Review: UGREEN 4-in-1 USB 3.0 SD Card Reader

Posted in Products with tags on November 12, 2024 by itnerd

I am in the midst of finalizing my new desk setup having made some major changes. I’ll be sharing the final result with you in the coming weeks. But right now, I’m here to talk about one of those changes. Which is the UGREEN 4-in-1 USB 3.0 SD Card Reader/

So the reason why I need this is that I am redoing my desk setup to support having my MacBook Pro in clamshell mode. As in the lid is closed and connected to an external monitor. So I wanted to either replicate on enhance the ability to read SD cards and the like. I went the enhance route and got this at Memory Express for $22.99 CDN. One the front, there’s a Compact Flash card slot at the top and a Sony Memory Stick Card slot on the bottom. I don’t have any of those and I don’t know who else would have any of those. But if you have one of those, it’s there.

On the right side there’s a SD Card slot at the top and a Micro SD card slot at the bottom. Short of doing CF Express cards which I don’t have any, I’m covered for most situations. One thing that I should point out is that this card reader is a fingerprint magnet. Though it’s not visible in the picture, there’s also a blue light that seems to only indicate that it is plugged into a USB-A port and getting power. The light isn’t all that bright so you can leave it connected without lighting up a dark room.

In terms of performance, I plugged it into a USB 3.1 Gen 1 port that does 5 Gbps, and used a SD card that was rated for 95 MB/s read speeds and got this result:

91.14 MB/s validates that this card reader is performing very close to expectations and the card reader along with the USB bus isn’t really holding it back all that much if at all.

One cool feature is that each card slot appears to act independently. For example, if I pop in a Micro SD card and an SD card, both will appear on the desktop of my Mac and I can copy items between them. I don’t know when I would need such functionality, but it’s handy to know that I could do that if I needed to.

Honestly, I have no complaints or drawbacks about this card reader. It does the job by supporting a number of card type, it’s fast, and doesn’t break the bank. I highly recommend it.

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Hello Registry unveiled as the friendly new face of the CIRA/SIDN partnership

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 12, 2024 by itnerd

Last night at a special event at ICANN 81 in Istanbul, CIRA and SIDN took the next step in their mission to empower the domain name community and improve the industry by unveiling the new brand for their value driven and community focused platform: Hello Registry.

CIRA and SIDN announced their partnership last year at ICANN 78 in Hamburg where they committed to co-developing the product previously known as the CIRA Registry Platform.

Hello Registry was chosen as the new brand as a reflection of the goal of the new platform, to create a network of like-minded TLDs who are committed to innovation, shared values, and building a collaborative online community; and as you know, every community starts with “hello”.

Key Facts

  • Managed and created by two of the most respected TLD operators in the world with strong influence over internet governance: SIDN and CIRA
  • Highly reliable platform from two TLD operators with more than 60 years’ experience providing 100% uptime
  • Created from the ground up as a platform to empower TLDs to grow their business and build healthy online communities
  • Continuous innovation through iteration. Every TLD onboarded adds to the platform’s feature set and the community’s shared knowledge
  • Patented tags feature provides a business rules engine for a registry to easily manage variable pricing models, roles, access and administration. Registries can also customize notifications and messaging.

Visit helloregistry.nl or helloregistry.ca to learn more about the community that they are building and visit them at ICANN 81 in Istanbul at our booth in the main hall and say hello!

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Bad News For Elon Musk…. Bluesky Nets 700K Users In A Week…. And There’s Worse News For Him

Posted in Commentary with tags , on November 12, 2024 by itnerd

In the wake of the US Election results, it seems that there is another wave of people fleeing Twitter for Bluesky. This time around it seems that Bluesky has gained 700,000 users in the week since the election:

Bluesky gained more than 700,000 new users in the last week and now has more than 14.5 million users total, Bluesky COO Rose Wang confirmed to The Verge. The “majority” of the new users on the decentralized social network are from the US, Wang says. The app is currently the number two free social networking app in the US App Store, only trailing Meta’s Threads.

