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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.

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Tuesday Random Stuff…

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Win10 Updated
IMHO this looks to be a bunch patches for the last borked update. Most of the release notes start with, “Addresses an issue”.

Win10 1803 – July 24, 2018—KB4340917 (OS Build 17134.191)
Win10 1709 – July 24, 2018—KB4338817 (OS Build 16299.579)
Win10 1703 – July 24, 2018—KB4338827 (OS Build 15063.1235)
Win10 1607 – July 24, 2018—KB4338822 (OS Build 14393.2395)

CCleaner 5.45
“Improved”, “Fixed”
“CCleaner now sends a heartbeat every 12 hours which reports up-to-date usage statistics to allow for faster delivery of bug fixes and product improvements”
AFAIK this is only the installed version not the portable version. I watched the portable with Wireshark and it never attempted an network/internet connection.
Download (I use the portable version)

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

Russian hackers breached U.S. electric-utility control rooms, feds say
“Hackers working for Russia claimed “hundreds of victims” last year in a giant and long-running campaign that put them inside the control rooms of U.S. electric utilities where they could have caused blackouts, federal officials said. They said the campaign likely is continuing”
Here is a question and I mean this seriously. Why are things like our electric grid accessible from the outside in the first place?

Graphene and the atomic crystals that could see next big breakthrough in tech
“While Van der Waals heterostructures are still in their infancy, impressive new physics and capabilities are already emerging. These include smaller, lighter, more flexible and more efficient versions of solar cells, LEDs, transistors and magnetic memory.”
Interesting stuff.

If a tick bites you, this is what you need to do
Continuing the info I posted Sunday about ticks. Great article.

Waitress body-slams groping customer: ‘No one has the right to put their hands on you’
With video. You go girl!

22% of US population does not speak English at home
“Some 13.5 percent of the U.S. population — 44 million — is foreign born, the highest level ever, and many are not proficient in English, choosing to speak Spanish at home instead.”

Jimmie Tramel: 20 things to know on 40th anniversary of ‘Animal House’
One of my all-time favs.
Some great lines:
Bluto: What? Over? Did you say “over”? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!
Babs: That boy is a P-I-G pig.
Bluto: See if you can guess what I am now. [puts a scoop of mashed potatoes in his mouth and slams his cheeks with his fists and spits it out] I’m a zit! Get it?? [he smiles]
Bluto: They took the bar! The whole f***ing bar!
Dean Wormer: Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.
Anything “Larry’s evil conscience” said.
Neidermeyer: You’re all worthless and weak! Now drop and give me twenty!
Babs: Greg, honey, is it supposed to be this soft?
Flounder: You guys playing cards?

Americans have 15 “Perfect” Days a Year
Article goes on to list things that put people in a good mood.

TOP 40 MOOD BOOSTERS
Finding money in your pocket you didn’t know you had 58%
Being able to sleep in with no alarm set 55%
Lying in bed listening to rain fall outside 51%
A small gesture of kindness from somebody in your life 49%
Petting a dog 48%
Performing a small gesture of kindness for somebody in your life 47%
Realizing it’s a beautiful, sunny day 46%
Long, hot shower 44%
A meaningful, long hug from somebody you love 42%
Seeing a friend you haven’t seen in a long time 42%
The first sip of coffee of the day 41%
Plopping down on your bed after a long, tiring day 40%
Walking into an air-conditioned building on a hot day 40%
Baked treats (i.e. fresh blueberry pie) 40%
Listening to your favorite album 37%
Watching the sunset or sunrise 37%
Holding hands with someone you love 36%
Getting new clothes 35%
Cuddling your partner before getting up to start your day 34%
Cuddling with your pet after a long day 33%
Waking up to birds chirping 33%
Petting a cat 33%
Cooking your favorite meal 31%
Happening across a smell you enjoy, from cookies to the smell of rain 31%
Exchanging a genuine smile with a stranger 31%
Sunlight on your skin 31%
Getting a new haircut 30%
Finding a good new book to read 29%
Having a pleasant conversation with a total stranger 28%
Meeting a new person you genuinely like 28%
Eating a healthy food that makes you feel good about yourself 28%
Long soak in the tub 27%
Going to the movies 27%
Receiving a bouquet of flowers from someone you care about 25%
Going for a walk alone 25%
A lazy drive to nowhere in particular 25%
Having a nice, long stretch after sitting for awhile 24%
Ordering delivery 24%
Nice glass of beer or wine after a long day 24%
Realizing you’re going to have a good hair day 23%

I currently don’t have a pet, birds chirping first thing in the morning is why BB guns were invented, my idea of healthy food is a bacon cheese burger with onion straws and jalapenos (they count as veggies), cooking…ROTFL, flowers…hops are flowers!, and since I’ve shaved my head I never have a bad hair day.
And, there is something glaringly obvious missing from the list…

TOP 10 MOOD BOOSTING MUSICAL ACTS
The Beatles 32%
The Eagles 26%
Michael Jackson 25%
Queen 23%
Fleetwood Mac 23%
Bruno Mars 22%
Elton John 20%
Elvis Presley 20%
Adele 20%
Whitney Houston 19%

