Interesting video about the original promise of the Internet “freedom” and what it’s become. Have to admire Mozilla for speaking out about what the Internet should be.
|
Leave a Comment » | 
Technology | Tagged: Michael Whitney, Mozilla, Mozilla Foundation | 
Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
https://cordcuttersnews.com/bad-news-for-babylon-5-fans/
Bad News For Babylon 5 Fans
By Luke Bouma on April 11, 2026
*** begin quote ***
Fans of the groundbreaking science fiction television series Babylon 5 received disappointing news recently as the show disappeared from major free streaming platforms in the United States. Amazon’s MGM, which holds distribution rights, has pulled the series from ad-supported services including The Roku Channel and Tubi. Viewers who once enjoyed legal access to all five seasons without a subscription or purchase now find themselves without that option. The move forces enthusiasts to either buy digital episodes, invest in physical media, or seek out paid subscription services where the show might be available.
*** and ***
The removal from free platforms highlights the challenges in preserving access to older catalog titles. While physical Blu-ray releases offer high-quality remastered versions for collectors, and digital purchase options exist on various storefronts, the lack of free availability may deter younger viewers or those on tight budgets. Industry observers note that such decisions often stem from efforts to maximize revenue through exclusive deals or bundled content libraries. Amazon’s MGM appears to be repositioning the property, possibly in preparation for new distribution strategies or integration with other services.
For dedicated fans, the situation underscores the importance of owning physical copies or supporting official releases.
*** end quote ***
I’ve often ranted about technology shifts that force people to pay again for what they originally had. This is just another instance of that same gripe.
I used to have an extensive collection of self-help cassette tapes. When the “Big Publishers” shifted to compact disks they expected me to re-buy all that content. Not only couldn’t I afford it at the time but I refused to do it. Argh!
I wonder where in the Universe all that content is store for the eventual copyright expiration date?
Or is it lost forever.
Argh!
Gooferment diktats like “copyright laws” really are misguided at best and the result of political “contributions” to politicians by Big Publishing!
— 30 —
Leave a Comment » | Technology | Tagged: amazon, Babylon 5, Big Publishing, copyright laws, cordcuttersnews, distribution rights, free platforms, Luke Bouma, MGM, physical copies | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
https://www.androidauthority.com/downdetector-carrier-reports-spike-3632489/?utm_source=newsletter
T-Mobile and AT&T also seeing an uptick in outage reports during today’s Verizon disruption
Not as many reports as Verizon, but still a bunch.
By https://www.androidauthority.com/author/taylorkerns/
18 hours ago
<< EDITOR ADDED DATE 2026-01-15>>
*** begin quote ***
*** end quote ***
I have a second phone on Google Fi, which basically costs nothing if not used.
“3 is 2! 2 is 1! 1 is none! Look for redundant capability; not redundant gear!” — a disaster recovery adage
Just an FYI.
— 30 —
Leave a Comment » | Technology | Tagged: androidauthority, AT&T, Carriers, Mobile, T-Mobile, taylorkerns, Verizon | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
https://www.androidauthority.com/mudita-kompakt-hands-on-ces-2026-3631800/?utm_source=newsletter
This tiny, e-ink Android phone is the minimalist gadget I’ve been waiting for
Say hello to the Mudita Kompakt.
By Joe Maring
<< EDITOR ADDED DATE 2026-01-14>>
*** begin quote ***
One of the more interesting smartphone trends of the last year or two has been the rise of minimalist phones; phones that are designed to be less addictive than “regular” smartphones while still keeping you connected to phone calls, texts, etc.
I saw one such device at CES 2026 last week. It’s called the Mudita Kompakt, and compared to other minimalist phones on the market today, it’s the first one I’m actually tempted to buy.
As you’d expect from a phone of this caliber, the Mudita Kompakt is a pretty simple device. It has a 4.3-inch e-ink touchscreen display, a 3.5mm headphone jack, IP54 dust/water resistance, 32GB of storage (expandable up to 2TB), and a 3,300mAh battery rated to last up to six days.
*** end quote ***
This might be a good phone for “children” who are old enough to handle it. Unlike the politicians and bureaucrats that run schools, I think that children NEED to be able to communicate with parents and visa versa. Teachers are not above suspicion and emergencies happen. Like when my child’s bus driver missed his drop off. And, there has been (at least one or two that I remember) school shootings that were first reported by a “child” with his phone.
Heck I might ever get one as my “next” phone! Might even be perfect for befuddled old people like me?
— 30 —
Leave a Comment » | Technology | Tagged: androidauthority, Joe Maring, Mudita Kompakt | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
https://proton.me/support/troubleshooting?product=pass
PROTON, PROTON PASS
# – # – # – # – #
I’m using the PROTON suite.
I had a question about PROTON PASS.
I can’t see how to generate a random password.
And, I couldn’t find any way to leave a message, email, or comment. Argh!
The original question is just an :annoyance”,
Not being able to contact is a “big negative”.
Argh!
— 30 —
Leave a Comment » | SOFTWARE | Tagged: PROTON, PROTON PASS | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
Google Photos reminders users how deleting works across devices
https://9to5google.com/2025/12/19/google-photos-delete-content-guide/
# – # – # – # – #
As always, backup backup and backup!
