iOS World–Important security patch now available

I was ignoring the update until I read this article in Naked Security. (If you have an iDevice, go to Settings | General | Software Update right now, just to make sure you’re up-to-date.)

Apparently there are three exploits that were being used to hack into your device. So it was good the Apple came out with the patch so quickly and don’t forget to install this security patch soon!

Are you Click Happy?

Naked Security posting points out that a large number of Facebook users are not real careful about how they use Facebook. Because of the actual structure of being able to post links on your Facebook postings, these links can direct you towards anything with out knowing where you are actually going to end up or how that destination will affect your device.

Part of keeping your equipment secure and safe is to be aware of what you are doing and where you accept to go. Look at who is posting and where that posting is taking you. If you don’t know then maybe you shouldn’t necessarily be in such a hurry to find out. And don’t forget that you can put Sophos on your home and mobile devices for free.

Looking for a really light, thin ultrabook?

Acer is releasing a new line of notebooks soon based on Intel’s new Kaby Lake processor. They are calling the new series of notebooks Swift and their flagship model looks really nice. Built with an aluminum case, the Swift 7 model is just 9.98mm’s thick, has a 13.3 inch IPS screen that sports 1920x1080 resolution and weighs in at 2.48 pounds.

Priced at $999, this ultrabook is based on the Kaby Lake i5-7300U processor, has 8gb’s of RAM and a 256GB SSD. It also has two USB 3.1 Type-C ports and for connectivity, a T2R 802.11ac with MU-MIMO wireless adapter.

All in all it looks like a pretty nice system for under $1000’s.

So how well does all your home automation equipment work together?

If you have been playing with home automation for a while, it is probably starting to look a little like the Tower of Babel. No two systems seem compatible with each other and up to now there hasn’t been a way to have centralized management between it all.

The Logitech system appears to have support for a broad base of manufacturer systems. Control devices from Philips Hue, LIFX, August, Sonos, Harmony, Lutron, Insteon, and Belkin WeMo. This type of system is what I would use for that broad base of consumer products that you would pick up at your local Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, Costco or Sam’s Club. These systems were never meant to be interoperable but with the Logitech System you bring them all together.

The main BRAIN is a bridge unit that you plug into your power and connect into your Wi-Fi network. From here it goes out an identifies what you installed in your home. Using the App you can add more that the, system doesn’t find. Once you have gone through the discovery process, you now have the ability to begin creating your controlled environment.

The control buttons are used to created easy switches the have up to three sequences that can be programmed to them. TO operate them it is just a simple press of the button but how you press it determines which of the three programs you want it to run. The options are a single click, double click or a continuous hold down of the button to achieve these three options.

The buttons can either be mounted using a self-adhesive back or just placed on a table top. They have a replaceable battery in them that lasts up to five years before you need to change them out. System Specifications

The Starter Pack includes:  Home switch (x2, with battery), Plug-in bridge, Mounting tape (x2) and User documentation priced at $99.99. Each add-on switch costs $39.99. It can be controlled either by iOS or Android devices. I haven’t found out whether it can be controlled from a PC yet but if your techy enough you can probably figure a way around that.

While this isn’t the system I would necessarily use if I was starting out today when I compare it to one of Honeywell’s advanced systems but if you are a do-it-yourselfer, and are using different technologies to accomplish different tasks then this can be a great way of bringing it back together.

More info on Logitech’s Pop Home Management System

It feels these days that we never get away from work

How do you successfully balance your time on vacation with still accomplishing what you need to for work and keep your family happy. I don’t remember a time when I totally unplugged from the office while I am away on vacation. When you are in a job that requires constant and continuing communication it is hard to just say no. What you can say is this is how I am going to manage it though. That is the biggest thing, along with setting expectation of those that are involved.

My typical vacation day still starts around 5am, I don’t sleep in much, I feel that I am about to miss something if I do. I’ll brew the coffee. Take a quick look outside to see whether we will have a sunrise worth taking pictures of and if so I will get things ready to take a walk down to the beach. However, before I leave, I have checked email, my RSS Feeds and decided on the rest of the morning’s projects that I will need to work on.

Luckily my wife likes to sleep in when we are on vacation so I have until between 7-8 before she gets up. We have breakfast together, I’m on cleanup and she gets ready for the beach. I finish up what I need to do for the morning and follow down around 10 or 11. It may sound a little boring but it accomplishes what I need it to do. The big thing here is that we have set our expectations of what we both need of each other and we try our best to adhere to them. Remember, you are on vacation as well.

You also need to be flexible. You can plan day trips that would normally interfere with your planned time to work but make it know when you are not going to be available and don’t fret over not being in touch. There is seldom a situation that can’t be put off for awhile and if there really is an emergency you can be reached by phone.

The bottom line is that you have to think about yourself, your family and friends that you might be with on your vacation and the needs of those that you left behind. Probably in that order. You can’t be on 24x7x365 days a year. You won’t get the best of you to give to those that need you.