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4910 Topics
ProTruckDriver
Moderator
ProTruckDriverModerator
posted in Tech Talk
Fun: Forget to Empty Your Mac Trash? Have Buzzing Flies to Remind You

by: Paul Horowitz A fun new Mac app offers a rather creative way to remind you to empty your Mac Trash can… buzzing flies! Yes indeed, after your Mac Trash can has accumulated a little too much clutter, BananaBin puts buzzing flies around the trash, offering an unmistakable visual reminder to empty your digital Trash bin. ⇨⇨ Full Article ⇦⇦

326
MajorHavoc
Bronze VIP
3 months ago
TripleHelix
Moderator
TripleHelixModerator
posted in Tech Talk
US agency puts onus on Amazon for sale of hazardous third-party products

By ReutersJuly 30, 202411:30 AM EDTUpdated 16 min ago Packages emblazoned with Amazon logos travel along a conveyor belt inside of an Amazon fulfillment center in Robbinsville, New Jersey, U.S., November 27, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo July 30 (Reuters) - Amazon.com (AMZN.O), opens new tab is responsible for hazardous products sold by third-party sellers on its platform under the federal safety law and bears legal responsibility for their recall, the U.S. consumer protection authority said on Tuesday. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said it has issued an order for the e-commerce giant to propose remediation plans to notify consumers about these products and to remove them from consumers' homes by encouraging returns or destruction. Amazon did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.More than 400,000 products are subject to this order, the CPSC said, noting in particular faulty carbon monoxide detectors, hairdryers without electrocution protecti

50
TripleHelix
Moderator
3 months ago
ProTruckDriver
Moderator
ProTruckDriverModerator
posted in Tech Talk
I never regretted buying an Apple device–until now

I would recommend almost all Apple products without reservation, but I'm not so sure about the HomePod mini.I have almost no regrets when it comes to Apple products. Whenever Apple introduces a new device, I can count on it being a sophisticated product even if it’s not immediately obvious. For example, despite my initial misgivings, I realized how ingenious and well-thought-out the AirPods are after using them daily. ⇨⇨ Full Article ⇦⇦

150
ProTruckDriver
Moderator
3 months ago
TripleHelix
Moderator
TripleHelixModerator
posted in Tech Talk
Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 21286 (2021)

Written ByBrandon LeBlanc published January 6, 2021 Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 21286 (RS_PRERELEASE) to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel. This build is being offered to ALL Insiders in the Dev Channel. All Insiders in the Dev Channel will now receive the same build going forward.What’s new in Build 21286Introducing news and interests on the taskbar With news and interests on the Windows taskbar, you get quick access to an integrated feed of dynamic content such as news and weather that updates throughout the day.You can personalize your feed with relevant content tailored for you. Instead of switching between apps or your PC and phone to stay up to date with the news and interests you care about – seamlessly peek into your feed directly from the taskbar anytime you want throughout your day.Staying up to date: Quickly glance at your news and interests directly from the taskbar. Get caught up on the latest headlines, weather, sports

842
F
New Member
4 months ago
D
New Voice
drednmNew Voice
asked in Tech Talk
webroot turns blue

Webroot stopped working and is blue instead of green and won’t scan. It has turned OFF firewall, web shield, real-time shield.It says subscription has expired but it’s not expired til OctoberUninstalled and re-installed but it won’t take the CODE and says there’s no internet.Runs perfectly fine on my other devices.There seems to be zero support from Webroot and I do NOT have GeekSquad account … system is PC Windows 8.1   

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TripleHelix
Moderator
4 months ago
Jasper_The_Rasper
Moderator
Jasper_The_RasperModerator
posted in Tech Talk
Google Pixel 6 series phones bricked after factory reset

July 2, 2024 By Bill Toulas Multiple owners of Google Pixel 6 series phones (6, 6a, 6 Pro) have been reporting in the past week that their devices were "bricked" after they performed a factory reset.Factory resets wipe the device of all personal data, apps, and settings and are typically performed when the device owner prepares it for resale.The Pixel 6 series, released in late 2021, is approaching the typical upgrade cycle for many original buyers, and issues with the factory reset process have become significantly more impactful.Starting last week, users reported getting an error about a missing 'tune2fs' file during boot up, leading to a recovery screen reading "Cannot load Android system. Your data may be corrupt."The Android recovery screen prompts the user to perform another factory reset, creating an endless loop that doesn't resolve the issue. >>Full Article<<

