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Why Your Email Needs a Makeover: Embrace Generic Awesomeness for Cyber Security!

Hey there, cyber-savvy folks! Are you still rocking that email address with your full name, maybe even your birth year, your favorite superhero, or even your pet’s name nestled in there? It might be time for an email identity makeover! Say goodbye to those revealing identifiers and embrace the generic awesomeness for better cyber security. Today, we’re going to explore why swapping out your old-school email format for a generic one is not just a good idea, but a downright hilarious and upbeat one!

**1. Hackers Can’t Crack Your Code!**

Let’s face it: hackers are getting smarter every day. They can sniff out personal details faster than you can say “password123.” But fear not! By switching to a generic email address, you’re throwing them off the scent faster than a skunk in a perfume factory. No more clues about your favorite band, your high school mascot, or your lucky number. It’s like giving cybercriminals a puzzle with missing pieces – good luck solving that!

**2. Say Goodbye to Spam Central!**

You know those pesky spam emails that clog up your inbox faster than you can hit delete? Well, guess what? They’re about to become a thing of the past! With a generic email address, you’re less likely to end up on mailing lists you never signed up for. No more “exclusive offers” from that sketchy website you visited that one time. It’s like installing a spam filter on steroids – adios, junk mail!

**3. Keep Your Privacy Intact!**

Privacy is the name of the game in today’s digital world. And what better way to protect yours than by ditching the personal identifiers in your email address? No more giving away clues about your life with every message you send. With a generic email, you can keep your private life private and your personal information under lock and key. It’s like wrapping your email address in a cyber security blanket – cozy and secure!

Now, you might be wondering, “How do I make this glorious transition to generic email greatness?” Well, fear not, dear reader, for I have the answer: ProtonMail!

**Creating Your ProtonMail Account: A Step-by-Step Guide**

1. **Visit ProtonMail’s Website**: Open your web browser and head to protonmail.com. It’s like the yellow brick road to email security!

2. **Click on “Sign Up”**: Look for the big, shiny button that says “Sign Up” and give it a satisfying click. It’s like ringing the doorbell to the fortress of cyber security!

3. **Choose Your Plan**: ProtonMail offers both free and paid plans. For our purposes, let’s stick with the free plan. Click on “Free” to continue. It’s like picking out the perfect outfit for your cyber security makeover!

4. **Create Your Username**: Here’s where the magic happens! Think of a username that’s as generic as can be. Something like “cyberninja” or “emailmaster” works like a charm. Type it in and click “Next.” It’s like choosing your superhero alter ego – but for the digital age!

5. **Set Your Password**: Time to flex those password creation muscles! ProtonMail will prompt you to create a strong password to keep your account safe and sound. Mix it up with a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols for maximum security. Click “Next” when you’re ready to move on. It’s like fortifying the walls of your cyber fortress!

6. **Verify Your Humanity**: Prove to ProtonMail that you’re not a robot by completing the captcha challenge. It’s like doing a little dance to show off your cyber security moves!

7. **Confirm Your Email**: Enter your current email address (the one you’re replacing with your shiny new ProtonMail account) and click “Send Verification Code.” Check your inbox for the code, enter it into the designated field, and voila! You’re officially a ProtonMail user! It’s like unlocking the secret door to cyber security paradise!

So there you have it, folks! Say goodbye to those outdated, easily hackable email addresses and hello to a world of generic awesomeness with ProtonMail. Your cyber security will thank you, and you’ll be strutting through the digital landscape like a boss. Cheers to a safer, spam-free, and more private online existence!

Written in part by ChatGPT.

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Embrace Security and Privacy: Why GrapheneOS Should Be Your Next Mobile Operating System

In an era where our smartphones hold the keys to our digital lives, ensuring their security and privacy is paramount. With the rise in cyber threats and concerns over data privacy, it’s time to reconsider the operating systems that power our devices. While Apple iOS and Android have long dominated the mobile landscape, a new player has emerged, promising unparalleled security and privacy: GrapheneOS.

GrapheneOS, an open-source project based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), prioritizes user privacy and security above all else. Developed with a focus on transparency and trust, GrapheneOS offers a compelling alternative to mainstream operating systems.

So, why should you make the switch from Apple iOS or Android to GrapheneOS?

