Computer Science
Security
This is important because we live in a day and age where data you send over the internet is actually sold for profit to the highest bidder, thanks to a Trump administration policy. Censorship and targeted advertising are some of the results. General privacy rights, internet and otherwise, were previously also eroded by the Patriot Act and the Earn It Act. Give yourself a bit of a shock - look yourself up on Google, then on familytreenow.com and call up one of the three Credit Unions. All three know where you live, where you've worked, and where you've gone to school. Also, much of the information on the net is restricted, because some nimrod somewhere decided that if anyone anywhere has an idea, why don't they profit off of it and prohibit others from even having that same thought so that they can make money and everyone else can remain ignorant. Well that won't do now will it?
Good with computers? Apparently you might be able to help the Ukrainian government take on Russia. A lot of people are volunteering from home to help. Go for it fam
- General guide for computer security
- How to contact someone securely
- Tips for internet security from Kirtaner, aka supposedly one of the faces behind Anonymous
- Free guide from Mullvad to improve online privacy Note: new add-ons to Firefox worth using include Ad Nauseum and TrackMeNot, look into those
- Protonmail, a free and anonymous email service based in Switzerland
Proton VPN, a free VPN service Not the best but it is free. Mullvad seems to be loads better. Proton VPN is worthless.- Signal An iphone and android app for instant messaging that values privacy. A nonprofit organization.
- Mullvad Free DNS Help Mullvad provides this service for free prevention of DNS leaks even if you don't buy Mullvad.
- Duck Duck Go Privacy-oriented search engine
- PC Mag Guide for Switching from Windows to Linux They have other guides for switching from other operating systems as well. Important considering the privacy risks of both Windows and Apple. Linux has a whopper of a learning curve and is immensely frustrating until you get the hang of it, but after that you might wind up loving it. Have courage and stick with it till it starts making sense, you can do it. Also note: lots of stuff only runs on Windows, and there does not appear to be a foolproof way of making a Windows partition in Linux that actually works all that well? Final note: do not change the login password for Linux or it will corrupt the whole system and it is unfixable.
- Pi Hole Helps to block all trackers. Works best by attaching a Raspberri Pi to your computer to essentially trap trackers, but you can also run Pi Hole on Linux. Problem. It eats up data and will clog up your computer's system, which is why Raspberry Pi is a better idea.
- If you are in another country such as China that has a habit of blocking and censoring, you might want to try Tor Browser if all this other stuff doesn't work, but it's not foolproof and it's certainly not perfect. If you are able to link it up with Privoxy then it might work better but Tor does not play nice with add-ons so good luck.
Programming
Miscellaneous
- Instructables Computers Projects Miscellaneous computer-related tutorials including programming, how to use certain software, etc.
- KDE Games If you use the software manager to search for these games on Linux Mint, you can install them.
- Linux Mint actually has some of the best software you can use, period, and it's all free. All you have to do is search for what you're looking for in the software manager, download, and enjoy.
Ways Computer Science Can Help You, section added 10/11/2024:
- Have you ever found yourself doing the same thing over and over for no good reason? If you happen to get good at programming, and maybe also robotics, you might be able to automate some of that to drastically reduce your workload. But only if you do it right because doing it wrong means now you have to go back and do it all over again and clean up the mess too, which is just great. Computer science nerds don't get enough credit for all the annoying mess cleanups they gotta do
- Theoretically, just about anything involving an element of drudgery can be made less of a pain in the ass with computing. This has to be combined with a good deal of trial and error and serious thought though, not just going for it and hoping for the best. The Terminator series is an extreme example of what not to do here, also that dystopian future in Back To The Future with all the screens, that old short story Harrison Bergeron, and that spaceship of armchair people in Wall-E
- Computer savvy means you can put more stuff on a computer. That means you have to buy way less stuff, such as physical file folders, gas for commuting, etc.
- If you are better with computers and tech, you can make it last a lot longer. This stuff is necessary for a lot of modern life but it is not cheap
- If you run a household or a business or both, you might consider learning the specific kind of computer science you need to make a kind of software for yourself or your business. Or, you might decide to use one, but these things have a history of greed, which is why DIYing it could be a lot cheaper.
- Any sort of automation in a factory absolutely requires that if you work in a field related to it you understand at least the basics of computer programming. Heavy machinery and someone working with it who doesn't get how the software components of it work is... uh... way less than optimal. I'm picturing the Ancient Gears archetype from Yu-Gi-Oh! wrecking shop
- If you ever feel like converting any of your stuff to being off grid, electrical components usually require thorough and well-grounded (pun intended) knowledge of electronics, electromagnetism, physics, and computer programming so you understand what you are putting together, how it works, how to maintain it and exactly what to do when something goes wrong. Many crucial components of these systems rely on software too, it is not just hardware. That's a lot of electricity, and you're mostly made of water. Houses are mostly made of wood.
- If you think that computer or video games suck these days, you gotta learn computer science if you intend to be part of the solution
- One of the side benefits of learning computer science is that you learn formal mathematical logic as a part of it. Logic saves lives and can even help you discern what is and is not true.
- If you deal with anything on the Internet, if you learn stuff that is specifically part of whatever it is you're doing on there, it will be way less of a hassle. Especially if you have to do anything on there for business purposes
- Get better at it, have it less likely you get your stuff hacked or your security compromised
- Do your own thing with it. Something that's never been done before. As far as I know the only agreed-upon rules of computing are 1. backup and 2. backup
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