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Tor Browser and Tails Updated
Download Tor Browser
Download Tails

Paint.net 4.1
“This update converts some effects to use the GPU for rendering, resulting in huge performance gains. Copy/Paste can now be performed on selections, Bicubic resampling is now available for the Move Selected Pixels tool, and there are lots of little quality-of-life improvements and general bug fixes.”
Download

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

Windows 10 support extended again: September releases now get 30 months
The headline is clickbait. Only Windows 10 Enterprise and Education versions will see this. IMHO this only reinforces the notion that home users are thought of as beta testers for businesses.
This Microsoft blog post explains it:
“All currently supported feature updates of Windows 10 Enterprise and Education editions (versions 1607, 1703, 1709, and 1803) will be supported for 30 months from their original release date…All feature releases of Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Pro, and Office 365 ProPlus will continue to be supported for 18 months (this applies to feature updates targeting both March and September).”

Americans are changing their relationship with Facebook
“Just over half of Facebook users ages 18 and older (54%) say they have adjusted their privacy settings in the past 12 months, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Around four-in-ten (42%) say they have taken a break from checking the platform for a period of several weeks or more, while around a quarter (26%) say they have deleted the Facebook app from their cellphone. All told, some 74% of Facebook users say they have taken at least one of these three actions in the past year.”

Senate Committee Vents About Hijacking Of Big Tech For Information War
“The leaders of the Senate intelligence committee vented Wednesday morning about what they called the shortcomings of major tech firms, which they argue have led Americans to become vulnerable to foreign disinformation campaigns.
“What is under attack is the idea that business as usual is good enough. The information your platforms disseminate changes minds, hardens opinions, helps people make sense of the world. … That’s how serious this is,” said Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C.”
Twitter and Facebook CEO’s showed up. Google thinks they are to good to answer when called.

17 countries where teachers can earn the highest starting salary
“While the US is, according to World Bank data, the nation that pays high school teachers the sixth highest, according to the Learning Police Institute they’re actually paying teachers less and less — to the point where the country is experiencing a teacher shortage.
Data gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics actually suggests many states in the US have seen an average of a 4.6% salary reduction since the 2009-10 school year, which could be part of the reason the country is having to outsource teachers from overseas.”
The U.S. is ranked #6, ironically just above Mexico?!

Airport security trays carry more germs than toilets, study reveals
Just another reason I’ve no desire to fly.

There Are Whales Alive Today Who Were Born Before Moby Dick Was Written
“Bowheads seem to be recovering from the harvest of Yankee commercial whaling from 1848 to 1915, which wiped out all but 1,000 or so animals. Because the creatures can live longer than 200 years — a fact George discovered when he found an old stone harpoon point in a whale — some of the bowheads alive today may have themselves dodged the barbed steel points of the Yankee whalers.”

Man erects electrified fence to keep bus stop kids off his lawn
“The man — whose name is Bryan — said he was sick of students who cursed, fought, and littered at the bus stop.
“They don’t respect other peoples’ land,” Bryan said. “I pick up trash every day.”
Parents are ticked off. Perhaps they could teach their children to respect others property?

Applebees $2 Samuel Adams OctoberFest For All Of September
That’ll go nice with a Bourbon Street Steak!

Sources: Fox Sports Detroit’s Mario Impemba and Rod Allen involved in physical altercation
I haven’t watched many games this year because the Tigers suck. Not a surprise these 2 don’t like each other and the result shows in the booth. The broadcasting is sub-par. The only bright spot is the former Tiger great Kirk Gibson who is in the booth sparingly as he has Parkinson’s disease.

