TECHNOLOGY: Was able to reread Stainless Steel Rat

Saturday, November 9, 2024

https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/harry-harrison/the-stainless-steel-rat

The Stainless Steel Rat
Harry Harrison

James “Slippery Jim” diGriz is a criminal in a galaxy where crime has almost been eradicated. In his own words, he’s a rat in the wainscoting of society, and now that society is all ferroconcrete and stainless steel only a stainless steel rat can find the gaps. Despite a nose for the hustle and a healthily paranoid survival instinct, Jim’s luck has to run out at some point—and when it does, it isn’t a prison cell he’s offered, but a job with the Special Corps.

The Stainless Steel Rat—a fix-up novel based on two earlier short stories for Astounding magazine—was the first in a long series of books by Harry Harrison to star the anti-hero. It is never less than a breathless ride, with twists and turns at every corner. As well as the twelve novels and additional short stories, the Stainless Steel Rat has appeared in numerous comics and games over the years, and has become Harrison’s most enduring character.

# – # – # – # – # 

As good as I remember reading it decades ago.

Funny that the technology makes it so available.

If this had existed when I was a kid, I’d have never stopped reading EVERY sci-fi book available.

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TECHNOLOGY: Vivaldi, yet another browser with some unique features

Monday, November 4, 2024

https://vivaldi.com/

https://www.makeuseof.com/vivaldi-most-customizable-web-browser-without-extensions/?user=cmVpbmtlZmpAZ21haWwuY29t&lctg=7e6c3cd411d6a815afa18582d54bd455914c43c5f69df1448b8ec20ee4959f71

This Is the Most Customizable Web Browser Without Extensions
By Ali Haider
Published 3 days ago

<< EDITOR ADDED DATE 2024-10-25>>

*** begin quote ***

If you’ve ever felt restricted by your current browser’s customization options, Vivaldi is the solution you’re looking for. It’s highly customizable and packed with a bunch of built-in tools that might easily become your favorite.

1 Interface Customization in Vivaldi

Vivaldi was created with one primary goal: to give users extensive control over how their browsers look and feel. It’s built on Chromium, the same open-source browser used by Chrome and Edge. This means you won’t miss out on essential security features or sacrificing performance.

*** end quote ***

Anyone, who follows this blog or knows me, knows I am a browser junkie.

I have several different browsers installed for when I “support” different people.  Plus one or two just for “fun”.

(I love when tech support people try and blame my “problem” on my browser because I don’t call in  — I hate people  — until I’ve tried it on my big 3 (Firefox, Chrome, and Opera).  Maybe even Arc, Brave, or Edge if I am really a glutton for punishing myself.)

Well here’s one that has a lot of “features” that claims to be “simple”.  We’ll see.  In any event, it’s nice to have another in the stable,

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TECHNOLOGY: If you don’t pay for the product, then you get what you pay for … …

Friday, November 1, 2024

https://www.androidauthority.com/dead-android-apps-3491528/

It’s been years, but I still miss these dead Android apps dearly
Not every great Android app stands the test of time.
By Andy Walker 21 hours ago

<< EDITOR ADDED DATE 2024-10-22>>

*** begin quote ***

I’ve used some great Android apps over the years. Many of these still exist and find a home on my home screen to this day. However, a slew of apps have come and gone. Feeling particularly nostalgic, I donned my rose-tinted glasses and took a longing look back at some of the dead Android apps that I still wish were actively developed, listed on the Play Store, or weren’t shuttered by their owners.

*** end quote ***

Well, before I “invest” my time, attention, effort, and dikw (i.e., data, information, knowledge, wisdom) in any application, I consider that if I am not paying for it, it COULD, and likely will, disappear at the most inconvenient moment in time.  And, I could gripe but it would be my own fault.

As an old Info Sec DR practioner, I always worry about backup and recovery (i.e., one is none, two is one, and three is glee).  As well as export and import of my data.  For example, it does me no good to EXPORT my data if there is no way to or no place to IMPORT it too.  

(Anyone ever think of that?  Notably my Apple Contacts app and Google Contacts app.  Both can export and import but something always prevents it.  Argh!  My solution is to keep contacts in a note in a NOTEPAD app.  PIA to update stuff in THREE places.  But, I just shake my head when people complain about losing their data.  Or search their call logs and message log to find a long ago contact.)