Agree: The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac.
Meh: The Beatles, Elvis
Hell no: everyone else

THE PERFECT DAY, ACCORDING TO RESPONDENTS
Wake up at 8:15 a.m.
The weather is clear skies with a temperature of 74 degrees fahrenheit
Two friends seen
Three hours spent socializing
Two hours spent eating
One hour exercising
Two hours spent reading
Three hours spent watching TV
Four hours spent with family
Three hours spent outside
Four hours of relaxation
Three hours listening to music
In bed at 10:50 p.m.
ENDS

My perfect average day
Wake up at 8:15 a.m.
The weather is clear skies with a temperature of 74 degrees fahrenheit
Eat leftover pizza.
One hour exercising
Lobster roll for lunch.
Three hours spent socializing (to include a beer or two)
Possibly dinner with friends. Seafood or Italian.
Netflix and chill.
In bed at 10:50 p.m.
ENDS

How ’bout you?

Weekend Random Stuff…

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As I mentioned a few weeks back, it is apparent folks are taking much of the summer off. News worthy tech stories are few and far between. That’s probably a good thing.

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

Classic Shell Reborn
Looks like someone has taken over the project.

Microsoft dives down a bizarre non-cumulative rabbit hole with July patches
Woody goes off as only he can.

Microsoft: The Kremlin’s hackers are already sniffing, probing around America’s 2018 elections
“Microsoft says it has already uncovered evidence of Russian government-backed hacking gangs attempting to interfere in the 2018 US mid-term elections.”

[H]ardOCP – How Intel Feels about PC Users
“Have you felt like Intel did not give a damn about the enthusiasts PC users for the last five or six years? From lagging IPC to toothpaste TIMs, I think we are seeing a lot expressed here in a single photograph from its 50th anniversary party that is happening as I type this.”

Ticks that carry Lyme disease are spreading fast
“Think you live in a place that’s free from disease-carrying ticks? Don’t be so sure.
Citizen scientists found ticks capable of transmitting Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses in dozens of places across the United States where the pests had never previously been recorded, a new study reports.
All told, disease-carrying ticks were detected in 83 counties where they’d never been found before across 24 states.”
Insect Repellent:
Picaridin:
Use this on people: Sawyer Products Premium Insect Repellent with 20% Picaridin Consumer Reports says the spray is more effective.
Use this on clothing and gear. NOT people.: Sawyer Products Premium Permethrin Clothing Insect Repellent
*note: If You Spray Your Clothes With Permethrin, Be Careful Around The Cat
Deet:
Ben’s 30% Deet Tick and Insect Repellent best deal is a 3 pack.
The Most Effective Tick Repellents for Humans (and Dogs), According to Science
Consumer Reports – Best Insect Repellent Buying Guide
CDC: Preventing tick bites

Feds want reimbursement for Gwinnett sheriff’s $70K muscle car
“In a recent letter to Conway, the DOJ characterized the sheriff’s purchase of a Dodge Charger Hellcat — a 707-horsepower muscle car that some have called the fastest sedan ever built — as “extravagant.”
But doggone it. How they supposed to catch that Bandit when he comes roaring past Atlanta again?

Here are some of the movie and TV trailers to come out of San Diego Comic-Con 2018
Right now the only one I’m really interested in is, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, even if much of the cast can’t keep their yaps shut.

Omega-3 no protection against heart attack or strokes, say scientists
Don’t worry, there will be a study soon that claims Omega-3 cures everything.

Doctors Give Patients 11 Seconds To Explain Reason For Visit Before Interrupting
Unfortunately I have had a lot of doctors through the years. I have had the good fortune to have some fantastic doctors. I have also had some that were the most arrogant, condescending people I have ever dealt with. Not surprisingly they were also the least competent.

Health Insurers Are Vacuuming Up Details About You — And It Could Raise Your Rates
“The companies are tracking your race, education level, TV habits, marital status, net worth. They’re collecting what you post on social media, whether you’re behind on your bills, what you order online. Then they feed this information into complicated computer algorithms that spit out predictions about how much your health care could cost them.”

Millennials Most Likely To Post Deceptive Vacation Photos To Make Social Media Followers Jealous
“More than one third (36 percent) of Millennials (ages 18-34) have aimed to deceive their followers by posting social media vacation images that make trips look better than they are, according to the 10th annual 2018 Vacation Confidence Index*, released by Allianz Global Assistance. The study found that 15 percent of Gen X’ers (ages 35 – 54) and five percent of Baby Boomers (ages 55+) have done the same.”
I’m shocked, shocked I tell you!

Francesco Molinari wins The Open after holding off Tiger Woods, Justin Rose & Rory McIlroy
It was a great final round to watch. Good to see Tiger do so well. Rory had a heck of a charge going until the last 3 holes. Congrats to the winner, Francesco Molinari. He is the first Italian to win a major.