Burt Reynolds, Screen Legend and Sex Symbol, Dies at 82
One of my favorite actors. RIP brother.
Burt Reynolds Wikipedia
Burt Reynolds IMDB

Wednesday Morning Random Stuff…

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Chrome 69 Desktop & Android Released
“The Chrome team is delighted to announce the promotion of Chrome 69 to the stable channel for Windows, Mac and Linux”
Download | Download standalone(full) | Download standalone 64-bit Windows version(full)
“Chrome for Android 69 (69.0.3497.76) has been released and will be available on Google Play over the course of the next few weeks.”
Download

Firefox 62 Is Out
Download (all) | Download 32-bit EN-US | Download 64-bit EN-US
Release Notes

Other Software Updates
AS SSD Benchmark 2.0.6821.41776
HWiNFO 5.88 (I use portable version)
Wise Disk Cleaner 9.7.6 (I use portable version)

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

The military secret to falling asleep in two minutes
“The technique is said to work for 96 per cent of people after six weeks of practice.”
Hmmmm, I dunno…

Hero siblings lift overturned SUV from roadside ditch, save couple and baby
“I saw that water was seeping into the car, where it was turned upside down,” Allen said. “We tried to break the windows, but that didn’t work. So the only thing I could think of was to flip the car over. So I told my sister to help me so we could flip it over to its side. So what happened is after we flipped it over to the side, I took my shirt off and wrapped it around my fist and I used my fist to break the windshield off.”
Well done!

Monday Random Stuff…

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Last day of a 3 day holiday here. Burned some calories at the gym and immediately put them back on with fried chicken and beer.

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

Google and Mastercard Cut a Secret Ad Deal to Track Retail Sales
“Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Mastercard Inc. brokered a business partnership during about four years of negotiations, according to four people with knowledge of the deal, three of whom worked on it directly. The alliance gave Google an unprecedented asset for measuring retail spending, part of the search giant’s strategy to fortify its primary business against onslaughts from Amazon.com Inc. and others.
But the deal, which has not been previously reported, could raise broader privacy concerns about how much consumer data technology companies like Google quietly absorb.”
Just how far from, “Don’t be evil” can Google stray?

You’re about to get even more from your Office 365 Home or Personal subscription!
– Unlimited device installs and be signed in to 5 of those at any one time.
– 6 licenses (users) up from 5

98.6 Degrees Is A Normal Body Temperature, Right? Not Quite
“Forget everything you know about normal body temperature and fever, starting with 98.6. That’s an antiquated number based on a flawed study from 1868 (yes, 150 years ago). The facts about fever are a lot more complicated.”
Interesting!

Friday Random Stuff…

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It’s after lunch on a 3 day holiday weekend here on the East Coast of the USA. That means most of the workforce has checked out (either literally or figuratively) and highway traffic headed toward any body of water is beginning to slow to a crawl. Be safe out there and have a great weekend.

Intel Graphics Driver for Windows 10 24.20.100.6286
Download | Release Notes

Software Updates
EMDB (Eric’s Movie Database) 3.20
jv16 PowerTools 4.2.0.1883
VLC multimedia player 3.0.4

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

October 2018 Update
The Windows press are all wetting themselves over the fact that the next Win10 update has a name.
“I’m pleased to announce that our next feature update to Windows will be called the Windows 10 October 2018 Update. With this update, we’ll be bringing new features and enhancements to the nearly 700 million devices running Windows 10 that help people make the most of their time. We’ll share more details about the update over the coming weeks.”
No release date but I will go out on a limb and say sometime in October.

Useful or creepy? Machines suggest Gmail replies
“The responses are automatically created using Google’s artificial intelligence systems. Humans aren’t reading people’s emails, but machines are scanning them. Although Google stopped scanning email to target advertising in 2017, it still scans them to filter out junk mail, identify phishing scams and, now, to create suggested replies. (Yahoo and AOL, both owned by Verizon, still scan email for advertising.)”
I vote creepy.

5-year-old battling rare kidney disease asks for cards for his birthday
Address is in the article. Send the little dude a card!

Weekend Listening
In the early to mid 80s there was a Country Rock band in Virginia called Snuff. Though they never hit the big time, IMHO they were great.
I thought I would leave you with my favorite song from them called When Jokers Are Wild . I carefully recorded it from the original LP.

Thursday Random Stuff…

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CCleaner 5.46
Download (I use the portable version) | Release Announcment
I keep getting questions so…
Yes, I still use CCleaner. Yes, I still recommend CCleaner. But, though many seem not to listen, I keep telling folks NOT TO INSTALL IT. It doesn’t need to be installed and all the issues that have come up have been from the installed versions.

