TweakHound

Computer stuff...

Eric (a.k.a. TweakHound)

Tuesday Morning Random Stuff…

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Win10 SCU
The update that didn’t happen is back in the news with no news. We still do not know what the official name of the update is. We still don’t know when it will be released. Microsoft has given us a generic “reliability issues” statement as to why it was delayed.

Oh Intel
Intel says their chips have a vulnerability that, “could allow an attacker to block BIOS/UEFI updates, or to selectively erase or corrupt portions of the firmware.” This means you’ll have to wait for your PC manufacturer to release another BIOS update, if and when they feel like it.
Just after that news, Intel announced some “new initiatives that use features specific to the Intel hardware platform to boost security“.
– Advanced memory scanning will use your GPU to aid in malware scanning.
– Advanced Platform Telemetry “uses things like the processor’s integrated performance counters to spot unusual processor activity.”

Fbook
Yeah. I know I said I was out of Fbook news for a while. But this article is amazing. IMHO a must read.
‘Dear Mark, this is why I hate you.’ An open letter to Zuckerberg

Off Topic
How Often You Should Clean Everything In Your Home (Hint: Very, Very Often)
(check out the links at the bottom of the article for guides)

Tortured for fur: Terrified silver foxes fattened in cramped cages ready to be slaughtered for fashion

Researchers find genetic cause for Alzheimer’s, possible method to reverse it

‘I was a teacher for 17 years, but I couldn’t read or write’

RIP
R. Lee Ermey, Golden Globe Nominee for ‘Full Metal Jacket,’ Dies at 74
(quotes from Full Metal Jacket)
Harry Anderson, Judge On ‘Night Court,’ Dies At His N.C. Home. He Was 65

Friday Random Stuff…

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2nd Gen Ryzen
“2nd generation AMD Ryzen processor lineup offers world’s highest multithreaded performance desktop processors in its class; immediate pre-order availability from more than 150 retailers and boutique PC manufacturers”
Full specs and release info from the AMD PR Department.

It’s gonna be a great weekend. I’ll be out there pedaling somewhere. Hope y’all have a great weekend!

WD Black 512GB Performance M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe SSD
Price: $169.99 Free Shipping for Prime Members
You Save: $30.00 (15%)

Samsung 960 EVO Series – 500GB NVMe – M.2 Internal SSD
Price: $199.99 Free Shipping for Prime Members
You Save: $50.00 (20%)

Wednesday Random Stuff…

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Win10 1803/RS4/SCU/Next/Whatever
“They” say:
– Nobody knows what the actual name of the update is.
– Nobody knows why the update was not released.
– Nobody knows when it will be released.
Reckon the “inside sources” failed them, and us.

Winaero Tweaker 0.10
“Winaero Tweaker 0.10 is out. It will allow you to disable Windows Update reliably in Windows 10, get rid of update notifications, ads in Settings, Timeline and My People. Also, it comes with new tools and tweaks, and it properly works under Windows 10 version 1803 “Spring Creators Update”
Download

Which of the following companies do you trust the least with your personal information?
Recode polled Americans,
“Respondents were asked to choose among Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Lyft, Microsoft, Netflix, Tesla, Twitter, Snap and Uber. Twenty percent selected none of the above.”

AMD Spectre Mitigation Update

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“Today, AMD is providing updates regarding our recommended mitigations for Google Project Zero (GPZ) Variant 2 (Spectre) for Microsoft Windows users. These mitigations require a combination of processor microcode updates from our OEM and motherboard partners, as well as running the current and fully up-to-date version of Windows. For Linux users, AMD recommended mitigations for GPZ Variant 2 were made available to our Linux partners and have been released to distribution earlier this year…
Microsoft is releasing an operating system update containing Variant 2 (Spectre) mitigations for AMD users running Windows 10 (version 1709) today. Support for these mitigations for AMD processors in Windows Server 2016 is expected to be available following final validation and testing.
In addition, microcode updates with our recommended mitigations addressing Variant 2 (Spectre) have been released to our customers and ecosystem partners for AMD processors dating back to the first “Bulldozer” core products introduced in 2011.
AMD customers will be able to install the microcode by downloading BIOS updates provided by PC and server manufacturers and motherboard providers. Please check with your provider for the latest updates.”
Spectre Mitigation Update – Mark Papermaster, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer

Patch Tuesday

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*This post will be updated as info comes in.
Microsoft Security Update Summary at bottom of post.

