PSA Newsletter 22: Privacy, Security, Automation!
Don't Trust Rental Cars, Critical Apple Updates, and an RSS Reader Recommendation
Privacy
All modern vehicles should be considered computers on wheels. If that vehicle has a remote starter or hotspot capability, then it's a computer on wheels with a persistent internet connection. Therefore, try to avoid connecting your mobile devices to it via USB or bluetooth. Modern cars are designed to extract as much data as possible and it's best to err on the side of caution. Instead, a bluetooth transmitter like Air Fly Pro can be plugged into the AUX port and your phone bluetooth paired to it. [1]
Security
Apple recently confirmed several major bugs in its latest operating systems have been actively exploited in the wild. If you have a Mac, iPhone, iPad, or any other Apple device, check for and apply updates immediately. [2]
Autonomy
Wikipedia describes RSS as: "RSS (RDF Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication) is a web feed that allows users and applications to access updates to websites in a standardized, computer-readable format. Subscribing to RSS feeds can allow a user to keep track of many different websites in a single news aggregator, which constantly monitors sites for new content, removing the need for the user to manually check them. News aggregators (or "RSS readers") can be built into a browser, installed on a desktop computer, or installed on a mobile device.
In short: you can follow and get updates from your favorite websites via rss feed, which also conveniently does not contain ads. One such RSS reader is Reeder Classic. It works with all the best aggregator services, but also allows you to directly subscribe to feeds, independent of external services. [3]
Sources:
I hope it's obvious, but in case it's not, please understand the following:
- All opinions expressed are solely my own and do not reflect the views or opinions of my employer, my dog, or anyone else for that matter.
- If you buy something I suggest and it doesn't work, please reach out to the vendor for supoort first.
