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Tuesday Random Stuff…

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Gmail for Android can now undo sent emails
Android Police has the info and a how-to.

Acronis True Image 2019 Released
Posted for you guys still using Acronis Products.

Logitech’s new Pro Wireless mouse is already an Overwatch League champion
Probably the ultimate wireless gaming mouse. You can preorder it here.
For a great all-around mouse try:
Logitech MX Anywhere 2S Wireless Mouse with FLOW Cross-Computer Control and File Sharing

Facebook has TRUST ratings for users – but it won’t tell you your score
that is the same thing that China is doing:
Big data meets Big Brother as China moves to rate its citizens
#DeleteFacebook

‘Harry Potter’ Readers Make Better Romantic Partners, Study Finds
Hell yeah we are!

Shorts Science: The Formula for the Perfect Length Shorts
I was looking for basic gym shorts under $10 (yes, I’m that cheap). The last pair I bought was the Hanes Men’s Jersey Shorts for $7.00. This article actually has a scale as to what inseam you should get. Thankfully it does not mention the baggy, down past your knees, show your undies garbage. Nor does it mention the 70s ball-hugging shorty shorts either (though a 5″ inseam may be close).
“Not sure if you’re a 5-inch, 7-inch, or 9-inch inseam kind of guy? We—and math—have your back.”
They call it a “Leg Love Quotient” which is a rather…odd name. Anywho, my quotient came out to a 7″ inseam. The last shorts I bought had a 7.5″ inseam so it sounds about right.

Beating King of Pop, The Eagles have No.1 album of all-time
Not a big Michael Jackson fan but comparing a greatest hits album to a standard release seems a bit unfair.
The only MJ songs I really like are Rockin’ Robin (with the Jackson 5), and Rock With You.

Wednesday Random Stuff…

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Virtual Machine Host Software Updated
VMware Workstation Player 14.1.3 – 1 bugfix, OpenSSL update, Sprectre/Meltdown patch
VirtualBox 5.2.18 – a few bugfixes
Speaking of VMs. Many of you know I do most of my day-to-day web activity in a Linux VM. In the past I’ve used openSUSE. I have switched to Linux Mint 19 “Tara” Cinnamon. About the only thing I had to add after standard install was Chromium, Tor Browser, and HPLIP (HP printer drivers).

Foreshadow
Great. Just fracking great. Another Spectre type CPU vulnerability.
“Foreshadow is a speculative execution attack on Intel processors which allows an attacker to steal sensitive information stored inside personal computers or third party clouds. Foreshadow has two versions, the original attack designed to extract data from SGX enclaves and a Next-Generation version which affects Virtual Machines (VMs), hypervisors (VMM), operating system (OS) kernel memory, and System Management Mode (SMM) memory.”
Wired has a good breakdown.

The Guardian – How to turn off Google’s location tracking
After Monday’s news, I was gonna write up something on this and saw this article. It is well done.

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

Ajit Pai grilled by lawmakers on why FCC spread “myth” of DDoS attack
“An FCC Inspector General (IG) investigation found that the FCC lied to members of Congress multiple times in letters that answered questions about DDoS attacks that never happened. Pai’s FCC claimed for more than a year that a May 2017 outage in the public comments system was caused by multiple DDoS attacks. In reality, the FCC system crashed because it was unable to handle an influx of comments triggered by comedian John Oliver asking viewers of his program Last Week Tonight to oppose Pai’s net neutrality repeal.”

Mystery Russian satellite’s behaviour raises alarm in US
“Russian intentions with respect to this satellite are unclear and are obviously a very troubling development,” she added, citing recent comments made by the commander of Russia’s Space Forces, who said adopting “new prototypes of weapons” was a key objective for the force.”

Sacramento welfare investigators track drivers to find fraud. Privacy group raises red flags.
“The EFF has a more skeptical view of the data-collection practice and said it’s “disturbing” that millions of people who are not suspected of a crime can be tracked with license plate photos.”

Suns Out, Guns Out
Remember our hero JJ Watt? Dude is ripped. I’m sure he will be destroying people. Don’t know how much NFL I will be watching this year but that is a topic for another day.
The Internet Reacts To JJ Watt’s Freakishly Large Arms In Latest Instagram Post

Weekend Random Stuff…

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

Intel Launches 9th Gen Core 8 Core and 6 Core CPUs on 1st October
No word on if Spectre and Meltdown are still an issue with these.

Here’s why you’re being kept in the dark about how your data is used
“In the wake of the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal, people are more aware than ever of the tenuous nature of data collection, and more concerned about how securely tech and financial institutions catalog this data.And with good reason: according to the Identity Theft Resource Center, there were 1,579 data breaches in 2017, an alarming 44.7 percent uptick from the year before.”

Hydroelectric Dam Threatens to Wipe Out World’s Rarest Ape
“The world’s rarest great ape, discovered only in 2017, will not survive the building of a $1.6 billion hydroelectric power plant and dam in the middle of its remaining habitat in Sumatra, Indonesia, wildlife experts warn” The project ” is being financed and built by state-controlled Chinese companies under China’s Belt and Road.”
No cool.

Professors allow students to pick their own grade
Crap like this is one of the many reasons I’ve little respect for colleges or college degrees.

