it’s better to explicitly establish this link between them. You can do this via the 301 redirect, in Google Search Console, or by using a canonical tag, the latter of which we will look at in more detail below.

6. Make Correct Use of Canonical Tags

So, canonical tags. These are a very helpful piece of code when you have multiple versions of what is essentially the same page. By adding a canonical tag, you can tell Google which one is your preferred version. Note: The canonical tag should be applied only with the purpose of helping search engines decide on your canonical URL. For redirection of site pages, use redirects. And, for paginated content, it makes sense to employ rel=”next” and rel=”prev” tags in most cases. Canonical tags are useful for just about any website, but they are particularly powerful for online retailers. For example, on Macy’s website, I can go to the Quilts & Bedspreads page directly by using the URL (https://www.macys.com/shop/bed-bath/quilts-bedspreads), or I can take different routes from the homepage:

I can go to Homepage >> Bed& Bath >> Quilts & Bedspreads. The following URL with my path recorded is generated:

https://www.macys.com/shop/bed-bath/quilts-bedspreads?id=22748&edge=hybrid

Or I can go to Homepage >> For the Home >> Bed & Bath >> Bedding >> Quilts & Bedspreads. The following URL is generated:

https://www.macys.com/shop/bed-bath/quilts-bedspreads?id=22748&cm_sp=us_hdr-_-bed-%26-bath-_-22748_quilts-%26-bedspreads_COL1 Now, all three URLs lead to the same content. And if you look into the code of each page, you’ll see the following tag in the head element: As you see, for each of these URLs, a canonical URL is specified, which is the cleanest version of all the URLs in the group: https://www.macys.com/shop/bed-bath/quilts-bedspreads?id=22748 What this does is, it funnels down the SEO value each of these three URLs might have to one single URL that should be displayed in the search results (the canonical URL). Normally search engines do a pretty good job identifying canonical URLs themselves, but, as Susan Moskwa once wrote at Google Webmaster Central:

“If we aren’t able to detect all the duplicates of a particular page, we won’t be able to consolidate all of their properties. This may dilute the strength of that content’s ranking signals by splitting them across multiple URLs.”

7. Incorporate Topical Authority

In Google’s own Search Quality Evaluators Guidelines (a must-read document for all SEOs!), there are clear references to both main content and supplementary content. Main content will be your lead page in each section that really sets out what your category is all about. It will set out your stall as a relevant source for a topic. Supplementary content provides, as the name suggests, additional information that helps users navigate the topic and reach informed decisions. URL structure is an essential component of getting this right. So, let’s go back to our whiskey example to see how we might tackle this. Our site is e-commerce focused and we want to sell the product, of course. However, going for the jugular and only pushing out product pages is tantamount to SEO tunnel vision. Our initial research from Moz Keyword Explorer is a great resource as we make these plans. Below, I have exported the keyword list and reduced it to the highest-volume topics. From here, we can start to decide what might qualify as a topic for a main content or supplementary content page. This is a simplified example and just a first step, of course. However, it is worth noting that this approach goes further than just category > sub-category > product. By thinking in terms of main content and supplementary content, a product is just as likely to qualify as main content as a category is. The question is more about which topics consumers want us to elaborate on to help them make choices. From here, we can dig into some of these topics and start to flesh out what each hub might look like. Some clear opportunities already stand out to create content and rank via rich snippets. People want to know how whiskey is made, what different varieties exist, and of course, whether it’s spelled ‘whiskey’ or ‘whisky’. This could be the beginning of a business case to create a whiskey tasting guide or a ‘history of whiskey’ content hub on the site. Combined with ranking difficulty metrics, business priorities, and content production capabilities, this approach will soon take shape as a site hierarchy and opportunity analysis. For our whiskey example, it might start to comprise the following structure: https://domain.com/whiskey/whiskey-tasting-guide https://domain.com/whiskey/whiskey-tasting-guide/how-to-taste-whiskey https://domain.com/whiskey/whiskey-tasting-guide/how-is-whiskey-made https://domain.com/whiskey/whiskey-tasting-guide/barley-whiskey Again, there are decisions to make. In the last URL, one could argue that the tasting guide page for barley whiskey should sit under the barley whiskey sub-category page in the site hierarchy. Barley whiskey has been earmarked as ‘main content’ in my spreadsheet, after all. The choice here comes down to where we want to consolidate value; dispersing that value would reduce our chances of ranking for any ‘tasting guide’ terms. These are exactly the kinds of decisions that can lead to a confused structure if a consistent logic is not followed. All of this will contribute to your topical authority and increase site visibility. This type of content often already exists on site, too. I am not claiming anything revolutionary by saying a website should have lots of useful information, after all. However, the structure of this content and how entities are semantically linked to each other makes the difference between success and failure. This can be used as a ‘quick win’ tactic and it tends to be received well by all parties. Updating and moving existing content will always be an easier sell than asking for an all-new content hub.

8. Create an XML Sitemap

Once you’ve ticked off all of the above, you’ll want to make sure search engines know what’s going on with your website. That’s where sitemaps come in handy — particularly XML sitemaps. An XML Sitemap is not to be confused with the HTML sitemap. The former is for the search engines, while the latter is mostly designed for human users (although it has other uses t00). So what is an XML Sitemap? In plain words, it’s a list of your site’s URLs that you submit to the search engines. This serves two purposes:

This helps search engines find your site’s pages more easily.

Search engines can use the sitemap as a reference when choosing canonical URLs on your site.

Picking a preferred (canonical) URL becomes necessary when search engines see duplicate pages on your site, as we saw above. So, as they don’t want any duplicates in the search results, search engines use a special algorithm to identify duplicate pages and pick just one URL to represent the group in the search results. Other web pages just get filtered out. Now, back to sitemaps. One of the criteria search engines may use to pick a canonical URL for the group of web pages is whether this URL is mentioned in the website’s sitemap. So, what web pages should be included in your sitemap? For purely SEO reasons, it’s recommended to include only the web pages you’d like to show up in search. You should include a more comprehensive account of your site’s URLs within the HTML sitemap.

Summary

An SEO-friendly URL structure is the following things:

Easy to read: Users and search engines should be able to understand what is on each page just by looking at the URL.

Keyword-rich: Keywords still matter and your target queries should be within URLs. Just be wary of overkill; extending URLs just to include more keywords is a bad idea.

Consistent: There are multiple ways to create an SEO-friendly URL structure on any site. It’s essential that, whatever logic you choose to follow, it is applied consistently across the site.

 Static: Dynamic parameters are rarely an SEO’s best friend, but they are quite common. Where possible, find a solution that allows your site to render static URLs instead.

Future-proof: Think ahead when planning your site structure. You should minimize the number of redirects on your domain, and it’s easier to do this if you don’t require wholesale changes to URLs.

Comprehensive: Use the concepts of main content and supplementary content to ensure you have adequate coverage for all relevant topics. This will maximize your site’s visibility.

Supported by data: It normally requires buy-in from a lot of stakeholders to launch or update a particular site structure. Numbers talk, so make use of search and analytics data to support your case.

Submitted to search engines: Finally, create an XML sitemap containing all of the URLs that you want to rank via SEO and submit it to search engines. That will ensure all your hard work gets the reward it deserves.

How to Boost Your Search Visibility with SEO-Friendly WordPress URLs offers additional guidance on optimizing URL structure for WordPress websites and blogs.

Image Credits Featured Image: Paulo Bobita All screenshots taken by author

https://www.businesscreatorplus.com/the-ultimate-guide-for-an-seo-friendly-url-structure-via-clarkboyd/

[z3459079]

Week 4 Lecture Notes

On brute-forcing

A brute-force attack is as the name suggests - just a guess and check method for cracking passwords (or keys).

Last week's material on "bits of work" is relevant here. The ease with which brute force will crack a password depends a lot on how much work is required to guess every combination. On average (theoretically) it will take half of the total number of combinations to guess a password.

Let's take a simple substitution cipher that substitutes letters of the English alphabet - there will be 26 factorial combinations, which is about 90 bits of work. Would take up to years for a "dumb" brute-force method to crack a password protected by a simple substitution cipher.

We already know that substitution ciphers however are not very secure and a lot of approaches can help a brute-force attack become more effective against one. Letter frequency analysis is a good start. For longer passwords, dictionary attacks are also very useful.

Dictionary attacks refer to the combination of brute force and an existing "dictionary" of valid words that are likely to be passwords (often drawing from real data).

