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Since its creation, Code.org’s mission has been to get coding into curriculums for students as schools nationwide. Today, the nonprofit group is launching Code Studio, a combined set of tools and curriculum to get students in kindergarten through high school interested in the underlying concepts behind coding through guided lesson plans. Read More
via TechCrunch
Code.org Launches Code Studio, A Toolset And Curriculum For Teaching Kids Programming
Building furniture or shelving generally requires some specialized tools, and joinery or welding skills. However if you like an industrial look to your furniture, you can construct simple pieces using pre-threaded pipes and fittings.
You can find threaded pipe in varying diameters and lengths at your local big-box store, along with many common fittings such as elbows, tees, couplings, and flanges. You don’t need any special tools or skills to put them together (just, you know, hands to thread the fittings on to the pipes) but you may need a bit of planning to create a sturdy piece.
You can add wood into the mix to make shelving, table tops, and pretty much anything else you can think of.
Things do get a little tricky when trying to create complex shapes. For threaded pipes you can use a union like this to get you out of most tough spots when trying to create a "closed" shape. You can also use non-threaded pipes and Kee Klamps for simpler assembly. Some big-box stores will cut pipes to a custom size and thread them for you as well.
While I haven’t found this method of building to be cheaper than using just wood, it is an easy way to build many different types of furniture (and the pipes can always be reassembled as something else in the future.) Here are a few examples of wood-and-pipe projects.
I used gas pipes to create the shelving units in the master closet of my last house. While the industrial look definitely fits my aesthetic, I also liked that the shelves were much sturdier than the builder-grade wire shelving units you often see in a closet, but still provided openness between the shelves, instead of a built-in wood unit that would have made the room seem smaller. You can see more pictures and specifics on building shelving with threaded pipe here.
This bench by HomeMade Modern uses pipe pieces in a more modern way than simply attaching pipes and flanges as straight legs. The video shows a bit more about the assembly of the piece, along with how pipe clamps can be used to secure the wood to the pipes.
This dining table required a little work to assemble the boards for the top of the table, but the base was relatively simple. You can learn more about how this table was made here.
There are an infinite number of ways you can configure furniture, storage, and decorative pieces using wood and pipe, and while the look might not be for everyone, it’s a fairly simple way to create quick, sturdy furniture.
Images from HomeMade Modern, DIYdiva, and Storefront Life.
Workshop is a new blog from Lifehacker all about DIY tips, techniques, and projects. Follow us on Twitter here.
via Lifehacker
Build Industrial Furniture with Wood and Pipes
Whether your files are stored on Dropbox, iCloud, or Mega, they could do with a little more security. It’s impossible to make them "hack proof," but there are a few things you can do to make your data as secure as possible—and still convenient to access. Let’s walk through those steps.
There’s no such thing as perfect security, but that’s no excuse to do nothing, especially when boosting your security is easy. Don’t fall for the trope that "if you want it secure you shouldn’t store it in the cloud." Cloud storage is a convenient, accessible technology that gives us access to our data anywhere, on multiple devices. It helps us work and makes our lives easier. There’s a line to be sure, but it’s silly to not use useful technologies simply because of the risk that something bad might happen. Let’s talk about how you can mitigate that risk.
Let’s start with the basics. First, check the passwords you use for your cloud accounts. Are you using the same ones for multiple services? Are you relying on memory or some other clever tricks to help you keep track of them? Stop now, get a password manager (yes, they’re more secure even if they seem like a single point of failure), and set different passwords for each service.
Next, enable two factor authentication for all of them if you can. Two-factor authentication isn’t foolproof, but it’s the next most important step to securing your accounts—and by proxy, your data. While you’re in your password settings, take a look at your security questions, and how the service handles password resets. Make sure you’ll be notified if someone tries to reset your password, and if there are security questions involved, make sure you choose obscure questions. Lie or give creative answers to those questions that only you know. You don’t want someone getting into your storage the way intruders got into celebrity iCloud accounts earlier this month.
Your next step is to take a look at any connected apps and devices with access to your cloud storage. In Dropbox, for example, you can see all of them in your account security settings. (Alternatively, log in to your Dropbox account, click your name and select "Settings." Then click the "Security" tab.) Similarly, at Box, you can click here to go to your settings, log in, then click the "security" tab to enable two-factor authentication and review your connected apps. If there are any applications listed that you no longer use or don’t recognize, remove them.
