77.0.3865.73 has been released for Windows, Linux, Mac, and Android:
On the desktop this update “contains a number of fixes and improvements” and “includes 52 security fixes”.
“for Android: it’ll become available on Google Play over the next few weeks. This release includes stability and performance improvements.”
Download: 32-bit | 64-bit
Update Release Announcement – Desktop | Update Release Announcement – Android
Patch Tuesday
Windows Updates
Windows 10
Provides protections against a new subclass of speculative execution side-channel vulnerabilities.
Addresses an issue that causes high CPU usage from SearchUI.exe for a small number of users. This issue only occurs on devices that have disabled searching the web using Windows Desktop Search. (1903 only)
Security updates galore.
1903 – September 10, 2019—KB4515384 (OS Build 18362.356) ***This fixes the Bad Win10 1903 Update aka Search UI issue. I checked it myself and the issue is now gone.
1809 – September 10, 2019—KB4512578 (OS Build 17763.737)
1803 – September 10, 2019—KB4516058 (OS Build 17134.1006)
1709 – EOL, time to update to 1809 or 1903
Windows 8.1
Provides protections against a new subclass of speculative execution side-channel vulnerabilities… and a host of Security updates.
September 10, 2019—KB4516064 (Security-only update)
September 10, 2019—KB4516067 (Monthly Rollup)
Windows 7
Provides protections against a new subclass of speculative execution side-channel vulnerabilities… and a host of Security updates.
September 10, 2019—KB4516033 (Security-only update)
September 10, 2019—KB4516065 (Monthly Rollup)
Software Updates:
O&O ShutUp10 1.6.1403
NEW: Chinese (simplified) language integrated
NEW: Search field in task bar can be deactivated (from Windows 10 1903)
FIX***: Deactivating the Bing search is only recommended reservedly, as there are currently problems with Windows search under Windows 10 1903
FIX: The wording in the English version was changed from passive to active to make it clearer
Available in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian and Chinese (simplified)
***The fix about Bing is the Bad Win10 1903 Update that was fixed today with today’s Win10 1903 update (see above). So, kinda pointless?
Download | Home Page | Changelog
Nvidia Geforce Game Ready WHQL Driver 436.30
“Provides increased performance and the optimal gaming experience for the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare PC Open Beta, Gears 5, and Borderlands 3”
Download | Release Notes
Friday Random Stuff…
Intel Graphics – Windows 10 DCH Drivers
Version: 26.20.100.7158
Download & Info
Sysinternals Freeware Updates
Process Explorer v16.30 | Sigcheck v2.73 | Sysmon v10.4
Tails 3.16
“This release fixes many security vulnerabilities. You should upgrade as soon as possible.”
Download
Stuff I bookmarked recently. Some off topic, some not:
FAQ: How to manage Windows 10 updates
“If you’ve spent years mastering the ins and outs of Windows Update, prepare to do some unlearning. Windows 10, with its emphasis on “Windows as a service,” keeps rewriting the rules of updates and upgrades. Here’s what you need to know. [Updated September 2019]”
Ed Bott doing his usual awesome job.
These Are the Best Craft Beer Cities in the U.S.
“these rankings are based on cumulative data for each of the 100 most populous cities in the U.S., including:
the total number of high-quality breweries per capita,
the highest rated beer,
the cheapest average price for a pint,
and the total number of high-quality beer bars per capita.”
My area (Richmond, Virginia) coming in at number 9 nationally and number 1 in it’s region which for some damn reason is listed as the Northeast. The Mason-Dixon line is north of here boys.
