vrypan — Panayotis Vryonis
My blog is a digital scrapbook of ideas, thoughts and personal events. My digital home is www.vrypan.net.
notes — @vrypan — The Letter — rss
My blog is a digital scrapbook of ideas, thoughts and personal events. My digital home is www.vrypan.net.
notes — @vrypan — The Letter — rss
Posts tagged "en" 192 total
2017 2
March
17
February
22
A kill switch to countermeasure border controls?
#en
#howto
#privacy
Creating a kill switch that will wipe sensitive data from my computer if asked to unlock it.
Creating a kill switch that will wipe sensitive data from my computer if asked to unlock it.
2016 18
December
29
My feed reading setup.
#en
#howto
If you miss the freedom RSS used to give us before we started relying on Facebook, read on.
If you miss the freedom RSS used to give us before we started relying on Facebook, read on.
15
A Driver Mode for smartphones.
#en
#ideas
Let’s use technology to limit -or even eliminate- distracted driving.
Let’s use technology to limit -or even eliminate- distracted driving.
November
10
The Ultimatum Game
#en
#politics
A social experiment that may offer an explanation about the recent political developments in the world.
A social experiment that may offer an explanation about the recent political developments in the world.
October
10
How to create a simple ASN.1 parser
#en
#howto
Step by step instructions to create a ASN.1 parser using asn1c.
Step by step instructions to create a ASN.1 parser using asn1c.
September
23
Blog posts without titles.
#en
#blogging
I find blog post titles restrictive. Here is how I got rid of them.
I find blog post titles restrictive. Here is how I got rid of them.
02
Making GitHub part of my publishing workflow
#en
#howto
#github
How I'm using a github repo as a notebook, and the first steps towards hosting my blog on github.
How I'm using a github repo as a notebook, and the first steps towards hosting my blog on github.
August
12
Dear Qatar Airways, you know nothing about customer care.
#en
#rant
#qatar airways
How Qatar Airways gave my seat to someone else after I had checked in, turned a 17h itinerary to a 30h one, and acted as if this is a normal thing to happen.
How Qatar Airways gave my seat to someone else after I had checked in, turned a 17h itinerary to a 30h one, and acted as if this is a normal thing to happen.
June
29
Facebook instant articles first thoughts
#en
#facebook
#instant articles
Facebook opened up Instant Articles to everyone a couple of months ago. I just had some time to give it a try. To be honest, I like it.
Facebook opened up Instant Articles to everyone a couple of months ago. I just had some time to give it a try. To be honest, I like it.
24
May
11
UX tip: Users need your feedback too.
#en
Give your users feedback for their actions. Especially if you are the one who asked them to do something.
Give your users feedback for their actions. Especially if you are the one who asked them to do something.
March
31
Simple bash script for encrypted chat over keybase fs (kbfs)
#en
#howto
#keybase
First impressions of the keybase.io filesystem, and a small bash script to implement a secure, encrypted chat service over it.
First impressions of the keybase.io filesystem, and a small bash script to implement a secure, encrypted chat service over it.
19
Not just what you know, but who you are too.
#en
#privacy
#encryption
Privacy and identity are hard to separate.
Privacy and identity are hard to separate.
February
21
How to bypass the Netflix VPN ban
#en
#netflix
#vpn
So, after all, it seems like the recent Netflix VPN ban can be bypassed —at least for now.
So, after all, it seems like the recent Netflix VPN ban can be bypassed —at least for now.
19
A big Fuck Off by the content industry and Netflix to users worldwide.
#en
#netflix
#piracy
How Netflix and the content industry is blocking users who are paying 60% more than the rest to access content legitimately.
How Netflix and the content industry is blocking users who are paying 60% more than the rest to access content legitimately.
January
26
26
Comparing my Facebook to my Instagram feed
#en
#facebook
#instagram
It seems that the people I follow can express more interesting things using photos than words.
It seems that the people I follow can express more interesting things using photos than words.
20
The annoying state of Internet subscriptions
#en
#rant
#ideas
#internet
#web
#medium.com
I’d like to see something that would make “subscribe” a verb of the Internet, like "go” and “contact”.
I’d like to see something that would make “subscribe” a verb of the Internet, like "go” and “contact”.
18
(Re: Audible) DRM is a defect
#en
#audible
#drm
Follow up to a reply I got for recommending Audible in my last Letter.
Follow up to a reply I got for recommending Audible in my last Letter.
