One moment terabytes of data are flowing through the Internet in Syria. The next minute, next-to-nothing. The digital lights went out in the strife-torn country on Thursday, with experts suspecting the Syrian government shut off the net as a tactical measure in its fight against the rebel uprising. You can’t hide from marketing that wants you to buy a smartphone. Who are the 40 percent of Americans who remain immune to smartphones and why?

Think of life’s most embarrassing moments. Now imagine that embarrassment multiplied thousands of times. At New York University, a technical foul-up meant that that hitting “reply all” to an email sent it to 40,000 people. It all started with one guy who just wanted to forward an email from the school to his mom. Some argue 3D printing is the next manufacturing revolution: Computer printers that go beyond flat images to squirt out three dimensional objects. But could it also start a revolution for a unique hobby? An engineering professor and pair of student brothers at the University of Virginia have built and flown a drone made out of parts from a 3D printer. Along with quick manufacturing capabilities, 3D printing drones could result in design improvements.

The hotel room lock that uses not a key but a card may present a big problem: A simple hack that can make for an easy burglary. It requires a $50 piece of hardware called a microcontroller. A software engineer showed off how to do it at what’s called the “Black Hat” hacking conference last summer. What is a black hat hacker? It’s the more mischevious version of a white hat hacker.

Now it’s time to get Medieval on your digital lives. What if computers and the Internet are turning us into serfs, and we’ve become dependent on the protection of feudal lords by the names of Apple, Microsoft, Google, Facebook? According to Internet security expert and author Bruce Schneier, we pledge allegiance to these feudal lords by handing over our data. The hope, at least, is that these lords safeguard our credit card numbers and our privacy.

Remember, people: Alt-Tab. Or on a Mac: Command-Tab. The fastest way to flip from the web page where you are sneaking in Internet shopping to the spreadsheet your boss thinks you are working on. You, of course, would never do that at work. You also would also never fall victim to online fraud that’s so pervasive this time of year. Computer security experts say on Cyber Monday many people are prone to what literature professors call a “willing suspension of disbelief.” Be careful, that deal might just be too good to be true. 

Shopping headaches today? Take two tablets… or perhaps four. Tablet computers, the ones you control with your fingers, are considered the big gadgets of the season. The fresh iPad from Apple, Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Google’s Nexus and the Surface from Microsoft are key options. But which is the best?

Today we start with a story of the sock puppet and the politician that should put us all on alert for digital dirty tricks. In Britain — as in the U.S. — here is a debate about so-called payday loans: how much is too much to charge, for very short-term lending to people with low incomes. A British member of parliament pushing to cap these fees found herself getting attacked on Twitter. But it’s Thanksgiving, so instead of nasty tweets, let’s make the world a better place. One Silicon Valley entrepreneur has a plan: he wants startup companies to engage in more philanthropy.

24 million people are expected to board airplanes this week, and all relying on complex computer systems to keep everything sorted out. As United Airlines combines with Continental, it has been struggling with its computer foul ups, including one last week that delayed more than 600 flights. If you think about it, flying is like factory logistics: everyone’s hoping for just-in-time delivery. The widget you hope gets there “just in time” is yourself.

We’re told the secret of humor is timing. So is the secret of rolling out the Thanksgiving meal. Today’s the day for planning the complicated logistics. A food and recipe website has been running scenarios for the holiday food extravaganza and has a piece of software that could be a guide to making sure everything gets ready on time.