PowerToys Returns
Started with Windows 95, PowerToys became really useful under Windows XP. A new release of PowerToys for Windows 10 contains only two apps right now:
[Read more…] about PowerToys Returns
Wednesday Random Stuff…
AMD Radeon Adrenalin 2019 Edition 19.9.1 Optional
Support for Gears 5
Download | Release Notes
VirtualBox 6.0.12
“maintenance release”
Download | Changelog
Penetration Testing Distros New Releases
Kali Linux 2019.3
BlackArch Linux 2019.09.01
Stuff I bookmarked recently. Some off topic, some not:
16 Hyper-Threaded Cores At 5GHz
“The Intel Core i9-9900KS will feature eight cores with Hyper-Threading running at 4.0 GHz base frequency and boosting all the way to 5.0 GHz on all cores, up 300 MHz from 4.7 GHz in case of the Core i9-9900K. Essentially, the new CPU is just an eight-core Coffee Lake Refresh silicon binned to hit higher clocks when cooling is good enough.”
Me want.
Google has secret webpages that feed your personal data to advertisers, report says
“said he discovered that Google used a tracker containing web browsing information, location and other data and sent it to ad companies via webpages that “showed no content,” according to FT. This could allow companies buying ads to match a user’s Google profile and web activity to profiles from other companies, which is against Google’s own ad buying rules, according to the FT.”
Google responded just like my Alzheimer’s/Dementia-ridden Dad, “I didn’t do it and don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Where do hurricanes occur?
&
Ranking of cities and islands affected most by tropical storms and hurricanes
I was thinking about seeing the same places hit over and over again by hurricanes so I looked it up.
‘It’s not being run properly’ – NFL insiders critical of Daniel Snyder 20 years into Redskins ownership
It doesn’t seem John Kent Cooke is a fan, of Snyder or what he’s done with the team his father had for 36 years.
“Unlike Snyder,” he said. “I return phone calls.”
Cooke continued: “I think that what’s happened over the 20-year period is that he has taken a franchise that has been universally respected in sports, not just the NFL, and proceeded to drag it down to mediocrity. It’s no longer one of the premier sports franchises in the United States.”
“As long as Dan’s there, they don’t have a chance,” the former franchise employee said.
Under Snyder, the Redskins are just 139-180-1, a .436 winning percentage.
While Washington’s struggles don’t necessarily impact the value of other NFL teams, the optics of one of the league’s marquee franchises struggling on-field and being a mess off it isn’t great.
“It’s more the perception of it,” an NFL power broker said. “You have a top-flight franchise that should be doing very, very well. But they’re not. … It’s just not being run properly.”
A buddy actually sent me the link to this. He said, “Those guys are saying what you’ve been saying for years.”
The Skins are my team. They have sucked/do suck/will suck which is why I don’t watch much football anymore.
Spend $50 get $10 off on select IRWIN products
I bought a Irwin pliers set a few years back. They have served me well.
Tuesday Random Stuff…
Firefox 69
Enhanced Tracking Protection on by default.
Download | Release Notes
Stuff I bookmarked recently. Some off topic, some not:
Harry Potter books removed from St. Edward Catholic School due to ‘curses and spells’
“The seven-book series depicting the magical adventures of a young wizard and his friends was removed from the library because of their content, the Rev. Dan Reehil, a pastor at the Roman Catholic parish school, wrote in an email.
“These books present magic as both good and evil, which is not true, but in fact a clever deception. The curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells; which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the text,” the email states”
Eric casts Expecto Patronum at idiot “Reverend”. I’d rather use another spell but it was banned by the Ministry of Magic.
People who post selfies are seen as less likable and less successful, WSU study finds
“In a study that will publish this fall in the Journal of Research in Personality, individuals who posted a lot of selfies were almost uniformly viewed as less likable, less successful and more insecure than people who posted more “posies” — that is, traditionally posed photos that appear to be taken by someone else.”
Nobody likes or respects narcissists.
Meet The Man Who Guards America’s Ketchup
“A man named Hector Osorno. They call him the ketchup master, which is actually a formal title at Kraft Heinz. “He’s completely obsessed [with ketchup],” Siragusa tells me. “He’s got secrets that he won’t divulge.”
