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Tuesday Random Stuff…

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Macrium Reflect 7.2
Download | Release Notes

Wise Disk Cleaner 10.1.2.757
Download (I use portable) | Release Announcement

New Linux Releases
Fedora 29 – IMB is buying their “sponsor” Red Hat. It will be interesting to see what happens to Fedora.
Kali 2018.4 – “penetration testing platform”
Manjaro – This is a rolling release distro. I’m generally not a fan of rolling releases but this one is at the top of the board at Distrowatch so what do I know.

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

What is FLAC? The high-def MP3 explained
“CNET explains what FLAC is, where to buy music in the format, and how to play it on your phone, computer or hi-fi.”
I’m ripping exclusively to FLAC now. I haven’t found a single Windows or Linux software audio player that doesn’t play it. AFAIK Android phones have always played it and Apple finally supported it with iOS 11.

Walmart is selling its own line of gaming PCs and the specs don’t suck
No thanks. I can’t stand that place.

Bars in downtown Reykjavík ran out of beer serving thirsty US sailors and marines
Well done!

Avery Tweak Beer
Picked up a bottle of Avery Tweak beer today. Those guys make some seriously delicious beer.
Now if they would just make one called TweakHound…

Weekend Random Stuff…

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Software Updates
AMD has new drivers if you are playing Fallout76 Beta.
CCleaner has an update for the 3 of you that are using Edge.
Nvidia has some 416.64 beta drivers to fix issues in a few games.

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

Beware of Bing Chrome Download Ads Pushing Adware/PUP Installers
Recent stories have posted this “‘new discovery”. The above article was written by BleepingComputer on April 8, 2018. It seems the same BS has come back despite Microsoft saying they took care of it. You’ve been Binged.

China’s Maxim – Leave No Access Point Unexploited: The Hidden Story of China Telecom’s GP Hijacking
Military Cyber Affairs document.”Conveniently, China Telecom has ten strategically placed, Chinese controlled internet ‘points of presence’ 4 (PoPs) across the internet backbone of North America. Vast rewards can be reaped from the hijacking, diverting, and then copying of information-rich traffic going into or crossing the United States and Canada – often unnoticed and then delivered with only small delays.”
Geeze Louise…

Goodwill workers in NJ find original 1774 ‘rebel’ newspaper
“A quick eye by Goodwill workers in southern New Jersey turned up framed pages from an original 1774 Philadelphia newspaper with an iconic “Unite or Die” snake design on the masthead.
The frayed Dec. 28, 1774, edition of the “Pennsylvania Journal and the Weekly Advertiser” boasts three items signed by John Hancock, then president of the Provincial Congress, who pleads for the Colonies to fight back “enemies” trying to divide them.”
Very cool!

You CAN drink away your troubles, study says: Alcohol affects a gene making your brain forget the bad times and only remember the good ones
“Just one glass of wine could be enough for you to dismiss your bad memories and focus only on the good times, a new study suggests…One drink only changes the pathway for an hour, but three can change the pathway for 24 hours – which could explain why we forget being sick or stumbling home.”
We already knew that, didn’t we?!

Thursday Morning Random Stuff…

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Google Chrome Updated
“The stable channel has been updated to 70.0.3538.77 for Windows, Mac, and Linux”
Bugfixes
Download | Download standalone(full) | Download standalone 64-bit Windows version(full)

Cheap Windows Keys
A couple of folks sent a link to an article stating that cheap Windows keys support crime and will stop working.
I call BS.

Save up to 33% on select Gerber knives (Today Only)
I just bought one.
deal expired

Wednesday News

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Software Updates
Tails 3.10.1
Tor Browser 8.0.3
Winaero Tweaker 0.12.1

Memo to Microsoft: Windows 10 is broken, and the fixes can’t wait
“Windows 10 is officially a shit show…So three urgent changes are required.
Firstly, reintroduce dedicated testers. Don’t rely on automation and the crowd – that clearly isn’t working. Raise the prestige of testers in the company. Secondly, repurpose the Insider programme – reclassify it as a fan club. Anything, really. It’s not a substitute for professional testers. And thirdly, slow down. The rush to bring immature software to market has clearly deteriorated software quality. Are annual releases such a bad thing? Or even delaying the software until it’s actually ready?”
Hear, Hear!

Apple’s Tim Cook makes blistering attack on the “data industrial complex”
“Our own information — from the everyday to the deeply personal — is being weaponized against us with military efficiency,” warned Cook. “These scraps of data, each one harmless enough on its own, are carefully assembled, synthesized, traded and sold…We shouldn’t sugarcoat the consequences. This is surveillance.”
Preach!

Making it easier to control your data, directly in Google products
“Before today, if you were searching on Google and wanted to review or manage this data, the best way for you to do that would have been to visit your Google Account. Now, we’re bringing these controls to you – from directly within Search, you can review or delete your Search activity and quickly get back to finding what you were searching for.
We’re also providing quick access to the privacy controls in your Google Account that are most relevant as you use Search. For example, to control the ads you see when you search, we give you access to your Ad Settings. Additionally, you can access your Activity Controls to decide what information Google saves to your account and uses to make Search and other Google services faster, smarter and more useful.”
Do you think they would be doing this if Geeks, Privacy experts, and Academics weren’t screaming about this issue?

