Don Castle
Don Castle has spent more than 30 years in information technology, starting at seventeen, including 23 years supporting a university law school where he was the first IT hire. Now retired, he builds and publishes his own apps as an independent developer at CodeCrafted Apps, and he created Digital Life Compass to explain everyday technology, online security, privacy, and emerging digital tools in clear, approachable language.
Why You Can’t Ban AI — and What Encryption’s History Tells Us
Last month the U.S. government switched off Anthropic’s most powerful AI models; just under three...
Anthropic’s Fable and Mythos: What the AI Shutdown Was Really About
I was working in Claude Opus when Mythos turned up in the headlines. It did...
The 3-2-1 Backup Rule, and the Photos You Can’t Get Back
A few years back, someone I know handed me a laptop that wouldn’t turn on....
How to Stop Phone Tracking Without Breaking the Useful Parts
Open your phone’s privacy settings. Go ahead — I’ll wait. That little pile of toggles...
The Best AI Assistant Is Probably the One You Already Own
Everyone keeps telling you to “start using AI,” and it can feel like one more...
Tech Ecosystems Are Worth Joining. Check This One Thing First.
My first computer was a VIC-20, which booted straight into BASIC and had nothing you...
The Two-Factor Authentication Most People Use Is the Weakest One
When two-factor authentication started becoming required, it was not popular. It also needed to be...
Do You Need a VPN? Probably Less Than the Ads Say
If you listen to podcasts or watch anything on YouTube, you’ve heard the pitch a...
