Android 15 Private Space and Samsung Secure Folder: A Side-By-Side Comparison For years, Samsung users have enjoyed the convenience and privacy of Secure Folder, a separate space on their Samsung Galaxy phones for sensitive apps, media, files, and data. With Android 15, Google joins the party with Private Space. The linked article below put them to the test on a Google Pixel 8 and a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, diving into their setup, functionality, security, and user experience. I suppose it is true that a product that has been out longer, should have a better rounded experience. See

Android Police

I tried Android 15 Private Space and Samsung Secure Folder – Here's my verdict

I put Android 15 Private Space to the test against Samsung Secure Folder

#technology #security #privacy

Samsung Backups and Cloud Sync can be End-To-End-Encrypted, but you need to Enable it Buried in the settings of certain Samsung Galaxy devices, there's a feature Samsung calls Enhanced Data Protection. This is a fancy, branded name for end-to-end encryption. It means that when you back up or sync data to Samsung servers, that data will be encrypted before leaving your device, and it won't be unencrypted until it returns to your phone. If anyone tries to look at your data on any device other than yours, all they will see is gibberish. Why isn't this enabled by default? The caveat is pretty severe. When you first enable the feature, Samsung generates a lengthy recovery code for you to store in a safe location. If you forget it, there's no way for anyone to restore your data. It's gone for good. I love (not) how companies think we will all forget our passwords, and they need to protect us from ourselves. This is why we don't always have effective security and privacy. We have quite a few messengers and social networks that already operate this - you forget your private key, and your profile is gone forever (well it will be there, but you won't ever post from it again). This "feature" for Samsung devices just needs to be flipped on, and you need to ensure you've saved that unlock key somewhere safe. See

How-To Geek

There

And it doesn

#technology #E2EE #privacy

How you can use Kanban boards in Obsidian to manage personal projects Thanks to its offline-first approach, graph views, canvas, backlinks, and Markdown support, Obsidian has been quite popular among productivity seekers these days. Although Obsidian offers a robust set of features right out of the box, it misses one critical element that many users seek in a versatile platform – Kanban boards. Here is where third-party plugins come into play to enable Kanban boards in your Obsidian vaults. If you already use Obsidian as a personal knowledge management tool to store your to-do lists, thoughts, and project ideas, you can create a flawless tracking system in the same vault for a better workflow. Here is how you can unlock Kanban in Obsidian to boost productivity and achieve your goals. The projects are still stored in plain Markdown format so will always be viewable in the distant future long after Obsidian has been forgotten about. This plugin has enough basic (and some additional) functionality to make it worthwhile keeping all your ideas and projects in one place. See

XDA

How I use Kanban boards in Obsidian to manage my personal projects

Obsidian is my secret weapon for crushing personal projects

#technology #projects #organising #Obsidian

Google Is Cracking Down on Ad Blockers, But Here's How You Can Fight Back In the interests of fighting terrorism and child pornography... oh wait, no not those, in the interests of improving your own security the following changes are being made. It's corporate BS as we all know Google's big business is selling ads, and showing to advertisers who they can target. It's the same with Facebook, which is why Facebook and Google Search are just becoming a worse and worse experience for so many users. On both you need to wade past all the adverts, and feeds get so cluttered and confusing. It's a good reason why Google should not be able to sell adverts and run a search business at the same time. The linked article below gives some pointers on what to try to make your browser experience a bit better in the future (yes, including using Firefox, which is not affected by any of these changes by Google). We'll still need to see how badly the alternative Chromium based browsers will be impacted. See

Lifehacker

Google Is Cracking Down on Ad Blockers, But Here

Google is starting to shut down uBlock Origin and other older ad blockers for Chrome, but there are steps you can take to keep blocking ads just li...

