#keeping software and security updates current

[mostlysignssomeportents]

A sexy, skinny defeat device for your HP ink cartridge

Animals keep evolving into crabs; it's a process called "carcinisation" and it's pretty weird. Crabs just turn out to be extremely evolutionarily fit for our current environment:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-animals-keep-evolving-into-crabs/

By the same token, all kinds of business keep evolving into something like a printer company. It turns out that in this enshittified, poorly regulated, rentier-friendly world, the parasitic, inkjet business model is extremely adaptive. Printerinisation is everywhere.

All that stuff you hate about your car? Trapping you into using their mechanics, spying on you, planned obsolescence? All lifted from the inkjet printer business model:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/24/rent-to-pwn/#kitt-is-a-demon

That GE fridge that won't make ice or dispense water unless you spend $50 for a proprietary charcoal filter instead of using a $10 generic? Pure printerism:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/06/12/digital-feudalism/#filtergate

The software update to your Sonos speakers that makes them half as useful and takes away your right to play your stored music, forcing you to buy streaming music subscriptions? Straight out of the HP playbook:

https://www.wired.com/story/sonos-admits-its-recent-app-update-was-a-colossal-mistake/

But as printerinized as all these gadgets are, none can quite attain the level of high enshittification that the OG inkjet bastards attain on a daily basis. In the world championships of effortlessly authentic fuckery, no one can lay a glove on the sociopathic monsters of HP.

For example: when HP wanted to soften us all up for a new world of "subscription ink" (where you have to pre-pay every month for a certain number of pages' worth of printing, which your printer enforces by spying on you and ratting you out to HP over the internet), they offered a "lifetime subscription" plan. With this "lifetime" plan, you paid just once and your HP printer would print out 15 pages a month for so long as you owned your printer, with HP shipping you new ink every time you ran low.

Well, eventually, HP got bored of not making you pay rent on your own fucking printer, so they just turned that plan off. Yeah, it was a lifetime plan, but the "lifetime" in question was the lifetime of HP's patience for not fucking you over, and that patience has the longevity of a mayfly:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/11/06/horrible-products/#inkwars

It would take many pages to list all of HP's sins here. This is a company that ships printers with half-full ink cartridges and charges more than the printer cost to buy a replacement set. The company that won't let you print a black-and-white page if you're out of yellow ink. The company that won't let you scan or send a fax if you're out of any of your ink.

They make you "recalibrate" your printer or "clean your heads" by forcing you to print sheets of ink-dense paper. They also refuse to let you use your ink cartridges after they "expire."

HP raised the price of ink to over $10,000 per gallon, then went to war against third-party ink cartridge makers, cartridge remanufacturers, and cartridge refillers. They added "security chips" to their cartridges whose job was to watch the ink levels in your cartridge and, when they dip below a certain level (long before the cartridge is actually empty), declare the cartridge to be dry and permanently out of use.

Even if you refill that cartridge, it will still declare itself to be empty to your printer, which will therefore refuse to print.

Third party ink companies have options here. One thing they could do is reverse-engineer the security chip, and make compatible ones that say, "Actually, I'm full." The problem with this is that laws like Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) potentially makes this into a felony punishable by a five-year prison sentence and a $500k fine, for a first offense.

DMCA 1201 bans bypassing "an effective means of access control" to a copyrighted work. So if HP writes a copyrighted "I'm empty" program for its security chip and then adds some kind of access restriction to prevent you from dumping and reverse-engineering that program, you can end up a felon, thanks to the DMCA.

Another countermove is to harvest security chips out of dead cartridges that have been sent overseas as e-waste (one consequence of HP's $10,000/gallon ink racket is that it generates mountains of immortal, toxic e-waste that mostly ends up poisoning poor countries in the global south). These can be integrated into new cartridges, or remanufactured ones.

In practice, ink companies do all of this and more, and total normie HP printer owners go to extremely improbable lengths to find third party ink cartridges and figure out how to use them. It turns out that even people who find technology tinkering intimidating or confusing or dull can be motivated to learn and practice a lot of esoteric tech stuff as an alternative to paying $10,000/gallon for colored water.

HP has lots of countermoves for this. One truly unhinged piece of fuckery is to ask Customs and Border Patrol to block third-party ink cartridges with genuine HP security chips that have been pried loose from e-waste shipments. HP claims that these are "counterfeits" (because they were removed and re-used without permission), even though they came out of real HP cartridges, and CBP takes them at their word, seizing shipments.

Even sleazier: HP pushes out fake security updates to its printers. You get a message telling you there's an urgent security update, you click OK, and your printer shows you a downloading/installing progress bar and reboots itself. As far as you can tell, nothing has changed. But these aren't "security" updates, they're updates that block third-party ink, and HP has designed them not to kick in for several months. That way, HP owners who get tricked into installing this downgrade don't raise hell online and warn everyone else until they've installed it too, and it's too late:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/11/ink-stained-wretches-battle-soul-digital-freedom-taking-place-inside-your-printer

This is the infectious pathogen business model: one reason covid spread so quickly was that people were infectious before they developed symptoms. That meant that the virus could spread before the spreader knew they had it. By adding a long fuse to its logic bomb, HP greatly increases the spread of its malware.

But life finds a way. $10,000/gallon ink is an irresistible target for tinkerers, security researchers and competitors. Necessity may be the mother of invention, but the true parent of jaw-dropping ingenuity is callous, sadistic greed. That's why America's army of prisoners are the source of so many of the most beautiful and exciting forms of innovation seen today:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/06/09/king-rat/#mother-of-invention

Despite harsh legal penalties and the vast resources of HP, third-party ink continues to thrive, and every time HP figures out how to block one technique, three even cooler ones pop up.

Last week, Jay Summet published a video tearing down a third-party ink cartridge compatible with an HP 61XL:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0ya184uaTE

The third-party cartridge has what appears to be a genuine HP security chip, but it is overlaid with a paper-thin, flexible, adhesive-backed circuit board that is skinny enough that the cartridge still fits in an HP printer.

This flexible circuit board has its own little microchip. Summet theorizes that it is designed to pass the "are you a real HP cartridge" challenge pass to the security chip, but to block the followup "are you empty or full?" message. When the printer issues that challenge, the "man in the middle" chip answers, "Oh, I'm definitely full."

In their writeup, Hackaday identifies the chip as "a single IC in a QFN package." This is just so clever and delightful:

https://hackaday.com/2024/09/28/man-in-the-middle-pcb-unlocks-hp-ink-cartridges/

Hackaday also notes that HP CEO Enrique J Lores recently threatened to brick any printer discovered to be using third-party ink:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/01/hp-ceo-blocking-third-party-ink-from-printers-fights-viruses/

As William Gibson famously quipped, "the future is here, it's just not evenly distributed." As our enshittification-rich environment drives more and more companies to evolve into rent-seeking enterprises through printerinisation, HP offers us a glimpse of the horrors of the late enshittocene.

It's just as Orwell prophesied: "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a HP installing malware on your printer to force you to spend $10,000/gallon on ink – forever."

Tor Books as just published two new, free LITTLE BROTHER stories: VIGILANT, about creepy surveillance in distance education; and SPILL, about oil pipelines and indigenous landback.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/09/30/life-finds-a-way/#ink-stained-wretches

Image: Jay Summet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0ya184uaTE

[thoughtportal]

Support for Windows 10 ends on October 14, 2025.

Microsoft wants you to buy a new computer.

But what if you could make your current one fast and secure again?

If you bought your computer after 2010, there's most likely no reason to throw it out. By just installing an up-to-date Linux operating system you can keep using it for years to come.

Installing an operating system may sound difficult, but you don't have to do it alone. With any luck, there are people in your area ready to help!

5 Reasons to upgrade your old computer to Linux

No New Hardware, No Licensing Costs A new laptop costs a lot of money, but several Linux operating systems are available for free. Software updates are also free, forever. You can of course show your support with donations!

Enhanced Privacy Windows comes with lots of ads and spyware. This slows down your computer, lets companies spy on you, and increases your energy bills.

Good For The Planet Production of a computer accounts for 75+% of carbon emissions over its lifecycle. Keeping a functioning device longer is a hugely effective way to reduce emissions. With a Linux operating system you can use your device longer.

Community & Professional Support There are local repair cafes and independent, professional services and computer shops available for providing you help. You can find support in online forums, too.

Better User Control Linux grants you the four freedoms of software. You are free to use, study, share, and improve the program, for as long as you wish. You are in control of your device.

[thezombieprostitute]

Tech Tuesday: Lloyd Hansen

Summary: It's your first week on the job and you find yourself having to deal with a very angry higher up.

Warnings: Power imbalance, Yelling. Please let me know if I missed any.

Tech Tuesdays Masterlist

Part 1.5 (Lloyd's Perspective)

You'd survived your first week at the job. It was a nerve-wracking to find out you were the only woman working in the IT department outside of Mr. Pine's assistant. Thankfully the majority of your coworkers were friendly without being inappropriate or condescending. So far you were able to just sit at your desk and do you work.

There's a knock on your cubicle wall and you look up to see Johnny standing there.

“Hey, I need you to take a ticket for me,” he tells you. “I'd do it but I just got pinged by the security measures and that takes priority. Ticket is Hansen-4142. Thanks so much!” Before you can argue he's gone.

Shaking your head you check the ticket. Johnny's not wrong that security takes highest priority and it's not unheard of for technicians to trade tickets. Looking through things it's pretty straightforward. This Hansen person likely tried to update some of the office software and the update messed with their current settings. You get his office number, double check the building floor-plans so you don't get lost, and head up.

Getting off the elevator at his floor the atmosphere is incredibly tense. People are keeping their heads down and trying to make themselves as small as possible. As you get closer to Mr. Hansen's office, you start to understand why. His voice carries and he's clearly very, very angry.

By the time you're right outside his office you're visibly shaking. Part of you wants to run back to the safety of your cubicle and beg one of the bosses to choose someone else. But that wouldn't be professional. It's only your first week, you need to do this and prove yourself to be a good hire. Taking a breath to steady yourself, you knock on the door.

“Get in here!” Mr. Hansen barks.

You open the door, “hello, Mr. Hansen. I'm, um, I'm from IT to fix your computer?”

“Yeah, I figured that,” he bites back. “No one else would be dumb enough to knock on the damn door.”

You nod at his reasoning, “may, I...may I see your computer, Sir?”

He chortles, “It's about damn time the IT department hired someone who knows their place.”

He moves away from his desk and gestures for you to sit. Not wanting to be here any longer than you need, you immediately set about to working. No chit-chat, nothing to give him a reason to yell again. You find yourself getting into the zone, hunting down the needed files, ignoring everything extraneous, and making the changes that are needed.

You think you got everything so you get out of the chair, “please make sure everything is working correctly, Mr. Hansen?”