The ‘American Pickers’ Find the Aerosmith Van that Started It All
Kinda neat but they paid $25K for it?!

Woman killed by neighborhood dogs
Can you guess what breed of dog???

Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth ‘Star Trek 4’ Future In Doubt as Talks Fall Through
Looks like Paramount tried to renege on previous deals.

There is a Tiger on the prowl in St. Louis. I’m gonna go see how that ends…

Friday Random Stuff…

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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)

Friday Random Stuff…

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LOL At Win10
Keeps trying to reinstall the same driver. I usually prevent Windows from updating drivers. I keep it active on this machine so I can track the wonder that is Windows 10.

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

Charles Krauthammer, conservative commentator and Pulitzer Prize winner, dead at 68
A brilliant mind. I enjoyed hearing him speak even when I didn’t agree with him.

Someone Is Stealing Italy’s Most Precious Cheese
My favorite cheese. I can’t get enough. Those thieves are some low-down people but they have good taste.

Seafood tied to more sex and faster conception
Take your date to a seafood restaurant and don’t forget to wrap that rascal.

Brett Favre Speaks Out Strongly In Support Of Legislation That Would End Youth Tackle Football
Like Al Bundy, I played High School football and I was pretty good (Middle Linebacker, Offensive Guard). My third very bad concussion ended my playing days and college hopes. My memory misses large chunks of my high school years. Playing football also wrecked my ankles. I loved, and I mean loved the game. But, if I could go back in time I would not play again. It took too much away from me. Football is a very violent and dangerous game. Bad adults, both parents and coaches, make it even more so. I am not a parent but if I had a kid they would never be allowed to play tackle football.

Pizzas4Patriots
“Our mission is to comfort active service members, first responders and veterans by providing America’s favorite food while they’re far away from home, whether it be fighting on the front lines, providing humanitarian relief, or recovering in a veteran’s facility.”
I donate to these guys every year. It’s just my way of letting those folks know they are appreciated.
https://www.sgtpizza.org/

Y’all have a great weekend and go eat some seafood!

Thursday Random Stuff…

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Sign of the coming apocalypse? It’s National Selfie Day. Narcissists need their own day too.

For the record I have only ever taken one “selfie”. Back in 2004 I wrote and article for Linux World Magazine called Taking the Linux+ Exam. They wanted a head shot to go with the the article. I don’t take pictures of myself and I am usually the one behind the camera. The newest one I had was 10 years old, literally. I’m home alone so I set up my digital camera on a timer and ran across the room to sit for the pic. After several attempts I got it right. The mag is long since gone. Internet Wayback here, article is on page 14.

Win10 Updates
Looks like a bunch of bugfixes.
Nothing for the latest version of Win10.
1083 (April 2018 Update) n/a
1709 (Fall Creators Update) June 21, 2018—KB4284822 (OS Build 16299.522)
1703 (Creators Update) June 21, 2018—KB4284830 (OS Build 15063.1182)
1607 (Anniversary Update) June 21, 2018—KB4284833 (OS Build 14393.2339)

New Intel RST Drivers
The latest on Intel’s site is version 16.0.2.1086. I regularly check my mobo downloads page and they have version 16.5.0.1027. The driver xml file indicates it is Windows 8 and up.

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

High Court: Online shoppers can be forced to pay sales tax
Folks are whining about this. Here’s an idea. Reduce or eliminate the sales tax.
Related: Norquist Statement on South Dakota v. Wayfair
“Today the Supreme Court said ‘yes—you can be taxed by politicians you do not elect and who act knowing you are powerless to object.’

Google kills revenge porn bill
“It’s a disgrace how weak our lawmakers look for bowing down to these tech corporate overlords.”
Yet these same companies kiss the ChiComs butts.

Our Views: Pit bulls deserve their bad reputation
“Pit bulls account for the vast majority of fatal dog attacks, causing 71 percent of fatalities between 2011 and 2017”
See also: DogsBite.org

Thursday Morning Random Stuff…

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Firefox Updated
EN-US 64-bit
All Firefox Versions
Release Notes

Chrome 67.0.3396.79
Download
Download standalone(full)
Download standalone 64-bit Windows version(full)

New GPU Drivers
AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.5.2 Optional
Nvidia Geforce Game Ready 398.11 WHQL Drivers

Off Topic
Stuff I’ve bookmarked.

Everything You Know About Surviving Rip Currents Is Wrong
Huh. Glad I read that!

Miss America is scrapping its swimsuit competition
Never watched more than a few minutes of a pageant. I find the whole thing annoying.

Facebook confirms data-sharing agreements with Chinese firms
#DeleteFacebook
Dem lawmaker: ‘Looks like Zuckerberg lied to Congress’
No. Really. #DeleteFacebook

More than half of U.S. households have ditched landline phones
I would have thought it would be more than that. A dozen years ago I came home and checked the messages on my answering machine. I looked at my cell phone and then back at the answering machine. “Why am I paying for this?” I thought. Haven’t had a landline since.

Max Scherzer becomes fifth ever with two career immaculate innings
Oh Detroit. What could have been. Some former Tigers pitchers still playing:
Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, David Price, Rick Porcello…

Arnold, “Milk is for babies. When you grow up you have to drink beer.”
One of my favorite quotes. Ever.