Eric (a.k.a. TweakHound)

Hysterical Headline Of The Week
Windows is doomed
“To be clear, with its emphasis on the cloud, artificial intelligence, and more, Microsoft may well continue to thrive. But Windows — once the core of the company and seemingly central to so many of our lives — is likely beyond saving.”
Another Windows / the PC / Firefox / etc.. is dying article.
I call B.S.

Reason #4,857,357 To Get Off Of Social Media
The IRS is watching your Facebook account.
“Those Facebook posts from your vacation on a white sand beach, or that purchase of a fancy new vehicle, could be attracting views from the federal government.”

Threat Mitigations in Windows 10
Uber Geek article VERY briefly discussing Win10’s built in security defenses. The last sentence tells you the whole purpose of the article:
“These are all the more reasons to move to Windows 10 as quickly as possible to remain protected against modern cyber threats.”

IOT And Your ISP
All those gadgets in your house that connect to the internet can allow your ISP to spy on you.
“…encryption doesn’t stop ISPs from knowing which internet-of-things devices their users have, nor does it stop them seeing when we use those devices. In the Princeton study, ISPs could track a user’s sleep patterns by detecting when a sleep tracker was connecting to the internet. It also revealed that ISPs could identify when a home security camera detected movement and when someone was watching a live stream from their security camera.”

Premium Keyboard. Premium Price.
$200. Still, looks to be an awesome keyboard.

Texas, we are thinking of you.
If anyone knows of a good, reputable charity that doesn’t pay their staff 6 figures please contact me directly. I want any donations to specifically and only go to the Texans who need it. I will research any suggestions.
Do not put links to charities in the comment section. I will delete them. Sorry but disasters bring out scum who look to capitalize on the misery of others.

And now, on to some interesting articles I’ve read over the last several days.

Let’s Talk Kaspersky
This is a sort of OpEd by Tim at Major Geeks. He makes some outstanding points.
No evidence has been shown yet that the Russian-based Kaspersky Labs is “nothing more than a front for Russian intelligence.”

White House Confirms – Kaspersky Tied to Russian Government (thanks Kelly)
There is a connection between Kaspersky and Russian intelligence, and I’m absolutely certain that Russian intelligence would want to use that connection to their advantage.
Fair warning. Article is at PCPitstop. They are a competitor of Kaspersky.

Swearing proves you are f****** brilliant: Intelligent people are more likely to be foul-mouthed and walk around naked at home, claims study
People with higher intellects were more likely to curse, eat spicy breakfasts and lounge around the house naked, while extroverts were more likely to drive cars faster that 75mph, gamble and go to the pub.

People Favor Highly-Reviewed Products, Even When They Shouldn’t
“We found that people were biased toward choosing to purchase more popular products and that this sometimes led them to make very poor decisions,”

Congress Quietly Passed A Bill Allowing Warrantless Searches of Homes – Only 1% Opposed It
The text gives the Commission the authority to enter property near the Metro Rail System “without limitation” and without a warrant, for the purpose of “making inspections, investigations, examinations, and testing.”
This clearly goes against the Fourth Amendment, which states that Americans’ rights “to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause.”