Putin’s brutal aggression in Ukraine has put cyberwar back in headlines. Recently, Carey Parker, host of the Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons podcast, reached out to us at Tech Learning Collective to talk through some of the issues the war in Ukraine has once again raised for laypeople who may be newly concerned about the reliance we’ve developed as a society on digital infrastructures. So, late last month, we sat down with him for another conversation about what anyone and, arguably, everyone could be doing not only to keep themselves safer online, but also prepared in the event of an escalation of hostilities in a cyber theater, rapid shifts in political climates, or even just natural disasters that affect telecommunication abilities.
Technology, taught collectively.
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Onion site mirror (Run your own!)
(Learn more about Tor.)
Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons: Luck Favors the Prepared
The Enragés: Next Time the Pendulum Swings, Part 2
Earlier this month, we republished part 1 of our interview with The Enragés, where we discussed our blog post, Imagining an Optimistic Cyber-Future. In this post, you’ll find the conclusion of our conversation along with a (somewhat rushed) transcript of the same. Here, we touch on ways in which capitalism has constrained people’s telecommunication abilities, we describe some of our inspiration from earlier political thinkers, and we even answer a couple of listener questions.
Testimonials
“very supportive to newbies […] I learned a lot”
I found out about Tech Learning Collective through an Electronic Frontier Foundation article about an event they were hosting regarding cybersecurity.
What I really liked about it, is that they were very supportive to newbies (like me) and I wasn’t too overwhelmed during the event. They made it as simple as they could. The communication between the audience and the presenter (and the teacher’s assistant) was really nice too. They tried to answer as many questions as possible and kept going for almost two hours after the event was supposed to end.
Among other things I learned a lot about the Tor Browser, brute-force attacks, and how password hashing works.
“immensely valuable, and changed my core beliefs about my technological proficiency and potential.”
[I participated in] the “Tor: What is it Good For? (Absolutely Everything!)” workshop [and] I loved (LOVED!) the workshop.
The instructor was personable, friendly, and warm, with a keen vision of the change they want to see in the world and the ability to draw that vision into reality using self-direction and their unique and valuable gifts. They use analogies and examples to demystify complex subjects and connect, and anchor, abstract concepts to concrete understanding. They are kind, helpful, informative, and empowering to students.
The information was presented in an organized fashion, with step-by-step guidance that eliminated confusion in even the most inexperienced novice. The class is geared toward creating positive change in students’ lives by helping them better understand their use of internet security and privacy. Everything taught was highly applicable and useful to the common person. (These classes work to level the playing field between those with innate technological interest/skill and those without.)
The teaching methods used (analogies, examples, demonstration, verbal explanation, and hands-on practice) address the needs of all different kinds of learners in the classroom. The flow of the class was seamless. The incorporation of questions and answers was so helpful, and the progression of the material was logical and conducive to learning. There were frequent “comprehension checks” which made the material and instructor accessible to students throughout class.
I could go on, but TLDR: This class was immensely valuable, and changed my core beliefs about my technological proficiency and potential.
“just the right combination of informative and challenging”
I really enjoyed the Clearing Away the Clouds class on networking. I know only a tiny bit about networking but am trying to learn more to be a responsible and safe digital citizen. This class was just the right combination of informative and challenging. The instructutor definitely dove into some really complicated ideas but always took the time to go back and make sure that we understood.
“captured my imagination and has me inspired”
I found Tech Learning Collective’s “Our Streets, Our Maps” was a highly informative and stimulating workshop. The instructor did an excellent job illustrating the great versatility of OpenStreetMap and demonstrating the wide range of queries it can satisfy. As someone who’d never before used OpenStreetMap, this workshop captured my imagination and has inspired me to plumb the depths of this valuable resource!