Computer News

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!

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.”

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

Yes, Carrie Fisher will be in Star Wars: Episode 9. Here’s how
“Mark Hamill will also appear in the new episode, despite Luke Skywalker’s seeming death in Episode 8.”
Mark being it it I am cool with. Don’t know how I feel about Carrie though, kinda creepy…

Thieves targeting cars with keyless ignition
Don’t bother reading the article, it is lame and basically unsourced. Folks are breaking into to cars using a key fob amplifier which I had never heard of so I Googled it. It is an actual thing and they can break in many cars and even steal some of them.
“The attack uses the two devices to extend the effective range of the key fob,” says Jun Li, one of the researchers in the Qihoo group, who call themselves Team Unicorn. “You’re working in your office or shopping in the supermarket, and your car is parked outside. Someone slips near you and then someone else can open up and drive your car. It’s simple.”
Good grief.

After a Year, Equifax Remains Largely Unfazed by Historic Breach
“Despite a breach that exposed the personal data of more than 147 million Americans, the company has yet to face a government-imposed financial punishment.”
Depressing yet unsurprising. I’m sure Equifax is funding lots of political candidates on both sides of the aisle.

TSA is tracking regular travelers like terrorists in secret surveillance program
“Federal air marshals have begun following ordinary US citizens not suspected of a crime or on any terrorist watch list and collecting extensive information about their movements and behavior under a new domestic surveillance program that is drawing criticism from within the agency.”
I could tell you a story from about a dozen years ago when the TSA forced my mom to stand up out of her wheelchair after hip-replacement surgery, and how when I saw it happening my dad and wife had to physically stop me from intervening…

How Silicon Valley Became a Den of Spies
My first guess was because they are greedy, souless, self-important twits who aren’t near as smart as they think they are.
Anywho, the gist of the article is the Chicoms and Russians are stealing everything they can out of Silicon Valley and they are both great at playing they long game, expecially the Chicoms.
Bookmark it. It is a 10 minute read.

Buy One, Get One at P.F. Changs
“Enjoy a free entrée of your choice with purchase of any entrée. Valid for dine-in only through 8/5. One redemption per table.*”
My fav there is the Beef A La Sichuan and the Surf & Turf.
Take off your tinfoil hat, these last 2 articles are purely coincidental…

Happy National Chicken Wing Day! Here’s Where To Get FREE Wings!
I despise those things but I thought I would pass this along.

NASA Brought Hundreds of Kilograms of Moon Rocks to Earth. Scientists Have Not Touched Most of Them
Do you know how many Universities, Colleges, and High Schools would love to get their hands on this stuff? Get off your asses and hand these out to people who can benefit from these things.
Shame on you NASA.

Look Up This Weekend for Closest Mars Views Since 2003
“We are rapidly coming up on the pinnacle of the current Mars apparition, when it arrives at opposition to the sun and its closest point to the Earth. But will the weather cooperate for you to get a good look at Mars at its best?…So, you will have a stretch of five nights, from Friday through Tuesday, to get your very best views.”

This Map Shows What People Hate The Most In Each State
Apparently there is a dating app called Hater that matches people up on what they do not like. There are some weird people out there…

Jerry Jones: Cowboys will require players to stand for anthem, not remain in locker room
Because
Dallas Cowboys quarterback: Anthem protesting ‘takes away from the joy’ of football
“I’d never protest during the anthem, and I don’t think that’s the time or the venue to do so,” he added. “The game of football has always brought me such peace, and I think it does the same for a lot of people.”
Respect to you Dak. (I still hate the Cowboys.)