James Lane

If you work for an organisation where someone else has some influence over the security of your account, you may be subject to a policy of password expiry. Every 30, 60 or 90 days, you receive a prompt that advises you to change your password - if you ignore it, the prompts get increasingly more aggressive - until one day you log in and you're forced to enter a new password to continue. Proactive account security is something I absolutely champion - but not like this. What's wrong with forcing regular password expiry? Passwords are a weak point of security, always have been - and until we rethink our approach to account security, probably always will be. But forced expiry has a similar effect on security as abstinence has on sex education. It looks like an idea that should be good, but it doesn't address the underlying issues. The weak link in this chain is us; users. We're told that we have to have at least 8 characters, at least one of those must be upper case, at lea...

Adding the right people on LinkedIn is really what makes it work properly. Both of these tips are based around the idea that you're in the same location as the person you're wanting to connect with - so this is about making that connection easier and faster. Find LinkedIn users physically near you Open the LinkedIn app on your smart device (Android, iPhone or iPad etc.) Tap the "My Network" icon at the bottom of your screen Tap "Find nearby" You'll then have a screen that will show you a list of name (LinkedIn accounts) of other people who are using the same discovery technique. This works really well if you're at a meeting or event where you all want to make that initial connection quickly and easily. You have the control for when it's working and when it's not, so don't worry about being stalked by weirdos out there! Easily connect with someone in front of you right now Open the LinkedIn app on your smart device (Android, iPhone or iPad...

I've recently become quite obsessed interested in seeing if Linux (specifically Ubuntu - though that's just my flavour of choice) can be a workable OS for modern enterprise solutions. With so many of these solutions moving to SaaS/cloud-based, it's not going to be an issue for many different services - but since a lot of my work takes place in Microsoft Teams, I wanted to see if there was a Linux version of the Microsoft app. The short version is - there is.  There is, of course, already a web-based version of Teams  which aesthetically looks like the 'normal' experience, but if you're looking for the native solution - this is the way to go. The Microsoft Teams client is the first Microsoft 365 app that is coming to Linux desktops, and will support all of Teams’ core capabilities. Teams is the hub for teamwork that brings together chat, video meetings, calling, and collaboration on Office 365 documents and business processes within a single, integrated experien...

Sometimes I read stuff because I just find it interesting and sometimes it's essential information that I need to stay abreast of; like for CPD (Continuing Professional Development). Either way, it takes time to read. Not least of all because while I can scan text fairly quickly, I'm a relatively slow reader - if it's something that I need to absorb. A helpful process that I use is to have that article read out. So I wanted to share with you the process I use. To make this work you'll need one of the following - A friend/relative/colleague (a child will suffice, but ensure they have a reading age great than 12 years) with nothing else to do or A laptop/desktop with a Chromium-based browser (for example, Google Chrome). Either jump straight to the Reader View extension I use, or, if you really want to make it slightly harder because you're one of those people that has to do everything the slow way - Go to the Chrome Web Store Search for "Reader View" (Offe...

A great profile picture is important. I have long-since preached the virtues of abandoning your selfie with the toilet in the background and having something that better represents you. I then came across this free profile picture maker that claims to let you "Create an awesome profile pic from any photo". I am a constant and fervent fan of Canva  for...pretty much everything - but every so often, there's something that pops up that might be worth having in your digital arsenal. I use this photo for most all of my profile pictures and I've always liked it. It is from the #Nerducator days, it was shot by a professional photographer and it suits me - so I use it mostly everywhere. So I was certainly curious to see what this tool could do with it. The tool claims to use an "AI background remover" to automatically remove any kind of background, provide dozens of design and you can tweak and edit the ideas to change them as you see fit. It only takes a few seco...

First impressions were mediocre to be honest, the webcam comes in an unassuming box without any kind of a fanfare. I stuck the privacy cover (not because I'm a privacy nut, but it was there so I figured "why not?") on easily (it comes with a peel and stick backing, so super-simple). I have the cover 'sat up' most of the time - but if you're one of these folks who sticks tape over their webcam, this is definitely an 'upgrade'.   Conspiracy Theory GIF from Conspiracy GIFs The lens has a wide-angle to it which gives a different perspective than I was used to from my normal daily-driver (Logitech C920) - and I didn't immediately warm to it, but after using the LarmTek Webcam as my regular camera for a few days, I've really come to like it. I have been using this webcam mainly for Microsoft Teams/Zoom and Google Meet - and feedback from folks on the 'other end' of the call is really positive, reporting a crisp clear image that's goo...

Keeping your personal digital data and business, safe is (or, should be) really at the top of your priority list. I am always shocked when (and I promise you, this has happened) people get up from their seat on a train or at a coffee shop and not only leave their laptop behind (WTF!) as they head off to the bathroom, but they leave the device open and unlocked as well! If this is you, you need to stop. Typing Laptop GIF from Typing GIFs Anyone could sit down in front of that machine, and see all sorts of information, access your social media, forward emails and just generally cause mayhem. I probably don't need to point out why this is such a big deal, but GDPR jumps immediately to my mind. You should lock your laptop every time you walk away from it It's really a good practise to get into. Even when you think it's safe - start getting into the habit - when you get up at home to use the toilet, lock your laptop. When you're in a meeting with colleagues and y...