Steve Holden's Blog

Printer Option In Coffee Shop

During a recent trip to Arizona, I found this "printer" option for those who don't have a printer in a coffee shop. 

I thought it was a good idea.

Hopefully, it will be profitable.

More Information - Three Scammer Alerts

The Internet has good and evil.

Three warnings to review on the evil side:

• Washington Post-
  • She believed she was an FBI ‘asset.’ The scam drained her life’s savings.
  • Enter the ‘ether,’ where scammers weaponize your emotions.
• Wired - 
  
  • Malicious Ads in Search Results Are Driving New Generations of Scams

Links From My M-Conference DEFCON Presentation

I recently presented the following presentation at Manager-Tools.com's M-Conference 2024.:

"From The Dark Web To the Boardroom: Cybersecurity Strategies from 15 years of attending DEFCON" (PDF presentation download)

These are all the links I referenced in my presentation:

• https://www.technewsradio.com/2024/09/defcon-32-2024-notes-references.html
• https://media.defcon.org 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Tzu
• https://www.wired.com/story/russia-gru-unit-29155-hacker-team/
• https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/malware-service-top-threat/
• https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2024/02/02/ddos-attacks-h2-2023/
• https://www.nsa.gov/Podcast/
• https://stpetecatalyst.com/local-cybersecurity-firm-we-hired-a-north-korean-hacker/
• https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/malware-service-top-threat/
• https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2024/02/02/ddos-attacks-h2-2023/
• https://www.hivesystems.com/blog/are-your-passwords-in-the-green
• https://informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/most-common-pin-codes/
• https://gizmodo.com/google-just-made-entering-passwords-on-desktop-a-thing-of-the-past-200050128
• https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/innovation-at-amazon/what-is-amazon-project-kuiper
• DEFCON Examples:
  
  • https://media.defcon.org/DEF%20CON%2032/DEF%20CON%2032%20presentations/DEF%20CON%2032%20-%20Lennert%20Wouters%20Ian%20Carroll%20-%20Unsaflok%20-%20Hacking%20millions%20of%20hotel%20locks.pdf
  • VIASAT
    • https://forum.defcon.org/node/246846
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI_ICtX3Gm8&themeRefresh=1 
• https://www.blackhillsinfosec.com/satellite-hacking/
• ZERO TRUST
  • https://dodcio.defense.gov/Portals/0/Documents/Library/CS-Ref-Architecture.pdf
  • https://dodcio.defense.gov/Portals/0/Documents/Library/(U)ZT_RA_v2.0(U)_Sep22.pdf
  • https://dodcio.defense.gov/Portals/0/Documents/Library/ZeroTrustOverlays.pdf
  • https://dodcio.defense.gov/Portals/0/Documents/Library/DoD-ZTStrategy.pdf
• https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackers-use-poc-exploits-in-attacks-22-minutes-after-release/
• CROWD STRIKE Updates/Patching Issues:
  • https://www.wired.com/story/microsoft-windows-outage-crowdstrike-global-it-probems/
  • https://www.reddit.com/r/crowdstrike/comments/1e6vmkf/bsod_error_in_latest_crowdstrike_update/?rdt=35791
  • https://x.com/Xaaavier_8613/status/1814180533108400569
  • https://krebsonsecurity.com/2024/07/global-microsoft-meltdown-tied-to-bad-crowstrike-update/
  • https://www.wired.com/story/microsoft-crowdstrike-outage-cash/
  • https://www.wired.com/story/hospitals-crowdstrike-microsoft-it-outage-meltdown/
  • https://www.wired.com/story/crowdstrike-windows-outage-airport-travel-delays/
  • https://www.wired.com/story/crowdstrike-outage-update-windows/
  • https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/falcon-update-for-windows-hosts-technical-details/
• https://owasp.org/www-project-top-ten/
• https://federalnewsnetwork.com/cybersecurity/2024/09/cisa-review-low-hanging-cyber-lapses-plague-critical-infrastructure/ 
• Bonus:
  • AFCEA's "Cybersecurity in the Boardroom" resource (behind a soft paywall):
    • https://www.afcea.org/signal/resources/linkreq.cfm?id=549
•  Graphics:
  • https://www.iconpacks.net/free-icon/test-exam-document-and-yellow-pencil-17449.html
  • https://www.iconpacks.net/free-icon/winner-podium-7836.html  
• Backup Material
  • https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/07/new-blast-radius-attack-breaks-30-year-old-protocol-used-in-networks-everywhere/
  • https://krebsonsecurity.com/2024/08/local-networks-go-global-when-domain-names-collide/
  • https://federalnewsnetwork.com/artificial-intelligence/2024/09/state-dept-looks-to-test-cyber-data-automation-project-by-years-end/
  • https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/generative-ai-fuels-new-cyberattacks/

Let me know if you have any questions, comments, etc.

I am open to presenting this in other venues if you are interested. Just let me know!

Recommendations For Distracted Free Writing

Wired recently published their recommendations in an article entitled "The Best Apps for Distraction-Free Writing: Focus on your words and not on your toolbars with these eight minimal writing apps for your computer, your tablet, and even your phone.".