Generally when brute-force is combined or helped by another heuristic it is called a Guided Bruteforce.

Entropy

Refers to the degree of randomness of a cipher. Randomness is defined as when one result cannot help predict the next one.

Attacks on the Integrity protocol

Man-in-the-middle attack (MITM)

An attacker intercepts messages between two parties, tricking them to think they are communicating with each other all the while the attacker (the man in the middle) controls those messages. The attacker can choose to continue relaying or to alter messages to achieve their desired result.

Replay attack

A message from a previous context is repeated from the attacker's context, tricking the system to respond as though the message had come from the previously authorised context. Replay attack can be categorised under the broader MITM concept.

Defence of the Integrity protocol

Challenge response

One simple way to ensure the fulfillment of the integrity protocol is to mandate the message to respond to a challenge question. The message would be different each time, preventing replay.

Hashing

A one-way reduction of data into fixed size output. Anything can be hashed. It "summarises" data into a unique string and acts as a signature. Using a hash function, the same input always produces the same output (deterministic).

Using a hash function we can check for integrity. So we can compute the hash of a file after it has been transmitted to ensure it has not been altered.

Some properties of hashing:

Hashes are fast one-way functions. It doesn't really work for decryption (not intended) and it would be unfeasibly slow.

It is intentionally difficult for two distinct messages to create the same hash. Such an occurrence is called a hash collision. Birthday attacks can counter hash functions by exploiting hash collisions.

Therefore if you can find out how to create collisions you can defeat the hash (as an attacker)

As a defender you want the largest possible hash output, this will increase bits of work for the attacker

Avalance property: slight change input causes large change in output

Social Engineering

What is it?

https://www.imperva.com/learn/application-security/social-engineering-attack/ Exploiting human weakness to perform an attack on a physical or digital system.

Being a good security engineer also means knowing a bit of psychology.

SE Vectors:

Pretexting - impersonation Baiting - leaving an infected USB (exploiting curiousity) Quid pro quo - providing IT support to gain information Tailgating - access to restricted area by walking behind someone. Pretend to carry somethinng heavy (heavy box technique) Phishing - more digital, using an email to get someone's details

Example of SE:

Some silly story: breaking into a helicopter facility. - The attacker manages to get the extension number of key personnel. - Manages to fool security into letting him in under the guise of the key personnel. - Uses the name of the key personnel as a special pass to bypass gate security (left my badge in my car). - Guard eventually looks into it, and puts him on call with the key personnel's actual boss, attacker pretends everything is cool to make sure the guard doesn't notice his attack. - Attacker leaves the premises before action is taken.

Security questions

Should not be easily guessable and is used to identify genuine user, when users are locked out of their account. The existence of security questions makes it more efficient to attack on a SE vector rather than using brute force.

Prevention and strategy for security questions: - always lie. Don't actually give your dog's name - convenience and security are a tradeoff. - consider the question and answer an additional password - scrub your social media - don't reuse security questions and answers

University SE

Phishing attack: email, pose as uni staff, link to fake login page

Persuasion in SE

Reciprocity: when you do someone a favour they will return it (like quid pro quo). Free samples are a good example of SE that companies use to lure customers into buying more stuff. Caveat -> don't make it look like a bribe. Increase the delay between gift and return.

Liking: influencing is easier if people like you, charisma and social skills. Smiling, eye contact and general presentation, body language, conversation, vulnerability, humor.

Social proof: looking at a direction makes people do the same.

Authority: we are socially conditioned to obey and trust authorities. Acting like an authority figure will give you power. When someone with plain clothes j-walks, some will follow. More follow when someone in a business suit j-walks.

Extension: The art of deception - controlling the human element of security by kevin mitnick

Pair up with someone with consent to perform SE mutually at some point in the trimester.

On information, big or small

First step of deception is always recon. Small pieces of irrelevant information can eventually be leveraged for attack.

You'd be surprised how much information you can find through public information.

Dumpster diving

People throw out all sorts of things without shredding. There may be secrets inside bins that you wouldn't think about.

[hellosaltysaladcollectionstuff]

IF YOU TAKE a few hours to read through one of Inger Christensen’s book-length masterpieces, there will come a point when you too feel as though you are standing inside a poem, even if you happen to be sitting. Maybe you feel this way because the poem in your hand has persuaded you that it is somehow both a precise and infinitely suggestive microcosm of existence, and a palimpsest of how it all hangs together, and this has left you uneasy. A little exalted, maybe, a little dissolved. Whatever it is, the feeling stays with you long after you close the book, even after you cannot remember a single line. Lines, for instance, like these from the opening of alphabet:

1 apricot trees exist, apricot trees exist

2 bracken exists; and blackberries, blackberries; bromine exists; and hydrogen, hydrogen

3 cicadas exist; chicory, chromium, citrus trees; cicadas exist; cicadas, cedars, cypresses, the cerebellum

4 doves exist, dreamers, and dolls; killers exist, and doves, and doves; haze, dioxin, and days; days exist, days and death; and poems exist; poems, days, death

At some point in alphabet’s long, self-complicating litany it may occur to you that the poet is conveying a stunningly complex and philosophically worked-through picture of the world seen through its fragments. When the poem ends with the 14th letter, the reader is left with a sense that it nevertheless continues beyond the page, like the Fibonacci sequence on which it is structured, ad infinitum. That it is like the world because it is of the world. And if a reader has reached this conclusion it can only be because she has begun to see not just poems differently, but also the world. What sets Christensen above other poets, moralists, mystics, and scientists who aim to reeducate our vision in such a way is that she rarely instructs by telling how to see, but instead gets readers to experience an alternate way of seeing through the reading of her verse.

Christensen’s major works — it, alphabet, Letter in April — bring their readers to know many things, or one very large and complex thing, even if it is so big and complex that the only way any of us may ever hope to know it as a whole is in the sense of acquaintance, intimacy, and acknowledgment. This is how the world speaks to the visionary, though it takes a poet of great talent and intuition to share this sort of experience with an audience. Thankfully we now have The Condition of Secrecy, the first collection of Inger Christensen’s essays to appear in English, so that we may benefit from the author’s own attempts to come to grips with this experience, with the many ethical and aesthetic implications of her poetic vision, and so much else.

The collection begins with a nostalgic paean to organized labor and collective well-being that is also the memoir of a child’s first summer vacations, and it ends with the book’s only poem. In between, we find Inger Christensen expanding on the perennial preoccupations of her life’s work: the enormity and complexity of the natural world and its systems; the world-systems of human language, climate, agriculture, chemistry, and poetry, just to name a few; leftist politics; mathematics; and ars poetica. As in the poems, the result is an overriding sense that they are all connected, somehow, and that some connections worth seeking nevertheless remain beyond the boundaries of language.

Take that first essay, “Freedom, Equality, and Fraternity in the Summer Cottage.” Christensen recalls the time in childhood when the word summer first became meaningful for her. This also happened to be the time when the Nazis were in Denmark, yet the occupation remains an element of the grown-up world: a sharpness around the edges of vacation and routine maintenance. Early on, Christensen presents us with the “string of glimpses, images, moments of awareness when summer became apparent and instilled itself in us.” The images that follow are a harmony of precision and evocation, and achieve a deft, almost musical balance between nostalgia, melancholy, and “a random, passing humanness, overcome by love and made mute.” Yellow slugs “moving like slow flames” on coke slag behind a gas works, boys and girls scraping the cracked dry earth with shards of porcelain, wide meadow, silent sea. And here is how Christensen ends that section, before moving on to the role that trade unions played in the evolution of her sensibility:

They’re three banal experiences, nothing out of the ordinary; many people must have seen and done the same things, but for me they stand out. They were for many years almost supernatural, are still nearly indescribable, and I know by now that I have to let them stay beyond words, because they’re about a child’s — a human being’s — in this case, my own — first aesthetic experiences. Even back when they first happened, these three images were already what I can now call them: three images — open, endless beauty; pointless energy; and the security of not being alone.

