Posts Tagged: ‘Miscellaneous’

The Tiny Redacted Report – Originally Published May 2019

May 12, 2019 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

Lately, I’ve been at kind of a loss on what to write for this months Whatchamcallit article.  Since the club domain is coming up for renewal, I decided to write about how lousy member participation is.  I wrote the article and then realized it was probably not a nice thing to print.  I wrote some stuff that could be pretty embarrassing to some club members.

I can’t imagine anyone not knowing about the Mueller Report.  It has been on the news everyday.  The final redacted report was recently released.  For those that might not know, redacted means edited or censored.  I realized that this was the perfect solution for publishing my article without compromising anyone or hurting their feelings.  I hope you enjoy my redacted message.  Most redacts are several words or names.

Last month, ℜeedacted the newsletter for a ℜeedacted I had hoped to ℜedacted this month.  I will admit that part of the reason for the ℜedacted to make more use of the club website.  ℜedacted. I told them they would have to find out by ℜedacted.  I thought sure that everyone would check ℜedacted.

As I write this on the afternoon of April 19, ℜedacted to the web site to ℜedacted.  Even though I was wrong, I was not really ℜedacted.  Here are some website member statistics.  These numbers are since ℜedacted.  I don’t want to single out anyone so I won’t ℜedacted.

MEMBER DATE LAST ACTIVE NUMBER OF POSTS
ℜedacted Fri Apr 19, 2019 5:16 pm 823
ℜedacted Tue Apr 9, 2019 5:18 am 477
ℜedacted Mon Feb 11, 2019 1:01 pm 5
ℜedacted Sat Jan 12, 2019 7:44 pm 3
ℜedacted Sat Feb 21, 2015 5:09 pm 0
ℜedacted Tue Apr 16, 2019 10:55 pm 10
ℜedacted Never 0
ℜedacted Mon Apr 8, 2019 5:24 pm 0

Do we really need a club website when only ℜedacted and many members hardly even bother ℜedacted?  A forum based website could be a vibrant place where ℜedacted are really “users helping users”.
There have been several ℜedacted.  The site administrators have often ℜedacted. ℜedacted a suggestion was made to ℜedacted.  The site was changed ℜedacted the idea.  ℜedacted.

Then there is the club newsletter. ℜedacted useful part of the club.  I still think so, ℜedacted members do.   Other than some ℜedacted, hardly anyone has bothered to ℜedacted for content.  A ℜedacted articles, I was told that it was helpful.  If someone had ℜedacted the newsletter then.

My point is that it is the CLUB newsletter, not the Tiny newsletter.  It is the CLUB website, not the Tiny site.  (I already have four sites).  Everyone has knowledge of something.  Is it so hard to write a short article and share it with everyone?  Is it so difficult to take a minute and share that link instead of e-mailing it?

There. I’m done with my ranting. I’m not trying to ℜedacted anyone, but I really think that ℜedacted give some thought to our club ℜedacted.  Are they necessary or should we change or discontinue them?

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Android Threats? – Originally Published April 2019

April 28, 2019 Posted by Tiny

From the Dark Side
by Tiny Ruisch

I think it is about time we have another Android malware scare.  Lately, I’ve noticed that many of the tech blogs I read are starting to get a little dull.  There have been many articles on what the best cell phone case is, why you should clean your screen with spit, which camera is better and various other mundane tripe.

If the bad guys would only write some new software that threatens to steal all of our private information, the bogs could get back to writing useful articles about how we can all stay safe.  Maybe reviewers will start emphasizing phones security and updating procedures and less to telling us which has the best camera.  Wouldn’t it be nice to start seeing more stories on which apps are bogus?

Actually, most of these fears are unnecessary since many malware reports are theoretical.  Your equipment would be compromised only if you downloaded a certain app on Tuesday between noon and four when it is raining.

Even though most Android threats are often click bait, I’d still like to see more of them.  After all, the presidential election is getting closer.  I’d much rather read lies about Android than politics.

Thanks for reading.

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Tiny Inventions III – Originally Published March 2019

March 3, 2019 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

I’m not giving up!  After all, I’ve only tried twice.  In June 2013, inspired by Google Glass, I wrote an article about what I thought would make me some extra spending money.  Even though I didn’t raise any money, I tried again in March 2017.  This month, I’m back with some more great ideas for things everyone can use.