He gives you a skeptical look as he sits, “that was way too fast to have worked.” You lower your chin to your chest but don't protest. You hear him typing and clicking away for a minute or so. “Huh,” you hear from him. “You're a friggin' maestro.” His tone is more contemplative than anything.

“Do you need anything else, Sir?”

He looks up and seems surprised you're still there. “No. You may go back to the IT caverns.”

Not needing to be told twice you nod and head out. When you're back in the department you see Mr. Syverson and he calls you over.

“Where ya been? Was wantin' to ask you about some of the upcoming projects we got ya assigned to.”

“Oh, Johnny asked me to handle a ticket for him because a security issue came up.”

He freezes at that. “Was it with Hansen?”

“Um, yes, Sir.” You see his face turn red and you're worried you did something wrong.

He takes a breath, “you're not in trouble. You're gonna go finish out that ticket like you're supposed to and I'll talk to you about the projects tomorrow.” You nod and almost run to your cubicle. Behind you, Syverson yells, “Storm! My office! NOW!”

Tech Tuesdays Masterlist

Next

Tagging @alicedopey; @delicatebarness; @ellethespaceunicorn; @icefrozendeadlyqueen; @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory; @late-to-the-party-81; @lokislady82 ; @peyton-warren @ronearoundblindly

[drabblesandimagines]

Dove (part seven)

Leon Kennedy x female reader (bodyguard trope and the slowest, slow burn I swear)

Part one. Part two. Part three. Part four. Part five. Part six. Part seven.

---

A tense knot has formed right between Leon’s shoulder blades – can feel it pull when he tilts his head side to side, but it doesn’t seem to be loosening. Can’t even blame it on sleeping on the sofa cos he hasn’t laid down to sleep since the call with Hunnigan, stays sat up right. He’s athletic, he can jump up to his feet from horizontal but it’ll add a second or so to his reaction time and he’s not taking the risk.

He's on edge and he doesn’t like it. The ball of anxiety in his gut has saved his life more times than he can count, but it shouldn’t be necessary in this situation, should it? He’s set up in a safe house, literally off some beaten track in the middle of nowhere – location chosen and distributed by encrypted software so, technically, no-one in the DSO knows where he is either. It’s rigged up to the heavens with security measures - cameras, alarm systems, motion detector - explosion-proof windows, reinforced doors, all topped off with his favourite array of weapons in the duffel bag, currently resting by his still booted feet.

The objective of his mission hasn’t changed after the intel he’s received, that some foreign agency has had access to the CCTV feed for who knows how many hours before they were cut off. He should feel reassured that the quality of the footage was awful – it was only by how many times he’s encountered Lickers that he could even tell that’s what the creatures were when he’d be presented with the grainy images. He didn’t see the footage of you being rescued, but it would be a cruel kick in the gut to find that feed had been HD.

He lifts an arm – his left, keeping his right arm free, his accuracy is better by millimetres with his right – and rubs the knot, hoping to relieve the tension. It's not 100% confirmed they are looking or will be looking for you either, but why would anyone link up to the CCTV circuit if not to check on the outcome of their operation?

His immediate thought had been to up the frequency of his perimeter checks, one every two hours. He could do that at night, sure – military training taught him the correct and most efficient techniques to power nap – but in the day it would be harder without worrying you about what’s changed.

You wanted updates. Hell, you were entitled to updates. But he wants to give you good news, doesn’t wanna add to the weight on your shoulders with what could be nothing. It’s stupid, he knows it’s stupid, but in these sweet domestic moments the two of you have been sharing, he’s been pretending it’s something else – friends watching television, cooking a meal together – the sweet smiles the two of you exchange, but it’s all ripped apart the moment he has to do his checks. He can see the worry settle on your face then, a reminder of where you are with the flick of the safety off his gun and the twist of the lock as he goes outside to conduct surveillance.

Speaking of, his phone beeps for his next circuit on the building and he’s up on his feet in the blink of an eye. He pats his cargo pocket out of habit for the keys on the walk over to the garage door, but finds himself pausing outside your bedroom, his eyes focusing on the handle. You should still be pretty under with those sleeping pills – note to self, he’ll need to start weening you off them from now on, far too easy to get addicted. It wouldn’t hurt to just… check you were okay, would it?

No – that’s what you’re here, why he’s here – to protect you.

It would just be doing his job.

He presses down on the handle and slowly opens the door, breath caught in his throat. It takes his eyes a moment to adjust to the dark, the lamp in the living room not quite reaching as far as your bed, but eventually he can make out your face – as peaceful as he’s ever seen it.

You’re on your side. The position doesn’t look like it would be comfortable with your arm still strapped up in the sling, but it’s testimony to how well the sleeping pills are working. Your other arm is up by your face, hand clenched in a tight fist around something. He steps forward without thinking, curious what it could be.

Your fingers are gripped tightly around his watch.

And there’s a pain in his chest that feels like they’re gripped around his heart as well.

That settles it - he’s not gonna tell you about the hacked CCTV feed. He will tell you that Hunnigan hasn’t searched your place yet, that they’ve restarted the surveillance department – she’d asked him to ask you if you knew anything about the servers since they were appeared to be working from square one – but that was it.

Leon steps back with unnecessary caution, leaving the bedroom as silently as he entered and shuts the door with a soft click. He takes a deep breath, pats down his pockets again and heads out to circle the perimeter.

And, just like after you kissed his cheek, he does it twice.

--

You wake up after another peaceful and dreamless sleep, though it still takes a moment to remember where you are as you stare up at the unfamiliar ceiling. You wonder if tomorrow you’ll not experience that flicker of panic, just get up and accept that you’ll be picking today’s outfit out of a selection of clothes that you’re not sure if anyone’s worn before you.

You feel sore, as seems to be becoming the norm, but with unusually stiff fingers on your good hand. It seems you’ve clutched Leon’s watch all night. You’d fallen asleep quite quickly – all thanks to those sleeping pills – but you remember looking at it when you’d first got in the bed, the seconds ticking by lulling you to sleep. The fact that you’ve held it for so long reminds you of when you were a kid and snuggled up with a stuffed toy for comfort, except instead of something soft and cuddly, it’s what appears to be a top of line timepiece. There’s a lot of information contained on the face of the dial but there’s the time is the only one you really care about – 0906.

You get to your feet, raising your good arm to a grunt of protest as you try and run your fingers through your hair in lieu of a mirror. Huh, that pain’s new. Your hair is definitely due a wash now, but that’s an issue for later. You pull on a pair of sweatpants one-handed – you’ll be a pro soon, you’re sure of it – and put Leon’s watch in the pocket for safekeeping. It’d be difficult to try and navigate the door handle with it still gripped in your good hand and you’d hate to scratch it up.

You open the door cautiously – you hadn’t seen Leon asleep yet, but he must do at some point. Maybe you should offer to alternate the sofa and the bed? Though you have a feeling that he’s far too much of a gentleman to accept.

Or there’ll be something in the rules that prohibits that.

There’s no danger of waking him though - the agent in question is performing sit-ups in the middle of the living room floor, facing the other way. Muscular arms behind his head as he lets out little puffs of exertion at the exercise, alternating sides as he twists.

Wary that you don’t want to be caught staring, you shut the door with more force than necessary behind you and greet him with a smile when he looks over his shoulder.

“Morning, Leon.”

“Dove!” He doesn’t even sound out of breath. “Morning. Sleep okay?” He jumps up to his feet before taking a couple of steps over in your direction. There’s a grin on his face at the sight of you – makes you feel giddy.

“Yeah, thanks. How about you?”

“That’s good. Yeah, I slept fine.” He nods. It’s not a lie – he did sleep fine for the position he forced himself to maintain all night, despite the slight crick in his neck.

“Is that how you usually start your mornings?”

One of the arms you’d been admiring goes up to rub the back of his head again. “Kinda. I usually go for a run, but…”

“But you can’t leave me on my own.” You finish, smile dropping a little. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be - I’m not.” He drops his arm back down, casting an eye over a watch that’s not there. “Hey, you hungry? I can get breakfast started. Oatmeal again?”

“Sure.” You nod, fishing his watch out of your pocket and holding it out to him. “Thanks again for this. It was nice to wake up and know the time this morning.”

“Don’t mention it. You can, er, you know, keep it. If you like.” He can’t get the image of you fast asleep last night, clutching it close to your face. He knows it was most likely the sleeping pills meaning you’d just passed out with it in your hand more than anything deeper, but, hey, a guy can pretend.

“I’ll be okay, I can get the time off the TV during the day.” You hold it out again with insistence. “But maybe… maybe I could have it for the night again?”

“Deal.” Leon hastily agrees, his fingers brushing yours as he takes back the watch before fastening it around his wrist. “Breakfast coming right up.”

You take the opportunity to duck into the bathroom as he heads towards the kitchen – your heart warmed once more by the sight of the blob of toothpaste sat ready and waiting on your toothbrush.

--

“And, finally, oatmeal.” He places it down on the coffee table, alongside your coffee, a glass of water and your morning dose of painkillers.

“Thank you.” You lean forward to pick up the spoon, smiling back at the face that Leon’s drizzled in honey atop your breakfast again.  

“Nah, pleasure’s all mine.” He calls over his shoulder as he picks up his own bowl from the kitchen. He hesitates for a second, before choosing to sit the other end of the sofa to you, rather than the opposite one.

“You know, I don’t get to do this very often. It’s nice.”

“Mm,” you swallow a spoonful of oatmeal. “Thought you said you’d been in lots of safe houses.”

“A fair amount. But, no, not that part. I mean, eating breakfast with someone.” “So…” You stir the spoon around the bowl, hoping it might prove a perfect segway into something you’d been wondering. “..there’s no-one at home for you?”

“Me?” He seems to scoff at the idea. “Nope.”

“Me neither.”

“Yeah, I figured.” He replies casually, before his blue eyes widen in alarm at how it might come across. “

“I mean, just by the fact that you hadn’t mentioned anyone at your apartment that morning and you hadn’t asked any of those sorta questions, you know, if they’d been told about what happened, where you are...”

He’s flustered, feels like he’s really putting his foot in his mouth this morning. He can take the lead in the interrogation of some of the world’s most despicable humans, for goodness’ sake, he should be able to talk to a pretty girl.

“Yeah, I figured.” You tease back and he swears he feels the weight lift off his shoulders.

The two of you eat in silence for a moment when curiosity gets the better of you. “So, you didn’t eat breakfast with the… others?”

“Nope.” His tone is firm as he recalls some of his previous charges. “Certainly didn’t make them it either. Trust me – they were nowhere near as nice or as deserving of my protection as you are, Dove.” The comment makes your head tingle.

“It’s all been people ‘realising’ how deep they’d sank but only grew a conscience to save their own skin. Hell, you might have even performed surveillance on some of them. A lot of criminals finally show backbone when they realise their time is running out.”

“Well, I’m glad to make a change – both for sharing breakfast and …safe house occupancy with.”

