Glibertarians.com 2018 Archive

Author: SP

  • Coming Attractions & The Ever Popular Saturday Night Open Post

    Happy Last Weekend of 2018, Glibs! (LAST weekend, not LOST weekend. YMMV.)

    I was super happy to check in on Kiva.org today and see that the tiny Glibertarians Lending Team has now made 20 loans! This has directly changed the lives of 20 entrepreneurs, their families and communities. Do join us in the New Year, if you are so led. It is always a reality check for me to see how little money it takes to make an impact in many nations around the world. I feel very fortunate that–until I win the lottery–I am able to make small loans and still do something of significance to promote capitalist success for other small business owners. Hmm…maybe I’ll say I’m in international finance next time I’m asked what I do.

    Anyway! What will the next week bring here on the site? Let’s see.

    As ever, links by OMWC, Banjos (I think Sloopy might be permanently MIA), Brett L, various cryptids and, perhaps, random stand-ins.

    Tomorrow we have the I Fucking Love Astrology forecast from Not Adahn, and no spoilers, but I’m glad we are having an intimate NYE dinner party where all guests are personally known to us. Nephilium continues your brewing education with a bitter post. Monday, PieInTheSky has another installment of Pie Ponders, and I’m gracing you with a New Year’s Eve Open Post in case you don’t have Real Life friends and want to just drink and hang out here as we toss out the old and ring in the new.

    Tuesday, January 1, 2019(!), Lackadaisical gets you in the proper Glibertarian mood to begin the year with an enlightening, first-person post on the US immigration system. In the evening, OMWC is back with a special Jewsday! Wednesday, we’re hopeful that there might be a dispatch from SugarFree, and there will definitely be an evening poll from yours truly.

    Fourscore stops by on Thursday with some honeyed words, and on Friday, Animal brings you lesson 3 in your six-gun history education. Saturday, of course, mexicansharpshooter will be back with another review/not a review.

    And as always, the more voices that are heard on Glibertarians.com, the better for all of us and liberty. So, if you’ve been thinking about writing an article on even the most esoteric of topics, please do! Join the Contributing Writers page. Learn more here.

     

    The Saturday Night Open Post starts now! Have a good one, Glibs.

  • Christmas Night Open Post

    Christmas Night Open Post

    For those of you who celebrate Christmas, I hope it was a good one. For those of you who don’t, I hope you had a good regular day like any other. (Except you are here!)

    As OMWC mentioned this morning while playing Noel Hebe, it was an exceedingly quiet day. With the impending relocation, I didn’t even put any lights up or have a tree.

    Oh, ok, go ahead and open your Christmas Night Open Post.

    (I hope it fits…I just had to get it for you, it’s so you.)

     

     

     

  • Sunday Night Open Post

    Sunday Night Open Post

    I just have to say, I never in a million years would have thought I’d hear myself saying, “Woohoo! We’ve got Tony Romo today!”  He is so far and away the best NFL commentator, I feel sorry for all those who aren’t him.

    Anyway! As expected, super slow day here. So, have an Open Post.

    Back to the game, which does not have Tony Romo. Cheers!

     

  • Coming Attractions & Saturday Night Open Post

    Hey, kids!

    This is short and sweet, because as you can imagine, I’m up to my…neck…in alligators, also known as packing boxes. If I just wanted to throw everything in the house into boxes and move ’em, it’d be an easy process. but I’d like to get rid of a LOT of stuff beforehand. That’s time-consuming. Still waiting on estimates from movers, too.

    This coming week, we have a bit of a change-up re: content. Of course, you’ll still get links, served up by an ever-changing cast of writers, but, most likely OMWC, Brett L, Banjos, and…assorted others.

    Tomorrow, of course, we have Not Adahn’s forecast for the holiday week, and the next in Nephilium’s brewing series.

    Monday, we have the Glibertarians.com traditional re-telling of wchipperdove’s ‘Twas the Night before Glib-Mas! HM has promised a family friendly Christmas Eve treat, as well. (No, really, that’s what he said!)

    Christmas Day, PieInTheSky brings us some festive tunes from Romania, and I think an evening Open Post will be a great opportunity for everyone to de-stress from the loving embrace of family life. Drinks optional.

    Wednesday, Tonio continues The Glibening, Part the Fifth, and SugarFree has a very un-SugarFree like piece in the evening. Thursday we get back to more serious fare, with a post from trshmnstr about Chevron or something, and a philosophical piece from Bob Boberson.

