Block Windows 10 Telemetry Phone Home

November 18, 2018 0 Comments

There is no reason an operating system needs to phone home telemetry data in order to function. The sole purpose for this capability is so the operating system can report back statistics about computer use, operator habits, and other things which they can then analyze and/or provide to other parties to help them develop or improve their products. Unix, Linux, Solaris, OpenVMS, and a multitude of others don’t phone home, so there is no reason Windows 10 needs to either. Good news is, you can block the telemetry data from…
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pfSense

GPL CHAT Jabber/Google Talk Outgoing Traffic

November 17, 2018 0 Comments

I found a bunch of outgoing consecutive GPL CHAT Jabber/Google Talk Outgoing Traffic packets on my LAN interface in my pfSense Suricata log today and found it rather interesting. Although Suricata doesn’t seem to think it’s suspicious based on the class message it returned, I do. The IP from which the traffic originated from was my iPhone. Moreover, I don’t have Jabber or Google talk installed on it. Still yet, the destination IP address was ec2-54-159-108-26.compute-1.amazonaws.com! The only thing I was doing on the phone around that time was using…
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pfSense

ASUS and Trend Micro Data Collection

November 17, 2018 0 Comments

Through the years, I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve gotten into a conversation about privacy, only to have the other person say “I have nothing to hide, so let them spy on me.” I don’t even bother arguing with them anymore, and usually just smile and nod as if I’m agreeing with them so they will just stop talking. If you are one of those people, just leave this webpage now. There is nothing here for you. For those that do care, and know that…
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Information Technology, Ramblings

Growing Aspens in Colorado

July 3, 2018 0 Comments

Aspen Trees

High in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado one can find an abundance of Quacking Aspen trees. With their brilliant white bark and green leaves in the spring turning to golden yellow in the Autumn, their beauty is a magnet for visitors from allow around the world. So if you’re a homeowner in Colorado and want the same beauty to gaze upon from the comforts of your home, there are a few things to keep in mind. Many homeowners hate them for the few reasons listed below. Here are some thing…
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Gardening

Photography Using Moonlight

May 10, 2018 0 Comments

Nothing like being deep in the Rocky Mountains under a full moon. There is enough reflected light that one can usually walk around without the aid of a flashlight. There is even enough light to take some really cool photographs of the surrounding landscape without any fancy equipment. About the only things one needs are a camera with “bulb” setting, a tripod and a good subject to photograph. However, finding the right scene can take some planning. I usually take mental notes of neat and interesting places while I’m out…
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Photography, Uncategorized

Old Farm of Long Ago

October 29, 2017 0 Comments

Scattered about the eastern plains of Colorado lie abandoned farms from a time long since passed. I’m not exactly sure what intrigues me most about these scenes, but they are one of my favorite things to photograph. Perhaps it’s because they are reminiscent of an era I wish I could have been a part of. Or maybe it’s the incredible stories of hardship the frontier unleashed on the unsuspecting pioneers. Even if new, some of these building would have provided only minimal protection from the ferocious winds and driving snow….
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Photography

Photographs of an Old Farmhouse

April 7, 2017 0 Comments

Old Farmhouse in Ellicot, CO

South of Ellicot on the eastern plains of Colorado stands and an old farmhouse built many years ago. It’s long since been abandoned, missing its windows and doors, though, it’s still stands after years of being abused by the rain, wind and sun. I marked this farm on my GPS maps about a year ago, because I knew when the right day presented itself, it would make for a really cool photograph. That day came on April 6th, 2017 when the setting sun was on path to set over Pikes…
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Photography