2015 28
December
24
How to archive your tweets
#en
#howto
#twitter
#archiving
Why not take a backup of all your tweets every now and then?
Why not take a backup of all your tweets every now and then?
24
How to archive your Gmail
#en
#howto
Why not make a tradition out of archiving your Gmail at the end of the year? See how easy it is.
Why not make a tradition out of archiving your Gmail at the end of the year? See how easy it is.
06
06
Testing Twitter ads
#en
#howto
#twitter
#mailchimp
The results of a small experiment at getting new subscribers to my newsletter using Twitter lead generation ads and MailChimp form integrations.
The results of a small experiment at getting new subscribers to my newsletter using Twitter lead generation ads and MailChimp form integrations.
November
14
Support Matthew Ebel on patreon
#en
Matthew Ebel is an American musician, voice actor, and author whose sci-fi performances have made him Guest of Honor at geek conventions nationwide. —matthewebel.com
Matthew Ebel is an American musician, voice actor, and author whose sci-fi performances have made him Guest of Honor at geek conventions nationwide. —matthewebel.com
October
17
Your startup’s blog should be on Medium.
#en
#blogging
#howto
#medium.com
Why your startup's blog (at least the first one) should be on Medium.
Why your startup's blog (at least the first one) should be on Medium.
02
A newsletter that turned into something more personal.
#en
#newsletter
#thoughts
Overtime, The Letter has turned from a newsletter to a medium of sharing parts of my life I wouldn't share on my blog any more.
Overtime, The Letter has turned from a newsletter to a medium of sharing parts of my life I wouldn't share on my blog any more.
September
28
20
How I keep my twitter feed healthy
#en
#social media
#twitter
If you sometimes check your twitter feed and think there's nothing interesting going on, you are probably doing something wrong: Somewhere, something interesting IS going on for sure, you are just not following the right people.
If you sometimes check your twitter feed and think there's nothing interesting going on, you are probably doing something wrong: Somewhere, something interesting IS going on for sure, you are just not following the right people.
August
04
nodeStorage brings simple S3-based storage to applications written in JS that run in the browser.
#en
#open web
On Dave Winer's nodeStorage
On Dave Winer's nodeStorage
01
Using Bitcoin to buy anything
#bitcoin
#en
The first experience of using my prepaid VISA card from e-coin.io.
The first experience of using my prepaid VISA card from e-coin.io.
July
22
Bitcoin ATM at The Cube Athens
#en
#bitcoin
Using the Bitcoin ATM at The Cube Athens to buy Bitcoin with cash.
Using the Bitcoin ATM at The Cube Athens to buy Bitcoin with cash.
22
A geek, capital controls in Greece and bitcoin.
#en
#bitcoin
How capital controls in Greece affected my on-line presence and why I'm giving bitcoin a serious try.
How capital controls in Greece affected my on-line presence and why I'm giving bitcoin a serious try.
16
Shutting down longaccess
#en
#longaccess
Longaccess is shutting down. This is not where I planned to be when I started Longaccess, 2.5 years ago. The plan was world domination, yet here I am, having to say goodbye to everything I've worked for in the last 2.5 years. Do I regret it? No! The destination is crappy, but the journey was totally worth it.
Longaccess is shutting down. This is not where I planned to be when I started Longaccess, 2.5 years ago. The plan was world domination, yet here I am, having to say goodbye to everything I've worked for in the last 2.5 years. Do I regret it? No! The destination is crappy, but the journey was totally worth it.
June
22
Social networking services have failed me. I'm going back to my web 2.0 roots.
#en
#howto
#blogging
For the last couple of years, I've been increasingly relying on social networking services to curate, share, discover and even publish content. Looking back, it think they have failed me and that's why I'm looking for ways to reconnect with my web 2.0 "roots".
For the last couple of years, I've been increasingly relying on social networking services to curate, share, discover and even publish content. Looking back, it think they have failed me and that's why I'm looking for ways to reconnect with my web 2.0 "roots".
17
09
Does Apple have a Search Strategy? I think so.
#en
#apple
#search
#google
They want to unbundle search.
They want to unbundle search.
04
A super-minimal, almost "plain-text" email template for Mailchimp.
#en
#howto
How I created a very simple email template for Mailchimp that resembles a lot plain text emails, to send my daily digest.
How I created a very simple email template for Mailchimp that resembles a lot plain text emails, to send my daily digest.
