Technology posts

Long-form – HTTPS and VPNs: How private is your internet browsing?
 -  Web browsing privacy is of increasing concern as people’s business and personal lives become ever more entwined with the internet. This essay examines various connection scenarios to establish how secure your data really is. Introduction After years of industry concern, web browsing privacy is finally becoming a matter of interest...
The Twitch streamer who wastes tech support scammers’ time
 -  Tech support scams – which attempt to extort money from vulerable people by exploiting their lack of technical knowledge – are difficult to stop, but I recently discovered a Twitch streamer working to raise awareness of the threat. A few years ago, one of my family members fell victim to...
The challenges and benefits of quitting Facebook and other social networks
 -  I’ve been sticking to several new year’s resolutions in 2019, including learning languages, staying fit, and working on geeky projects – and leaving Facebook has helped to give me the time and focus I’ve needed to stay on track. Normally my last post of each month goes off-topic and covers...
Six lessons in strategy, management and teamwork from F1 boss Ross Brawn
 -  Formula 1 technical director and former Brawn GP team principal Ross Brawn gives his perspectives on strategy and decision making in his book Total Competition – and there are more parallels with cyber security than you might think. You could make a good case that Formula 1 shares a lot with...
An introduction to the Agile project management framework
 -  Agile is unavoidable in modern corporate IT, and it is therefore an inescapable part of life as a cyber security professional. Here’s a brief introduction to the project management framework’s key priorities, players, and processes. While I’ve written about some interesting technical subjects (and will continue to do so), I...
SQL ALTER TABLE: Adding, modifying, and dropping columns in a SQL table
 -  It’s been a while since I’ve written anything new for the series documenting my SQL learning, so this week I’m going to explain the various ways you can add, modify, and drop columns in a table using the ALTER TABLE statement. Many SQL database management systems provide nice graphical interfaces...
How to approach your morning routine like a software developer
 -  In the last few months I’ve cut more than 30 minutes from my morning routine, freeing up time to sleep a little longer. When I thought about how my mornings have changed, I realised I’ve naturally followed a process used by software developers. Don’t worry – this isn’t one of...
The Social Network: A film that passed me by for eight years
 -  When it first came out eight years ago, I assumed The Social Network would be a fairly dull retelling of the origin story of what was then everyone’s favourite social network. I finally caught it the other day, and it turns out I’d been missing out on a great movie....
I’ve arrived in the wearable future (but time is running out)
 -  I have a confession to make: I’ve never liked the way the Apple Watch looks. I’ve owned a range of Apple products over the last decade and I’ve always thought they were beautiful and well-polished, but wearing a big silver box on my wrist has never appealed to me. Unfortunately,...
The day Instagram advertising read my mind
 -  I was aware of the recent stories – an increasing number of people claiming that Facebook’s apps were listening in on their conversations and serving up ads based on what they’d heard – but I’d always thought this assumption was based on ignorance of how online advertising works, and when...

Thinking about

Website v2.0
I've given my website its first major update since 2020, keeping the same general aesthetic but placing a greater focus on content. Now to come up with some blog post ideas...

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