Friday Random Stuff…

AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.7.1
Download | Release Notes

The Specter Of Spectre
New Spectre-like attack uses speculative execution to overflow buffers
&
New Spectre 1.1 and Spectre 1.2 CPU Flaws Disclosed
It just keeps getting worse and worse.

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

Microsoft might move jobs abroad because of U.S. immigration rules
Liars. They just want to keep their cheap(er) foreign labor instead of paying U.S. workers what the job is worth. Businesses have been doing that forever. Coal and steel mines did it. The railroads did it. When they can’t bring enough workers in they ship the work overseas like the auto industry, electronics, tech support…

Samsung phones are most bork-prone as a quarter suffer ‘performance issues’
“‘State of Mobile Device Repair & Security’ report reveals that Samsung’s phones had the highest failure rate among the manufacturers it tracks…Overall, a staggering 27 per cent of Samsung smartphones showing performance issues during Q1”

The World Is Better Than Ever And Continues To Improve. Why Do People Consistently Believe Otherwise?
“Worldwide poverty has dropped dramatically, we are in the Long Peace when it comes to war, the old cycles of famine boom and bust have leveled off, science has made it possible for everyone to live better for longer and spend less on basic necessities. The world continues to improve. Why, then, do polls consistently show that people believe otherwise? The answer may lie in a phenomenon called “prevalence induced concept change.”
Some people aren’t happy unless they are whining about something. There are those who always want to play the poor little underdog. Others just want everyone else to be miserable.

Starbucks Bans Plastic Straws, Winds Up Using More Plastic
“Yet missing from this fanfare was the inconvenient fact that by ditching plastic straws, Starbucks will actually be increasing its plastic use. As it turns out, the new nitro lids that Starbucks is leaning on to replace straws are made up of more plastic than the company’s current lid/straw combination.”

I say bring back Bring back Froot Loops Cereal Straws! It could add a great twist to a Margarita.

This Revolutionary Chainless Concept Could be the World’s Most Efficient Bike
“The design halves the amount of friction generated by the market-leading chain and derailleur setup by eliminating eight different points of contact. The pinion-style system also utilizes 21 low-friction CeramicSpeed bearings that transfer torque seamlessly from the front ring through the drivetrain and onto the 13-speed cog.”

‘Star Wars’: Billy Dee Williams Reprising Role as Lando Calrissian

Tom Petty ‘An American Treasure’ Boxed Set Track List Revealed, New Song Drops
Info: Tom Petty, AN AMERICAN TREASURE. Released: September 28, 2018
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Keep A Little Soul (Official Music Video)