Microsoft is killing its ChromeOS competitor:
Back in 2021, Microsoft announced Windows 11 SE as a lightweight platform to rival Google’s ChromeOS, but now, the company is pulling the plug on the offshoot.
TECHNOLOGY: Microsoft is killing its ChromeOS competitor — “Microsoft Mothball”?
Saturday, August 2, 2025
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Posted by reinkefj
TECHNOLOGY: Individuals should be able to maintain their own verified digital identity
Saturday, August 2, 2025https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2025/07/how-solid-protocol-restores-digital-agency.html
Schneier on Security
*** begin quote ***
How Solid Protocol Restores Digital Agency
The current state of digital identity is a mess. Your personal information is scattered across hundreds of locations: social media companies, IoT companies, government agencies, websites you have accounts on, and data brokers you’ve never heard of. These entities collect, store, and trade your data, often without your knowledge or consent. It’s both redundant and inconsistent. You have hundreds, maybe thousands, of fragmented digital profiles that often contain contradictory or logically impossible information. Each serves its own purpose, yet there is no central override and control to serve you—as the identity owner.
*** and ***
The economics of Web 2.0 pushed us toward centralized platforms and surveillance capitalism, but there has always been a better way. Solid brings different pieces together into a cohesive whole that enables the identity-first architecture we should have had all along. The protocol doesn’t just solve technical problems; it corrects the fundamental misalignment of incentives that has made the modern web increasingly hostile to both users and developers.
As we look to a future of increased digitization across all sectors of society, the need for this architectural shift becomes even more apparent. Individuals should be able to maintain and present their own verified digital identity and history, rather than being at the mercy of siloed institutional databases. The Solid protocol makes this future technically possible.
This essay was written with Davi Ottenheimer, and originally appeared on The Inrupt Blog①
*** end quote ***
Good luck wresting control of “digital identity” from the all-powerful omniscient Gooferment. Never mind the technology giants like Google, Facebook, and Apple. And, of course, the completely subservient “We, The Sheeple” who don’t know how they are getting <synonym for the past tense of the procreation act.>!
Argh!
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Posted by reinkefj
TECHNOLOGY: AT&T introduces its variant of the Google Graveyard, the AT&T ashcan
Tuesday, July 29, 2025Download your photos before AT&T shuts down its cloud storage service permanently
- Come October, AT&T’s Photo Storage service will stop backing up your files. Here’s how to grab them before they’re gone.
Written by Lance Whitney, Contributor
July 22, 2025 at 8:33 a.m. PT
Reviewed by Elyse Betters Picaro
*** begin quote ***
Starting Oct. 20, 2025, AT&T Photo Storage will stop backing up your files. At that time, the app will be removed from Apple’s App Store and Google Play. The service itself, however, will still remain available until Feb. 1, 2026, at which point your stored photos will vanish as well.
*** end quote ***
Of course, the monthly nut I pat to AT&T will OF COURSE be reduced proportional to the cost of this service.
Yeah, right.
It’s just a technological form of our old friend, SHRINKFLATION!
Back in the day when I worked for Old Ma Bell, no one would dare harm the Customer. It was part of the credo, ethic, or morals of the employees.
Then Judge Green broke up the “monopoly” and the USA went from a stellar phone service to a mixed jumble of offerings. Bell Labs and Wester Electric were fatal casualties of the distruction.
Were phone calls “cheaper”? The phones certainly weren’t a durable and the politicians and bureaucrats ruled “rates” at all levels of Gooferment.
Unfortunately, unlike the leadership of IBM who told the Gooferment to go <synonym for the act of procreation> themselves, Ma Bell just rolled over and played dead.
Roll the clock forward and we have expensive phones and service (such as it is) and the AT&T ASHcan!
Argh!
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Posted by reinkefj
TECHNOLOGY: 16 Ways to Use Your AirTags
Sunday, July 20, 2025https://www.makeuseof.com/genius-ways-to-use-airtags/?utm_source=MUO-NL
16 Genius Ways to Use Your AirTags (That Aren’t Just for Keys)
By Jack Mitchell
Published 2 days ago
<< EDITOR ADDED DATE 2025-07-10>>
*** begin quote ***
Track Mailed Items
If you’re sending a valuable item, sensitive documents, or something irreplaceable to friends or family, consider dropping an AirTag in the package (which they can return to you later). This way, you can track its journey to ensure it arrives at its destination, especially when delivering items overseas or sending gifts back and forth during the holidays.