I can confirm that as of last night, Bluesky and a number of other competitors to Twitter are solidly in the top 10 of Apple’s App Store:

As you can see, Threads is third, Bluesky is fifth, and the troubled TikTok is 7th. So where’s Twitter? Here it is:

It’s all the way down in 55th place. Sucks to be you Elon. Because this is the reason why people are fleeing your dumpster fire of a platform:

The independent platform has seen a lot of growth in recent weeks — on October 24th, Bluesky announced it had 13 million users. After X’s recent announcement that it would let blocked users still see posts from the person that blocked them, for example, Bluesky said it added 500,000 new users in one day.

The results of the US presidential election could be part of Bluesky’s new influx of users. People may be looking to use a platform that’s not owned by Musk or, like some Taylor Swift fans, may be looking for a new platform following an increase in hate speech on X.

I guess that Elon doesn’t care that Twitter is imploding under his leadership, or he’s too focused on turning it into a hate filled right wing bro club. Either way, people are dumping Twitter, and if you haven’t done so, you perhaps should.

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Other World Computing Launches OWC Thunderbolt 5 Hub

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 12, 2024 by itnerd

Other World Computing today announced the general availability launch of the OWC Thunderbolt 5 Hub – opening a new world of workflow possibilities and performance.

By turning a single cable connection into three Thunderbolt 5 ports and one USB-A port, the new OWC Thunderbolt 5 Hub breaks the connectivity handcuffs of host machines not offering enough Thunderbolt 5 ports. With up to 80Gb/s of bi-directional data speed – up to 2x faster than Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 – and up to 120Gb/s for higher display bandwidth needs, the OWC Thunderbolt 5 Hub redefines productivity. Connect portable SSDs exceeding 6000MB/s, up to three 8K displays @60Hz with DSC, today’s USB-C connector compatible devices, and yesterday’s USB-A desktop accessories – all while keeping modern notebooks and tablets powered and charged up for mobile use with 140 watts.

Key Features of the OWC Thunderbolt 5 Hub:

  • Easy Port Expansion – Adds more universally compatible Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) ports to a Mac, PC,iPad Pro, or tablet to greatly expand device connectivity possibilities and productivity
  • Incomparable Speed – Work and play faster with up to 80Gb/s of bi-directional data speed and up to 120Gb/s for higher display bandwidth needs
  • Works with Millions – No worries or confusion…connect to Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, USB-C, or USB4 machine or device with 100% compatibility**
  • Best Today, Best Tomorrow – Delivers the best performance of devices with today’s computers and best speed possible in the future with a Thunderbolt 5 Mac or PC
  • Multiple Daisy Chains – Create three separate daisy chains of devices – even bus-powered – and remove devices from one chain without affecting the other chains
  • Powerful – Safely delivers up to 140 watts to charge the most power-hungry notebook computer
  • Stunning Visuals – Connect to the latest and future Thunderbolt, USB-C, and DisplayPort displays for incredible 4K, 5K, 6K, and up to three 8K displays
  • Thunderbolt Certified – Built-in OWC reliability and dependability for Mac and Windows
  • Silently Cool – Fanless aluminum enclosure for quiet and cool operation

The OWC Thunderbolt 5 Hub is available now for pre-order for $189.99 and begins shipping in December. For further information and specs or to place an order, please visit https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-thunderbolt-5-hub.

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Why Pinterest is the go-to place to shop holiday gifts this year

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 12, 2024 by itnerd

Pinterest is making holiday shopping easier than ever. Whether you’re shopping for your best friend, your hard-to-please spouse, or even yourself, they’ve got you covered. With more than 1,000 unique gift guides curated by creators and celebrities like Paris Hilton, RuPaul, Emma Chamberlain and K-Pop girl group TWICE, Pinterest is the go-to platform to find a gift.  

They’re launching new product features to help you find that perfect gift. This year on Pinterest, you can create personalized shoppable wishlists and share your gift ideas all in one place – just in time for the holidays.

Find, Save and Shop

Now with the new “quick save” feature, you can find and save Pins from our gift guides with one tap. Didn’t think it could get any easier? Well, guess what— Pinterest will automatically pull those saved Pins into your very own shoppable “wishlist.” Pinterest users can revisit and shop all of their saved gift ideas in their wishlists. 

Gift Guides from Your Favorite Celebrities and Brands

With more than a thousand curated gift guides spanning across 27 categories – from fashion and beauty, to travel and gaming – they’re making Pinterest the go-to place to search for gifts that are heartfelt, on-trend, or completely unexpected.

