Techbyter Worldwide (formerly Technology Corner) With Bill Blinn

Stop emailing files to friends, family, and co-workers! Google Drive is one of the easiest ways to share files, and you may not need more storage space than what comes with the free plan. In Short Circuits: If you like the vertical tabs I described last week in talking about Microsoft's new Edge browser but don't want to switch to Edge, there are add-ons for Firefox and extensions for Chrome-based browsers that do the same thing. • Adobe has added a powerful new feature to Photoshop, Illustrator, and Fresco so that users can invite others to edit their files. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Covid vaccine means office workers may soon be able to go back to their offices, but will they want to? • Probably there is no company that has done more to eliminate the need for paper than Google, and yet Google Senior User Experience Researcher Corbin Cunningham has written on Google's blog about the magic of paper. • Twenty years ago: We are approaching the end of a year in which distance learning became essentia

We've had access to home computers for more than 40 years and online financial services for at least 25 years, but we're still using old-style passwords to protect our information. In Short Circuits: By adopting Blink, the rendering engine that powers Google Chrome, Microsoft is developing a workable Edge browser that offers some useful new features. • Wacom finally has a digitizing pen that works with Chromebook computers, but beware the the confusing name the company gave it. In Spare Parts (only on the website): If you want to be a better photographer, take more pictures. That's easy advice to give, but more difficult to follow. It does work, though. • Does your Windows computer sometimes switch from a 5GHz network to a slower 2.4GHz connection? There's an easy solution. • Twenty years ago: We were all anxiously awaiting Windows XP, which would prove to be the most significant advance for Windows since Windows 95.

The graphical user interface didn't yet exist on personal computers 40 years ago, so we needed to understand the command line and batch files. These are still present under the hood on today's computers, and we'll take a long look at why they're still useful. In Short Circuits: Television programs and motion pictures on DVD can cause people with less than perfect hearing to lose some of the dialog. Adding specialized speakers to the television can help a lot. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The Windows Taskbar can get crowded if you often have many applications open or pin a lot of icons to it. Not everything Microsoft puts on the Taskbar by default needs to be there, and it's easy to dump the items you don't need. • If you've ever had a computer report that a Secure Digital card is locked, fixing the problem is usually quick and easy. • Twenty years ago: Visual Basic scripting attacks were common, and I suggested a couple of rules that guaranteed safety. They still apply.

Digitizing old photos and negatives can deliver modest quality quickly or high quality slowly. There's no way to get fast high-quality files, but there are some options. In Short Circuits: We'll look at three scanning methods you can choose from when you have both photographic prints and negatives, as well as consider which might be better in any given situation. • The first question most technicians ask when you have a problem is "Did you turn it off and then back on again?" Why do they do this and why does it often work? In Spare Parts (only on the website): Ever wonder who invented the computer or the internet? The answer is invariably complex because in most cases, it wasn't just one person. • With vaccines slowly becoming available to protect against covid, we're beginning to consider how we might keep surfaces clean in the future, and technology may help. • Twenty years ago: American Express was trying to create an online service called AmexOL.net. It was one of many such services destined to die.

Luminar AI from Skylum adds artificial intelligence to the company's photo processing application and reduces the complexity of the user interface. In Short Circuits: Normally shutting down or restarting Windows is done from the Power section in the Start menu, but there are times when having those options as icons on the Desktop, or using the command line, can be helpful. • If you've ever wondered why there are so many Microsoft Visual C++ entries in the Windows Apps and Features sections and whether you should remove some of them, we'll consider the choices. In Spare Parts (only on the website): There may be a pandemic that's keeping us from gathering in even small numbers, and limiting interactions to electronic meetings, but research by Adobe says that creativity is accelerating. • Realtor.com suggests there's a shift away from beachfront property to locations in the mountains for those who can afford a second house. There is a technology link to this story. • Twenty years ago: Remember receiving America

If you've recently bought a new computer, or plan to buy a new computer soon, you may be wondering what to do with the old one. There are many options, and the worst possible choice would be to put it in the trash. Let's consider better options. In Short Circuits: Last week I described how I gave up on repurposing an M.2 drive from my primary computer as a fast cache drive. Using a $15 case for the M.2 drive, I turned it into a fast cache drive anyway -- just not the way I had planned. • If you're trying to get rid of spam, maybe you've thought of changing your email address. There are other steps you might consider, but a better path involves an application that examines email before it gets to your computer so that it can flag suspected scams. In Spare Parts (only on the website): It's easy enough to rename the boot drive on a Windows computer, but there are good reasons why you shouldn't. • I ran across some ancient history a week or so ago. In June, it will be 26 years since I spent a week at New York Cit