Thursday Random Stuff…

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

One Windows Kernel
“In this blog post, I will talk about the evolution of the core pieces of the Windows kernel that allows it to transparently scale across a low power NVidia Tegra chip on the Surface RT from 2012, to the giant behemoths that power Azure data centers today.”
Good read.

GM’s data mining is just the beginning of the in-car advertising blitz
“GM captured minuted details such as station selection, volume level, and ZIP codes of vehicle owners, and then used the car’s built-in Wi-Fi signal to upload the data to its servers. The goal was to determine the relationship between what drivers listen to and what they buy and then turn around and sell the data to advertisers and radio operators. And it got really specific: GM tracked a driver listening to country music who stopped at a Tim Horton’s restaurant. (No data on that donut order, though.)”
Is there nowhere you can go to get away from this crap?

Red Sox vs. Astros fan interference: Everything you need to know about the controversial call in ALCS Game 4
It was a home run. The Red Sox “win” should have an asterisk next to it. If they move on so should their title. If they win it all, ditto.

How America’s top CEOs are spending their own money on the midterm elections

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”

Friday Random Stuff…

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Nvidia GeForce Game Ready Driver 416.34 WHQL
“Provides the optimal gaming experience for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, SOULCALIBUR VI, and GRIP”
Download | Release Notes

AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition Optional 18.10.1
Support For: Windows 10 October 2018 Update, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
Download | Release Notes

Intel Solid State Drive Toolbox
Version: 3.5.6 Date: 10/8/2018
Download | Release Notes

Intel SSD Firmware Update Tool
Version: 3.0.4 Date: 10/8/2018
Download | Release Notes

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

Stephen Hawking’s final scientific paper released
“The work, which tackles what theoretical physicists call “the information paradox”, was completed in the days before Hawking’s death in March. It has now been written up by his colleagues at Cambridge and Harvard universities and posted online.”

Def Leppard
One of my all time favs.
Def Leppard’s First-Ever Live Album, ‘Mirror Ball – Live & More’, Certified Gold In U.S.
Not a big live album fan but this one is OK.
Rock Hall of Fame: Def Leppard, Stevie Nicks, Radiohead, Rage Lead Nominees
I don’t much care about the R&R HoF and the guys in Def Leppard have pretty much said the same thing. Too many good acts are not in there and too many bad acts are.
Why the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame should be put out of its misery
I will leave you with videos from some of my favorite songs. Have a great weekend!

(I always listen to Bringin’ On The Heartbreak with Switch 625 but there is no official video for that)


Wednesday Random Stuff…

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I know there are several TweakHound readers in the path of Hurricane Michael. Hope you all make it through OK.

Intel Graphics Driver for Windows 10
Version: 25.20.100.6326 Date: 10/9/2018
Highlights
Launch Driver Games
Fix for FIFA19*
Launch Driver Games:
Pathfinder: Kingmaker*
Battlerite Royale*
FIFA19*
Download | Release Notes

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

Intel Announces 9th Gen Core CPUs: Core i9-9900K (8-Core), i7-9700K, & i5-9600K
“Leading from the top of the stack is the Core i9-9900K, Intel’s new flagship mainstream processor. This part is eight full cores with hyperthreading, with a base frequency of 3.6 GHz at 95W TDP, and a turbo up to 5.0 GHz on two cores…Also featuring 8-cores is the Core i7-9700K, but without the hyperthreading. This part will have a base frequency of 3.6 GHz as well for a given 95W TDP, but can turbo up to 4.9 GHz only on a single core. The i7-9700K is meant to be the direct upgrade over the Core i7-8700K, and although both chips have the same underlying Coffee Lake microarchitecture, the 9700K has two more cores and slightly better turbo performance, but less L3 cache per core at only 1.5MB per.
The other important overclocking focused processor is the Core i5-9600K, with six cores without hyperthreading. Users will also see a lot of similarity in this part to the Core i5 of the previous generation, but with added frequency.”
Intel and their minions got caught fudging their benchmarks.
The minions admitted some of it and are retesting.
The NDA embargo ends on October 19th so we will have to wait until then to see real benchmarks.

Privacy Badger Now Fights More Sneaky Google Tracking
“With its latest update, Privacy Badger now fights “link tracking” in a number of Google products.”

Former Google boss launches scathing Silicon Valley attack urging tech giants to end the delusion that it’s making the world a better place
Jessica Powell said she had become tired of defending the company in her role as its top PR chief.
“This is an industry that takes itself far too seriously, and its own responsibility not seriously enough…You can’t go about telling your advertisers that you can target users down to the tiniest pixel, but then throw your hands up in front of the politicians and say your machines can’t figure out if bad actors are using your platform.”

Thursday Random Stuff…

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Reports everywhere about Win10 1809 issues. That is why I advise to wait before updating and backup before you do.
AskWoody is keeping a running tally of all the issues.
Win10 version 1809 buglog – including troubling tales of lost user data

Nvidia Geforce Game Ready 416.16 WHQL Drivers
“Provides the optimal gaming experience with support for the Windows 10 October 2018 Update including the public release of DirectX Raytracing (DXR)”
Download | Release Notes

The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate U.S. Companies
“The attack by Chinese spies reached almost 30 U.S. companies, including Amazon and Apple, by compromising America’s technology supply chain, according to extensive interviews with government and corporate sources.”
Another reason we need to manufacture this tech stuff here.

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