Notifications of new show notes and edits are tweeted at: twitter.com/ddhart.
– They're tagged with #Zentech.
– When what's said is unclear to me (or I'm unfamiliar with a topic) I tend to quote (" ") verbatim.
– Editor's comments are delimited by < >

Podcasts of some Zentech shows are here.

Both Glenn & Paul were in the studio for today's show

Paul mentioned the motorcycle repair segment of the last show and referred people to the journal "Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert M. Pirsig. Such repair depends a lot on the tactile way of troubleshooting — feeling, hearing, seeing and touching stuff. This paradigm and the name of the journal were part of the inspiration for calling this show Zen Tech.

Paul noted that the suggestions on this show for anti-virus programs have changed over the years. Now, it's not so easy to say that a particular program is good, but that some are less bad than others and none of them are particularly good, they can't keep up with the threats.

Even the best anti-virus program is not 100% effective, maybe only 75% to 80%, said Glenn. Email is the major method of infection, he added.
– If you don't know who the email is from, trash it.
– If you open the email and you still don't know who it's from, don't click on any links in it including "unsubscribe".
<Even if it looks like it's from someone you know, it could be that their account had been hijacked by the bad guys who are now sending you questionable links to click on or who want to gain your personal info.>

Paul related an incident he had with his bank. On the heels of recent data breaches at various retailers, there was a security concern and the bank told him to call a particular 800 number. <He didn't say how the bank contacted him> Paul said in situations like this, you can't be sure the 800 number is that of the bank. Instead the bank should have told him to call the number on the back of his card.
– Don't call a number you can't confirm or don't have a preexisting knowledge of.
– Don't assume a website like chase-finance.com actually belongs to Chase Bank. Companies that issue domain names are not obligated to determine if a website is legitimate.
– No matter how you're being contacted, you may be the subject of a phishing attack. Since the recent data breaches are widely known, they may be taking advantage of your concern by offering supposed remediation, but compromising your security instead.

Marilyn called with a problem in burning CDs. She's been using Roxio without any trouble, but suddenly, the CDs she burns don't play on her computer or that of a friend.
– It could be a problem with drive you use to do the burning.
– It could be a problem with the package of blank disks you bought. Try burning a disk on a different machine to dismiss this possibility.
– Try different software. Many people have iTunes on their machine. Use it to burn a CD — make a playlist, right-click on the playlist and choose 'burn to CD' (or something similar). If that doesn't work, start looking for a hardware problem.
– Roxio has a setting to verify the disk after it's burned. Turn it on.
– CD burners readily go bad. Often you can't even get an extended warranty on them.
– The hardware used to burn a CD is different than the hardware used to play one (in the same drive enclosure). That it can play is not a good test of whether it can burn.
– A read/write CD drive can be had for about $20 to $50 on sale. First determine if your computer takes a SATA or a parallel drive.
– Her computer is a laptop and will be more expensive to replace than a desktop. And, laptop drives go bad more often than the ones for desktops "because they're manufactured in a more compact space".
– To find a replacement drive, go to Amazon or Ebay and search with the name of your laptop + dvdrw (for example). Buy it if it's cheap enough — $15 to $20. Be sure to get a new drive, not refurbished.
– Paul said there are 3 things he doesn't like to buy used — CD drives, rechargeable batteries and hard drives.
– Consider getting an external CD drive, though it could be inconvenient if you need portability.
– Paul also mentioned that you can still get floppy drives that work thru the USB port, at Amazon and other places.

Pam called. She's been using the internet thru a dialup connection on her Windows XP. Her daughter bought her a Dell Inspiron 17" but it only has 2 USB ports and one is taken by a dialup modem. Her printer and external CD drive also need USB ports, so she needs more ports. She also would like to add full-size keyboard.
– Get a USB hub. It will use up one of your USB ports but will give you an additional 3 to 6 ports.
– If the peripheral you plan to plug into it requires power from a USB port (the CD likely will), then get a hub that has its own power supply.
– A USB hub can have issues with speed. Some things shouldn't be plugged into it. A printer, modem or mouse are ok. Flash memory of various sorts, CD drives or external hard drives are relatively fast devices and should preferably be plugged directly into the computer's USB port (not into the hub).
– With many peripherals plugged into the hub, try using only one device at a time because there is a constriction on the amount of data going thru the hub.
– Take a close look at your computer, there may be more USB ports. And look for one color-coded blue — it's the faster USB3 and where you'd want to attach the hub.
– Check if your computer has a PCI Express (PCIe) slot. If so, the Chinese make PCI Express to USB adapters that you can get. Glenn, however, said that he hasn't seen a PCI Express slot on a laptop for a few years.
– Check if your laptop has Bluetooth. If so, you can get a Bluetooth keyboard instead of one that uses USB. Remember, not all wireless keyboards use Bluetooth.