I still can’t believe that the “Tiny Monocle” didn’t catch on.  It so outdid Google Glass.  I can say the same thing about the “Tiny Belt”, but I’m still not giving up on inventing the perfect wearable.  There are all kinds of smart watches, activity trackers, health care monitors, etc.  You can even buy smart clothing.  Technology has even invaded jewelry.  You can purchase smart watches, earrings, necklaces and a ring for your fingers or toes.

I can’t believe that no one but me as thought about inventing and marketing a smart nose ring.  I’ll call it the “noseTring”.  My noseTring would do many of the same things that other wearable technology does, only better.  Sleep tracking would be improved because the Tring would be much closer to the brain enabling better tracking of waves.  The best part of wearing a noseTring is that the embedded camera would take much better pictures of people.  After all, their eyes would be pointing directly at the wearer’s nose.

Another of my ideas that didn’t catch on was the “Tiny Pet Mouse Registry”.  The idea was to recycle old computer mice into official pets.  I would then make money by selling pet accessories.  I’m pretty sure the reason it wasn’t a success is because I picked the wrong item for a pet.  That’s why I’m going to introduce the “Tiny Old Phone Registry”.  Instead of trying to make money selling accessories, I’ll just charge a small annual fee.

Everyone I know has an old phone or two lying around somewhere.  Now they can put them to use and turn them into pet(s).  Members will register their new pets by the IMEI number and upload a picture of their new pet.  I’ll add it to the database and assign it a name.  Of course, one of my old phones would be the first pet.  My HTC TP2 would be named Tipi.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) bots are fast becoming the latest and greatest technology.  They are quickly taking over the world and anticipating what we humans will do.  That’s why I’m going to invent an “Artificial Stupidity System”.  This system will help people decide what is the stupidest thing they can do in any situation.  You might wonder why you would want to make stupid responses.  The answer is simple.  It will be perfect training for later years when you might be in a position of authority.  Don’t many business leaders and politicians constantly do and say stupid things?  Probably the best thing about my Artificial Stupidity System is that it would have a great acronym.

Don’t worry, I plan to share the millions that I will undoubtedly make from these ideas.  Thanks for reading.

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Sometimes Technology Disappoints Me – Originally Published February 2019

February 3, 2019 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

Sometimes I get really disappointed with technology and technological advances.  For instance, twenty years ago when you purchased software, you would get software that worked from the time you installed it on your machine.  Major bugs were seldom found.  In this modern day, if you are lucky, you will get a product that actually does what you want without doing damage to your files.  Consumers are often reluctant to install updates because they might make it worse.  Since I’ve installed Windows 10 on all of my main production machines, I’ve developed a new habit.  I never check for updates.  I wait for Microsoft to force them on me.  When they do, I keep my fingers crossed that all major bugs have been fixed.

I’m writing this article somewhere out in the ocean.  The only option for internet access is from satellite.  It is a little pricey, but I’ve sold myself on the idea that I can’t live without it.  After all, I’ve got a newsletter to edit, articles to write for two computer clubs, websites to maintain, tech blogs to read, etc.  I do this every year and expect it to be pretty slow.  I’m sorry to report that it is not getting better.  This is the fourth year I’ve done this and I believe that it is the worst one so far.  I will be downloading a file or opening a website and it will be a fairly decent speed.  Then suddenly, it will drop to zero.  It is so slow that I haven’t been able to complete an on line speed test.  It keeps timing out.  This might be due to the ships’ WiFi configuration or lousy satellite service.  Either way, it is disappointing.

For years, I’ve been disappointed with USB cables, power cords and various other connection methods.  So many of these cables are compatible with only one device.  This is usually because manufacturers will change one or two pins and void compatibility with other devices.  I’ve even had phones made by the same company where the cable cannot be used.  The only instance I know of where this is not true is RJ Ethernet cables.  You can use the same cable on any computer with a jack.  Why can’t the other cables be less disappointing?

Speaking of incompatibility, tech companies have always disappointed me with their inability to just get along. Web browsers interpret HTML a little differently and a picture might not display correctly.  Word processors might change the formatting just enough so that your perfect document becomes an Ivory Soap one ‑ 99.9 percent pure.  Just try reading an amazon book on a competitors e‑book reader.  Next thing you know, if you have an iPhone, you’ll have a hard time getting texts from your friends with an Android phone.

