Computer News

Google Chrome 77.0.3865.120
“This update includes 8 security fixes.”
Download desktop version 32-bit or 64-bit
Chrome for Android 77.0.3865.116 was released 2 days ago.

Firefox 69.0.3
Couple of fixes.
Download 32-bit or 64-bit

Latest Drivers
AMD Radeon Adrenalin 2019 Edition 19.10.1 Optional
Intel PROSet/Wireless Software and Drivers Version 21.40.2: Windows 7 | Windows 8.1 | Windows 10
Intel Wireless Bluetooth Drivers Version 21.20.0/21.40.2: Windows 7 | Windows 8.1 | Windows 10
Intel RST Drivers Version 17.7.0.1006

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

I just saw Ghacks was sold. Lots of folks are unhappy about it.

Cambridge Analytica whistleblower: US heading in ‘same direction as China’ with online privacy
“Just because it’s not the state doesn’t mean that there isn’t harmful impacts that could come if you have one or two large companies monitoring or tracking everything you do,” he said…While Cambridge Analytica has since shut down, Wylie said the tactics it used could be deployed elsewhere, and that is why data privacy regulation needs to be dramatically enhanced. “Even if the company has dissolved, the capabilities of the company haven’t,” he said. “My real concern is what happens if China becomes the next Cambridge Analytica, what happens if North Korea becomes the next Cambridge Analytica?”

Amazon Workers May Be Watching Your Cloud Cam Home Footage
“Dozens of Amazon workers based in India and Romania review select clips captured by Cloud Cam, according to five people who have worked on the program or have direct knowledge of it.“

Win10 Updated
“This is a required security update that expands the out-of-band update dated September 23, 2019. This security update includes the Internet Explorer scripting engine security vulnerability (CVE-2019-1367) mitigation and corrects a recent printing issue some users have experienced.”
1903 – October 3, 2019—KB4524147 (OS Build 18362.388)
1809 – October 3, 2019—KB4524148 (OS Build 17763.775)

Political Operatives Are Faking Voter Outrage With Millions Of Made-Up Comments To Benefit The Rich And Powerful
“A fierce battle over the regulation of the internet was riddled with millions of fake comments in the most prolific known instance of political impersonation in US history…The New York attorney general opened an investigation and has since issued subpoenas to more than a dozen entities — estimating that “as many as 9.6 million comments may have used stolen identities.”
You need to read this.

Firefox 69.0.2
3 fixes.
Download 32-bit or 64-bit | Release Notes

CCleaner 5.62
A meh update. I would skip it.
Download (I use portable) | Release Announcement
See also: Blocking A Programs Internet Access Via The Windows Firewall

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

iVerge – Microsoft doesn’t think Windows is important anymore
“The operating system is no longer the most important layer for us…What is most important for us is the app model and the experience.”
Maybe that’s why Win10 updates are a mess.

Here’s that hippie, pro-privacy, pro-freedom Apple y’all so love: Hong Kong protest safety app banned from iOS store
“Apple has banned an app that allows people in Hong Kong to keep track of protests and police activity in the city state, claiming such information is illegal.”
So when is Apple gonna ban Waze? OIC, it’s just big tech giving in to the Chicoms again.

Sorry, not much free time lately.

Latest Drivers
AMD Chipset Drivers 1.9.27.1033
AMD Radeon Adrenalin 2019 Edition 19.9.3 Optional
Nvidia Geforce Game Ready WHQL Driver 436.48
Intel Windows 10 Graphics DHC Drivers 26.20.100.7212

Wise Disk Cleaner 10.2.5
Download (I use portable) | Release Notes

Windows 10 Updated
“Security updates to Internet Explorer”. ATM this you have to manually install the update. If you aren’t using IE ignore this update.
1903 – September 23, 2019—KB4522016 (OS Build 18362.357)
1809 – September 23, 2019—KB4522015 (OS Build 17763.740)
1803 – September 23, 2019—KB4522014 (OS Build 17134.1009)

Macrium Reflect v7.2.4473
Download | Release Notes
When attempting download you’ll get a pop-up asking for your email addy. Just click continue an do not enter email addy.

