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The s in https #267
August 08, 2018
Hello,

A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged;
it is the skin of a living thought, and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and the time in which it is used.

—Oliver Wendell Holmes


In this issue:

1. The s in https
2. Tickled my funny bone
3. Interesting Web site
4. Writing prompt
5. Letter to the editor

1. The s in https
Even if you don’t type http or https into a browser, it’s there in the full URL (Web address) of a Web site. And increasingly, the s is important.

Http stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The added letter in https stands for enhanced security. Years ago https showed up primarily on banking sites or other sites needing encryption to protect information. Https signals a browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc.) to use additional encryption to protect information.

Use of https is particularly important when using public WiFi or some local networks that allow others to see what you are doing on your computer. Bad actors can, and sometimes do, steal information from insecure sites.

I’m telling you about this because I am in the process of switching WritersHelper.com to an https site. It has taken more time than I anticipated because the site has hundreds of pages, many of which have required close attention from me to ensure that there is nothing on the page that would preclude my use of https.

Other sites are also undergoing this change. I recently visited a site I use often and got a warning that the site might be compromised. I stopped, sent an email directly to the site to let them know about the issue, and got the help I needed without visiting the site. I assume they are revamping their own site.

It will be OK to use old links for pages on WritersHelper.com once the https feature is functioning because my Web host will redirect pages created with http to a new page with https. All of that will be behind the scenes, and you won’t even know it’s happening.

If you encounter any problems accessing any page on WriterHelper.com, please contact me directly. You can do that just by replying to this email. I’ll get you whatever you need. This problem should not last long because I think I’m almost done. But with Web as with other publishing, the timeline can stretch out in unexpected ways.

Please be patient. And keep on writing.

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2.Tickled my funny bone
Albert Hall, who often sends along things that tickle my funny bone, shared this treat. At 3 minutes and 45 seconds, it’s worth a watch in my opinion.
https://biggeekdad.com/2014/07/dont-moron/

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3. Interesting Web site
Visiting secure sites is one way to protect yourself on the Internet. Here are some other ways.
http://www.techcrates.com/how-to-improve-your-internet-security/

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4. Writing prompt
Write about the word safe.

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5. Letter to the editor
Again from Albert Hall

I always find the information on these sites interesting. Hope you do too.

http://ow.ly/Zosh30lh9jA (This opens to an https site.)

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Link on LinkedIn https://ca.linkedin.com/in/audreyowen (Email me first so I know how you know me.)

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