J. R. Swab

Blog


Encryption and Quantum Computers


Categories: [Technology]

Encryption becomes more of a backbone to our daily lives with every passing moment but what will happen when quantum computers are the norm?

What is Encryption

Put simply, Encryption is taking information and scrambling it, so it becomes gibberish. Turning this scrambled mess back into readable...

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How To Make The Switch To Linux


Categories: [Technology]

So you know that Linux is a better system for privacy and security, has more customization features, and is lightweight compared to its other operating system candidates. The problem is that the leap of faith into Linux is a bit anxiety inducing since it can feel so much different than your current...

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Introduction To Vim


Categories: [Technology]

I began my VIM journey years ago after following a tutorial online for some obscure Linux function that said to open a configuration file in VIM. I then found out I had no idea how to do anything in this program. I could not type, only move the cursor.

It seemed much too odd for me as a text edito...

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How To Create Your Own Cloud


Categories: [Technology]

I am an advocate for freedom and privacy. Since my nerd level is so high this leaks into my love of technology. You may not know this but I did not graduate with a degree in computer science. It was political science with a minor in music.

Weird, yes.

But technology has always been my passion an...

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Why You Need to Learn These Three Programming Languages


Categories: [Technology]

There are so many programming languages out there to pick from but how do we know what ones will benefit us the most? We could go off of total pay a particular language brings the average programmer, ease of use, or how efficient the execution of the code will be. What is more important than all of...

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Android Apps To Increase Privacy & Security


Categories: [Technology]

The news is littered with data leaks and abuse of data collection but what can we do now that we are all so connected and reliant on these devices? It's not always simple and not always intuitive, but it is possible with a few apps and a little bit of learning.

Keybase

We covered this app in dep...

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Web Browsers To Increase Privacy & Security


Categories: [Technology]

Web browsers are our gateway to the internet but with so many choices how do we know which is best for us? Being a big nerd, I tend to hop around from browser to browser looking for what fits me. I want the application to not get in the way of serving up pages while allowing me to customize the priv...

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How To Secure Data Efficiently


Categories: [Technology]

Securing our data is the most important thing we can do in this digital age. However using PGP based products does not come easy for most.

What is PGP, GPG, and Open PGP?

PGP

PGP stands for 'Pretty Good Privacy' and rightfully so, it's pretty darn good! It is used to encrypt messages and files...

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Experience Switching To The Dvorak Keyboard


Categories: [Technology]

Back in October of 2017, I chose to drop QWERTY cold turkey and force myself to learn how to type on the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard. I tried to accomplish this about a year prior but fell off when I could not type well in either style. I also was not typing a lot back then, so my practice was seldom...

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Creators, Drop Patreon Use Liberapay


Categories: [Technology]

Patreon is able to shut down the income of a creator that is flagged by a random user. This is, at times, warranted by the content of the creator but is a very slippery slope. Instead of leaving this source of funding to a company that takes a cut and can shut you down without notice; creators shoul...

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