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diff --git a/memorial-day-deals.txt b/memorial-day-deals.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0f9d0d1 --- /dev/null +++ b/memorial-day-deals.txt @@ -0,0 +1,23 @@ +This weekend is Memorial Day. Whether you're taking advantage of the long weekend to get out of town or just spending some time around the house we've rounded up some of our favorite deals from online retailers around the web and included the links to their sale pages. + +### Grills + +- **[Biolite FirePit Complete Kit (includes SolarCarry Cover, FireMat, FirePoker) for $242 ($87 off)](){: rel=nofollow}** The Firepit's rechargeable battery powers up 51 air jets for plenty of cooking and camp fire time without getting much smoke in your eyes. It's [our favorite](https://www.wired.com/review/review-biolite-firepit/) way to exercise our pyromanic tendencies while obeying campsite rules. This bundle includes the FirePit and all the extras. +https://www.bioliteenergy.com/products/firepit-complete-kit + +- **[Weber Spirit II E-310 for $450 ($50 off)](){: rel=nofollow}** Webers grills aren't the cheapest, but those extra dollars get you a high-quality grill that feels like it's built to last. The original Spirit was one of [our favorite entry-level grills](https://www.wired.com/2016/05/best-gas-grills/) and Weber grills rarely go on sale. +https://www.lowes.com/pd/Weber-Spirit-II-E-310-Black-3-Burner-Liquid-Propane-Gas-Grill/1000366153 + +- **[Original Kettle 22" Charcoal Grill for $165 (12 percent off)](){: rel=nofollow}** The legendary kettle grill is still our favorite way to cook on charcoal. As noted above, Weber does not often have sales, this one isn't huge, but we'll take it. +https://www.wayfair.com/outdoor/pdp/weber-original-kettle-premium-22-charcoal-grill-green-wbe1317.html + + +### Appliances + +- **[Cuisinart 0.6 Cu. Ft. Air Fryer Toaster Oven for $160 ($205 off)](){: rel=nofollow}** Fried food without the greasy napkins. This model doubles as a 6-slice toaster. +https://www.wayfair.com/kitchen-tabletop/pdp/cuisinart-06-cu-ft-air-fryer-toaster-oven-cui3490.html + +- **[DeLonghi Magnifica Espresso Machine for $645 (35 percent off)](){: rel=nofollow}** At full price we deemed it too expensive for our espresso maker review, but at this price you can have your espresso and drink it too. +https://www.wayfair.com/kitchen-tabletop/pdp/delonghi-magnifica-espresso-and-cappuccino-automatic-espresso-machine-dlg10007.html + + diff --git a/notes.txt b/notes.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..901f96d --- /dev/null +++ b/notes.txt @@ -0,0 +1,21 @@ +## potential updates +### best laptops +https://www.wired.com/gallery/best-laptops/ +Dell XPS nose cam is gone + +## Guides +### budget laptops +Lenovo ThinkPad E590 +Lenovo Ideapad 330S +ASUS VivoBook F510UA +ASUS Zenbook UX305FA-ASM1 +Dell Inspiron 15 7570 + +15-inch, 18-inch, travel sized (13-inch), etc. We can explore the spectrum. So that’s how I’d recommend approaching. + +mixture of use case/features and price +cool +Durability is sometimes an issue at budget prices +and battery + + diff --git a/osmo-action.txt b/osmo-action.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..392e92d --- /dev/null +++ b/osmo-action.txt @@ -0,0 +1,53 @@ +GoPro's Hero series action cameras finally have some worthy competition. Others have tried in the past but none of the GoPro alternatives have been as compelling as DJI's new Osmo Action. + +The Action offers nearly everything that makes the GoPro popular and adds a few tricks of its own, including a front screen for effortless action selfies. + +Before I dive into what makes the DJI great and where it's lacking, what everyone wants to know is how it stacks up against last year's [GoPro Hero7](https://www.wired.com/review/gopro-hero7-black-2018/). DJI clearly took a page from GoPro's playbook. The basic features are nearly identical. Both can capture 12-megapixel stills in both RAW and JPG, record 4K video at up to 60 frames per second, offer video effects like 8X slow motion and excellent electronic stabilization, and both are waterproof right out of the box (the Action claims 36 feet, GoPro 33 feet). + +*(Note: When you buy something using the retail links in our stories, we may earn a small affiliate commission. [Read more](https://www.wired.com/2015/11/affiliate-link-policy/) about how this works.)