Today is patch Tuesday. My advice from last Patch Tuesday holds,
“Unless you are a masochist you shouldn’t be updating any Windows machine today.“
I’ll post more info this afternoon.
oops, I was a week early.
Computer stuff...

Today is patch Tuesday. My advice from last Patch Tuesday holds,
“Unless you are a masochist you shouldn’t be updating any Windows machine today.“
I’ll post more info this afternoon.
oops, I was a week early.

Center For Humane Technology
Technology is hijacking our minds and society.
Our world-class team of deeply concerned former tech insiders and CEOs intimately understands the culture, business incentives, design techniques, and organizational structures driving how technology hijacks our minds.
Since 2013, we’ve raised awareness of the problem within tech companies and for millions of people through broad media attention, convened top industry executives, and advised political leaders. Building on this start, we are advancing thoughtful solutions to change the system.
“Facebook appeals to your lizard brain — primarily fear and anger,” he said. “And with smartphones, they’ve got you for every waking moment.”
“We are not anti-tech, we are into the appropriate and balanced use of technology. We are calling out the industry for their excesses and their intentional effects to manipulate and addict.”
“The Center for Humane Technology is the latest genesis of former Google design ethicist Tristan Harris, who is also behind the Time Well Spent movement. Harris, who worked at Google until 2016, has made a name for himself as a thought leader encouraging designers to craft apps and services in ways that enhance humanity. He is the executive director and cofounder of the new organization.
Others involved with the organization include Justin Rosenstein, who helped create Facebook’s Like button, and Dave Morin, a former senior platform manager at Facebook.
Meanwhile, Roger McNamee, a founding adviser of the new group, served as a mentor to Mark Zuckerberg in Facebook’s early days. The veteran tech investor told CNN Tech the goal of the organization is to “empower people who are concerned about the dark side of technology.”

I don’t care about the ads (dilly, dilly). I don’t care about the halftime show (unless JT sings dickinabox). I don’t really care who wins the Super Bowl. I’m a Washington Redskin’s fan with the Oakland L.A. Oakland Las Vegas Raiders being my second team. My teams have sucked forever. However, at least they have won some Super Bowls. In as much as they are our NFC East rivals, I would just as soon the Eagles not win. It is so much fun shutting down any smack talking with a “Zero Super Bowl wins” comeback.
![]()

If you’ve hung around here for a while you know I’m in to craft beer. Yelp says I’ve checked in to 45 breweries in the last 2 years.
I’ve decided to learn more about this whole craft beer thing. Lately I have:
– Taken: P’s & Q’s: An Introduction to Craft Beer course, offered by the VCU Office of Continuing and Professional Education.
– This morning I got my Beer 101 Certificate (took less than an hour)
– I’m on Chapter 9 of Tasting Beer, 2nd Edition: An Insider’s Guide to the World’s Greatest Drink
Next up is the Cicerone Certified Beer Server exam.
Not sure where I’m headed with this. Maybe I will try and sling some beers at a local brewery and see if I fit in to the craft beer culture.
Anyone out there into craft beer? Anything to share? Got any tips or advice?


Google Chrome 64
“The stable channel has been updated to 64.0.3282.140 for Windows, Mac and Linux…This update includes 1 security fix”
Download
Leaping To Failure
openSUSE Leap 15 Beta has been released. “Leap 15 is expected to use the 4.12 series kernel.”
4.12??? WTH? 4.14 LTS was released in NOVEMBER. Reckon I will be skipping another release.
Off Topic
Nice Commercial But Your Beer Sucks
“Budweiser has fared even worse. Sales of the brand, which have declined each year since 1988, were down 6.8 percent in 2017…In the most recent four-week period, Bud Light volume was down 6.8 percent, according to Nielsen data through Jan. 13. (Coors Light volume was down 3 percent and Miller Lite volume was down 0.6 percent during the same period.)”
Folks with taste buds are finding the answer in craft beer. Dilly Dilly indeed.
related:
The #1 Beer Destination In The World
1. Richmond, Virginia
“From one craft brewery to 22 in less than 10 years, RVA is officially on the map
Beer has blossomed in Richmond, and it’s time we all take notice. As the recently revamped Richmond Beer Trail will tell you, this Southern city is now rich with breweries.”
WooHoo!
Men are more attractive when desired by other women, study finds
“A trait which is often seen in female birds and fish, the idea behind mate copying or The Wedding Ring Effect, is that by already being in a relationship or desired by other women, a man has already proven that they have some desirable characteristics.”
![]()
We kinda already knew that didn’t we bros?! Anywho, might wanna share this article with your gal.
![]()
I’m So Proud Of You
Facebook lost daily users for the first time ever in the U.S. and Canada
“Facebook’s daily active user base in the U.S. and Canada fell for the first time ever in the fourth quarter, dropping to 184 million from 185 million in the previous quarter.“