They’ve partnered with your favorite celebrities, creators and brands to hand pick nearly 40,000 of the best gifts so you don’t have to. From Alicia Keys’ “Gifts that fill your Soul,” to Emma Chamberlain’s “gifts that literally everyone will love,” to Molly Baz’s “Gifts for the biggest, baddest dinner party,” Laufey’s “Gifts for a very Laufey holiday,” RuPaul’s “Hey Sis, It’s Ru’s List”—Pinterest’s gift guides have something for everyone on your list. 

Pinterest gift guides include the latest deals and hidden gems you never knew you needed from brands like Rare Beauty, Savage x Fenty, Sezane, Mejuri, Carhartt, Flamingo Estate, REI, and hundreds more. They’ve also teamed up with leading publishers, including Vogue, The Strategist, GQ, Air Mail, Refinery29, Eater, Poosh, and Wirecutter, for their top holiday picks. 

Holiday shopping can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. No more last-minute trips to the mall or surfing through page after page. Pinterest is here to help you break the uninspired gift-giving cycle with our gift guides and new shopping features.  

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Carleton Researcher Receives National Cybersecurity Consortium Funding to Improve Children’s Online Safety

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 11, 2024 by itnerd

The National Cybersecurity Consortium (NCC) announced that Carleton’s Masoud Barati has been awarded $88,800 for his cybersecurity project: Privacy Assurance for Canadian Children: A Safe and Secure Framework for Large Language Models.

Barati’s team hopes to improve online children’s data protection by introducing a new privacy-preserving software framework. As children are particularly vulnerable to privacy risks due to a lack of awareness of security practices, Barati is addressing the need for personal data measures specifically for children. Barati’s framework will work within Large Language Models (LLM)-based platforms, like search engines and online games.

By incorporating Canadian regulations and international cybersecurity best practices, Barati’s team aims to incorporate enhanced requirements such as:

  • obtaining verifiable parental consent,
  • providing clear notices about data protection practices,
  • implementing data security measures, and
  • granting parents control over data processing steps.

The new tool will monitor children’s data in real time, enabling improved enforcement of data regulation to protect children.

Learn more about Barati’s project and how his team will use the funds to protect children from privacy risks online.

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Review: dbrand Grip Case For AirPods Pro

Posted in Products with tags on November 11, 2024 by itnerd

I’ve recently invested in a dbrand case and screen protector for my iPhone 14 Pro. In case you missed that review, it’s right here. While I was at it, I figured that I would update the protection for my AirPods Pro. Thus I decided to also grab the dbrand Grip Case for AirPods Pro. Here’s the box that it comes in.

Inside the box you get the case, And below it a SIM ejector tool that you can use to thread the lanyard that comes with the case through the case, a black triangle that is meant to help you to remove the case, and to the right a skin for the case and an extra set of stickers for the top part of the case.

Installation was easy enough. But just in case, dbrand have provided this video to help you with that. And that installation took less than five minutes. The net result was this:

The carbon fibre is on brand for me and fits with the Grip Case for my iPhone 14. The lanyard is a nice touch as well. The bottom portion of the case fits really tight. So including a tool to help you to remove it makes sense. But the real star of the show is the fact that the case has a texture that borders on sandpaper along with what dbrand calls grip strips to ensure that your hand. The button is pretty click and the light on the front is clearly visible. No complaints from a fit and finish perspective. The company also promises “military grade drop protection”. But they don’t say what that means specifically. I’ll also note that wireless charging works. But I don’t have the ability to stick the AirPods Pro case to a MagSafe adapter as the magnets in the AirPods Pro case don’t have as much sticking power as it did when it didn’t have a case. Having said that, the case doesn’t really add that much thickness to the overall package.

The only downside that this case is the price. It’s $34.90 USD. You can find AirPods Pro cases on Amazon for less money. So you have to decide if going the dbrand route to protect your AirPods Pro is worth it for you. It is for me as it makes my everyday carry a bit more cohesive. Which is why I’ll be rolling with this case until I need to replace my AirPods Pro. Which hopefully won’t be anytime soon.