The next thing you know, she is describing a child’s impression of solidarity among the tradesmen who volunteered around the cottage, which was owned by the tailor’s union and opened to its members in turn. Another set of images, now of collective, collectivized effort, striking for Christensen precisely because of their naturalness in a world where they were under mortal threat: “[W]orking together, pruning trees, making steps out of railroad ties, picking apples, painting garden furniture, spreading gravel…”

Since this is the first essay in the collection, it would be reasonable to suppose that reminiscence has carried the poet first to one set of images from her childhood, now to another. But as you read on, you begin to understand that those images of happiness have already involved you in Christensen’s interwoven vision of the world both as it is and as it should be. Subsequent essays, ostensibly about poetry, language, art, and nature, reveal a vision of the natural world that is inseparable from a broadly leftist politics, a poet’s metaphysical commitments, and a challenging, deeply considered theory of language. From one essay to the next, it all begins to hang together in luminous prose (conveyed in graceful, intimate English by her longtime translator Susanna Nied) confirming what was already evident in the poems: that Christensen was one of the eminent visionaries of the 20th century.

(The universe with nature with the social system with humans with me with my feelings, my work, my language, and more — all these and their mutual interrelationships are incorporated into my concept of the world, which is in constant flux, but on which I base everything anyway, as if it were what we call a philosophy of life — one that’s a process, where seeing can’t be separated from a life that both sees and can be seen, and that, when it expresses what it sees, demonstrates its innate inexpressibility.) (“The Miracle Play of Reality”)

Christensen’s deep commitment to naturalism makes classing her among European literature’s modernists or postmodernists (or both) such an uncomfortable exercise in taxonomy. Hers is an idiosyncratic, philosophical sort of naturalism, no doubt, and one of the joys of these essays is the insight they give English readers into how she understood her poetics, like her ethics and theory of language, as emerging from a vision of the overwhelming interrelatedness of being. “[L]anguage and the world express themselves with the help of each other,” she writes in the characteristically titled essay “Silk, the Universe, Language, and the Heart.” And just as language isn’t strictly representational on her view, neither is her mode of naturalism. For example, the mathematical complexity of her poems doesn’t aim to reproduce forms found in nature, but rather is itself one of those forms. Even these essays, as she understands them, are in the first instance more like ferns than they are about anything, though they are also that.

If Christensen’s work doesn’t look to us like straightforward naturalism, she suggests, it reflects only the poverty of our conception of the natural world. (So calling her a “formalist,” as Eliot Weinberger does, would surely be correct as far as it goes, though it’s a bit like calling Gregor Mendel a gardener.) And that we don’t typically consider it realistic or naturalistic that a picture of the world as it is contains a vision of the world as it should be, reflects the poverty of our moral vision, which for Christensen is also our physical vision and the ability to see each nested within the other like a duck-rabbit.

It is exciting and refreshing to see a poet meditate on the experience of the sublime majesty of nature, whether in the prevalence of Fibonacci numbers or the sheer chance that she was born a human and not a mackerel, and not conclude with the Romantic elevation of the individual as seer or the poet as one with “the best words” and “a very good brain,” but with exactly the opposite: a radical leveling that comes from the experience of unity. For Christensen, it is zero steps from here to an ethics and political theory.

Christensen finds this sort of unity in the experience of reading, of course: the poet’s and the reader’s minds are “intermingled in the poem, as if the poem were our minds’ common ground.” But she finds it also between readers and anemones, anemones and slag, slag and the slow flames of slugs. Christensen thinks that this transitiveness of things is a product of language, but only because language is itself an expression of life, like weather, vines, and human nature. (This is the “condition of secrecy” of the book’s title, or something like it.) And this means that the difference between inner and outer, mind and world, self and other, is false, ideological, and contrary to honest relations and human flourishing. All words, like all wounds, are ordinary, and therefore held in common.

Yet from this vision Christensen draws conclusions that are neither cynical nor quietist, but radical. Christensen writes of Michelangelo as “a ripple on the surface of art” in hopes of getting us to see that such an understanding shouldn’t be embarrassing either for Michelangelo or for a conception of art as the independent force of nature she believes it to be. Whatever elides the distinction between an individual and the world, as art can do for both artists and readers, ought to be cause for exaltation even as it dissolves the boundaries by which the individual recognizes herself. Here we are getting back to the vertigo we feel when reading Christensen’s long poems, but which now begins to shape itself into the ethical and political aspects of her vision — in particular her rejection of the centrality, even the metaphysical reality, of the individual.

Christensen extends her blurring logic to everything conceived in language, not least the individual herself. The summer cottage “belonged to us only because it belonged to others” — so too summer, so too language and thought, so too self, so too all life human and nonhuman alike. So, she concludes:

[T]here’s also no reason to cultivate individual experience, individual psychology. It’s a fiction, because it suggests that there’s a kind of freedom beyond the purely physical freedom that we own only in our interplay with the world and with each other. For that reason I consider it more important to posit an incorrect explanation of the world than to present an explanation of an individual self that may be correct. (“Interplay”)

Christensen understands that her challenge may not appeal to many of her readers. But another of her aims is to posit an explanation of the world that is at the same time an intimation of how we might respond, and thrive, in response to that challenge. “Through this writing, I’ve been trying to get to the heart of my relationship with my readers. […] I want them to see what they don’t see. […] I want them to do what they don’t do. What we want to do anyway, if we ever could become helpless enough to do it.” (“To Talk, To See, To Do”) This isn’t to invoke a Kantian morality of universality and duty, a Rawlsian bedrock of risk-aversion, or even the radical absurdity of the existentialists, but to suggest a wholly new starting place by rejecting the mirage of individual personhood and, lest she be confused with the totalizing collectivist programs of the 20th century, also by rejecting the division between humans and the wide rest of being.

But who will lay the first stone in the foundation of helplessness? Though she did not live to see today’s battles over literary practices, with their jeremiads over the use of pronouns other than the first-person singular, she knew that poets had a role to play, if only because of their intimacy with loneliness, isolation, and expression:

[Gunnar Ekelöf] said that he was afraid, and he told us that at last he was no longer afraid of being afraid, because he had figured out that he wasn’t anyone special and had accepted it — “in reality, you are no one” — and he found a kind of comfort in that. The important thing is that he had the courage to keep telling it to others, to say it again and again: I’m afraid. I’m no one. Isn’t that the way it is for you, too? … How else can we put aside the lust for power in all of us? (“To Talk, to See, to Do”)

Readers hungry for an alternative form of literary politics will be stimulated by Christensen’s democratic alchemy of ars poetica and ethics, especially in contrast to dominant practices of subordinating one to the other. And there is much in this volume to spur the thinking of left-leaning writers and readers uncomfortable with the ways that appropriation discourse sometimes seems eager to erect a regime of coercive property relations in the realm of culture — precisely where human freedom may best discover itself and develop into ethical consciousness — yet who are equally unwilling to start declaring zones of human life off limits to politics. Those in search of a different sense of “belonging” than the proprietary one that seems to dominate in this weird country will be pleased to find that Christensen offers an alternate vision of uncommon philosophical depth and poetic richness of how speaking animals might understand their place in the disordered order of things, and how that might change how we decide to live and act together.

Although Christensen’s essays are immensely rewarding along these lines, I will leave the rest to the reader’s discovery, since I don’t want to give the impression that The Condition of Secrecy is a political polemic. The essays here are also about poetry, the self, fate, geometry, dreams, shame, painting, prepositions, history, anonymity, truth, geometry, agriculture, generative grammar, metaphysics, Giordano Bruno, the necessity of art, Lu Chi, the baroque, the atom bomb, trees, diaspora, a trans-species mercy “somewhere between wonder and forgiveness,” silk, the universe, and, well, so on. Among this wealth of astonishments, what most amazes is how it hangs together in Christensen’s unified vision, even if all the connections aren’t exactly displayed or laid bare by argument. She quotes two lines by Lu Chi: “In a single meter of silk, the infinite universe exists; language is a Great Flood from a small corner of the heart.” As Lu Chi left it up to his readers to discover the logic connecting the two halves of that sentence — to stare into the weird sense of that semicolon, as it were, particular but also identical to all the others — so Christensen guides the reader but ultimately leaves it up to her to make sense, and to get a firsthand sense of sense’s limits.

At the limits of language, Christensen finds herself constrained in her ability to convey her interconnected vision to the reader. She explains, in her way: if we find a person attractive, it is not because of any particular feature or set of features, but the “internal interplay among” them, which of course is invisible. It is invisible because it is a mental construction of aesthetic experience. But just because it is invisible and constructed doesn’t mean that it’s not real or natural. To give her readers a view of the world’s grand invisible connectedness, a writer needs to give an intimation of it by the form of her words, but also leave space for the reader to look past them. And since Christensen’s interrelatedness is probably ineffable to boot, knowledge of what it is like is going to end up being more like an experience, or a feeling, than a set of propositions. Over and again, Christensen draws the reader into her world, and then beyond it.