You don’t want some old app to get compromised and subsequently lead someone to get access to your account. This happens more frequently on social networks like Facebook and Twitter, but keeping those lists clean is a good habit to get into. All it takes is for someone to use read/write access through some ancient-but-popular app to get easy backdoor access to tons of user accounts.
While you’re at it, make sure any old devices you use are cleaned out as well. Take special care with this step though—if there are files on those devices you want to keep, they’ll be immediately unlinked and stop syncing, and the next time the device calls home, your local copies of synced files may be deleted.
Next, do a little digging to see how your cloud storage service handles privacy, and how committed they are to protecting your data. We touched on this a while ago for some of the most popular services, but not all of them. Check what access your provider gives itself to your data. Review the security they claim to offer as well. Some companies encrypt your data at rest on their servers, and note that even they have no idea what you’re storing with them. Others reserve the right to access your data whenever they choose, and use vague, hand-wavy terms like "bank level security" when they talk about encryption. Those are all bad signs, and generally mean that they either don’t take security seriously, or don’t think you’re smart enough to.
Take some time and review the terms of service agreements, security, and privacy policies of the services you’re trusting with your data. In some cases, you’ll see that your trust is well placed, but if anything gives you pause, the least you can do is ask their customer support what a given clause in the agreement means, or Google it to see what other people are saying. If you’re worried about those policies and terms changing—and they often do—previously mentioned Paranoid Paul can keep track of them for you and notify you when they change.
Whether you opt to move on from a service with less-than-stellar security or an intrusive privacy policy is up to you. However, it’s worth noting if a service gives themselves access to your data freely and they don’t take security seriously enough to explain how they protect your data, they probably won’t respond well if someone attacks them—and they may not have anything in place internally to stop an intruder from getting to your information. You can do better.
Many of us use cloud storage for just about everything. Part of getting so much free storage is that you don’t really have to think about what you upload, you can just upload it. That’s great unless you’re thinking about what may be lost if someone gets access to your accounts. Take some time and go over what you store in each cloud storage account and identify it by risk. Think about how bad it would be to lose that information, and whether you have it backed up anywhere. If the service is one of those (like iCloud or OneDrive for example) where the company can access your data at any time, consider whether your data may violate their terms of use, even slightly.
It doesn’t take much for an overzealous company to shutter your account. Back in 2011, a German photographer had his account closed suddenly because Microsoft decided his professional work was "questionable." Another OneDrive user lost his entire Microsoft account over some files stored in a private folder, accessible only to him.
If there’s anything you’d hate to lose, or anything you’re worried an overzealous algorithm may close your account over, it’s time to either remove it from the cloud and store it locally, or encrypt it. We’ve given you a primer on encryption in the past, and this method of compressed encryption using 7-Zip in Windows (Mac users should try Keka for a free alternative) will get the job done quickly and easily. Encrypting those files and archives with a password may make it more of a hassle to access on other devices, especially on your smartphone or tablet, but it’s a huge security boost, especially if you use your cloud service for things like financial documents, contracts, or…anything else.
With so much free cloud storage floating around from services happy to give it away just for signing up, it makes sense to spread out your critical data to different services so if one of them gets hacked, loses your data, or something else happens, you’re not at a complete loss. Doing this accomplishes two major things: First, it makes sure that losing one cloud storage service isn’t the end of the world when it comes to you actually being able to function. Second, it protects you from losing everything if someone breaks into your account via social engineering, as opposed to password trickery or exploits. Of course, keeping sensitive data encrypted will make sure that person doesn’t get away with much, but keeping your data diversified means that the odds of an intruder finding something useful are slimmer than if you used one big bucket for everything.
Similarly, regardless of what service you prefer, consider relying on cloud services with serious encryption and security features for your most sensitive data. There are plenty of services that do it well, like Spideroak and Tresorit. Both are worth a look if you know you’ll need to store, share, and access sensitive information on multiple devices.
Finally, a quick reminder: cloud storage is not backup. Or more precisely, sync is not backup. If your data is removed for any reason from the cloud end, sync means it’s removed from your local machine as well. To boot, most cloud services don’t offer fine revision histories for the files you sync, a feature that’s critical to a good backup service.
This is where we point out that cloud storage and sync is not the same as online backup. You should trust the latter to keep your data safe, but not the former. It’s important to keep more than one backup of your data, including one that’s offsite. Using an online backup service means that your data is kept regularly updated, complete with granular revisions, stored and encrypted in someone else’s datacenter, where it’s regularly updated as well. Of course, keep your data backed up locally as well. There’s nothing wrong with storing backups on an external hard drive or a NAS, especially for quick restores if your system dies. However, that NAS and hard drive is worthless if your house burns down or someone breaks in and cleans you out. When it comes to online backup, we prefer Crashplan because they’re easy to set up and offer strong encryption, but you have plenty of options.
