TechByter Worldwide (formerly Technology Corner) with Bill Blinn: Recent Episodes
Bill Blinn
TechByter Worldwide offers high-tech content in plain English. Programs are approximately 20 minutes long are listed by date and topic. (YYYY.MM.DD: Topic)
Normally this would be an off week for TechByter Worldwide, two days after Christmas, and five days before the new year begins; so it’s mainly silence, but this is also the end.
Internet service providers promise specific upload and download speeds. In most cases, these promises are stated as speeds “up to” whatever the promise is, which would allow the ISP to say 15Mbps is in the “up to 500Mbps” speed range they promised. That doesn’t happen much these days, but it’s still worth checking occasionally. In Short Circuits: There’s no cost for Adobe’s PDF Reader, but Adobe’s solutions start around $150 per year if you need to edit PDFs, even occasionally. There’s a free online service that might be more than sufficient. • Data breaches happen too often to be concerned about individual incidents. Instead, consider all of your relevant information is out there somewhere and instead develop a defense plan.
Text messages on our phones are so easy to use and so common that it’s all too easy to forget how useful they are to scammers. Every text message should be treated with suspicion. In Short Circuits: Recently I needed to format a 64GB thumb drive using FAT32, one of the older formatting types. The Windows formatting tool won’t allow it, so maybe you think the FAT32 limit is 32GB. It’s not and formatting the large drive turned out to be refreshingly easy. • Sometimes I wonder if Tim Berners-Lee or Marc Andreessen had any idea, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, that the browsers they were developing to view simple text files would expand and virtually take over the world.
Some of Adobe’s improvements in Photoshop and the other photographic applications are little short of magic. Boring and cumbersome tasks can be handled by AI, giving photographers more time for creativity. In Short Circuits: If you’ve ever had your Facebook account stolen by thieves, or know someone who has been a victim, you understand how difficult it is to recover the account, if recovery is even possible. That’s why you should act now to enable security measures for your account, particularly two-factor authentication.
Because there is no program during Thanksgiving week, here is a link to last week’s podcast.
Is there a key on the keyboard that you absolutely despise? Maybe the CapsLock key. Maybe some other key that causes trouble for you when you press it accidentally. There’s an easy and free way to banish keys like this. In Short Circuits: Maybe you wish you could convert a key you don’t use to perform a useful function, maybe even start an app you use all the time. There’s also an easy and free way to do that. • Many early users of computers mastered the skill of creating batch files to perform repetitive tasks. Forty years later, these skills can be useful even with Windows 10 and Windows 11, and the skills aren’t that hard to learn.
Windows seemingly has adjustments, settings, configurations, and modifications for just about everything. Despite a decade-long effort to finalize the Settings app, the Control Panel is still needed sometimes and finding the adjustment you’re seeking can be difficult. That’s one reason you might want to enable God Mode. In Short Circuits: One of the first things technicians want us to do when something goes wrong with a computer or other electronic device is turn it off and turn it back on again. This actually fixes a lot of problems, but why? • Do you use Wikipedia for research? Millions of people do every day and, despite the doubters, it’s usually quite accurate.
Two words make my teeth itch when I hear them, particularly when I hear them from photographers. Someone who claims to be artistic and creative probably should use “always” and “never” rarely, if at all. In Short Circuits: Facebook seems to be the most annoying application on Earth, yet people rarely abandon it. There are ways to make it better, at least on computers, and I recently switched from one of the primary players to the other. • We need to get to the BIOS settings screen rarely, and getting there can be difficult. What if you could put an icon on your desktop to get there with just a click?
No matter how much effort Microsoft expends on the Start Menu, it will never please everyone. The Start Menu does offer a lot of customizations, but if you really want to take control there’s Start 11 from Stardock. In Short Circuits: Updating to the latest version of Windows 24H2 created some significant problems on my primary computer, but the update worked flawlessly on the tablet computer. This is why every operating system update needs to be approached with caution. • Too many organizations still force users to change their passwords too frequently, mistakenly believing that doing so improves security. The opposite is true.
I talk about libraries frequently because they are probably the best value provided for our tax dollars. If you’re looking for access to news media that are often behind a paywall, your local library may be able to help. In Short Circuits: Continuing with the topic of locating reliable, honest, unbiased news sources in the days leading up to this year’s presidential election, we’ll take a look at 1440 News. • Podcasts for the past two weeks were cancelled because Phyllis and I were both dealing with covid when I should have been preparing the report. You may already have had covid, perhaps more than once. For us, it was our inaugural voyage.
It seems that I lied last week when I said TechByter Worldwide would resume this week. Covid is in the rear-view mirror, but I still can’t talk for more than 30 seconds without a sneeze or a cough.
Here’s where I would mention the upcoming topics, but there aren’t any this week. That’s because Phyllis and I both contracted covid after avoiding it entirely for more than four years. I’m better now, but there’s not enough time to finish the program that would have been here. I’ll pick things up again next week.
Just as people have fingerprints, so do browsers. The fingerprint is what allows the browser to be tracked from site to site. If you find this disturbing, there are ways to fight back. In Short Circuits: If you’ve ever posted something to Facebook and immediately received a like or a friend request from someone you don’t know, it’s probably yet another scourge that Facebook can’t (or won’t) do anything about. • Chrono Quest is a game that requires placing six historical events in the correct chronological order. It’s amusing, but don’t expect to learn any useful history by playing.
The National Institutes of Health would like to know more about you. Share some information with the All of Us project and you’ll help researchers understand more about disease treatment, control, and prevention. In Short Circuits: With the internet drowning in the proliferation of scams and fraud, staying safe involves treating any message from any source with more than a bit of skepticism. • When the plastic battery cover on my Bose TV speaker remote control broke, I contacted Bose to see if they sold replacements. What should have been a 5-minute chat went on for 40 minutes, required a 20-minute follow-up chat, and the problem involving a 5¢ part still hasn’t been resolved.
Regardless of what software came with your scanner, VueScan will do a better job and you’ll never have to worry about the scanner being orphaned by outdated drivers. In Short Circuits: Library Genesis, a source for downloading millions of books, articles, and academic papers, is controversial to say the least. Let’s consider the pros and cons. • I had a can of Stone Brewing’s FML hazy double IPA recently. Then I looked at the back of the can and learned more about those letters, which (in this case) mean “Fear Movie Lions”.
Is there a “best” browser? Of course there is, but your “best” browser may not be my “best” browser, and my “best” today at noon may not be my “best” browser this afternoon at 3. What’s “best” depends on a lot of variables. In Short Circuits: If paper sticky notes are all over your desk and computer, maybe it’s time to switch to the electronic version. • There are benefits to having an email address that obscures your identity and can be abandoned as needed without affecting your primary address.
You’re going to die someday. As a eulogy I once heard put it, “The young may die and the old must.” Dying is as easy as it ever has been but the job for survivors can be difficult if the they have no access to user names and passwords for the services we’ve used to make our lives easier. In Short Circuits: Windows has lots of hidden little keystroke sequences that can improve your life as a computer user, but first you have to find them and remind yourself to use them. • Microsoft’s Power Toys has long been one of my favorite utilities and one of its components, Power Toys Run, recently received a major update.
If you think sorting out differences between cellular plans is a challenge, try wading through information for the low-cost plans, particularly if the person who will use the plan has some unusual requirements. In Short Circuits: Microsoft has been talking about eliminating the Control Panel for about two decades and yet it remains. It may eventually be forgotten, but not gone. • A pleasant Friday afternoon was interrupted by two emails from my health insurance provider. The first said I had used the “forgot password” function and the second said my password had been changed. Stopping the scammer took only an hour, but it was an hour of frustration.
Sometimes the fastest and most efficient way to diagnose a problem with a computer involves creating a new account. In Short Circuits: When I increased storage on a tablet computer with a 1.5TB MicroSDXC memory card, I was surprised by the 10-year warranty it came with. I shouldn’t have been. • When you’re looking for a new or replacement disk drive, a quarterly reliability summary from Backblaze can help with the decision.
Canva, especially with its acquisition of Affinity’s Photo, Design, and Publishing apps, is a powerful competitor for graphic design, but don’t expect it to unseat Adobe anytime soon, if ever. In Short Circuits: Artificial intelligence for visual tasks is advancing so fast that any examination of the current state of affairs is nearly pointless, but let’s take a look at what Adobe, Microsoft, and Canva are up to.
As our computers become repositories for ever increasing numbers of files, sometimes it’s hard to find the one you’re looking for even if you try to keep them organized. The free version of Agent Ransack can save the day. In Short Circuits: Although the risk of being victimized by a SIM-swap scam is small, the damage done by such an attack could be enormous. There’s a quick, easy way to eliminate the danger. • Have you tried using side tabs in the web browser on your computer? Some browsers have that functionality built in, and there are extensions for those that don’t.
Microsoft and Adobe are gigantic, but are they as evil as some would have us believe? Big doesn’t always mean bad, so let’s take a look. In Short Circuits: What might the prosecution say in making the case that Adobe, Microsoft, or both are evil. I tried to work out what cases might be made.
Doctored images, deep-fake videos, and disinformation have us surrounded, so now it’s time to identify the ways we can protect ourselves from the lies. In Short Circuits: It’s still easy to spot some manipulated photos or videos, but increasingly we’re going to need artificial intelligence to help us identify the dreck that has been created by artificial intelligence. • And even AI analysis won’t protect us for very long. Just as we must be the final line of defense against malware, spyware, phishing, and social engineering, we need to learn how to deflect the lies being thrown at us.
Even if you use an online backup service, it probably doesn’t capture the operating system and the Registry. An image backup application is needed if you want to avoid having to reinstall Windows and all applications if the disk drive fails. The free Aomei Backupper application may be sufficient. In Short Circuits: You can have absolute madness on your computer if you’re able to locate an old copy of Totally Mad from Broderbund Software, but there are tricks to getting it installed. • Everybody knows how to cut, copy, and paste text and images, but there’s a better option than Ctrl-V for pasting.
No matter how long or complex a password is, it’s useless if a scammer gains access to it. One of the most beneficial aspects of passkeys is that they can be compromised only if the crook gains access to the computer or smart phone where they are stored. In Short Circuits: Microsoft Outlook is facing more competition than it has seen in quite some time, and some of the strongest competition comes from the newly renovated Thunderbird and its stable of more than two thousand add-ons. • Anyone who is displeased by Microsoft’s decision to add advertisements, which they call “recommendations”, to the Start Menu and elsewhere will welcome relief from two open-source apps that stifle them.
The domain name service you use may have an effect on the speed with which web pages load, but there are other reasons to examine the DNS you use now and possibly change it. In Short Circuits: When you’re giving away or selling a computer or disk drive, think about the files that were on the computer. Just deleting them doesn’t really remove the data. How much more you need to do depends on how much you value privacy and security. • Excire, the company that makes the standalone Excire Foto and the Lightroom Classic plug-in Excire Search, is also helping law enforcement agencies evaluate photographic evidence.
Panicking pundits pummel Photoshop prematurely. If you listen to or read some of what passes for thoughtful reporting, you might be convinced that Adobe is a demon that must be eliminated. I disagree. In Short Circuits: Windows 7 introduced a handy new way to share files with other local users, but HomeGroup wasn’t widely used and it was discontinued with Windows 10. A follow-up function is limited by working only with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections, not Ethernet. Something better is needed. • Mozilla’s Pocket is a handy way to make references for articles you want to read available on any mobile device or computer that has a browser.
When I noticed a disk drive problem early one Saturday, I decided it was time to replace an aging cabinet filled with aging disk drives. A significant performance boost was a welcome extra. In Short Circuits: Microsoft would like you not to use cleanup applications such as CCleaner because they might damage the Registry, but now they’re offering a CCleaner-like app called PC Manager. • Editing Environment variables is much easier today than it was 40 years ago with EDLIN on an early DOS computer, and an addition to Microsoft’s PowerToys makes it even better.
Despite having used CrashPlan for the past eight years and still feeling that it is a viable online backup service, I have switched to Backblaze. In Short Circuits: Starting in less that two weeks, Facebook will begin using your public posts, photos, and chatbot iterations to train its AI. • Libraries are among my favorite institutions because of their high-tech and low-tech solutions to today’s problems.
This week is all about artificial intelligence, starting with the many ways AI can be used to improve images and sometimes create scenes that do not exist in real life. There are also applications for old and new motion pictures. In Short Circuits: We’ll move on to how AI might soon be used to help applications like Waze and Google Maps evaluate more conditions that affect your route. • Is the last place we should ever expect to find AI on the Desktop? Probably not. But is Stardock the last firm we’d ever expect to put it there? Let’s ponder that.
Many Windows 11 users will be offered an update to Windows 11 version 24H2 between now and the end of the year. As is usual with Windows, the update brings both useful new features and a certain number of annoyances. In Short Circuits: Actions by three states probably kept internet service providers from doing their worst when the FCC eliminated net neutrality rules in 2017. Now the rules are back, but for how long? • Portable Apps is a handy program that stores utilities, browsers, and games on a thumb drive so they can be used on any computer, but there’s also a good reason to install Portable Apps on a desktop or notebook computer.
An update to Excire Search brings the ability to look for photos using a text description, as introduced in Exicre Foto, to the company’s plug-in for Adobe Lightroom Classic. In Short Circuits: Fake reviews, scam products, and questionable sellers can all be made to look like real bargains. Fakespot by Mozilla helps you sort the truth from the lies. • One of the most important new capabilities coming to Windows 11 version 24H2 will be all but meaningless to many users.
Ensuring that your computer is safe, private, and secure is easy enough, but doing so will make the computer virtually unusable. Let’s consider some options that help without hindering, at least not too much. In Short Circuits: Windows computers use the New Technology File System, which was new in 1993, but it’s not a good choice for devices that must also be used by MacOS computers or Android devices. • Thumbnail images shown on YouTube can help users decide whether they want to view the program, but all too often the thumbnails are little more than clickbait. There’s a browser extension that will help.
Some remarkable capabilities have been added to Audacity, but it’s still not a contender to take Audition’s place for audio productions. In Short Circuits: It’s not a good idea to skimp on the devices you use to interact with your computer. One or more properly placed monitors, a mouse that fits comfortably in your hand, and a keyboard that doesn’t result in wrecked wrists are all more important that we may think. • How close is your computer’s hard drive to failure? Some disk disasters can’t be predicted, but others can and a free utility program that watches the indicators provided by modern disk drives sounds early warnings.
When something goes wrong with your computer, it may be easier, faster, and less frustrating to fix it yourself instead of dealing with tech support. In Short Circuits: Every computer screen is different and your vision is unique to your eyes. That’s why it’s a good idea to use Microsoft’s ClearType Text Tuner. • You’ll start to see computers being marketed with heavy AI claims soon, probably before the end of the year, but waiting for the next generation in late 2025 is probably wise.
A surprising number of Facebook accounts are being stolen and recovering them is difficult, if not impossible. That’s why it’s better to avoid trouble in the first place. In Short Circuits: Although your internet service provider includes domain name services, there’s a good reason to use one of several alternate services. • Efforts by the federal government to eliminate junk fees have finally resulted in some changes that affect what service providers must tell you before you sign up.
You still have about a year and a half to decide what you’ll do when Microsoft ends support for Windows 10. There are several choices, but not all options will work for all users. Let’s take a look at some that will keep the computer out of the trash. In Short Circuits: Although Microsoft has added a file renamer function to PowerToys, it won’t be sufficient when you need to apply complex names to a lot of files. A manual process becomes cumbersome when more than a few files are involved, absurd for hundreds or thousands of files. This is a job for the Bulk Rename Utility. • Newer keyboards have a special key to open the emoticon finder, but there’s a faster and easier way to insert bullets, fractions, currency symbols, and accented characters. It’s yet another utility built in to PowerToys.
Romania-based security company Bitdefender offers a comprehensive protective suite for Windows and MacOS computers, as well as IOS and Android phones. The package includes enough licenses for all devices used by everyone in the family unless you have an exceptionally large family or everyone has five or six devices. In Short Circuits: Your internet service provider would like you to continue renting a modem from them, but there are good reasons to buy your own and cost is just one of the reasons. • Scam offers appear like clockwork every couple of months for counterfeit US postage stamps that are often shipped from China. Facebook seemingly can’t (or won’t) do anything to stop them.
The virtual desktops feature that was added to Windows 10 and improved in Windows 11 can help organize the computer when you need to work on more than one task at a time. In Short Circuits: Artificial intelligence is now being used to improve audio recordings by removing flaws such as background noise and room echo. Despite being new, the results are already astonishingly good. • Bugs are a simple fact of life for computer users. If you’re delaying a purchase until all the bugs have been eliminated, you’re going to wait for a very long time.
If you regularly mutter to your computer that it doesn’t do something you want it to do or doesn’t do something the way you want it to, stop for a moment and investigate. There’s a good chance that the computer can accommodate your desires. In Short Circuits: Anyone who has trouble finding where TV programs they want to watch are streaming, or who forgets to watch new episodes, will find JustWatch useful. • The latest versions of Adobe’s photo editing applications are filled with useful features, but that doesn’t mean we should forget about applications such as SnapArt4.
One of the most common ways that people are victimized online involves the victims failing to recognize social engineering and giving their login credentials to scammers. In Short Circuits: Facebook accounts are filled with gold that scammers like to mine. There’s a quick and easy way to view what crooks see so that you can modify your account to maximize security. • Europeans can remove Microsoft’s Edge browser because of European Union rules, but these rules don’t apply in the United States. There’s still a way to tame or remove Edge, and I’ll explain how.
When a charge for a service I didn’t recognize showed up in an alert from my bank, I found that I had been signed up for a video streaming service I’d never heard of. Eliminating the service was easy enough, but a lot of people have reported terminating it was difficult. In Short Circuits: Even those of us who are not typographers, graphic designers, or publishers sometimes need to deal with typefaces. What most people think of as “fonts” aren’t fonts, but this may be a surprise: It doesn’t really matter. • Anyone who relies on Amazon’s ratings to make buying decisions isn’t getting the full story. A service that rates that ratings helps, but it’s still wise to proceed with caution.
Exposure hasn’t had an upgrade from the X7 version, which was released in 2021, but it’s still a good choice both as a standalone application and as a plug-in for Lightroom Classic. In Short Circuits: Speaking of golden oldies, I encountered a little connector that could be used to join lots of devices two years ago. It saved the day a week ago when I had to deal with an IPhone that had a low battery. • There’s a lot of concern about the dangers of artificial intelligence, so I went straight to the source and asked two AI engines about the dangers of AI.
A hijacked Facebook account can be a lot of fun, but only if you have a most peculiar understanding of the term “fun”. It wasn’t my account, but I had to deal with the repercussions of a hack recently. In Short Circuits: The technology that powers GPS, Bluetooth devices, and other modern high technology was invented 83 years ago by someone considered to be “the most beautiful woman in the world.” Even now she doesn’t get the recognition she deserved in 1941. • Ever notice how technology someone doesn’t understand, doesn’t like, or fears is labeled as “bloatware”. That’s the term being used with AI today, along with a fair amount of faulty logic.
Which is better, cable or streaming? There are lots of variables and cable is perfect for some people while streaming is the winner for others. After switching to streaming three years ago, now seemed a good time to re-evaluate. In Short Circuits: You might have some old digital photos that would benefit greatly from today’s AI-powered applications. I have a couple of examples. • “Warning: Your privacy settings can’t guarantee your privacy on Facebook.” That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.
The more digital photos you have, the harder it is to find the one you’re looking for. Excire Search, a plug-in for Lightroom Classic, makes the process much easier. In Short Circuits: Libre Office is the ideal office suite for those who are unable or unwilling to pay a monthly subscription fee. The latest version, though, has a surprising number. • Microsoft wants to be the king of artificial intelligence and may well succeed, but do we really need a special AI key on our keyboards?
Free, open-source software is often viewed as being second rate when compared to commercial software, but sometimes the best application actually does cost nothing. In Short Circuits: When something starts with Windows, but you don’t want it to, finding a way to make it stop can be a challenge. Autoruns fixes that. • Phones no longer have dials, but we still say we’re dialing a number. Hardware, software, and processes are changing so fast that some arrive, flourish, and disappear seemingly in days.
Windows 11 cannot be installed on certain computers, mainly older models that lack sufficient hardware, but it is possible to force-install Windows 11 on computers that would fail otherwise because they lack hardware security features. In Short Circuits: With so many free email clients, you might wonder why anyone would be willing to pay $60 per year for one. Anyone who uses multiple mobile devices and wishes the same application was available for all portable and desktop systems might consider it. • If, like me, you’re someone who customizes the look and feel of Windows beyond what Microsoft allows, Stardock’s Icon Packager is a quick and easy way to make big changes.
Anyone who has digital photos that are more than a decade old could improve their quality substantially with an application that uses artificial intelligence to fill in details that don’t exist in the originals. In Short Circuits: Speaking of AI, if you’re trying to keep up with what’s new, you may suspect that it’s difficult and maybe impossible. Anything written more than a day or two ago is probably already outdated. • Have you ever needed to use a second computer near your primary computer only to find that making space for a second mouse and keyboard cramps your style? Multiplicity may be just what you need.
The Sysinternals suite of utilities has been around since the 1990s and has been part of Microsoft since 2006. More than 70 utilities make Sysinternals essential for all Windows computer users and today we’ll take a look at just two of them. In Short Circuits: Believable sound effects are essential for motion pictures and podcasts, but it’s not an easy process. The first step involves identifying and obtaining the right sounds. • Some Windows users like to keep all of their commonly used applications on the Desktop. That has never been my preferred method, but one of the applications included in Stardock’s Object Desktop suite has convinced me to make better use of the Desktop.
We don’t run out of disk space as often now as we did in the early days, but you might wonder about discarding some old junk even if space isn’t a significant problem. Several utilities are available to help you identify the junk. In Short Circuits: Scammers work hard to earn your trust and then steal your money. A Washington Post article about a retired federal scientist who was bilked out of her life savings is a cautionary tale, and we all need to be on the lookout for thieves. • Microsoft’s built-in screen capture tool has improved, now including the ability to capture video sequences, but it still lags behind both commercial and open source applications.
Microsoft’s new PC Manager takes the place of some other utilities such as CCleaner and offers quick, easy access to built-in Windows functions that are often several layers deep in Settings or the Control Panel. In Short Circuits: If you’ve ever wished you could unsend an email because you forgot to add an attachment or make an important point, SendLater will save the day, but only if you use Thunderbird. • Stardock’s SoundPackager makes it easy to add, change, or delete sounds that Windows plays to notify users of specific events, and it cost just $5.
Because digital photographs are free, we take a lot of them and that can be a problem when we want to find one particular image among tens of thousands on the computer. A new version of Excire Foto adds artificial intelligence that helps a lot. In Short Circuits: Anyone who operates a web domain on one of the big hosting services may occasionally have trouble with email messages being rejected as spam or just being quietly deleted. Using a separate, dedicated SMTP service can eliminate the problem, possibly without cost. • Stardock Software has applications that can make your Windows computer look better, some that can make the computer work better, and some that do both. We’ll take a look. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Was the 2003 version of Microsoft’s office suite just another pretty face? Compared to what we have today, the office suite was small and plain, but the growth pattern was obvious.
Like the Windows 11 Start Menu or hate it, Start11 from Stardock can make it better. Maybe you’d like the start menu to work the way it did in Windows 7, 8, or 10. Maybe you like the Windows 11 approach, but would like to add some features. That’s the point of Start11. In Short Circuits: Python is a popular programming language. It’s powerful, but the basics are easy to learn. If you’ve looked at Python because it’s now supported by Excel, you’ve already started. Maybe this is a language most computer users should be familiar with. • The TechByter website was down for several hours on 8 November and getting a straight answer from the hosting service turned out to be much more difficult than it should have been. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Numerous “If Microsoft Made Automobiles” and “If Apple Was An Airline” pieces have circulated on the internet. In late 2003, I received a copy of “If Microsoft|Apple Made Elevators” and I included it on Technology Corner. Enjoy!
Playing DVDs and Blu-ray discs on a computer can sometimes be better than watching them on a television, but Microsoft doesn’t include a player with Windows, and the Media Player app is quite limited. Other options exist, but some are pricey. One is free. In Short Circuits: Even if you use just a single chat application, taking a look at Beeper is a good idea. And if you use multiple chat applications, I consider it essential. • Has your Facebook account ever been cloned by a crook? There’s one simple change you can make to your Facebook account that strongly discourages data thieves. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2003, Apple was beginning the long transition from 32-bit processors to 64-bit processors with its new G5 Dual CPUs.
Development cycles for large applications once were frequently 18 months. Now it’s a rare day that we don’t receive a bug fix, security update, or feature release for at least one application. Keeping up is a challenge. In Short Circuits: Heat is the enemy of electronic devices and notebook computers are highly vulnerable. I recently added a device that places cooling fans below my primary notebook computer and it helps even more than expected. • I’ve been seeing articles about how to get Microsoft 365 for free. Although some of the suggestions will be successful, most of them seem like just too much work. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): AOL, in my estimation, did something right in 2003. What I offered was kind of a back-handed compliment, though.
Artificial intelligence is something Adobe has been working on for several years and this year’s advances mark the beginning of what seems likely to be an explosion of advanced capabilities. In Short Circuits: Adobe pointed to some of its plans for future products at the annual Max conference in Los Angeles. The sneak peeks could easily be mistaken for pure magic. • If your Windows computer hasn’t yet updated to version 23H2 and you’d like it to, the process is both quick and easy. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2003, Apple released another of its big cat operating systems, Panther, and I was quite impressed by what it could do.
AeroAdmin is an excellent choice if you need to help friends or family solve problems with their computers and when you want to log onto your computer when you’re not in front of it. In Short Circuits: Artificial intelligence can create text for you, and it can paraphrase your text. Is it worth trying an application such as QuillBot to see how good an editor it is? • We’ve been able to synchronize the Windows clipboard between computers for a while now, but you can also synchronize the clipboard with your Android phone. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Most of us occasionally think about “The Good Old Days”, but if we really stop and think about it, it’s clear the the good old days really weren’t that good.
Copilot is the most significant new feature in the Windows 11 Fall update, version 23H2. If your computer hasn’t been updated to 23H2, you can force the update or obtain some of the new features even without updating. In Short Circuits: Opera is a good browser that I’ve recommended several times in the past 25 years, and I still do recommend it, but only if you perform a fully manual installation to avoid some nasty “features”. • It’s hard to keep up with improvements in artificial intelligence imagery. I took a look at images from Adobe Firefly, Canva, and Microsoft’s Copilot, which uses DALL-E3. There’s one standout winner. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Some of the security fixes Microsoft patched in 2003 seem quite simple by today’s standards, but others are similar to issues that are fixed today, differing only in the affected components.
Adobe didn’t wait for the annual Max conference to roll out some of the new features for Photoshop and other apps. Generative Fill and Generative Expand are still resolution limited, but they are already surprisingly useful. In Short Circuits: Printers have long been the bane of IT support, and Microsoft has plans to make printers a bit less vexing. Manufacturers will need to work with a universal printer subsystem instead of writing drivers for their devices. • If your browser and any other applications that can display WebP graphics are up to date, you’re safe from a nasty flaw. If not, now would be a good time to update them. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): It’s not unheard of for Windows computers to run for months between restarts these days, but it wasn’t common in 2003 and I was somewhat jealous of a Linux system that had been up for more than seven months.
The main article is really three short pieces: One about PowerToys Run, a quick and easy way to start an application or launch a search; the next about the now limited “unlimited” hosting plan from Bluehost; and finally a fond farewell to WordPad. In Short Circuits: Living like it’s 1983. If you loved WordStar, you can now install WordTsar and try to remember some of the obscure key sequences that made things happen. • If you’ve ever read either a privacy policy or a website’s terms of service, you’re in the minority. A service is available to show the important points without requiring the consumption of many pages of legalese. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Burning CDs and DVDs was a big thing in 2003, but few of today’s computers have optical disc readers, to say nothing of burners. It was a short era.
Even basic smart phones can create remarkably good videos and more people are editing videos at home. As a result, there are lots of applications, both free and paid, designed to take the place of editing suites that once cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to build. In Short Circuits: New features in Adobe’s audio editor, Audition, are rare, but three improvements in the 2023 version will wow audio editors, while others will wonder why they’re such big deals. • Aptos is Microsoft’s new typeface for Microsoft 365 subscribers, but before going all in on Aptos, it’s a good idea to consider some of what Microsoft isn’t talking about and thinking about Microsoft’s motives. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): 2003 was the end of the line for TechXNY, previously called PC Expo. Once a show that filled New York City’s Javits Center, the final program was confined to a small corner.
It’s a good idea to check out any file you receive as an attachment, even if the file seems to have come from someone you know. Jotti’s free malware scan will show the file to more than a dozen antivirus applications so you can make an informed decision. In Short Circuits: Sometimes modifying a computer setting fixes a problem even when you’re absolutely certain the setting cannot have any effect on the problem. I’ll tell you about one of those I encountered recently and, although it couldn’t possibly fix the problem, it did. • There’s a new and improved clock for Windows 11. It restores some features that were present in the Windows 10 clock and adds several new features, including the ability to display multiple clocks on multiple screens. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2003, I said your computer’s hard disk will fail. That’s less likely these days, even for mechanical drives, but complacency is still not your friend.
Being able to tell the difference between truth and lies is increasingly difficult, especially on the internet, but also with organizations that claim to be presenting facts. We can’t escape bias, but we can at least try to be aware of it. In Short Circuits: Mouse Without Borders, a relatively new feature in Microsoft’s PowerToys utilities, solves a problem you may never have encountered. For those who have experienced this problem, the solution is absolute genius. • If you’ve ever wondered about your home’s risk from flooding, wildfire, wind, or heat, the RiskFactor website can answer the questions. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2003, I offered what I thought was a great solution to spam. Fortunately, nobody implemented the plan. It was shortsighted in the extreme.
Whether you’re a graphic designer or not, Adobe Express has something for you. Professionals can use it to give themselves more time for custom creativity and non-designers can leverage Express to perform tasks they couldn’t do by themselves. In Short Circuits: Although Python has been available as a paid add-in for Excel, it will soon be included in the application. Currently it’s available only in the Beta channel for Microsoft 365 Insiders. • Installing and using more than one web browser can improve your experience because most browsers offer features not available in the others. How many browsers do you use? Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2003, Corel was pinning its hopes for the future on an office suite that was based on WordPerfect.
Buying a new computer includes some of the same processes and decisions needed when buying a new car, and it’s important to base the buying decision on facts instead of on emotions. In Short Circuits: Sometimes antique computer-users like me say old DOS computers seemed faster than today’s Windows machines. That’s not entirely inaccurate and the Windows Task Manager helps us understand why. • Safe Mode is useful when your computer has a problem, even if it can’t boot normally, but getting into Safe Mode is a little more complicated than it used to be. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2003, my preferred email client was The Bat, a remarkably advanced email application from Moldova that continued to be my favorite for many years.
Disk partition managers are essential tools for technicians, but they can also be useful for any computer user. Third-party partition managers include more features than the one that came with your computer and might be free. In Short Circuits: The Employee Retention Credit Act was established at the height of the covid pandemic to help businesses that paid their employees while the operation was shut down. The Internal Revenue Service warns about scammers who are now using the ERC to defraud companies. • The developers of the DuckDuckGo search engine are working on a browser and it’s currently available in beta for Windows and MacOS computers. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2003, some said the internet would save humanity and others said the internet is evil and will destroy us. Did we ever get that sorted out?
Mozilla has been working on a new version of Thunderbird for a while and the combination of improvements, new features, and ongoing debugging make it well worth looking at regardless of which email application you’re using now. In Short Circuits: Sometimes Microsoft does something so astonishingly ignorant that it’s hard to believe management was aware of it. I’ll describe what seems to be the dumb and petty decision to pull support for the OneNote Clipper from Firefox. • Usually I recommend against extended warranties, but sometimes they can be a good value, particularly with expensive mobile devices that can easily be damaged. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Spam was a big problem in 2003, but back then we had no idea how bad it could be.
Internet access is slower and more expensive in the United States than in many other countries, so it’s important to figure out how much speed you need and then to confirm that you’re getting what you pay for. In Short Circuits: The Windows package manager, WinGet, provides access to more apps and utilities than the Microsoft Store does, but it’s a command line function that’s cumbersome to use. A graphical user interface, WinGetUI, makes it much easier. • Generative Expand has been added to Adobe’s Generative Fill in the beta version of Photoshop. Even in early days, these are powerful features that look like magic. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Scams have been around forever and this week we’ll take a look at one from 2003.
Sometimes saving money is a really bad idea. For example, doing without a backup system for the files on your computer because you don’t want to spend $100 to $200 per year. How much are your files worth to you? In Short Circuits: The utility CURL has been around since 1996, but it was just added to the Windows operating system this year. It’s a command-line function and it’s old, but it still performs some useful functions. • When it’s time to kick back and play with the computer, there are thousands of options. Let’s take a look at just a few. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2003, somebody floated the idea of a disposable digital camera. It failed to become a huge success.
Scammers are always trying to find new ways to extract money from people they can fool. New variants of old cons are common, and for the past several months phony feedback surveys have been big. Most scammers can be defeated by treating any offer with a bit of suspicion. In Short Circuits: Early personal computers had the command line and no graphical user interface until the mid 1980s. The command line is still useful and we’ll look at a few such instances. • When you need to copy text on paper, there’s a better option than using your smartphone’s camera app. It’s like having a scanner in your pocket. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): SCO, the Santa Cruz Operation, became one of the most hated high-tech companies in history. By 2003, its greed had upended the company, but its lawyers were still busy.
When pointing your browser at a website, the browser needs to find the site’s IP address, so it calls on a domain name service server. Using a better DNS server can improve the browser’s response time, but only by a bit. There are other reasons to use DNS not from your internet service provider. In Short Circuits: Adobe’s Firefly (generative fill) function, even in beta, has shown itself to be surprisingly good at some tasks. It can also be used to create an oil-painting effect on a photograph. • After working with Beeper, a universal chat application, I’m ready to talk about its advantages and (because it’s still a beta app) some of the areas that need refinement. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2003, hardware and software for video editing were still expensive, but the future was clear.
Microsoft 365 might be the best office suite for you, or maybe Google’s offerings would be better. Or perhaps you don’t need a suite at all. Let’s ponder that. In Short Circuits: Correspondence today heavily favors email and text messages, but sometimes you might need to send a real paper letter in an envelope using the US Postal Service. You can, even if you don’t have a printer, an envelope, or a stamp—and without leaving your house. • Formulas can save time for spreadsheet users, but often the time saving is minimal. The primary benefits are better accuracy and reliability; and to increase comprehension, don’t neglect conditional formatting. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Digital cameras from 2003 often had noticeable delays between when the user pressed the shutter release and the camera captured an image. Digital SLRs eliminated that.
When you set up an account on a Windows 10 or 11 computer, it can be a Microsoft account or a local account. Some pundits maintain that Microsoft accounts should never be used, but I don’t like the word “never”. There are good reasons to use a local account and good reasons to use a Microsoft account, so let’s look. In Short Circuits: Scammers are finding that artificial intelligence is a marvelous tool they can use to hoodwink victims, but AI can also be used to identify scams. • There’s an easy way to modify Windows 11 settings and version 2 of the Windows 11 Fixer adds some options. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Scams have been around since the beginning of civilization and spams existed before the internet was created. Twenty Years Ago, only on the website, looks at attempts to eliminate spam in 2003.
Whether you need to replace a notebook computer that has a built-in screen or find a new monitor for your desktop system, it’s important to think about screen size and resolution. In Short Circuits: Renaming one or two files is easy, but when you’re faced with hundreds of files that need to be renamed, it’s time to call for the Bulk File Renamer. • Generative Fill, which Adobe also refers to as “Firefly”, can make image modifications in seconds that previously would have taken hours. I have an example. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2003, Microsoft had a security problem with version 9 of the Media Player.
Whether you need a huge camera with a lot of heavy and bulky lenses, just a smartphone, or something in between depends on how you approach photography. Let’s explore that. In Short Circuits: Most new computers come with solid-state drives. If you have an older computer that you’re not yet ready to retire, now would be a great time to upgrade the boot drive to an SSD. • Beeper is a new approach to messaging, whether you use Messenger, IMessage, Twitter, or one of the other services. Beeper puts them all in one location. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Scams are as old as the internet. In 2003, I was grumbling about scams of the day, an activity that has persisted for two decades.
A VPN is essential whenever you use a mobile device with a public Wi-Fi hotspot, but it can also improve privacy and security at other times. It’s important to understand the trade-offs, though. In Short Circuits: Some internet crooks are stupid and I like to make fun of them, but there’s no shortage of crafty criminals. We all need to be aware that they exist and to beware of their tricks. In other words, be wary. • I’ve been trying to find time to talk about some of the enhancements Adobe has added to the Creative Cloud suite, but blockbuster additions to the photography programs kept getting in the way. Today some of the other apps take center stage. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2003, Nikon loaned me a digital SLR camera. I had been using digital cameras since about 1999, but they were more like point-and-shoot cameras than the single-lens-reflex cameras I had used since the 1960s. The D100 was my first extended experience with the new breed of cameras and I was immediately sold.
Your browser blocks ads and pop-ups, you use incognito mode, and you don’t allow sites to access the computer’s hardware. Safe, right? Your browser can still be fingerprinted and you can still be tracked. In Short Circuits: Canary is an email application that runs on Windows, MacOS, IOS, IPadOS, and Android. In addition to artificial intelligence for creating or responding to messages, the app strengthens security and the versions work about the same on all platforms. • Artificial intelligence makes it possible for one person to sound exactly like another. The dangers should be apparent. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2003, legislators were wrestling with the effect the internet would have on intellectual property, and specifically how copyright would apply. I was still trying to figure it out.
Small specialized apps generally known as “utilities” can solve problems and add capabilities not provided by the operating system. We’ll look at new functions in PowerToys utilities from Microsoft and from two individual developers. In Short Circuits: Adobe released Firefly a few weeks ago for people to try and now the AI component has been added to the beta version of Photoshop that’s available to Creative Cloud subscribers. • When testing files that might contain malware, maybe you’d like a second opinion. What about fourteen opinions without having to install anything? Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2003, Kodak saw a future that did not need film and was attempting to rebrand itself as “the picture company”.
Instead of massive home stereo systems, most of us now listen to music on our computers. Adding a software equalizer can improve sound, even on less-than-perfect sound systems. In Short Circuits: Photoshop Camera is free and it may be the best way to have fun with the camera that's in your smartphone, but it's not compatible with every device. • Meta has agreed to a $725 million settlement to end a class-action suit. Any US citizen who has used Facebook in the past 16 years could get a piece of it, but it will be a small piece. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2003, a company named Webshots offered a way to put photos on phones. The company is still around, and it has expanded a bit.
Even if your scanner came with a scanning application, using the scanner will be easier and more productive if you buy a copy of VueScan. In Short Circuits: I’ll tell you about some of Adobe’s new photo suite features soon, but one that stands out above all the others is a game changer called Denoise. • Geoffrey Hinton, Google’s former chief artificial intelligence scientist, retired abruptly and has begun warning us about a time when AI will be smarter than humans. Let’s consider that. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2003, I was preparing to buy my first digital single-lens reflex camera and was excited about its performance and features.
Anyone who wants to create a website needs to start by selecting either an application that edits website code or a service that offers site design tools. Many choices exist, but the two primary contenders are Dreamweaver and WordPress. In Short Circuits: A virtual private network on your computer is on the way to becoming essential, and Google’s VPN service that’s part of Google One might be sufficient. • The internet is full of useless attractions that are amusing. Among them are the ability to ride public transit systems online. Come along for a ride on New York City’s 7 train. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Is Linux an existential threat to Microsoft? Twenty years ago, it’s what Microsoft considered its number one danger.
Windows has features that, while not quite annoyances, don’t work the way you’d like. The Ultimate Windows Tweaker fixes a lot of these not-quite annoyances, and it’s free. In Short Circuits: When I bought a new keyboard, I noticed a lot of extra keys. Some of them are surprisingly useful. • Trying to print a website page is often an exercise in frustration because website pages are rarely designed for printing. PrintFriendly is a clever website, and a browser extension, that makes website pages printable. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Iomega, the company that filled a storage gap with high-capacity Zip and Jaz disks tried online storage as the need for disks faded, but success eluded the project.
When I set up a new computer, MacroExpress Pro is one of the dozen programs that are installed immediately. Those who don’t need all the power of the pro version may find one of the three more basic options useful. In Short Circuits: DPReview has been an essential resource for anyone who uses digital photography, but Amazon has ended its quarter-century run and soon all traces of the site will be gone. • Although Google was an early leader in artificial intelligence, ChatGPT and others took the lead and Google is trying to reclaim its leadership position. So now we have Bard, by “invitation” only. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Unicode was fighting for recognition in 2003. The advantages were obvious, but it wasn’t catching on quickly. Today it’s everywhere.
Reinstalling Windows 11, as I did a few weeks ago, gave me the chance to rediscover some of the “features” Microsoft offers that don’t work quite the way I want them to. Let’s look at some annoyances that are easy to fix. In Short Circuits: Maybe you consider the seemingly never-ending announcements and notifications from Windows 11 to be an annoyance, too, and you have have more control than you may think. • Adobe has a free artificial-intelligence tool designed to fix less-than-perfect audio, making it possible to create a podcast even if the recording environment is noisy. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2003, light-emitting diodes were expensive, but they saved money with lower operating costs. Now even the initial expense is lower.
So many people complain about Windows, but then don't take the time to figure out how to fix what's bothering them. It's usually not difficult, so let's consider some of the annoyances that can be fixed with minimal effort. In Short Circuits: If you have a computer that's running slow and you've already replaced the mechanical hard drive with a solid-state drive, adding memory might help. • A common bit of humor has old people who need tech support calling on their six-year-old grandchildren for help, but it doesn't have to be that way. Some recent research says that we older folks are dealing with technology a bit better and the pandemic is part of the reason why. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): By 2003, manufacturers had managed to create cameras that were good enough to start the massive migration from film to digital.
You probably already know about the importance of keeping your computer, notebook, or tablet clean and up to date just as you ensure that your car is maintained properly, but what about your smartphone? In Short Circuits: When you're on vacation with the kids, having some motion pictures along can make travel time easier, but nobody wants to carry a stack of discs. Legally it's a gray area, but you can rip DVDs and Blu-ray discs to smartphones and tablets. • The Kerbango internet radio was introduced at PC Expo in 2000, but the project was discontinued a year later before even one unit could be sold. Now internet radios are being manufactured by several companies. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): I've had only minimal success using Windows Restore points over the years, but it worked the way it was supposed to once in 2003.
If you need to be able to capture screen shots, but the Windows Snipping Tool is insufficient and commercial applications are too expensive, there's ShareX. In Short Circuits: Anyone who has tried to schedule a Google Calendar event on the last day of each month has found that it's not possible. There's a workaround, though. • Does your Windows computer share too much information with Microsoft? You can tell it to shut up, but proceed with caution. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2003, Windows XP users complained that their computers were much slower after they installed Service Pack 1.
ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence applications are responsible for a lot of questions about the future. Will AI help us humans, create insurmountable problems, or be no big deal? In Short Circuits: Music lovers who have trouble finding a local station they like will be happy with StreamWriter, a free application that not only plays music from thousands of radio stations but also makes it easy to record streams for later listening. • It's easier than ever to run Android apps on a Windows 11 computer, so let's look at how it's done. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Before Microsoft captured desktop computers with Word, a small company in Utah built Wordperfect into a world class application. By 2003, the battle was essentially over.
Many businesses issue two or more computer monitors to each employee because they've discovered a modest hardware investment improves productivity. Maybe it's time for home users to have more than one monitor, too. In Short Circuits: Users of Adobe's Creative Cloud can download and test beta versions of more than a dozen applications. The betas run alongside the installed release versions. • A handy utility application from McAfee leaves behind some software that may slow your computer and how to get rid of the extra app isn't obvious. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Although most computers purchased today come from China, in 2003 the change was just beginning.
Version 2 of Affinity's Photo, Designer, and Publisher apps give users surprisingly powerful features at a modest cost. In Short Circuits: PortableApps, one of my favorite programs, has recently added more applications including a lot of useful utilities and the ability to use specific typefaces wherever you are. • T-Mobile continues to be the poster child for accidentally exposing information from its clients -- this time 37 million of them. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2003, broadband was available to only about 10% of US families. Now it's around 80%.
Until now, Adobe's Lightroom and Lightroom Classic offered no way to add more than a single mask to an image. That's no longer the case and the change gives users the ability to make modifications that would previously have required using Photoshop. In Short Circuits: Netflix has been trying to find a way to limit password sharing and is testing one option in South America. • How long will the disk drive in your computer last? There's no way to tell for sure, but the annual disk drive report from cloud backup company Backblaze offers some useful clues. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2003, airlines were just beginning to introduce electronic tickets, but it wasn't until 2008 that the conversion was nearly complete.
The internet has lots of rabbit holes that are good for passing time, enjoyment, and (sometimes) education. Let's take a look at a few. In Short Circuits: An email that appeared to be from a high school classmate asked for a favor. It's been several decades since we graduated and the request seemed odd. Then it got odder. • If you prefer to maintain a clean Desktop, you might find Microsoft's repeatedly adding an icon for Edge a bit annoying. I'll explain how you can make it stop. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Adding a photo to an email today is trivial, but 20 years ago it wasn't and a $40 program offered to help.
Microsoft OneNote has been around since 2003 and it's one of a small set of applications that I use every single day. OneNote stores all kinds of information and makes finding it easy when you need it. In Short Circuits: This seems to be the year of the phony prize. All you have to do is fill out a quick survey and you'll receive a $100 gift card or a $200 set of tools or the latest model IPhone. Sadly, they're all scams. • And speaking of scams, when 16TB solid-state drives are selling for more than $2000, you may be delighted to find one for just $60 on Amazon. You will regret that purchase, though. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): How about a computer that could run Windows XP and still fit in your pocket? That was big news in 2003.
After one too many breaches at LastPass, I started looking for a new password manager and decided to give 1Password a try. It works well and there's one feature that every password manager should have. In Short Circuits: DOS commands are old, many dating back to the early 1980s, but many are still useful. Spending a bit of time with the antiques now might save time later. • Although password managers are essential, the real solution to the password problem is eliminating passwords. It's been nearly 40 years since that was proposed and we're still not there. Maybe in another 40 years. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Many people had to format the hard drive and then reinstall Windows about once a year. In my case it was usually two or three times a year. I do not miss that little exercise in futility!
Having "enjoyed" an extended hospital stay late last year and an even more extended period of starting the recovery process, I learned that hospitals have changed a lot in recent years and that one absolutely essential possession to take along is a smartphone. Sometimes system updates cause problems for users. Such was the case with an update for my Samsung smart watch, and it's apparently not the first time Samsung has pushed out a flawed smart watch update. • When Microsoft released Windows 11 version 22H2, tabs finally became a part of the File Explorer. While this is a welcome new feature, my preference is still for the third-party file explorer, Q-Dir. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Once Microsoft was a software company. Then they started making add-on devices such as keyboards. Today's Microsoft hasn't gone all-in on hardware, but it's a much larger part of the operation.
In addition to a search engine that doesn't track users, DuckDuckGo offers email protections such as the ability to provide someone you may not trust with a one-time address that can be eliminated. In Short Circuits: Being able to send an encrypted email message is helpful when you need to send sensitive or proprietary data, but the process is challenging. ProtonMail makes it much easier. • Microsoft eliminated the ability to boot to Safe mode by pressing the F8 key at boot time in Windows 8, but there's an easy way to restore that functionality. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): An information manager called Chandler looked promising in 2003, but the application never really caught on.
Two-factor authentication isn't yet the new normal, but it should be. Some businesses that should provide better security for their customers are lagging, and many users seem more interested in saving a few seconds than in securing their finances. This must change. In Short Circuits: I've described my backup system so often that you may think recovering a file isn't a big deal, and that's true until it isn't. I'll tell you about the cause of my close call. No significant files were at risk, but I did manage to annoy myself. • Then I'll explain how I recovered some files and describe the steps I've taken to close a small hole in the backup system. Having an image backup of the boot drive is important, but it's not sufficient if you might need to recover individual files quickly. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Today we send and receive email with ease on our smart phones. That could be done in 2002, but it was much more difficult.
Version 22H2 of Windows 11 will catch your eye with numerous user interface enhancements, but the real reason to get the update sooner rather than later is the emphasis on security. In Short Circuits: Microsoft PowerToys adds some must-have features in version 6.2. If you haven't yet installed the free utility, these may be the extras that convince you. • Adobe is paying an enormous amount of cash and stock for a seven-year-old application called Figma. Twenty billion dollars. Wow. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2002, a company wanted people who had trailer hitches on their cars to shell out $30 for a lighted sign. It didn't work out well.
Desktop computers are smaller than they used to be. Tower boxes are shorter, but if you really want to save space, consider a notebook computer, possibly with a dock. Notebook systems cost more and desktop systems still have certain advantages, but the trend it toward smaller devices. In Short Circuits: LastPass reported a "security incident" in late August and doomsayers made a lot of noise. As it turned out, the intrusion wasn't a big deal and I'll explain why. • Windows 10 and Windows 11 apps are not installed in the usual Program Files and Program Files (x86) directories. Instead they're in a hidden directory inside the Windows directory. If you want to examine the directory, it can be challenging. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2002, thinking that the cat or dog could eat your computer was a bit of hyperbole, but today we have watches that are essentially computers. Maybe the cat couldn't eat it, but the dog might.
You're careful not to drop your notebook computer into the ocean or down a flight of stairs, but heat is the insidious destroyer of all electronic devices. In Short Circuits: Ordering groceries online with curbside pickup or home delivery made big advances during the worst months of the Covid pandemic. Growth has slowed, but not stopped. Big chains have gone all in, and smaller stores are struggling to stay in the game. • Windows updates interrupt us. Sometimes they annoy us. But if you're tempted to skip the updates, think again. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Having a device that could hold 64MB of data and yet was about the size of a pack of gum seemed amazing in 2002, and it was. Floppy disks were still around and you'd need a huge pocket to carry 64MB of data on floppies.
Maybe you love software as a service, but probably you don't. Regardless of your opinion or mine, it's the future and other industries are taking note. In Short Circuits: Microsoft is in the process of executing a nearly flawless flip-flop to correct problems created when they tried to force OneNote for Windows 10 on OneNote users. They relented following an outcry from fans of the standalone application and have now improved the standalone version and made it the primary OneNote application. • Low income households can receive a discount from the Federal Communications Commission for basic high-speed internet access. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2002, Corel released what would be the final version of Ventura Publisher, a star-crossed desktop typesetting application that was better than competing products but never quite caught on. Users had been waiting a long time for version 10.
Smart phones are ideal companions, but they're easy to lose and easy to steal. Taking preventive measures before something bad happens and preparing to deal with a missing device is well worth the relatively small amount of time required. In Short Circuits: We can't eliminate errors and stupidity, but we can ensure that we can recover from stupid events. What we need is something that will save our data when undo doesn't work or isn't available. • Say "Excel" and just about everyone will think "spreadsheet", "analysis", or "math". Certainly Excel is the right tool for calculations, budgets, and accounting, and even for creating a perpetual calendar. But Excel has some powerful text capabilities, too. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2002, Windows updates were often installed using a CD, but users had to pay for shipping. Some updates could be downloaded for free. Service Pack 1 weighed in at 40MB and Microsoft said that it corrected about 300 bugs.
Now that more people connect their computers to external sound systems, Windows needs a better way to modify its audio outputs. Fortunately, a couple of open-source applications are just what's needed. In Short Circuits: As good as Adobe Acrobat is for working with PDF documents, sometimes there's a better choice. You can obtain it for free. • Apple has ordered its employees to return to the office at least three days per week and, after enjoying two years of not commuting, many are pushing back. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2002, Walmart was offering astoundingly cheap computers, just $200. It wasn't exactly a powerhouse and it didn't exactly run Windows.
Mozilla's Thunderbird email client version 102 has been released with important user interface updates, security measures, and improved features. If you haven't looked at Thunderbird in the past few years, now would be an excellent time to do so. In Short Circuits: Teen usage of Facebook has dropped substantially in the past five years and even Meta recognizes that this is just the beginning of a precipitous decline. • Since the very beginning, Kindle devices have been unable to read EPUB files. Later this year, the Kindle Documents Service will be able to convert EPUB files to AZW3 so that users can load those books onto their Kindle. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2002, Apple released the first major upgrade for OSX, Jaguar. Version 10.0 was barely functional. Version 10.1 helped, but it wasn't until version 10.2 that the operating system began to show its capabilities.
Opinions: Always shoot in raw mode! Never shoot in raw mode! JPEG is just as good as raw! JPEG severely degrades photos! Both modes exist for a reason and it's not an always-or-never decision. Let's consider the advantages of each format. In Short Circuits: If you've ever tried to tell someone where you are when no street address is available, you'll immediately see the advantages of using the What Three Words app on your mobile phone. • When you've grown tired of Ccleaner's constant requests for a $30 annual upgrade, you could pay up or you could choose to use an open-source program. Let's consider that second option. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2002, home and small office computer users were beginning to learn about green screen technology that's commonly used in broadcast television and motion pictures.
