TechByter Worldwide (formerly Technology Corner) with Bill Blinn

Serif's Affinity division has released updated versions of Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, and Affinity Publisher. Despite the low prices of these applications, they pack surprisingly robust feature sets. In Short Circuits: Scammers stay up to date on news, and COVID-19 has been profitable for them. So profitable that Medicare and the Centers for Disease Control have launched a campaign to explain how contact tracing works and, just as important, how to spot a fake. • Has Microsoft set your default browser to Edge, or has something changed your preferred search engine? If so, it's an easy fix and I'll explain how for the three major browsers. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Adobe's free Photoshop Camera app for Android and IOS devices keeps getting better with the addition of free lenses that modify images taken with the app. • Acronis TrueImage 2021 doubles down on security measures with tools that scan for viruses, watch for malware, and use artificial intelligence to identify attacks before they can do damage. • Twenty years ago: A 19-inch monitor seemed gigantic, but flat-panel monitors were prohibitively expensive and those big cathode-ray tube screens left little space on the desk.

If you've ever bought a piece of hardware that didn't quite live up to its hype and its reviews, you're not alone. I have a story for you that involves sequential failures to satisfy. Perhaps it'll be worth a chuckle or two. In Short Circuits: Microsoft has added a security function in version 2004 of Windows 10 to identify and block potentially unwanted programs, but it has a serious shortcoming. • If you're still running an earlier version of Windows and wish Microsoft would get around to pushing the 2004 update to your computer, you can obtain it without Microsoft's help. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Too many people fail to recognize scam ads and blindly share the ad or follow the link. Let's think about that. • One of the worst performing business sectors in terms of online security awareness is the one that encompasses energy and utilities. • Twenty years ago: Corel thought that Linux would allow the company to compete with Microsoft.

The free, open-source office suite, LibreOffice, is out with version 7, and it has an impressive bunch of new features, improved performance, and enhanced capabilities to deal with Microsoft Office files. In Short Circuits: Microsoft created restore points for Windows systems in the distant past, and you may think that your Windows 10 computer is protected by the technology. Surprise! Unless you have enabled restore points, it isn't. • Everybody should have a password manager, but maybe you don't want a password manager that stores your passwords in the cloud even though it's demonstrably safe. If so, now's the time to take a look at KeePassXC, a new version of the venerable KeePass. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The novel coronavirus has become a gold mine for scammers. They have adapted old ploys to new circumstances. • Adobe, Red Hat, and IBM are teaming up to enhance online security as users of online systems demand more ease of use. • Twenty years ago: The Oxford English Dictionary had just been released in an online version for more than $500 per year. Today, it's $90 per year, but libraries often provide online access without cost.

Skylum's Luminar 3 has made remarkable strides on the way to Luminar 4. The application is less than four years old, yet it offers some delightful surprises. In Short Circuits: If you'd like to be able to create a temporary address that you can provide when you're not quite sure you want to give someone your real address, Mozilla's Firefox Relay may do the job. It's in private beta now. • Remember The Oregon Trail, Zork, PacMan, or M.U.L.E.? If you liked these games in the 1980s, you can give them a second shot right now on any Windows, Mac, or Linux computer. No downloads are involved because they run in a browser window. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Microsoft is experimenting with hydrogen fuel cells for backup power at data centers, and says that they offer advantages over diesel generators. • The Firefighter Safety Research Institute has released a report on a fire at a 2.16 megawatt lithium ion battery energy storage system in Surprise, Arizona. • Twenty years ago: The US Postal Service was thinking about offering email. Just about everyone thought it was a dumb idea, but it might have solved one of today's problems.

