Computer News

Finished streaming Letterkenny while polishing off an entire bag of All Dressed Potato Chips as an omage :-/
Also streaming:
Last Kingdom season 4
Salem – Stopped watching
Motherland: Fort Salem
Outer Banks
Finished Homeland. Only started watching because season 7 was filmed here. Last season (8) stunk.
Recording – Belgravia
Tried – Little Fires Everywhere (because Reese Witherspoon) Didn’t like it.

WTH?
In Virginia we are now allowed to go to the dentist but not the barber. Visualize that.
A barber and client can both wear masks and they are certainly not breathing DIRECTLY into each others faces.
Personally I don’t care, I do my own using Wahl Balding Clippers. They are $90 at Amazon. Can be found cheaper if you hunt for it.
Sallybeauty.com = $60.29 + free shipping came up in my cart. I had bought mine in store a while back.

Intel Graphics – Windows 10 DCH Drivers
Version: 26.20.100.8141
“*04/29/20 Update* Reports of OEM errors are still occurring during installation. The majority, if not all of these, are due to the current driver on the system is non-DCH. This update will only install over OEM DCH drivers. If this occurs, follow these instructions:
WARNING: This will remove any OEM customizations. If the OEM does not have a DCH driver available, it’s likely no customizations will be reinstalled by Windows Update after you upgrade to 100.8141. If you experience any issues such as flickering, BSOD, TDR, etc, please reinstall the latest OEM driver.”
Download & Info

Microsoft rolls out Windows 10 2004 release preview ahead of expected May release to mainstream users
Blah, blah, blah, Win10 May 2020 Update will be release on May 28th.

Intel’s 10th Gen Comet Lake for Desktops: Skylake-S Hits 10 Cores and 5.3 GHz
“Users wanting the 10-core 5.3 GHz will need to purchase the new top Core i9-10900K processor, which has a unit price of $488, and keep it under 70 ºC to enable Intel’s new Thermal Velocity Boost. Not only that, despite the 125 W TDP listed on the box, Intel states that the turbo power recommendation is 250 W – the motherboard manufacturers we’ve spoken to have prepared for 320-350 W from their own testing, in order to maintain that top turbo for as long as possible.”
Added bonus, it will heat your house in the winter.

Off Topic

Coronavirus NSW: Dossier lays out case against China bat virus program
“China deliberately suppressed or destroyed evidence of the coronavirus outbreak in an “assault on international transparency’’ that cost tens of thousands of lives, according to a dossier prepared by concerned Western governments on the COVID-19 contagion…Its major themes include the “deadly denial of human-to-human transmission”, the silencing or “disappearing” of doctors and scientists who spoke out, the destruction of evidence of the virus from genomic studies laboratories, and “bleaching of wildlife market stalls”, along with the refusal to provide live virus samples to international scientists working on a vaccine.”
You cannot trust anything the Chinese Communist government says or does.
Human Rights Watch – China’s Global Threat to Human Rights
Amnesty International – Everything you need to know about human rights in China
Time – China Poses an ‘Existential Threat’ to International Human Rights, Says Rights Group After Director Barred From Hong Kong

How close are people to each other? These pictures are taken at the same time, but show two very different things
“Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?” – Richard Pryor Video 100% X-rated, NSFW

J.K. Rowling Honors ‘Battle Of Hogwarts’ Anniversary With $1.2 Million Charity Donation
“Today’s the 22nd anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts, but I’m going to be honest and say that it feels inappropriate to talk about fictional deaths today. Too many people are losing loved ones in the real world. So on this anniversary of a great wizarding victory, I’m thinking of the people who’re out there doing their jobs to protect us and our way of life. I have 3 key workers in my immediate family, and like all such relatives, I’m torn between pride and anxiety.As ever in a crisis of this sort, the poorest and most vulnerable are hit hardest, so in honour of the Battle of Hogwarts, I’ll be making a donation of £1m, half of which will go to crisis.org.uk, who’re helping the homeless during the pandemic and half of which will go to refuge.org.uk, because we know that domestic abuse has, sadly, increased hugely during the lockdown.”
Well done madam.

PowerToys 0.17
-PowerToys can now update itself #1686
-FancyZone can now snap to two zones (still experimental since it doesn’t support restoring the app to two zones)
-Per machine installation fixed, non-admin user will be able again to use PowerToys after the regression in 0.16.
-Fixed most of the FancyZones Virtual Desktop bugs.
-Fixed several FZ bugs including proper handling of taskbar position.
-PowerToys icon in the Start menu will always show slightly_smiling_face
Download & Info