May
29
Post to your GitHub-hosted blog using a simple bookmarklet.
#en
#howto
#jekyll
#github
jekyll-post-via-web is a simple HTML page that lets you update your GitHub-hosted Jekyll blog using your browser.
jekyll-post-via-web is a simple HTML page that lets you update your GitHub-hosted Jekyll blog using your browser.
April
16
A major tlbx.io update
#en
#tlbx.io
Automatically organise your Camera Uploads, get notified about changes in your Dropbox via email or Slack, and many bug fixes.
Automatically organise your Camera Uploads, get notified about changes in your Dropbox via email or Slack, and many bug fixes.
March
12
Will heartbeat sharing be the new social gesture?
#en
#ideas
#social
Aggregating heartbeats can be an interesting social gesture. And subscribing to the aggregate heartbeat of a group can be an interesting new way of connecting with it.
Aggregating heartbeats can be an interesting social gesture. And subscribing to the aggregate heartbeat of a group can be an interesting new way of connecting with it.
February
January
11
testing my webmentions server
#en
#howto
#indieweb
This is a test post to try my own webmentions endpoint at www.listnr.net.
This is a test post to try my own webmentions endpoint at www.listnr.net.
08
I'm so excited about our BigStash launch!
#en
#longaccess
#bigstash
I used to love the few extra days of staying at home, when it snows in Athens, but this year, it's different :-)
I used to love the few extra days of staying at home, when it snows in Athens, but this year, it's different :-)
2014 37
December
20
ALIVE INSIDE
#en
An amazing documentary about music's capacity to reawaken our souls and uncover the deepest parts of our humanity.
An amazing documentary about music's capacity to reawaken our souls and uncover the deepest parts of our humanity.
November
October
28
13
I enabled SSL for my S3-hosted static blog
#en
#howto
#cloudflare
#encryption
How I used CloudFlare's (free) Universal SSL to enable HTTPS for my S3-hosted static-HTML blog, and a few extra notes.
How I used CloudFlare's (free) Universal SSL to enable HTTPS for my S3-hosted static-HTML blog, and a few extra notes.
02
September
16
Apple Pay and the heartbeat sensor on Apple Watch.
#en
#ideas
#apple
My theory behind the heart rate sensor built in Apple Watch
My theory behind the heart rate sensor built in Apple Watch
15
12
I don't think that's Why Starbucks Spells Your Name Wrong.
#en
#marketing
But the truth may be even more amazing, from a different point of view.
But the truth may be even more amazing, from a different point of view.
August
20
How we use Intercom to engage with our users on Twitter.
#en
#deepfreeze.io
#intercom.io
#howto
Intercom.io is full of nice little features and "social profiles" is one of them. Not part of the core product, but at Deepfreeze.io we've found it to be extremely valuable.
Intercom.io is full of nice little features and "social profiles" is one of them. Not part of the core product, but at Deepfreeze.io we've found it to be extremely valuable.
July
15
Retiring my DVDs.
#en
#howto
#deepfreeze.io
DVD is a dying medium, at least for me. Here's how I deal with it.
DVD is a dying medium, at least for me. Here's how I deal with it.
11
The right to be forgotten vs. Copyrights.
#copyrights
#en
OK, I know it's not the one vs the other. But still.
OK, I know it's not the one vs the other. But still.
07
browser-based notifications for my blog using Roost
#en
#howto
Browser-based push notifications is an exciting feature for web publishers. Use Roost to easily enable it in your website.
Browser-based push notifications is an exciting feature for web publishers. Use Roost to easily enable it in your website.
07
Google, Facebook, monarchy and democracy.
#en
#google
#facebook
#web
#thoughts
#medium.com
It’s not how they use the enormous power they have. It’s who controls it.
It’s not how they use the enormous power they have. It’s who controls it.
June
19
How we use Intercom in the deepfreeze.io registration workflow.
#en
#howto
#deepfreeze.io
#intercom.io
I will describe here how we integrated Intercom with our invitation and registration workflow at deepfreeze.io to send user notifications, and how this helps us deliver better services.
I will describe here how we integrated Intercom with our invitation and registration workflow at deepfreeze.io to send user notifications, and how this helps us deliver better services.
15
Could Apple disrupt Search?
#en
#apple
#search
#google
#medium.com
Could Spotlight challenge Google’s dominant position?
Could Spotlight challenge Google’s dominant position?