Paul talked about remote areas that don't even have phone lines for dialup service. Some people have found that they can get 3G (cellular) service and are then able to use what's called a mi-fi device to get internet service. Ask the provider if you have a trial period to evaluate the service. Typically, they give you about 15 days, but don't expect to get money back on your data usage.

The disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed on this show are those of the speakers only and not necessarily those of KVMR, its board, management, staff and contributors.

Paul said there still life in Windows XP subject to some conditions.
– Don't use Microsoft Security Essentials.
– Don't use Internet Explorer.
– Keep your browser plugins up to date.

Most of the viruses people get are coming thru Java (not Javascript) or the Flash player, Paul said. The code base for Flash is seriously flawed and can probably never be fixed so try to avoid using it. Youtube videos are increasingly using HTML5 and depending less on Flash, but they still have a ways to go before they're all HTML5. Websites are avoiding Flash content so as not to be liable for compromising the computers of their customers.
– Paul suggested that Windows users remove Flash from their computer buy going into Add/Remove Programs.
– The Chrome browser doesn't complain that Flash is missing when you use Youtube and it's not because Flash is built into Chrome. Paul thinks Google figured out a way to get around it.
– Also uninstall Java. It's being used less than before and usually just in specific proprietary environments — client server environment, for example. If you ever need it again, it's a free download and you'll be getting the latest version. Some people may see a few versions of Java in the list of Add/Remove Programs; remove them all.

Summer called. She has a Google account but when she logs into Youtube she's not allowed to leave comments. She uses the Google "all one account".
– See if there's a separate login for Youtube.
– To see what tips others can offer, do a search for the words: merge youtube google plus.
– Log off global Google account (the all one account). Then go to Youtube and log in there. She tried it during the show and it keeps taking her back to the 'all one account' login.
– So, try a different browser. Also delete the browsing history and cache. <Delete the cookies too>

Summer said she doesn't write down her passwords, she depends on the browser to remember them. Using a different browser will be problematic. Glenn said she can find her passwords in her Safari browser, look for the item called 'Security'.

Summer also asked about upgrading iPhone to IOS8. She heard that it's not so great. Glenn said he hasn't upgraded to IOS8 yet and the 8.1 update was buggy. There no disadvantage to waiting for a few weeks before upgrading. <There are links to articles in the last show's notes>

Paul told us how to find out what passwords are stored by Firefox. Go to tools -> options -> security -> saved passwords and click on 'show passwords'. He suggest people make a separate copy (copy and paste, or however). On the Mac there is a central location that stores all of your passwords — browser, email programs, networks, etc. — but it does mean there's a single point of failure. The Mac feature is called the Keychain.

Glenn thanked the supporting members of KVMR. If you'd like to become a member, please visit KVMR

This particular show is on when you'd normally hear the show See Jane Do. That show will be on Oct 8. The next Zentech shows will be on Oct 22 and Oct 29.

Paul said he found some automated Windows backup software called FreeFileSync. In using it, you'll have to remember that when you add and remove drives, the drive letters change and you'll have to tell the backup program to keep it backing up to the same physical drive. Free File Synch supercedes what he suggested before — SynchBackFree. Also, he no longer recommends Cobian for backup.

Ron Avanzino, a KVMR DJ, had a question for the guys. How can he download files from Windows Media player to a flash drive?. Paul suggest he just drag and drop the files and not even use Media Player. Go to the profile directory and look for the folder called 'Music', which contains the audio. Or you might be able to drag the playlist in Media Player straight to the flash drive.

Changelog:
minor changes to spelling & syntax

Last Update: 7:01 PM 10/6/2014

Notifications of new show notes and edits are tweeted at: twitter.com/ddhart.
– They're tagged with #Zentech.
– When what's said is unclear to me (or I'm unfamiliar with a topic) I tend to quote (" ") verbatim.
– Editor's comments are delimited by < >

NOTE: The next Zentech show will be on Oct 1 and NO show on Oct 8. The rest of the month should follow the normal schedule — shows on Oct 22 & Oct 29

Podcasts of recent Zentech shows are here.