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

Google makes it easier for veterans to find jobs, as well as businesses led by other service members
“The first new initiative, through Grow with Google, adds new features to a search for “jobs for veterans.” Enter your military code (MOS, AFSC, NEC, etc.) and Google will surface results for civilian job listings that require a similar skill set. Partnerships with other companies will also make this possible on services that use Google’s Cloud Talent Solution, such as FedEx Careers, Encompass Health Careers, Siemens Careers, and more.”

Yahoo and AOL scan your inbox for advertising purposes
Google and Microsoft claim they don’t.

Logged off: meet the teens who refuse to use social media
“It is widely believed that young people are hopelessly devoted to social media. Teenagers, according to this stereotype, tweet, gram, Snap and scroll. But for every young person hunched over a screen, there are others for whom social media no longer holds such an allure. These teens are turning their backs on the technology – and there are more of them than you might think.”
Outstanding!

Which Social Media Site Is Tops Among Teens? Not Facebook
“This group favors another social channel above all others — Snapchat.”
I’m a little confused by the term “social media”. I take it to mean sites like Facebook and Twitter. Sites like Instagram and Snapchat are listed as “social media” but I just don’t see the resemblance. Am I wrong?

Dairy and meat ‘beneficial for heart health and longevity’

This Man Had to Have His Arm Amputated After Eating Raw Seafood
Warning, nasty pic there. I rarely eat sushi but I love me some raw oysters. I try to stick to the “months with R” advice.

Days you’re most likely to get a ticket.
“According to our figures, ticket volume spiked significantly toward the end of the month: The 28th, 29th, 30th, and 31st were all among the top five days for tickets.”
If you ask you local and state police they swear up and down there are not any ticket quotas. This article shows that to be Bravo Sierra.

Master of Marketing
New web site, a watch line, and now Blackened American Whiskey.
Master of puppets, I’m pulling your strings
Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams
Blinded by me, you can’t see a thing
Just call my name ’cause I’ll hear you scream
Master, master!
Just call my name ’cause I’ll hear you scream
Master, master!

Viking Cruises bans children, says clients want kid-free vacations

Warner Bros’ Wile E. Coyote Movie Finds Its Scribes In The Silberman Brothers
“Road Runner’s nemesis, Wile E. Coyote a.k.a. ‘Super Genius’, is getting his own big screen feature and Deadline has learned that Jon and Josh Silberman, the supervising producers behind CBS’ Living Biblically have been hired to write Coyote Vs. Acme.”
I always wanted the coyote to catch and barbecue the road runner. When I was younger had this patch on my snowmobile suit and the sticker on my snowmobile:

Monday Random Stuff…

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

RIP John McCain
Thank you for your service.
His final message to the country is here.

Not your father’s Microsoft? Damn straight it isn’t
Paul (Don’t call me bro) Thurrott goes after the press fawning over Microsoft. Microsoft is a shadow of its former self and the blame lies at the leadership level. IMHO, in the not to distant future Microsoft may be irrelevant.

Tarboro child punished for calling teacher ‘ma’am’
Though I don’t always succeed I strive to be a Southern Gentleman. I say “ma’am” to every woman regardless of age. In the South that’s how we roll. My mother taught me to treat every woman as a lady until they prove otherwise. This woman is clearly not lady and is unworthy of respect. IMHO she has no business in a classroom.

Don’t Get It Twisted: ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ Can Be Anyone’s Protest Song
“I wanted to write an anthem,” the now 63-year-old Snider says. “I’m from the Alice Cooper school of ‘School’s Out,’ ‘I’m Eighteen,’ you know? And Alice was very big on these anthemic songs. So I wanted to write an anthem for the audience to raise their fists in the air in righteous anger.”
♫ You’re all worthless and weak ♫

What Are Kissing Bugs? Chagas Disease-Causing Insects Infected 300,000 In US
“The bug gets its name because it typically bites human beings on their faces. It then proceeds to defecate on the open wound, releasing the harmful parasites along with it. When a person scratches at the open wound afterward, he or she unknowingly pushes the parasites into the open wound and eventually into the body.”
Naaaaassss-Tee

No healthy level of alcohol consumption, says major study
Best quote of the article:
“Given the pleasure presumably associated with moderate drinking, claiming there is no ‘safe’ level does not seem an argument for abstention,” he said. “There is no safe level of driving, but government do not recommend that people avoid driving. Come to think of it, there is no safe level of living, but nobody would recommend abstention.”
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna crack open a cold one.

