TweakHound

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Windows

Windows 10 Game Mode And Ultimate Performance Power Plan

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In prep for the upcoming revision of the Win10 Tweak Guide I have some thoughts about Game Mode and the Ultimate Performance Power Plan.
Lemme give you my conclusion right out of the box. IMHO, for performance Game Mode and the Ultimate Performance Power Plan are pure snake oil.
[Read more…] about Windows 10 Game Mode And Ultimate Performance Power Plan

Monday Random Stuff…

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You Can’t Opt Out Of Sharing Your Data, Even If You Didn’t Opt In
“So does that mean that, in addition to locking down our own privacy choices, we need to police the choices of our friends and family? No, said Cohen, Gillmor and Viljoen. In fact, the privacy of the commons means that, in some cases, your data is collected in ways you cannot reasonably prevent, no matter how carefully you or anyone you know behaves.”
Sad fact.

Microsoft’s Satya Nadella Said
Lot’s of articles out there quoting (often wrongly) what he said at the MS Build Conference. So I went looking for the transcript.
You can download it here: Satya Nadella: Build 2018
“We ensure that when we use data, it is to benefit the user.”
Look, I don’t know much about the man but he really needs someone to look over his speeches. The “It’s for your own good” excuse is just lame and frankly a little insulting.
Then he said, “We ensure that the user is always in control of their data and its use.”
I’m…uh…hmmm…
I…um…that’s…man o man…

Windows Commands Reference
A PDF containing an overview and alphabetical listing of Windows commands.
Download

You Don’t Say…
A new report says the Chinese government is behind a decade of hacks on software companies.
Is there anyone that is even remotely surprised by this?

Personal privacy vs. public security: fight!
Good read on this topic. Recommended.

Off Topic

AT&T/Verizon lobby asks FCC to help raise prices on smaller ISPs

Android P will finally restrict apps from monitoring your network activity

How Robin Williams was being torn apart and couldn’t fight back
My name is Wil Wheaton. I live with chronic Depression, and I am not ashamed.

Lyme Disease Is On The Rise Again. Here’s How To Prevent It

Wednesday Random Stuff…

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***UPDATED – Windows 10 April Update Benchmark

Samsung NVMe Driver v3.0
“This driver supports Samsung NVMe SSD 970 PRO, 970 EVO, 960 PRO, 960 EVO and 950 PRO.”
Download | Alternative download at MajorGeeks

O&O Shutup10
Version 1.6.1396 – released May 2, 2018
-Adapted for the Windows 10 Spring Creators Update 1804 (Build 17134)
-Fixed issue with finding High Contrast mode on user-defined schemes
-User interface adapted
-Bug Fixes: Various small bug fixes
-Available in English, German, French, Italian and Russian
Download

Win10 April Update Freezing Chrome
Source: Neowin. It happened to me too.

Tuesday Random Stuff…

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Win10 Benchmark Continued
I’m no nearer figuring out why my benchmark scores are lower. I thought maybe my NVMe SSD had an even bigger performance hit but my AS SSD Benchmark and CrystalDiskMark scores are similar to the results I had before.

Features removed or planned for replacement starting with Windows 10, version 1803
Thanks JO!

7-Zip 18.05
Download | Release Announcment

Linux Releases
Kali Linux 2018.2
“This Kali release is the first to include the Linux 4.15 kernel, which includes the x86 and x64 fixes for the much-hyped Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities. It also includes much better support for AMD GPUs”
Download | Release Announcment
Fedora 28
“For the first time, we’re making it easy for users to enable certain third-party software sources, including proprietary Nvidia drivers.”
Has kernel 4.16.
Download | Release Announcement
Meanwhile at openSUSE…
At the end of May they will release openSUSE Leap 15 which follows version 42.3. Yes you read that right. Oh, and it will use kernel 4.12 that was released last July.

Win10 April Update Download Is Live

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https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

*edit 14:00hrs
Folks are reporting this is available via Windows Update. Hasn’t showed up on my laptop.

*edit 14:04hrs
Windows Blog
What’s new in the Windows 10 April 2018 Update
How to get the Windows 10 April 2018 Update
“The April 2018 Update is available today if you go to Windows Update and manually check for updates. We will begin the global rollout out via Windows Update on May 8. As with previous rollouts, we will use real-time quality feedback to smartly update your device when we have data that shows your device is ready and will have a great experience. You don’t have to do anything to get the update; it will roll out automatically to you through Windows Update if you’ve chosen to have updates installed automatically on your device. Once the download is complete and the update is ready to install, we’ll notify you, so you can pick the right time to finish the installation and reboot, so the update does not disrupt you.”

