Thoughts on Flo's Thoughts

My Watch Dilemma

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 19:42:40 +0200

I like my Apple Watch. I really do. It’s fantastic having a tiny computer on my wrist. Especially with all the health utilities and, more recently, the security features that unlock my computer. But that wasn’t always the case.

When the Apple Watch first came out, I didn’t really see the appeal. I’ve always been a watch guy and enjoyed wearing watches. Nothing too special, just some regular quartz watches that I considered nice. I think that started back in high school. I’ve basically worn a watch ever since and, in later years, I always had a few to pick from.

NetNewsWire 5

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 08:02:28 +0200

A great write-up on the release of NetNewsWire 5. I’m happy to see that quality Mac apps and RSS are not dead.

Socially Awkward

Tue, 11 Dec 2018 22:44:08 +0200

For my day job, I regularly pass the entrance gate at one of our German car manufacturers. Since I’m there almost every day, most of the plant security staff knows who I am and they usually just let me pass. Most of them. But there are a few who are always up for a quick chat before they open the gates for me to drive through. Nothing important. Small talk. “How is it going?” Just answering this question usually isn’t enough or expected. After answering with a one-worder, this entire conversation comes to an abrupt halt followed by a couple of seconds of awkward silence, that actually feel like minutes. This makes me feel very uneasy.

Leaving Facebook

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 07:29:08 +0200

It’s been three months since I left Facebook. Before that, it took me well over two years to finally do this step. I wanted to leave it so badly, but somehow it held it’s grip on me. It was just too convenient to have all your friends in one place and know most of what happens in their lives. The fear of missing out was just too big.

During the same time, the number of hate comments and negativity, in general, took off. It seemed like every time I went on Facebook I saw so many negative, aggressive, vulgar comments that I almost felt depressed afterward. And it got worse over time. This was just something that I didn’t want to identify with. So I finally gave up on my account and closed it.

Cicada 3301 Puzzle

Mon, 03 Nov 2014 11:17:33 +0200

Tackling the puzzle would lead Eriksson to rely on a host of skills from steganography to cryptography, to an understanding of ancient Mayan numerology and a familiarity with cyberpunk speculative fiction. As he worked his way from solving one piece of the puzzle to the next, the journey would lead him to discover that the answers lay not just in the digital domain, but in the real world: From clues left on the voicemail of a Texas telephone number to flyers taped to telephone poles in 14 cities around the world. The quest would ultimately return to the deepest layers of the digital world: the dark web.

PGP And S/MIME

Sun, 27 Jul 2014 11:10:07 +0200

I’ve been using S/MIME for quite some time on my university account and on my personal mail account for signing and encryption reasons. I’ve never offered this in public so only few people used this. So, I updated my contact page to include both the information on S/MIME and also my PGP public key. So feel free to encrypt your messages when getting in touch with me.

Marco's Fanboy Theory

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 20:02:10 +0200

I just stumbled upon a blog post by Marco Arment called “Fanboy theory”. Since I’m having this talk quite a lot in my personal life I thought it might be a good idea to reference the article here.

Though I’m being called a fanboy quite often and I’d even say myself that I’m one (because I don’t think it’s disrespectful or derogatory, but that’s a whole other story) I try not to force or influence anyone to buy products they might not make reasonable use of. If you don’t want, need, or like what I’m using just get something different. I’m making a lot of jokes about being a fanboy as defined in Marco’s article but I’d suggest that you don’t take that too seriously.

Remembering Steve

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 23:56:49 +0200

Now that most websites switched back to their normal appearance I wanted to share a few of the versions that showed up after Steve’s passing, because their were lovely.

Sites: apple.com, pixar.com, panic.com, wired.com