If you run Google Chrome on Windows 10, you need to update it NOW. Seriously. If you run Google Chrome on Mac OS, you need to update now. There is a serious vulnerability and hackers are eager to take advantage of it. Here is a quick review on how to update Google Chrome browser in Windows 10 and then I will show you how on Mac OS. Then we will talk about updating Windows and Mac OS in general. You need to be running at least version 91.0.4472.114 of Google Chrome browser to be safe from this hack on the WebGL. It is the API for talking to JavaScript.
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The best way to protect yourself from all of the attacks that are happening these days are two things, 1)Keep your OS up to date on every device whether PC, Mac, iPhone, or Android. Sadly Android is so fragmented it rarely gets updated like it should. Next you need to run Antivirus. If you are running Windows, Microsoft Defender comes with your OS and as long as you allow it to update, it will do a decent job. If you are really paranoid though, you need to buy Antivirus such as McAfee Internet Security or Norton 360 Deluxe (though Norton is complicated and has a password keeper that is cool but confusing). Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is also a good option as long as it is Windows. On Mac my experience with Bitdefender has been horrible. It slows Intel based Macs to a crawl. I know Tom’s Hardware suggests it but my experience doesn’t match theirs and I am not getting paid to say anything good about any of these products.
Chapter 2
Fake Amazon Reviews
So you may not know this but often times here we are buying everything Amazon is selling on Prime day and you are probably looking at the reviews. But often the reviews are fake.
So are Big Tech companies like the monopolies of old? The House is looking at five different bills in hopes of regulating Tech companies.
These bills while not naming specific tech companies would attempt to enact several requirements:
A company can’t recommend their products above their competitors. Example: Google couldn’t on purposely suggest their Google Cloud storage over say Dropbox or another cloud storage competitor. Or Amazon suggesting their Amazon Basics brand batteries over Duracell. Also Apple would not be able to force developers to use their App store. It would also potentially force Microsoft to allow other options besides Teams be tied into the Office platform so Zoom or Slack could have one click options inside of Office
They could set the bar higher on mergers. Meaning if Google wanted to buy say Twitter, Google would have to offer a lot more evidence that buying Twitter wouldn’t harm consumers.
It would allow people to download and delete their data so they can do whatever they want. You can already download your content and even delete it but are you really deleted?
It may also mean that Facebook and What’sApp have to break out, Google and YouTube, and Amazon’s store and their Cloud Services.
All of these things have positives and negatives but would majorly disrupt our Internet lives. Are these tech companies too big? Yes but they also provide a lot of benefits.
The winner in all of this, my vote, The Lobbyists. Tech Companies during the 2020 Election spent $124 million in lobbying and campaign contributions. Tech companies spent more than oil companies ( a group that has been the biggest spenders in the past). Last year Facebook and Amazon were the biggest spenders.
Surveys are claiming between 25 and 40% of workers say they will quit their current jobs if their current employers require them to return to the office full time. While a survey is well a survey and it shows perhaps what people hope or wish for, do you think people will really leave their jobs if it requires them to return to work? You would think people trapped at home for the last year would be tired of seeing their loved ones day in and day out but it has a lot of people thinking about work-life balance which until the pandemic sent a lot of us home we didn’t know it was a real thing. In fact we thought it was as rare as a Bigfoot sighting. So what do you think? If you were lucky or unlucky enough to be able to work from home, do you want to stay there? What about those folks who had to go into work day in and day out because there wasn’t any other choice, work, get paid, feed your family. Some companies are looking at this as a win-win (I love those business phrases like that) as they shrink their office spaces and sell open space for top dollar in this overheated real estate market. And folks are finding they don’t have to stay in the same old city to work if they can work remote. I know a guy who is living in Germany because the job can be done from practically anywhere. But it also means employers can find job candidates who are just about anywhere so you don’t even have to be geographically close to apply for a job.
Chapter 3
Choose your own adventure
Do you want to hear about Twitter’s subscription service or Microsoft Windows 10 Support going away?
So for approximately $3.99 a month you will be able to subscribe to Twitter Blue. It will let you Undo a Tweet. Wow, we could have used that during the last presidency, manage Bookmarked content, and change your Twitter icon. Plus you will get some support from Twitter’s support team.
Microsoft has announced in 2025 they will no longer support Windows 10.
Why? Because Windows 11 is coming soon okay, since you are my friends I can tell you. It comes out October 2021. June 24 Microsoft will officially announce Windows 11 (which is technically Windows 10 21H2 but who’s counting) also aka Windows Sunvalley as opposed to Stardew Valley. The next version the interface gets rounded corners (actually just go look at MacOS Big Sur and well a lot of what Apple already does Microsoft is playing catch up with). Also we will get a floating start menu because well, why not. And it gets easier to reach settings from the tray for Sound and Network so you don’t have to fiddle around so much. All good things right?
That is this week’s show. If you would please Like and Subscribe. Hit that bell so you will know when I am causing trouble online.