FWIW YMMV faiwwypfi (Free Advice Is Worth What You Pay For It! ?zero?)

—30—

 

“A key point to bear in mind: The value of attentiveness varies in proportion to its object. You’re better off not giving the small things more time than they deserve.” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

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APPLICATION: LASTPASS extendion in firefox not working

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Subject:

Lastpass externsion stopped working in Firefox

Description:

Something has gone bad. Can’t tell if it is Firefox, MacOsx, or Lastpass. The lastpass icon no longer shows in the area to the right of the browser address bar. Lastpass no longer fills is the credentials for any site.

Case Number:

02734442

# – # – # – # – # 

Update 2024-Oct-31 0909

All now back to sort of normal after numerous restarts and poking / eroding around.

EXCEPT

GMAIL in a FIREFOX window will not reload itself in.  Have “signin” that spawns a new tab.  That has to be pinned and the old pinned tab quit. Argh!

Still don’t understand what happened.

—30—

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TECHNOLOGY: Not all USB-C / USB-A cables are the same?

Sunday, October 27, 2024

 

2024-10Oct-27 horsebpower box. 

Interesting that their “usb” won’t power anything else.  And my usual “usbs” won’t charge the scrubber.  Their “directions” say you must use their usb to  charge the scrubber but no reason why is given.

Argh!

So what did they do to screw up the usb?  And, I guess if you damage it or lose it, you have to buy a replacement from them?

Argh!

—30—

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TECHNOLOGY: Looking for a cross platform notepad

Friday, October 25, 2024

Looking for a cross platform notepad

  • Tried EVERNOTE  — not free
  • Using Apple NOTE app free but doesn’t share with Android
  • Tried OBSIDEON  — too complex
  • Tried NOTATION  — too complex
  • Trying ANYTYPE  — initial setup was easy across MAC, IOS, and ANDROID 

—30—

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TECHNOLOGY: What is old becomes new again! Pagers have a use case!

Friday, October 25, 2024

https://pagersdirect.net/pages/are-pagers-still-a-thing

Are pagers still a thing?

ARE PAGERS MAKING A COMEBACK…ARE THEY STILL A THING?

What???? Do Pagers even exist anymore?

Who’s still using pagers in 2024 and why?

*** begin quote ***

If you find yourself using a cell phone by itself and it works for you as most people do…That’s great, but if you are like the majority of our clients, you most likely have a specific task that a pager or pager app on a cell phone does even better than just texting or voicemail on their phone. Perhaps you have cell phone signal reception issues in your area or need another way for your IMPORTANT calls to get through and get your attention…whatever the reason, the people using pagers today have found specific niche reasons why a pager or pager app compliments their cell phone and smart watch.

Primarily, a separate pager phone number offers privacy and a means for urgent notifications that stand out above and beyond text messaging and helps differentiate a normal text or phone call from a high priority, urgent phone call.

In 2024, our clients are faced with some unique challenges and situations that didn’t exist even 5 years ago…

One example is robocalls / spam phone calls. Millions of junk phone calls are made daily. Some people are just fed up with getting calls from unknown numbers about their car warranty expiring or other scams and don’t even answer the phone when they see a number they don’t recognize. Today’s latest smartphone operating systems allow smartphones to silence calls from unknown callers and send the calls directly to voicemail. With this enabled, sometimes important calls are missed. 

Another example is the banning of cellphones in schools. Want a simple way to be able to get in touch with your child and let them know of an urgent message such as a schedule change or emergency at home? Perhaps just a positive emotional reinforcement such as a “Good luck, You’ve got this” on the day of a big exam. Give them an alphanumeric pager and simply send a short email to the pager’s email address.

*** end quote ***

I found this “use case” very persuasive.  I was thinking about school shootings.  Schools are banning cell phones, but I don’t agree.  Parents need to know their child is safe!  I think of the victims  — parent and child  — saying “I love you”, “I’m coming for you”, even “Hide!”.  Maybe I just don’t understand the problem.

—30—

2024-09Sep-24

California Schools Must Restrict Phones Under New Law Signed by Newsom

Argh!

