Techbyter Worldwide (formerly Technology Corner) With Bill Blinn

The blog and podcast date has been advanced from Sunday to Friday and the email alert now goes out on Friday morning instead of Saturday morning. This week's primary topic looks at two useful utilities and a location where you can find lots of equally useful applications. In Short Circuits: If you want to accelerate an older computer, you have several options, but some of them aren't worth what they'll cost. • Future Me is an unusual website that allows users to send messages to themselves in the future. Why? I'll see if I can explain that. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A scammer who sent fake sextortion messages has been arresed, but that won't have much effect on the scourge. • Would you be able to tell the difference between the real log-in page for Amazon's app and a phony that tries to steal your credentials? I couldn't and this illustrates why it's important not to click enticing links in email messages. • Twenty years ago: A website aimed at being a clearinhouse for product recalls seemed like

TechByter Hibernates This Week: This is second of the two weeks each year when TechByter hibernates. Thanks for listening or reading (or both)! The first program of 2020 (3 January because of the new Friday publication date) will take a look at how you can find hidden powers with a couple of clever utility programs, the best ways to accelerate an older computer, and how to leave a message for the future you.

Mac users have FileVault, Windows users have BitLocker, and all the big cloud-based storage systems encrypt files before storing them, so do we really need another encryption utility? As it turns out, maybe we do. In Short Circuits: Yahoo's Groups service is starting what's likely to be a long slide to oblivion and that reminded me of older services that have met a similar fates -- CompuServe, Prodigy, GEnie, and others. • Also sliding into oblivion: Windows 7. Starting in mid-January, Microsoft will make it crystal clear to users that it's time to upgrade. • Adobe has released a holiday gift for users of its Capture utility. Although both Android and IOS versions receive updates, the IOS version got more this time around. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Beware medical scams that may arrive by email, phone call, or even in-person visits by people who want to steal your information. • Bots that are used to place fake online orders are still more prevalent on desktop computers, but the growing trend point

SnagIt has been making the process of documenting computer applications easier for nearly 30 years and recent enhancements make it a useful tool for anyone who needs to explain or describe the contents of a computer screen. In Short Circuits: If you've been using Cortana on an IOS or Android device, you won't be doing so after the end of January 2020. • Your computer may have more than one audio playback device and sometimes Windows selects the wrong one. It's an easy problem to fix. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Popular colors change each year and predicting the ones that will be popular is not unlike the process used to develop each year's flu vaccines. • Sometimes we think of scammers as evil geniuses, but some are just evil idiots. Let's take a look at one fool's flawed flim-flam. • Twenty years ago: There was talk of how to put the internet in your car.

With constantly increasing prices for cable television, maybe you're thinking about dropping the television part of your cable bill and improving the internet part. I'll describe my first timid steps in that direction. In Short Circuits: Cellular service providers are beginning to roll out 5G gear, but your phone probably won't support it and service is still spotty. • There's a better Windows explorer than Windows Explorer and it's free. In Spare Parts (only on the website): When you schedule a meeting with someone in a distant locale, sometimes it's a challenge to find out what time it is there. • If you're thinking about installing a disk upgrade in an existing computer or replacing a computer, I have a list of several applications that will help you make the move with ease. • Twenty years ago: Threats of Y2K disasters were hovering and scammers saw a way to make some money from the fears.

There's a lot of new magic from Adobe. The just-released versions of Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, and Photoshop for 2020 were highlights at Adobe Max in Los Angeles. Although several new applications made their first appearance, today we'll stick to the photo applications, including the appearance of Photoshop on IPads. In Short Circuits: It's annoying when something goes wrong with Windows or a Microsoft application, and even worse when Microsoft support seems to be clueless. There are alternatives. • The software updates described in this week's main section about Adobe's photo apps are good examples of what's called the agile development method, so we'll look at what that means. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A feature update for Windows that was released in mid Noveber as version 1909 has a useful new function: Now you can add items to your calendar directly from the Task Bar. • PayPal says it will acquire Honey Science Corporation for about $4 billion. It's a service that claims to help consumers

TechByter hibernates two weeks each year. This is one of them. The half-minute podcast wishes is a Thanksgiving greeting.

