Trackballs
You might think of them as this old mouse that you had 20 years ago, but actually the technology is still being used for all kinds of things, including ergonomic mouse
I can actually game with one, and I’ve outright worn out 3. They last longer than traditional mice too.
Fax machines. Government and medical offices would grind to a halt without them. That’s just reality.
Because it can do something that the alternatives can’t do or because they refuse to use something more modern?
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“It can’t be hacked”
Of course, it can, and a lot more easily than a TLS stream, but try convincing them of that. So, more like they refuse to use something more modern.
I always thought email was more secure if it was encrypted. I also don’t understand the difference between a virtual fax (sent as a scan, from the computer, via a phone number but literally just some kinda email like thing) or from a low tech low res scan over the phone line that likely is a voip line anyway. I don’t even know the finer details of how those work, but the differences seem pretty minute to someone just staring at the parts.
Yes, email isn’t actually less transparent. If you’re using webmail over HTTPS it’s harder for a small adversary to intercept, but that’s it. Fax is way less efficient, though, while having no advantages I can think of.
Everyone even tangentially related to healthcare is terrified of violating HIPAA in a way that leaves evidence that can be traced back to them. So the corps force dumb shit like this, while the employees are perfectly happy to tell all kinds of private health information to anyone who will listen. Especially if it’s funny or gross.
Believe it or not, Canadian health services do this shit too.
That’s basically the answer to the opposite question: what is something that someone thinks isn’t obsolete, but really is?
Came to say this. Fax just refuses to die.
Even worse, the US military, at least, is still using teletype machines and COBOL.
RSS feeds
I started self hosting my own RSS feed a few years ago, and I couldn’t live without it. It’s the best way to get timely info.
And then you can be the first one to post it on lemmy.
I setup tinyrss a month or so ago, I just can’t get into it. Any tips?
Into your instance or into RSS in general?
Generally what are you using it for? I’ve had trouble finding uses outside of youtube and a handful of news sites.
I follow some blogs, news sites, and GitHub project releases so I’m up to date to what I’m interested in.
github is a good one, I didn’t think of that. Thank you
I loved netvibes to get daily comics and blog posts. Unfortunately people stopped writing blogs and netvibes is also gone
Blogs are having a timid resurgence I would say. Also not everyone stopped writing blogs, I have been following some since 2008 or so… When Google Reader was a thing lol
I think they are a lot more obscure because we prioritise social networks over blogs, so do search indexers. But they are still there!
Comics are now mostly on Instagram, but you can make Instagram RSS feeds with things like rss-bridge
Friends stopped writing their blogs. I slowly stopped reading most comics, now only Questionable Content and the occasional xkcd remains
He really should bring back blogging and that shit was awesome
cds
I love collecting CDs
Writing down your thoughts! It’s not the same as typing things down, writing really makes me feel lighter and somehow reduces my stress levels.
Mediums matter. I think it’s because a laptop or phone can sometimes be heavier and slower than a single post it or piece of paper. Just a thought though.
Interesting take. Thanks for sharing.
Fax machines. Phone lines are pretty private, and sending a fax is usually more secure than emailing something, especially if someone else manages your email.
Counterpoint, fax is not encrypted and wire taps are very easy. At least e-mail can be encrypted so Joe shmoe on the street can’t see it.
Besides, all faxing these days is going through VOIP and computers anyways.
Secure fax is encrypted: it’s sent via https.
Thats just scan to email with extra steps
Technically true Only in transit though.
And at least email is ostensibly locked behind a password on a computer. Not just sitting in a paper tray ready to be nabbed by Anyone walking by.
Having to physically wire tap the phone line is a lot more difficult and requires local bad actors. Email’s exposure to the internet makes it easier to hack. Yes, email can be encrypted, but if your server is compromised, that doesn’t matter. End to end encryption for email is much harder, and isn’t really used by any institutions (and usually can’t be because of data retention regulations), so the server has complete access to the unencrypted email in almost all cases. Compromising a fax machine that isn’t connected to the internet is a lot harder.
Not all faxes go through VoIP. Your everyday home fax machine probably uses VoIP, because having a landline installed in your home is stupid expensive and unnecessary, but faxes in institutions probably use the PSTN. These institutions most likely need landlines anyway, so having a dedicated fax line makes a lot more sense.
And if a fax goes through VoIP, it’ll be encrypted the same way email is. So in that case, it’s the same level of security as email, which is to say, easier to compromise. At least you can’t trick someone into clicking a link in a fax though.
you can choose whatever email provider you trust, and then they apply encryption on the transport level. but there is often very few phone companies, and zero encryption. they don’t have to install any kind of wiretaps, they can just record everything automatically that passes through
That is true that they have the technical ability to do that, but it is also illegal if they disclose that information to anyone, and it’s unnecessary to run the service, so it simply puts them in a lot of legal jeopardy and adds to service costs.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2511
I personally trust AT&T with a fax line a lot more than I trust Google with an email.
Google specifically discloses that it does record the contents of every email (obviously), and that when you delete an email, it’s not really gone from their servers. AT&T (as well as any phone company in the US) is not allowed to disclose the contents of your phone call or fax without a valid wiretap order (which don’t apply to privileged communications), so they almost never record call content. Keep in mind, email providers must also hand over any emails covered under a valid search warrant.
So when you send an email, your document is 100% definitely recorded by at least two companies (or one if you use the same provider as the recipient). When you send a fax, it’s highly unlikely that the contents of your document are recorded at all, except on the printed page at the receiving end. It’s just not necessary and puts the phone company at risk, so it doesn’t make any business sense.
