Tech Friday: Overcoming Paywalls with the help of Pocket

Posted By on August 9, 2019

Currently, I pay for a few subscriptions. Some pricey (Wall Street Journal, Barrons, etc) because I avidly read them. Others, like monthly magazines, NYTimesPaywallI continue to pay for and rarely get around to reading, especially online only subscriptions. Several others, I occasionally receive a link or click on one from those annoying “reader apps” that are almost being forced on us by developers or even Apple with their News+ app.

Since I usual prefer reading from the source on a generic browser like Firefox, Safari or less and less, Chrome or Edge… the paywall issue is exceedingly more common. Usually the publisher permits a few articles each month without a subscription, but every company is different. Besides using bogus credentials, flushing the browser cache or using VPNs to mask your “reappearance,” here is a way to handle the growing number of paywalls.SaveToPocket

This method mentioned by my friend Jeff, who like me, uses the GetPocket “Save to Pocket” extension to save links. Often a way to bypass a publishers paywall is to click the bookmark bar button that “saves” the article — it will often bypass the paywall and save a copy of the article.

Here’s a paywall protected automotive article from the NYTimes that I wanted to read this week … saved to Pocket.

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(Click photo above for PDF Pocket version or this LINK to original article)

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Where have the years gone? 11 years ago and now in 2019. #TBT

Posted By on August 8, 2019

This content is restricted.

Personal thoughts on recent events in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio

Posted By on August 7, 2019

Way too often our citizens in cities and communities across the country suffer at the hands of criminals and most notably disturbed individuals in our society. The topic rises to the top of the political news when there is a mass-killing and the weapon is a semi-automatic firearm and the target are ordinary people living their daily lives. This past weekend there were two such attacks, one in El Paso, Texas and one in Dayton, Ohio (my backyard, so to speak). PreserveLiberty_RichardHenryLeeThe similarity was that of senseless hate from a disturbed person and their weapon of choice. Unlike what is reported in the news, neither individual fits the cookie-cutter political right or political left normal American; to associate them is just plain wrong and harmful to our nation. 

There are elected leaders who would like to find reasonable constitutional solutions and others who just can’t help but use these tragedies as a political tool in order to garner support or attack the current occupant of the Whitehouse. For some reason the every day killings in the gun restricted, Democrat controlled city of Chicago never seems to matter or be their focus? Those on the political left only work to gin up anti-gun support for “their side” in wanting to “fundamentally transform America” and ignore looking at underlying reasons an angry young males decide to kill others. It is not all about the gun. 

OPINION:

Personally I think the issues is far more complex. Likely the reason the problem has become so big in recent decades, is like due to a change in the moral fabric of our country. We no longer respect authority (police, teachers, parents, bosses, etc) and the family unit has crumbled – Reagan_NastyTruthGunControlfathers are no longer in many homes or being dads. Add to that the complete lack of any religious upbringing, be in God in any faith or teaching the Bible in our communities as we have in the United States from our foundation. The obvious outcome is little understanding of right and wrong or the consequences for the later. The “go easy on crime” mentality is now the norm for both political parties … and with that, there is little surprise we see more disrespect, violence and crime. The latest trend is to decriminalize drugs, taunt police (dump water on them) or respect for our country’ border. TV, movies, social media and video games with violence  are all pumped into our kids from an early age … some kids (and adults) do not separate “entertainment” from reality (Are today’s “games” too real – I’m comparing and thinking about growing up playing “Cowboys and Indians” or pretending we were at war, shooting each other with toy guns or sticks?) Add to that the lack of appropriate care for the mentally ill or those on the edge (most committing this mass-shooting show signs), and we’re bound to get a few using whatever weapon they learn can commit the most heinous act (and we have way too many highly publicized examples of what to use … and plenty available legally and illegally in the US).

Now, coming from the political right who believes in the Second Amendment, I’m not saying that all our current gun laws are appropriate, but just banning guns and making them illegal for law-abiding citizens is not the solution either.

If you need a workout, try #PumpSurfing

Posted By on August 6, 2019

One can only imagine (unless you have tried it), the kind of workout it would be to race past a sailing vessel on a surfboard with a pump-foil attachment? Impressive.

Nobody likes investing when there is blood in the stock market?

Posted By on August 5, 2019

Monday, August 5th, 2019 was not a good day to heatmap190805be long in the stock markets – WSJ update.  I think we are often too complacent with investing and fall victim to the “stay the course” and invest for long run mentality. It is easy to forget just how painful market drops can be. 

Economist and analysts have warned repeatedly that our long running recovery is due for a correction, yet they have been so wrong since the election of President Trump that most ignore their cries of “wolf.” But as the saying goes, even a broken clock is right twice a day.” 

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Today’s (and pretty much all of last week’s) selling was all due to trade talks with China and their response to more tariff threats from President Trump come September. The Chinese in turn continue to devalue their currency and pressure companies to not purchase agricultural products from the U.S. and seek to develop other relationships. ff_sharkWe are entering a new and frightening phase in what is now definitely a trade war. Add to this, the rest of the world is economically slowing, all which dries up markets for U.S. goods and drags down our “strong for the moment” economy. The U.S. workers are finally getting comfortable with being employed and even seeing a few more dollars in their paychecks. As they say, “just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water …”

Content by Netflix and Amazon and filming Hillbilly Elegy

Posted By on August 5, 2019

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While Brenda and I wait for the new season of our favorite book-to-television Amazon Prime’s “Man In The High Castle” series, we (or should I really say “she”) KidsInStrangerThingsgot hooked on the popular binge watched series “Stranger Things.”

It is amazing how our television habits have changed in this past decade? Gone are the weekend “video” and DVD rentals or even streaming of feature films; now everyone it seems is watching new original content series show from companies like Netflix and Amazon. I’m sure there are others, but frankly I don’t need or want anymore subscriptions services.  On a side note, someone from one of my car groups posted about seeing our W123 cars x400used in one of the episodes – car guys always notice these things, be they Mercedes diesels or Volkswagen TDIs on the screen.

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Also, another Netflix related book-to-movie, J.D. Vance’s “Hillbilly Elegy,” directed by Ron Howard is in the local news last week as the filming crews are building sets (Pulse Journal photo) and preparing for filming in Middletown Ohio this August 5th (the author’s hometown and the basis of book – photo below at a local coffeeshop earlier this year when Howard was negotiating and scouting the area for filming – it almost didn’t happen). 

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Surfing done right on Sunday – The Long Ride #video

Posted By on August 4, 2019

Who doesn’t wish they could surf like this?

Our culture has accepted two huge lies … a Rick Warren #quote

Posted By on August 4, 2019

RickWarren_Culture

Rick Warren has one of the more fitting quotes for our current cultural divide:

“Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.”

Kitchen Ideas when you would rather be on a boat

Posted By on August 3, 2019

A filler photo tidbit for today’s post, but this creative kitchen island idea from one of my sailing groups caught my eye. It “would” have worked in our kitchen … I’m just not sure I could have pulled it off without adding a mast! 🙂

Tech Friday: How safe is data with cloud storage services?

Posted By on August 2, 2019

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Even if you don’t regularly using cloud storage services (likely your smartphone is), most of us are at some point backing up data from our computers or using services online that store our data on major cloud storage companies.

 IMG_4402I’ve personally had a growing concern over the race for quantum computing which eventually will make our current encryption insecure (posts 1, 2, 3). Last week a well known Israeli spyware company claims its Pegasus malware can covertly retrieve all of the information that person has stored on servers owned by Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon. (LINK) 

Hm … so what’s the plan?

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
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