It. That’s It. That started it. It is. Goes on. Moves. Beyond. Becomes. Becomes it and it and it. Goes further than that. Becomes something else. Becomes more. Combines something else with more to keep becoming something else and more. Goes further than that. Becomes something besides something else and more. Something. Something New. Newer Still. […] Already much more difference between life and life than between death and life. (“Prologos” from it)

Inger Christensen is very often called an “experimental poet,” but since no one ever explains what they mean by that phrase, I assume it is meant to refer to the complicated formal structures of her later works. Nothing she wrote is especially difficult, which is often what is implied by “experimental.” Yet one after another these essays remind us that experiments by themselves reveal nothing, but instead provide a method for confirming or rejecting a hypothesis, a wild intuition, a vision or dream. So maybe what critics mean is that she uses the form to work out the vision, to see what will result. But who ever knew how a poem was going to turn out before they wrote it? It is true that Christensen’s starting place is a wild vision, though she is at pains here to remind us that the form is likewise part of the vision, and not the sort of thing that can stand outside it as a test or a working out.

And what about the possibility of failure that ought to be essential to any experimentation? To be sure, the possibility is always there in Christensen’s poems, but if the experiment fails, the vision fails, and so too fails the poet, all the way down to her most basic convictions and understanding of the world. Failure would say little about the experiment itself and less about the world, but everything about the poet. It would mean that she was wrong about the way the world is, what is valuable in it, and by extension that she was wrong about the way she chose to live her life. If the vision turns out to be mistaken, it would be not only an artistic catastrophe, but a personal, ethical, epistemological, and metaphysical one as well — more like kidney failure than a debunked hypothesis. This is why Christensen’s approach to her verse, at least, might be better characterized by the visionary’s stance of commitment than by the neutral attitude of experimentation, where the experimenter may hope to walk away unscathed when the experiment falls apart.

If it can be said that Christensen was an experimental writer, I think the description best fits the drifting, darting, spiraling movements of her mind in this volume. The 18 works collected here are in Montaigne’s tradition, explorations written with such elegance, humility, and inquisitiveness that it is impossible not to wish to write like her, which after reading The Condition of Secrecy you know can only mean to be like her. And there is a vision of unity here so seductive that we might not be able to shake it, even if we don’t find ourselves convinced or committed in the end. Maybe we will at least come to understand how helpless we are. Then we might even find the courage to say to ourselves and to others, again and again: I’m afraid. I’m no one. Isn’t that the way it is for you, too?

¤

Lowry Pressly is a writer of essays, fiction, and cultural criticism. He is a PhD candidate at Harvard University.

The post Astonishments for Our Time appeared first on Los Angeles Review of Books.

from Los Angeles Review of Books http://bit.ly/2G3sxkA

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What is Data Encryption and How Does it Work?

What is Data Encryption and How Does it Work?

Data encryption protects your data from being seen, hacked, or stolen. VPNs provide data encryption at the consumer level, but how about end-to-end encryption? Is a VPN the best option, or are there other solutions out there? What does data encryption even mean? Find out with our guide to everything you need to know about data encryption.

What is data encryption?

Data encryption is a system that encodes your data so other people can’t read it. Consider this:

Hibu JT epub fodszqujpo? No, that’s not a massive typo — that’s the phrase “What is data encryption?” encrypted with a simple Caesar cypher, or shift cypher. Each letter is replaced by the letter that follows it in the alphabet, so when you see the encrypted phrase, it’s just gibberish. You can’t decrypt it if you don’t know the encryption system.

Data encryption works along the same lines, but with far more complex encryption systems. These transform regular data, stored as plaintext, into what’s known as “ciphertext” — a seemingly nonsensical string of letters, numbers, and symbols. You can only unscramble the data, or decrypt it, with a specific decryption key.

Why use data encryption?

Data encryption is all about protecting your personal information from anyone who’d like to get their hands on it. This idea stems from humanity’s long history of encoded communications, the use and study of which is known as cryptography. Some of these encryption systems, such as the writing used in the Renaissance-era Voynich manuscript, still remain uncracked, even with the aid of modern computing.

So why is data encryption important? In short, using encryption protects your personal data. You can use data encryption to safeguard yourself against a multitude of online threats, including identity theft, hacking, and fraud.

Many businesses also use encryption algorithms in network security to defend against spyware and other malware. Anyone who manages to obtain encrypted data won’t be able to read it — preventing hackers from gaining access to business secrets. That means data encryption also protects against certain strains of ransomware that hijack data and threaten to publish it unless a ransom is paid.

» How can encryption be used to protect information?

Did you know that you’re benefiting from data encryption nearly every time you use the internet? Here are a few uses of encryption that you may encounter in your daily online life:

HTTPS encryption

Many modern websites feature HTTPS encryption — you’ll know because the URL begins with https, or because your browser shows you a little padlock icon in the address bar. Check your address bar now, and you’ll see these indicators here on our site. AVG Signal’s looking out for you.

HTTPS encryption protects your internet traffic while it travels between your device and the website you’re using, preventing anyone from either listening in or altering the data while it’s in transit. You should never divulge any sensitive personal data, such as credit card numbers, while on an unsecured website with plain old HTTP. If you don’t know how secure a certain site is, it’s always best to do a quick website safety check before entering any personal information.

Email encryption

Gmail and Outlook — two of the most widely used email platforms — encrypt all emails by default. The encryption they provide should be sufficient for the average email user, but there are more secure options available. Both Gmail and Outlook offer upgraded encryption with premium accounts, and ProtonMail is a securely encrypted email service that anyone can use.

Secure messaging apps

Many messaging apps also protect users with data encryption. Signal and Wickr are two popular options providing end-to-end encryption: the data is encrypted all the way from the sender to the receiver.

Cryptocurrency

If you’ve dabbled at all in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) or Ethereum (ETH), you’ve also enjoyed the protection of data encryption — though if you’re savvy enough to be using these, you probably already knew that. Cryptocurrencies protect their users by encrypting transactions and storing them in a shared historical record known as the “blockchain.” Once a transaction joins the blockchain, it can’t be reversed or forged.

VPNs

VPNs are a popular solution for data encryption — you can even download a VPN on your mobile phone for encryption on the go. If you’re on an unsecured public Wi-Fi network, a VPN is an ideal solution for keeping your data safe. We’ll explore VPNs in more detail later in this piece, but for now, think of them as on-demand data encryption that’s both convenient and secure.

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 How does data encryption work?

Data encryption revolves around two essential elements: the algorithm and the key.

The algorithm is the set of rules that determine how the encryption works. The Caesar cypher algorithm we used earlier in this article substitutes each letter with another letter that sits a fixed distance away from it in the alphabet.

The key determines the encryption implementation. Keys are randomly generated and combined with the algorithm to encrypt and decrypt data. In our Caesar cypher, we used a key of +1. A is replaced by B, B is replaced by C, and so on. In data encryption, keys are defined by their length in bits.

The algorithm and the keys it generates both contributes to the overall security of the encryption method. Key length is one factor in encryption security, but it’s not an exclusive determinant — the mathematical systems behind the algorithm also influence encryption security as well. Some algorithms with shorter keys may have equivalent or greater security when compared to other algorithms with longer keys.

» Cryptographic keys

Modern cryptography algorithms generate new data encryption keys for each use so that two users of the same algorithm can’t decrypt each other’s communications. Symmetric-key algorithms use the same key for encrypting and decrypting, while public-key algorithms (also known as asymmetric-key algorithms) have separate keys for each process:

In a symmetric-key algorithm, the encrypting and decrypting parties all share the same key. Everyone who needs to receive the encrypted data will have the same key as everyone else. It’s a simpler system but with greater risk, as it takes just one leak to expose the data being transmitted by all involved parties.

Symmetric algorithms share the same key between encryption and decryption.

Symmetric encryption uses either stream cyphers or block cyphers to encrypt plaintext data. 

Stream cyphers encrypt data on a per-byte basis. Each byte is encrypted individually. It’s a complex system that uses a different key for each byte, but the reversal is relatively easy.

Block cyphers encrypt data in blocks of 64 bits (8 bytes) or larger. Reversing block cypher encryption is much harder than with stream cypher encryption.

Our Caesar cypher example is a symmetric-key algorithm since you can encrypt and decrypt a message using the same key: the number of letters in the shift from plaintext to ciphertext and back.

