TechByter Worldwide (formerly Technology Corner) with Bill Blinn

Users of Snagit should be sure to check out the latest version and anyone who needs to capture screen shots for documentation, illustration, or education but isn't using Snagit, should take a look. All the experts say passwords are dead, but it seems that whatever will replace them hasn't been invented yet. In Short Circuits: Google has updated Chrome to fix a security problem. If you use Chrome, it has probably already been updated, but verification is easy. The US Department of Justice has indicted 6 members of an identity theft ring. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Honors for the "fathers of the spreadsheet" notes the 1979 development of Visicalc. • According to recent research, a surprising number of people ignore recall notices.

Version 1709 of Windows may already be on your computer, so let's consider how to find out and look at what's new. I'll also have tips on how to get it if you don't have it and (for some users) how to avoid it for a while if you want to wait. A flurry of phony messages from Burger King, Donald Trump, Sam's Club, Walgreens, Amazon, and more all say they have gift certificates for me. In Short Circuits: A two-fer from Consumers Union this week. First, the organization is asking for information from people who have suffered identity theft. And second, a series of 6 steps you can take to keep your private information private. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A new version of Snagit adds several useful features. • A middle school student in New York City won a 3D printer and 30 Raspberry Pi computers from Micro Center for his school.

Twelve thousand people attended Adobe Max this week, where Adobe introduced the largest number of changes since the advent of Creative Cloud. Camtasia, the screen recorder from TechSmith has been updated with new features that may seem minor, but only until users compare the new compatibilities with what came before. In Short Circuits: When you need to send a file securely, there's a new way to do it from Mozilla. Because modern computers boot so quickly, being able to start in Safe Mode isn't as easy as it used to be. We'll look at several ways to get there. In Spare Parts (only on the website): If you're tense, maybe it's more than just the chaos all around us. Maybe you're breathing wrong and there's an app for that. • Robocalls declined slightly in September, but you probably didn't notice it. We'll take a look at the numbers and find that Columbus, Ohio, is the #2 top source of these calls.

Adobe's recently released Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements bring some powerful new features to the consumer-focused applications. Phishing emails are becoming increasingly dangerous to businesses and steps being taken there often have applications for home users who want to be safer. In Short Circuits: Alien Skin's Exposure X3 adds new ways to adjust photographs. It's a plug-in for Photoshop and Lightroom, but also functions as a free-standing application. Graphic designers who spend a lot of time looking for images will find some welcome new features from Shutterstock. In Spare Parts (only on the website): There's a growing demand for personal photos on objects such as mugs and calendars. • Kodak says it has a way to help us identify and print the photos that mean the most to us. • Bluehost makes it easier for people to set up WordPress enabled websites.

It's been 40 years since Apple introduced the Apple II, a computer that remained in production until 1993. In June, frustration with a OneNote synchronization problem drove me to Evernote. Now Evernote's flaws have driven me back to OneNote. I'll explain. In Short Circuits: Google announced a bunch of new hardware this week and artificial intelligence is everywhere. Equifax has increased the number of accounts affected by its data breach, adding 2 and a half million and bringing the total to nearly 146 million. The all-time leader in big breaches continues to be Yahoo and the company has increased the number of affected accounts from 1 billion to 3 billion. In Spare Parts (only on the website): This is National Cyber-Security Awareness Month and Malwarebytes has some suggestions. • Perhaps you've wondered what on-line criminals want. These days, it seems primarily to be your user name and password. • D-Link has updated a home security camera with some new features and support for Android devices.

With a bit of effort, you can run the Linux command line from Windows 10 and that function will be enabled automatically following the next Windows update, but maybe you'd like to take a closer look at Linux to see whether it might serve your needs. This week we'll consider how to do that. In Short Circuits: We haven't looked at specific email frauds for a while, so we'll see a phony mystery-shopper offer and one of those "look at this important document" ploys designed to steal Google credentials. And if you think crooks pose the greatest risk to a business network, you're looking in the wrong place. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Despite repeated warnings, people still click bad links and create needless trouble for themselves. • Digital assistants are coming to help with your home automation. • The next big thing in retail sales might be a streaming app that lets you talk with a store clerk from home. • And computer manufacturers are probably dismayed that more companies are making universal docking stations that cost a lot less.

How we obtain news is changing. Use of print newspapers and magazines is declining as is the number of people who watch television news. Old media wants a place at the new table and is working hard to earn one. An update to Adobe Spark this week makes it possible for any Creative Cloud user to create graphics with their own branding instead of Adobe's. In Short Circuits: Users of utility program CrapCleaner were surprised to learn that the application had been manipulated to spread malware, but it's not as bad as it sounds. This is also the week that more than 100 Android smart phone apps were found to contain malware. It never ends. And if you lose your internet connection, a temporary solution might be in your pocket. Many smart phones can double as Wi-Fi hotspots. In Spare Parts (only on the website): How to figure out if that new car you want will fit in your garage. There's an app for that. Business owners may increasingly turn to bots and virtual assistants to provide customer service. What do Angry Birds have in common with football players? And -- in the old days, IBM was always the safe bet for the IT manager. Now it's Microsoft, SAS, Google, and VMware.

Apple has announced 3 new phones, 2 of which will be available almost immediately, while 1 won't ship until later in the year. There's also an updated Apple watch and improvement to Apple TV. How do you hold a smart phone when you're capturing video? There's a good chance that you're holding it the "wrong" way, but what's the "right" way and why? So many utility download sites display misleading download links and load up their downloads with extras you don't want that it was refreshing to find one that doesn't. It was even better when I learned about a hidden special feature. Picking up after the Equifax breach may include freezing your credit report at the four credit reporting agencies, so I'll explain how. In Spare Parts (only on the website): As handy as jargon is within an industry, it can be a serious impediment when you're trying to communicate with outsiders. • Foxit has a new tool for PDFs that makes the documents more usable for those who need to use a screen reader. • We'll find out what a digital pumpkin is and why you might want to work in one.

