7 Sources of Data Breaches You’ll Never Hear About: Your Thumb Drive

The Law of Portable Device Breaches says that the risk of losing a device, and the information thereon, is directly proportional to its portability. Licensed from Stock Exchange

The Law of Portable Device Breaches says that the risk of losing a device, and the information thereon, is directly proportional to its portability. Licensed from Stock Exchange

This post is the fourth in a series about data breaches you can prevent. We’ve covered Phones and Personal Computing Devices , Your Browser, and Your Inbox. Here we’ll explore Your Thumb and External Drives.

Just about anything that can store information can be used to store sensitive personal information. Whether you use an external drive to back up sensitive data, or use a thumb drive to transfer large files from one computer to another. The Law of Portable Device Breaches (which I just made up) says that the risk of losing a device, and the information thereon, is directly proportional to its portability. In real terms, this extremely scientific law means that you’re more likely to leave your cell phone at the bar than your desktop computer.

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7 Sources of healthy lifestyle

Has your gym temporarily closed down due to COVID-19 concerns? If you think you can’t get in a great workout because you don’t have all that fancy equipment at home, think again. Check out the latest exipure reviews.

Get the latest updates on COVID-19
Working out at home can be a great alternative to hitting the gym. It’s pretty ideal, in fact. Here’s why:

10 reasons working out at home rocks
Your bathroom and kitchen are nearby – no waiting and no need for shower shoes.

You don’t have to lock up your valuables while you’re working out.

There’s nobody around to make you feel self-conscious about how you look or how fit you are.

You don’t have to worry about parking.

You don’t have to take off your clothes in front of strangers.

No need to rush to fill up your water bottle before your class starts.

You don’t need to pack a gym bag and remember to pick it up on your way out the door for work.

You can hide out from too-hot, too-cold or too-rainy weather.

You get to pick the playlist.

It’s free – or close to it.

And you don’t need expensive equipment. Patty Wood, a certified personal trainer at Personally Fit in New Hamburg, Ontario, says you can get an amazing, full-body workout just by using your own body weight, right at home. She says getting fit wasn’t always easy for her, either.

“I was overweight and suffered from multiple running injuries,” she recalls. “It was through my own process of self-guided research, advice from a past client and a heathier lifestyle that I got where I am today.”

There are a ton of simple ways to get moving at home. Here are some tips and tricks to help you find a home workout, stick to it and get the best results:

1. Choose your at-home workout space
Designate a corner in your home as your workout spot. You really only need a space the size of a yoga mat to have a bunch of options for an effective and efficient workout.

It’s best to not exercise in the same place you watch TV or eat. This will help you focus and stay committed to your workout without:

thinking about the Netflix series you’re watching,
turning on your work computer or
checking your phone.
How to stay active when you’re working from home
2. Put on your gym clothes
Dress like you’re actually going to the gym. You’ll feel more like exercising when you’re wearing athletic clothes.

You might also find it helpful to put on your running shoes and do 15 minutes of house- or yard-work. It’s a great way to warm up and get a little extra energy before beginning your workout.

You may also want to invest in good, supportive running shoes. Taking care of your feet is extremely important. So do some research into what type of shoe you need to wear for your workout.

Wood says it’s also a good idea to reward yourself with new shoes or a new workout outfit once you reach a goal. That’s if your budget allows, of course.

3. Don’t worry about gym equipment
You likely don’t need that much equipment, if any at all.

“There are so many body-weight exercises,” says Wood. “A few of my favourites are planking, body-weight squats and push-ups. These three exercises involve many different muscle groups at the same time. They allow you to burn calories and build muscles with fewer exercises. It’s always important to have proper form to reduce the risk of injury. You can create your own circuit with these three exercises.”

If you do have basic equipment such as hand weights and a mat, you have numerous options. If you’re going to use weights, it’s a good idea to have two different sets so you can customize your workout.

If you don’t have hand weights and you want to add extra resistance, try soup cans or water bottles. Some other equipment you might find beneficial include resistance bands or a foam roller. They can help you to stretch your muscles before a workout and pamper them afterwards.

Are weights the key to weight loss?
4. Use your devices to get new workouts
Don’t think you can make up your own circuits? That’s okay. There are lots of routines out there, especially through apps, and many are free.