A public-key algorithm is more secure than its symmetric-key counterpart. The public key is widely available for anyone to use in sending communications, but there’s a second key — the private key — that’s needed to decrypt the message. The algorithm creates both keys at once, and only these two exact keys can work together.

Public-key or asymmetric algorithms use different keys for encryption and decryption.

So how does data encryption protect data? Without the decryption key, you can’t unscramble the data — unless you’re willing to invest a lot of time and effort into other means of breaking the encryption. We’ll dive into what those measures look like towards the end of this piece.

» What about hashing?

Hashing is a process that uses an algorithm to convert plaintext into numerical values. Any website worth using will hash user credentials to protect them in the event of a data breach. If you encounter a website that still stores passwords as plaintext, run away and never look back.

Common encryption algorithms

There’s not just one data encryption algorithm out there. Here, we look at several of the most common encryption algorithms and quickly break down how they work.

» Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)

AES is a secure symmetric algorithm that’s easy to use, making it ideal for situations in which secrecy is important. Users can set the key length to 128, 192, or 246 bits, and AES supports block lengths of 128 bits for block cypher encryption.

» Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA)

Names for its three creators, RSA is one of the earliest public-key algorithms and still sees widespread use. RSA uses large prime numbers to create its keys and compared to other systems, it’s rather slow. For this reason, RSA is most often used to share a symmetric key, which is used in turn to encrypt the actual data that needs protecting.

» Triple DES

Triple DES (or TDES/3DES) is asymmetrical block-cypher algorithm that encrypts each block three times over using a 56-bit data encryption standard (DES) key. But what is the data encryption standard in the first place?

DES is a pioneering encryption algorithm developed in the 1970s that was used as the US federal standard until being replaced in 2002 by AES. At the time, DES was strong enough to defend against contemporary threats. Even with its three layers of encryption, TDES is no longer considered reliably secure by modem standards.

» Perfect forward secrecy (PFS)

PFS isn’t an algorithm, but a property that an encryption protocol can have. An encryption protocol is a system that defines how, when, and where an algorithm should be used in order to achieve encryption. When a protocol has PFS, it means that if the private key in a public-key algorithm becomes compromised, prior instances of encryption will still be protected. This is because PFS protocols create new keys for every encryption session.

Because of the way PFS protects prior sessions from future attacks, it is a critical feature for the security of any encryption system. You’ll also see PFS referred to simply as “forward secrecy” or FS.

Data at rest vs. data in transit

The majority of the encryption conversation focuses on data in motion encryption, or how to protect data in transit — in other words, data that’s on its way from one place to another. When you encrypt your web traffic with a VPN, that’s data in transit encryption in action.

But not all data is constantly in motion. Data that are stored in one place is called “data at rest.” There’s plenty of data on your computer that isn’t going anywhere but maybe even more sensitive than anything you’d be communicating to other parties.

It’s just as important to practice data at rest encryption as well, in case your device gets hacked or stolen. You can easily protect your local data by encrypting or password-protecting files and folders on your computer or external storage device.

We’ll show you some encryption best practices for data at rest in the following sections, “How to encrypt your PC” and “Mobile data encryption.”

» Transparent data encryption (TDE)

Introduced by Microsoft in 2008, transparent data encryption (TDE) protects databases by encrypting the files on the servers as well as any backups. Microsoft, IBM and Oracle use TDE to provide enterprises with SQL server database encryption.

The encrypted files are automatically decrypted by any authorized applications or users when accessing the database. This is why it’s “transparent” — if you’re already allowed to access the data, you don’t need to do anything extra to see it. Think of TDE like an employee ID badge that grants entrance to a secure facility. If you have a badge, you can waltz right on in.

As an additional security measure, TDE stores the encryption keys separately from the encrypted data files. This way, if the physical storage media or files are stolen, they’ll still be protected against unauthorized access. You can’t open the data files without the correct key.

How to encrypt your PC

Ready to protect the data on your PC against snoops and hackers? We’ll take you through three types of data encryption that you can use to protect your PC.

» File encryption

If you only need to protect a few sensitive items, consider file encryption. This method encrypts individual files, so it’s best for cases where you don’t have too much encrypting to do. For example, if you’ve created a document that contains your backup codes for a certain website or application, file encryption is a great way to safeguard that information.

But what is file encryption, anyways? Simply put, it’s the act of scrambling a file so that it can’t be unscrambled without the correct decryption key. It’s the same thing as data encryption, just on a per-file basis. Here’s how to use encryption on your device with AVG Internet Security:

AVG Internet Security’s Sensitive Data Shield scans your entire computer for files that you might want to secure, then protects these items from unauthorized access. It’s a good option for anyone using Windows 10 Home since Microsoft hasn’t included any built-in tools there for file encryption. You’ll need to rely on third-party solutions if that’s your situation.

Mac users are in more luck. Apple allows for file encryption within macOS by using the Disk Utility tool. You can encrypt folders by navigating to File > New Image > Image from Folder. Choose the folder to encrypt, select your encryption method, and hit Save.

» Full-disk encryption (FDE)

Rather than go from file to file, you can cut to the chase and encrypt your entire computer with FDE or whole-disk encryption. You can even combine both together for added security — even if someone gets through your FDE, they still won’t be able to access your encrypted files.

Windows 10 Home allows for FDE, though not all PCs accommodate this feature. Open your Settings, click Update & Security, and if your device supports FDE, you’ll see Device encryption at the bottom of the left-side menu. Click it, and you can begin encrypting your PC. You’ll need to sign in with your Microsoft account in order to enable FDE, as Windows will save your recovery key on Microsoft’s cloud.

Users of Windows Professional, Enterprise, and Education can use the BitLocker tool for more secure encryption, and you’ll find it in the same place. But either way, that’s how to encrypt your PC!

Mac users can also enable FDE on their machines with the FileVault tool. Open your System Preferences, then select Security & Privacy. From there, head to the FileVault tab and turn it on. It’ll take some time for FileVault to complete the encryption, but it’ll look like this when you’re done:

» Network layer encryption

This final method protects data in transit, but not locally on your device. If you need to encrypt all the traffic coming to and from your PC, network layer encryption will help. It’s one reason that many people choose to protect their privacy with VPNs. HTTPS provides another type of network-layer encryption.

With network-layer encryption, you can send data securely across unsecured networks. But it’s just as important to ensure that the data is equally protected at its source and at its destination. If you haven’t encrypted your PC with one of the two above methods, any data you receive over an encrypted connection won’t be protected once it’s downloaded locally to your machine.

AVG Secure VPN encrypts all the internet traffic on your device. With a VPN, all your online activities are covered — everything you’re doing in your web browser, but also your emails, games, anything you download, and any other apps you use.

Try AVG Secure VPN for FREE

 Mobile data encryption

You’re probably already protecting your Android or iPhone with a PIN, passcode, pattern lock, or fingerprint/face lock — and that’s great. Security measures like these are essential in the fight against unauthorized access. But there’s another way you can safeguard the data on your mobile device: encryption.

iCloud and Google Cloud both encrypt your data automatically, so you won’t need to handle the cloud data encryption yourself if you’re using these services. And just as you can configure FDE on your PC, you can also encrypt your phone. Should you lose your device, your encrypted data will be safe. Both Android and iOS devices allow you to encrypt your device by default. Here’s how:

» iPad & iPhone data encryption

As soon as you set up a passcode on your iOS device, your data is automatically encrypted. If you don’t have a passcode yet, perform the following procedure:

Open your Settings and tap Passcode. Newer iPhones may instead say Touch ID & Passcode or Face ID & Passcode.

Once here, follow the prompts to set up a passcode and any other security measures you’d like to include. After you’re done, your iOS device will be encrypted.

» Android data encryption

The procedure for encrypting your Android device may vary depending on its manufacturer and Android version. Here’s how the process looks in Android 10 on a Google Pixel 2:

Open your Settings, then tap Security.

Scroll down and tap Encryption & credentials.

Follow the prompts here to encrypt your device. When you’re done, confirm your phone’s Encrypted status.

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What is Data Encryption and How Does it Work?

What is Data Encryption and How Does it Work?

Data encryption protects your data from being seen, hacked, or stolen. VPNs provide data encryption at the consumer level, but how about end-to-end encryption? Is a VPN the best option, or are there other solutions out there? What does data encryption even mean? Find out with our guide to everything you need to know about data encryption.

What is data encryption?