*** end quote ***
Not sure if that’s allowed due to the battery?
FWIW I use them extensively.
- Haven’t put them on remotes yet.
- Nor have I “tagged” a pet; not “chipped” either. Argh!
- Nor have used one for my wallet; should, but haven’t yet.
- Don’t have a drone.
- Have them in cars, luggage, bags, and on my keys.
- Battery replacement is easy.
And, I put their location (for example in the car) in the name (i.e., Rogue glove box 1/1/25) so i can find them when the battery needs replacing.
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Posted by reinkefj
TECHNOLOGY: “Free” VPNs are too expensive
Friday, July 18, 2025How Do You Feel About Free VPNs?
Ben Stegner
<< EDITOR ADDED DATE 2025-06-29>>
*** begin quote ***
Security-minded folks usually advise against using free VPNs, since they have few privacy guarantees, lack features, and are slower compared to paid VPNs. However, depending on your purpose for using one, a free VPN can be suitable. If you’re just trying to see what a website looks like from another country, get around a block, or test what using a VPN is like before committing, they can work OK.
How do you feel about free VPNs; do you use them or stay far away? I wouldn’t use one all the time, but as a quick way to test something or get around a blockage, I would be open to them.
*** end quote ***
# – # – # – # – #
If it’s “free”, “you” are the product. I pay for anything that’s “free”. Sometimes in money; other times in data. I think a VPN is important enough to spend money on.
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Posted by reinkefj
SOFTWARE: LastPass stops supporting their Mac desktop app
Wednesday, July 16, 2025*** begin quote ***
Transition to LastPass for Safari: Replacing the legacy Mac desktop app
We’re replacing the LastPass Password Manager (Mac desktop app) with LastPass for Safari, a modern, secure, and optimized solution for managing your passwords on Mac.
*** end quote ***
FYI, I do NOT use Safari.
Argh!
I’ll be transitioning to BITWARDEN, which supports all platforms.
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Posted by reinkefj
TECHNOLOGY: Amazon has “sunset” Freevee — like the Google Graveyard
Tuesday, July 15, 2025https://www.androidauthority.com/amazon-freevee-app-shut-down-august-3573688/
Amazon’s Freevee app gets an expiry date, but here’s how to keep watching for free
Prime Video is the new home for all of Freevee’s ad-supported content.
By Pranob Mehrotra
July 3, 2025
*** begin quote ***
- Amazon confirmed plans to sunset its free streaming service, Freevee, late last year.
- The company has now notified users that the Freevee app will be shut down in August 2025.
- Freevee’s extensive library of movies, TV shows, and live TV will be available through Prime Video.
After announcing plans to wind down its free video streaming service late last year, Amazon has now confirmed that the Freevee app will finally be shut down in August. But there’s some good news for those who enjoy Freevee’s vast library of TV shows, movies, and live TV.
*** end quote ***
Remember if it’s “free”, then you are the product!
Now like the Google Graveyard, we have an “Amazon sunset”!
Amazon’s Dash buttons are no more. Remember the “Tide button”, and other product buttons to make reordering easy? I don’t remember Amazon “sunseting” other things. And certainly not as frequently as Google does.
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Leave a Comment » | Technology | Tagged: amazon, Amazon Freevee, Amazon Sunset, androidauthority.com, Entertainment, Freevee, Google Graveyard, Pranob Mehrotra, Streaming | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
TECHNOLOGY: “Mail Send Delay” universal option?
Monday, July 7, 2025AN ORIGINAL THOUGHT
After sending an email to the wrong list of people, I wondered why I couldn’t have a “Mail Send Delay” universal option?
Can’t do it in GMAIL!
Can’t do it in APPLE MAIL!!
Can’t seem to find it in ANY EMAIL Client! ! !
Argh!
It’s as if every time you sealed an envelope, then you immediately had to run to the Post Office and send it out.
