Computer stuff...
Brrr! It’s getting cold here in Virginia.
Firefox 44.0.2
Fixed – Firefox hangs or crashes on startup
Various security fixes
Download 32-bit (en-US)
Download 64-bit (en-US)
Download other systems and languages
Release Notes
Handbrake Updated
HandBrake 0.10.5 is out. Fixes and performance improvements.
“HandBrake is a tool for converting video from nearly any format to a selection of modern, widely supported codecs.”
Download
[Read more…] about T-t-t-t-hursday Random Stuff…
Amazon has up to 60% off Corsair products
Killing time before the Super Bowl edition.
Win10…
As I had done in September, someone fired up Wireshark and watched in horror as Win10 blasted out his private info to the free world.
Well, OK, maybe not in “horror”, and maybe not “blasted”, but the results are interesting. Slashdot even picked it up.
Adblock Plus Preparing To Sell Us Out?
Adblock is “reaching out to its adversaries to find an “acceptable” level and form of advertising on the net.”
Good grief.
Did You Pack Your Makeup?
Apparently Astronaut Sally Ride had to put up with some sexist B.S. from reporters back around 1983. Hopefully we have all grown up a little since then.
For those who don’t know, Sally Ride was the first U.S. woman in space. The first woman in space was Russian Valentina Tereshkova 20 years earlier.
It is my belief that mankind’s future is out there somewhere. I also believe that time is of the essence. All of the Astronauts and members of the various space programs around the world are heroes to me. To all the folks toiling in the backrooms of NASA, Roscosmos, and all the other space agencies, I salute you.
Backup
Reader Ed wrote to let me know his backup scheme and I like it!
Recently I performed a Clone that many of your followers might be interested in doing: I did with W10.
The participants: Samsung SSD……one an 840, the other an 850 (My current C:\)………both 120GB (I never use My Documents on these because I have a large, conventional, internal back up hard drive that I save to…….beyond that is an external that the internal back up is backed up to, and stored in a locked shed, away from the house!). With that said, I rarely exceed 50% on the 120’s.
Cleaned the 850 with all the cleaners you have recommended and ran Spyware/Malware programs as well.
My internal DVD burner is also SATA III………thus the same connectors as the SSD.
Disconnected the DVD connectors and plugged them into the 840.
Formatted the 840, then, using Macrium Reflect, I cloned the 850 to the 840. (then a sticky note attached with the date, so I’ll know when, in a year or so, to Clone again)
When finished I put the 840 back in the box it came in and it too is stored in the shed.
NOW: ANYTHING GO BAD WITH MY C:\ (rare with Samsung SSD)…….I simply unplug the 850 and plug in the 840 and I am back in business.
Win10 Now A “Recommended Update”
Mary Jo has the scoop. Turn off Recommended Updates: Windows Update > Change settings
Win10 Passes Windows XP
WooHoo! Really? You’re celebrating the fact that a new, free, aggressively pushed operating system surpassed an OS that has been unsupported for almost 2 years?
EMDB
I use Eric’s Movie Database to catalog my DVD collection. It isn’t very big but it keeps me organized, tracks loan-outs, and provides proof for insurance purposes if need be.
You can export the list. Mine is here: TweakHound’s Movie Database
BTW – This program works just fine using Linux/Wine.
FYI – Though our names are the same I’m not connected to the program in any way. I can’t even get the guy to answer an email.
Interesting Links
Hackaday – Is Your Cat 6 Ethernet Cable Cat 6? Probably Not.
Cat6 everywhere in my house, throughput as advertised.
New Republic – Why the iPad Is Going Extinct
Um, because you can’t get any work done on them?
CBC – Some fitness trackers vulnerable to monitoring, U of T study finds
I’m shocked! Shocked I tell you!
Off Topic
A Guy Like Me
NHL All-Star MVP. More here.
Wisconsin women’s basketball coach goes on rant
“You can’t nap your way to being a great shooter and Facebooking and all these things that teenagers do. You need to put the phones down. Stop facetiming, stop tweeting, and get your butt in the gym.” Damn straight.
Master List of Logical Fallacies
Some folks really need to read this.
Tom Warren of WinRumors/Neowin/iVerge claims the Windows Phone is dead.
To be honest I selfishly hope that is the case. I was never interested in a Windows Phone and I desperately want Microsoft to get the mobile/phone crap off my desktop OS.
