June 29, 2014

Generations

Lots of tools are not Buy It For Life. That's OK, even things that don't last forever can be used for a very long time.

These gloves are Mechanix gloves I got on special from Sears for $4 almost two years ago. I bought them because of the low price, they retail for ~$25.  Once I started working out doors more they got a lot more use. 

Digging up the rusting roof panels from the yard spelled their demise.  Now I wear them when I'm using a shovel or machete, just an extra buffer between me and the handle.

Eventually they'll deteriorate enough to be scrapped completely.  Then the newer gloves will get holes and be demoted to tool duty. 

I do the same thing with abrasive sponges in the kitchen. New sponges clean lightly dirty dishes, the older sponge scoops out teh refried beans, soups and anythign else mushy or dirty that may get stuck.  Eventually the new sponge gets old and dirty and the cycle repeats itself.

Old shirts become rags. Cardboard boxes become ground cover to deter weeds. So while I'm still living in a disposable culture, everything gets two lives.  It may not cut my wast exactly in half but every little bit helps.

June 20, 2014

Simple tools to secure browsing.

Here are some the tools that I use in my browsing habits.  

  • Pry-Fi - Changes your MAC randomly while connected to WiFi. Good for public WiFi.

  • Tor Browser - Does not need to be installed. Makes your traffic anonymous. It runs on Firefox and comes with HTTPS Anywhere. Don't torrent over it.  
  • HTTPS Anywhere - Browser plug-in developed by the EFF. A good idea for any browser.
  • Incognito / Privacy mode - This is the most basic of protections.  Useful if you ever sit down on someone else's computer.   The browser doesn't remember anything locally.  It does not protect your Internet traffic it just covers your tracks on the computer you're using.