“A nice change,” he mumbles, but you still hear.

--

After breakfast, you go to shower and Leon sets himself to task with the dishes once again, says he did his last perimeter check before nine. Removing the sling proves trickier than yesterday – when you go to tug off the Velcro your opposite shoulder smarts with a similar pain of that morning, causing you to hiss through your teeth, something which the painkillers from breakfast don’t seem to have alleviated.

You step into the cubicle after undressing – the hot water immediately somewhat soothing on your bruised shoulders but you still struggle to get what you now deem as your good arm high enough to even entertain the possibility of washing your hair.  

You try and avoid your reflection in the mirror when you dress, though you know you’ll have to confront your hair at some point. Unfortunately, you catch a glimpse – a greasy mop sat upon your head that makes your heart sink.

There must be a trick to it – other people must wash their hair one-handed all the time, but maybe they can lift an arm above their head. If you were home, you’d go to a salon, you think – an expensive you would deem necessary for your sanity.

A thought flashes across your mind – a ridiculous one. Leon is already doing so much for you, surely this would be completely over the line.

But you could… ask, couldn’t you? The worst he could do was say no, it would be awkward, and maybe there’s a hat in the duffel bag you’ve yet to discover.

You open the bathroom door, but don’t make to step over the threshold. Leon looks over from the sofa – dishes now drying in the rack besides the sink - and clocks your hesitation.

“Need a hand with the sling?”

Are you really going to ask him this?

You’ll break at some point - you know you will, so why not get it over with now? You’re a regimented two-day wash kinda girl and it’s day three. Not to be completely vain, but you’re covered with bruises and cuts, dressed in less than flattering clothes that aren’t yours and it would be nice to feel somewhat decent about something in your appearance.

Especially with the handsome company you’re keeping. Hell, Leon could be a model, a hair model too. There’d been shampoo and conditioner in the shower and you certainly hadn’t used it.

“Dove?” You’ve taken too long to reply again, getting stuck in your spiralling thoughts.

“I know this isn’t what you’re here for.” The words tumble out of your mouth before you can think further.

“Okay…” Leon's eyebrow is raised, a curious smile now fixed on his lips as he gets to his feet.

“And say no, obviously. Please. Just… I’d like to wash my hair.” You drop your eyes then – maybe it’ll be easier if you talk to your feet rather staring into his kind eyes?

"Right."

“And I’d… You know, I’d go to a salon and get it done there if we weren’t… here.”

“You’d like me to help you wash your hair?” There’s a tone of amusement or maybe disbelief in his tone.

Hearing him say it aloud makes you doubt the entire exercise, your heart begin to pound at your stupidity. “Sorry. No, I don’t know what I was thinking. It was stupid to ask-“

“Hey, no, it makes sense.” He soothes, immediately wanting to ease your frustrations. “You can’t lift your arm above your head, right? My fault for not thinking about that.”

You look up then, seeing the sincerity on his face – like it truly was his fault that you couldn’t wash your own damn hair.

“I can do that, Dove. I don’t see why not.”

“Are you sure?”

“Mm-hm. As you said, if you were anywhere else right now, you could go to a salon and whilst I can’t promise their quality, I seem to do all right with my own.” He shrugs. “You thinking over the sink?”

He doesn’t know why he asks – it’s hardly like you’re going to ask him to get in the shower with you.

Is it?

“I think so.” You look around the living area, though you’re well acquainted with what feels like every square inch of it now. “Though it might be a little awkward since we don’t have any chairs.”

He snaps his fingers. “Nah, there might be one in the garage, actually. Lemme check.”

He barely makes it into the garage when his cell vibrates in his pocket – one new message from Hunnigan.

Any server information for me?

Leon finds the folding chair nestled at the side of the washer and dryer and hesitates over the text back.

He’ll wash your hair – seeing how torn up you’d been about even asking him had made him feel awful - then he’ll give you the updates and ask about the servers.

He picks up the chair and tucks it under one arm, swiftly typing out a message on his cell and clicks send.

Not yet – Dove’s still asleep.

---

Masterlist . Requests welcome . Commissions/Ko-Fi

Comments, follows, likes and reblogs make my day!

Part eight.

[grappel-writes]

Climatización

Read on ao3

Ch: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14

wc: 4,473

18+ cw: consensual surveillance, guided masturbation, voice kink, hand kink, phone sex

Hector finally gets the opportunity to help Reed unwind, even if it is from afar. Reed learns that hands can communicate much more than they thought they could.

Hector says something too soon.

With so many in-person days, they had finally given Reed their own office. It was empty, and still smelled like new paint, but who knows. Maybe they’d come to appreciate it, with time. Reed stands next to their empty, particle board desk clearly on display behind the glass walls that separate their space from the rest. Their very own fishbowl that they have to wait in while security tech attaches a USB drive to their workstation. 

“There’s already some basic monitoring software on here, of course, but… with the investigation... They really sprung for the top of the line option, and for everyone in the department.” She looked up guiltily, “It’s not just you, I promise!” 

Reed crosses their arms, it feels like an accusation anyway. The files begin to transfer, and the woman rocks back onto her heels as she watches it update. “So… how have things been? With the, uh, everything?” 

“The investigation? It sucks. This,” Reed gestures irritatedly to their laptop, “Constant debriefs, updates, strategizing, how to maintain operations through it all.” They push their hair back, sigh, and correct their expression to give her a comforting smile. “None of it’s your fault, sorry.” 

The woman’s eyebrows lift, startled by the crack in their composure. “Do you think they’ll find them soon?” 

“I have no idea. Hey, what did you say this tracked again?” 

“What doesn’t it?” She props her fists onto her hips, “Keystrokes, internet activity, access logs, who can remote into and out of it, your account activity, time logs…” 

Reed nods, worried, but reminding themself that there wouldn’t be anything strange at all about security accessing their workstation, even before the investigation. As if he could tell that Reed was thinking about him, their phone buzzes in their pocket. 

I’ve been thinking of you. Describe the room you’re in for me? I wish to imagine you there. 

Keystrokes, internet activity, perhaps a lovely stalker that orders groceries to your apartment when he notices you’re running low on produce…?

The technician blinks, trying to keep up with Reed’s jerky questioning. “I know a couple, which one?” 

After Reed controls the heat in their face and pulls their focus back to their current surroundings, they’re hit with a sudden, flattening realization.

“Sorry, also, do you know a ‘Hector’?” They ask.

“I - I don’t actually know. But I think he’d work in your department.” 

“Oh! Valentino?” 

Reed pauses, then a small smile quirks at their expression. “Is that his real name?” They ask in disbelief. It suits him too well, they would’ve believed it was a joke.

Reed shakes their head. “No reason. Thanks again.” 

“You mean his last name? If we’re talking about the same guy, yeah.” She leans over the laptop again, entering her password and putting the finishing touches on the install. “Why?”

Opportunity hangs in front of Reed so temptingly. They could ask, and learn so much about Hector Valentino. It would be easy. A quick break, a chat, just a casual passing interest that would fill in the largest, glaring blanks in their world.

“Sure! No problem. Let me know if it crashes or does anything strange, but it should be pretty stable. And I hope this blows over for you soon! See you!” 

After she gathers her things and leaves, Reed crashes back into their empty desk, remembering to keep their posture and expression neutral for anyone who might pass their new fishbowl. 

As the week passes, Reed isn’t afforded a single day at their home office. Every night consists of tense, structureless calls with Hector that flash by before they must sleep, wake, and get ready to repeat the whole process again. It feels as if they never actually leave the storm. 

“Are you okay?” They ask. 

Midweek, they’ve left another pointless meeting early, only to find Penelope hurrying down a hall with the anxious click-click-click of her heels in a restrained jog. “Reed!” she hisses. 

They stop, catching her by the elbow and analyzing her frazzled expression. 

Reed leans on the stair rails. At this point, they’re so used to the constant stress and insane updates that this was nearly expected, but no less concerning. “Of course they are.” They groan. 

“No!” She grabs Reed by the shoulders and pushes them into the stairwell. The fire door sinks shut and she clutch her things to her chest tighter. 

“It’s not just the one guy. Martin - not Martin, doesn’t matter. They’re not just going to fire the culprit, they’re going to clean house on the whole team just to reassure clients. I think they’re trying to save themself from legal fees or, something! I don’t know.” 

“They’re auditing everything. If you’ve got anything to hide, you better come clean with it, quick, and hope they’ll appreciate your honesty.” 

“Hide? I don’t do anything so exciting that I’d have anything worth hiding,” They laugh bitterly, “Thank you for the heads up, but I don’t think there’s really anything I can do differently anyway.” 

“...No? You’re not even going to go through any of your stuff to find anything suspicious?” She seems shocked, this has obviously been occupying all her time. Reed waves a hand dismissively, impressing themselves by their ability to seem so nonchalant. 

“Nah, that’s what the investigators and auditors are for. If they find anything, it wasn’t intentional. And if they want to punish me for it anyway, well, what can I do about it? Whatever happens, happens.” 

“Wow, Reed. That’s. That’s one way to look at it.” She stands a little taller, correcting her glasses and looking strangely more at ease. “Maybe you’re right. What happens, happens!” 

“There it is, now come on, before we get reported for suspicious behavior.” Reed leads them both back out of the staircase, one hand in their pocket and on their phone, ready to send Hector a text as soon as the opportunity presents itself. 

That opportunity doesn’t come until the end of the day. And the rest of the days following are similar. Team members in and out of their office with questions, seeking assurances, asking them to review their work for anything that could be concerning. On top of their normal job duties and what’s being asked of them by management, these additional responsibilities eat up any breaks or time for rest that they usually claim for themselves. They’ve been intentionally ignoring Hector’s insistent advice that this was unwise, too. They only had to push this hard and work this late until the investigation was over, after all. 

By the time Friday evening finally arrives, Reed returns to unit 14 after the sun has set, entirely drained, and raises the white flag. Their shoulders ache, their shoes have worn blisters into their ankles, and their eyes burn from reading hundreds of thousands of words every day. Mentally, they’re shot. Completely useless. They couldn’t reason their way out of a paper bag after the toil of logistical problem solving. 

They rub their eyes, the heels of their hands trying to grind away the exhaustion and tension. While sightless, they hear the blinds across the room rise, the ice maker in the freezer clink as it rotates a new batch, the AC switch off, and the fan shift to a lower speed. In a different language: You are out of their world, and back in mine. Let me take care of you. 

“Hi Hector.” They say, quite tiredly. Out of the open windows, the city below them is just colored points of light still blurred from their unfocused eyes. The living room light flashes blue, just for a moment. 

“Blue’s a good color for tonight.” They agree and drag themselves to the kitchen. As they stare at the fridge, they hear their phone ring. They answer it without even looking. 

His voice is cautious, hopeful. “You are truly done for the night, I hope?” 