VMware Workstation Player 15.5
Support for new OS versions and a few fixes.
Download | Release Notes

Samsung Magician Software v6.0.0.100 “Released”
Download Page | Download
You’ll probably get an error message when attempting download, as is always the case. Apparently a global company like Samsung can’t handle a little download traffic and can’t be bothered to update the release info.
Try Major Geeks to download.

Chrome Updated
Version 77.0.3865.92 released for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android. The desktop version has 4 security fixes. The Android version “includes stability and performance improvements.”
Download desktop version 32-bit or 64-bit
Android users, you’ll get it when they feel like making it available to you at the Play Store.

Firefox 69.0.1
1 security fix and a few bugfixes.
Download 32-bit or 64-bit

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

Sam Esmail’s new Battlestar Galactica series won’t be a reboot
“BSG fans, this will NOT be a remake of the amazing series @RonDMoore launched because… why mess with perfection? Instead, we’ll explore a new story within the mythology while staying true to the spirit of Battlestar,” Esmail tweeted. “So say we all!”
So say we all.

Intel Graphics – Windows 10 DCH Drivers
Version: 26.20.100.7158
Download & Info

Sysinternals Freeware Updates
Process Explorer v16.30 | Sigcheck v2.73 | Sysmon v10.4

Tails 3.16
“This release fixes many security vulnerabilities. You should upgrade as soon as possible.”
Download

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

FAQ: How to manage Windows 10 updates
“If you’ve spent years mastering the ins and outs of Windows Update, prepare to do some unlearning. Windows 10, with its emphasis on “Windows as a service,” keeps rewriting the rules of updates and upgrades. Here’s what you need to know. [Updated September 2019]”
Ed Bott doing his usual awesome job.

These Are the Best Craft Beer Cities in the U.S.
“these rankings are based on cumulative data for each of the 100 most populous cities in the U.S., including:
the total number of high-quality breweries per capita,
the highest rated beer,
the cheapest average price for a pint,
and the total number of high-quality beer bars per capita.”
My area (Richmond, Virginia) coming in at number 9 nationally and number 1 in it’s region which for some damn reason is listed as the Northeast. The Mason-Dixon line is north of here boys.

AMD Radeon Adrenalin 2019 Edition 19.9.1 Optional
Support for Gears 5
Download | Release Notes

VirtualBox 6.0.12
“maintenance release”
Download | Changelog

Penetration Testing Distros New Releases
Kali Linux 2019.3
BlackArch Linux 2019.09.01

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

16 Hyper-Threaded Cores At 5GHz
“The Intel Core i9-9900KS will feature eight cores with Hyper-Threading running at 4.0 GHz base frequency and boosting all the way to 5.0 GHz on all cores, up 300 MHz from 4.7 GHz in case of the Core i9-9900K. Essentially, the new CPU is just an eight-core Coffee Lake Refresh silicon binned to hit higher clocks when cooling is good enough.”
Me want.

Google has secret webpages that feed your personal data to advertisers, report says
“said he discovered that Google used a tracker containing web browsing information, location and other data and sent it to ad companies via webpages that “showed no content,” according to FT. This could allow companies buying ads to match a user’s Google profile and web activity to profiles from other companies, which is against Google’s own ad buying rules, according to the FT.”
Google responded just like my Alzheimer’s/Dementia-ridden Dad, “I didn’t do it and don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Where do hurricanes occur?
&
Ranking of cities and islands affected most by tropical storms and hurricanes
I was thinking about seeing the same places hit over and over again by hurricanes so I looked it up.

‘It’s not being run properly’ – NFL insiders critical of Daniel Snyder 20 years into Redskins ownership
It doesn’t seem John Kent Cooke is a fan, of Snyder or what he’s done with the team his father had for 36 years.
“Unlike Snyder,” he said. “I return phone calls.”
Cooke continued: “I think that what’s happened over the 20-year period is that he has taken a franchise that has been universally respected in sports, not just the NFL, and proceeded to drag it down to mediocrity. It’s no longer one of the premier sports franchises in the United States.”
“As long as Dan’s there, they don’t have a chance,” the former franchise employee said.
Under Snyder, the Redskins are just 139-180-1, a .436 winning percentage.
While Washington’s struggles don’t necessarily impact the value of other NFL teams, the optics of one of the league’s marquee franchises struggling on-field and being a mess off it isn’t great.
“It’s more the perception of it,” an NFL power broker said. “You have a top-flight franchise that should be doing very, very well. But they’re not. … It’s just not being run properly.”
A buddy actually sent me the link to this. He said, “Those guys are saying what you’ve been saying for years.”
The Skins are my team. They have sucked/do suck/will suck which is why I don’t watch much football anymore.