1. Unrivaled Security Features
GrapheneOS boasts a plethora of security features designed to keep your data safe from prying eyes. From hardened encryption protocols to robust sandboxing mechanisms, every aspect of the operating system is meticulously crafted with security in mind. With frequent security updates and a proactive approach to vulnerability management, GrapheneOS ensures that your device remains resilient against the latest threats.

2. Enhanced Privacy Controls
Privacy is not an afterthought with GrapheneOS—it’s woven into the fabric of the operating system. With granular privacy controls, users have the power to dictate how their data is collected, used, and shared. From limiting app permissions to blocking intrusive tracking mechanisms, GrapheneOS empowers individuals to reclaim control over their digital footprint.

3. Open-Source Transparency
Unlike proprietary operating systems, GrapheneOS is built on open-source principles, fostering transparency and collaboration within the developer community. This open approach enables security researchers and privacy advocates to scrutinize the codebase for vulnerabilities and backdoors, ensuring that users can trust the integrity of their devices.

4. Long-Term Support and Sustainability
GrapheneOS is committed to providing long-term support for its users, ensuring that devices remain secure and functional for years to come. By prioritizing sustainability and longevity, GrapheneOS reduces e-waste and promotes responsible consumption in a world plagued by disposable technology.

5. Empowering User Control
Ultimately, GrapheneOS puts the power back into the hands of the user. By prioritizing security, privacy, and transparency, GrapheneOS empowers individuals to take control of their digital lives without compromising on usability or convenience. Whether you’re a privacy-conscious individual or a security-minded professional, GrapheneOS offers a compelling platform that aligns with your values and priorities.

In conclusion, the decision to switch to GrapheneOS represents more than just a change in operating systems—it’s a statement in favor of security, privacy, and digital freedom. As the threat landscape continues to evolve, embracing solutions like GrapheneOS is essential for safeguarding our digital future. So, why wait? Make the switch today and experience a mobile experience like never before—one that prioritizes your security, privacy, and peace of mind.

Written in part by ChatGPT.

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Your private e-mail probably sucks – here is why

Have you gotten any personal identifiers in your main and private e-mail that you use all the time? Banking, online shopping, social media, job applications and so on. If so, let’s create havoc and get that baby up for an upgrade that will improve your online security dramatically. And it is for free. And it really demands very little effort. True story.

Strategy:
1. Get rid of e-mail address(es) with personal identifications of any kind.
2. Replace with non-identifiable e-mail adress(es)
3. Live a better life, and more secure.

First off, you got to go for a provider. I recommend Proton. Being a huge fan since 2018, and since then, advanced to the higher levels of their programs, I cannot recommend them enough. Not only is it easy to establish a new, or many new, e-mail account(s), it is free and their apps are in fact really good. Do consider their VPN-services when you are into the zone. Will make a separate article on VPN, so I’ll park that subject for now.

With your new e-mail setup, you can now begin the bigger part of business by logging into various sites, changing the e-mail address, clicking trough all the “confirm this and that”, and repeat. PS: remember to make list of what accounts you change – it is easy to get lost during a massive clean-up.

The pro-readers, will now by themselves, understand that this is the perfect time to also change stupid easy passwords (and use a password manager doing it). This will ten million double the effect on the goal: create a more secure online presens for your personal identificators.

More to follow!

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Why use flightmode as often as possible? Because.

Are you one of those, like my self, who carry a mobile broadband router, and connect your mobile to this router when on the go?

Think about it – walking around New York city – think about all the cell towers that your mobile constantly connects to. Crazy when you start to think about it. And each tower, now got a record of you and your mobile paying it a visit. Using a mobile router as a proxy, all they get is the identifcators of the mobile router unit – not your mobile, now being in flightmode.

What an easy way to put a layer between you and the cell towers!

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Podcast – heard of AntennaPod before? #android

I´ve been a huge consumer of the great invention of podcasts. In fact, I am now listing almost exclusive on podcasts – not music. Dramatic change for me, but I like it. In the old days, radio was my thing, so it kind of reminds me of that.

The main platform for several years, was Apple Podcast. But after moving over from Apple-fanboy number 1, to Go Go GrapheneOS three years ago, I started to replace app by app, with privacy in mind. Suddenly I stumbled upon AntennaPod when looking for a podcast app alternative to Spotify, and boy did that make it for me. From Apple Podcast, to Spotify and their podcast service, to AntennaPod.

Here is how the project behind AntennaPod describes themselves:

“The Open Podcast Player
AntennaPod is a podcast player that is completely open. The app is open-source and you can subscribe to any RSS feed. AntennaPod is built by volunteers without commercial interest, so it respects your privacy while giving you full control.”