* + +###Seeing Double + +The Osmo Action's headlining difference, and what sets it apart from other action cams we've tested, is its 1.4-inch front screen. It's tiny, but it offers a full-color display and it's incredibly handy for selfie videos. The front screen is just large enough that you can easily tell where you are in the Action's sweeping 145 degree field of view. The selfie-friendliness alone will make it a compelling buy for anyone primarily shooting from a stick. + +There are two ways to switch between the Action's dualing screens, either use a touch gesture -- a two-finger double tap on the rear LCD -- or a long press of the QS (Quick Switch) button. Either way you're in and out of selfie mode nearly instantaneously. + +In the hand, the Action isn't an exact clone of a GoPro, but the form factor is very similar. DJI tweaked the basic action camera design enough to squeak in a nice, bright 2.25 inch LCD with true 16:9 aspect ratio -- no letterboxed video playback like you'll find in the Hero series. It makes the Action slightly wider than a GoPro, but it still felt comfortable enough in my hand, as comfortable as any tiny camera can feel anyway. + +You probably aren't going to be holding this thing anyway, you're going to mount it. DJI has wisely included a case and mounting system that mirrors the GoPro, which means most of the mounts that fit the GoPro would work here as well. + +The Osmo Action is water proof out of the box to 36 feet, just be sure you seal the flap that covers the USB-C port and Micro-SD card slot before you dive in. Notice that I did not say USB-C and HDMI port, because there is no HDMI port on the Action -- no real-time monitoring from the comfort of your director's chair. This is an action camera after all, it's meant to be on your helmet or handlebars recording the, ahem, action. + +Technically there is a way to monitor footage if you really need to; you can use DJI's mobile app on your phone. Not a huge screen, but bigger than what the Osmo Action offers anyway. + +The Action is fronted by an F2.8 lens that's covered with a screw-in clear filter. My test unit also included four ND filters to help out with shutter speeds in bright situations. I found the 16 filter perfect for bright days at the pool. The ND filters are sold separately and there will no doubt be plenty of third party filters available soon. + +The Action uses the same sensor as the [DJI Mavic Air](https://www.wired.com/review/dji-mavic-air-2018/), and supports the same frame rates and video options, which is handy if you're mixing footage from the air and ground. + +###Rock Steady + +DJI may be new to action cameras, but it has quite a bit of experience stabilizing tiny cameras. The company calls the Action's image stabilization system "RockSteady", which might be mocking the GoPro's equally silly, "HyperSmooth" system. Whatever the case, what took GoPro seven iterations to get right DJI has nailed in its first go. + +There are some situations in which I like the results of GoPro's stabilization a little better, for example sudden jouncing smooths out better, but for the most part it's difficult to tell the difference between the two. + +###Custom Menus + +Given their size, and general lack of buttons -- the Action has just three buttons, Power, QS and Record -- menu systems on Action cameras often have to get creative. DJI has copied GoPro's approach here, menus are accessible by swiping in from the sides. Swipe from the left to see your images, from the top to get to the main settings panel, and from the right to get to exposure settings, de-warp toggle and image format settings. Swipe up from the bottom to get to the aspect ratio (either 4:3 or 16:9 and the countdown timer. + +The menus work well enough though they were sometimes unresponsive when I had wet fingers. The good news is that there's an easy way to custom program settings and quickly switch between them using the QS button. Out of the box press QS brings up a menu of shooting modes -- Video, Photo, HDR video, Timelapse, and so on. This menu can be customized though, most importantly with customized modes. + +I created several custom modes, setting, for example, a 4K video with stabilization mode and one without stabilization. Then I went into the QS menu and uncheck everything else from the QS menu except your custom modes. That way I had a quick way to toggle stabilization without having to even look at the screen. + +The De-warp option mentioned above removes the fisheye aspect from the lens. There is a tiny bit of cropping involved and the finished look will be familiar to anyone whose used a DJI drone. This is one place DJI manages to surpass the GoPro, the Action can remove fisheye from all resolutions and frame rates, even 4K at 60fps. The Hero 7's fisheye removal is limited to 2.7K at 60fps. + +Another nice touch is the HDR video mode, which applies a very slight HDR effect to open