As the number of digital images we accumulate increases, possibly at an alarming rate, finding one specific image becomes challenging. Artificial intelligence can help. In Short Circuits: Device drivers are among the most problematic issues for Windows users, but they're virtually invisible and that makes keeping them up to date difficult. There are applications that can help, but they need to be treated with care. • Although a bad device driver can cause a problem with keyboards, sometimes the keyboard just fails. Microsoft wants more than $100 for their keyboard cover that fits on Surface Pro tablets, but a third-party keyboard for half that price offers a lot of useful features. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Mozilla has begun offering a virtual private network. It's currently limited to Windows computers and both IOS and Android mobile devices in six countries, but more devices and countries are coming. • Two mechanical dogs are wandering around a Ford plant, helping engineers to collect data for a planned retooling. • Twenty years ago: Bluetooth devices were just beginning to be sold. They were expensive and had security flaws. Now it's hard to find a device without Bluetooth built in.

A strong password helps to keep your information private, but a single error can give control of your accounts to crooks. Setting up two-factor authentication is the best way to add security, and you may be surprised by how easy the process has become. In Short Circuits: Adobe has two painting applications, one for people who know how to draw and paint (or want to learn) and another for those who just want to create painterly effects using their own photographs. We'll take a look at both. • Earlier this month, I was about two seconds away from disaster as I held the mouse cursor over a poisoned link. Then logic kicked in. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Potential disaster lurks behind more than 100,000 websites that claim to have legitimate Covid-19 information. • The pandemic is creating severe supply shortages for information technology departments. • Twenty years ago: Online services were beginning to make it possible for travel agents to book ground transportation in addition to flights.

Online backup systems often offer the ability to recover more than just the most recent version of a file, but there are less expensive options if you're willing to give up that useful feature. In Short Circuits: Despite their advantages, tablet computers have one huge disadvantage: Price. When you're shopping for a Windows tablet, it's possible to save money on storage space if the device offers an XD memory card slot. • Facebook users often see messages about "hacked" accounts, but the accounts probably haven't been hacked — just cloned. There are ways to make your account unattractive to crooks. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Podcast aggregator Stitcher is about to be acquired by SiriusXM after being owned by the E W Scripps Company for five years. • Would you take a pay cut to gain the flexibility of working from home? A lot of people would, and you may be surprised by how much of a pay cut they would accept. • Twenty years ago: The Crusoe processor from Transmeta promised to bring to market amazing new small computers that ran cooler, but it didn't happen.

The software world continues its transition to software as a service, and users see small changes frequently. Adobe delivers two large updates every year, one of which arrived in late June with lots of new features. In Short Circuits: Microsoft seems to be suggesting that the Control Panel will eventually be removed from Windows 10. That will happen only after all Control Panel functions are migrated to the Settings app, and that's something developers have been working on for a decade. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The seeming illogic of selecting a Wi-Fi channel for your router has a basis in logic. • Microsoft continues its push to get Windows users to at least give the new Edge browser a try. • Twenty years ago: Microsoft was about to start shipping the Millennium Edition of Windows, and I thought it would be an improvement over Windows 98. Well, not exactly.

Your smart phone or tablet doubtless includes an email application, but there's probably a better option. Let's look for one. In Short Circuits: Up-to-date weather information is good to have and there are several services that use differing approaches to present that information. • Many email application can be set up to delay messages you send. That's a handy feature if you frequently think of something you meant to include shortly after pressing the Send button. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Internet service provider Wide Open West is warning customers about a scam. The warning applies to all ISPs. • You probably have a Google account, and now would be a good time to run a security audit. It's easy and takes just a few minutes. • Twenty years ago: "Big, Fast, and Cheap — Choose Any Three!" Disk drives were finally becoming affordable.

It's essential to use a virtual private network on portable devices that connect to Wi-Fi hotspots or open networks. Although it's a good safety practice to also use a VPN on a desktop system with a wired connection, you may find that it's not possible. In Short Circuits: If your office job still has you working from home, you should have a virtual private network, and we'll look at some other important security measures. • Many of us are still staying at home most of the time. To reduce the boredom, you might consider picking up a new skill or two. Your local library can probably help with that. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A minor Windows Explorer annoyance turned out to be an easy fix. I'll explain what the problem was and how I corrected it. • Microsoft's Windows Insider program is changing. Some of the changes are semantic, but it appears that there will be an increased emphasis on quality. • Twenty years ago: Time Warner Columbus told Roadrunner users that there would no longer be an extra charge to connect more than one home computer to the internet.