System admins had a busy month pushing out the latest Microsoft Windows patches for the PrintNightmare exploit. Meanwhile, HP advertised their new HP Wolf Security for work from home printers. That raises an interesting question. Does your home printer need security software against cyberattacks?
Read more “Does Your Work From Home Printer Need Security Software?”be quiet! Ultimate Screwdriver (Parody Ad) #SHORTS
The be quiet! ultimate screwdriver is a must have tool for any PC builder. Designed for hard to reach mounting screws on air coolers. Available for $90 USD. For a limited time, includes the Dark Rock Pro 4 air cooler for free (requires a big ass case).
NOTE: This short video is a parody ad. When you buy the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 air cooler, the screwdriver is included. Considering how useful the screwdriver is after installing the air cooler, it’s more valuable than the air cooler itself.
Chef Tom Colicchio – Roasted Sweet Garlic #SHORTS
Chef Tom Colicchio demonstrates his simple recipe for roasted sweet garlic at the Gilroy Garlic Festival 2019. Peeled garlic on foil, a lot of sugar, a little bit of water, in a 300-degree oven for 45 minutes. Sugar turns into liquid and cooks garlic all the way through. Nice and sweet. Check out the original video.
Front Page Tech Knock Knock (#ToiletSquad) #SHORTS
After almost ruining their home from a house fire, Jon Prosser of Front Page Tech asks his wife, Corina Garcia, if he can come back to the show. She reluctantly agrees. He tells a bad knock-knock joke that leaves her hanging. This video is the #ToiletSquad edit.
Deep Cool Gammaxx 400S Air Cooler for $27 USD
Last month I looked at the be quiet Pure Rock Slim 2 air cooler for $25 USD. A viewer requested that I do a review of the Deep Cool Gammaxx 400 V2 air cooler that was also available for $25 USD. I didn’t like that model because the LED fan would have gone straight to the trash. The closest I ever came to having an LED fan was installing the Phanteks Halo Lux RGB fan frames. I got the Deep Cool Gammaxx 400S air cooler with a silent, non-LED, non-PWM fan for $27 USD. Which budget cooler was better?
Read more “Deep Cool Gammaxx 400S Air Cooler for $27 USD”Why The Trump Big Tech Lawsuit Will Fail
Former president Donald Trump announced his class-action lawsuit against Big Tech. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube banned his accounts after inciting the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The lawsuit calls for:
- Declaring Big Tech as “a state actor” for infringing on Trump’s First Amendment right.
- Declaring Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act as unconstitutional.
- The reinstatement of Trump’s banned accounts.
- And unspecified punitive damages.
Here’s why the Trump Big Tech lawsuit will fail.
Read more “Why The Trump Big Tech Lawsuit Will Fail”Taking The CompTIA PenTest+ Beta Exam (PT0-002)
A coworker pointed out in mid-April that CompTIA had a $50 USD beta exam for the PenTest+ certification. I’ve never heard of this cybersecurity certification. I signed up for it anyway since I work in government IT for a three-letter agency. If I passed, I would get a $370 USD certification for $50 USD. If I failed, I would have taken my first certification exam in 15 years. After ten weeks of studying, I took the beta exam this week. It was an interesting experience.
Read more “Taking The CompTIA PenTest+ Beta Exam (PT0-002)”A Pandemic of Nightly Fireworks
The battle for my Silicon Valley neighborhood began at 9:00 PM every night. A steady round of pop-pop-pop, several loud booms, and missiles exploding in brilliant displays of light. An occasional ka-BOOM rattled the windows, setting off car alarms and dogs in equal measure.
Was it the police firing rubber bullets and gas canisters at Black Lives Matter protesters hurling Molotov cocktails in the streets?
Oh, hell no.
The nightly fireworks show of firecrackers, cherry bombs, and bottle rockets started on Memorial Day and kept going until Fourth last year. Each show lasted 15 minutes in case someone did call the police and a patrol car showed up 20 minutes later. The shadowy people who lit the fireworks slipped back into the night. The pungent smoke in the air and the spent fireworks in the gutters were the only evidence that any illegal activity took place.
Not in my neighborhood, but in everyone’s neighborhood.
Scrolling through the #fireworks tweets on Twitter in the days leading up to July 4, 2020, nightly firework shows were a regular complaint for many neighborhoods throughout the United States. Three different groups may have been responsible for the pandemic of nightly fireworks.
Read the rest of the essay at Medium. If you’re interested in supporting my writing on Medium, become a paid member and I’ll get a referral bonus.