How to Save Facebook Messages & Chats

To my research, this is the only way to do it, and it’s not elegant.

You can’t pick and choose what chats or messages you want, you must download your entire Facebook account, to get the messages. Really, the whole thing – all photos and videos, all wall posts, all.

First, you’ll need access to the Facebook account, and the email attached to it.

1 – under the gear icon > account settings

2 – bottom of that screen > click Download

You’ll be taken to a page with a green button, “Start my Archive”, click it.

Some time after, you’ll receive an email from Facebook, “your archive is ready”. This link will only work for a few days, for security reasons.

Most Importantly!

This file may contain sensitive and private information, such as: your current address or any past addresses, your cell number, including verified cell numbers you’ve added for security purposes; a credit card; Hidden Wall posts; Deleted and Removed friends; Hidden from News Feed; IP Addresses… this is a valuable file.

Download the file.  It’ll be a .zip, open it up*, and here’s the path to the messages.

The messages are output into one, unformatted, mega HTML page. I know.

Open it in a browser window, and start scrolling.  Copy paste save.

After downloading – delete the email containing the link. Be mindful where you store or send this file, and don’t upload it anywhere.

 

 

There’s 100+ Computers in a Car

There are more than 100+ computers (ECUs) in a new luxury vehicle.

Millions more lines of code than a fighter jet, than Facebook even; and up to 20% of the total vehicle cost is for the computers. It runs on the CAN bus network, learn more here.

Read in online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

Some luxury vehicles contain as many as 100 individual computers.

And:

It takes up to 100 million lines of software code to make this happen.  To illustrate the complexity, consider that an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter operates on 1.7 million lines.

Neat photo, eh.

It’s a test of all the computers and software inside a Cadillac.

***

Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index

 

 

The World’s Worst Facebook and LinkedIn

I’m proud that I didn’t get on Facebook until 2013.

I’ve been online since 1996, it’s not that. I watched Facebook arrive, and didn’t like what I saw it do it people, like a parasite.

I wanted nothing to do with it, so I didn’t. Probably to the detriment of my career.

But think how many more hours of life I’ve lived, than a daily 5-year user.

Below: documenting the “Before”,
before I renovate.

Total photos from 2012 = 10.

Only 1 was uploaded by me (newspaper one – first car review I wrote).

Apparently I have a fan page?

Do people still do these?  It makes me feel kinda dumb, having one.

“No photos to show.”

My LinkedIn is even worse. Might be even more proud like, got this far without one, or an About page come on.

Friending my profile probably pulls down your own ranking.

Despite nothing of substance being listed I’ve actually done a lot of cool stuff, have a few firsts and onlys to my name, am highly educated… even KeriBlog.com isn’t listed lol.

 

 

Trying to Defeat Facial Recognition Software

To be clear: I don’t know if this actually works. 

Makes sense though, eh?  I do know though, that this is why you are instructed not to smile in your drivers licence or passport photo – you don’t walk around smiling.

To be serious: you realize that everything you post online is likely added to a face database.  Facebook is the perfect example.

This summer, US Senator Al Franken said, “Facebook may have created the world’s largest privately held database of face prints, without the explicit knowledge of its users”.  

And people are getting upset.  Germany is suing Facebook over their use of facial recognition software, saying it’s illegal.  They’re also ordering the site to stop sharing their faces database with third-party applications.

Apple and Google do it too, but their services are opt-IN, Facebook’s default is opt-OUT.

Has it ever occurred to you to opt-out?  Maybe.  What about a housewife in Iowa?  Not a chance.  And with over 60 billion photos on Facebook’s servers…

Learn more:

– CNET – about Facebook’s database

– Businessweek – thoughts from the Senetor mentioned above

– Slate – the FBI gave its facial recognition software, to law enforcement agencies

– Gizmodo – Kinect can read your facial expressions

– VentureBeat – digital billboards are coming – they read your face, determine your mood, then make their pitch

– Gizmodo – Intel is working on your TV reading your mood for ads

And I’ve got some scary apps bookmarked here, I’ll show you in video; it’s more effective demonstrated in video.

 

 

Exploring a Thunderstorm with Jay

This episode is from when Jay Goldman and I got together to film something for The Canadian Explorer, and this is what came out.

At the time Jay had an awesome internet show too, Mr Mobile.

Sorry about the nicks in the audio, this was before I learned about adding those little sound smooth guys in between cuts.

My car shook for 2 days.

Buy Jay’s Book! – Facebook Cookbook which is in the O’Reilly Collection

(non-nerds: an O’Reilly book carries clout, they’re like, tech bibles)

Here’s Fantasy Farms

Here’s some stills from the episode.