One of the best things about digital photography is that individual images cost nothing, so even amateur photographers routinely amass tens of thousands of images. Excire Foto can help when you're looking for one specific image. In Short Circuits: When something goes wrong, don't panic. Until you're sure what's happening, the best action is often no action at all. As first responders say, "Be part of the solution, not part of the problem." Let's see how that applies with computers. • There are reasons for using third-party protective applications on Windows-based computers, but the built-in Windows Security along with protections that are included with most web browsers are sufficient for most users. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2002, we were beginning to contemplate not only editing video on our computers, but also the ability to make DVDs that could be played on standard TV disc players. The SCM Microsystems Dazzle DVD Creation Station was one of the players.
Smart watches aren't exactly new because they've been around in one form or another since 2004. Apple's introduction of a smart watch in 2015 gave the market a kick start, but only one fifth of US adults currently own one. Women are more likely to have a smart watch than men are. In Short Circuits: Many crypto-currencies have lost significant value in the past several months, but they still have worth. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation says 244 investors lost nearly $43 million worth of crypto-currency in the past six month. The scam has been traced back to a fraudulent app. • Most Wi-Fi routers can transmit signals in the 2.4GHz range and 5GHz range. Some of the newer devices also can communicate in the 60GHz range. Although channel selection is largely automatic in the higher-frequency bands, it's fully manual in the 2.4GHz range. Selecting the wrong channel can reduce your link speeds and those of your neighbors. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): I was excited about bargain prices for CompactFlash memory cards that were used by some camera manufacturers, but have virtually disappeared now in favor of memory cards that are physically smaller. Twenty years ago, CF cards were the primary choice and 2002's "bargain" prices are laughable now.
You're using Linux right now because it's what runs the TechByter Worldwide website. But you probably aren't using Linux on your desktop or notebook computer. Linux may never take over the desktop market, but let's take a look anyway. In Short Circuits: People who are looking for a new notebook computer may forget to examine the list of ports on the computer, and that would be a mistake. • Adobe Max is back as an in-person event for 2022, but there are still options to attend some of the events online and for free. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Setting up a home network wasn't as easy as it is today and one listener asked for help with her frustrating system.
Although the cursor may seem unimportant when creating a video to illustrate a computer-based procedure, Camtasia 2022 clearly shows that to be false and includes ways to improve your videos by enhancing the cursor. In Short Circuits: A heavy-duty cable with two types of USB connectors on each end can replace a lot of standard cables. One version is less than 6 inches long, the other nearly 5 feet. • Do you use COBOL? Although many people consider it to be an antique, outmoded programming language that's no longer needed, it is still being used by airlines, banks, government agencies, and a lot of big businesses. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Even with "huge" 40GB drives in our 2002 computers, there was a need for more storage.
A single monitor was sufficient around the turn of the century, but that's no longer the case for enterprise users, and probably not for home users, either. In Short Circuits: DuckDuckGo is all about privacy and security, but there's more. Is it enough to justify dropping Google's search engine? If so, would you want to? • A clever utility called WhatRuns is for website developers, but it might be something any web user could benefit from. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): A proposed high-performance, low-power CPU dubbed "Crusoe" from Transmeta was running into headwinds in 2002.
Facebook gives users a way to keep in contact with friends and relatives, but it also can be intensely frustrating. An add-on application for browsers can tame the beast. In Short Circuits: Cameras in mobile phones have capabilities that often go well beyond what even an expensive camera can do, and apps give mobile users the ability to perform tasks that were once limited to computer-based digital photography programs. • Nearly 10 years after researcher Aaron Swartz committed suicide when he was charged, many say unfairly, with computer espionage, the Department of Justice has made changes in how it will handle future cases. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): A Bit of hope remained for Ventura Publisher as Corel prepared to release what would become the program's final version.
Microsoft OneNote improves every year and continues to be an indispensable tool for keeping track of varied and disparate bits of information. Even better, it's free for anyone to use on Windows, MacOS, Android, or IOS devices -- as well as on the web. In Short Circuits: Although SnagIt is what I consider the best screen capture application, there's ShareX for those who can't justify SnagIt's cost. The open-source application is surprisingly robust, but it runs only on Windows. • A listener asked if I had a list of applications and services that have received five-cat ratings. I didn't, but now I do -- even though the list goes back only to the start of 2017. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Burning DVDs was time consuming, expensive, and prone to failure in 2002. Now it's none of those.
Not losing computer files is important to me because replacing lost files would be difficult and, in many cases, impossible. That's why having a solid backup system is crucial. In Short Circuits: Scammers are out to steal your social media credentials. Modifying a few settings will help, but the best way to keep accounts safe involves a bit of suspicion and lot of common sense. • If you have more than one computer on your desk, you might find a mult-computer mouse to be a good investment. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Being able to use an office computer from home was still a relatively new concept in 2002, but it caught on fast.
Those who must create flyers, web graphics, and posters even though they have no training in graphic design can use free and low-cost online services to avoid creating laughable, poorly executed results. In Short Circuits: Anyone who watches videos on a computer should have the VideoLAN Client. It's a strong competitor, even for players that cost $50 or $100, and it can perform some actions that even expensive players can't. • When the speed of your internet connection is disappointing, check with your internet service provider, but don't overlook possible problems that are closer to home. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Adobe had just released version 2 of InDesign and it was clearly a huge challenge to Quark XPress.
Some scammers are smart enough to create legitimate looking ploys, but even well made scams are usually apparent following only a brief inspection. In Short Circuits: The Windows File Explorer can display thumbnail images of some file types, but not Photoshop files. This is an absurd shortcoming and there's an easy fix. • Is there a digital camera gathering dust around your house? The ubiquitous single-lens reflex camera seems to be nearing the end of its almost 100-year run. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): TechX NY was about to open. We didn't know it then, but the 2002 show was to be its final gasp. The number of participants dropped, the Javits Center wasn't close to being full, and some companies pulled out at the last minute.
I'd like to tell you about a couple of thumb drives that belong, if not in your pocket, at least on the desk with your computer. In Short Circuits: We'll look at expanding one of those thumb drives to make it even more useful with utilities that are helpful when there's a problem with the computer, or you just need information about the computer. • Belarc Advisor, which is free for home use, is the equivalent of an annual physical exam, X-ray, CAT scan, and psychiatric evaluation for your computer. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2002, the electronics sector was being affected by the overall economic problems and Intel's sales were down significantly.
My wife and I decided to eliminate cable television about a year ago. We wanted to save money, but not lose content. So, did we succeed? In Short Circuits: Firefox isn't the force it once was, but there are good reasons for every computer user to have the browser installed even if it's not the primary browser. • Cheap thumb drives are everywhere. You'll pay just pennies per gigabyte, but are thumb drives still important? Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Criminals had figured out how to steal domain registrations and then sell them back to the owners.
If some company other than Adobe had created Lightroom Classic, Adobe would have to worry about the future of Photoshop. As it is, Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, and some mobile apps from Adobe play exceedingly well together. In Short Circuits: Whether you love or loathe Windows 11, there are probably some annoyances you'd like to fix. Windows 11 Fixer 2.0 is a brilliant solution to many of the annoyances. • As handy as public Wi-Fi hotspots are, they can be dangerous. A few easy techniques can tilt the odds in our favor. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): "Stupid.com" had launched in 2002 and was offering for sale gifts that were decidedly unusual.
Facebook users seem to complain about the service frequently, but it's difficult to find a competing service that has all of Facebook's features. Perhaps it's impossible. In Short Circuits: Device drivers are essential. Without them, printers, mice, disc players, and keyboards would be nothing more than expensive paperweights. But device drivers are often the cause of problems, too. • The Windows 11 File Explorer sometimes stops responding. It' not a problem for everyone, but it is fairly common. The good news is that there's an easy fix. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): In 2002 I was looking at computer prices from 1982, so let's look back 40 years.
Digitizing film negatives by scanning them will almost always reveal dust spots and may reveal scratches. Fortunately, there's a way to reduce or eliminate these if your scanner and your scanning software support infra-red scanning. In Short Circuits: When you're nervous about installing a new application, the Windows Sandbox offers a way to test the new application without concern, but only with Windows Pro or Enterprise editions. • Adobe Premiere Pro is used by professionals to create full-length motion pictures, but it's also a great choice when you're working with digitized home video tapes. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Batteries have always been a problem with mobile devices. In 2002, technicians were looking for answers.
Of the more than 4700 objects in the Windows System32 directory, around 650 are applications. Some of these are useful tools that that you can use to maintain a clean operating system. But which ones? In Short Circuits: Windows 11 offers organizational techniques that might work better than what you're doing now to find and start applications. • Some Android phones can take a series of photos when they sense motion. This can be helpful, but it can also be confusing. In Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Compaq, the king of portable computers, was being absorbed into Hewlett-packard in 2002.
Most routers intended for home and small-office use have four ports. If that's not enough, you can add more with a hub or a switch. What's the difference and how much do these things cost? Let's look. In Short Circuits: Password managers are essential and LastPass offers a family plan that gives up to six family members their own separate accounts and the ability to share information between members, when desired. The most difficult part may be convincing people to use it. • The Vivaldi web browser, which is based on Chrome, has added some improved security features that I appreciate, and you may too. Like nearly all modern browsers, Vivaldi gives users control over cookies, trackers, and ads -- but Vivaldi now also reports results. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Video subsystems have changed much since 2002. Today's low-end graphics subsystems have two to four gigabytes of memory. In 2002, the top-end systems had much less.
Windows seems to have an infinite number of settings and controls. We all know that the options aren't really infinite, but a lot of them exist. Sometimes making a change can eliminate an annoyance and we'll consider three examples this week. In Short Circuits: When you need to create a CD, DVD, or Blu-ray disc, you can use the Windows Explorer. There's a better choice, though -- ImgBurn has been around since 2005 and was last updated in 2013, but it's still the best way to burn a disc. • If you're annoyed by the screen that appears before the Windows login screen, there's a easy way to make it go away permanently. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): Few computer users had UPS units to protect their computers in 2002, and some found out the hard way that they could lose all their data in a flash.
The latest version of Microsoft's PowerToys is an ongoing project that receives new features regularly and adds useful functionality to Windows 10 and Windows 11. In Short Circuits: 1980s computers could run one program at a time. Then we got the ability to multitask programs and now it's easy to have so many applications running that we encounter the limit of human multitasking. • It's getting harder to tell truth from lies, but when Russia's former KGB agent and current president is seeing a lot of success in sowing distrust among Americans, searching for truth is important. Twenty Years Ago: Customer service is often the weak point for organizations, and I was encountering a lot of it in 2002.
It's a good thing that automobiles aren't sold like computers. Imagine bringing your new car home only to find that you'll need several aftermarket items just to make it work right. In Short Circuits: Microsoft 365 is what Microsoft wants you to use for word processing, number crunching, database operations, presentations, and email. It's the right choice for most people, but there are other options when it's not. • Being lazy is not a character fault. Laziness may help you find a better way to perform a repetitive task, and I do have a real-world example. Twenty Years Ago: The Federal Communications Commission had just proposed a schedule to convert television broadcasts from analog to digital. It was a seven-year process.
My wife and I both purchased new computers in March. Mine was 7 years old and ineligible for Windows 11. Hers was 5 years old, ineligible for Windows 11, and had a failing keyboard. The computers are both from the same manufacturer, but otherwise substantially different. In Short Circuits: A computer can be secure, but your privacy may still be at risk. You may be surprised by how little information is needed to uniquely identify an individual. • Usually I'm not a fan of percussive maintenance, but sometimes it gets the job done. Twenty Years Ago: VHS players and tapes weren't yet dead, but they were fading fast.
You may have seen articles that claim a 7-character password containing numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters, and symbols "could" be cracked in less than a minute. Longer passwords are better. Using upper- and lower-case letters along with numbers and symbols is also better. But less than a minute? Let's check the logic. In Short Circuits: When it's time to buy a new computer, you probably want it to have all of the programs and data from your old computer on the new one. The easy way to accomplish that is with LapLink's PCmover. • If you're the kind of person who enjoys sifting through population and demographic data, you're going to have fun on the World Population Review website. Twenty Years Ago: If you wanted a Bluetooth enabled device, you might be able to add the technology to an existing device, but it wasn't cheap.
Today we'll revisit the process of converting film negatives to digital images, but this time the main focus (Sorry!) is medium-format film. Even if you don't have any medium-format negatives, there's information that works for 35mm negatives. In Short Circuits: Are you frustrated by Windows 11's inability to display the day on the Task Bar? Well, surprise! You can restore the day name if you want to. • If crooks can associate a SIM card they have access to with your phone, they can drain your bank account. This is a good problem to avoid. Twenty Years Ago: Nobody had a GPS unit in their pocket in 2002, but direction-finding applications were beginning to appear.
Whether you love Microsoft Word or detest it, you probably use it. It's possible to customize Word so that it works the way you want it to, but the settings aren't always obvious or easy to find. In Short Circuits: Just about everyone has seen the "we couldn't deliver your package" email scam that's usually intended to steal your login credentials or to install malware on your computer. There's now a multi-part scam that's intended to clean out your entire bank account. If you fall for it, there's no way to get your money back. • A Danish organization, the Human Library, says its goal is to eliminate stereotypes by making it possible for people to interact with others they might not normally encounter.
Sometimes there's a post or an IM conversation on Facebook that you'd like to save on your own computer. It's not always easy, but it is always possible. Let's see how. In Short Circuits: The DuckDuckGo search engine doesn't collect or sell user information. Maybe you already use it instead of Google, but there's more from from the duck, including an extension that can be installed in any browser to warn about privacy issues. • Using multi-factor authentication is supposed to ensure that crooks can't steal your credentials because logging in requires a user name, a password, and a code that's delivered separately. Crooks have noticed and they're developing ways to defeat the technology. Twenty Years Ago: New media had encountered some bumpy roads. Ezines were failing and ebooks weren't as popular as many thought they should be. That has changed in the past two decades.
A free utility called System Explorer is like a combination of the Windows Task Manager and System Resource Monitor with an application uninstaller, security monitor, startup manager, and more tossed in for good measure. In Short Circuits: Domains housed on shared servers can be added to email blacklists if there's just one bad actor on the server. This can affect people who use their internet service provider's email system, too. There's a way to avoid the problem and it costs nothing to implement. • Four and a half years ago, Equifax suffered the largest data breach in history. Recently victims who signed up for free credit monitoring finally received instructions for how to use it. Twenty Years Ago: The Foveon digital camera sensor was intended to change everything. The technology is still in use, but not as a major player.
Virtual private networks can protect your computer and your data, but they can also lead to a false sense of security. So, do you really need one? In Short Circuits: If you read last week's post, you know how to find out what Amazon knows about you. This week, let's consider what Google knows about you. There's no single form to fill out to ask for the information, but there are lots of places you can look. • What do you think we'll see in 2022 other than more variants of covid? Several technologies that aren't exactly new look like they're bubbling toward general acceptance. Twenty Years Ago: It seemed that just about everyone with a Palm organizer had downloaded Bejeweled.
The pandemic may keep us isolated for a while yet, so if you have old negatives, prints, movies, video tapes, and even audio tapes around the house, now would be a great time to start digitizing and sharing them. In Short Circuits: If you've ever wondered what Amazon knows about you, you can find out by just asking. Beware that you'll be buried under a huge pile of data that's seemingly designed not to be helpful • Changes to the user interface for Microsoft 365 and Office 2021 are minor, but there are some hidden gems. It's also easy to switch between the old interface and the new, so you won't be locked in if you object to the changes. Twenty Years Ago: Speech recognition, which was last week's main topic, was also a topic in 2002. It was primitive by today's standards, but we were beginning to understand how a well-designed automated attendant system could handle routine issues.
Speech recognition is getting better and even the systems that are built in to Windows, the MacOS, and Android do a remarkably good job. I've been wondering if there's a clear winner among the three, so let's look. In Short Circuits: People who make advertisements, entertainment programs, and other media that keep us from going berserk during the pandemic are also affected by the pandemic. What are their attitudes in 2022? • Liker, launched in 2018 to compete with Facebook, was hacked and shut down in early 2021. It's finally back as "Tribel", but it has a long way to go to catch up with Facebook. Twenty Years Ago: In 2002, a 1GB CompactFlash card for professional photographers was exciting, even at $1000. Now you can buy a secure digital card that's more than 100 times larger at one-tenth the price.
The Vivaldi web browser is perhaps the most customizable browser available. If you'd like a browser that can be adjusted to work the way you want it to, take a look. In Short Circuits: When you need to use Safe mode in Windows, getting there can be a challenge. Making a few changes to some settings will provide immediate access at boot time. • If you think IBM invented the business computer, you're wrong. The first business computer was put into service a little over 70 years ago in England, several years ahead of US business usage. Twenty Years Ago: In 2002, tech pundits were saying that WordPerfect 5.1, the best of the DOS-based word processors, couldn't be installed on Windows XP. They were wrong.
Outlook is probably the most used email application other than Google's webmail client, but that doesn't mean it's the one people like the most. A few weeks ago, Outlook created a problem that required me to use Thunderbird temporarily. The temporary change quickly became permanent. In Short Circuits: Other than not using the internet at all, there's no way to eliminate scam phone calls, SMS messages, and emails. Defenses do exist though, and we'll look at some. • If you or someone you know is named Alexa, you might be amused by Amazon's assistant, but you're probably not amused. A Washington Post reporter tells the story. In 20 Years Ago: Apple liked to say that the Macintosh computer, introduced in 1984, was so easy to use that it needed no manual. In 2002, when I was learning to use my first Mac, that seemed inaccurate.
Every modern computer operating system has a built-in way to capture information that's on the screen, but if you need more than a basic screen shot, SnagIt is the right choice. In Short Circuits: Adobe's Creative Cloud Express is free for anyone to use, and it works online via a web browser or with apps on Windows, MacOS, IOS, and Android. • You'll find lots of ways to get information from people who don't suspect that they're giving away the details scammers need to steal one's identity on Facebook. In Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): TechSmith's SnagIt was the lead story in 2002, and the 12-year-old application was already improving every year.
It's not uncommon to think of the VLC media player as a video player. It plays video files, DVDs, and Blu-ray disks, but it can also play internet audio, CDs, and network files. And if you need to convert video or audio from one format to another, it does that, too. In Short Circuits: The 2022 update to Adobe Illustrator has several welcome and worthwhile additions and improvements, but huge improvements to 3D functionality are the big story. • Windows 11 users will find monthly updates are faster because downloaded files are considerably smaller. In Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): I was hearing a lot of questions about whether it would be wise to upgrade to Windows 95 in 2002. I said that it depends, thus proving that some things just never change.
This week's podcast is brief, just 4 minutes long, with some year-end thoughts and a quick look at changes you'll hear starting on 7 Jan 2022.
This is one of two weeks every year that TechByter goes silent. The link is to last week's podcast.
The most accomplished software developers work hard to improve their skills. Sadly, this is also true of the best scammers. If you want to protect yourself and your data, it's important to update your skills, too. In Short Circuits: People who speak more than one language are often more mentally adept, and the best time to learn a language is during the first few years of life. So a Cleveland company working with Children's Hospital in Columbus is developing a way to give children a boost toward bilingualism in their first year. • Collaboration was big before the Covid pandemic, became more important during the past two years, and is now an essential function for many office workers. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Clippy makes a return to Windows 11, but not an an annoyance. Clippy, whose real name is Clippit, returns only as an emoji. • Electric vehicles are still a hard sell for people worried about how to charge them, but that's beginning to change. • Twenty years ago: At the end of 2001, I noted that if you wanted a top-of-the-line computer for 2002 -- one with a 2GHz CPU -- you'd probably need to spend $3000 or more.
All of the apps in Adobe's $10-per-month photo plan received updates at this year's Adobe Max conference, and time-saving artificial intelligence tools continue to lead the way. In Short Circuits: Far too many people operate computers without any defined backup system in place. This is unwise, particularly when free backup applications exist. • Although health insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid cover the full cost of Covid tests, you may want the convenience of rapid in-home testing. Some organizations provide them for free, and costs are dropping if you have to pay for a kit. In Spare Parts (only on the website): According to Fakespot, more than 30% of online product reviews are phony. • People looking to stream episodes of the Netflix hit "Squid Game" often end up downloading malware instead. • Twenty years ago: I was cautiously optimistic about the future of big tech trade shows such as PC Expo. That optimism was largely misplaced.
Exposure X7 comes with several new ways to create and modify masks. Although that is clearly the most important enhancement in this version, there's lots more to like. In Short Circuits: Macros help computer users perform tasks easily and accurately, from complex activities that involve multiple applications to simply replacing what are essentially abbreviations with much longer sections of text. • The Vivaldi web browser continues to add customizations that make it even more versatile. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The old GM plant at Lordstown, Ohio, is being sold to Foxconn, the company that manufactures IPhones. The goal is still to build electric trucks there. • Adobe's most recent acquisition, Frame.io, is expected to speed the development of videos by providing cloud-based collaborative editing. • Twenty years ago: Apple announced the IPod in October and started selling them in November. Ten years later, they sold the 100 millionth device, and they're still selling IPods today.
This is one of two weeks every year that TechByter goes silent. The link is to last week's podcast.
If your computer isn't eligible for Windows 11 but you'd really like to have Windows 11, there are ways to install it on most computers that run Windows 10. Microsoft won't stop you, but they also won't help you. In Short Circuits: Because of privacy concerns, Facebook says it will no longer use facial recognition when users post photos and videos. • Scammers are sending email messages that tell people their antivirus subscriptions have been renewed for absurdly high prices. They're hoping recipients will call so they can be conned into handing over credit card information. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Microsoft's new Power Toys utility has just added a feature that helps users locate the mouse cursor. • Tesla had to push out emergency patches to about 12 thousand cars in late October after a previous update created a problem that could result in unexpected emergency braking. • Twenty years ago: Amazon and NBC had set up a system in which the TV network offered books and CDs related to their shows, and then sent viewers to Amazon. It wasn't exactly a success.
For the second year in a row, the covid pandemic transformed Adobe MAX from an exciting in-person event to an exciting virtual event. We'll take a look at some of the updates released at Max. In Short Circuits: If you think you'll never be involved in a data breach, think again. It's entirely too easy to have your information stolen even if you do nothing wrong. • A small utility called TrayStatus can display the status of certain computer settings in the Tray. That much should be obvious, but it does a lot more. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Microsoft is introducing a new and better Store for Windows 10 and Windows 11 users, and it's better for consumers -- not just for Microsoft. • Social engineering continues to be one of the most successful tools that scammers can use. Caution continues to be the primary defense. • Twenty years ago: Digital camera manufacturers were rushing to create the perfect consumer camera -- one that would create two-megapixel images and cost no more than $1000. Today you could buy a digital camera with far better resolution for less than $50.
The Windows 11 Start menu differs quite a bit in appearance from Windows 10. Those who want to manipulate Start in Windows 11 manually can use the same procedures that worked in Windows 10, but you don't have to. Windows 11 Start finally gets this operation right. In Short Circuits: Anyone who owns a Windows computer has at least one disk drive that's formatted as NTFS, but is this the right file system for other connected devices? • I'm a fan of utility applications. Recently I encountered System Ninja, which appears deceptively simple but comes with a lot of power even though it's free. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The governor of Missouri says he wants to sue the St. Louis Post-Dispatch because the newspaper alerted the state to a security problem and then printed the story. • Shoppers are worried that supply chain and delivery delays will create problems with holiday gifts this year, so some started shopping in early October. • Twenty years ago: Iomega's high-capacity backup disks were hot, but the market was about to start cooling.
Software developers need text editors. These applications are also helpful for anyone who needs to look inside binary files. Even if you never perform any of those tasks, a text editor might still be useful. In Short Circuits: Windows 11 has been generally available for about four weeks. If it's already on your computer, there are some settings you may want to check. • How many people have uttered the words "I'm leaving Facebook" in the past few weeks? Most of them are probably still Facebook users because the service is really hard to leave. In Spare Parts (only on the website): According to a New York Times article, Facebook is moving to restrict access to some of its internal discussion groups. • Most malware, and ransomware in particular, come from the former Soviet countries. That's probably not a surprise, but The Guardian has a worthwhile report. • Twenty years ago: Windows XP and Apple's OSX 10.1 were both released about the same time.
Facebook is the service we love to hate, or maybe hate to love. There are ways to make Facebook work to your advantage, not Facebook's. We'll explore some of them. In Short Circuits: Sometimes an external disk that's connected to a computer may enter standby mode. Although a Windows setting should keep that from happening, it doesn't always work. There's an alternative that does. • Advertisers use certain key words to interest potential buyers. It's not too surprising that scammers have found words that help then run their cons. In Spare Parts (only on the website): First, a quick look at a transparent scam -- one that's beyond laughable. • A survey says that more than 80% of workers like the idea of automation. Do you buy that? • Twenty years ago: USB 2.0 had just been released, and it was considerably faster than the original.
Windows includes a Disk Management application that can be used to define partitions, create logical drives, format drives, change drive letters, and more. But that's not always enough. Let's take a look at AOMEI's Partition Assistant and see how even the free version offers more. In Short Circuits: Microsoft has been working to replace the Control Panel with a Settings app for the past nine years. Windows 11 brings that process much closer to completion. • Two months ago, I described the process of eliminating the television part of our home's cable service. Now it's time to review the results and see if the decision was a good one. In Spare Parts (only on the website): YouTube at last has decided to block anti-vaccine videos and ban accounts of the idiots who claim the vaccines that have saved lives for nearly a century are dangerous. • Holiday shopping for high-tech devices may be derailed this year by a shortage of computer chips, so maybe you'll have to go low-tech instead. • Twenty years ago: The Palm Pilot was hot in 2001. Everybody wanted one. Then smart phones arrived, and personal digital assistants became unnecessary.
Security is becoming more important than ever. Using two-factor authentication is wise for any site that offers it. Microsoft enhances security by doing away with passwords, but password managers are still essential. In Short Circuits: If you have a slow internet connection, it might not be the service provider's fault. Modems, routers, cables, and even the computer's Ethernet adapter or Wi-Fi adapter can cause problems. • In addition to passwords as noted in this week's lead article, biometric authentication is being used more. That trend will continue. In Spare Parts (only on the website): How much time do you spend removing junk applications from a new computer? Probably more than you should, yet manufacturers insist on bundling unwanted bits with their new systems. • A bit less than 600 days ago, before we were aware of what would become the covid pandemic, government agencies at all levels had security problems. Today it's worse. • Twenty years ago: Many modem manufacturers had gone out of business, but MultiTech persisted by developing systems for the future.
The central processing unit is the single most important component in a computer. That's not to denigrate all the other components because they're essential, too, but selecting the right CPU is a good first step when you're planning to buy or build a new computer. In Short Circuits: Internet service providers include a modem with the service, but you'll pay $10 to $15 per month to rent it. It's possible to save money by installing a modem that you own, but there's also a small risk involved. • Scammers use email, instant messages, and phone calls to steal your identity and your money, but some of the attempts are so poor that it's hard to believe anyone would fall for them. Let's listen to one. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Linux turned 30 in August, but I have stopped asking if this is the year of Linux. Anyone who uses the internet uses Linux every day, but don't expect it to take over the desktop anytime soon. Or ever. • After weeks of research, tinkering, and muttering, I have definitively found the cause of the problem that caused my primary computer to crash repeatedly. I should have figured it out sooner. • Twenty years ago: If you think computers are frustrating today, I have a story from 2001 that you may find to be reminiscent of problems you faced back then.
Online searching can be more productive with the right search engine for the current task, and query options can narrow the search to return more accurate results. In Short Circuits: Scammers demanding payment like to use email messages that they claim have come from your computer. They're lying, of course. Let's see how. • Microsoft Word comes with a lot of built-in annoyances. Most of them are easy to fix, but one requires a lot more effort than it should. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Microsoft has a function that tries to prevent users from installing unwanted apps, but now it's turned on by default. • Command line functions may seem like remnants of the ancient past, but several are handy and even those who have never used a command line can benefit from them. • Twenty years ago: I was ecstatic when thinking about replacing an old-style CRT monitor with a "huge" 18-inch flat-panel monitor.
Affinity applications from Serif continue to improve and are good alternatives to Adobe applications for users who don't need the video, audio, animation, and numerous other applications that are part of Adobe's Creative Cloud. In Short Circuits: Heat is death to computers, and high CPU temperatures have been causing my primary computer to halt without warning. Having determined that the problem was heat, not something else, I've been looking for a solution. • Maybe you're thinking about buying a new camera. The mirrorless types are selling well and even Canon and Nikon have mirrorless models. What makes them so popular? Let's look. In Spare Parts (only on the website): It's official: Windows 11 will start being deployed to eligible computers on 5 October, but the phased process won't be complete until the middle of next year. • Readers can choose ebooks or printed books. Each choice has certain advantages and a lot of people plan to stick with physical books. • Twenty years ago: I was in Boston on 11 September 2001. Being unable to go anywhere, we continued with the Corel World conference and I tried to figure out how to get home when the event ended.
When a computer problem continues to re-emerge after each attempt to fix it, users have a couple of choices: Buy a new computer and all peripherals (a bit expensive) or keep looking for the cause of the issue (a bit time consuming). In Short Circuits: Heat kills electronics, but computer manufacturers keep cramming more components into smaller spaces and running them at faster speeds, so keeping a computer cool can be a challenge. • Are you looking forward to Windows 11 with anticipation or concern? Much remains the same, some changes appear to be based on the MacOS, and you'll undoubtedly find features you hate among those you like. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The dangers of supply chain attacks aren't limited to businesses; even home computer users can be caught in malware from scammers. • Virtual reality headsets. Facebook thinks users should wear them. Are you in or out? • Twenty years ago: Digital Equipment Corporation had been absorbed by Compaq in 1998, and I was wondering if anyone still remembered the one-time leader in minicomputers.
If you're frustrated with the current crop of browsers, how about giving Vivaldi a try? It may be the most customizable browser available, and it has a lot of features that make it easy to use. In Short Circuits: Scammers run the gamut from just plain stupid to brilliant. Most are somewhere in the middle, capable of producing scams with clever ways to separate people from their money or their data, but not quite smart enough to make their attempts entirely convincing. • Users of Backup and Sync from Google are already seeing alerts about the upcoming Drive for Desktop. The new version can be installed now, and there are good reasons for doing it sooner rather than later. In Spare Parts (only on the website): There are several ways to store your vaccination record on a smart phone, and any of the options will be better than carrying the CDC card around. • Companies want more and more of our personal data, but we consumers are beginning to push back. • Twenty years ago: It looked like the "new media" would be driven by "old media", but a lot has changed since 2001.
Many Microsoft processes start with Windows, some applications have settings to start them at boot time, and you may have added some of your own. Sometimes it's possible to decrease the time required to start the computer by delaying certain auto-start applications. There are apps for this. In Short Circuits: Using a search engine without looking carefully at the results can put your computer in danger, particularly when a "data void" exists. When only a few results are returned, beware. • Remember August 12, 1981? That's the day the IBM PC was released, and the process of changing just about everything began. Apple and others were selling home computers earlier, but IBM was the name that made it OK for businesses to welcome desktop computers into their offices. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The computer chip shortage that's affected automobile and computer manufacturing is now causing problems for smart phone makers. • I ordered a new computer in December 1988. It was a remarkable device, an 80286 computer that could be upgraded to use an 80386 processor. It was from Wells American. And it crashed, but not the way you think. There's a story behind that. • Twenty years ago: It looked like Bluetooth technology had a future, but it was off to a slow start.
This week's podcast is all about replacing cable television with streaming options, starting with a look at over-the-air options, streaming devices, and streaming services. In Short Circuits: We'll continue by considering what's involved in setting up a streaming device, adding a streaming service to it, and establishing your preferred channels. • Then let's think about the hoops you'll have to jump through to convince you cable provider that you no longer want their television offerings. In Spare Parts (only on the website): There are lots of hidden features that come with video streaming, so I'll mention a few that seem useful. • Trying to avoid what seemed like a difficult project kept me connected to cable television for too long. If you're wary of the work involved, let me refer you to a few websites that can help. • Twenty years ago: Egghead, which closed all of its stores in 1998 and became Egghead.com, went out of business in 2001 and sold assets to Fry's.
Spams and scams have been with us virtually from when the internet became available to the general public, but the threats are more severe than they've ever been and finding a way to reduce the volume has never been more important. In Short Circuits: Like the man who wasn't there (the 1983 film, not the 2001 motion picture of the same name) it's difficult to protect against something you can't detect, and that's a real threat on the internet. • The Windows PowerToys app was introduced with Windows 95, became dormant for more than a decade, and is now back with useful features for Windows 10. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Windows 11 might be released in October, or not. Bleeping Computer tries to read tea leaves in Microsoft messages. • If you ever need to find your Windows product key and can't locate the documentation or a label, there's an easy way to ask the computer for it. • Twenty years ago: High-speed internet without wires wasn't high speed by today's standards. Metricom's Ricochet service was one of the first to try, but it never really got off the ground.
We've heard a lot about spyware recently because it's been found on phones owned by world leaders and journalists, but they're not the only targets. And it's not just phones that are at risk. In Short Circuits: Perhaps you know about medium-format digital cameras and think that you should upgrade to one. There are lots of technical benefits, but you might be surprised by the downsides. • We're drowning in disinformation, lies, misinformation, and deepfake videos. Technological safeguards are being developed, but the best protection is still critical thinking. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Solid-state disk drives are fast and small, but we shouldn't count mechanical drives out just yet. Some gigantic drives are on the horizon. • Those who have monitors and video subsystems that support high dynamic range will enjoy improved brightness, color, and contrast when they enable it in Windows. • Twenty years ago: The internet wasn't in every restaurant, store, and coffee shop, but McDonald's had started introducing it in some stores at $6 per hour.
Right-clicking a file, directory, or disk drive displays what Microsoft calls a context menu that offers actions you might want to take with the object. It's a relatively sparse list initially, but a lot of applications add actions that you might not want. It's possible to shorten an uncomfortably long list. In Short Circuits: The early preview of Windows 11 is now on one of my computers. Considering this is a "Dev Channel" version, it includes a surprisingly small number of nasty bugs. • Much of the promise of 5G cellular technology is based on the presumption that it will be ubiquitous. For that to happen, providers will need to install a huge number of what are called "small cells" -- maybe 45 million of them in the next decade. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Spyware is nasty stuff, but it's here to stay. • In the not too distant future, you might be able to order a hamburger that doesn't require a cow to be slaughtered and yet isn't made from plants. Say hello to "cultured meat". • Twenty years ago: I was introduced to DiskOnKey at Showstoppers, a program that wasn't part of PC Expo but ran one evening during the big show. DiskOnKey was what we would later call a thumb drive, and it was revolutionary.
In June, Microsoft announced that Windows 11 is on the way, and the first preview is out now for those in the Windows Insider Dev Channel. Not all computers that run Windows 10 will be able to run Windows 11, so let's take a look. In Short Circuits: 4G cellular systems became the dominant technology in just a few years, and it looks like adoption of 5G will be even faster. • Should software developers wait until the code is perfect before releasing operating systems or applications? Short answer: No. In Spare Parts (only on the website): An executive order from the president aims to make it easier for consumers to get faulty devices repaired, to re-establish Net Neutrality, and to address several other consumer issues. • If you feel like your company is demanding that you do more in less time, you're not alone. • Twenty years ago: Online grocer Webvan had just announced that it had laid off its remaining 2000 employees, shut down, and would file for bankruptcy. Nobody wanted to buy groceries online back then. What a difference 20 years and a pandemic make!
Perhaps you've used CCleaner for years to clean your computer, but Glary Utilities looks like a better choice. Let's see what it can do. In Short Circuits: Regardless what developers do to protect data on computers, criminals find ways to steal it. Windows 11 will be more security aware, but there may still be a need for other measures. • If asked to name the top cellular providers, you'd probably name Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT and T, but there are others and you might get both lower costs and better service with one you may never have heard of. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A column in the New York Times asks why Microsoft didn't put itself out of business with a series of bad moves. The proposed answer is interesting. • Have you received a "vishing" call or email? Not "phishing", but "vishing". It's just another danger to watch out for. • Twenty years ago: Bluetooth had been in development for a while and it was beginning to take off in 2001. Frost and Sullivan's UK branch said 4.2 million products using Bluetooth technology would be shipped to market by the end of the year. They predicted that number would exceed one billion by 2006. Did it happen?
No matter how carefully you organize files on your computer, there's at least a small chance that someday you won't be able to find a file you need. Fortunately, the free Agent Ransack can find it for you, and do it quickly. In Short Circuits: Scammers are limited in the types of attacks they can use, so they have to keep coming up with new presentations. Airline scams are in. • Most Windows computer users have the Task bar at the bottom of the screen. There are good reasons to put it at the top of the screen, though, even for those who prefer having it at the bottom. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Western Digital My Book Live devices, which haven't been produced for the last six years, are in danger of being compromised. • Upgrading to Windows 11 may require a visit to the computer's BIOS settings and some computers don't have a security chip that will be required for the new version of the operating system. • Twenty years ago: I've always enjoyed the irony that, after spending a week at PC Expo in New York City, I bought a Mac to bring home.
I'm a big fan of little utility programs because they usually do just one job, but do it very well. Windows 10 has a lot of built-in functions that you can use instead of spending time, and possibly money, installing extra applications. I have a few examples. In Short Circuits: Crooks will do anything to mislead us, including making websites that look like sites operated by banks and businesses. Now it's easy for them to create realistic looking domain names by using letters from other languages that look like English letterforms. • In this week's main article, we looked at some built-in Windows 10 functions that perform jobs you might be planning to use a utility for. Not every built-in function is a good choice, though, and I'll describe one. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Microsoft has plans for Windows 11 and the panic among some users is both palpable and silly. • When internet speeds seem slow, your ISP will probably insist that you use their speed text, but getting second, third, and fourth opinions can be helpful. • Twenty years ago: There were predictions that France's Minitel system would soon be replaced by the internet. It was eventually, but not until 2012.
Tracking down problems with a computer is usually a multi-step process of developing conjectures that lead to hypotheses and eventually to a valid theory. The first conjecture is sometimes right, but more often it's not. I'll describe a recent puzzler. In Short Circuits: Ransomware may be less of a threat to individuals than it used to be, but "less of a threat" doesn't mean "no threat". We still have to be cautious. • Firefox's market share has dropped from 30% a decade ago to around 7% now, but the browser still has loyal advocates -- and with good reason. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A global computer chip shortage is creating havoc in the automotive industry and elsewhere, but missteps by car and truck manufacturers have made the problem worse for them. • I found a picture of what was probably my first portable computer from 1988. It's on display. • Twenty years ago: PC Expo had just concluded. The dot-com implosion made the show a lot smaller, but darker times were coming.
There has never been a better time to be an amateur photographer. The ranks of professional photographers have been decimated as this industry becomes another to fall victim to powers that personal computers give ordinary people. In Short Circuits: This week's security section considers drive-by website attacks and how we can avoid having our computers taken over by malware. • Internet Explorer will finally be dead a year from now. You should already be using another browser but as of mid-June 2022 you won't have much choice. In Spare Parts (only on the website):Microsoft seems to be working on "virtual Windows" -- the ability to run Windows on cloud-based computers via a "thin client". It's back to the 1980s for the future of the 2020s. • Cryptomining is lucrative and that's why crooks want to take over your computer and have it work for them. • Twenty years ago: The Degree Confluence Project had just started to capture images from locations where one-degree intersections of latitude and longitude occurred. They're still working on it.
Sometimes the best software choice is an application that's been created by a developer who offers it for free, or just for a donation. Let's consider some of those today. In Short Circuits: Watch out for viscous PUPs. No, this isn't going to be an anti-dog tirade, but an explanation of how to avoid potentially unwanted programs. • Have you ever felt that your internet service provider doesn't really care about the quality of the service you're getting? Individual complaints may go nowhere, but there's power in collective complaining. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The covid pandemic was a disaster, no matter how you look at it, but some people managed to update their skills during the past year. • Version 89 of Firefox, released at the end of May, has a more modern appearance, faster operation, and improved security. • Twenty years ago: I was amazed by being able to talk to my older daughter in Columbus while I was heading for San Ysidro from San Diego on a trolley. That would still be unusual today because seemingly only a few people actually use mobile phones to make phone calls.
TechSmith's Camtasia is an essential tool for anyone who creates how-to videos, online product demonstrations, video lessons, or presentations. The 2021 version adds some powerful new features. In Short Circuits: The second item in a series of articles on security takes a look at malware, adware, and other nasties, then suggests some protective measures. • Although the technology link might be a bit week, let's consider a television program that had time travel even before Doctor Who and still has a loyal following nearly 60 years after its last episode aired. In Spare Parts (only on the website): As we begin to shed some pandemic precautions, it appears that consumers want retail stores to continue delivery, online purchases with curbside pick-up, and other conveniences that became common in the past year. • Possibly another result of the pandemic is that now more individuals and families are budgeting income and expenses. • Twenty years ago: A new program called IncrediMail had just launched, and it represented a new way to send messages.
Buying a $200 film scanner doesn't come without risk, I wanted something that would make quick work of some old medium-format film and this cheap scanner would have done an acceptable job if the designers had done the right thing. In Short Circuits: The first in a series of security posts will consider steps you can take to safeguard a Wi-Fi router. • Microsoft has released Windows 10 version 21H1, but waiting a month or two before installing it seems wise. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Where you live has some effect on the internet speed you can get. The United States is below normal overall, and there are wide variances within the country. • There's a new data breach seemingly about every other day, so it's important to see if your email address or phone number has been compromised and, if so, to take protective actions. • Twenty years ago: Voice recognition in 2001 was still new and some systems involved having humans transcribe speech.
Those who know more about how computers work than their friends and family do are often called on to answer questions and provide help. Helping even nearby friends can be a problem because social distancing is still recommended, but if that person is halfway across the country, you need a way to see what's on your friend's computer. In Short Circuits: Because spams and scams are fascinating, I sometimes deconstruct them to see what makes them tick. If you're more interested in just avoiding the things, consider this recommendation: Any email must be assumed to be a con until it proves that it's not. • Whether you know it or not, you probably have a scanner in your pocket, and that's something that can be quite useful. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Adobe Creative Cloud users who also use Google Docs or Google Slides in Google Workspace will find that the systems now connect with each other. • When the PR people forget to check with the technicians, embarrassing mistakes can happen such as that in a recent email from the Mozilla Foundation • Twenty years ago: Both Gateway and Juno had just settled with the Federal Trade Commission over use of the word "free".
Adobe Photoshop's Neural Filters have been in place for about six months and more will probably be added at or before this year's Adobe Max. These are tools that can perform effects that are close to magic. In Short Circuits: As important as diagnostic utilities are for figuring out what's wrong with a computer, sometimes lower-tech tools help, too. Sight, sound, and smell can provide early warnings about problems. • Continuing that low-tech line of thought, being comfortable when using a computer depends on things we rarely give much thought to. In Spare Parts (only on the website): When spaces between the keys on a keyboard fill with junk, you can pull out the keys and vacuum the space below, but there's another option you may not have considered. • A shortage of computer chips will result in more dirty dogs, fewer new automobiles, and a variety of other unanticipated and seemingly unrelated problems. • Twenty years ago: Linux was one of the featured products at the 2001 edition of PC Expo. I was preparing to attend what would be the last of the big shows.
Google will be eliminating third-party cookies for those who use the Chrome browser and replacing them with Federated Learning of Cohorts, which many privacy experts say is just as bad and possibly worse. In Short Circuits: If you're tired of having websites constantly pop up messages asking for your permission to push notifications to you, most browsers have a way to make it stop. • Adobe Stock is offering a limited number of completely free photo and video resources, but it seems more likely to be a way to introduce new users to the paid stock offerings. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Having digital copies of medical IDs on a phone will helpful if you need care when your wallet has been lost or stolen, but it's even better if you have the information online where you can retrieve it from any computer. Good security is essential. • It's likely that hybrid education will continue for a while, and many businesses seemingly have no plans to ever restore full-time in-office requirements for employees. • Twenty years ago: Following the dot-com melt-down, there were some encouraging signs for high tech, but no shortage of problems remained.
Despite its many useful features, Facebook includes a plethora of dangers, frustrations, and annoyances. A browser plug-in has been making Facebook less annoying for years, a new version works with Facebook's latest updates, and the developer is now designing an app that will bring some of the features to phones and tablets. In Short Circuits: Maybe you've seen suggestions for improving Windows networking speeds with a simple Registry tweak. The good news is that the tweak doesn't harm anything, but the bad news is that it also doesn't do much to improve things. • It may seem like email has been around forever, but it was invented just 50 years ago and it didn't become widely available until 30 years ago. In Spare Parts (only on the website): In an effort to become an important player in medical computing, Microsoft is acquiring Nuance. • A survey suggests that about half of US students are concerned about school safety and the ability of school administrators to deal with threats. • Twenty years ago: A small organization in Toronto launched Naked News. It's still around, but most of the news has been replaced by feature stories and there are no longer weather reports.
Cellular providers boast that 75% of the US already has 5G coverage, but there's more than a little hyperbole there, and Russia is doing everything it can to discourage development in the US. In Short Circuits: You've probably used Google Translate, but there's a competing service from Germany that might be worth trying. • In 1992, Microsoft introduced Windows for Workgroups. The revolutionary Windows 95 was still a few years in the future, but Windows 3.11 finally offered useful features and better reliability. In Spare Parts (only on the website): It's possible to marginally improve a Windows 10 computer's speed with changes to some of the system settings. The improvements are usually modest, but perceptible. • It's questionable whether offices will ever be fully populated again, but collaboration spaces may be the next step for workers. • Twenty years ago: 3Com was in serious trouble and had begun the death spiral that saw it being acquired by HP about eight years later.
When somebody tells you that they've received a new friend request from you on Facebook and you know you haven't sent one, you may think your account has been hacked. That's probably not the case. The account has probably been cloned, and that problem is easy to fix. In Short Circuits: Would you be surprised that scammers target people who follow a police department's Facebook page? That seems like something that should be a surprise, but of course it isn't. We'll get the rest of the story from Lieutenant Tim Cotton of the Bangor Police Department. • Which will occur first: The paperless office or the paperless bathroom? What about the cashless society? In Spare Parts (only on the website): LastPass has severely limited the usability of its free service, but some of the competing programs are still free. • Comcast's Internet Essentials program for low-income families now has more than 10 million users. • Twenty years ago: It was time for networking the computers at my house. Even though I wasn't on the leading edge, setting up a home network then was a lot harder than it is today.
Any time spent waiting for a computer is wasted. Computer speed is a factor of its several components, but many applications can be bogged down by a slow disk drive. In Short Circuits: Windows 10 includes some deprecated features and services. These can be eliminated, and it's easy to do. • The National Institutes of Health has established "All of Us", a medical research project that uses data from participants to find ways to treat and prevent disease, and may also give those who enroll useful information about themselves. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Consumer Reports magazine accuses Comcast of taking unfair advantage of subscribers who are working from home. • Microsoft is renovating part of its huge campus in Redmond, Washington, and all heating and cooling needs will be served by deep underground wells. • Twenty years ago: AT and T was offering an "unlimited" internet plan for $7 per month, but the company defined "unlimited" as 150 hours per month.
Security threats surround us. Several months ago, I signed up for a Liker account as a possible alternative to Facebook. In mid-March, Liker abruptly shut down because of a serious data breach. They say they'll be back when they've reworked their code to be more secure. Threats can come from anywhere. In Short Circuits: When it's time to replace a computer monitor, you might consider a television because you can get a larger screen for a lower price, but should you? • If you use an application that shows the temperature of your computer's CPU, you may wonder why there's so much fluctuation and why the various cores don't all report the same temperatures. If so, I have just the information you're seeking. In Spare Parts (only on the website): If you're considering a Windows S Mode computer, be sure that you understand the limitations, and if you have one of these computers, there's a way to remove the restrictions if you find them too limiting. • Buying Apple products you see on Instagram might be dangerous. Beware fakes and counterfeit devices. • Twenty years ago: Typefaces on websites were limited to about half a dozen that were present on all computers, but Bitstream was trying to change that.
If your car doesn't have a dash cam, maybe it's time to add one. Even good models are reasonably priced now, so let's consider which features to look for. In Short Circuits: Do you need a $6000 camera that takes only monochrome images and doesn't even have a zoom lens? Quick answer: Maybe, but only if you know why you need it. • Large trade shows had been in trouble since 9/11 and the travel restrictions that followed, and just as they were beginning to recover, covid came along. Virtual shows don't provide all the benefits of in-person events. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Now there's a new threat to security: Smart sex toys. There's a story I didn't see coming, but security vendor Eset says it really is a thing. • IPad users just got access to the all-in-one Microsoft Office app that includes the ability to create and edit Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and PDF documents -- even for users who don't have an Office 365 subscription. • Twenty years ago: The dot-com disaster was well underway, but most people hadn't even noticed.
Anyone who's fond of print journalism might like to have immediate access to seven thousand or so newspapers and magazines. You can, and for just $30 per month. Or maybe for free. Let's look into that "free" part. In Short Circuits: Photoshop Camera is a most amusing free app from Adobe. If your phone is compatible, you'll be amazed by what can be accomplished without a computer. • Security firm Kaspersky labs says that corporate IT security employees who goof off while on the clock might actually be doing their employers a favor. In Spare Parts (only on the website): After more than three decades as one of the nation's premiere in-person electronics stores, Fry's has closed it 31 locations in the west and south. • Microsoft would like you to allow the company to listen to what you tell Cortana. The objective is to improve voice recognition technology. • Twenty years ago: GPS devices were just beginning to become available, but they were expensive. Apps for personal digital assistants foreshadowed today's smart phones with built-in GPS. Primitive as the old devices were, they seemed amazing at the time.
Maybe you've heard that the DuckDuckGo search engine is better than Google because it protects your data and doesn't track you. While those are valid points, they are among the least important reasons to use it. Let's look a advantages and disadvantages. In Short Circuits: Kroger is one of several companies that suffered a data breach because of outdated software used by a company that was hired to transfer data securely. Some personal identification information and medical details may have been exposed. • If you're thinking about replacing an otherwise still good set of headphones only because the earpads are worn out, there's a better option. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Have you reviewed your backup plan recently? Being prepared for trouble is a lot better than having to replace important data. • Carat browsing is available in all major browsers. I'll explain how you can use it and why you probably never will. • Twenty years ago: I was hoping that electronic books would soon be as easy to use as printed books. We're not there yet.
A British software publisher with fewer than 100 employees seems to be challenging Adobe with its 20,000 or so employees worldwide. The planet is large enough for both and each organization has useful features to offer its clients. In Short Circuits: If you have a print version of an encyclopedia at home, you're unusual. Even Britannica no longer publishes books, and Wikipedia has largely taken over. • This year's scam emails look different from last year's, but the underlying ploys are the same. Let's take a look at the current crop. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Windows 10 can allow computers on your local network to obtain updates from your computer. If that creates a problem for you, there's a fix. • If Watson isn't the most famous Doctor, then Who is. You may have seen that joke on the internet, and the answer is "YES". If you're trying to watch Doctor Who on DVDs, you may feel that the BBC is making the task harder. The answer is also "YES". • Twenty years ago: The Palm Pilot crushed Windows CE devices, the first step in Microsoft's ongoing lack of success with handheld devices.
Stop emailing files to friends, family, and co-workers! Google Drive is one of the easiest ways to share files, and you may not need more storage space than what comes with the free plan. In Short Circuits: If you like the vertical tabs I described last week in talking about Microsoft's new Edge browser but don't want to switch to Edge, there are add-ons for Firefox and extensions for Chrome-based browsers that do the same thing. • Adobe has added a powerful new feature to Photoshop, Illustrator, and Fresco so that users can invite others to edit their files. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Covid vaccine means office workers may soon be able to go back to their offices, but will they want to? • Probably there is no company that has done more to eliminate the need for paper than Google, and yet Google Senior User Experience Researcher Corbin Cunningham has written on Google's blog about the magic of paper. • Twenty years ago: We are approaching the end of a year in which distance learning became essential for all colleges, high schools, and even primary schools. In 2001 it was a new and exciting concept.
We've had access to home computers for more than 40 years and online financial services for at least 25 years, but we're still using old-style passwords to protect our information. In Short Circuits: By adopting Blink, the rendering engine that powers Google Chrome, Microsoft is developing a workable Edge browser that offers some useful new features. • Wacom finally has a digitizing pen that works with Chromebook computers, but beware the the confusing name the company gave it. In Spare Parts (only on the website): If you want to be a better photographer, take more pictures. That's easy advice to give, but more difficult to follow. It does work, though. • Does your Windows computer sometimes switch from a 5GHz network to a slower 2.4GHz connection? There's an easy solution. • Twenty years ago: We were all anxiously awaiting Windows XP, which would prove to be the most significant advance for Windows since Windows 95.
The graphical user interface didn't yet exist on personal computers 40 years ago, so we needed to understand the command line and batch files. These are still present under the hood on today's computers, and we'll take a long look at why they're still useful. In Short Circuits: Television programs and motion pictures on DVD can cause people with less than perfect hearing to lose some of the dialog. Adding specialized speakers to the television can help a lot. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The Windows Taskbar can get crowded if you often have many applications open or pin a lot of icons to it. Not everything Microsoft puts on the Taskbar by default needs to be there, and it's easy to dump the items you don't need. • If you've ever had a computer report that a Secure Digital card is locked, fixing the problem is usually quick and easy. • Twenty years ago: Visual Basic scripting attacks were common, and I suggested a couple of rules that guaranteed safety. They still apply.
