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Wednesday Random Stuff…

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They Just Keep Getting Faster And More Affordable
Anandtech – Samsung Announces 960 PRO And 960 EVO M.2 PCIe SSDs
Ars Technica – Samsung unveils crazy-fast 960 Pro and 960 Evo M.2 NVMe SSDs
Out in October. The only M2 slot I have is on my laptop. For me, I don’t know if is worth the upgrade from my 850 EVO as far as real world use. But it is tempting…

Wise Disk Cleaner Updated
Version 9.29 is out:
– Fixed the issue of unable to run properly in limited account.
– Updated various translations. Minor GUI improvements.
Download

EMDB 2.57
Eric’s Movie Database has been updated (not this Eric). Several fixes.
“EMDB is an application to keep track of your movie and TV Series collection.”
Download & Info

Tails 2.6
“Tails is a live operating system, that you can start on almost any computer from a DVD, USB stick, or SD card. It aims at preserving your privacy and anonymity”
Download & Info

Monday Random Stuff…

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“I think you have to be 8 different kinds of stupid to put your house or car on a network.” – TweakHound
Ransomware’s next target: Your car and your home
“The concept of today’s ransomware is to lock your data to ransom. But what we’re showing here is that the data is almost irrelevant — it’s the device we’re locking up: connected medical devices, home routers, cars; it’s the device,”
*edit 1728hrs – Rich G. provided a link to this article: Don’t Connect Your Phone To Rental Cars
“The researchers bought an infotainment system on eBay and hacked it to discover that MirrorLink’s two security methods could be overcome since (a) bypassing information was already published online and (b) passwords were stored in unencrypted plaintext. The result was that hackers could “eavesdrop on and inject” malware into the vehicle’s brain, the Controller Area Network, which could pose both a privacy risk as well as a personal safety risk.”

Ultimate Windows Tweaker 4.2.1 for Windows 10
“We’ve released version 4.2.1 to fix this bug related to privacy settings.”
Download
I use this for minor tweaks. Stay away from the Performance tab. Most of you TweakHound regulars already know this.
Speaking of which…

OMG
In the last week or so few Geek type sites have reviewed and approved of some tweaking software that claims to speed up or optimize your PC (different sites, different software).
No…
Just…
No.

Tor Browser Critical Update
A critical vulnerability was patched. This vulnerability still exists in Firefox proper and will be patched tomorrow.
Download Tor Browser
Firefox 49 is actually up on the mirrors but has not been officially released.
Download 32-bit(en-US)
Download 64-bit(en-US)
Download other systems and languages (copy/paste the appropriate link, substitute “49.0” for “48.0.2”)
Release Notes
ff49_hdttednci

Random Thursday Stuff…

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Chrome Updated…Again
“The stable channel has been updated to 53.0.2785.116 for Windows, Mac, and Linux. This will roll out over the coming days/weeks.”
I dig the first comment!
Download

One More Reason To Switch uBlock
iVerge – Adblock Plus now sells ads.
Yeah, I know sites need ads to make money. I have ads on this site to try and break even. Last I checked 40% of you were blocking ads. Many of you have contributed through buying a Tweak Guide or donating. I use an ad blocker. uBlock Origin in Firefox (both phone and desktop) and the Samsung Browser on my phone. Ironically enough the Samsung Browser uses Adblock. And yes, I whitelist sites.
Download and info for uBlock Origin.
[Read more…] about Random Thursday Stuff…

Random Weekend Stuff…

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The NFL is back baby!
#HTTR

FYI, BBC America has a Star Trek marathon going this weekend. I’m watching “The Changeling” as I type this. http://www.bbcamerica.com/schedule

USB Killer
“a seemingly innocuous USB stick that fries nearly any device it’s inserted into with a bolt of electricity.”
https://www.usbkill.com/usb-killer/8-usb-killer.html
Backordered. I did the combo deal. It is $64 U.S. shipped.
[Read more…] about Random Weekend Stuff…