3 is 2! 2 is 1! 1 is none! Look for redundant capability; not redundant gear!
I recommend that everyone use at least two different backup capabilities for the all important photos.
This was brought home hard when it looks like Google Photos “barfed” and took out BOTH the local device and the Google cloud backup copy.
Needless to say, that was traumatic. Luckily a restart unbarfed Google Photos. We immediately set up another backup capability on DROPBOX.
Suggest that (1) you should be backing up your phone’s pictures SOMEWHERE; (2) have a redundant capability for at least two independent backups; (3) consider using a cheap disk drive — usb or ssd — to create that complete off line archival backup.
After the disaster, it’s no good to say shoulda, coulda, and woulda!
FAIWWYPFI (Free Advice Is Worth What You Pay For It! ?zero?)
— 30 —
Leave a Comment » | Technology | Tagged: DROPBOX, faiwwypfi, Google cloud backup, Google Photos | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
*** begin quote ***
The AT&T Photo Storage app was discontinued on October 20, 2025. To ensure your treasured memories are safe, please make sure to retrieve your stored photos and videos before February 1, 2026.
*** end quote ***
the AT&T ashcan!
Of course, no reduction in price. Argh!
#AT&T_ashcan, #Google Graveyard
Technology’s version of shrinkflation!!!
— 30 —
Leave a Comment » | Technology | Tagged: #AT&T_ashcan, #Google Graveyard, Google Graveyard, the AT&T ashcan | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
AirDrop is finally coming to Android, but only if you have this phone
By Mahnoor Faisal
Published 21 hours ago << EDITOR ADDED DATE 2025-11-21>>
*** begin quote ***
Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents:
Summary
*** end quote ***
I’ve been using LocalSend for my transfers between devices (i.e., mac osx, iOS, and android).
Free and easy.
Share files to nearby devices.
Free, open-source, cross-platform.
What more could one want?
— 30 —
Leave a Comment » | Technology | Tagged: Mahnoor Faisal, makeuseof.com | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
https://www.dunkindonuts.com/en/account/dunkinrewards
*** begin quote ***
Dear Ferdinand Reinke,
Thank you for taking the time to contact Dunkin’.
To add a Dunkin’ card to the Dunkin’ App, please follow these steps:
1. Expand the menu in the top left-hand corner.
2. Tap “Add/Manage Cards”.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and tap “Add a Dunkin’ Card”.
i. If you have an existing card that you want to add, select Yes and enter the details. If not, select No to purchase a virtual card.
4. Select your card design and tap “Done,” and then “Done” on the next screen to complete registration.
To add a Dunkin’ card using our website, please follow these steps:
To remove a card from the Dunkin’ Mobile App, select the card you want to delete and tap “Delete Card.” (Please note that if the card is not at a $0 balance, you will not be able to remove it from the account.) Before you complete the deletion, write down the card number and PIN in case you want to re-register the card later. Removing a card from the app will also unregister it from your account, and unregistered cards will no longer earn points or rewards.
If you have any further questions, please reply to this email, or give us a call. Our support team can be reached at 800-447-0013, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET.
Thanks again for contacting us.
Customer Care Coordinator
Case# CCC6870586
*** end quote ***
My réponse:
Leave a Comment » | Technology | Tagged: @dunkindonuts, DunkinDonuts | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15210077/reality-internet-meltdown-amazon-aws.html
The alarming reality EXPOSED by the global internet meltdown… and why Amazon’s crash is only the beginning
By HARRIET ALEXANDER, US SENIOR FEATURES WRITER
Published: 15:37 EDT, 20 October 2025 | Updated: 08:35 EDT, 21 October 2025
*** begin quote ***
By 11:43am ET on Monday, over eight hours after the first sign of trouble, Amazon sounded optimistic that the end was in sight.
‘We have narrowed down the source of the network connectivity issues that impacted AWS Services,’ the company said. ‘The root cause is an underlying internal subsystem responsible for monitoring the health of our network load balancers.’
They said they were deliberately slowing some services ‘to aid recovery’ and were still ‘actively working on mitigations.’
*** end quote ***
Having once ran an IT tech support group for AT&T PBXs, I sympathize with the poor souls with an impossible task. Six 9’s is the standard — .999999 reliability — that’s about 3 seconds of downtime per year. Sometimes you just need to lucky. And, you better have a fantastic testing strategy since every change that’s introduced into this tech version of Jenga has the potential to bring down the whole shaky stack.
End Users need to plan for those outages which as in this case can last for hours.
Hopefully we never have one of those
Leave a Comment » | Technology | Tagged: dailymail.co.uk, HARRIET ALEXANDER | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
You are currently browsing the archives for the Technology category.
-
-
FJohn Reinke
Consultant at Technology Legacies LLC
Advisor, Computer Governance Committee at Manhattan College
Editor / Publisher at Jasper Jottings
Greater New York City Area
JJ Positraction JJ Endnotes Downsize DC
Philosophy of Liberty
I have NOT received any gagged governmental information requests
Reinke Faces Life 
You must be logged in to post a comment.