Here we go again! I'm against voting straight ticket as a matter of principle. I always research local candidates before I vote, and want to share my research here to make it easy for people in my community to research candidates too. This time around, I'm covering my ballot in my new town, Jacksonville Beach. (Please note: The above GIF is the last fun thing your eyes will see on this post.) This is not academic research. Wikipedia is my favorite source for its ease of use and because it seems to be less biased in its reporting. Some candidates aren't a big enough deal to have wikipedia pages, so I chose the first site I could find on them, sometimes their own candidacy site (not ideal, but hey). Names will be linked to my sources. I'm not going into great detail, but more taking notes for myself to remember what stood out to me about each candidate--this is definitely a biased perspective, and I encourage every voter to research for themselves and vote their co
I've been researching basic cyber security since Buzz-kill Braden told me I should secure my new smart thermostat. This time last week, I was definitely a Cyber Security Dummy. Since I've learned a few simple basics, I thought I'd write a blog about it to help my Cyber Security Dummy friends. To note, we have the Apple Airport Extreme, which made it really easy to make these adjustments. I haven't used other routers, but the internet should be able to help you figure out yours. I mean, come on. 1. Rename your Wi-fi network. Your wifi network name should not contain personal information like your name or address. That information can help hackers target you. 2. Have a good password. You should definitely change it from the default password that comes on your device, as those can be found online. And your password should have capital and lower-case letters, and numbers. But the most effective way to prevent password hacking it to have a lon