up shadows and give scenes a slightly more vivid look. It's no match for what you can do in post production, but if you're going straight to the web it can save some otherwise high contrast scenes. The only gotcha is that you can't use both HDR and image stabilization at the same time. + +While most of the emphasis on action cams if video related, the Action packs a decent still camera as well capable of capturing 12MP Raw (DNG), JPEG or both in either 16:9 or 4:3 image ratios. The ISO sensitivity range covers 100-3200, though the high end of the spectrum gets pretty noisy. I ended up setting the max ISO at 800 when shooting indoors. There's also a burst mode capable of three, five or seven fps, and a self-timer of either three or ten seconds. + +Battery life on action cams is nothing to rave about, the small form factor severely limits battery size. Battery life varies considerably according to the video quality you're recording, but I was able to get almost an hour of 4K footage at 60fps on a fully charged battery. Dropping the frame rate to 30fps bumped the run time up to 90 minutes. The lower quality video you shoot, the longer your battery will last. + +The Osmo boots very quickly, hit the Power button and it'll be on and ready to shoot in about three seconds. Even better, you can start it up by tapping the record button and it will start up and immediately and begin recording using the mode and settings you had the last time you started it. + +There's much to love about the Action, but it's not perfect. There's no support for GPS, which seems like a huge oversight given the market DJI is going for here. There's also not much support for instantly uploading footage and no support for livestreaming. You can upload relatively easily using DJI's mobile apps, but it's not nearly as simple as what the GoPro Hero 7 offers. The missing livestreaming is odd given that other DJI products are capable of it. My other major gripe is the use of blue text in menus, which is very hard to see in bright sunlight. + +Slight nitpicks aside, this is a very solid action camera. DJI may be new to the action camera market, but it's been making tiny cameras for years and it shows. The lack of GPS support is something of an Achilles heel on an otherwise very solid camera, but for many the front facing monitor will more than make up for it. diff --git a/password-managers.txt b/password-managers.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..334feda --- /dev/null +++ b/password-managers.txt @@ -0,0 +1,89 @@ +Password managers are the vegetables of the internet. We know they're good for us, but most of us are happier snacking on the password equivalent of junk food. For seven years running that's been "123456" and "password", the two most commonly used passwords on the web. + +The problem is most of us don't know what makes a good password and aren't about to remember hundreds of them every day. + +If you can memorize strong passwords for hundreds of sites, by all means do it. Assuming you're using [secure passwords](https://www.wired.com/2016/05/password-tips-experts/) -- which is shorthand for, first and foremost, *long* passwords -- this is the most secure, if slightly insane way to store passwords. It might work for [Memory Grandmaster Ed Cooke](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Cooke_(author)), but most of us are not willing to put in the effort. We need to offload that work to a password manager, which offer secure vaults that can stand-in for our faulty, overworked memories. + +A password manager offers convenience and, more importantly, will help you create better passwords, which in turn makes your online existence less vulnerable to password-based attacks. + +*(Note: When you buy something using the retail links in our stories, we may earn a small affiliate commission. [Read more](https://www.wired.com/2015/11/affiliate-link-policy/) about how this works.)* + +### Why Not Use Your Browser? + +Most web browsers offer at least a rudimentary password manager -- this where your passwords are stored when Chrome or Firefox ask if you'd like to save a password. While this is better than reusing the same password everywhere, browser-based password managers are limited. + +The reason security experts recommend you use a dedicated password manager comes down to focus. Web browsers have other priorities. Dedicated password managers have a singular goal, which, ideally leads to a more secure result. + +### Password Manager Basics + +A good password manager stores, generates, and updates passwords for you with the press of a button. If you're willing to spend a few dollars a month, a