Started with Windows 95, PowerToys became really useful under Windows XP. A new release of PowerToys for Windows 10 contains only two apps right now:
[Read more…] about PowerToys Returns
Software
Patch Tuesday
Windows 7-10 updated.
This may or may not be the last update before the May 2018 feature update.
Windows 7
May 14, 2019—KB4499175 (Security-only update)
May 14, 2019—KB4499164 (Monthly Rollup)
Windows 8.1
May 14, 2019—KB4499165 (Security-only update)
May 14, 2019—KB4499151 (Monthly Rollup)
Windows 10
1809 – May 14, 2019—KB4494441 (OS Build 17763.503)
1803 – May 14, 2019—KB4499167 (OS Build 17134.765)
1709 – May 14, 2019—KB4499179 (OS Build 16299.1146)
Other Software:
Audacity 2.3.2
Download | Release Notes | Home Page
CCleaner 5.57
A whole lotta ‘meh’. I’d skip it.
Download (I use portable) | Release Announcement
See also: Blocking A Programs Internet Access Via The Windows Firewall
Adobe Reader Updated
Download en-US | All Downloads | Security Bulletin | Release Notes
Firefox Updated
Firefox 66.0.4
Repaired certificate chain to re-enable web extensions that had been disabled
Download | Release Notes
Firefox Extensions Disabled
This morning many of us saw an extensions disabled warning in Firefox. Seems to be a temporary situation.
Solution: https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/certificate-issue-causing-add-ons-to-be-disabled-or-fail-to-install/39047/14
Tuesday Random Stuff…
No, No, No!
Frack. Back in August there was a Microsoft blog post that said Disk Cleanup was being depreciated. Sites around the internet then claimed Disk Cleanup was being removed. Now there is a company saying the same thing when talking up their own program.
Here is what I wrote on October 1:
Storage sense (which I don’t use) now has the option to do a disk cleanup. That reminds me…
As the above link stated, “The Disk Cleanup experience (“cleanmgr.exe”) is being deprecated.” Some sites took that and acted like the sky was falling. Either they have no command of the English language or they stopped reading right there. The very next sentence reads, “We’re retaining the Disk Cleanup tool for compatibility reasons.”
Relax, Disk Cleanup isn’t going anywhere.
Google Chrome 72.0.3626.81
“contains a number of fixes and improvements…This update includes 58 security fixes.”
Download | Download standalone(full) | Download standalone 64-bit Windows version(full)
Firefox 65
Download (all) | Download 32-bit EN-US | Download 64-bit EN-US
Release Notes | What’s New
Now has “enhanced tracking protection”. By default it is only enabled in new Private Windows. MORE INFO HERE
Stuff I bookmarked recently. Some off topic, some not:
After Hearing U.S. Veteran Had No Family, Huge Crowd Attends His Funeral In Texas
Scores of people turned up for Joseph Walker’s funeral Monday in Texas — not because they knew him, but because they knew the Vietnam-era veteran was at risk of being buried without anyone in attendance.
Walker served in the U.S. Air Force, and he died of natural causes in November at the age of 72. When the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery announced funeral plans for him last week, the facility said it didn’t expect anyone other than staff members to be present.
Then the word went out via TV, radio, and social media. People responded. Hundreds of people. I’m not ashamed to admit this got me choked up. Well done Texans.
The Pentagon compiled research into invisibility cloaking, wormholes, and warp drive
A document released this month revealed a secretive multimillion-dollar Department of Defense program from the late 2000s compiled research into invisibility cloaks, warp drive, and many other areas of fringe space science as part of a now-defunct program aimed at detecting and potentially explaining strange sightings in the Earth’s atmosphere…Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) spearheaded the initiative.
Man, the whole thing screams cover up. Any sane person could see Harry Reid was an alien.
Best Places For Beer By Subregion
Jan 23, 2019
A summary of the very best beer retailers in the states, provinces and counties as judged by the worldwide beer enthusiasts at RateBeer and calculated from their many reviews.
NETGEAR 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch
List Price: $39.99
With Deal: $17.99
You Save: $22.00 (55%)
Using Macrium Reflect Boot Media
First and foremost, I do not backup from within Windows. I only use the boot CD.
Why? After many years of backup and restoring Windows and Linux I have seen just about every method fail at one time or another.
It is my belief that the only way to do an Operating System backup and restore is:
1 – Only use system images.
