Microsoft has not stopped forcing Edge on Windows 11 users
Microsoft announces vague changes to the default web browser setting for Windows Insider. Nothing but wishful thinking. Still force-opens web links in Edge.
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The trouble with decommissioning a used FIDO security key
You can’t throw out your worn-out USB security keys when you can’t recall what locks they’re for. Physical security tokens come with their own problems.
The deafening problem with the FreeStyle Libre 3 app for Android
People with diabetes use the app to monitor glucose levels and trigger alerts when it goes critical. Unfortunately, it raises the volume to uncomfortable levels.
Phone Link relays your personal data through Microsoft servers
The Phone Link app doesn’t transfer data directly between your devices over the local network. Instead, it allows Microsoft to peak at your personal data.
Norway’s BankID undermines anti-phishing best practices
An easily-spoofed iframe embedded onto every random online merchant’s websites is not a safe place to enter my bank password! Is it really BankID‽
I’ve joined Vivaldi Technologies
Back in November, I began my new job as a Quality Assurance (QA) Tester at Vivaldi Technologies. Vivaldi is the productivity super-app of web browsers.
Sync issues finally drove me away from the Joplin note-taking app
Joplin for Android stopped supporting local file syncing and Syncthing. I tried cloud-storage alternatives, but the other sync methods are slow and unreliable.
Don’t record your social life on an append-only social network
The tech behind peer-to-peer (P2P) social networks such as Secure Scuttlebutt enforces permanency. Absolute permanency isn’t what you want in a social network.
First look at Microsoft PC Manager and its conflicting interests
Microsoft’s new PC cleaner app puts the company’s interests in front of its customers’. At least it doesn’t over-promise and under-deliver like its competitors.
The frustrating RouterOS–WireGuard VPN peering bug
A bug in RouterOS’ webconfig interface caused me to waste hours troubleshooting what I initially believed was a mistake in my WireGuard VPN configuration.
TP-Link network equipment hijacks some DNS requests
No one remembers the IP address of their favorite websites. Why should you remember your router’s IP address? TP-Link hijacks DNS to give itself a domain name.
I miss del.icio.us – the web’s discovery-engine and link classifier
The early 2000s social bookmarking and link-sharing website was great for organizing and discovering the web by topic. I really wish it still was around.
A Sony Headphones app feature kills your phone’s battery life
Adaptive Sound Control auto-adjusts your noise-canceling and ambient-awareness levels based on detected activities and location. At a significant battery cost.