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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

Wednesday Random Stuff…

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I was gonna say something about we made it through mid-week.
Then I thought about hump day.
Then I thought about the hump day camel.
And now I can’t get that stupid camel out of my mind.

You’re welcome.

This one might make you feel better.

Software Releases
Acronis True Image 2018 Update 4 (build 12510)
Rufus 3.1
YUMI 2.0.5.7

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

Consumer Group Claims Win10 Problems ‘Widespread’
The 12 year old me wants to say, “No Sh** Sherlock. You’ve just deduced this?”

Is Microsoft already killing off Windows 7?
Several of the people at Computerworld are rightfully hard on Microsoft. IMHO Microsoft started actively trying to kill off Windows 7 with the GWX fiasco.

Star Trek reboot with Patrick Stewart as Picard tipped at CBS
Yesssssssssss!

Amazon’s Alexa will now butler at Marriott hotels
You put that crap in my room and I will put it in the microwave. On high.

This AI program could beat you in an argument—but it doesn’t know what it’s saying
I would like to put this thing up against some of my old girlfriends. You have to be able to get a word in now and then to win an argument.

Ryanair Wants to Ban Morning Drinking in Airports
Ryanair is an Irish budget airline.
I am 1/4 Irish and lover of Irish beer and whiskey, (see, stereotypes become stereotypes for a reason).
Trying to deny an Irishman a proper pint at any time of day is the most un-Irish thing I’ve ever heard of. Next they’ll be calling for a ban on fighting, football, and having a go at the lasses. Glad my Daideo isn’t around for these shenanigans!

Monday Random Stuff…

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Hiren’s BootCD PE
I saw this this morning and A.G. sent word he heard about it too. It seems some fans/followers of the original Hiren’s BootCD decided to take it upon themselves and bring the thing into the modern age. Along with more recent drivers this Win10 x64 based PE boot disk has UEFI support. There are a whole host of useful system tools. I fired it up in a VM and it looks good to go.
“Hiren’s BootCD PE does not contain any malicious software and it does not contain any prited software. It is 100% safe, free and legal to use.”
See the DOWNLOAD PAGE for links and a list of all included programs.
They have a tool to help you put this on a flash drive if you desire: https://www.hirensbootcd.org/usb-booting/
I will be adding this to my My Rescue Flash Drive.

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

Trump Signs Space-Traffic Policy, Calls for Space Force
“He then directed the Department of Defense and the Pentagon to establish a Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces.”

Pentagon greenlights Cyber Command to go on offensive: report
The best defense is a good offense.

Four in 10 people have deleted a social media account in the past year due to privacy worries, study says
Hell yeah! #DeleteFacebook

Should bicycle helmets be mandatory?
It took me a long time to get used to the idea let alone wear one. IMHO they should be mandatory.

This Dutch town uses high-tech streetlights to keep its bats happy
Happy wife, happy life.

Weekend Random Stuff…

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It’s been a boring week out there in tech news land.
Some minor software updates:
AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.6.1 Optional Drivers
Samsung Magician SSD Software 5.2.1 (Thanks A.G.)

Stuff I bookmarked this week. Some off topic, some not:

Next generation Humvee debuts as NXT 360 with armor and autonomous compatibility

Pretty tough looking vehicle.
I was in the Army when we switched from the M151 A2 (Jeep) to HMMWV. I logged a lot of miles and sleep time in the first generation of the Hummer.
Here are a couple of my HMMWVs.
The one on the left was my first one pictured with my 60 Gunner along about 1986 or 1987 (West Germany).
The one on the right is me in Desert Storm in 1991.

Hackers can summon Cortana to break into Windows 10 PCs
Good to see someone found Cortana useful.

Facebook is tracking you in ways you never knew — here’s the crazy amount of data it sucks up
#DeleteFacebook

IQ scores have been falling for decades, and a new study blames schools and nutrition
Scores started falling in 1975. That was the year Pet Rocks were created and Captain & Tennille’s, “Love Will Keep Us Together” was the #1 song. Coincidence? I think not.

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)

[Read more…] about Patch Tuesday

Thursday Morning Random Stuff…

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Firefox Updated
EN-US 64-bit
All Firefox Versions
Release Notes

Chrome 67.0.3396.79
Download
Download standalone(full)
Download standalone 64-bit Windows version(full)

New GPU Drivers
AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.5.2 Optional
Nvidia Geforce Game Ready 398.11 WHQL Drivers

Off Topic
Stuff I’ve bookmarked.

Everything You Know About Surviving Rip Currents Is Wrong
Huh. Glad I read that!

Miss America is scrapping its swimsuit competition
Never watched more than a few minutes of a pageant. I find the whole thing annoying.

Facebook confirms data-sharing agreements with Chinese firms
#DeleteFacebook
Dem lawmaker: ‘Looks like Zuckerberg lied to Congress’
No. Really. #DeleteFacebook

More than half of U.S. households have ditched landline phones
I would have thought it would be more than that. A dozen years ago I came home and checked the messages on my answering machine. I looked at my cell phone and then back at the answering machine. “Why am I paying for this?” I thought. Haven’t had a landline since.