    Friday brings the ever-popular What Are We Reading post, and mexicansharpshooter probably has a review/not review to wrap things up on Saturday.

     

    OK! Time to take a break, eat great pizza, drink wonderful wine, and watch football, even if it is the Ravens.

     

    Now, open my gift to you, the Saturday Night Open Post!

     

     

  • Thursday Morning SPecial Links

    Thursday Morning SPecial Links

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    Good morning, my dear Glibs! Banjos and Sloopy are on the road to a fun-filled Christmas vacation (cue National Lampoon), so I’m here…wait! What’s this?  This just in. Oh.My.Goodness.

     

    [/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Breaking News image” _builder_version=”3.18.5″]

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    WE’RE MOVING!

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    What?

    Oh, no, not Glibertarians.com. That’s staying right here.

    This is personal.

     

    OMWC has accepted a new gig in Arizona. We shall soon be relocating lock, stock, and whiskey barrel (or wine cellar, YMMV) to the greater Phoenix area. 

     

     

    [/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”question for Tundra” _builder_version=”3.18.5″]

    Now, I know what you’re asking next: Does this mean Tundra will be doomed to never meet me? 

    Apparently.

    Or maybe: Does this mean the Arizona Glib contingent will be forced to endure our company?

    Indubitably.

    Or how about: Who in the world moves across the country in the dead of winter?

    Us. And it isn’t the first time. At least this time we’re going from the gloomy cold to sunny warmth, the opposite of the previous winter adventure.

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    OK! Back to the topic at hand…links!

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    LINKS

    [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Hike Arizona feed” _builder_version=”3.18.5″]

    From Hike Arizona on Instagram

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    THINGS I LIKE ABOUT ARIZONA

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    …

    [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Jeff Foucault” _builder_version=”3.18.5″ link_option_url_new_window=”on”]

    (Three of my favorite musicians. We’ve been lucky enough to see them multiple times in tiny living-room sized venues over the years.)

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    Have a terrific day, Glibs!

    If anyone wants to come over and help me pack, just let me know. And by pack, I mean…pack…not drink lots of wine so there are fewer bottles to move. 😉

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  • Scheduled Server Maintenance

    Scheduled Server Maintenance

    DreamHost will be performing maintenance on our server cluster from 2100-2300 Pacific Time tonight.

    One hopes it won’t actually be a cluster!

    TL;DR

    The site may be unreachable on and off tonight.

  • Saturday Night Open Post & Coming Attractions

    I’ve checked the list twice. Some of you, naughty, some of you nice. (Some of you with terrible taste, but that’s another post.)

    Wherever you fall on the Santa Worthiness Index, next week you are receiving a week of…SugarFree! He has been hard at work crafting a very special treat/punishment for you:

    “A Hat and Hair Special Event: A Christmas Donald.”

    This Event will run Monday through Friday at 1100. You’ve been warned! Surf the site during lunch at your peril!

    Of course, you’ll also receive links from Banjos, Brett L, OMWC and perhaps others. Not Adahn kicks off your week with the IFLA forecast, and Nephilium continues his brewing series, FINALLY getting around to beer.

    Your fellow Glibs A Leap at the Wheel, Plisade, I.B. McGinty, and banginglc1 will also be supplying great content for your evening edification and delight. The week wraps up with a review/not a review from mexicansharpshooter.

    Alrighty then! On to the ever popular Saturday Night Open Post!

    Thanks for being here, kids.

     

     

  • Poll: Favorite guilty pleasure movie

    Poll: Favorite guilty pleasure movie

     

    OK, you guys, must be R-rated or lower. Think of our Family Friendly Certification!

    For a large number of you, the answer should be that horrible movie with the giant rubber fish.  But, sadly, none of you feel at all guilty about liking it.

    So, come on, you can tell us. We won’t judge you.

    OK, I couldn’t even type that without cracking up. But….

    What movie do you feel most guilty about loving?

     

     

     

  • Coming Attractions (oh, yes, and Saturday Night Open Post)

    I’ve been unwell the past few days, so I’m going to keep this short and sweet, just like me. 😉

    Next week on Glibertarians.com, you’ll get links. Mostly by Sloopy/Banjos, Brett L, and OMWC, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see mexicansharpshooter or Mad Scientist in the mix. Work happens. (Hi, Rufus!) Everyone’s favorite floating stone head and his pals from the SMITH family might turn up, as well. And by turn up, mean…give links.

