Facebook’s Secure Browsing (HTTPS) Setting, Its Problems And A Solution
Facebook recently introduced the ability to browse their website using https instead of standard http. This allows it’s users to use their website more securely. To turn it on use the following steps:
- Click the Account menu in the top right corner and select Account Settings.
- Next to the Account Security heading click the Change link.
- Check the “Browse Facebook on a secure connection (https) whenever possible” checkbox under the Secure Browsing (https) heading.
- Click the Save button.
Now that you have this setting turned on be prepared for it to be turned off in certain situations. For instance the secure setting is not available in Facebook apps. Every time you enter one of the non secure areas you’ll be prompted that you are leaving the secure connection. I understand this but have gotten very annoyed by prompts.
But the bigger problem is that when you enter an http area after visiting a non https the secure connection is not restored automatically (at least in my experience). I’m sure that as time goes on Facebook apps will more over to https but until then this leaves a hole in the Facebook security system. A way to automatically leave a secure connection but no similar way back to it.
To work around these issues I’ve created my own solution. I’ve added a bookmark to my browser’s bookmark toolbar to go to Facebook under HTTPS. (To do this just add a bookmark for https://www.facebook.com.) Now every time I finish using a non secure area of Facebook I use the bookmark to easily turn the secure connection back on. A simple solution to an annoying problem.
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Turning Off Deck.ly in TweetDeck
One of my biggest Twitter pet peeves is when someone tweets longer than 140 characters and you need to click a link to go to another website to see the whole message. My opinion is that there are other ways to communicate messages that are longer than the Twitter limit such as splitting the message into multiple tweets (though abuse of this options is also irksome) or posting the message to your blog.
Despite my objections this practice is catching on and being used more and more lately. Even to the point where a new feature to enable easier usage of this solution was added to my non-mobile Twitter client of choice, TweetDeck. They call it deck.ly and it was introduced in version 0.37.2. If you go over 140 characters the service automatically kicks in. Your tweet will not include a deck.ly link to the complete version of the tweet.
This, of course, does not help the problem. (Or at least what I see as a problem.) But adding fuel to the fire is that an option to turn deck.ly does not exist in version 0.37.2.
Thankfully a new version, 0.37.3, was released this morning that includes an off switch. Upgrade to the new version here then follow these steps to turn off deck.ly:
- Click the Setting button.
- In the General section (which is the default section of the Setting dialog) uncheck the checkbox next to the description “Use Deck.ly for sending long update”.
- Click the Save Settings button.
Now you’re back to old school tweeting the way it was meant to be.
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BFFs
These two are BFFs.
She holds about 2 gallons of gas. In winters past that was more than enough to last the whole season. But not this year. With another storm on the way and the last bit of gas used in the last snowstorm I just got her a refill.
He’s only 5.5 horsepower but he’s a 2 stage snowblower with a 24″ hood that makes a foot of snow look like, well, a foot of snow blasted several feet in the other direction. His serrated augers help him cut through packed snow and ice like a hot knife cutting through butter. When his BFF keeps him loaded with fuel there’s almost no snowstorm he can’t handle. (Note use of the word “almost”. He needed help from his neighbor the shovel after the post Christmas snowstorm dropped a few inches too many.)
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Is This Even Legal?
An extra 8 cents just to use a credit card instead of cash. Is this even legal?
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Snowing
I don’t know how well you can see the snow in this video but if it keeps falling at this rate throughout the morning I don’t see how we’ll end up with the “little… or no… accumulation” the Weather Channel app is claiming.
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