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Tuesday News

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Firefox 63
Performance improvements, “Added content blocking, a collection of Firefox settings that offer users greater control over technology that can track them around the web. In 63, users can opt to block third-party tracking cookies or block all trackers and create exceptions for trusted sites that don’t work correctly with content blocking enabled.”
Download (all) | Download 32-bit EN-US | Download 64-bit EN-US
Release Notes

The Creepy Line

“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.
The Creepy Line is a title culled from the words of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, when
during a 2010 interview he explained Google’s code of conduct: “The Google policy on a lot of
things is to get right up to the creepy line and not cross it.”
However, as Dr. Robert Epstein explains in the film, “Google crosses the creepy line every
day”. Containing ground-breaking interviews with Jordan B. Peterson, Peter Schweizer, and
others, The Creepy Line offers an explosive look at the meddling and intervening done by
Google and Facebook on their supposedly “neutral platforms”.
The Creepy Line takes the conversation about data privacy and control further than ever
before by examining what Google and Facebook do once they control a user’s data. Not only
is this data sold to the highest bidder, but it is used it to mold, massage, and manipulate
the public consciousness while influencing opinion on a vast scale – all with the goal of
transforming society to fit their worldview.
Offering first-hand accounts, scientific experiments and detailed analysis, The Creepy Line
examines what is at risk when these two tech titans have free reign to utilize the public’s most
private and personal data to manipulate society
There is no question that the “creepy line” is getting ever-creepier, and that the tech giants
have crossed it.“

I had bookmarked this a few weeks ago waiting for it to come out. I watched it yesterday. If you don’t already distrust these companies this should change your mind.
Must see TV!
Watch for free on Amazon Prime
Watch for $3.99 on Amazon
Watch for $4.99 on iTunes

Winamp 5.8 Beta Official

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This is VERY MUCH BETA. I would NOT install it (see notes).
Download: https://download.nullsoft.com/winamp/client/winamp58_3660_beta_full_en-us.exe

Winamp 5.8 Beta, Build 3660 (official)
Notes:
Some features are works-in-progress, e.g. new in_mod & out_wasapi plugins
Sorry, no CD burning, autotag or cddb features yet.
No multinational version with lang packs yet either.
Changes since unofficial build 3563
Removed ml_nowplaying; updated libogg, libvorbis, libflac & libopenmpt; copyright updates; added more genres to file info dialog; new digital cert; various other general tweaks, fixes and prep work….
Whats New:
* New: Windows Audio (WASAPI) Output plug-in (w.i.p.)
* Improved: Added an option to completely disable Winamp’s video support
* Improved: Added an auto-fullscreen option to video prefs
* Improved: Added /ENUMPLAYLISTS to the command-line support
* Improved: Windows 8.1 and 10 compatibility
* Improved: [in_mod] OpenMPT-based Module Player (replaces old MikMod player)
* Improved: [ml_playlists] Added browse path & edit title functions in Ctrl+E editor
* Improved: [Bento] Updated scrollbars and buttons and other tweaks (thanks Martin)
* Improved: [Bento & Modern skins] Added a Playlist Search feature (thanks Victor)
* Fixed: New URLs not being remembered after using Reset history in Open URL dialog
* Fixed: Various memory leaks
* Fixed: [gen_tray] Not showing correct current icon pack in preferences
* Fixed: [in_avi] Divide-by-zero crash with badly formed files (thanks ITDefensor)
* Fixed: [in_mp3] Crashing with some ID3v2 tags
* Fixed: [ml_wire] Slow loading issue
* Fixed: [ssdp] Crash on load if jnetlib was not correctly initialized
* Misc: Minimum required OS is now Win XP sp3 (Windows 7 or higher recommended)
* Misc: More general tweaks, improvements, fixes and optimizations
* Misc: Moved shared DLLs to Winamp\Shared folder
* Removed: All former “Pro” licensed functions (Winamp is now 100% freeware again)
* Removed: gen_jumpex & UnicodeTaskbarFix (making way for native implementations)
* Removed: [in_wm] DRM support
* Replaced: CD playback and ripping now using native Windows API (instead of Sonic)
* Replaced: MP3 Decoder now mpg123 based (instead of Fraunhofer)
* Replaced: AAC Decoder now using Media Foundation (Vista and higher)
* Replaced: H.264 Decoder now using Media Foundation (Vista and higher)
* Replaced: MPEG-4 Pt.2 Decoder now using Media Foundation (Vista and higher)
* Updated: [in_vorbis] libogg 1.3.3 & libvorbis 1.3.6
* Updated: [libFLAC] FLAC 1.3.2
* Updated: [libyajl] libyajl v2.1.0
* Updated: [OpenSSL] OpenSSL v1.0.1i
* Updated: [png] libpng v1.5.24