Digitizing old photos and negatives can deliver modest quality quickly or high quality slowly. There's no way to get fast high-quality files, but there are some options. In Short Circuits: We'll look at three scanning methods you can choose from when you have both photographic prints and negatives, as well as consider which might be better in any given situation. • The first question most technicians ask when you have a problem is "Did you turn it off and then back on again?" Why do they do this and why does it often work? In Spare Parts (only on the website): Ever wonder who invented the computer or the internet? The answer is invariably complex because in most cases, it wasn't just one person. • With vaccines slowly becoming available to protect against covid, we're beginning to consider how we might keep surfaces clean in the future, and technology may help. • Twenty years ago: American Express was trying to create an online service called AmexOL.net. It was one of many such services destined to die.
Luminar AI from Skylum adds artificial intelligence to the company's photo processing application and reduces the complexity of the user interface. In Short Circuits: Normally shutting down or restarting Windows is done from the Power section in the Start menu, but there are times when having those options as icons on the Desktop, or using the command line, can be helpful. • If you've ever wondered why there are so many Microsoft Visual C++ entries in the Windows Apps and Features sections and whether you should remove some of them, we'll consider the choices. In Spare Parts (only on the website): There may be a pandemic that's keeping us from gathering in even small numbers, and limiting interactions to electronic meetings, but research by Adobe says that creativity is accelerating. • Realtor.com suggests there's a shift away from beachfront property to locations in the mountains for those who can afford a second house. There is a technology link to this story. • Twenty years ago: Remember receiving America OnLine disks and CDs that were mailed, stuffed into magazines, and handed out by the millions? I do.
If you've recently bought a new computer, or plan to buy a new computer soon, you may be wondering what to do with the old one. There are many options, and the worst possible choice would be to put it in the trash. Let's consider better options. In Short Circuits: Last week I described how I gave up on repurposing an M.2 drive from my primary computer as a fast cache drive. Using a $15 case for the M.2 drive, I turned it into a fast cache drive anyway -- just not the way I had planned. • If you're trying to get rid of spam, maybe you've thought of changing your email address. There are other steps you might consider, but a better path involves an application that examines email before it gets to your computer so that it can flag suspected scams. In Spare Parts (only on the website): It's easy enough to rename the boot drive on a Windows computer, but there are good reasons why you shouldn't. • I ran across some ancient history a week or so ago. In June, it will be 26 years since I spent a week at New York City's Javits Center for PC Expo -- Windows 95 was about to be released. I have pictures. • Twenty years ago: Amazon still hadn't turned a profit. That's hard to imagine, isn't it?
Sometimes it's possible to turn what should be a quick, easy task into a frustrating multi-day adventure. Usually this happens because of incomplete planning, and yes I do have an example. In Short Circuits: Troubleshooting a strange problem can take time. Hardware and software like to drop red herrings that confuse the troubleshooter, but everything makes perfect sense once you figure it out. • Scammers are running in high gear to steal money based on false claims. These scams can fool anyone, but older people are often targeted. There are defenses against the dark arts. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Taking a few minutes to run diagnostic tests on a schedule can give early warnings about hardware problems that would otherwise be unpleasant surprises. • Firefox has added a new HTTPS-Only mode that forces all website connections to be secure if the website supports security, and it warns you if the site doesn't. • Twenty years ago: Macromedia acquired Allaire to gain full access to its text editor for use in Dreamweaver, and Macromedia was acquired by Adobe five years later.
If you're thinking about buying a new computer in 2021, it's important to think about what's inside the computer and about what you need the computer to do. In Short Circuits: Covid-19 vaccines are available now, but will be in short supply for the foreseeable future. If you receive a message that promises faster access for a fee, it's a fraud. • Some Windows 10 computers repeatedly ask the user to log in to Microsoft 365. There are ways to work around this issue, but they involve disabling features you may consider to be essential. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Say what you will about Microsoft, but the company earns high marks from its employees for diversity. • Google's new Chromecast device finally comes with a remote control. • Twenty years ago: Corel tried to port its applications to Mac computers, and to call that effort an utter disaster would be needlessly kind.
Some applications update themselves, but many don't. A utility called Patch My PC can help with more than 300 programs that may be installed on your Windows computer. In Short Circuits: This year's Pantone color of the year is actually two colors. I'll explain the reasoning for that and we'll take a look at Ultimate Gray and Illuminating Yellow. • The latest version of the MacOS, Big Sur, adds features, fixes problems, and creates problems. In Spare Parts (only on the website): If your Windows computer is still running version 1809, it's time to update it. • For the first time in its more than 50-year history, the Consumer Electronics Show goes fully virtual this year. • Twenty years ago: Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Netscape's Navigator were batting for supremacy, but Netscape was already entering what would become a death spiral.
There's no podcast this week, but if you have a minute and a half, we can take a quick look back to 2000.
Renaming files is easy when you have just one or two, but there's a big difference if you have dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of files that need to be renamed. Fortunately, there's an app for that. In Short Circuits: Laptop computers are quickly replacing big desktop systems for most people, but usually there are too few USB ports. A USB hub can help, but maybe a dock would be a better choice. Let's look. • Even if you don't use Adobe's InDesign, taking a look at what Adobe has added to the 2020 version is a good use of your time. I'll summarize the new features and explain why they're worth knowing about. In Spare Parts (only on the website): As of mid-2021, Google will eliminate free unlimited photo storage. Let's see what the options are. • Password disasters continue to be far too common, and password manager Dashlane has identified what the company calls the worst offenders. • Twenty years ago: How much was 520 megabytes? Not much by today's standards, but in 2000 it was a big deal.
If you're looking for the world's best photo editing program, PhotoDemon probably isn't it. Even so, it has some intriguing features, and that makes it worth looking at. In Short Circuits: Would you walk on the Amazon Sidewalk? Let's consider the good features and the cautions of neighborhood mesh computing. • We'll also take a quick look at Adobe Illustrator's new features for 2020, including a new version that runs on the IPad. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The digital divide in the United States hasn't been worsened by the pandemic, but the pandemic has worsened the effects of the digital divide. • Robocalls continue to increase, but scam calls were down slightly in November. Don't expect that to continue. • Twenty years ago: Online sales were down in 2000, but they've been up ever since. And in this pandemic year, they're one of the few economic bright spots.
Anyone who owns a scanner will get better results by dumping the application that came with the scanner and using VueScan instead. There are even more advantages if you have multiple scanners or multiple computers. In Short Circuits: Although I've mentioned replacing mechanical drives with solid-state drives before, I have a real-life example of how easy the process is. • If you think Facebook isn't showing the posts you really want to see, you're probably right. Let's consider a way to sidestep Facebook's "artificial intelligence". In Spare Parts (only on the website): Phishing scams are always worse around the end of the year, and this year the threat is worse than usual. • An organization is trying to help high school students who are dealing with distance learning while homeless. • Twenty years ago: Even Stephen King couldn't make ebooks popular in 2000. We just weren't ready.
There's no podcast this week, but if you have a little less than two minutes, we can take a quick look back to 2000.
Exposure X6 honors its legacy of creating outstanding film looks, and builds on its raw image editing capabilities. It's worth a look as a standalone application as well as a plug-in for Adobe applications. In Short Circuits: Ninite offers a free and easy way to keep more than 100 applications up to date, and for $12 per year, it can be even easier. • There's a new version of Evernote, but Microsoft's free OneNote still offers more features at no cost. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Download a free trial of a helper application for a game such as Minecraft, and you might find that the price jumps to $30 per week after a three-day trial. • Ebooks are making inroads into schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, a change that's likely to continue. • Twenty years ago: Spelling checkers were just beginning to be introduced.
I always enjoy working with individual developers who create small, specialized utility applications. Nir Sofer is one of these people. He has created more than 100 utilities, and this week I'll tell you about five that I consider to be quite useful. In Short Circuits: Have you put off upgrading some of the major hardware components in your computer because you fear it will invalidate the Windows 10 license? Performing a few steps in advance will eliminate that concern. • Google will ship a new Chromecast device before the end of the year. It's priced well, comes with a remote control, and even offers an on-screen menu. In Spare Parts (only on the website): People are using on-line payment systems more because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but concerns about being victimized online are inching up. • Schools in low-income areas are hard pressed to provide quality classes online, and that's probably not a big surprise. • Twenty years ago: Bill Gates was discounting the need for classrooms in third-world nations to be wired for computer access.
The 2021 version of Adobe Photoshop introduces a series of splashy new artificial intelligence features and a variety of other useful capabilities. In Short Circuits: Mozilla has created a virtual reality conferencing system called Hubs. It's not Zoom, and it's not intended to be. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Sales of robotic devices continue to increase by more than 20% year over year. • Graphic artists, photographers, and designers have reacted to 2020 by placing increased emphasis on the pandemic and social issues. • Twenty years ago: Email client Eudora had introduced "Mood Watch" to help users avoid aggressive language in their messages. Yeah. Good luck with that.
TechSmith's SnagIt has one new feature for 2021 that justifies the cost of the update all by itself, but that feature is not alone. In Short Circuits: The annual Adobe Max conference attracted half a million attendees this year instead of the usual 15 thousand or so. • Most of us wish smart phones cost less, but we're willing to go into debt for them because they're considered essential by so many. How about some tips for saving money? In Spare Parts (only on the website): A free 47-page ebook by Wells Fargo Financial Advisors can help safeguard your computer and your finances. I have the download link. • The feds have filed suit against Google, complaining about monopolistic practices. • Twenty years ago: Xerox was in the process of spinning off the legendary Palo Alto Research Center, the organization that invented much of modern computing.
Some people like to replace their computer with a new model around the end of the year, and because the end of the year is approaching, this might might be a good time to think about how to save money on the deal. In Short Circuits: Ad blocker plugs-ins for browsers can be handy, but there's another option that uses a file that dates all the way back to the first networked computers. • Ebook organizer and reader Calibre has been updated to version 5. Although relatively weak as a reader, Calibre is the best organizer you'll find. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Is Microsoft thinking about switching to Linux? There's been some speculation about that lately. • Looking for a really cheap computer? There's the Compute Stick from Intel, but be sure to consider its limitations before buying. • Twenty years ago: Adobe was beginning a concerted effort to develop applications for home users, not just graphics professionals. The effort seems to have paid off.
Big data and artificial intelligence offer a lot of promise, but there are also formidable challenges. Unless proved otherwise, perhaps we should consider these technologies dangerous, or at least potentially hostile. In Short Circuits: The Windows 10 October 2020 update is coming. It's available now only to those in the Windows Insider program, but it won't be long until it's pushed out to all users. It's a small update. • Support for Office 2010 ended on 13 October 2020. If you're thinking this is no big deal, think again. The end of support means the end of security updates and bug fixes. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Sometimes I get the crazy idea that there are scammers who intentionally create email messages with so many errors that no sentient human would fall for them. Why? There's no logical reason. • If you use Zoom or any other meeting application that supports background substitution, Tech Republic has some Halloween images you might like. • Twenty years ago: Security concerns in 2000 were not substantially different from what they are today. The players have changed, but many of the rules remain the same.
Sometimes a magic wand can be handy. Like when you need to use a computer that isn't yours and you don't want to leave any data behind. In Short Circuits: All operating systems have a couple of useful utilities that can show where a problem is when you can't reach a website or any other device with an IP address. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Google Maps has a new layer that might be on your phone, but not all phones have the COVID-19 information layer yet. • Facebook continues to shut down fraudulent accounts. • Twenty years ago: Remember SCSI drives? That's an acronym for small computer system interface, not an opinion about the quality of the drive.
Zoom Meetings has become almost the de facto standard for business meetings, conferences, webinars, and even screen sharing. It's all just talking heads, though. This is a problem that can be resolved by using PowerPoint. Carefully. In Short Circuits: If you have an application on your computer that forces you to right-click the icon and specify that it should run as Administrator, there's a way to eliminate that problem forever, and it takes only a few moments. • Microsoft has been adding functions to what used to be Office 365 - now called Microsoft 365 - features that can help students make better progress in reading, writing, math, and communications. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Photographers have a love-hate relationship with stock photography, and so do project managers. Adobe's bi-annual report on the state of stock photography has just been released. • If the Microsoft segment this week didn't convince you that education tools are a big thing this year, a report from App Annie might do it. • Twenty years ago: I may have been amazed by how much memory could be placed in a small package in 2000, but today there's lots more memory in even smaller containers.
Have you ever turned your computer on and found that your carefully organized Desktop icons are all over the screen? If the location of Desktop icons is important to you, there's a way to glue them in place. In Short Circuits: Tablet and convertible computer users often close applications without intending to. There's a way to fix this, but it's not as easy as it should be. • If you're a Facebook user, you probably have the new interface by now. If not, it won't be long, and there's no way to go back to the old system. Or is there? In Spare Parts (only on the website): Maybe you read a book a few years ago and now you need some information or a quotation from the text, but you can't remember the name of the book. All is not lost. • Microsoft has found that underwater data centers have fewer system failures than land-based data centers. • Twenty years ago: I thought that computers were everywhere, but I had no way to foresee what was coming in 2020.
In addition to Excire's new standalone Foto application, the company has updated Search, a plug-in for Adobe Lightroom Classic. In Short Circuits: Is Facebook's new interface terrible? Many say that it is, but I'm willing to give it a chance, and I'm liking it more as a browser plug-in called Social Fixer continues to improve its abilities to remove the dreck. • Have you seen the video of the two 17-year-old guys who need four minutes to figure out how to use a rotary-dial phone? Maybe you shouldn't be laughing quite so hard. In Spare Parts (only on the website): This year's Adobe MAX will be in no physical location. As an online event, there's no attendance fee, and Adobe would like to hire people to provide some of the virtual trimmings. • Microsoft and LinkedIn have established a plan to provide training for those who need new job skills. Training will be provided without cost. • Twenty years ago: What we meant by "high-speed internet" was a lot different in 2000 than it is today.
MacroExpress is an application that has been on every Windows computer I've used since sometime in the late 1990s. It's one of those rare applications that I consider to be absolutely essential. I'll explain why, and maybe you'll feel the same. In Short Circuits: No, you don't have to verify your account. Any email, instant message, or phone call that says you must "verify" your account information is almost certainly a scam. • In the 1960s, top 40 radio stations had promos that shouted "the hits just keep on coming!" The same could be said about fraudulent emails. This week, we'll take a look at couple of recent scam attempts. In Spare Parts (only on the website): There's one critical step you should take before contacting tech support to report a problem, and that one simple step may solve the problem. • If that one simple, critical step doesn't solve the problem, there's one more thing to think about. • Twenty years ago: Storing files on the internet was new and expensive. Eventually it caught on and became affordable.
Serif's Affinity division has released updated versions of Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, and Affinity Publisher. Despite the low prices of these applications, they pack surprisingly robust feature sets. In Short Circuits: Scammers stay up to date on news, and COVID-19 has been profitable for them. So profitable that Medicare and the Centers for Disease Control have launched a campaign to explain how contact tracing works and, just as important, how to spot a fake. • Has Microsoft set your default browser to Edge, or has something changed your preferred search engine? If so, it's an easy fix and I'll explain how for the three major browsers. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Adobe's free Photoshop Camera app for Android and IOS devices keeps getting better with the addition of free lenses that modify images taken with the app. • Acronis TrueImage 2021 doubles down on security measures with tools that scan for viruses, watch for malware, and use artificial intelligence to identify attacks before they can do damage. • Twenty years ago: A 19-inch monitor seemed gigantic, but flat-panel monitors were prohibitively expensive and those big cathode-ray tube screens left little space on the desk.
If you've ever bought a piece of hardware that didn't quite live up to its hype and its reviews, you're not alone. I have a story for you that involves sequential failures to satisfy. Perhaps it'll be worth a chuckle or two. In Short Circuits: Microsoft has added a security function in version 2004 of Windows 10 to identify and block potentially unwanted programs, but it has a serious shortcoming. • If you're still running an earlier version of Windows and wish Microsoft would get around to pushing the 2004 update to your computer, you can obtain it without Microsoft's help. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Too many people fail to recognize scam ads and blindly share the ad or follow the link. Let's think about that. • One of the worst performing business sectors in terms of online security awareness is the one that encompasses energy and utilities. • Twenty years ago: Corel thought that Linux would allow the company to compete with Microsoft.
The free, open-source office suite, LibreOffice, is out with version 7, and it has an impressive bunch of new features, improved performance, and enhanced capabilities to deal with Microsoft Office files. In Short Circuits: Microsoft created restore points for Windows systems in the distant past, and you may think that your Windows 10 computer is protected by the technology. Surprise! Unless you have enabled restore points, it isn't. • Everybody should have a password manager, but maybe you don't want a password manager that stores your passwords in the cloud even though it's demonstrably safe. If so, now's the time to take a look at KeePassXC, a new version of the venerable KeePass. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The novel coronavirus has become a gold mine for scammers. They have adapted old ploys to new circumstances. • Adobe, Red Hat, and IBM are teaming up to enhance online security as users of online systems demand more ease of use. • Twenty years ago: The Oxford English Dictionary had just been released in an online version for more than $500 per year. Today, it's $90 per year, but libraries often provide online access without cost.
Skylum's Luminar 3 has made remarkable strides on the way to Luminar 4. The application is less than four years old, yet it offers some delightful surprises. In Short Circuits: If you'd like to be able to create a temporary address that you can provide when you're not quite sure you want to give someone your real address, Mozilla's Firefox Relay may do the job. It's in private beta now. • Remember The Oregon Trail, Zork, PacMan, or M.U.L.E.? If you liked these games in the 1980s, you can give them a second shot right now on any Windows, Mac, or Linux computer. No downloads are involved because they run in a browser window. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Microsoft is experimenting with hydrogen fuel cells for backup power at data centers, and says that they offer advantages over diesel generators. • The Firefighter Safety Research Institute has released a report on a fire at a 2.16 megawatt lithium ion battery energy storage system in Surprise, Arizona. • Twenty years ago: The US Postal Service was thinking about offering email. Just about everyone thought it was a dumb idea, but it might have solved one of today's problems.
As the number of digital images we accumulate increases, possibly at an alarming rate, finding one specific image becomes challenging. Artificial intelligence can help. In Short Circuits: Device drivers are among the most problematic issues for Windows users, but they're virtually invisible and that makes keeping them up to date difficult. There are applications that can help, but they need to be treated with care. • Although a bad device driver can cause a problem with keyboards, sometimes the keyboard just fails. Microsoft wants more than $100 for their keyboard cover that fits on Surface Pro tablets, but a third-party keyboard for half that price offers a lot of useful features. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Mozilla has begun offering a virtual private network. It's currently limited to Windows computers and both IOS and Android mobile devices in six countries, but more devices and countries are coming. • Two mechanical dogs are wandering around a Ford plant, helping engineers to collect data for a planned retooling. • Twenty years ago: Bluetooth devices were just beginning to be sold. They were expensive and had security flaws. Now it's hard to find a device without Bluetooth built in.
A strong password helps to keep your information private, but a single error can give control of your accounts to crooks. Setting up two-factor authentication is the best way to add security, and you may be surprised by how easy the process has become. In Short Circuits: Adobe has two painting applications, one for people who know how to draw and paint (or want to learn) and another for those who just want to create painterly effects using their own photographs. We'll take a look at both. • Earlier this month, I was about two seconds away from disaster as I held the mouse cursor over a poisoned link. Then logic kicked in. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Potential disaster lurks behind more than 100,000 websites that claim to have legitimate Covid-19 information. • The pandemic is creating severe supply shortages for information technology departments. • Twenty years ago: Online services were beginning to make it possible for travel agents to book ground transportation in addition to flights.
Online backup systems often offer the ability to recover more than just the most recent version of a file, but there are less expensive options if you're willing to give up that useful feature. In Short Circuits: Despite their advantages, tablet computers have one huge disadvantage: Price. When you're shopping for a Windows tablet, it's possible to save money on storage space if the device offers an XD memory card slot. • Facebook users often see messages about "hacked" accounts, but the accounts probably haven't been hacked — just cloned. There are ways to make your account unattractive to crooks. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Podcast aggregator Stitcher is about to be acquired by SiriusXM after being owned by the E W Scripps Company for five years. • Would you take a pay cut to gain the flexibility of working from home? A lot of people would, and you may be surprised by how much of a pay cut they would accept. • Twenty years ago: The Crusoe processor from Transmeta promised to bring to market amazing new small computers that ran cooler, but it didn't happen.
The software world continues its transition to software as a service, and users see small changes frequently. Adobe delivers two large updates every year, one of which arrived in late June with lots of new features. In Short Circuits: Microsoft seems to be suggesting that the Control Panel will eventually be removed from Windows 10. That will happen only after all Control Panel functions are migrated to the Settings app, and that's something developers have been working on for a decade. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The seeming illogic of selecting a Wi-Fi channel for your router has a basis in logic. • Microsoft continues its push to get Windows users to at least give the new Edge browser a try. • Twenty years ago: Microsoft was about to start shipping the Millennium Edition of Windows, and I thought it would be an improvement over Windows 98. Well, not exactly.
Your smart phone or tablet doubtless includes an email application, but there's probably a better option. Let's look for one. In Short Circuits: Up-to-date weather information is good to have and there are several services that use differing approaches to present that information. • Many email application can be set up to delay messages you send. That's a handy feature if you frequently think of something you meant to include shortly after pressing the Send button. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Internet service provider Wide Open West is warning customers about a scam. The warning applies to all ISPs. • You probably have a Google account, and now would be a good time to run a security audit. It's easy and takes just a few minutes. • Twenty years ago: "Big, Fast, and Cheap — Choose Any Three!" Disk drives were finally becoming affordable.
It's essential to use a virtual private network on portable devices that connect to Wi-Fi hotspots or open networks. Although it's a good safety practice to also use a VPN on a desktop system with a wired connection, you may find that it's not possible. In Short Circuits: If your office job still has you working from home, you should have a virtual private network, and we'll look at some other important security measures. • Many of us are still staying at home most of the time. To reduce the boredom, you might consider picking up a new skill or two. Your local library can probably help with that. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A minor Windows Explorer annoyance turned out to be an easy fix. I'll explain what the problem was and how I corrected it. • Microsoft's Windows Insider program is changing. Some of the changes are semantic, but it appears that there will be an increased emphasis on quality. • Twenty years ago: Time Warner Columbus told Roadrunner users that there would no longer be an extra charge to connect more than one home computer to the internet.
Don't expect to do any heavy-duty editing or spreadsheet development on your smartphone or tablet, but now several Office 365 apps let you work with Office suite documents wherever you are and on whatever device you have. In Short Circuits: Maybe you think you've seen the Taskbar and Desktop refresh repeatedly, but thought you're halluciniting. You're not. It is. And there's a way to fix it. Maybe. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Recognizing that a smartphone camera serves as the primary camera, and possibly the only camera, for a growing number of people, Adobe continues to add features to its Lightroom Camera app and the June update included a new application called Photoshop Camera. • Covid-19 has created a demand for computers, but it has also limited the supply of computers and components that are made in China. • Twenty years ago: PC Expo was about to get underway in New York City, where home networks would be a hot topic.
The latest Ipads from Apple can be bought with an overpriced keyboard and an overpriced pencil. If you add the extras, you'll almost have a computer, and it might replace your portable computer. We'll take a look at pluses and minuses. In Short Circuits: When you're looking for the cause of a problem or considering an upgrade, you may need to find out what's under the computer's hood. Speccy, HWInfo64, and Crystal Disk Info are three tools that provide insight, and you'll want at least two of them. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Adobe's big mid-year update was delivered to Creative Cloud users this week, and the additions range from fun toys to highly desirable new and improved features. • Facebook launched an initiative to register voters this week, and will offer some new capabilities: One allows users to hide annoying political ads and a second reveals how much is being spent on Facebook ads for presidential and congressional races. • Twenty years ago: Online shopping was just beginning to be something people thought they might be willing to trust.
If you encounter a computer problem that can't possibly be happening, it's important to realize two things: First, it is happening, and second, there is a reason it's happening. Finding the reason and fixing it are the entertaining parts, if you have a warped sense of "entertainment". In Short Circuits: Thunderbird is an email application that will probably never see another major update, but it's full of useful features and a great solution for those who don't like Outlook. • The latest version of Firefox has added some worthwhile features while expanding its efforts to keep users and their data secure. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Some Facebook scammers aren't even trying to appear legitimate any more. • Keeping employees safe has exposed some companies' networks and proprietary data during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. • Twenty years ago: Maxtor was about to introduce enormous disk drives that could hold up to 60 gigabytes of data, but you would need deep pockets to buy one.
Just like cars, trucks, airplanes, furnaces, and bicycles, hardware and software can fail even if you perform all the suggested maintenance. Maintenance does allow you to find upcoming problems and fix them before they happen, though. Routine troubleshooting is easy and doesn't take much time. In Short Circuits: Portable USB solid-state drives were once a luxury for those who needed lots of fast external storage while on the go. The drives are still a bit pricy, but they're a lot more affordable than they used to be. • Offices are reopening, but many people are still working from home, and may be for a long time. Maybe permanently. Too many companies neglected to secure equipment used for office work and now they're in danger. In Spare Parts (only on the website): You know not to open email attachments from strangers, but what if somebody you do know replies to an email from you and includes an unexpected attachment? • If you've ever wondered which antivirus application is best, the answer is easy: None of them. AV Comparatives can point out the relative strengths and weaknesses. • Twenty years ago: Plans were afoot to put Congressional hearings online. This was another groundbreaking effort that didn't quite make it.
Your internet service provider has a domain name server, but you don't have to use it. There are good reasons why you might want to ditch the provided service and use a better one. The change is easy to make, you'll get better service, and it won't cost anything. In Short Circuits: Computers that run on MacOS are less of a target than those running Windows, but threats do exist. Let's consider some protective measures. • Those who miss the variety that radio used to provide can use a clever service to find and listen to radio stations all over the world. In Spare Parts (only on the website): COVID-19 is forcing many changes. Among them: Making security systems at financial institutions stronger, ways for people to enjoy an at-home vacation, expected changes in work-from-home policies by companies, and huge increases in at-home data consumption. • Twenty years ago: The trial to break up Microsoft was nearing an end with an order that broke Microsoft into two pieces, except that it didn't.
Zoom was poised to sweep all other online meeting applications away, and then security concerns surfaced. Big ones. Zoom has moved quickly to resolve the issues, but now the company is facing an up-hill battle against competitors. In Short Circuits: If you'd like to download videos from YouTube and other services, you may have noticed that it's not a straightforward process. Downloads are legal as long as you're downloading for your private use, and several applications make the process easier. We'll look at some. • In a post-COVID-19 world, commerce will look a lot different. Apple is one organization that's preparing to lead the way. In Spare Parts (only on the website): About one third of workers feel that a machine might take their job. Let's look at some of the details. • COVID-19 misinformation and disinformation abound, but it's easy to find honest information, too. I'll list eight reliable resources. • Twenty years ago: After selling WebObject Java for $50,000, Apple suddenly cut the price to $700. This did not delight those who had paid the full price.
Apple and Google plan to allow their smart phones to talk to each other. The goal is to help with contact tracing for those who may have been exposed to COVID-19. It seems like a good idea, but it also seems doomed to fail. In Short Circuits: The creeps among us on the internet have shifted into high gear with links to bad websites and malware-laden downloads. If you've ever wished that you had a backup for your computer's protective applications, I have a suggestion. • Microsoft continues to work on the new Chromium-based version of the Edge browser. Now might be a good time to take a look. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The lowly Windows File Explorer has some hidden tricks that can make file management easier. • The market for wearable health devices is seeing explosive growth that isn't expected to end anytime soon. • Twenty years ago: Kodak was desperately seeking relevance in a world where film was becoming irrelevant.
For almost 20 years, TechSmith's Camtasia has been the go-to application for instructional videos. The 2020 version of Camtasia strengthens its capabilities for that market and also adds more powerful video editing functions. In Short Circuits: Depending on how often you send images from Lightroom to Photoshop for pixel-level editing, making a small change in the workflow could save a substantial amount of disk space. • Scammers have spotted a big opening because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but many of the old subject lines still attract mouse clicks that lead to trouble. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Google and Apple say they want to work together to provide technical assistance for identifying people who may have been exposed to COVID-19. • If you lose access to your Google account, there are automated recovery procedures that are easy. That's good because recovering an account manually isn't easy or fast. • Twenty years ago: Many of us might have been excited by a $180 device that played CDs and DVDs full of MP3 files. Suddenly we could take a lot of music with us wherever we went.
Although Google is the most used search engine and Bing is a distant second, an even more distant Duck Duck Go has several advantages. In Short Circuits: Research that shows company security is more at risk when employees work from home is no surprise to security experts. The risk to corporate data is substantial. • A lot of applications start with Windows. The operating system needs some processes and you've probably added some, but there may be others that you didn't request and may not even know are running. Needless applications can cause problems, and we'll consider how to find them and remove the ones you don't want. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Improvements for Firefox's search function makes finding something faster and easier. • The COVID-19 pandemic continues and will likely worsen as states begin to loosen regulations. Now's a good time so surveil yourself. • Twenty years ago: I loaded a virus onto the office computer -- the first and only time I made that mistake. It taught me a most important lesson.
If you think Windows users need the VLC Media Player to view DVDs, you're right, but that's only part of the story. VLC does a lot more and it's an open-source application. In Short Circuits: High-resolution screens are great, but users often say the tiny text and icons are hard to see. If that describes you, I have good news: These are easy fixes. • Mac users are sometimes distressed by the lack of ports on Macbook Pro machines. A cleverly designed dock not only provides more ports, but also adds a lot of disk space. And it can be used on any computer or portable device that has a USB-C port. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Technology may be able to help track new COVID-19 cases as states relax some of the restrictions we've been dealing with. • If you're trying to find out when your stimulus check will arrive from the IRS, the IRS website may be able to help; beware of rogue sites, though, because more than 4000 new domains exist and they all want to "help" you. • Twenty years ago: The MP3 revolution was moving right along, but we still had to deal with unknown new terms such as "rip".
Facebook can be useful, but the unremitting flood of advertisements and other "improvements" that are forced onto users can be maddening. There are ways to fix the problems. In Short Circuits: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought conspiracy nuts, crooks, and liars out from wherever they normally spend their time. We need honest information and facts. Fortunately, they exist and they're not hard to find. • When I described my experience with a Google Nest Mini in January, I said the device appeared to have some defects. It took far too long to convince Google, but now the problem has been resolved. • In Spare Parts (only on the website): Some applications that are installed on computers have started asking the user to log in. This is a good trend. • This month's Microsoft Patch Tuesday includes a lot of security fixes, so it's not one to delay. • Twenty years ago: Netscape was excited about the release of Navigator 6. Netscape was already feeling pressure from Microsoft and, a few years later from Firefox. Navigator was discontinued in 2008.
Computer performance tests aren't only for those who want to brag about having the fastest computer on the planet. They can pinpoint bottlenecks for those who need to improve their computer's operation, but don't know where to start. In Short Circuits: Last week I described museum tours and other things you can do virtually when you can't go out, so this week we'll take a look at books, music, and other entertainment that can help you avoid climbing the walls. • COVID-19 scammers are out in force with a wide variety of ways to steal money and credentials. Protection doesn't differ from what you should already be doing, so I may get a bit snarky. In Spare Parts (only on the website): We'll review virtual private networks and video conferencing. VPN usage has seen a significant increase in the past decade and many video conferencing applications are far less secure than they should be, even for personal use. • Twenty years ago: Macromedia had just introduced version 3 of Dreamweaver and included Fireworks for the first time.
I described the Launchy program launcher for Windows three weeks ago, and said I'd soon have information about a competitor. This week we'll take a look at Executor. In Short Circuits: Fixing network problems is difficult unless you have a spray can of magic Network Pixie Dust, so let's review some of the quick and easy steps that can get your computer back online. • If you've ever wished that you could give someone or some company a temporary email address to avoid spam, it's easy and you have a choice of several services. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Museum tours, theme parks, Broadway plays, and more are available online and many are free. They're good options in this time of "social distancing" and staying at home. • Researchers at Harvard say that a financial data bill of rights is long past due. • Twenty years ago: Star Office was being promoted as the application that would wrest domination of the desktop away from Microsoft.
Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers have the greatest market share, but now is a good time to take another look at Firefox if you value privacy and security. In Short Circuits: Although using Malwarebytes as the only protective application on a Windows computer seems not to be the best protection, running a copy of the free version is a great way to backstop the primary antivirus application. • Too many applications install unwanted "gifts" under the guise of being helpful. A small utility program called Unchecky can expose them before they've been installed so you can avoid them. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Crooks view the sudden shift to having employees work from home as an outstanding opportunity to plant malware and steal corporate data. • Freelance editors work from home almost exclusively and many of them have neat, tidy offices. Then there's my office. • Twenty years ago: A new service called Amadeus had just been created to give Scandinavians a way to book airline flights using their phones.
Those who argue that Illustrator is better than Photoshop or that Photoshop is better than Illustrator are missing the point: Adobe makes each for specific purposes. In Short Circuits: Ohio is essentially shut down in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus and, as other states follow Ohio's lead, technology is filling the gaps where possible. • If you've ever wondered what the WinSxS directory is and whether you can delete it to save space, don't! I'll explain why. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The expected coronavirus scams are spreading across the internet and it's wise to avoid them. • Some healthcare providers are bringing telemedicine online sooner than expected for what would have been basic office visits. • Twenty years ago: Intel was looking 20 years ahead. How accurate was the company in looking ahead to 2020?
Using the Start screen or pinning icons to the Task bar works, but it's also possible to start applications with a keyboard-based launcher. Sometimes that's a faster and easier way to work. In Short Circuits: If you've ever been grossed out by your computer's keyboard, maybe now's a good time to clean it. Let's see what's involved. • British software publisher Serif has released updates for its line of Affinity products -- Designer, Photo, and Publisher. If you own the applications, the updates are free. In Spare Parts (only on the website): More resources for Adobe Stock users who can now obtain images from two new providers. • Given the source of many computer components, it's probably no surprise that the new coronavirus is having an adverse effect on computer shipments. • Twenty years ago: Several organizations started providing dial-up internet access for free.
Graphics tablets without screens are difficult to master and graphics tablets with screens are prohibitively expensive. The Wacom One changes all that. In Short Circuits: Photoshop is 30 years old and it predated widespread use of digital cameras by more than a decade. Photoshop continues to be an essential tool for designers and photographers. • Some companies are going on the offensive to fight scams by sending warnings to customers. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Some tech conferences, including Facebook's big F8 event have been cancelled because of coronavirus fears. • Crooks and scammers are capitalizing on those fears, too, so beware of messages from people you don't know. • Twenty years ago: Theaters were beginning to offer tickets online with a test in five movie houses in Dallas.
Solid-state disk drives still cost more that comparably sized mechanical drives, but prices have dropped enough that upgrading a computer's boot drive to a solid-state device is now the fastest and easiest way to accelerate the machine. In Short Circuits: A new point-and-shoot Nikon camera that costs $800 and has an 83-times zoom lens was a big hit at the consumer electronics show. There are good reasons to want one and a couple of reasons not to. • Used carefully, PC Decrapifier is a handy tool, but it's all too easy to use the wrong way. • No matter what camera you own, every photograph that it makes can be improved and the process may take only a few minutes. In Spare Parts (only on the website): How much of your personal data are you willing to surrender to get better service from companies? • This may be a surprise, but it seems that crooks take vacations, too. • Twenty years ago: I didn't use Audition because it didn't yet exist. Instead, I used Cool Edit Pro, and later it became Audition.
Windows 10 has a handy tool for finding misplaced files. When you need something more powerful, Agent Ransack is waiting. We'll look at both methods. In Short Circuits: Microsoft's Storage Sense gives users a way to get rid of unneeded files. • Have you ever wanted to just turn off those User Account Control warnings? One word is appropriate here: Don't! I'll explain why. • Firefox users should check to be sure that they're running version 72.0.1 or later. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Cyber threats continue to evolve and so do protective measures. • Crooks are using the cornonavirus scare to spread malware and Russians are using it to spread disinformation. • Twenty years ago: Microsoft introduced Windows 2000, Microsoft's first "industrial strength" operating system.
Windows 7 reached its end of life recently, and Microsoft will end support for Office 2010 in mid-October. Let's look at your options for when the time comes. In Short Circuits: If you’ve ever tried to delete or rename a file only to have Windows refuse, LockHunter can save the day. • Microsoft has two utilities that keep system files in good shape. Using them occasionally is wise. • One of the easiest ways to share information is with a PDF document and Windows 10 makes the process even easier. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Russian and Japanese scientists say a new material can extend the life of solid-state devices in high-use applications. • What do people do at the Super Bowl? Most of them used their phones a lot. • Twenty years ago: Corel Corporation had previewed a Linux version of its graphics applications. The effort was not exactly a big success.
Blue light is beneficial, but it can also cause problems. Computer screens, televisions, tablets, and smart phones emit a lot of blue light and the result may be insomnia and other health issues. In Short Circuits: Microsoft's new Chromium-based Edge browser continues to evolve, and it offers some advantages compared to Chrome and Firefox, maybe even enough to attract users. • It's beginning to look like entropy will win on the internet and the term "splinternet" has gained a following. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The National PTA tries to identify ways to help families make the best use of online resources. • Older adults are increasingly adopting smart phones and computers, but are less receptive to wearable devices and tablets. • Twenty years ago: Digital cameras were about to reach the magic ONE megapixel level for the unheard-of low price of just $1000.
Password managers have become essential tools for those who want to protect their data, and other actions can improve your odds of surviving. In Short Circuits: Website pop-up messages asking to send notifications are annoying and now browser publishers are making it easier for those of us who detest the messages to get rid of them. • Sometimes you might want Windows to believe that you're not in the location where the operating system thinks you are. It's an easy fix. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Facebook claims to have ways to protect your privacy, or at least to control more of what Zuckerberg and crew know about you; so let's take a look. • A man who claimed to protect organizations from distributed-denial-of-service attacks will be sentenced in May for staging such attacks himself. • Twenty years ago: Apple was well on the way to the great turnaround and Apple's board of directors presented Steve Jobs with a new airplane.
Those who need help with spelling, grammar, and style might be inclined to use spelling checkers and grammar checkers. Although these tools can be helpful, it's essential to avoid having them lead you astray. In Short Circuits: Microsoft's January patches include one that's designed to repair a major security flaw in Windows 10. Installing this patch should be a priority for everyone. • If the account you use with Windows 10 is a local account instead of a Microsoft account, you may want to reconsider. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Malwarebytes Labs says a company that provides mobile phones for low-income individuals under a federal program has been packing those phones with malware. • Responding to threats from do-it-yourself home security system providers, ADT has launched its own brand of user-installable devices. • Twenty years ago: We were so concerned with battery life on notebook computers that a company attempted to create a super-low-power system.
Several years after the first smart speakers were released, I have one. It wasn't my idea, but it was free and it seems to be useful. In Short Circuits: You hear my spiel about the importance of backup occasionally. This time I have a story that illustrates clearly why it is so important. • Lies are endemic on the internet and particularly in social media. Those who are interested in truth can find it. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Windows 7 is no longer viable, but you might not have to pay for an update to Windows 10. • A school district in suburban Austin has lost more than $2 million to scammers. • Twenty years ago: The MP3 music format, which had been invented 3 years earlier, was beginning to take off.
If you've wondered whether Linux would be right for you, you're not alone. I've asked myself that question just about every year since the early 1990s. In Short Circuits: Some PDF documents have restrictions on copying data or printing the file, and sometimes even passwords that prohibit opening the file. There are workarounds. • Remember when you could get to Safe mode in Windows by pressing F8 during the boot process? Microsoft removed that capability starting with Windows 8, but you can restore it if you don't might a slightly slower boot. In Spare Parts (only on the website): When Windows doesn't work right, you might be tempted to wipe the disk and start over. Before using the big hammer, you can often save time and effort by repairing Windows instead. • The Federal Communications Commission wants cellular providers to block fraudulent calls, but don't expect change anytime soon. In the meantime, it's up to us. • Twenty years ago: A small but growing group of Linux fans predicted that Linux would take over the desktop. We're still waiting.
The blog and podcast date has been advanced from Sunday to Friday and the email alert now goes out on Friday morning instead of Saturday morning. This week's primary topic looks at two useful utilities and a location where you can find lots of equally useful applications. In Short Circuits: If you want to accelerate an older computer, you have several options, but some of them aren't worth what they'll cost. • Future Me is an unusual website that allows users to send messages to themselves in the future. Why? I'll see if I can explain that. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A scammer who sent fake sextortion messages has been arresed, but that won't have much effect on the scourge. • Would you be able to tell the difference between the real log-in page for Amazon's app and a phony that tries to steal your credentials? I couldn't and this illustrates why it's important not to click enticing links in email messages. • Twenty years ago: A website aimed at being a clearinhouse for product recalls seemed like a good idea. It wasn't.
TechByter Hibernates This Week: This is second of the two weeks each year when TechByter hibernates. Thanks for listening or reading (or both)! The first program of 2020 (3 January because of the new Friday publication date) will take a look at how you can find hidden powers with a couple of clever utility programs, the best ways to accelerate an older computer, and how to leave a message for the future you.
Mac users have FileVault, Windows users have BitLocker, and all the big cloud-based storage systems encrypt files before storing them, so do we really need another encryption utility? As it turns out, maybe we do. In Short Circuits: Yahoo's Groups service is starting what's likely to be a long slide to oblivion and that reminded me of older services that have met a similar fates -- CompuServe, Prodigy, GEnie, and others. • Also sliding into oblivion: Windows 7. Starting in mid-January, Microsoft will make it crystal clear to users that it's time to upgrade. • Adobe has released a holiday gift for users of its Capture utility. Although both Android and IOS versions receive updates, the IOS version got more this time around. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Beware medical scams that may arrive by email, phone call, or even in-person visits by people who want to steal your information. • Bots that are used to place fake online orders are still more prevalent on desktop computers, but the growing trend points to mobile devices. • Twenty years ago: Remember 56K modems? In 1999 an Oregon company called WorldSpy started offering free dial-up access to the internet. It didn't work out as intended.
SnagIt has been making the process of documenting computer applications easier for nearly 30 years and recent enhancements make it a useful tool for anyone who needs to explain or describe the contents of a computer screen. In Short Circuits: If you've been using Cortana on an IOS or Android device, you won't be doing so after the end of January 2020. • Your computer may have more than one audio playback device and sometimes Windows selects the wrong one. It's an easy problem to fix. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Popular colors change each year and predicting the ones that will be popular is not unlike the process used to develop each year's flu vaccines. • Sometimes we think of scammers as evil geniuses, but some are just evil idiots. Let's take a look at one fool's flawed flim-flam. • Twenty years ago: There was talk of how to put the internet in your car.
With constantly increasing prices for cable television, maybe you're thinking about dropping the television part of your cable bill and improving the internet part. I'll describe my first timid steps in that direction. In Short Circuits: Cellular service providers are beginning to roll out 5G gear, but your phone probably won't support it and service is still spotty. • There's a better Windows explorer than Windows Explorer and it's free. In Spare Parts (only on the website): When you schedule a meeting with someone in a distant locale, sometimes it's a challenge to find out what time it is there. • If you're thinking about installing a disk upgrade in an existing computer or replacing a computer, I have a list of several applications that will help you make the move with ease. • Twenty years ago: Threats of Y2K disasters were hovering and scammers saw a way to make some money from the fears.
There's a lot of new magic from Adobe. The just-released versions of Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, and Photoshop for 2020 were highlights at Adobe Max in Los Angeles. Although several new applications made their first appearance, today we'll stick to the photo applications, including the appearance of Photoshop on IPads. In Short Circuits: It's annoying when something goes wrong with Windows or a Microsoft application, and even worse when Microsoft support seems to be clueless. There are alternatives. • The software updates described in this week's main section about Adobe's photo apps are good examples of what's called the agile development method, so we'll look at what that means. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A feature update for Windows that was released in mid Noveber as version 1909 has a useful new function: Now you can add items to your calendar directly from the Task Bar. • PayPal says it will acquire Honey Science Corporation for about $4 billion. It's a service that claims to help consumers find the best prices online. • Twenty years ago: I wrote about a system to ensure absolute computer security. The process still works, but I'll bet you won't want to use it.
TechByter hibernates two weeks each year. This is one of them. The half-minute podcast wishes is a Thanksgiving greeting.
The 2020 version of On1 Photo Raw has some surprising features but hasn't entirely eliminated performance problems that I found last year. In Short Circuits: Windows 10 has a silly annoyance that I've been trying to fix for far too long. Now I've found a partial solution that at least reduces the frustration. • Development continues on the Chromium-based version of Microsoft's Edge browser and a beta version that's sufficiently stable for those who want to see how it works is available. • In Spare Parts (only on the website): Too many companies are still transferring files that often contain proprietary information insecurely. • If you find that you're locked out of your smart phone, PhoneRescue might be what you need to get back to normal. • Twenty years ago: I wrote about disk drives that were "so small you might misplace them." Compared to today's disk drives, they were physically larger, far more expensive, and able to store only a tiny fraction of what today's drives hold.
About the time you think you're aware of every possible photo application, one you've never heard of pops up. That's the case with the Movavi Photo Editor from Siberia. Yes, Siberia in Russia. In Short Circuits: An article on CNet claimed to describe how professional photos can be taken with phone-based cameras. Let's explore that thought. • If you have one or more external USB disk drives attached to your computer and find that they power down at inconvenient times, there's a quick and easy fix. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Adobe Max 2019 attracted nearly 20,000 attendees to Los Angeles this week as the company released some new applications and updates for most existing applications. • That email that seems to be from someone you know might be a fraud. Look closely because the fraudsters are getting better. • Twenty years ago: I was worrying about people who didn't routinely back up their computers. Things are better now, but only marginally.
Adobe has designed Photoshop Elements for people they call "Memory Keepers" and the just released 2020 version of the application brings lots of improvements and several new features. In Short Circuits: If you'd like to refresh your ability to read, write, and speak a foreign language or learn an entirely new language, Duolingo is a good place to start, and it's free. • You've probably heard about malware being planted on websites. Nothing absolutely guarantees safety, but SiteLock's monitoring service is used on many sites, including TechByter Worldwide, to even the playing field. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Several actions are important if you want to avoid being "doxed" by someone who is seeking to ridicule you. • Do you still write checks? If so, security expert Frank Abagnale says you should re-think the practice. • Twenty years ago: The world was becoming increasingly concerned with January first 2000, expecting a Y2K disaster. But there were some voices of reason.
Consider what happens if some creep impersonates your Facebook or Instagram account. It's nowhere near as bad or as serious as having your identity stolen, but it's still a major annoyance. Reducing risk and avoiding the problem is best, but be prepared just in case you become a victim. In Short Circuits: If you're having a problem with Windows, the Feedback Hub (once available only to those in the Windows Insider program) might help with a repair. Microsoft's Office Lens puts a scanner in your pocket. I've been looking at some TechByter programs from 20 years ago and a lot of websites that were cutting edge back then no longer exist. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities' October newsletter contains suggestions for avoiding online fraud. We'll take a look and there's a link to the newsletter. • Support for Windows 7 ends in January and about one third of all Windows computers are still running that version. • Twenty years ago: We were just beginning to see the advent of phones that could surf the web and even send and receive emails.
The just-released verson of Acronis True-Image backup adds what the company calls "dual protection" to ensure that you'll always have a backup of your backup. In Short Circuits: Adobe's Elements applications, Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements, continue to add features that are powered by the company's Sensai artificial intelligence engine. Facts are important and they seem to be in short supply these days. Snopes.com isn't the only fact-checking operation so let's take a look at some of the others. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The first rule of the internet still applies: Trust nobody. • Jam Audio has just released water-resistant ear buds that look like they'll be perfect for a workout in the gym or a walk in the rain. • Twenty years ago: IBM was boasting about the performance of its new Power4 line of CPUs.
The newly released Exposure X5 gives users powerful new ways to control distortion, vignetting, color fringing, and chromatic aberration -- problems that can damage the look of an otherwise good photograph. In Short Circuits: Microsoft has added some new controls for the mouse cursor. There's now a range of 15 sizes for the pointer and, even better, you can set the color of the mouse cursor to make it more visible. More than 100 utilities are available on the NirSoft website. Most are provided without charge and they can help users see what's happening in normally hidden areas. In Spare Parts (only on the website): If you're still running Windows 7, you're running a risk. Too many computers are still using that long-outdated operating system. • The American Library Association and the Overdrive ebook management system from Rakuten are making select copies of new ebooks available without delay. • Twenty years ago: While preparing for the January 2000 version of the Consumer Electronics Show, I was impressed that devices were becoming so small.
When cameras used film, we didn't have much control. Pros and serious amateurs had darkrooms or used professional labs, but most of us couldn't even crop an image without using scissors to cut the print. Now everyone can do what only the pros used to be able to do and much more that pros never dreamed of being able to do. In Short Circuits: Lynda.com can be your key to becoming a better photographer, or a C++ programmer, or a sound engineer. All it takes is a library card from one of the libraries that offers the content for free. If you're thinking about buying a new smart phone or you're looking around at mobile phone services, Google Fi is becoming a serious contender. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The most dangerous application on your computer is still the email program. • The FDA says some medical devices can be exploited by crooks who could change how the devices work. • Twenty years ago: After returning from PC Expo in New York City, I wrote that we seemed to be turning into the Jetsons. Some of what I mentioned came to be but some didn't.
You know the hard drive in your computer will fail someday, so you've been making regular backups. But what if you can't restore files from the backup when disaster strikes? Preparing for recovery is the step that's all too easy to miss. In Short Circuits: Suddenly your computer starts acting like it's full of congealed tar balls and who's to blame? Sometimes it's not malware or Microsoft. Every computer user who does anything on the internet is using Linux, so why is Linux installed on so few home computers? In Spare Parts (only on the website): Exposure Software (known as Alien Skin until recently) has just released Exposure X5. I'll have a full review in a couple of weeks, but let's take a quick first look. • If you've ever wanted a jukebox that plays 45 RPM records, you can now buy one -- but only if you have $10,000 or so lying around. • Twenty years ago: The top search engines were Yahoo and AltaVista, but a newcomer had arrived and was building a reputation for itself.
In an effort to be helpful, smart phone manufacturers, service providers, and apps want to send messages and reminders. There are ways to tame the deluge. In Short Circuits: BIOS updates are always problematic. Should we install them or ignore them? The old advice was generally to ignore them, but that advice needs to be modified when security issues are involved. Did you sign up for the $125 Equifax settlement thinking that you might actually get $125? Dream on. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The Digital Citizens Alliance says online services such as Facebook and Google are not doing enough to keep sellers of illegal drugs off their systems. • QBE North America has launched processes and insurance designed to protect their clients from cyber threats. • Twenty years ago digital cameras were just beginning to gain acceptance as sensors captured enough data to make snapshot size photos.
We hear about ransomware attacks that affect cities and, while they are frequent targets of malware, some crooks target small businesses and home users because they know the targets will be softer. In Short Circuits: Sometimes it seems that electronic devices go out of their way to make our lives miserable and, when they do, finding a solution to the problem can be challenging. If you've been thinking about switching to an open-source office suite, there are two primary choices: OpenOffice and LibreOffice. So which one is better? We'll look. In Spare Parts (only on the website): When you need to run a notebook computer or tablet for a long time and there's no nearby power source, modifying the computer's power settings can help. • It's also a good idea to keep an eye on the battery's performance over time because you'll probably need to replace the battery at least once before you replace the computer. • Twenty years ago some people were in a tizzy about the September 9th computing disaster that turned out to be even less of a problem than the much anticipated Y2K "disaster".
Corel Draw has been around for a long time and the recently released 2019 edition of the graphics suite continues the company's long running emphasis on ease of use. In Short Circuits: Some of us love the Windows Start Menu. Some of us hate it. Either way, there are actions you can take to improve how you get to the programs you use most often. You might think that I'd be sad to say that Alien Skin Software no longer exists. I'm not and I'll explain why. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A recent update to the Emoji panel in Windows 10 makes the component really useful for the first time. • You know not to trust emails that claim to be from your boss, but what about phone calls? • Twenty years ago a company wanted to sell wearable computers for the equivalent of nearly $10,000 in today's money.
Anyone who owns a scanner -- regardless of make, model, or type -- should take a look at VueScan because it's probably better than the software that came with your scanner. In Short Circuits: Website owners often receive emails from China with warnings that someone is trying to register their website name. In short, it's a scam intended to separate your money from you. Another scam that I hadn't seen before added an entry to my Google calendar so that it could create pop-up messages telling me that I had won an IPhone. In Spare Parts (only on the website): It looks like there's finally been some progress in getting phone companies to cooperate in a way that may eventually eliminate or at least reduce unwelcome robocalls. • It's been 20 years since Adobe introduced InDesign. Publishing has changed a lot since then and InDesign now virtually owns the desktop typesetting and page layout market.
Powerful features and low cost are rarely features of a single computer application. Normally you get one or the other but software developer Serif is trying to provide both in its new series of Affinity products. In Short Circuits: Adobe has added several new features to its photographic applications and has updated many others. The result is one you'll like. If you'd like to frighten yourself, have your Wi-Fi router send a copy of its latest status report to you. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Small improvements can make big differences in your photographs and I'll show you one that's both easy and dramatic. • If you have some old computer gear that is no longer in service, taking it for a short drive to Newark next weekend would be a good idea.
