TechByter Worldwide (formerly Technology Corner) with Bill Blinn

Computers often seem to become slower as they age. The hardware doesn't really slow down and some of the problems can be resolved by eliminating unnecessary applications that are running, but new hardware can also help. In Short Circuits: No matter how many monitors you've attached to the computer, placement is important because a bad arrangement can leave you stiff and sore. Mozilla is now offering a free monitoring service that can alert you if a website you use has been compromised. A new law in California attempts to save net neutrality for residents of the state, but the US Department of Justice has filed suit to stop it. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Google plans to make changes over the next year to reduce the amount of malware distributed through the Play store. • Nearly all of our medical information is computerized now. That's convenient, but it's also another rich resource for crooks. • JLab Audio has announced new Bluetooth earbuds with a claim that they'll run for more than 12 hours on a single charge, but there's a catch.

Open source software is secure and it isn't secure. There's no one-size-fits-all statement about security. Both open source and proprietary applications are like Schrödinger's cat, simultaneously secure and not. Let's visit a recent conference by the Linux Foundation and learn more about security. In Short Circuits: The Federal Communications Commission wants to fine an Arizona company more than $37 million for making fraudulent robocalls. The password has a lot of enemies and this week Microsoft, Google, and Yubi all announced ways to kill reliance on passwords. The next time you experience network problems, consider using Microsoft's PowerShell to investigate. In Spare Parts (only on the website): This week (39 years ago) CompuServe introduced email to the general public and they even trademarked the name "Email". • Hardware insurance company SquareTrade says the latest phones from Apple do survive being dropped into a vat of beer, but not being dropped onto the floor.

Let's take a look at Smart Photo Editor Studio from Anthropics. It's an application that features an unsual interface and thousands of presets that can be used to turn everyday images into something special. In Short Circuits: Apple introduced IOS version 12 for its mobile devices this week. Besides fixing some of the worst bugs in IOS 11, it adds some useful functions. Although I don't often use Microsoft's cloud-based OneDrive, I was surprised to discover that it was missing. Apparently this is a relatively common problem with an easy fix that I'll share. Research confirms that all of the nation's top 45 airports can be hazardous to your data and that many have unacceptable risks. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Two-factor authentication is more secure than just a user name and password, but the weak link is still the human. • If you're going to spend $1000 or more on a new Iphone, there are ways to save and WalletHub has the details.

Listening to music on a computer can be challenging because most computer audio systems have severely limited fidelity. An audio equalizer application can help. In Short Circuits: Maybe you've wondered from time to time if your antivirus application might have missed something. Getting a second opinion is good idea and it's easy. I've explained before how to use a Registry edit to turn off keys that you don't want -- Caps Lock, for example -- but there's another option if Registry edits make you nervous. Nearly 20 years ago, Microsoft made a stupid mistake by hiding file extensions in the Windows file explorer. This has never been corrected, but the workaround is easy. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Adobe will soon release a Photoshop update that includes some remarkable improvements for content-aware fill. • August set a new all-time record high for robo calls and nearly half of them are scams. • Maybe you'd like a Star Wars stormtrooper that obeys your every command. One can be yours for $230.

Those who have Microsoft's Office suite almost always use Word and Excel. PowerPoint and Outlook are lower on the usage scale. Access lower still. And then there's OneNote, an application that gets far less attention than it should, so I'll explain why it's been indispensable to me for more than a decade. In Short Circuits: User Access Control alerts can be bothersome. They can be disabled, but doing so can make your computer less safe. This week a caller told me that my computer was being attacked and that failing to act could make it obsolete. I yawned and hung up. Microsoft has made some changes to Office 365 licensing. The already liberal polices have been even further relaxed. In Spare Parts (only on the website): If you want to announce a security breach in a way that few will notice, the best time is Saturday evening in the middle of a 4-day weekend. • Companies that use email marketing perform a lot of research to find out what works best. Hidden persuaders can be powerful.

Lynda.com used to have two membership plans at $25 and $35 per month, but now it's available only to LinkedIn Pro subscribers for $30 per month unless you know the trick for obtaining free access. And you have access to a lot more from an organization with a presence near your home. In Short Circuits: Windows 95 was revolutionary. Every version of Windows since then has evolved from it. Those who would like to remember the old days (or who are too young to remember those days and wonder what the fuss was all about) can download a Windows 10 app that runs a Windows 95 virtual machine. It's never too early to start teaching your children about internet security and safety. While you're doing that, you might improve your own practices, too. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A new version of the Chrome browser will be released next week and it all but kills Flash. • There was a big US Army cyber-warfare exercise in Indiana this week. • Adobe has made the first grants from its $10 million Experience Design development fund.

If you use a computer or other mobile device with any connection other than your own private network, virtual private network software is essential. A VPN can be helpful on your private network, too, but it can be troublesome. In Short Circuits: Two free applications exist to help users sort out what starts when Windows boots up. Malware sometimes has auto-start components, but the most common use for these applications is to speed the boot process and remove needless apps. Apple's sales are off this year and the company is probably hoping for a boost from new MacBook Air and Mac Mini models that will begin shipping in October. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Disinformation is increasingly a problem for on-line services and Facebook this week took down more than 600 phony sites being operated from Russia and Iran. • It's beginning to look a lot like 2000 and I keep wondering if another dot-com crash like the one in 2002 is in our future. • Pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 that I mentioned last week seem to be skewing toward the higher-priced model.

If one of your Facebook friends says that you just sent a friend request, you'll probably think that your Facebook credentials have been compromised and that somebody has taken over your account. That's probably not the case and fixing the problem is easy. In Short Circuits: The latest phone from Samsung has some amazing features and an equally amazing price. Even if you don't use On1 Photo Raw, the company's helpful videos will show you how to get better images into your camera. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Blockchain is disrupting how business is conducted and it's also having a disrupting effect on accounting and finance functions. • The US legal system already says that corporations are people, so maybe you're wondering what legal challenges devices that use artificial intelligence bring to the law.

Although GoodSync isn't designed to create a disk image or to back up the computer's operating system, it's a most capable and adaptable tool for backing up or synchronizing files and folders. In Short Circuits: Microsoft appears to be preparing to charge enterprise clients a monthly fee for maintaining the Windows 10 operating system, so maybe you're wondering if this will someday apply to home users. There's no shortage of ebook readers, so people who are new to reading books on electronic devices should experiment with several readers. I'll tell you about my favorite and why I prefer it. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Anyone who still wears a watch might be interested in a new one from Casio. • The company that acquired the Rand McNally name makes GPS devices and recently added a line of headphones "for professional drivers".

Organizing a music library seems like it should be easy, but complications keep getting in the way. I've found some uncomplicators. In Short Circuits: Over the years, tiny computers have been novelties, but they haven't really gained widespread acceptance. Now there's a new one with some power. Are you tempted to buy some of those sale-priced $20 "RayBan" sunglasses you see ads for on the internet? If so, just drop a $20 bill in the trash and you'll be ahead of the game. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Canon is about to release a $400 camera with a spectacular zoom range and some significant shortcomings. • In addition to renting you an overpriced cable modem, your ISP may soon ask you to rent an overpriced mesh system. • A survey by a bank seems to suggest that users of bank apps place convenience ahead of security, and that's troubling.