TweakHound

Computer stuff...

Tuesday Random Stuff…

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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%)

Monday Random Stuff…

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Samsung NVM Express Driver 3.1
Windows 10 RS5 compatibility fix
The driver supports the Samsung NVMe SSD 970 PRO, 970 EVO, 970 EVO Plus, 960 PRO, 960 EVO and 950 PRO.
The driver supports Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.
Release Notes (In Installation Guide)
FYI –  RS5 is Win10 build 1809 or “October 2018 Update”. It would kill you guys at Samsung to use the common build number or name?
Download
For the next days or weeks you will likely get a “We apologize for your inconvenience Please try again within 24 hours” notice because whoever is in charge over there obviously has trouble doing their job. So I’m gonna throw it up here for a while:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/xx61mg11i6rkb85/Samsung_NVM_Express_Driver_3.1.zip/file

Software Downloads
Notepad++ 7.6.3
VirtualBox 6.0.4

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

Intel Core i9-9900KF Listed at U.S. Retailers – [H]ardOCP
Twitter user and dataminer momomo_us just spotted an Intel Core i9-9900KF listed at B&H Photo and Video, and a quick search on Google shows that NextWarehouse and NeutronUSA have the processor up for sale too. Unfortunately, B&H has the i9-9900KF priced at $582.50, which is significantly higher than the ~$530 street price regular 9900Ks are going for right now.

Polar vortex to bring prolonged, life-threatening cold outbreak to midwestern US this week
The coldest weather in years will put millions of people and animals throughout the midwestern United States at risk for hypothermia and frostbite to occur in minutes during the final days of January.
Forecasted low at my house in Virginia is expected to bottom out around 12°F (-11.11°C) on Wednesday night. Then by next Monday we will be back up to 61°F (16.11°C).
Stay safe y’all. Find someone to share body heat with.

Best Buy security guard fired after tackling man who allegedly struck California cop, tried to flee
A Best Buy security guard who tackled a man wanted on a felony warrant — and who had allegedly just hit a cop — was reportedly fired for his good deed because it ran counter to corporate policy.
Screw Best Buy. They probably won’t be around much longer anyway. I hope this guys gets hired by a good security company.

Data Privacy Day

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Data Privacy Day (known in Europe as Data Protection Day) is an international holiday that occurs every 28 January. The purpose of Data Privacy Day is to raise awareness and promote privacy and data protection best practices. It is currently observed in the United States, Canada, Israel and 47 European countries.
Wikipedia

How to protect yourself this Data Privacy Day – Naked Security
Today is Data Privacy Day. And, to celebrate, we asked our security experts to share their top tips for protecting your privacy online.

Data Privacy Day: Check Your Security Settings on Email, Facebook, & Google
This year, privacy proponents will have more on their mind than whether you’re still using “password” as an actual password. If you have multiple email addresses, for example, do you have two factor authentication (2FA) set up? Has the ancient Hotmail account you used when you signed up for Facebook in 2005 since been compromised? And say, how much information do social media platforms have on you, anyway? Here’s how to make sure your virtual locks aren’t rusted over.

I think most of you guys practice decent security. But, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Are those close to you practicing good security? Their lack of security and over-sharing information can be putting you at risk. Might wanna pass on these articles.

Samsung 970 EVO Plus Pre-order

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***UPDATE – AS of 0840hrs EST, 03FEB2019 These items have disappeared from Amazon. Will update when they return.

“This item will be released on February 10, 2019”

Samsung 970 EVO Plus Series – 1TB PCIe NVMe – M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-V7S1T0B/AM)
Price: $249.99

Samsung 970 EVO Plus Series – 500GB PCIe NVMe – M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-V7S500B/AM)
Price: $129.99

Samsung 970 EVO Plus Series – 250GB PCIe NVMe – M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-V7S250B/AM)
Price: $89.99

Weekend Random Stuff…

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Belarc Advisor 9 Released
This is the Granddaddy of system info tools. I don’t generally recommend this to most folks anymore:
– Way more info than the average person needs or knows what to do with.
– There is no reason an app like this needs to be installed. Portable please.
– Trying to up-sell “Enterprise version”
– Are they still using the same installer from Windows 98?
Alternatives: Speccy (portable), HWinfo (portable), Nirsoft ProduKey (zip)

MP3tag 2.93
Download | Changelog
Thanks Calvin!

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

Upcoming Version of Google Chrome Will Make It Harder to Block Ads
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Chrome API update will kill a bunch of other extensions, not just ad blockers
Huh. An ad company using it’s monopoly to control what ads you see. Who would’ve thought?

Should Young Americans Be Required To Do Public Service? Federal Panel Says Maybe
Should the U.S. require its citizens to perform public service? Should its young women register for the draft?
A federal panel says it is working on answers to those questions — and is considering how the nation could implement a universal service program and whether it should be mandatory or optional.
Panel says “maybe”, Eric says, “You’re damn right they should”. Military, Peace Corps, Public works…Everyone. Period. No deferments for any reason.

Veteran who lost leg in Afghanistan helps Colin Powell change flat tire
General Colin Powell shared a touching story and photos on Facebook Thursday, thanking a veteran for helping him change his tire.