The Creepy Line Trailer
“An eye-opening documentary, The Creepy Line reveals the stunning degree to which society is manipulated by Google and Facebook and blows the lid off the remarkably subtle – hence powerful – manner in which they do it.”

Tuesday Random Stuff…

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Gmail for Android can now undo sent emails
Android Police has the info and a how-to.

Acronis True Image 2019 Released
Posted for you guys still using Acronis Products.

Logitech’s new Pro Wireless mouse is already an Overwatch League champion
Probably the ultimate wireless gaming mouse. You can preorder it here.
For a great all-around mouse try:
Logitech MX Anywhere 2S Wireless Mouse with FLOW Cross-Computer Control and File Sharing

Facebook has TRUST ratings for users – but it won’t tell you your score
that is the same thing that China is doing:
Big data meets Big Brother as China moves to rate its citizens
#DeleteFacebook

‘Harry Potter’ Readers Make Better Romantic Partners, Study Finds
Hell yeah we are!

Shorts Science: The Formula for the Perfect Length Shorts
I was looking for basic gym shorts under $10 (yes, I’m that cheap). The last pair I bought was the Hanes Men’s Jersey Shorts for $7.00. This article actually has a scale as to what inseam you should get. Thankfully it does not mention the baggy, down past your knees, show your undies garbage. Nor does it mention the 70s ball-hugging shorty shorts either (though a 5″ inseam may be close).
“Not sure if you’re a 5-inch, 7-inch, or 9-inch inseam kind of guy? We—and math—have your back.”
They call it a “Leg Love Quotient” which is a rather…odd name. Anywho, my quotient came out to a 7″ inseam. The last shorts I bought had a 7.5″ inseam so it sounds about right.

Beating King of Pop, The Eagles have No.1 album of all-time
Not a big Michael Jackson fan but comparing a greatest hits album to a standard release seems a bit unfair.
The only MJ songs I really like are Rockin’ Robin (with the Jackson 5), and Rock With You.

Thursday Random Stuff…

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Company Claims To Produce China’s First Web Browser System, But It’s Actually A Chrome Shell
“Even if you want to deceive the government and obtain subsidies, please do at least some basic work to have the appearance of producing something different. The browser is exactly like Chrome with every detail just the same,” one Chinese netizen commented on social media.”
Alexa, define karma.

Clonezilla 2.5.6-21 Released
“Clonezilla is a partition and disk imaging/cloning program similar to True Image®. It saves and restores only used blocks in hard drive. Two types of Clonezilla are available, Clonezilla live and Clonezilla SE (Server Edition).”
Download

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

More Strikeouts Than Hits? Welcome to Baseball’s Latest Crisis
1 – More pitchers are throwing harder.
2 – Nearly every batter is swinging for the fence.
3 – The Shift.

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Chick-fil-A fans are getting fired up over new spicy chicken strips
Love me some Chick-fil-A Spicy Chicken Sandwich and a Diet Lemonade. Bring on the strips!

Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies Are Coming to a Girl Scout Troop Near You
I hereby formerly accuse the Girls Scouts of America of trying to make me fat. I already can’t stop eating Thin Mints and now this!

This spaghetti-breaking problem stumped physicist Richard Feynman. Two MIT students have now solved it.
If you are breaking spaghetti you are doing it wrong. You don’t break it, you don’t cut it.
Where did I learn that? My Grandma on my mothers’s side was Anna Favara (Favara like the town in Sicily). Her parents were Dominic Favara and Euphemia Trentacoste Favara. They married in in 1913 in Brooklyn, NY, then moved to Saginaw, Michigan. Her parents were Antonio and Maria Trentacoste, both of Sicily. So…
You use a fork and twirl it, period, the end.
The spoon question, or how to eat pasta like an expert.
Video – How To Eat Spaghetti | Fine Dining Lovers by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna

– – –

The proper way to use the Can Opener! You have been using the can opener all wrong

We I’ll be a suck-egg mule! I went looking for a manual can opener in my house. We don’t have one. I do however have several P-38s. They were what the U.S. military gave out with canned rations. Here is one still attached to my old dog tags:

edit – You can pick these up at Amazon (FYI a P-51 is a larger version of a P-38):
P-38 Can Opener and P-51 Can Opener 1 each for $4.29
or
GI P-38 Can Opener (5-pack) for $5.48
or
U.S. MADE P-51 & P-38 Can Opener 20 Pack- 10 of each for $12.19 (for the money I would go with this and hand them out to friends/family.