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TylerM
Administrator
4 months ago
ProTruckDriver
Moderator
ProTruckDriverModerator
posted in Tech Talk
Find electric car charging stations in Apple Maps

 Apple Maps makes it easy to find EV charging stations while you’re on the road to figure out where you can top up your electric car. Apple added some powerful new features in iOS 17 to simplify this sometimes-daunting process for EV owners. Now you can see electric car charger availability, charging speeds and connector types so you can find a way to juice up your vehicle.Here’s how it works.🚗 🚙 Full Article 🚙 🚗

6912
MajorHavoc
Bronze VIP
5 months ago
TripleHelix
Moderator
TripleHelixModerator
posted in Tech Talk
US sues Adobe for ‘deceiving’ subscriptions that are too hard to cancel

Jun 17, 2024, 11:56 AM EDT The Justice Department alleges that Adobe hid early cancellation fees and trapped consumers in pricey subscriptions. The US government is suing Adobe for allegedly hiding expensive fees and making it difficult to cancel a subscription. In the complaint filed on Monday, the Department of Justice claims Adobe “has harmed consumers by enrolling them in its default, most lucrative subscription plan without clearly disclosing important plan terms.”The lawsuit alleges Adobe “hides” the terms of its annual, paid monthly plan in the “fine print and behind optional textboxes and hyperlinks.” In doing so, the company fails to properly disclose the early termination fee incurred upon cancellation “that can amount to hundreds of dollars,” the complaint says. When customers do attempt to cancel, the DOJ alleges that Adobe requires them to go through an “onerous and complicated” cancellation process that involves navigating through multiple webpages and pop-ups. It then al

71
MajorHavoc
Bronze VIP
5 months ago
TripleHelix
Moderator
TripleHelixModerator
posted in Tech Talk
Microsoft is testing new features in Windows Recall: Screenray and Topics

 Jun 18, 2024  It appears that Microsoft is not yet done with Recall. The A.I. tool, which was postponed due to some concerns regarding the quality and security, is getting some new features.You could say that Recall was, you know, recalled. For those unaware, Recall is a tool that was designed to capture the screen of Windows devices, once every five seconds. These are essentially screenshots of everything you do on your computer, except private mode in browsers and DRM-protected data. The data the tool saves is then processed by A.I. which the user can interact with using natural language, to search for their activity. If that doesn't raise privacy concerns, I don't know what will.And it did, security experts and users criticized Microsoft for hastily bringing Recall to Windows PCs, calling it unnecessary and intrusive. The complaints pointed out the fact that it was an opt-out feature, i.e. it was enabled by default on Copilot+ PCs. Martin pointed out several concerns about Windows

111
MajorHavoc
Bronze VIP
5 months ago
TripleHelix
Moderator
TripleHelixModerator
posted in Tech Talk
McDonald's not lovin' its AI drive-thru experiment with IBM

Automated voice ordering still on the menu for the future, though Mon 17 Jun 2024 // 19:15 UTC McDonald's is pulling out of its venture with IBM that brought AI to some of its drive-thrus.The fast food giant is slated to take the feature offline by July 26, according to Restaurant Business, which obtained an internal email sent to franchisees last week. The letter reportedly offers very little explanation for why the program is ending.In a statement to The Register, McDonald's was similarly tight-lipped. "Through our partnership with IBM, we have captured many learnings and feel there is an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more broadly. After thoughtful review, McDonald's has decided to end our current global partnership with IBM on AOT [automated order taking] beyond this year."The AI drive-thru experiment began in 2021, and was expanded in 2022. Although IBM will no longer be relied on for AI drive-thrus, the two companies still apparently have business ties for other

184
russell.harris
Popular Voice
5 months ago
Jasper_The_Rasper
Moderator
Jasper_The_RasperModerator
posted in Tech Talk
Microsoft removes Copilot app ‘incorrectly’ added on Windows PCs

 June 14, 2024 By Sergiu Gatlan Microsoft says it removed a Copilot app that was "incorrectly" added to Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems in April due to buggy Microsoft Edge updates.The AI-powered Copilot digital assistant was also added to some Windows Server 2025 preview builds earlier this year, but the company removed it after backlash from Windows admins.However, after updating the Edge browser in April, many were surprised to see a new 8KB Microsoft Copilot app added to the list of installed Windows programs on live production builds of Windows Server 2022. The same Edge updates also caused it to be deployed to home systems running Windows 10 22H2 and Windows 11 21H2 or later.The company released a new Edge update on April 18, two days after acknowledging the issue, to prevent the app from installing on more Windows systems. >>Full Article<<

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TripleHelix
Moderator
5 months ago
RetiredTripleHelix
Gold VIP
RetiredTripleHelixGold VIP
posted in Tech Talk
Internet Speed tests post your results!