#technology #privacy #adblocking

A Phone? A Ham Radio? Relax! It’s Both! A lot of hams like to carry a VHF radio. Of course, nearly everyone wants to carry a phone. Now, thanks to the kv4p HT, you don’t have to carry both. The open-source device connects to your Android smartphone and turns it into a radio transceiver. You can build it yourself for about $35. The device uses an ESP32 and only transmits one watt, but it has lots of features like APRS and scanning. I do like the text transcription service that the phone provides, which is really great for those who can't hear clearly. I can see more and more now why having a 3D printer can be really useful. See

Hackaday

A Phone? A Ham Radio? Relax! It’s Both!

A lot of hams like to carry a VHF radio. Of course, nearly everyone wants to carry a phone. Now, thanks to the kv4p HT, you don’t have to car...

How to Install ZRAM to Boost Ubuntu Performance If you’re using Ubuntu and want to improve your system’s performance, especially on machines with limited RAM, ZRAM is a great solution, as it creates a compressed block device in RAM, which helps to manage memory more efficiently. ZRAM is a Linux kernel module that allows you to create a compressed block device in RAM, that effectively increases the amount of usable memory on your system by compressing data stored in RAM, which can be especially useful for systems with limited physical memory, allowing them to run more applications simultaneously without slowing down. And of course ZRAM works for any other Linux distro too. I've long been using it on my Manjaro Linux platform. This guide will walk you through installing and configuring ZRAM on Ubuntu. See

How to Install ZRAM to Boost Ubuntu Performance

How to Install ZRAM to Improve Ubuntu Performance

If you’re using Ubuntu and want to improve your system’s performance, especially on machines with limited RAM, ZRAM is a great solution.

#technology #Linux #opensource #ZRAM

DC Releases New Range of Webcomics Formatted for Mobile Devices DC Comics has announced DC GO!, “a new frontier of webcomics” available exclusively on the DC Universe Infinite app—the company’s official digital subscription service for web, iOS, and Android. Comics have long been able to be read on eReaders and mobile devices, but the layouts have largely stayed the same as when comics appeared in paper format. The navigation was somewhat improved with being able to just swipe left and right, but this new format will be far friendlier for the vertical aspect ratios of mobile devices. See

Gizmodo

DC Releases New Range of Webcomics Formatted for Mobile Devices

Titled DC GO!, the initiative kicks off with three web-exclusive series starring Raven, Nightwing, and Harley Quinn next month.

#technology #comics #reading

Stayed at #MontevueNatureFarm other side of #Montagu in #SouthAfrica. No other humans in sight and no cellphone nor Internet. A relaxing break, and absorbing some nature again. We took long walks along the 4x4 trails across the farm, enjoyed the hot tub, braaing, and the outdoor shower.

South African doctor building breakthrough apps - Real Innovation is needed for Change A South African doctor hopes to transform the medical field by developing products and services that solve problems typically experienced by remote and underfunded state hospitals and clinics, reports Rapport. One of these projects solves two of the most significant issues facing South Africa’s medical industry — the lack of job placements for new graduates and understaffed and underfunded state hospitals and clinics. Dr Juandre Klopper and two friends, Dr Matt te Water Naudé and mathematician Freddie O’Donnell, developed an app that pairs hospitals seeking locums with young doctors looking for work. But it was not only this app, there is also innovation around cheaper and more effective medical devices, as well as managing nursing care, all taking into account South Africa's unique challenges. With dwindling financial resources, increasing demand on medical care, things will only get worse and worse over time if real innovation (technology as well as procedural) is not applied. I've seen the same thing happening with public benefit charities getting smaller grants from government (where are the ever-increasing taxes going? I have no idea...) and having to innovate themselves to survive. Some charities have even raised grant funding from foreign countries. South Africans have always been very resilient in the face of overwhelming challenges. In one way these will benefit everyone globally, but from another perspective this is extremely sad too that such adversity needs to be overcome. Yes, I know you're thinking now: Imagine if governments themselves could be this innovative! Imagine more better services at every lower tax rates... Governments the world around today seem to be the least efficient businesses of all. See https://mybroadband.co.za/news/software/565029-doctors-apps-decrease-burdensome-cost-of-medtech.html #technology #health #SouthAfrica #southafrica

Away for the weekend and only place to get a signal is to climb a hill called Signal Hill!

