Updates Cause Problems

Tech News and Views

If you do much reading in reference to operating systems, you may know that operating system updates often have problems and rectification of the problems they cause may take some time.

I was recently faced with such a problem wherein a recent Windows update (version 2004) caused a Windows 10 laptop to encounter touchpad and mouse stuttering. The cursor wouldn't move for awhile, and then it would suddenly jump. That made it very difficult to operate the computer.

Although you can uninstall an operating system update, it is not an easy process, you may not know which update to uninstall, and your computer may not have restore points set. Microsoft makes it difficult for users to get older Windows versions that may solve problems like mouse and touchpad lag. Here's a way that you can obtain older programs.

download-older-iso-windows-10

Cheapest Electric Vehicles Will Come From Chinese Automaker

Chinese electric vehicle and parts manufacturer Kandi Technologies Group is officially bringing two EVs to the United States through its subsidiary Kandi America.

Kandi Technologies has been talking about bringing EVs to the United States for a couple of years. Now, two models are arriving as early as the end of 2020, beginning in a limited area in Texas. Both are priced under $30,000 before federal incentives.

The two models heading to the U.S. are Kandi's compact K27 vehicle that comes with a 17.69 kWh battery and a range of up to 100 miles, according to the automaker (although it's unclear if these are EPA estimates or another standard). 

The K27 starts at $20,499, and is eligible for the $7,500 federal income tax credit. That would put the K27 at just under $13,000, although, again, it's unclear if this includes the destination fee.

The larger K23 is also coming to the U.S. market. This small electric SUV has a 41.4 kWh battery and a driving range of more than 180 miles. The K23 starts at just less than $30,000, again, before applying federal incentives.

Both of those vehicles, even without the federal incentives, are less expensive than other EVs sold in the U.S., including the Tesla Model 3, Nissan Leaf, Hyundai Ioniq and Kia Kona EV, to name a few. The target is middle class U.S. consumers. It's a group that has had few affordable EV choices.

The two models clearly hit the affordability standard. The question is whether they will tick the other important boxes for customers here, a list that includes reliability and performance.

The vehicles will be sold by Garland, Texas-based Kandi America, the trade name of Kandi's wholly owned subsidiary SC Autosports, LLC. Sales will initially focus on the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Credit: techcrunch

Protect Yourself From Spear-Phishing Scams

Humans are still our biggest cybersecurity weakness. Here's how to be smarter when it comes to avoiding scams through email and on your phone.

When dozens of celebrity Twitter accounts started promoting a Bitcoin scam one Friday in July, something was clearly going wrong down at Twitter HQ. By the end of the month, Twitter said certain employees had fallen for a scam and unwittingly helped hackers gain access to sensitive login credentials. 

The hacker, allegedly a teenager in Florida who's now charged with 30 felonies, tapped the usernames and passwords to access an internal system at Twitter and take control of high-profile accounts. The breached accounts included those of Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Joe Biden.

In your work or personal life, chances are you have access to a system or account that hackers would like to breach. The prize could be customer data that would help identity thieves do their work, your company's intellectual property or even your personal income data, which could help someone steal your tax refund or file for unemployment benefits in your name.

That access means you, too, could be the target of spear-phishing, a juiced-up hacking technique that tries to trick you into handing over login credentials or download malicious software. Twitter says the attack targeted employees on their phones, which means the hackers could have used phone calls or text messages to mislead their targets. 

Spear-phishing attacks also often take place over email. The attacks typically pair an urgent sounding message with credible-sounding information specific to you, like something that could have come from your own tax return. These scams are extra hard to avoid falling for, because they aim to override any red flags you might notice about the email with details that make the sender sound legitimate.

Despite corporate training and stern warnings to be careful who you give your password to, people do fall for these tricks. 

Another consequence of falling for a spear-phishing scam could be downloading malicious software, like ransomware. You could also be convinced to wire money to a cybercriminal's account. Still, you can avoid falling for these scams by taking these security habits to heart. Here's how to avoid a spear-phishing scam.

Know the basic signs of phishing scams

Phishing emails, texts and phone calls try to trick you into visiting a malicious website, handing over a password or downloading a file. This works in email attacks because people often spend the whole day at work clicking on links and downloading files as part of their jobs. Hackers know this and try to take advantage of your propensity to click without thinking.

