Moving at the Speed of Creativity

Things I Learned Traveling to Egypt

By Wesley Fryer On November 20, 2017 · Tagged With: android, customs, inspection, iphone, privacy, rights, surveillance, travel · 2 Comments

The past few days I had an opportunity to travel to Cairo, Egypt, to present and participate in the 2017 EduForum Conference and also do a little sightseeing. Since sharing my second TEDx talk in November 2016, "Digital Citizenship in the Surveillance State," I've continued to read and research about data privacy issues especially as they apply to smartphones, laptops, and international travel. As a result of that research as well as frequent conversations on "The EdTech Situation Room" with Jason Neiffer, I learned a number of things in the weeks leading up to this trip as well as on the trip about privacy and surveillance that I'd like to share. In addition, this was my first trip to leave all my Apple and iOS devices at home, instead traveling with our family 11" Dell Chromebook ($200) and a Motorola 4E Plus (4th Gen) Android smartphone ($146). My primary reasons for making these hardware changes for this international trip were security and privacy concerns. If you have questions, feedback or suggestions on any of the lessons I outline in this post, please leave a comment below or reach out via Twitter to @wfryer. Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, and none of the lessons learned or ideas shared in this post should be construed as legal advice.

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Why I’m Switching from iPhone to Android (Part 1)

By Wesley Fryer On November 7, 2017 · Tagged With: android, apple, cost, customs, egypt, google, iphone, moto, smartphone, switch, travel · 5 Comments

This morning when I told my 14 year old I’d ordered a new phone for myself and it isn’t an iPhone, she said, “Now people are going to think you’re weird!” My response was, “Good, bring it on. I am weird!” As a long-time iPhone user and devotee, I realize this decision to give a near-baseline Android phone an extended try may come as a surprise to many. In this post, I’ll briefly outline the reasons for my decision. Technology companies WANT us all as consumers to believe we absolutely HAVE TO HAVE the latest and greatest smartphone to use, enjoy, and show off to others as a symbol of our affluence and life priorities. I’m ready to get off that train, and I hope the reasons for my decision that I’ll explain below will help you think about perhaps doing the same thing at some point.

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Learning About Early Pottawatomie County, Kansas History

By Wesley Fryer On July 24, 2017 · Tagged With: grit, history, kansas, persistence, Pottawatomie, travel, video · Add Comment

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Things I Learned Traveling to Egypt

Why I’m Switching from iPhone to Android (Part 1)

Learning About Early Pottawatomie County, Kansas History