This week, I’m doing something that I don’t remember ever actually doing before. I’m taking back an Apple device, for a refund. After spending less than a week with the Apple Watch, I have to say, I’m disappointed. A bit in the device. But more in Apple. The software is simply not done. Perhaps it’s my use of a 5s as the host device for it. Perhaps my expectations are too high. Perhaps I’m right, that it’s not ready for prime…
This NYTimes article about the VW diesel issue and the DMCA made me think about how, 10 years ago next month, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) almost kept Mark Russinovich from disclosing the Sony BMG Rootkit. While the DMCA provides exceptions for reporting security vulnerabilities, it does nothing to allow for reporting breaches of… integrity. I believe that we need to consider an expansion of how researchers are permitted to, without question, reverse engineer certain systems. While entities need a…
For years, companies have regularly asked me for my opinion on using cloud-based services. For the longest time, my response was one about, “You should investigate what types of services might fit best for your business,” followed by a selection of caveats reminding them about privacy, risk, and compliance, since their information will be stored off-premises. But I’ve decided to change my tune. Beginning now, I’m going to simply start telling them to use cloud where it makes sense, but…
When I lived in Alaska, there was an obnoxious shirt that I used to see all the time, with a group of sled dogs pictured on it. The cutesy saying on it was, “If you’re not the lead dog, the view never changes.” While driving home last night and considering multiple tech marketplaces today, it came to mind. Consider the following. If you were: Building an application for phones and tablets today, whose OS would you build it for first?…
It’s become apparent that there’s some confusion between Microsoft’s Continuum feature in Windows 10, and Apple’s Continuity feature in OS X. I’ve even heard technical people get them confused. But to be honest, the letters comprising “Continu” are basically all they have in common. In addition to different (but confusingly similar) names, the two features are platform exclusive to their respective platform, and perform completely different tasks that are interesting to consider in light of how each company makes money….
I keep hearing the same questions over and over again about Windows 10 and the free* upgrade, so I have decided to put together a set of frequently asked questions about the Windows 10 promotion. Who gets it? Q: Is Windows 10 really free? Yes. It is free. Completely free. But only if you meet the qualifications and take Microsoft up on the offer from a qualified PC before July 29th, 2016. You must have Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 installed…
We are toolmakers, humankind. To resist this tendency to solve riddles, to complete tasks faster, with more efficiency, with less risk or human cost, is to resist our gift of ingenuity. Humans are not born to be cogs. We are not born to be tools. We are born to be toolmakers – to make the world better than we found it. Making tools is not without risk or obligation, however. Efficiency often comes with financial benefit to the toolmaker, but…
I never would have imagined myself in an arm-wrestling match with the floppy disk drive. But sitting where I did in Windows setup, that’s exactly what happened. A few times. When I had started at Microsoft, a boot floppy was critical to setting up a new machine. Not by the time I was in setup. Since Remote Installation Services (RIS) could start with a completely blank machine, and you could now boot a system to WinPE using a CD, there…
I’m tired of filtering out spam from the comments. As a result, if you want to comment on a post, find me on Twitter. Thanks for reading.
The college I went to had very small cells… I mean dorm rooms. Two people to a small concrete walled-room, with a closet, bed, and desk that mounted to the walls. The RA on my floor (we’ll call him “Roy”) was a real stickler about making us obey the rules – no televisions or refrigerators unless they were rented from the overpriced facility in our dorm. After all, he didn’t want anybody creating a fire hazard. But in his room? A large…