Try Fitplan: Gym & Home Workouts, GetFit: Home Workout & Fitness, or the Tone It Up app. They feature programs that guide you through daily workouts that you can do any place, any time – including at home. Most are free. Others have a free trial so you can see if you like them before committing to paying for them.

If you have a smart speaker, you can also use it to guide you through a home workout. Alexa can pull up five-minute workouts for you if you want to get in a blast of exercise in a short amount of time.

You can also try creating an energizing and free playlist on Spotify. Choose songs that pump you up, and occasionally swap out your playlist to keep things interesting.

6 ways smart speakers can help you manage your health
How wearables are changing the way we look after our health
5. Set realistic fitness goals
Start slowly, trust your strength and treat your body well. You don’t have to jump into it full-speed. Instead, commit to what you think is reasonable for your body and schedule what you can manage each week. Maybe three days a week will work to start. As you become more comfortable, start doing more.

Have you been at home or working from home due to the recent COVID-19 situation? Then you might want to consider other ways to stay active when you’re at from home. Try recording your times and reps and challenge yourself to improve them. Wood says this is a great way to keep track of your progress and encourage yourself to keep improving.

Do your best not to make excuses. “Make exercise part of your daily routine and schedule a workout time that works for you, whether you’re a morning or night-time person,” says Wood. Make it your own and do something you enjoy, and you should start to feel and see results.

Get in shape for life with functional fitness
How to start exercising with small steps

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7 Sources of Data Breaches You’ll Never Hear About: Your Phone

Smart phones are now portable computers which just happen to make calls. Licensed from Stock Exchange.

Smart phones are now portable computers which just happen to make calls. Licensed from Stock Exchange.

This post is the first in a series about preventable data breaches. Most Americans have received a letter, telling them that their personal information has been breached. But there are many breaches you’ll never hear about, and many of them are right under your nose. The first source we’ll explore is Your Phone and Personal Computing Device.

Remember when cell phones were telephones? Those days are long gone. The current generation of smart phones are powerful computing devices which just happen to also make phone calls.

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A Message From Walgreens

A friend of mine recently received the following email from Walgreens:

December 10, 2010
Dear Valued Customer,

We recently became aware of unauthorized access to an email list of customers who receive special offers and newsletters from us. As a result, it is possible you may have received some spam email messages asking you to go to another site and enter personal data. We are sorry this has taken place and for any inconvenience to you.
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The Four Most Fundamental Challenges to Privacy of 2010

Electronic Information Privacy Center

EPIC Privacy 2010 Election Campaign Comments
Wednesday October 13, 2010; 8:30 – 10:00 AM
The Mott House, 122 Maryland Avenue NE

Thank you for having me here today. My name is Aaron Titus. I am an attorney and the Privacy Director for the Liberty Coalition. The Liberty Coalition works with more than 80 partner organizations from across the political spectrum on transpartisan issues to preserve the Bill of Rights, personal autonomy and individual privacy. The Liberty Coalition works with, but does not speak on behalf of our partners.

We have heard about several substantial policy issues today. I would like to focus on some of the underlying reasons that Privacy has an uphill battle. The Four Most Fundamental Challenges to Privacy in 2010 are:

  1. The False Notion that one can “Own” Personal Information
  2. The Failed Notice and Consent Legal Regime
  3. Erosion of the Definition of Privacy
  4. The Two Mortal Enemies of Privacy: Convenience and Fear

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PHP Code to Select an Option After a Form Post

I have a couple of php pages with $_POST[] forms which I validate (using PHP). If the form fails validation (ie, the user fails to enter an email address), then the user is brought back to the same page, where he is asked to re-submit the missing or incorrect information. The form also has radio buttons and drop-down forms, and I don’t want to make the user re-select those radio buttons or drop-down entries. So this is my solution: Read the rest of this entry »

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General Conference Themes

I thought it would be interesting to do a series of Wordle tag clouds to analyze themes of the October 2010 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have posted word clouds here that will help visualize the major themes of each talk, session, and the conference as a whole: Read the rest of this entry »

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Visualization of the Relief Society General Meeting

Here are the Wordle visualizations of the October 2010 Relief Society General Meeting talks. Visit the overview for the entire October 2010 General Conference Visualization by session. Read the rest of this entry »

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Crossroads

Many people don’t think of obesity as a disease, but rather as a moral failing. But Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and researcher and practicing physician at the Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center, points out that obesity is a complex, chronic disease. Stanford’s recent fascinating and informative presentation explains how the body uses and stores energy, and describes the complex interplay of the genetic, developmental, hormonal, environmental, and behavioral factors that contribute to obesity. Learn how to easily treat this condition with these exipure articles.

