Encrypted File Systems, Part 4

When I finished part three of this series, I didn’t think there was much left to describe. The only thing that I was still puzzled about was how to automatically unmount the TrueCrypt drive when I logged off (which I haven’t had a chance to work on yet); once I’d finished that, I would be done with the topic. Or so I thought.

One thing I hadn’t considered: what to do when something goes wrong. Continue reading ‘Encrypted File Systems, Part 4’ »

Encrypted File Systems, Part 3

As described earlier, I’ve been trying to set up an encrypted home directory for my Ubuntu Linux system on my notebook computer, to protect my data if the hardware is stolen. I finally got my TrueCrypt drive formatted to a proper Linux file system; next up was figuring out how to automatically mount it when I logged in. Continue reading ‘Encrypted File Systems, Part 3’ »

Encrypted File Systems, Part 1

The last three iterations of my main computer have been notebooks, rather than desktops. Although there are some major disadvantages to that (limited expandability, limited graphics capabilities, much harder to repair or swap parts), there’s one huge advantage — portability. I can literally take my work with me anywhere, even to places that don’t have any electrical outlets, within limits.

There’s a corresponding drawback though: it’s a lot easier for the system to get stolen. Although my paranoid backup systems ensure that I’d lose little or no data if it is, I was a little concerned that the thief would have access to it as well. And although I know that most computer thieves are only interested in the hardware, I’d always be worried about where the data would end up if the system were stolen. Continue reading ‘Encrypted File Systems, Part 1’ »

“US prof plans to send message back in time”

This is an interesting article. As I understand it, the Theory of Relativity says nothing about which way time has to flow — the equations work in either direction. And I believe I recall that it was the legendary Dr. Richard Feynman who suggested that quantum entanglement might be due to temporal hanky-panky (though I can find no evidence of that at the moment).

You never know, this guy might have a viable idea.