Data encryption is a system that encodes your data so other people can’t read it. Consider this:

Hibu JT epub fodszqujpo? No, that’s not a massive typo — that’s the phrase “What is data encryption?” encrypted with a simple Caesar cypher, or shift cypher. Each letter is replaced by the letter that follows it in the alphabet, so when you see the encrypted phrase, it’s just gibberish. You can’t decrypt it if you don’t know the encryption system.

Data encryption works along the same lines, but with far more complex encryption systems. These transform regular data, stored as plaintext, into what’s known as “ciphertext” — a seemingly nonsensical string of letters, numbers, and symbols. You can only unscramble the data, or decrypt it, with a specific decryption key.

Why use data encryption?

Data encryption is all about protecting your personal information from anyone who’d like to get their hands on it. This idea stems from humanity’s long history of encoded communications, the use and study of which is known as cryptography. Some of these encryption systems, such as the writing used in the Renaissance-era Voynich manuscript, still remain uncracked, even with the aid of modern computing.

So why is data encryption important? In short, using encryption protects your personal data. You can use data encryption to safeguard yourself against a multitude of online threats, including identity theft, hacking, and fraud.

Many businesses also use encryption algorithms in network security to defend against spyware and other malware. Anyone who manages to obtain encrypted data won’t be able to read it — preventing hackers from gaining access to business secrets. That means data encryption also protects against certain strains of ransomware that hijack data and threaten to publish it unless a ransom is paid.

» How can encryption be used to protect information?

Did you know that you’re benefiting from data encryption nearly every time you use the internet? Here are a few uses of encryption that you may encounter in your daily online life:

HTTPS encryption

Many modern websites feature HTTPS encryption — you’ll know because the URL begins with https, or because your browser shows you a little padlock icon in the address bar. Check your address bar now, and you’ll see these indicators here on our site. AVG Signal’s looking out for you.

HTTPS encryption protects your internet traffic while it travels between your device and the website you’re using, preventing anyone from either listening in or altering the data while it’s in transit. You should never divulge any sensitive personal data, such as credit card numbers, while on an unsecured website with plain old HTTP. If you don’t know how secure a certain site is, it’s always best to do a quick website safety check before entering any personal information.

Email encryption

Gmail and Outlook — two of the most widely used email platforms — encrypt all emails by default. The encryption they provide should be sufficient for the average email user, but there are more secure options available. Both Gmail and Outlook offer upgraded encryption with premium accounts, and ProtonMail is a securely encrypted email service that anyone can use.

Secure messaging apps

Many messaging apps also protect users with data encryption. Signal and Wickr are two popular options providing end-to-end encryption: the data is encrypted all the way from the sender to the receiver.

Cryptocurrency

If you’ve dabbled at all in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) or Ethereum (ETH), you’ve also enjoyed the protection of data encryption — though if you’re savvy enough to be using these, you probably already knew that. Cryptocurrencies protect their users by encrypting transactions and storing them in a shared historical record known as the “blockchain.” Once a transaction joins the blockchain, it can’t be reversed or forged.

VPNs

VPNs are a popular solution for data encryption — you can even download a VPN on your mobile phone for encryption on the go. If you’re on an unsecured public Wi-Fi network, a VPN is an ideal solution for keeping your data safe. We’ll explore VPNs in more detail later in this piece, but for now, think of them as on-demand data encryption that’s both convenient and secure.

Try AVG Secure VPN for FREE

 How does data encryption work?

Data encryption revolves around two essential elements: the algorithm and the key.

The algorithm is the set of rules that determine how the encryption works. The Caesar cypher algorithm we used earlier in this article substitutes each letter with another letter that sits a fixed distance away from it in the alphabet.

The key determines the encryption implementation. Keys are randomly generated and combined with the algorithm to encrypt and decrypt data. In our Caesar cypher, we used a key of +1. A is replaced by B, B is replaced by C, and so on. In data encryption, keys are defined by their length in bits.

The algorithm and the keys it generates both contributes to the overall security of the encryption method. Key length is one factor in encryption security, but it’s not an exclusive determinant — the mathematical systems behind the algorithm also influence encryption security as well. Some algorithms with shorter keys may have equivalent or greater security when compared to other algorithms with longer keys.

» Cryptographic keys

Modern cryptography algorithms generate new data encryption keys for each use so that two users of the same algorithm can’t decrypt each other’s communications. Symmetric-key algorithms use the same key for encrypting and decrypting, while public-key algorithms (also known as asymmetric-key algorithms) have separate keys for each process:

In a symmetric-key algorithm, the encrypting and decrypting parties all share the same key. Everyone who needs to receive the encrypted data will have the same key as everyone else. It’s a simpler system but with greater risk, as it takes just one leak to expose the data being transmitted by all involved parties.

Symmetric algorithms share the same key between encryption and decryption.

Symmetric encryption uses either stream cyphers or block cyphers to encrypt plaintext data. 

Stream cyphers encrypt data on a per-byte basis. Each byte is encrypted individually. It’s a complex system that uses a different key for each byte, but the reversal is relatively easy.

Block cyphers encrypt data in blocks of 64 bits (8 bytes) or larger. Reversing block cypher encryption is much harder than with stream cypher encryption.

Our Caesar cypher example is a symmetric-key algorithm since you can encrypt and decrypt a message using the same key: the number of letters in the shift from plaintext to ciphertext and back.

A public-key algorithm is more secure than its symmetric-key counterpart. The public key is widely available for anyone to use in sending communications, but there’s a second key — the private key — that’s needed to decrypt the message. The algorithm creates both keys at once, and only these two exact keys can work together.

Public-key or asymmetric algorithms use different keys for encryption and decryption.

So how does data encryption protect data? Without the decryption key, you can’t unscramble the data — unless you’re willing to invest a lot of time and effort into other means of breaking the encryption. We’ll dive into what those measures look like towards the end of this piece.

» What about hashing?

Hashing is a process that uses an algorithm to convert plaintext into numerical values. Any website worth using will hash user credentials to protect them in the event of a data breach. If you encounter a website that still stores passwords as plaintext, run away and never look back.

Common encryption algorithms

There’s not just one data encryption algorithm out there. Here, we look at several of the most common encryption algorithms and quickly break down how they work.

» Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)

AES is a secure symmetric algorithm that’s easy to use, making it ideal for situations in which secrecy is important. Users can set the key length to 128, 192, or 246 bits, and AES supports block lengths of 128 bits for block cypher encryption.

» Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA)

Names for its three creators, RSA is one of the earliest public-key algorithms and still sees widespread use. RSA uses large prime numbers to create its keys and compared to other systems, it’s rather slow. For this reason, RSA is most often used to share a symmetric key, which is used in turn to encrypt the actual data that needs protecting.

» Triple DES

Triple DES (or TDES/3DES) is asymmetrical block-cypher algorithm that encrypts each block three times over using a 56-bit data encryption standard (DES) key. But what is the data encryption standard in the first place?

DES is a pioneering encryption algorithm developed in the 1970s that was used as the US federal standard until being replaced in 2002 by AES. At the time, DES was strong enough to defend against contemporary threats. Even with its three layers of encryption, TDES is no longer considered reliably secure by modem standards.

» Perfect forward secrecy (PFS)

PFS isn’t an algorithm, but a property that an encryption protocol can have. An encryption protocol is a system that defines how, when, and where an algorithm should be used in order to achieve encryption. When a protocol has PFS, it means that if the private key in a public-key algorithm becomes compromised, prior instances of encryption will still be protected. This is because PFS protocols create new keys for every encryption session.

Because of the way PFS protects prior sessions from future attacks, it is a critical feature for the security of any encryption system. You’ll also see PFS referred to simply as “forward secrecy” or FS.

Data at rest vs. data in transit

The majority of the encryption conversation focuses on data in motion encryption, or how to protect data in transit — in other words, data that’s on its way from one place to another. When you encrypt your web traffic with a VPN, that’s data in transit encryption in action.

But not all data is constantly in motion. Data that are stored in one place is called “data at rest.” There’s plenty of data on your computer that isn’t going anywhere but maybe even more sensitive than anything you’d be communicating to other parties.

It’s just as important to practice data at rest encryption as well, in case your device gets hacked or stolen. You can easily protect your local data by encrypting or password-protecting files and folders on your computer or external storage device.

We’ll show you some encryption best practices for data at rest in the following sections, “How to encrypt your PC” and “Mobile data encryption.”