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Job Seekers Personally Identifiable Information Exposed Online by a Tech Recruitment Service

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 11, 2024 by itnerd

A data breach involving Alltech Consulting Services — which matches global job seekers with employers in the US and Canada — was discovered and reported to WebsitePlanet by cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler. 

What happened: 

A non-password-protected file containing 2 million records of 200,000 tech job seekers was exposed. The leaked data includes personally identifiable information like partial SSNs, passport numbers, emails, phone numbers, and visa/green card status. 

Why it matters: 

This could lead to identity theft, employment fraud, and phishing attacks. In the wrong hands, it provides criminals a list of high-value targets for scams. 

To learn more, read the detailed report here:https://www.websiteplanet.com/news/alltechconsultinginc-breach-report/

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Apple Might Have Introduced A Feature To Help To Keep Law Enforcement Out Of Your Phone

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 10, 2024 by itnerd

TechCrunch is reporting that law enforcement is apparently concerned over a new feature that Apple seems to have added that makes it way harder for them to get into iPhones that are in their possession:

404 Media reported Thursday that law enforcement officials were warning each other that phones being stored for forensic examination seemed to be rebooting themselves — something that security experts confirmed in a follow-up story. After the reboot, it’s harder for those phones to be unlocked by password-cracking tools.

Apple did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.

This reboot appears to take place after iPhones with iOS 18.1 have not been unlocked for a set period of time. According to Chris Wade, founder of mobile analysis company Corellium, iPhones seem to reboot after their fourth day of in a locked state.

So if you’re running iOS 18.1 right now, you have this feature. Now, am I surprised that Apple not only hasn’t commented on this, but also has seemingly slipped this feature in under the cover of darkness? Not really. Apple has had a bit of a history getting into fights with law enforcement over unlocking iPhones. And given the current climate in the US where there is a massive potential for the surveillance state to really ramp up, some people might consider this a feature. I for one am fine with this because the data on my iPhone is my data. And nobody that I don’t want to have access to it should have access to it. That doesn’t make me a criminal. It makes me someone who wants their privacy to remain intact.

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Thunderbolt 5 Is Available… But The Devil Is In The Details

Posted in Commentary with tags , on November 10, 2024 by itnerd

Apple has recently released a bunch of new computers. And some of them come with Thunderbolt 5 which Apple promised “up to 120 Gbps” of speed among other things. But I’m here to say that it’s not that simple. Let me explain why by going back to what Thunderbolt 4 does.

Thunderbolt 4 ports and cables are capable of transmitting power, data and video signals. In terms of video, it will handle a single 8K, 6K or 5K external display. Alternatively it can support dual external 4K displays at up to 60Hz. In terms of speed, it will do up to 40 Gbps. And in terms of power, it will do anywhere between 100W and 140W depending on the implementation. Here’s what Thunderbolt brings to the table according to Intel:

  • Thunderbolt 5 is promising speeds of up to 120 Gbps.
  • Thunderbolt 5 can support up to three 4K displays running at up to 144Hz, or you can do two 6K or 8K displays. It can also handle a single external display as fast as 540Hz.
  • Thunderbolt 5 can support from 140W to 240W of power

But let’s get to the elephant in the room. Which is the 120 Gbps speeds that Apple promised. If you dig into the details, Thunderbolt 5 has double the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4. So that’s 80 Gbps not 120 Gbps. So how does Apple advertise speeds of 120 Gbps? Well, Thunderbolt 5 has the ability to sacrifice receive speeds to get to 120 Gbps on the transmit side of the fence. So the only scenario where that would make sense is on the graphics side of the fence. Specifically for high resolution and high refresh rate monitors. You won’t see that shuffling files from an external hard disk for example.

As an aside, if you also have concluded that Apple will likely come out with a new version of their Pro Display XDR or Studio Display that supports their Pro Motion variable refresh rate tech because Thunderbolt 5 exists, you get a gold star. Because with Thunderbolt 4, it wasn’t technically possible for Apple to have a 5K or 6K display with anything more than 60 Hz. But with Thunderbolt 5, it is technically possible.

One other thing to consider is that you need to have Thunderbolt 5 compatible devices to get these speeds. Right now there’s not a whole lot of them out there. But I am sure that they will start to appear over the next year. That makes having Thunderbolt 5 a “sometime later” thing for most people. But when it does become a practical for most people, it will be a game changer.

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