Eric (a.k.a. TweakHound)

Chrome Updated
“The Stable channel has been updated to 87.0.4280.141 for Windows, Mac and Linux…This update includes 16 security fixes.”
Download | Release Info | Android

Firefox 84.0.2
“Security fix”
Download | Release Notes

January Microsoft Office Security Updates
Release info
How to Install Office Updates

Intel Graphics – Windows 10 DCH Drivers
Version: 27.20.100.9126 Date: 1/4/2021
“Patch driver”
Download | Release Notes

Windows 10’s taskbar is getting a big update with new weather and news widget
We’ve got that crap on our phone. It’s unneeded, annoying, and obtrusive. Why the hell does MS keep trying to put garbage on my computer?
Microsoft planning ‘sweeping visual rejuvenation of Windows’

BleachBit 4.2
Download (I use Portable) | Release Notes

FinalCrypt 6.6.0
Download | Changelog

Notepad++ 7.9.2
Download & Info

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

As Understanding of Russian Hacking Grows, So Does Alarm
“it now appears Russia exploited multiple layers of the supply chain to gain access to as many as 250 networks…The hackers managed their intrusion from servers inside the United States…“Early warning” sensors placed by Cyber Command and the National Security Agency deep inside foreign networks to detect brewing attacks clearly failed…SolarWinds, the company that the hackers used as a conduit for their attacks, had a history of lackluster security for its products, making it an easy target…Some of the compromised SolarWinds software was engineered in Eastern Europe, and American investigators are now examining whether the incursion originated there, where Russian intelligence operatives are deeply rooted.”

Drug reverses age-related cognitive decline in a matter of days by erasing ‘blockages
“The drug, ISRIB, has already proven effective at restoring brain functions of patients dealing with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Down Syndrome…“ISRIB’s extremely rapid effects show for the first time that a significant component of age-related cognitive losses may be caused by a kind of reversible physiological ‘blockage’ rather than more permanent degradation,”

Random Favorite Songs Video
The band Black ‘N Blue was formed in 1981 by Jamie St. James and Tommy Thayer (yes, the dude from KISS). This was at the beginning of the Hair Metal era.
If you are interested in the beginning of that era, there are a few shows on Amazon Prime you can check out:
Inside Metal: Pioneers Of L.A. Hard Rock And Metal
Inside Metal: The LA Metal Scene Explodes 2
The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years
My favorite song from Black ‘N Blue is Chains Around Heaven from their self titled album:

Goodbye 2020
I’ve never understood the preoccupation with the rollover of the calendar. I mean, I get the “any excuse to party” thing but beyond that I’m at a loss.
Anyhow, I do hope the next 365 days are better for all of us.

Updated – Bad Tweaks
My Bad Tweaks article is somewhere around 15 years old. Links to sources have disappeared. I updated the links today, mostly to the Internet Wayback Machine archive. I’ve also backed up these sources to PDF and have linked to those where appropriate.

Updated – UAC – Quick notes on why I disable it
As of today my original article is over eleven years old. Links to sources have disappeared. I updated the links today, mostly to the Internet Wayback Machine archive. I’ve also backed up these sources to PDF and have linked to those where appropriate.
UAC – Quick notes on why I disable it

WinAmp Community Update Project (WACUP)
Updated to build #6840. This is the second release in 8 days.
I’m a beta tester for WACUP. I’ll have a related article in the next week or so.
Download & Info

PowerToys v0.29.3
bugfixes
Download & Info

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

Windows 7: A year after the end-of-support deadline, millions choose not to upgrade
“Microsoft officially ended support for its one-time flagship operating system, Windows 7, at the start of 2020. As the year draws to a close, I ran the numbers to see how many PCs are still running this unsupported OS. Spoiler: It’s a big number,”
Go Ed Go!

“Psychological Flexibility” May Be Key To Good Relationships Between Couples And Within Families
“What makes for a happy family? The answer — whether you’re talking about a couple or a family with kids — is psychological “flexibility”, according to a new paper in the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science. Based on a meta-analysis of 174 separate studies, Jennifer S. Daks and Ronald Rogge at the University of Rochester conclude that flexibility helps — and inflexibility hinders — our most important relationships.”
The paper cited even goes beyond that
“Within romantic relationships, higher levels of various forms of psychological inflexibility were linked to: (1) lower relationship satisfaction for themselves and (2) their partners, (3) lower sexual satisfaction and (4) emotional supportiveness, as well as (5) higher negative conflict, (6) physical aggression, (7) attachment anxiety, and (8) attachment avoidance. Taken as a set, these results suggest that psychological flexibility and inflexibility may play key roles both in couples and families to shape how individuals interact with the people closest to them.”
My takeaway: Don’t be a hard-ass. It’ll only make you miserable.

PowerToys v0.29.0
Nothing major, just a few fixes.
Download & Info

Intel Graphics – Windows 10 DCH Drivers
Version: 27.20.100.9079 Date: 12/23/2020
Download | Release Notes

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

Dawn Wells, ‘Gilligan’s Island’s’ Mary Ann, Dies of COVID at 82
I grew up watching Gilligan’s Island re-runs. Like many American boys, she was one of my first crushes.
RIP to a wonderful lady.

The Customer Is Not Always Right
“Customer entitlement at restaurants is at an all-time high, making work unsafe and unbearable for many in the industry. The way we think about hospitality needs to change…”
Our society has become mean and entitled. So many cannot seem to be nice anymore. IMHO it is time to eliminate tipping in this country and pay a fair wage.