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Hacking My Mother’s Phone to Save Her Memories

nytimes.com

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Re: Hacking My Mother’s Phone to Save Her Memories

#41

Post by autoexec »

mholt wrote: post #18

Not quite what I expected when I clicked on this, but anyway. I would never treat my phone as my only copy of my data. I don't consider phone storage to be permanent OR a backup. If you're into preserving your memories that are locked into your online services and apps like Google Photos, Facebook, Twitter, etc, I've started a project called Timeliner which downloads your data to your own home computers: https://gith…

I've been looking for something like this for Reddit. I'd love to be able to pull down all of my comments there (ideally with context).

The only things on my phone that I don't regularly back up are text conversations. I've seen tools that forward all your texts to a gmail account, but I'm not really looking to give all that data to Google assuming they aren't already reading them off my device.

Re: Hacking My Mother’s Phone to Save Her Memories

#42

Post by dillonmckay »

docker_up wrote: post #26

After going through my dad's computer while trying to fix it for him, I realized that there are a lot of things I really don't want to know about my parents. Everything I know about them is enough. Digging through their texts, their browsing history, their emails, etc is not fair in my opinion, and better left unread.

I will share a funny story when my grandmother died.

She and my grandfather had started a photography business before the days of color photography.

They had their own darkroom and were early adopters of motion-picture cameras.

My grandfather had passed many years beforehand.

Anyway, I found some 8mm film of her and my grandfather when they were first married, somewhat similar to what a couple on Snapchat would record.

I did not share this with my parents.

Re: Hacking My Mother’s Phone to Save Her Memories

#43

Post by RandomGuyDTB »

Maximus9000 wrote: post #5
kennyadam wrote: post #2

Weird title. They never managed to get in to the phone. They just took the SIM out and put it in another phone to use 2FA SMS codes, along with logins they found written down.

IMO hacking is getting into a system by any means. Ultimately they were going after the "memories" which were all stored on the cloud. They needed to get into that. They determined they didnt need to get into the phone in order to get into the cloud.

>"Hacking my Mother's Phone"

I agree with your definition of hacking but the explicit goal was to get into their mother's phone, which they didn't. Ultimately they achieved their goal, yes, but via a different method than the one they originally attempted.

Re: Hacking My Mother’s Phone to Save Her Memories

#44

Post by [deleted] »

docker_up wrote: post #26

After going through my dad's computer while trying to fix it for him, I realized that there are a lot of things I really don't want to know about my parents. Everything I know about them is enough. Digging through their texts, their browsing history, their emails, etc is not fair in my opinion, and better left unread.

[deleted]

Re: Hacking My Mother’s Phone to Save Her Memories

#45

Post by chacha2 »

781 wrote: post #19
wccrawford wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But also imagine all the wannabe journalists that would just do character assassinations on long-dead people revered as heroes for a quick buck and some internet fame. They would completely ignore all the harm it would do. Worse, there would be those that would do that same thing with plenty of intent to cause harm, especially to the groups they are prejudiced against. It's the problems from the "right to be forgotte…

> But also imagine all the wannabe journalists that would just do character assassinations on long-dead people revered as heroes That's an easy one. Pretty much anyone of notice living today will be labeled a "savage meat eater" and canceled. They will say "many people were already vegan, why was he/she still eating meat? Clearly a monster. Cancel"

If they fund industrial farming they would be right to make that moral judgement.

Re: Hacking My Mother’s Phone to Save Her Memories

#46

Post by mholt »

autoexec wrote: post #41
mholt wrote: post #18

Not quite what I expected when I clicked on this, but anyway. I would never treat my phone as my only copy of my data. I don't consider phone storage to be permanent OR a backup. If you're into preserving your memories that are locked into your online services and apps like Google Photos, Facebook, Twitter, etc, I've started a project called Timeliner which downloads your data to your own home computers: https://gith…

I've been looking for something like this for Reddit. I'd love to be able to pull down all of my comments there (ideally with context). The only things on my phone that I don't regularly back up are text conversations. I've seen tools that forward all your texts to a gmail account, but I'm not really looking to give all that data to Google assuming they aren't already reading them off my device.

Sure, contributions welcome if you want to add reddit! I'd use it too. :)

As for text messages: that's on my list, but I'd have to learn how to write a mobile app first. If anyone is serious about contributing that, let's chat in the issues about an app design.

Re: Hacking My Mother’s Phone to Save Her Memories

#47

Post by the_pwner224 »

anbop wrote: post #23
mholt wrote: post #18

Not quite what I expected when I clicked on this, but anyway. I would never treat my phone as my only copy of my data. I don't consider phone storage to be permanent OR a backup. If you're into preserving your memories that are locked into your online services and apps like Google Photos, Facebook, Twitter, etc, I've started a project called Timeliner which downloads your data to your own home computers: https://gith…

A phone is particularly terrible as a single copy of data because it has a high exposure to theft, physical damage, and water damage.

And just as importantly, phones are practically irreparable. Phone dropped and screen cracked? Good luck, unless it's an old Android (which don't prompt before allowing their storage to be mounted). Laptop dropped and snapped in half? Just take out the drive and put it in another computer.

Re: Hacking My Mother’s Phone to Save Her Memories

#49

Post by mulmen »

mceachen wrote: post #33
rjohnk wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. While I hope to be around for awhile yet, I'm getting things ready for my wife to take over our digital life. Setting things up for easy backup and retrieval, ect. One of the things I've started is a Word document with instructions on how to backup, what to do if the computer crashes, how to handle 1Password, what subscriptions are important ect. It'll be printed out an…

Having the physical photos still didn't mean we saved the context and relevance surrounding those images. I've got boxes of photos from my Mom and Dad and Grandparents. For the most part, they don't have dates or captions. If I don't recognize a face, it's just random imagery that are, for the most part, just noise to my generation. If we knew why something was relevant, that'd be a different story. If you can record…

In the 1990s my cousins and I did a series of interviews with my grandfather about his experiences in WWII. Last year my cousin found the cassette tape of her interview and we all listened to it at Christmas. That was the first time I had heard my grandfather's voice in a decade.

In the 90s the stories themselves were interesting but now just having his thoughts in his voice is invaluable. I'd be equally happy with a recording of him describing his weekly coffee with his buddies, or what he had for lunch.

My parents picked up a couple of recordable storybooks for my 2 year old nephew. Right now those mean nothing to him but in 30 years they will be priceless.

Re: Hacking My Mother’s Phone to Save Her Memories

#50

Post by tgsovlerkhgsel »

larrik wrote: post #34
williamscales wrote: post #17

Physical security keys seem nice here. If I am taken out by a bus my master password and backup security key can be used to get in to everything.

What happens if they get destroyed in the bus accident? Or you go missing entirely (lost at sea)?

Backup security key implies that there are two, and he already plans for the primary one to be lost.
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