TECHNOLOGY: DIRECT TV STREAMING did a complete restart this morning.

Saturday, December 30, 2023

ATT DIRECT TV STREAMING

Lost the ability to adjust the volume.

Started to troubleshoot, by resetting the dongle.

Things now worse

After trying all sorts of “stuff”.

Called their tech support.

They instructed us to do a few thing we’d already done.

Then, they discovered that the definition of what TV was connected was <NONE>.

Reset that to “SAMSUNG”.

Problem solved.

# – # – # – # – # 

OF course, no explanation of why the problem occurred in the first place!!!

Argh!

Wasted almost an hour on the problem.

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TECHNOLOGY: Save 10% in airline fuel with a smoother ride?

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/turbulence-solutions-aviation-industry-free?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter

Turbulence Solutions to make ‘whole aviation industry turbulence-free’

  • Austrian startup Turbulence Solutions aims to eradicate turbulence for everything from light aircraft and air taxis to the largest commercial airliners.

Chris Young
Published: Dec 09, 2023 10:49 AM EST

*** begin quote ***

With this in mind, the Turbulence Cancelling system could result in “up to 10 percent of fuel savings,” Galffy continued. If applied across the aviation industry, this could also lead to a significant reduction in carbon emissions.

*** end quote ***

If I was Big AirTravel, then I’d be REAL interested in the money savings.  Passenger comfort isn’t the bottom line.

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TECHNOLOGY: Tell 911 call handlers precisely where to send help is vital

Monday, December 18, 2023

https://what3words.com/news/blog/how-what3words-is-being-used-in-texas?utm_campaign=USA%20B2C%20Newsletter%202023&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=286051771&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8wcHBer7Uje11CKMMoLBg90Bgp1QOb6BCmnTtIKsRXT65ZtRu-xWfxrEmLitaIor6zhsbezVzhrUHb1tjRDBivi5Td8w&utm_content=285635558&utm_source=hs_automation

Getting help where it’s needed

In an emergency, being able to tell 911 call handlers precisely where to send help is vital – but this can be difficult when you’re out in rural areas or in an unfamiliar part of the city. A what3words address helps you to communicate any exact location easily and efficiently, no matter where you are. This means emergency responders will know exactly where to go, accurate to a 10ft square. Watch as the City of Austin Police Department put it to the test with Inside Edition.

Emergency service departments across Texas and the wider US are using what3words to find people faster and improve response times. You can read the full list of services using it and some of the incredible stories that have involved what3words.

https://what3words.com

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TECHNOLOGY: Here’s a new kind of gift card fraud!

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

FROM NEXTDOOR

Inez Avant

• Middlesex, NJ

This happened to me at Walmart. I purchased a 100.00 Play Station card. I took it back and explained I bought this card 5 min ago. I never left the store. I was sending the information to my nephew via text, and I noticed the pin number was already scratched off. They gave me my money back. But I was told by the manager that what is happening is someone is taking a picture of the card number & pin, and when WE buy the card and activate it, the scammers are able to retrieve the gift card funds. Especially around the Holiday time, this happens SO BE CAREFUL – CHECK THE BACK OF THE CARD BEFORE YOU PURCHASE

# – # – # – # – # 

Interesting.  A new type of fraud.  Sigh!

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TECHNOLOGY: Paper in=person voting with thumb ink is still the best imho

Monday, October 9, 2023

https://freedom-to-tinker.com/2023/10/06/switzerlands-e-voting-system-has-predictable-implementation-blunder/

Switzerland’s e-voting system has predictable implementation blunder
October 6, 2023 by Andrew Appel 

*** begin quote ***

Last year, I published a 5-part series about Switzerland’s e-voting system. Like any internet voting system, it has inherent security vulnerabilities: if there are malicious insiders, they can corrupt the vote count; and if thousands of voters’ computers are hacked by malware, the malware can change votes as they are transmitted. Switzerland “solves” the problem of malicious insiders in their printing office by officially declaring that they won’t consider that threat model in their cybersecurity assessment.

But the Swiss Post e-voting system (that Switzerland uses) addresses the malware-in-voter-computer problem in an interesting way that’s worth taking seriously. Each voter is sent a piece of paper with some special “return codes” that are never seen by the voter’s computer, so any potential malware can’t learn them. And each voter is instructed to follow a certain protocol, checking the return codes shown on their screen against the return codes on the paper.

*** end quote ***

This demonstrates that Gooferment can’t run “voting”.  