If you need a computer for school, you'll find lots of choices. Maybe too many choices. It's not a one-size-fits all situation, so picking the right computer involves matching your needs. In Short Circuits: Some scammers are just plain stupid, so let's take a moment to laugh at one that fits that description. It's getting harder to use the Flash Player in most browsers and it will be impossible by the end of next year. Websites that use the technology have until the end of 2020 to upgrade. In Spare Parts (only on the website): We'll take a quick glance at some big improvements in Adobe's photo applications. • Bearing in mind that today's cameras are just computers with lenses, should we be surprised that they can be infected with malware? The short answer is NO.
Life has never been better for those who prefer to read books on electronic devices and libraries offer a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction materials for patrons. In Short Circuits: There is a threat on the horizon for electronic books and audiobooks. Four major publishers are planning to severely limit library access to electronic versions of their books. Do you need a utility to confirm that your smart phone is working and would it be worth more than $200 per year? Microsoft continues to offer rewards for Bing searches and for participating in daily exercises. Although amusing, these actions aren't exactly rewarding. In Spare Parts (only on the website): How to modify Windows so that you'll always have a current restore point. • Using a Wi-Fi hotspot without a VPN application is dangerous and Erie Insurance says a VPN is just one of several steps necessary to improve security.
WordPerfect hasn't been the dominant word processor since the 1990s, but Corel's development efforts for the past 23 years and WordPerfect's long-time killer feature (Reveal Codes) make it exactly the right choice for some users. In Short Circuits: Sometimes a new application doesn't install properly. When that happens, finding a workaround starts with reading and understanding diagnostic messages. The Google Local Guides feature is handy for finding store hours, movie theaters, and good restaurants, but it can be much more during a crisis. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Capital One, a Virginia bank with a huge on-line presence, suffered a data breach that exposed credit card application information from 100 million people. Fortunately, this incident isn't quite as bad as it sounds. • Sometimes Windows takes far too long to shut down. There's a solution, but it involves a Registry edit and it's a change that might cause other problems. Let's take a look.
Too many people are trying to steal your data, whether it's on your computer or stored on-line. We all have a duty to be cautious, so let's consider how. In Short Circuits: If you have an old computer or other electronic device that still works, you can sell it. But what if it's broken? You may still be able to sell it and keep it out of a landfill. Some electric utilities make it possible to keep an eye on real-time usage. An update to Adobe Audition has added several new features. One of them is small but uncommonly useful. In Spare Parts (only on the website): LampLess projectors still have light sources, so are they really "lampless"? Maybe it depends on your definition. • Amazon can now deliver packages to your car if you live in one of 50 specific cities, have a current Acura RDX, and park it in the right place.
You may be surprised by the price of the best camera in the world, but extensive research and testing have revealed that it probably costs less than you would expect. In Short Circuits: If your Windows 10 computer seems slow, it might be the result of having too many applications open in the background. Far too many developers think their app should run all the time, but it's easy to turn off the ones you don't want. Police departments are using social media and some have even developed apps for mobile phones with the objective of making people aware of police activities. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Sudden panic about a photo app that's been around for two years is unwarranted but it does raise some valid questions. • Youngstown is about to lose its newspaper and an experiment in electronic journalism will take its place. • A new round of idiocy is circulating on Facebook, calling for people to copy and paste some word-salad text to keep Facebook from using their photos. As with most of these, it clearly a fraud.
If you're struggling with Microsoft Word or Publisher to create newsletters and other publications, Affinity Publisher might be just what you need. Surprisingly, it's also good for much larger documents. In Short Circuits: As a follow-up to this week's review of Affinity Publisher, let's take a look back at how much publishing has changed since the mid-1980s when the first electronic typesetting applications came to desktop computers. If you sometimes see page not found errors when you try to connect to a website, it's not your fault. It is, however, something you can fix. In Spare Parts (only on the website): As useful as Google Backup and Sync is, sometimes it doesn't sync or back up and you'll have to find a way to fix it. • Mobile internet speeds in the United States are improving, but we we're still in 40th place worldwide.
For most of us, Windows 10 is Microsoft's best operating system, but that doesn't mean it can't be improved. Let's take a look at some ways that you can modify a few settings or learn a few tricks that will make it better. In Short Circuits: In a few days Google will modify how Photos and Drive interact with each other. Changes made in one location will no longer be reflected in the other. That's the way it should have been all along, but the change will probably cause some confusion. Starting more than a year ago, Microsoft stopped making backups of the Registry as a way to make the operating system consume less disk space. That decision might make you nervous; if so, there are two ways to fix it. In Spare Parts (only on the website): When the power goes out, a UPS unit can save the day and good home units are available for less than $100. • Small businesses and home businesses often fail to prepare for a cyberattack. If this describes you, consider two points that are important to your financial survival.
If you like the idea of combining multiple photos to create a cool high-dynamic-range look, but haven't been able to get the results you want, now would be a good time to take a look at Aurora HDR from Skylum. It works as a standalone application or as a plug-in for Adobe's applications. In Short Circuits: Facebook constantly adds features I don't want and displays far more ads than seems reasonable. Social Fixer makes Facebook tolerable by removing stories, games, and other components you don't like. I've encountered another laughable porn scam. Let's take a look at the email and see why it's obviously a phony. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Microsoft's safety features make recovering from a problematic update easier than in the past, but the leftover files can get in the way. You can remove them. • Notepad is a handy Windows utility. Notepad++ is even better and it's free.
After trying to convince Windows users that its own proprietary display engine was better than the ones used by Chrome and Firefox, Microsoft has given up on EdgeHTML. The next version of Edge will be based on Chromium. In Short Circuits: Recently released updates to Adobe Lightroom Classic include a powerful new feature that most people probably won't use, but those who care deeply about color purity will be delighted. For the majority of users, a new Texture slider will have more appeal and Adobe says that automatic adjustments have been improved. No matter how fast your computer is, you probably wish it could be faster. Let's consider a couple of options to make it so. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Previewed at last year's Max conference, Adobe Gemini will be known as Fresco and is coming soon. • Big changes for the New York City subways and buses as the MTA works to convert from plastic Metro Cards to a system that accepts payment from electronic wallets and various kinds of payment cards.
I'm a proponent of password managers, but I've chosen to switch from one password manager to another even though the one I'm switching from is still a worthwhile and viable application. In Short Circuits: When I receive an email account deactivation notice, I instantly recognize it as phony because I am my own email system administrator, but what if you receive a deactivation message that seems to be from your ISP or from the corporate email manager? Some of the new top-level domains (ICU, for example) seem to have only spammers and scammers as clients. I have a solution. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Sony is now a respected camera manufacturer and the company has more than 50 lenses for their digital SLRs, which puts the company on par with Nikon and Canon. • United Airlines is rolling out an application that's designed to help passengers get to connecting flights even if their inbound flight arrives late for a tight connection.
After stumbling more than a little with the initial 2019 release of PhotoRaw, On1 has remedied most of the performance problems with the 2019.5 release. In Short Circuits: Not content to interfere only with US elections, Russia is now actively opposing development of 5G cellular networks in the United States with disinformation campaigns while encouraging 5G development in Russia. Scaremongers have been spreading concern about cellular signals and Wi-Fi for years even though there is no scientific evidence to support their outlandish claims. Your smart phone probably does a good job with high dynamic range photographs, but a real cameera (even a point-and-shoot camera) can do even better. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Apple is splitting ITunes into 3 separate applications and there's finally a new Mac Pro for those who need desktop power, but at a huge price. • Flipboard has been hacked. Although the service doesn't store any important information about users, there's still a cautionary tale here.
Tech support seems a lot more complex than it really is. Once you realize that hardware and software companies really don't want to hear your tech support questions, the path to solving your own problems becomes clearer. In Short Circuits: Windows 10 version 1903 should have been released in March, but it's just now being pushed out. If your computer hasn't yet been updated and you wonder why, let's explore that topic. What's in 1903? There are some useful features and you may think that one of my favorites is downright silly. If so, I'll have to agree with you. Windows users can choose from 3 text-based consoles now. Do we need them? We do and I'll explain why. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Maybe you thought you'd never use high school math, but you found that's wrong and Texas Instruments is rewarding exceptional math teachers. • Prices for security cameras continue to drop and they are now well within the reach of most people. • Sometimes virtual reality is better than real reality. Let's think about that for a moment.
Luminar is a new photo editing application. Although it may not yet be a serious competitor for Adobe's Lightroom Classic, it does offer some useful features and works with Lightroom. In Short Circuits: Fans of magazines will find two on-line options worth checking out: Apple News Plus (formerly Texture), which has a $10 monthly fee, and Flipster, which is available for free to patrons of many libraries. Microsoft has an easy way to add emoticons to any document or email, but still lags when it comes to adding more common symbols. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Robocall scams are becoming more prevalent and senior citizens are proving to be lucrative targets for the scammers. • One manufacturer of drones will be adding new safety features to many of its products.
TechSmith has added two features to Camtasia that anyone who makes instructional or promotional videos will doubtless want. In Short Circuits: Increasing numbers of crooks want to install malware on your computer and they're getting better at doing it. Fake Facebook accounts seem to be on the rise. You may receive a friend request from someone who is already your friend. That's just one of several ploys used by "Fakebook" mongers. In Spare Parts (only on the website): This week, a look at why you need to update your WhatsApp application if you haven't done so already. • And Microsoft tried to do it in 2015 but will, without question, end all support for Windows 7 in January of 2020.
Email continues to be the most common vector for distributing malware and attached documents slip by defenses all too often. In Short Circuits: Have you received a message from someone who says that he's broken into your computer, has embarrassing pictures taken with the computer's camera, and will send them to each of your contacts unless you pay? Oh, and he has one of your passwords, too. It's a fake and we'll consider how it works. Windows 10 version 1903 will be pushed out to computers sometime this month and Windows Insider members already have it. Wouldn't it be nice, when you need a copy of a document, to have a scanner in your pocket? Actually you do have a scanner in your pocket and Office Lens makes it more useful. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Adobe has added some new features to its cloud-based Color application. • If you sometimes use your browser's incognito mode, it's good to understand its shortcomings.
If you're planning to commit a crime, you might want to leave your phone at home because Google's Sensorvault knows where you are, where you were, and how long it took you to get from there to here. Sensorvault has data going back several years and, in some situations, police can access it. In Short Circuits: Internet crimes cost individuals and companies nearly $3 billion last year and that's just the crimes that were reported. Changing passwords frequently has been promoted as a good security measure, but that's no longer considered to be correct. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Turtle Beach has released a moderately priced set of headphones for gamers and they include a feature that's been available only in high-priced headphones until now. • Geometiles represent an attempt to make math concepts interesting and fun for students. • Creative Technology's updated Pebble Plus speakers will be of interest to those who want good computer sound but have a limited budget.
Carrying important information around on an unencrypted phone, computer, or thumb drive is dangerous, but you might think that encrypting important files is difficult. It's not. In Short Circuits: The prices for solid state disk drives continue to drop and 2TB SSDs are now available for about $100. If you've ever had to deal with a stubborn Windows update that simply will not install, you might find the process I used this month to be helpful. Adobe is working on a new feature for Illustrator -- one that may seem more than a bit odd to you, but I think digital artists will like it. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The on-line reservation service OpenTable is promoting the use of "Dining Mode" for Mothers Day (and maybe other important and not-so-important occasions). It involves ignoring your phone. • A company has released a system that can generate up to 70 trillion passwords per second. Does that make you nervous?
Look up tables, LUTs, are an important new feature for Alien Skin's Exposure X4.5. LUTs are used in the creation of motion pictures, but they can also be used to great advantage by still photographers. In Short Circuits: Now is the time to get rid of Internet Explorer. The first step involves installing a more modern browser and making it your default, then you can remove IE entirely. The latest version of the Android operating system, Pie, has been pushed out to nearly all models of most manufacturer's phones and there are lots of worthwhile features. The US House has passed a bill to restore internet neutrality, but it's being blocked in the Senate. For the second time in a month, Facebook suffered a worldwide outage. This week's was much shorter, but Facebook managers refuse to say what happened. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Artificial intelligence is being used to hire healthcare professionals. • Some physicians' offices are being equipped with software that monitors patients in what the developers are calling a holistic manner. • SiriusXM and Pandora are adding podcasts to their existing mix of entertainment programs.
Windows 10 shares information about your computer with Microsoft. There are good reasons for Microsoft to want the data and good reasons for you to allow it, but maybe you don't want to share the information. It's possible to disable the sharing if you know where to look and a small utility provides an easy way to review and change the settings. In Short Circuits: Some tech writers advise against using password managers, but I see them as the best way to create and maintain passwords that are unique and complex. Let's consider the opposing points of view. Most Windows 10 computers have "Fast Start" enabled. You might want to turn that feature off. I'll explain why and how. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A Chinese woman who was detained at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club was found to have lots of electronic gear and malware on a thumb drive. She'll be arraigned on Monday. • Like drones or not, they're here to stay and public safety agencies -- fire and police departments -- are finding good ways to use them. • An on-line service says it can help people deal with anxiety, eating disorders, and smoking.
Which is better: Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop? The answer to that question is "it depends." Mainly it depends on what you need to do, but that's not all. We'll try to sort out which is the right option to use and when. In Short Circuits: The operators of the electric grid and other utilities are under nearly constant attack. So far, most of the attacks have been limited to the IT network, but critical infrastructure is at risk. If you've noticed that sometimes the Windows File Explorer takes far too much time to reveal all of the files in a folder, let's find out why and what can be done to fix the problem. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The time is coming when you'll approach a fast-food restaurant's drive-up window and be greeted by name. • A company that helps people find lower-cost auto insurance on-line has used their technology to create a list of the 25 cities that have the highest rates of drivers with drunk driving convictions.
Removing unwanted key functions from the keyboard can be accomplished with a Registry Edit, but there's a better option for those who fear touching the Registry. And for those who do edit the Registry, there's a non-Microsoft editor with some clever tricks. In Short Circuits: Asus has moved to correct a problem with their Live Update application that was used to push malware to hundreds of thousands of computers. We'll take a look at some of the most persistent high-tech myths. Artists who use a sketch pad to start a project and then have to transfer the art manually to a computer will be happy with a paper notebook that connects to Adobe Illustrator. In Spare Parts (only on the website): If you'd like to share less information on-line when you're shopping or sending emails, a service called Blur may help. • The Information Security Forum releases an assessment each year; the latest edition predicts some serious problems in the next 2 years.
You've doubtless heard of the dark web and may consider it to be a place to avoid because illegal activity takes place there, but there's good to be found, too. After all, The Onion Router was a project undertaken by the US Navy in the 1990s. In Short Circuits: Merchants of angst are predicting that GPS systems will fail on 6 April. They will do no such thing, but older GPS devices might be a bit confused on that day. What happens if a Windows update causes problems for your computer? Uninstalling the update is relatively easy, but you'll want to avoid having it be reinstalled. That's relatively easy, too. In Spare Parts (only on the website): IBM owns The Weather Company and says that system updates will lead to more accurate and faster reporting of conditions as well as more reliable forecasts. • Facial recognition is a big deal, but one British company is using machine learning to obscure faces in videos.
If your computer is a few years old and you'd like it to be faster, the right change may no longer be to add RAM. Instead, maybe it's time to consider a solid-state disk drive. In Short Circuits: Now would be a really good time to confirm that your browser is fully up to date. That's true for any browser, but this week it's particularly true for Chrome. Microsoft is beginning to bad-mouth its own Office suite in an attempt to convert users to Office 365. The scourge of Robocalls continues to worsen, primarily because of inaction by the Federal Communications Commission, so we have to be vigilant about calls we receive. In most cases, it's not difficult to identify scam calls. In Spare Parts (only on the website): When you need to share a file, Firefox Share from Mozilla is ready to help even if you don't use Firefox. • Avast says your computer is in danger and, although they overstate the threat, a threat does exist. • Adobe's update to its experience design application (XD) this month includes a lot of worthwhile features.
Brave is a browser that promises faster and more secure operation. It seems to follow through on both promises, but there are some features that infuriate newspaper and magazine publishers. In Short Circuits: Flat maps have been lying to us and technology can be used to eliminate the lies by more accurately representing the land masses of the globe on flat monitor surfaces. Microsoft wants to get rid of passwords and has taken some steps toward doing that, but it won't happen soon. The National League of Cities says that more than 40 cities in the United States have pilot projects or are considering pilot projects for self-driving vehicles so that they can evaluate positive and negative outcomes. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Kroger says that a second of its divisions will stop accepting Visa credit cards. • The federal government has lots of websites with millions of users even though they receive barely passing grades for usability.
In podcast 631, we took a look at some blunt changes to the "toast" notifications that Windows 10 serves. If you'd like finer-grained control, I'll explain how to get it this week, along with some other tips and tweaks that can change how Windows works. In Short Circuits: It's been 30 years since Tim Berners-Lee proposed what would become the WorldWide Web (now just "web") and the European Organization for Nuclear Research has made it possible to see what the work-in-process looked like. Fenando Stalin says I should open a file that explains how $1850 for "my uncle" will be delivered. Do you think I opened that message? A day later, several scam messages appeared and they all seemed to use the same goofy template. This makes spotting phonies easier. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Those who once owned high-end audio gear may have had VU meters on their amps. Now you can add some old-school VU meters to your computer. • IBM and SEAT have announced an application that will help city dwellers know about their daily transportation options: From cars and scooters to bikes and public transit.
French software publisher DxO has updated PhotoLab 2, which was released late last year. Although its photo organizing tools are relatively weak, some special capabilities make it well worth considering -- either as a Lightroom plug-in or as a standalone application. In Short Circuits: At least eight apps slipped through Microsoft's security procedures to be featured in the Microsoft Store and these apps secretly use your computer to generate Monero cryptocurrency. If you're tired of being interrupted by all those pop-in messages that Microsoft calls "toast", there's a way to remove most of them so you can work without being bothered. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Wi-Fi router manufacturers are making more devices that operate on 3 bands so that mesh coverage will work throughout even extremely large houses. • Advances are being made in wide-area Wi-Fi systems that can bring fast service to less-populated areas where cable-based systems aren't economically feasible.
If you're tired of using sticky notes, losing track of the notes, and the forgetting to do something important, an application called Remember the Milk will remind you on desktop, notebook, or tablet computers as well as on Apple and Android mobile devices. In Short Circuits: It's easy to become complacent about security for mobile devices and that increases the danger. TechRepublic has some guidelines in a document you can download for free. Adobe's February monthly updates to Lightroom, Photoshop, and Camera Raw bring the cloud-based Lightroom more in line with Lightroom Classic and a new feature adds artificial intelligence to the demosaicing process to improve fine detail in photos. During the week of Valentine's Day, Fontself and Adobe released 5 free new typefaces based on scalable vector graphics. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Tesla acquires a battery maker that appears to have some technology that will improve batteries while reducing the cost. • Maybe you don't consider glass to be a high-tech commodity, but what about bendable glass?
Although photographs you take today are digital -- from a point-and-shoot camera, a digital SLR, or a smart phone -- you may still have boxes full of old negatives. There are ways to incorporate these old images into your stored digital images. In Short Circuits: Scammers are becoming smarter, but spotting phony messages is still easy most of the time. Let's consider one scam that looks legitimate at first glance, but takes only a few seconds to unmask. After being on the market for more than 3 years, Windows 10 has finally pulled ahead of Windows 7. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Pandora is now owned by SiriusXM and the company is looking at ways to exploit the combined platform for consumers, content creators, and advertisers. That last one is probably the most important. • Pantone's Color Matching System is the key to accurate color for publications, paints, plastics, and now weddings, too.
Sometimes getting rid of an application you no longer want calls for more than just the Windows Add and Remove Programs function. Fortunately there are several good uninstallers to choose from. In Short Circuits: If you're looking for a program to help with a specific task, Capterra might be worth looking at. The service provides free software reviews. Apple will probably fix the problem soon, but the FaceTime application currently allows callers to listen before you answer a call and, in some cases, turn on the camera. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Pianos used to be gigantic instruments and many still are, but electronic pianos that are no larger than the keyboard of full size pianos are often able to match the sound of traditional pianos. • Would you prefer to see your sports team go down in flames or have to call a plumber? The results of a survey may surprise you and, yes, there is a tenuous connection to technology here.
Thinking about a new computer? Selecting Windows, MacOS, or Linux is the first decision, but there are lots of others: Desktop, notebook, tablet, or convertible? How much CPU power? How much memory? We'll step through some of the choices. In Short Circuits: Once you've purchased a new computer, what will you do with the old one? Adding it to a landfill is the worst possible choice, but there are several good options. If you listen to music on a phone or tablet, there are ways to improve the sound. In Spare Parts (only on the website): On-line trust is fragile and organizations suffer when people have doubts about the security of their personal information. • Adobe Audition and its initial incarnation, Syntrillium Cool Edit, have been around for 25 years and the application continues to improve.
Getting more than you paid for is a welcome change from the usual and there are hundreds of free and low-cost applications that sometimes compete well with commercial programs. In Short Circuits: If you decide that you'd like to try some free applications, the next challenge is how to get theme. Two excellent resources exist. Every Windows computer has a Task Bar and there are ways to make it more useful. Let's consider a few of them. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Is the 10-year photo challenge on Facebook dangerous or just good fun? • Kroger is working with Microsoft to redefine the way we buy groceries.
A plain-text editor is an essential tool for programmers because it will have lots of built-in functions that make writing clean code easier, but even non-programmers can make good use of these programs when writing because they lack a word processor's capabilities. In Short Circuits: How do you find a misplaced smart phone? Most people just pick up another phone and call it, but what if you don't have another phone handy? There's a way to call your hiding phone without using a phone. Taking recommendations from those who provide computer support, even for large companies such as Microsoft, is something that needs to be done with care. Let's consider a case in which the recommendations made no sense. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The Consumer Electronics Show was held in Las Vegas this week, so we'll take a look at three trends. First, larger and more powerful Chromebooks. • Next, docking stations that compete with the computer manufacturers' docking stations. • And finally, Wi-Fi routers that are becoming more sophisticated as manufacturers build in improved security.
If you have tens of thousands of digital images on your computer, finding the one you want is probably a time-consuming procedure, but a plug-in for Adobe Lightroom uses artificial intelligence that lets users find images by describing them. And it works! In Short Circuits: Some users who installed the Windows 10 October release in October had problems so serious that Microsoft withdrew the update. Near the end of December, they released it again. Now it works right. There are no significant changes to the podcast for 2019, but the TechByter website has been rebuilt from scratch. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Because there's no way to make electricity move faster, speed gains are achieved by reducing the distance electricity must travel inside computers. This is measured in microns. • Monitor manufacturers will show off tremendously wide screens at the Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas. • The Linux Foundation continues to expand as one of the primary supporters of open-source software.
We'll be back next week and the TechByter website will have a new look. In the meantime, here's a link to last week's podcast.
Security threats continue to mature and become harder to spot. We'll listen as Cybereason's chief security officer, Sam Curry, suggests what we'll see on the security horizon in 2019. In Short Circuits: The Windows 10 October update has been released, again, this time without a propensity to occasionally delete files and folders. If you don't yet have version 1809, you can force the issue or just wait for Microsoft to deliver it. If you feel a certain sense of deja vu when considering the ways communication techniques are changing, perhaps you recall what was called "ransom-note publishing" that cropped up when inexperienced users gained access to design tools in the 1980s. In Spare Parts (only on the website): This year's Darwin Awards (as they relate to passwords) have been released and the White House is no longer the top winner, but a visitor to the Oval Office did take the #1 slot. • Renting a car in China is difficult: Foreigners also need to hire a driver and National Car Rental sees an opportunity there.
Adobe's InDesign 2019 adds several new features that are close enough to magic for designers to wonder where Merlin is hiding. The two most remarkable enhancements use artificial intelligence to size and position images and to modify page contents if the page size needs to be changed. In Short Circuits: Renaming your computer is as easy as renaming your cat and sometimes it's a good idea because the computer's default name will be useless. You're on your own with the cat. Crooks who use phishing emails are getting smarter and that means that we users need to get smarter, too. Updates to Adobe's photography applications in December are subtle, but some of them will make profound workflow changes -- at your discretion. In Spare Parts (only on the website): This is the time of the year for phony shipping messages. • If you're looking for cheap air fares, one on-line service says the key to success is flexibility. • A new service aims to make log-ins from mobile devices easier and thereby to improve financial performance for companies.
The latest version of Acronis TrueImage includes image backups, disk cloning, file and directory backup, and active defenses against ransomware. It's available as a subscription with or without on-line backup or as an application with a perpetual license. In Short Circuits: Microsoft may or may not rename its hapless Edge browser, but one big thing will change: Soon it will be based on Google's Chromium rendering engine. OneNote has been one of my favorite Microsoft applications for many years, but development has been halted as of the 2016 desktop version and the replacement is a much inferior Windows 10 app. Fortunately, users can still obtain the older, better version. One might wonder why Marriott waited 71 days to announce that customer information was exposed to crooks for half a billion people who stayed at the company's Starwood hotels. In Spare Parts (only on the website): With no action likely from the government to provide high-speed internet access in rural areas, Microsoft is expanding its program to do what the government should be doing. • Thousands of video programs from the British Broadcasting Corporation's educational titles will be made available to participating libraries by ProQuest. • A free application is intended to help children who have math-averse parents and research by the University of Chicago suggests that it's working.
Although it's far from being my favorite Creative Cloud application, Adobe Illustrator 2019 adds some features that will please users and may even convince me to give it some love. In Short Circuits: Checking the safety and validity of a link before following it is always a good idea and a service from Google makes the process fast, painless, and easy. Adding network attached storage to a home network is the easiest way to share files and the price is right now that several consumer-grade routers make it possible to attach a USB drive and convert it to a network drive. More than half a million Android users have downloaded malicious apps that they could have avoided by following 4 easy steps. And yes, I will explain what those steps are. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Dictionary.com has named "misinformation" as the word of the year, but I wonder if "disinformation" might not have been a better choice. • Electric cars aren't meeting sales projections and research suggests that there are a couple of valid reasons for that. • If you're thinking of buying a new car, Edmunds now offers a "Best Cars" section on their website to help with the decision.
Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, there is no podcast this week. The link goes to last week's program.
DxO's second iteration of PhotoLab adds some superb features, particularly the ones that cut through atmospheric haze and remove digital noise. If you're not yet familiar with DxO, PhotoLab shows why you should be. In Short Circuits: The MacOS Mojave update brings several welcome options, including the ability to create a darker version of the interface, create better screen shots, and enjoy improved security. Most libraries in the US and throughout the world use OverDrive to deliver ebooks and now there's a new reader application called Libby. If your Windows 10 Pro computer told you to downgrade to the Home version of the operating system, it was a mistake. In Spare Parts (only on the website): As the holiday season approaches, on-line scams proliferate. • Crooks have figured out how to use a US Postal Service mail preview feature for identity theft. • Admittedly flu shots are not high tech, but why are so many people not having their children vaccinated? A survey offers some clues.
On1's Photo Raw continues the company's effort to work with Photoshop and Lightroom while competing with those same applications. A new version ships this month. In Short Circuits: The terms "internet" and "privacy" can exist in the same sentence if you're cautious about selecting applications and services to use. Microsoft has reduced the size of Windows 10 updates, but only for enterprise users who have deployed 64-bit computers. Why not for home users? Websites can see dozens of attacks every day by crooks who are attempting to plant malware. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A new version of True Image, the backup application by Acronis, will add the ability to back up cloud-based data files. • USB devices are being pegged as the most significant threat to industrial process control networks, the ones that run the electric grid, refineries, and other essential systems. • Some advertisements on the internet are just 6 seconds long and advertisers are learning how hard it is to communicate a meaningful message in such a brief period.
SnagIt, the screen capture application that's been popular with documentation specialists and others since the early 1990s continues to receive updates and the 2019 edition adds unusual functions that won't appeal to everyone, but will delight some users. In Short Circuits: Adobe's website application, Dreamweaver CC 2019, receives several new tools that will please advanced developers. Microsoft repeatedly breaks the feature that's supposed to keep external disk drives from disconnecting, but there's a free solution -- not from Microsoft. The Surface Pro 6 tablet from Microsoft is an ideal computer for those on the go, but desk-bound users have better options. Cyber Security Awareness Month may be over, but it's important to keep security top of mind all year. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Apple's big annual event was in Brooklyn this year and the latest Ipad might outshine new Macbooks and Mac Minis. • Girl Scouts of the USA are using on-line video and social media as a recruitment tool. • Several consumer groups are asking the Federal Trade Commission to examine sneaky practices used by some developers of apps for children.
The 2019 version of Photoshop extends content-aware-fill's capabilities and makes several user interface modifications that may seem small but were met with enthusiastic applause at the Max conference in Los Angeles. In Short Circuits: Is your computer's hard disk full? If so, you might find hundreds of gigabytes of useless files, so we'll examine how to find them and then get rid of them. One of the least welcome sounds around a computer is that of squeaking bearings from a device that holds a bunch of disk drives. Last week, I said that I'd solved a problem with the computer's displays. Seems I was a bit premature and overly optimistic. Maybe you'll enjoy my frustration. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Outvote has released a nonpartaisan version of its app that's aimed at getting voters registered and out to vote. • We're right at the end of Cyber Security Awareness Month, but keeping security in mind should be a task for everyone all year. • Lots of changes are coming for connectivity and research suggests that within just a few years, we'll have more than 40 billion connected devices on the internet.
Alien Skin's X4 version of Exposure makes it more capable as a standalone application, but Lightroom users will probably still want to use it as a Lightroom filter, where it adds several new features not otherwise available. In Short Circuits: Adobe's Max conference in Los Angeles introduced so many new and improved features that Adobe's presenters were unable to describe them all in a 2-hour presentation. Cybereason developed an exercise in conjunction with several Boston area police departments in which theoretical hackers attempted to create election problems without stealing voter lists, breaking into board of elections computers, or hijacking voting machines. The results were sobering. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Anyone with a hardware or software support problem that seems insoluble should check with Older Geeks because there's a good chance the problem can be solved. • FlightAware is now able to track airliners and business flights when they're on the ground and when they're in locations not visible to terrestrial tracking systems.
Updates to Adobe's Elements applications do what we've come to expect from updates: Add powerful new features in the form of guided edits. Those who want to create projects they can share without having to learn more complex applications such as Lightroom and Photoshop should take a look at the new Elements. In Short Circuits: Facebook went wild this week with persistent hoax messages about accounts being hacked, complete with a warning to share the information with all your friends. Facebook accounts can be cloned, of course, and there's no way to keep that from happening; there is a lot you can do to make your account a lot less attractive to crooks, though. Google will be shutting down its ill-conceived Google+ service over the next 10 months after admitting a data breach that the company had hidden for more than half a year. In Spare Parts (only on the website): If you purchased audio equalization software I recommended in September, I'll explain why I now consider it unacceptable and how you can get a refund. • Phishing emails continue to be a serious problem for organizations and now there are companies that will send fake phishing campaigns to employees so that they can learn how to identify these messages. • Fans of Doctor Who are being tricked into signing up for what looks like a free service but with an annual cost of nearly $1100. • During the next 2 weeks, NASA TV will offer video from a couple of spacewalks outside the International Space Station.
Computers often seem to become slower as they age. The hardware doesn't really slow down and some of the problems can be resolved by eliminating unnecessary applications that are running, but new hardware can also help. In Short Circuits: No matter how many monitors you've attached to the computer, placement is important because a bad arrangement can leave you stiff and sore. Mozilla is now offering a free monitoring service that can alert you if a website you use has been compromised. A new law in California attempts to save net neutrality for residents of the state, but the US Department of Justice has filed suit to stop it. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Google plans to make changes over the next year to reduce the amount of malware distributed through the Play store. • Nearly all of our medical information is computerized now. That's convenient, but it's also another rich resource for crooks. • JLab Audio has announced new Bluetooth earbuds with a claim that they'll run for more than 12 hours on a single charge, but there's a catch.
Open source software is secure and it isn't secure. There's no one-size-fits-all statement about security. Both open source and proprietary applications are like Schrödinger's cat, simultaneously secure and not. Let's visit a recent conference by the Linux Foundation and learn more about security. In Short Circuits: The Federal Communications Commission wants to fine an Arizona company more than $37 million for making fraudulent robocalls. The password has a lot of enemies and this week Microsoft, Google, and Yubi all announced ways to kill reliance on passwords. The next time you experience network problems, consider using Microsoft's PowerShell to investigate. In Spare Parts (only on the website): This week (39 years ago) CompuServe introduced email to the general public and they even trademarked the name "Email". • Hardware insurance company SquareTrade says the latest phones from Apple do survive being dropped into a vat of beer, but not being dropped onto the floor.
Let's take a look at Smart Photo Editor Studio from Anthropics. It's an application that features an unsual interface and thousands of presets that can be used to turn everyday images into something special. In Short Circuits: Apple introduced IOS version 12 for its mobile devices this week. Besides fixing some of the worst bugs in IOS 11, it adds some useful functions. Although I don't often use Microsoft's cloud-based OneDrive, I was surprised to discover that it was missing. Apparently this is a relatively common problem with an easy fix that I'll share. Research confirms that all of the nation's top 45 airports can be hazardous to your data and that many have unacceptable risks. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Two-factor authentication is more secure than just a user name and password, but the weak link is still the human. • If you're going to spend $1000 or more on a new Iphone, there are ways to save and WalletHub has the details.
Listening to music on a computer can be challenging because most computer audio systems have severely limited fidelity. An audio equalizer application can help. In Short Circuits: Maybe you've wondered from time to time if your antivirus application might have missed something. Getting a second opinion is good idea and it's easy. I've explained before how to use a Registry edit to turn off keys that you don't want -- Caps Lock, for example -- but there's another option if Registry edits make you nervous. Nearly 20 years ago, Microsoft made a stupid mistake by hiding file extensions in the Windows file explorer. This has never been corrected, but the workaround is easy. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Adobe will soon release a Photoshop update that includes some remarkable improvements for content-aware fill. • August set a new all-time record high for robo calls and nearly half of them are scams. • Maybe you'd like a Star Wars stormtrooper that obeys your every command. One can be yours for $230.
Those who have Microsoft's Office suite almost always use Word and Excel. PowerPoint and Outlook are lower on the usage scale. Access lower still. And then there's OneNote, an application that gets far less attention than it should, so I'll explain why it's been indispensable to me for more than a decade. In Short Circuits: User Access Control alerts can be bothersome. They can be disabled, but doing so can make your computer less safe. This week a caller told me that my computer was being attacked and that failing to act could make it obsolete. I yawned and hung up. Microsoft has made some changes to Office 365 licensing. The already liberal polices have been even further relaxed. In Spare Parts (only on the website): If you want to announce a security breach in a way that few will notice, the best time is Saturday evening in the middle of a 4-day weekend. • Companies that use email marketing perform a lot of research to find out what works best. Hidden persuaders can be powerful.
Lynda.com used to have two membership plans at $25 and $35 per month, but now it's available only to LinkedIn Pro subscribers for $30 per month unless you know the trick for obtaining free access. And you have access to a lot more from an organization with a presence near your home. In Short Circuits: Windows 95 was revolutionary. Every version of Windows since then has evolved from it. Those who would like to remember the old days (or who are too young to remember those days and wonder what the fuss was all about) can download a Windows 10 app that runs a Windows 95 virtual machine. It's never too early to start teaching your children about internet security and safety. While you're doing that, you might improve your own practices, too. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A new version of the Chrome browser will be released next week and it all but kills Flash. • There was a big US Army cyber-warfare exercise in Indiana this week. • Adobe has made the first grants from its $10 million Experience Design development fund.
If you use a computer or other mobile device with any connection other than your own private network, virtual private network software is essential. A VPN can be helpful on your private network, too, but it can be troublesome. In Short Circuits: Two free applications exist to help users sort out what starts when Windows boots up. Malware sometimes has auto-start components, but the most common use for these applications is to speed the boot process and remove needless apps. Apple's sales are off this year and the company is probably hoping for a boost from new MacBook Air and Mac Mini models that will begin shipping in October. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Disinformation is increasingly a problem for on-line services and Facebook this week took down more than 600 phony sites being operated from Russia and Iran. • It's beginning to look a lot like 2000 and I keep wondering if another dot-com crash like the one in 2002 is in our future. • Pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 that I mentioned last week seem to be skewing toward the higher-priced model.
If one of your Facebook friends says that you just sent a friend request, you'll probably think that your Facebook credentials have been compromised and that somebody has taken over your account. That's probably not the case and fixing the problem is easy. In Short Circuits: The latest phone from Samsung has some amazing features and an equally amazing price. Even if you don't use On1 Photo Raw, the company's helpful videos will show you how to get better images into your camera. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Blockchain is disrupting how business is conducted and it's also having a disrupting effect on accounting and finance functions. • The US legal system already says that corporations are people, so maybe you're wondering what legal challenges devices that use artificial intelligence bring to the law.
Although GoodSync isn't designed to create a disk image or to back up the computer's operating system, it's a most capable and adaptable tool for backing up or synchronizing files and folders. In Short Circuits: Microsoft appears to be preparing to charge enterprise clients a monthly fee for maintaining the Windows 10 operating system, so maybe you're wondering if this will someday apply to home users. There's no shortage of ebook readers, so people who are new to reading books on electronic devices should experiment with several readers. I'll tell you about my favorite and why I prefer it. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Anyone who still wears a watch might be interested in a new one from Casio. • The company that acquired the Rand McNally name makes GPS devices and recently added a line of headphones "for professional drivers".
Organizing a music library seems like it should be easy, but complications keep getting in the way. I've found some uncomplicators. In Short Circuits: Over the years, tiny computers have been novelties, but they haven't really gained widespread acceptance. Now there's a new one with some power. Are you tempted to buy some of those sale-priced $20 "RayBan" sunglasses you see ads for on the internet? If so, just drop a $20 bill in the trash and you'll be ahead of the game. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Canon is about to release a $400 camera with a spectacular zoom range and some significant shortcomings. • In addition to renting you an overpriced cable modem, your ISP may soon ask you to rent an overpriced mesh system. • A survey by a bank seems to suggest that users of bank apps place convenience ahead of security, and that's troubling.
Several ways exist to test your internet connection speed and it's a good idea to check at least occasionally to ensure that your internet service provider isn't shortchanging you. We'll take a look at five options. In Short Circuits: An app that allows employees to communicate anonymously with each other and with people in related businesses will probably be near the top of the HR department's list of apps to detest. If you think you've won the Facebook lottery, you have another think coming. The appeal of on-line grocery shopping has attracted few people so far, but the market segment is growing. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Popular health information site WebMD will soon be available in China. • Virtual reality is being tested as a way to help younger people understand the problems of aging. • Peripheral maker Kensington thinks you should use a base to raise your monitor and, while you're at it, place a fan under the monitor stand.
With a variety of free office suites available, is sticking with Microsoft's $100-per-year offering the right choice? Let's look at the history of suites and then consider what's available now. In Short Circuits: To avoid installing a virus accidentally, it's a good idea to do more than just depend on an antivirus application. Even Linux users need to start taking malware seriously. We'll examine why that is. In Spare Parts (only on the website): It's all too easy to give away our private information and companies that want that information make it even easier. • An email arrives with 3 attached purchase orders. Would you be curious enough to open them? • Not all virtual private networks are secure according to a report from TechPro Research. • Doubtless you already hold robocallers in low esteem and now there's another good reason to dislike them.
Data protection firm Cybereason says Macs are now one of the most serious security threats in businesses and other enterprises. That statement will surprise a lot of people and anger some, but it shouldn't be rejected. In Short Circuits: It's been 20 years since Apple introduced the IMac, a computer that was so different from previous Apple computers that it nearly caused a user revolt, but it also set the stage for Apple's current successes. If you ever need to help friends fix problems with their computers, you'll want to check out Aero Admin. It's a screen sharing support tool with an amazingly capable free version. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The monthly Microsoft patches that were released this week correct 50 flaws, of which 17 are critical. • Malwarebytes has just released a version of their protective application for IOS devices.
If you need to buy a new monitor, you'll have several questions to consider: The physical size and the number of pixesl are two of the key considerations. The number of options has increased a lot, so let's take a look. Also: A company with the ironic name Securus was hacked and thousands of accounts have been exposed. This is the 600th TechByter podcast. In Spare Parts: Virtual private network technology can reveal geographically blocked content. Travel industry sites are under attack and the torrent is increasing.
Anyone who needs to document on-screen applications will appreciate some of the new capabilities in the 2018 version of TechSmith's Camtasia that also brings the MacOS version closer to duplicating the Windows version. In Short Circuits: Browser security is more important every day. A new version of Firefox adds some safety features and Mozilla is developing a process that might be able to warn users when a site that has their credentials has been attacked. It's vacation season, so maybe now is a good time to think about how to improve selfies. Package non-delivery scams seemed to disappear from the face of the internet a year or more ago, but now they're back. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A company that offers one-hour delivery of beer, wine, and spirits has expanded to 100 markets. • Mobile payment systems continue to gain acceptance, but some of the big players are dealing with declines.
Last week we talked about the importance of updating your router's firmware to avoid a nasty flaw, but the files on your computer are vulnerable even with the latest firmware because no security system is perfect. That's why this week's topic is backup. In Short Circuits: TechSmith has a new version of Camtasia. Although I haven't yet had time to review it, the update appears to be a good one. A popular game is being advertised as available for Android devices even though it isn't. There's a profit motive behind the scam. Adobe is working on a new project called Rush that might make video editing more accessible to everyone. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Inventors are examining ways to allow highways to create the electricity needed for nearby devices. • Workers say that they're generally optimistic about artificial intelligence, but feel that the technology needs to be controlled by law. • Three-D printing has been around for a while and now the latest thing is 3D scanning.
A firmware update is available for most routers designed for home and small-office use. Firmware updates are easy to miss, but the current updates are important because they patch a security flaw that can give criminals access to the router and let them see any information sent to or from your network. In Short Circuits: This week Net Neutrality ended. There's still a possible way to reverse the Federal Communications Commission's decision, but it involves voters convincing Congress to act. Don't hold your breath. Adobe has patched another zero-day exploit in Flash. Apple has plans to improve MacOS security. Honda and GM are partnering for battery research and development. In Spare Parts (only on the website): This month's patches from Microsoft correct 11 critical flaws and another 49 that are rated as "important". • Acronis plans to establish a technology park. • Starting this week, you'll see some changes if you use Office.com or Office 365.
Anyone who's planning to create a website, will probably work with a visual editor such as Adobe Dreamweaver. To learn what goes on behind the scenes, though, nothing beats a little preliminary learning with a non-visual editor. In Short Circuits: Certain sounds can cause your computer to crash and might even harm the computer's hard disk, but it's a long shot. Companies that provide home health care can reduce the number of hospital readmissions for many chronic diseases, but only if they act promptly. Technology comes to the rescue. If you're using an older version of Chrome or Firefox, a new technique can be used to steal information as you visit websites. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Poor customer experience seems to be the norm on federal websites and, according to Forrester Research, conditions aren't improving. • Most Americans say the internet has made their lives better, but has worsened society overall and they're worried that tech companies don't consider the impact of their products and services.
If you're thinking about buying a new camera, it's important to consider more than megapixels. Even low-end cameras have plenty of pixels these days, so let's look at one other specification that's important to know. In Short Circuits: Have you rebooted your router yet? A significant security problem could allow hackers, believed to be Russian, to gain access to it. A couple of companies are talking about creating driverless delivery vehicles. States are expected to stampede into a vacuum created by a Supreme Court ruling that allows them to permit on-line sports betting. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Read the FBI's full statement on router security. • Alien Skin, the creator of many plug-ins for Photoshop, has been around for 25 years and is offering some attractive sale prices, but only for a few days. • Automation eliminates some jobs and may create others.
No matter which operating system runs your computer, there are tips and tricks that make tasks easier or faster or less annoying. This week we'll take a look at some that apply to Windows and the MacOS. In Short Circuits: Website owners should beware of messages that appear to be warnings from their hosting company. Scammers are trying to steal login credentials, but it's easy to spot a phony. The most dangerous application on your computer continues to be the one that sends and receives email. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A new botnet can control some 5000 websites, more than half of them on servers operated by GoDaddy according to security firm Proofpoint. • Serious gamers need to shell out a lot of money for their computers, but the specifications for these machines are astounding. • If you're not ready yet for a self-driving car, you're in the majority. • New European Union privacy rules went into effect on 25 May and they affect the operation of websites outside of Europe.
Anyone who complains about the cost of digital photography probably never used film or can't remember film's costs. You have to pay for software today, but the cost is far less than that of film, processing, and printing -- and the capabilities far exceed anything we could do in the darkroom. In Short Circuits: Is this a great time or a lousy time to be a photographer? The easy answer is "Yes." Let's explore that thought. Adobe's Experience Design application now has a free version and Adobe is encouraging developers to create plug-ins that will expand its functionality. Do you have a connected home device? One company says they're more widespread than many believe. On the one-year anniversary of my older daughter's liver transplant, I have a request: Please consider signing up to be an organ donor. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Two more data security incidents serve as reminders of how easy it is for crooks to get their hands on information. • School vacation time is about here and it's time to think about summer reading programs for the kids -- and for adults, too. • NASA TV plans to broadcast much of the resupply mission to the International Space Station starting with Sunday's (20 May) launch.
Microsoft launched Windows 10 version 1803 last week. This week we'll take a look at the new features that seem to be the most useful and significant. In Short Circuits: Magazine fans might save money, clutter, and the environment with Texture, a service for Android and IOS devices, but not for desktop or notebook computers. Malevolent bots are increasing daily and it's not just the ones from Russia. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A company that provides tools used by the people who repossess vehicles with past due payments has proposed a new use for the technology. • The National Aeronautics and Space Agency has awarded grants to 3 groups that will be looking for life beyond our solar system. • Testing has been established to ensure that high-performance video displays live up to their promises.
Those who create or edit audio but don't need a full digital audio workstation might find that the open-source Audacity provides all the tools they require. In Short Circuits: The Windows 10 spring Creators update is nearly a month late, but Microsoft started pushing it out this week. Those who are still using Windows 7 are substantially increasing their risk from malware according to Webroot. Calls that begin with "Hello, I'm from Windows support" should be terminated immediately, but creeps and crooks use other methods, too. In Spare Parts (only on the website): It's all artificial intelligence all the time this week: • First, how AI can improve on-time performance for metropolitan transit system buses. • Then, a new use for AI in identifying and tracking cognitive changes as people age. • And finally, a Canadian firm says it can provide wastebaskets that, when full, leave the room to empty themselves while replacement wastebaskets roll in to take their place.
Making subtle improvements to photographs by slightly changing the geometry of the subject's face is possible with PortraitPro, but that's just the beginning. In Short Circuits: Your favorite browser may already have an ad blocker and adding a utility to block sites that attempt to track you seems like a good addition. Adding sound effects to home videos can make them seem more realistic and the British Broadcasting Corporation has just released tens of thousands of sound effects for free. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Laptop Magazine's annual review of the top 10 laptop manufacturers puts Lenovo in first place, but drops Apple to 7th place. • Maybe we can blame Millennials for poor customer service. A survey says they consider good support to be less important than Gen Xers and Baby Boomers do. • That package that's coming from Amazon might be in your trunk, but only if you have the right kind of car and live in the right city.
You probably use a digital camera, or maybe a phone, for photography these days, but what about the old negatives and color slides you have around the house? If you've considered having them digitized, but didn't like the price or the quality, this could be a great do-it-yourself project at home. In Short Circuits: Last week I was talking about the upcoming Windows 10 spring update. This week, we learn why the update has been delayed. When the Internal Revenue Service's website failed on the final day of the tax season, the response from the IRS website managers made the problem even worse. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Russian hackers want control of your router and manufacturers make it all too easy for them to succeed. • Crooks also want your Iphone and they have a trick that might convince you to give them access to it. • If you need something else to worry about, botnets are still going strong. • IBM says (surprise!) most of us are concerned about data security.
It's not uncommon for people to say that a second monitor will just clutter their workspace, but few would ever want to go back to a single monitor after trying two. Let's consider the advantages. In Short Circuits: A relatively new open-source video editor, Shotcut, looks promising because it packs a lot of versatility into a free application that runs on Windows, MacOS, and Linux. The Windows 10 Spring Update is coming soon. You can get it sooner, delay it, or just get it when you get it. The high screen resolution on many new laptop and notebook computers is great for photographs, but text is microscopic. Scaling comes to the rescue. Sometimes. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A survey says that a little more than half of us are comfortable with the use of artificial intelligence in medical settings. • Crime scene investigators carry increasingly sophisticated gear into the field. • Robocalls, spam, and scams continue to increase and that probably comes as news to approximately nobody.
Videolan's VLC media player is generally considered to be a video player, and the latest version makes it a superb video player by adding support for Blue-ray discs and Google Chromecast -- but it can do a lot more. In Short Circuits: Adobe's latest updates to the various Photoshop products might cause some users to wonder when it's appropriate to use each of the tools. Technology continues to change the way we travel and travel technology company Sabre predicts that radical changes are coming. A California company has purchased an app for Apple devices from the person who developed it. Is this news? You may join me in thinking it is when I share the details. The US Defense Department challenges ethical hackers to break in to the Defense Travel System. It's the latest in a bug-bounty program that started 2 years ago. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Wasabi has a new cloud storage app for Mac and Windows. It's not a data backup system, but would be a good choice for safely storing essential documents. • Intelligent assistants and chatbots are likely to be used in about 40% of large organizations by this time next year and most IT professionals aren't worried about job security.
If there's one upside about the situation involving Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, it's that more people now seem to be taking privacy and security 4eriously. Let's consider some steps you can take right now. In Short Circuits: Adobe is ending support for its Muse website development tool in 2019, but promises to have a replacement by then. Firefox users can install a new plug-in to keep Facebook from learning about what you do on other sites, but be sure to understand all the implications before installing it. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Android phones are more customizable than Apple phones, which means there are more ways for crooks to get your data. Malwarebytes has some suggestions. • PureVPN has made free versions of its plug-ins for Firefox and Chrome; the paid version is better, but the plug-ins are great for those with limited needs. • Microsoft has released patched patches to fix Intel's hardware flaw. Patches pushed out in January and February made the problem worse on 32-bit Windows 7 systems.
There's no small amount of controversy between those who feel that artificial intelligence is an essential part of the future and those who say that artificial intelligence will kill us all. Let's consider those divergent points of view. In Short Circuits: Facebook lost $50 billion worth of value this week, attorneys general around the country are investigating the company's business practices, and legislators in the US and Europe are demanding that Mark Zuckerberg explain the company's business practices. Columbus is still in the running for Amazon's second headquarters operation, but Ohio is in the bottom half of states in a ranking based on innovation. The next Windows update will give users better control over security, but otherwise won't have any exciting new features. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Most people seem not to be worried that companies know a lot about us and want the companies to use that information to personalize their shopping experiences. • A company is offering the ability to book an overnight stay in the Empire State Building, but good luck in figuring out how to apply.
Keeping your computer up to date is important, but it's also time consuming. A free utility makes the process easier and you might want the paid version instead. In Short Circuits: When something goes wrong with your computer, avoid the urge to do something immediately. A small delay doesn't cause most problems to become worse, but a quick action -- if it's the wrong one -- can be a disaster. Broadcom has terminated its attempt to take over Qualcomm. If you're waiting for fifth-generation communications gear, some may begin to appear around the end of the year. Microsoft will start making Intel microcode available for download to fix CPU problems. In Spare Parts (only on the website): More women are graduating with computer science degrees, but they're still not getting top programming positions. • An open-source development group wants its application to infect your network and has some convincing arguments for why you might want to encourage it.
The open-source photo editing application Gimp might be a replacement for Photoshop, but I suspect that most Photoshop users who try to migrate will be less than delighted with the results. In Short Circuits: Last month's largest-ever distributed denial of service attack was followed this month by one that was even larger. The underlying problem is massive. IBM and Airbus have cooperated to build a basketball-sized robot that will soon fly to the international space station. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A study suggests that an artificial intelligence system does a better job than lawyers do in reviewing some kinds of contracts • Equifax says that it will be notifying another 2.4 million US consumers that last year's data breach exposed some of their information. • If you have a clever idea, you might want to enter it in the annual Create the Future contest. Top prize is $20,000.
Some websites use visitors' computers to mine cryptocurrencies. That may be OK if the user is told about it and given a choice, but that's often not the case. In Short Circuits: Last call for Net Neutrality. The FCC has published the rule that destroys Net Neutrality and now fewer than 60 Congressional Days remain if the legislature is to reverse this misguided rule. CrashPlan from Code42 has just received a new user interface that improves the utility's operation. Regardless of which browser is your favorite, it can be improved with a variety of themes, add-ons, and extensions. In Spare Parts (only on the website): If you're in the business of renting to millennials or young families, you'd better be sure that you have high-speed internet access and offer the ability to make rental payments on-line. • Among the predictions made at this week's Mobile World Congress in Taiwan is one that suggests we'll soon see humanoid robots in our homes. Some, in fact, already exist.
The open-source LibreOffice suite exceeds Microsoft's office suite in some regards and falls short in others. There are good reasons to choose LibreOffice and good reasons not to, so we'll consider some of each. In Short Circuits: There's no shortage of people who would very much like to obtain your tax refund, whether you're due a refund or not. Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to foil their attempts. More computers are now running Windows 10 than Windows 7 worldwide. In the US, Windows 10 has been ahead of Windows 7 for a year and finally moved past 50% adoption rate in January. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The IRS and the Free File Alliance are once again providing free on-line tax filing resources for those with basic tax situations. • Intel has released a new update for some of its CPUs to fix a security flaw. The new code is for only a subset of chips and you'll need to wait for the computer manufacturer to provide it. • The next generation of consumers seems to prefer on-line talking robots to websites or trips to stores.