13
Offloading unused Dropbox files to deepfreeze.io
#en
#dropbox
#deepfreeze.io
How moving unused or rarely used files from Dropbox's hot storage to deepfreeze.io's cold storage reduced my storage costs and made my Dropbox account more manageable.
How moving unused or rarely used files from Dropbox's hot storage to deepfreeze.io's cold storage reduced my storage costs and made my Dropbox account more manageable.
May
31
Google and “the right to be forgotten”.
#en
#web
#thoughts
Could it be that Google Search has reached its limit to scale?
Could it be that Google Search has reached its limit to scale?
14
10
Old blog post URLs as a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
#en
#ideas
What if we didn't care to make old blog posts easy to navigate to?
What if we didn't care to make old blog posts easy to navigate to?
07
Using Longaccess [video]
#en
#longaccess
A short video showing how Longaccess works. It's really easy to preserve your important files for decades!
A short video showing how Longaccess works. It's really easy to preserve your important files for decades!
07
why blog pagination URL structure needs restructuring
#en
#ideas
Blogs are read in reverse chronological order, but their archive should be numbered like a diary, in chronological order. Your /page/1 should show the oldest posts, not the newer ones.
Blogs are read in reverse chronological order, but their archive should be numbered like a diary, in chronological order. Your /page/1 should show the oldest posts, not the newer ones.
05
Why and how we put our terms of service on github.
#en
#howto
#github
It's nice to say that you are customer-centric, customer-first, etc, but what really matters is how much of this you are willing to put down on paper. Your Terms of Service are the actual contract between you and your clients, not your keynote presentations, or your posts on Facebook and twitter.
It's nice to say that you are customer-centric, customer-first, etc, but what really matters is how much of this you are willing to put down on paper. Your Terms of Service are the actual contract between you and your clients, not your keynote presentations, or your posts on Facebook and twitter.
April
25
Social networks with a purpose.
#en
#medium.com
#social
They have a social graph even if we didn’t notice.
They have a social graph even if we didn’t notice.
22
"fragmentions" is a cool idea.
#en
#howto
#fragmentions
A cool idea that allows us to link directly to any text fragmet inside web pages.
A cool idea that allows us to link directly to any text fragmet inside web pages.
March
17
my little daughter's scrapbook and digital content.
#en
#ideas
#longaccess
It's probably the most valuable thing we will carry with us for the years to come -and something we would definately want to pass on to her when she's old enough to understand.
It's probably the most valuable thing we will carry with us for the years to come -and something we would definately want to pass on to her when she's old enough to understand.
06
SSH Back to My Mac
#en
#howto
#osx
How to remotely SSH to your Macs by taking advantage of Back to My Mac.
How to remotely SSH to your Macs by taking advantage of Back to My Mac.
January
21
just an idea: the kindergarten art archive
#en
#ideas
#longaccess
What if kindergarten had a long term archive of kids drawings? A public one. Imagine the things you could study if you had access to kids drawings over the years...
What if kindergarten had a long term archive of kids drawings? A public one. Imagine the things you could study if you had access to kids drawings over the years...
06
Setting HackerNews "new" page as my browser default page
#en
#hackernews
I decided to make new tabs open the HackerNews "newest" section, to help new posts I like get an initial traction.
I decided to make new tabs open the HackerNews "newest" section, to help new posts I like get an initial traction.
2013 57
December
November
11
Why you can't comment here.
#en
#blogging
It's been a year I removed comments from my blog, and I've done a lot of thinking on it since. Here is why it worked for me.
It's been a year I removed comments from my blog, and I've done a lot of thinking on it since. Here is why it worked for me.
08
Why I won't get a Google+ Custom URL
#en
#google
#rant
Two reasons why I'll stick to my unfriendly, long, Google+ URL.
Two reasons why I'll stick to my unfriendly, long, Google+ URL.
October
28
my vcsh setup
#en
#howto
#commandline
vcsh is a version control system for $HOME. This is how I've set it up.
vcsh is a version control system for $HOME. This is how I've set it up.
24
When it comes to privacy, proof is better than promise -and it helps us sleep better at night.
#privacy
#en
#medium.com
#longaccess
As a young tech startup planning to offer cloud storage services, we at Longaccess decided to treat our own service the same way we treat any service we use to store our data: with extreme suspicion.