    In the Regular Features Department, Not Adahn not only gives you the IFLA forecast, but gives you a lesson for free! Web Dom has a vegan holiday recipe round up for you, and I’ll have a weekly poll. mexicansharpshooter will have something for you on Saturday, assuming he remembers to hit the Schedule button. And, oh, yes, there is a terrific, just the best, story from SugarFree in the usual Wacky Wednesday time slot.

    What else? Nephilium has the next article in his Enslaving Yeast series, PieInTheSky spins some more Romanian tunes, CPRM has a new animated H&H for us, we have a Jewsday tradition, Sensei has some advice on learning a language when one is old, another member of the SMITH family drops by, and Animal continues your six gun education.

    What a full week! As always, much heartfelt gratitude to the writers among the Glibs. We seriously could not do this without you!

    And, we don’t say it often enough, thanks to all the donors who keep the server squirrels fed and the electrons humming to keep us online!

    OK! On to the Saturday Night Open Post. Have a great rest of your weekend, kids.

     

     

  • Poll: Online Security Practices

    Poll: Online Security Practices

    Some people call me paranoid; I say I’m realistic.

    I employ a variety of methods in an attempt to make my online security and privacy somewhat “better.” Will any of these practices stop the NSA from reading my emails and perusing my search history (or prevent them from downloading the 16 million dick pics from OMWC and the Founders that are on my phone)? Highly unlikely. Will it stop the average neighborhood scammer or corporate marketing team from harvesting my info? Maybe. Do I feel better at least trying to salvage some remnant of privacy? Definitely.

    Because I believe in learning from my fellow sufferers of PPD, tonight I’d like to hear about what the rest of the Glib community does and recommends.
     

    Under the principle of situational awareness and not being the easy target, there are some basics that should be followed, but I acknowledge there can be exceptions to some things on this list.

    • Securely password your home wifi connections.
    • Don’t visit websites with “porn” or “pr0n” in the name.
    • Don’t use Facebook or other social media, and for the love of all that is holy, NEVER use Facebook Messenger.
    • Don’t click on HM’s links.
    • Don’t visit websites that aren’t https.
    • Turn off Siri and Google Assistant.
    • Use long passwords.
    • Don’t use a password on more than one site.
    • Use two-factor authentication when possible.
    • Don’t write your passwords down.
    • Don’t let apps on your mobile devices or laptop track your location.
    • Don’t store credit cards in apps or online profiles for rewards programs.
    • Tape over your computer’s camera lens and disable the microphone.
    • Never click on a link in an email from “your bank.”
    • Use a separate, secure mailing address for financial purposes (ideally in a zip code different from your home).
    • Don’t answer phone calls from Unknown Numbers. (In fact, I don’t give my real phone number to anyone. Or, actually, ever answer the phone.)
    • Don’t hand out your credit card number to everyone.
    • Buy stock in aluminum foil and learn how to fashion a stylish hat using origami techniques.
    • Unplug, Faraday cage and cellphone block your IoT devices when not in use, if you must have them in your house. This includes your Amazon FireTV box.
    • Don’t give your social security number and bank account information to Prince Adesola when he emails you offering a great deal in return for your help.

     

    So, what else do I do?

    1. I use a VPN at all times, whether from my home networks, public wifi, or on my mobile devices (even on data). I am currently using ProtonVPN from the ProtonMail folks. To me, it’s worth the small degradation in speed. I have a “Plus” subscription.

    2. Tor browser.

    3. DuckDuckGo for search.

    4. ProtonMail for email. For my business, I route my domain email through ProtonMail, as well.

    5. For basic Internet security, I use Bitdefender, on my laptop and mobile devices.

    6. Blur from Abine. I use it for creating masked email addresses on the fly, generating secure passwords to go with them, masking my phone number, masking credit cards. Considering adding their Delete Me service because I don’t have time to track it all down and do it myself.

    7. Burner phone for special circumstances. If you are going to the trouble of using one, do so from a location removed from your usual haunts, and nowhere near any of your other devices. While wearing a plain navy blue hoodie and Groucho Marx glasses (or Juggalo face paint), and not near your car or other people.

     

    What do you do to enhance your online security and privacy?