All in all, KeePassXC definitely earns mention among the best password managers, though it comes with some sizable asterisks. The biggest one is that as an open-source product, it may be free, but it also lacks the polish of many industry leaders. As such, it’s not for everybody, though anybody that likes old-school cool will love it.

Yes, it's also not had any independent 3rd party security audit (but then again, you download and use it locally on your machine). I'd certainly still benchmark it with either the free, or paid version, of open-source Bitwarden (which you can also self-host for free) which has some rich functionality as well as cloud sync across all devices.

See https://www.howtogeek.com/879987/keepassxc-password-manager-review/

#technology #opensource #passwordmanagers #passwords

Interesting results shown in the comparison in the linked article. In quite a few cases a single import, with duty and shipping to SA, is cheaper than Takealot in South Africa. I'm wondering how this will improve when Amazon opens its own warehouse in South Africa later in 2023, because then it won't be individual shipping imports any more.

But the big takeaway is that you do need to check, and weigh it up also with whether you may ever need warranty support. There are also many items you just cannot find at all inside South Africa.

See https://mybroadband.co.za/news/gadgets/497469-takealot-versus-amazon-tech-price-showdown.html

#technology #southafrica #takealot #amazon #onlineshopping

Self-hosted VPNs can be quite good if you are hosting them from a hosting service, but network traffic is often limited to about 1 TB (and you have to count it both ways) and many streaming services will still detect it as a VPN connection and maybe block it.

Hosting from home solves the network traffic issue, but exposes your home IP address.

So this is a good article to understand where and how a self-hosted VPN may help you or not. In many cases, especially for Netflix and similar types of streaming, the only reliable option is a paid VPN service that specifically works around streaming services.

See https://www.androidpolice.com/how-to-make-personal-vpn-30-minutes/

#technology #VPN #selfhosting #privacy

Normally when attempting to use a scrapped EV battery for another use, the cells would be removed from the OEM pack and reorganized to a specific voltage. This build, however, eliminates the need to modify the packs at all. A LilyGO ESP32 is used to convert the CAN bus messages from the battery pack to the Modbus communications protocol used by the inverters, in this case a Fronius Gen24, so the inverter and battery can coordinate energy delivery from one to the other automatically. With the hard part out of the way, the only other requirements are to connect a high voltage DC cable from the battery pack to the inverter.

As the article warns, though, be careful, as these packs still contain a lot of energy.

See https://hackaday.com/2023/05/25/vehicle-to-grid-made-easy/

#technology #loadshedding #V2G

If a streaming service blocks your VPN, start by choosing a new server location. Then, test some alternative VPN protocols, and consider getting a dedicated VPN. Note that these steps require a premium VPN service---a cheap or free option won't cut it.

It is not just ExpressVPN does works with streaming (although it is certainly one of the best), as I've successfully been using the premium ProtonVPN service, and NordVPN apparently also works well. Bottom line, though, is that a premium service is usually required for Netflix and similar streaming to work well outside of the geographic areas. Netflix is the most difficult streaming service to work with, as it is quite aggressive in combatting everything (even just anyone using a VPN for privacy).

A VPN for privacy is a different requirement from a VPN needed for a video streaming service, so in many cases for just privacy the free ProtonVPN service, for example, will work perfectly well (but not for streaming services).

See https://www.reviewgeek.com/154589/what-to-do-when-a-streaming-service-blocks-your-vpn/

#technology #VPN #streaming #geoblocking

Other apps have user IDs: Signal, Matrix, Session, Briar, Jami, Cwtch, etc. SimpleX does not, not even random numbers. This radically improves your privacy.

When users have persistent identities, even if this is just a random number, like a Session ID, there is a risk that the provider or an attacker can observe how the users are connected and how many messages they send. They could then correlate this information with the existing public social networks, and determine some real identities. And, if you use Incognito mode, you will have a different display name for each contact, avoiding any shared data between them.

To deliver messages, instead of user IDs used by all other platforms, SimpleX uses temporary anonymous pairwise identifiers of message queues, separate for each of your connections — there are no long term identifiers.

You define which server(s) to use to receive the messages, your contacts — the servers you use to send the messages to them. Every conversation is likely to use two different servers.

