TechByter Worldwide (formerly Technology Corner) with Bill Blinn

Photography has changed a lot in the past few decades and you might have fun going back to look at older images. Automating routine, repetitive actions has always been one of my primary objectives -- perhaps because I'm lazy. If you are, too, let's look as some programs that will help. In Short Circuits: A look at Microsoft's changing business model, Premera says it has exposed personal information that belongs to 11 million users, and Kaspersky wants to help protect your Android device. In Spare Parts, only on the website: MalwareBytes describes an old scam in a new suit, news site Gigaom is dead, and ubiquitous high-speed fiber is the future (and may always be the future).

Trying to sort thorough smart phone applications can be a challenge so this week we'll look at several that I've found useful; adding RAM is the easiest way to speed up a computer and there are some new technologies on the horizon; and in Short Circuits: Adobe marketing tools give companies new ways to interact with (and some might say control) consumers and are you ready for a password manager that scans your eye? In Spare Parts, only on the website: Watch out for scammers pretending to be IRS agents, predictions that real-time traffic information will be more available, and exploring differences between online shopping in various countries.

A new version of Xara Photo and Graphic Designer offers useful new photographic features and updates some of the vector-image features; BriefMe is either the future of journalism or the end of journalism -- or maybe something else entirely. In Short Circuits: People say that they're unimpressed with customer service (This is news?), China's Huawei plans a round watch to compete with Apple's square watch and if you haven't changed your router's default password, Brian Krebbs will explain why you should. Only on the website, in Spare Parts: Fear of crime is pushing some of us to think more about computer security, a Swiss doctor has developed an app to help men assess the risk of prostate cancer, and condom manufacturer Durex say it has an app for orgasms. Seriously.

Net Neutrality is official, for now, but will it last? Adobe Photoshop turns 25. In Short Circuits: A startup company has an idea for faster wireless service and the Lenovo SuperFish debacle may have revealed more serious problems. On the website only, Spare Parts includes worries by smart phone users about being tracked and a project funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to modify Internet searches.

Tweaks, fixes, and utilities are this week's topic, ranging from NiNite for safe updates and when delays are good, to organizing ebooks and music files, to God Mode and GE Geek. In Short Circuits: The Equation Group plants US-based malware worldwide and thieves steal perhaps a billion dollars from banks around the world. On the website only, Spare Parts includes movement toward full solid-state storage, crowd-sourcing could be used for 911 calls, a $5 million competition for robotics, and Austin's South by Southwest educational conference expands.

Sometimes downloading open-source software such as FileZilla can be dangerous because the host site adds unwanted applications to the installer; to avoid giving away important information when using a Wi-Fi hotspot, it's a good idea to run a virtual-private network application; in Short Circuits: Microsoft pushes into mobile computing and unreasonable fear that televisions spy on their owners; on the website only Spare Parts takes note of a new NASA photo project, the Drones for Good winners have been announced, and a service you've probably never heard of is about to shut down.

Let's look at Camtasia, one of the easiest ways to create video documentation for teaching; as news reporting moves increasingly from print on paper to print on screen, new methods of organizing content are appearing; and the FCC plans to take the first step in a journey that will end at the Supreme Court. In Short Circuits: Guess who doesn't score very well in using social media and if you've been thinking about buying a Raspberry Pi, a new version is out. On the website only, Spare Parts looks at a way to save roaming charges for international travelers, the dangers of "password fatigue", and the cost of a distributed denial of service attack.

We're seeing an increased number of browsers, but all of them are based on just a few rendering engines; one of the new browsers that's receiving a lot of attention is Aviator and we'll take it for a test flight. In Short Circuits, Fantasy Football and the Super Bowl, high technology used by craft brewers, a birthday for one of the first killer apps, and the FTC continues to take aim at UNLIMITED plans that have limits. On the website only, Spare Parts has the story of the International Spy Museum, a desktop computer that's not much larger than a notebook, prizes for drones in Dubai, and students say schools are failing when it comes to high tech.

Microsoft turns the Windows world upside down and that's the only account in the main section of the program. In Short Circuits: Battery manufacturers get a charge out of portable devices and a quick message from the Internal Revenue Service. And, only on the website, Spare Parts.

If you use a GoPro video camera or any other method to capture extreme sports, you should take a look at Magix Fastcut. Adobe released Lightroom Mobile for Android this week and that means I can stop harassing the product managers. It also means that you can perform some pretty cool photo editing tricks on your phone. In Short Circuits: Some towns and cities are trying to provide broadband access for residents, to the great annoyance of cable operators, if you have a WordPress website, you should check to see if malware has been planted there, and if you receive a call from "Windows support", do yourself a favor and just hang up. Don't forget about Spare Parts, available only on the website.

From Kodak and Microsoft to D-Link and Turtle Beach, we'll take a look at this week's Consumer Electronics. It's beginning to sound like Microsoft will make the Windows 10 update free for Windows 8 users. A TechByter guest writer explains encryption in more or less plain English on the website. In Short Circuits, an IBM report says on-line thieves are becoming more efficient, Apple prepares to launch a watch, and maybe the pundits will admit that they were a bit premature in saying that the PC was dead. Spare Parts has an account of a nasty computer attack, Sony's new Walkman ($1200!), and faster wireless charging.

I've been yammering about the new look and feel for months. Now, finally, you get a chance to see them. Alien Skin has released a new version of Exposure and photographers are going to want it. Kodak plans to introduce a new camera in a smart phone at the Consumer Electronics Show. In Short Circuits, China blocks access to G-Mail, Pew Research says most of us think the Internet makes us more productive, China's high-tech manufacturers roar, and ... a new section on the website (Spare Parts) considers predictions of Google in the 1950s, why some craft beers are in cans, the Internet of Things is now a dual-band operation, advertisers in the US tip their hats to China, and preparing for really wide screens.

The 2014 version of Muse makes it a worthwhile choice for many. NASA engineers are working on a program that will improve airport efficiency and might reduce noise. Facebook's new privacy policy rings an alarm in Europe. In Short Circuits: Vending machines will change and might talk to you, NBC offers live streaming (with a catch), Alien Skin released Exposure 7, T-Mobile says that if you don't use it, you won't lose it (maybe), and if you're a Russian who wants an Iphone ... ne povezlo.

If you've delayed buying a solid-state drive thinking that it won't last long enough, I have good news; a new nationwide repair chain (more than 90 stores) says it can repair the gadgets you break; In Short Circuits: Chromebooks threaten Ipads in the eduction market, ESET offers free scanning (and maybe confusion) via Facebook, efforts to reduce cyber-bullying with software, the dangers of bringing your own hardware to work, and (only on the website) 5 minutes with Steve Wozniak.

Microsoft has just released a new full build for Windows 10; you may be thinking warm-fuzzy thoughts, but crooks are not; In Short Circuits: I was surprised recently when I found out how much space system restore files were consuming on the computer's C drive; when something went wrong with the Nexus 7 tablet, Google support did what it's supposed to do; and if you have a smart phone, Weplan will help you understand what's using the bulk of your data plan.