“Roughly 5,342 years remaining. Please do not turn off your computer.” Gen Xers who came of age during the AOL era look back on warnings like this with nostalgia. Load rage wasn’t a thing then. For millennials, however, nothing causes more indignation than a download lasting more than five seconds.

You’ve heard about it on dates. You’ve read about it on Tinder profiles. You’ve seen it emblazoned on startup t-shirts worn at 21st Amendment.

“Blockchain.”

As 2024 winds down, we’re reflecting on another incredible year of sharing the stories, art, culture, and nightlife that make the Bay Area so unique. BrokeAssStuart.com wouldn’t be what it is without you—our community of readers, supporters, and believers in independent media. This year, instead of asking you to join Patreon

Our Tech Column was made possible by the fine folks at Mozilla Firefox.  The nonprofit Mozilla Foundation believes the Internet must always remain a global public resource that is open and accessible to all.  And that’s why we love Firefox as our browser, and you should too. It’s also why we’re

Staying safe in the real world can be a hassle. Installing a home security network? Expensive. Training a guard dog? Time-consuming. Hiding your wallet in an under-the-pants fanny pack? Sweaty. Luckily, staying safe online is more manageable. In fighting back against hackers, viruses, and online trackers, here are some of the easiest, cheapest ways to protect you and your data when using the Internet.

Our Tech Column was made possible by the fine folks at Mozilla Firefox.  The nonprofit Mozilla Foundation believes the Internet must always remain a global public resource that is open and accessible to all.  And that’s why we love Firefox as our browser, and you should too. The dirty little secret

I remember getting my first smartphone in 2008. It was a Blackberry, and I was so excited that I’d be able to take care of emails on the go. I was researching my book, “Broke-Ass Stuart’s Guide to Living Cheaply in New York,” at the time and was on the go all day and night. The idea of being able to handle things without being in front of the computer seemed amazing.

2018 was a rough year for people who use the Internet, as distinguished from the bots that now account for a majority of online traffic, or the corporate behemoths that continue to monetize us. One bright spot, however, offers reasons for cautious optimism. Facebook, in particular, has screwed the user privacy pooch so many times that mounting global public outrage at Silicon Valley’s corporate carelessness is finally forcing policymakers to pay attention and consider potential interventions.

The tech ideal of “move fast and break things” is cute until really important things, like access to housing, healthcare and a job, are broken.