Darkrooms, drafting tables, and video suites used to be where photographers, designers, and video editors spent their time. Then they were able to move much of the work to desktop computer. Now some of the work can be done outside on a tablet or even a phone. How about a 400GB memory card for your phone or tablet. You could buy one today and it's expensive, but not as expensive as you might think. In Short Circuits: Equifax says data from 143 million consumers has been exposed in a data breach. With the exception of a few specialized applications, I've all but given up on third-party protective software. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Backup software publisher Acronis has added several useful new features to this year's version of True Image. Adobe and Microsoft have agreed to cooperate with each other on enterprise-wide applications. A survey of security professional says that some of the most dangerous applications are ones we use every day.

Photographs lie. The malicious ones are unethical, but sometimes they're just gentle fibs or changes made in the pursuit of artistic vision. Those are fine and we'll look at a tool designed to enhance the truth. Would you buy a thumb drive with 16 built-in slots for microSD cards? Do that and you could carry 2 terabytes of data in your pocket. In Short Circuits: There's a new toll free area code and scammers are all over it, but now they also make calls that look like they come from local numbers. We're surrounded by cameras these days. They watch every move, but are we safer? There's no clear cut answer and a New York attorney has some worthwhile thoughts on the subject. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Malwarebytes comes to the Mac and just in time because more crooks are targeting Macs. • Toyota wants to connect your car to everything and the company has a new division that's working on it. • NASA's live streaming of the recent solar eclipse was a record breaker for internet streaming.

Microsoft Word and Outlook can be combined to create an email merge, but there's not a lot of functionality. A plug-in from Russia helps greatly. One of the largest backup providers for home users and small businesses is dropping its home product, so prices will be going up. Why that's not all bad. In Short Circuits: This week I discovered what is apparently a common Windows problem that I'd never encountered before. The explanation includes information you can use when it happens to you. Researchers at New York University have come up with a clever way to foil shoulder surfers who try to see your password or PIN. In Spare Parts (only on the website): How about a little flight information with your weather forecast? The Weather Company will provide that. Website protection company SiteLock has acquired a Dutch firm that automatically applies patches to common content management systems. GoDaddy has added a new level of security to websites it hosts. Supermicro Computer is about to release gigantic storage devices in tiny packages.

Seven years ago, I seem to have thought that Apple's Ipad was a silly device. Maybe at the time it was, but I've just bought one and if it was once silly, it no longer is. On Monday, 21 August, scientists say most people in North America experience at least a partial solar eclipse. Does anyone doubt this prediction? That raises another question about science that I'd like to explore in what is essentially an editorial. In Short Circuits: Some well known extensions for Chrome were compromised with malware. All known cases have been resolved, but there may be others. Probably there was an interesting look on my face when Outlook wouldn't open normally, in safe mode, or in repair mode, but it's fixed now. More or less. In Spare Parts (only on the website): You could have a company send phishing emails to your employees and there's a good reason why you might want to. If you've ever wanted to learn more about how tornadoes form, The Weather Channel's website has some useful information. Increasingly, people are pulling out smart phones instead of wallets when they want to pay for something.

Lynda.com is an excellent resource for learning about photography, programming, marketing and search engine optimization, and a lot more. But $35 per month might not fit into your budget. How about free? To avoid malware, we have to be smarter than the average scammer. They're getting smarter, so we need to be more adept at spotting signs of fraud. In Short Circuits: You can get into the malware business these days for less than $15. Microsoft's patch Tuesday this month was huge and included a lot of critical updates. In Spare Parts (only on the website): How about a back-to-school computer for less than $200? Windows or Android. Detachable keyboard. Not much power or memory, but it might be just right if you don't need much power or memory. Robocalls in July increased by 3% from June and more than 7% over July of last year. Makes you want to reach out and touch someone. Violently.

If you use your scanner more than a few times a week, the application that the manufacturer provided is probably disappointing you. There's a better way. The University of Waterloo in Canada is working on research that people may eventually find on their phones to improve selfie photos. In Short Circuits: The end is near for Adobe Flash; please hold your applause until 2020. Microsoft has hiked the amount it's willing to pay for information about serious bugs in its software. Expect the latest update for Windows 10 this Fall. We'll take a quick look at some of the features that are coming. In Spare Parts (only on the website): It looks like some of the top security firms in the computer industry have more than a little work to do on their own security. A quick look at my older daughter's progress following the medical event that resulted in cancellation of the mid May TechByter program. And AnchorFree says that it has an application that can be used to protect users if the Federal Communications Commission kills net neutrality.

Smart phones are handy devices. They help us find where we're going, remind us when we have to be there, keep track of our acquaintances, take pictures, send and receive email, and occasionally even allow us to make phone calls. But they can also be security hazards. Computer experts tell users not to apply a BIOS update unless they're sure it will solve a problem they're experiencing. I know this. Nonetheless, I reminded myself the hard way why computer experts say that. In Short Circuits: Remember the old Nigerian scam that depended on poorly written messages from people who wanted to send you millions if only you'd send them a bit of "expense" money? Well, it's back -- but with a twist. There's further proof, if you need it, that Macs aren't quite as secure as Mac owners might like to believe. Mean old Microsoft is going to kill Paint! At least that's what the hysterical rumor mill says. Let's check out the real story. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Could Adobe's next frontier be virtual reality? This appears to be likely. Desktop computers and tablets are declining in sales, but tablet-like 2-in-1 devices could take over as the primary business computer soon.