I generally find that “Software as a Service” is usually disappointing. I guess I’m just to0 old and curmudgeonly to think that paying a monthly fee is a better deal than paying an up‑front total price.  I would much rather pay full price and know what I’m getting than pay a lower price forever and know that I’ll end up usually spending much more than the value.

It’s disappointing how so many things we purchase want to access my home network.  This is generally known as the Internet of Things (IOT).  Does your toothbrush really need to connect to the internet so that a company can collect data on how often you brush?  Will my life really be easier if the toilet lid automatically opens when I enter the bathroom.  I can see where some IOT tech would be useful.  For instance heat control, lighting, doorbells, etc. might save you some money on your utility bill.  The problem is that they might cost you more if someone uses them to break into your home network.

Speaking of hardware, isn’t it disappointing how tech companies announce the greatest innovations, but never seem to deliver them.  The folding phone is an excellent example.  It seems like we’ve been going to get one for the last five years or so.  I wonder what will be here first, a foldable phone or a roll‑up screen.  Oh well, at least the smart toilet is available.

I’ve had enough disappointment for this month.  Thanks for reading.

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Cruising 2019 – Originally Published January 2019

January 19, 2019 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

It’s January again!  If you know the wife and I, you can probably guess where we are and what we’re doing.  We’re out on the ocean again.  I hated to go, but my wife dragged me along.  I was kicking and screaming.  Unfortunately, I was kicking and screaming because I had stubbed my big toe really hard.  It hurt almost as bad as when I look at the poor participation on the club website.

This year, I’m going to cut way back on the amount of tech I’ll be taking along.  I’ll definitely take my laptop as it just makes it easier to do things like my daily web browsing, the club newsletter, updating my various websites, etc.  Of course, I’ll be taking my tablet.  I’ve got a lot of book reading to catch up on.  I’m sure that I’ll also be playing “The Room”.  Finally, my phone is the device I use for magazine reading, audio books and some quick brain games.  Of course, I’ll also be taking a couple of sets of Bluetooth headphones, assorted cables and my power banks.  One of the most important things to remember is to bring a power strip.

Perhaps more notable is some of the tech that I won’t be taking along.  This year, I’m going to leave my camera bag behind.  My old Canon still takes better pictures than my pocket computer, but I just don’t take too many photos anymore.  I’ll be leaving my cable/adapters bag behind.  Other than a couple of USB cables, it just ends up being extra weight.  The one thing I haven’t decided on yet is whether I’ll bring my binoculars.  Usually, I bring them along and they just sit in the stateroom.  I’ll probably take them because of this year’s itinerary.

So where are we going?
• Cozumel, Mexico – this island is a staple for cruise ships. I think they all stop there.  I’ve been there so many times that I don’t think there is anything new to see.
• George Town, Grand Cayman Island – the capital of the Cayman Islands.  Yawn.
• Ocho Rios, Jamaica – this port is on the north coast of the island.  I’ve cruised to Jamaica quite a few times, but I don’t believe I’ve ever visited this town.
• Freeport, Grand Bahama – is another stop for most of the cruise ships.  There are some interesting things to see, but I probably won’t see them again.
• Nassau, Bahamas – is on of my favorite ports on the cruise circuit.  I think this is because of it’s abundant pirate and Royal Navy History.  Every time I visit here, I spend hours at the Pirate Museum.  I’m almost always the only one of the group to do so.  Last time I was in Nassau, I got a tattoo.
• George Town, Cayman Islands – yes, it is a repeat.  Our 28 day cruise is actually two seven day and one fourteen day cruise.  Double Yawn.
• Oranjestad, Aruba – is another nice island to visit.  I think I like this one mostly because of my Dutch heritage.
• Willemstad, Curacao – has lots of interesting things to see.  My favorite is the floating bridge.
• Panama Canal – the day I am most looking forward to this trip.  It will be my third time.  The first I was much younger on a Navy warship.  I didn’t get to see a lot because of having to work.  Years ago we took a Carnival cruise for a complete transit from the Atlantic to the Pacific.  This was one of the best trips that I have ever taken.  This time, we’re supposed to just transit the first set of locks into Gatun Lake and turn around.
• Puerto Limon, Costa Rica – I’ve only been here once and am looking forward to seeing it again.
• Cozumel, Mexico – so that everyone can do some last minute shopping.  I wonder if that tattoo parlor I went to about twelve years ago is still in business?

That’s all for this month.
Thanks for reading.