Patch Tuesday

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All supported Windows and Office versions have patches.
Windows 10 update history (not updated as of this writing)
Windows 7 and 8 have a few bugfixes and more Spectre/Meldown fixes.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4343900/windows-7-update-kb4343900
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4343898/windows-81-update-kb4343898
See below for full breakdown.

Adobe Reader Updated
Download (EN-US)
All Downloads
APSB18-29 Security updates available for Adobe Acrobat and Reader

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

In post-massacre Vegas, security policies clash with privacy values
&
Caesars Palace not-so-Praetorian guards intimidate DEF CON goers with searches [Updated]
“For safety and security, hotel team members will enter rooms and perform a standard wellness check, even if you have opted out of housekeeping services, posted a sign on your door, or otherwise refused team member entry. You may be asked to leave the hotel, if you do not comply with this company policy,”
Blog Post from Marc Rogers “who leads DEF CON’s security team”.
“I do not support or endorse these room searches or how they are executed. I sympathize with the challenge these hotels are facing but believe they need to take a harder look at the efficiency, impact and long term cost of this strategy.
We MUST NOT let our hotels become like our airports. If we do, then the terrorists win.”
Everything you do outside your room is filmed in Vegas, I get that. But inside your room should be another story. I had money stolen out of my hotel room by the maid 20 plus years ago. I haven’t allowed housekeeping in my room since. You come in my room unannounced and we are going at it.

Blue light from phone screens accelerates blindness, study finds
“Scientists say they have found how blue light from smartphones, laptops and other digital devices damages vision and can speed up blindness. Research by the University of Toledo in the US has revealed that prolonged exposure to blue light triggers poisonous molecules to be generated in the eye’s light-sensitive cells that can cause macular degeneration – an incurable condition that affects the middle part of vision.”
My S7 has a blue light filter and I am experimenting with it. Apple calls their blue light filter Night Shift.

2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Driven: Longer, Lighter, More Fuel Efficient, and Extremely Refined
Base price, I repeat BASE PRICE is $30,000, for a fracking Work Truck.
“The crew cab Silverados I drove — a $50,995 LT Trail Boss and top of the line $62,535 High Country”

Back on the shelves: Samuel Adams OctoberFest
My favorite American Oktoberfest.

[Read more…] about Patch Tuesday

Wednesday Random Stuff…

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Chrome Updated
“The stable channel has been updated to 68.0.3440.84 for Windows, Mac, and Linux”
Bugfixes.
Download | Download standalone(full) | Download standalone 64-bit Windows version(full)

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

Facebook has detected a coordinated effort to influence US politics ahead of the 2018 midterm elections
“We’re still in the very early stages of our investigation and don’t have all the facts — including who may be behind this,” Facebook said in a blog post. “But we are sharing what we know today given the connection between these bad actors and protests that are planned in Washington next week.”
These are acts of war and need to start being treated as such.

Whistleblower reveals Google’s plans for censored search in China
“The search engine would filter sites like Wikipedia and information about topics like freedom of speech”
Remember that when Google tries to lecture anyone about anything.

Doug Grindstaff, ‘Star Trek’ Sound Effects Maestro, Dies at 87
“A five-Time Emmy winner, he came up with Tribble coos, communicator beeps and the whoosh of Enterprise bridge doors opening and closing.”
Remembering Douglas Grindstaff, 1931-2018 – StarTrek.com
“Over the course of more than half a century, Grindstaff amassed 50-plus film and television credits. Among them were Mission: Impossible, The Brady Bunch, Cross Creek, Max Headroom, Dallas, and Knot’s Landing. He also served in combat as an army sergeant in during the Korean Conflict.”
Thank you for your contributions to the wonderful world of Star Trek and thank you for your service. RIP