Some of these steps are things we’ve mentioned before on their own, but if you hit them one at a time, going from the top down, you can make a huge impact in your data security in a short period of time. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to significantly improve your security. Does this make you "hack-proof?" Of course not: but it certainly makes you a more difficult target—one not be worth the effort required to get your data, and that’s all you can ask for.
Title photo made using Slavoljub Pantelic (Shutterstock) and kzww (Shutterstock). Additional photos by Lulu Hoeller, Jeremy Keith, tubedogg, Ryan Somma, and See-Ming Lee.
via Lifehacker
The Start-to-Finish Guide to Securing Your Cloud Storage
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In a previous article, I discussed using POP to create sketch-based clickthrough prototypes in participatory design exercises. These prototypes capture well the flow and overall layout of early design alternatives.
The same piece briefly mentioned another category of clickthrough prototypes: widget-based mockups that are designed on the target device and that expand on sketches by introducing user interface (UI) details and increased visual fidelity. These prototypes can be used to pitch ideas to clients, document interactions and even test usability. In this article, I will teach you how to use the iPad app Blueprint to put together such prototypes in the form of concept demos, which help to manage a client’s expectations when you are aligning your visions of a product.
The post Creating Clickthrough Prototypes With Blueprint appeared first on Smashing Magazine.
via Smashing Magazine
Creating Clickthrough Prototypes With Blueprint
LED light panels are great tools to have in your studio regardless of whether your a working with video or still photography. The continuous light sources come in a variety of sizes, but the nice ones also come at a price that may not agree with everyone’s budget. In this exceptionally well made video tutorial […]
The post Build A Pro Quality Light Source With This Awesome DIY LED Light Panel Tutorial appeared first on DIY Photography.
via DIYPhotography.net -Hacking Photography, One Picture At A Time
Build A Pro Quality Light Source With This Awesome DIY LED Light Panel Tutorial
Apple is holding an event today in Cupertino that kicks off at 10 AM PT, and we’re already here at the Flint Center holding it down. Next to the theater is the giant cube-like white mystery building that Apple has constructed on the site specifically for this show, whose purpose is yet to be revealed. We’ll be posting photos and updates (with Matthew Panzarino on the keyboard… Read More
"Straw man arguments" are utilized in debates to undermine the opposition. If you want to take the high road–and debate more effectively in the process–utilize the "steel man" argument.
Contrary to some common misinterpretations, a straw man is employed when one side on an argument creates a false narrative and then argues with that, instead of the point a person actually made. "I think the iPhone is actually okay" turns into "Android sux" and discussion falls apart.
The "steel man" is the opposite approach. As writer Robin Sloan explains, the steel man requires a debater to find the best form of her opponent’s argument and then argue with this. Explain what you think your opponent means to them, ask them if they agree this is what they mean, and then argue with that. This is a tougher debate tactic because it allows for fewer shady arguments, but the result is a stance that holds up to scrutiny:
There are two debaters, Alice and Bob. Alice takes the podium, makes her argument. Then Bob takes her place, but before he can present his counter-argument, he must summarize Alice’s argument to her satisfaction — a demonstration of respect and good faith. Only when Alice agrees that Bob has got it right is he permitted to proceed with his own argument — and then, when he’s finished, Alice must summarize it to his satisfaction.
One could argue that this ultimately boils down to "listen to the other side," and one would be correct. You can’t effectively employ a steel man argument if you don’t understand the opposition. However, finding common ground first and offering counter information second may be more helpful in persuading your audience, if not your opponent directly.
The steel man of #GamerGate | Medium
Photo by amira_a.
via Lifehacker
Utilize the “Steel Man” Tactic to Argue More Effectively
Legendary investor Warren Buffett is pretty open about his financial advice and recommendations. And because of his massive success, people pay attention. Business Insider went through years of his interviews and shareholder letters and rounded up some of his best book recommendations.
Some titles from their list include:
For more of Buffett’s recommendations, check out Business Insider’s full post below.
9 Books Billionaire Warren Buffett Thinks Everyone Should Read | Business Insider
Photo by Brenda Clarke.
Two Cents is a new blog from Lifehacker all about personal finance. Follow us on Twitter here.
via Lifehacker
The Investing Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read