Tag privacy

Why Home Gyms Rock

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During my most recent visit to Hawaii in May of this year, I went to 24 Hour Fitness to get three workouts, and I was honestly rather disappointed in the experience. This is saying a lot, since I have always loved being in a commercial gym atmosphere. However, I have spent the past 5 years, ever since we were hit with Covid lockdown, primarily working out at home. I have become accustomed to being able to work on any body part I want, with whatever apparatus I need to use, without having to wait for equipment or work in with another human. I don’t have to wear earbuds for my music, and can blast whatever tunes I want without worrying about disturbing other gym goers. I don’t have to get in my car or drive anywhere, and I have 24-hour access without any additional fees. My gym smells nice and fresh, and all the equipment is clean.

Before you ask me if I can get full workouts in my home gym, I will tell you that I have no restrictions on what I can train while at home. I have a Marcy Smith Machine Multi-Gym, 285 pounds of weight plates, over 300 pounds of other weights, pulley assemblies, barbells, kettlebells, a hyperextension bench, incline bench crunch apparatus, etc. Right after I finish my workout, I hop onto a vibration plate for 10 minutes, and watch the squirrels in my neighborhood eat breakfast outside while I am getting my vibration therapy.

It’s home gym over commercial gym for me now!

Living Alone Is Underrated

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Woman sitting on the couch

123rf.com imagehitasia Image ID39004685

Having a space to yourself isn’t just a luxury—it can become a necessity for mental well-being, peace, and autonomy. When you share a living space with someone who doesn’t contribute, the weight of responsibility falls on you, turning your home into a place of frustration rather than rest. This became glaringly apparent with my most recent roommate situation, when I put up with this person’s complete refusal to participate in household cleaning, household repairs, or the purchase of paper and cleaning products which we both used.

I spent 3 years harboring frustration over having to deal with areas my roommate had sullied and selfishly left for me to clean, making me feel like a live-in housekeeper. Then I had surgery in January of this year, and was unable to come home for two weeks. When I returned home, I noticed that my roommate had taken the liberty of rearranging my dining room table, and had also completely taken over my side of the refrigerator. Although I promptly put the furniture pieces back to their original orientation and put my food back on my side of the fridge, I was perturbed. What I didn’t know was that she was planning to give notice that she was moving out. I guess she figured that since she would be leaving, she could encroach upon my fridge space and move my furniture around. That was the last straw for me, so I was actually relieved when she gave her 30 days’ notice.

At a certain point, the financial strain of living alone is worth the trade-off for personal freedom. You get to set your own rules, maintain the level of cleanliness that keeps you comfortable, and decorate in a way that truly feels like home. You don’t have to tiptoe around someone else’s bad habits or pick up their slack. There’s no awkward conversations, no unspoken resentment—just the quiet relief of knowing everything is exactly how you left it.

Peace of mind is priceless. Sure, budgeting might be tighter, but waking up in a space that is yours—where you don’t have to compromise on cleanliness, noise levels, or household responsibilities—makes all the difference. Sometimes, the real cost of a cheap living situation is your own sanity.

Why Take Pictures At Burning Man?

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I find it ironic that one of my friends from junior high (that’s middle school for you younger folks) has been in the habit of attending Burning Man every year and creating a photo album for each event, since Burning Man is known for its emphasis on impermanence and the transient nature of art and experiences. It’s a place where participants celebrate the idea that everything is temporary, just like the “burning” of the iconic effigy. A man is burned in effigy (The Man) at every Burning Man to symbolize destruction and rebirth. Photography, on the other hand, freezes moments in time, preserving them indefinitely. Isn’t the whole point that time doesn’t matter, that everything is ephemeral? Photos cement things down. By taking photos, you may inadvertently go against the core philosophy of Burning Man, which encourages living in the moment and embracing the ephemeral nature of life.

I also think that by having a means by which you can capture images and videos at Burning Man, you are allowing yourself to be distracted from the Burning Man experience, and cannot fully immerse yourself in the unique environment of Burning Man. Instead of being present and engaging with the art installations, interactive experiences, and the vibrant community, individuals behind the camera may become preoccupied with capturing the perfect shot. This detachment from the experience may dilute the intended impact of the event.

