The 10-minute security sweep I run on my 19 smart devices every year
The number that got me was nineteen. That is how many devices on my home network had a reachable port, a cloud account, or a Bluetooth radio at the end of last…
#privacy
32 articles
When Linux won’t boot: a triage order that works across distros
A Fedora workstation dropped me to a GRUB prompt two months ago because a partial DNF upgrade left the kernel updated but the initramfs unregenerated. I rebuilt the initramfs in eight minutes…
What your ISP can actually see about your browsing in 2026
The honest answer to whether your ISP can see what you do online is yes, more than most people expect, and the gap between what HTTPS protects and what the ISP still…
8 DuckDuckGo settings that earn it the default slot
I run DuckDuckGo as my default search engine, and the honest answer is that I am not there for the privacy pitch alone. The privacy is real, but the day-to-day reason is…
Security first, then privacy: a working priority order
When people argue about which tools to use, the security-versus-privacy debate usually goes nowhere because both sides are talking past each other. The arguments for privacy-focused tools (“I do not want Google…
Hard drive errors: how to triage before you lose the data
A failing drive rarely announces itself with a single dramatic crash. More often it whispers for weeks: a file that will not open, a save that takes five seconds longer than it…
What Europe’s tech sovereignty package actually does
The European Commission published its European Technological Sovereignty Package in mid-2026, and most of the English-language coverage I have read has either skipped the substance or framed it as a procurement tweak.…
Past your first Python projects? Here’s what to learn next
I have been writing about Python for a while, and I get a version of this question every week. Someone is six months into learning Python, has built a few small projects,…
Cloud document management: structure on top of your storage
Cloud document management is a system that adds structure and control to your cloud storage. The storage part is easy: any of the big three (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive) or a privacy-leaning…
PayPal alternatives in Europe that actually hold your money
PayPal is the default online payment service for most of the world, but you do not have to keep using it. There are several European alternatives that hold your money, lower your…