Argh!
Where are the User Interface coders getting their specs?
Certainly not from this User!
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Posted by reinkefj
SOFTWARE: Found a strange software bug but don’t know who to blame
Wednesday, May 21, 2025SOFTWARE: Found a strange software bug but don’t know who to blame
I downloaded my EKG from MYCHART into my MACOSX Sequoia 15.5 using FIREFOX 138.0.3 (aarch64).
No problem.
Went to attach it to an email. Problem. File’s not there?
Fist time in a long time I was befuddled.
Repeat the process.
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” — attributed to Einstein, Ben Franklin, and Rita Mae Brown
Same result.
Restart. Rinse and repeat. Same result.
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” — attributed to Einstein, Ben Franklin, and Rita Mae Brown
Try SAFARI version 18.5 (20621.2.5.11.8)
Rinse and repeat. Same result.
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting diffe rent results.” — attributed to Einstein, Ben Franklin, and Rita Mae Brown
Since I echo all my stuff into DROPBOX 224.4.4811 and the file is there as expected.
Attached it to my email and away it goes.
Now really confused.
Go back to FINDER version 15.5 and … …
<drum roll>
It’s there.
Argh!
I don’t know who to blame.
“It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key.” — Sir Winston Churchill, in a radio broadcast in October 1939
I guess I’ll never know!
—30—
Leave a Comment » | SOFTWARE | Tagged: DROPBOX, Firefox, macOS Sequoia, MYCHART, safari, Winston Churchill | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
HARDWARE: Remembering a hardware failure; not so fondly
Sunday, April 27, 2025What Was Your Worst Data Loss Disaster?
Ben Stegner
1 day ago
<< EDITOR ADDED DATE 2025-04-24>>
# – # – # – # – #
MY REPSONSE
Back in the Wild West days of corporate computing, II used to have my own back up solution. Brought and paid for myself. It was a zip drive. Remeber good old Iomega devices. It was 10 megs that I controlled. Had my own program that I wrote in COBOL (shows you how long ago that was). Worked fine thru several IBM Thinkpad hard disk failures. Sigh!
Anyway some genious decided that there should be no foreign devices on the corporate network, All USB ports would be locked, All computers in the Window NT domain would be backed up by the domain admin team. Even floppy disks were prohibited and locked.
Having no choice, I did a lot of printing of stuff fo take home and emailing copies of working documents to a coworker and visa verse.
For about six months everything was fine. Then predictably my “workstation” that Thinkpad disk drive failed. Support dutifully replaced it and reinstalled the Operating System and started a restore from “Headquarters”.
Guess they never met Murphy.
Of course, I was idled for the better part of two days with about 50 meg of data “sped” down the undersized corporate network. Due dates be dammed. My status reports were on sentence. “Computer failed; Restore in progress; ETTR unknown.”
So it finally finished up after three DAYS, And NIGHTS! I sit down an logon. Guess what happens next? “File not found”, “File corrupt”. Another two days of “techincal magic” and everything now appears to work.
Go to open my latest — now behind schedule — “urgent” report. “File not found”.
I do a quick look and the back up data is SIX MONTHS old.
Apparent after great “STURM UND DRANG” we find out that the corporate backup system had never worked.
I do a not so quick inventory of my paper files that I had at home. And there is SOME stuff but not everything. (I was a very inefficient clerk. Especially when I am very annoyed.)
Leadership told me to “Stop Bitching” and “deal with it”.
Apparently, the various executives were going thru
# – # – # – # – #
Webform has — I guess — a size limit
# – # – # – # – #
Apparently, the various executives were going thru a similar “experience”.
I presume that they were not diligent about the corporate diktat that there was to be no “personal” data kept on “corporate computers”.
Never found out the full impact of the disaster.
But soon after IT leadership left for “other opportunities” and who bunch of “IT diktats” changed.
Laugh!
I too left soon after for a better opportunity and more money. Laugh!
About a year later the company was acquired and their IT was “absorbed” with a huge layoff.
I don’t know if the two are related.
Never looked back.
# – # – # – # – #
Thought this was a interesting memory.
Argh! Argh! Sigh!
—30—
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