Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • Internet Privacy, or Lack Thereof

    Something that has been in the news lately (or at least the online news articles) is the topic of privacy on the internet with regard to how government agencies and other commercial entities are trying to keep tabs on people’s browsing habits.

    Complete anonymity online is nearly impossible, as you are tagged by the address assigned to you by your internet service provider (ISP). Your browser is also being tracked by where you go, what sites you visit, and this information is being logged and sent to companies that track consumer habits to better advertise to those particular consumers. All of this paints a disturbing picture where just about everything you do online is being watched by someone and logged for analysis.

    There are ways to protect yourself and make it difficult (but not impossible) to track your online travels — however, those methods are now being watched. If you even research how to protect your identity online you get flagged for monitoring 
(article from The Independent who re-ran “*this article*”:http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/nsa-reportedly-tracking-any-internet-users-who-research-privacy-software-online-9585250.html

 from WIRED, and the Herald).

    Once I started reading about how transparent everyone’s online journeys were to the people with the right equipment, I began researching about how to have a smaller online footprint. Yes, this probably got me flagged — but since I don’t partake in illegal online behavior, I’m not too concerned.

    There are several ways to try and protect your identity. One would be using Proxy servers or Virtual Private Networks. Using Proxy servers is risky unless you know/trust the server owner and the latter usually requires some form of payment method. If you have access to a VPN, then whoever provides this service would most likely be the one to be flagged for the watch list. Your web traffic would likely get bundled into the provider’s internet access as well.


    Another method is what’s called the TOR browser. TOR stands for The Onion Router, which is a service originally created by the US Navy, and is now privately maintained (though it still receives funding from the government). The TOR browser bundle includes software that allows you to connect to the TOR network. When your computer is connected to a node on this network, it gets bounced all across the world while encrypting your traffic every step of the way until you come out at your destination.

    Say you want to visit “*Smalldog.com;*”:http://www.smalldog.com normally, your computer would connect by the shortest distance between your ISP and our ISP, making as few ‘hops’ as possible. The TOR browser makes your computer travel all over the world to protect your source and destination, as well as the travel paths of the nodes along the way.

    In the past, TOR has been a safe way to browse the internet anonymously, but it recently has become the target of government agencies across the world because, as we all know, information is power. Russia has even “*offered a reward to the Russian researcher*”:http://www.dailydot.com/politics/russia-research-break-tor/ who is able to crack the TOR network and allow it to be monitored.

 This reward is only available to Russians within their borders in order to protect what is discovered from outside government agencies.

    There have been a lot of articles about the NSA watching the traffic of average Americans, but that is for another article. For the time being, I have been thinking about how to reduce my footprint online and the biggest hurdle is social networking. Everything you post to a social network — be it Facebook or LinkedIn — is stored on some server somewhere forever,* even if you delete it from the social network it was on. There are no takebacks when it comes to posting online. Somewhere, everything that has hit the wire has been saved somewhere else. So whatever you post online, you should probably be okay with a total stranger looking at it because nothing is ever completely safe.



    Knowledge is power, so guard it well!

    __*Editor’s Note: “Forever” may not be literal when it comes the internet, but we also know that it has a very long memory…better to be safe than sorry.__

  • Sleep vs. Standby Modes on Mac Laptops

    Customers occasionally ask why sometimes when they go back to their Mac laptop after a break it wakes right up, but sometimes it takes much longer.

    Mac laptops have two energy saving modes: Sleep and Standby. Sleep mode can be adjusted (such as how long before going into it) by the computer user in *System Preferences* under *Energy Saver.* It is a light energy-saving mode and does the following:

    (On both laptops and iMacs both:)

    * The microprocessor goes into a low-power mode
    * Video output is turned off, and a connected display may turn off or enter its own idle state
    * Apple-supplied hard disks spin down; third-party hard disks may spin down

    (On laptops:)

    * The Ethernet port turns off, if applicable ??(see note below)??
    * Expansion card slots turn off
    * The built-in modem, if present, turns off ??(see note below)??
    * An AirPort card, if present, turns off ??(see note below)??
    * The USB ports only responds to the power key on an external keyboard ??(see below)??
    * The optical media drive, if present, spins down
    * Audio input and output turns off
    * Keyboard illumination, if a feature of your portable computer, turns off

    The “Sleeping” device is easily awakened by tapping any key on the keyboard (except external keyboards which require tapping the power button on the keyboard) or opening the lid on laptops.

    Standby is a more complete energy saving mode. The time the computer waits to go into it isn’t adjustable (at least through the User Interface) by users. Standby was introduced in 2012 Mac laptop models (except on MacBook Airs it was introduced in 2010) and is not available on iMacs. For 2012 to some 2013 models, the machine goes into Standby mode after a little over an hour in standard Sleep mode. In 2013 and later models, this was changed to three hours because of technological improvements that extended battery life overall.

