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Computer Hardware

Blink Cameras “Review”

August 12, 2019, 13:23(EDT) By Eric (a.k.a. TweakHound)

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Short and sweet folks.
[Read more…] about Blink Cameras “Review”

Tagged With: Computer Hardware

Just Setup My Blink Cameras

August 6, 2019, 14:40(EDT) By Eric (a.k.a. TweakHound)

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A got Blink cameras to monitor my Dad ( see My Dad Has Alzheimer’s – Gadgets, Gizmos, Etc.).
A few quick notes:

– It was the 5 camera setup

– The range of the Blinks did not reach across the house and down a floor. Fortunately I had 2 wifi routers and relocated one to the basement.

– Every unit has a friggin’ BRIGHT blue light that comes on when the camera is recording (XTs allow disable). Seriously, WTF? I found a video that shows how to take it apart and disable it. Screw that, I don’t have the time. As noted in the comments for the video you can stick a pin in and break the light. That’s exactly what I did. Very un-Geek of me I know.

– I put the Android app on 2 Samsung Galaxy S7s and an Amazon Fire tablet. They work OK.

– There is no official desktop app but there is an app out there called Bling Desktop. Works fine for viewing.
Home Page | App Download

***Updated 07 August, 2019
I am NOT liking the Blinks.
When I get a chance I will post why.

more later…

Tagged With: Computer Hardware

Bad Tweak – Optimize USB Storage

April 9, 2019, 12:35(EDT) By Eric (a.k.a. TweakHound)

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I don’t know why but a setting introduced in Win10 1809 is just recently making the rounds as a performance tweak.
[Read more…] about Bad Tweak – Optimize USB Storage

Tagged With: Computer Hardware, This Site, Windows 10

Thursday Random Stuff…

March 7, 2019, 14:52(EST) By Eric (a.k.a. TweakHound)

win10_logo

You can go here and see how to manually enable Retpoline in Win10:
Mitigating Spectre variant 2 with Retpoline on Windows
I did this and the only change I see is I can no longer complete a PCMark10 benchmark. Could be related to this:
Microsoft confirms latest Windows 10 update causes issues with certain games

AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition 19.3.1 Optional (06MAR2019)
Download | Release Notes

New Intel drivers:
Intel PROSet/Wireless Software and Drivers for Windows 7
Intel PROSet/Wireless Software and Drivers for Windows 8.1
Windows 10 Wi-Fi Drivers for Intel Wireless Adapters
Intel Wireless Bluetooth for Windows 7
Intel Wireless Bluetooth for Windows 8.1

Tagged With: Computer Hardware

GPU Driver Updates

February 26, 2019, 06:52(EST) By Eric (a.k.a. TweakHound)

rad

AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition 19.2.3 Optional (25FEB2019)
Support Ryzen mobile and Dirt Rally 2.
Download | Release Notes

Intel Graphics Driver for Windows 10
Version: DCH 25.20.100.6577 (Latest) Date: 2/25/2019
Support for Dirt Rally2, Civ VI, Apex Legends
Download | Release Notes

Tagged With: Computer Hardware

Monday Morning Random Stuff…

February 25, 2019, 11:43(EST) By Eric (a.k.a. TweakHound)

O&O AppBuster
New app uninstaller from the same folks who make O&O ShutUp10:
Download & Info
When setting up Windows 10, Microsoft not only installs the operating system alone, but also a whole range of additional apps – some useful, some less so. O&O AppBuster allows you to remove the unwanted apps easily and quickly. Or, if you accidentally uninstalled one of these apps, you can also retrieve them with one click.
Over a clear and concise interface, O&O AppBuster shows you which of these Microsoft-supplied apps with Windows 10 are installed on your computer and which you can install on request – even hidden apps are displayed here.
Take back control of Windows 10 again with help from O&O AppBuster!
More control over your operating system
Uninstall apps pre-installed by Microsoft (also the hidden Apps!)
Remove pre-installed third-party apps and protect your privacy
Reinstall accidentally deleted apps
Undo changes at any time by creating a system restore point

