• DIY,  Rant,  Technology

    Server Build 2.0 Part 2 – pfSense and HAProxy

    In the first segment of this new series, I gave you a quick rundown of the changes since my first home server 10 years ago. Now let’s get into the fun stuff. VLANs, reverse proxies, and firewall rules, oh my. Originally I had a Netgate SG1100 firewall. It worked fine, but eventually the hard drive failed. It was also underpowered for my new gigabit speeds. I could buy a new one, but what’s the point. I didn’t want to spend the crazy money for an enterprise level firewall. So I got a Beelink mini PC.

  • DIY,  Rant,  Technology

    Server Build 2.0 Part 1 – Updates

    Roughly 10 years ago, I wrote a series of articles walking you through the process of setting up a home server. Over time, my needs changed, as did the available technology, as well as my knowledge. So in the next few articles, I’ll be writing a follow up, but it’s really starting from scratch. This specific article is more of a catch up, that fills the gaps between then and now. This will seem like it all happened at once, but this really spans years. The old articles are still accurate. Installing a system is installing a system. I just learned how to do more and new things. All of…

  • Rant,  Technology

    Password Hygiene

    I’ve been meaning to write this for a while, but I never have time. Think of this as a tutorial, rather than a rant. Today, we’re going to talk about password hygiene. Password hygiene is the process you use to keep your passwords safe. It’s just as important as brushing your teeth. Your passwords control all of your online life. You login to just about everything. Your various accounts have all kinds of information on them. Imagine how much about you someone could learn, if they read through your email. Or your Facebook account. Or your bank account. I’m not even talking about the damage that could be done. I’m…

  • Rant,  Technology

    Protect Your Privacy with a Secondary Email Address

    Many moons ago, I signed up for a website called Have I Been Pwned. This website tracks your information, and if it shows up in a leak or hack, it notifies you. It’s a great tool, and I recommend you all use it, especially in our current times full of security breaches. Today, I got a notification that I had been leaked along with 1.4 billion people. Billion with a B. This leak included Full Names, addresses, IP addresses, etc.

  • Life,  Technology

    The October 2016 (DynDNS) DDoS Attack

    A few weeks ago, a DDoS attack crippled the internet, affecting websites like Amazon, eBay, Twitter, and many, many more. It seems this was accomplished by turning IoT devices into a botnet. Most internet users know that these words exist, and they know that they mean things, but few actually understand what happened. So that’s what I’m going to talk about today. I’m going to break down the attack and offer suggestions on what can be done about it.

  • Life,  Rant,  Technology

    PSA: Use Signal

    I’ve mentioned this app before to friends, but I really want to encourage EVERYONE to start using Signal. Here’s what’s going on. We are living in the most technologically advanced period in our history, so far. While technology continues to advance, and we are capable of doing so much more than we could a few years ago, many forget that our laws have not caught up.