Smart phones and tablets have changed the way we read. Most libraries now offer electronic books in addition to physical books and the electronic versions have quite a few advantages, along with some drawbacks. This week we'll take a look at some ebook readers. In Short Circuits: Password managers have been important for several years, but now a new threat makes the need for secure password management critical. I'll explain why. Wi-Fi routers look like they have 12 channels, but really they have just 3. In Spare Parts (only on the website): This month's updates by Adobe further expand the cloud-based Lightroom CC and add features to Lightroom Classic and Adobe XD. • Dealing with false positive security alerts is causing legitimate alerts to be missed. • If you spend too much time trying to find an on-line video sequence that you enjoyed and want to see again or share, a new utility might be able to help.
As an image organizer, ThumbsPlus has a long history and it's an excellent choice for those who need to make identical modifications to multiple images. In Short Circuits: Nearly every motorist uses Global Positioning System devices to get where they're going. Now similar technology is being used within large and complex buildings. In the early days of Windows, themes were an extra-cost add on. They've been a basic part of Windows for a long time. If there's something you don't like about the interface, you can change it. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Blockchain, the technology that makes bitcoin possible, is being expanded to other payment systems and some of the world's largest banks and payment processors are investigating how to incorporate it. • What's the largest security threat to most businesses? The answer may surprise you because -- if you're an employee -- it's you!
Google continues to improve its on-line suite of office applications and perhaps you've wondered if the free apps could replace Microsoft's suite, or Wordperfect's, or one of the open-source suites. Let's take a look. In Short Circuits: Microsoft makes another emergency patch available, but it's not being pushed out to everyone and you may not need it. Sometimes the Windows volume control stops working, but there's a quick and easy way to restore proper operation. Your computer sends data to Microsoft for diagnostic purposes. A new Windows app will provide insight into what is sent and you'll have more control. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Artificial intelligence continues to expand. The current hot spot is customer relations, but internal management functions are next. • GoDaddy is acquiring a company that will provide branding assistance for the company's 17 million users. • The internet now has 4 billion users worldwide and about 80% use some type of social media.
There's a lot of confusion about the two primary formats that digital cameras use to store images -- JPEG and raw data. It's a large and complex topic, so this week we have a large and complex section on the topic as we look behind the digital curtain. In Short Circuits: Users of Adobe Photoshop will find that this month's update includes a blockbuster feature called Select Subject, so we'll see how well it works. For the first time in more than 5 years, PC sales (Windows and Mac computers) are up ever so slightly. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Burger King has weighed in on Net Neutrality with a demonstration that includes fast burgers and slow burgers. • There's a growing need for what's called out-of-band authentication. • Cryptocurrencies are hot and now even Kodak is getting into the game.
Telephone based spam and scams continue to escalate. Those with land lines have limited options for fighting back but mobile phone users and those who use some voice-over-IP systems have an increasing number of weapons. In Short Circuits: Even if your computer has already been updated to deal with the Spectre and Meltdown threats, you might receive a message that tells you to download another patch. Don't do it! Some people needlessly fear cookies that many websites write to their computers. Most are safe, but some caution is reasonable. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The Banking and Securities Department in Pennsylvania has released an electronic booklet that has some useful tips to avoid being scammed on-line and it's available no matter where you live. • New docking stations that have been designed and built by companies that don't make computers have a worthwhile feature that computer manufacturers don't include in their docks: They work with both Windows and MacOS computers.
There's one more chance to halt the Federal Communications Commission's destruction of Net Neutrality, but only if we all understand that this is not a battle between right and left, liberal and conservative -- but between internet service providers and we, the users of the internet. In Short Circuits: Microsoft, Apple, and Linux developers are working to eliminate dangers that affect nearly all computers and mobile devices and to contain the problems that the updates themselves create. This month's Windows update has removed a feature that's been in Word for the past 17 years. It's not widely used, but those who need it will have to buy a $100 add on. If you're planning to buy a new router this year, you might want to wait a few months because a new specification is about to be released. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Toyota showed off its Mobility Ecosystem that's designed to make vehicles for specific uses at this week's Consumer Electronics show. • Electric cars can be dangerous if batteries aren't monitored and controlled precisely. One company says that it has an inexpensive part that can make batteries safer.
Cybereason chief security officer Sam Curry, while acknowledging the many security disasters of 2017 is hopeful that 2018 might be the year when defense gets the upper hand. We'll talk with him about how to make that happen. In Short Circuits: This week we learned that every Intel CPU manufactured in the past 10 years has a serious security flaw and that fixing it will require operating system changes that will make your computer run slower. Light bulbs seem decidedly low-tech, but recent advances are producing bulbs that can save money by using far less electricity than old technology bulbs. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The music streaming service Spotify plans to go public in the first half of 2018 and will use an unusual method for its IPO. • If you have a teenager, how many social media accounts does he or she have? There's a good chance you don't know about all of them. • We'll reveal the second half of Dashlane's top 10 worst password offenders for 2017 and explore the 3 things we can do to avoid being password bunglers.
TechByter Worldwide will return next week. This link will take you to last week's program.
The number of security threats and the methods that crooks use have both increased in the past year and show no sign of slowing. In Short Circuits: Google has released a new app that's designed to control which applications have access to an Android phone's data plan. While not a new concept, the app has some promising features. If you miss the old-style Control Panel in the latest Windows update, there's an easy way to create single-click access. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Lots of companies sell your information. Nothing new there, but what about companies that don't question requests from government agencies? The Electronic Frontier Foundation has a list. • Password Manager Dashlane has a list of the 10 worst password offenders for the year and Donald Trump is at the top of the list. Dashlane will explain why. • Is hibernation enabled on your computer? Should it be? Let's see how to turn it on if you want it or turn it off if you don't.
Rental software -- whether delivered as "software as a service" or on a subscription basis -- offers advantages for those who want their applications to be updated continuously, but not everyone likes the idea. There are alternatives. In Short Circuits: The Federal Communications Commission has voted to end Net Neutrality even though more than 75% of voters oppose the move. One final possibility exists to keep the policies in place. NATO is discussing the threat of cyber attacks and is planning its own cyber-warfare strategy. Adobe released numerous updates this week, including some powerful new or improved features for Lightroom and Camera Raw. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A Bluetooth device claims to work with all digital assistants except Cortana. • Central New Mexico Community College has started issuing digital diplomas. • A company that provides services to jails and prisons says that music and other streaming media might reduce violence among prisoners.
Photo Raw 2018 from OnOne brings several powerful new features to an application that can work with Photoshop or Lightroom as a filter or work independently of them as a file organizer and raw image converter. In Short Circuits: How to avoid nasty surprises from a disk drive by using Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology that's included on most modern disk drives. Improvements in an older battery technology might lead to safer, less expensive, and environmentally better batteries for portable devices. Android is the least secure computing platform, but Google is trying to fix that. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Money can't buy happiness, but the maker of an IOS app says it can bring Joy. • A Bluetooth gadget claims to make Alexa available in your car and to do so without being a distraction for the driver. • An "initial song offering" might mean that music fans can own a small percentage of certain songs, but only if they live outside the United States.
Whether it's Windows, MacOS, or Linux, your operating system probably bugs you about updates more than you'd like -- but ignoring update requests is a bad idea. After getting off to a strong start, Firefox faltered when Google introduced Chrome. The latest version of Firefox is out and it's worth looking at no matter which browser you use now. In Short Circuits: Uber tried to cover up a data breach that affected 57 million users and drivers. Having been caught, they say they're sorry. A request that appears to be from your email administrator isn't. It's just another fraud, but the creeps who create the frauds are getting better. In Spare Parts (only on the website): How about a Wi-Fi hotspot that looks like an umbrella? • Or maybe a device that looks like brass knuckles but lets you type on your tummy? • Waze teams up with Allstate Roadside Services. • A new app allows ophthalmologists to monitor patients at home.
TechByter Worldwide will return next week. This link will take you to last week's program.
Alien Skin has released a major update for its Exposure application, expanding its stand-alone capabilities by providing better photo management tools. We'll take a long look at what's new and why it's important. In Short Circuits: Do you have some old digital photos from the early days -- pictures you can't use because the quality is so low? Well, maybe an on-line service will be able to improve them. If you think that CompuServe forums no longer exist, you're wrong, but a month from now you'll be right. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Another iteration of Locky, the malware that encrypts files and holds them hostage, wants to come aboard your computer. • GoDaddy introduces a new feature for businesses that need to establish appointments with customers. • A survey says that artificial intelligence is the future. • Battling identity theft and wire fraud in the real estate industry.
When it's time to move your applications, settings, and files from an old computer to a new one, you can do it the hard way or spend a few tens of dollars and automate the process. Maybe you seen websites that offer to multiply your Bitcoins by 13 times in less than an hour. If you believe that, please contact me because I have some desert property beneath the Brooklyn Bridge that may also appeal to you. In Short Circuits: Every operating system has quirks and does things in ways that annoy users. Instead of putting up with the annoyances, maybe you'd be happier if you eliminated them. We veer slightly off the technology path with a look at the dangers of a detached retina, why it needs immediate attention, and how it can be fixed. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A hospital in California is using virtual reality as a distraction during medical procedures so that children don't need to be anesthetized. • On-line payments need to be made easier and more secure. Some companies are working on it. • Maybe you'd like a computer that will survive if you literally throw it out a window.
Users of Snagit should be sure to check out the latest version and anyone who needs to capture screen shots for documentation, illustration, or education but isn't using Snagit, should take a look. All the experts say passwords are dead, but it seems that whatever will replace them hasn't been invented yet. In Short Circuits: Google has updated Chrome to fix a security problem. If you use Chrome, it has probably already been updated, but verification is easy. The US Department of Justice has indicted 6 members of an identity theft ring. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Honors for the "fathers of the spreadsheet" notes the 1979 development of Visicalc. • According to recent research, a surprising number of people ignore recall notices.
Version 1709 of Windows may already be on your computer, so let's consider how to find out and look at what's new. I'll also have tips on how to get it if you don't have it and (for some users) how to avoid it for a while if you want to wait. A flurry of phony messages from Burger King, Donald Trump, Sam's Club, Walgreens, Amazon, and more all say they have gift certificates for me. In Short Circuits: A two-fer from Consumers Union this week. First, the organization is asking for information from people who have suffered identity theft. And second, a series of 6 steps you can take to keep your private information private. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A new version of Snagit adds several useful features. • A middle school student in New York City won a 3D printer and 30 Raspberry Pi computers from Micro Center for his school.
Twelve thousand people attended Adobe Max this week, where Adobe introduced the largest number of changes since the advent of Creative Cloud. Camtasia, the screen recorder from TechSmith has been updated with new features that may seem minor, but only until users compare the new compatibilities with what came before. In Short Circuits: When you need to send a file securely, there's a new way to do it from Mozilla. Because modern computers boot so quickly, being able to start in Safe Mode isn't as easy as it used to be. We'll look at several ways to get there. In Spare Parts (only on the website): If you're tense, maybe it's more than just the chaos all around us. Maybe you're breathing wrong and there's an app for that. • Robocalls declined slightly in September, but you probably didn't notice it. We'll take a look at the numbers and find that Columbus, Ohio, is the #2 top source of these calls.
Adobe's recently released Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements bring some powerful new features to the consumer-focused applications. Phishing emails are becoming increasingly dangerous to businesses and steps being taken there often have applications for home users who want to be safer. In Short Circuits: Alien Skin's Exposure X3 adds new ways to adjust photographs. It's a plug-in for Photoshop and Lightroom, but also functions as a free-standing application. Graphic designers who spend a lot of time looking for images will find some welcome new features from Shutterstock. In Spare Parts (only on the website): There's a growing demand for personal photos on objects such as mugs and calendars. • Kodak says it has a way to help us identify and print the photos that mean the most to us. • Bluehost makes it easier for people to set up WordPress enabled websites.
It's been 40 years since Apple introduced the Apple II, a computer that remained in production until 1993. In June, frustration with a OneNote synchronization problem drove me to Evernote. Now Evernote's flaws have driven me back to OneNote. I'll explain. In Short Circuits: Google announced a bunch of new hardware this week and artificial intelligence is everywhere. Equifax has increased the number of accounts affected by its data breach, adding 2 and a half million and bringing the total to nearly 146 million. The all-time leader in big breaches continues to be Yahoo and the company has increased the number of affected accounts from 1 billion to 3 billion. In Spare Parts (only on the website): This is National Cyber-Security Awareness Month and Malwarebytes has some suggestions. • Perhaps you've wondered what on-line criminals want. These days, it seems primarily to be your user name and password. • D-Link has updated a home security camera with some new features and support for Android devices.
With a bit of effort, you can run the Linux command line from Windows 10 and that function will be enabled automatically following the next Windows update, but maybe you'd like to take a closer look at Linux to see whether it might serve your needs. This week we'll consider how to do that. In Short Circuits: We haven't looked at specific email frauds for a while, so we'll see a phony mystery-shopper offer and one of those "look at this important document" ploys designed to steal Google credentials. And if you think crooks pose the greatest risk to a business network, you're looking in the wrong place. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Despite repeated warnings, people still click bad links and create needless trouble for themselves. • Digital assistants are coming to help with your home automation. • The next big thing in retail sales might be a streaming app that lets you talk with a store clerk from home. • And computer manufacturers are probably dismayed that more companies are making universal docking stations that cost a lot less.
How we obtain news is changing. Use of print newspapers and magazines is declining as is the number of people who watch television news. Old media wants a place at the new table and is working hard to earn one. An update to Adobe Spark this week makes it possible for any Creative Cloud user to create graphics with their own branding instead of Adobe's. In Short Circuits: Users of utility program CrapCleaner were surprised to learn that the application had been manipulated to spread malware, but it's not as bad as it sounds. This is also the week that more than 100 Android smart phone apps were found to contain malware. It never ends. And if you lose your internet connection, a temporary solution might be in your pocket. Many smart phones can double as Wi-Fi hotspots. In Spare Parts (only on the website): How to figure out if that new car you want will fit in your garage. There's an app for that. Business owners may increasingly turn to bots and virtual assistants to provide customer service. What do Angry Birds have in common with football players? And -- in the old days, IBM was always the safe bet for the IT manager. Now it's Microsoft, SAS, Google, and VMware.
Apple has announced 3 new phones, 2 of which will be available almost immediately, while 1 won't ship until later in the year. There's also an updated Apple watch and improvement to Apple TV. How do you hold a smart phone when you're capturing video? There's a good chance that you're holding it the "wrong" way, but what's the "right" way and why? So many utility download sites display misleading download links and load up their downloads with extras you don't want that it was refreshing to find one that doesn't. It was even better when I learned about a hidden special feature. Picking up after the Equifax breach may include freezing your credit report at the four credit reporting agencies, so I'll explain how. In Spare Parts (only on the website): As handy as jargon is within an industry, it can be a serious impediment when you're trying to communicate with outsiders. • Foxit has a new tool for PDFs that makes the documents more usable for those who need to use a screen reader. • We'll find out what a digital pumpkin is and why you might want to work in one.
Darkrooms, drafting tables, and video suites used to be where photographers, designers, and video editors spent their time. Then they were able to move much of the work to desktop computer. Now some of the work can be done outside on a tablet or even a phone. How about a 400GB memory card for your phone or tablet. You could buy one today and it's expensive, but not as expensive as you might think. In Short Circuits: Equifax says data from 143 million consumers has been exposed in a data breach. With the exception of a few specialized applications, I've all but given up on third-party protective software. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Backup software publisher Acronis has added several useful new features to this year's version of True Image. Adobe and Microsoft have agreed to cooperate with each other on enterprise-wide applications. A survey of security professional says that some of the most dangerous applications are ones we use every day.
Photographs lie. The malicious ones are unethical, but sometimes they're just gentle fibs or changes made in the pursuit of artistic vision. Those are fine and we'll look at a tool designed to enhance the truth. Would you buy a thumb drive with 16 built-in slots for microSD cards? Do that and you could carry 2 terabytes of data in your pocket. In Short Circuits: There's a new toll free area code and scammers are all over it, but now they also make calls that look like they come from local numbers. We're surrounded by cameras these days. They watch every move, but are we safer? There's no clear cut answer and a New York attorney has some worthwhile thoughts on the subject. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Malwarebytes comes to the Mac and just in time because more crooks are targeting Macs. • Toyota wants to connect your car to everything and the company has a new division that's working on it. • NASA's live streaming of the recent solar eclipse was a record breaker for internet streaming.
Microsoft Word and Outlook can be combined to create an email merge, but there's not a lot of functionality. A plug-in from Russia helps greatly. One of the largest backup providers for home users and small businesses is dropping its home product, so prices will be going up. Why that's not all bad. In Short Circuits: This week I discovered what is apparently a common Windows problem that I'd never encountered before. The explanation includes information you can use when it happens to you. Researchers at New York University have come up with a clever way to foil shoulder surfers who try to see your password or PIN. In Spare Parts (only on the website): How about a little flight information with your weather forecast? The Weather Company will provide that. Website protection company SiteLock has acquired a Dutch firm that automatically applies patches to common content management systems. GoDaddy has added a new level of security to websites it hosts. Supermicro Computer is about to release gigantic storage devices in tiny packages.
Seven years ago, I seem to have thought that Apple's Ipad was a silly device. Maybe at the time it was, but I've just bought one and if it was once silly, it no longer is. On Monday, 21 August, scientists say most people in North America experience at least a partial solar eclipse. Does anyone doubt this prediction? That raises another question about science that I'd like to explore in what is essentially an editorial. In Short Circuits: Some well known extensions for Chrome were compromised with malware. All known cases have been resolved, but there may be others. Probably there was an interesting look on my face when Outlook wouldn't open normally, in safe mode, or in repair mode, but it's fixed now. More or less. In Spare Parts (only on the website): You could have a company send phishing emails to your employees and there's a good reason why you might want to. If you've ever wanted to learn more about how tornadoes form, The Weather Channel's website has some useful information. Increasingly, people are pulling out smart phones instead of wallets when they want to pay for something.
Lynda.com is an excellent resource for learning about photography, programming, marketing and search engine optimization, and a lot more. But $35 per month might not fit into your budget. How about free? To avoid malware, we have to be smarter than the average scammer. They're getting smarter, so we need to be more adept at spotting signs of fraud. In Short Circuits: You can get into the malware business these days for less than $15. Microsoft's patch Tuesday this month was huge and included a lot of critical updates. In Spare Parts (only on the website): How about a back-to-school computer for less than $200? Windows or Android. Detachable keyboard. Not much power or memory, but it might be just right if you don't need much power or memory. Robocalls in July increased by 3% from June and more than 7% over July of last year. Makes you want to reach out and touch someone. Violently.
If you use your scanner more than a few times a week, the application that the manufacturer provided is probably disappointing you. There's a better way. The University of Waterloo in Canada is working on research that people may eventually find on their phones to improve selfie photos. In Short Circuits: The end is near for Adobe Flash; please hold your applause until 2020. Microsoft has hiked the amount it's willing to pay for information about serious bugs in its software. Expect the latest update for Windows 10 this Fall. We'll take a quick look at some of the features that are coming. In Spare Parts (only on the website): It looks like some of the top security firms in the computer industry have more than a little work to do on their own security. A quick look at my older daughter's progress following the medical event that resulted in cancellation of the mid May TechByter program. And AnchorFree says that it has an application that can be used to protect users if the Federal Communications Commission kills net neutrality.
Smart phones are handy devices. They help us find where we're going, remind us when we have to be there, keep track of our acquaintances, take pictures, send and receive email, and occasionally even allow us to make phone calls. But they can also be security hazards. Computer experts tell users not to apply a BIOS update unless they're sure it will solve a problem they're experiencing. I know this. Nonetheless, I reminded myself the hard way why computer experts say that. In Short Circuits: Remember the old Nigerian scam that depended on poorly written messages from people who wanted to send you millions if only you'd send them a bit of "expense" money? Well, it's back -- but with a twist. There's further proof, if you need it, that Macs aren't quite as secure as Mac owners might like to believe. Mean old Microsoft is going to kill Paint! At least that's what the hysterical rumor mill says. Let's check out the real story. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Could Adobe's next frontier be virtual reality? This appears to be likely. Desktop computers and tablets are declining in sales, but tablet-like 2-in-1 devices could take over as the primary business computer soon.
It's all about photography this week, starting with how you can identify the best camera in the world. Then we'll take a look at some of the questionable tactics used by crooks who pose as legitimate camera sellers. In Short Circuits: The photography theme continues as we consider some additional factors when choosing a camera. And then why a camera with more megapixels might not be as good as one with fewer megapixels. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Yes, the camera theme continues here with a camera comparison chart and then we'll move on after I mention a special deal from Alien Skin and some improvements from Adobe for mobile editing. Research suggests that blockchain technology will save financial institutions lots of money. And if you buy snacks from food kiosks that are found in many corporate locations, crooks may have your credit card information and more.
Do you have an in-car GPS system that you need to buy annual updates for? If so, that system is obsolete. The Federal Communications Commission is working to eliminate "net neutrality". Let's consider opinions from conservatives and liberals who say that this is a technology issue, not a political issue. In Short Circuits: Is it time to upgrade to a solid-state drive? If you're concerned about cost or reliability, your concerns are outdated. Nuclear power plants are the latest targets of malware creators. This is not a comforting thought. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Wi-Fi will be present on more than half of all commercial airliners within 5 years. 4D printing is the future even if you have no idea how something could be printed in 4 dimensions. This may sound like a repeat (and maybe it is) but we are facing the final showdown on net neutrality and it's time to speak up.
Things start to get complicated when students enter middle school and even more so as they progress to high school. A student who starts college this fall may have some help. XP seems to be the operating system that cannot be thrown off the island. It's no longer thriving, but it's still surviving. In Short Circuits: Have you received an urgent message saying that someone is trying to register your domain name in China? There's a good reason to ignore these messages. Research by PwC (formerly Price Waterhouse Coopers) in Moscow rates some of the world's largest cities in terms of their readiness to adapt to new technology. Most of the cities are not in the United States, but the Pacific Rim is well represented. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Technology could save fuel, money, and time for airlines. Destroying some myths about cyber-bulling. And Angry Birds seem to be been multiplying with abandon.
Something new to beware of: Destruction-ware came calling this week, disguised as ransomware. Upcoming targets are likely to be power grids and other essential services. In Short Circuits: Sometimes it seems that we're standing at the base of a mountain, watching an avalanche begin far above us. Now what? The rapid spread of malware can be slowed, but only if we all work together. Think of it as vaccinations for computers. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Two big graphics providers are merging. Shutterstock will acquire Flashstock. And will we ever fully embrace paperless money? Some nations are moving faster than others.
Because of some special needs, I've developed an appreciation for Google Drive and some of the Google Apps -- Sheets in particular. We haven't seen a lot of zero-day exploits recently, but they are still a serious threat and those who develop them can expect big financial rewards. In Short Circuits: What does Amazon want with Whole Foods? What Amazon did to book stores won't work in the fresh food market, but expect disruption. If you haven't contacted the Federal Communications Commission to argue in favor of Net Neutrality, now would be a good time to do so. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Sony says it has sold more than 60 million Play Station units worldwide. And this week I have an update on my older daughter's recent medical emergency, along with a lot of gratitude for the Ohio State University Medical Center.
Sometimes panic serves a good purpose. For me, it's one of the reasons that I keep backups of backups of backups so that when something goes wrong, I can panic just a little. Adobe Stock has been an outstanding resource for professionals, but now the company is making it easier to use and making it available to users of Microsoft Powerpoint. In Short Circuits: Windows XP is no longer a supported operating system, but Microsoft has resumed security updates, at least for now. More malware is being aimed at users of the MacOS, so be careful even if you own a Mac. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Security and ease of use. JD Power says their survey shows we want both even though they're generally considered to be opposites. Microsoft is proudly promoting its new X-Box One X, even though it won't be available to buy until November.
Have you ever thought about abandoning Windows or MacOS? For most people, Linux would be a viable option, but there's a lot of inertia. Even the most casual photographers generally recognize the need to edit images and, while Adobe is a good choice for most people, it's not the only choice. In Short Circuits: If your new Wi-Fi router isn't giving you the performance boost you expected, I have some suggestions to improve it. Apple has disappointed graphics professionals with some of their recent computers. The new IMac Pro is a powerhouse, but at a price. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Waze, a highway information sharing application is partnering with an emergency call clearinghouse to provide more timely information to motorists and emergency personnel. Talent Unleashed is looking for outstanding technology start-ups. Microsoft has announced the winners and finalists for its enormous annual partner of the year program.
Problems with Microsoft's OneNote synchronization finally drove me to Evernote. It's still not my preferred choice, but at least it synchronizes. When we visit websites, we encounter bits of code that often assist us, but may also track us. Some sites have only 2 or 3 of these, but others have dozens. In Short Circuits: Some older protocols are still active even in the latest editions of Windows 10. Let's consider how to turn them off. The former head of the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency has harsh words for Edward Snowden and the Russians. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Some hardware and software manufacturers install annoying pop-up reminders, but these can be turned off. An examination of how Twitter is used to distribute disinformation. Kmart suffers another credit card breach, but mainly involving old-style credit cards. The story of a defense contractor that accidentally posted Top Secret information on a publicly accessible site.
A ransomware attack that crippled some 200,000 computers in 150 countries was a commercial failure for the crooks, but let's not get complacent. Libraries are more essential today than ever and many are stepping up to provide services that are needed in a digital age. In Short Circuits: Last week's program was canceled because of an unexpected medical emergency. (Are medical emergencies ever expected?) I'll explain what happened and you can listen or skip as you prefer. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The Weather Channel adds lots of non-weather components to its app and mindfulness is helpful for adults; maybe it can help children, too.
If you're thinking about buying a new computer, perhaps you're also pondering the choice of operating systems. Windows, MacOS, and various flavors of Linux are the primary choices, but there are others. In Short Circuits: The Windows feature that minimizes all other windows when you move one back and forth rapidly may not be to your liking. There's a way to eliminate it. Fingerprint authentication, available on many smart phones and on some notebooks and tablets, may not be as secure as we'd like to believe. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Data as a service claims to improve business resiliency. A Dutch philosopher would like us to understand that we have entered what he calls a new evolutionary phase. And your smart phone can help when the weather turns nasty.
Under the guise of providing a look behind the scenes at TechByter, I found a way to play with some of the Adobe Audition features that don't get used on the podcast. In Short Circuits: We'll take a look at 3 separate frauds: A phony message that claims to be from Facebook, but wants me to visit a website in Russia; a ploy that's made to appear to be from Bluehost and wants only to steal my user name and password; and phony invitations to Google Docs. Microsoft seems to be competing with both high end and low end hardware manufacturers these days. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Microsoft says that the Windows 10 browser, Edge, is the best browser ever, but some security experts disagree. IBM says that it accidentally sent USB drives that were infected with malware to StoreWize customers. The adoption rate for Windows 10 is increasing in enterprises, but many IT departments are still dragging their heels.
The new version of Xara Pro X 365 brings powerful new features, on-line editing capabilities, and a forward-thinking approach to software provided on a rental basis. If you have a credit card -- and who doesn't these days -- does it offer reward points? Surprisingly, nearly a third of those who earn credits never use them. In Short Circuits: Maybe you already knew that Windows 10 can mount a disk image file without needing a utility of any sort. Now I do, too. Something else I didn't know until now: A utility exists to display thumbnail images of Photoshop, Illustrator, and Encapsulated Postscript files in the Windows Explorer. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Might Wells Fargo have spared its reputation and millions in fines if the company had paid more attention to what people were saying about it on-line? The Asus Tinker Board looks like it will be popular with hobbyists. Retailers are turning to bots and artificial intelligence to give customers a more personalized experience.
The latest version of Alien Skin's Exposure X2 adds powerful new layering capabilities, export functions, and support for for more camera raw versions. If you think rebooting a Windows computer is too complicated, what would you think of a single-click solution? In Short Circuits: The Hacker Group called Shadow Brokers recently released information about what it calls new Windows exploits, but Microsoft says patches were already in place for all of them. I have written the third (and, I hope, final) episode of the tale of the mouse. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A survey shows what information we're willing to share with companies to gain access to bargains or better customer support, and now it's possible to order a Sandwich from Subway using Facebook.
Security and privacy are important parts of the Windows Creators Edition update that started being delivered to computers this week. We'll discuss that with Microsoft's Nic Fillingham. Adobe's Sensei technology is already being used in some applications, more are on the way, and one that's intended for smart phones may amaze you. In Short Circuits: The end of the Windows Vista era is here. As of last Tuesday, the operating system is no longer supported. Microsoft's Patch Tuesday occurred last week, of course, but Adobe was the real standout with patches that fixed 59 vulnerabilities in 5 products. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Battling ransomware on Macs. Laptop Magazine has released ratings for the best laptops and, after 7 years in first place, Apple is now fifth. And where to go if your computer develops a problem in Ayr, Scotland.
Although you might have to buy a new phone if you switch to Google's Project Fi, the benefits could justify the cost. The Windows 10 Creators Update will be pushed out to computers starting on Tuesday. Maybe you'd like to delay the update or get it sooner. You may be able to do either and I'll explain how. In Short Circuits: Hackers say they have credentials for 300 Million ICloud accounts and, while that seems unlikely, it paves the way for other crooks. Intel has completed the spin-off of McAfee after buying the company for more than 7 and a half billion dollars 6 years ago. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Lithium-ion batteries pack more power than their predecessors, but they can burst into flame. Researchers are looking for a better option. Ratings firm Nielsen says it will be using artificial intelligence to give on-line advertisers clearer pictures of internet users. Would you buy your next car from a chatbot? One might be involved in the deal and you might not even notice.
Anybody who wants to edit home videos should take a look at the latest version of CyberLink's Power Director. Internet privacy, already questionable, is on the way to extinction. In Short Circuits: The Windows 10 Creators Update will start being pushed out to computers on April 11th. Alien Skin has released what looks like some powerful enhancements for Exposure X2. Last week I said that I had possibly found a solution to a problem with the mouse. It's still a "maybe". In Spare Parts (only on the website): Don't even think about the crash jokes that could come from Microsoft's licensing of technology to Toyota, chat-bots appear to be the future of customer service, and GoDaddy has acquired a provider of website security services.
An inexpensive vector graphic program might be just what you need, even if you use Adobe applications for other tasks. A disk drive suddenly goes off line and all efforts to revive it fail. Panic time? Not exactly. In Short Circuits: A plug-in for Chrome makes the N ew tab more useful, maybe to the point that some people will use it! A misbehaving mouse problem was resolved (I think) with an easy Registry patch. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Free tax preparation that really is free if you meet certain conditions, predictions that we'll see a lot more artificial intelligence used by stores, and retailers will also increasingly make use of the Internet of Things.
Do you use a smart phone to control things in your house? Thermostats, TVs, maybe the light switches? A voice command can turn devices on or off, but they can also create some nasty problems. Video editing once required a large room full of high-priced equipment. Then, in 1991, version 1.0 of Adobe Premiere was released to compete several existing programs. Desktop video editors changed everything. In Short Circuits: This week the Guardian newspaper published an article by the guy who invented the World Wide Web. Tim Berners-Lee says the web has fulfilled some of what he hoped it would do, but improvements are needed. If the headline "Smart Phones Will Read and Write Better Than 32 Million American Adults in Next Decade" doesn't frighten (or at least concern) you, it should. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Members of the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) seem to be making changes faster than we can deal with them, and a new IOS and Android app is being promoted to help with snakebite victims.
It's official: Windows as a service and Microsoft says there will be no annual fees. When you buy a device with Windows 10 on it, upgrades will be provided without cost for as long as you use the computer. Writing in the San Jose Mercury News, Troy Wolverton has outlined some common-sense steps needed to protect net neutrality. We'll take a look at the key points. In Short Circuits: For the second time in a little over 2 years, RadioShack has gone bankrupt and is planning to close more stores. Facebook outlines its plans to reduce the impact of fake news -- not by removing content, but by providing more. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The latest version of the Raspberry Pi is being sold in the US only at Micro Center and the pricing is unusual. The National Institute of Standards and Technology hopes to be able to measure something that has been known, but unmeasurable, for centuries.
Whether your computer is meek and mild mannered or a screaming powerhouse, it's a good idea to buy the best peripherals you can afford. Adobe's experience design application, XD, brings designers a way to create websites and screen-based applications that need to perform well on every device from an index-card-size phone to a giant TV screen. In Short Circuits: More than half of mobile device users had to reset at least one password in the past two months. Trying to put an end to robocalls -- 2.3 billion of them in January alone! In Spare Parts (only on the website): The US Department of Justice and police in several other countries have charged 19 people with fraud that cost victims more than $13 million, someday in the future you might be able to visit a virtual amusement park in the past, and with phones getting larger, LG has just released some of the smallest and lightest notebook computers.
Have you asked Cortana for help? After more than a year of ignoring her, I'm trying to decide if I want to keep her on full time. Sometimes a Google search for help with hardware, software, or a service can lead to more trouble. In Short Circuits: Microsoft's annoying messages that badmouth browsers other than Edge can be stopped, but only with a large hammer. The German city that led the way toward adopting open-source software now plans to return to Microsoft applications. In Spare Parts (only on the website): According to Ars Technica: Malware comes to Macs, thanks to the same Russian hackers who meddled in the US presidential election and if you can spare a little blood, a company says it can make recommendations that might improve your health.
Affinity Photo has been around for while on the MacOS, but it's new to Windows. We'll take a look at the features and one important shortcoming. Frustrations abound when a hard drive appears to be failing, but no symptoms can be found. In Short Circuits: Google is planning to do something that should have been done long ago to shut down malicious websites. An issue that shouldn't be even slightly political is being made to seem political as the big internet service providers eye big profits. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Finding legitimate news can be a challenge, but there are many reliable sources on the internet and Forbes Magazine has some suggestions. A start-up company wants restaurants to get rid of their laminated floor plans and grease pencils because there's a better way to seat people.
TechSmith just released a minor-version update of its flagship application, SnagIt, but the improvements are surprisingly robust for what's considered a minor release. I store random thoughts and small stories that show up and have some promise, but aren't big enough for their own segment. When the batch is large enough, I compile them and give them a fancy title. That's what you're in for this week. In Short Circuits: Popcorn Time Ransomware starts by apologizing to you, but you'll still spend nearly $1000 to get your data back. There's a better way. A new company promises to help us identify and eliminate fake news. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Most companies seem to concentrate more on the loss of customers than on the loss of data if their systems are breached; if you're a Facebook advertiser, you might want to take a look at an app from ConsumerAcquisition.com; and maybe you remember when computers were fragile, but some of today's computers can survive a misadventure at a construction site.
Criminals are buidling more convincing tricks that attempt to get users to revel their login names and passwords and it's easy to be fooled. Google offers 2-factor authentication and if you use any Google services, it's a good idea to take the time needed to set this up. In Short Circuits: A new record was set for the number of data breaches in 2016, but the real record was set in the number of records that were exposed. Sears has an exciting new application that helps you buy ... tires. Well, maybe "exciting" isn't quite the right word, but it is useful. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Better late than never, Facebook finally tries to take on the scourge of fake news and there are efforts to design ways to give remote employees and third parties an easy-to-use method for secure access to corporate resourses.
There's just one topic in the main section of the podcast this week and it's an important one. The data on your computer is at risk and crooks are working to find a way to get at it. In Short Circuits: Bogus pop-up warnings in browsers are increasingly common. Shutting them down is easy if you know how. When several unexpected directories with strange files appeared on my computer, I was concerned, but there was no real threat. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The Economist magazine and Kaspersky Lab ran a competition that challenged college students to find a way to use blockchain technology to make on-line voting safe and tablet computers continue to evolve even though the market segment is becoming mature.
Keeping track of passwords is impossible without help. That's why everyone needs a password manager and there are several good ones. We'll take a close look at the one I consider to be the very best. Even if you're not of AARP age, the organization and Microsoft have put together some useful tips for avoiding all kinds of scams. In Short Circuits: Yahoo will get a new name when it's acquired by Versizon. If it's acquired by Verizon. There's one quick, simple step anyone can take that can eliminate a call to tech support. I'll explain. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Translating websites into multiple languages is time consuming, expensive, and difficult. A new service aims to change that. It's likely that we'll hear the terms "Microsoft" and "Linux" together more frequently in the future.
If you got a new computer for Christmas or one of the other end-of-year, winter solstice holidays, I have a list of free and low-cost applications that are worth thinking about adding. Microsoft thinks about listening to editors' opinions about Word. Might the company listen to others who want to provide input about operating systems and applications? In Short Circuits: How much computer can you get for $150 to $250? Not a lot, but it might just be enough. Despite what Apple CEO Tim Cook said a couple of years ago, the PC (meaning desktop machines whether they run Windows or MacOS) is not dead. Sales increases are on the way. In Spare Parts (only on the website): As you add more Wi-Fi enabled devices to every corner of your home, you'll need a Wi-Fi signal that reaches every corner, an Irish on-line training center will provide training for Adobe applications and student discounts for Adobe software.
A 10-second look at what's new on the website this year, then trying to figure out whether a Chromebook would be a good choice or not. My attempt to find a way to use Evernote ended abruptly and I'll explain why. In Short Circuits: The Wild West atmosphere of the internet continues and the situation won't get better anytime soon. Might there be some middle way to give police access to data on electronic devices in certain kinds of cases? In Spare Parts (only on the website): An attempt to train emergency responders using virtual reality to make the exercises both more realistic and more safe, and Microsoft Teams has been released in test mode for enterprise customers.
TechByter Worldwide will return on 1 January 2017. Thanks for your support this year and best wishes for 2017.
Landscape Pro isn't something for your garden. Instead, it's a new application that will improve your photos, and not only landscape photos. If you'd like to look like a video or HTML5 genius, Adobe's free on-line Spark application will do the trick and, if you're a Creative Cloud member, you'll get some extra benefits. In Short Circuits: Tis the season ... for fraud with a capital F. You'll find brazen attempt to separate your money from you can creep into even generally safe areas like Amazon. Fraud fighter Malwarebytes has combined all of its products into a single application that does everything its separate applications did before, and it threatens to displace standard anti-virus applications. Yahoo has admitted yet another breach of its security system. This time it's one billion records and it happened three years ago! In Spare Parts (only on the website): Replacing passwords with eyeballs, a small tablet that might be willing to take a bullet for you, and a look at how widespread malware is on popular websites.
A new browser from the developers who created Opera may be worth your review because it offers several imaginative features, but beware the bugs. When you want to print a huge image for display on a wall, upsampling is helpful and an Alien Skin application makes quick work of the task. In Short Circuits: Amazon is testing a new kind of grocery store in Seattle, one with no cash registers and no checkout lines. Eight years after starting development of Windows 8, Settings and the Control Panel still haven't been merged. Why? In Spare Parts (only on the website): Crooks have wreaked havoc in 2016 by stealing data and 2017 doesn't look like it will be better. If you're tired of trading privacy for convenience, you might be interested by an anti-social network launched in England. Microsoft calls for new entrants in its grant program aimed at providing reasonably priced internet access in under-served areas. A Japanese supercomputer can transfer 1 terabyte of data per second. That's fast!
You can help crooks plant malware on your computer, but I can't exactly recommend it. I can, however, share some warning signs to watch for. The 2017 version of Adobe Dreamweaver has some exciting new features, but also some disappointing bugs. In Short Circuits: Research suggests that many people are willing to use on-line chat sessions (and even automated "chatbots") instead of working with humans, but still want to be able to reach a real live person when they need one. And real live people are available at AskIT, a free service by CompTIA, an IT industry trade organization. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Lots of Android users are at risk and the culprit is malware known as "Gooligan", and Microsoft has made another large investment in wind-generated electricity for some of its data centers.
Alien Skin's Eye Candy allows photographers to add unique effects to photos, but it really shines in the hands of designers. After using Firefox as my primary browser for more years that I can remember, I started thinking about swapping it out for something else. In Short Circuits: Running out-of-date apps on a mobile device is just as dangerous as doing that on a desktop or notebook computer -- maybe even more dangerous. Shutterstock's on-line editor provides access to more than 1 million images and templates that can be used to create presentations. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The European Space Agency and Germany's SAP combine to provide access to geospatial information for a fee, Comodo offers a free service designed to help corporate IT departments find malware before it bites them, and those who work in the software industry say that they expect to automate themselves out of a job in the next decade unless they learn new skills.
The 2017 version of Photoshop adds surprising features in surprising locations. Microsoft goes after designers and artists with its new Surface Studio, but makes some of the same mistakes it made with the Surface Pro. In Short Circuits: Microsoft patched 68 vulnerabilities on Patch Tuesday, which also happened to be election day. Kaspersky Lab says that there's a shortage of people who want to search out and destroy malware. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Those who had their personal information stolen from the US Office of Personnel Management are now being targeted for malware, financial institutions are under unrelenting attack says a provider of measures designed to prevent attacks, and a bank in Bangladesh will recover $15 that was stolen electronically, but the full theft was $81 million.
If you're a creative in any sort of media, Adobe wants you. Sometimes Windows users need to boot into Safe Mode, but getting there is more complicated than it used to be. In Short Circuits: Microsoft is unhappy that Google released information about an exploit that can be used against Windows users. Have you considered a career in the exciting field of COBOL programming? In Spare Parts (only on the website): One effect next week's election will have on Twitter, GM teams up with IBM to provide more functions (and distractions) for drivers, and Kaspersky Lab says more cybercrime fighters are needed.
Last week's distributed denial of service attack that rendered large parts of the internet useless was only a preview. There's more to come. You might want to consider using a DNS service that's not provided by your internet service provider. In Short Circuits: Alien Skin's SnapArt4 makes it easy to add striking effects to your photographs. Some websites invite hacker attacks. Police in Europe have a plan to fight ransomware. In Spare Parts (only on the website): CyberGhost is another choice for secure internet communications, somebody might be listening to your phone calls, and technology might threaten annual performance reviews.
TechSmith has released updates to both Windows and MacOS versions of Camtasia, with a host of new features in both and narrowing the gap between the MacOS version and the Windows version. Microsoft plans a significant change to how system services are handled in Windows and the result will be improved reliability when the changes are released in 2017. In Short Circuits: About half of all cloud-based malware is designed to deliver ransomware. Research shows that college students underestimate the financial implications of ransomware. And you'll find several new sections on the constantly updated TechByter RSS News Feed page. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A virtual 800-inch screen that you can wear, Shutterstock fights back against Adobe Stock, and all-flash storage is closer to becoming a reality.
If you look at a display of Wi-Fi signals in your area, you should find that they're all on channels 1, 6, and 11, but you probably won't because somebody misunderstands how the system works. Apple's operating system for notebooks and desktop systems is now called MacOS and a new version has some useful features -- but good luck getting the update file downloaded. In Short Circuits: I was reminded this week why everyone who uses a scanner should have a copy of VueScan. If it seems that USB is taking over all computer connectivity, that's not far from the truth. A quick look at some search strategies intended to keep your computer safe. In Spare Parts, only on the website: Get advance warning about flu outbreaks from your phone and a list of the ten most dangerous celebrities when it comes to internet searches.
Whether you use it as a plug-in for Photoshop or Lightroom, or as a standalone application, Alien Skin's latest version of Exposure is a winner. Some people love Firefox. Some hate it. Many do both. I have some suggestions for making Firefox a bit more lovable. In Short Circuits: Why backup is so important. That dating application on your smart phone might be giving away a lot more information that you know. In Spare Parts, only on the website: Epson's new scanner is intended for those who need to scan lots of old photos applying arcade game technology to learning how to code, an on-line security test for your business, and Oracle asks if your employees have what they need to do their jobs.
You have a smart phone, but it repeatedly accepts calls from scammers and spamers. That's dumb, so let's fix it. Are you thinking about replacing a desktop computer with a notebook? You can do it, but be prepared for some surprises. In Short Circuits: Despite what you may have seen on the internet, Brad Pitt is still alive. Microsoft wants to be part of your future connected car. Tracking your sleep with an Iphone app. In Spare Parts, only on the website: BlackBerry gets out of the phone manufacturing business, a new app that claims to help you get a seat at your favorite restaurant, and another social media app is about to launch.
What happens if you turn on the computer and it won't boot? Now is a good time to prepare for that somewhat unlikely possibility. When you're using a computer that isn't yours, having a thumb drive with a bunch of portable apps can be helpful and obtaining them is easy. In Short Circuits: Some things that look like fraud might not be, but paying close attention to the details is really important and now you can get free access to virtual private network technology when you use the Opera browser. In Spare Parts, only on the website: Steve Wozniak, one of Apple's co-founders, will be the keynote speaker at a conference in San Francisco next month, self-employed professionals who need accounting software might want to look at an updated offering from a Canadian company, and Ashland College enrolls more than 1000 inmates in a distance-learning program.
Windows 10 was, to many people, the best version of Windows ever and the Anniversary update made it even better. Whether you agree or not, there's always room for change. The change might be an improvement (if it does something you want) or not. So this week we'll take a look at some of the changes you can make to Windows 10. In Short Circuits: Training for dangerous jobs is itself dangerous and virtual reality's close cousin, mixed reality, is providing new and safer options. YouMail has released what it calls "the world's simplest free service for hosting and participating in conference calls." In Spare Parts (only on the website): AristotleInsight takes a new approach to asset inventory and data network administration and if a Windows update screen pops up on your computer, make sure it's the real thing before proceeding.
September 11th is an appropriate date for discussing the threat posed by having our own technology turned against us. There's nothing at all amusing in this week's program, but we should start thinking about what the next attack will be like because there will be one. In Short Circuits: Bring your own device (BYOD) to the office and you'll expose your employer to new threats, but that's nothing compared to the dangers posed by computing devices that employees will wear. Some help is available if you want to determine whether a website is safe before you go there. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Healthcare, telecommunications, retail, and transportation industries continue to struggle with security; an Italian company says that the internet will be "safe" within 3 years -- I have my doubts; and government agencies increasingly are using hackathons to engage with developers.
Recently I rediscovered an anti-spam application that I had used until Windows 10 was installed and I forgot to reinstall Mailwasher Pro. It's back on my list of favorites. Maxthon's new MX5 browser has some winning features, particularly for website developers. But there are many features that any user will appreciate. In Short Circuits: Malwarebytes has a new feature in the premium version that will make your computer harder to infect. Someone in Russia seems to have hacked into state boards of election in Arizona and Illinois. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Password protection, secure file sharing, and backup are included in a new application from Keeper Security; some suggestions to keep your organization from becoming the next data breach statistic; free accounting software from Denmark (but you can pay for it if you want to); and increasing threats on the internet of things.
If you've upgraded to the Anniversary Edition of Windows 10, how's it working for you? Results have generally been good, but there are problems. We'll also consider what passes for public relations at Microsoft. In Short Circuits: Trusting Jellyhead Industries and a new plan to eliminate spam. Then in Spare Parts (only on the website): An appealing offer from Opera for Android users, the 2017 edition of Acronis True Image brings some welcome features, the PC was 35 years old this month, and IT professionals have some disturbing questions about the cloud.
If you use an Android tablet or smart phone to send and receive email, there's an app you should take a look at. Business email compromise attacks have become the in thing for scammers. In Short Circuits No operating system is perfectly safe, but a surprising find shows that even operating systems that are considered to be more secure sometimes aren't. USB-C is just around the corner and faster speed isn't the only advantage it will bring. Trying to extort half a billion dollars from the National Security Agency. The Social Security Administration has decided not to require two-factor authentication after all. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Crowd-based research is being used to fight diseases such as dengue fever, zika, and malaria and there's lots of competition for the operating systems that will run our future automobiles.
People who are looking for ways to learn but aren't concerned about earning a degree from learning have lots of free resources to choose from on the internet. Analysis of pay-per-install schemes reveals how these annoying ride-along bits of crapware can be added to your computer when you think you're installing just a single application and how the business monetizes itself. In Short Circuits: This week seemed to be a good time to mention some of the useful Mac-based utilities that I've been adding now that I once again own a Mac. Among them are some old friends from Windows -- the VLC video player and CrashPlan, for example. But there are also some new Mac-only programs such as Atext, NameChanger, and TextWrangler. In Spare Parts (only on the website): New techniques promise to make iris recognition a better way to validate users on all sorts of devices in many kinds of businesses, CliffsNotes is starting a process that will place much of the company's instructional materials on-line, and a company that promotes a way to manage your child's electronic allowance seems not to have noticed that the company that provides the service went out of business last month.
If you connect your mobile device to a public Wi-Fi network and you don't yet have a virtual private network application, you're asking for trouble. I've found what looks like the perfect solution. The good old scams were better. A fake Nigerian prince could be spotted at 50 paces, but now ransomware can take over your computer and the crooks don't always give it back when you pay the ransom. In Short Circuits: The latest version of Maxthon's browser has some clever features, but some people are complaining about privacy. The Windows 10 anniversary edition has been pushed out and most of my computers like it. I'll tell you about the one that doesn't. Kodak wants you to spy on your cat or dog and a Russian service has an app that lets you make 5-second videos. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Verizon continues to spend money on acquisitions and we'll take a look at the future of retail as on-line buying changes the landscape dramatically.
We've looked at various components in Xara's collection for photographers, website developers, publication managers, and graphic designers. This week it's Xara Designer Pro X365's turn. That's the program for all of those people. In Short Circuits Even a much-diminished Yahoo was worth nearly $5 billion to Verizon. Don't panic, but PornHub has been hacked. There's a good reason and I'll explain why. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Advanced persistent threats are the bane of IT managers and Pieter Arntz of Malwarebytes has an outstanding explanation of what these things are. A group called the Cyber Senate will gather in September in London to address major security issues that face the industry today. And we'll look at a report from security expert Brian Krebs, who says that the Democratic National Committee, the Republican National Committee, and the Trump for President organization all fail a key test for email security, but Hillary Clinton's site passed. (Yeah, you read that right.)
Apple makes hardware. Microsoft makes hardware. Each of them gets some things right and some things wrong. Let's take a look. The operating systems that run on the hardware also have pluses and minuses. We'll consider Windows, OSX, and Linux. In Short Circuits: Are you ready for the Windows 10 anniversary edition? Antivirus developers seems to be busy acquiring each other. In Spare Parts (only on the website): How about throwing several thousand bugs into your software? Voice modification software from Vietnam. Facebook messenger sees 1 billion users every month. And Intel's profits continue to fall, but they beat analysts' expectations.
With the help of a few useful plug-ins, Thunderbird is a highly capable email application that runs on Windows, OSX, and Linux. One of the most useful utilities in Windows, the Event Viewer, is used by fraudsters to frighten users. Here's what you need to know to avoid the con. In Short Circuits ... The Washington Post offers a year's worth of free on-line access to anyone who subscribes to almost any other newspaper. This is genius and I'll explain why. The Sun and Moon calculator is helpful if you need to predict where either will be and an update makes it even better. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Mac users have to watch out for two new malicious apps launched in the last week, let's consider the possibility of voting on-line (someday), the FDIC is in trouble for trying to hide numerous long-term break-ins that exposed a lot of personal information, and even though Apple doesn't include a security slot with its notebook computers, you can add one -- for a price.
How secure is your Wi-Fi router? [An editing error resulted in my swapping the correct term (gigahertz) with an incorrect term (gigabit) on the podcast.] You're probably not running a completely open router, but there may be ways to improve it. The podcast is now 10 years old -- 500 episodes -- and TechByter (formerly Technology Corner) has been around for 30 years, so I can't help but look back a bit. In Short Circuits ... Windows 10's anniversary edition will be available on August second and if you want to get it without charge, you need to upgrade to Windows 10 no later than July 29th, but one person who didn't want Windows 10 has won a suit against Microsoft. Now you can stuff 4 terabytes of data onto pocket-size hard drives. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Virtual reality comes to health care as a pain management tool and some tips on how to avoid being the next victim of a data breach.
It's going to be more than 20 minutes this week. Lots to talk about. TechSmith's SnagIt, already the best screen capture program available, becomes even better. Updates to Adobe's Creative Cloud, large and small, make the suite of applications for creatives even more essential. In Short Circuits ... If you're not familiar with the Maxthon browser, which is a product of China, you probably will be soon enough. Why would anyone want a wireless disk drive? Let's check it out. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Most programs today can create PDF documents, but going the other way can be a problem. An on-line service plans to change that. Verizon plans to improve its location-based technology. I'll explain that in English. The Weather Company and IBM will soon make highly-localized forecasts possible. And the Malwarebytes blog reveals a malicious app that can use your smart phone.
Text editors aren't just for programmers and website designers. Writers can benefit from the uncluttered interface. Live streaming feeds, the ones that provide unauthorized access to live events, may also provide a pathway to your computer for malware. In Short Circuits ... Net neutrality scores a win in federal appeals court, but the battle won't be over until it gets to the Supreme Court. Microsoft plans to acquire LinkedIn. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The biggest growth industry for crooks these days is ransomware and spam has progressed from being just annoying to being extremely dangerous.
Don't fall victim to a doxer. Besides explaining what doxers are, I'll have some suggestions for avoiding the creeps. There's a very good chance that just about any website you visit has some security vulnerabilities. In Short Circuits ... Adobe released new Lightroom and Camera Raw versions this week. An article in the New York Times outlines the distressing reality of governments planning for cyber-warfare. Some of Mark Zuckerberg's accounts were hacked this week. Are you smarter than he is? In Spare Parts (only on the website): A utility that claims to be able to fix broken Microsoft Office files comes with a hefty price tag. Verizon sounds like it wants to buy Yahoo's internet assets. And Fujitsu offers some scanners that can store your files in the cloud without involving a computer.
