Cryptic Clarity

read between the pines…

Just Because: Why You Need to Ditch IE Now Part III

Popularity: 44%

January 25th, 2008 Posted by em8chel << a gentle introduction to Linux for non-geeks, candy mountain >> Discuss

Redneck Dialect instead of Lingua Franca: Why You Need to Ditch IE Now Part II

It’s the 4th Friday of the month and you know it’s time for your favorite A Gentle Introduction to Linux for Non-Geeks again! Do you know Internet Explorer is not only transmitting all sorts of nasty computer diseases to users and giving security experts headaches, it’s also a big nightmare for web designers?

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Popularity: 46%

December 28th, 2007 Posted by em8chel << a gentle introduction to Linux for non-geeks >> Discuss

Are You Exploring the Internet or Are Attackers Exploring Your Computer? Why You Need to Ditch IE Now Part I

It’s the 4th Friday of the month and you know it’s time for your favorite A Gentle Introduction to Linux for Non-Geeks again! As promised, we’re going to tell you why Internet Explorer (IE), the browser inflicted on every Windows system by Bill Gate, is bad news. You’ve heard security advisers all over the world asking people to dump IE and use alternative browsers, such as Firefox or Opera, but you’re still clicking that IE icon out of habit. You’re probably wondering: why is IE dangerous? Are there fundamental differences between different browsers besides cosmetic ones?Well keep reading. Internet Explorer might sound better than Firefox or Opera – it does invoke that bravado,daredevil in us doesn’t it, but by using IE you’re not just exploring the Internet, you’re probably letting attackers explore your computer too.

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Popularity: 40%

November 23rd, 2007 Posted by em8chel << a gentle introduction to Linux for non-geeks >> Discuss

Do You Know What’s in Your Food or What’s in Your OS?

It’s the 4th Friday of the month and you know it’s time for your favorite A Gentle Introduction to Linux for Non-Geeks again! I’m going to keep this one short because one of my best friends from high school is coming to visit me for a week, and I want to tidy up my messy apartment before picking him up from the airport. As any best friends would do for their best friends, I stuffed the fridge with lots of our favorite foods and products from the supermarket. Let’s just say it’s a whole lot of sugary goodness! Since we’re both very omnivorous when it comes to eating, if it’s yummy, it’s in the cart. But for the more health conscious people the information on the food label is an essential read before any purchase. Apart from the name of the product, the address of the manufacturer, it also gives us the ingredients list and nutrition facts.

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Popularity: 45%

August 24th, 2007 Posted by em8chel << a gentle introduction to Linux for non-geeks, geek pride >> Discuss

Is Your OS telling you what to do? Or: Do You Get Ice Cream Headaches?

It’s the 4th Friday of the month and you know it’s time for your favorite A Gentle Introduction to Linux for Non-Geeks again! Did you go see the Simpsons Movie yet? We in Germany are lucky enough to see the film one day ahead of the official release in the US and the UK; in fact, some movie theaters were showing the dubbed version on the 25th already! Without telling you guys too much I’ll only say this: No it doesn’t suck at all, no it’s not the best episode ever, and yes I’d watch it another 50 times! Do you know that Ben & Jerry’s made an ice cream flavor called “Duff and D’oh-Nuts” specially for the movie premiere in Springfield, Vermont? It’s a combination of chocolate and cream stout with chunks of glazed chocolate donuts. According to Ben & Jerry’s it’s a “one-time and one-day-only” flavor, but who says we can’t make our own donut ice cream?

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Popularity: 75%

July 27th, 2007 Posted by em8chel << a gentle introduction to Linux for non-geeks, free lunch out in the open, geek pride, my pet penguin >> Discuss

What is a Distro? How is Ice Cream Made?

Q: What do you get if you divide the circumference of a bowl of ice cream by its diameter?
A: Pi á la mode.

It’s the 4th Friday of the month and you know it’s time for your favorite A Gentle Introduction to Linux for Non-Geeks again! Those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere have just celebrated the official start of summer…ok, many probably didn’t even realize that was an official date, but the rising temperature and the cheerfulness is definitely palpable. I don’t know how you guys mark the beginning of your favorite reason, but I did get myself a triple-scoop ice cream - sesame with honey, chilli with chocolate, plus ginger - on an extra buttery cone. What are your favorite ice cream flavors? Maybe there are regional flavors where you are that you don’t get anywhere else? In Japan, for example, gourmets can enjoy octopus or kelp flavored ice cream, whereas in Taiwan I’ve seen pork flavored and green-tea flavored ice cream. I wonder if you get snail flavored ice cream in France?

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Popularity: 71%

June 22nd, 2007 Posted by em8chel << a gentle introduction to Linux for non-geeks, geek pride, my pet penguin >> Discuss

Why is Windows And Nothing But Windows Installed on Every New PC or Laptop (until Yesterday)?

It’s the 4th Friday of the month and you know it’s time for your favorite A Gentle Introduction to Linux for Non-Geeks again! We looked at Linux on a YouTube video last time, and guess what, today we’ll be talking about the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage. Attentive Cryptic Clarity readers have probably noticed that our monthly feature was put on hold in April because of my disappointing trip to Hamburg for a Joanna Newsom concert, only to arrive at the concert hall faced with a cancellation notice. As I wandered about on the flamboyant Reeperbahn dejectedly at night, I noticed something curious: almost every bar and club has something like this on its sign or door.

What is Astra, I asked my Hamburger friend, and why is it on every bar and club?

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Popularity: 66%

May 25th, 2007 Posted by em8chel << a gentle introduction to Linux for non-geeks, geek pride, my pet penguin >> Discuss