Smart Tech

Steve Cook published a letter on the Apple website explaining how, in their opinion, the recent request and court order by the FBI unduly put the security and safety of millions of American citizens is peril.

Cartoon copywritedIn other words, the FBI wants Apple to rewrite their iOS operating system to remove encryption and security safeguards, update the phone of Syed Rizwan Farook, and make the data on the phone available to the FBI to fulfill a search warrant. Farook and Tashfeen Malik entered a holiday party in San Bernardino, CA, and killed or injured 31 people in what is presumed to be a terrorist attack. Apple argues that they do not have the encryption key or the information stored on the phone in a readable format and have done all they can do to assist the FBI in their investigation. The FBI disagrees. In this episode, we explore the danger of the government or anybody for that matter having a master key to all data on all devices. Is our loss of privacy worth the claimed increase in personal and national security?

If you are a facebook user you probably have fallen for "clickbait."  You know, that sensational headline or outlandish promise that tempts you into an innocuous click and suddenly you are down a rabbit hole or immersed in ad and pop-up hell.  The problem with some of those is that they can be fronts for malicious code that can infect your account or even your computer.  In this episode I cover 4 suggestions by the Better Business Bureau for not getting hacked as well as ways to share posts and still be safe. All of this in light of the new Facebook meme, "Be Like Me, Be Like Bill"

In this episode I show you 5 things you can do to increase the signal, speed and reliability of your home WiFi network. 

1. Make sure your wifi router is up to date  - 802.11 ac dual band is the best readily available and prices are under $100.  But if you do not have at least an N you probably need an upgrade.

2. Update your routers' firmware.

3. Change the channel

4. Relocate the router - Central and up high

5.Try a range extender

CHRISTMAS MORNING – SOMEWHERE IN AMERICAA 12-year old boy opens a large package under the tree as his mom looks on with a tired smile. “A drone!” the boy exclaims. “Just what I wanted! Thanks, Mom! Can I fly it, now? Can I, please?”“I’m sorry, hon,” his mom sighs, “but you’re going to have to wait. Daddy’s still on the FAA website.”And there you have it. For the first time in the history of Christmas, an agency of the United States government will require you to register your child’s toy before he can begin to play with it.Why? Good question.This is the opening paragraph from an article titled "The FAA’s Drone Registration Requirement: A Brief Review" Posted on December 20, 2015 on DroneLaw.comIf you were one of the estimated ¾’s of a million people who, this christmas got a drone, be advised, the federal government, specifically the FAA, has enacted new rules which require you, if you are 13 or over, or if you are under 13, someone who is 13 or over does this for you, to register your drone on the FAA website and pay a $5.00 registration fee before you fly your drone. You must also clearly mark your government supplied registration number on your drone. The federal government calls these drones, Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). So really model airplanes would also apply to the rule change.Is this a good thing? How does this affect regular drone owning citizens. We talk about this and more on this episode.

Another year has come and gone and a lot has happened in the world of Technology.  In this episode, I review the year and prod you into maybe listening again to some of your favorite episodes or listening to ones you may have missed.