Max Scherzer becomes fifth ever with two career immaculate innings
Oh Detroit. What could have been. Some former Tigers pitchers still playing:
Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, David Price, Rick Porcello…

Arnold, “Milk is for babies. When you grow up you have to drink beer.”
One of my favorite quotes. Ever.

Friday Random Stuff…

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Battle Royal
Who ya got? Poll up in the right sidebar. Polls not working correctly.
Intel wants PCs to be more than just ‘personal computers’
vs
Eric wants PCs to be just ‘personal computers’

Wise Disk Cleaner Updated
Version 9.7.5.692 brings “improvements” and “fixes”.
Download ( I use the portable version. )

openSUSE 15
Forgot to mention this. Leap 15 was released last week. It use kernel 4.12 released last July. Current LTS in 4.14+. Current Stable is 4.16+.
I don’t get it. Fail.

Off Topic

“We live for the One, we die for the One”
Wikipedia | IMDB
Babylon 5 is one of my all time favorite Sci-Fi series. It is finally available for streaming. (I’ve got the DVD set)
Babylon 5 on Amazon Prime
Babylon 5 DVD Babylon 5: The Complete Collection Series
This poster is on my wall.

Stuff I Bookmarked:

A newspaper columnist’s rant against cheeseburgers gives hamburger loyalists the hero they deserve
Heroes don’t always wear capes.

Facebook, Amazon, and hundreds of companies post targeted job ads that screen out older workers
IMHO this practice is widespread and along with being illegal is short-sighted and disgusting.

Countries With the Widest Gaps Between Rich and Poor
The U.S. is #9 and that is sad.

Scientists race to find who is pumping an incredibly dangerous gas into the atmosphere
China. There, I solved it for you.

AI better than dermatologists at detecting skin cancer, study finds
“At first look, dermatologists correctly detected an average of 87 percent of melanomas, and accurately identified an average of 73 percent of lesions that were not malignant. Conversely, the CNN correctly detected 95 percent of melanomas.”
Interesting but isn’t that why they send it out for a biopsy?

Question Club: Where should Star Wars go after Solo’s box office disappointment?
Disappointment to who? Its opening weekend was a holiday weekend and most sane people hate the movie theater. PPV and DVD by this fall at a fraction of the price to take your family to the theater.

Wednesday Random Stuff…

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FYI
I am slowly working on updating the Win10 Tweak Guide. I’m reviewing it page by page. It’s is surprising how little of significance has changed given the chaos the last few major updates have caused. Win10 is just… Well, it’s no fun.

Rufus Version 3.0 (2018.05.29)
“Rufus is a utility that helps format and create bootable USB flash drives, such as USB keys/pendrives, memory sticks, etc.”
Changes: UI redesign, drop XP & Vista support, downloads are SSL, other fixes.
I use Rufus to create install media.
Download & Info

About That Free VPN
Some of them are selling your data.
I use TorGuard. Use coupon code TweakHound for 50% Off for Life.

Off Topic

Stuff I’ve bookmarked recently:
Tesla hits parked California police vehicle; driver blames ‘Autopilot’
If one of us hit a cop car we’d still be in jail.

Glasses wearers really are more intelligent – it’s in the genes
That explains a lot. My dumb a** was born with 20/20 vision.

How spies can use your cellphone to find you – and eavesdrop on your calls and texts too
I can’t imagine how bad a spy must have screwed up to be assigned to monitor to my boring phone conversations.

Daniel Craig Refused To Play James Bond For 25th Installment, Then Money Happened
Let’s assign him to monitor my calls and texts!

Child’s Lemonade Stand Shut Down For Lack Of Permit
You hear about stuff like this every year of two. Everyone involved in shutting these kids down is an a**. I don’t even wanna here “I’m just doing my job” or “The laws is the law.”

Most vitamins are useless, but here are the ones you should take
IMHO this is old news. Can’t remember how long ago I heard that “all vitamins create is expensive urine”.

Wednesday Morning Random Stuff…

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Chrome 67
“Chrome 67.0.3396.62 contains a number of fixes and improvements…This update includes 34 security fixes.”
Download
Download standalone(full)
Download standalone 64-bit Windows version(full)

VLC 3.0.3
Download | Release Notes

California Consumer Privacy Act
Some dude in California is trying to get the California Consumer Privacy Act on the ballot out there:
– You have the right to tell a business not to share or sell your personal information.
– You have the right to know where and to whom your data is being sold or disclosed.
– You have the right to protections against businesses who do not uphold the value of your privacy.
And whaddya know, a spokesman for a group that “represents major tech companies, including Google, Facebook and Netflix” doesn’t like the idea.

Venmo A Spy Tool?
I don’t know a thing about Vemno other than it’s an app you can pay people with. People are using it “to spy on cheating spouses“.
“Venmo has had a social component since it launched in 2009. Users see a feed of both their own friends’ payments and total strangers’ activity every time they open the app, and it’s easy to look up users. Exact amounts aren’t listed, but you can see who’s paying who and which words or emoji they use to describe the payment.”
That is truly bizarre to me.