December's Digital Life from Lökwest - Zelle scam, dog phone, three sites to bookmark, and more!
As we close out 2021, a big thank you to all of our followers and supporters this year. It's been a pleasure helping you keep your digital life in order.
It's also a privilege to join your inbox every month to keep you up to date on the best developments in the digital world.
To that end - this month we have our usual round-up of news - a new Zelle scam, an Apple patent to "keep your eyes" on, and a dog that phones its owner! Then, we ran across three sites you'll want to bookmark today. Finally fascinating reads on a toaster and how trust is generated on the Internet (it's not easy, that's for sure). Finish out the issue with the 100 best inventions of the year, and we've got ourselves a party! 🙂🎉🎊
Happy Holidays and all the best in 2022. We'll see you in January!
In the news...
The ‘Zelle Fraud’ Scam: How it Works, How to Fight Back — krebsonsecurity.com
Here's a clever little text-based fraud going around. Whether you use Zelle as a payment method or not, BEWARE of fake "text back to confirm" messages. You may just be confirming your phone number to a hacker, who will promptly harass you. The tip here - just call the bank if you have questions.
Barking Mad? The DogPhone Lets A Canine Call Its Owner — www.digitaltrends.com
There are plenty of gadgets that let owners check in on their pets, but how about one that lets your animal initiate a video call? Enjoy this dog owner's experiment with "DogPhone". If you have a dog, how often do you think it'd be phoning you? 🐶🐶
Look Mom - no glasses! Apple is working on a display that adjusts to correct user's vision — www.phonearena.com
Apple has filed a patent application for a system that would allow Face ID to read the corrective lenses that a user is wearing and make the necessary changes to the display. What does this mean? Imagine 1) not having to wear glasses to read your screen because the screen adjusts to you and 2) no one else can read your screen to snoop unless they have your EXACT prescription. We've "got our eyes" on this one...🙂
In sites to bookmark...
Insanely Useful Websites You Should Know — www.insanelyusefulwebsites.com
Discover insanely useful websites you didn't even know existed. I normally don't share lists of things because quite frankly, most of them suck. Here's one that's awesome though! Many of the tools on this list were already on my favorites, and I think you'll find some you'll want to bookmark too.
Terms of Service; Didn't Read — tosdr.org
“I have read and agree to the Terms” is the biggest lie on the web. Making the 50 pages of small print simple, it's TOSDR. Simply enter the site you're interested in and get an easy-to-read summary of what information/terms the site imposes on you.
ManualsLib - Makes it easy to find manuals online! — www.manualslib.com
Just in time for the holiday season, when you throw out all the boxes and manuals for your new gadgets! But who are we kidding? What actually even comes with a manual these days? Here's a site to bookmark - search through 3.000.000 manuals online & and download pdf manuals.
In "stuff that just works"...
Why a toaster from 1949 is still smarter than any sold today — www.theverge.com
Sometimes in the world of "smart" things, you just need something that works. We enjoyed this article in The Verge about one such item: In 1948, the Sunbeam Radiant Toaster was invented — a fully automatic, fully mechanical toaster whose capabilities have arguably never been surpassed by any toaster since.
James Bond in Action - The DNSSEC Root Signing Ceremony — www.cloudflare.com
Everything on the Internet has to trust something! Otherwise secure communication, shopping, and browsing wouldn't exist. But who is at the "root" of all that trust? It all goes back to a series of numbers that are generated VERY SECURELY a few times per year. This number generation ceremony is one of the most secure procedures on the planet. Now, you can read about the James Bond-like adventure of generating a new "root certificate" here.
In tech history...Tama-what?
The Tamagotchi Was Tiny, but Its Impact Was Huge — www.wired.com
It’s been 25 years since the little device first hit store shelves, but its simple brilliance lives on in today’s most popular games. If you're between 30 and 50, you knew someone that had one. Or maybe you're one of the ones that got kicked out of class for feeding your 'Gotchi? 😉
Auld Lang Syne....
The 100 Best Inventions of 2021 | TIME — time.com
THANK YOU again for all of your support in 2021. Let's end on a positive note and look back at 2021's best inventions making the world better, smarter and more fun.
Despite any challenges in 2021, the future's always getting brighter! 😎