The 30-year-old internet backdoor law that came back to bite News broke this weekend that China-backed hackers have compromised the wiretap systems of several U.S. telecom and internet providers, likely in an effort to gather intelligence on Americans. The wiretap systems, as mandated under a 30-year-old U.S. federal law, are some of the most sensitive in a telecom or internet provider’s network, typically granting a select few employees nearly unfettered access to information about their customers, including their internet traffic and browsing histories. But for the technologists who have for years sounded the alarm about the security risks of legally required backdoors, news of the compromises are the “told you so” moment they hoped would never come but knew one day would. “I think it absolutely was inevitable,” Matt Blaze, a professor at Georgetown Law and expert on secure systems, told TechCrunch regarding the latest compromises of telecom and internet providers. Fact is, any intentional backdoor is not going to be secure. Secrets don't remain secret. That is just the way things are, and more so if more than one person knows about it. “There’s no way to build a backdoor that only the ‘good guys’ can use,” said Signal president Meredith Whittaker, writing on Mastodon. The theory around backdoors comes from the same era as changing your password every 30 days. Times have changed, and we should know better in 2024. See

TechCrunch

The 30-year-old internet backdoor law that came back to bite | TechCrunch

China reportedly hacked the wiretap systems required by U.S. internet providers under a 1994 U.S. wiretapping law.

#technology #security #backdoors

Openvibe is a single iOS and Android app for Bluesky, Mastodon, Threads, and Nostr decentralised networks Often we have different friends on different social networks. This app allows you to have a single timeline to read across all these popular decentralised social networks, and to also cross post to all of them. We've seen plenty of apps like this for X, Facebook, Instagram, and other old legacy platforms, but really not many at all for the modern decentralised platforms. Mastodon, of course, allows your posts to be visible right across all the Fediverse social networks too. It claims no ads, no data selling, and permissionless. A potential downside, for any such aggregator, is going to be that it cannot support some of the more nuanced features that each platform offers. So, this will be ideal for reading a single timeline, liking, replying and posting. Still, that will save an awful lot of time for many users of these platforms. A plus is because it signs in to each network with your existing profile at each network, you lose nothing if you decide not to use the app in future. See

Openvibe — Town Square for Open Social Media

Interact With Anyone On The Open Internet. All Decentralised Social Networks, Single Timeline.

#technology #socialnetworks #decentralisation #openvibe

Missing Thunderbirds footage found in British garden shed Previously unseen footage from the classic British TV show Thunderbirds has been found in a garden shed and restored – where possible – for viewing next year. The family of a recently deceased former editor of the show found a collection of 22 rusty and cracked film cans in their Buckinghamshire shed. The film inside is currently being restored and digitized. They contain a lot of old material, but also some extended scenes and a previously-unseen new ending to one episode. Stephen La Rivière of Century 21 Films – who is leading the restoration drive – told the BBC recovering the footage “took weeks, bit by bit.” "Every night I'd get a link for a download of the latest one that had been scanned … you'd never know what you'd get. Eventually, listening one night … this one played out, and it was not the same as broadcast." If you’ve never watched the show, the video in the linked article below offers a good primer and a peek at the recovered footage. I grew up (well, when South Africa finally got TV) watching the Thunderbirds. I seem to recall it was dubbed into one of our local languages. See

Missing Thunderbirds footage found in British garden shed

Video: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, new Supermarionation is GO!

#technology #vintage #thunderbirds

Thinking of Buying a Cheap Racing Wheel? Don't Bother Incredibly true! I wasted money my first time around by “saving” money on a cheaper steering wheel… That 270 deg rotation, no pedals, no gear shifter option, compatibility issues, etc all broke my experience. I could not get my truck to keep on a straight line properly even. I forked out for the Logitech G29 wheel with pedals and shifter, and what a major difference. It is by no means a pro wheel, but it does everything I need and performances well enough to really enjoy the games i use it will. It is compatible with everything (including Linux) and has a couple of useful extra buttons and paddles to make the game experience great. This wheel cost a bit more, but I've been using it for a good many years now without any issues. So, like the title goes, really don't bother with a wheel that does not meet the basic requirements. A Logitech G29 is probably a good minimum benchmark to work from. See

How-To Geek

Thinking of Buying a Cheap Racing Wheel? Don

Avoid making a wheely bad purchase.

