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.
Smart Home Basics: What Makes a Home Smart, Which Ecosystem to Choose, and Whether It’s Worth It
Smart thermostats, smart bulbs, smart locks, smart speakers. Walk through the electronics aisle of any...
What Happens to Your Data When a Company Gets Hacked
Barely a week passes without a headline announcing that some company was hacked and millions...
Password Managers Explained: What They Are and Why You Actually Need One
There was a time when a Post-it note under the keyboard was considered a reasonably...
What AI Can (and Can’t) Do in 2026 — A Plain-English Update
When I first started actually using AI, and by that I mean handing it work...
Passkeys in 2026: Why They Are a Smarter Choice Than Traditional Passwords
Passwords are still everywhere. They are on banking sites, shopping sites, email accounts, streaming services,...
Linux Runs the Internet. Here’s What It Asks of You.
Our department only ever had a handful of real servers, and the honest reason we...
How the Google Ecosystem Ended Up in Almost Everyone’s Life
Before the university moved to Google, we ran Lotus Notes. It was a serious piece...
The Microsoft Ecosystem Never Asked You to Choose
When I started supporting a university law school, everything ran Windows. Then Macs began arriving...
