TechByter Worldwide (formerly Technology Corner) with Bill Blinn

It's all about photography this week, starting with how you can identify the best camera in the world. Then we'll take a look at some of the questionable tactics used by crooks who pose as legitimate camera sellers. In Short Circuits: The photography theme continues as we consider some additional factors when choosing a camera. And then why a camera with more megapixels might not be as good as one with fewer megapixels. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Yes, the camera theme continues here with a camera comparison chart and then we'll move on after I mention a special deal from Alien Skin and some improvements from Adobe for mobile editing. Research suggests that blockchain technology will save financial institutions lots of money. And if you buy snacks from food kiosks that are found in many corporate locations, crooks may have your credit card information and more.

Do you have an in-car GPS system that you need to buy annual updates for? If so, that system is obsolete. The Federal Communications Commission is working to eliminate "net neutrality". Let's consider opinions from conservatives and liberals who say that this is a technology issue, not a political issue. In Short Circuits: Is it time to upgrade to a solid-state drive? If you're concerned about cost or reliability, your concerns are outdated. Nuclear power plants are the latest targets of malware creators. This is not a comforting thought. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Wi-Fi will be present on more than half of all commercial airliners within 5 years. 4D printing is the future even if you have no idea how something could be printed in 4 dimensions. This may sound like a repeat (and maybe it is) but we are facing the final showdown on net neutrality and it's time to speak up.

Things start to get complicated when students enter middle school and even more so as they progress to high school. A student who starts college this fall may have some help. XP seems to be the operating system that cannot be thrown off the island. It's no longer thriving, but it's still surviving. In Short Circuits: Have you received an urgent message saying that someone is trying to register your domain name in China? There's a good reason to ignore these messages. Research by PwC (formerly Price Waterhouse Coopers) in Moscow rates some of the world's largest cities in terms of their readiness to adapt to new technology. Most of the cities are not in the United States, but the Pacific Rim is well represented. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Technology could save fuel, money, and time for airlines. Destroying some myths about cyber-bulling. And Angry Birds seem to be been multiplying with abandon.

Something new to beware of: Destruction-ware came calling this week, disguised as ransomware. Upcoming targets are likely to be power grids and other essential services. In Short Circuits: Sometimes it seems that we're standing at the base of a mountain, watching an avalanche begin far above us. Now what? The rapid spread of malware can be slowed, but only if we all work together. Think of it as vaccinations for computers. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Two big graphics providers are merging. Shutterstock will acquire Flashstock. And will we ever fully embrace paperless money? Some nations are moving faster than others.

Because of some special needs, I've developed an appreciation for Google Drive and some of the Google Apps -- Sheets in particular. We haven't seen a lot of zero-day exploits recently, but they are still a serious threat and those who develop them can expect big financial rewards. In Short Circuits: What does Amazon want with Whole Foods? What Amazon did to book stores won't work in the fresh food market, but expect disruption. If you haven't contacted the Federal Communications Commission to argue in favor of Net Neutrality, now would be a good time to do so. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Sony says it has sold more than 60 million Play Station units worldwide. And this week I have an update on my older daughter's recent medical emergency, along with a lot of gratitude for the Ohio State University Medical Center.

Sometimes panic serves a good purpose. For me, it's one of the reasons that I keep backups of backups of backups so that when something goes wrong, I can panic just a little. Adobe Stock has been an outstanding resource for professionals, but now the company is making it easier to use and making it available to users of Microsoft Powerpoint. In Short Circuits: Windows XP is no longer a supported operating system, but Microsoft has resumed security updates, at least for now. More malware is being aimed at users of the MacOS, so be careful even if you own a Mac. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Security and ease of use. JD Power says their survey shows we want both even though they're generally considered to be opposites. Microsoft is proudly promoting its new X-Box One X, even though it won't be available to buy until November.

Have you ever thought about abandoning Windows or MacOS? For most people, Linux would be a viable option, but there's a lot of inertia. Even the most casual photographers generally recognize the need to edit images and, while Adobe is a good choice for most people, it's not the only choice. In Short Circuits: If your new Wi-Fi router isn't giving you the performance boost you expected, I have some suggestions to improve it. Apple has disappointed graphics professionals with some of their recent computers. The new IMac Pro is a powerhouse, but at a price. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Waze, a highway information sharing application is partnering with an emergency call clearinghouse to provide more timely information to motorists and emergency personnel. Talent Unleashed is looking for outstanding technology start-ups. Microsoft has announced the winners and finalists for its enormous annual partner of the year program.

