Context matters
When I received the below solicitation, I really couldn’t believe what I was reading. Dear Kenneth I hope you are safe & well during this extraordinar...
Author: Kenneth Ballard
Are they all using the same form letter?
In January 2019, I wrote an article called, quite pointedly, “At least read the article before sending a solicitation“. Well this morning I received...
Thank you, Duracell
I’ve mentioned before on this blog that I’m a hobbyist photographer. Back in December I had a photoshoot with a then-10 year-old girl at a local par...
Responding to a knife with a firearm
LA Times Letters to the Editor: “Why do police officers keep shooting people armed with knives?” Oh this is a good one… To the editor: I read ...
A tip for street photographers
I’ve been a photographer for over a year and a half. Hobbyist only. Not really doing anything professional yet. And I love shooting pictures of strangers,...
They’re adapting
This one is a little different from the previous ones I’ve received, but still the same pattern. Interestingly this time they’re demanding Ethereum ...
A more intelligent radiator box
Last I left this series, I mentioned a next step was making the radiator box smarter. The current iteration of the radiator box now includes intelligent control...
More of the same
Slightly different from previous e-mails I’ve received, but otherwise still more of the same. Hi! I’m a hacker who hacked your operating system a fe...
Clever encoding
Another scam message came to my inbox today, and it used a rather clever encoding. It looks like plaintext, but it isn’t. It uses high-order 32-bit Unicod...
IKEA BESTÅ wall-mount (or free-stand) rack cabinet
Looking online there are plenty of options for a wall-mount 19″ rack. Open frame. Enclosed cabinet with doors and accessible sides. And there are plenty o...