Hello there! This is my blogging post/update log for the Digital Literacy Crash Course. I felt like this would suit better than bulletins and/or multiple separate blog posts. February 13, 2024 - Update So, that life stuff happened quicker than expected. I got laid off from my previous job and totalled my car so I've been... Recovering, emotionally speaking. I'm ok physically. Things are gonna be s... » Continue Reading
Digital Literacy Crash Course Last Updated: 12/29/23 Current Status: WIP - See Updates Topic Overview: What Even Is A Computer? Define A Computer » Continue Reading
I've been thinking long and hard of where to start with this topic, but I think the biggest point I want to make is that people online are just like people in real life. Some are dangerous, some are friendly, all have their own thoughts, feelings, and lives. I know that should feel self-explanatory, but it's easy to forget the other person behind the screen. There's a few things I personally keep ... » Continue Reading
When it comes to guarding yourself from malware, surveillance and some barnacles from the pirates of the digital seas, there's been many guides written and shared within the community. A lot of them have been killed, but just like the humble cockroach, such groups are hard to eliminate. When downloading software, especially freeware, always check and double-check the site you're downloading from f... » Continue Reading
External storage, or data storage outside of a computer device, is an exceptional way to keep your data safe from disaster. This type of storage is a pre-emptive measure we take in order to protect ourselves from outside threats. External storage can include external hard drives, CDs, SSDs, USB sticks, SD cards and more. Typically, external storage is great for moving software or data from one mac... » Continue Reading
In modern day, sometimes it's unavoidable to share your information, such as the instances with banks and medical professionals. However, you should always remain aware of impersonations, phishing links, malware, and people with bad intentions. Phishing is the fraudulent practice of sending emails or other messages pretending to be from reputable companies in order to make individuals reveal perso... » Continue Reading
In the last lesson, we were discussing goals we can set as individuals in order to stay safe in an ever-evolving web, as well as discourage the enshittification of the internet. Now we're going to cover the last two items in our list: Encourage anonymity and educate on base level boundaries while discouraging overfamiliarity Curate » Continue Reading
Author's note: Please consider exploring most if not all the links I've added to this page. It's not required in order to understand, but I want people to view these sources and decide on their credibility themselves. It's valuable learning » Continue Reading
In the digital world, there are many ways to process and store information. With the internet, servers across the world are able to communicate with each other and with those servers, data can be processed or stored along the way. Many people don't understand what the ethereal Cloud even is but the answer is truly simple. When something is in the cloud, it means it's stored on Internet servers ins... » Continue Reading
In the "Who Controls the Internet?" lesson, we briefly discussed a few entities who can see your browsing habits, but how do they see these things? And what can they actually see? When a website you visit tracks you, that’s first-party tracking . When a website you visit lets another company track you, that’s third-party tracking . Third-party tracking companies can track you across most websites ... » Continue Reading
We've briefly addressed servers and browsers in previous lessons, but how do they work? Sure, the internet is involved, but how does the information go from point A to point B? A browser is an application program that provides a way to look at and interact with all the information on the World Wide Web. When the web browser fetches (or retrieves) data from an internet-connected server, it uses a p... » Continue Reading