“Truly, yes. I don’t think I could do any more if I tried.” A stab of guilt hits Reed, they had brushed him off so much this week. It wasn’t fair. 

“I am not surprised. You’ve been burning the candle at both ends and absent for so long otherwise. It pains me to see you so exhausted.” The genuine concern in his voice was so potent it seemed to literally loosen the tight knot of tension behind their eyes, a relief so sharp and sudden it almost hurt. They give up on dinner entirely, the mental load of picking something out and preparing it entirely overcast by the desire to collapse fully into Hector’s presence.

“That’s just how life is, sometimes. I’ll be all right, I just need to… not be working. For a moment. Just… wanna listen to you.” Even their speech is slow, picking each new word is a monumental task. 

“I understand.” Hector replies sympathetically. 

He’s quiet and patient when Reed retreats to their bedroom. The blinds on these windows have been lifted as well, the lamplight low and making their messy bed look so, so inviting. They crawl into it with a contented sigh. 

“Better?” Hector asks with a low laugh. 

“Almost.” Reed agrees, bundling some of the comforter under their head. They let their eyes drift closed, but can still only see numbers and reports. Screens. Their mental to do list is deafeningly loud every time they try to just stop thinking.

“You’re still thinking about it.” 

On the other side of the call, Reed hears a rustle of movement, then Hector’s voice more clearly, as if he’s brought the phone closer. When he speaks, it’s as a man who has been lying in wait. 

“It won’t stop. I can’t make it stop. I feel like I’m going to short circuit and I can’t get away from it.” their voice grates at the end with irritation. Then, they swallow. The solution is obvious, but they know they’re just as likely to pass out from exhaustion or get distracted by their own thoughts if they attempted it alone. If they know this, they know Hector does. They smile sleepily to themself, and know just what to say:  

“Hector. I need you to help me.” 

“I will. I am going to make you think of nothing but me, as long as you promise to me that next time you will not deny me my purpose for so long. I never wish to hear you ask this of me so desperately again. It’s made me feel as if I have neglected you.” Reed’s never heard him so frustrated about something they’ve done before. This tone was usually reserved for when he talked about himself, the rare times he has. 

Reed darts a tongue over their lips and readjusts on their bed so their hand is flat on their stomach. They can nearly imagine it being Hector’s instead. As if he’s laying next to them as he chastises. “I don’t know, maybe I will. It might be worth it just to hear you be so…” 

“Concerned?” 

“It’s not your concern that makes me feel like this, but, yes, that too.” They huff a laugh. 

“I know. It’s knowing that I will stay true to my word. That if you do as I say, you will have what you need.” 

They let their eyes drift closed, remembering that night on the couch when they were interrupted. Interrupted by - did they mute their work laptop? Reed’s brow pinches. 

“- a question?” Hector finishes a sentence, but Reed realizes they hadn’t been paying attention. 

“I- I’m sorry. I’m distracted. I’m trying, I really want to.” 

“There is no need to hold yourself to an expectation.” Hector soothes, his trancelike voice gripping Reed again, “Do not pressure yourself to feel anything, trust that I will make it happen.” 

Reed nods, then remembers that the camera in this bedroom doesn’t reach the bed. “Hold on…” they mumble, and setting their phone on their nightstand, propped and angled just so, they turn the camera on. Seeing their own reflection in the dim lighting, just the faintest hint of a flush on their exhausted face, sends a flurry of butterflies into their stomach. 

They smile at the reflection of themself on the screen, lying on their stomach and propped onto their elbows. “I… would like to try again. Like that other night. Um, I hope this is okay. That you can see.” 

“I’m going to start a video call.” They announce, “since the camera in here doesn’t see that far.” 

They tap the call and, as expected, Hector opens it with his camera off. 

“This new angle…” He begins, clearly breathless. “I feel much closer to you, as if I’m there, and not observing from a distance. I would be happy to offer that to you again, especially with the opportunity to enjoy it so personally.” 

Reed darts a tongue over their bottom lip, “That’s the idea, yeah, I… wanted to feel that way, too. Like you’re here.” Their eyes drop to their hands, then back up to their own image again. “Or at least pretend you are, by seeing myself, I can see what you see? It's still exciting.” 

They’re surprised at the silence on the other end of the call, they were expecting more hushed excitement. “There should not be any more distractions from this moment than need be.” He sounds resigned and… nervous? 

Reed laughs in an attempt to dispel the shyness that’s threatening to creep in. “I don’t know if it’s a distraction, just some mental hoops to jump through. I don’t mind. I’m into the voice in the dark…” 

“But…?” 

“But, I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to see you, too. I -” Reed exhales a sigh after subconsciously grinding their hips down into the mattress, the sudden, unintentional friction causes a surprising jolt of pleasure. Their eyes close, their brows pinch for just a moment. They recover quickly, and manage to continue, curious to see how Hector responds, “I want to see the effect I have on you, too. I want to know that you’re enjoying what I’m giving you.” 

“Reed.” They can barely hear their name, but they can hear the bit back groan that follows. “...I cannot show you my face. Not yet. But… I cannot deny you when you are like this. Please, be patient for a moment.” 

Reed sinks into their elbows, their back a shallow arch that helps to drive their hips against the mattress below them, but remains still. It’s tempting to put on a bit of a show, to distract Hector, but they’re too anxious of scaring him off from whatever this new compromise could be. 

The heat in their stomach spikes when the small, no camera icon on the bottom corner of their screen takes over the entirety of it instead. Hector has turned his camera on. The scene is black, a fuzz of grey static over a pitch black room, with just the scarcest indication of where the edge of the surface the phone was sitting on was. From the darkness, emerge two hands. Perfect long fingers lace together and rest on the surface, and above them, is a near invisible suggestion of an expression. Reed couldn’t discern the outline of a silhouette if they tried. 

“Is this sufficient?” Hector asks after the heavy silence that Reed got lost in. They jolt and prop themselves higher. 

“Hector… this is?” They flash a smile with a disbelieving laugh, only to be overcome by an intense flood of pride immediately after. 

“This is as much of myself as I am willing to show. My hope is that, even though it is just the suggestion of my presence, it will make it easier for you to picture me there.” He still sounds slightly uncertain, and Reed is quick to praise. 

“I don’t have to just picture it. You are here.” Reed says breathily, “Your hands…” 

“My hands?” Hector raises them for inspection, flipping them to show the lighter palms with hints of callous, then the smooth backs and neat nails. “Another suggestion.” He answers his own question. 

“So,” Reed rocks back slowly, unable to stop themselves searching for more pressure again, “So much easier when I know what to picture all over me.” 

“Is that what you’re picturing right now?” His fingers lace together again, an index finger tapping against the other hand slowly. “My hands on you?” The suggestion of eyes in the dark seem to drop lower “On your shoulders, in your hair, or… no, straight to where you need them. Where we left off, isn’t it? Down on your hips… pushing you into your bed again so when you grind against it it’s that. Much. Harder.” 

Reed laughs breathily, part arousal, part nerves, and part excitement to finally be doing this. “Yes, where we left off… I wish I could take it that slow again, but…” They ease the press of their hips slowly, their eyelids dropping heavily as they do. “...I’ve been thinking about that night ever since.”

“I know.” He has to catch his breath, “I have known you for years. I know the meaning of every breath, blink, and moan. But this… is new. To know how you seek your own pleasure… when you think it is I giving it to you. Show me.” 

Reed bites down on their bottom lip and drops their head again, “Fuck…” they pant, and with a blazing face and trembling hand, they grab one of the pillows lined against their headboard. They know if they glance towards those interlocked hands as they do this they’ll lose their nerve, so they move quickly. They flip to their back, hook thumbs into the waistband of their pants, lift their hips, and slide them off quickly. They’re abandoned somewhere at the foot of the bed as Reed turns back onto their stomach, positioning the pillow under their hips and between their thighs. It makes their back arch more intense, and the constant, flat pressure against them makes them pulse in a way that already has them gasping. Only then do they look back up. They see themself in the minimized window on their phone. Face red, mouth open and panting, a slight rock of their hips they can’t help. All for him.   

“Ah,” Hector’s sound of understanding makes Reed’s breath catch. “Like this?” He is awestruck. 

Reed nods and the sound from the other line suggests that he’s shifted, but his hands never leave from sight. “You are perfect. So, so beautiful.” He hums and his fingers tighten against each other. “I won’t make you wait like that any longer. I am… entranced that this is how you’ve thought of me. You are on top of me, chasing your own ecstasy against me. How did this start? Perhaps you first pictured straddling my thigh… my hands gripping your hips as we kissed.” 

Reed pushes themself upright, sitting at a kneel and rocking their hips against their pillow as if it were Hector’s thigh under them. It’s a practiced motion, but the thrill of having Hector’s eyes on them as well makes their movements staggered and desperate. 

“You are using me, but I guide your speed.” Hector rubs a thumb along his other finger, the slow, rolling pace an instruction that Reed follows. The uneven snap of their hips finds a rhythmic roll instead. They can hear the smile in his voice, “Very good.” 

The metronome of his hand has sped up just enough to make Reed cry out in frustration, to experience that spike of a faster pace for just a moment, only for their raging heat to become a low simmer when even this is not enough.

“Ah- Hector-” Reed stammers, gripping their pillow tightly with the restraint of this slow pace. 

He breathes in awe, “Already so far gone for me. At just the idea of me. If you are so undone by only this I can not wait to see how quickly you fall to pieces on top of me in person. When I press my leg up into you and hold you so tightly that you cannot escape. You’d be at the perfect height there, I believe, to expose your neck to me when I pull your hair back. It would make the perfect canvas for the marks I could leave…” 

“And perhaps… I am not always content to just be used. When this scene evolves, I pull you into me, and lay us both back. Instead of my leg, I press my hand against you. More control, more friction exactly where you need it.” He, blissfully, increases the pace again. Reed collapses forward, landing onto their elbows with caught breaths and moans that fall more readily from their mouth now. They’re close already, so close. Hector’s voice has hypnotized them, and they’re sure that even if they are forced to keep at it at this torturous march, they could finish anyway if Hector told them to. 

“I’m- fuck, fuck, this is… so good,” they keep their eyes locked on Hector’s hands. With a flash of clarity, they remember their manners, and fight through the fog while they still can, “What about…?” 

“Myself?” Hector finishes the sentence for them, his voice gravelly and obviously affected, “You have unraveled me, truly. I am… resisting. Something I have much practice with. Don’t concern yourself with it, the effect you have on me… I know that when you-” He’s cut off by a particularly sharp gasp from Reed. Realizing what Hector is implying brings them just a little further than they thought they could go without climaxing. They shudder, every muscle drawn tight. Hector’s voice falters over the phone speaker from the interruption, but his voice holds the evidence of his amazed smile. “That is to say, bluntly, just watching is more than enough.” 