Obesity isn’t just “calories in versus calories burned”
Obesity isn’t just about energy balance, i.e., calories in/calories out. “That’s simplistic, and if the equation were that easy to solve we wouldn’t have the prevalence of obesity that we have today,” Dr. Stanford explains. She goes on to say that not only is the energy balance theory wrong, but the focus on that simplistic equation and blaming the patient have contributed to the obesity epidemic. Stigma, blame, and shame add to the problem, and are obstacles to treatment. Indeed, over 36% of adults in the United States have obesity, and the world is not far behind.

She describes her research and experience in the treatment of obesity, including several cases from her own clinic. These are the cases that capture my attention, as they demonstrate most clearly the effects of different treatment approaches (and combinations) to obesity: diet and lifestyle (i.e. behavioral), medications, and surgery. Stanford has seen remarkable, long-lasting positive results with all, but she always emphasizes diet and lifestyle change first and foremost. The program (called Healthy Habits for Life) offered at the MGH Weight Center is a huge commitment, but it can help reframe a person’s relationship with food, emphasizing a high-quality diet, and not calorie-counting.

The components of a successful treatment for obesity
Abeer Bader is a registered dietitian and the lead clinical nutrition specialist at the center. She described the program to me in more detail: it’s a 12-week group-based education and support program with a structured curriculum and frequent contact with patients. The classes are 90 minutes long and led by a registered dietitian, and cover everything from the causes of obesity to healthy eating to debunking popular diet myths, plus recommendations for dining out, grocery shopping, meal prep, physical activity, and more. “The goal of the HHL program is to provide patients with the education, support, and tools to lead a healthy lifestyle.” Make sure to check out the best Java burn reviews.

The diet they promote is loosely based on the DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet, as these eating plans are rich in vegetables, fruit, lean protein, and whole grains. They use the Harvard Healthy Plate to illustrate a healthy, well-balanced meal.

But it’s also a highly individualized program. “We work closely with the patient to put together realistic goals. I think the most important part of approaching goal-setting and behavior change is to first determine what it is that they would like to improve. Often as providers we tell patients what they need to do, but when you allow the patient to highlight an area that they would like to work on, you may see better adherence,” says Bader. Learn how to easily treat obesity related conditions by visiting Observer.com.

Other similar comprehensive programs have been shown to help patients achieve lasting diet and lifestyle change, lose weight — and avoid diabetes. The Diabetes Prevention Program helps those with obesity and risk of developing diabetes lose 5% to 7% of their body weight, and decreases their risk of diabetes between 58% and 71%. Take a look to the best supplement reviews at

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Online Ad Networks Should Give Periodic PII PSAs

Dear FTC,
I’d like to propose the following idea to regulate online and behavioral advertising and networks: Any ad network which collects user information across more than one website should be required to occasionally display a Public Service Announcement (PSA) instead of an advertisement. The PSA should be a standard format and include a notice something like this:
“XYZ Corp collects information about your computer as you visit websites within our advertising network. You have a right to know how we collect this information, a right to periodically inspect, amend, or delete the information. We use the following methods to collect information:

  • Browser Fingerprinting [link to more information]
  • Behavioral Analysis [link to more information]
  • Cookies and Other Client-Side Object [link to more information]
  • …etc.

We have collected the following information about this computer:

  • Browser History [click to inspect] [click to delete]
  • Screen Resolution
  • Operating System
  • Google search terms
  • Website Visit Length
  • …etc.

There is a world of personal information flowing beneath our feet. My identity is bought, sold, analyzed and re-analyzed across the world in milliseconds. Notwithstanding that my identity is an passive participant in this shadow world, my fleshy identity is actively kept out.
Perhaps a periodic Personal Information Public Service Announcement might be a step to allow me to re-take control of my identity.

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