Windows 7 SP1 – April 10, 2018—KB4093118 (Monthly Rollup)

Win10 1709 – April 10, 2018—KB4093112 (OS Build 16299.371)
“This update includes quality improvements. No new operating system features are being introduced in this update.”
Win10 1703 – April 10, 2018—KB4093107 (OS Build 15063.1029)
“This update includes quality improvements. No new operating system features are being introduced in this update.”
Win10 1607 – April 10, 2018—KB4093119 (OS Build 14393.2189)
“Windows 10 version 1607 will reach end of service on April 10, 2018. Devices running Windows 10 Home or Pro editions will no longer receive monthly security and quality updates that contain protection from the latest security threats. To continue receiving security and quality updates, Microsoft recommends updating to the latest version of Windows 10.”

Insider builds also get the above updates (KB4100375).
[Read more…] about Patch Tuesday

Win10 SCU Delayed?

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***ATM this is interesting, high school gossipy speculation. But, what’s a day without a little drama! Follow the links in the post below and watch it unfold.

AskWoody reports both Paul Thurrott (thurrott.com) and Zac Bowden (windowscentral.com) are hearing SCU/RS4 is delayed.

*update 1243hrs
Don’t know if this is related but BuildFeed has the updated the latest build to 10.0.17133.1009, dated today.

Mozilla – Internet Health Report

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Mozilla has a new… I don’t know what to call it: Information, research, opinion, propaganda.
Anyway, they are going to cover a variety of topics from their perspective. IMHO worth reading and keeping track of.
“The Internet Health Report is about the human experience of the Internet. It is an independent, open source compilation of data, research and stories that show how the Internet is evolving across five issues…Privacy and security, Openness, Digital inclusion, Web literacy and Decentralization…We also cast a spotlight on three of the biggest Internet health issues of the past year: Securing the Internet of Things, Understanding ‘fake news’, and Too big tech?”
The Internet Health Report v.0.1
https://internethealthreport.org/2018/introduction/readme/
https://internethealthreport.org/2018/introduction/how-healthy-is-the-internet/

Patch Tuesday Morning

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It’s Patch Tuesday. I thought I would post some stuff early to clear the board as this Patch Tuesday should be a big one. Windows 7 is said to have 10 critical patches and Win10 SCU comes out today.
If you want to install SCU today please backup.
If you do not want to upgrade to SCU today, please follow my instructions here.

Wise Disk Cleaner 9.7.3
Improved Mozilla Firefox cleaning – Minor GUI improvements – Updated various translations.
Download (I use the portable version)

HandBrake 1.1.0
Multi-platform video converter.
“This major release includes new features, as well as bug fixes and improvements for issues affecting previous HandBrake releases.”
Download

Flash Updated
Version 29.0.0.140 is out.
for Firefox, Opera
for Internet Explorer
Flash for Edge, IE 11, and Chrome update automatically with the browser.

Stuff I’ve Bookmarked Lately
How to keep your ISP’s nose out of your browser history with encrypted DNS
Richest 1% on target to own two-thirds of all wealth by 2030
Demolition of silo in Denmark goes wrong.

Thursday Random Stuff…

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≥ EVO?
Western Digital has a new SSD that reviewers are raving over. Anandtech says the “EVO Meets Its Match“.
“The MSRPs for the WD Black roughly match current street prices for the Samsung 960 EVO, which is exactly what the WD Black should be competing against. Neither drive has a clear overall performance advantage in the 1TB capacity we’ve analyzed with this review, though the WD Black has a modest power efficiency advantage (our idle power problems notwithstanding).”
Good to see competition but with no clear advantage and similar price points, why should I switch?

Cellphone Spying
Someone is intercepting cellphone communications around DC. Homeland Security “said it had not determined the type of devices in use or who might have been operating them. Nor did it say how many it detected or where…DHS official Christopher Krebs noted that DHS had observed “anomalous activity” consistent with Stingrays in the Washington area.”

That Thing I Said I Wasn’t Gonna Talk About
Kinda hard to keep my yap shut. So much news, and the CEO is gonna get grilled by Congress. Well, unless he threatens to show their IMs to their significant others.

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
RPG for your phone coming April 25th.
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery