Computer News

Google Chrome Updated
“The stable channel has been updated to 64.0.3282.186 for Mac, Linux, and Windows”
Download
Really digging the update log:
“This reverts commit 26c173d76d8286b872b54c9374e9639039b8a822.
Reason for revert: Reverting the revert. Original revert meant to be on TOT, but was instead done on a M64 branch. This was not intended.”

Other Software Updates
Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.2.3 Optional
Audacity 2.2.2
FileZilla Client 3.31.0

Latest Intel Security News: Updated Firmware Available for 6th, 7th and 8th Generation Intel Core Processors, Intel Xeon Scalable Processors and More
“The new microcode will be made available in most cases through OEM firmware updates.”

AMD Being Sued Now
“At least four separate lawsuits have now been filed against the California-based processor slinger, alleging violations ranging from securities fraud to breach of warranty, unfair competition, and negligence. ”

Anti-bacterial Wipes Pointless?
“Anti-bacterial wipes only eradicate bacteria from kitchen surfaces for 20 minutes and using them to keep germs at bay is “an absolutely redundant” exercise, a scientist has said. ”

Reap The Whirlwind Intel
Intel facing 32 lawsuits over Meltdown and Spectre CPU security flaws. Shareholders also allege insider trading.
FYI, I’m part of one lawsuit.

Speaking Of Meltdown And Spectre
You’ll be happy to know more attack vectors have been found.

Next Win10 Upgrade Date
Early April opines one reporter. Win10 updates are just plain getting tiresome.

Google Chrome Ad Blocking
Some folks are complaining about the fact that Chrome is going to start blocking ads. Cry me a river.

Greatest U.S. Cyber Security Risk?
It is the people in this country and government ignoring the risk from “what U.S. intelligence agencies call the “big four”: Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran.” Yet we still have people calling those who can see the threats “xenophobic”.

Government Contractors A Big Security Risk
“Nearly 50 percent of contractors have a BitSight grade below C for the Protective Technology subcategory of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.”
You know… There are thousands of military veterans out there like me who have proven themselves security wise. But, if you’ve been out of the service for more than a year (I think?) you need a sponsor (a company) to get a security clearance. No clearance no job.

New Intel Graphics Driver
v15.65 for Win10 has a new gaming settings tweaker. Yeah, I don’t know anyone who games with the Intel GPU either.

Google Chrome Updated
“The stable channel has been updated to 64.0.3282.167 for Mac & Linux, and 64.0.3282.167/168 for Windows…This update includes 1 security fix.”
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Autoruns v13.82 & Process Monitor v3.50
Autoruns: “This Autoruns release shows Onenote addins and fixes several bugs”
Process Monitor: “Process Monitor now includes a /runtime switch…and includes numerous minor improvements and bug fixes”

Other Software
CCleaner 5.40
EMDB 3.11

One [H]ard Mini Motherboard
“If a smaller footprint is a consideration in your next build, you would be foolish not to put the ASUS ROG STRIX Z370-I Gaming motherboard of your short list. The fact that you get this many features and impressive stable overclocking ability for only $189.50, is only tempered by the fact that you have to give up all but one of your PCIe x 16 slots.”

ChiComs In The News
“The heads of six major US intelligence agencies have warned that American citizens shouldn’t use products and services made by Chinese tech giants Huawei and ZTE.”
&
“Speaking before the Senate Intelligence Committee alongside the heads of other US intelligence agencies, Wray told Senators that China is using a host of methods to undermine American military, economic, cultural, and informational power across the globe that rely on more than just China’s state institutions.”

Sorry for the lack of updates. Worked 6 days a week for the last 4 weeks 🙁

VLC Updated
Version 3.0 is out. Lots of new features.
Downloads: 32-bit or 64-bit

Meltdown/Spectre Patches, Part 2
Intel release a new patch after they botched the patch. Head to AskWoody for the full scoop.

Official Emoji List
Yeah, I didn’t know there was such a thing either but it makes sense.
Apparently there were a bunch of new emojis released because someone somewhere gets their panties in a wad if they don’t look like them.