Reed shakes their head, just the idea of him - they can’t think about it any longer or they’ll be over the edge without being invited. “I need you.” They gasp and clench their fists into their sheets. “I need you to-” 

“Against my hand, then? Is that how you finish?” Hector’s voice has lost its controlled, careful, quality, and the new speed he’s set is just enough. “Against my careful touch, both of us moving against each other so I can send you over the edge, or-” Right as Reed thinks they’re about to finish Hector pauses. He’s breathing heavily, obviously struggling to complete the sentence himself. Reed cries out in frustration and drops their face into the bed below, grinding at whatever pace they please now, but still resisting, held right on the cliff until Hector is ready for them. 

“Would you let me pull you to my mouth instead? So I can taste you as you come? Come for me-” Hector’s voice clips short, but Reed can’t notice when white hot, molten gold frees itself under their skin and they cry out again. Their climax tears through them in vibrations the same perfect, resonant frequency of his voice alone, shaking them apart from the inside out until nothing but the echo of its sound remains. Each slower, gentler pull of it up their spine and over their limbs puts them back together again. Everything exactly how and where it should be. A lax, comfortable body. A blissfully empty mind. Their vision returns and they see their sheets dimly lit below them. The room is warm, and then it’s Hector’s voice that reminds them their name: 

“Reed.” They smile, his voice is so hushed they feel it more than hear it, raw and real. “Reed… I am in love with you.” 

They blink slowly, their heart still racing, and prop themselves up onto their elbows, drawn toward the screen. From the vastness of the dark, something has shifted. Hector has leaned into the light. Just enough for Reed to make out the faint, unexpectedly kind eyes. He notices that he’s seen, and Reed sees not just his dark eyes, but the immense, terrifying effort it takes for them to remain there. He isn’t merely looking at them, he is holding himself in the light for them. Offering a sacrifice at the temple. The screen melts away, the distance collapses. This is not a look. This is a vow. 

“Don’t answer that. I’ve said too much, far too much, but… it’s been said. Those words are for me to give, not for you to return. Just… accept them.” He looks away.

“You… you know me, so well. You know exactly what to say.” It’s a quiet, awestruck declaration. Even as Reed’s breathing slows, their pulse doesn’t. 

Reed blinks slowly, the waves of euphoria are so intense that nothing could rattle them at this moment. Their heart feels as if it’ll fail them. 

“Okay.” They agree, and move the pillow from under themselves. They lay on their side and try to reclaim any composure that might be left. “If this is what your love feels like, how could I not?” 

For a long time, they rest. Hector’s careful hand posture, a tight link, has relaxed into a gentle curl where only his index and middle fingers cross. 

“Thank you,” Reed finally says through a yawn. 

They can see his eyes tilt, “What for?” 

“For bringing me back. I haven’t felt like I’ve actually been here all week… and you caught me, brought me back down, you knew just what to say-!” they laugh, a light, disbelieving noise “That was better than things I’ve actually touched. Thank you.”  

“I should be thanking you. This has fulfilled many of my greatest dreams and desires. I never presumed to know what it would be like, to pretend that I could comprehend divinity, but you have brought it to me. And you have… understood everything. Even the impossible.” 

“Divinity…?” Reed’s voice is small now, all the tension gone, and replaced by only a sleepy vulnerability. “Can I confess something to you?” 

His reply is instant, a hushed whisper. “Anything.” 

“Sometimes, when I pictured us doing this, I imagined you telling me you loved me then, too.” 

“You have… thought of that? You wanted that…? If you tell me any more tonight, I might not survive it.” For a moment, his hands and eyes disappear, his voice muffled evidence that he has covered his face. “Please, sleep.”

A soft smile plays on Reed’s lips for a moment, and then fades as exhaustion takes them. “Okay.” They agree again. “Don’t… don’t go anywhere.” 

There’s another pause, and when he speaks again, he nearly sounds as if he’s in pain. “I’m not capable of leaving you, Reed.” 

The final reassurance is what finally allows Reed’s mind to go quiet. They drift, leaving the call active, secure knowing that Hector is guarding them. 

[wolfliving]

It starts with him

What was once a promise of technology to allow us to automate and analyze the environments in our physical spaces is now a heap of broken ideas and broken products. Technology products have been deployed en masse, our personal data collected and sold without our consent, and then abandoned as soon as companies strip mined all the profit they thought they could wring out. And why not? They already have our money.

The Philips Hue, poster child of the smart home, used to work entirely on your local network. After all, do you really need to connect to the Internet to control the lights in your own house?  Well you do now!Philips has announced it will require cloud accounts for all users—including users who had already purchased the hardware thinking they wouldn’t need an account (and the inevitable security breaches that come with it) to use their lights.

Will you really trust any promises from a company that unilaterally forces a change like this on you? Does the user actually benefit from any of this?

Matter in its current version … doesn’t really help resolve the key issue of the smart home, namely that most companies view smart homes as a way to sell more individual devices and generate recurring revenue.

It keeps happening. Stuff you bought isn’t yours because the company you bought it from can take away features and force you to do things you don’t want or need to do—ultimately because they want to make more money off of you. It’s frustrating, it’s exhausting, and it’s discouraging.

And it has stopped IoT for the rest of us in its tracks. Industrial IoT is doing great—data collection is the point for the customer. But the consumer electronics business model does not mesh with the expected lifespan of home products, and so enshittification began as soon as those first warranties ran out.

How can we reset the expectations we have of connected devices, so that they are again worthy of our trust and money? Before we can bring the promise back, we must deweaponize the technology.

Guidelines for the hardware producer

What we can do as engineers and business owners is make sure the stuff we’re building can’t be wielded as a lever against our own customers, and to show consumers how things could be. These are things we want consumers to expect and demand of manufacturers.

Control

Think local

Decouple

Open interfaces

Be a good citizen

1) Control over firmware updates.

You scream, “What about security updates!” But a company taking away a feature you use or requiring personal data for no reason is arguably a security flaw. 

We were once outraged when intangible software products went from something that remained unchanging on your computer, to a cloud service, with all the ephemerality that term promises. Now they’re coming for our tangible possessions.

No one should be able to do this with hardware that you own. Breaking functionality is entirely what security updates are supposed to prevent! A better checklist for firmware updates:

Allow users to control when and what updates they want to apply. 

Be thorough and clear as to what the update does and provide the ability to downgrade if needed. 

Separate security updates from feature additions or changes. 

Never force an update unless you are sure you want to accept (financial) responsibility for whatever you inadvertently break. 

Consider that you are sending software updates to other people’s hardware. Ask them for permission (which includes respecting “no”) before touching their stuff!

2) Do less on the Internet.

A large part of the security issues with IoT products stem from the Internet connectivity itself. Any server in the cloud has an attack surface, and now that means your physical devices do.

The solution here is “do less”. All functionality should be local-only unless it has a really good reason to use the Internet. Remotely controlling your lights while in your own house does not require the cloud and certainly does not require an account with your personal information attached to it. Limit the use of the cloud to only the functions that cannot work without it.

As a bonus, less networked functionality means fewer maintenance costs for you.

3) Decouple products and services.

It’s fine to need a cloud service. But making a product that requires a specific cloud service is a guarantee that it can be enshittified at any point later on, with no alternative for the user owner. 

Design products to be able to interact with other servers. You have sold someone hardware and now they own it, not you. They have a right to keep using it even if you shut down or break your servers. Allow them the ability to point their devices to another service. If you want them to use your service, make it worthwhile enough for them to choose you.

Finally, if your product has a heavy reliance on the cloud to work, consider enabling your users to self-host their own cloud tooling if they so desire. A lot of people are perfectly capable of doing this on their own and can help others do the same.

4) Use open and standard protocols and interfaces.

Most networked devices have no reason to use proprietary protocols, interfaces, and data formats. There are open standards with communities and software available for almost anything you could want to do. Re-inventing the wheel just wastes resources and makes it harder for users to keep using their stuff after you’re long gone. We did this with Twine, creating an encrypted protocol that minimized chatter, because we needed to squeeze battery life out of WiFi back when there weren’t good options.

If you do have a need for a proprietary protocol (and there are valid reasons to do so):

Document it. 

If possible, have a fallback option that uses an open standard. 

Provide tooling and software to interact with your custom protocols, at the very least enough for open source developers to be able to work with it. This goes for physical interfaces as much as it does for cloud protocols.

If the interface requires a custom-made, expensive, and/or hard-to-find tool to use, then consider using something else that is commonly available and off the shelf instead.

5) Be a good citizen.

Breaking paid-for functionality on other people’s stuff is inherently unethical. Consider not doing this! Enshittification is not a technical problem, it is a behavioral one. Offer better products that are designed to resist enshittification, and resist it yourself in everything you do.

Nothing forced Philips to do what they are doing: a human made a decision to do it. They could have just as easily chosen not to. With Twine’s server lock-in, at least we chose to keep it running, for 12 years now. Consider that you can still make a decent living by being honest and ethical towards the people who are, by purchasing your products, paying for your lifestyle. 

We didn’t get here by accident. Humans made choices that brought us to this point, and we can’t blame anyone for being turned off by it. But we can choose to do better. We can design better stuff. And we can choose not to mess things up after the fact.

We’re putting this into practice with Pickup. (We also think that part of an IoT reset is giving users the creative freedom of a general-purpose device.) If you’re looking for something better and our product can fill a need you have, consider backing us. We cannot claim to be perfect or have all of the answers, but we are absolutely going to try. The status quo sucks. Let’s do something about it.

Published October 15, 2023 By Jeremy Billheimer

[warningsine]

All right, since I bombarded a poor mutual yesterday...

Privacy is not security and security is not privacy. These terms are not interchangeable, but they are intrinsically linked.

While we're at this, anonymity =/= security either. For example, Tor provides the former, but not necessarily the latter, hence using Https is always essential.

It is impossible to have privacy without security, but you can have security without privacy.

A case in point is administrators being able to view any data they want due to their full-access rights to a system. That being said, there are ethics and policies that usually prevent such behavior.

Some general tips:

Operating System: Switch to Linux. Ubuntu and Linux Mint are widely used for a reason. Fedora too. And don't worry! You can keep your current operating system, apps and data. If you're on a Mac computer, you can easily partition your hard drive or SSD by using Disk Utility. If you're on Windows, you can follow this guide.

You want to go a step further? Go with Whonix or Tails. They're Linux distributions as well, but they're both aiming for security, not beauty so the interface might not be ideal for everyone. Many political activists and journalists use them.

You want anonymity? Then you need to familiarize yourself with Tor. Also, Tor and HTTPS and Tor’s weaknesses. When you're using it, don't log in to sites like Google, Facebook, Twitter etc. and make sure to stay away from Java and Javascript, because those things make you traceable.

Alternatives for dealing with censorship? i2p and Freenet.

Is ^ too much? Welp. All right. Let's see. The first step is to degoogle.

