Macinations

June 21, 2023

🛑 AdGuard on Every Machine

First order of business when setting up my 2013 Mac Pro was to install AdGuard – ad blocker and VPN. Pretty sure that makes only one unprotected query for the new machine. No need to download other apps until I mask my activity from prying eyes. I have the plugin for every browser, as well as the full desktop version. You can get the AdGuard Lifetime license for dirt cheap from places like StackSocial. The browser plugin works for my instances of Firefox and Waterfox. I beefed up that protection with the desktop version to cover browser capable apps such as DevonThink Office Pro, DevonAgent, Downie, and others. This means ads are blocked in apps that have their own browser, or use some form of Webkit. For example, I use DevonThink Office Pro as my news reader. It gathers articles from dozens of RSS feeds. I can also use it to browse a site and follow links. Normally, DevonThink Office […]

June 20, 2023

🌎 The Joys and Pains of using a VPN

There’s a lot of talk about VPNs these days, to the point they’re sponsored in YouTube videos. And if it’s in YouTube video, it has to be good. But, are they worth it? Most people/ads advise using a VPN when connecting to a public WiFi. Good advice, but I use a VPN 100% of the time on my home connection. To be blunt, everyone is spying. Search engines track what you search for and where you go. ISPs track every place you visit and for damn sure are using or selling that info. Sites pinpoint your location and sell the metrics. Oh look, he’s searching for X, in location Y, send an ad! Blanket the area with flyers! Investigate the zip code! Using a VPN adds a level of privacy and security. Where you go, what you look at, and your interests are your own business. Your ISP doesn’t need to know the research you’re doing on Wikipedia, or what […]

June 18, 2023

📭 I was wrong, there is still tons of spam, but SpamSieve is tossing them away

The battle rages on! Pretty sure I’m in the lead though. Well, it was short lived. The drop in spam messages was just a lull in the action. It was nice for the 3 days it lasted, but it’s back to 40-50 messages a day. However, SpamSieve is in full swing, trashing every one of them, and working overtime. I’ve had to pull back a handful of good emails to mark them as Good, but I haven’t had to Train any as spam. SpamSieve is way more accurate than I expected. I’d rather have a few good messages hit the bin than the other way around. Trash them all and let me sort them out! 🙂 Putting the initial mishap aside, which was my fault, SpamSieve is well worth the investment. Yes, there have been a few false positives, but not only is that expected, people write spammy emails messages, SpamSieve hasn’t made the same mistake twice. If I say […]

June 15, 2023

🖥️ A new Mac Pro for every year?

The track record for keeping the Mac Pro updated is pretty terrible. The 2013 Mac Pro burst onto the scene with a radical design, new hardware, and advanced video, only to be abandoned that same year. The iMac Pro burst onto the scene in 2017 as a pro level machine to compensate for the lack updates in the 2013 Mac Pro. It supported advanced video, huge amounts of ram, and was abandoned the same year. In 2019 the Mac Pro got a new design, supported massive video cards, had plenty of upgrade slots, and huge amounts of ram, then got abandoned. While laptop after laptop got refreshes and iPads got one new feature after another, the Mac Pro sat on the bench waiting for a dance partner. With the Mac Pro 2023 sharing the same innards as the Mac Studio, will the Mac Pro see a refresh each year? Will it upgrade to M3 Ultra within the next 18 months? […]

June 14, 2023

🏌️‍♂️ Back to playing Let’s Golf on iPad

In wanting to get back and play some decent games on the iPad, I broke out the original and what should I find? Let’s Golf. Ironically, I’m not a fan of golf. I don’t play golf, nor do I watch golf. Yet, for some reason, I think video golf is quite entertaining. Let’s Golf was one of my first big game titles for the iPad when it came out. It seemed like the perfect kind of game for a tablet. And it was. It was a solid game with a couple of characters to choose from, four different courses with 18 holes each, and 3 difficulties. You would “score” against other players to see how you rank on the different difficulties. For a tablet game, it had all the features. It was more arcade style, meaning it wasn’t all hung up on club selection, or how well/accurately you hit the ball. It was a really good game, but the sequels […]

🛑 AdGuard on Every Machine

🌎 The Joys and Pains of using a VPN

📭 I was wrong, there is still tons of spam, but SpamSieve is tossing them away

🖥️ A new Mac Pro for every year?

🏌️‍♂️ Back to playing Let’s Golf on iPad

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