Dylan's Grace Notes

a valuable community service from Stand Firm

People who know me well know that I love to offer kudos when deserved, so hear me now:

KUDOS TO GREG GRIFFITH!

That's right: Greg Griffith of StandFirm has written an excellent primer for non-techheads on basic computer security -- namely, how NOT to inadvertently tip off people as to whose computers are behind which parts of your document, accidentally send out your top secret memo on plans for world domination or salvation, or lend access to any person happening by your room in the hotel. It's inspired by the recent Church Times exposé on how much of Nigerian archbishop Peter Akinola's recent "personal reflections" were composed on CANA bishop Martyn Minns' computer, on a draft letter left open on a public computer at Camp Allen by one of the self-appointed "Windsor Bishops" with some very specific directives for the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the theft of ACN bishop Bob Duncan's laptop, and ANYONE -- progressive, conservative, or anywhere in between -- who doesn't want to be embarrassed in a similar situation would do very well to read, mark, and inwardly digest Greg's very accessible post.

Seriously, don't miss it. And if you want to be REALLY safe, here's a radical suggestion from Jesus of Nazareth: don't say or do anything in secret that would bring you shame if revealed. I don't always live up to that standard, as y'all know, but when I have accidentally sent an email to a whole list that was meant for an individual, for example, I was much less stressed when I knew that my recent emails conformed to the "Golden Rule" and I'd consistently been both honest about and recently tactful in expressing my convictions. How many times a year I could say that about everything I'd written in a given month I'll leave between me and Jesus -- but a gal can try, and I'll tell you that it's awfully good for the blood pressure in more ways than one.

And Greg, if I can lodge a request: I think it would be a tremendous service to follow up on that with a primer on 'phishing' and other email/eBay/similar scams. I know far, far too many smart people who have been taken in and lost a bundle on those -- one of whom is a lovely and upright minister in another denomination who lost his home and had to declare bankruptcy as a result.

mind if I gush about something geeky?

If you're a Mac user, Shiira is an AMAZINGLY fast web browser. And it even can use bookmarks and such from other browsers, like Safari and/or (that's right -- it can use multiple sets of bookmarks) Firefox, without importing -- you just specify in Preferences which other browsers' bookmarks you want Shiira to use. I haven't used it long enough to find out whether it's buggy, but as of right now, I'm impressed; I just made it my default browser.