password manager can sync your passwords across all your devices. If you don't want to pay, your best bet is Lastpass. + +Most password manager are systems rather than a single thing. They consist of apps for each of your devices, which have tools to help you create secure passwords, store them securely, as well as evaluate the security your existing passwords. All that information is then sent to a central server where your passwords are encrypted, stored, and shared between devices. + +To access all your passwords you only have to remember one password, which the password manager uses to unlock the vault containing your all your actual passwords. Only needing to remember one password is great, but it means there's a lot riding on that one password. Make sure it's a good one. + +If you're having trouble coming up with that one password to rule them all, check out our guide to [better password security](https://www.wired.com/2016/05/password-tips-experts/). You might also consider using the [Diceware](http://world.std.com/~reinhold/diceware.html) method to generate a strong master password. + +Some password managers will automatically fill in and even submit web forms for you. This is super convenient, but for additional security we suggest you disable this feature. Automatically filling forms in the browser has made password managers [vulnerable to attack](https://www.wired.com/story/password-manager-autofill-ad-tech-privacy/) in the past. For this reason our favorite password manager, 1Password, requires you to opt-in to this feature. We suggest you do not. + +While password managers can help you create more secure passwords and keep them safe from prying eyes, they can protect your password if the website itself is breached. That doesn't mean they don't help in this scenario though. All three of the cloud-based password managers below offer tools to alert you to potentially compromised passwords. Password managers also make it easier to quickly change a compromised password and search through your passwords to ensure you didn't reuse that compromised password. + +###Best All Around + +**1Password** + +1Password began life as a Apple-centric password solution, but it has since broadened its offerings to include iOS, Android, Windows, and ChromeOS. There's even a command line tool that will work anywhere. There are plugins for your favorite web browser too, which makes it easy to generate and edit new passwords on the fly. + +What sets 1Password apart from the rest is the number of extras it offers. In addition to managing passwords, it can act as an authentication app (like Google Authenticator), and, for added security, it adds a secret key to the encryption key it using, meaning no one can decrypt your passwords without that key (the downside is that if you lose this key, no one, even 1Password, can decrypt your passwords). + +Another reason 1Password offers the best experience is its tight integration with other mobile apps. Rather than needing to copy/paste passwords between your password manager and other apps, 1Password is integrated with many apps and can autofill. This is more noticeable on iOS, where inter-app communication is more restricted. + +The other reason I like 1Password is the "Travel Mode", which allows you to delete any sensitive data from your devices before you travel and then restore it with a click after you've crossed the border. This prevents anyone, even law enforcement at international borders, from accessing your complete password vault. + +1Password is $36 per year for one person, $60 per year for a family of up to five people. There's a 30-day free trial for either plan so you can test it out before committing. + +**[Sign up for 1Password for $36 per year](https://1password.com/sign-up/){: rel=nofollow}, then [grab the app](https://1password.com/downloads/){: rel=nofollow} for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, ChromeOS or Linux. There are also browser extensions for [Firefox, Chrome and Edge](https://1password.com/downloads/#browsers){: rel=nofollow}.