    To enter Standby, a laptop must be:

    * Running on battery power (if it is a Mac laptop computer)
    * Have no USB devices attached
    * Have no Thunderbolt devices attached
    * Have no SD card inserted
    * Have no external display attached

    A laptop can run up to thirty days in Standby before it needs to shut down. In Standby, the following additional components are powered down:

    * The CPU
    * RAM (after being copied to the hard drive)

    Standby mode is more like being powered completely off than Sleep and therefore takes longer to “wake up.” So if you’ve been gone a few hours and it takes longer than usual to wake up, it’s because it’s gone into Standby mode.

  • Before working at Small Dog, I had never been surrounded by so many Apple computers. Sure, growing up I played Lode Runner on my family’s Apple IIc, and my middle school had its share of turquoise iMac G3s, but I had always considered myself a PC guy, proud of my custom towers that I built with my dad.

    It really wasn’t until I unpackaged my first iPhone that I was converted to an Apple fanboy. For many, the iPhone has been a gateway product into the world of iOS and then OS X, and before you know it, your house is filled with AirPort Extremes and Thunderbolt Displays.

    I really can’t complain. Having hardware and software that’s designed to communicate with one another has made life easier. With upcoming product launches, Apple is looking to improve the seamlessness of their computers and devices more than ever. I really can’t wait.

    At times like these, I start shifting my attention towards Apple news sites like “*MacRumors*”:http://www.macrumors.com/ to keep up on what may or may not be in the development pipelines. Sure, they are rumors and sometimes they prove to be false, but I can’t help but get excited over the next big item from Apple.

    Stay tuned for a lesson on your Mac’s sleep mode and an article on your privacy and how to stay anonymous on the web.

    – Mike D
    “*miked@smalldog.com*”:mailto:miked@smalldog.com

  • Automatic Car Accessory

    I drive a lot — two hours a day covering a total of 100 miles. This week, I was shown this cool little…

  • Emily and I got a break from our radio show on WDEV as we were pre-empted by a Red Sox game, but you can catch us every week on Thursday from 1-2PM on the radio at FM 96.1 or streaming “*here*”:http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/wdev.portal. We have a toll-free number — 877.291.8255 — so feel free to give us a call with your questions or just to say hello!

    There are also some noteworthy items left in our Famous Garage Sale. “*Peruse it here.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/garagesale

    Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,
    _Don, Kali & Stephanie_

  • SPECIALS | Go Back to Class

    We have so many deals this month, we don’t have room for them! Check out all of the back-to-class specials we’re running for the next several weeks, both online and in-store:

    “*Smalldog.com/dogdays*”:http://www.smalldog.com/dogdays

    *Headed to a store? View the in-store flyer!*

    * “*Click here*”:http://images.smalldog.com/pdfs/MTS-Flyer-0714.pdf to view our double-sided flyer with all of the specials you’ll need to see before heading back to school.

    *Save even more with special in-store financing.*

    Go to any retail location to apply — the application process takes less than five minutes!

    * 6 month offer (no required amount)
    * 12 month offer (purchases of $499 or more)
    * 18 month offer (purchases of $999 or more)

    __Conditions apply; note that required Minimum Monthly Payments may or may not pay off purchase before the end of promotional period. See store for details and to apply.__

  • Automatic Car Accessory

    I drive a lot — two hours a day covering a total of 100 miles. This week, I was shown this cool little device by a coworker and was immediately intrigued.

    “*Automatic*”:https://www.automatic.com is a tiny device you plug into your car’s data port and links to your iPhone or Android (download at Google Play) through an “*app.*”:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/automatic/id596594365?mt=8&at=11lb7k&ct=kibbs It provides all sorts of fun information about your driving and your car. At first I thought my 2007 VW Rabbit wouldn’t be smart enough to contain the proper hardware to make this work, but Automatic actually works with most cars that have sold in the US since 1996.

    The Automatic Link gives you useful information such as gas consumption, time it takes to get to and from places, driving style and car maintenance. It’ll also keep track of where you park, which can be helpful in certain situations __(I may or may have not lost my car in Brooklyn a few weeks ago…)__.

    Automatic learns your driving style and gives you the appropriate feedback to improve things like wasting gas from accelerating too fast or slamming on the breaks too often. Every week you’ll get a driving score to help you improve. They even claim that a high score could save you hundreds on gas every year.

    Automatic is priced at $100 and does not have subscription fees. My other car-enthused coworker may just invest in one of these in the near future. I think I may wait to hear his feedback before rushing out to grab one myself, but I think that this could provide some really cool information as well as improve my (sometimes crazed) driving.

    Have one yourself? “*Tell me about it!*”:mailto:steph@smalldog.com

  • Apple Pleases Investors, Posts Record Sales and Profits

    Apple posted a profit of $7.7 billion on sales of $37.4 billion, with gross margin improving by nearly 3 points over last year. While iPad sales were a little disappointing with “only” 13.3 million units sold, iPhone and Mac posted good year-over-year gains.