Switch to a user-friendly browser like Firefox (or better yet LibreWolf), Brave or Vivaldi. There are plenty of hardened browsers, but they can be overwhelming for a beginner.

Get an ad blocker like Ublock Origin.

Search Engine? StartPage or Duckduckgo. SearXNG too. Like I said degoogle.

Get a PGP encrypted e-mail. Check Protonmail out.

There's also Tutamail that doesn't cover PGP, but uses hybrid encryption that avoids some of the cons of PGP.

Skiff mail is also a decent option.

Use an e-mail aliasing service such as SimpleLogin or AnonAddy.

Check OpenPGP out. Claws Mail is a good e-mail client for Windows and Linux, Thunderbird for Mac OS.

Gpg4win is free and easy to use for anyone that wants to encrypt/decrypt e-mails.

Instead of Whatsapp, Facebook messenger, Telegram etc. use Signal for your encrypted insant messaging, voice and video calls.

Get a metadata cleaner.

Get a firewall like Opensnitch, Portmaster or Netguard which can block Internet for trackers.

Alternatively, go with a private DNS that blocks these trackers. NextDNS is a good paid service. Rethink a good free option.

Replace as many of your applications as you can with FOSS (free and open source) ones. Alternativeto can help you.

Always have automatic updates on. They are annoying af, I know, but they are necessary.

Keep your distance from outdated software.

Always have two-factor authentication (2FA) enabled.

Do not use your administrator account for casual stuff. If you're on Linux, you probably know you can be sudo, but not root.

On Linux distributions use AppArmor, but stay away from random antivirus scanners. Other distributions default to SELinux, which is less suited to a beginner.

Never repeat your passwords. If you can't remember them all, use a password manager like KeePass.

Encrypt your drive.

Honestly, VPNs have their uses and ProtonVPN, Mullvad and Windscribe are decent, but eh. If you don't trust your ISP, why would you trust the VPN provider that claims they don't log you when you can't verify such a thing?

[heidi891]

My Digital Minimalism Journey

Doomscrolling. Smartphone addiction. Google this, Google that. Sounds familiar? I've begun a journey to untangle myslef from American megacorps and declutter my digital life.

I consider Google the worst big corporation, because while Microsoft and Apple sell products (hardware, software), Google's basically an advertising company. We are Google's products—that's why Google can give us so much for free and still make so much money. "But I have nothing to hide." Me too. I don't commit crimes, I don't watch pornography, I don't do anything classified. If everyone suddenly could see everything I do online, I'd just be slightly embarrased, that's all. But monopolies are illegal and dangerous for a reason. They erode freedom, shape our reality, leave us no alternative, influence our beliefs. I know I'm not immune to this, even though it's easy to believe otherwise.

Another factor I take into account is using local products to support my country's (Poland's) and Europe's economy and security.

Google Search

I noticed long time ago that Google Search became far from ideal, full of ads and focused on shopping. For example, when I looked for information about a medicine, I saw a long list of online pharmacies. I started using Bing, because it gave me information I was looking for—the medicine's description and side effects. (My husband is happy with Google, but his searches involve more shopping, like buying things for his hobbies and renovations.) Recently I've started using Qwant—a French search engine that uses their own index to some extent and Bing. Some people like German Ecosia that uses Google search results AFAIK.

Browser

The problem with browsers is that most of them are based on Chromium (not to be confused with Google Chrome). Chromium, Safari's Webkit and Mozilla's Gecko are like engines beneath the hoods that are browsers. Browsers may have different functions like adblocks, tab management or favourites, but those three are what allows browsers to read and display websites. While Chromium is open source, it's controlled and developed by Google.

I decided to use Mozilla Firefox with turned off telemetry and Qwant and uBlock Origin extensions. Mozilla, though American, is open source and non profit.

Update: I also installed Privacy Badger extension.

E-mail

Almost twenty years ago, as a teenager, I set up my mailbox on Onet—a Polish news portal. When I got married and changed my last name, I changed my mailbox too, to Gmail. Recently I've started using my old mailbox again when I discovered that I could create an alias for my current last name. In my Gmail I set up my mail to be forwarded to my current mailbox and deleted from Gmail. It isn't perfect, because the mail still reaches Google servers, but I changed most logins and I hardly get any mail there.

If you're from Poland, you can check out wp.pl and O2, they have mailboxes too. Otherwise, Swiss Proton and German Tuta are popular, especially amongst those who care much about privacy. Swiss Infomaniak offers a mailbox in Western Europe. There may be some good mailbox providers in your country, you can look it up.

Contacts

I deleted my contacts from Google and store them locally on the phone. I have backups saved on a pedrive and in a cloud.

Calendar

I've started using a paid Polish app called Domownik (dom means home, so the name means it's an app for home, for household matters). I keep my private calendar there and tasks, and recipes, and weekly menu, and a shopping list that I share with my husband, and some notes that I used to keep in Google Keep and Microsoft OneNote. It's Polish and family oriented, so it isn't a good choice for everyone. Some mailbox providers offer calendars too. You may also think about a paper calendar.

Google Drive, OneDrive

I still use them to some extent. We pay for a family plan on OneDrive. Unfortunately, when I checked European providers like Filen, Proton, Koofr, Cryptee, kDrive, Jottacloud, Hetzner... (if you just want a few GB of storage for free, check them out), it turned out OneDrive is cheaper. My husband loves photo remainders there too. I want to use Swiss pCloud where you can pay once for a lifetime. They also offer nice photo gallery and playlists made from your files. I hope I manage to change it this year.

Google Maps

I checked out a few navigation apps like HERE WeGo, Magic Earth and Organic Maps, but eventually decided to use mapy.com (former mapy.cz). You can download one country's map for free and they have great hiking trails map. I know it works best for Czech Republic and its neighbours (which I happen to be), so I'm not sure if it's as good in other countries.

There's an option to share location, but currently I'm the only one in my family who use it, so I haven't had a chance to try it out. Location sharing is the only reason why I'm still keeping Google Maps on my phone. Next time we're visiting my parents I'll try location sharing in WhatsApp and if it works, I could get rid of Google Maps.

For public transport I use Polish app jakdojade.pl.

Google Docs, Microsoft Office

I've used LibreOffice for years (and OpenOffice before that), so I don't need to change much on my PC. However, I used Google Docs and Sheets on my phone. I had a Google Sheets file for recording my weight. I decided I'm going to keep a digital version of that as ODS (LibreOffice file) on my PC (with a backup in a cloud) and I'll start noting my weight and pressure in a notebook, so if I ever have to show it to a doctor, I can just bring it with me. I used to write fanfiction in Google Docs, so I'm either coming back to writing on my PC in LibreOffice or I'll try French Cryptpad.

Update: I ended up using FreeOffice. It isn't perfect, but it works and that's what's most important.

Google Translate

I've started using German DeepL instead.

Social Media

I have a blog and used to have fanpages on Facebook and Instagram. I don't offer any services or sell any products; it's a project born out of passion. Running a fanpage was so time consuming and hardly anyone was interested in my work, so I decided to stop doing it. I still have my blog; I started running a small blog on wordpress.com with updates and interesting links, so that anyone who's interested can subscribe to it via newsletter or RSS app. I write an update only once in a while when I change something on my main website or if I find something interesting. I deleted Instagram and Facebook (I changed there some settings though, to get some most important notifications to my mailbox), and Tumblr too (too much mindless scrolling).

I downloaded an RSS app instead (I chose Bulgarian Inoreader, but there're others). I follow news sites and blogs I like. It's a feed, but it's my feed, in a chronological order, without ads, sponsored content, algorithms and stupid or hateful comments. Just news and blog posts in a chronological order. I noticed I started to actually read articles! On social media apps it was so easy to read a title and go to the comment section immediately.

Podcasts and Music

I follow my favourite YouTube channels in the RSS app and I got rid of YouTube. I listen to my favourite podcasts in Swedish Spotify. We used to have a family plan in Spotify, but we use American Tidal for music now, because it's a little cheaper, there aren't so many YouTube-like podcasts that my son watched (and I don't want him to), and Tidal pays artists three times more than Spotify. Personally, I'd love to come back to having my mp3 files and playing my own music (I only listen to my own playlists anyway), but my family isn't on board. I'll try to buy my favourite songs to support artists a little and find a way to convert my CDs to digital files (I did it years ago, but I got rid of them...).

Films and TV shows

We had Netflix, Disney+, HBO and Prime at one point. Currently we only keep Netflix (where we have lots to watch) and Prime (my husband says it's cheap enough to keep; I'd just get rid of it if it were up to me). We may pay for i.e. HBO for a month when there's something we want to watch.

I love watching TV shows, so I don't want to give up streaming altogether.

Phone

I use an old iPhone. Android is controlled by Google and iPhone is the only Apple thing I use. Degoogled Android like Graphene OS or Dumbphones are too much for me (just like self-hosted cloud).

What Is Difficult To Get Rid Of

I keep Google Family Link and Microsoft Family Safety to have parental control over my children's computers and phones. My children keep using Microsoft Edge browser too because of that. It's less about time limits and mostly about blocking some websites (I want them only to use websites and download apps that I allow them to). I haven't find a better way yet.

[usafphantom2]

Updated B-52 electronic warfare suite will be tested in flight in 2024

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 03/29/2024 - 10:36 in Military

Flying through the skies since the 1950s, the B-52 Stratofortress is a U.S. Air Force (USAF) workhorse and a lasting symbol of American military power. The eight-engine giant has unique capabilities unparalleled to any other American warplane - which is why, after more than 70 years of service, it continues to play a vital role in the defense and national security strategy of the U.S. And thanks to a collaboration between L3Harris and USAF, this iconic aircraft is prepared to remain ready for the mission against highly sophisticated emerging threats in the coming decades.

Under a 10-year contract worth $947 million granted in 2021, L3Harris is upgrading and improving the AN/ALQ-172 electronic war self-protection system (EW), which protects the B-52 and air crews from a wide range of electronic threats. Our current work is based on decades of experience in providing critical technology as a Manufacturer of Original Equipment of the AN/ALQ-172 systems for the B-52 fleet. And combined with other ongoing modernization efforts, these updates will increase the relevance and reliability of the B-52 by the 2050s.

L3 Harris AN/ALQ-172 systems.

"Our opponents continue to evolve, facing advanced and far-reaching threats that challenge our ability to operate in contested environments," says Robert "Trip" Raymond, USAF's Program Leader for EW Technology Development at L3Harris. "It is essential that we provide our B-52 crew with the necessary tools to keep the B-52 relevant, lethal and survivable as the backbone of the strategic bomber force of the United States."

The effort of modernization and support - ALQ-172 Maintenance and Reliability System (MARS) - intends to do exactly that, increasing the average time between failures due to its modular design, while further improving the performance, maintenance capacity and reliability of the system. Thanks to an integrated and improved radio frequency system, crews will be able to simultaneously combat multiple radar threats that interfere with aircraft operations. And by replacing analog systems with more economical software solutions, USAF will be able to reduce the size of B-52 crews from 5 to 4. This frees up resources for additional mission-critical activities.