Proton mail is encrypted on the server with your key and proton does not have access to it. If you lose your login credentials and have to reset then you lose your old email because that key is not getting recovered.
The email comes into their server unencrypted. They promise that they will encrypt it for you, though. Of course, you’re also relying on the sending server to keep the message secure as well.
Proton Mail’s end-to-end encryption and zero-access encryption ensure only you can see your emails. Not even Proton can view the content of your emails and attachments.
The vast majority of senders do not send email using end to end encryption. If you’re sending an email from a PM address to another PM address, sure, it’s end to end encrypted. If you’re sending to another service, it’s not end to end encrypted unless you’ve both gone through the painful steps of setting up PGP encryption. Same as if you’re receiving from another service.
You can read about it here:
https://proton.me/support/proton-mail-encryption-explained
So that quote you just responded with is saying exactly what I had just said above it. They promise that they’ll encrypt that unencrypted email that just came into their server for you. And they promise that they’ll encrypt that unencrypted email you just sent outside their service.
I know, but I was answering the question about encryption, rather than users. Proton also allows sending encrypted to non participating receivers. They get a weblink and have to open it to view the email a with password if supplied. That decrypts the email at the browser, and has an expiry time on the link.
Also all of german bureaucracy still works only with fax
Japan as well
It somehow suprises me but also not really thinking how traditionalist they are
In my county (midwest America) communication between lawyers and courts is still entirely by fax. I don’t know if that’s the case of other counties in my state, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all.
Parts of Canada as well. Our province is terrible for this.
NATO according to the previous article
I love Technology Connections
Caring about your employees as if they were humans.
Hi, number! It’s your colleague: Another number!
So how about that SPORTING EVENT last weekend?
Something something ludicrous display.
Caring about other people in general really
That implies it was ever the norm. At best it’s had moments.
Paper; Notebooks. Key only physical door locks. Manual transmission cars. Not having any IoT appliances, and not connecting everything you own to WiFi. Hard drive full of MP3s. Cash. Not being available for a call if you’re not at home.
Source: work tangential enough to cybersecurity.
Hard drive full of MP3s is love, hard drive full of MP3s is life.
Although ATM my folder is just 1.1GB including the music videos, so I could probably store it on a thumb drive or carefully-chosen dishwasher; it doesn’t have to be a hard drive.
Cash
I heard of some drug dealers not accepting cash where I live
Marijuana is legal here. Dispensaries can ONLY accept cash, because they’re locked out of the federal banking system.
I think some states are offering workarounds for that dilemma now, but I really do wish the US federal would just legalize it already. We have 24 states that have already legalized it, as well as 3 territories and D.C… Around 33 states have for medical purposes.
When 2/3 of a country has legalized something in some form, it should become the de facto law of the land at the federal level. Those other states can continue keeping it illegal if their citizens so choose, but the Federal government should be forced to at least decriminalize it if it’s something that isn’t directly harming people against their will.
What are they taking? Monero? Gift cards?
Lol, might as well hang a sign out front that says “I share data with cops.”
Now hold on, maybe they’re onto something. The highest levels of drug dealers most likely aren’t accepting cash, they’re laundering their money through legitimate fronts. Small time dealers setting up some simple LLC or something for a relatively small fee and funneling money through that could actually shield you better from local law enforcement. I’m pretty sure Cashapp and their ilk offer business accounts nowadays, haven’t checked myself.
Block, the company that owns Cash App, lost a court case and had to pay an $80m fine for failing to adhere to anti-money laundering laws. The Feds have been all over it for a year. Maybe 3 years ago it was possible to fake the KYC, but not a much so anymore.
The only truly non-tracable financial system is Monero, and many exchanges won’t touch it because it has such a close connection to crime.
It’s almost like they didn’t get any training before they became drug dealers. /s
I’m sure they have a group chat, right?
“Guys, how much are you selling your yay for these days? I’ve had negative feedback from three people now about prices. I can handle these bad Yelp reviews.”
I want tot go one further and say music cassettes. Love their sound and way more compact than vinyl. Sadly, there’s no good new hardware being made at the moment, although I really like my We Are Rewind player, it’s far from HiFi.
Nah, gotta got vinyl because cassettes deteriorate just sitting in their cases while vinyl stays pristine … until you actually play it, anyway – but if you want to store an audio recording for longevity, press a gold version of a vinyl album.
With both, it also matters how you store it. But like I said, (modern) cassettes are not for HiFi. If I really want to immerse myself in a record, I need the vinyl. The whole experience is just so much fun.
I put vinyl siding on my house 15 years ago. Still looks brand new. Vinyl is here to stay.
Your caveman brain. People think they’re educated an enlightened and everything they do now is so well thought out. Nope, the caveman is in the driving seat for all of us. Even your most high level meetings and interviews are influenced by how hungry, horny, or hurt you are by a teasing comment yesterday. Everyone is looking to establish dominance at any cost, when you don’t really need to.
Everyone is looking to establish dominance at any cost, when you don’t really need to.
You know, I see the rest, but I don’t see this. A lot of people are straight-up doormats.
Obligatory thought to cobol, which is stil the backbone of banking computers.
I would also think to the good old electromechanical relay which are still pretty common
More political, but whatever what imperator Musk thinks Privacy isn’t obsolete
The latest version of COBOL came out in 2023.
Grace Hopper lives on
Small phones, structuralism, and Mr. Rogers.
clapper. plug it in and its good to go. don’t want to block it in to much though and muffle sound getting to it.