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My Annual Christmas Wish List – Originally Published December 2018

December 8, 2018 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

It’s that time of the year again.  When the holidays come around, I usually make a list to help my friends decide what to buy for me or their other techie pals.  I can hope the emphasis in that last sentence is on the word “me”.

If you buy this Toshiba 84‑inch Ultra HD smart LED television, your gift recipient will definitely have something to brag about.  Not only will they tell everyone about their smart TV, but you can be sure they will mention the giver.  Unfortunately, there is a small shipping charge of $1190.  That is relatively modest when you compare it to the product price of $115,299.99.

What computer geek on your list couldn’t use a 1.6TB SSD.  Why cheap out on a gift like this?  You can buy them a 10 pack for the low price of only $122,803.25 with free shipping.  Since you are saving money on shipping, you might want to throw in some drive mounting brackets.

Lets admit it.  Even technological people occasionally have to answer the call of nature.  Wouldn’t it be nice to enter the little room and have the toilet seat automatically open for you?  Did you know that if your business sometimes leaves an odor, you can have it deodorized?  Best of all, just think how much money your gift recipient will save on toilet paper.  The DXV Toilet will do all this for the low price of $4200.

If you don’t like shopping on Amazon, there are a lot of other web sites when you can fill your Christmas list.  Although I’m not an Apple user, I might change if someone would buy me this iPhone Diamond 4.  It will only set you back about eight million dollars.  I wonder if it comes with a protective case?

I’ve got to admit that I would rather have someone give me an Android phone this year.  I especially like this GoldVish Eclipse.  It even has some decent specifications.  The price is much more reasonable than an iPhone Diamond.  It is only 32,000 Euros (about $36,500).  For that low price someone could gift me two of them in case I drop one in the toilet.

If you read my October article, you already know that I bought a new desktop.  Now I need a new laptop for my occasional travels.  Lamborghini is well known for their quality automobiles, so it stands to reason that the Automobili Lamborghini VX7SX must be a pretty good machine.  After all it was really manufactured by Asus.  You might notice that there isn’t a price listed.  I’ve looked it up for you.  It retails for only $355,000.

Let’s face it.  No one will ever buy me any of those expensive toys.  Here are some suggestions for stuff I could really use.  I’m getting a little old and often find myself having to use the facilities in a hurry.  This survival kit would be really useful.  A book to read would also be nice.  It is starting to get cold in Louisiana.  My feet often get chilled.  I could always use another pair of socks.  Some candy canes are always a good Christmas gift.

Who the heck am I trying to kid?  No one is going to buy me any of the things in this article.  Maybe I can just get someone to buy me a tank of gas so I could drive to Lake Charles and attend the annual SWLAPCUG Christmas Party.

Thanks for reading.

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Alienware Aurora R7 – Originally Published October 2018

October 7, 2018 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

I’ve got a jealous grandson.  He is envious of me.  I think I have figured out why.  I recently replaced my HP Pavilion a6342p Desktop PC, circa around 2006 or so.  At the time this machine had some pretty impressive specifications.  Over the years, I made a few upgrades, but it was still becoming a frustrating machine to use.  Sometimes it would take minutes to load a program.  One day it will be re‑purposed, probably as a Linux media server.

I bought an Alienware Aurora R7 desktop with some pretty impressive specifications.
• Processor: Core i7 8700K (3.70GHz) Six-Core
• Memory 16GB, Speed DDR4-2666
• HD Interface SATA 6Gb/s, Capacity 2TB
• Video GPU Type NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, Memory 11GB GDDR5X
• Gigabit LAN
• LAN Data Rate Speed 10/100/1000Mbps
• WLAN Killer 1535 802.11ac 2x
• Bluetooth 4.2
• Wireless Technology 802.11ac
• 6 USB 2.0 (Type-A) Ports
• 3 USB 3.1 (Gen 1 Type-A) Ports
• 1 USB 3.1 (Gen 2 Type-A) Port
• 1 USB 3.1 (Gen 2 Type-C) Port
• and much more

I’ll admit it.  This machine is overkill for my typical use.  When I was running tests, I finally got it to slow down a little.  I had opened Scribus (publishing software), LibreOffice Writer (twenty documents), VLC Media Player (playing a movie), NPVR (tuned to a TV station with the sound muted) and FastStone Image Viewer (playing a slideshow with continuous loop).  I didn’t stop any of my normal system programs that were running.  Then I opened my Firefox Browser and started opening tabs from my bookmarks.  After about 120 tabs, I started to notice the other programs slowing down.  I didn’t check system resources because I knew that in real life I would never have this scenario.