Nvidia Geforce Game Ready WHQL Driver 419.17
Provides the optimal gaming experience for Anthem and DiRT Rally 2.0
Download | Release Notes

Bigger, Faster SD Cards
Western Digital Unveils World’s Fastest 1TB UHS-I microSD Card
&
microSD Express unlocks hyper-fast data speeds for mobile devices

Stuff I bookmarked recently. Some off topic, some not:

Anger Can Be Contagious – Here’s How To Stop The Spread
“We were able to show that as one person became happy or sad, it rippled through the network,”…It’s not just happiness that spreads, unhappiness and anger can be contagious, too…There’s evidence that emotional contagion can spread through our digital interactions, too…So, just how far does this go? A study of nearly 700,000 Facebook users suggests we can pick up on — and mirror — the emotions we encounter in our social media feeds, too…”We found that when good things were happening in your news feed — to your friends and your family — you also tended to write more positively and less negatively,”…And, the reverse was true, too. Viewing more negative posts prompted people to write more more sad or angry things…One study finds there may be a little bit of troll in each of us. If you read a nasty message from a troll that dishes out sarcasm or a personal attack, and you happen to be in a bad mood, the research shows you’re more likely to copy the troll-like behavior…Bottom line: It’s easier to be mean from behind a screen. The rules of face-to-face interactions don’t exist.
Be nice.
#DeleteFacebook

Microsoft workers’ letter demands company drop Army HoloLens contract
In a letter addressed to top executives, a group of Microsoft workers is demanding the company drop a controversial contract with the United States Army.
Fire them.

Warning issued over attacks on internet infrastructure
Key parts of the internet infrastructure face large-scale attacks that threaten the global system of web traffic, the internet’s address keeper warned Friday.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) declared after an emergency meeting “an ongoing and significant risk” to key parts of the infrastructure that affects the domains on which websites reside.
“They are going after the internet infrastructure itself,” ICANN chief technology officer David Conrad told AFP.
“There have been targeted attacks in the past, but nothing like this.”
“There is evidence that it is coming out of Iran and being done in support of Iran.”
Iran… what a surprise.

With women in combat roles, a federal court rules male-only draft unconstitutional
But U.S. District Judge Gray Miller ruled late Friday that while historical restrictions on women serving in combat “may have justified past discrimination,” men and women are now equally able to fight. In 2015, the Pentagon lifted all restrictions for women in military service.
All or none. I had posted this a month ago:
Should Young Americans Be Required To Do Public Service? Federal Panel Says Maybe
Should the U.S. require its citizens to perform public service? Should its young women register for the draft?
A federal panel says it is working on answers to those questions — and is considering how the nation could implement a universal service program and whether it should be mandatory or optional.
Panel says “maybe”, Eric says, “You’re damn right they should”. Military, Peace Corps, Public works…Everyone. Period. No deferments for any reason.

Bid to curb Virginia drivers’ handheld cellphone use dies in session’s final hours
Under current Virginia law, drivers cannot use their phones for emails or texts, but it does not cover a multitude of other potential smartphone uses ranging from social media to video streaming.
Inexcusable

Buffett says wealthy Americans are ‘definitely undertaxed’
from a couple of weeks ago:
‘I’ve paid $10bn in tax but it should have been more!’: Microsoft founder Bill Gates, 63, says he and the rest of the world’s richest ‘don’t deserve’ their fortunes
Two of the richest guys on the planet say the rich aren’t paying enough. Hmm…

Tagged With: Computer News

970 EVO Plus – A Whole Lot Of ‘Meh’

February 15, 2019, 08:22(EST) By Eric (a.k.a. TweakHound)

Here is my “review” of the Samsung 970 EVO Plus 250GB PCIe NVMe – M.2 Internal SSD.
No bravo sierra, no fluff, just some numbers and my not so humble opinion…
[Read more…] about 970 EVO Plus – A Whole Lot Of ‘Meh’

Tagged With: Computer Hardware, This Site

Friday Random Stuff…

February 8, 2019, 16:27(EST) By Eric (a.k.a. TweakHound)

intellogo

I can see by the number of clicks in Monday’s news that folks are interested using other DNS servers. I’m working on an article. Look for it next week.