UNC Football Coach Larry Fedora Says An Emphasis On Player Safety Will Be The Downfall Of America
I first started reading the article because Red Hat Software (Fedora Linux) is like 1/2 hour away from UNC, which I found hysterical. Then I read good ol’ Larry’s statements:
“I believe the game is under attack right now. I really do. And if we’re not careful, we’re going to lose what the game is all about… I fear that the game will get pushed so far to one extreme that you won’t recognize the game 10 years from now. That’s what I worry about. And I do believe if it gets to that point, that our country goes down, too.”
and
“I don’t think it’s been proven that the game of football causes CTE, but that’s been put out there. We don’t really know yet.”
From wikipedia: “The Tar Heels finished the 2017 season 3–9, 1–7 in ACC play to finish in last place in the Coastal Division.”
You Heels fans need to get a new coach.

China is waging a ‘quiet kind of cold war’ against US, top CIA expert says
“Beijing doesn’t want to go to war, a top CIA expert on Asia said, but the current communist government, under President Xi Jinping, is subtly working on multiple fronts to undermine the U.S. in ways that are different than the more well-publicized activities being employed by Russia.
“I would argue … that what they’re waging against us is fundamentally a cold war — a cold war not like we saw during THE Cold War (between the U.S. and the Soviet Union) but a cold war by definition,” Michael Collins, deputy assistant director of the CIA’s East Asia mission center, said at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado.”

Patch Tuesday

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Windows Updates
Updates available for all supported operating systems. Windows 7 & 8 have bugfixes and security fixes.
Windows 10 Release History
Win10 1803 – July 10, 2018—KB4338819 (OS Build 17134.165)
Win10 1709 – July 10, 2018—KB4338825 (OS Build 16299.547)
Win10 1703 – July 10, 2018—KB4338826 (OS Build 15063.1206)
Win10 1607 – July 10, 2018—KB4338814 (OS Build 14393.2363)

Adobe Reader Updated
APSB18-21 Security updates available for Adobe Acrobat and Reader
Download | Home

Mp3tag v2.89
“Mp3tag is a powerful and easy-to-use tool to edit metadata of audio files.”
Download | Release Info

Tuesday Random Stuff…

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White Water Rafting Advice
I’ve been rafting twice in West Virginia and I’m look for someplace new. Class 4 & 5 preferred. I’ve been looking at maybe the Youghiogheny River and the Wilderness Voyageurs company.
If you have some input on Eastern U.S. white water rafting please reply to this post or contact me.

Windows 10 Updated
Win10 April Update (v1803) has an update. Bunch of fixes:
June 26, 2018—KB4284848 (OS Build 17134.137)
FYI, I went back to build 1709. Too many issues with 1803.

Browser Updates
Chrome 67.0.3396.99 Download | Download standalone(full) | Download standalone 64-bit Windows version(full)
Firefox 61 – Download EN-US 64-bit | All Firefox Versions | Release Notes

Other Software Updates
CCleaner 5.44.6575
Tails 3.8

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

Guess Which Place Is The Psychopath Capital of The US, According to Science
1. District of Columbia
2. Connecticut
3. California
4. New Jersey
5 (tie). New York
5 (tie). Wyoming

Creepy Patents Show Facebook’s Relentless Drive to Track Every Detail of Users’ Lives
#DeleteFacebook. It’s not like Zuckerberg needs the money.

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

Patch Tuesday

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Got Windows? You got updates. MS Office too. See the end of this post for full breakdown. Among many other things these Windows Updates contain more Spectre fixes.
Win10 1803 – June 12, 2018—KB4284835 (OS Build 17134.112)
Win10 1709 – June 12, 2018—KB4284819 (OS Build 16299.492)
Win10 1703 – June 12, 2018—KB4284874 (OS Build 15063.1155)
Win10 1607 – June 12, 2018—KB4284880 (OS Build 14393.2312)

All flash plugins were patched last week. I’m not gonna track this security nightmare anymore. Do yourself a favor and uninstall it. I have it installed on like one of 7 computers and I don’t even remember why it is installed on that.

Chrome Updated
“The stable channel has been updated to 67.0.3396.87 for Windows, Mac, and Linux…This update includes 1 security fix”
Download
Download standalone(full)
Download standalone 64-bit Windows version(full)

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Tweaking Windows 10 Updated

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It’s been a year since I’ve updated Tweaking Windows 10 and Windows 10 Privacy Settings.
In my humble opinion, not all that much has changed. At least, not for the way I use a PC. Screens look different, a few more options here and there…
For the Windows 10 Privacy Settings there were few significant changes. For the Tweak Guide, 9 of 21 web pages had changes, again nothing earth shattering. (FYI, pages 9, 10, 12-17, 19)
One thing I refused to put in the Tweak Guide at this point was anything related to Game Mode. I’ve yet to see any reliable benchmarks on this and in my own limited benchmarks I’ve seen no change at all.

If you have purchased a Win10 Tweak Guide and are due an upgrade, please forward your receipt to me.