In A Nutshell Setting up your own VPN server is fairly easy, especially if you are familiar with the Linux terminal. You can set up a VPN in as little as 20 minutes, by renting a VPS (Virtual Private Server) from a company like Vultr and installing OpenVPN. The install is “one-click” and the cost […]
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Here are two ambitious projects that aim to create a decentralized internet: Bitcloud: A group of Bitcoin developers want to create a decentralized internet, where peers are compensated for their contributions MaidSafe: A Scottish company has been developing a decentralized file storage system for the last eight years
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I’m currently researching technologies that are decentralized and/or transparent. They are not prone to censorship, and mostly free of the whims of profit. Some or all of these tools may be flawed, but what is important for me, is that they are working examples of decentralization and transparency. These tools are decentralized: Bitcoin (digital cash)
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I’m currently researching: Twister: A fully decentralized P2P microblogging platform that uses the free software implementations of Bitcoin and BitTorrent protocols. See also this news story on Twister. YaYc: A decentralized web search application Peercoin: A cryptocurrency that claims to be more secure than Bitcoin, and to “reward users in more sustainable ways” Marble: An open source
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Google search has become pretty awful — you get huge block of ads on top, and ads to the right. You have Google services being promoted before other more relevant results. Perhaps most disappointing is the privacy issue — all those keywords you type are archived at Google, and at the NSA, and who knows
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Elementary OS Luna is a Linux distribution that closely resembles Apple’s OS X. It was first released in November 2012. According to reviewers, the OS is stable and efficient. The Luna developers say they were motivated by a “desire to create a Linux-based OS that championed consistency and great design”, and their design focuses on
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The Fairphone is a smartphone designed and produced in Amsterdam with the goal of creating “minimal harm to people and planet”. According to the company, the main goal of the Fairphone was to develop a mobile device which does not contain conflict minerals (gold, tin, tantalum and tungsten), and to ensuring fair labor conditions for
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The Free Software Foundation recently awarded “Respects Your Freedom” certification to the Gluglug X60 notebook computer. It was the first notebook to receive this certification, and indicates that it meets FSF’s standards in regard to users’ freedom, control over the product, and privacy. The FSF has had a call out for a laptop sold with a
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