Windows 10 Wi-Fi Drivers for Intel Wireless Adapters
Download & Info

Intel Graphics Driver for Windows 7 – 32-bit only
Purpose:
This is a security release and only supports Windows 7 32-bit for 6th Generation processors. 64-bit will not be made available.
On 6th Generation Intel Core and Intel Mobile Xeon processors and related Pentium/Celeron:
Microsoft Windows 7, 32-bit
Download & Info

Stuff I bookmarked recently. Some off topic, some not:

Microsoft – Keep your devices and data safe using these simple security best practices
Beware of phishing scams – Always have a backup – Be careful when using insecure Wi-Fi networks – Don’t rely on passwords alone – Keep software current – Use privacy screens to stop “shoulder surfing.”
No arguments here.

Here’s the most common mistake people make that compromises their online security
The most common poor security practice was reusing the same password for multiple websites: 82% of people admitted to doing exactly that.
Fortunately passwords are dying.

US Senators ask DHS to look into US government workers using foreign VPNs
Two US senators have asked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to look into the possible dangers of US government workers using VPN apps that are owned by foreign companies and which redirect sensitive government-related traffic through servers located in other countries –namely China and Russia.
Here’s a thought. A VPN for the government run by the government…

Google Researchers Say Hackers Exploited Two Zero-Day Vulnerabilities Patched in Apple’s iOS 12.1.4 Update
Two vulnerabilities that Apple patched in its latest iOS 12.1.4 update were successfully exploited by hackers before they were known to Apple, according to a top Google security engineer.
That isn’t possible. Everyone knows everything Apple is secure.

Netflix paid NOTHING in federal or state taxes in 2018 despite posting record profits of $845million – and even got a $22million rebate
‘With a record number of subscribers, the company’s profit last year equaled its haul in the previous four years put together. When hugely profitable corporations avoid tax, that means smaller businesses and working families must make up the difference.’
Flat tax on everyone and everything. No deductions.

AMD, Nvidia Have Launched the Least-Appealing GPU Upgrades in History
Yesterday, AMD launched the Radeon VII, the first 7nm GPU. The card is intended to compete with Nvidia’s RTX family of Turing-class GPUs, and it does, broadly matching the RTX 2080. It also matches the RTX 2080 on price, at $700…But as things stand today, the consumer GPU market feels stuck in an unwelcome position where the only generational performance improvements available are reserved to those who can afford to jump at least a price bracket for their next GPU. Historically, there’s never been a need to do that. Hopefully, there still isn’t.
Yup. Overpriced and underwhelming.

Jeff Bezos just confirmed what we all knew: Nudes are no big deal
That headline (and article) is ignorant. It is a big deal. If you don’t think so there is something wrong with you.
I don’t understand the whole nude selfie thing. I mean, you understand that those things never stay private right? And dudes, most women don’t want to see pics of your junk anyway.

Tagged With: Computer News

Monday Randon Stuff…

February 4, 2019, 13:47(EST) By Eric (a.k.a. TweakHound)

www_news

AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition 19.2.1 Optional (04FEB2019)
Support For: APEX Legend, The Division 2 Private Beta, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
Download | Release Notes

Nvidia Geforce Game Ready WHQL Driver 418.81
Includes support for new GeForce RTX laptops, and delivers the optimum performance in Futuremark’s 3DMark Port Royal benchmark, which has just added a new feature test for NVIDIA Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS).
Download | Release Notes

Stuff I bookmarked recently. Some off topic, some not:

Super Bore
Didn’t care about it much, didn’t watch it much. What I did see was boring. I did manage to win a betting pool. I had Rams 3 Pats 0 and it hit in the 2nd quarter.
Super Bowl Ratings Hit 10-Year Low In Historic NFL Game & Patriots’ Win

Fitness Watches
I give up. All I wanted was a watch that accurately measures cardio and calories burned across all my activities. Especially and including weightlifting. I don’t need a coach, or workout advice. I don’t want to input my reps. I could live with a external monitor of some kind tied to the watch but not an arm or chest band. AFAIK the device I want doesn’t exist.