I use two of those recommendations:

1. Obsidian (only application open, one tab open using the plugin
2. Google Docs (full-screen mode, only one document open)

Other best practices: turn off all notifications and close all the other applications on your computer or tablet.

These suggestions work well for Chromebooks, PCs, and Apple iPads.

Two Weeks Into Moving To Obsidian As My GTD System

Introduction

About two weeks ago I decided to move my personal David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD) system (aka "External Brain/Trusted System") to Obsidian.md (a "free" personal knowledge management application -- note I previously thought that Obsidian was open-source but it is not).

I don't have a huge set of reasons for the switch, it just seemed like something I was very interested in doing after testing Obsidian over the last 6 months for writing, note-taking, organizing, etc.

My previous personal system was Nirvana (for everything GTD-related, but Reference), and Google Keep (for Reference). This system was up and running from January 2019 until now.  Before that, I had a customized GTD-system in Google Keep. The full Google Keep system was ~5 years old.  Before that, it was all Microsoft Outlook-based. 

My work GTD system is Microsoft Outlook based with all my References in Microsoft OneNote or in the Windows filesystem.

Setting Things Up

My first step was to relieve my concern about being able to work across all devices.  So, my first three next-actions were:

1. Get Obsidian working in Linux on my Chromebook.
2. Get Obsidian working on my Windows 11 Desktop.
3. Sync those two systems using Google Drive.

This was pretty straightforward and was probably working seamlessly in less than 10 minutes.

Then I had to figure out how to get things to work on my Android Phone and Apple iPad:

1. First I tried an Android sync tool called Folder Sync, but the changes were not very dynamic.  I had to force a sync from the application before I'd see any updates in Obsidian.
2. Then I realized for the Apple iPad, the options for syncing seemed to be limited to two: Apple iCloud or Obsidian Sync (paid service).  With my primary data files on Google Drive, it seemed like Obsidian Sync was the better option.
3. So I paid for Obsidian Sync (to get both Android & iPad sync going).  I can report that this has worked very well, I've had no issues, and it is very responsive on both my Android phone and my Apple iPad.  Definitely worth the money.

Learning

Now that I could trust that data would be synchronized, and available no matter which device I was using, I just started learning more about what other people have done:

• Reading up on GTD related posts on Reddit.
• Watching the following YouTube subject matter experts (SMEs):
  • Linking Your Thinking.
  • John Mavrick.
  • Obsidian & GTD Video Search on YouTube.
• Signing up and reading through this excellent weekly newsletter.
• Reading through all the Obsidian documentation.
• Reviewing Markdown formatting options.

The current setup is pretty minimal after migrating my current Tasks and Projects from Nirvana, and my current active Notes (Project Support, References) in Google Keep.

Future Projects To Work On

I have used this tool -- keep-it-markdown 0.4.3 -- to migrate all my notes out of Google Keep into .md files to Google Drive. However, I still need to import those into Obsidian.

I also need to migrate a couple of lists in Nirvana -- Later & Someday/Maybe -- to Obsidian.

There is also an effort to figure out if there are other Obsidian plugins, themes, or templates I should be using.

Questions, comments, suggestions, etc. welcome!

Upgraded My Personal Solar Setup

Last Spring 2021, I made a decision to upgrade our beach camping solar power options by picking up this setup from Jackery:

Portable Power Station Explorer 240 + SolarSaga 100W Portable Solar Panel

And then in June, I had this idea why not use this setup at home day-to-day to power up the following devices (vice using a power plug), and stay off the grid:

• Samsung Galaxy S10+ (cellphone)
• Garmin Fenix 3 HR (watch)
• iPad Pro 11‑inch (2018 tablet)
• Apollo Wearable
• Go Pro Hero 4

So, since June I have not plugged any of these personal devices into a home power plug that was pulling power over the grid.

However, I was starting to notice that the Jackery solar panel was starting to take some sun/weather damage. So I did some research, and upgraded to:

Renogy Solar Panel + SolarEnz Solar Connector

The Renogy panel is significantly more weather resistant and should allow me to re-charge the Jackery with the SolarEnz cord much easier.

This is working great.  I'm very happy.

All product links are to Amazon.

GTD Tip: Moving Content Someday/Maybe Items Into A Different List Manager

My current personal external Getting Things Done (GTD) brain/tool is Nirvana.  I recently decided to move some of my "content" related items in my Someday/Maybe list to external list options in tools that are native for that type of content.

For books I moved them to an Amazon Book Want To Read List.  This is using Amazon's Wishlist option.

For movies and TV shows, I am using the Watchlist feature in IMDB.

One of the benefits of this approach was it got each of these content types into a more "non-text" list in Nirvana with more visuals, and it helped to speed up my review of my Someday/Maybe items during my GTD Weekly Review.

I also have a Wishlist on Amazon for physical things I might want to purchase.  When something new comes a long that looks interesting, but I don't know for sure that it will be useful, I put them in this list.  And then I review it every month or so to see if any items are really something I need.  Not just something I wanted at the spur of the moment.