CCleaner v5.66
“Cleaning
-Brave browser can now be cleaned independently
-Vivaldi browser can now be cleaned independently
Health Check
-Fixed an issue where ‘Cookies’ was also deleting internet history and was incorrectly reporting
large numbers of trackers
-Internet history is now deleted via the ‘History’ Privacy category, which also includes download history and
recently typed URLs
Pro Trial
-Starting a CCleaner Professional trial now gives you a guided experience to its features”
No reason to use this update unless you use the Vivaldi or Brave browser.
Download (I use portable) | Release Info
See also: Blocking A Programs Internet Access Via The Windows Firewall

Off Topic

The 4-Second Workout
“Four seconds of high-intensity exertion repeated periodically throughout the day might counteract some of the unhealthy metabolic consequences of sitting for hours, according to a surprising and timely new study of the potentially large benefits of diminutive workouts.”
There’s a “your Mom” joke in there somewhere, err… maybe “your Dad”. I’m just too hungry to sit here and think on it.

and, since we are on the immature humor train…
I present the best headline of the week:
The Carnivore’s Guide To Beating A Meat Shortage

Google Chrome Updated
“The stable channel has been updated to 81.0.4044.129 for Windows, Mac, and Linux…This update includes 2 security fixes.”
Download | Release Info

Sysinternals Process Explorer 16.32
Ever wondered which program has a particular file or directory open? Now you can find out. Process Explorer shows you information about which handles and DLLs processes have opened or loaded.
Download & Info

Sysinternals Sysmon 11
System Monitor (Sysmon) is a Windows system service and device driver that, once installed on a system, remains resident across system reboots to monitor and log system activity to the Windows event log. It provides detailed information about process creations, network connections, and changes to file creation time.
Download & Info

Start10 1.94
Meh, skipping this.
-Improved WindowBlinds skin support
-Addresses failed installs when Windows Controlled Folder Access \ Ransomware Protection is enabled
-Add additional support for new Stardock product: Curtains
Download | Changelog

Cleanmgr+ 1.33.1050
-Revised predefined/recommended clean-ups
-Optimized CLI-support (added /nowindow paramter to run completely silent and without confirmation dialog after cleanup)
-Minor stability improvements on Windows 20H1
Download | Release Noteshttps://github.com/mirinsoft/CleanmgrPlus/releases

VLC Media Player 3.0.10
“Update Twitch & VLSub scripts”
If you don’t use Twitch.tv or use subtitles in VLC then this is a skip-a-roonie.
Download: 32-bit or 64-bit

Macrium Reflect Updated
Macrium Reflect v7.2.4859 for everything except Windows XP. v7.2.4861 for that.
Download | Release Notes

Off Topic

Amazon tech workers are calling out sick in protest over COVID-19 response
“The protest is in part a result of Amazon’s aggressive response to worker organizing. In recent weeks, Amazon has fired six workers who have called for better safety precautions during the pandemic…”No company is benefiting more than Amazon right now, the stock is hitting an all-time high, and they could have also been the hero in people’s hearts, they could have set the bar high for how you treat essential workers in the time of COVID,” she says. “I really was trying to make Amazon a better company, for my kids, and for the company I worked for for 15 years.”
I want to personally thank all the Amazon employees for their exceptionally hard work during this. Y’all have come through for me, mine, and this entire country.

The Offspring – Here Kitty Kitty
Apparently this has something to do with Tiger King which I know little about. Not sure I want to. Very cool to see The Offspring doing country though. For those who don’t know, The Offspring are a punk band that rose to popularity during the mid-90’s. They’ve a number of hits but I would say my fav is “Gone Away” followed by “The Kids Aren’t Alright” (yeah, that’s a play on The Who song). Many punkers (including several old friends of mine) take to country music. “Same three chords on a different guitar at a different speed” a buddy once said to me. “Three Chords and the Truth” brother. Anywho, I digress…

The Offspring – Gone Away

The Offspring – The Kids Aren’t Alright

The Who – The Kids Are Alright

Win10 Updated
Optional, non-security, cumulative updates for all currently supported versions. Over 2 dozen “addresses an issue” type stuff.
1903 & 1909 – April 21, 2020—KB4550945 (OS Builds 18362.815 and 18363.815)
1809 – April 21, 2020—KB4550969 (OS Build 17763.1192)

Wise Disk Cleaner 10.2.8
Meh
– Improved the function of detecting browser saved passwords and browser cookies before cleaning.
– Support NeroBurningROM2020, NeroBackItUp2020 and RealPlayer18 cleanup.
– Updated various translations.
Nero? You’re kidding right? They still make that?
Download (I use the portable version) | Release Notes

Off Topic

Ya know, I thought I had some Canadian friends out there but it turns out y’all have been holding out on me. Here I am looking for something to binge-watch and keep coming up empty. Then I hear about this TV series out of the Great White North called Letterkenny. My wife and I watched 10 episodes last night. Friggin’ hysterical. You Canucks owe me a case of Puppers Premium Lager!
Letterkenny Home Page
Wikipedia – Letterkenny (TV series)
Video contains adult language and is probably NSFW.

