TechByter Worldwide (formerly Technology Corner) with Bill Blinn

French software publisher DxO has updated PhotoLab 2, which was released late last year. Although its photo organizing tools are relatively weak, some special capabilities make it well worth considering -- either as a Lightroom plug-in or as a standalone application. In Short Circuits: At least eight apps slipped through Microsoft's security procedures to be featured in the Microsoft Store and these apps secretly use your computer to generate Monero cryptocurrency. If you're tired of being interrupted by all those pop-in messages that Microsoft calls "toast", there's a way to remove most of them so you can work without being bothered. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Wi-Fi router manufacturers are making more devices that operate on 3 bands so that mesh coverage will work throughout even extremely large houses. • Advances are being made in wide-area Wi-Fi systems that can bring fast service to less-populated areas where cable-based systems aren't economically feasible.

If you're tired of using sticky notes, losing track of the notes, and the forgetting to do something important, an application called Remember the Milk will remind you on desktop, notebook, or tablet computers as well as on Apple and Android mobile devices. In Short Circuits: It's easy to become complacent about security for mobile devices and that increases the danger. TechRepublic has some guidelines in a document you can download for free. Adobe's February monthly updates to Lightroom, Photoshop, and Camera Raw bring the cloud-based Lightroom more in line with Lightroom Classic and a new feature adds artificial intelligence to the demosaicing process to improve fine detail in photos. During the week of Valentine's Day, Fontself and Adobe released 5 free new typefaces based on scalable vector graphics. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Tesla acquires a battery maker that appears to have some technology that will improve batteries while reducing the cost. • Maybe you don't consider glass to be a high-tech commodity, but what about bendable glass?

Although photographs you take today are digital -- from a point-and-shoot camera, a digital SLR, or a smart phone -- you may still have boxes full of old negatives. There are ways to incorporate these old images into your stored digital images. In Short Circuits: Scammers are becoming smarter, but spotting phony messages is still easy most of the time. Let's consider one scam that looks legitimate at first glance, but takes only a few seconds to unmask. After being on the market for more than 3 years, Windows 10 has finally pulled ahead of Windows 7. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Pandora is now owned by SiriusXM and the company is looking at ways to exploit the combined platform for consumers, content creators, and advertisers. That last one is probably the most important. • Pantone's Color Matching System is the key to accurate color for publications, paints, plastics, and now weddings, too.

Sometimes getting rid of an application you no longer want calls for more than just the Windows Add and Remove Programs function. Fortunately there are several good uninstallers to choose from. In Short Circuits: If you're looking for a program to help with a specific task, Capterra might be worth looking at. The service provides free software reviews. Apple will probably fix the problem soon, but the FaceTime application currently allows callers to listen before you answer a call and, in some cases, turn on the camera. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Pianos used to be gigantic instruments and many still are, but electronic pianos that are no larger than the keyboard of full size pianos are often able to match the sound of traditional pianos. • Would you prefer to see your sports team go down in flames or have to call a plumber? The results of a survey may surprise you and, yes, there is a tenuous connection to technology here.

Thinking about a new computer? Selecting Windows, MacOS, or Linux is the first decision, but there are lots of others: Desktop, notebook, tablet, or convertible? How much CPU power? How much memory? We'll step through some of the choices. In Short Circuits: Once you've purchased a new computer, what will you do with the old one? Adding it to a landfill is the worst possible choice, but there are several good options. If you listen to music on a phone or tablet, there are ways to improve the sound. In Spare Parts (only on the website): On-line trust is fragile and organizations suffer when people have doubts about the security of their personal information. • Adobe Audition and its initial incarnation, Syntrillium Cool Edit, have been around for 25 years and the application continues to improve.

Getting more than you paid for is a welcome change from the usual and there are hundreds of free and low-cost applications that sometimes compete well with commercial programs. In Short Circuits: If you decide that you'd like to try some free applications, the next challenge is how to get theme. Two excellent resources exist. Every Windows computer has a Task Bar and there are ways to make it more useful. Let's consider a few of them. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Is the 10-year photo challenge on Facebook dangerous or just good fun? • Kroger is working with Microsoft to redefine the way we buy groceries.

A plain-text editor is an essential tool for programmers because it will have lots of built-in functions that make writing clean code easier, but even non-programmers can make good use of these programs when writing because they lack a word processor's capabilities. In Short Circuits: How do you find a misplaced smart phone? Most people just pick up another phone and call it, but what if you don't have another phone handy? There's a way to call your hiding phone without using a phone. Taking recommendations from those who provide computer support, even for large companies such as Microsoft, is something that needs to be done with care. Let's consider a case in which the recommendations made no sense. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The Consumer Electronics Show was held in Las Vegas this week, so we'll take a look at three trends. First, larger and more powerful Chromebooks. • Next, docking stations that compete with the computer manufacturers' docking stations. • And finally, Wi-Fi routers that are becoming more sophisticated as manufacturers build in improved security.

If you have tens of thousands of digital images on your computer, finding the one you want is probably a time-consuming procedure, but a plug-in for Adobe Lightroom uses artificial intelligence that lets users find images by describing them. And it works! In Short Circuits: Some users who installed the Windows 10 October release in October had problems so serious that Microsoft withdrew the update. Near the end of December, they released it again. Now it works right. There are no significant changes to the podcast for 2019, but the TechByter website has been rebuilt from scratch. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Because there's no way to make electricity move faster, speed gains are achieved by reducing the distance electricity must travel inside computers. This is measured in microns. • Monitor manufacturers will show off tremendously wide screens at the Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas. • The Linux Foundation continues to expand as one of the primary supporters of open-source software.

We'll be back next week and the TechByter website will have a new look. In the meantime, here's a link to last week's podcast.

Security threats continue to mature and become harder to spot. We'll listen as Cybereason's chief security officer, Sam Curry, suggests what we'll see on the security horizon in 2019. In Short Circuits: The Windows 10 October update has been released, again, this time without a propensity to occasionally delete files and folders. If you don't yet have version 1809, you can force the issue or just wait for Microsoft to deliver it. If you feel a certain sense of deja vu when considering the ways communication techniques are changing, perhaps you recall what was called "ransom-note publishing" that cropped up when inexperienced users gained access to design tools in the 1980s. In Spare Parts (only on the website): This year's Darwin Awards (as they relate to passwords) have been released and the White House is no longer the top winner, but a visitor to the Oval Office did take the #1 slot. • Renting a car in China is difficult: Foreigners also need to hire a driver and National Car Rental sees an opportunity there.