Tuesday Random Stuff…

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Google Chrome Updated
“The Chrome team is delighted to announce the promotion of Chrome 70 to the stable channel for Windows, Mac and Linux…Chrome 70.0.3538.67 contains a number of fixes and improvements.”
Download | Download standalone(full) | Download standalone 64-bit Windows version(full)

MediaMonkey 4.1.22
“V4.1.22 is a strongly recommended update with about 20 fixes including several urgent issues.”
Download | Changelog

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

Winamp returns in 2019 to whip the llama’s ass harder than ever
Good to see. Still rockin’ out with Winamp in Windows and Android.

Windows 10 October 2018 Update Performance Against Ubuntu 18.10, Fedora 29
“Of all the benchmarks ran on this Intel Core i7 8086K + ASUS Z370-A + MSI Radeon RX 580 box, Windows 10 came in first about 10% of the time but it ended up being in last place about 50% of the time.”

A thread written by @real_vijay
“Google is working on a new search engine code-named “Dragonfly” that will aid China’s effort to censor information from its citizenry.
As a former Google engineer I wanted to share some information on what it’s like to be inside Google as these decisions are made.”

Stephen Hawking warns that AI, ‘superhumans’ could wipe humanity in posthumous book
“While primitive forms of artificial intelligence developed so far have proved very useful, I fear the consequences of creating something that can match or surpass humans”
“Once such superhumans appear, there are going to be significant political problems with the unimproved humans, who won’t be able to compete”

Wednesday Random Stuff…

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I’ve got Win10 1809 running on 3 machines. Although I have a few minor errors in the logs I’ve no issues yet.

Firefox 62.0.3
Download (all) | Download 32-bit EN-US | Download 64-bit EN-US
Release Notes
Thanks Scott!

Winaero Tweaker for Windows 10 version 1809
A few fixes and several new features
Download & Info

Intel Graphics Driver for Windows 10
Version: 25.20.100.6323 Date: 10/1/2018
Highlights
Windows 10 October 2018 Update Launch Driver
HDR for embedded laptop panels Launch Driver
Download

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

‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Negative Buzz Amplified by Russian Trolls, Study Finds
“finds evidence of deliberate, organized political influence measures disguised as fan arguments…Overall, 50.9% of those tweeting negatively [about the movie] was likely politically motivated or not even human”

How Likely Are You To Have a Deer Collision?
“West Virginia continues to top the list of states where an individual driver is most likely to run into a deer. Some good news for West Virginian’s though, this year while West Virginia continues to be No. 1 on the top 10 list, the likelihood of having an insurance claim involving a deer was 1 in 46 — down three points from last year.
Montana (one in 57 chance of a crash), Pennsylvania (one in 63 chance of a crash), and Wisconsin also remain at the top of list. Rounding out the top 10 states where drivers are most likely to collide with large animals like deer, elk, moose or caribou are Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Wyoming, and Mississippi. The months drivers are most likely to collide with a large animal in the U.S. are (in order) November, October, and December.”
Interactive map there too.

1-in-3 pass ‘US Citizenship test,’ just 19% for Americans 45 and younger
“Among the embarrassing errors uncovered in the survey of questions taken from the U.S. Citizenship Test and conducted by Lincoln Park Stragtegies:
72 percent of respondents either incorrectly identified or were unsure of which states were part of the 13 original states.
24 percent could correctly identify one thing Benjamin Franklin was famous for, with 37 percent believing he invented the lightbulb.
12 percent incorrectly thought WWII General Dwight Eisenhower led troops in the Civil War.
2 percent said the Cold War was caused by climate change.”
Perhaps it is time to require you pass this test before being allowed to vote?
Try for yourself. Took me less than 2 minutes.
USCIS – Civics Practice Test
Washington Times – US Citizenship Test – Could You Pass?
CNN – Can YOU pass the U.S. citizenship test? Take this quiz

Monday Random Stuff…

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Win10 1809/October 2018 Update
“They” say it is coming out tomorrow.
“They” said 1803 would release on April 10, 2018. It was released on the 30th as I recall.
At any rate, you should to a full system image backup today.
I would also consider delaying the update. Every tech site out there has posted a how to. TweakGuide readers already have my advice.
IMHO the update is another “meh” update as the reward is negligible and the risk medium/high.
The only changes I see worth anything are a better Dark Theme and Windows HD Color settings adjustments.
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.