I'm on a 150/15 Plan on Cable so tell us about yours! My results are via 5G Wireless connection.   Daniel ;)   Here is my link to Rogers Speed Test if you want to try it: [url=http://www.rogers.com/web/Rogers.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=support_internetServices_&cm_mmc=grdrt-_-all-_-en-_-speedcheck]http://www.rogers.com/web/Rogers.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=support_internetServices_&cm_mmc=grdrt-_-all-_-en-_-speedcheck [/url] also if you have any other speed tests sites that are good post them.   [url=http://www.speedtest.net/]http://www.speedtest.net/[/url]   [img]http://www.speedtest.net/result/3564098168.png[/img]   [img]https://d1qy7qyune0vt1.cloudfront.net/webroot-en/attachment/11140iB75DF87DFE7E390F.png[/img]

653171
TripleHelix
Moderator
5 months ago
ProTruckDriver
Moderator
ProTruckDriverModerator
posted in Tech Talk
WWDC 2024: Everything you need to know before the big show

What you need to know about Apple's WWDC 2024 including date and time, rumors, how to watch the keynote, and the expected product and software updates. Of the big Apple events of the year, WWDC is the most reliable: In each of the past 17 Junes, like clockwork, Apple has held a big get-together for its developer partners and announced a raft of important software updates. The September iPhone launch and the March/April spring event (which didn’t happen in 2023) seem almost unpredictable by comparison.In this article, we list the major announcements (and some of the smaller titbits) you can expect to hear about at WWDC 2024. Some of these–updates to the five big Apple operating systems, most obviously–are as predictable as the timing of the event. But we reckon Apple will spring a few surprises this year.Apple has announced that WWDC24 will be held from June 10-14. Apple has confirmed that the keynote is on June 10. ⇨⇨ Full Article ⇦⇦

294
TylerM
Administrator
5 months ago
TripleHelix
Moderator
TripleHelixModerator
posted in Tech Talk
VLC Media Player v3.0.21

Changes between 3.0.20 and 3.0.21:Decoders• Improve Opus ambisonic support• Fix some ASS subtitle rendering issues• Fix Opus in MP4 behaviour• Fix VAAPI hw decoding with some driversInput• Add support for HTTP content range handling according to RFC 9110• Fix some HLS Adaptive Streaming not working in audio-only modeVideo Output• Super Resolution scaling with AMD GPUs• The D3D11 HDR option can also turn on/off HDR for all sources regardless of the display• Improve subtitles rendering on Apple platforms of notably Asian languages by correcting font fallback lookupsVideo Filter• New AMD VQ Enhancer filter• Add D3D11 option to use NVIDIA TrueHDR to generate HDR from SDR sourcesAudio Output• Fix regression on macOS causing crashes when using audio devices with more than 9 channelsServices Discovery• Fix exposed UPnP directory URL schemes to be compliant with RFC 3986Contrib• Update FFmpeg to 4.4.4• Update dav1d to 1.4.2• Update libvpx to 1.14.1libVLC• the HWND passed to libvlc_media_player

121
MajorHavoc
Bronze VIP
5 months ago
Jasper_The_Rasper
Moderator
Jasper_The_RasperModerator
posted in Tech Talk
Microsoft strengthens Outlook security, retires legacy features

by Pradeep Viswav  published on June 11, 2024 Key notesThese updates underscore Microsoft’s dedication to prioritizing user security while delivering a modern and reliable email service.Microsoft today announced changes to Outlook consumer experience to deliver a modern and secure email experience for its users.First, from September 16th, Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, Live.com email users will need to move to Modern Authentication methods in their email application. After this date, Microsoft will no longer allow users to have just Basic Auth where they can just provide username and password to sign into their account. With Modern Authentication, when anyone uses an email client which does not support modern authentication, they will no longer be able to access their Outlook.com, Hotmail or Live.com email.Second, the classic Windows Mail and Calendar apps will move out of support in 2024. Users are advised to migrate to the new Outlook for Windows which is available for free and comes with