Like almost everything electronic, there are a few downsides to this machine.  Although there are a lot of USB ports, there isn’t a dedicated SD card reader.  I was thinking of removing the 15-in-1 (4 slot) reader from my old desktop and installing on the new machine.  I have found that I don’t really need it.  Other than in my pocket computer, I just don’t use SD cards much anymore.  My only other quibble is that the machine comes with Windows 10, but that is a whole other subject.

The first thing my Grandson said when he found out I bought an Alienware, was “can I get one for Christmas?”  I told him he would have to talk to his Mother and Father about that.  I think he’ll start saving his money.  I did set up a guest account, so now I’ve got Steam, Epic Games and a few other things installed that I’ve never had before.  I’ll probably set up a Steam account myself as there are a few games that do look interesting.  I sure hope everyone that reads this article is as jealous as the Grandson was.

Thanks for reading.

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My New ISP – Originally Published September 2018

September 9, 2018 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

I miss Suddenlink.  The Mrs. and I are getting settled in our new abode.  There will likely be many future whatchamacallit articles on tech in a new parish.  Of course, that’s assuming I have internet in the future.  I’m not saying it’s bad, but I’ve already made several calls to tech support.  I think that might be as many as I’ve had to make to all other tech companies I’ve dealt with in twenty years.

We moved on Saturday, July 14.  To prepare, the day before I drove to Livingston to set up electricity, water, garbage, etc.  Since I finished early, I decided to also start cable and internet.  I should have paid heed to the fact that it was Friday the 13th.

The apartment leasing office recommended that tenants use EATEL, a company that I had never heard of.  Like many other ISPs, their website advertised a fiber optic network with all of the bells and whistles.  I decided to drive to the business office (about 20 miles) and arrange for service to start.  Aside from an internet plan, I needed TV for the Mrs.  The package had to include the Game Show Network (also not for me).  I’m personally fine with streaming services, but I know that I could never teach the wife to use them.

Of course, I wanted to use my own modem and router but was told that I couldn’t because their network was fiber.  She told me they didn’t have a rental fee.  After being told that no, they couldn’t give me the equipment and let me do the setup, I made arrangements for a service call on Tuesday morning.  That was a tough weekend for me.  The cell phone service here is terrible and I started having internet withdrawal symptoms.  After asking the sales representative to write down my account number, I was on my way back to Livingston to sign a new lease.

July 17: Tuesday morning I was pretty impressed when the installer arrived only about thirty minutes late.  He installed a modem and a router.  The reason he could not use my router is the television box is Wi‑Fi and could only connect to their router.  (At least that was the reason I was given.)  I allowed the setup because I knew I could connect my router later and have my same secure network names and IDs that I had previously used.  I was pretty giddy.  After all, I could get online again.

After he left, I realized that there wasn’t a DVR.  I didn’t think this would be a problem because I was planning to call support anyway and set up an e‑mail account with an @eatel.net address.  I would only be using this account for the off site address for my web hosting service.

July 23: I called support and gave the lady my account number.  She couldn’t find the number in her system.  She searched for my name and couldn’t find it.  She finally found it by an address search.  It turns out that when I signed up for service, I wasn’t given the complete account number.  There should have been a -001 appended to it.  I asked for a recommendation of what DVR I should buy to use with there system.  Tech Support seemed amazed that the installer hadn’t installed a DVR since it came with the plan.  Another service call was scheduled for DVR installation.  She set up my EATEL e‑mail account and gave me a temporary password: Etl‑10981. I repeated it back to her at least four times, making sure of the hyphen and numbers.  I even used my old military training to repeat the letters: Echo – tango – lima.

July 24: We received our first EATEL bill in the mail.  The due date was for July 12.  We had moved into the apartment on July 14.  I told the wife that I was calling them the next day anyway.  The e‑mail password wasn’t working and I also could not sign in to “Light Wave TV”, the service that lets you stream TV stations that you subscribe to.

July 25: I got an e‑mail from EATEL explaining that the due date was incorrect and should have read August 12.  Once again, I called Customer Support.  This gal was really nice and told me that I could easily use other e‑mail services like Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc.  She said they might be easier for me to set up.  I calmly explained that I was pretty good at setting up e‑mail addresses as my other 92 of them were all working perfectly.  She transferred my call to Tech Support.  In less than five minutes the problem was solved.  It turned out that the password I so carefully verified was wrong.  It should have been Eatel instead of Etl.