So the No. 1 defense against phishing emails is to pause before clicking. First, check for signs the sender is who they claim to be:

• Look at the "from" field. Is the person or business's name spelled correctly, and does the email address actually match the name of the sender? Or are there a bunch of random characters in the email address instead?
 
• While we're at it, does the email address seem close, but a little off? Such as, Microsft.net, or Microsoft.co.
 
• Hover your mouse over any links in the email to see the true URLs they will send you to. Do they look legitimate? Remember not to click!
 
• Check the greeting. Does the sender address you by name? "Customer" or "Sir" would be red flags.
 
• Read the email closely. Is it generally free from spelling errors or odd grammar?
 
• Think about the tone of the message. Is it overly urgent or trying to get you to do something you normally wouldn't?

Don't fall for more advanced phishing emails that use these techniques

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How To Register For MyHealtheVet

From the Archives of CTC, Inc:

In June, 2016, I posted some info about a Veterans Administration site called MyHealtheVet. The site gives access to veterans regarding appointments, medical records, pharmacy orders and much more. If you want to see what the site provides use this link, myhealth.va.gov.

If you want to access the personal information the site provides, you must register. Use this form to become a registered member, myhealthevet/user-registration.

I have used MyHealtheVet many times to re-order medicines, send messages to my doctor, and to review and retrieve records.

Originally posted by Alan Marcus

Google Music Shuts Down In August ~ Music Deleted In December

Google Play Music has been given the death sentence by Google, and the company has announced a bit more detail about how its execution will be carried out. The main message from Google is "back up your music now," because they will wipe out all Google Music collections in December 2020.

We've known for a while that the shutdown would be sometime in 2020, but for most regions, Google has now narrowed it down to October. Here's the full timeline:

• Late August; Users will no longer be able to upload or download music
  through Music Manager. Pre-orders and purchases will be shut down.
 
• September; Streaming shuts down for users in New Zealand & South Africa.
 
• October; Global streaming shutdown. The Google Music app and website will cease to be.
 
• December; Music collections get deleted.

At the time of the streaming shutdown, the app will have been showing shutdown messages for about five months. If a user has somehow missed all of those, two months with no streaming at all will hopefully be enough to get them to research what happened to Google Music.

Saving your music collection from deletion is not difficult; just go to music.youtube.com/transfer and click a few buttons to start the YouTube Music transfer process. The process is actually painless, and your Google Music account will continue to work even after the transfer. If you decide you don't want to use YouTube Music, you'll still have access to a ton of download options later, without the looming threat of the Google Music deletion.

A copy of your files isn't hard to get, either. The Google Music Manager is a Windows and Mac application that can upload music or download your entire music collection with a few clicks, but like Google said, it will stop working soon. The other option is Google Takeout, which will wrap your entire music collection in a zip file and send you a download link. The processing for this can take hours. Whichever option you choose, make sure you do something before December because, after that, there will be no way to recover your music.

Google Play Music has been around since 2011 and let users upload thousands of songs to the Internet, for free, for streaming playback on most other devices. It's been the primary way to play music on the Google Home smart speakers, and it offered music purchases, monthly streaming radio, and podcasts. Google Music has been neglected for years, though, and like the company often does, Google decided to make a second, competing music streaming service instead of maintaining the first service. That second service is YouTube Music, which is now Google's favored music app. The merger between the two was originally announced in 2018, and now it's finally happening.

YouTube Music places an emphasis on music videos, as you can guess from the name, and the app has a more modern design. YouTube Music awkwardly blends together your entire 15-year YouTube activity history with your music collection, tossing any "liked" videos and subscriptions that have been algorithmically been flagged as "music" into your collection, and mixing together your YouTube playlists and Google Music playlists. There is no way to stop this.

YouTube Music seems designed to drive up Google's subscription numbers and really only seems useful for people who want to pay the monthly streaming license fee. The app does away with music purchases and won't even let you stream your own music to your Google Home speakers without paying the monthly fee. It's a big downgrade from Google Music, which offered more functionality to people who purchased music. In 2018, Google told Google Music users "nothing will change" regarding YouTube Music's uploaded music functionality, but now that the feature is actually here, that's... not true.

Credit: arstechnica.com

Windows 10 Tips & Tricks You Should Be Using (2020 Update)

Windows 10 has been around for 5 years now (public since July 29, 2015) so those that use it have had plenty of time to settle in to the operating system. And, though you may have learned a few things about it over the years, you may have forgotten some of those things or you may be ready to learn some new things.

