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AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.7.1
Download | Release Notes

The Specter Of Spectre
New Spectre-like attack uses speculative execution to overflow buffers
&
New Spectre 1.1 and Spectre 1.2 CPU Flaws Disclosed
It just keeps getting worse and worse.

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

Microsoft might move jobs abroad because of U.S. immigration rules
Liars. They just want to keep their cheap(er) foreign labor instead of paying U.S. workers what the job is worth. Businesses have been doing that forever. Coal and steel mines did it. The railroads did it. When they can’t bring enough workers in they ship the work overseas like the auto industry, electronics, tech support…

Samsung phones are most bork-prone as a quarter suffer ‘performance issues’
“‘State of Mobile Device Repair & Security’ report reveals that Samsung’s phones had the highest failure rate among the manufacturers it tracks…Overall, a staggering 27 per cent of Samsung smartphones showing performance issues during Q1”

The World Is Better Than Ever And Continues To Improve. Why Do People Consistently Believe Otherwise?
“Worldwide poverty has dropped dramatically, we are in the Long Peace when it comes to war, the old cycles of famine boom and bust have leveled off, science has made it possible for everyone to live better for longer and spend less on basic necessities. The world continues to improve. Why, then, do polls consistently show that people believe otherwise? The answer may lie in a phenomenon called “prevalence induced concept change.”
Some people aren’t happy unless they are whining about something. There are those who always want to play the poor little underdog. Others just want everyone else to be miserable.

Starbucks Bans Plastic Straws, Winds Up Using More Plastic
“Yet missing from this fanfare was the inconvenient fact that by ditching plastic straws, Starbucks will actually be increasing its plastic use. As it turns out, the new nitro lids that Starbucks is leaning on to replace straws are made up of more plastic than the company’s current lid/straw combination.”

I say bring back Bring back Froot Loops Cereal Straws! It could add a great twist to a Margarita.

This Revolutionary Chainless Concept Could be the World’s Most Efficient Bike
“The design halves the amount of friction generated by the market-leading chain and derailleur setup by eliminating eight different points of contact. The pinion-style system also utilizes 21 low-friction CeramicSpeed bearings that transfer torque seamlessly from the front ring through the drivetrain and onto the 13-speed cog.”

‘Star Wars’: Billy Dee Williams Reprising Role as Lando Calrissian

Tom Petty ‘An American Treasure’ Boxed Set Track List Revealed, New Song Drops
Info: Tom Petty, AN AMERICAN TREASURE. Released: September 28, 2018
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Keep A Little Soul (Official Music Video)

Friday Random Stuff…

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LOL At Win10
Keeps trying to reinstall the same driver. I usually prevent Windows from updating drivers. I keep it active on this machine so I can track the wonder that is Windows 10.

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

Charles Krauthammer, conservative commentator and Pulitzer Prize winner, dead at 68
A brilliant mind. I enjoyed hearing him speak even when I didn’t agree with him.

Someone Is Stealing Italy’s Most Precious Cheese
My favorite cheese. I can’t get enough. Those thieves are some low-down people but they have good taste.

Seafood tied to more sex and faster conception
Take your date to a seafood restaurant and don’t forget to wrap that rascal.

Brett Favre Speaks Out Strongly In Support Of Legislation That Would End Youth Tackle Football
Like Al Bundy, I played High School football and I was pretty good (Middle Linebacker, Offensive Guard). My third very bad concussion ended my playing days and college hopes. My memory misses large chunks of my high school years. Playing football also wrecked my ankles. I loved, and I mean loved the game. But, if I could go back in time I would not play again. It took too much away from me. Football is a very violent and dangerous game. Bad adults, both parents and coaches, make it even more so. I am not a parent but if I had a kid they would never be allowed to play tackle football.

Pizzas4Patriots
“Our mission is to comfort active service members, first responders and veterans by providing America’s favorite food while they’re far away from home, whether it be fighting on the front lines, providing humanitarian relief, or recovering in a veteran’s facility.”
I donate to these guys every year. It’s just my way of letting those folks know they are appreciated.
https://www.sgtpizza.org/

Y’all have a great weekend and go eat some seafood!