DNS Issues
News spread of Windows users being unable to access Windows Update. Apparently it was a DNS issue. I don’t use my ISPs DNS (Comcast).
I use OpenDNS (208.67.222.222 208.67.220.220) at my router. Google DNS is another popular option. Good guide here:
https://developers.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using

New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking
Today, the Norwegian Consumer Council has filed a complaint against Google. Based on new research Google is accused of using deceptive design and misleading information, which results in users accepting to be constantly tracked.
Not news to most of us.

Are There Fake Chickens Out There?
I went to Arby’s yesterday because, you know, “They have the meats.” I saw the sign below. Apparently Arby’s thinks there are fake chickens running wild and ending up in stores. I went Googling as I’m wont to do when I smell BS. I came up with this from Consumer Reports:
Natural: CR dubbed this one “the most misleading label” of the bunch, as more than half of the survey respondents said they believed “natural” meant the chickens didn’t receive antibiotics or chow down on feed containing GMOs. 42% of respondents said they thought the term meant the chickens were raised outdoors, while 1-in-3 said they thought it meant the same as “organic.” The only substantial requirement for “natural” chicken breasts is that they contain no artificial ingredients, but even then there is no process to verify this claim.

Tagged With: Computer News

Monday Random Stuff…

January 28, 2019, 14:18(EST) By Eric (a.k.a. TweakHound)

Samsung NVM Express Driver 3.1
Windows 10 RS5 compatibility fix
The driver supports the Samsung NVMe SSD 970 PRO, 970 EVO, 970 EVO Plus, 960 PRO, 960 EVO and 950 PRO.
The driver supports Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.
Release Notes (In Installation Guide)
FYI –  RS5 is Win10 build 1809 or “October 2018 Update”. It would kill you guys at Samsung to use the common build number or name?
Download
For the next days or weeks you will likely get a “We apologize for your inconvenience Please try again within 24 hours” notice because whoever is in charge over there obviously has trouble doing their job. So I’m gonna throw it up here for a while:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/xx61mg11i6rkb85/Samsung_NVM_Express_Driver_3.1.zip/file

Software Downloads
Notepad++ 7.6.3
VirtualBox 6.0.4

Stuff I bookmarked recently. Some off topic, some not:

Intel Core i9-9900KF Listed at U.S. Retailers – [H]ardOCP
Twitter user and dataminer momomo_us just spotted an Intel Core i9-9900KF listed at B&H Photo and Video, and a quick search on Google shows that NextWarehouse and NeutronUSA have the processor up for sale too. Unfortunately, B&H has the i9-9900KF priced at $582.50, which is significantly higher than the ~$530 street price regular 9900Ks are going for right now.

Polar vortex to bring prolonged, life-threatening cold outbreak to midwestern US this week
The coldest weather in years will put millions of people and animals throughout the midwestern United States at risk for hypothermia and frostbite to occur in minutes during the final days of January.
Forecasted low at my house in Virginia is expected to bottom out around 12°F (-11.11°C) on Wednesday night. Then by next Monday we will be back up to 61°F (16.11°C).
Stay safe y’all. Find someone to share body heat with.

Best Buy security guard fired after tackling man who allegedly struck California cop, tried to flee
A Best Buy security guard who tackled a man wanted on a felony warrant — and who had allegedly just hit a cop — was reportedly fired for his good deed because it ran counter to corporate policy.
Screw Best Buy. They probably won’t be around much longer anyway. I hope this guys gets hired by a good security company.

Tagged With: Computer News

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