2 – Not to be using that OS. This is referred to as being offline.
[Read more…] about Using Macrium Reflect Boot Media
Thursday Random Stuff…
CCleaner 5.52
Download (I use portable) | Release Notes
See also: Blocking A Programs Internet Access Via The Windows Firewall
Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software 20.110.0
Windows 7 | Windows 8.1 | Windows 10
Stuff I bookmarked recently. Some off topic, some not:
Microsoft starts its ‘phased rollout’ of Win10 1809, now controlled by a next-generation machine-learning model
It’s official. In the mind-bending (and internally inconsistent) quagmire that has become Windows updating terminology, Win10 version 1809 is now in ‘phased rollout’ but not yet in ‘Semi-Annual Channel (not Targeted).’ If you don’t want Win10 1809, get your machine locked down.
They should never force an update on anyone.
Three quarters of US Facebook users unaware their online behavior gets tracked
After surveying 963 US adults last year between September 4 to October 1, Pew researchers found that 74 per cent of Facebook users said they were unaware the social ad biz tracks their traits and interests.
That confirms my hypothesis that most Facebook are in fact morons. #DeleteFacebook
One Of The Last Navajo Code Talkers Dies At 94
One of the last remaining Navajo Code Talkers, who relayed messages that were never decoded by enemies in World War II, has died at age 94…That complex language proved to be vital to the United States during World War II. As the Japanese cracked classified U.S. military codes, armed forces turned to members of the Navajo Nation. The messages they transmitted in the Pacific Theater were impenetrable to enemies. Newman enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1943, after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He served in such places as Guam and Iwo Jima.
Thank you for your service brother.
Kentucky All State Choir – National Anthem – 2018
Every night of the All State Choir conference at about 11pm, everyone comes out to the balconies of the 18 story Hyatt hotel to sing the National Anthem.
(If the video does not play you may need to adjust Ublock / Adblock / Privacy Badger settings.)
Patch Tuesday
Windows Update
Updates available for all currently supported versions of Windows. Updates for Flash and .Net available where applicable.
Windows 7
January 8, 2019—KB4480970 (Monthly Rollup)
January 8, 2019—KB4480960 (Security-only update)
Windows 8.1
January 8, 2019—KB4480963 (Monthly Rollup)
January 8, 2019—KB4480964 (Security-only update)
Windows 10
1809 – January 8, 2019—KB4480116 (OS Build 17763.253)
1803 – January 8, 2019—KB4480966 (OS Build 17134.523)
1709 – January 8, 2019—KB4480978 (OS Build 16299.904)
– – – – – –
Wise Disk Cleaner 10.1.5 Released
Download (I use portable) | Release Info
Stuff I bookmarked recently. Some off topic, some not:
Hey Apple, what happens on iPhones doesn’t stay there, and your ‘clever’ CES ad is promoting a dangerous illusion
That’s a cute ad you have in Las Vegas for the CES tech convention. “What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone” is both a good dig at your rivals and a clever restating of Sin City’s popular catch phrase.
But it’s literally a lie. What happens on customers’ iPhones doesn’t stay on them — and you know it.
Preach
Survey: Americans Warming to Use of Facial Recognition Tech
I’m not sure I buy the results of the study. If it is even close to true then, well, SMH.
Came up in an email convo with a reader and friend:
SiriusXM stations I mostly listen to:
Hair Nation ’80s Hair Bands
Ozzy’s Boneyard Ozzy’s Classic Hard Rock
Classic Rewind ’70s/’80s Classic Rock
Weekend Random Stuff…
MS Office Updates Out, Some Already Pulled
How-to update MS Office: Install Office updates
All Office Downloads & Info
Office Standalone Latest Updates
Update history for Office 365 ProPlus – Version 1812: January 3
The updates for Office 2010 have been pulled:
January 2, 2019, update for Office 2010 (KB4032217)
After you install this update, you may experience difficulties in Microsoft Excel or other applications. To resolve this, uninstall the update by following the instructions in the “More information” section.
This update is no longer available.
Updated: WACUP (WinAmp Community Update Project)
Version 1.0.0.3174 released
WACUP (which can be pronounced as wakeup or wac-up or however you prefer it in your native tongue) is designed to work only with the patched Winamp 5.666 release to provide bug fixes, updates of existing features and most importantly new features with the goal to eventually become it’s own highly Winamp compatible media player.