Xara's latest edition of Photo and Graphic Designer has enough new features and improved functions to earn a "WOW!" from me. It's time for a little show and tell. In Short Circuits ... The National Football League's Washington Redskins waited a month and a half to let players know that one of their trainers had fumbled a computer into the hands of a thief. Ohio State University makes it 3 in a row for victories in the EcoCAR competition. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Is "Facebook privacy" just an oxymoron or is there something you can do to improve your odds? The latest batch of CPUs from Intel bring astounding performance, but also astounding prices. And following the acquisition of SanDisk by Western Digital, jobs start to disappear.
Flash is all but dead. Apple stopped supporting it six years ago and browser manufacturers, citing security concerns, are also dropping support. Fraudsters seem to be winning the technology battle according to accounting firm KPMG. In Short Circuits ... Microsoft turns a $7.2 billion investment in Nokia into a $7.6 billion loss. The internet loses its capital letter. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Kaspersky warns about a new variant of an ATM skimmer that leaves no physical evidence. Adding a battery to a wall-wart charger makes it a 3-in-one device. And Microsoft has a plan to make affordable internet access more common.
After 7 months with a Surface Pro tablet, I can recommend it, but perhaps not as enthusiastically as Microsoft would like. If you're a reader who likes to read books on a tablet and you also like to save money and read work by new authors, I have a suggestion. In Short Circuits ... Why can't girls write code? Actually, they can and Girls Who Code has just released several YouTube videos aimed at destroying myths and stereotypes. GoDaddy is acquiring FreedomVoice and will soon be in the telephone business. Will Microsoft's evil never end? The company clarifies its Windows 10 policies and is immediately accused of being sneaky. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A new app lets you turn your smart phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot, LinkedIn says the breach that occurred 4 years ago allowed crooks to harvest 100 million more user names and hashed passwords than previously thought, and how big should a flat-panel display be in a classroom -- or should schools be using something else entirely?
Xara Web Designer adds site development features that will delight visually oriented designers. You may think that you know who invented e-mail, but the story is probably a bit more complicated than you expect. In Short Circuits ... If you want to upgrade to Windows 10 for free, now is the time to do it. The offer ends this summer. Watson will take on cyber crime. Marketers who talk AT people instead of WITH them may soon find themselves with declining market shares. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A new top-level domain name for your mom, Western Digital finalizes its acquisition of SanDisk, and the market for wearable electronics is big, growing fast, and will be huge.
How to create a high-quality video using just your smart phone. The New York Public Library opens a treasure trove of high-resolution historical images on its website, usable by anyone without cost. In Short Circuits, Opera builds an ad-blocker into its browser, what follows Moore's law might have something to do with Schrodinger's cat, mobile devices get smarter, and "Unplugged" could be coming to YouTube in 2017. In Spare Parts, only on the website: Spreadsheets are useful, but they're not always the best choice; ShareIt, a Chinese sharing app, claims 500 million users; and InformationWeek names the 100 companies it says make the best use of technology.
Don't underestimate the importance of backing up your important files more than once. Let's consider the on-line CrashPlan backup system. Not all tablets run Windows or OSX; now there's one that comes with Ubuntu Linux. In Short Circuits, You need a password manager and then you need to be careful not to divulge your master password to the bad guys and a new e-mail program for smart phones could be worth downloading even though it's not exactly perfect. In Spare Parts, only on the website: The FBI says it isn't going to share the Iphone hack it bought from hackers for more than $1 million with anyone and particularly not with Apple. Software used to rescue children from sex trafficking. Maybe a decent swipable keyboard is coming to Microsoft devices. Activist investors are named to Yahoo's board of directors. And this week, a bonus track following the program close. Be sure to wait for it.
I've been looking at a low priced, but uncommonly robust, video editor that unfortunately crashes a bit too often. Still, it might be a good choice for some. In Short Circuits, Maybe Microsoft has finally convinced Intel to fix the video device driver crashes that have plagued Surface users. It appears that Amazon has just challenged Netflix to a duel. Western Digital and Veritas have a private cloud backup system and some high-performing disk drives in a new Gold line. Listening to FM radio on your smart phone is about to get better. In Spare Parts, only on the website: If you're hungry and you're in one of 24 cities served by DoorDash, you can have food delivered from many local restaurants. Scotch maker Johnnie Walker wants us to learn more about the carbon footprint Web surfing creates (yeah, I'll have to explain that). And a couple of acquisitions caught my attention this week.
Microsoft is preparing for Windows 10's first anniversary by incorporating the Linux command line. Google may be dropping its "free" fiber in Kansas City, but its paid offerings go far beyond what traditional cable companies provide and for far less. In Short Circuits, Tips for protecting yourself from ransomware, Microsoft sues the feds in the ongoing battle over privacy versus security, and the BBC says that streaming audio can lead to the purchase of vinyl records. In Spare Parts, only on the website: Toshiba has a new processor that promises better video in your automobile, IBM is working with Box to provide on-line storage in Europe and Asia, and updates to StorageCraft's Image Manager to make backups more robust.
Operating systems and applications come with more annoyances than you can shake a stick at, but I have a stick and I'll shake it at a few of the annoyances I've squashed recently. In Short Circuits, Some cautions about my previous favorite backup application, Carbonite, but no clear winner yet as a successor. Danger from Firefox plug-ins you expect to help or protect you. Samsung starts the year well with the Galaxy 7. In Spare Parts, only on the website: Turning old electronics that you no longer want into useful materials instead of fodder for landfills, D-Link now offers two power-over-Ethernet routers that are designed for surveillance applications, and Nokia is pushing what it terms a "passive optical LAN" as a better solution than copper wire for local area networks.
Nine illustrated tips for preparing to take better pictures, on a vacation or anytime. In Short Circuits: The FBI works around Apple. Finding ways to balance security and privacy in the workplace. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A short history of fraudulent e-mails, Windows 10 is now on 270 million computers, Hololens is shipping if you have $3000, and Bat developer Ritlabs is now in the top 1% of Microsoft developers.
Apple seems to have prevailed in the first round of its battle with the FBI over an encrypted phone, but nobody is really a winner. Disk drives with moving parts may be dead, but they don't know it yet. In Short Circuits: Hospitals are being attacked by malware. Longtime Intel CEO Andy Grove has died.The surprise from Adobe that wasn't a surprise. A warning from the US Treasury that wasn't. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Marketing pros may be replaced by robots, trying to make tech support more personable, fand a plan to make genetic research more accessible.
Phishing messages are becoming harder to spot and that makes them more dangerous. From the free Slate application, to Lightroom and Photoshop, and on the Dreamweaver and other apps, Adobe turned on the release fire hose this week. In Short Circuits: One more step remains in the approval process for Western Digital and SanDisk to merge. Increasingly office workers are working from places other than the office. After I figured out what was causing an Amazon video not to play, I explained what I did to Amazon support and the technician then told me to do exactly what I'd already done. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A new way to think about retirement, Kaspersky says its new protective applications for business networks seek out targeted attacks, and the creator of the annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony will be the keynote speaker at a conference on the Internet of Things.
An old-school spam cropped up in my e-mail in-box this week and caused me to think about advances that spammers have made. In Short Circuits: Microsoft has updated the enterprise version of Windows Defender to provide faster responses to attacks and that has some pundits ... worried. A malware attack on Apple's OS X operating system again shows that Macs can be attacked. The Federal Communications Commission will vote on a plan to make broadband more affordable for low-income households. In Spare Parts (only on the website): At the education section of the South By Southwest Festival, talk about how open education resources are becoming increasingly important in classrooms and Microsoft partners with the NCAA to provide insight into the upcoming March Madness and we hope they don't drop the ball.
Firefox is a good browser that can be made even better with add-ons. I'll have information about some of the most popular ones. In Short Circuits: After you get add-ons installed in Firefox, you have to convince the browser to stop disabling them every time there's a new version of Firefox. It's been a busy week in the FBI versus Apple controversy with court rulings, comments by the defense secretary, and an admission that the FBI caused its own problem. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Corporate data is threatened not only by outsiders but also by employees, contractors, and business associates. Peach Fuzzer is designed to find flaws in automated systems before they hurt someone. Huawei and Leica say they will re-invent smart phone cameras. And Microsoft offers Xbox users a (virtual) $2 million Lamborghini.
Have you ever wondered what's tracking you as your browser wanders around the Internet? Now you can find out. In Short Circuits: Privacy and security are big topics now, in part because of the FBI's request to have Apple develop a way to break into one of their phones, but we'll also consider some new hardware that includes encryption by default. Both Webroot and ESET have new reports that outline the scope of malware and other threats. Hint: It's not getting any better. Google pulls the plug on Compare. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory say some new research provides clues about how diseases move through a population, something new from Amazon (free training), and bit.ly (the little company that started out just shortening links) is all grown up and making a big move.
A story of criminal and political intrigue as attempts are made to destroy RitLabs, developer of the popular e-mail program, The Bat. In Short Circuits: I'll show you a picture of an amazing spam with a link that shouldn't be clicked by anyone, but probably will be. How to avoid having to enter a long and complex password whenever you log on to a Windows 10 system. The average age of hackers these days is 17. Is your teen among them? Apple says it will not comply with a court order. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Bluehost updates 2 million WordPress sites and then offers the update script to everyone, including competitors, warnings about malware called Red Sheriff, and a review of the 2016 Golden Mousetrap Awards.
Not too long ago, password managers were just nice to have. Now they're essential. In Short Circuits: Computers and the Internet are changing how we interact with the nation's health-care system and the latest version of Windows 10 in the Fast ring merits a yawn, but that's not a bad thing. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Scammers are now targeting children and China-based WeChat handed out money (with an ulterior motive) in Times Square around the Chinese New Year.
A new feature in Adobe Lightroom that I mentioned last week is every bit as exciting as I thought it might be. Words and pictures follow. Network attached storage is coming to homes and offices, and a new NAS box from Synology comes with impressive specifications. In Short Circuits: Seagate is looking at a class action lawsuit resulting from a high percentage of failed 3 terabyte drives, Microsoft wants you to have Windows 10 for free and doesn't want to take NO for an answer, and Internet data privacy gets a score card with a low grade. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Slow crooks down and you might be able to keep them out of your computer and IBM plans to acquire Columbus-based Resource/Ammirati.
Vacation time is just around the corner and, if you're thinking of upgrading your photo gear for summer fun, I have some ideas. In Short Circuits: Adobe updated Lightroom this week and there's a really cool feature that I'm looking forward to trying. Facebook hints that it may develop a video-only service. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Chrome may be one of the safest browsers imaginable, but that doesn't mean you can forget about rogue software. And the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team is warning about a threat called "Dorkbot".
An in-depth look at Microsoft's Edge browser is first, followed by a consideration of Bing as a better search engine than Google. In Short Circuits: AOL considers a name change, a new kind of answer site that's more interested in questions, and an application intended to keep your cats from forgetting their medical appointments. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Microsoft's latest Fast Ring version of Windows 10 is out with few visible changes, but with stability improvements that will allow new features in upcoming builds. Leica has a new $3000 camera you can throw into the lake. And a code of ethics for software engineers from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Society and the Association for Computing Machinery.
The latest version of Adobe's Creative Cloud adds so many new improvements, tweaks, and features that just trying to list them all is impossible, but I have some information about some of them. In Short Circuits: Microsoft support for most versions of Internet Explorer other than version 11 ends, along with support for Windows 8, if the system hasn't been updated to version 8.1. We'll look at security threats to watch for in 2016. Adoption of Windows 10 is running ahead of expectations and more than 200 million Windows 10 computers have been activated. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A system is being developed to allow self-driving automobiles to help each other. AT and T says it will help the Federal Communications Commission modernize it's "business". If you want a dog, but you really don't want a dog, you're now able to buy a robot dog.
If you connect to the Internet using a public Wi-Fi hotspot, you're exposing yourself to a significant risk. While trying to find a way to reduce the risk, I found a way to make Wi-Fi connections secure. In Short Circuits, we'll take a look at malware that can shut down electric generating plants, consider talking to your Volvo automobile, and compare the Oculus Rift to Microsoft's HoloLens. Spare Parts (only on the website) It's January, so the Consumer Electronics Show is running in Las Vegas.
If you're still looking for a worthwhile resolution, how about improving your computer backup system? And if you don't yet have a backup system in place, how about establishing one? Fraudsters are getting better every day. Millions of e-mail messages containing links to malware are sent out every day and so are legitimate-looking requests that can give a thief enough information to steal your money or your entire identity. In Short Circuits: Apple will pay Italy $350 million to settle tax evasion charges. Although I spent a lot of time talking about Windows 10 in 2015, it's been a busy year for other platforms, too. Android in particular. Let's take a look at Android's big deals for 2015. Sometimes the first program of the year reveals lots of new features on the TechByter Wordwide website. Sometimes it's big changes in formatting. And sometimes the changes are relatively minor. This year, they're all but non-existent, but I'll tell you want to look for. Spare Parts (only on the website): WatchGuard Technologies has released a list of the top 10 threats they expect to make life miserable for some of us in 2016. SanDisk Corporation and Quanta Cloud Technology have announced a plan to combine SanDisk's flash drive experience with QCT's datac enter expertise. The goal is to provide massively scalable solid-state storage for data centers.
Batteries have finite life spans and a utility that's available in Windows 8 and Windows 10 can help you identify when it's time to replace the battery. Even security applications that are intended to protect your computer can sometimes be used maliciously. The European Union moves forward to enable legislation that will enforce privacy laws with severe fines. In Short Circuits: A Chinese company says that its Privacy Eraser won't really erase your privacy and IBM has a plan to clean up air pollution in Beijing and elsewhere. Spare Parts (only on the website): Microsoft cooperates with the Linux community to provide certification for Linux on Azure and the battle to defeat cyber criminals continues.
Despite the appeal of on-line music streaming services, there's still a valid reason to have an MP3 player application on your computer. If you're thinking of learning a new language or refreshing your knowledge of a language, the free Duolingo service would be a good place to start. In Short Circuits: Some people are trying to avoid having their computers updated to Windows 10. If you're in that group, I have some tips that may help. The 2016 version of Acronis True Image backup comes with several new features. In Spare Parts (only on the website): There's an increasing demand for video conferencing, but the technology still faces some significant challenges and Microsoft has released information about this year's top searches on Bing.
Undoubtedly you have an antivirus application on your computer, but that's no longer enough protection. UltraEdit Studio, my preferred text editor, is now available in a 64-bit version that works faster than the 32-bit version. In Short Circuits, Adobe's November 30th Creative Cloud update may not be revolutionary, but it brings several new and welcome features to the applications; if it seems too good to be true (you fill in the rest); and if you're not in an area with a telephone area code overlay, you probably soon will be. I'll take a look at what's happening in my own back yard. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Underwriters Labs warns about counterfeit USB power supplies for Apple devices and car sharing providers are quickly moving to mobile applications.
Microsoft's Surface Pro 4 is an impressive piece of hardware with some significant flaws. Windows 10 Build 10586 may already be on your computer. If not, it soon will be and the first major update to Windows 10 adds useful features. In Short Circuits: Let's consider why this week's program might look and sound a bit different and November 22nd is a day of both sadness and joy. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The Toronto Star and the Scripps News Service investigated how encryption that you may be using to keep information private on your smart phone sometimes hampers law enforcement agencies and Microsoft and Red Hat have announced a partnership that they say will help customers embrace hybrid cloud computing.
We'll take a look at the latest iteration of On1's set of tools for photographers and examine how they can improve photographs of people. Following up from last week's recommendations for secure browsing, I'll describe the process I use to stay safe on the Web. In Short Circuits: How to enable the built-in Administrator account in Windows and although Microsoft is reducing on-line storage for Office 365 users, it's still substantial. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A new Microsoft data center will open soon for users in Europe and Fujitsu examines the future of computing over the next 5 to 10 years.
The Cyber Threat Alliance says that it has cracked the code on CryptoWall, malware that's associated with $325 million in payments to crooks, but there's bad news, too. A single image created by today's digital cameras, shooting in raw mode, wouldn't even fit on the original PC hard drives. And that's just one crazy thing about today's technology. In Short Circuits: The end is approaching for Windows 7, a first glance at On1's Photo 10, and Firefox seems to be fading away. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Traditional camera manufacturers are being overrun by electronics manufacturers, the launch of Halo 5 was the biggest ever for the franchise, and there's a utility that claims to eliminate dead links on websites and in documents.
One of the more helpful sites for Windows users is The Windows Club, but be careful with downloads from the site. We'll take a couple of looks at security: On-line reviews may not always be as trustworthy as they appear and watch out for "free" offers on Facebook and elsewhere. In Short Circuits, Western Digital plans to acquire SanDisk and a new approach to stifling on-line bullies. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Microsoft finally opens its flagship store in New York City and it's very close to Apple's flagship store and the rush to move software as a service applications to the cloud is accelerating.
If you're looking for an application that edits photographs, creates logos, designs websites, and publishes documents, you should take a look at Xara Designer Pro. Is TechByter Worldwide a safe website? SiteLock helps me to ensure that it is. In Short Circuits: How many federal agencies are keeping track of information about you? Comodo and Acronis have combined to offer some useful capabilities. And GoDaddy says that it wants to level the playing field for women. In Spare Parts (only on the website): If you're a fan of FileMaker Pro, you can buy the latest version and get an extra copy for free and we'll take a look a computer you can throw out the window (but I recommend that you don't.)
Password managers make it possible to maintain and use complex and secure passwords, and there are several to choose from. If you're someone who likes to write website code instead of using a WYSIWYG development tool, Brackets would be worth looking at. In Short Circuits: If you recently upgraded to Windows 10, you're probably eligible for a money saving deal on Office 365, but there might be a better option. The biggest tech deal in history has Dell Computers acquiring the much larger EMC Corportion. Several weeks ago, I described switching to Bitdefender. This week I'll tell you why I can no longer recommend the product. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The market for wearable electronics is large and growing larger every day and software as a service is seen as a new vector for malware.
Experian, the company that T-Mobile uses to confirm customers' credit-worthiness has been hacked, exposing data about 15 million customers who signed up between September 2013 and last month. Adobe's updated Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements bring welcome features to the consumer-level applications. In Short Circuits: Skype offers a gift that most people won't be able to use; In Los Angeles, Adobe Max wowed the 7000 who attended; and Microsoft announced the new Surface Pro 4. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A small party that's participating in Swiss elections calls itself the Anti-PowerPoint Party, It's October, so stores want you to start thinking about spending money for Christmas presents, and a beer fridge (available only in California now) connects to your Wi-Fi system so you'll know when you're running low.
The files on your computer are worth more than the computer and having a reliable backup is the only way to ensure their safety. Acronis True Image is a good insurance policy. LG enters the tablet market in the United States with its Gram series of lightweight computers that look a lot like Microsoft's Surface computers. In Short Circuits: Acronis teams up with Quantum-Safe Encryption to make cloud storage safer and in an Odds and Ends article, we consider this week's Adobe MAX and why companies choose goofy spellings for their corporate names. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Russia's prime minister touts the country as a good location for innovators, protective software publisher ESET acquires DESlock, and the Department of Homeland Security points out some security failings.
Photographers sometimes need to know where the sun and the moon will be so that they can plan a photo. If that describes you, take a look at Sun and Moon Calculator. The latest Windows 10 release in the Fast Ring gives a hint about improvements that will be coming soon. In Short Circuits: Microsoft has released Office 2016, Skype suffers a major malfunction, and WizMouse brings one of the Windows 10 features I adore to earlier versions. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A survey suggests that far too many people send their children off to college with unprotected computers and Concept Blossom says that it should be OK to re-use passwords on multiple sites. Is this dangerous?
Microsoft Security Essentials catches most malware that's in the wild, but is relatively weak when it comes to identifying new types of threats. Some antivirus programs use too many system resources and others display bothersome messages and try to sell you new services. We need something, but what? Windows 10 has generally been a solid performer for most people. That doesn't mean I haven't encountered annoyances and some people have found serious problems. We'll take a look at some of the annoyances I've found. In Short Circuits, most Americans think the presidential campaign will be hacked, DefCon Cyber scores your security risks, and Intel wants to be inside your mirror, dress, and bra. In Spare Parts (only on the website): OpenText delivers analytics in the cloud; Localeur Expands, but still hasn't come to central Ohio; and Shakespeare comes to your smart phone.
On-line instruction is a growing business and TrainSimple is in the process of expanding from being an Adobe-only shop to one that provides numerous classes for creative folks; if you're looking for an application that removes programs you no longer want, maybe the IOBit Installer is what you need. In Short Circuits: A government agency close to home (Miami County) had to pay cyber-crooks to recover data, the 64-bit version of The Bat passes inspection, and the Secret Service says mobile payment fraud is on the rise. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Things are changing so fast that it's becoming a problem and cloud-based storage is a business that's growing fast.
The Bat, an e-mail program that's popular in Europe continues working to find a following in the Americas. High temperatures are a threat to your computer, so you might want to add a couple of free utilities that monitor how hot it is in there. In Short Circuits: Adobe's InDesign now offers a preview feature that makes it possible to publish a document on-line and if you're a Windows Insider in the Fast Ring, you received a new version of Windows 10 this week. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Microsoft has published a list of Windows 10 shortcuts that every user should know about, US Internet users show an interest in European Union legislation that forces websites to remove information if people ask to have it removed, a Spanish company claims to have solved a World War II mystery, and night-time surveillance from the air is surprisingly good.
Turning a brown camel into a purple camel is just one of the things you can do with Xara Photo and Graphic Designer. Microsoft will release the latest version of Office next month and this month I've been looking at LibreOffice. In Short Circuits: A couple of city council members in Munich say Linux and LibreOffice are too hard to use and Windows 10 has surpassed 75 million installations in less than a month. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A hackathon is coming up this week in Punjab, if you wonder how important photography is in understanding the past, take a look at some motion pictures of New York City from around 1900, a look a security risks in the Internet of Things, and a way to find out exactly where the sun and moon will be in the sky.
Adobe's new and updated free mobile applications bring more power to your Apple phone or tablet and to your Android phone. In Short Circuits: No, Windows 10 isn't perfect and I'll describe some of the problems you might see; additionally, I'll tell you about a method I've found to leverage the Task Bar, Start Menu, Live Tiles, and All Applications to create a highly usable working environment. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Auto theft investigators say they think "mysterious devices" are being used to steal cars; Acronis launches a new version of True Image, including cloud-based backup; Western Digital makes it possible for users to have up to 96TB of network attached storage at home (but I suspect the main users will be businesses); and Underwriters Labs says that a bunch of its serialized holographic approval labels have been stolen.
If you already have Windows 10 or expect to have the upgrade soon, you might find a dozen or so terrific tips (and a dud or two) useful. In Short Circuits: How to find out if your Android device is vulnerable to the Stagefright bug, using a checksum to verify a file's integrity, and Google now wants the entire alphabet. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The history of photography in 12 short videos, Sony tries to capture the world's runners, changes in the health-care industry lead to a high-tech scramble by pharmacies, and bringing technology to bear on fraudsters.
Combining multiple images allows today's photographers to create panoramic views and maybe even to outdo Ansel Adams (or is that blasphemy?); updating a computer to Windows 10 worked well for me, but occasional failures are being used to drive traffic to "Panic NOW!" websites. In Short Circuits: PayPal splits from Ebay and it's about time, a new website makes it easy to type in non-Roman alphabets, and Republicans plan to update their voter management system. In Spare Parts, only on the website: A technology program scheduled for Moscow in October sounds a lot like PC Expo in 1997, Epson has released lots of tiny printers that will be used in restaurant settings, Subway says you can now order and pay on-line, and wearable cameras are becoming very big business.
I'm a fan of applications that are provided without cost and I'll share a short list of some of my favorites. The best way to make a computer faster used to involve adding memory, but now maybe you should swap out the hard drive. In Short Circuits: Windows 10 launched this week and overall the upgrade process seems to be going well. Brian Krebs questions a new Windows 10 feature, but it seems to me that his concerns are largely without merit. In Spare Parts, only on the website: An on-line service can help you understand auto financing, why more large companies are moving to open-source applications for software development, and one of the big providers of high-quality optical disks plans to shut down by the end of the year.
OnOne's Perfect Photo Suite 9.5 makes this a great time to be a photographer and at last there's a version of Linux that might be right for users who don't have a degree in information technology. In Short Circuits: Central Ohio is about to get an overlay for the 614 area code, something that's coming to most metro areas, and with the Windows 10 upgrade scheduled to start installing in just a few days, I have the final (obligatory) pre-release story. In Spare Parts, only on the website: Weather reports are about to be crowd-sourced. Does this mean clouds from crowds? If you're dumb enough to read and send text messages while driving, now there's an app that can call for help when you're in a crash. And RetailMeNot continues to walk a fine line between serving buyers and serving sellers.
If you're looking for a reason to enroll in Adobe's Creative Cloud for Photographers, just take a look at what's new in Lightroom and Photoshop; if you haven't checked your Google and Facebook privacy settings recently, now would be a good time. In Short Circuits: The FBI and other law enforcement agencies have whacked another mole, Amazon's Black Friday in July received less than stellar reviews, and after having only a minor presence at Germany's IFA trade show for several years, Microsoft will have the keynote slot at this year's show. In Spare Parts, only on the website: Microsoft is essentially giving up on phones, at least the hardware part; in July of 1948, Bell Labs announced the "transfer resistance device", which we now know as the transistor; a company in China says it has a battery that can be ready to use after just 6 or 7 minutes of charging; and if you're looking for medical marijuana, there's a app for that.
Website designers, both pro and amateur, will find lots to like in the latest version of Xara Web Designer; with just weeks to go before Windows 10 is released, Microsoft has pushed out the last preview build and it about ready to release the code to manufacturing. In Short Circuits: Hackers have been hacked and the information released reveals the dirty secrets of a company that has tried to position itself wearing a white hat and if you're tired of bloatware on your smart phone, look for support from China. In Spare Parts, only on the website: The developer of new software claims that it can create a sketch of a criminal or a victim based on the person's DNA, 7-Eleven will deliver to your home or office (if it's in San Francisco or Oakland), and with more large companies pushing backup to the cloud, Veritas says that the latest version of its backup software is designed to work with nearly all online storage systems.
A pair of Microsoft HoloLens devices were destroyed this week when a SpaceX rocket exploded, but NASA astronauts will still probably see the HoloLens before you do; instead of depending on the Windows search function, take a look at what Agent Ransack can offer; In Short Circuits: How to plan for reinstalling Windows (and whether you need to) and Microsoft seems to be planning to return to the chip manufacturing business it abandoned 10 years ago. In Spare Parts, only on the website: Computers you can kick down the stairs, an update for Malwarebytes AntiExploit application, and why AOL is (astoundingly!) still relevant.
Lots of photography topics this week as we take a look at applications that run on Android smart phones and tablets, then consider how to turn a scanned newspaper photo into something useful. The crooks who run CryptoLocker malware may be honest thieves, but they're still costing victims millions of dollars. In Short Circuits: Speaking of LOTs, hackers grounded many of the Polish airline's airplanes this week and Microsoft continues to clarify conditions under which Windows 10 will be without charge. Maybe some people are just trying too hard to misunderstand. In Spare Parts, only on the website: How icons that you'll see in Windows 10 have changed during development and thoughts on the importance of carefully reviewing a laptop computer's specifications before buying it.
Password management company LastPass says that it found hackers on its network and I'll explain why this isn't a surprise or something to worry about. Adobe Creative Cloud 2015 was released this week and brings several new and welcome features. In Short Circuits: IBM fully commites to an open source application, Kaspersky warns about some high-powered malware that has set its sights high, and those who want a Microsoft Surface Hub can order it starting on July first. In Spare Parts (only on the website): An app designed to help with beer and wine is about to expand, auto dealers might find an application that assists with recalls helpful, and the demand for video on demand is up. Way up.
ThumbsPlus is preparing to release an updated version of its photo management application, security is suddenly becoming a VERY BIG TOPIC for business managers and government officials, and in Short Circuits: a clever way to manage messy wires, the text you send could end up in court, and most of us are carrying more devices around these days. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A new security offering from a start-up company promises better protection against state-sponsored cyber-crime and BlackBerry is reported to be considering a big change.
Between now and Labor Day, you'll probaby take lots of pictures. Picnics, visits to the zoo, maybe a vacation, and family get togethers. But then what? Why not make a slide show without the slides, the projector, and the screen? The cost of data breaches has increased greatly over the past year. In Short Circuits: Launch day for Windows 10 is now official: July 29 and Amazon has a new program that ships even low-cost items for free. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A follow-up on Android data usage, an examination of the popularity of tablet computers, and trying to apply technology to the battle for human rights around the world.
Sometimes you can't install a program update and attempting the usual fix (uninstalling) doesn't work either. Microsoft has a helpful application. Research by Google makes it appear that many of us can't remember where we were born, but it's worse than that. If you've recently installed Android Lollipop on your smart phone, check the phone's data usage. In Short Circuits: Finding a way to eat and drink where the locals do when you're traveling. In Spare Parts (only on the website): New Jersey and IBM work together to improve traffic flow, a new approach to Internet security, and are you ready for a cannabis investor summit?
We know more about Windows 10 now, including how many versions will be provided, but still not when. In Short Circuits: I received a firm reminder of how sneaky phishing messages can be, the United States continues to be the largest supplier of e-mail spam, and after several years of rapid growth tablet sales are off a bit this year. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Look who's the biggest threat to corporate data, China plans to spend more than $200 billion in the next couple of years to improve Internet speeds, calls to implement a Canadian anti-piracy program in the US, and RadioShack receives permission to sell its name.
I never fail to be amazed by how many applications are available either for free or at a very low cost. There's no question that commercial software often gives users the largest number of features, but sometimes not all of the available features are needed. Sometimes what's available from a free program is enough. And sometimes what's available from a free program is better than what's available commercially. Let's explore some of the possibilities. In Short Circuits: Are you smarter than a CEO? It turns out that even executives can't always tell the difference between a real e-mail message and a phish, and AVG promises that some of its new applications will enhance your Windows PC, Mac, or Android device. And in Spare Parts: Dealing with Support when Things Go Wrong -- the story of a star-crossed attempt to obtain an answer from Microsoft.
If your Android smart phone's battery life is far too short after you upgraded the phone to Lollipop, I have some suggestions; Microsoft's Ignite Conference in Chicago this week shows how committed the company is to winning over IT managers; In Short Circuits: The speech recognition market is growing fast, Microsoft has filed suit against a fraudster, and you'll be shocked by how much Comcast and Time Warner spent on their failed merger. In Spare Parts, only on the website: Android users continue to upgrade to Lollipop; Opera's new Mini browser is a hit; and Microsoft pushes Android and IOS developers to port their applications to Windows 10.
Adobe's latest version of Acrobat goes a long way toward fulfilling absurd demands from users; Samsung has finally started pushing updates to the latest version of Android (Lollipop) to phones, but not yet to tablets; Microsoft is now at build 10,074 of Windows 10 and Project Spartan has a real name. In Short Circuits: This week is the 34th anniversary of the first commercial mouse, if you have an Apple watch, you can have a portable dictionary, and we'll look at another threat to traditional radio. In Spare Parts, only on the website: Tiny storage devices are even larger and you can hang a weatherproof Wi-Fi access point outside to cover the neighborhood.
Sometimes a single event or a single topic is enough to fill the entire program. That's the case this week with Adobe Lightroom 6. In Short Circuits: Looking for ways that bad guys might hack vehicles that are connected via the Internet of Things and a few more Microsoft 10 tea leaves. In Spare Parts, only on the website: You can't get coffee from your smart phone, but you can pay for it with one; a new app promises to encrypt text messages and let you fix auto-correct errors; and sort of a dress code for wearable devices.
Amazon is making a concerted effort to convince more people to use its Prime Music Service and, if you're already a Prime subscriber, it's a good choice. The demand for body cameras is increasing and that's causing new companies to enter the marketplace. After investigating Google for 5 years, the European Union has finally struck. In Short Circuits: In addition to suits filed by Internet service providers, the Federal Communications Commission could be under attack from Congress and a new browser from Opera for Android devices could increase the Norwegian company's market share. In Spare Parts: Only on the website, a host of new security products from D-Link, Western Digital introduces new hard drives intended for the video surveillance market, and if you'd like 720TB of storage, Supermicro has just the device for you.
After less than a week, Microsoft replaced Windows 10 build 10041 with 10049, so let's see what's different. What to do when a disk begins to fail. In Short Circuits: Finding malware in Google's Chrome Store calls into question Google's claim that it vets all applications, ISIS attacks a TV network in France and websites worldwide, and the FBI warns of fake government sites designed to steal information from you. In Spare Parts, only on the website: Using mind control on the front door and software proof of China's continuing rise.
A smaller version of Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 will soon be available and at a lower price, Adobe continues to release mobile applications that allow designers to stop using scratch pads when they're away from the computer, and most people now agree that data on a computer is more valuable than the computer. In Short Circuits: I have a quick update on Windows 10, which now works on the notebook computer I tried to install it on a couple of weeks ago and if you want a perpetual license for Lightroom 5 but haven't been able to figure out how to get it, I'll show you the way. In Spare Parts, only on the website: TrueCrypt, rumored to be insecure, proves to be safe; an executive order from President Obama to fight foreign cyber-crooks, Yahoo and Microsoft extend negotiations on their future, and looking at activity by high-tech CEOs in battling a law in Indiana.
The Belarc Advisor looks like a tool for serious geeks, but it has features everyone can use. Development of Windows 10 lumbers forward but Spartan, the replacement for Internet Explorer, still isn't available in the preview program. In Short Circuits: Installing the Windows 10 preview doesn't always work the way you think it will; in a "surprise" move, big ISPs have filed suit against the Federal Communications Commission; and warnings about rogue Android apps not downloaded from the Play Store. In Spare Parts, only on the website: Finding an old math co-processor in the back of a drawer this week was amusing, trying to safeguard data stored in the cloud, and Microsoft works with Samsung to put Office on Android devices.
Photography has changed a lot in the past few decades and you might have fun going back to look at older images. Automating routine, repetitive actions has always been one of my primary objectives -- perhaps because I'm lazy. If you are, too, let's look as some programs that will help. In Short Circuits: A look at Microsoft's changing business model, Premera says it has exposed personal information that belongs to 11 million users, and Kaspersky wants to help protect your Android device. In Spare Parts, only on the website: MalwareBytes describes an old scam in a new suit, news site Gigaom is dead, and ubiquitous high-speed fiber is the future (and may always be the future).
Trying to sort thorough smart phone applications can be a challenge so this week we'll look at several that I've found useful; adding RAM is the easiest way to speed up a computer and there are some new technologies on the horizon; and in Short Circuits: Adobe marketing tools give companies new ways to interact with (and some might say control) consumers and are you ready for a password manager that scans your eye? In Spare Parts, only on the website: Watch out for scammers pretending to be IRS agents, predictions that real-time traffic information will be more available, and exploring differences between online shopping in various countries.
A new version of Xara Photo and Graphic Designer offers useful new photographic features and updates some of the vector-image features; BriefMe is either the future of journalism or the end of journalism -- or maybe something else entirely. In Short Circuits: People say that they're unimpressed with customer service (This is news?), China's Huawei plans a round watch to compete with Apple's square watch and if you haven't changed your router's default password, Brian Krebbs will explain why you should. Only on the website, in Spare Parts: Fear of crime is pushing some of us to think more about computer security, a Swiss doctor has developed an app to help men assess the risk of prostate cancer, and condom manufacturer Durex say it has an app for orgasms. Seriously.
Net Neutrality is official, for now, but will it last? Adobe Photoshop turns 25. In Short Circuits: A startup company has an idea for faster wireless service and the Lenovo SuperFish debacle may have revealed more serious problems. On the website only, Spare Parts includes worries by smart phone users about being tracked and a project funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to modify Internet searches.
Tweaks, fixes, and utilities are this week's topic, ranging from NiNite for safe updates and when delays are good, to organizing ebooks and music files, to God Mode and GE Geek. In Short Circuits: The Equation Group plants US-based malware worldwide and thieves steal perhaps a billion dollars from banks around the world. On the website only, Spare Parts includes movement toward full solid-state storage, crowd-sourcing could be used for 911 calls, a $5 million competition for robotics, and Austin's South by Southwest educational conference expands.
Sometimes downloading open-source software such as FileZilla can be dangerous because the host site adds unwanted applications to the installer; to avoid giving away important information when using a Wi-Fi hotspot, it's a good idea to run a virtual-private network application; in Short Circuits: Microsoft pushes into mobile computing and unreasonable fear that televisions spy on their owners; on the website only Spare Parts takes note of a new NASA photo project, the Drones for Good winners have been announced, and a service you've probably never heard of is about to shut down.
Let's look at Camtasia, one of the easiest ways to create video documentation for teaching; as news reporting moves increasingly from print on paper to print on screen, new methods of organizing content are appearing; and the FCC plans to take the first step in a journey that will end at the Supreme Court. In Short Circuits: Guess who doesn't score very well in using social media and if you've been thinking about buying a Raspberry Pi, a new version is out. On the website only, Spare Parts looks at a way to save roaming charges for international travelers, the dangers of "password fatigue", and the cost of a distributed denial of service attack.
We're seeing an increased number of browsers, but all of them are based on just a few rendering engines; one of the new browsers that's receiving a lot of attention is Aviator and we'll take it for a test flight. In Short Circuits, Fantasy Football and the Super Bowl, high technology used by craft brewers, a birthday for one of the first killer apps, and the FTC continues to take aim at UNLIMITED plans that have limits. On the website only, Spare Parts has the story of the International Spy Museum, a desktop computer that's not much larger than a notebook, prizes for drones in Dubai, and students say schools are failing when it comes to high tech.
Microsoft turns the Windows world upside down and that's the only account in the main section of the program. In Short Circuits: Battery manufacturers get a charge out of portable devices and a quick message from the Internal Revenue Service. And, only on the website, Spare Parts.
If you use a GoPro video camera or any other method to capture extreme sports, you should take a look at Magix Fastcut. Adobe released Lightroom Mobile for Android this week and that means I can stop harassing the product managers. It also means that you can perform some pretty cool photo editing tricks on your phone. In Short Circuits: Some towns and cities are trying to provide broadband access for residents, to the great annoyance of cable operators, if you have a WordPress website, you should check to see if malware has been planted there, and if you receive a call from "Windows support", do yourself a favor and just hang up. Don't forget about Spare Parts, available only on the website.
From Kodak and Microsoft to D-Link and Turtle Beach, we'll take a look at this week's Consumer Electronics. It's beginning to sound like Microsoft will make the Windows 10 update free for Windows 8 users. A TechByter guest writer explains encryption in more or less plain English on the website. In Short Circuits, an IBM report says on-line thieves are becoming more efficient, Apple prepares to launch a watch, and maybe the pundits will admit that they were a bit premature in saying that the PC was dead. Spare Parts has an account of a nasty computer attack, Sony's new Walkman ($1200!), and faster wireless charging.
I've been yammering about the new look and feel for months. Now, finally, you get a chance to see them. Alien Skin has released a new version of Exposure and photographers are going to want it. Kodak plans to introduce a new camera in a smart phone at the Consumer Electronics Show. In Short Circuits, China blocks access to G-Mail, Pew Research says most of us think the Internet makes us more productive, China's high-tech manufacturers roar, and ... a new section on the website (Spare Parts) considers predictions of Google in the 1950s, why some craft beers are in cans, the Internet of Things is now a dual-band operation, advertisers in the US tip their hats to China, and preparing for really wide screens.
The 2014 version of Muse makes it a worthwhile choice for many. NASA engineers are working on a program that will improve airport efficiency and might reduce noise. Facebook's new privacy policy rings an alarm in Europe. In Short Circuits: Vending machines will change and might talk to you, NBC offers live streaming (with a catch), Alien Skin released Exposure 7, T-Mobile says that if you don't use it, you won't lose it (maybe), and if you're a Russian who wants an Iphone ... ne povezlo.
If you've delayed buying a solid-state drive thinking that it won't last long enough, I have good news; a new nationwide repair chain (more than 90 stores) says it can repair the gadgets you break; In Short Circuits: Chromebooks threaten Ipads in the eduction market, ESET offers free scanning (and maybe confusion) via Facebook, efforts to reduce cyber-bullying with software, the dangers of bringing your own hardware to work, and (only on the website) 5 minutes with Steve Wozniak.
Microsoft has just released a new full build for Windows 10; you may be thinking warm-fuzzy thoughts, but crooks are not; In Short Circuits: I was surprised recently when I found out how much space system restore files were consuming on the computer's C drive; when something went wrong with the Nexus 7 tablet, Google support did what it's supposed to do; and if you have a smart phone, Weplan will help you understand what's using the bulk of your data plan.
If you're a creative, Adobe wants to chase you out of the office and you'll go willingly; it seems that thieves are making off with supposedly secure data by the gigabyte; in Short Circuits, Home Depot faces lots of suits, but won't be hurt by its data breaches, Symantec says US the British spy agencies have planted malware worldwide, and Amazon tries yet another discount trick to sell the Fire Phone.
Happy Thanksgiving from TechByter Worldwide. The greeting is two and a half minutes long.
Malwarebytes offers free and paid versions of protective applications that work with your standard antivirus program and I've been trying them; an interesting combination of events this week caused me to think about Net Neutrality, rural electrification, and the future of US competitiveness; In Short Circuits: How to make Pandora stop asking if you're listening -- at least for a while; Yahoo starts making plans to serve targeted video ads; Singles Day in China beats Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined; and CEO Satya Nadella talks about the future of Microsoft.
Adobe's Premiere Elements 13 looks like a winner for amateurs who want to improve their videos but not spend a lot of money to do it; if you've tried OpenOffice but found it missing features you wanted, perhaps it's time to look at some of the extensions; in Short Circuits: Perhaps thinking it's Santa Claus, Verizon is keeping an eye on you all the time; Microsoft offers the Office suite for free but only if you have an Iphone, Ipad, or Android tablet, and governments worldwide are demanding more and more data from social networking companies.
Google is making Android apps available on Chromebooks so is somebody thinking about merging the 2 Linux-based operating systems? The next version of Windows has been renumbered and delayed, so what will you pay for it? I'd like to think it'll be free. In Short Circuits: Users of Apple devices get an improved version of Microsoft's One Note, the FTC files suit against AT and T, Facebook's profits are up, but Wall Street geniuses punish the company for not thinking enough about short-term profits, and considering the graphical user interface as if it had been an automobile.
Even if you don't click anything, just visiting a site (sometimes a trusted site) can load your computer up with malware; Adobe and Nielsen Ratings have formed a partnership and I can't imagine a better combination; and in Short Circuits: Zoho aims for the back office, Yahoo sees something unusual -- profits, bullying seems to be everywhere, and CBS decides that streaming video is the future.
Drowning in a sea of new Adobe products, I grabbed the latest version of Photoshop Elements for closer examination; my favorite Mac FTP program comes to Windows; and in Short Circuits: the Double Irish may come to an end, tablet sales are poised to rise more slowly, the New York Times reports that Russian hackers are taking advantage of a Windows flaw, and I'll share a few whispers about TechByter 2015.
Because phishing attacks depend on social engineering, they're harder to defend against that normal malware; if there's a designer, photographer, publisher, or videographer that isn't excited about the latest from Adobe, you should check to see if they're breathing; and in Short Circuits: AMD gets another CEO, talking to your car is unsafe, the PC market that's been sluggish for several years may be about to open up, and I picked up Walter Isaacson's new book about the people who invented computing this week -- I think you'll like it.
Microsoft caught just about everyone off guard by announcing that there will be no Windows 9 in the near future and that Windows 10 won't be released until late next year. We'll try to catch up. And in Short Circuits: Mark Twain was right when he said that lies travel faster than truth and this is even more true in the age of the Internet, considering where the FCC will go with Net Neutrality, Ebay plans to spin PayPal as an independent company next year, and the good news from BlackBerry is that losses are smaller this year.
Those who have wondered who receives information about their browsing habits may find a new Firefox plug-in useful, Adobe has just released Elements 13 and I'll have a quick first look. In Short Circuits: Apple says NO to police who want data from Iphones and Ipads; Resetting the terror meter on the Bash Bug; A new idea for voice communication by phone; and Apple bought Beats several months ago, but now what?
The Chromebook I bought about two months ago is even more useful now that I've read a book by Michael Miller and I'll talk with Miller on this week's podcast, Firefox continues to delight and annoy, and in Short Circuits: Sony's profits sink even faster than expected, the final contenders for returning the US to space are SpaceX and Boeing, and a comapny in Norway wants to be Instagram for children.
If you remember using PaintShop Pro, now's the time to consider what the latest version can offer. Passwords may be the best first line of defense, but multi-factor passwords are better. In Short Circuits ... Apple's new phone and watch are cool, but this week Apple unveiled something even better, Amazon drops the price of it's Fire phones to 99 cents and some think that's overpriced, and Internet slowdown day generated a lot of messages, but the FCC will probably ignore them.
Quattro was derided as a knock-off by Lotus in the 1980s, but after all these years, it's Quattro Pro that survives. After shrinking for decades, cell phones are now becoming larger. In Short Circuits: It appears that Home Depot is the latest retail operation to be hacked, a quick follow-up on a couple of free applications, another quick update on my troubles connecting a Seagate hard drive to a NetGear router, off-line fraud comes to your mailbox, and nude celebrity pix push Apple's stock lower.
Productivity features added to the 2014 CC edition of Dreamweaver can make a real difference, Tablets are outstanding devices for reading books if you can find a way to add the books you want to read to the tablet, In Short Circuits: Steve Ballmer retires from Microsoft's board of directors, HP releases a $200 Windows PC to counter Chromebooks, and the upcoming Windows 9 preview will be available to everyone.
Productivity features added to the 2014 CC edition of Dreamweaver can make a real difference, Tablets are outstanding devices for reading books if you can find a way to add the books you want to read to the tablet, In Short Circuits: Steve Ballmer retires from Microsoft's board of directors, HP releases a $200 Windows PC to counter Chromebooks, and the upcoming Windows 9 preview will be available to everyone.
Identity theft is probably more common and more expensive than you think. Protection is better than recovery, the number of fraudulent e-mail messages seems to be increasing daily, Adobe's InDesign updates are pushing the application into the future, and in Short Circuits: employees may take proprietary data with them when they leave and a happy little hotel robot might do a dance for you someday.
Nasty Russian hackers have your password! Or is this all just a ploy to sell a monitoring service? Xara's latest Web Designer program looks like a hit. Lightroom works with modern pictures, but also with antiques. In Short Circuits: Thumb drive turn out to be more rugged than I thought, Microsoft sues Samsung, and it appears that Android is about to own the smart phone market.
Are Chromebooks viable alternatives these days? Three years after Google released these Internet-based computers, they're beginning to look like they might work for lots of people. In Short Circuits ... Android phone and tablet users are facing a scary-looking threat that may not be so scary after all, Congress says that it's now OK to jailbreak your phone, and Facebook has released its new Messenger service, but only for some devices.
The Nigerian e-mail scam now targets businesses; sometimes, with tech support, you have to be persistent; Apple may be spying on you; Chromebooks are starting to push Apple out of schools; rent that e-book you want to read; and Netflix hits another growth spurt.
With the second iteration of Creative Cloud, Adobe is working hard to convince users of its value and it appears that they're succeeding. Google Maps added some new features and redesigned the interface recently; it looks like an improvement to me. In Short Circuits: The FCC had to extend the comment period on net neutrality because their website blew up again, Intel's profits are up as the company appears to be learning how to deal with smaller devices, and Rupert Murdoch wanted Time Warner, but an $80 billion bid has been rejected.
Alhough Muse is only 2 years old, Adobe has already rewritten it, and it shows. The Onion Router could interest you if you want to keep your actions on the Internet more private. In Short Circuits, Tablets are poised to roar into the lead, watch out for "domain service" messages that offer something you don't need, and if any Microsoft application or operating system puzzle you, there's a free ebook for that.
The first look at Adobe Creative Cloud 2014 shows that it's both gigantic and mobile, If you're ready for a summer road trip, maybe it's time to consider in-car Wi-Fi, and in Short Circuits, Rumors that Google would kill the Nexus seem to be incorrect, the FTC says that T-Mobile and Amazon have charged people for things they didn't buy, Facebook admits a failure of communication but says there was nothing wrong with its manipulation of users, and Canada's new anti-spam law increase spam, at least in the short term.
With version 6, Alien Skin makes Exposure even faster and better. Adobe has released new versions of the Creative Cloud applications and I'm impressed. In Short Circuits: A plan in Congress to defend net neutrality has no chance of success, Facebook's answer to Snapchat is now live, and if you think the NSA is the only threat to your privacy, you have another think coming.
With version 6, Alien Skin makes Exposure even faster and better. Adobe has released new versions of the Creative Cloud applications and I'm impressed. In Short Circuits: A plan in Congress to defend net neutrality has no chance of success, Facebook's answer to Snapchat is now live, and if you think the NSA is the only threat to your privacy, you have another think coming.
If you need a screen-capture utility, you won't find anything better than SnagIt 12. It's enough to make you stop using a credit card: A restaurant chain is the latest company to bleed information about thousands of people. In Short Circuits: Google acquires SlickLogin, but now what? China's 11 Main opens in the US. Another Google-buys story and this one's about SkyBox. Amazon adds streaming music for Prime subscribers. And NPR airs an oustanding series on Internet privacy. There's a link on the TechByter Worldwide website.
A new version of WordPerfect offers some features that Word can't match. The ability to link smart objects is a welcome new feature in Photoshop CC. In Short Circuits: Once again a comedian explains what clueless bureaucrats miss about Net Neutrality. Have you looked at thumb drives lately? They're no longer anywhere near the size of your thumb. If you're looking an application to replace TrueCrypt, which abruptly disappeared, I have some suggestions. Apple may have run out of cat names for its operating systems, but it continues to add cool new features. And revelations about snooping by the National Security Agency seem to have spurred development of tools for securing e-mail.
Opera, the Web browser that has consistently maintained its policy of working within the World Wide Web Consortium's standards, is a browser that more people should consider. If you'd like better e-mail security, but thoughts of public keys, private keys, and encryption sound like Old Church Slavonic to your ears, take a look at ProtonMail. In Short Circuits: The hacker turned informant avoids a long prison sentence; even so, a survey of business and government officials says hackers are winning; and Intuit acquires Check in a bit for more mobile capabilities.
Corel Graphics Suite X7 reminds me of all the great features I used to love and reveals some useful new functionality. Microsoft unveiled the Surface Pro 3 in New York this week and now there's a tablet that has a chance to replace your notebook and maybe even your desktop system. In Short Circuits, The head of the FBI says that cybercrime is an enormous challenge for law enforcement. Surprisingly, he did not announce that frozen water is cold. If you have an Ebay account, change your password -- now! An experience with Carboninte's tech support shows just how good tech support can be when a company really tries to provide superior support.
Don't forget to enter the drawing for the Corel Graphics Suite X7. Details are on the website. Dealing with e-mail on a small tablet is proving to be a lot easier than I thought. Life without Firefox continues. In some ways it's better. Have you done anything to protect your smart phone from theft, or to protect the information that's on it? In Short Circuits: The FCC makes its move against net neutrality, a European court ruling could affect search engines here, and a paper I wrote in the 1970s comes back to haunt me.
If you're tired of facing the tax man with nothing more than a shoebox full of receipts, maybe Quicken can help. Despite opposition from more than 100 companies, tens of thousands of individuals, and several commissioners, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler will continue with the fast-lane proposal. In Short Circuits: Amazon promises Sunday deliveries for some via the US Postal Service. Patch Tuesday is next week and there won't be any patches for Windows XP. SanDisk is promising some huge solid-state drives, but they're likely to be priced for the one percenters.
May the Fourth be with you! About once a year, I review my backup procedures and generally change nothing. This year, there's a change. If you've thought about network attached storage, a new router might make the job easy. As bad as the latest Internet Explorer security flaw is, Windows XP makes it even worse. In Short Circuits: Wheeler says the FCC is not killing net neutrality, McAfee's applications created a problem for me, but customer service came through, and finding some guidance to take better photographs.
Adobe has a new vision for the future of photography and it involves being a lot more mobile. I'll show you an exercise that improves a not-so-good photo. In Short Circuits: The FCC plans to save net neutrality by killing it. Netflix will raise streaming prices. The Supreme Court tries to figure out Aereo. Microsoft completes the Nokia deal. And Facebook is cleared to grab Oculus VR.
Magix Video Pro X6 includes features that professionals will like at a price that amateurs can afford. My favorite weather site, Weather Underground, has been completely redesigned. In Short Circuits: Users of Facebook's mobile application will soon find a feature is gone, Mozilla has a new CEO and has lost a user, and Heartbleed -- reviewing what happened and why.
Maybe you heard about Heartbleed this week and wonder why you need to change critical passwords yet again. Security and privacy were two topics at a special South By Southwest session and we'll listen to some of the main points. The Windows 8.1 Update arrived this week and maybe it's enough to win over some of the nay-sayers. In Short Circuits: Two very short accounts are rolled into one, bad news for Intel employees in Costa Rica, and Microsoft is a step closer to acquiring Nokia.
You'll never have an excuse when you forget an appointment if you use Remember the Milk. Your Internet service provider lets you use their server to send mail, but maybe you should be using the one from G-Mail. In Short Circuits: An uncommonly convincing fraud showed up this week and I'd like to show it to you. Apple and Samsung are in court, but they're talking about Google. The New York man who said that he owned half of Facebook has been charged with fraud. Netflix Heads for Europe. The European Union jumps ahead of the United States in Net neutrality. And why you might want to consider a solid-state drive.