Criminy
That Equifax hack. Yup, the news just keeps getting worse. Nobody is gonna get blamed for it though.
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Off Topic

Best Interviews Ever
Quincy Jones is a recording industry legend. He is 84 and seen-it-all. He knows the music legends, he knows where the bodies are buried. He even says he knows who killed Kennedy.
Anyone who has an older loved one knows that as the years advance the filters drop. Mr. Jones has done 2 recent interviews that are completely fascinating.
GQ – Quincy Jones Has a Story About That
Frank Sinatra. Michael Jackson. Ray Charles. Malcolm X. Elon Musk. Truman Capote. Buzz Aldrin. Prince. Tupac. Even Leni Riefenstahl. Quincy Jones has run with them all.
Vulture – In Conversation: Quincy Jones
In both music and manner, Quincy Jones has always registered — from afar, anyway — as smooth, sophisticated, and impeccably well-connected. (That’s what earning 28 Grammy awards and co-producing Michael Jackson’s biggest-selling albums will do.) But in person, the 84-year-old music-industry macher is far spikier and more complicated. “All I’ve ever done is tell the truth,” says Jones, seated on a couch in his palatial Bel Air home, and about to dish some outrageous gossip. “I’ve got nothing to be scared of, man.”

Solo
Ron Howard: A Star Wars Story — Why the Oscar-winner joined Solo in its time of upheaval
“And I really have enjoyed it,” Howard says. “It’s a fun tone. And of course, with the Kasdans writing it and it being a young Han Solo movie, there’s this swagger, and there’s this sense of humor and this kind of youthful emotion and intensity.”

I think it’s Wednesday?!

Browser Stuff
Adobe Flash Player 28.0.0.161
for Firefox, Opera
for Internet Explorer
—
Firefox 58.0.2

Ultimate Windows Tweaker for Windows 10
Version 4.4.1 is out. An adblocker warning? Really? Hurting your Geek cred there guys.

Off Topic

Craft Beer > Wine
Well at least is is better for you.
“We all know that a glass of red wine is good for you, but it turns outs a pint of craft beer is better, it has got more good things in it”

Turn Up The lights
Dim lights make you stupid. So say the Science Geeks at Michigan State University.
“In other words, dim lights are producing dimwits.”

No Surprise
U.S. consumer protection official puts Equifax probe on ice
We lose again.

80’s Metal Tours
Def Leppard & Journey
Poison & Cheap Trick

Software Updates
7-Zip 18.0.1
Nvidia GeForce Drivers 390.77 WHQL

Firefox 58.0.1
Firefox 32-bit
Firefox 64-bit
All downloads
Release Notes (not up yet)

Not Intel-ligent
“In initial disclosures about critical security flaws discovered in its processors, Intel Corp. notified a small group of customers, including Chinese technology companies, but left out the U.S. government, according to people familiar with the matter and some of the companies involved.”
My first thought was the word “treasonous”. Yeah I know, but that is what came to mind. Probably doesn’t rise to that but it sure is stupid. Amazing that a company full of some of the brightest among us has failed so miserably recently.

About That Windows Unpatch Patch
Over the weekend several sites have reported that “Microsoft issues emergency Windows update” that unpatched the Spectre patch.
AFAIK they haven’t put anything on Window Update and there is no “out-of-band update”, at least not on any of my 7 running PCs. Frankly I think they all got the news from AskWoody who is the only site I’ve seen get it right:
“The patch is only available from the Update Catalog, and it’s the same patch for all versions of Windows.”
and
“It’s highly likely that when Intel gives the all-clear for Spectre variant 2, it’ll be part of yet another patch.”
and most importantly
“Moral of the story: Wait.”

Pai In Your Face
How does this embarrassment still have a job?

Big Brother
iVerge – Exclusive: ICE is about to start tracking license plates across the US
They are tracking everyone plates not just illegals. I don’t have much to complain about as I have an E-ZPass but that is an opt-in thing.

Ars Pro
Ars Technica is turning to a premium subscription model. I’ve only tried one and that was over at Paul Thurrott’s site. I let that expire as I didn’t feel the value was worth the cost. Is this where the web is headed?

Logic
Non sequitur. Some folks really need to understand this before they make comments.
 
RIP Mort Walker

Chrome 64
53 security fixes including Meltdown and Spectre protection.
HDR suppport.
Mute annoying sites. You can do this by right-clicking on a tab.
Download

Polaris
Windows Central says “Polaris” is a Win10 version “for traditional PC form factors”.
I want my PC to act like a PC. Not a phone. Not a tablet. But when it comes to Microsoft getting things right, I’ll believe it when I see it.

Coincidence
“Intel quietly warned computer manufacturers at the end of November that its chips were insecure due to design flaws, according to an internal Chipzilla document…The date of the disclosure to OEMs is likely to raise eyebrows as it happened on the same day Intel chief exec Brian Krzanich sold shares in his company worth $25m before tax.”
They always get away with it.

Inside The Fight For The Soul Of Kaspersky Lab
Semi-long article and worth the read.
“Kaspersky Lab is under fire in the US over concerns that it could provide its clients’ private — and at times secret — information to the Russian government. A new investigation by Russian news site Meduza, published here exclusively in English, goes inside the battle for control of the company — a battle sources say was won by the side allied with Russian security services.”