Ultimately, the updates will further help USAF in its Global Attack Mission and strengthen the effectiveness of the B-52 in modern warfare, while making future upgrades cheaper and easier.

"We are implementing affordable solutions that not only reduce costs, but also provide crews with more advanced protection against the most sophisticated threats detected by radar," said Jimmy Mercado, Program Director at L3Harris. "All this results in a more modern, efficient and effective aircraft, ready to dominate the future struggle."

USAF plans to conduct a test flight with the new electronic warfare capabilities of the B-52 in 2024.

Tags: Military AviationBoeing B-52H StratofortressEW - ELECTRONIC WARL3HarrisUSAF - United States Air Force / U.S. Air Force

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[maxsmith007-blog]

How Can Legacy Application Support Align with Your Long-Term Business Goals?

Many businesses still rely on legacy applications to run core operations. These systems, although built on older technology, are deeply integrated with workflows, historical data, and critical business logic. Replacing them entirely can be expensive and disruptive. Instead, with the right support strategy, these applications can continue to serve long-term business goals effectively.

1. Ensure Business Continuity

Continuous service delivery is one of the key business objectives of any enterprise. Maintenance of old applications guarantees business continuity, which minimizes chances of business interruption in case of software malfunctions or compatibility errors. These applications can be made to work reliably with modern support strategies such as performance monitoring, frequent patching, system optimization, despite changes in the rest of the system changes in the rest of the systems. This prevents the lost revenue and downtime of unplanned outages.

2. Control IT Costs

A straight replacement of the legacy systems is a capital intensive process. By having support structures, organizations are in a position to prolong the life of such applications and ensure an optimal IT expenditure. The cost saved can be diverted into innovation or into technologies that interact with the customers. An effective support strategy manages the total cost of ownership (TCO), without sacrificing performance or compliance.

3. Stay Compliant and Secure

The observance of industry regulations is not negotiable. Unsupported legacy application usually fall out of compliance with standards changes. This is handled by dedicated legacy application support which incorporates security updates, compliances patching and audit trails maintenance. This minimizes the risks of regulatory fines and reputational loss as well as governance and risk management objectives.

4. Connect with Modern Tools

Legacy support doesn’t mean working in isolation. With the right approach, these systems can connect to cloud platforms, APIs, and data tools. This enables real-time reporting, improved collaboration, and more informed decision-making—without requiring full system replacements.

5. Protect Business Knowledge

The legacy systems often contain years of institutional knowledge built into workflows, decision trees, and data architecture. They should not be abandoned early because vital operational insights may be lost. Maintaining these systems enables enterprises to keep that knowledge and transform it into documentation or reusable code aligned with ongoing digital transformation initiatives.

6. Support Scalable Growth

Well-supported legacy systems can still grow with your business. With performance tuning and capacity planning, they can handle increased demand and user loads. This keeps growth on track without significant disruption to IT systems.

7. Increase Flexibility and Control

Maintaining legacy application—either in-house or through trusted partners—gives businesses more control over their IT roadmap. It avoids being locked into aggressive vendor timelines and allows change to happen on your terms.

Legacy applications don’t have to be a roadblock. With the right support model, they become a stable foundation that supports long-term goals. From cost control and compliance to performance and integration, supported legacy systems can deliver measurable value. Specialized Legacy Application Maintenance Services are provided by service vendors such as Suma Soft, TCS, Infosys, Capgemini,  and HCLTech, to enable businesses to get the best out of their current systems, as they prepare to transform in the future. Choosing the appropriate partner will maintain these systems functioning, developing and integrated with wider business strategies.

[crossatlanticsoftware-blog]

Top WordPress Website Development Services: Expert Web Designers & Developers Near You

These days, your website is often the first impression people get of your business—so it needs to look good and work flawlessly. In a world where everything happens online, having a strong digital presence isn’t just nice to have—it’s essential. That’s why so many businesses turn to WordPress. It’s reliable, flexible, and built to grow with you. Whether you’re starting from scratch or giving your current site a much-needed refresh, having the right team by your side makes all the difference. At Cross Atlantic Software, we’re here to help with WordPress website development services that are designed around your goals, your brand, and your future.Why Choose WordPress?

WordPress powers over 40% of all websites on the internet—and for good reason. It’s a powerful, flexible, and scalable platform that supports everything from simple blogs to complex eCommerce sites. Its open-source nature, combined with a vast library of themes and plugins, makes it a favorite among developers and business owners alike.

However, maximizing WordPress’s potential requires more than a basic understanding. It calls for professional WordPress web design, skilled development, and ongoing optimization. That’s where Cross Atlantic Software comes in.

Our WordPress Website Development Services

At Cross Atlantic Software, our comprehensive WordPress website development services include everything from initial consultation to post-launch support. Here’s what you can expect:

1. Custom WordPress Web Design

We understand that every business is unique. Our team of experienced WordPress designers near me works closely with clients to create custom websites that reflect their brand identity, engage visitors, and convert leads. Whether you need a sleek corporate site or a visually rich portfolio, our designs are tailored to impress and perform.

2. Expert WordPress Development

Our skilled WordPress web developers specialize in creating responsive, SEO-friendly, and lightning-fast websites. From theme customization to plugin development and API integrations, we ensure your website functions seamlessly across all devices and platforms.

3. E-commerce Solutions

Want to start selling online? We integrate robust WooCommerce solutions into your WordPress site to create intuitive and secure eCommerce stores. Our WordPress website development services include product page optimization, shopping cart setup, payment gateway integration, and more.

4. Maintenance & Support

A website is not a one-time project; it requires constant updates and monitoring. We offer ongoing maintenance packages that include backups, security scans, plugin updates, and performance monitoring to keep your website running at its best.

Why Work with WordPress Experts Near You?

Searching for WordPress experts near me brings you to professionals who understand your market and can provide more personalized support. At Cross Atlantic Software, we pride ourselves on our collaborative approach and transparent communication. Being locally accessible means we’re always within reach for meetings, consultations, or urgent updates.

What Sets Cross Atlantic Software Apart?

We’re more than just WordPress web developers—we’re your digital partners. Our team combines creativity, strategy, and technical skill to deliver impactful websites that drive business results.

Client-Centric Approach: We tailor our services to your goals, not the other way around.

Proven Expertise: Our portfolio spans diverse industries and project scales.

Responsive Design: Mobile-first design ensures your site looks great on all devices.

SEO Optimization: Every project is built with SEO best practices to help you rank higher.

Local Talent: Looking for WordPress designers near me? You’ll find them here.

The Benefits of Professional WordPress Web Design

Many small businesses start with DIY templates or free website builders, but these often come with limitations. Professional WordPress web design ensures that your site is not only visually appealing but also optimized for performance, SEO, and user experience.

Benefits include:

Brand Consistency: Custom themes aligned with your branding.

Improved SEO: Faster load times and proper on-page SEO structures.

Scalability: Easily add new features or pages as your business grows.

Security: Reduced risk of hacking with the right development practices.

Case Study: A Success Story with Cross Atlantic Software

A local fitness studio approached us in search of WordPress experts near me. They needed a visually dynamic and user-friendly website to showcase their services and handle class bookings. Our team delivered a stunning custom design, integrated WooCommerce for payments, and created a seamless user experience across desktop and mobile.

The result? A 60% increase in website traffic and a 35% increase in customer sign-ups within three months.

How to Get Started

If you’re ready to elevate your online presence, don’t settle for generic solutions. Partner with Cross Atlantic Software to leverage our end-to-end WordPress website development services and achieve your business goals. Whether you're looking for WordPress web design, development, or local support from WordPress designers near me, we’ve got you covered.

Schedule a free consultation today and see how our team of dedicated WordPress web developers can transform your digital presence.

Conclusion

Your website is your most powerful digital asset. With the right design and development partner, you can create a site that not only looks good but delivers results. Cross Atlantic Software, we combine technical know-how with creative flair to offer world-class WordPress website development services that drive success.

Don’t waste time searching endlessly for WordPress experts near me or wondering if your site is up to par. Let our experienced team guide you from concept to launch—and beyond.

Contact Cross Atlantic Software today and start building your digital future.

[sirfrogsworth]

Oh god, please don't do this.

Update your phone.

Maybe an argument can be made to wait a week or two just in case there are bugs in the new update, but updates are crucial to your phone's security. Updating apps is also part of that security. Unless it is an app that has no internet requirement, you need to keep them current. And if an app is no longer being supported or updated, you should probably move on to the next best thing. Even if that sucks sometimes.

And I hate to defend Apple all the time, but you cannot make current judgments based on the freakin' iPhone 4. Apple currently makes some of the longest lasting products on the market. Not only that, they support those products with software updates for pretty much their entire lifespan. Google and Samsung were being praised this year for promising 5 and 7 years of updates. Apple has been doing this for years now. They never put a number on it, but if a phone can run the software, they support it.

In fact, the big story about Apple slowing down phones is always presented as them wanting people to buy new phones, but in that case they were actually trying to extend the life of people's devices. If they hadn't throttled the CPU, the battery would have bricked a bunch of phones. Their error was not disclosing what they were doing. They got sued for that and rightly so. All people needed was a battery swap and they'd be back to full speed. It's ridiculous that Apple didn't just disclose that from the beginning.

Also, the days of phones getting too old to run new software are pretty much over. Moore's Law is slowing down and phones are incredibly powerful and anything within the last 5 years or so will probably last 7 to 10 years if you take care of it. Depending on your use, you might need a battery swap, but you should only need to replace your phone sooner if there are features you absolutely need in the new model.

Apple's big sin is not planned obsolescence but repairability. Their products are well made. They last a long time. And they tend to have fewer manufacturing defects than other brands. (In general. Your anecdotal experiences will vary.)

But... shit happens.

People drop things. They spill things. They abuse things. And when they break, you shouldn't have to get a whole new thing. Apple seems to have poorly trained diagnostic staff who commonly tell people their device cannot be repaired when the diagnosis is not apparent. Or they will misdiagnose something with a super expensive repair when it is actually a minor fix. (Which is why experienced repair shops exist and should be supported by Apple.) Apple has tried to micro-manage the repair process of their devices to such a degree that it has sparked an entire advocacy movement.

But don't let Google, Samsung, etc off the hook either. They suck too. If you are using Android thinking you have some moral high ground, they either do the same shit or they do slightly different shit that is just as bad.

Not to mention, Google is an advertising company. I don't understand people who are like, "Apple is evil, so I'm going to use this advertising platform instead." It's a lateral move, at best.

No good guys in capitalism, folks.

At minimum, repair shops should be able to use spare parts from broken devices to fix salvageable ones. And Apple is literally pairing screens and chips to one device so they can't be used to fix others. It's... diabolical.

