TechByter Worldwide (formerly Technology Corner) with Bill Blinn

If you're a creative in any sort of media, Adobe wants you. Sometimes Windows users need to boot into Safe Mode, but getting there is more complicated than it used to be. In Short Circuits: Microsoft is unhappy that Google released information about an exploit that can be used against Windows users. Have you considered a career in the exciting field of COBOL programming? In Spare Parts (only on the website): One effect next week's election will have on Twitter, GM teams up with IBM to provide more functions (and distractions) for drivers, and Kaspersky Lab says more cybercrime fighters are needed.

Last week's distributed denial of service attack that rendered large parts of the internet useless was only a preview. There's more to come. You might want to consider using a DNS service that's not provided by your internet service provider. In Short Circuits: Alien Skin's SnapArt4 makes it easy to add striking effects to your photographs. Some websites invite hacker attacks. Police in Europe have a plan to fight ransomware. In Spare Parts (only on the website): CyberGhost is another choice for secure internet communications, somebody might be listening to your phone calls, and technology might threaten annual performance reviews.

TechSmith has released updates to both Windows and MacOS versions of Camtasia, with a host of new features in both and narrowing the gap between the MacOS version and the Windows version. Microsoft plans a significant change to how system services are handled in Windows and the result will be improved reliability when the changes are released in 2017. In Short Circuits: About half of all cloud-based malware is designed to deliver ransomware. Research shows that college students underestimate the financial implications of ransomware. And you'll find several new sections on the constantly updated TechByter RSS News Feed page. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A virtual 800-inch screen that you can wear, Shutterstock fights back against Adobe Stock, and all-flash storage is closer to becoming a reality.

If you look at a display of Wi-Fi signals in your area, you should find that they're all on channels 1, 6, and 11, but you probably won't because somebody misunderstands how the system works. Apple's operating system for notebooks and desktop systems is now called MacOS and a new version has some useful features -- but good luck getting the update file downloaded. In Short Circuits: I was reminded this week why everyone who uses a scanner should have a copy of VueScan. If it seems that USB is taking over all computer connectivity, that's not far from the truth. A quick look at some search strategies intended to keep your computer safe. In Spare Parts, only on the website: Get advance warning about flu outbreaks from your phone and a list of the ten most dangerous celebrities when it comes to internet searches.

Whether you use it as a plug-in for Photoshop or Lightroom, or as a standalone application, Alien Skin's latest version of Exposure is a winner. Some people love Firefox. Some hate it. Many do both. I have some suggestions for making Firefox a bit more lovable. In Short Circuits: Why backup is so important. That dating application on your smart phone might be giving away a lot more information that you know. In Spare Parts, only on the website: Epson's new scanner is intended for those who need to scan lots of old photos applying arcade game technology to learning how to code, an on-line security test for your business, and Oracle asks if your employees have what they need to do their jobs.

You have a smart phone, but it repeatedly accepts calls from scammers and spamers. That's dumb, so let's fix it. Are you thinking about replacing a desktop computer with a notebook? You can do it, but be prepared for some surprises. In Short Circuits: Despite what you may have seen on the internet, Brad Pitt is still alive. Microsoft wants to be part of your future connected car. Tracking your sleep with an Iphone app. In Spare Parts, only on the website: BlackBerry gets out of the phone manufacturing business, a new app that claims to help you get a seat at your favorite restaurant, and another social media app is about to launch.

What happens if you turn on the computer and it won't boot? Now is a good time to prepare for that somewhat unlikely possibility. When you're using a computer that isn't yours, having a thumb drive with a bunch of portable apps can be helpful and obtaining them is easy. In Short Circuits: Some things that look like fraud might not be, but paying close attention to the details is really important and now you can get free access to virtual private network technology when you use the Opera browser. In Spare Parts, only on the website: Steve Wozniak, one of Apple's co-founders, will be the keynote speaker at a conference in San Francisco next month, self-employed professionals who need accounting software might want to look at an updated offering from a Canadian company, and Ashland College enrolls more than 1000 inmates in a distance-learning program.

Windows 10 was, to many people, the best version of Windows ever and the Anniversary update made it even better. Whether you agree or not, there's always room for change. The change might be an improvement (if it does something you want) or not. So this week we'll take a look at some of the changes you can make to Windows 10. In Short Circuits: Training for dangerous jobs is itself dangerous and virtual reality's close cousin, mixed reality, is providing new and safer options. YouMail has released what it calls "the world's simplest free service for hosting and participating in conference calls." In Spare Parts (only on the website): AristotleInsight takes a new approach to asset inventory and data network administration and if a Windows update screen pops up on your computer, make sure it's the real thing before proceeding.

September 11th is an appropriate date for discussing the threat posed by having our own technology turned against us. There's nothing at all amusing in this week's program, but we should start thinking about what the next attack will be like because there will be one. In Short Circuits: Bring your own device (BYOD) to the office and you'll expose your employer to new threats, but that's nothing compared to the dangers posed by computing devices that employees will wear. Some help is available if you want to determine whether a website is safe before you go there. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Healthcare, telecommunications, retail, and transportation industries continue to struggle with security; an Italian company says that the internet will be "safe" within 3 years -- I have my doubts; and government agencies increasingly are using hackathons to engage with developers.

Recently I rediscovered an anti-spam application that I had used until Windows 10 was installed and I forgot to reinstall Mailwasher Pro. It's back on my list of favorites. Maxthon's new MX5 browser has some winning features, particularly for website developers. But there are many features that any user will appreciate. In Short Circuits: Malwarebytes has a new feature in the premium version that will make your computer harder to infect. Someone in Russia seems to have hacked into state boards of election in Arizona and Illinois. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Password protection, secure file sharing, and backup are included in a new application from Keeper Security; some suggestions to keep your organization from becoming the next data breach statistic; free accounting software from Denmark (but you can pay for it if you want to); and increasing threats on the internet of things.