I also have an issue with photography serving as an invasion of the privacy of attendees. Since Burning Man emphasizes a culture of consent and respect for one another, and also since many attendees express themselves through radical self-expression, some may be reluctant to be photographed without their consent. Taking photos without asking for permission can infringe on the principles of consent and respect that are fundamental to the Burning Man community.

Then there are the people who are always striving to create perfect shots so that they can be shared on social media. At Burning Man, this pressure may lead to a competitive atmosphere where participants strive to document the most visually stunning aspects of the event. This can detract from the authenticity of the experience, as people may prioritize getting the “perfect” shot over genuine connection and self-expression. I think it’s also important to remember that photographs can only capture a limited perspective of what is happening at an event as multifaceted as Burning Man. They can’t fully convey the sights, sounds, and emotions that are part of the experience. Relying on photos to remember the event may leave you with an incomplete representation of what you truly encountered and felt, though my friend has always insisted that her albums have enabled her to encapsulate her memories of each event thoroughly.

In conclusion, while some individuals find value in documenting their Burning Man experiences through photography, there is a valid argument that taking photos at such events may be counter to the event’s core principles of impermanence, full engagement, consent, and respect. By prioritizing the experience over capturing it, one can better align with the spirit of Burning Man and fully immerse oneself in the magic of the event.

Get Creative To Stump Cyber Criminals

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password_1

There has been a precipitous rise in cybercrime over the past several years, which has caused many companies and individuals to tighten up their security measures. According to information on the Norton website (http://us.norton.com/cybercrime-definition), cybercrime has surpassed drug trafficking as a criminal moneymaker. A person’s identity is stolen EVERY THREE SECONDS these days. Cybercrimes include identity theft, fraud, bullying, pornography, and cyberstalking. Though there are distinct advantages to having greater connectivity across massive sea of computers and other electronic communication devices, we are more at risk of cybercrime than ever before.

Though changing our passwords constantly can be a nuisance, doing so can confer a bit more security. Many of us are getting far more creative and cryptic with our passwords, but there are people who apparently still use common passwords which are easy to guess. I saw this article on Yahoo! today and want to share the list of most common passwords for 2015. Thank you, Daniel Bean, for posting this information!

Here’s the link: https://www.yahoo.com/tech/123456-tops-yearly-list-of-most-common-passwords-073731649.html

And here’s the list:

Splash Data's list of most common passwords for 2015

Splash Data’s list of most common passwords for 2015

Splash Data has some tips for password selection:

1. Use passwords of eight characters or more with mixed types of characters.
2. Avoid using the same username/password combination for multiple websites.
3. Use a password manager such as SplashID to organize and protect passwords, generate random passwords, and automatically log into websites.

Just think of it. You can get truly creative with numbers, letters, and special characters. How nice of all those cyber criminals to drum up all those creative juices in your noggin! The only real problem with coming up with unique and cryptic passwords for countless websites is that you may forget your password. There are password managers such as SplashID which keep your passwords nice and safe, and which also generate passwords for you, but what if someone hacks into the password manager? Yikes.

I’m not trying to be cynical, but it almost seems impossible to generate a password which stumps experienced hackers. A frightening article by Dan Goodin, entitled “Anatomy of a hack: even your ‘complicated’ password is easy to crack”, was posted on wired.co.uk (link is: http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-05/28/password-cracking/viewall). The article reveals that even when we create long, complex passwords, most of them can be cracked.

If you think you’re being cute by typing patterns on the keyboard (qwertyuiop for example), just be aware that those types of passwords are embarrassingly easy to crack. If you make things personal, you are also setting yourself up for attack. So you might want to avoid using the name of your first dog when creating a crack-resistant password. Create something without rhyme or reason, try to remember it, and hope and pray that expert hackers don’t crack your code.

These Desk Designs Are SO Cool!

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Check out the five amazing desk designs which are featured on the blogsite in the link below:

http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/top-5-coolest-desks-for-geeks

I especially love the one-of-a-kind Han Solo in carbonite desk (not that I would actually want it for myself!) which Tom Spina designed for Star Wars collector Mark Hall. Evidently, this desk sold for $10,500, all of which was donated to charity.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The desk which I would love to have, especially when I am trying to focus on my writing, is the Armadillo Desk which is a prototype from designer Sophie Kirkpatrick. If she ever gets funding to produce this desk, I would probably buy one in a heartbeat! How’s this for shutting out the world when you need to concentrate?

Armadillo Desk