#technology #gaming

Picking out the best SD card for a Raspberry Pi just got a ton easier It is true that many SD cards that fail in Raspberry Pi's is because they are not suited to that type of use. It is not so much about the cost of putting a replacement card it, but far more about the loss of data, especially when daily backups were not being made, and the inconvenience of a sudden failure. "Tested and certified by Raspberry Pi to provide the best stability and performances with all Raspberry Pi boards. A2 Class micro SD card supporting DDR50 and SDR104 bus speeds and command queuing (CQ) extension. Also available as preloaded with Raspberry Pi OS." It looks like US$9.95 for a 32 GB card. See

XDA

Picking out the best SD card for a Raspberry Pi just got a ton easier

Plus, they come in at a great price.

#technology #RaspberryPi

Crypto payments explosion in South Africa as Zapper is now supported as a payment system Cryptocurrency exchanges Luno and VALR have recently expanded the platforms their payment systems support, increasing the number of South African merchants where users can pay with digital assets. Luno said its customers can now transact using crypto at 31,000 merchants nationwide thanks to a partnership with Zapper. Thanks to its integration with Zapper, Luno said its customer base can make payments to vendors such as FlySafair, fuel stations, and educational institutions. This will certainly make it a lot easier for those with Bitcoin to use it for daily transactions in South Africa. I've bought groceries with mine at Pick 'n Pay last year, but it required a special wallet to be used. This looks a lot more versatile and mainstream. But I've ditched most of my cryptocurrency as I have no clue how it gets managed when it comes to declaring capital gains to SARS. With my other investments it is fairly easy as the institution sends the reports at the end of the year. But how does one fathom this out from Bitcoin in, Bitcoin transferred, Bitcoin used, etc on a going basis? Bitcoin values vary daily, and this is not such an issue with static cash/credit. So I'm rather waiting to see how it all pans out from a tax perspective. See https://mybroadband.co.za/news/cryptocurrency/563843-crypto-payments-explosion-in-south-africa.html #technology #southafrica #cryptocurrency

Banana Pi and OpenWrt’s One/AP-24.XY Router Board Hits the Market The MediaTek MT7981B (Filogic 820) SoC is at the heart of the OpenWrt One, paired with the MediaTek MT7976C dual-band WiFi 6 chipset. The device supports WiFi 6 with dual-band capabilities, offering 3×3 and 2×2 MIMO configurations for enhanced wireless connectivity. In terms of hardware specifications, the OpenWrt One is impressive. It boasts: * 1 x 2.5 Gbit WAN port and 1 x 1G bit LAN port for high-speed wired connections. * 1 GB DDR4 RAM, ensuring smooth multitasking and efficient data handling. * 256 MiB NAND and 16 MiB NOR storage, providing ample space for firmware and user data. * An M.2 SSD slot allows users to expand storage further. * A USB 2.0 Type-A port for peripheral connectivity. * A mikroBUS expansion port opens up many possibilities for adding sensors, transceivers, and other modules. It is a router but does not contain the usual switch array of 5 or 7 Ethernet LAN ports. So it will likely need to be supplemented with a network switch device for many. Open source OpenWRT is already quite powerful router software, and along with all this hardware capability, this device looks really interesting. Because of OpenWRT's involvement, it likely also means that there will be excellend support for features, and that it will receive ongoing support for quite a while (likely much better than Asus and other OEMs provide). See

Linuxiac

Banana Pi and OpenWrt's One/AP-24.XY Router Board Hits the Market

The first official OpenWrt One/AP-24.XY router board goes on sale, featuring MediaTek's latest SoC with WiFi 6 for enhanced connectivity, pric...