    It is interesting to note that in the 4 short years since the introduction of the iPad where Apple created a new market, they have sold over 225 million units in spite of voracious competition. They enjoy a 59% overall share of the retail tablet market, 70% of the dollars spent on tablets, and 85% of the education market.

    Of particular note was the increase in year-over-year Mac sales with over 4.4 million Macs sold, representing double digit growth in many countries and an increase in Mac sales at a time when PC sales at other companies are generally declining.

    The iTunes store is also doing well and represents about 12% of Apple revenue, according to one source.

    iPhone was the driver, though, with 35.2 million iPhones sold, up by 4 million units from the same period last year. Tim Cook summed it up by saying, “We are incredibly excited about the upcoming releases of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, as well as other new products and services that we can’t wait to introduce.”

    Even with all the stock buy-backs and dividends, including the $0.47/share dividend announced, Apple has a healthy bank account with over $164 billion in the bank and has acquired 29 companies since the start of their Fiscal Year in October. That number doesn’t even include the mega-acquisition of Beats that will close this quarter.

    Another fantastic quarter for the most interesting story in American business history. Congratulations to the entire Apple team!

  • Weekly Apple News Recap | 07.25.14

    *Test OS X Yosemite Beta*
    As Don mentioned in his intro, Apple released the Beta version of Yosemite to testers to try out. Head to Apple’s site to check out “*Yosemite*”:https://appleseed.apple.com/sp/betaprogram and you can sign up for it “*here.*”:https://idmsa.apple.com/IDMSWebAuth/classicLogin.html?appIdKey=4b98a8e6a3a3ce265b93c90207c442b53c45a1afa9ff1dc9bde8bb6928078d3b&path=%2F%2Fbetaprogram%2Flogin_to_legal&rv=2&view=3

    “*Read more…*”:http://techcrunch.com/2014/07/23/apple-os-x-yosemite-beta/

    *Apple Gets iWatch Patent*
    Apple received a serious patent that covers all kinds of smartwatch aspects — modular, smart straps, built-in sensors, etc. The patent revolves around a wrist-worn device that can connect to other devices like iPhones and iPads.

    “*Read more…*”:http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/07/22/apple-granted-comprehensive-itime-smartwatch-patent-with-in-strap-circuitry-arm-gesture-support

  • _Dear Friends,_

    I am down in New York City for a couple of days at an Apple event, meeting with folks from Apple and other Apple Specialists. I chose to drive down while Hapy flew, and I got to make some work calls from the road while he was dealing with airplanes and airports. Although I was born in Chicago, I guess I am really a country boy because I sure do feel more comfortable in the Green Mountains than the Big Apple.

    Speaking of Apple, their third quarter financials were released on Tuesday and once again, they posted record sales and profits for the quarter. I’ll get into some of the details below, but it is clear that Apple is running on all cylinders. And with record spending on R&D, I am very excited about the product pipeline.

    The public beta of Yosemite was also released this week and if you want to get a sneak preview of the newest OS, you can sign up for it now. Apple recommends (and I echo it) that if you are going to load the beta that you do so on a spare machine and do not take too many risks with this pre-release version. At an absolute minimum, be sure that you have a complete back-up (which you should ALWAYS have) before you begin testing the latest and greatest.

    This week’s Kibbles & Bytes exclusive has to do with power. I have all sorts of power strips at home and work and depending upon the orientation of the receptacles, my chargers will sometimes take up more than one slot and I’ll run out of outlets.

    We have recently brought in some 360 Electrical Power Curve 6-outlet Surge Protectors. Not only can you provide surge protection to your sensitive electronics during the summer thunderstorm season, but each of the receptacles rotates 360 degrees so you can attach all six of your devices without worrying about the orientation.

    Just to make this bundle even more versatile, we will also include a Hammerhead 4-Port USB Charger so even if you have two iPads, two iPhones and 5 other devices, you will have plenty of room. Normally, this bundle is $54.98, but exclusively for Kibbles & Bytes readers, it’s $10 off — final price: $44.98!

    “*Grab this deal here!*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001556

  • Dog Days of Summer Specials

    We have so many deals this month, we don’t have room for them!

    Click here to view our double-sided flyer with all of the specials you’ll need to see before heading back to school.

    Special In-Store Financing

    Go to any retail location to apply — the application process takes less than five minutes!

    • 6 month offer (no required amount)
    • 12 month offer (purchases of $499 or more)
    • 18 month offer (purchases of $999 or more)

    Conditions apply; note that required Minimum Monthly Payments may or may not pay off purchase before the end of promotional period. See store for details and to apply.

  • iPhone's Mysterious "Other" Data

    If you’ve ever filled your iPhone to capacity, you may have suddenly noticed a gray section of stored data titled “Other” in iTunes….