July 26-AUG 1: I went to Yankee land for a reunion of my siblings.  Each day, I expected a call from the wife asking what to do about the internet.  Thankfully, no long distance trouble shooting was required.

After a month of several frustrations, I am finally mostly satisfied.  One day I was so upset that I went to Spectrum.  I was going to change even if I lost the money I had already given to EATEL.  I was surprised to find out that Spectrum couldn’t service my address.  I’m pretty certain that this is because the apartment owners have a deal with EATEL.  I am getting upload speeds of about 290-300 Mbps.  When I use my VPN service, speed drops to about 50 Mbps.  Interestingly, when I go online with a UK address, I get about 90 Mbps. Some day when I have time, I’m going to test all my VPN servers to find best speed.  There are 128 of them (25 in the USA).

One of the reasons for such a drastic speed loss is because I’ve connected my router to the system and am using it for access.  I feel much better knowing that I have control of my local networks.  The biggest difference with my setup here than in Lake Charles is that I am only running four networks instead of seven.  I still miss Suddenlink.

Thanks for reading.

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Reviewing a Review – Originally Published July 2018

July 5, 2018 Posted by Tiny

Some Lagniappe for You
by Tiny Ruisch

la·gniappe (lnyp, ln-yp)
n. Chiefly Southern Louisiana & Mississippi
1.  A small gift presented by a store owner to a customer with the customer’s purchase.
2.  An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. Also called regionally boot.

This month I’m going to do something a little different.  Instead of reviewing a program, I’m going to give you my opinion on 101 of the Best Free Software and Apps for Your Windows PC.  The link is to an article on Make Tech Easier, one of my favorite tech sites.  It was published on June 24, 2018 and is a comprehensive list free software in some major categories.  Here are my thoughts on the programs.

Gaming Tools: I don’t play many games and haven’t tried any of these programs.

Office Suite: I’ve tried all of these programs except for Calligra.  They all work well.  WPS Office was my default program for many years.  I quit using it when it the Chinese government started funding it.  I sometimes use Google Docs if I need to do a quick edit or I am writing something on a mobile device.  I started using Libre Office when Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems and quit supporting Open Office.  Over the years I have become familiar with Libre and use it almost exclusively.

Note-taking apps: Evernote is one of the few programs that I actually pay for.  I have had an annual subscription for four years now.  The free version just doesn’t do everything I need.  I’ve tried all of the others except for Apple Notes.  Every year when my subscription is due, I usually once again review all of the others.  They have gotten much better, but I’m still giving Evernote my $70.  Maybe this year will be different.

Web Browsers: I change my default web browser more that some people change their underwear.  All of the tech sites tell us how fast each on is at rendering web pages.  A millisecond or two has never made much difference to me.  Between all of my active computers, I usually have about twelve browsers installed.  I do this mostly for testing my various websites before uploading.  For daily use, I mostly utilize Firefox and Pale Moon.  I normally use the Chrome Browser only when I need to access my Google account.  On Linux machines, I use either Chromium or Firefox.  Over the years, I’ve tried to like the Opera browser, but I never could.  I don’t know why.  I only have one Windows 10 computer where I use Microsoft’s Edge.

Media Players: Years and years ago I used SMPlayer and Potplayer.  Now I use VLC to play all of my media files.  It plays almost everything.  I might be a little old fashioned, but I still use Windows Media Player for MP3 files.

File Compression: Does anyone compress files anymore?  With the size of hard drives there is almost no need to do so. I  keep 7-Zip installed on my computers.  I can’t remember the last time I compressed a file.  I mostly use it for extracting files that I’ve downloaded from the internet.

Instant Messaging: How quaint. I don’t think that I’ve sent an instant message since ICQ was the best program.  I haven’t tried any of these programs and I don’t intend to.  There is no one I want to either bother or be bothered by.

Email Clients: I may be the only club member that still uses an e‑mail client instead of web mail.  I usually have between 60 and 100 active e-mail addresses.  I like the control that Thunderbird gives me.  I haven’t tried any of the other three, but Mailbird looks interesting and I may test it.

Torrent Managers: I have BitTorrent installed on one of my computers, but I don’t Torrent very often.  I haven’t tried any of other managers.

