In Doc Searls' article “Dear Hotels: Quit Being A-holes” in the August 2013 issue, he writes: “In the US and Europe, the expensive hotels are the ones with inconvenient connectivity deals....It's the cheap hotels that offer free Internet, just like they offer free electricity, heat, air conditioning and running water.”
I've recently stayed in youth hostels in northern Italy and in Alberta, Canada. They all had free Wi-Fi. Why would anyone stay in an expensive hotel?
And, I'm a “youth” of 66—most youth hostels seem to have no age limit.
—
David Brown
Doc Searls replies: Coincidentally, I am a youth of 66 as well. So let's toast staying young for the duration (clink!).
As I said, mostly I stay in private homes (all with free Internet connections) when I'm paying my own way. And, I like AirBnB. But the youth hostel idea is also a good one, and even cheaper. Thanks!
In the August 2013 issue, Shawn Powers recommended the Cerberusapp application to track the location of your Android phone (see his UpFront piece titled “Android Candy: Hire a Cerberus to Find Your Phone”). This is indeed a great app; thanks for sharing.
However, you should be aware of the privacy policy (https://www.cerberusapp.com/privacy.php): “LSDroid uses your personally identifiable, location...information...to create new features, promotions, functionality and services....LSDroid uses cookies and log file information to...b) provide custom and personalized content, advertisements and information; c) monitor the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns....LSDroid discloses aggregate, anonymous log file and usage information in reports to interested third parties....”
I just thought you and LJ readers should be aware of the privacy
implications when using the app.
—
Aviv
Ugh! Thanks for pointing that out. Creepy indeed.—Shawn Powers
I already own the 1994–2009 Linux Journal Archive CD.
Is there a way to just download/purchase the issues from 2010 onward, or do I have to
purchase another archive disk? Also, do you plan to have another Linux and Amateur
Radio issue? I enjoyed the January 2010 issue.
P.S. I enjoy the articles in Linux Journal; keep up the good work.
—
Micheal Trombley
The archive CDs are an all-or-nothing sort of thing. The intention isn't to resell the same thing every year, but rather to provide a full archive for those folks hoping to catch up. They're also nice for people like me who like to “collect the whole set”, but I don't think there are any plans to release incremental updates. That said, subscribers have access to the back issues—maybe that helps?—Shawn Powers
I saw Shawn Powers' article on Google Reader via the Linux Journal RSS feed (“The Google Giveth” in the May 2013 issue).
Go to keepamericaatwork.com. I decided to do this when Google Reader disappeared, so that I wouldn't be dependent on any system.
Basically, I host my own site, and I use a plugin called wp-o-matic that goes out and grabs the RSS feeds that I program it with.
Because I'm using WordPress, I can categorize those feeds (look on the right-hand sidebar for the categories), and now I can view articles by category or by searching. Most important, I can click on a day in the calendar and read all feeds for that particular day.
And, because I also have subscribed to Keep America At work via the e-mail subscription plugin, I automatically get a copy of everything that gets added via e-mail in case I become too busy to check the site itself. So far, it works like a champ.
The downside is that if you're subscribed via the e-mail plugin, and you add a bunch of
new feeds, you will get a bunch of e-mails until it processes the new
feeds, but then
because most places release only one or two articles per day, it is very manageable.
—
Virgil
Interesting concept. Over the past few months, I've written about a few ways to replace Google Reader, but creating a personalized blog that “writes itself” based on subscribed feeds...that's interesting. Of course, it makes me want to have you add your own RSS feed to your feed aggregation setup, to see if it blows itself up, but that's just the prankster in me coming out!—Shawn Powers
I often pass on Shawn Powers' “Android Candy” tips to my wife. I did so this month for the Cerberus app, but then almost immediately saw this story: “Google Unveils Android Version of 'Find My iPhone'” (officialandroid.blogspot.com/2013/08/find-your-lost-phone-with-android.html).
You might want to alert your users to this development in next month's
LJ.
—
Bob L.
Thanks Bob! This is especially interesting based on Aviv's letter regarding Cerberus. It does mean I'll be reading the fine print on the Google solution before installing though, that's for sure.—Shawn Powers