The 2020 version of On1 Photo Raw has some surprising features but hasn't entirely eliminated performance problems that I found last year. In Short Circuits: Windows 10 has a silly annoyance that I've been trying to fix for far too long. Now I've found a partial solution that at least reduces the frustration. • Development continues on the Chromium-based version of Microsoft's Edge browser and a beta version that's sufficiently stable for those who want to see how it works is available. • In Spare Parts (only on the website): Too many companies are still transferring files that often contain proprietary information insecurely. • If you find that you're locked out of your smart phone, PhoneRescue might be what you need to get back to normal. • Twenty years ago: I wrote about disk drives that were "so small you might misplace them." Compared to today's disk drives, they were physically larger, far more expensive, and able to store only a tiny fraction of what today's drives hold.

About the time you think you're aware of every possible photo application, one you've never heard of pops up. That's the case with the Movavi Photo Editor from Siberia. Yes, Siberia in Russia. In Short Circuits: An article on CNet claimed to describe how professional photos can be taken with phone-based cameras. Let's explore that thought. • If you have one or more external USB disk drives attached to your computer and find that they power down at inconvenient times, there's a quick and easy fix. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Adobe Max 2019 attracted nearly 20,000 attendees to Los Angeles this week as the company released some new applications and updates for most existing applications. • That email that seems to be from someone you know might be a fraud. Look closely because the fraudsters are getting better. • Twenty years ago: I was worrying about people who didn't routinely back up their computers. Things are better now, but only marginally.

Adobe has designed Photoshop Elements for people they call "Memory Keepers" and the just released 2020 version of the application brings lots of improvements and several new features. In Short Circuits: If you'd like to refresh your ability to read, write, and speak a foreign language or learn an entirely new language, Duolingo is a good place to start, and it's free. • You've probably heard about malware being planted on websites. Nothing absolutely guarantees safety, but SiteLock's monitoring service is used on many sites, including TechByter Worldwide, to even the playing field. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Several actions are important if you want to avoid being "doxed" by someone who is seeking to ridicule you. • Do you still write checks? If so, security expert Frank Abagnale says you should re-think the practice. • Twenty years ago: The world was becoming increasingly concerned with January first 2000, expecting a Y2K disaster. But there were some voices of reason.

Consider what happens if some creep impersonates your Facebook or Instagram account. It's nowhere near as bad or as serious as having your identity stolen, but it's still a major annoyance. Reducing risk and avoiding the problem is best, but be prepared just in case you become a victim. In Short Circuits: If you're having a problem with Windows, the Feedback Hub (once available only to those in the Windows Insider program) might help with a repair. Microsoft's Office Lens puts a scanner in your pocket. I've been looking at some TechByter programs from 20 years ago and a lot of websites that were cutting edge back then no longer exist. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities' October newsletter contains suggestions for avoiding online fraud. We'll take a look and there's a link to the newsletter. • Support for Windows 7 ends in January and about one third of all Windows computers are still running that version. • Twenty years ago: We were just beginning to se

The just-released verson of Acronis True-Image backup adds what the company calls "dual protection" to ensure that you'll always have a backup of your backup. In Short Circuits: Adobe's Elements applications, Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements, continue to add features that are powered by the company's Sensai artificial intelligence engine. Facts are important and they seem to be in short supply these days. Snopes.com isn't the only fact-checking operation so let's take a look at some of the others. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The first rule of the internet still applies: Trust nobody. • Jam Audio has just released water-resistant ear buds that look like they'll be perfect for a workout in the gym or a walk in the rain. • Twenty years ago: IBM was boasting about the performance of its new Power4 line of CPUs.

The newly released Exposure X5 gives users powerful new ways to control distortion, vignetting, color fringing, and chromatic aberration -- problems that can damage the look of an otherwise good photograph. In Short Circuits: Microsoft has added some new controls for the mouse cursor. There's now a range of 15 sizes for the pointer and, even better, you can set the color of the mouse cursor to make it more visible. More than 100 utilities are available on the NirSoft website. Most are provided without charge and they can help users see what's happening in normally hidden areas. In Spare Parts (only on the website): If you're still running Windows 7, you're running a risk. Too many computers are still using that long-outdated operating system. • The American Library Association and the Overdrive ebook management system from Rakuten are making select copies of new ebooks available without delay. • Twenty years ago: While preparing for the January 2000 version of the Consumer Electronics Show, I was impressed th

