TechByter Worldwide (formerly Technology Corner) with Bill Blinn

Blue light is beneficial, but it can also cause problems. Computer screens, televisions, tablets, and smart phones emit a lot of blue light and the result may be insomnia and other health issues. In Short Circuits: Microsoft's new Chromium-based Edge browser continues to evolve, and it offers some advantages compared to Chrome and Firefox, maybe even enough to attract users. • It's beginning to look like entropy will win on the internet and the term "splinternet" has gained a following. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The National PTA tries to identify ways to help families make the best use of online resources. • Older adults are increasingly adopting smart phones and computers, but are less receptive to wearable devices and tablets. • Twenty years ago: Digital cameras were about to reach the magic ONE megapixel level for the unheard-of low price of just $1000.

Password managers have become essential tools for those who want to protect their data, and other actions can improve your odds of surviving. In Short Circuits: Website pop-up messages asking to send notifications are annoying and now browser publishers are making it easier for those of us who detest the messages to get rid of them. • Sometimes you might want Windows to believe that you're not in the location where the operating system thinks you are. It's an easy fix. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Facebook claims to have ways to protect your privacy, or at least to control more of what Zuckerberg and crew know about you; so let's take a look. • A man who claimed to protect organizations from distributed-denial-of-service attacks will be sentenced in May for staging such attacks himself. • Twenty years ago: Apple was well on the way to the great turnaround and Apple's board of directors presented Steve Jobs with a new airplane.

Those who need help with spelling, grammar, and style might be inclined to use spelling checkers and grammar checkers. Although these tools can be helpful, it's essential to avoid having them lead you astray. In Short Circuits: Microsoft's January patches include one that's designed to repair a major security flaw in Windows 10. Installing this patch should be a priority for everyone. • If the account you use with Windows 10 is a local account instead of a Microsoft account, you may want to reconsider. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Malwarebytes Labs says a company that provides mobile phones for low-income individuals under a federal program has been packing those phones with malware. • Responding to threats from do-it-yourself home security system providers, ADT has launched its own brand of user-installable devices. • Twenty years ago: We were so concerned with battery life on notebook computers that a company attempted to create a super-low-power system.

Several years after the first smart speakers were released, I have one. It wasn't my idea, but it was free and it seems to be useful. In Short Circuits: You hear my spiel about the importance of backup occasionally. This time I have a story that illustrates clearly why it is so important. • Lies are endemic on the internet and particularly in social media. Those who are interested in truth can find it. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Windows 7 is no longer viable, but you might not have to pay for an update to Windows 10. • A school district in suburban Austin has lost more than $2 million to scammers. • Twenty years ago: The MP3 music format, which had been invented 3 years earlier, was beginning to take off.

If you've wondered whether Linux would be right for you, you're not alone. I've asked myself that question just about every year since the early 1990s. In Short Circuits: Some PDF documents have restrictions on copying data or printing the file, and sometimes even passwords that prohibit opening the file. There are workarounds. • Remember when you could get to Safe mode in Windows by pressing F8 during the boot process? Microsoft removed that capability starting with Windows 8, but you can restore it if you don't might a slightly slower boot. In Spare Parts (only on the website): When Windows doesn't work right, you might be tempted to wipe the disk and start over. Before using the big hammer, you can often save time and effort by repairing Windows instead. • The Federal Communications Commission wants cellular providers to block fraudulent calls, but don't expect change anytime soon. In the meantime, it's up to us. • Twenty years ago: A small but growing group of Linux fans predicted that Linux would take over the desktop. We're still waiting.

The blog and podcast date has been advanced from Sunday to Friday and the email alert now goes out on Friday morning instead of Saturday morning. This week's primary topic looks at two useful utilities and a location where you can find lots of equally useful applications. In Short Circuits: If you want to accelerate an older computer, you have several options, but some of them aren't worth what they'll cost. • Future Me is an unusual website that allows users to send messages to themselves in the future. Why? I'll see if I can explain that. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A scammer who sent fake sextortion messages has been arresed, but that won't have much effect on the scourge. • Would you be able to tell the difference between the real log-in page for Amazon's app and a phony that tries to steal your credentials? I couldn't and this illustrates why it's important not to click enticing links in email messages. • Twenty years ago: A website aimed at being a clearinhouse for product recalls seemed like a good idea. It wasn't.

TechByter Hibernates This Week: This is second of the two weeks each year when TechByter hibernates. Thanks for listening or reading (or both)! The first program of 2020 (3 January because of the new Friday publication date) will take a look at how you can find hidden powers with a couple of clever utility programs, the best ways to accelerate an older computer, and how to leave a message for the future you.

Mac users have FileVault, Windows users have BitLocker, and all the big cloud-based storage systems encrypt files before storing them, so do we really need another encryption utility? As it turns out, maybe we do. In Short Circuits: Yahoo's Groups service is starting what's likely to be a long slide to oblivion and that reminded me of older services that have met a similar fates -- CompuServe, Prodigy, GEnie, and others. • Also sliding into oblivion: Windows 7. Starting in mid-January, Microsoft will make it crystal clear to users that it's time to upgrade. • Adobe has released a holiday gift for users of its Capture utility. Although both Android and IOS versions receive updates, the IOS version got more this time around. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Beware medical scams that may arrive by email, phone call, or even in-person visits by people who want to steal your information. • Bots that are used to place fake online orders are still more prevalent on desktop computers, but the growing trend points to mobile devices. • Twenty years ago: Remember 56K modems? In 1999 an Oregon company called WorldSpy started offering free dial-up access to the internet. It didn't work out as intended.

SnagIt has been making the process of documenting computer applications easier for nearly 30 years and recent enhancements make it a useful tool for anyone who needs to explain or describe the contents of a computer screen. In Short Circuits: If you've been using Cortana on an IOS or Android device, you won't be doing so after the end of January 2020. • Your computer may have more than one audio playback device and sometimes Windows selects the wrong one. It's an easy problem to fix. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Popular colors change each year and predicting the ones that will be popular is not unlike the process used to develop each year's flu vaccines. • Sometimes we think of scammers as evil geniuses, but some are just evil idiots. Let's take a look at one fool's flawed flim-flam. • Twenty years ago: There was talk of how to put the internet in your car.

With constantly increasing prices for cable television, maybe you're thinking about dropping the television part of your cable bill and improving the internet part. I'll describe my first timid steps in that direction. In Short Circuits: Cellular service providers are beginning to roll out 5G gear, but your phone probably won't support it and service is still spotty. • There's a better Windows explorer than Windows Explorer and it's free. In Spare Parts (only on the website): When you schedule a meeting with someone in a distant locale, sometimes it's a challenge to find out what time it is there. • If you're thinking about installing a disk upgrade in an existing computer or replacing a computer, I have a list of several applications that will help you make the move with ease. • Twenty years ago: Threats of Y2K disasters were hovering and scammers saw a way to make some money from the fears.