Sour Apple

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This is why I don’t like Apple, never have liked Apple, never will like Apple:
iVerge: Apple says it took ‘courage’ to remove the headphone jack on the iPhone 7. Yes, really
Apple is removing the headphone jack from the iPhone. When rationalizing it Phil Schiller, Apple’s marketing chief said,
“The reason to move on: courage. The courage to move on and do something new that betters all of us,”
Bro, even iVerge is calling you out.
[Read more…] about Sour Apple

Random Wednesday Stuff…

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Start10 Updated
New in Start10 v1.5:
– Integrate Fences and desktop icons into “All Programs”.
– Search results can be filtered
– WindowBlinds tweaks
– Bug fixes
Download & Info

Nvidia 372.70 WHQL Drivers Are Out
“Provides the optimal experience for World of Warcraft: Legion, Battlefield 1: Open Beta, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, and Quantum Break on STEAM.”
Download

Thank you all for your feedback and patience while I changed the sites theme!

Random Weekend Stuff…

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Win10 AnniUpdate Woes
I gotta tell ya, I’m not a fan of the Win10 AnniUpdate. Less so by the day.
For many (including myself) the entire Win10 AnniUpdate experience seems to be a PITA…
– “Rolling Out”. You’ll get in when you get it. Maybe. This is a Win10 thing. That never happened previously. When a Service Pack was released, everyone got it. Also, ever since the AnniUpdate when updates do appear they have often been slow to download. So slow it often appears that Windows Update is frozen.
– It reinstalled apps you had uninstalled.
– Group policy settings removed.
– Power Shell broken.
– It has major hardware issues that still are not fixed as of this writing. Folks reporting broken webcams, mice acting strangely, “broken” or unbootable computers, and “freezing”. On my main rig (7/10 dual-boot) I get sporadic mini-freezes resulting in Win10 being utterly unusable. And no, I’m not going to try fixing it. Microsoft broke it, they can fix it. I’m happily using Windows 7 and doing my internet stuff in an openSUSE VM.

Win10 has more Alpha and Beta testers than ever and Microsoft just can’t seem to get things right. What is the point of the Insider Program if it doesn’t help detect problems before release?

DarkAudacity
There is now a dark version of Audacity. Windows only unfortunately. Check out the DarkAudacity website to get all the info and differences.
darkaucity_1

Bleachbit
The program I use as a “CCleaner like” app in Linux is in the news. Apparently a certain Presidential candidate’s IT staff used it to wipe info.
The folks at Bleachbit are rather proud of the attention they are getting.
(NOTE – As the “About Comments” note states, “NO POLITICS”. I will delete any political comments. Take it somewhere else.)

Other Computer News
Anandtech – Intel Launches 3D NAND SSDs For Client And Enterprise
CNN – MIT scientists think they can make your WiFi 10x faster

Off Topic
One more reason not to eat vegetables
The Macaroni in ‘Yankee Doodle’ is Not What You Think

Thursday Random Stuff…

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Ultimate Windows Tweaker 4.2
Download & Info (This version is for Win10 only)

Change log for v 4.2. 18.08.2016
1. “Apply Tweaks” button now applies tweaks only to the currently viewing section.
2. Support for Windows 10 Anniversary Update: Modified incompatible tweaks and added new tweaks.
3. When tweaks use sliders to change values, you can now directly change the values from box present in front of sliders.
4. New Tweaks:
– Use Increased Taskbar Transparency
– Change Inactive Title Bar Color
– Disable Quick Action Buttons In Action Center
– Change Microsoft Edge Download Location
– Disable Edge Tab Preview
– Adjust Edge Tab Preview Show/Hide Delay Time
– Disable App Access To Location
– Disable App Access To Calendar
– Disable App Access To Messages
– Disable App Access To Microphone
– Disable App Access To Camera
– Disable App Access To User Account Info
5. Several bug fixes and improvements

Firefox 48.0.1
Bunch of fixes.
Download 32-bit(en-US)
Download 64-bit(en-US)
Download other systems and languages
Release Notes

VeraCrypt 1.18
VeraCrypt is a free disk encryption software based on TrueCrypt 7.1a.
Download & Info