Audacity 2.3.0
Audacity is an easy-to-use, multi-track audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux and other operating systems.
Download | Release Announcement

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

NASA At 60: A Driving Force For Materials Science And Technology Innovation
“Today, NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a federal agency of the United States of America) celebrates its 60th birthday. Founded on 29th July 1958, NASA first started operating on 1st October in the same year. Sixty years ago, the United States and what was then the Soviet Union were locked in a so-called ‘Space Race’; the competition between these two nations to become the first to escape Earth’s gravitational pull and prove the strength of their technology and innovation.”
Happy 60th NASA!

That sign telling you how fast you’re driving may be spying on you
“The next time you drive past one of those road signs with a digital readout showing how fast you’re going, don’t simply assume it’s there to remind you not to speed. It may actually be capturing your license plate data.”
I guarantee they have pics of me using a universal hand signal toward the camera. I also went by one going downhill my bicycle. Challenge accepted. 32 in a 25.
woohoosmiley

Jury Verdict Thrown Out in Led Zeppelin ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Lawsuit
“The ruling reopens the battle over whether Led Zeppelin borrowed from the 1968 song “Taurus” when it composed the classic rock anthem that appears on the 1971 release “Led Zeppelin IV.
Michael Skidmore, the trustee of the Randy Craig Wolfe Trust, sued the band in 2014, arguing that “Stairway to Heaven” ripped off elements of Wolfe’s composition. Wolfe, Spirit’s frontman, died in 1997. A jury ruled in favor of Led Zeppelin in 2016, finding that the two songs were not substantially similar.”
Google “taurus stairway to heaven comparison” if you want to compare. Lots of good videos out there.

Justin Verlander
Saturday we drove up to Baltimore to watch my homeboy Justin Verlander (aka “Kate’s husband“) pitch.
It is supposed to be a 3 hour drive but it was closer to 4. As anyone familiar with Northern Virginia & DC area knows, I95 is a freaking mess. Somehow I always seem to be headed opposite the open E-ZPass lanes.
We stopped at Faidley’s Seafood in Baltimore as we do whenever we are in B’more. Best crabcakes you’ll ever have.
The game was a success as JV pitched 6 scoreless innings and had 10 K’s. Opinion of the Houston sports press is he will pitch game 1 of the ALDS vs the Indians.
This was my first time seeing him in person in a uniform other than the Tigers. I still can’t get used to it.
(click on pic for full size)

Thursday Morning Random Stuff…

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FYI, I’m running Windows 10 October 2018 Update / 1809. So far everything seems to be OK. As with every other major update I had to reinstall SoundBlaster drivers.

AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition Optional 18.9.3
Support for Assassin’s Creed and Forza Horizon 4.
Download | Release Notes

Intel Solid State Drive Toolbox 3.5.5
Download | Release Notes

LibreOffice 6.1.2
Download | Release Notes

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

Product updates based on your feedback
“We’ve heard—and appreciate—your feedback. We’re going to make a few updates in the next release of Chrome (Version 70, released mid-October) to better communicate our changes and offer more control over the experience…While we think sign-in consistency will help many of our users, we’re adding a control that allows users to turn off linking web-based sign-in with browser-based sign-in—that way users have more control over their experience. For users that disable this feature, signing into a Google website will not sign them into Chrome.”
Condensed version, you’ll bee able to disable the universal sign in.

Almost Every Major Free VPN Service is a Glorified Data Farm
“While many VPN service providers would want you to believe that they have charitable aims in offering VPN access for free, the reality is that most free VPN services are glorified data farms. I will know because I specialize in testing and reviewing VPNs. In a recent study my organization conducted, analyzing the most popular free VPN services, we discovered that pretty much every popular free VPN service is a glorified data farm or abuse access to user’s data and resources in some form. Hotspot Shield, in particular, is a major culprit.”
I use TorGuard. Use coupon code TweakHound for 50% Off for Life.