Thursday Random Stuff…

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Sign of the coming apocalypse? It’s National Selfie Day. Narcissists need their own day too.

For the record I have only ever taken one “selfie”. Back in 2004 I wrote and article for Linux World Magazine called Taking the Linux+ Exam. They wanted a head shot to go with the the article. I don’t take pictures of myself and I am usually the one behind the camera. The newest one I had was 10 years old, literally. I’m home alone so I set up my digital camera on a timer and ran across the room to sit for the pic. After several attempts I got it right. The mag is long since gone. Internet Wayback here, article is on page 14.

Win10 Updates
Looks like a bunch of bugfixes.
Nothing for the latest version of Win10.
1083 (April 2018 Update) n/a
1709 (Fall Creators Update) June 21, 2018—KB4284822 (OS Build 16299.522)
1703 (Creators Update) June 21, 2018—KB4284830 (OS Build 15063.1182)
1607 (Anniversary Update) June 21, 2018—KB4284833 (OS Build 14393.2339)

New Intel RST Drivers
The latest on Intel’s site is version 16.0.2.1086. I regularly check my mobo downloads page and they have version 16.5.0.1027. The driver xml file indicates it is Windows 8 and up.

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

High Court: Online shoppers can be forced to pay sales tax
Folks are whining about this. Here’s an idea. Reduce or eliminate the sales tax.
Related: Norquist Statement on South Dakota v. Wayfair
“Today the Supreme Court said ‘yes—you can be taxed by politicians you do not elect and who act knowing you are powerless to object.’

Google kills revenge porn bill
“It’s a disgrace how weak our lawmakers look for bowing down to these tech corporate overlords.”
Yet these same companies kiss the ChiComs butts.

Our Views: Pit bulls deserve their bad reputation
“Pit bulls account for the vast majority of fatal dog attacks, causing 71 percent of fatalities between 2011 and 2017”
See also: DogsBite.org

Thursday Morning Random Stuff…

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Firefox Updated
EN-US 64-bit
All Firefox Versions
Release Notes

Chrome 67.0.3396.79
Download
Download standalone(full)
Download standalone 64-bit Windows version(full)

New GPU Drivers
AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.5.2 Optional
Nvidia Geforce Game Ready 398.11 WHQL Drivers

Off Topic
Stuff I’ve bookmarked.

Everything You Know About Surviving Rip Currents Is Wrong
Huh. Glad I read that!

Miss America is scrapping its swimsuit competition
Never watched more than a few minutes of a pageant. I find the whole thing annoying.

Facebook confirms data-sharing agreements with Chinese firms
#DeleteFacebook
Dem lawmaker: ‘Looks like Zuckerberg lied to Congress’
No. Really. #DeleteFacebook

More than half of U.S. households have ditched landline phones
I would have thought it would be more than that. A dozen years ago I came home and checked the messages on my answering machine. I looked at my cell phone and then back at the answering machine. “Why am I paying for this?” I thought. Haven’t had a landline since.

Max Scherzer becomes fifth ever with two career immaculate innings
Oh Detroit. What could have been. Some former Tigers pitchers still playing:
Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, David Price, Rick Porcello…

Arnold, “Milk is for babies. When you grow up you have to drink beer.”
One of my favorite quotes. Ever.

Friday Random Stuff…

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Battle Royal
Who ya got? Poll up in the right sidebar. Polls not working correctly.
Intel wants PCs to be more than just ‘personal computers’
vs
Eric wants PCs to be just ‘personal computers’

Wise Disk Cleaner Updated
Version 9.7.5.692 brings “improvements” and “fixes”.
Download ( I use the portable version. )

openSUSE 15
Forgot to mention this. Leap 15 was released last week. It use kernel 4.12 released last July. Current LTS in 4.14+. Current Stable is 4.16+.
I don’t get it. Fail.

Off Topic

“We live for the One, we die for the One”
Wikipedia | IMDB
Babylon 5 is one of my all time favorite Sci-Fi series. It is finally available for streaming. (I’ve got the DVD set)
Babylon 5 on Amazon Prime
Babylon 5 DVD Babylon 5: The Complete Collection Series
This poster is on my wall.