Software Updates
7-Zip 18.0.1
Nvidia GeForce Drivers 390.77 WHQL
Firefox 58.0.1
Firefox 32-bit
Firefox 64-bit
All downloads
Release Notes (not up yet)
Not Intel-ligent
“In initial disclosures about critical security flaws discovered in its processors, Intel Corp. notified a small group of customers, including Chinese technology companies, but left out the U.S. government, according to people familiar with the matter and some of the companies involved.”
My first thought was the word “treasonous”. Yeah I know, but that is what came to mind. Probably doesn’t rise to that but it sure is stupid. Amazing that a company full of some of the brightest among us has failed so miserably recently.
About That Windows Unpatch Patch
Over the weekend several sites have reported that “Microsoft issues emergency Windows update” that unpatched the Spectre patch.
AFAIK they haven’t put anything on Window Update and there is no “out-of-band update”, at least not on any of my 7 running PCs. Frankly I think they all got the news from AskWoody who is the only site I’ve seen get it right:
“The patch is only available from the Update Catalog, and it’s the same patch for all versions of Windows.”
and
“It’s highly likely that when Intel gives the all-clear for Spectre variant 2, it’ll be part of yet another patch.”
and most importantly
“Moral of the story: Wait.”
Pai In Your Face
How does this embarrassment still have a job?
Big Brother
iVerge – Exclusive: ICE is about to start tracking license plates across the US
They are tracking everyone plates not just illegals. I don’t have much to complain about as I have an E-ZPass but that is an opt-in thing.
Ars Pro
Ars Technica is turning to a premium subscription model. I’ve only tried one and that was over at Paul Thurrott’s site. I let that expire as I didn’t feel the value was worth the cost. Is this where the web is headed?
Logic
Non sequitur. Some folks really need to understand this before they make comments.
RIP Mort Walker


Google is worried about your privacy:

Seriously though, you should check your Google privacy settings regularly:
https://myaccount.google.com/intro/privacycheckup

Please Stand By
“Dakota Fanning stars as a woman who escapes a group home hoping to get her Star Trek script produced in Hollywood. On the way she must conquer a new world full of challenges.”
This is in theaters but is also on Comcast PPV which is how I watched it. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.
Hostiles
Way too long and too boring. I’m not sure what the message was except, “all men suck, especially white men”.
It was well acted.
The Movie Theater
I’ve gone off on the movie going experience before. We walk up. +100 people in line. The kiosk/auto ticket line is shorter but only one of the two computers are operational. 20 minute wait. Get inside, a 10 minute wait for the ticket taker. Someone cuts and the teenage ticket taker lets this happen. Since I am almost next I speak up on behalf of the multitude,”Why would you let him through, he obviously cut the line.” Before he can answer an off-duty but uniformed Barney Fife sticks his nose in, “There are 2 lines” he says. “No there is not”, I answer. “Yeah”, says the woman in front of me to the cop. He backs off and I let it go. Now the concession line. They have one of those winding rope patterns set up for it. It looks to be at least a 20 minute wait. No popcorn for me.
There are 7 movies previews. There are commercials for the Coke and popcorn that apparently they think I paid to watch. There reminders to STFU. There are reminders to silence your phones that several people obviously ignore. Ditto for texting.
And they wonder why people don’t go to movies.