As a young tech startup planning to offer cloud storage services, we at Longaccess decided to treat our own service the same way we treat any service we use to store our data: with extreme suspicion.
15
OS X Finder file color labels
#en
#howto
#osx
How to use OS X Finder color labels from the command line.
How to use OS X Finder color labels from the command line.
05
September
28
27
Crafting a blog
#en
#bucket3
#blogging
I'm finally happy with my blog. Not the content. The engine that hosts it.
I'm finally happy with my blog. Not the content. The engine that hosts it.
25
19
tools we use at longaccess: HipChat
#en
#howto
#longaccess
One of the tools we use most at longaccess is HipChat. Here is why.
One of the tools we use most at longaccess is HipChat. Here is why.
15
Showing twitter references in a static blog
#en
#howto
#bucket3
Weekend project: How to show under each static blog engine post the tweets that mentioned it.
Weekend project: How to show under each static blog engine post the tweets that mentioned it.
13
BitTorent Sync is a great tool for startups.
#en
#longaccess
#howto
Our experience with BitTorrent Sync at longaccess has been great.
Our experience with BitTorrent Sync at longaccess has been great.
12
Don't write off Microsoft in mobile
#en
#mobile
#microsoft
Microsoft is in a tough place, but they may have the chance to disrupt the ecosystem.
Microsoft is in a tough place, but they may have the chance to disrupt the ecosystem.
05
Designing a cloud storage service: pen or pencil?
#en
#longaccess
#medium.com
Embracing limitations by design.
Embracing limitations by design.
August
30
Privacy is not dead
#en
#privacy
#medium.com
Privacy is not dead, it may very well be the next big thing.
Privacy is not dead, it may very well be the next big thing.
28
19
replacing the search engine: a distributed query system.
#en
#search-engines
#ideas
#dqs
Would it be possible to replace centralized search engines like Google, by creating a "smart" p2p search network? I think so, and in some cases, it shouldn't be so hard to.
Would it be possible to replace centralized search engines like Google, by creating a "smart" p2p search network? I think so, and in some cases, it shouldn't be so hard to.
July
15
Why we started longaccess.
#en
#longaccess
How did we come up with the idea of longaccess? Here is the true story.
How did we come up with the idea of longaccess? Here is the true story.
11
They are social places, not networks
#en
#social
#medium.com
Even though the connections of each individual user are his social network, these sites (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc.) are not social networks. They are social networking places.
Even though the connections of each individual user are his social network, these sites (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc.) are not social networks. They are social networking places.
June
25
Privacy, Marketing and the NSA
#en
#privacy
#marketing
The dominant business model for online consumer services leaves little room for privacy.
The dominant business model for online consumer services leaves little room for privacy.
11
Your 2-year old can use the iPad. So what.
#en
#being-a-parent
#medium.com
I find it amusing when other parents brag that their kids can use the iPad.
I find it amusing when other parents brag that their kids can use the iPad.
09
on PRISM and US data hosting
#en
#digital rights
#medium.com
A worried tech entrepreneur’s thoughts after PRISM-related news.
A worried tech entrepreneur’s thoughts after PRISM-related news.
May
24
My daughter changed my perception of time.
#en
#being-a-parent
#medium.com
My daughter turned two a couple of weeks ago. Being a parent is an amazing experience, the kind of experience that makes one think of the world and oneself in a different way.
My daughter turned two a couple of weeks ago. Being a parent is an amazing experience, the kind of experience that makes one think of the world and oneself in a different way.
21
“future-proof” is a feature I want to see more services offer
#en
#thoughts
#longdata
“Future-proof is a feature, and an important one, when it comes to hosting my digital life, like my photos, my videos, my thoughts, my on- and off-line activity.”
“Future-proof is a feature, and an important one, when it comes to hosting my digital life, like my photos, my videos, my thoughts, my on- and off-line activity.”
20
migrating from iPhoto to Dropbox, from feature rich to future proof.
#en
#howto
#iphoto
#dropbox
How I moved from feature rich iPhoto to future proof Dropbox.
How I moved from feature rich iPhoto to future proof Dropbox.
April
14
my post got 63k visits thanks to HN: the aftermath.
#en
#hackernews
One of my posts got to HackerNews #1 for hours. Here is what I’ve learned and some interesting data.
One of my posts got to HackerNews #1 for hours. Here is what I’ve learned and some interesting data.
March
22
February
January
2012 39
December
November
January
26
2011 11
December
27
23