» Transparent data encryption (TDE)

Introduced by Microsoft in 2008, transparent data encryption (TDE) protects databases by encrypting the files on the servers as well as any backups. Microsoft, IBM and Oracle use TDE to provide enterprises with SQL server database encryption.

The encrypted files are automatically decrypted by any authorized applications or users when accessing the database. This is why it’s “transparent” — if you’re already allowed to access the data, you don’t need to do anything extra to see it. Think of TDE like an employee ID badge that grants entrance to a secure facility. If you have a badge, you can waltz right on in.

As an additional security measure, TDE stores the encryption keys separately from the encrypted data files. This way, if the physical storage media or files are stolen, they’ll still be protected against unauthorized access. You can’t open the data files without the correct key.

How to encrypt your PC

Ready to protect the data on your PC against snoops and hackers? We’ll take you through three types of data encryption that you can use to protect your PC.

» File encryption

If you only need to protect a few sensitive items, consider file encryption. This method encrypts individual files, so it’s best for cases where you don’t have too much encrypting to do. For example, if you’ve created a document that contains your backup codes for a certain website or application, file encryption is a great way to safeguard that information.

But what is file encryption, anyways? Simply put, it’s the act of scrambling a file so that it can’t be unscrambled without the correct decryption key. It’s the same thing as data encryption, just on a per-file basis. Here’s how to use encryption on your device with AVG Internet Security:

AVG Internet Security’s Sensitive Data Shield scans your entire computer for files that you might want to secure, then protects these items from unauthorized access. It’s a good option for anyone using Windows 10 Home since Microsoft hasn’t included any built-in tools there for file encryption. You’ll need to rely on third-party solutions if that’s your situation.

Mac users are in more luck. Apple allows for file encryption within macOS by using the Disk Utility tool. You can encrypt folders by navigating to File > New Image > Image from Folder. Choose the folder to encrypt, select your encryption method, and hit Save.

» Full-disk encryption (FDE)

Rather than go from file to file, you can cut to the chase and encrypt your entire computer with FDE or whole-disk encryption. You can even combine both together for added security — even if someone gets through your FDE, they still won’t be able to access your encrypted files.

Windows 10 Home allows for FDE, though not all PCs accommodate this feature. Open your Settings, click Update & Security, and if your device supports FDE, you’ll see Device encryption at the bottom of the left-side menu. Click it, and you can begin encrypting your PC. You’ll need to sign in with your Microsoft account in order to enable FDE, as Windows will save your recovery key on Microsoft’s cloud.

Users of Windows Professional, Enterprise, and Education can use the BitLocker tool for more secure encryption, and you’ll find it in the same place. But either way, that’s how to encrypt your PC!

Mac users can also enable FDE on their machines with the FileVault tool. Open your System Preferences, then select Security & Privacy. From there, head to the FileVault tab and turn it on. It’ll take some time for FileVault to complete the encryption, but it’ll look like this when you’re done:

» Network layer encryption

This final method protects data in transit, but not locally on your device. If you need to encrypt all the traffic coming to and from your PC, network layer encryption will help. It’s one reason that many people choose to protect their privacy with VPNs. HTTPS provides another type of network-layer encryption.

With network-layer encryption, you can send data securely across unsecured networks. But it’s just as important to ensure that the data is equally protected at its source and at its destination. If you haven’t encrypted your PC with one of the two above methods, any data you receive over an encrypted connection won’t be protected once it’s downloaded locally to your machine.

AVG Secure VPN encrypts all the internet traffic on your device. With a VPN, all your online activities are covered — everything you’re doing in your web browser, but also your emails, games, anything you download, and any other apps you use.

Try AVG Secure VPN for FREE

 Mobile data encryption

You’re probably already protecting your Android or iPhone with a PIN, passcode, pattern lock, or fingerprint/face lock — and that’s great. Security measures like these are essential in the fight against unauthorized access. But there’s another way you can safeguard the data on your mobile device: encryption.

iCloud and Google Cloud both encrypt your data automatically, so you won’t need to handle the cloud data encryption yourself if you’re using these services. And just as you can configure FDE on your PC, you can also encrypt your phone. Should you lose your device, your encrypted data will be safe. Both Android and iOS devices allow you to encrypt your device by default. Here’s how:

» iPad & iPhone data encryption

As soon as you set up a passcode on your iOS device, your data is automatically encrypted. If you don’t have a passcode yet, perform the following procedure:

Open your Settings and tap Passcode. Newer iPhones may instead say Touch ID & Passcode or Face ID & Passcode.

Once here, follow the prompts to set up a passcode and any other security measures you’d like to include. After you’re done, your iOS device will be encrypted.

» Android data encryption

The procedure for encrypting your Android device may vary depending on its manufacturer and Android version. Here’s how the process looks in Android 10 on a Google Pixel 2:

Open your Settings, then tap Security.

Scroll down and tap Encryption & credentials.

Follow the prompts here to encrypt your device. When you’re done, confirm your phone’s Encrypted status.

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A Bitcoin Lightning Web Standard, Inspired By Ethereum, Is Gaining Steam

Sending bitcoin lightning payments over the web might soon get easier.

That’s because a new bitcoin standard for simplifying lightning payments, the open-source WebLN standard, is gaining traction, now being used by Lightning Joule and Bluewallet, two of the more popular lightning wallets, as well as apps like Lightning Spin, to slim down the number of steps a user needs to make a payment.

This is an important step for lightning, an experimental technology that is still risky to send real money over. Developer warnings aren’t stopping eager users from trying out what they believe to be the future of bitcoin payments, and as they’ve toyed with payments, they’ve bumped into issues trying to send or receive value.

The standard, written by developer William O’Beirne, is inspired by his work contributing to popular ethereum services, MyCrypto and MyEtherWallet, both of which are used for storing ethereum’s native currency, ether. This might seem a bit odd because bitcoin and ethereum users often seem like rivals, battling on Twitter and debating the merits of each cryptocurrency. But O’Beirne doesn’t seem to care about that.

His work on ethereum’s web standard, Web3, led him to what he calls an “a-ha moment,” where he decided lightning opens up opportunities for a similar set of standards for bitcoin that could make interacting with payments on the Web much easier.

“The Web is the most obvious place for micropayments,” O’Beirne argued.

The ultimate goal, as he showed in his presentation of Chrome browser extension Lightning Joule last fall, is to embed payments into the web so that they’re really easy to use.

O’Beirne told CoinDesk:

“I want to make it really easy for new lightning projects to have a great UX for making payments without having to reinvent the wheel of how to display payments to users, or get them to provide invoices.”

He gave an example of a WebLN-enabled site that allowed users to quickly paying a Satoshi (worth about $0.00004) to get rid of advertisements for the day.

Easier payments

That said, while WebLN is inspired by ethereum, O’Beirne says “WebLN is a lot more stripped down than Web3.” After all, lightning is not a “Turing-complete system.” Rather, since bitcoin’s lightning is more focused on payments, that’s where the focus of WebLN lies.

But it’s similar in that it’s a standard that makes app building easier for developers. And in the end, helps to reduce the number of steps users need to take to make a payment.

By example, Bluewallet recently launched a marketplace within its mobile app that lists a bunch of different services which accept lightning transactions, including LN.pizza, Bitrefill, a startup that sells gift cards for bitcoin, and the like.

If a user were to go to, say, the LN pizza website on its own, they would have to grab the invoice by copying it, open their lightning wallet, then stick it in the wallet.

But if you go straight through Bluewallet marketplace, it simplifies the process. It automatically grabs the invoice and copies it into Bluewallet for a user to pay to buy their pizza. “They use WebLN to inject [the invoice] into the page,” O’Beirne said.

“[WebLN] allows us to provide a better user experience – like one-tap payments and withdraws, and facilitates and standardizes “actions” that should be standardized for the sake of the industry moving faster and in the right direction. So we fully support it and try to make other developers to do the same,” BlueWallet product and UX engineer Nuno Coehlo told CoinDesk, adding that it has enabled “thousands” of purchases.

This little marketplace is like a window into how much easier the process could be for lightning micropayments across the World Wide Web, if such a standard gained enough traction and was used everywhere – perhaps the big dream goal – rather than just on a few random apps.

Lightning apps can get this functionality to work for their app if they want. But with a standard like WebLN, the idea is developers don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

Or, O’Beirne added, in the future, he plans to add an experimental technology that allows users to send money directly to a node without generating an invoice.

WebLN has some other features as well that aren’t quite related to payments.