Spend $50 get $10 off on select IRWIN products
I bought a Irwin pliers set a few years back. They have served me well.

Firefox 69
Enhanced Tracking Protection on by default.
Download | Release Notes

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

Harry Potter books removed from St. Edward Catholic School due to ‘curses and spells’
“The seven-book series depicting the magical adventures of a young wizard and his friends was removed from the library because of their content, the Rev. Dan Reehil, a pastor at the Roman Catholic parish school, wrote in an email.
“These books present magic as both good and evil, which is not true, but in fact a clever deception. The curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells; which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the text,” the email states”
Eric casts Expecto Patronum at idiot “Reverend”. I’d rather use another spell but it was banned by the Ministry of Magic.

People who post selfies are seen as less likable and less successful, WSU study finds
“In a study that will publish this fall in the Journal of Research in Personality, individuals who posted a lot of selfies were almost uniformly viewed as less likable, less successful and more insecure than people who posted more “posies” — that is, traditionally posed photos that appear to be taken by someone else.”
Nobody likes or respects narcissists.

Meet The Man Who Guards America’s Ketchup
“A man named Hector Osorno. They call him the ketchup master, which is actually a formal title at Kraft Heinz. “He’s completely obsessed [with ketchup],” Siragusa tells me. “He’s got secrets that he won’t divulge.”
Guarding the good name of the worlds only true ketchup. You sir are a hero.

J.J. Watt’s Foundation Has Rebuilt Over 1,100 Homes (And Counting) With The Money It Raised Following Hurricane Harvey
“As things currently stand, Watt’s foundation and their non-profit partners have helped reconstruct almost 1,200 homes (a number that will only continue to rise) and have distributed hundreds of millions of meals for those impacted by a storm whose impact still lingers to this day.”
Many TweakHound readers donated so I thought an update was appropriate.

Humans and Neanderthals Kept Breeding—and Breeding—for Ages
I’m just gonna say that this proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that beer existed back then too…

Intel Ethernet Drivers v24.2
Windows 7 | Windows 8.1 | Windows 10 | Complete Pack | Release Notes

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

Doorbell-camera firm Ring has partnered with 400 police forces, extending surveillance reach
“But legal experts and privacy advocates have voiced alarm about the company’s eyes-everywhere ambitions and increasingly close relationship with police, saying the program could threaten civil liberties, turn residents into informants, and subject innocent people, including those who Ring users have flagged as “suspicious,” to greater surveillance and potential risk.
“If the police demanded every citizen put a camera at their door and give officers access to it, we might all recoil,” said Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, a law professor and author of “The Rise of Big Data Policing.”
By tapping into “a perceived need for more self-surveillance and by playing on consumer fears about crime and security,” he added, Ring has found “a clever workaround for the development of a wholly new surveillance network, without the kind of scrutiny that would happen if it was coming from the police or government.”
I warned of this last December: Amazon’s Disturbing Plan to Add Face Surveillance to Your Front Door

Whole Foods CEO on plant-based meat boom: Good for the environment but not for your health
“if you look at the ingredients, they are super, highly processed foods.”
You couldn’t pay me to eat that crap. Well you could but it would cost you at least Surf & Turf dinner (with adult beverages).

Workers say wearing jeans to work is worth $5,000 to them
“In fact, 33% would rather quit their job — or decline a job offer — if it meant wearing business attire every day of the week, according to a new study by staffing firm Randstad US, which looked at attitudes about workplace fashion.
Similarly, one-third of workers said they would rather have a casual dress code than an extra $5,000 in pay each year.”
I don’t like suits. I don’t wear suits. I don’t understand suits. IMHO it’s the uniform of a bygone era.