—30—

Shawn Hubler, Troy Closson

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TECHNOLOGY: Kiss of Death — Google URL Shortener

Friday, July 26, 2024

https://www.androidauthority.com/when-google-will-break-googl-links-3462692/

General technology
Google’s kiss of death is coming for your goo.gl links

  • It’s time to replace your short links before the tech overlord breaks them.

By Mahmoud Itani

*** begin quote ***

In typical Google fashion, the company killed its goo.gl short link generator on March 30, 2019. Since then, users have still been able to access goo.gl links created before the generator’s shutdown. However, this will change next year, as Google will completely sunset the service, breaking the short links in the process.

*** end quote ***

# – # – # – # – # 

https://developers.googleblog.com/en/google-url-shortener-links-will-no-longer-be-available/

Google URL Shortener links will no longer be available
JUL 18, 2024
Sumit Chandel Developer Relations Engineer
Eldhose Mathokkil Babu Software Engineer

*** begin quote ***

In 2018, we announced the deprecation and transition of Google URL Shortener to Firebase Dynamic Links because of the changes we’ve seen in how people find content on the internet, and the number of new popular URL shortening services that emerged in that time. This meant that we no longer accepted new URLs to shorten but that we would continue serving existing URLs.

*** end quote ***

And off to the Google Graveyard, it goes.

Unfortunately I was on a kick using them on my blog for a while until for whatever reason, I stopped.  Now I had to waste two hours correcting that link headed mistake.  Sigh!  Some links were broken and one of my favorite authors died unnoticed.  But I did find some old forgotten content that made me laugh, cry, and wonder where my skills went.  Some of the content was timeless.  Me not so much!

—30—

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TECHNOLOGY: When to we own what we purchase

Sunday, June 2, 2024

https://www.404media.co/samsung-requires-independent-repair-shops-to-share-customer-data-snitch-on-people-who-use-aftermarket-parts-leaked-contract-shows/

Samsung Requires Independent Repair Shops to Share Customer Data, Snitch on People Who Use Aftermarket Parts, Leaked Contract Shows
Jason Koebler
May 23, 2024 at 9:19 AM

*** begin quote ***

The contract requires repair shops to “immediately disassemble” devices that have parts “not purchased from Samsung.”

In exchange for selling them repair parts, Samsung requires independent repair shops to give Samsung the name, contact information, phone identifier, and customer complaint details of everyone who gets their phone repaired at these shops, according to a contract obtained by 404 Media. Stunningly, it also requires these nominally independent shops to “immediately disassemble” any phones that customers have brought them that have been previously repaired with aftermarket or third-party parts and to “immediately notify” Samsung that the customer has used third-party parts.

“Company shall immediately disassemble all products that are created or assembled out of, comprised of, or that contain any Service Parts not purchased from Samsung,” a section of the agreement reads. “And shall immediately notify Samsung in writing of the details and circumstances of any unauthorized use or misappropriation of any Service Part for any purpose other than pursuant to this Agreement. Samsung may terminate this Agreement if these terms are violated.”

*** end quote ***

Sorry but this seems to be a monopoly behavior.  At what point do we actually own things that we buy?  Not rent  Not license.  Not lease.  But “buy”.

I think that Samsung needs a lesson in free market capitalism.

—30—

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TECHNOLOGY: Gooferment Skrules ban what they don’t understand

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/25/ai-tutors-are-quietly-changing-how-kids-in-the-us-study-and-the-leading-apps-are-from-china/

AI tutors are quietly changing how kids in the US study, and the leading apps are from China
Rita Liao
6:00 AM PDT • May 25, 2024

*** begin quote ***

Several public school districts in the U.S. have banned access to ChatGPT on school devices, but enforcing a ban on generative AI outright becomes challenging as soon as students leave school premises.

*** end quote ***

This story made me laugh.  

Typical of anything Gooferment’s “Let’s just ban it” approach to something new and strange.

Worked so well for the drug war and innumerable other Gooferment actions.

Guess they don’t know that humans are infinitely adaptable and equally hard to control. 

(A four year old has taught me that you can’t make someone do what they don’t want to do.  So you better find a better way to get them dressed.)

—30—

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