“There’s also an element of identity,” O’Beirne said, where users could use their lightning node’s public key – a string of random letters and numbers showing – to login to a website. It could effectively replace passwords.

“Some of this is still being built out,” he added.

‘Stealth’ projects and beyond

Still, as the project GitHub points out, WebLN is still “early-stage” and “subject to change.”

O’Beirne said that next steps are to improve the developer documentation and draw up some demo videos to make it easier for developers to implement WebLN.

O’Beirne has also been in touch with Casa (a popular lightning service that launched a Chrome extension that looks a lot like his project, Lightning Joule), as well as Bitlum, another browser-based wallet. But while both seem interested in WebLN, neither wallet has “committed” to doing so quite yet.

Other “stealth projects” are interested, too. “I get DMs from people working on stealth projects – asking how the spec works.”

Over the summer, O’Beirne will be working at Chaincode Labs, a research group led by Bitcoin Core contributors Alex Morcos and Suhas Daftuar that funds some of bitcoin’s most active protocol developers. He hopes that this will give him an opportunity to continue working on WebLN, and get more wallets to adopt the standard.

All that said, though, there’s also another standard lightning developers are eyeing right now that has to do with standardizing how lightning is used in the Web: W3C, which is the international organization drawing up rules for the Web for all browsers to follow.

Since some think developers should focus on that set of standards, O’Beirne goes as far as to call it a “spec war.” But so far, there don’t seem to be any implementations of W3C that support lightning.

That said, he sees WebLN gaining traction as he works on it this summer: “At this point, I feel like we’re going to see more adoption. At least for generating lightning invoices, which is a frustrating experience.”

Www image via Shutterstock

This news post is collected from CoinDesk

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The Ultimate Guide to JavaScript Algorithms: Palindromes

In this challenge we further strengthen our string manipulation skills by implementing simple algorithms to test if a string of text is a palindrome.

What is a palindrome?

A palindrome is a word, number, or other sequence of characters which reads the same backward as forward, such as "madam" or "racecar".

Using a bit of programmer's speak we could say it's a string of text that doesn't change when re-arranged in reverse (the opposite direction).

So much for the big word huh!

You should already have your development environment setup for this course. Update your cloned repository by running the command git pull. Inside the Beginner folder, navigate to the palindromeChecker folder. Our work for this challenge will be done in here. Make sure to follow along in the index-START.js file.

The Challenge

Given a string of text, return true or false indicating whether or not the text is a palindrome. e.g

palindromeChecker('racecar') // will return true

Let's break down the problem, shall we?

Algorithmic Thinking

The challenge says "given a string of text" which implies that our function would have a string-typed parameter which we may call "text".

Next, we are to evaluate if the string is a palindrome. To do this, we'll have to reverse the string first and then compare it with the string that was passed in as an argument.

To avoid issues with letter casing, we'd convert text to a single case type which could be upper or lower.

Finally, we "return true or false" depending on the result of our evaluation. True for when it is a palindrome and false for otherwise.

All said! You shall now proceed to the Code Dojo.

Code Implementation

There's quite a number of approaches to implementing a palindrome checker and this is mostly due to the fact that there are several ways to reverse a string and several ways to loop through a string. Hence, there's a couple of stunts we could pull off.

In this challenge, we'd consider two, yet three ways to implement this as highlighted below:

An Intuitive Approach

Looping Through and Comparing Characters

Looping Through and Comparing Characters(Optimized)

An Intuitive Approach

Okay, i must confess the title sounds a bit misleading. This isn't exactly the first thing everyone would do if they are presented with this challenge. It's really just a direct approach to solving the problem.

How direct? Let’s see.

function palindromeChecker(text) { var reversedText = text.toLowerCase() .split('').reverse().join('') return text === reversedText }

You're probably thinking "this really isn't very direct though". Oh well! Let's unveil the "mysteries".

First our function accepts a parameter which is the string of text which is to be tested.

Next, we convert all letters of the string to lowercase, then call the .split() method on the string that is received passing in an empty string as the only argument in order to spread the characters into an array.

Next, we call .reverse() on the array to re-order its elements in reverse.

After that, we call .join() on the reversed array to form a string once again.

Voila! We have a reversed string.

Notice how we chained all these methods in succession making our code concise yet functional. This is one of the strengths of JavaScript. Elegant syntax!

At the end we return the result of our comparison which is a Boolean indicating whether the string that was passed in equals the reversed string we created. This tells us if the text that was passed in is a palindrome.

Now that was easy, wasn't it? Let's try something slightly more complex.

Looping through and Comparing Characters

This could be a bit more confusing than the previous implementation. But we'll break it down as always, so stay strong.

In this approach, we loop through the string as it was passed in and compare each character with the character currently in the position it'd have taken if the string was reversed.

For example if we were testing the string "developer", we would compare "d" with "r" because if the string was reversed d would take r's position.

Correspondingly we'd compare "e" in position 2 with "e" in position 2 from the end as well and if the string were a palindrome, all of these would test true.

Alright now! Let the code speak for itself.

function palindromeChecker(text) { let charArray = text.toLowerCase().split('') let result = charArray.every((letter, index) => { return letter === charArray[charArray.length - index - 1]; }) return result }

Let's do the review thing!

First, We convert all letters of the string to lowercase, then use the .split() method once again to spread the characters of the string into an array.

Next we use a special array method .every() to loop through the array and perform our check. Basically, the .every() method tests whether all elements in the array pass the test implemented by the provided function. The provided function in our case accepts the current letter and its index in the array as parameters. Then we return the result of the comparison between the letter and the letter currently occupying the position this letter would assume if the string was reversed. Learn more about .every() here.

Cumulatively, the .every() method would evaluate to true if the test passes in all cases and false if it didn't. The result of that evaluation is what we store in the variable result and that's what our function returns as an indication that the string failed or passed the palindrome check.

There's something wrong with our second implementation performance-wise. Did you notice? Can you identify the problem?

Maybe try identifying it by yourself before you proceed with the rest of the article?

Okay, here it is. We loop through the entire string and compare every letter with the corresponding letter in its position in reverse.

If you try to perform this comparison manually on paper, you'd notice that once you loop beyond the character at the middle position, you start repeating comparisons you've already gone through in the first half of the iteration. That's redundant, don't you think?

We have to fix this!

To fix this, we'd add a check to ensure that we stop looping once we get to the mid-point of the string.

You may take a break from reading and try this out. I'd encourage you to try your hands on optimizing this.

Looping through and Comparing Characters (Optimized)

In the code snippets below, we fix this problem by using a for-loop to iterate through the string of text only up till the mid point while carrying out our usual comparison.

function palindromeChecker(text) { var textLen = text.length; for (var i = 0; i < textLen/2; i++) { if (text[i] !== text[textLen - 1 - i]) { return false; } } return true; }

Now, let’s test our solutions.

Testing

Testing Correctness with Jest For each solution above, run the command below to start the tests:

npm run test palindromeChecker

Here are the results:

The Intuitive Approach

Looping through and Comparing Characters

The Fix

Our tests passed in all cases. You deserve a glass of scotch. What brand would you like?🙂

Testing Performance with JSPerf Follow this link to JSPerf, to test the various solutions we’ve just considered. There, we compare the implementations we have just explored to see which performs better. See the results below:

Always try out tests on your own to ensure you have similar results. From the results of our test, we can conclude that:

The fixed loop method is the fastest implementation considered. The un-optimized loop method initially considered comes in second place and is approximately 47% slower, while the seemingly intuitive approach is the slowest of them all (87% slower).

Pretty interesting results!

Practical Application

This challenge is mostly encountered in JavaScript coding interviews however, the techniques used in string reversal and comparison of the characters come in handy in situations where you may be required to manipulate strings and arrays in real-world JavaScript applications.

Conclusion

We've now examined two yet three ways to implement a palindrome checker in JavaScript. Each implementation gets the job done and could help you pass that coding interview. The intuitive approach is perhaps the way to go for most JavaScript developers, however JavaScript offers more than one way to achieve most things.

After running our performance tests, we have reached the conclusion that the most optimal solution among the three methods considered, is the method of looping through the string and comparing characters from one end with the characters in their corresponding position from the other end, while terminating the loop at the mid-point of the string.

You must never forget that the overall performance of an application is cumulatively determined by the seemingly small things . This means that the little wins like this matter a lot.

Further Reading

For further learning on some of the concepts explored in this challenge, you may use the link below:

Array.prototype.every()

See you in the next one!✌🏿

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