Software

CCleaner 5.52
Download (I use portable) | Release Notes
See also: Blocking A Programs Internet Access Via The Windows Firewall

Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software 20.110.0
Windows 7 | Windows 8.1 | Windows 10

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

Microsoft starts its ‘phased rollout’ of Win10 1809, now controlled by a next-generation machine-learning model
It’s official. In the mind-bending (and internally inconsistent) quagmire that has become Windows updating terminology, Win10 version 1809 is now in ‘phased rollout’ but not yet in ‘Semi-Annual Channel (not Targeted).’ If you don’t want Win10 1809, get your machine locked down.
They should never force an update on anyone.

Three quarters of US Facebook users unaware their online behavior gets tracked
After surveying 963 US adults last year between September 4 to October 1, Pew researchers found that 74 per cent of Facebook users said they were unaware the social ad biz tracks their traits and interests.
That confirms my hypothesis that most Facebook are in fact morons. #DeleteFacebook

One Of The Last Navajo Code Talkers Dies At 94
One of the last remaining Navajo Code Talkers, who relayed messages that were never decoded by enemies in World War II, has died at age 94…That complex language proved to be vital to the United States during World War II. As the Japanese cracked classified U.S. military codes, armed forces turned to members of the Navajo Nation. The messages they transmitted in the Pacific Theater were impenetrable to enemies. Newman enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1943, after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He served in such places as Guam and Iwo Jima.
Thank you for your service brother.

Kentucky All State Choir – National Anthem – 2018
Every night of the All State Choir conference at about 11pm, everyone comes out to the balconies of the 18 story Hyatt hotel to sing the National Anthem.
(If the video does not play you may need to adjust Ublock / Adblock / Privacy Badger settings.)

Intel Graphics Driver for Windows 10
Version: 25.20.100.6471  Date: 12/20/2018
Performance improvements, quality improvements, bugfixes.
Download | Release Notes

Macrium Reflect v7.2.3957
Download | Release Notes

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

Apple confirms some iPad Pros ship slightly bent, but says it’s normal
according to the company, this is a side effect of the device’s manufacturing process and shouldn’t worsen over time or negatively affect the flagship iPad’s performance in any practical way. Apple does not consider it to be a defect.
LOL. Apple fanboys will just accept this lame ass statement.

Friday’s winter solstice 2018 features a full moon and meteor shower
This astronomical event officially arrives Friday at 5:23 p.m. EST. At this time of year, each day is about 24 hours, 30 seconds long. It’s because Earth is nearing its closest point to the sun in its elliptical orbit.
Why winter solstice 2018 is unique: December full moon, Ursid meteor shower, Mercury/Jupiter conjunction.

Millennials Strike Again: This Time We Are Killing Cash And ‘Merry Christmas’
A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found that adults under 30 — so, mostly millennials — are the only age group among holiday shoppers with a clear preference for paying with plastic rather than cash. They’re also the only group to strongly prefer the non-Christmas-specific greeting “Happy Holidays.”

Stuff I Don’t Understand…
Dudes who wear hats or hoodies in the gym.
BTW. Show some class and take your hat off when indoors.
Manners & Civility – Should You Remove Your Hat When Indoors?

*Important – Win10 Privacy Issue article updated.

Intel Rapid Storage Technology (Intel RST) v16.8.0.1000
Win10 only – Download & Info

Intel Ethernet Drivers v23.5
Win 7 | Win 8.1 | Win10 | Complete Driver Pack

CCleaner v5.51
Download (I use portable.) | Release Announcement
See also: Blocking A Programs Internet Access Via The Windows Firewall
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Amazon’s Disturbing Plan to Add Face Surveillance to Your Front Door
Recently, a patent application from Amazon became public that would pair face surveillance — like Rekognition, the product that the company is aggressively marketing to police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement — with Ring, a doorbell camera company that Amazon bought earlier this year.
While the details are sketchy, the application describes a system that the police can use to match the faces of people walking by a doorbell camera with a photo database of persons they deem “suspicious.” Likewise, homeowners can also add photos of “suspicious” people into the system and then the doorbell’s facial recognition program will scan anyone passing their home. In either case, if a match occurs, the person’s face can be automatically sent to law enforcement, and the police could arrive in minutes…Amazon is dreaming of a dangerous future, with its technology at the center of a massive decentralized surveillance network, running real-time facial recognition on members of the public using cameras installed in people’s doorbells.
I was actually considering buying a Ring doorbell. Should’ve known they would f*** it up.

Backup if you have the time.

Firefox 64
Download (all) | Download 32-bit EN-US | Download 64-bit EN-US | Release Notes

Sysinternals Freeware Updates
Autoruns v13.93, Handle v4.21, Process Explorer v16.22, SDelete v2.02, Sigcheck v2.71, Sysmon v8.02 and VMMap v3.25

Adobe Reader Updated
Download (en-US) | Download (all) | Security Bulletin

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

Digital Divide Is Wider Than We Think, Study Says
A new study by Microsoft researchers casts a light on the actual use of high-speed internet across the country, and the picture it presents is very different from the F.C.C. numbers. Their analysis, presented at a Microsoft event on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., suggests that the speedy access is much more limited than the F.C.C. data shows.
Over all, Microsoft concluded that 162.8 million people do not use the internet at broadband speeds, while the F.C.C. says broadband is not available to 24.7 million Americans…Fast internet service is crucial to the modern economy, and closing the digital divide is seen as a step toward shrinking the persistent gaps in economic opportunity, educational achievement and health outcomes in America.
It is a problem in the county I live in and across this country. There are teachers in my county that have to drive to their school parking lots to use broadband for school related activities during their off hours.

Facial recognition: It’s time for action
We believe it’s important for governments in 2019 to start adopting laws to regulate this technology…We also believe that while it’s better to address these issues broadly, we should not wait for governments to act. We and other tech companies need to start creating safeguards to address facial recognition technology.
A good blog post with sound ideas. IMHO it will be largely ignored.

Facebook’s fall: From the friendliest face of tech to perceived enemy of democracy
Today, Zuckerberg is seen by many as a wincing megalomaniacal multibillionaire, and the personal data-mining company he created is viewed by some as an existential threat to democracy itself.
#DeleteFacebook

NIH Study Probes Impact of Heavy Screen Time on Young Brains
Brain scans of adolescents who are heavy users of smartphones, tablets and video games look different from those of less active screen users, preliminary results from an ongoing study funded by the National Institutes of Health show, according to a report on Sunday by “60 Minutes.”
I dislike seeing kids in public on phones and tablets. These devices have become babysitters, a way to shut kids up. Sad.