Anti-Spyware and Anti-Virus: Whenever I set up a new computer, Malwarebytes is one of the first programs I install.  I have never tried AdwCleaner.  I don’t let toolbars and adware get installed in the first place.  I’ve demonstrated Kaspersky TDSSKiller to the club several times.  It is a great stand‑alone program.  I haven’t tested USB Disk Security but have put it on my list of things to do.  The best way to protect against USB drive infections is don’t plug in any USB drives you do not know the source of.  I quit installing third party anti‑virus programs about two years ago.  I have found that Windows Defender is adequate.  I still use Avast on one of my computers, but will probably remove it.

The Other Stuff: FTP clients are necessary if you do a lot of uploading (or downloading).  I’ve used all of these and they all work well.  CoreFTP is my choice.  I’ve long urged the use of password managers.  I’ve used KeePass for many years.  Windows integrated ISO software works fine for me.  I don’t use a download manager.  Windows Snipping Tool works fine for all of my needs.  There are hundreds (or maybe thousands) of code editors for users that need them.  I usually use KompoZer or BlueGriffon.  Paint.net is my graphics editor of choice.  I even converted Tom into using it.  Does anyone read an e‑book on their computer?  I haven’t run a game emulator for years.  Same thing with diagrams and charts.  Windows backup works fine for me.  Finally, the only optimization program on this list that I use is CCleaner.  I didn’t even know that PC Decrapifier was still around.

All of the programs on this list are free for personal use and as far as I know, they are from reputable sources.  If you find anything that looks interesting or useful, why not download it and give it a try?  If you like the program, just tell everyone that you’ve got a SWLAPCUG extra, a bonus perk, a small gift, a present from the club: a little lagniappe.

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I’d Like To Apologize – Originally Published July 2018

July 5, 2018 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

King Charles I said, “Never make a defense or an apology until you are accused.”  Things sure haven’t changed much since the 1600’s.  It seems like every day, someone in politics is apologizing for something stupid.  Who am I kidding.  It is more like every couple of hours.  My personal favorites are when they say they are sorry and then in the next sentence, explain that it was because they weren’t really at fault.

I could elaborate for hours on how the President is sorry he has to separate children from their parents because of the Democrats.  I won’t though.  After all.  This is a technology column, not political.

In the technology world, we have our own “Apologizer in Chief”.  Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook in 2004 and made his first privacy apology in 2007: “We simply did a bad job with this release and I apologize for it.”  In 2010 he made another apology: “We just missed the mark,” he said.  “We heard the feedback.”  Then there was an apology in 2011: “I’m the first to admit that we’ve made a bunch of mistakes.”  There have been many other apologies from Mr. Zuckerberg.  Maybe his apology tour will be the culmination.

Of course, Facebook isn’t the only tech company that has recently made a confession and an apology.  Apple is sorry they slowed down older phones.  Uber didn’t know their drivers did naughty things.  Sony is always regretting something.  Wells Fargo is so sorry that they re‑invented the company.  I can’t remember if Equifax apologized or not.  One of my favorite apologies was when the Twitter CEO was sorry that he ate at Chick‑fil‑A.

With all of the apology fever going around, I thought I had better make an apology or two myself.  After all, apologies are serious business.  I’m more or less a serious guy.

I’d like to apologize to the computer club for publishing last months newsletter on Thursday.  I know that everyone expects it on the Monday before the meeting.  Although I’ve attempted to find someone or something to blame it on, it was late due solely to my own laziness.  I hope that no one was too severely inconvenienced.

I would like to apologize to the Golden Triangle Computer Club for the bad joke I made at one of their meetings.  When a Norton Utilities Disk was the featured door prize, I told them I hoped I would win it.  Then I could throw it in the trash and there would be one less Norton program in the world.  Although I made the comment in a moment of complete lucidity, I certainly regret offending any Texans.

Lastly, I would like to give a sincere apology to all of the companies whose EULA’s I claim to have actually read.  As everyone knows, “End User License Agreements” are very important in the computer world.  Like many other people I have many times clicked that little box that says I have read and understand everything in their short documents.  Actually, I have never read them.  I use a program and a couple of websites that do it for me.  I’m so sorry that I deceived the affected companies.

I was going to apologize to the reader for writing this article, but I’m not sorry I did.  I started with a quote and I’ll finish with one from Jim Bouton: “It never hurts to apologize, especially if you don’t mean it.”

Thanks for reading.

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