This design prevents leaking any users' metadata on the application level. To further improve privacy and protect your IP address, you can connect to messaging servers via Tor.

Only client devices store user profiles, contacts and groups; the messages are sent with 2-layer end-to-end encryption.

To connect to your friend, you can connect via their 1-time QR-code, in person or via a video link. You can also connect by sharing an invitation link. So there is no user ID you share to groups or the public to connect with you. Every code is a one-time use code for just a single friend to connect. The channel through which you share the link does not have to be secure - it is enough that you can confirm who sent you the message and that your SimpleX connection is established.

See https://simplex.chat/

#technology #privacy #SimpleX #E2EE #chat

To think, I had a second monitor for my laptop at my own office, and one at each of the two clients I spent time at during the week. Once you get used to working with two monitors, it is really difficult going back to a single monitor from a productivity point of view. So, I did not lug monitors around, but three were dedicated for my use when I could have just had one portable one.

These can also be useful as display units for a Raspberry Pi system as well.

Portable monitors are a great way to resolve this problem since they're more compact and easy to carry around. These smaller displays connect via USB-C and mini HDMI, meaning you can use them with almost any device, from the best gaming laptops to tablets, smartphones, and standard work laptops. Some monitors even come with their own batteries, so you can enjoy consistent productivity and media playback without impacting your laptop's battery.

See https://www.xda-developers.com/best-portable-monitors/

#technology #productivity #monitors

I did a post a few weeks back speculating around the same issues but listening now to Steve Gibson talking on the Tech News Weekly episode 284 podcast at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly/episodes/284 has reinforced my thinking about passkeys.

Yes, Google, Apple, etc are trying to get their users to adopt THEIR passkey management systems as quickly as possible, as it essentially locks you into their authentication (and eco) system for now. Even these two companies are implementing passkeys slightly differently (single synced key vs per device), and unlike today where you can easily export your passwords from one password manager to another one (migration) it is not at all clear yet how this may happen with passkeys (if at all). I have over 700 passwords and there is little chance of me migrating those one by one to a different authentication system.

Just based on how Apple's and Google's approaches to passkeys differs, we can also see some differences in how we'd use them, so I'd like to make a more informed decision before I just jump in. As Steve says, passwords are still going to be here for quite a long time, so there is no rush to jump into using passkeys (as long as you use secure and unique passwords, along with good 2FA). While backup passwords still exist for passkey sites, they are still as secure as that weakest link.

So, yes, Bitwarden too will be rolling out their passkey implementation in 2023 (see https://www.ghacks.net/2023/05/24/password-manager-bitwarden-will-soon-be-able-to-store-passkeys/ without any firm date) and I'll first have a good look at how they plan to implement it too. I do prefer something like Bitwarden (or similar) where it is a purely cross-platform implementation not tied to a particular vendor (apart from Bitwarden yes, but then you can also host their open-source solution yourself if you really wanted to). Personally, I would not use Apple's system as I have twice switched away from using an iPhone, and I'm not getting locked into an ecosystem specific solution for that reason.

Bottom line though is there is no rush, and jumping in now with whoever you choose, is going to be your bed fellow for the foreseeable future, unless you only have 5 site passkeys to worry about. Passkeys are certainly an excellent step forward for online authentication, but it is about when and with whom I'm more concerned about.

Original post https://gadgeteer.co.za/password-manager-bitwarden-will-too-soon-be-able-to-store-passkeys-but-heres-why-you-may-want-to-wait-a-bit-with-passkeys/

#technology #security #passkeys #Bitwarden

Whether you are a student or a working professional, you likely interact with PDFs frequently through the form of presentations, academic research, business reports, and more.

Regardless of whether it is a 90-page slide deck or a lengthy research paper, PDFs in the classroom or workplace are often tedious to wade through. ChatPDF is here to help. The chatbot can even give you a full summary of the PDF without you having to read it.

Free plan users are limited to three PDF uploads of 120 pages or less a day. However, if you need more access, you can upgrade to a plus plan for $5 per month.

This could save many people a lot of time! It's one I'm going to bookmark for future use.

See https://www.zdnet.com/article/this-ai-chatbot-can-sum-up-any-pdf-and-any-question-you-have-about-it/

#technology #ChatPDF #AI #reports