The video below will take you through some tips and tricks that may refresh your memory or provide you with some additional knowledge of the popular computing platform.

(be sure to skip or X out any ads that pop up)


DIRECT LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX160bcMFuA

Executive Board Minutes

Computer Technology Club, Inc. – Executive Board Minutes
August 14, 2020

The Aug. Executive Board meeting was cancelled due to COVID-19 venue closures.

6 Practical Reasons To Use Incognito Mode In Your Browser

If you browse the web in Incognito mode, everything you do is private, right? Not really!

Your internet service provider, for example, can still see your activity. This misconception has even turned into a legal battle. A proposed class-action lawsuit accuses Google of tracking users while in Incognito mode, among other things.

If Incognito mode isn't genuinely private, why use it? Here are a few reasons you’ll want to try.

What does Incognito mode do?

While Incognito mode, in any browser, does provide more privacy than if you’re not using it, it doesn’t live up to the expectations that many have. So, what exactly does it mean to use incognito mode?

When you surf the web incognito, your browser doesn’t save your browsing history, cookies, site data or information you enter in forms. It does, however, keep any downloaded files or bookmarks created during the session. Not to mention the fact that your IP address and computer data are still vulnerable to hackers.

Your internet service provider can still see your activity, as can a school or employer providing your internet access or computer.

When using Incognito mode is a good idea

You don’t have true anonymity in Incognito mode, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth using.

1. Signing in to multiple email accounts

It's a pain when you want to check your personal inbox, but you're logged into another account. Instead of using separate browsers or signing in and out of your accounts, use Incognito mode.

Try signing into your work email using your browser usually, then open an Incognito window for your personal account.

2. Shopping for gifts

Whenever you shop online for a gift, whether it’s for a birthday, anniversary, or Christmas, you want it to be a surprise. Targeted ads can ruin those special moments.

When you shop online, your browser keeps tabs on everything that you look for. Later, you'll see ads pop-up on other sites that try to get you to come back to make the purchase, even if you already bought the item.

Those ads won’t only be displayed for you. If the person you’re buying the gift for uses your computer, tablet, or smartphone, they will see the same ads. Of course, this is going to tip them off as to what you’re up to. That won’t happen if you shop in Incognito mode.

3. Avoid auto-fill suggestions in the future

Ever need to find instructions for a DIY project on a site like YouTube? The platform is great for learning how to do pretty much anything these days. Need to know how to replace the battery in your car? No worries, there are tons of YouTube videos that will give you step-by-step details on how to do it.

But the need to change your car battery only comes around once every few years. You don’t want to be inundated with suggestions on how to change your car’s battery every time you visit YouTube or any other site for that matter.

You can avoid these annoying suggestions by searching in Incognito mode. When your battery dies three years from now, you can do another search for instructions without being bombarded with suggestions.

4. Booking travel

Some travel companies keep track of what you’ve searched for recently and will increase prices the next time you visit the site. If you use Incognito mode, you don’t have to worry about price gouging.

It’s not just the travel industry that does this, either. Many online shopping sites know when you’re stalking an item and could raise the price if you leave and come back later to buy it. Don’t leave it up to chance.

5. Getting out of your bubble

You’ve most likely spent much more time binge-watching TV shows or listening to music in the past few months than normal.

YouTube gives you suggestions on what to watch next based on your viewing history. If you want to step outside of your comfort zone, try searching for new videos in Incognito mode. That way, you'll get a new perspective on entertainment that isn't based on your past. You can do the same with your Google searches.

6. View a site as an outsider

Do you have your own website and want to see what it looks like to new visitors? You can check it out in Incognito mode for a fresh perspective.

There are many reasons to use Incognito mode, even though it might not be as private as you’d hope for. Take advantage of these ideas and you’ll never have to worry about ruining the surprise of a special anniversary gift again.

Credit: USA Today / Kim Komando

10 Best Technology Channels On YouTube

Technology is constantly evolving and so is YouTube, with tech videos! YouTube, which once started as a channel to watch general videos has now actually become a website to learn about almost everything under the sun.

For some tech savvy people it has become their bread and butter. While for the not-so tech savvy it has become the source for minimum knowledge that one needs.

Which tech site should you follow? Whose review or information looks the most correct or updated? Below is a list of the 10 Best YouTube Tech Channels that can give you the most updated technical news, gadget updates and reviews.