If you have any suggestions on other types of list tools for content, then please let me know.

Near Real-Time Tracking

You can find out what I'm up to in near real-time via Facebook (sholden) and Instagram (@sholden).

Maybe more on BlueSky (@sdholden.bsky.social).

Less on X/Twitter (@sholden).

While I am not currently as engaged as I have been in the past, these AztecMedia.net produced sites are still out there: Chvrches Fan Podcast (@chvrchespodcast), ThePodCraft Beer Show (@thepodcraft, @techguysteve, Untapped, @techguysteven); Tech News Radio (@technewsradio), Air Gapped Networks (@airgapnet), Jersey Boys Podcast, and Veteran Stories.

... Updated: November 16, 2024 ...

Thoughts & Tips for May 2021

This photo is part of my Blurry collection.

CURRENT HAPPENINGS

All but one of us is vaccinated. Guess which one? Ha Ha! #stay_home_if_sick, #wash_your_hands, #social_distance, #wear_a_mask

Christy and I had a great 2nd retreat to The Oaks to celebrate our 27th Wedding Anniversary.  It was super reflective and restful.  Here are some photos!

I recently did a Getting Things Done (GTD) related presentation to Manager-Tools' M Conference attendees alumni group.  Here is more information about the presentation with an offer to present to other groups or organizations that are interested in productivity.

My work did a virtual Spring Break scavenger hunt (above are some of the photos).  It was super fun and collaborative with friends & family helping out. It was also nice to get out-and-about little bit more. I highly recommend doing something like this if you have the opportunity.

LOOKING FORWARD TO

Carson is going to be graduating high-school soon, and has decided to go to Long Beach State to study nursing.  We are very proud and excited for her upcoming college season.

Summer vacation plans seem to be coming together: Mission Beach beach house rental, back to The Oaks, Def Con (Las Vegas), and camping at San Elijo State Beach.

I am hoping that my friend's D&D session (mentioned in previous posts) will get us through this epic battle I have been DMing for months, and on to a new "underwater" related adventure created by our other DM Darren.

TECHNOLOGY, TIPS, & SUGGESTIONS

Here are some greate Windows 10 tips from ZDNET. The one about the new Clipboard History is especially useful as I have had to use a 3rd party tool to do this in the past.  To open Clipboard History, press Windows key + V. Neat!

I have been experimenting with these Rode Wireless Go Compact Microphone Transmitter & Receiver Systems for The PodCraft Beer Show.  So far they are working well, and they definitely decrease the amount of gear I need to drag to each recording.  I think they are also making the conversational style of the podcast easier to record, and edit on the back end.  I'll probably do a future full review, so standby for more information.

Engadget's article on "Google makes it easy to jump back to the search box by pressing '/' -- The new shortcut makes it easier to refine your search results." should enable you to quickly expand searches to include addition terms.

I knew how to schedule the release of emails, but this article from Wired describes how to do this on Apple iOS devices and on Google Android devices for text messages.  Super handy to know.

QUOTE I'M THINKING ABOUT

“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” - Peter Drucker

Thoughts & Tips for March & April 2021

This photo is part of my Blurry collection.

CURRENT HAPPENINGS

All is good health-wise and no major COVID-19 impacts.  We are looking forward to vaccines. #stay_home_if_sick, #wash_your_hands, #social_distance, #wear_a_mask

Some how I didn't get around to a February post.  Things have been pretty focused at home (taxes, CISSP Continuing Education (CE) credits, ThePodCraft, etc), and work (new role) which is probably why it never got to the top of the priority list.

LOOK FORWARD TO

Our visit to the The Oaks (our photos from our 1st trip) to celebrate our 27th Wedding Anniversary is coming up soon.  And I am going to be taking some annual leave from work the first full week of April just after Easter.

I continue to be Dungeon Mastering (DMing) for my Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) group.  We have been slogging through the "epic" battle over 5 or 6 sessions (3-4 hours of real-time) to play 5+ minutes in game time (each turn has been 6 seconds long). I think the "snatch-&-grab" adventure I was planning is going to be something to do later, as our other DM is ready with his next adventure.

TECHNOLOGY, TIPS, & SUGGESTIONS

Wired recently published some great Gmail tips that are worth reviewing if you are a Google Gmail user.

I learned a few things about how to better use Virtual Desktops on Chrome OS in this article.  I am currently using four: Main, GTD, Social, & Media.

I am not much of a wine drinker but I thought this graphic I found on Reddit to be helpful enough that I saved it into my REFERENCE library in Google Keep:

I believe I have a pretty good online password strategy.   Here are some times related to cracking common password patterns.  This is why your passwords need more complexity as of 2021.  The bad news is that every year going forward the time to crack passwords is going to get less as processors/memory/storage/cache/technologies/approaches/etc. get better:

I have been using LastPass for several years (paying customer), and I still find it to meet my needs: works across many devices, Family Plan, easy to have different passwords per site, and complex generated passwords can be customized.

QUOTE I'M THINKING ABOUT

“If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. - Mary Engelbreit