Nick @internic@qoto.org
- 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
Nick
boosted
Ah, OK. This is just another term for passkey (in this case one that's resident on my Windows laptop).
So even when I already have a passkey synced through 1Password, eBay is going to suggest I create a separate passkey that's native to the OS I happen to be using at the moment. This is only going to confuse people and discourage the adoption of passkeys.
I love the technology behind passkeys, but they're not (yet) anywhere close to qualifying as usable security.
Nick
boosted
Excited to announce that I’m teaming up with Anuj Ahooja on a new non-profit for the open social web, across protocols, with Bridgy Fed as its first main project! Introducing A New Social.
When I posted Possible futures for Bridgy Fed a while back, I was surprised and gratified by the outpouring of support. So many of you really believe in it and want it to survive, grow, and find a stable footing beyond the useful little one-person side project it is today.
Some people stepped up even further and said, “I’m willing to put the work in and actually help build, drive, and even lead this.” Anuj is one of those people. He’s a renaissance man who’s worked on the fediverse and open social web for many years at sub.club, Flipboard, and more. He’s written at length about the potential he sees in the open social web, across all sorts of networks – “people, not platforms!” – and how we have an opportunity now that we haven’t had in a long time.
And there are so many more of you, across the space, who’ve joined and committed to supporting us! We’re truly humbled and grateful. We’re still only at the very beginning, we have a lot of work to do, but we’re excited to get started. Wish us luck, and please reach out if you want to get involved!
Nick
boosted
This year, I am determined to continue working in my hammock through the winter, including the cold winter mornings (cold by LA standards, e.g.6'C).
I've got *TWO* electric heated slankets: a battery powered one that has most of its elements along my back, and a mains-cabled one with foot-pouches whose elements run down its front.
I'm wearing my EFF staff beanie and a pair of thin, warm "typing" gloves advertised for writers, and I've asked for new slippers for Xmas.
Nick
boosted
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
boosted
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
Wake up babe, a new software project management title just dropped.
Nick
boosted
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
boosted
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
boosted
Nick
boosted
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
boosted
Nick
boosted
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
boosted
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!)
Nick
boosted
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
Nick
boosted
Nick
boosted
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.
Nick
boosted
My blog got featured on a computer computerphile video about path tracing, neat!
Video: https://youtu.be/3OKj0SQ_UTw?si=Qn9oXAll5l8gzM6j
Blog post: https://blog.demofox.org/2016/09/21/path-tracing-getting-started-with-diffuse-and-emissive/
Nick
boosted
"Women are NOT for Engineering," claimed a 1956 NSF article. Pearl Young proved them wrong, earning triple majors and joining NASA's predecessor in 1922. An aerospace professor reflects on her trailblazing legacy: https://theconversation.com/pearl-young-the-first-woman-to-work-in-a-technical-role-at-nasa-overcame-barriers-and-raised-hell-her-legacy-continues-today-242873
#WomenInSTEM #WomensHistory
- 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