They are listed in alphabetical order, so look at them all to find the one, or more, that provides what you're looking for. Use the search feature (below the Subscribe button) on any of these channels to zero in on your needs.

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1. Austin Evans

Austin Evans keeps you updated with all kinds of gadgets in the market. His videos are really amazing to watch because of the fun element he puts in. The videos tell you about different gadgets from time to time and also points out products that are not worth their prices. He discusses the items really well and keeps it simple, yet lively.

Current Subscribers – 3,774,252
Number of Videos – 1,571
Video Views – 721,752,193

2. CNET

CNET is the best tech news channel that keeps you updated with all the tech news around the world. It covers reviews of different tech products and also has quite a few tutorial videos and exclusive interviews to guide you through.

Current Subscribers – 2,224,562
Number of Videos – 19,123
Video Views – 1,031,145,882

3. Jonathan Morrison

Jonathan Morrison is a tech enthusiast and reviews the best mobile devices available in the market. The videos on his channel “tldtoday” are really interesting to watch and he also gives you tips to use your devices in the best way. Apart from mobile devices, he also focuses on Macs and iPhones.

Current Subscribers – 2,633,111
Number of Videos – 1,137
Video Views – 384,187,804

4. Linus Tech Tips

Linus Tech Tips is one of three YouTube channels run by Linus Gabriel Sebastian. The other two being Techquickie and Channel Super Fun. This channel focuses  mainly on PCs and can get you all the necessary details about motherboards, keyboards, computer hardware, and so on. His videos also give you information on smartphones and hack to handle your gadget’s routine problems.

Current Subscribers – 8,876,025
Number of Videos – 4,657
Video Views – 2,782,688,603

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How To Personalize Your macOS Desktop By ...

... Replacing File And Folder Icons With Other Images

Apple Bytes: 

If the macOS desktop is looking a little boring, or is in need of a little more personalization than just a change of background image, one solution could be to change how files, folders, and apps look.

Changing the appearance of an icon can be performed as a way to jazz up a stale desktop, but it also serves a number of other useful purposes as well. When staring at a sea of identical-looking blue folders in Finder, it could help to identify a specific one you need to access by making it stand out from the rest, or by making each folder's icon give some clue to its contents aside from its name.

Switching the icon can also be used as part of a practical joke or to hide documents in plain sight, such as by making the thumbnail of one image look like it's something completely different. No matter what reason you have for changing an icon, the process itself is quite easy to perform, and to undo.

Changing the icon (select any image to enlarge)

The first step is to make a copy of the image you want to use for the icon in the clipboard.

Open the image in your selected image editor, or in Preview, select the portion of the image you want to use, and then copy it by either going to Edit in the menu followed by Copy, or by using the Command-C keyboard shortcut.

Navigate to the file, folder, or app that you want to change, right-click it, and select Get Info to bring up its information window. This can also be done by selecting the file, then going to the menu to select File and then Get Info.

At the top left of this information window will be a small icon. Click it to highlight the small icon with a border.

Lastly, paste the image onto the selected icon, by either selecting Edit in the menu then Paste, or by using the Command-V keyboard shortcut.

At this point, the small icon will change to the pasted image, updating the appearance of the file at the same time.

Copying another icon

If you plan to reuse an icon already in use by another file or folder, it is a similar but slightly different process.

Summon the information window for the file you want to copy the icon from using the Get Info instructions above. Select the small icon, and copy it by using Edit then Copy in the menu, or the Command-C keyboard shortcut.

Once copied, close this window and open the information window for the file you want to alter. Select the small icon, then paste using the keyboard shortcut Command-V or by selecting Edit then Copy in the menu.

Again, both the small icon in the window and the regular icon will change to use the copied graphic.

Restoring the icon

Changing the icon back to its initial form is slightly easier, started by bringing up the information window using the same Get Info instructions as above.

Once in the information window, select the small icon, and either select Edit then Cut in the menu, using the shortcut Command-X, or by pressing Delete.

More info

There are some exceptions to this, such as Apple's Calendar app, which cannot have their icons changed.

If you want to change the icons for apps on the Dock, you will need to change them within the Applications folder. You then need to remove the app from the Dock by dragging it off, and then re-add it by dragging the app from the Applications folder to the Dock.

Credit: appleinsider.com