I am currently running the 2 available methods:
Update now button (IMHO if you are doing one machine use this)
&
Create Windows 10 installation media
(IMHO if you are upgrading more than one machine use this, download iso, extract with 7-zip, run setup.exe)

*edit 13:31hrs
Done (click pic for larger version)

Monday Morning Random Stuff…

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Win10 Update Stuff
Review: Windows 10 April 2018 Update shows promise, but ultimately disappoints

https://changewindows.org/build/redstone4/17134/pc

Most folks will be watching here for the download: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO
We will know today if that is the only way to get it for now. If so, you DO NOT need to make a disc or usb image from the ISO. Download the image to somewhere other than your OS (C:) drive, extract the image using 7-zip, and then click on setup.exe. That’s it.

Off Topic

Digital and analog audio’s curious coexistence
Related: Myths (Vinyl)

GMO Corn
An article on my local paper’s website said GMO corn is OK. Nobody seems to source their information anymore so I Googled “gmo corn” and found another article that lead to the study:
Impact of genetically engineered maize on agronomic, environmental and toxicological traits: a meta-analysis of 21 years of field data
So yeah, the study pretty much says that.

Tu Quoque
Recent political events had one sides defenders saying, “Well, your guy does/did it too.”
This is a Logical Fallacy also known as Appeal to Hypocrisy.
By making this counter-argument people hope to discredit the initial argument:
A – She ate too much.
CA – Well he ate too much last week.
The fact that “He” ate too much does not excuse someone else eating too much.
I think of it like this: Pointing out my bad behavior does not excuse yours.
When you use a logical fallacy I just tune you out.
https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Tu_quoque

Ride The Wild Surf
World record: 80 foot wave!

Ride The Wild Surf – Jan and Dean

Weekend Random Stuff…

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The Week Ahead
The Win10 WhatEverItsCalled update is “available for download” tomorrow. AFAIK that means what it says and you can download it but it will not be on Windows Update until Patch Tuesday which is May, 8th. If you want to delay this update my guide is here.
Star Wars Day (May The 4th be with you) is Wednesday. Rumor has it that Solo: A Star Wars Story advanced tickets will go on sale then. I always do the first showing of Star Wars and Star Trek so I’m watching out for an announcement. BTW, there is a new Solo trailer and I’ve embedded it at the bottom of this post.

Off Topic

Interesting Links
Stuff I’ve bookmarked in the last few days.
Took an ancestry DNA test? You might be a ‘genetic informant’ unleashing secrets about your relatives
I trust those tests and the companies that do them about as far as I can throw an elephant.

New Star Map Could Change Everything We Know About the Milky Way
Very Interesting.

‘Dare to Be Different’: See New Doc on Radio Station That Broke U2, Cure in U.S.
I watched this. Good stuff.

Kiss frontman Paul Stanley reveals plans for ‘major’ tour to start next year

Solo: A Star Wars Story | Becoming Solo Featurette

Friday Random Stuff…

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AMD Combat Crate
The rumors are true,
“The AMD Combat Crate comes stocked with the essential hardware you need to push your game to the next level and lay waste to the competition. With a lightning fast Ryzen processor, powerful Radeon RX graphics backed by revolutionary Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition and a future-ready MSI motherboard – the AMD Combat Crate is the ultimate arsenal for gamers.”
AMD Combat Crate Bundle with Ryzen 5 1600 CPU,
MSI Gaming AMD Radeon RX 580 graphics card,
and MSI B350 Tomahawk AM4 Motherboard
Currently $549.00

Win10 1803/RS4/SCU/Next/April/1804/Whatever Update
Source: Windows Blog
Official name: Windows 10 April 2018 Update
Official release date: “will be available as a free download beginning Monday, April 30”

Software Updates
Google Chrome 66.0.3359.139 (bugfixes and 3 security fixes)
VirtualBox 5.2.10 (maintenance release)

Off Topic

Subway Closing 500 Stores
Story. My Experience at Subway:
Me: “I would like a half Italian Hero on white.”
Subway Person: (starts making sub, I think she puts the right meat on it) Then looks up and stares at me… “What do you want on it?”
Me: I want that. (pointing at the picture above and behind her)
Subway Person: (Turns around, stares at pic, she is clearly confused. Asks the other girl, “What’s on the Italian?”
Other Subway Person: “I don’t know.”
Me: *sigh* “From the picture I’m going to guess it comes with cheese, lettuce and tomato. I’ll just have provolone and vinegar & oil.”
Firehouse Subs and even Arby’s is way better around here. We don’t have any good old-school deli’s. I would love a N.Y. style Reuben about right now.

S.O.S.
ABBA is gonna release a couple of new tunes for the first time in 3 and a half decades. They are also gonna, get this, tour “virtually”. Yeah, they want you to pay for a “concert” that they aren’t even at. If you buy tickets to this show, I’ve got some ocean front property in Arizona I would love to sell you.

You Ain’t Worth The Whiskey
– Horse Soldier Bourbon’s New Bottle is Made from World Trade Center Steel
– Jameson Bow Street 18 Years