Using Macrium Reflect Boot Media

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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

Wednesday Morning Random Stuff…

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Win10 1809 Updated
19 “addresses an issue” and 1 driver, for a tape drive. I swear I didn’t know tape drives were still use in but I reckon they are.
January 22, 2019—KB4476976 (OS Build 17763.292)

The Samsung 970 EVO Plus (250GB, 1TB) NVMe SSD Review: 96-Layer 3D NAND
With Samsung launching the 970 EVO Plus at the same prices as the 970 EVO, they’re taking one of the fastest TLC drives and making it a slightly better deal…For most purposes, the 970 EVO Plus can now be regarded as Samsung’s flagship consumer SSD, and it deserves that title.
https://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/minisite/ssd/product/consumer/970evoplus/
Not showing up at Amazon, Microcenter, Frys, or Best Buy (as of this writing).

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

Google Maps will now display speed limits for its Android and iOS apps
displays the posted speed limit on roads in the corner of the app, and also introduces an icon to denote the location of speed cameras
Thats good news. For the past few years I’ve bounced back and forth between Google Maps and Waze. Waze is great for getting you out of a fix and for letting your know where “emergency vehicles” are. However it’s directions have gotten weirder over time.

Tim Cook pretends to care about privacy in Time op-ed
If Tim Cook and Apple really cared about privacy, they wouldn’t have thrown 1.2 billion Chinese under the bus by handing over iCloud data to the Chinese government, and by sheepishly refusing to even mention “China” when it comes to Apple’s thin veneer of “privacy first”.
Apple’s complete cooperation with the Chinese government makes it very clear that Apple is all too eager to roll over and disregard its privacy chest-thumping the second their own bottom line is at risk. And lest we forget – China is a totalitarian, repressive regime that doesn’t shy away from torture and concentration camps.

Geolocation Data Could Get Privacy Protection Under New ADD Act
The bill uses as its framework the Privacy Act of 1974, which governs how federal agencies handle and protect records about individuals. Under the 1974 Act the government cannot (with some exceptions) share data about someone without their prior permission and must allow a person to see, get a copy of and correct records about themselves. The government can be sued for violating the Act.

Gap between rich and poor growing, fuelling global anger
A new billionaire was created every two days last year, just as the poorest half of the world’s population saw their wealth decline by 11 percent
World’s 26 richest people own as much as poorest 50%
The growing concentration of the world’s wealth has been highlighted by a report showing that the 26 richest billionaires own as many assets as the 3.8 billion people who make up the poorest half of the planet’s population.
Make No Mistake, Davos, the Fat Cat Backlash Is Coming
There has always been a whiff of hypocrisy at Davos, where elites expand their carbon footprint, eat $43 hot dogs and throw lavish parties in the name of making the world a better place. “Fat cats in the snow,” the regular attendee Bono once called it (and he should know). But given the rapid advances of populist politics, it’s remarkable that in 2019, those felines are looking better-fed than ever. The past decade and a half has seen U.S. corporate profits outgrow employee compensation at an unprecedented pace, according to the St. Louis Fed. A Bloomberg News analysis of the fortunes of a dozen Davos attendees found that they soared by a combined $175 billion since 2009.

***Aspirin lowers heart attack risk but raises risk of dangerous bleeding
Big warnings floating around this week over this news. Be sure to actually read what the article/study says and talk to your doctor before buying into these hyped up articles. Doctors have long recommended low-dose aspirin to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Bayer, Walgreens, CVS, Equate, Kirkland, St. Joseph and a host of other brands of  low dose aspirin are 81mg. The study claims increased risk but they measured doses as large as high as 500mg.
Doctors today typically don’t prescribe doses higher than 100 mg.
Still, the results reinforce the need for doctors and patients to have a thoughtful discussion of the benefits and harms of aspirin for primary prevention of heart attacks and strokes, Dr. Michael Gaziano of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston writes in an accompanying editorial.
The study page (account needed for full access, sorry fellow peons):
Association of Aspirin Use for Primary Prevention With Cardiovascular Events and Bleeding Events

Saints Fans Are Suing The NFL Over A Blown Call And It’s The Legal Equivalent Of A Hail Mary
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Second Saints fan lawsuit names NFL, individual refs over pivotal ‘no-call’ in NFC title game
There was one BS call after another this season. There were missed calls everywhere too. The NFL has become a farce. But, these lawsuits will fail.

Fitness Watches

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Anyone use a Fitness Band or Fitness Watch?
I’ve been looking for one but I can’t find one that fits my needs. A significant portion of my fitness activities involve weightlifting. My research seems to indicate that these products fail to accurately/effectively deal with this activity. Also, I’m not sure something around the wrist is a great idea as I use lifting straps for shrugs and back exercises.
The only products I see that do weightlifting are sleeves which are well, just no (if you are a weightlifter you’ll understand on sight).
I don’t need it to even track a workout. I really would just like it to accurately reflect cardio and calories burned during the weightlifting. I guess to do all that it might need to track a workout, I dunno.
I also don’t want to stand there fumbling with the product before each set.
Does anyone have any input on this?

Edit 04FEB2019
I give up. All I wanted was a watch that accurately measures cardio and calories burned across all my activities. Especially and including weightlifting. I don’t need a coach, or advice. I don’t want to input my reps. I could live with a external monitor of some kind tied to the watch but not an arm or chest band. AFAIK the device I want doesn’t exist.