WACUP makes use of the benefits of Winamp being heavily based on a plug-in system so new plug-ins can add additional features as well as allowing replacements to be created which provide better implementations over the plug-ins natively included with Winamp.
Download & Info
Stuff I bookmarked recently. Some off topic, some not:
Apple plasters privacy ad on billboard near Las Vegas Convention Center ahead of CES
“What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone.”
Well played Apple. Never been to CES (can’t afford it) and I didn’t know CES was still a serious thing. Especially since there was a move to reduce or eliminate the best thing about it, Booth Babes!
Los Angeles Accuses Weather Channel App of Covertly Mining User Data
The Weather Channel app deceptively collected, shared and profited from the location information of millions of American consumers, the city attorney of Los Angeles said in a lawsuit filed on Thursday.
Popular Weather App Collects Too Much User Data, Security Experts Say
The app, called “Weather Forecast—World Weather Accurate Radar,” collects data including smartphone users’ geographic locations, email addresses and unique 15-digit International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers on TCL servers in China
Congrats on the new baby. Would you like a DNA screening test?
Every baby born in the United States is given a routine blood test to screen for dozens of inherited medical conditions. Now, the U.S. National Institutes of Health is exploring whether to use DNA sequencing to screen newborn babies for additional genetic abnormalities and disorders…One of the “key ethical issues” when using genome sequencing as a screening tool in newborns (or children in general), she wrote, “is that a comprehensive genetic profile is established without the person’s consent and without a clinical indication…”The issue with genetic information is, that once generated, it cannot be made ‘undone,’ ” wrote Lunshof, who was not involved in Beggs’ study. “If genetic information (that is often probabilistic) is on file, will it be used similar to ‘existing disorders’ and lead to denial of health insurance coverage?”
Move Over ‘Friends,’ Millennials Now Find ‘Seinfeld’ Problematic
Now, one of the most popular and successful TV shows of all time is considered problematic for several jokes that were okay – or a little edgy – in the 1990s that are now offensive to American millennials. The previous victim of this new, politically correct world was “Friends.” Now, “Seinfeld” is getting the social justice warrior treatment.
Blue Moon named official “craft beer” of the Kentucky Derby
Twatwaffles. Blue Moon isn’t craft beer. It is owned by MillerCoors which is owned the Molson Coors Brewing Company, world’s 7th largest brewing company.
Craft beer has the following label:
METALLICA’s LARS ULRICH Interviews JOAN JETT For ‘It’s Electric!’ Radio Show
Joan Jett recently joined METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich for a special edition of “It’s Electric!”, his online radio show on Apple Music’s Beats 1. She reflects on performing with NIRVANA at the 2014 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, dissects the role of women in glam rock, discusses her 2018 documentary “Bad Reputation”, and more.
I love Joan Jett!
Friday Morning Random Stuff…
Intel Graphics Driver for Windows 10
Version: 25.20.100.6471 Date: 12/20/2018
Performance improvements, quality improvements, bugfixes.
Download | Release Notes
Macrium Reflect v7.2.3957
Download | Release Notes
Stuff I bookmarked recently. Some off topic, some not:
Apple confirms some iPad Pros ship slightly bent, but says it’s normal
according to the company, this is a side effect of the device’s manufacturing process and shouldn’t worsen over time or negatively affect the flagship iPad’s performance in any practical way. Apple does not consider it to be a defect.
LOL. Apple fanboys will just accept this lame ass statement.
Friday’s winter solstice 2018 features a full moon and meteor shower
This astronomical event officially arrives Friday at 5:23 p.m. EST. At this time of year, each day is about 24 hours, 30 seconds long. It’s because Earth is nearing its closest point to the sun in its elliptical orbit.
Why winter solstice 2018 is unique: December full moon, Ursid meteor shower, Mercury/Jupiter conjunction.
Millennials Strike Again: This Time We Are Killing Cash And ‘Merry Christmas’
A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found that adults under 30 — so, mostly millennials — are the only age group among holiday shoppers with a clear preference for paying with plastic rather than cash. They’re also the only group to strongly prefer the non-Christmas-specific greeting “Happy Holidays.”
Stuff I Don’t Understand…
Dudes who wear hats or hoodies in the gym.
BTW. Show some class and take your hat off when indoors.
Manners & Civility – Should You Remove Your Hat When Indoors?