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TECHNOLOGY: SafeStop allows members of the public to video chat with police

Friday, September 29, 2023

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/weho-drivers-able-to-video-chat-with-deputies-during-traffic-stops/

Local News
WeHo drivers able to video chat with deputies during traffic stops
by: Cameron Kiszla 
Posted: Sep 21, 2023 / 07:29 AM PDT 
Updated: Sep 21, 2023 / 07:32 AM PDT 

  • With traffic stops carrying potential life-and-death stakes, a pilot program using SafeStop intends to lower the temperature, allowing drivers and officers to communicate virtually before meeting face-to-face.

*** begin quote ***

A new smartphone app may do for law enforcement interactions what telemedicine has done for doctors.

The app, SafeStop, allows members of the public to video chat with Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies before the in-person traffic stop, which the app developers said will “de-escalate traffic stops and transform police-motorist interactions.”

Traffic stops in particular have become a point of contention in the ongoing cultural discussion around the role of police in American society.

Multiple deadly encounters between police and civilians began as simple traffic stops, including the high-profile killing of Philando Castile by Minnesota police.

*** end quote ***

I like the concept.

Perhaps if the app was always on, then it might be more useful and wiser friendly.

I’m thinking like Star Trek “open up a hailing frequency”.

I’m not sure I would want to be fumbling with my phone on a dark night when the police want to speak to me.  I was always taught to shut the car off, turn on the inside light, roll down the window, keep my hands at 10-2 on the steering window, and shut up.  

Still seems like the best advice.

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TECHNOLOGY: Pay attetnion to your dreams?

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

https://youtu.be/oXSFKcACs1g?si=un_vSQ__55Tc1PIF

What’s the Grappler Police Bumper?
FOX 10 Phoenix  — Sep 2, 2023 

*** begin quote ***

Police pursuits are unpredictable, dangerous, and in some cases, even deadly.

These pursuits put not only officers’ lives in danger, but also innocent people who happen to get caught up in the chaos.

Until recently, there was no safe way to bring them to an end. Officers would have to rely on something called a ‘PIT Maneuver’ (PIT, according to an article on the U.S. Department of Justice’s website, stands for Precision Immobilization Technique) to try to stop the vehicles they were after by forcing a vehicle to spin out and come to a stop. Another option is to lay down spike strips to deflate the tires, but even then, the suspects would often keep going on the rim only.

Five years ago, however, a new option emerged in the form of the Grappler Police Bumper.

*** end quote ***

What a great idea!

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TECHNOLOGY: ​Score one save for what3words.

Thursday, September 7, 2023
https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/farmer-nearly-crushed-huge-bale-hay-saved-father-two?utm_campaign=USA B2C Newsletter 2023
 
​Score one save for what3words.  Everytime I read one of these stories, I think how valuable a (FREE) tool it is.  I then share these stories on social media to encourage others to download it and have it when needed.  Forewarned is forarmed. IMHO
 
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TECHNOLOGY: Put an airtag on every child!

Friday, September 1, 2023

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12442763/Moment-five-year-old-boy-rings-doorbell-help-child-dropped-WRONG-stop-school-bus-driver.html

Moment five-year-old boy rings doorbell for help after he and another child were dropped off at the WRONG stop by school bus driver

  •     Kelly Mulholland said her son and her boyfriend Jonathan Vanderlois’ daughter, both 5, were abandoned at a bus stop together desperately looking for home
  •     Mulholland uploaded the ring video and explanation to TikTok and it went viral

By Aneeta Bhole For Dailymail.Com
Updated: 17:45 EDT, 24 August 2023

*** begin quote ***

Two five-year-old children were abandoned at the wrong bus stop in Edmond, Oklahoma and left to wander a neighborhood miles from their home for more than an hour.

*** end quote ***

Air tags on everything important.

I’d love to be able to hide one in sneakers.

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CHROMEBOOK: This is a fraud and I’m surprised at WalMart

Monday, August 21, 2023

https://www.androidauthority.com/expired-chromebooks-on-sale-3352831/?utm_campaign=weeklyauthority&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=Weekly%20Authority

Computing
You shouldn’t buy these Chromebooks, even on sale

  • Thanks to Automatic Update Expiration, these Chromebooks will no longer receive any software updates.

By Aamir Siddiqui  —  August 7, 2023

*** begin quote ***

The US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) (via ArsTechnica) pointed out how end-of-life Chromebooks are still sold on various marketplace platforms, like Amazon, Walmart, and possibly others, in new and unused conditions. These include devices like the ASUS Chromebook Flip C302, which was launched in 2018 and reached its Automatic Update Expiration (AUE) date on June 1, 2023. This means the laptop will no longer receive any security or platform updates for its Chrome OS from Google.

*** end quote ***

Google maintains a full list of AUE dates for all models.

Please check BEFORE you buy!

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