Stuff I Bookmarked:

A newspaper columnist’s rant against cheeseburgers gives hamburger loyalists the hero they deserve
Heroes don’t always wear capes.

Facebook, Amazon, and hundreds of companies post targeted job ads that screen out older workers
IMHO this practice is widespread and along with being illegal is short-sighted and disgusting.

Countries With the Widest Gaps Between Rich and Poor
The U.S. is #9 and that is sad.

Scientists race to find who is pumping an incredibly dangerous gas into the atmosphere
China. There, I solved it for you.

AI better than dermatologists at detecting skin cancer, study finds
“At first look, dermatologists correctly detected an average of 87 percent of melanomas, and accurately identified an average of 73 percent of lesions that were not malignant. Conversely, the CNN correctly detected 95 percent of melanomas.”
Interesting but isn’t that why they send it out for a biopsy?

Question Club: Where should Star Wars go after Solo’s box office disappointment?
Disappointment to who? Its opening weekend was a holiday weekend and most sane people hate the movie theater. PPV and DVD by this fall at a fraction of the price to take your family to the theater.

Thursday Morning Random Stuff…

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Firefox 60.0.1
Download:
en-US 64-bit
All Firefox Versions
Release Notes
***Please see comment from Dan below

CCleaner Updated
As of this writing, no release notes or announcement. Bugfixes? Previous build 5.42.140.6495. New build 5.42.148.6499.
Download (I use the portable version)

Net Neutrality
Dems passed a Net Neutrality bill. Don’t get too excited, it is expected to die in the House.

YouTube Music & YouTube Premium
WooHoo, another music subscription service.
As a teen I modified a TV antenna to pull in radio stations 101 WRIF out of Detroit and 105 WWCK out of Flint. It cost nothing.

Off Topic

Dog saves his buddy
Viral, feel-good video of the week.

Some calories more harmful than others
Short version – Soft drinks are bad for you. There was a time when I drank 2 liters of Coca-Cola a day. No exaggeration. I don’t remember the last time I had one.
On a side note. I find it amusing that we Americans call carbonated soft drinks by different names. I have found that.
– In the Great Lakes and mid-west areas it is called “pop”
– Most places in Northeast megalopolis call it “soda”
– Many place out west call it “soda pop”
– Down South, everything is “co-cola”

43% of milenials plan to leave their jobs within 2 years
“They don’t believe business shares their values, they don’t think business is doing enough to prepare them for the future, and they don’t feel business is sufficiently committed to improving society.”

Who is drinking the most? The drunkest (and driest) cities in America

Wednesday Random Stuff…

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***Patch Now***
Backup your computer with a disk image and run Windows Update.
Critical bugs are being actively exploited. These bugs were patched yesterday.

New Nvidia Drivers
Nvidia Geforce Game Ready 397.64 WHQL Drivers are out.
“Provides the optimal gaming experience for Destiny 2: Warmind, Conan Exiles, and Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire”
Download | Release Notes

Roger, Over And Out
Some dude asked, “Is Google crossing a line with new AI that pretends to be human?“.
Crossed the line? They cut the line into little shreds and torched it.

You’ve Got To Be Sh**ing Me
Someone is upset because people aren’t talking nice to Amazon Alexa.
“When you’re a child, you should respect a grown-up — even if she’s in a little black cylinder”
It’s not a grown-up, it’s a fracking box.
“Hearing a child boss around a digital assistant could be disconcerting”

Off Topic

KIX Celebrates 30th Anniversary Of ‘Blow My Fuse’ With ‘Fuse 30 Reblown’

He searched for his Japanese birth mother. He found her — and the restaurant she had named after him.

Windows 10 Game Mode And Ultimate Performance Power Plan

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In prep for the upcoming revision of the Win10 Tweak Guide I have some thoughts about Game Mode and the Ultimate Performance Power Plan.
Lemme give you my conclusion right out of the box. IMHO, for performance Game Mode and the Ultimate Performance Power Plan are pure snake oil.
[Read more…] about Windows 10 Game Mode And Ultimate Performance Power Plan