71
MajorHavoc
Bronze VIP
5 months ago
TripleHelix
Moderator
TripleHelixModerator
posted in Tech Talk
Meta to start labeling AI-generated images from companies like OpenAI, Google

February 6, 20248:13 AM EST Updated 3 hours ago NEW YORK, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab will begin detecting and labeling images generated by other companies' artificial intelligence services in the coming months, using a set of invisible markers built into the files, its top policy executive said on Tuesday.Meta will apply the labels to any content carrying the markers that is posted to its Facebook, Instagram and Threads services, in an effort to signal to users that the images - which in many cases resemble real photos - are actually digital creations, the company's president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, wrote in a blog post. The company already labels any content generated using its own AI tools.Once the new system is up and running, Meta will do the same for images created on services run by OpenAI, Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab, Adobe (ADBE.O), opens new tab, Midjourney, Shutterstock (SSTK.N), opens new tab and Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) , opens new tab

7610
MajorHavoc
Bronze VIP
5 months ago
TripleHelix
Moderator
TripleHelixModerator
posted in Tech Talk
A comprehensive list of 2024 tech layoffs From major layoffs at Tesla, Amazon and Microsoft to small fintech startups and apps

1:55 PM PDT • June 4, 2024 Image Credits: Bryce Durbin / TechCrunchThe tech layoff wave is still going strong in 2024. Following significant workforce reductions in 2022 and 2023, this year has already seen60,000 job cuts across 254 companies, according to independent layoffs tracker Layoffs.fyi. Companies like Tesla, Amazon, Google, TikTok, Snap and Microsoft have conducted sizable layoffs in the first months of 2024. Smaller-sized startups have also seen a fair amount of cuts, and in some cases, have shut down operations altogether.By tracking these layoffs, we’re able to understand the impact on innovation across companies large and small. We’re also able to see the potential impact of businesses embracing AI and automation for jobs that had previously been considered safe. It also serves as a reminder of the human impact of layoffs and what could be at stake in regards to increased innovation. Below you’ll find a comprehensive list of all the known layoffs in tech that have occurre

140
TripleHelix
Moderator
5 months ago
TripleHelix
Moderator
TripleHelixModerator
posted in Tech Talk
Microsoft cuts jobs in Azure, HoloLens, and other units in latest move to control costs

June 3, 2024 at 4:03 pm Microsoft’s campus in Redmond, Wash. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop)Microsoft is cutting a total of around 1,000 jobs across the company, in areas including its Azure cloud unit and HoloLens mixed-reality organization, a person familiar with the matter confirmed Monday afternoon.The cutbacks come as Microsoft tries to maintain its profit margins amid heavier capital spending, which is designed to provide the cloud infrastructure needed to train and deploy the models that power AI applications.Microsoft employed about 227,000 people worldwide at the end of the 2023 calendar year, down from 232,000 a year earlier, according to numbers tracked by GeekWire based on regulatory filings and earnings calls. Headcount at the end of March was about 1% lower than a year earlier, CFO Amy Hood told analysts.The layoffs in the Azure for Operators and Mission Engineering teams were first reported by Business Insider.However the total number of employees impacted by the cuts acr

141
MajorHavoc
Bronze VIP
5 months ago
TripleHelix
Moderator
TripleHelixModerator
posted in Tech Talk
AMD launches new AI chips to take on leader Nvidia

June 3, 202410:03 AM EDTUpdated 2 hours ago TAIPEI, June 3 (Reuters) - Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.O), opens new tab unveiled its latest artificial intelligence processors on Monday and detailed its plan to develop AI chips over the next two years in a bid to challenge industry leader Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab. At the Computex technology trade show in Taipei, AMD CEO Lisa Su introduced the MI325X accelerator, which is set to be made available in the fourth quarter of 2024.The race to develop generative artificial intelligence programs has led to towering demand for the advanced chips used in AI data centers able to support these complex applications. AMD has been vying to compete against Nvidia, which currently dominates the lucrative market for AI semiconductors and commands about 80% of its share.Since last year, Nvidia has made it clear to investors that it plans to shorten its release cycle to annually, and now AMD has followed suit."AI is clearly our number one priority as a