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Note taking the old (real) way – analog – Travelers Notebook

The art of writing with a pen on a piece of paper. A soon to be forgotten skill for the majority of us. Our kids sucks bigtime at it. Back to basic, folks – it´s time to take control of the art of note taking the right way.

In this article, I will describe a couple of my favorites when it comes to the old school note taking. A piece of art – the Montblank Meisterstuck ballpoint pen and a notebook from Travelers Notebook, with paper from the Japaneese brand

More to follow!

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Embrace Wearables: Empowering Health with Every Beat

You are meassuring your self, right? Garmin, Apple Watch, Fitbit, Whoop or what have you? And you are monitoring your blood sugar? Cool – otherwise, start doing it, and you will not regret it. Let´s go – some personal experiences coming up!

In our fast-paced world, staying on top of our health has never been more crucial. From tracking our steps to monitoring our sleep patterns, wearable devices like Garmin, Apple Watch, and Whoop have revolutionized the way we understand and manage our well-being. These sleek gadgets are more than just accessories; they’re powerful tools that offer insights into our biometrics, empowering us to take charge of our health journey like never before.

One of the most significant advantages of wearable devices is their ability to provide real-time data on various aspects of our health. Whether it’s heart rate, sleep quality, activity levels, or stress levels, these devices offer a comprehensive snapshot of our well-being at any given moment. By continuously monitoring these metrics, we can gain valuable insights into our habits and behaviors, allowing us to make informed decisions to improve our overall health and wellness.

Moreover, wearables serve as constant companions, encouraging us to stay active and engaged throughout the day. With features like step tracking, sedentary reminders, and workout tracking, these devices motivate us to move more and adopt healthier lifestyles. Whether it’s taking the stairs instead of the elevator or going for a brisk walk during our lunch break, wearables inspire us to make small yet meaningful changes that contribute to our overall well-being.

Furthermore, wearables facilitate accountability and goal setting, turning health and fitness into a fun and rewarding experience. With features like activity challenges, personalized goals, and achievement badges, these devices gamify the process of staying healthy, making it feel like a friendly competition rather than a chore. By setting achievable targets and tracking our progress over time, we can stay motivated and committed to our health and fitness goals.

Additionally, wearables offer valuable insights into our sleep patterns, helping us understand the quality and quantity of our rest. With features like sleep tracking, sleep stages analysis, and sleep score calculation, these devices provide actionable feedback to improve our sleep hygiene and optimize our restorative rest. By identifying patterns and trends in our sleep behavior, we can make adjustments to our bedtime routine, environment, and habits to ensure better sleep quality and overall health.

In conclusion, wearable devices like Garmin, Apple Watch, and Whoop are powerful tools that offer unparalleled insights into our biometrics, activity levels, sleep patterns, and overall health. By leveraging the data provided by these devices, we can gain a better understanding of our bodies and make informed decisions to improve our health and well-being. So let’s embrace wearables and embark on a journey to a healthier, happier life—one step, one beat at a time.

PS: For years, I have been using Garmin Fenix for almost 24/7 fitness metrics monitoring. And over the last couple of years, I have notrious been following the “Body battery” and “Sleep points”. But I love using my other cool watches, but with only Garmin having the metrics-part, even my Rolex Explorer II are rarely being taken for a spinn.

Then I learned about the fantastic product-world of Whoop! Suddenly, I could wear a wrist-band, meassuring the key metrics I want, on my right arm, and my left arm are now available for any watch – gotta love it.

More to follow!

Written in part by ChatGPT

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A secure man, is a good man – did I hear GrapheneOS?

We need to talk. Especially if you have never heard of “GrapheneOS” before. Just spend a few minutes of your time reading this article – it might change your life. It did for me – the advices you will get here, that is.

In a world full of hackers, being state sponsored guys with all the money, access and time in the world, to the private bad guys that are up to no good trying to get your money or crypto cash, teens with skills and layed off people learning coding – you should put in some effort in securing your digital you a.s.a.p. And of course you should do the same for your family, should you be lucky to have them around. And besides hacking, the future threat of AI, God knows what that will bring when it comes to data, you should be extra careful in making your communication as encryptet and secure as possible.

This article will lead you from the darkness of the masses, and holding your hand while pointing in the right direction. Trust me.