** + +### Runner Up + +**Dashlane** + +I first encountered Dashlane several years ago when it lacked anything to set it apart from its competitors. But recent updates, especially Dashlane 6, have added some very nice features not found elsewhere. Dashlane is simple to set up and uses a key, much like 1Password's set up process. + +The desktop client is easy to navigate and the mobile apps make getting your data everywhere a cinch, though as with the others there is no syncing without buying the Premium version ($5/month). + +One of the best features of Dashlane is what it calls Site Breach Alerts. Dashlane actively monitors the darker corners of the web, looking for leaked or stolen personal data and then alerts you if your information is found. + +Also interesting is an option to not store any password data on Dashlane's servers. This means you're responsible for managing and syncing your password vault between devices. If you want the convenience and polish of Dashlane's application, but don't want put your vault in the company's servers, there is a way to do it, which isn't possible with 1Password or Lastpass. + +**[Sign up for Dashlane for $60 per year](https://1password.com/sign-up/){: rel=nofollow}, then [grab the app](https://www.dashlane.com/download){: rel=nofollow} for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, or Linux. There are also browser extensions for [Firefox, Chrome and Edge](https://www.dashlane.com/download){: rel=nofollow}.** + +###Best Free Option + +**Lastpass** + +LastPass is one of the most popular and well-known password managers out there. It works on nearly every platform and device available and it is the only service here to allow device syncing on its free plan. + +Upgrading to Premium will add support for two-factor authentication (like a fingerprint reader or Yubikey), 1 GB of encrypted file storage, priority support, and emergency access. Premium is $36/year. + +Like 1Password and Dashlane, LastPass stores your credentials and other sensitive data encrypted on its server and you access your data through apps or browser extensions. You can control whether or not Lastpass autofills forms, alert you about potentially compromised accounts, and even search your password vault for weak passwords. + +The main drawback to LastPass is its mixed security track record. Lastpass has had a number of [high-profile, critical bugs](https://www.wired.com/2015/06/hack-brief-password-manager-lastpass-got-breached-hard/) and some data breaches. Overall though, LastPass remains a good choice for those on a tight budget. + +**[Sign up for Lastpass](https://lastpass.com/create-account.php){: rel=nofollow}, then [grab the app](https://lastpass.com/misc_download2.php){: rel=nofollow} for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, or Linux. There are also browser extensions for [Firefox, Chrome and Edge](https://lastpass.com/misc_download2.php){: rel=nofollow}.** + +###Best Self-Hosted Option + +**KeepassXC** + +Want to retain control over your data in the cloud? Instead of using a service like those above, you can sync your encrypted passwords using secure file-syncing services like SpiderOak. If you go this route you'll need to do more work -- connecting apps on various platforms yourself -- but you won't have to trust any third-party with your passwords. + +If you want to roll your own, [KeePassXC](https://keepassxc.org/){: rel=nofollow} is your best bet. + +KeePassXC stores encrypted versions of all your passwords in a vault -- just like the hosted services above -- which you secure with a master password, a key file or both. The difference is that instead of syncing it for you, you sync that database file yourself, using a service like SpiderOak or Dropbox. Once your file is in the cloud you can access it on any device that has a KeePassXC client. + +There are clients available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as most web browsers. What it does not have are official apps for mobile. Instead the project recommends [Keepass2Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=keepass2android.keepass2android){: rel=nofollow} or, for iOS, [Strongbox](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/strongbox-password-safe/id897283731){: rel=nofollow}. + +Why do it yourself? In a word: transparency. Of all the solutions on this list, only KeepassXC is open source, which means its code can, and has, been inspected for critical flaws. + +**[There's nothign to sign up for with KeePassXC. Grab the [desktop app](https://keepassxc.org/download/) create your vault, then install [Keepass2Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=keepass2android.keepass2android){: rel=nofollow} or, for iOS, [Strongbox](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/strongbox-password-safe/id897283731){: rel=nofollow}. There are also extensions for [Firefox](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/keepassxc-browser/){: rel=nofollow}, and [Chrome](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/keepassxc-browser/oboonakemofpalcgghocfoadofidjkkk){: rel=nofollow}, but not Edge.** diff --git a/timeline.xls b/timeline.xls Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..fbbcdaa --- /dev/null +++ b/timeline.xls |