You don't want Windows 8, but support for XP is ending. Now might be the time to consider Linux. In Short Circuits ... Everybody wants a part of the wearables computer market, and that includes Intel. Google signs a deal with the world's biggest maker of optical frames for Google Glass. Facebook wants in on wearable virtual reality. A Turkish court orders the government to stop blocking Twitter. And I put on my Andy Rooney hat to examine support operations.
Browsers are a lot like cars, OK as they are but really not interesting until you add some accessories. Could I interest you in trying a new browser? What if I mention that it's made in China? In Short Circuits: The Khan Academy offers programs designed to help students do better on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, for free. Apple is rumored to be building a watch, but Google is about to bring one to market. FaceBook's DeepFace technology, which is still in development, is as accurate as a human in identifying people. After 7 years of court fights, Google and Viacom decide to be friends.
The media player that does everything for everyone continues to be VLC. That "sophisticated" attack on Target stores turns out to be something that might have been done by script kiddies. The Nexus 7 tablet I bought late last year has turned out to be a valuable addition to my tools. In Short Circuits: As predicted, Amazon Prime price increases 25% and Google goes after online storage business by dropping prices.
ThumbsPlus, one of my long-time favorites, stumbled with its previous release, but is back on track with version 9. Telephone companies have done little to oppose National Security Agency spying, but that seems to be changing now. In Short Circuits: Facebook has acquired a company that's planning to manufacture drones, Yahoo says that users will soon be required to have Yahoo accounts instead of using Google or Facebook credentials, and Firefox's market share is down a fraction of a percent, but that's enough to put it at a 5-year low.
How many updates are you asked to install every day? From computers and operating systems to DVD players and televisions, they're everywhere. If you're nervous about Windows 8, you'll still be able to buy a Windows 7 system for quite a while. In Short Circuits: The Facebook e-mail address that you probably didn't know you have will soon vanish and Netflix has agreed to pay Comcast's ransom, a decision that's bad for all of us.
Which of the 4 big cloud storage options is right for your files? Spring cleaning time is just around the corner and that applies to your computer, too. In Short Circuits: Nokia makes it possible to never misplace your keys again, real-time high-definition mapping is now possible on a (large) budget, and the FCC is reduced to begging for Net neutrality.
If you still need a replacement for the suddenly discontinued free version of LogMeIn, I have a suggestion. When a hard drive dies, recovery should be quick and easy. Sometimes it is. In Short Circuits: Microsoft renames SkyDrive, but the marketing department seems to have made another bad choice; the deal by Comcast to acquire TimeWarner seemes destined for approval; and malware called Careto sets its sights on high-value targets.
The Bat went through some tough times with version 5, but version 6 restores its position as a leader. You might imagine how surprised I was when I found more than 500 unexpected files on my computer. The latest trick by fraudsters seems to be fake coupons. In Short Circuits, changes are planned for broadband Internet in schools, Yahoo tries to recover from another hacker attack, and rumors of a new high-end Nexus tablet.
Snagit's latest free update raises the bar once again for screen capture programs. The cost of creating out-of-the-world desktop images is less than you might think. In Short Circuits, Google buys high and sells low, the US Justice Department says it's on the trail of the Target hackers, Facebook's profits astound just about everbody, and a malware author faces prison time, but you shouldn't feel any safer.
Many good ways exist to devise a good password, but there are lots of ways to create bad ones, too, and the crooks want you to do the latter. The Federal Communications Commission could appeal the recent Net neutrality ruling. Should it? And in Short Circuits: How to get more out of your cellular provider's data limit. Controlling a TV with your cell phone or tablet. Bank ATMs that run Windows XP (most of them) face a deadline. Goodbye to LogMeIn. And hello to a new music streaming service.
Some new features, including a bit of privacy for the latest version of Google Chrome. The New York Times hits a home run with its websiste update. The Nexus tablet listens when I talk. If you sometimes have trouble sending e-mail, maybe you need another server. In Short Circuits ... I rescind a program recommendation that I made a few weeks ago. (Oops!) And is Net neutrality dead or just wounded?
Have you ever wished you could create your own music? You can! Lifelong learning has been with us since sometime in the 1980s and it's becoming even more important. Fortunately, it's easier to accomplish now. In Short Circuits: The smallest of the 4 cellular providers, T-Mobile, seems to have AT and T quaking in its oversized boots. One well known anti-malware company has acquired another and the combination should worry thieves. Office supplies: The need for many formerly standard supplies has been all but eliminated. And when my network disappeared, restoring it turned out to be a challenge.
If Santa brought you a new camera, maybe you're looking for a way to improve your videos. Coming off a strong year for sales, tablet computers are expected to sell well again this year. So far, by biggest surprise is how useful small tablets are. The United States continues to fall further behind the rest of the world when it comes to Internet speeds, but we continue to pay far more for slower service. In Short Circuits: 2,000,000 websites went offline on New Years Eve, a German news magazine says the NSA plants bugs and malware, Netflix is testing a lower-priced streaming plan, and New York City has a clever way to let residents know where snow plows are.
A huge data breach at Target. For those who need just a little 4G, a solution. A White House panel recommends major NSA changes. And in Short Circuits: Facebook decides to be even more annoying, Delta says passengers won't be allowed to use phones during flight, a car that runs on hydrogen, and an example that shows not all Internet crooks are evil geniuses.
Some of the largest Internet companies say government surveillance has gone too far. If you're still using Windows XP, you should update before April. Microsoft wants to help you find a better password. In Short Circuits ... A new version of Firefox has lots of helpful security features. And Adobe has released updates of just about everything photographic.
Crooks from around the globe want your money. If you'd prefer to keep it, this week's program has some helpful suggestions. This is such an important topic that it's the only topic in the main section. In Short Circuits ... Jeff Bezos and the incredible Amazon drone, Microsoft's NokiaPhone is closer, and yet another music service.
I lied about not being here this week. A look at a remarkable learning resource. Which is right for you -- IMAP or POP3? IGoogle is gone and IGHome is here. In Short Circuits: The FCC considers allowing cell phones during flight. Amazon challenges Netflix. And -- really -- next week is a bye week.
My favorite text editor has released a major upgrade. With Thanksgiving approaching, it's time to be thankful for the wealth of free and donation-ware applications that are available. And in Short Circuits ... The Windows 8.1 update that should have been easy turned out to be the hardest, Facebook makes an offer SnapChat has refused, and what a difference an S makes.
There's just one report in the main section of today's program because it's such an important topic. I have an iterview with the operator of Bleeping Computer about the threat posed by the CryptoLocker Malware. And in Short Circuits ... The end of Blockbuster and Amazon offers a deal to independent book stores.
If you're tired of spam and would like to make checking your e-mail more efficient, I have a suggestion that will do both. Ghostery is a clever plug-in for all of the major browsers that makes it possible for you to know who's watching when you surf. In Short Circuits, Adobe says its recent hack attack was even worse than thought, allegations about the National Security Agency continue to surface, and following September's recommendations from an advisory committee, the FAA relaxes rules on the use of electronic devices on airplanes.
Sometimes I'm puzzled by Adobe Illustrator, but the Creative Cloud version has some features designers will like. People who have upgraded to Windows 8.1 have generally had success, but some surprising problems await, too. In Short Circuits, this is definitely the year of the tablet, Facebook allows and then drops a beheading, and a couple of well known tech writers leave their newspapers.
The latest version of Xara Designer Pro extends the program's reputation for value. Google and Facebook can both use your words and images for free, but you can opt out. In Short Circuits, Windows 8.1 finally hits general availability, Intel reports lower earnings, and Microsoft prepares to roll out new versions of its phones.
Be forewarned: This is an uncommonly surly program. Windows 8.1 will soon be available and Microsoft seems to be attempting to make everyone happy. Webroot appears to be a good choice for protecting your computer; I'm checking it out now. As seems to be typical of companies with lots of money to spare, Facebook threatens to sue a programmer who has improved Facebook. In Short Circuits: Snake oil disguised as gold and Adobe wants you to change your password now.
Phishing attacks are becoming more sophisticated. Laptops will still have to be stowed on airliners during takeoff and landing, but the FAA gives the green light to smaller devices. In Short Circuits: Beware the WhatsApp fraud, subscribing to publishers' backlist books, no more comments on the Popular Science website, and the Apple spaceship prepares to land. Oh ... and by the way ... Happy Mad Hatter Day!
What you may not know about batteries, but should. An update on DivX. In Short Circuits: The good guys win one for a change, Google buys Bump, but why? Adobe releases Lightroom 5.2 update, and examining Google's Canary in the coal mine.
Those who miss the look of film but who don't want to return to buying, shooting, and developing film will want to look at Exposure 5. Fraudsters have rediscovered an old ploy involving weddings. I've taken another look at Evernote. In Short Circuits, Apple introduces a faster Iphone and a cheaper Iphone. Google has a court date. Netflix scores a win in England. And UNFRIEND isn't exactly new.
The video player DivX played a nasty trick on me this week, so it's gone from my computer. Router technology has changed and you may be in the market for one soon. I have a tale to tell about that. How many fake messages do you get each week from people who want to be buddies on Facebook or LinkedIn? How about Skype? In Short Circuits: The FTC catches a webcam maker in a lie, a new look for the new Yahoo, Amazon combines real books and e-books, and Ballmer (neither gone nor forgotten) does what's probably his final big deal.
So many people say the PC is dying that some people are actually beginning to believe this nonsense. The people who create malware are getting smarter and some of the fraudulent messages they use have realistic appearances. You can still outsmart the crooks. Were the Ballmer years good or bad for Microsoft? The answer is YES. In Short Circuits: The New York Times website was knocked off-line again this week. This time it was an attack, not a bad update, and it's going to get worse. And Microsoft has released Windows 8.1 to manufacturing, while simultanseously snubbing Technet and MSDN subscribers.
Don't look now, but your phone or tablet may be sharing information you don't want to share. Three years ago, I wondered why anyone would want a color ebook reader; this year, I wonder if anyone can find a monochrome book reader. In Short Circuits: Facebook's founder wants to spread wireless Internet access worldwide. YouTube releases a new version of its app for Apple and Android devices. A big battery on your Iphone can double as a wimpy taser. And Netflix gains exclusive access to Weinstein films, but not until 2014.
If you're looking for the one perfect portable computing device that suits every need, my recommendation is to forget about it. The problem with trying to use a computer to find a Wi-Fi hotspot is that you need to be connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot to use an online service to find Wi-Fi hotspots. In Short Circuits: Some investors are suing Microsoft as the company readys Windows 8.1 for release in October. Cisco's profits are up, so the CEO has announced that now is a good time to fire 4000 people. And the New York Times website was offline for several hours on Wednesday and the smoking gun seems to be located at 620 Eighth Avenue in Manhattan.
Photoshop has 2 features, one new and one improved, that come to the aid of blurry pictures. For amusement, I thought I'd look through a computer manual from 1979. Yes, 34 years ago. In Short Circuits: Chrome can save your passwords, but you might not want it to. Microsoft drops the price of the Surface Pro. A newspaper for Bezos and fine art for his store. And Yahoo plans a month of many logos.
Two researchers showed this week that the various computers in a car can be taken over wirelessly. Itunes has never worked well on Windows computers (or Apple computers, for that matter) and, if you're looking for a replacement, I have some suggestions. In Short Circuits: Microsoft wanted to call the Windows 8 interface Metro, but ran into legal trouble with the name. Now the same thing has happened to SkyDrive. A class-action suit says that Apple failed to pay employees for time they spent in Apple stores. And Google boots AT and T out of Starbucks stores.
Anyone who needs to create occasional small pulblished documents should take a look at Xara Page and Layout Designer. A small company in Poland specializes in fixing Microsoft Outlook blunders. We'll take a look at one of their applications. In Short Circuits: I found something that will be popular with tablet owners, Intel is working on new CPUs that will power smaller, ultra-thin devices, former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood takes on distracted drivers, and Google aims at your TV set with Chromecast.
With the potential for minute-by-minute changes, Adobe Creative Cloud poses a challenge for reviewers. If you want to be able to receive an e-mail message from someone without giving them your e-mail address, I'll explain how. In Short Circuits, Microsoft drops prices on its most basic tablets, the Surface RT, Japan's SoftBank acquires Sprint Nextel and prices drop (more on the way), and universities are dealing with increasing numbers of electronic break-ins.
Harry Potter bought his first wand in Diagon Alley and Google Maps can take you there. A federal judge finds Apple guilty of antitrust violations. Some see social media as a business booster while others think it's just a time killer. Which is right? In Short Circuits, PC sales still decline, but not as fast. Windows 8.1 will be sent to manufacturers before September, and a Google researcher is in hot water because of a private blog post that made it possible for thieves to target Windows PCs.
The latest version of Xara Photo and Graphic Designer tries to do everything and fails at nothing. The first big search engine, AltaVista, died many years ago and now even the name is being retired. In Short Circuits: Facebook says that it will shield ads from controversial content, but is less adamant about users. Apple is a step closer to creating a watch and has now applied in Japan for a trademark of Iwatch. The tech sector moves toward using more renewable power sources.
I've changed my mind about Adobe's Creative Cloud. Although I like it, Adobe should reconsider its policies. If you want your own website, there are lots of options. In Short Circuits: Office intrigue is rumored in Redmond. better Wi-Fi in your home may require new hardware, the FTC says search engine advertisements need to be more identifiable, and shaping up as the year of the tablet, 2013 may be the end of the color e-book reader.
Windows XP continues, despite its age, to be a very popular operating system but if you're using Internet Explorer on XP, there are serious shortcomings. Microsoft will soon release a public preview of Windows 8.1. If you're thinking about downloading it, I have some cautions. In Short Circuits: Racing to release information about government data requests, digging up E.T., playing with computer relics, and now from Instagram, videos.
If you're a photographer, just wait until you see what Adobe Lightroom did this week. It's probably a safe bet that your files aren't as safe as you think they are, especially if you own a business. In Short Circuits: What's this spy doing on my phone? Google finds its Waze. Unintended consequences of hands-free devices, and radio killer Pandora buys a radio station.
Windows 8.1, due out this fall, will bring back the Start button, but without the Start menu. Which is right for you -- Google Apps, Zoho, Office 365, Office Suite, or Libre Office? In Short Circuits: Samsung might have out-sold Apple in May, hacking into an Iphone in one minute. and more videos for Amazon Prime members.
Security isn't something that only large commercial websites need. If you're looking for a powerful video editing application at a reasonable price, I have a suggestion. In short circuits: Did Adobe perform any market research before launching Creative Cloud? 2013 looks like the year of the tablet. And Facebook can't find a way to rid itself of hate speech.
If you're planning to give away or sell a computer, hard drive, thumb drive, or any kind of flash memory, here's how to delete your personal data. Ouch! WTOP and Federal News Radio were hit by malware this month. Did it affect you? In Short Circuits: Grilled Apples in Washington, PayPal to be in 2 million stores soon, and lots of changes for online music services.
How to spot obvious clues in even an astonishingly good fraudulent e-mail. A tale of two cities and what happens when a cell phone is stolen. In Short Circuits: Dance to the Google, RIM continues to survive, if nobody has coined the word yet: cybertage, and and an audio note.
A new version of Windows is in the works. Adobe's latest applications won't come in boxes. And in Short Circuits ... Sony reports a profit (yes, this is news), a spammer in the slammer, a senate bill proposes placing a spy watch on suspect nations, and Star Wars on your computer.
Why you might want to download the Lightroom 5 beta version, Ben Long's discussion of lenses could be a challenge to your budget, and in Short Circuits ... Apple and Samsung continue to battle in court; newspaper readership isn't exactly up, but it's declining more slowly because of online readership; and Apple, with $145 billion in cash, borrows money.
Some e-mail programs are versatile; others are usable. After more than a decade, I've switched from versatility to usability. Facebook continues to be a place where scams are rampant. In Short Circuits ... an alarming improvement in malware-laden spam, Twitter needs to establish a security perimeter, and another magazine heads for online only.
What's the easiest way to make your computer faster? No, the answer is no longer "Add RAM." Is Windows 8 causing a slump in PC sales? Not guilty! And in Short Circuits ... Microsoft opens its campaign against Amazon, Oracle says 42 Java security issues have been resolved, and who turned off the Google?
Thinking about buying some fake followers for your Twitter account? Think again! Before buying a tablet computer, consider the total cost of ownership. This week's patch Tuesday brought only a few critcal updates. And in Short Circuits, the IRS appears to be ready to tell tech companies that there is no such thing as a free lunch and you can't roller skate in a buffalo herd.
It isn't just e-mail and websites; fraud is heading your way from every possible location. If you have older programs that won't work on Windows 7 or 8, there might be a way. But sometimes you need to know when it's time to give up. In Short Circuits: Apple apologizes to Chinese consumers but retains the same policies in the US. Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop users will want to download some updates. TechByter Twitters. And Santa Clara leads the way in ubiquitous Wi-Fi thought the power grid.
Electronic versions of magazines cost less to produce but the subscription fee is higher. Why? Files that some large and important companies have put in the cloud turned out not to be protected. State governments are doing better when it comes to providing information about how your tax dollars are spent. In Short Circuits, software that could crash your car, an annoyed spammer nearly takes down the Internet, and good news for readers.
The irrational fear, loathing, and hate for Windows 8 continues but seems to be abating a bit. I just received an uncommonly clever fraud but it was still an obvious fraud. In Short Circuits: An interesting week in South Korea and feds investigate alleged Microsoft bribes.
Which is the better video service, YouTube or Vimeo? Be sure to check the site for a TechByter Worldwide benefit. Is it possible to place "Google" and "Privacy" in the same sentence? In Short Circuits: For Apple, a nasty case of deja vu; Electronic Arts simulates a disaster; more warnings that future wars will be fought online; and how secure is information businesses store?
Google's suggestion (not to say requirement) to use real names doesn't sit well with some individuals. I often recommend downloading software so I should also mention some problems what come with software downloads. A big OOPS for Evernote. Are you wondering where Apple's touch-screen laptops are? And In a slap at Amazon, Google is experimenting with same-day delivery.
The importance of backup, Yahoo once again goes its own way, and in Short Circuits: If you're downloading illegal content, your ISP may soon reach out. Remember when everyone was abandoning Instagram? And an article worth reading on the enduring myth of the FREE Internet.
Do you need a file sharing program? If so, I have a suggestion. How Big Data and the Cloud will affect you. An abbreviated report on how photography continues to evolve. And in Short Circuits ... An update on digital magazines. Is Google Glass: better than beer glasses? And old technology never goes away; it returns as a smart phone app.
Making a slide show may be easier than you think. Correcting an old error. In Short Circuits: Sales of Apple notebooks has dropped, possibly because of the popularity of the Ipad. Apple is facing two law suits by investors. And an executive order by the president aims to give businesses that operate critical infrastructure systems cyber-security information but Congress needs to become involved.
I've identified 10 utilities (more or less) that just about everyone needs. How well are tablets catching on? I'll take a look. In Short Circuits: Apple's Ipad was a hit for the holiday season. A Dell stockholder tries to block the leveraged buyout. An avalanche of fraudulent messages buried my computer this week. And a quick explanation of what happened to the podcast a couple of weeks ago.
Your e-mail account is in danger. ThumbsPlus shows that being all thumbs isn't so bad. In Short Circuits: Google gets involved in the battle between privacy and security. YouTube may soon see some paid content. And Apple trademarks its stores.
Newsweek's conversion to an electronic format has been smooth but for readers, not so smooth. Microsoft's OneNote 2013 turns in an orchestral performance. In Short Circuits: Borrowing an Ipad at La Guardia. Blockbuster continues to shrink. Snip.It becomes Yahoo's latest acquisition. And Google beats the street.
This week: A change from Facebook promotes finding, tablets are the answer to what question? And in Short Circuits: Yes, you definitely need that Java update! (maybe), accused of running down a donkey, Google responds, and GM plans to return to Facebook.
Improvements in Excel 2013, a part of the Microsoft Office Suite. Will your applications work with Windows 8? When things go wrong. In Short Circuits: The end of Newsweek and the beginning. Microsoft reports Windows 8 sales figures (Surprise!). Iran blamed for ongoing attacks on US banks. Google's Eric Schmidt calls for open Internet access in North Korea.
How you can have a SaaSsy new year, if you want one. A look at the upcoming version of Microsoft Word. It's a new year but TechByter looks about the same on the surface. In Short Circuits: If you think antivirus software makes you safe, you have another think coming. Google Chairman Eric Schmidt heads for North Korea. And when Amazon catches a cold, Netflix sneezes.
Raspberry Pi soundls like a good idea for 2013. So really ... what's to like about Windows 8? In Short Circuits: Big trouble for Marvell Technologies. Does Instagram employ either an attorney or a public relations professional? One highlight of 2012: George Takei.
If you're planning to buy a new computer, it may come with crapware but you can remove it. Pixels, long the stuff of which digital photos are made, may be on the way out. The FCC moves to modernize the RF spectrum. Another week, another bunch of changes from Adobe. And in Short Circuits: Why do some tech journalists think we're too stupid to use Windows 8? Redbox plans to challenge Netflix. And life on the bleeding edge can be interesting.
Everything but the Facebook photo-sync. Computers may kill jobs but they also create jobs. Some things never change (like Linux usage). And in Short Circuits: A bit of a security leak in Switzerland, something you use has just turned 20, and the man who invented the clean room has died.
Are you wondering how to get to Windows 8 from where you are? The tale of an upgrade - making Windows 8 my own. Batting Outlook out of the park. In Short Circuits: Would the latest Facebook fraud fool you? "Petraeus" has become a descriptive noun. Microsoft is excited about tablets and phones but won't talk about sales figures. And some members of the United Nations would like to censor the Internet.
Creating a well edited video isn't as hard as you may think. Some IT managers and business owners say they'll take a pass on Windows 8. I'm betting they'll be forced to change their minds. This was a fun week for frauds that arrived as spams and you'll be surprised by the ploys that some people fall for. In Short Circuits ... Windows head Steven Sinofsky is out at Microsoft. A free online course might someday generate college-level credit. And next week it's the sound of silence as Techbyter takes a short break.
Passwords are all that stand between you and thieves. Let's figure out how to create strong passwords. How to be your own domain. This is information you need when you tire of having an AOL or Gmail address. Have you turned 64 yet? No, I mean like 64-bit computing. In Short Circuits: There's not much to say about electronics during the recent election but things could be better. Disk drive prices continue to dive and so does the price of memory. A judge tosses Apple's suit against Google out onto the street.
Microsoft Office 2013 will offer lots of new features, your thumb drive could turn out to be trouble if you're not careful, a repeat of the Y2K problem is coming, and in Short Circuits: A quick look at electronic voting machines, Microsoft tries to spin windows 8 sales, and holiday buyers who use PayPal will receive price protection.
How much do you have to pay to keep your computers free of malware? The surprise story of the week: Windows 8 arrives. In Short Circuits ... Is a Surface on your shopping list yet? Where's my train? The Metropolitan Transit Authority has an app for that.
It's almost Halloween and maybe you're thinking about buying a new computer before the end of the year. If you've ever tried to figure out how to use Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop or Photoshop Elements together, I have good news. A surprising number of websites are unsafe but a Swiss agency says there's a solution. And in Short Circuits ... Are you ready for Office 2013? The digitizing of America continues and we're about a week from Windows 8.
This week, it's all about security. Well, for the most part anyway. "lol is this your new profile pic?" Have you see that message? Smart phones are now a new malware vector. If you download free software, you may may get more than you wanted. And in Short Circuits: PC sales drop in 2012 but not by much, HP falls out of first place, and who are all these people and why are they endorsing me?
The number of security threats on the Internet continues to grow and the fradsters are getting better. Newspapers are changing rapidly. New technology gives us more ways to receive news but will we pay for it? In Short Circuits, the White House security system has defeated a cyber attack. Microsoft settles a fraud case against a Chinese buisinessman, and Adobe continues to release updates at a rapid pace.
Adobe adds more high-end features to its Elements packages. It's possible to learn just about anything online and sometimes for free. It Short Circuits ... IGoogle is going away but I think I've found a good replacement. California becomes the third state to approve driverless cars (with conditions). Windows 8 will be out in less than a month and manufacturers are beginning to show their wares.
The future is approaching and you're going to have more PC choices. Political wonks can enjoy a new Congressional search engine. If you're still using Internet Explorer, I have a question for you. In Short Circuits ... Adobe's Creative Cloud is more popular than expected, LG steps away from the Window(s Phone), and blowing Google off the map.
The latest version of PC Magazine's TaskPower is an improvement that still needs some work. I'll share with you some quick and easy ways to improve your Wi-Fi network. If you like free music, you'll want to check out MusOpen. And in Short Circuits: It wasn't Anonymous but a technical problem that took down GoDaddy, Amazon back-peddles and says you can pay to remove ads from the latest Kindles, Android now powers half a billion devices, and HP's negative growth accelterates.
Some people have backups for their backups and that's a good plan if you don't want to lose important files. Adobe has just released some release candidate and update files for several applications. In Short Cicuits, Facebook stock takes an upward turn as the Instagram acquisition finalizes, Microsoft won't miss the cloud as it initially missed networking, Oracle owes Google $1 million, and Amazon is Fired up and ready to go.
The latest version of InDesign offers only a few new features but they're ones you'll want. Speeding your slow computer: This week, we use the big guns. A security problem in Oracle's Java puts just about every computer in the world at risk. In Short Circuits: Samsung beats Nokia in announcing a Windows Phone 8. The latest version of Firefox finally eliminates a big annoyance. And Monday was the day when everthing that could break did.
Last week I explained how I upgraded a Windows 7 notebook computer to Windows 8 so this week I'll explain why it didn't work out so well. Part 3 of the series on how to speed up a slow computer considers the addition of a solid-state drive and suggests checking power settings. In Short Circuits: Postini is going away (or, more accurately, being absorbed). Fifth graders in 1995 predicted how the Internet would work (including cats). If the recent Microsoft security updates caused problems for you, you're not alone. And after 25 years, Microsoft gets a new look.
Why do scammers say they're from Nigeria? Wouldn't it be better to claim you're from New Jersey? How to speed up a slow computer (part 2). In Short Circuits: New software can idenfity the source of viruses and rumors. The release version of Windows 8 is now available for TechNet members. Flash says adios to Android. If you could crack Google's Chrome browser, you could take home as much as $60,000, and a mystery computer virus has Kaspersky asking for help.
Microsft offers a webmail application that actually works. How to speed up a slow computer (part 1). IBM offers a THINK download for your tablet or Computer. And in Short Circuits: Google pays small fine to close privacy case. Does Microsoft have Surface II in the works? Curiosity: From Earth to Mars, one minute late.
Microsoft Office 2013 is only at the Consumer Preview stage but already some people say they hate it. Why? Editing video in Photoshop isn't new but the CS6 version makes it a real contender. In Short Circuits: Sony continues to limp. Facebook's valuation drops more. Crooks who run "poker" sites discover justice. And Windows 8 is released to manufacturing.
Some tips for dealing with smarter and more dangerous spear phishing. Apple's Mountain Lion beats Microsoft to the finish line. In Short Circuits, Number 2 (that would be Microsoft in this case) must try harder, Kansas City wins Google's big prize, and it was a dark and stormy night.
Microsoft Haters Score a Two-Fer; with upcoming releases of Windows and Office they can vent twice as much. After the latest disaster at Yahoo, I have to wonder why anyone still uses the e-mail produce. In Short Circuits, Yahoo has CEO #3 within a year. MSNBC becomes just NBC News and partners with Facebook for the Olympics. The European Union is once again on Microsoft's case. And Apple has been ordered to say nice things about Samsung on it's website in the UK.
Adobe Audition CS6: I Think I'm in Love! Dwolla Isn't Exactly PayPal (or Your Bank) But That's OK. In Short Circuits: Room Service. Would You Like Some Malware with Your Room? Four Months and Counting. Ubuntu Linux Seemed Like Such a Good Idea. And ... A Personal Message from "God Allah"!
Decide.com will help you decide about electronic purchases. How to create passwords you can leave in plain sight. In Short Circuits: Microsoft announces the surprisingly low Windows 8 upgrade price, hundreds of thousands may lose Internet connectivity on Monday, European legislators surprisingly reject digital piracy measure, farewell to IGoogle, and graphic for your (but not Microsoft's) amusement.
Skype can't seem to eliminate an annoying fraud. This week I'll explain how you can change your Winodws 7 logon screen. The new version of Dreamweaver doesn't look like it has changed much but there's a lot that's new if you look closely. In Short Circuits: 71 identical reminders that claim to be from LinkedIn, Photoshop Lightroom 4 heads for the cloud, and if you wonder what Microsoft can buy for $1.2 billion, I can tell you.
This long-time Corel Draw fan finally has to admit that Adobe Illustrator wins. The up-and-down relationship with an Asus Transformer tablet is up again. Microsoft introduces the Surface and it looks promising. In Short Circuits: A new phone, replacing a notebook computer, and and upgrade plan for Windows 8.
Photoshop CS6: Now Enhanced with Magic Pixie Dust. Adding Eye Candy to Your Photos. In Short Circuits, Near Photo Quality on a Notebook, When Something Happens That Shouldn't, and Happy Fathers Day, Tech Guy!
If you need more that one operating system and you're tired of using a boot manager, how about setting up a virtual machine? Xara continues to surprise me. In Short Circuits, problems for LinkedIn and the almost-ready Windows 8.
The covers are off Adobe Creative Suite CS6 and I can finally start sharing some information with you. When color is not enough, try Silver Efex Pro from Nix for black and white images. Walter Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal says now is a great time not to buy a notebook computer. In Short Circuits: Zuckerberg in, then out, of the Bloomberg rich list; Flame is state-sponsored cyber warfare; and glancing at 2013.
New computers often come loaded with crapware. If you can't deal with an honest manufacturer, you can at least remove the junk. If you don't have an exception dictionary installed for Word, I'll explain why you might want one. Legislation has been introduced to keep employers out of your social media. In Short Circuits, making a small fortune with Facebook stock, bad news for Kodak and Oracle, and Yahoo finally dumps Alibaba.
Viveza 2 is your magic wand if you're a digital photographer, Bing gets a new look, and in Short Circuits: Another CEO for Yahoo, Stick a Raspberry Pi in your shirt pocket, Facebook's IPO is a winner but it loses General Motors, and Groupon continues to lose money and Wall Street continues to like it.
A quick, easy, and inexpensive way to create a website. If you're tired of Firefox's memory munching, I have some thoughts about a new browser. In Short Circuits: Google and Oracle split a double-header, Angry Birds in Finland, finding lost stuff, and new tricks from Amazon.
Suggestions for corporate IT managers might help you avoid fake antivirus scams on your computer. If you've ever needed to extract text from a locked PDF document, I have the solution. In Short Circuits: Why Apple may fear Microsoft, Google under siege, the proliferatioin of phone numbers, and lots of short notes from all over.
The latest version of The Bat continues to be my favorite e-mail application. Considering a digital SLR camera as your do-all device for stills and video? I have answers to questions you're probably asking. Some people are calling it the Internet Doomsday but it's really not that serious. In Short Circuits: Google Drive, the Apple attack, and a look at what's coming.
Toward the future, Android tablet in hand! What are you -- an expert, a king, a butterfly, or a maestro? How do spam filters work and why should you care? In Short Circuits: Oracle takes on Google in court, using old lenses on your new digital camera and nobody seems to use "Sony" and "leading edge" in the same sentence any more.
OneNote and Evernote are both designed to keep track of important bits of information. Which is better? Film is the final frontier for digital photographers and Exposure 4 from Alien Skin makes it easy. Windows 8 is accurately but frightenly described as as radical redesign. In Short Circuits, goodbye mister bumblebee, Facebook munches on Instagram, and Apple continue to fight a trojan attack.
Malware for your Mac, Apple workers in China will get a break, layoffs at Yahoo, Yahoo lawyers are busy, Anonymous attacks some Chinese government websites, Google found to be evil in Australia, and e-books are the present.
Powerline networking is often overlooked but might be the best choice. See why. Adobe's Content-Aware Move feature in Photoshop CS6 looks like magic. I have some tips for what to do when you have one type of file but need another. And in Short Circuits, Microsoft helps the feds and Apple newest device could make you smarter.
SnagIt has held the premiere position as a screen capture utility for Windows. The new version cements that position and issues a serious challenge to Mac utilities. Snap Art 3 from Alien Skin puts painterly effects within reach of any digital photographer. If you're a Photoshop fan, just wait until you hear what's coming in 2013. In Short Circuits, the $1000 phone bill and Amazon goes robotic.
After two weeks of working with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview I summarze, the scary stuff, the hits, the bugs--and look at what happens if the Start Menu never does return. In Short Circuits: The difficult task of buying a mouse, no more Encyclopedia Britannica books, and an astonishingly stupid spam.
The new Lightroom 4 from Adobe reaches new heights in photo processing. If you'll be replacing a computer anytime soon, you may enjoy a discussion on the subject. The new Ipad provides more of everything but nothing new. And Android Market is now Google Play.
Windows 8 inches closer with release of the Consumer Preview. If you find the Windows Explorer insufficient, take a look at Nexus File. Public Computers -- a lot like public bathrooms, only worse. And in Short Circuits, limits on the unlimited plan by AT and T still vex users and some members of Anonymous have been arrested.
When Windows has a problem, it's time to call in Linux. Google is in hot water again. Soon you might be able to have a little Ubuntu on you Android device. In Short Circuits: Bad timing for Sony, cleaning your office, and scamming the scammers.
Is it an either-or question (Windows or Mac?) or should Linux be considered, too? Lynda.com adds a small feature that will have a big impact. When you have a bunch of files to rename, you need the Bulk Rename Utility. In Short Circuits, Apple says it will audit Foxconn, I recommend Walter Isaacson's book about Steve Jobs, and Adobe has an app for Android devices.
Windows 8 beta 2 will provide some answers about what's coming; unsafe websites can harm your computer; in Short Circuits, 250,000 Apple owners tell Apple to clean up its act, Angry Birds for Windows, multiple monitors as seen by the New York Times, Kodak exits the camera business, and TechByter has a new sound.
The frustration of being where a file you need isn't is not a hard problem to solve. Let's consider the options. Do you need a new media player -- one from Korea? In Short Circuits, dissing Twitter, Google explains privacy (again), and Hitachi announced a large new drive.
If you already own a tablet or you're thinking about buying one, here are some apps to consider. Was the Meagaupload takedown a Internet police riot? Google's new policies raise concerns. In Short Circuits: Woz likes Android devices and a big OOPS for Symantec.
Summarizing the battle over SOPA and PIPA--and why being against these bad bills does not mean being in favor of piracy. Secunia PSI help keeps your computer up to date. In Short Circuits: Kodak in bankruptcy, Yang exits Yahoo, Netflix in court, and trouble for shoe website.
Adobe Lightroom 4 is out in public beta and you might want to give it a try. I can offer some suggestions for free software that does a good job. Windows 8 development continues and it's time for another look at what's happening. In Short Circuits: A PayPal fraud that sailed into my in-box, Warner Borthers says you'll have to wait, and this week's CES is the last one with Microsoft.
The NSA has recommendations to keep your computer safe. I have an Android tablet an Eweek says I'm stupid. Do we need journalists? In Short Circuits, PARC is profitable, Verizon relents, and Netflix rallys.
Instead of a vacation day, I offer a look at the new site design. Is IE6 dead at long last? Video editing is easier than ever. In Short Circuits, SOPA in GoDaddy's Mouth, Fahrvergnügen for Volkswagen's Eurpoean Employees, The End of Point-and-Shoot Cameras, and Correcting a Beatle.
Is Carrier IQ evil? Maybe the fault lies elsewhere. Just in time for the latest spending orgy, Apple opens its Grand Central store. If you're having a software problem, solving it involves selling no whine before its time. A flawed survey backs the NTSB's proposed texting ban. In Short Circuits: XXX, tablets, Help and the Blues Brothers, and Habitat for Humanity.
High dynamic range photography is now within your reach. Windows 8 has suprisingly modest hardware requirements. Wired features Jeff Bezos. In Short Circuits: Tablets, crooks, and batteries.
The terms "video editing", "easy", and "inexpensive" are no longer mutually exclusive. Facebook agrees with the FTC that it has been unfair and deceptive. In Short Circuits, old technology is easy, TechByter gets its own IP address, Google Maps go inside, and a preview of TechByter for 2012.
If you want to learn how to use your digital camera to make better pictures, I have some pointers. This year is the 30th birthday of the IBM-compatible personal computer. In Short Circuits, changes are coming for G-Mail, disk prices are rising, T-Mobile is engaged tol Google, and AIM gets a facelift.
The PreyProject could help you recover a computer that's been stolen. RSA's SecurID (and other similar offerings) make it possible to log on securely with one-time passwords. Windows 8 is still not in beta but let's look ahead to what might be released a year from now. In Short Circuits, Adobe's "interesting" week and the Senate says Net Neutrality rules (or "rulez").
Wouldn't it be great if you could help family members and friends with computer problems without driving across town? You can! Itunes has been gone for a while and I've found a better way to manage music. Passwords are a pain in the neck (and some people have an even lower opinion of them) but there's a way to reduce the pain. In Short Circuits, G-mail's new look, G-mail's failed Apple app, a better Internet Explorer continues to fade, and memories of radio gear.
Adobe's Photoshop Elements again raises the bar for basic photo editing. Guest Rich Adin takes a look at the state of e-books. In Short Circuits, Apple's Grand Central store, Amazon's Wall Streat beating, and Facebook is sued. Again.
Last week's small e-mail emergency has probably moved the newsletter to MailChimp permanently. Let's look at a spam that could damage your computer. If you have a website, you should consider SSH access and that means you'll want to know about ZOC. (Translation provided on the podcast!) In Short Circuits, computers replace books in schools, a flood in Thailand creates problems for computer manufacturers, and Yahoo reports plenty of ice for passengers on the Titanic.
TrueCrypt is an easy way to protect files that you want to remain secure but the documentation can be intimidating. I've set out to fix that. I'll review some additional options for backup and reasons you should consider them. It's time for the monthly update on Windows 8. And in Short Cirtuits, how to retain an Kindle library book for an extra day or two and how Netflix may have set you up.
A message from a fraudster had something new--a website--but it still smelled of fraud. We remember Steve Jobs, who died this week. Why you'll want to download Adobe's Lightroom 3.5 upgrade. More complaints about computer manufacturer crapware. In Short Circuits, how Amazon will monetize library loans and HP has yet another CEO.
Electronic picture frames go to the next level by giving depth to standard images so that they have the appearance of having depth. Thumb drives are handy but they can be dangerous; I have some suggestions. The Amazone Fire is attracting a lot of attention. In Short Circuits, looking for a way to fix Firefox, the value of instant messaging, and library books on your Kindle.
GoodSync looks like a winner when it comes to keeping files current in multiple locations. We take a look at the future of publishing. Lynda.com adds techniques that make the classes more valuable. I correct some errors from the first look at Windows 8. In Short Circuits, an apology of sorts from Netflix.
My first look at the pre-beta version of Windows 8 was both frustrating and exciting and the future of Windows is both challenging and promising. I'll explain why you need two monitors. In Short Circuits, the Mozilla memory leak continues not to be fixed and Netflix stock plummets.
Big changes are coming in Windows 8 and we'll take a look at the Windows Explorer. Adobe resurrects Carousel as a way to share photos. The relationship between e-mail and spam. In Short Circuits: farewall to a pioneer, Yahoo continues to shoot itself in the feet, 4TB drives are available for your desktop, and a note about the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
Several years ago, I tried converting a bunch of LPs to digital and didn't like the result. I've tried again with a new $65 device and the results are great. What if you could save files from your notebook computer, via the Internet, to your desktop? Well, you can! In Short Circuits, half of all Americans now use social networking and a guy in Arkansas says Google owes him $500 billion.
Has Microsoft solved the problem of disk defragmentation? No, but it really doesn't matter any more. Steve Jobs has resigned as Apple's CEO. Facebook changes its privacy policies again. A listener asks about portable devices and in Short Circuits, Xara turns 30 and Google pays a BIG fine.
The big news this week is Google's planned acquisition of Motorola Mobility. Now what? Sometimes I surprise people who think I used a fancy camera to create an image when I tell them it was a point-and-shoot device. Microsoft seems to pick the wrong default all too often and I have some examples. In Short Circuits, Laptop computers for $33.33, the future of the Web, and yet another new Firefox.
For some operations, the command line is faster. Maybe a lot faster. Windows users have some interesting choices. Shady RAT is annoying but not surprising and, if you're shocked or enraged, allow me to explain why you shouldn't be. In Short Circuits, pay-per-view porn droops, I find out why my PDFs became transparent, and we consider 99.9% uptime promises.
That free hotspot you found at the airport might be hiding a thief. After a year of fighting with Itunes, my problems are gone and so it Itunes. A new version of The Bat makes the most flexible e-mail application even better. In Short Circuits, a new kernel for Linux and a (slightly) new sound for TechByter.
Improve your Web searches with a few handy plug-ins. Adobe Audition brings joy to professional audio editors. Scammers may get my PayPal address, but they're still to stupid to fool me. In Short Circuits: An old feature returns to TechByter Worldwide, Microsoft wants the Rustock developers, and Photoshop Elements at the Mac Apps Store.
Although Photoshop now provides many of the specialties Alien Skin's Image Doctor provides, you may still want the doc. If you create websites for yourself or your company, I have some suggestions about waht to avoid. Electronic books turn out to be just what I need. In Short Circuits, Netflix may have made a gigantic error and Google wants to be Facebook.
Xara continues to make difficult tasks easy. Google wants to displace Microsoft on your desktop. There's a question and answer section on this week's program. And in Short Circuits: Larger memory is smaller and Google PRs up.
Let's take a look at 2 specialized filter sets from Alien Skin, Exposure 3 and BlowUp 2. Nothing seems to come with a printed manual these days and I miss them. Why you should consider using a plain-text editor when you have to write something. In Short Circuits: The Supreme Court nixes a California law aimed at protecting children and Microsoft launches Office 365.
Click now and focus next week. A new camera promises to change everything. British police has a Lulz Sec suspect in custody. I continue looking for an Itunes replacement. In Short Circuits, some amusing websites, typing in other languages, and network neutrality comes to Europe.
Google continues to accept fraudulent and deceptive ads. Does your computer need a second monitor? I wish camera manufacturers spoke in plain English and plain math. In Short Circuits, Pandora's IPO and Lulz Sec DDOSes the CIA.
Citibank says information about 210,000 credit cards has been stolen. InDesign CS5.5 makes the future of print brighter. A reporter loses his job because of a dumb online post. Could it be that buying online is better than going to a store?
Microsoft's free Security Essentials might be enough protection for your computer. Alien Skin's Snap Art 2 turns basic photos into works of art. After all these years, Sears is still spamming. In short circuits: Reruns of Google and Sony break-ins.
Thinking about Linux? I'll suggest some things you should consider. Or if a new computer is in your future, making the right choice is easy if you consider what you want the computer to do. Why CD101 moved to 102.5 on the dial but kept the name CD101. In Short Circuits: Why IDM is an outstanding vendor, more bad ads from Google, line endings, Intel in China, and the great Apple attack.
Facebook says Google violates users' privacy and there's a certain amount of irony there. I seem to have won another million pounds; I am SO luckly. If you're counting browsers, there are 5 contenders. In Short Circuits: Media gatekeepers, Sony's PlayStation network begins to retuns, a porn star writes a book, and the big ISPs such as Comcast and AT and T just want to be your friend.
The latest from Ubuntu looks like a good choice for just about everyone. Adobe CS5.5 changes almost everything. In Short Circuits, Facebook become a news driver, Microsoft acquires Skype, and YouTube goes after Netflix.
Xara once again has a winner for website design. Alien Skin improves your camera's bokeh (even if it's a cheap camera). When I had to choose, was it a netbook or an Ipad? And in Short Circuits, Do you need a $100 HDMI cable?
Many think of social media as a time waster but it could save your business. We note the untimely passing of Karen Kenworthy. In Short Circuits, the lates from Ubuntu looks good, Google Calendar Sync finally likes 64-bit Outlook, a bit week for Adobe, and a bad week for Sony.
As usual, Alien Skin has a winner with version 6 of its Eye Candy product. I continue to battle spam and have instituted another approach. In Short Circuits, Amazon sees the light, disk manufacturers continue to merge, the US DOJ goes after online poker, and ACT gives high school juniors something (else) to go on line for.
Good passwords are hard to remember; now there's an easy way. Cerious Software is about to launch an improved version of Thumbs Plus. A worm that started life on Facebook has wiggled away. In Short Circuits, RIP Flip, downgrading US technology, and Ipads in kindergarten.
Alien Skin's Wingnut division comes up with a winner in Lo-Fi. Local TV stations must be more than a little nervous about Hulu. Would you try to crack my Wi-Fi connection? In Short Circuits, how to hide passwords in plain sight, granny is a hacker, and who has your e-mail address?
I tried living for a week without Windows and was surprisingly successful but at the end of the week, Windows returned. In Bits and Pieces you'll find other tidbits that struck my fancy this week.
If you want to be a video producer, Adobe Premiere Pro should be on your (very) short list. Microsoft shocks the IT community with a new version. TechByter Worldwide moves. In Short Circuits, Firefox 4 is a winner and Google hits the wall in federal court.
Google Docs, Zoho, or some other server-based application will someday be the norm. I'll examine the reasons. Right now you need 5 new applications and they're all free. Photoshop comes to the Iphone. In Short Circuits, the New York Times constructs a pay wall and Chrome battles a bug.
MixBook makes digital scrapbooking surprisingly easy. That's the same thing that Xara 3D Maker 7 does for 3-dimensional graphics. Windows 7 users get a service pack. And in Short Circuits, Trusting an Ugly Website, More Changes in the Disk Drive Market, and IE9 64-bit understands video.
Adobe Acrobat X is here and even if you don't need the full version, you should download the Reader. I'm surprised to find lots of things to praise in Microsoft's IE 9, but not for XP. In Short Circuits, G-mail users are annoyed, Apple fan boys are excited, and Facebook captures a misnamed whale.
Part 2 of the report about OnOne Software's Photoshop add-on that's so big I can't describe it in a single program. A utility from Microsoft's Sysinternals division helps you find and remove unnecessary start-up applications. In Short Circuits, fixing what could be an annoying problem, Google changes some rules, and questioning why some people don't care if messages they forward are true.
OnOne Software has a Photoshop add-on that's so big I can't describe it in a single program, but I'll start describing it this week. Both Firefox and Internet Explorer have new versions in the wings and we'll take a look at some of the new Firefox features. In Short Circuits, I found a YouTube video that explains the importance of social media, Apple's demands seem excessive, and I've just bought a thumb drive that's 1000 times larger than my first thumb drive at half the price.
"Resolution" isn't as hard to understand as you probably think it is and I'll explain why. If you like audio books, you should check out PodioBooks.com. IPv6 is coming; are you ready? In Short Circuits, will "nazi" become a top level domain and minicomputer father Ken Olson dies at 84.
When "good enough" is good enough, LibreOffice might work for you. Homeland Security seems to be supporting big business and ignoring its mandate. I offer some suggestions for DHS. In Short Circuits, Verizon Iphones are sold out, AOL's ad revenues shrink, and Egypt's government sites are take off line.
In the "good old days", on-location recording required a lot of heavy gear, but that's no longer the case. The latest version of Photoshop Essentials sports layers and they're powerful. If you have a website, let's consider the pros and cons of a shared IP address. In Short Circuits, missing viewfinders and why LinkedIn might be useful even if you're retired.
The $100 digital camera that was predicted a decade ago has arrived but it somewhat exceeds expectations. I'd like to show you around a delightful site that contains audio and video that will bring back memories. Spokeo has a lot of information about you and some of it is probably correct. In Short Circuits, the end of the check and a series of short notes.
Warnings that I thought had gone away seem to be coming back. If you want to share videos online, it's easy. Digital photography's advances in the past 11 years are phenomenal. In Short Circuits, competition for AT and T and Twitter ordered to spill the beans.
It's the first program of 2011! If you have a new digital camera and some new software to go with it, I hope you're not ignoring Adobe Bridge and Camera Raw. I took a recorder to the 2007 Library of the Year and came back with an interesting interview. In Short Circuits, there's yet another attempt to steal your identity and Adobe ended an outstanding (fiscal) year.
I'm converting some old videos to DVD and if you're considering the same thing, you could be wondering if that's the best format. My Kindle continues to please (most of the time) and these little devices could save Western civilization (hyperbole alert). Even if you have broadband, it might be wise to keep a dial-up number handy. And in Short Circuits, Google is taking over a key Christmas role from NORAD (sort of) and I'll let you in on what's coming up in January.
The latest version of Ubuntu Linux raises the bar again. Should you have your own domain? (I say YES!) Consumer Reports says AT and T is the cell phone provider that users love to hate. In Short Circuits, security protection comes to Internet Explorer and Google is being investigated (again).
Introducing Windows PowerShell, a powerful utility you may have missed. Premiere Elements is less elementary than expected. In Short Circuits, Google spins an answer and high-tech exports decline slightly.
Using the same password at more than one location on the Internet is a prescription for password theft. I'll explain how to avoid it. Adobe's InDesign/InCopy workflow speeds development at many of the world's best known publications. In Short Circuits, I'll cover some options to cable television, discuss the hazards of speaking the truth on the Internet, and look at Microsoft's plans to provide the security suite for your computer.
If you occasionally need to know exactly what time it is in Phoenix or Bangalore (or anywhere else in the world) I have a website to recommend and it comes with a lot of extra features. Dreamweaver continues to improve as it gets older. The latest Harry Potter movie attracts crooks. In Short Circuits, color e-readers and the NY Times will start reporting e-book sales.
Windows Explorer is a basic part of Windows, but there's a better choice if you don't mind spending a few dollars. Ray Ozzie is making people crazy again, but he's probably right. If you don't yet have your own domain, should you? In Short Circuits, YouTube dumps some videos, Microsoft beats preditions, and Google sues the feds.
Photoshop Elements turns out to be surprisingly capable. The Internet has no shortage of weather sites, but only a few exceptional sites exist. In Short Circuits, we take a look at the 1-year anniverary for Windows 7 and the upcoming SP1 for Windows 7.
If you've given any thought to Linux, I'd like to recommend a couple of books to you. One is for those who want the basics and not much more. The other is for those who want to know everything. Would you like the Windows Explorer to open to a specific drive or directory each time you use it? I'll tell you how. PC Magazine has released a new utility that improves how traceroute works. In Short Circuits, why I love the Kindle but hate Amazon's Kindle policies, a new way to buy Mac software, and some Mac Air models that will tempt you.
Which browser is right for you? Maybe the answer is "All of them". There's talk that Microsoft might acquire Adobe. Would this be good or bad? The ansser is "Yes". In Short Circuits, a rumor that AOL wants Yahoo, Microsoft shows off a phone, and cell phone providers say self-regulation is working just find, thank you very much.
All of the "mainstream media" seem to have discovered "cyber war" about 10 years too late. There's a new version of Eudora, the classic e-mail program, but it looks a lot like Thunderebird. Now that I own a Kindle, I've started thinking (again) about the lunacy of digital rights management (DRM). In Short Circuits, AOL buys TechCrunch and Microsoft's Patch Tuesday hits another all-time high.
Adobe Lightroom will please everyone except the phony purists; I want to love the Kindle, but can't; in Short Circuits, it's clear the electronic readers are catching on and I'd like to share a parody of "The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock".
Wi-Fi hotspots are useful but dangerous. There's a way to eliminate the danger. I'll share with you some amusing sites I've recently found. Be careful when your firewall issues a warning. In Short Circuits, PARC is 40 and a British teen plans a big party.
If you're meeting someone at the airport, you want to know when they'll be arriving and the Internet can help. This week we have part 2 of the InDesign interview with Her Geekiness Ann-Marie Conception. In Short Circuits, Google makes searches faster and Symantec makes outrageous claims.
Adobe InDesign CS5 blows my mind and I call on Ann-Marie Concepcion to rescue me. Why you should replace your Internet service provider's DNS service. In Short Circuits, the FCC needs help, HP pays a fine without admitting guilt, and Google: Good or bad?
Online suites continue to improve. Have you looked at Zoho lately? Before you sell a used computer, donate it, or give it away, you should scrub the disk drive of your personal information. According to the spams this week, many well known people died. Because USB devices are so handy, they are increasingly used as vectors for malware.
If you have multiple G-mail accounts, now you can monitor all of them in a single browser session. Does your computer need a new fan? Instead of meantime between failures, manufacturers are now talking about AFRs. In Short Circuits, Intel goes for anti-virus, Google retreats in Germany, Network Solutions serves problems, and a new Nikon SLR does video.
I like text editors and prefer them to word processors for some types of writing. This week I'll show you several free text editors. I've also been rethinking my backup strategy and believe that I've come up with a better system. In Short Circuits, Neflix expands streaming video and Google is accused of turing evil.
Because my office computer took too much time to start all of the applications I need, I made it start more slowly so that I can start using it sooner! I'd like to tell you about some free software and where you can get it. Intel says it will stop doing the things the company has denied it's been doing. In Short Circuits, a Kindle spurned and AOL continues to shrink.
Alien Skin's Exposure 3 takes the digital out of digital photography and gives you the look of film. University of the People confers knowledge but no diplomas. Chrome surprises me with add-ons. In Short Circuits, the creator of a nasty botnet is in jail and I'm beginning to think seriously about the Kindle.