Sometimes it's possible to turn what should be a quick, easy task into a frustrating multi-day adventure. Usually this happens because of incomplete planning, and yes I do have an example. In Short Circuits: Troubleshooting a strange problem can take time. Hardware and software like to drop red herrings that confuse the troubleshooter, but everything makes perfect sense once you figure it out. • Scammers are running in high gear to steal money based on false claims. These scams can fool anyone, but older people are often targeted. There are defenses against the dark arts. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Taking a few minutes to run diagnostic tests on a schedule can give early warnings about hardware problems that would otherwise be unpleasant surprises. • Firefox has added a new HTTPS-Only mode that forces all website connections to be secure if the website supports security, and it warns you if the site doesn't. • Twenty years ago: Macromedia acquired Allaire to gain full access to its text editor for

If you're thinking about buying a new computer in 2021, it's important to think about what's inside the computer and about what you need the computer to do. In Short Circuits: Covid-19 vaccines are available now, but will be in short supply for the foreseeable future. If you receive a message that promises faster access for a fee, it's a fraud. • Some Windows 10 computers repeatedly ask the user to log in to Microsoft 365. There are ways to work around this issue, but they involve disabling features you may consider to be essential. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Say what you will about Microsoft, but the company earns high marks from its employees for diversity. • Google's new Chromecast device finally comes with a remote control. • Twenty years ago: Corel tried to port its applications to Mac computers, and to call that effort an utter disaster would be needlessly kind.

Some applications update themselves, but many don't. A utility called Patch My PC can help with more than 300 programs that may be installed on your Windows computer. In Short Circuits: This year's Pantone color of the year is actually two colors. I'll explain the reasoning for that and we'll take a look at Ultimate Gray and Illuminating Yellow. • The latest version of the MacOS, Big Sur, adds features, fixes problems, and creates problems. In Spare Parts (only on the website): If your Windows computer is still running version 1809, it's time to update it. • For the first time in its more than 50-year history, the Consumer Electronics Show goes fully virtual this year. • Twenty years ago: Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Netscape's Navigator were batting for supremacy, but Netscape was already entering what would become a death spiral.

There's no podcast this week, but if you have a minute and a half, we can take a quick look back to 2000.

Renaming files is easy when you have just one or two, but there's a big difference if you have dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of files that need to be renamed. Fortunately, there's an app for that. In Short Circuits: Laptop computers are quickly replacing big desktop systems for most people, but usually there are too few USB ports. A USB hub can help, but maybe a dock would be a better choice. Let's look. • Even if you don't use Adobe's InDesign, taking a look at what Adobe has added to the 2020 version is a good use of your time. I'll summarize the new features and explain why they're worth knowing about. In Spare Parts (only on the website): As of mid-2021, Google will eliminate free unlimited photo storage. Let's see what the options are. • Password disasters continue to be far too common, and password manager Dashlane has identified what the company calls the worst offenders. • Twenty years ago: How much was 520 megabytes? Not much by today's standards, but in 2000 it was a big deal.

If you're looking for the world's best photo editing program, PhotoDemon probably isn't it. Even so, it has some intriguing features, and that makes it worth looking at. In Short Circuits: Would you walk on the Amazon Sidewalk? Let's consider the good features and the cautions of neighborhood mesh computing. • We'll also take a quick look at Adobe Illustrator's new features for 2020, including a new version that runs on the IPad. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The digital divide in the United States hasn't been worsened by the pandemic, but the pandemic has worsened the effects of the digital divide. • Robocalls continue to increase, but scam calls were down slightly in November. Don't expect that to continue. • Twenty years ago: Online sales were down in 2000, but they've been up ever since. And in this pandemic year, they're one of the few economic bright spots.

Anyone who owns a scanner will get better results by dumping the application that came with the scanner and using VueScan instead. There are even more advantages if you have multiple scanners or multiple computers. In Short Circuits: Although I've mentioned replacing mechanical drives with solid-state drives before, I have a real-life example of how easy the process is. • If you think Facebook isn't showing the posts you really want to see, you're probably right. Let's consider a way to sidestep Facebook's "artificial intelligence". In Spare Parts (only on the website): Phishing scams are always worse around the end of the year, and this year the threat is worse than usual. • An organization is trying to help high school students who are dealing with distance learning while homeless. • Twenty years ago: Even Stephen King couldn't make ebooks popular in 2000. We just weren't ready.