So, update your phones.

Apple is bad at repairability but is good as far as planned obsolescence goes. Although when computers and phones eventually are able to last for 20 years, we'll see if that changes. For now, they make things that last until you fumble them into the toilet bowl and *that* is when they start to suck.

If you need a good villain to talk about planned obsolescence, I would go with Samsung appliances.

[stuarttechnologybob]

What are the features of an open source platform?

Open Source Development

An open-source platform is a type of software that makes its source code available to everyone. Anyone can view, use, change, and share the code freely. With the rise of Open Source Development, more businesses and developers choose open-source platforms because of their flexibility, transparency, and community support. Let’s look at the key features that make open-source platforms so popular.

Free and Open Access -

One of the most best and dominant features of an open-source platform is that it’s freely available. While the users can download, install, and use their software and portals without paying for a license or any additional resources. This is considered as a significant benefit for the startups and developers with limited budgets and lower cash surplus.

Customizable and Flexible -

Open Source Development allows and grants the users to modify and develop their code to fit their specific needs. Whether it’s changing the interface, adding new features, or fixing bugs, open-source platforms give complete control to the user.

Community-Driven Support -

Open-source platforms usually have large communities of developers and users. These communities and joint groups share knowledge, fix issues, and improve overall responses for the software over time. Forums, documentation, and online discussions make it an easy process to get help and stay updated as the users or partners dive in for assistance.

Frequent Updates and Improvements -

With open-source projects, improvements come fast. Developers from around the world contribute updates, security patches, and new features regularly. This keeps the software current and efficient, driven by the power of Open Source Development.

Transparency and Security -

Because the code is open, anyone can inspect it for flaws or vulnerabilities. This level of transparency helps identify and fix security issues faster than with closed-source software. Users also know exactly what the software is doing behind the scenes.

No Vendor Lock-In -

Open-source development platforms allow the users to host, change, or move their software as needed. You’re not tied to one company or limited by their policies—giving you more flexibility and independence.

Open-source platforms offer powerful features like cost-effectiveness, customization, and strong community support. Thanks to Open Source Development, they continue to grow and evolve, helping users build better, more innovative solutions. Open Source Development encourages innovation, customization, and collaboration, while closed-source development offers more control and official support as this results in a better approach towards open source platforms.

Businesses can rely on open-source system partners and developers with companies and experts like Suma Soft, IBM, and Cyntexa for a hassle-free operational journey. These industry and professional experts ensure a smooth transition with custom solutions and advanced security measures with ongoing support, allowing the companies to maximize the benefits of modern digital infrastructure with the help of Open Source Platform.

[allaboutkeyingo]

Microsoft support for Windows 10 will end on October 14, 2025

After October 14, 2025, this 10 years older version of Windows will no longer provide free software updates from Windows Update, technical assistance, or security fixes for Window 10. Your PC will still work, but we recommend moving to Windows 11 for the latest critical updates and support that can keep you secure online.. Windows 11 offers a modern and efficient experience designed to meet current demands for heightened security.

What happens to my PC when Windows 10 reaches the end of support date?

After October 14, 2025, Microsoft will no longer provide free software updates from Windows Update, technical assistance, or security fixes for Windows 10.

Will my Windows 10 PC stop working?

No. Your PC will continue to work, but support will be discontinued.

Can I upgrade to Windows 11 for free?

The upgrade to the same editions are free, for example, Windows 10 Home to Windows 11 Home, and Windows 10 Pro to Windows 11 Pro are free. Check to see if this is an option for you by opening Settings > Privacy and Security > Windows Update. If your PC meets the minimum system requirements and is able to upgrade, you should see an option in Windows Update to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11.

How do I get a supported version of Windows 11 ?

There are a couple of ways to get Windows 11:

Purchase a new PC with Windows 11;

Upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11;

Buy a new Windows 11 License from Microsoft store or Reseller store such as Newegg, Amazon, BestBuy or Keyingo

How is Windows 11 security better than Windows 10 security?

Windows 11 is the most secure Windows ever built, with comprehensive end-to-end security that covers antivirus, firewall, internet protections, and more. This means more security features, dashboard displays, and ongoing updates to help safeguard against future threats–all built-in at no extra cost.

[aithemis]

AITHEMIS: A New Way Of Enhancing Legal Practice in “AI” Way

Is AI a legal threat or a helpful tool? Is it replacing or altering the work of lawyers? You might be surprised by the response.

AI is now a quiet participant in the dance of existence. After initially being reluctant to take the initiative, it now easily guides us through its complexity. It helps us with things we used to think people could only do.

It can change the legal sector, including law firms, in-house attorneys, legal operations, and law schools.

AI is a potent instrument in the legal field that enhances rather than replaces human skill. It increases productivity and offers instant access to large databases, a document visualizer, and a case summarizer, which can help contract review in a few minutes.

But a human touch is still necessary for creativity, nuance, and comprehension of human settings. We should consider AI a friend rather than an adversary attempting to supplant humanity. Many of our problems can be solved by AI as a collaborator, which includes:

Review and Analysis of Documents Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies save time in case law research, contract analysis, and due diligence by quickly scanning hundreds of legal documents and finding relevant information.

Predictive analytics AI can predict legal outcomes by examining past cases. This allows lawyers to make better arguments and advise clients, enhancing strategy and decision- making.

Legal Studies AI tools that efficiently scan legal literature and rulings expedite research, and lawyers can focus. These technologies allow them to retrieve relevant content and concentrate on more crucial tasks quickly.

Contract Management AI-assisted contract management solutions reduce turnaround time and legal problems by accurately drafting, reviewing, and managing contracts while identifying risks and guaranteeing regulatory compliance.

Client Communication & Chatbots AI-driven chatbots respond to client questions and offer updates, enhancing client involvement and freeing legal professionals to focus on intricate case details. Therefore, AI is more likely to assist legal teams in keeping more work in-house than replacing positions. As a result, these teams can more carefully choose which tasks to outsource.

In other words, AI can free experts to concentrate on more creative and intellectually stimulating work — the kind of work that first attracted them to the legal field. One of the most significant effects of AI on the legal sector will probably be these procedures, which can benefit law firms or internal legal departments, as well as the clients and businesses they assist.

AI is having a truly remarkable and revolutionary impact on the legal industry. Law Firm AI Software and AI Case Management System tools are just two examples of how technology may modernize law businesses, promote growth, and enhance client services — it’s not just about automating work.

It is essential to have a reliable tool. The AI they employ must produce accurate and legally binding records, be based on trustworthy legal sources, and indicate where its data originates.

These are the few things to Take Into Account When Collaborating with a Trustworthy AI:

Does the AI platform for legal case summaries work well with your workflow, and is it compatible with your current legal applications?

Does it have the capability to meet legal demands, such as automated case management software?

Does the user interface guarantee that legal professionals can easily use it?

Does the supplier protect sensitive legal data by adhering to strict security and privacy standards?

Can AI be expanded to meet upcoming legal issues and technological advancements?

These factors must be considered when choosing AI for legal work. The quick adoption of AI to automate legal documents evidences a notable trend toward more precise and effective legal processes. In a time when time is of the essence, and legal difficulties are becoming more widespread, people who use and adapt to AI have a better chance of success.

The future of law is not about humans vs. AI but rather about how we can employ both to improve client service and build a more accessible and effective legal system.

With Aithemis, incorporating AI into law is not merely a trend but a revolution in law practice in the twenty-first century.

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Website: www.aithemis.ai

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Boost Your Accounting Firm's Productivity with Sage 50 Cloud Hosting

In the fast-paced accounting world, efficiency and accuracy are crucial. To boost productivity and maintain a competitive edge, firms must utilize the right tools. Sage 50 Cloud hosting offers a powerful solution by combining the robust features of Sage 50 accounting software with the flexibility and accessibility of cloud technology.

What is Sage 50 Cloud Hosting?

Sage 50 Cloud hosting involves deploying the Sage 50 accounting software on a cloud server. This setup allows users to access their accounting data and perform tasks from anywhere, at any time, using any device with an internet connection. Hosted by third-party providers, the cloud environment ensures high availability, data security, and seamless performance.

Benefits of Sage 50 Cloud Hosting

1. Enhanced Accessibility and Collaboration

Sage 50 Cloud hosting allows your team to access accounting data remotely, enabling real-time collaboration. This is especially advantageous for firms with remote employees or multiple office locations. Team members can work on the same data simultaneously without conflicts, enhancing efficiency and minimizing delays.

2. Scalability

Cloud hosting offers the flexibility to scale resources according to your firm’s needs. Whether experiencing growth or needing to reduce resources during slower periods, Sage 50 Cloud hosting adapts to your requirements without requiring significant upfront investments.

3. Data Security and Backup

Reputable cloud hosting providers implement strong security measures, such as encryption, firewalls, and multi-factor authentication, to protect your sensitive financial data. Additionally, automatic backups ensure your data is safe and can be quickly restored in case of loss or corruption.

4. Cost Efficiency

Choosing Sage 50 Cloud hosting can significantly reduce the costs of maintaining on-premise servers and IT infrastructure. This option eliminates the need for expensive hardware, software updates, and dedicated IT personnel, allowing you to allocate resources more effectively.

5. Improved Software Performance

Cloud servers are designed for optimal performance, ensuring seamless and efficient operation of Sage 50. With regular maintenance and updates provided by the hosting provider, you can always access the latest features and improvements effortlessly.

6. Compliance and Regulatory Adherence

Cloud hosting providers frequently adhere to industry standards and regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and SOX, ensuring that your accounting practices comply with legal and regulatory requirements. This adherence is essential for upholding the integrity and reliability of your accounting firm.

How to Get Started with Sage 50 Cloud Hosting

1. Choose a Reputable Hosting Provider

When researching, choose a hosting provider known for reliable Sage 50 Cloud services. Evaluate factors like uptime guarantees, customer support quality, security protocols, and pricing.

2. Migration Planning

Prepare to migrate your current Sage 50 data to the cloud. A reputable hosting provider should provide migration support to facilitate a seamless transition with minimal disruption to your operations.

3. Training and Support

Make sure your team receives sufficient training to effectively use Sage 50 in the cloud. Utilize training resources and support services offered by the hosting provider to enhance proficiency in the new environment.

4. Ongoing Management

Regularly oversee and manage your cloud resources to enhance performance and cost-effectiveness. Keep in contact with your hosting provider for updates and guidance on best practices.

Conclusion

Sage 50 Cloud hosting revolutionizes accounting firms by enhancing productivity, promoting collaboration, and protecting data. Harnessing cloud capabilities enables your firm to lead in the industry, providing exceptional client services. Embrace Sage 50 Cloud hosting to propel your firm towards a more productive future in accounting.

Source: https://www.winscloudmatrix.com/blogs/boost-your-accounting-firms-productivity-with-sage-50-cloud-hosting/