Nick @internic@qoto.org
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Theoretical physicist by training (PhD in quantum open systems/quantum information), University lecturer for a bit, and currently paying the bills as an engineer working in optical communication (implementation) and quantum communication (concepts), though still pursuing a little science on the side. I'm interested in physics and math, of course, but I enjoy learning about really any area of science, philosophy, and many other academic areas as well. My biggest other interest is hiking and generally being out in nature.
Joined Nov 2022
Nick
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Wordpress contributors have moved from “wtf?” to getting organized. That doesn’t guarantee a fork but it’s the next step. (Via @404mediaco , which has done great reporting.)
Nick
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Get the Hacking 2024 Humble Bundle! It includes 18 ebooks, including my book HACKS, LEAKS, AND REVELATIONS. Pay what you want, profits go to ACLU and EFF https://www.humblebundle.com/books/hacking-2024-no-starch-books
@taak Yeah, gnupg is what I've used for individual files, but it would be better to have something that operates on a directory hierarchy rather that individual files (and I'd prefer not having to involve tarballs or zip archives).
I think so long as the tool is open source and relatively widely used I'm not too worried about being able to open the files later. But that's a good general point.
Wake up babe, a new software project management title just dropped.
@dexternemrod Looks interesting, but maybe also pretty new (just based on a quick glance at Gitlab). Sounds technically promising, with the standard use of authenticated encryption. Is it widely used?
@frankie That's true. I was aware of Cryptomator but had it in my mind as "for cloud storage" so it didn't come to mind as an option here. I'll have to consider it.
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Want to know more about the change from K-9 Mail to Thunderbird for Android? We're answering your questions - three of them, anyway - in this latest installation of Heise.de's "Three Questions and Answers" series!
A couple of addenda:
1. It does seem like Synology actively uses eCryptFS for encrypted folders, so maybe it is not as abandoned as it looked.
2. I also saw discussion of EncFS, but there also seemed to be indications that that was abandoned.
3. I I'm viewing this as separate from the issue of encrypting the entire partition with all my files, because the point is to have these files encrypted with a separate passphrase. Since they seldom need to be accessed, this will hopefully add a bit more confidentiality. For the same reason, performance isn't much of a concern.
4. I realize that the data may still sometimes be present in swap, but again if the assumption is that access is infrequent this is at least only rarely the case.
5. I know that for specific file types the files or certain applications there may be a mechanism for password protection or similar measures, but I figured it made sense to just have a generic solution for arbitrary files.
I have some financial files (like old tax returns) on my computer that I seldom access and would like to have an extra layer of confidentiality for, so i was looking into how I could easily have an effective separately-encrypted folder for those on my #LinuxMint system.
Obviously I could create a separate dm-crypt partition, but since it's probably a small number of files and the total volume I want long term is not very well known (e.g. I might also want to add things like images of important official documents), that doesn't seem like the ideal solution. It seemed like maybe ecryptfs could be the way to go, but I know the use of that for encrypted home directories was deprecated by #Ubuntu a while ago and looking at Launchpad it sort of seems abandoned (the last recent revision listed is from 2017). Does anybody know the status or have a better suggestion?
Nick
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New, by @lorenzofb: Amnesty says it's identified spyware on the phones of a Serbian journalist, whose phone was physically seized during a traffic stop and opened using Cellebrite phone-unlocking tools.
The journalist isn't the only victim. The spyware planted by police, dubbed NoviSpy, appears to have been "widely used" to hack the phones of members of Serbian civil society.
Nick
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Advent Day 16: 🚀 Offline support now in public beta! Use Fastmail offline on your phone and on the web. Read mail and reply, view and edit your contacts, update your calendar, and more, all when you're without internet.
Learn more: https://www.fastmail.com/blog/offline-in-beta/
Nick
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Physicist Freeman Dyson was born #OTD in 1923.
He was known for his work in quantum electrodynamics and – among many other things – his eschatological musings about physics and the prospects for life in the far-flung future.
To the best of my knowledge, Dyson was the most prominent physicist of the modern era who never completed a PhD.
Photo: Heka Davis / AIP
Nick
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finally listening to the first episode of @grimalkina's "Change, Technically" and i love how she's talking about how incredibly common it is for programmers to be self taught in some way
"it's really radicalized me to have thousands of people tell me that they're the only person who's [self taught]…” https://www.changetechnically.fyi/
(I've had to teach myself _SO_ many things about computers even though I have a pretty traditional CS degree!)
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This thread has some beautiful celebrations of learning & JOYFUL BREAKING THINGS hehehe and this is exactly the kind of conversation Change, Technically aims to spark ✨ @analog_ashley @danilo
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@wrog Oh, I thought your responses were reasonable in any case. Sorry the BBC post was missing, I think that must be an issue with how the quote posting function on my instance interacts with other instances. Here's the post in question:
@johncarlosbaez Oh, I was mostly thinking of when it's mentioned in a sci-fi context. I agree that I'd generally steer away from people using the term in a scientific context as probable cranks, but the term was used in the BBC article I linked to in the OP, which was what sent me down the path of thinking, "hey, what does that phrase really mean exactly?" @wrog
Nick
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the amount of money linux saved and provided industry-strength solutions is mind-blowing. i'm so glad corporate greed doesn't control the linux kernel fully.
- Pronouns
- he/him/his
Theoretical physicist by training (PhD in quantum open systems/quantum information), University lecturer for a bit, and currently paying the bills as an engineer working in optical communication (implementation) and quantum communication (concepts), though still pursuing a little science on the side. I'm interested in physics and math, of course, but I enjoy learning about really any area of science, philosophy, and many other academic areas as well. My biggest other interest is hiking and generally being out in nature.
Joined Nov 2022