Hurricane Florence
Has anyone found a charity like the one JJ Watt set up for Houston?

Save up to 35% on select PC Gaming Laptops, Components, and Monitors Most prices TODAY ONLY.
Examples:

ASUS Radeon RX 580 O4G Dual-Fan OC Edition GDDR5 AMD Graphics Card List Price: $269.99 Price: $199.99 You Save: $70.00 (26%)

Acer 24″ KG241Q 1ms 1080p Gaming Monitor List Price: $149.99 Price: $109.99 You Save: $40.00 (27%)
Acer 27″ KG271 144Hz 1080p Gaming Monitor List Price: $279.99 Deal of the Day: $199.99 You Save: $80.00 (29%)

Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 2400MHz RAM List Price: $195.99 Deal of the Day: $127.49 You Save: $68.50 (35%)
Corsair Vengeance LED 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 3200MHz RAM Was: $201.99 Price: $149.99 You Save: $52.00 (26%)
Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 3000MHz RAM Was: $410.79 Deal of the Day: $309.99 You Save: $100.80 (25%)

Friday Random Stuff…

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Firefox 62.0.2
Download (all) | Download 32-bit EN-US | Download 64-bit EN-US
Release Notes

Wise Disk Cleaner 9.7.9.696
Improved Google Chrome cleaning.
Minor bug fixes.
Download | Download Portable (what I use) | Release Notes

Other Software Updates
FileZilla 3.37.1
Mp3tag v2.90a

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

Former Google CEO predicts the internet will split in two by 2028 — and one part will be led by China
“I think the most likely scenario now is not a splintering, but rather a bifurcation into a Chinese-led internet and a non-Chinese internet led by America…There’s a real danger that along with those products and services comes a different leadership regime from government, with censorship, controls, etc.”
The way I see this unfolding is:
– Google sets up in China.
– China steals their tech and algorithms.
– China sets up their own heavily censored internet. All made possible by a greedy Google.
Use DuckDuckGo

Email Reveals Google Exec’s Effort to Help Hillary Clinton in 2016
“email…shows that a senior Google employee deployed the company’s resources to increase voter turnout in ways that she thought would help the Clinton campaign.”
Use DuckDuckGo

Google Workers Discussed Tweaking Search Function to Counter Travel Ban
“The email traffic, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, shows that employees proposed ways to “leverage” search functions and take steps to counter what they considered to be “islamophobic, algorithmically biased results from search terms ‘Islam’, ‘Muslim’, ‘Iran’, etc.” and “prejudiced, algorithmically biased search results from search terms ‘Mexico’, ‘Hispanic’, ‘Latino’, etc.”
Use DuckDuckGo

Why college students don’t vote absentee? They don’t know where to buy a postage stamp
Good news is these people didn’t vote!

Metallica’s ‘Black Album’ Hits Historic 500th Week on Billboard 200 Chart
“Metallica’s self-titled 1991 album (often referred to as The Black Album, due to its stark, black album cover) scores its 500th nonconsecutive week on the Billboard 200 chart. It is now one of only four albums with 500 weeks or more on the tally…Among all albums — since the chart began publishing on a regular weekly basis in 1956 — Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon holds the record for the most weeks on the chart: 937. It’s followed by Bob Marley and The Wailers’ Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and The Wailers (539), Journey’s Greatest Hits (539) and Metallica’s Metallica (500).
Metallica’s self-titled album marked the rock band’s first No. 1 on the Billboard 200, when it debuted atop the list dated Aug. 31, 1991. The set spent four weeks on top, and marked the first of so far six chart-toppers for the group.
The album continues to hold the record as the biggest selling album in Nielsen Music history, with 16.83 million copies sold in the U.S. (since Nielsen began tracking data in 1991).”
Metallica – Metallica (“The Black Album”)

Thursday Random Stuff…

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Nvidia Geforce Game Ready 411.63 WHQL Drivers
“Provides the optimal gaming experience for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Forza Horizon 4, and FIFA 19”
Download | Release Notes

AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition Optional 18.9.2
“faster performance” in F1, Fortnight, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Star Control: Origins.
Download | Release Notes

CCleaner v5.47.6716
As mentioned the last few days, CCleaner 5.47.6701 was pulled because of a bug. A company rep said, “The bug relates to a user preference not correctly saving. It does not affect cleaning in any way.”
Difference in changlog between the 2 versions is this:
“Calling the Windows ‘ping’ function is now done explicitly from the /system32/ directory (fixes a potential vulnerability)”
Download (I use the portable version) | Release Announcement

