A Holiday unplugged

No, I haven’t made the austere move of totally disconnecting, but there are times I reflect on moments that no technology can faithfully duplicate. 

One day I laid down my iPad and reached for an old Foxfire book laying on the coffee table in my sunroom. Exploring the yellowing black-and-white pages took me to simpler times. 

Living on the fringes of Appalachia as I have for a while now, I am captivated by the people whose stories fill the pages of these time-honored books. The history and folklore comes alive. I’m careful not to overly romanticize these folks because they had a tough life, working hard, making do, and often doing without. Some never traveled far from home. 

We’re accustomed to a 24/7 news cycle and the ability to create alternate online realities at our fingertips. We can snap photos and videos on our smartphone and share them with the world instantaneously. 

Foxfire books have enjoyed something of a revival, the bump in popularity due in part to modern day preppers seeking self-sufficiency should the world come crashing down around us. 

My takeaway from reading these, however, is an admiration for the resourcefulness of simple folks minding their business and working the land. But it’s also for the importance they held for their families and, for many of them, their faith in God. 

I have several Foxfire books and am about an hour’s drive away from their headquarters and museum, and have become acquainted with a few folks found within the pages. And they do have a website like everybody else. 

No, I’m not going to head for the woods to fell trees with my axe and build myself a log cabin.  But whenever I read the books I’ll be reminded perhaps more about what’s important. 

I’m convicted that sacrificing screen time for something that’s more real is worth every moment. 

As Christmas nears, I want to sign off and logout more and cherish my family. Those relationships matter. 

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Click on the squares

I’ll admit this topic gives me heartburn. For us digital immigrants, we probably went through a big chunk of our life not worrying about creating a password. The combination for our locker at school was about as bad as it got. When we opened our own bank account, we would set a PIN (personal identification number) for use with our ATM card - just four numbers. 

You don’t need to be told that things have gotten more complicated. In order to write this blog, first I have to login to my computer or enter my PIN on my iPad (okay, I touch the home button or it recognizes my face). Then I login to my blogging application. To share on social media, I login again. Then there’s two-factor authentication and the list goes on. 

I figure I have a few hundred passwords, usernames, pins, etc. To make matters worse, for some things like email I am supposed to periodically change my login credentials or risk being locked out of my account. And as we age, it’s harder to remember this information. 

Studies show that the most popular passwords for logging in somewhere online are:

• password

• 1234567890

• abcdefg

• qwerty

Now that I’ve disclosed those, before you go scrambling to change your passwords, read on.

 

Things to do when creating passwords 

• Think of an obscure phrase or maybe a Bible verse, solvable to you with a clue. 

• Use upper and lowercase letters combined with numbers and special characters. 

• Substitute characters for letters, but don’t make it too obvious 

• Make them long — the longer the better

Protecting passwords 

Like house keys left under rocks, the bad guys usually know where to look. Slips of paper hidden can be found. Office computers turned on and left unattended. These are easy targets. It might be a hassle, but logout of your computer at work or home (especially when visitors, repair people, etc. are present). If you have a list on paper, is it locked away in a safe or written in a cryptic way you understand?

If you ask your device to remember your passwords, that convenience comes at a cost. You should still manually login periodically. If your device breaks and you get a new one, or you replace an old one, chances are you’ll need them to set up your apps. 

Avoid logging in if you’re on public WiFi, especially don’t do online banking there. Never click a link in an email or text that appears to be from a site you use, no matter how legit it looks and no matter how urgent the message. When on a secured Internet connection, login to your account as you normally would and check that you’re okay. 

Password management software

An IT guy I know recommends LastPass. It’s among a list PCMag compiled. These applications act as a virtual safe for your passwords, PIN’s, etc. and a single login gets you in. (And nobody paid me to plug their products, by the way)

This topic is pretty exhaustive and I’ve only scratched the surface, but it’s worth your time and peace of mind to consider how you secure such sensitive information.  

As you research safe solutions, I found a good article on the subject from the security company Avast: https://blog.avast.com/strong-password-ideas

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Staying safe for the holidays

 — Christmas 2020 is already looking different. Indeed the holidays as a whole have a different feel to them. 

We continue to make sacrifices for safety sake. Thanksgiving was marked by fewer bear hugs and kisses as families cautiously reunited. Some were virtual Zoom sessions. Zoom’s holiday gift was to lift time restrictions so that extended virtual visits could be enjoyed (will this also happen at Christmas, I wonder?).

As much as I hate we have to isolate (virtual is never a substitute for real interaction) I know that the current technology can also bring people together over hundreds or thousands of miles without the expense and hassle of travel — something not all of us can afford. 

Let’s pray for safety and a return to the days of holiday hugs and kisses in 2021.

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Nubia Navarro photo from Pexels