#technology #opensource #OpenWRT #router #BananaPi

5 reasons you should replace your regular SSD with an NVMe if you haven't already It's a pretty established fact that adding an SSD to an old PC is one of the biggest improvements to its overall performance. But what about if you already have an SSD but are tempted by the recent price drops of NVMe storage? Will that upgrade bring a similar boost to performance, or is it something you could leave until you next buy a new computer? Well, while it won't bring the super speed-up of moving from an HDD to an SSD, putting NVMe in your computer does come with some worthwhile benefits for the upgrade. Some quite valid points made in the linked article. Something I did not think about was the SATA connector itself limits throughput speed vs a PCIe connector. But for many of us who still have boards with only a single M.2 slot connector. In my board's case, using that slot would mean two of my SATA SSDs I think being disabled. But for my future motherboard purchase, I'll certainly be looking for multiple M.2 slot connectors on the board. Most of the clutter of cables inside my case is due to the many drives connected in there. See

XDA

5 reasons you should replace your regular SSD with an NVMe if you haven't already

It's time to think about NVMe and ditch SATA cables once and for all.

#technology #storage

FFmpeg 7.1 debuts with full Vulkan encoding pipelines, enhanced AAC decoding, MV-HEVC support, and more FFmpeg 7.1 introduces support for the native AAC USAC decoder, a component of the xHE-AAC coding system increasingly favoured by streaming websites for its robust volume normalization metadata. Another critical update is the inclusion of MV-HEVC decoding support. This tool, essential for processing stereoscopic content, caters to the emerging market of advanced mobile phones and VR headsets that produce such formats. The support for cropping metadata within Matroska and MP4 formats marks an important step not only for archival purposes but also in supporting AV1 hardware encoders, which require this signalling due to the codec’s limitations. It is all quite a big step forward for this cross-platform, open-source multimedia framework that can be used to manipulate and convert various audio and video formats. FFmpeg is actually built into many other applications, so many users won't even know they are using it. I recently did a video about how to use it to overcome some of the lack of H.264 and H.265 encoding/decoding in DaVinci Resolve for Linux. I certainly hope that DaVinci Resolve could build this into their Linux version in future. See

Linuxiac

FFmpeg 7.1 Promises Major Improvements in Video Processing

FFmpeg 7.1 "Peter" debuts with full Vulkan encoding pipelines, enhanced AAC decoding, MV-HEVC support, and more.

#technology #video #FFmpeg

World Wide Web Foundation to close, as Berners-Lee shifts focus to Solid Protocol to take on centralised social media n a surprising announcement, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, founder of the web, and Rosemary Leith, co-founder of the World Wide Web Foundation, revealed that the organization is ceasing operations. The decision comes after 16 years of advocating for a safe, trusted, open web. However, Berners-Lee is not giving up on the Foundation's goals; instead, he's just redirected his efforts to the Solid Protocol. From where they sit, the top threat to users' rights is dominant, centralised social media platforms, such as Facebook, X, and Reddit. This dominance has led to the commoditization of user data and a concentration of power that's contrary to Berners-Lee's original vision of the web. I've mentioned before that I was very concerned about some great ideas that came out of the Solid Protocol, but the momentum was dismally slow. There was a proof of concept and then not a lot heard. So this move is probably a very good thing to get some momentum and help shake things up. Big businesses running a centralised social media platform, some selling the data, others exploiting it for their own gains, some giving into political interferences, etc is just not good for end users (the public). On the other hand, decentralised platforms need to work cohesively, profiles need to survive hosting changes, users need to be found (if they wish to be), and they need to interconnect. This is what the Solid Protocol was tackling. So, I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with this going forward. See

ZDNET

World Wide Web Foundation to close, as Berners-Lee shifts focus to Solid Protocol

The web's founder isn't stopping advocating for a safer, better web. He's just redirecting his energy.

#technology #decentralisation #socialmedia #solidprotocol