Other Software Updates
EMDB 3.22
Tor Browser 8.0.1

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

Google Says It Continues to Allow Apps to Scan Data From Gmail Accounts
“Google Inc. told lawmakers it continues to allow other companies to scan and share data from Gmail accounts, responding to questions raised on Capitol Hill about privacy and potential misuse of the information contained in users’ emails.”
Nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide

Apple gives you a TRUST rating – and it’s based on your phone call and email habits
“To help identify and prevent fraud, information about how you use your device, including the approximate number of phone calls or emails you send and receive, will be used to compute a device trust score when you attempt a purchase,” Apple explained…The revelation comes exactly one month after the Washington Post revealed Facebook was also giving users trust ratings.”

A public relations nightmare’: Ticketmaster recruits pros for secret scalper program
“Box-office giant Ticketmaster is recruiting professional scalpers who cheat its own system to expand its resale business and squeeze more money out of fans, a CBC News/Toronto Star investigation reveals.”
I don’t think any non-criminal person anywhere likes anything about Ticketmaster.

Credit freezes are now free. Here’s why you might want one
“Many experts agree that freezing your credit report is the strongest way to protect against identity theft.
Starting Friday, you’ll be able to do it free of charge.
In the wake of a massive data breach last year at Equifax that exposed personal information for about 148 million Americans, Congress amended the Fair Credit Reporting Act to require reporting agencies to freeze reports for no charge. Equifax is one of the three major credit reporting agencies in the United States.”
Thanks to Dan S. for the heads up!

KISS End Of The Road World Tour
“After an epic and storied 45 year career that launched an era of rock n roll legends, KISS announced exclusively on NBC’s America’s Got Talent tonight that they are hanging up their 9-inch tall touring boots. The news was delivered in trademark larger-than-life KISS style with a blistering performance of “Detroit Rock City”, proving why the band is known as one of the most iconic live performances that simply can’t be missed. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers who have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide have toured to nearly every city on the planet and played every venue imaginable. Having played for Kings & Queens, for U.S. veterans, and for millions of devoted KISS Army fans, they will play their final shows as part of the multi-year END OF THE ROAD WORLD TOUR. Dates have yet to be announced but KISSonline.com will have all the updates in the weeks to come.”
Kiss Announce Final ‘End of the Road’ World Tour
“All that we have built and all that we have conquered over the past four decades could never have happened without the millions of people worldwide who’ve filled clubs, arenas and stadiums over those years,” Kiss said in a statement. “This will be the ultimate celebration for those who’ve seen us and a last chance for those who haven’t. KISS Army, we’re saying goodbye on our final tour with our biggest show yet and we’ll go out the same way we came in… Unapologetic and Unstoppable.”
Kelly, this one goes out to you brother.

Photo from KISS Richmond, Virginia. September 9th, 2016

Tuesday Morning News

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Win10 Updated
Only builds 1709, 1803 have updates as of this writing.

1709 & 1803 Fixes
This update includes quality improvements. No new operating system features are being introduced in this update. Key changes include:
Addresses a Microsoft Intune issue that occurs after installing any of the updates released between July 24, 2018 and September 11, 2018. Windows no longer recognizes the Personal Information exchange (PFX) certificate that’s used for authenticating to a Wi-Fi or VPN connection. As a result, Microsoft Intune takes a long time to deliver user profiles because it doesn’t recognize that the required certificate is on the device.

1709 Fixes
Addresses an issue that may prevent a VPN connection from establishing for some users that are using VPN with IKEv2. The connection fails with the error, “Remote Access Error 809.”

Win10 1803 – September 17, 2018—KB4464218 (OS Build 17134.286)
Win10 1709 – September 17, 2018—KB4464217 (OS Build 16299.666)

Google Chrome Updated
Version 69.0.3497.100 for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android released.
Desktop version contains 1 security fix.
Android version contains “bug fixes and improvements.”
Download | Download standalone(full) | Download standalone 64-bit Windows version(full)
Download Google Chrome for Android

CCleaner 5.47
Download (I use the portable version) | Release Announcement
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.
This version has been pulled for some reason. I downloaded 5.47.6701 portable so we will see what happens.
Thanks to James P. for the heads up!