Problems with Microsoft's OneNote synchronization finally drove me to Evernote. It's still not my preferred choice, but at least it synchronizes. When we visit websites, we encounter bits of code that often assist us, but may also track us. Some sites have only 2 or 3 of these, but others have dozens. In Short Circuits: Some older protocols are still active even in the latest editions of Windows 10. Let's consider how to turn them off. The former head of the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency has harsh words for Edward Snowden and the Russians. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Some hardware and software manufacturers install annoying pop-up reminders, but these can be turned off. An examination of how Twitter is used to distribute disinformation. Kmart suffers another credit card breach, but mainly involving old-style credit cards. The story of a defense contractor that accidentally posted Top Secret information on a publicly accessible site.

A ransomware attack that crippled some 200,000 computers in 150 countries was a commercial failure for the crooks, but let's not get complacent. Libraries are more essential today than ever and many are stepping up to provide services that are needed in a digital age. In Short Circuits: Last week's program was canceled because of an unexpected medical emergency. (Are medical emergencies ever expected?) I'll explain what happened and you can listen or skip as you prefer. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The Weather Channel adds lots of non-weather components to its app and mindfulness is helpful for adults; maybe it can help children, too.

Because there is no program this week, the podcast is from last week.

If you're thinking about buying a new computer, perhaps you're also pondering the choice of operating systems. Windows, MacOS, and various flavors of Linux are the primary choices, but there are others. In Short Circuits: The Windows feature that minimizes all other windows when you move one back and forth rapidly may not be to your liking. There's a way to eliminate it. Fingerprint authentication, available on many smart phones and on some notebooks and tablets, may not be as secure as we'd like to believe. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Data as a service claims to improve business resiliency. A Dutch philosopher would like us to understand that we have entered what he calls a new evolutionary phase. And your smart phone can help when the weather turns nasty.

Under the guise of providing a look behind the scenes at TechByter, I found a way to play with some of the Adobe Audition features that don't get used on the podcast. In Short Circuits: We'll take a look at 3 separate frauds: A phony message that claims to be from Facebook, but wants me to visit a website in Russia; a ploy that's made to appear to be from Bluehost and wants only to steal my user name and password; and phony invitations to Google Docs. Microsoft seems to be competing with both high end and low end hardware manufacturers these days. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Microsoft says that the Windows 10 browser, Edge, is the best browser ever, but some security experts disagree. IBM says that it accidentally sent USB drives that were infected with malware to StoreWize customers. The adoption rate for Windows 10 is increasing in enterprises, but many IT departments are still dragging their heels.

The new version of Xara Pro X 365 brings powerful new features, on-line editing capabilities, and a forward-thinking approach to software provided on a rental basis. If you have a credit card -- and who doesn't these days -- does it offer reward points? Surprisingly, nearly a third of those who earn credits never use them. In Short Circuits: Maybe you already knew that Windows 10 can mount a disk image file without needing a utility of any sort. Now I do, too. Something else I didn't know until now: A utility exists to display thumbnail images of Photoshop, Illustrator, and Encapsulated Postscript files in the Windows Explorer. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Might Wells Fargo have spared its reputation and millions in fines if the company had paid more attention to what people were saying about it on-line? The Asus Tinker Board looks like it will be popular with hobbyists. Retailers are turning to bots and artificial intelligence to give customers a more personalized experience.

The latest version of Alien Skin's Exposure X2 adds powerful new layering capabilities, export functions, and support for for more camera raw versions. If you think rebooting a Windows computer is too complicated, what would you think of a single-click solution? In Short Circuits: The Hacker Group called Shadow Brokers recently released information about what it calls new Windows exploits, but Microsoft says patches were already in place for all of them. I have written the third (and, I hope, final) episode of the tale of the mouse. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A survey shows what information we're willing to share with companies to gain access to bargains or better customer support, and now it's possible to order a Sandwich from Subway using Facebook.

Security and privacy are important parts of the Windows Creators Edition update that started being delivered to computers this week. We'll discuss that with Microsoft's Nic Fillingham. Adobe's Sensei technology is already being used in some applications, more are on the way, and one that's intended for smart phones may amaze you. In Short Circuits: The end of the Windows Vista era is here. As of last Tuesday, the operating system is no longer supported. Microsoft's Patch Tuesday occurred last week, of course, but Adobe was the real standout with patches that fixed 59 vulnerabilities in 5 products. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Battling ransomware on Macs. Laptop Magazine has released ratings for the best laptops and, after 7 years in first place, Apple is now fifth. And where to go if your computer develops a problem in Ayr, Scotland.