The short story, and big spoiler alert: Let’s get you onto a Google Pixel cellphone where we install GrapheneOS, and from there, your privacy journey is already way into it’s race. Because, when thinking about this in retrospect, and all the stuff I have done and changed over the last three years, I realize it is a Pandora’s box of things to do. It will most likely seem a bit over whelming to begin with. But trust me – as you begin your privacy-focused new you, it will become second nature doing so. Step by step, you will secure your digital ‘you’ and as times passes by, you will see results on several arenas.

I will not cover the whole 2-do list, and how to fix all of the things you need to fix. To this, Google search and Youtube are packed with brilliant people, showing how to to it. I will however point you in the right direction, to some of the people I learnt a few tricks from.

The overall plan or strategy should contain some of the following items to do something about:

– Change main mobile phone number (which also means a new SIM card – yay!)
– Create a second mobile phone number for internet accounts/online shopping
– Get a good VPN-provider (like ProtonVPN)
– Get a password manager (like Bitwarden)
– Change main e-mail account
– Create multiple “burner” e-mail accounts
– Delete traces of old phone number og e-mails etc
– Replace all active accounts with new phone number (only where needed)
– Replace all active accounts with new burner e-mail address
– Remove personal identificators on online accounts where possible
– Selfhost services like “iCloud” and other services
– Get a mobile hotspot and get into the habbit of being in Flight-Modus
– Get familiar with Linux, Raspberry PI and the world of self-hosting
– Setup Matrix (encryptet chat service) for you and your family

And so on. But like I said, in this article I focus especially on your cellphone – your digital hearth – being brought with you when you where ever you go. Aother spoiler alert: you need to get rid of your Apple, Samsung or whatever cellphone you got, and run to your local store to pick up a Google Pixel cellphone – we are going into the world of GrapheneOS. But I can promisse you that your new Google Pixel phone will work really nice, and you will probably like my self be thrilled over new features that lies ahead, should you join the rebels of the GrapheneOS society.

Thanks to Edward Snowden, I learnt about this operating system some years ago on Reddit. I turned around, showed my long lasting hero Steve Jobs my back, and went all-in with GrapheneOS. No regrets but tons of frustration on the way to eternal happiness.

Starting off – if no changes has been made with regards to things like your main cellphone number, your main e-mail and so forth, you are getting off a bit skewed when it comes to privacy. In order to get the transition to GrapheneOS as good as possible, you should check of this article that focuses on a couple of key indicators on your digital you, before setting up the new phone. Have this done, you should continue with the actual phone. The mention article describes some potential strategies you might follow to take control over your data-sharing from now on. It is actually important.

Having your brand new, or a 2nd hand Google Pixel phone that the GrapheneOS-team still supports at hand, the journey begins!

Initial setup and strategies

After figuring out the setup, and getting the Google Pixel deGooglified, and GrapheneOS working as it should, the app-journey begins. The actual de-Googleification and setup of GrapheneOS is brilliantly described on the GrapheneOS pages – check them out. I assume you made it and are now inside the new frontpage of your new phone.

And now you need to make some decisions: have seperate use-accounts for social media, other non-daily apps and so forth. I drew up a map on a piece of paper, and dug into it. First I downloaded the F-Droid app store. From here I downloaded the Aurora app store which is the main station for apps on the GrapheneOS mobil. Of course you can activate Google’s app store and have a blast, but the whole point was to try to disconnect from those eco-systems as much as possible.

With Aurora store up and running, I started with Proton VPN.

FindMyWho?

Yes, your mobile life at you know it, will change. Being an old Apple fanboy, the change(es) where massive to begin with. But I kept my faith, and dug into each app that needed to be replaced. My first, and main worry? Find my iPhone. It had been my rock for many years, keep track of my kids as they went to and from school, playing with frieds and what have you. Suddenly loosing track of them and all our digital devices, was the first and major blow. But as always, when in doubt – call a friend! So I did and found a great solution to the old tracking-problem: Off course – self-hosting Home Assistant with a Raspberry PI. A new Pandora’s box unveiled. Suddenly I ended up with several projects at the same time. But they all had the same direction, and bit by bit, I got as close to the old Apple eco-system I got with my new Google Pixel 6. Owntracks proved to be the tracker I needed, and with all units established via Home Assistant, I got my pulse back to normal, and started to trust the system. Home Assistant is such an easy and great upgrade for anyone of you out there, so I will make several seperate articles on that beauty.

To be continued…