Win10 v2004 (May Update)
I’ve read a few reviews. IMHO it’s pretty much a yawner despite what most tech sites seem to be saying. They want the page hits ya know. Neowin has a good overview without blowing smoke:
Windows 10 version 2004 is coming – here’s what you need to know about it

Bleachbit 4
“enhancements, bug fixes, and major changes “under the hood.”
My default cleaner for Linux and one of my ancillary cleaners under Windows. Like every other cleaning app there is no reason to install this in Windows. Use the portable version.
Download & Info

Off Topic

Bored during this shut down I broke out an oldie but goodie…
My Wii. Still fun to play. I bought Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters and I’ll go to work on that soon. Anyone else dig some of your old games out of the closet?

Ticketmaster Preparing Refund Plan for Thousands of Postponed Shows
Some people are gonna get refunds for some shows. Ticketmaster is full of excuses for delays. There has been no word on whether or not the show I have tickets for will happen.

Watch Battlestar Galactica For Free!
One of the best series you’ll ever watch. So say we all.

Nvidia Geforce Game Ready WHQL Drivers 445.87
“The new Game Ready Driver provides the latest performance optimizations, profiles, and bug fixes for the Minecraft with RTX Beta. In addition, this release also provides optimal support for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered, Saints Row: The Third Remastered, and SnowRunner.”
Download | Release Notes

Intel Memory and Storage Tool
Version: 1.0.5 (Latest) Date: 4/9/2020
“The Intel Memory and Storage Tool is drive management software with a Graphical User Interface for Windows* that allows you to view current drive information, perform firmware updates, and run full diagnostic scans.”
Download & Info

VirtualBox 6.1.6
“This is a maintenance release.”
Download | Changelog

Off Topic

Ticketmaster Quietly Changes Its Refund Policy (TL;DR: You’re Screwed)
“Ticketmaster is facing ample fan scrutiny and criticism after quietly changing its refund policy to exclusively cover canceled events, instead of those that have been postponed or rescheduled.”
I’d root for someone to sue the crap out of them but would just cost me more in ticket fees in the future. Can’t someone bust this monopoly?

VLC Media Player 3.0.9.2
Fixes and improvements
Downloads: 64-bit | 32-bit | Other OS

Tor Browser 9.0.9
“This release updates Firefox to 68.7.0esr, NoScript to 11.0.23, and OpenSSL to 1.1.1f. Also, this release features important security updates to Firefox.”
Download | Release Notes

Off Topic
My German friends. I used to get schnitzel (pork) at a little place in Kirchheimbolanden. It was the size of a plate and had this fantastic gravy on it (without mushrooms). Anyone got a good recipe?

Got my record player back out

 
Combining Film Scores And Pop Rock, Wall Of Voodoo Was Not Just A One-Hit Wonder
“Fans of MTV in its earliest days might remember “Mexican Radio,” which became an underground hit in 1983 for being one of the first music videos played in heavy rotation…I think “Mexican Radio” is one of the most compelling, memorable sing-alongs ever. It is just such a wonderfully weird song.”
Agreed!

Hear is a fantastic punk-ish cover. Authority Zero – Mexican Radio

Tuesday? It’s only Tuesday? I’m not sure anymore…

Chrome Updated
“The Chrome team is delighted to announce the promotion of Chrome 81 to the stable channel for Windows, Mac and Linux…Chrome 81.0.4044.92 contains a number of fixes and improvements…This update includes 32 security fixes.”
Download | Release Info
Chrome for Android 81
“stability and performance improvements”
Download | Release Info

Firefox 75
“With today’s release, a number of improvements will help you search smarter, faster…Various security fixes”
Download | Release Notes

Start10 1.91
1/2 dozen fixes
Download | Release History

Microsoft PowerToys 0.16.1
“This is patch release to fix a few items for 0.16.”
Download & Info

Off Topic

Al Kaline, Detroit Tigers legend, dies at age 85
“One of the most distinguished and decorated players in the history of baseball, ‘Mr. Tiger’ was one of the greatest to ever wear the Olde English ‘D’,’ ” the Tigers said in a statement Monday. “The Hall of Famer has been a pillar of our organization for 67 years…In 22 seasons with the Tigers, most of them as a marvelous right fielder, Kaline played in more games and hit more homers than anyone else in club history, and he compiled a batting résumé second only to Ty Cobb’s. But while Cobb was widely reviled for his bitterness and meanness, Kaline was eminently respected for his on-field elegance and off-field graciousness.”
I don’t remember if I ever saw him play. My first memory of him was as the color commentator for the Tigers on TV. I stood behind Kalin’s Corner before a game once (in Tiger Stadium, not Comerica Park). He was widely loved and respected in Michigan. We was to all us Tigers fans, “Mr. Tiger”.
Fox Sports Detroit will have a thing at 6pm tonight for those who are able to get it.