When cameras used film, we didn't have much control. Pros and serious amateurs had darkrooms or used professional labs, but most of us couldn't even crop an image without using scissors to cut the print. Now everyone can do what only the pros used to be able to do and much more that pros never dreamed of being able to do. In Short Circuits: Lynda.com can be your key to becoming a better photographer, or a C++ programmer, or a sound engineer. All it takes is a library card from one of the libraries that offers the content for free. If you're thinking about buying a new smart phone or you're looking around at mobile phone services, Google Fi is becoming a serious contender. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The most dangerous application on your computer is still the email program. • The FDA says some medical devices can be exploited by crooks who could change how the devices work. • Twenty years ago: After returning from PC Expo in New York City, I wrote that we seemed to be turning into the Jetsons. Some

You know the hard drive in your computer will fail someday, so you've been making regular backups. But what if you can't restore files from the backup when disaster strikes? Preparing for recovery is the step that's all too easy to miss. In Short Circuits: Suddenly your computer starts acting like it's full of congealed tar balls and who's to blame? Sometimes it's not malware or Microsoft. Every computer user who does anything on the internet is using Linux, so why is Linux installed on so few home computers? In Spare Parts (only on the website): Exposure Software (known as Alien Skin until recently) has just released Exposure X5. I'll have a full review in a couple of weeks, but let's take a quick first look. • If you've ever wanted a jukebox that plays 45 RPM records, you can now buy one -- but only if you have $10,000 or so lying around. • Twenty years ago: The top search engines were Yahoo and AltaVista, but a newcomer had arrived and was building a reputation for itself.

In an effort to be helpful, smart phone manufacturers, service providers, and apps want to send messages and reminders. There are ways to tame the deluge. In Short Circuits: BIOS updates are always problematic. Should we install them or ignore them? The old advice was generally to ignore them, but that advice needs to be modified when security issues are involved. Did you sign up for the $125 Equifax settlement thinking that you might actually get $125? Dream on. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The Digital Citizens Alliance says online services such as Facebook and Google are not doing enough to keep sellers of illegal drugs off their systems. • QBE North America has launched processes and insurance designed to protect their clients from cyber threats. • Twenty years ago digital cameras were just beginning to gain acceptance as sensors captured enough data to make snapshot size photos.

We hear about ransomware attacks that affect cities and, while they are frequent targets of malware, some crooks target small businesses and home users because they know the targets will be softer. In Short Circuits: Sometimes it seems that electronic devices go out of their way to make our lives miserable and, when they do, finding a solution to the problem can be challenging. If you've been thinking about switching to an open-source office suite, there are two primary choices: OpenOffice and LibreOffice. So which one is better? We'll look. In Spare Parts (only on the website): When you need to run a notebook computer or tablet for a long time and there's no nearby power source, modifying the computer's power settings can help. • It's also a good idea to keep an eye on the battery's performance over time because you'll probably need to replace the battery at least once before you replace the computer. • Twenty years ago some people were in a tizzy about the September 9th computing disaster that turned out to

Corel Draw has been around for a long time and the recently released 2019 edition of the graphics suite continues the company's long running emphasis on ease of use. In Short Circuits: Some of us love the Windows Start Menu. Some of us hate it. Either way, there are actions you can take to improve how you get to the programs you use most often. You might think that I'd be sad to say that Alien Skin Software no longer exists. I'm not and I'll explain why. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A recent update to the Emoji panel in Windows 10 makes the component really useful for the first time. • You know not to trust emails that claim to be from your boss, but what about phone calls? • Twenty years ago a company wanted to sell wearable computers for the equivalent of nearly $10,000 in today's money.

Anyone who owns a scanner -- regardless of make, model, or type -- should take a look at VueScan because it's probably better than the software that came with your scanner. In Short Circuits: Website owners often receive emails from China with warnings that someone is trying to register their website name. In short, it's a scam intended to separate your money from you. Another scam that I hadn't seen before added an entry to my Google calendar so that it could create pop-up messages telling me that I had won an IPhone. In Spare Parts (only on the website): It looks like there's finally been some progress in getting phone companies to cooperate in a way that may eventually eliminate or at least reduce unwelcome robocalls. • It's been 20 years since Adobe introduced InDesign. Publishing has changed a lot since then and InDesign now virtually owns the desktop typesetting and page layout market.

Powerful features and low cost are rarely features of a single computer application. Normally you get one or the other but software developer Serif is trying to provide both in its new series of Affinity products. In Short Circuits: Adobe has added several new features to its photographic applications and has updated many others. The result is one you'll like. If you'd like to frighten yourself, have your Wi-Fi router send a copy of its latest status report to you. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Small improvements can make big differences in your photographs and I'll show you one that's both easy and dramatic. • If you have some old computer gear that is no longer in service, taking it for a short drive to Newark next weekend would be a good idea.