111
MajorHavoc
Bronze VIP
5 months ago
ProTruckDriver
Moderator
ProTruckDriverModerator
posted in Tech Talk
How to Search the Web (Minus AI Junk & Clutter) with Google on Safari for Mac

by: Jamie Cuevas If you’re a Safari user, as many of us are, you might be interested in actually searching the web with Google and then seeing a list of actual web link results, without seeing any of the new AI junk, video and image recommendations, knowledge panels, related searches, suggested searches, or the other junky clutter that dominates basically every modern Google search. Indeed, once upon a time, a default search on Google actually returned web-only results! You can have that good-old web search experience again with Safari, whether you’re on a Mac, iPhone, or iPad, and it’s pretty simple as you’ll see in a moment. ⇨⇨ Full Article ⇦⇦

5511
MajorHavoc
Bronze VIP
5 months ago
TripleHelix
Moderator
TripleHelixModerator
posted in Tech Talk
Nvidia set to overtake Apple as world's second-most valuable company

May 31, 20243:25 PM EDT Updated 2 hours ago May 31 (Reuters) - Nvidia could soon surpass Apple to become the world's second-most valuable company, as the biggest beneficiary of the surge in adoption of AI applications takes on the iPhone maker that has been the largest Wall Street firm by market value for years.The reliance of virtually all artificial intelligence applications such as OpenAI's ChatGPT on Nvidia's (NVDA.O), opens new tab high-end chips has helped the stock nearly triple in value over the past year to $2.68 trillion. Full Story

223
russell.harris
Popular Voice
5 months ago
ProTruckDriver
Moderator
ProTruckDriverModerator
posted in Tech Talk
How to Install VMWare Tools in Windows on VMWare Fusion for Mac

by: Paul Horowitz VMWare Tools is an optional toolkit to install into a Windows virtual machine in VMWare that allows you to have easier sharing of files between the host Mac operating system and the Windows virtual machine, as well as some other useful features like time syncing between host and client, being able to pass data back and forth between the host and client, additional customization options, and more.VMWare Tools isn’t necessary to simply run a VM, and it’s not needed for everyone, but advanced users, or those who want to have easy options to share files between a Windows VM and the host MacOS might particularly appreciate these features, and want them installed in VMWare Fusion on their VM.We’ll show you two ways to install VMWare Tools into a Windows VM in VMWare; using the easy installer, and by installing it manually by ISO file. ⇨⇨ Full Article ⇦⇦

101
MajorHavoc
Bronze VIP
5 months ago
ProTruckDriver
Moderator
ProTruckDriverModerator
posted in Tech Talk
PSA: Updating to MacOS Sonoma or iOS 17 May Enable iCloud Keychain

by: Jamie Cuevas Mac users, iPhone users, and iPad users, should all be aware that updating to macOS Sonoma 14, iOS 17, or iPadOS 17, may silently enable iCloud Keychain on their devices. Essentially this means that by updating to the latest iOS, iPadOS, or MacOS, you may be unintentionally enabling the feature and thereby uploading your saved keychain and login information to Apple’s iCloud servers. If you like and use this feature, obviously that’s not an issue, but if you don’t use iCloud Keychain and don’t want to use it, having it enable itself after updating system software may be considered problematic, or a nuissance. ⇨⇨ Full Article ⇦⇦

191
MajorHavoc
Bronze VIP
5 months ago
Petrovic
Gold VIP
PetrovicGold VIP
posted in Tech Talk
How Do Chrome Extensions Impact Website Performance In 2024?

Chrome extensions can add useful functionality to the browser, but they can also slow down your browsing experience. We’ve tested the page speed impact of 5,000 Chrome extensions as part of our 2024 report on Chrome extension performance.Find out what popular extensions increase CPU processing, how some extensions delay page load times, and what difference ad blockers can make. Full article

243
russell.harris
Popular Voice
5 months ago
Jasper_The_Rasper
Moderator
Jasper_The_RasperModerator
posted in Tech Talk
Archie, the Internet’s first search engine, is rescued and running

A journey through busted tapes, the Internet Old Farts Club, and SPARCstations.KEVIN PURDY - 5/16/2024 It's amazing, and a little sad, to think that something created in 1989 that changed how people used and viewed the then-nascent Internet had nearly vanished by 2024.Nearly, that is, because the dogged researchers and enthusiasts at The Serial Port channel on YouTube have found what is likely the last existing copy of Archie. Archie, first crafted by Alan Emtage while a student at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, allowed for the searching of various "anonymous" FTP servers around what was then a very small web of universities, researchers, and government and military nodes. It was groundbreaking; it was the first echo of the "anything, anywhere" Internet to come. And when The Serial Port went looking, it very much did not exist. >> Full Article <<

30
Jasper_The_Rasper
Moderator
6 months ago

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