Category: Tech

2nd Generation Apple TV Units Sell for Premium

While most technology gadgets decline in price pretty quickly, I noticed that 2nd Generation Apple TV units routinely sell for $200 – $300 in the used market on Amazon and eBay while 3rd Generation units (current version) sell for $65-$80...

/ February 24, 2014

Build Your Own Email Features with Open Source Filtering Software

Filtered is an open source PHP-based IMAP mail filtering platform. While Filtered provides basic mail filtering features and learns from the folders you drag and drop your email to, it is also a powerful foundational platform to enhance and innovate...

/ January 14, 2014

How to Store Two Way Encrypted Passwords (and Credit Cards) in MySQL

As part of my open source IMAP mail filtering applet, Filtered, I wrote code to securely encrypt and store email user names and passwords in a MySQL database so that they can be decrypted as well. The technique is outlined...

/ January 13, 2014

How to Encrypt Selected Messages in Gmail

Since the revelation of NSA access to Google Gmail servers, it’s clear that Gmail is readily browsable by authorities without a warrant.  Furthermore, using PGP encryption with your contacts is difficult to set up and get both parties to use...

/ January 9, 2014

The New Ada’s Technical Books and Cafe in Seattle is Beautiful

Recently, Ada’s Technical Books opened a newly remodeled space with a wonderful cafe on 15th Street in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. It’s quite beautiful, light, airy and yummy food options. Each table in the cafe is actually its own artwork,...

/ December 27, 2013

Top Affiliate Programs for Bloggers

WordPress host WPEngine seems to have the most profitable affiliate program I’ve ever used. They’re currently paying $150 minimum per new referral (up to the entire first month’s account payment). It’s also a two tier program, so if you sign up other...

/ December 20, 2013

An Alternative for Writing for Free: My Response to Tim Kreider’s Slaves of the Internet Unite!

I can relate to Tim Kreider’s New York Times column on writing for free (Slaves of the Internet, Unite!) I’ve been paid for my writing on occasion but more often, I write for free by necessity. In full disclosure, as...

/ October 30, 2013