In many peoples opinion Slashdot and SourceForge have been going down hill for quite a while. Slashdotters often lampoon the site. SourceForge has gotten so bad that it regularly appears on malware site block lists.
I hope this move will bring these sites to their former glory.
Articles:
SourceForge and Slashdot Have Been Sold (Foss Force)
Slashdot and SourceForge Sold, Now Under New Management (Slashdot)
New Nvidia Drivers
Nvidia Game Ready 361.75 WHQL Drivers
Windows 7 Diagnostics Tracking Service
I had to update my article on this topic because Microsoft keeps playing games with us.
Google Wants The Web To Be HTTPS Too
It is my belief that everything on the web should be as secure as we can make it. To that end I have done my part by making this site all HTTPS.
Website operators, it is time to get your act together because Google Will Soon Shame All Websites That Are Unencrypted.
Back To The Future
DeLoreans are coming back. “Flux Capacitors for everyone!” exclaimed one fan.
Not the original company, and it will set you back at least $100,000.
Firefox 44
Download 32-bit (en-US)
Download 64-bit (en-US)
Download other systems and languages
Release Notes
CCleaner 5.14
The monthly update for CCleaner has been released.
Download
Release Notes
***Pay attention during install. May attempt to install unwanted programs.
Etc…
Most of your Facebook friends couldn’t care less about you
Reminder, Disney sux:
Ex-Disney IT workers sue after being asked to train their own H-1B replacements
Lawsuits Claim Disney Colluded to Replace U.S. Workers With Immigrants
Well, it is Wednesday and there is some news. No guarantees after that…
Linux Malware
Well frack. There is a Linux Trojan that takes screenshots every 30 seconds and apparently Android 2-factor authentication has been pwned.
Et tu, Intel?
Intel’s Driver Update Utility has a security flaw. It has been fixed. Download it here.
Software Updates
Audacity 2.1.2 (download)
VirtualBox 5.0.14
Planet Nine
The stargazers at Caltech say they found a ninth planet. I’m still pissed they took Pluto away. That’s just wrong. Once you have a Disney character named after you there should be no take-backs.
Etc…
Star Wars: Episode VIII delayed until December 2017
How to seal a bag of chips without a clip
More Privacy News
Pew research has a rather lengthy discussion on privacy. The topic and discussion are very interesting and worth the read. I question the results of the survey as it was an online survey of “461 U.S. adults and nine online focus groups of 80 people”. Very small group of people and I don’t particularly trust online surveys. For instance, does anyone think the polls on this TweakHound.com are an accurate representation of anything other than the way readers of this site feel? I certainly don’t. I put them up because it’s fun and it gives me some insight to my readership.
Speaking Of Online Surveys
Lots of sites copied info from a Computerworld article quoting a survey that nobody can read. Well, you can read it but it’ll cost you $500.00.
The survey “Fielded online through Survata in late September 2015, the survey asked 1,009 U.S. adults about their attitudes toward Microsoft’s latest operating system:“.
The gist of the Computerworld article is that 60% of Win10 users had a favorable opinion of the OS. Interestingly, 37% of those were Windows Insiders.
Personally I question the usefulness of an online survey of only 1009 people that is over 3 months old.
No Old Windows On New Hardware
ARSTechnica – Skylake users given 18 months to upgrade to Windows 10
Neowin – Microsoft will not support older Windows versions on upcoming PC hardware
Paul Thurrott – Microsoft Finds Another Way to Force Windows 10 Upgrade on Businesses
The above posts are based on Terry Myerson’s Windows 10 Embracing Silicon Innovation blog post. He said in part,
“Going forward, as new silicon generations are introduced, they will require the latest Windows platform at that time for support. This enables us to focus on deep integration between Windows and the silicon, while maintaining maximum reliability and compatibility with previous generations of platform and silicon. For example, Windows 10 will be the only supported Windows platform on Intel’s upcoming “Kaby Lake” silicon, Qualcomm’s upcoming “8996” silicon, and AMD’s upcoming “Bristol Ridge” silicon.”
In a nutshell, new hardware will need new Windows. Some folks are pissed about it. I understand their feelings but I’m not sure how much care about this issue. I’ll run the OS I desire and virtualize the rest.
Site News
Thank you all for hanging in with me this last week and coming back here. I’m still trying to tweak the best settings for the speed of this site.