Guarding the good name of the worlds only true ketchup. You sir are a hero.
J.J. Watt’s Foundation Has Rebuilt Over 1,100 Homes (And Counting) With The Money It Raised Following Hurricane Harvey
“As things currently stand, Watt’s foundation and their non-profit partners have helped reconstruct almost 1,200 homes (a number that will only continue to rise) and have distributed hundreds of millions of meals for those impacted by a storm whose impact still lingers to this day.”
Many TweakHound readers donated so I thought an update was appropriate.
Humans and Neanderthals Kept Breeding—and Breeding—for Ages
I’m just gonna say that this proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that beer existed back then too…
Cat6 vs Cat8 cable
I decided to see if replacing Cat6 ethernet able with Cat8 makes any difference. I had my suspicions, I mean it shouldn’t but anecdotal evidence said “maybe”.
So I ran some quick iPerf tests.
[Read more…] about Cat6 vs Cat8 cable
How The Mind Works (Off Topic)
I had this cassette tape a long time ago. Several years ago I was thinking, “What tapes did I have that I don’t have on CD?” I replaced many of them but a few escaped me. There was the one, a country band, ‘desert something’? I hadn’t laid eyes on it in probably 25 plus years. I couldn’t even remember a song. Googled searched, it wasn’t Desert Rose Band. Damn. ‘Arizona’ came to mind. Nothing…
[Read more…] about How The Mind Works (Off Topic)
Bad Win10 1903 Update
There are reports around the web that the latest update for Win10 1903 is causing Cortana to have abnormally high CPU usage:
August 30, 2019—KB4512941 (OS Build 18362.329) is the update in question.
Solutions and “workarounds” include registry editing and deleting of files. IMHO this is utter folly. The solution is this:
1 – Uninstall KB4512941.
2 – Pause updates for a month or so.
(Settings > Windows Update > Advanced Options > Pause Updates > Pause until > max time)
3 – Wait for Microsoft to fix it.
If you’ve not installed KB4512941 yet then just do steps 2 & 3.
If you are using Windows 10 Home. I’ve repeatedly said to upgrade to Pro. IT IS CHEAP
Wednesday Random Stuff…
Intel Ethernet Drivers v24.2
Windows 7 | Windows 8.1 | Windows 10 | Complete Pack | Release Notes
Stuff I bookmarked recently. Some off topic, some not:
Doorbell-camera firm Ring has partnered with 400 police forces, extending surveillance reach
“But legal experts and privacy advocates have voiced alarm about the company’s eyes-everywhere ambitions and increasingly close relationship with police, saying the program could threaten civil liberties, turn residents into informants, and subject innocent people, including those who Ring users have flagged as “suspicious,” to greater surveillance and potential risk.
“If the police demanded every citizen put a camera at their door and give officers access to it, we might all recoil,” said Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, a law professor and author of “The Rise of Big Data Policing.”
By tapping into “a perceived need for more self-surveillance and by playing on consumer fears about crime and security,” he added, Ring has found “a clever workaround for the development of a wholly new surveillance network, without the kind of scrutiny that would happen if it was coming from the police or government.”
I warned of this last December: Amazon’s Disturbing Plan to Add Face Surveillance to Your Front Door
Whole Foods CEO on plant-based meat boom: Good for the environment but not for your health
“if you look at the ingredients, they are super, highly processed foods.”
You couldn’t pay me to eat that crap. Well you could but it would cost you at least Surf & Turf dinner (with adult beverages).
Workers say wearing jeans to work is worth $5,000 to them
“In fact, 33% would rather quit their job — or decline a job offer — if it meant wearing business attire every day of the week, according to a new study by staffing firm Randstad US, which looked at attitudes about workplace fashion.
Similarly, one-third of workers said they would rather have a casual dress code than an extra $5,000 in pay each year.”
I don’t like suits. I don’t wear suits. I don’t understand suits. IMHO it’s the uniform of a bygone era.