There's no podcast this week, but if you have a little less than two minutes, we can take a quick look back to 2000.

Exposure X6 honors its legacy of creating outstanding film looks, and builds on its raw image editing capabilities. It's worth a look as a standalone application as well as a plug-in for Adobe applications. In Short Circuits: Ninite offers a free and easy way to keep more than 100 applications up to date, and for $12 per year, it can be even easier. • There's a new version of Evernote, but Microsoft's free OneNote still offers more features at no cost. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Download a free trial of a helper application for a game such as Minecraft, and you might find that the price jumps to $30 per week after a three-day trial. • Ebooks are making inroads into schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, a change that's likely to continue. • Twenty years ago: Spelling checkers were just beginning to be introduced.

I always enjoy working with individual developers who create small, specialized utility applications. Nir Sofer is one of these people. He has created more than 100 utilities, and this week I'll tell you about five that I consider to be quite useful. In Short Circuits: Have you put off upgrading some of the major hardware components in your computer because you fear it will invalidate the Windows 10 license? Performing a few steps in advance will eliminate that concern. • Google will ship a new Chromecast device before the end of the year. It's priced well, comes with a remote control, and even offers an on-screen menu. In Spare Parts (only on the website): People are using on-line payment systems more because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but concerns about being victimized online are inching up. • Schools in low-income areas are hard pressed to provide quality classes online, and that's probably not a big surprise. • Twenty years ago: Bill Gates was discounting the need for classrooms in third-world nations to

The 2021 version of Adobe Photoshop introduces a series of splashy new artificial intelligence features and a variety of other useful capabilities. In Short Circuits: Mozilla has created a virtual reality conferencing system called Hubs. It's not Zoom, and it's not intended to be. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Sales of robotic devices continue to increase by more than 20% year over year. • Graphic artists, photographers, and designers have reacted to 2020 by placing increased emphasis on the pandemic and social issues. • Twenty years ago: Email client Eudora had introduced "Mood Watch" to help users avoid aggressive language in their messages. Yeah. Good luck with that.

TechSmith's SnagIt has one new feature for 2021 that justifies the cost of the update all by itself, but that feature is not alone. In Short Circuits: The annual Adobe Max conference attracted half a million attendees this year instead of the usual 15 thousand or so. • Most of us wish smart phones cost less, but we're willing to go into debt for them because they're considered essential by so many. How about some tips for saving money? In Spare Parts (only on the website): A free 47-page ebook by Wells Fargo Financial Advisors can help safeguard your computer and your finances. I have the download link. • The feds have filed suit against Google, complaining about monopolistic practices. • Twenty years ago: Xerox was in the process of spinning off the legendary Palo Alto Research Center, the organization that invented much of modern computing.

Some people like to replace their computer with a new model around the end of the year, and because the end of the year is approaching, this might might be a good time to think about how to save money on the deal. In Short Circuits: Ad blocker plugs-ins for browsers can be handy, but there's another option that uses a file that dates all the way back to the first networked computers. • Ebook organizer and reader Calibre has been updated to version 5. Although relatively weak as a reader, Calibre is the best organizer you'll find. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Is Microsoft thinking about switching to Linux? There's been some speculation about that lately. • Looking for a really cheap computer? There's the Compute Stick from Intel, but be sure to consider its limitations before buying. • Twenty years ago: Adobe was beginning a concerted effort to develop applications for home users, not just graphics professionals. The effort seems to have paid off.

Big data and artificial intelligence offer a lot of promise, but there are also formidable challenges. Unless proved otherwise, perhaps we should consider these technologies dangerous, or at least potentially hostile. In Short Circuits: The Windows 10 October 2020 update is coming. It's available now only to those in the Windows Insider program, but it won't be long until it's pushed out to all users. It's a small update. • Support for Office 2010 ended on 13 October 2020. If you're thinking this is no big deal, think again. The end of support means the end of security updates and bug fixes. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Sometimes I get the crazy idea that there are scammers who intentionally create email messages with so many errors that no sentient human would fall for them. Why? There's no logical reason. • If you use Zoom or any other meeting application that supports background substitution, Tech Republic has some Halloween images you might like. • Twenty years ago: Security concerns in 2000 were