If the desktop on your computer is cluttered, you can solve the problem with extra monitors. But if you don't have room for more monitors, try multiple virtual desktops from Desk Space. Nearly half of all Windows 7 owners have moved to 64-bit machines. When it's time for you to upgrade, you should think about it. Electronic books now outsell hardcover books at Amazon. Newspapers are moving away from paper. Is print dead? In Short Circuits, it's the end of the road for Windows XP with service pack 2.
Xara Designer 6 offers surprising features for not a lot of money. You'll find more video options on TechByter Worldwide. Even better than a big screen is 2 screens. In Short Circuits, Broadband, Apple's Non Recall, and An End to the Old Domains.
In CS5, Adobe has improved Bridge by extending it as the MiniBridge for many of the applications. I issue a plea to Microsoft: Stop changing the update settings on my computer. The Netflix "watch instantly" feature is poised to improve. I Short Circuits, ICANN admits that sex exists, Google and China battle to a stalemate that leaves China in control, and TechByter is 200.
In addition to wishing you a happy Independence Day, I have a series of short topics that are perfect for a holiday weekend.
The CS5 version of Photoshop adds features that are little short of magic. Alien Skin makes it possible to repolicate film effects. Google Voice is now availble to everyone. In Short Circuits, Warner Brothers is accused of theft and adults are accused of stupidity.
The latest version of SnagIt is a winner and I'll explain why despite some significant flaws. Moving keys around on a keyboard can result in the arrangement you want. In Short Circuits, Net neutrality, Iphones, and Oracle in the Justice Department's cross-hairs.
Microsoft One Note continues to improve; it's now an essential part of my daily routine. Adobe empowers Lightroom 3 with high-end features. In Short Circuits, a church whose website has been hacked ignores my warning and Microsoft replaces the worst keyboard ever.
Xara Web Designer 6 is the fastest, easiest Web design tool you'll find. Two of the three PC Magazine utilities I downloaded this week were inadequate, but the third is a gem. In Short Circuits: AT and T changes its data plans; Facebook changes its privacy model; Campaigns will be in the Cloud; Kindle comes to Target; and fake cards are problably coming to you.
Word 2010 adds several security features, but working in a mixed environment could be more challenging. I'll tell you why you should throw away the software that came with your scanner and also take a look at the latest in fake messages. In Short Circuits, why you need a real e-mail address, vacationing with a co-worker, some support for your Ipad, and why Apple is making me eat my words.
Turning your computer into a dumb terminal is easy with SecureCRT; we revisit last week's Photoshop session; in Short Circuits, I'll tell you about a keyboard to avoid, Symantec's latest acquisition, and I wonder if your next disk drive will be free.
Photoshop CS5 places magic in everyone's hands. What is all this stuff on my desk? Beware the dual-boot scenario. A question about 64-bit computing. In Short Circuits, school district stupidity and a new operating system.
Microsoft ships Office 2010 next month and the new version has a lot to recommend it. If you're thinking of adding a new hard drive to your computer, read this week's question. An Ubuntu "disaster" turned out to be benign. In Short Circuits, Skype and Facebook.
Add-ons make Firefox use more memory, but I have 2 add-ons and an extra search engine that you might want to consider. Google says that fake antivirus warnings are a major threat. (Wow! Who knew!?) A professor in Albany is researching fake photos. In Short Circuits, HP buys Palm, Storm is back, and the fastest Internet connections are in Asia. Also, a final word on the Internet in a time of Grief.
Adobe Creative Suite 5 will soon be available and it will be a must-have upgrade. After several months of using a 64-bit computer, I'm convinced that I made the right decision. In Short Circuits, an Ipad to test and keep for free, Intel roars back, and HP is charged with bribery in Russia.
Despite efforts by the corporate media's efforts to convice you otherwise, "Net Neutrality" isn't a political issue; it's about ethics and honesty. Will FixWin fix Windows? Maybe. Although Adobe CS5 is in the vestibule, Adobe is still issuing updates for CS4.
The final part of a 3-part series on keeping your computer safe considers how you can remove malware. If you're on Facebook, you might want to check the configuration page because you may be sharing information with more people than you intended. In Short Circuits, Apple's Ipad is finally on sale, a computer pioneer has died, and TechByter:TODAY launches.
The second part of a 3-part series on keeping your computer safe discusses keeping software up to date. Firefox's latest version increases both security and style. It's been 25 years since the first dot-com address. And in Short Circuits, Microsoft turns 35 and spam is 97% of the Internet's e-mail load.
We're starting a 3-part series on keeping your computer safe and this week's discussion is all about avoidance. A better DNS is available and it's free. The other "God" modes in Windows 7. In short circuits, my multi-million-dollar computer and why Blue Host keeps my trust and my business.
We take a second look at Eye Candy 6 this week to see what it can do with photographic images and then solve one compatibility issue between Excel 2007 and earlier versions. Next there's a fraudster's spam that you'll think I made up. In Short Circuits, Google versus China and another try for the XXX top level domain.
The latest version of Eye Candy from Alien Skin Software is yet another winner from an amazing company. The Internet has become the #2 news source behind television. The new version of Ultra Edit is ultra amazing. And I'll show you one of the most convincing fraudulent spams that I've ever seen.
How complex should your backup strategy be? Tune Up helps organize Itunes. Why you should carefully avoid clicking some links. And two tales of spammers: Nigerians on the move and a truly idiotic spammer.
The move to the 64-bit version of Windows was not without challenges, but nearly everything went well. Better than expected, in fact. Google's Buzz has incensed more than a few privacy experts. In Short Circuits, a scary security story and a love letter to Apple's support team.
LogMeIn lets you work with documents wherever they are and wherever you are. I'm preparing to move to 64-bit computing. Xmarks helps synchronize bookmarks across computers. In Short Circuits, faster Internet speeds will be needed and one of the world's big game makers is in trouble.
Lynda.com provides a good way to learn about lots of topics. Scammers and spammers continue to spew their trash. Is PC Magazine's $20 utility package worth it? In Short Circuits, Amazon counters the Ipad and Yahoo sheds its jobs unit.
Yes, it's Norton Internet Security and that was a big surprise to me after all these years. I'll tell you about a handy appliction that cleanly removes other applications. Ipad? That's the best name they could come up with? And it's an overgrown Ipod. In Short Circuits, unwanted Firefox extensions and Microsoft's earnings soar.
The search for an antivirus program has been full of false leads, dead-end alleys, and unkept promises. I keep wondering if this is the year of Linux. Should Opera be your default browser? In Short Circuits, Microsoft is patching more Internet Explorer faults and a new malware threat is serious.
The ebb and flow of spam. I keep trying to find a good antivirus program and I keep coming up empty. In Short Circuits, this week I was disconnected, Google thinks about abandoning China, and we head toward 64-bit processors.
Backup is easier and less expensive than ever, but still every bit as necessary. The basics of reloading Windows. In Short Circuits, the Windows 7 "God Mode" and rebooting a phone. Also, a special report on what makes the Web tick.
This is the first program of 2010, so we'll go behind the scenes and take a look at the changes. Online music continues to mature and the choices are better than ever. A little-known program from Microsoft could make your life a lot easier, but at a price. In Short Circuits, Apple and Nokia continue battling in court and the retrospective that wasn't.
Adobe Photoshop has some features that allow users to improve photos with exposure problems. I'll tell you about the creative use of layers, masking, and blend modes. Nine months after installing Windows 7, I still consider it the best version of Windows ever. An update to Adobe Shockwave installed a "craplet" from Symantec on my computer and I'm more that a little angry about it. In Short Circuits: The FTC files new charges against Intel and Google will start selling a phone (or not, depending on who's talking.)
Apple has released a new version of Safari. If you have a Mac, you'll want it. If you have a PC, you won't. After figuring out what was vexing Ubuntu Karmic Koala, I'm again happy with it. For the first time in at least a decade, WinZip is no longer on my computer. In Short Circuits, a poorly done fraudulent spam and Apple takes Nokia to court.
Although you've probably never heard of Microsoft One Note, it's an application that can be used to organize all kinds of information you may think can't be organized. We'll look at some Web design tools that can be used by people who don't want to design Web pages. I've found a tool for Icon collectors. And in Short Circuits: "Oops" from antivirus maker Avast and guess whose notebook computers are the most reliable.
Did you know that you can change the Icon Windows uses with its applications? It's easy. Beware search results for popular topics; sometimes they lead to places you don't want to go. I've noticed a new trend in Trojan-horse e-mails. In Short Circuits, I'll tell you about a website that will help with high-tech shopping and the latest news from a shrinking AOL.
When AVG seemed intent on taking over my computer, my only option was to remove it. Carbonite has added even more features to make online backup better. I'm finding that more than a few recording artists share my opinion of the Recording Industry Association of America; Janis Ian is one of them. In Short Circuits, Intel pays off AMD and beware phone spam that tries to foist a fraud upon you.
How to create an image that looks like it came from a $9000 lens with a $300 lens and a $200 applicatiion. Questions and (possibly accurate) answers. Ubutu 9.10 Karmic Koala should be called Komatose Koala. In Short Circuits, information sharing from Google and new services from PayPal.
I'll explain how you can dig into public records to find out where a website is located. I staged a little drag race between Windows 7 and Ubuntu Linux. A new keyboard perplexes my fingers. In Short Circuits, the latest version of Ubuntu is on my computer and Sanford Wallace may finally see the inside of a prison.
Windows 7 is on store shelves and starting to wipe away the Vista disaster. Adobe has released a beta version of Lightroom 3 and I really like what I see. The latest frauds center around Windows "updates". A new version of the Ubuntu Linux operating system will be out this week and the FCC wants your opinion on "net neutrality".
Snap Art 2 adds painterly effects to your digital photos with ease. We'll take a quick look at how the website will change in 2010. Microsoft has the largest patch Tuesday ever. And it's Cybersecurity Month.
Using Photomatix to turn a disappointing landscape image into what you saw. We'll take a first look at Google Voice and listen to what Walt Mossberg has to say about Windows 7. In Nerdly News, Apple leaves the US Chamber of Commerce and we'll consider some must-have applications for Windows 7.
If you're thinking about upgrading a Windows machine to Windows 7, you'll want to read this. I've found that the Internet makes buying a car a lot easier, but also a lot harder. In Short Circuits, the significance of insignificance, Google Wave, and Microsoft Office on the Web.
Spam, particularly the messages written by fraudsters who are out to steal your money, keep changing byt the underlying precepts vary little. After using Windows 7 for several weeks, I continue to be impressed by what Microsoft got right. In Short Circuits, it's design time here at TechByter, I'm taking a look at Google Voice, and USB 3.0 is coming soon.
Digital photography hasn't completely eliminated film, but it's close and the advantages are more pronounced every day. We'll take a look at an outstanding set of plug-in filters that let you manipulate your images. In Short Circuits, advances for Google Docs and acquisitions for Adobe and Intuit.
As a follow-up to the disaster that was Vista, Microsoft Windows 7 gets just about everything right, except maybe for the number of versions and the pricing. In Short Circuits, why I can't use Apple's new Snow Leopard and I discover my true worth: $32.
Xara does it again with Xara Xtreme and Xara Xtreme Pro by bringing content-aware scaling to value-priced software. Loose your password? I have a solution. In Short Circuits, some people now have access to Windows 7 release-to-manufacturing code and the European Union considers blocking the Oracle deal to buy Sun Microsystems.
Windows 7 will be avaialable in less than 2 months. Microsoft still has pricing and packaging wrong, but the operating system will be worth the upgrade, particularly if you're running Vista. We'll take a look at the free VLC media player, which is hard to beat for viewing video. I'll explain how I've squished spam from Web forms. And in Short Circuits, reports from correspondents, stolen copies of Snow Leopard, and "free" computers for governors.
If you have a spare thumb drive, maybe you can use it in your car or at the office to play music. Apple is investigating Iphones that catch fire. I offer an example of customer support done right and podcasting year 4 begins. In Short Circuits, a preview of a meeting in Newark, spam, and Gwitter.
From exposure and color balance to special effects, Tiffen's software photo filters will help you improve images. It's time to look at another stupid spam from a fraudster. How much are our brains like those of cats and dogs? In Short Circuits, a change for the Mac version of Microsoft Office and why a Canadian company filed suit against Microsoft in the Eastern Texas division of US Federal Court.
If you're looking for a new e-mail application, Thunderbird might be a good fit. Are you in the majority of computer users who don't have a good backup? Microsoft prepares Windows 7 for the marketplace and repeats some Vista errors. In Nerdly News, the Twitter attack and Google's CEO steps down from Apple's board.
My favorite Windows text editor is being developed for Linux and the Mac. A few weeks ago, the website disappeared for a couple of hours; now I can tell you why. Microsoft and Yahoo (finally) find a way to join forces. In Short Circuits, cheap memory, a spam SNARE, and a trip to Amish country.
The Bat continues to be my favorite e-mail program and a new feature makes it even better. You'd think that "Think Free" would be free, but it isn't. A preview of Chrome. (Ha!) In Short Circuits, Twitter (stolen), Apple (clamping down), and Netflix (sailing).
If you're thinking about writing a novel, you want YWriter and it's free! Opera's latest version, now available in beta, brings some new features you'll like. The well regarded Registry Mechanic drops a wrench into my Registry. In Short Circuits, Google's operating system, the price of storage, and the case of the disappearing disk drive.
Some of Firefox's best features aren't from Mozilla. Fraud by mail with a Web link. In Short Circuits, Twitter as the new UPI and the RIAA continues to fade.
If I Tweet In Your Facebook will you Twitter to my Monster? Let's take a look at social networksing. Adding a hard drive seems easier than it used to be. In Nerdly News, a fraud that claims to be from Microsoft, a real deal on Windows 7 from Microsoft, a different kind of search engine, and a review of Bozeman, Montanna's social networking expertise.
Some people love instant messaging and some hate it. If you use it, I'll tell you about some useful IM clients. If you don't use it, I'll explain why you should consider it. I have another look at Windows 7 for you. Microsoft's new search engine is off to a strong start. In Short Circuits, I install a new WiFi router and Apple updates Java.
Windows 7's features could be considered nothing but "eye candy", but that would be too bad. Digital photography is about more than pixels. Microsoft seems to be unable to learn. In Short Circuits, the Pre is mature and Bill Gates says the richest of the rich should give away their riches.
After a first look at Windows 7, I think I'm going to like it. Adobe's video applications bring a $200,000 video suite to your desktop. In Short Circuits, The feds call for a cyber tsar, AOL to be spun off, and Microsoft Bing.
Xara's magic Web Designer offers a surprising blast of power for not a lot of money. How to find free WiFi when you travel. A utility that unlocks files that you're trying to delete. In Short Circuits, my first experience with Windows 7 and a report on worldwide broadband service.
Anyone who has more than a couple of tasks that need to be repeated from time to time is a candidate for Macro Express. If you have Microsoft Office 2007, a gigantic update is coming your way. Google Earth 5 offers you more than just a single planet. In Short Circuits, a network glitch make Google appear to vanish and Intel has been told to obey the law in Europe.
What I thought would be an easy Linux upgrade wasn't, but the one that should have been harder was easy. IE8 goes critical. How to build an important system recovery utility CD. In Short Circuits, a really dumb phish and Windows 7 approaches one of my computers.
Tax time was a little more than half a month ago and if you're thinking of being more prepared next year, you'll want to hear today's program. Remember when Stacker could double your disk drive? In Short Circuits, a new service from Google and Windows 7 release candidate is available.
The Internet may be slow because the United States is so large. Last week, I said Linux could never win on the desktop; this week, I reverse that position. Two DVDs in my desktop disappeared. In Short Circuits, Sun fades, Gates is right, and the jackalope rules.
I'll be the guest speaker at the Licking County Computer Society in April and at the Columbus Computer Society in May. Patch Tuesday may have kept you busy beyond Tuesday this month. Linux still can't seem to get any traction and I think I know why. In Short Circuits, a report card for PC manufacturers and something new from YouTube.
It's hard to beat the free KeePass application if you need to create, store, and use passwords. An offer to test my PC's security turned out to be more trouble than it was worth. In Short Circuits, a look at the most photo-friendly cities, the Conficker worm awakens, telephone vandalism wreaks havoc near Silicon Valley, and Microsoft is ordered to pay a big fine.
LONG PROGRAM: Google isn't free and its cost is measured in personal information; we'll talk with author Greg Conti. How to remove 3 XP annoyances. Your computer has millions of transistors; less than 50 years ago, a radio with 7 transistors was remarkable. In Short Circuits: Conficker flops and SGI to be sold.
This week, I've stuck my nose into the spam litter box and dragged out some of the more laughable attempts by fraudsters. On a more pleasant note, let's look at libraries and how they've changed to keep up with the times. Next Wednesday a proposed Internet protocols turns 19 and it remains unimplemented. In Nerdly News, a security conference on browser cracking and another silly "end of the Internet" scare.
A standard-issue Nigerian scam e-mail arrived from South Africa by way of South America; I have an early review of the upcoming ThumbsPlus Release, how to rename your computer, and some funny stuff; and in Nerdly News, Adobe issues an important security patch, the Conficker worm prepares to strike, and Microsoft releases IE8.
Stand back, please; last week's cold is hanging on. We'll take a walk around the Microsoft Office for Mac users, consider HTML e-mail, keep an eye on a hot video (card) and, in Nerdly News, learn about new battery technology from MIT and price fixing by LCD manufacturers.
If designers aren't dancing in the streets, the CS4 versions of InDesign and InCopy should certainly cause them to. I've turned down a "Mystery Shopper" invitations. This week we have questions and answers and in Nerdly News, a warning about unexpected invitations and a new place to get books for your Iphone.
Network Magic keeps your network connected and helps you monitor it. If you're looking for a new firewall, you have quite a choice these days. I'll describe my search for a computer killer. And in Nerdly News, an Adobe Update squashes some dangerous bugs and it seems that "old folks" (those older than 35) have discovered YouTube.
Warning: This program is considerably longer than usual. We talk about security with the authors of a book on the subject. If you think there's malware on your computer, I offer some tools to help you check. In Nerdly News, Microsoft decides to open Microsoft Stores and Microsoft's Mac business unit has a beta version of Entourage ready to go.
The latest version of Adobe Illustrator not only brings the application up to date by adding long-missing features, but charges ahead with some surprising new tools. Opera has a new version, too; I like it, but probably won't use it much. When it was time to replace a notebook computer recently, I had some interesting decisions. In Nerdly News, a space crash, free Windows 7 (maybe), and Google (sub) Earth.
This week, I have some tips for improving the response of Windows XP, a look at the latest versions of The Bat and Thunderbird e-mail programs, a series of shorts in the "remnant bin" and, in Nerdly News, a summary of last week's Google problem and a new network speed analysis tool that's being tested.
Warning: This program is much longer than usual. Adobe makes two applications for recording and editing sound and one of them is so easy to learn that anyone can edit audio almost like a pro. We'll also take a look at JAlbum, a photo-sharing program. In Nerdly News, turbulence for Microsoft Flight Simulator and Internet Explorer 8 is almost ready.
Backup is important, but too few people do it. It need not be hard or expensive. Today's computers contain hundreds or thousands of documents that, in an earlier time, would have been a physical object. That's why you need backup. In Nerdly News, mostly bad news for the IT industry and LG offers a couple of plasma screens with suspicious specs.
Nero 9 is out and ready to help you organize your old video and audio files, but it might also help save pictures from your digital camera. A phishing attack that claimed to be from the US government leads to a porn portal. An incident in December illustrates how fragile the Internet is. In Nerdly News, low-capacity high-cost disk drives will be a big seller and a spam claims to be from the FBI.
The latest version of Dreamweaver hits the Web running. If you can't afford an extra screen, you can at least have an extra desktop or two. After installing a Microsoft update more than 20 times, I gave up. Where is your software from? In Nerdly News, the end of the big show and thanks for the feedback.
If you've ever accidentally overwritten or otherwise lost a file, meet your new safety net: AlwaySync. Networked computers spend a lot of time talking and CurrPorts can let you listen in. I'll give you the lowdown on the site's new look for 2009. In Nerdly News, spam volume is still down and Intel is pushing the I7 processor. NOTE: This week's audio is a bit substandard because of technical problems.
Is this the year of Linux? TechByter Worldwide is now more than 125 episodes old. TechByter takes a brief break. In Nerdly News, it's Macworld without the Mac and Smashing Pumpkins says NO to CDs.
A helpful disaster allowed me to upgrade my Vista computer to XP and Linux without losing any files. If you want a free credit report, avoid "freecreditreport.com". Amazon kills its charitable giving option. In Nerdly News, another Firefox version approaches and Yahoo receeds.
Sometimes just getting a picture is more important than getting a great picture. These are the times when you need a camera that's simply "good enough" to do the job. Once you have that "good enough" image, head off to Adobe Photoshop CS4 to see what you can do with it. In Nerdly News, Vista is 2 but nobody's celebrating and the latest version of Ubuntu Linux is earning great reviews.
Adobe Creative Suite 4 is out and I'm trying to get my mind around this gigantic product; this week, I'll take a look at Bridge. A couple of phishing e-mail arrived this week; they were dumb and dumber. In Nerdly News, the end arrives for Jerry Yang and approaches for the print edition of PC Magazine. And chip maker Transmeta has been sold.
The newly released Open Office 3 might be "good enough", particularly in trying economic times. Some memory prices have dropped by more than 99% in 7 years. I'll tell you about the 3 precincts I was responsible for in the election (website only). In Nerdly News, a Washington Post reporter helped pull the plug on a San Jose hosting service that was the source of about half of the spam sent from within the United States and Windows is 25. (Or is it?)
Every day I receive about 1600 spams, but most are stopped by my first line of defense. Some of this week's spams are, to nobody's surprise, playing on election results. If you like to know what's going on around the world, RSS Owl can help you find various points of view. In Nerdly News, the upcoming Patch Tuesday will be quiet, Yahoo now wants Microsoft to buy it, and WiFi may be coming to TV band white spaces by 2010.
The fraudsters are out in force and trying to take advantage of confusion about bank mergers. The election coming on November 4 and I'll again be working for the Board of Elections. It's going to be a long wait for Windows 7. In Nerdly News, the first newspaper to go Internet only and the importance of being patched.
Make sure your computer has been updated with an emergency patch from Microsoft. Chrome seems not to have very much chrome and that might be good. WinZip his version 12 and continues to improve. In Nerdly News, something new from NetFlix and layoffs from Yahoo.
Sometimes we miss the obvious and the most obvious large story that was missed during the recent Olympics in Beijing was that the Internet didn't melt from all the streaming video. What's in the future? While I was watching a movie last week, I started wondering why Hollwood can't get technology right. In Nerdly News, another browser threat appears and Apple releases a $1000 notebook.
If you're looking for an easy way to create a memorable and secure password, I have some suggestions for you. We'll take a look at another scare-spam that wants to put malware on your computer. I explain political comments that were out of place. In Nerdly News, new notebook computers coming from Apple and yet another misguided attempt to halt file sharing.
Adobe has a real winner with Lightroom 2, a new group spreads fear and paranoia, and in Nerdly News, phishing attempts are up and text messaging figures into a deadly train crash.
The power outage that kept me in the dark for nearly a week was little more than an inconvenience, but what about people in Texas? In Nerdly News, I have the Google phone and hacking Sarah Palin's e-mail account.
What is Microsoft's future in terms of operating systems? Good question! I have some thoughts. Carbonite picks up some new venture capital funding and plans to start advertising on radio and television. In Nerdly News, goodbye to a cracker and say hello to your new television.
Did Google make a mistake in releasing its browser for everyone to see? We continue to buy more memory for fewer dollars. The stupid spam of the week plays on curiosity. In Nerdly News, we have stories about Yahoo and Google and about SanDisk and Samsung.
Problems with AVG Antivirus almost convinced me to drop it, but I didn't. Safeguard Firefox and Thunderbird settings with MozBackup. What's the future of technology reporting? In Nerdly News, Comcast sets limits and I discover a cheap way to replace a dead cell phone.
Sony's Sound Forge is the best Windows audio editor, but do you need that much power? Fake news alerts are big among spammers these days. In Nerdly News, another nail in DRM's coffin and lines in Poland for Iphones.
A listener wondered what I do to track those redirects when I talk about spams. Well, I'll tell you. Despite some annoyances, UltraEdit is still my favorite text edit. Nerdly News has the story of the Netflix meltdown and legislation aimed at halting text messaging while driving.
I make another attempt to scam the scammers and come up empty. Your next CDs may come from Viet Nam. The long wait for Windows. In Nerdly News, AMD moves toward outsourcing and some credit card crooks are indicted.
If you want your data to be someplace, it had better be at least 2 places. A new search engine takes on Google. A spam telling me the FBI is watching brought back some memories. In Nerdly News, a look at intellectual property from a couple of vantage points.
The latest version of SnagIt is a winner, but there are some things to watch out for. I'm not sure which is worse, Skype's security or its tech support. No more dirty words from me. And, in Nerdly News, PC Magazine calls some technology great flops and Samsung has some real wow-factor screens.
Nero 8 makes CDs and DVDs easy, we'll take a look at some spam subject lines, there's a sideways glance at medical technology, and in Nerdly News, Apple sues a competitor and AOL tries to peddle itself.
Covering the waterfront: From open source software to Model T automobiles on the freeway to lions in my house. In Nerdly News, Linux on Wall Street and 1.5TB on your desktop.
Grisoft has changed its name to AVG Technologies and has released a new version of its flagship antivirus program. A scammer spammer tells me that I've won 1.5 million British pounds. In Nerdly News, Firefox sets a new "world record", Blu-ray starts to take off in Japan, and Blockbuster drops its bid for Circuit City.
Sometimes spam appears to come from companies that are generally regarded as legitimate and, sadly, often it seems that these companies really are the source of the spam. Could you live without Microsoft? If you create an easy test, you might be surprised. In Nerdly News, you may not be surprised by the fact that Palm continues to falter and the RIAA says that a judge should have ruled in its favor even though the evidence didn't suppport the case.
Do you want Windows XP SP3? Yes, you probably do and I'll tell you why. This week's stupid spam of the week offered me a credit card, but I declined. This week "I" sent a lot of spam, but not really. In Nerdly News, there's the Firefox upgrade and a new approach for scammer/spammers.
When I ran across some drawings that represent what a botnet looks like, all I could do was stop and stare at the beauty and the horror. Microsoft has resolved a problem with Excel; the problem caused some calculations to display incorrectly and served to embarrass Microsoft. I've resolved a problem that Apple caused on my Windows machine. In Nerdly News, the Mozilla folks are about to release Firefox 3 and the band AC/DC won't sell its new CD online; if you want it, you'll have to get it from Wal-Mart.
Pinacle makes it easy to watch HD television on your computer and record programs, too. In warning someone about a problem with AOL, I'm told that I disrespected the service. A couple of unrelated spams caused a bit of mirth. In Nerdly News, Acer starts to push Linux and Verizon plans to acquire Alltel.
Corel Graphics Suite X4 continues the long tradition of providing amazing value but also continues the more recent tradition of ruthlessly eliminating bugs before shipping the product. If you have a Vista computer, you'll want SP1. What has dropped in price from $95 to just a few thousandths of a cent? In Nerdly News, a glance at some antiques and another Network Solutions blunder.
The latest version of Ubuntu Linux is easy to update and surprisingly easy to add to a Windows computer, but still acceptance is low. Now is the time for publishers to give serious consideration to providing some books electronically, without a paper version. I'll take a look at some spam subject lines and in Nerdly News, Firefox 3 is at release candidate status and Microsoft tries to buy search customers.
A new version of Carbonite raises the bar for online backup while retaining both its ease of use and its surprisingly low price. Recently I installed Skype to conduct an online interview and then discovered that by default Skype is a security disaster waiting to happen. This week's stupid spammer a lot writes like speaks Yoda. In Nerdly News, we look at Blu-ray sales and at the CBS acquisition of CNet.
Some things are inevitable and it seems to me that open source software is one of them. That will leave Microsoft on the wrong side of a tipping point. If you want to move your accounts, addresses, and e-mail from Outlook Express to Microsoft Mail in Vista, it should be easy. I have an offer from a Russian company to run a denial of service attack and I'll show it to you. In Nerdly News, we look at running your car on water and at failed Microsoft attempt to buy Yahoo.
Instead of paying someone for a degree from a "prestigious non-accredited university", I decided to make my own. In less than an hour I had 3 new degrees, so I must be a genius. We get a second opinion on Vista from a computer builder's perspective. Thirty-eight years ago on May 4th, something horrid happened. In Nerdly News, Windows XP SP3 arrives, a judge kicks sand on the RIAA, and last month's spam count exceeded 7000.
Firefox 3 (beta 5) looks promising on Mac, Windows, and Linux, but there are still some bugs. After examining spam closely for a couple of days, I've decided that the subject lines can provide a bit of no-cost humor. Apple continues to try to sneak Safari onto my Windows computer and continues to fail. In Nerdly News, Samsung promises some astonishing displays and Seagate ships its billionth hard drive.
Sometimes to get the best possible software, you have to pay nothing. Recently I installed AT and T's DSL service for a friend. Despite being an exercise in frustration, the outcome was good. In Nerdly News, a couple of thousand corporate CEOs have been bitten by a poorly formed phish and Apple wants the Big Apple to stop using an apple as a logo because its use by NYC will confuse Apple's customers!
This week's opening section is about a variety of small pleasures, things that work right, and warranties. Next, we'll look inside a Word 2007 file to see what's there and why it can confuse a Mac. In Nerdly News, some new security measures from Intel and another new version of Ubuntu Linux approaches.
One of the better phishing attempts I've seen arrived this week, but I still knew in an instant that it was a fake. How easy is to to tell if someone has tampered with a digital image? As it turns out, it's quite easy. In Nerdly News, high tech firms are singing the economic blues and an executive of EMI Music says that maybe file sharing isn't so bad after all.
I've been putting off my review of Apple's Leopard operating system until the .2 patch was released. Now I'm ready. I thought I'd take a look at critical thinking as it affects the spread of urban legends. This week's stupid spam trips over itself and can't even get out of the gate. In Nerdly News, Netflix stumbles twice in one week and Motorola splits.
Do you want to create a podcast? This program, based on a presentation to the Columbus Computer Society, explains how.
UltraEdit continues to be my favorite text editor, but it's so much more than just a text editor; it's one tool I won't be without. Now that Toshiba is out of the way with its failed HD-DVD, Blu-ray chould really take off, but will it? Don't hold your breath. A spammer explains to me how I can make $225 per hour doing a job that requires no physical or mental effort. I'm suspicious. In Nerdly News, it's the 10th anniversary of the MP3 player and Google makes it possible to sync your Outlook calendar to the Google calendar.
A feeling of deja vu continue to bother me whenever I use Vista. Could Microsoft's newest operating system be a replay of Millennium Edition and why did Microsoft favor Intel over its own customers? A spam offered me a free high-def television, but I didn't bite. In Nerdly News, the MPAA says piracy is killing the motion picture industry, but box office receipts hit another record high in 2007. If you bought an HD-DVD player from Circuit City and you want to exchange it for a Blu-ray device, you might be able to.
Zoho is another challenger facing off against Microsoft in an effort to bring office applications to the Internet. A new e-mail fraud variant is offering "free" cameras, computers, and other gear for you to "test", but I have a better idea: Send me $5000 and I'll send you a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Election day is here in Ohio. In Nerdly News, two instances of situations where the inmates seem to be running the asylum.
HD radio is on the air, but will it save the medium? We examine both the medium and a receiver. The stupid spam of the week could be an effort to insert a "man in the middle" to steal your information. A look at options for a buying a computer when general specifications are available. In Nerdly News, the short life of HD-DVD and phishing doesn't affect just the big banks any more.
Why Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 might be the right choice for you; how crooked registrars make a bundle on expired domains; a first look at version 4 of The Bat. In Nerdly News: HD-DVD turns to toast and the San Jose Mercury News looks at cybercrooks.
From Canadian pharmacies to Nigerian money messages, from pay-per-click frauds to spams in Russian, $12,000 from Apple, and more. It's all about spam this week. In Nerdly News: A new version of The Bat, the state of Internet video, and Best Buy dumps analog video in favor of digital.
How to set up a backup system that you'll actually use. Predictions from 1900 and 1998. Microsoft is apparently accelerating work on Windows 7, which will replace Vista. In Nerdly News, Microsoft wants Yahoo and the RIAA wants all your money.
Beyond Compare is a handy utility designed for power users that might appeal to regular users, too. After trying for weeks to fix Itunes, I've dumped Itunes in favor of Winamp. Has Sprint's lousy customer service finally caught up with it? In Nerdly News: Blu-Ray versus HD-DVD, bidding for spectrum, and another lost data tape with names and Social Security numbers.
I still can't decide whether I love or loathe Vista; many days, it's a little of each. I do know that I'm anxiously awaiting service pack 1. When an update fails because the updater can't find the program it's supposed to be updating, I wonder what the programmers were thinking. On the day Steve Jobs addressed the faithful at Macworld, Apple rendered an application on my Windows machine unusable and nearly killed my Apple Powerbook. This week's stupid spams include one that claims to come from the IRS.
Google Earth continues to evolve and it becomes an even better waster of time or maybe a better educator. Or both. Recently I deleted more old e-mail messages than would have fit on 80 original IBM PC hard drives; we are becoming a nation of digital pack rats. In Nerdly News, there's a series of short items from the CES keynote by Bill Gates to questions about electronic voting and why phone companies are shutting off FBI wiretaps.
A new look for the website and improved technology behind the scenes. USB no longer means "Plug and Pray." An explanation of how a website can "guess" your number. Does Microsoft send prize messages from a Yahoo account? In Nerdly News, the end of the Netscape era and plans by the RIAA to make it illegal for you to use music you've purchased.
The dreaded double negative: No operating system will ever not crash. I have an updated version of operating systems as airlines. NetFlix has movies available online, but I won't be using the service. Instead of Nerdly News this week, a look at spam. And happy holidays.
If you live in an area where power outages are common, some planning will mitigate the problem. Moving e-mail from one provider to another. I have a comparison of applications available to users of Windows, OS X, and Linux. In Nerdly News, thoughts about libraries and a challenge to Microsoft from Opera.
Ubuntu Linux was easy enough to set up that even under the influence of Percocet, it went OK. Vista's new security annoys some, but I like it. The fake inheritance scammers have learned how not to type in ALL CAPS. And in Nerdly News, problems for Facebook, another spammer goes to prison, and a killer online game kills computers.
The CS3 update for Adobe Illustrator brings powerful new features. Operating systems are increasingly hard to tell apart. I'll recount a bit about my day as an election worker. In Nerdly News, Google purges tens of thousands of bad websites and the FBI puts 8 techno-crooks away.
Problems that once seemed to be Vista related turn out to be hardware defects, PayPay offers a quiz, and in Nerdly News Seagate ships infected Maxtor drives and hacked sites on MySpace send unwitting victims to China.
The latest version of Ubuntu is the easiest Linux ever to install and might be the one that attracts a wider group of users. The Storm worm is new again, but certainly not improved. Now spammers are trying some direct marketing tricks. In Nerdly News, the Iphone invades Europe and Nigerians have a new twist on an old scam.
You know they're important, but updates still get in the way. Seagate's latest "bargain" drives may not be such a bargain, after all. This is election week, so please remember to vote. In Nerdly News, I have information about a Mac attack and an operating system that's not Microsoft or Apple.
I hadn't planned to take the week "off", but that seems to be what's happening, so it's a very short program.
If a picture is worth 1000 words, it seems that we should protect the picture. And the word. I'll explain how I protected pictures from a wedding I photographed last week. I have a quick preview of Apple's Leopard, criticism of Apple by Greenpeace, a stupid spam, and (in Nerdly News) MP3 spam and Google's continued success on Wall Street.
Questions range from backup problems to missing power supplies, from plugged-in laptops to shut down problems In Nerdly News, an Internet Explorer free for all and another suit for Apple.
Process Explorer tells you what's running, how much of your system's resources each process is using, and which applications have what files open. Excel 2007 seems to have a bit of a problem with math. Similar spams arrived this week by e-mail and fax. In Nerdly News, the Department of Homeland Security pulls a boner and crows start making tools.
The Ultimate Troubleshooter has a new and improved version out; COTA's website isn't as bad at is seemed, but it still has problems; problems I initially attributed to Vista may have been hardware or drivers; this week's stupid spam is blatantly idiotic; and in Nerdly News, I have the story about Verizon trying to stifle political speech and information about Microsoft's plans to out-Google Google.
Another look at the importance of backup, why local companies often build the best computers, and how Microsoft's Sync Toy can keep your buns from being toasted. In Nerdly News, we note the passing of Times Select and IBM's new "open" policies.
Adobe Photoshop CS3 adds features that resemble magic, I cast an evil eye on the Central Ohio Transit Authority's website and question the attention span of some tech support workers. In Nerdly News, more about the Iphone and a State Department computer has been hacked.
Adobe InDesign CS3 earns 5 cats. We'll answer questions about the Storm worm and about a spammer that's disguised as a soccial networking site. The stupid spam of the week is laughable and in Nerdly News there's a story about indignant Iphone buyers.
After using Vista for 90 days I've found features to love and features to loathe. The Outlook component of Office 2007 brings some new features and drops some. The Storm botnet continues to try to take over every computer on the planet. And in place of Nerdly News three bits of Surly News this week.
A spam I received this week is particularly dangerous because of its social engineering components. If you need to extract text from a PDF, you no longer need the full version of Adobe Acrobat. I have another stupid spam of the week and in Nerdly News there's a Monster hack, an Iphone hack, and a Blockbuster buster.
Is Google trying to commit suicide slowly? I'll show you a spam that you probably wouldn't fall for, and I'll take a look at what appears to be the conclusion of nearly 4 years of trouble with Wide Open West. In Nerdly News, I have a Nokia battery recall, the 10th anniversary of Deep Blue's victory, and bad news about high-speed Internet service.
Sometimes a screen capture is the best way to illustrate something and I'll show you the best screen capture program available as well as a respectable one that's free. Apple would like you to install Safari on your Windows computer. Don't. I have another incredibly stupid spam and in Nerdly News I'll talk about the latest skirmish between Netflix and Blockbuster, music without copy protection, and the sinking of three pirates.
It's difficult to beat WinZip, but if you need a free file compression utility, you have a surprisingly wide choice. Can a magic keystroke reboot Windows? How can I hear the BBC on my computer? Is it safe to leave a computer in the car? In Nerdly news 30 years in prison for a man who ran an Internet "pharmacy", Microsoft thinks about a free office suite, and the film industry once again shoots itself in the foot.
After 21 years, IDE technology is being abandoned by disk manufacturers in favor of newer and faster SATA technology. I have an interim report on Vista (still liking the way it works) and a look at the battle between Netflix and Blockbuster. Instead of Nerdly News, this week I have stupid roadblocks, stupid spam, and stupid Mozilla mistakes.
More than half of all photographic prints now come from digital camera. More than half of the cameras in circulation have been digital cameras for quite some time and on-line serives make sharing your pictures easy. If you have a newsletter, such as the TechByter Worldwide weekly newsletter, you'll want to take a look at Your Mailing List Provider. In Nerdly News, the worm turns for the RIAA, a quick look at an out-of-control CEO on the Internet, and Google gets slapped by Wall Street tycoons.
Excel 2007 is part of Microsoft's latest office suite and if you've ever been bothered by limitations of Excel 2003, you'll be in line to buy Excel 2007. Sometimes even a pack rat like me says "Enough is enough!" But what then? Internet (music) radio will survive the weekend. In Nerdly News, we have possibly the worst phishing e-mail ever and a delay that doesn't sound like a delay.
Have a digital image that you'd like to convert to fine art? If so, you'll want to take a look at Alien Skin's Snap Art. Instant messaging continues to spread, even among old folks over 40, and I'll take a look at 2 of the better applications. Adobe's CS3 is out and this time I've described Acrobat and Bridge. In Nerdly News, the demise of AllOfMP3, Adobe puts the brakes on Vista, and the Iphone finally ships.
Fraud may arrive in your inbox as a card that claims to be from a friend or family member or as a warning against fraud. In some cases, fraud reaches out to you when you're trying to buy something. In Nerdly News, we have $250 laptops, resolution of the lawsuits between Netflix and Blockbuster, and electrical problems for the National Security Agency.
Microsoft Word 2007 is unlike any previous version of Word in many ways and most of the changes make the program more usable. As I continue working with Vista, I find features to like and others--well, not so much. A near disaster underlines the need for backup. Nerdly News considers cost and price of storage and Computerworld says OCLC is a good place to work.
My apologies for the audio quality, which is a bit substandard this week. Pandora's Box is yet another way to kill radio, I explain how to ruin a photograph. In Nerdly News, I have a quick Windows Vista update, thanks to Adobe, and why you shouldn't put your keyboard in the dishwasher.
The show is a little late today because of technical difficulties: I've installed Vista and can give you a quick look at what's new. In digital photography, more pixels doesn't equate to better quality. I have a quick report on the changing face of spam. Nerdly news looks at Apple TV, NetFlix and Amazon, and some upcoming reviews on TechByter Worldwide.
Here's a quick first look at Office 2007 and a more detailed look at Office Publisher. Then it's off to New York City for a trip to the Big Apple Apple Store (and a reminder about the advantages of staying in Harlem.) In Nerdly News, a big spammer is in the slammer and one stage really is large enough for Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.
The Bat is the most powerful e-mail application on the planet; is it the right application for you? Diagnosing network problems by long distance is a problem, and in Nerdly News, Apple has a patent aimed at reducing theft and spam is increasing, but we're less concerned about it.
If you have computer-based tasks that you have to do again and again, I have a program you'll like. Creative has a new Zen product and it's small. This is TechByter Worldwide's first anniversary. In Nerly News, I have some Lotto news and the bad news about AOL passwords.
I haven't yet installed Windows Vista, but I'm getting closer as I continue to sneak up on it. This is not a change to make lightly. I was shocked and stunned to discover that not everything on the Internet is entirely truthful when I briefly thought about renting a car for a day. Scammer-spammers have modified a trick to get you to download a rogue application, but only people who aren't paying attention will fall for this one. Nerdly News has a Worthington to Paris route that doesn't involve an airplane and an anti-spam group has filed a large lawsuit.
Diskeeper is the disk defragmenter that replaces the one Microsoft provided. I'll explain why you should have it. Then we'll take a look at some folk-remedy protections against spam; unfortunately, they don't work. In Nerdly News, Microsoft is looking to acquire Yahoo and Office 2003 users will receive a security upgrade.
A month of many security updates for Apple and none for Microsoft means something, maybe. But what? A quick Vista update. How spam is related to the life and times of P.T. Barnum. Nerdly News considers Wal-Mart and the cheap HD-DVD player rumor and $3 Windows from Microsoft.
A report about a "secure" USB drive that turned out not to be so secure led me to an encryption program that is highly secure. I take a look at good service from a computer retailer, how to eliminate some Windows messages, and consider Vista (again). In Nerdly News, the Blackberry meltdown and losses pile up at AMD.
Three years ago, I had the opportunity to meet with Adobe's InDesign development team, so I'm awaiting the new version of the CS3 suite with great anticipation. You probably won't be adding a 3D printer at home anytime soon, but I think you'll find the process interesting. An explanation (only on the website) about why two programs have been missing in the past month. In place of Nerdly News this week, I have questions about spam and about a problem USB device.
It seems that crackers aren't the primary source of data loss after all; we have met the enemy and he is us. The Internet wasn't designed with today's users in mind; what will be next and how much will it cost? In Nerdly News the first big music label gives up on DRM and ICANN gets cold feet on the xxx top-level domain.
Open Office 2.1 is out and 2.2 is approaching, so is now the time to switch? The Recording Industry Association of America continues to attack the wrong people. In Nerdly News, YouTube gets some competition and the Motion Picture Association wants more control over how you use DVDs.
When talking about open source software, Microsoft sounds a lot like IBM and DEC when they were talking about Microsoft in the early 1980s. ICANN strips a registrar. In Nerdly news, Cisco acquires WebEx and a doctor says cell phones pose no threat in hospitals.
How to make audio files smaller so that you can e-mail them. Another stay in Harlem and some reflections on racial issues. In Nerdly News, GoodbyeSpam versus SpamArrest and Europe threatens Microsoft with fines.
Questions about listening to the program without Itunes, questions about WiFi; Joe gets a new computer; how Jet Blue's problems affected me; and Nerdly News reviews the XM-Sirius proposed merger and an agreement between Apple and Cisco.
I'm not yet upgrading to Vista and I have 4 reasons why you should consider the same inaction. My G3 Ipod can now run for 5 hours on a battery charge. Let's look at how you can shrink photos you e-mail and why you should. Nerdly News considers memory prices and Vista sales.
Not much more than $100 will put a decent digital snapshot camera in your pocket as digital continues to change the way we use photography. Companies such as Eastman Kodak and Fuji are still trying to deal with the change brought about by digital. In Nerdly News, Apple looks forward and the RIAA continues its rear-guard efforts, but on the phone front, Samsung may beat Apple to market with an advanced phone.
Would you read commercial messages if someone paid you to do it? Recent version of Corel's Graphics Suite have been more reliable and I talked with a product manager about that change. In Nerdly News, Michael Quinion says Googlebombing no longer works and a Google failure this week goes unexplained.
Fraudsters keep trying to give me money and I keep refusing it. An open source publishing program may have promise, but not in the short term. One store I deal with used a clever Christmas-day promotion. If you travel to New York, take a look at Jet Blue. In Nerdly News, Intel is about to break Moore's Law and Microsoft again seems puzzled by ethics.
I may grumble occasionally about problems with my high-speed Internet service, but at least it's there (most of the time). So are the libraries. If you're thinking of buying a second monitor or a large monitor, be sure you see it in operation. In Nerdly News, the Cisco-Apple Iphone fiasco and copy protection on DVDs.
After using Zone Alarm for years, I've replaced it with a free firewall from Comodo. The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (a federal agency) says voting machines cannot be trusted. A look at the Ipod lifeline. In Nerdly News, the Iphone and new trends in spam.
The TechByter Worldwide website has a new look. Big record labels are dead. The Internet solves annoyances. In Nerdly News, some guidelines for keeping portable hard drives healthy and why IT security folks are nervous.
Smaller and smaller memory devices have more and more storage. Because we're storing more and more data that's important to us, finding a way to back it up securely is essential and Carbonite might be the way to do it. In Nerdly News, we note the passing of Al Shugart and a shortcoming in the latest Microsoft security patches.
When you need to know what's running on your Windows computer, the Task Manager helps. Two utility applications (one free and one not free) provide more information and a lot of control. Microsoft, Mozilla, and Netscape all have new browser versions and you may need them all. In Nerdly News, HP settles its civil case with California's attorney general and I'll show you the "new standard keyboard" that is new but not exactly standard.
Even if you don't know what a DNS is, you can probably make your browser faster and safer with OpenDNS, a free service. When I received a message from a "crook", I thought I was seeing a little truth in spamming. An interesting twist on the well-known 419 scam pretends to give away a car and -- oh, by the way -- nearly $1 million. In Nerdly News, he Copyright Office of the Library of Congress has reviewed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (as required) but there's no reason for joy. Also, Google is thinking about "free" telephone service.
Workplace surveillance: Do too little and you're in trouble; do too much and you're in trouble. Today's program examines this troubling topic. If you want to puzzle one of your techie friends, install the Blue Screen of Death screensaver on your computer and then ask your friend what the problem is. In Nerdly News, we look at the continuing increase in spam and at Wikipedia in China.
At last there's a free firewall that's at least as good as some that you have to pay for. I've been looking at SpamArrest, a challenge/response system, that has a few rough edges by can turn off the spamgate. My website host had an e-mail probleme this week and it made me appreciate them even more. In Nerdly News, Vista has been released to manufacturing and Wide Open West's nameserver was down again this week.
FreeFind is a website indexing service. Despite the fact that it's free, it's easy to use and efficient. Maxell says it's time to back up your computer. If you do, they'd like you to use their media -- but the important thing is to DO the backup. Sweetness and light from Microsoft. It might be the Summer of Love, except the Sixties are long gone and winter is on the way. In Nerdly News, E-mail turns out to be IM for old people and the FCC smacks down the airport authority in Boston.
Sometimes solutions are worse than the problems they try to solve; SpamCop and its ilk are among these. Microsoft is preparing a new, expensive update to Office. Is now the time to look at the free Open Office? Nerdly News looks at browser downloads, flaming batteries, and auto sales.
Firefox 2 will soon be ready for download and is currently available as release candidate 3. Google made a mistake in GMail that would probably have earned a failing grade in a freshman programming class. In Nerdly News, pump-and-dump stock schemes and Internet Explorer 7 is now available (if you have the right operating system).
Phishing continues to be a problem and ZillaBar promises a solution. Unfortunately, it doesn't deliver. Sometimes protective applications get in their own way, but we still need them. Anti-spam measures can be effective against phishing. In Nerdly News, a look at a double 13 Friday and a new flaw in Microsoft Office.
If you own an Adobe product, you've probably heard from Element K Journals (now known as ELI Journals). The company is now using a company that has a bad reputation with the Better Business Bureau to solicit subscriptions. Beware! I had another run-in with Wide Open West's tech support, but I've also had another delightful experience with TCR's tech support. In nerdly news, flaming batteries and HP's flameout.
Another "zero-day" exploit can allow someone to take over your computer if you visit a bad website -- and this is something that can happen by accident. The Mars Rovers have survived on Mars for 1000 days. Scientists would have been happy with 100 days. Thumbs Plus illustrates how even simple utility applications grow to be large applications. In Nerdly News, a look at Microsoft's Zune and a scowl at HP.
The latest version of Itunes has an even better user interface and a few features that still need some work. Internet Explorer 7's new interface will confuse some people. Beware highly trained dogs in business. Nerdly News notes the loss of thousands of government computers and follows the ongoing HP soap opera.
Television over the Internet is still primitive, lacking in content and quality, and hard to find -- but that will be changing. HP is in a mess and investigations and both state and federal investigations are underway. Firefox updated itself -- in 1969? Nerdly News notes the 50th birday of the hard drive.
Save time and effort with TypeIt4Me on your Mac. Installing a wireless network is easier than ever and more people have secure networks. In Nerdly News, a new way to catch spam and Amazon offers pay TV on your computer.
Podcasting's advantages over broadcasting. What you need to create your own podcast. An interview with security expert Tom Olzak on how to keep your college student's computer safe. In Nerdly News, more on the battery recall and a look at upcoming versions of Apple's and Microsoft's operating systems.
Apple has joined the big recall of Sony batteries, but finding the information on Apple's website isn't easy. Microsoft has finally released a security patch to fix a security patch. Internet Explorer 7 is closer to being released.
The Logitech Bluetooth headphones I said were so great turned out not to be such a good deal when the broke in half after 3 weeks. A new thumb drive comes with some unwelcome software. In Nerdly News, Apple talks about the 60-hour work week and Dell gets its battery recall rolling.
Microsoft, the Department of Homeland Security, and others are warning about a new worm. AOL has released not-so-anonymous information about half a million subscribers, and the Wayback Machine takes us to a 1997 view of the Y2K problem.
The Internet Wayback Machine stores old Web content nearly all the way back to the beginning of the Web. Technology Corner showed up on the Web in 1994 or 1995 and the first entries in the Wayback machine are from 1996. Sometimes I was right.
Xandros, a Linux variant, is challenging Microsoft in the marketplace with an attempt to grab some of the 50 million people who are still using Windows 95, 98, and Me. Eweek magazine this week looked back at 25 years of personal computing. Nerdly News considers annoyances in the latest patch for Firefox and looks into the spambox.
Phantom Fiber is a company that develops applications that content providers use to make information available on mobile devices. We talk with the CEO, Jeff Halloran.
Corel Graphics Suite X3 looks like a winner, even though some long-standing bugs still haven't been resolved. Is any amount of disk space too much? The people who want to steal your financial information are trying a new trick.
A new beta version of the Windows Media Player is available. This version has an attractive look and a nice feel, but Itunes is still my primary music player. We'll also look at some oddities in technology news and a fake postcard that's a Trojan Horse. In Nerdly News, we see the end of support for Windows 9x.
This week's program is short because I'm taking some time off for the Independence Day weekend, but I wanted to pay tribute to Knight-Ridder and the San Jose Mercury News. Also this week I replaced the battery in my aging Ipod.
I've been using a high-priced FTP application for several years, but the best FTP program today is free. Updating a Microsoft application failed because Microsoft couldn't vouch for its own software. Higher speeds mean hotter laptop computers, but Apple's latest crop is hotter than ever. (Listen for the cat at 9 minutes 18 seconds.)
Nero's latest version has enough new features and improvements to get anyone's attention. It certainly got mine. We'll take a look at some of the reasons I like Itunes and at the world's largest Ipod.
Ever find yourself at a premium-content portal after starting a Google search? Now you can get the information for free! After grumbling about poor customer service recently, I had the opportunity to see customer service done well.
One of the main reasons I like the Firefox browser is all the plug-ins (extension) that are available. I'll take a look at a few of the nearly 1600 that are available. And then I'll cast a surly eye (can eyes be surly?) toward customer service. And, of course, there's Nerdly News.
Juice is a free open-source podcast receiver, so it's free and it works on both PCs and Macs.
If you receive a greeting card from "a family member" there's a good chance that it's not a greeting card and that it's not from a family member.