Glenn was in the studio. Paul called in from Santa Cruz. Paul's audio was pretty bad and I did the best I could deciphering what he said.

Listeners were reminded they can email their questions to the guys either during or after the show. Email to zen at kvmr dot org

Paul mentioned the site banggood.com. It "sells gadgets and gizmos of every shape, size and form straight out of Mainland China". He bought a power backup unit for cell phones from them for $8.
– It delivers 3.5 amp-hours and weighs about twice as much as a cell phone.
– It has 2 USB sockets. A broad socket for the cell phone USB plug and a micro socket for charging the unit.
– It stores "about 5 times the amount of power that the cell phone stores".
– It can be charged from a car's electrical system so it can be replenished while you're on the go.
– It has a little LED scale that "shows you how much power is left in it".

Glenn said he typically gets about 3 hours of cell phone life when he's on BART. Paul reminded us that cell phones use more power when the cell signal is weak. A weak signal will flatline the battery sooner. Paul said his phone will last all day in the city a couple or 3 hours in remote areas where the signal is weaker.

Paul explained some things about cell phone charging.
– A cell phone with a flat battery will draw about 1/3 of an amp when it's first plugged in for charging.
– A computer can deliver about 1/2 amp at the USB port.
– With a wall charger you typically get 1 amp and can charge 2 or 3 devices at once.
– There are current checkers for about $2 or $3 that will show you how much current is actually being delivered
– The more current delivered, the faster it gets charged, but it can't be charged too fast or it will "cook the battery".

Glenn thanked the supporting members of KVMR. If you'd like to become a member, please visit KVMR.

Glenn said the new iPhone was introduced over the weekend and racked up about 10 million units in sales thru stores (13 or 14 million if you include pre-orders). There are 2 versions — the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. There have been complaints about the 6 Plus because it's huge, said Glenn.

Paul introduced us to the word 'phablet'. It refers to a phone that's big enough to be considered a tablet. He said he likes that format. Glenn didn't know the exact size of the two iPhones but said there's about 1 inch difference between them. Many people were glad they didn't get the 6 Plus, but people with big hands were happy with the larger unit, Glenn said.

Paul mentioned he saw a 2009 documentary featuring an interview with Jonathan Ives, who was the main engineer and designer of the Apple Mac. Talking about the then new iPhone 3 and 3s, Ives said engineers concentrate on what goes on inside a device and not so much on how it fits the hands of the users. Ives also talked about other design considerations.

Ron called. He has MacBook and has accumulated some 25,000 emails that he's been trying to delete. Though he deletes them and then empties the trash, they keep reappearing.
– If you're using the POP3 mail protocol, it won't tell the mail server to delete the emails stored by the email provider after they are retrieved and they end up being sent to the MacBook again.
– The IMAP protocol, on the other hand, will delete them on the server when you delete them on the MacBook.
– There's no easy way to go from POP3 to IMAP. You just have to stop using POP and start using IMAP.
– Paul determined Ron is using succeed.net for his email provider. Being familiar with them, Paul said they claim to provide IMAP service but don't guaranty it, meaning if it goes wrong, you're out of luck.
– Paul determined Ron is using the mail program that came with the Mac and said it's one of the programs he doesn't like. Instead, he suggested using Thunderbird, which support IMAP.
– With Thunderbird installed, you can turn off "mail pickup" in the Apple email program's settings.
– Log on to the mail server at succeed.net using a web browser. Then you can delete the emails that are stored there.

Mark called. He's been having trouble with his Harley motorcycle. It was working fine and then it started misfiring, Now he's not getting any spark. He's replaced the starter module (went from magnetic advance to digital), the coil, the wires and spark plugs.
– Paul said the 3 basic things you need is compression, spark and fuel. And the most critical thing is the timing of the spark.
– You can use flash tube (a neon tube) to see if there's a spark. It doesn't indicate if the timing is correct, it only tells you if you have high-voltage electricity going to the plugs. Use a timing light to adjust the timing.
– Check the stator (generator) with a voltmeter. If you turn it slowly by hand, the needle on the meter should jump.
– Check the resistance of the coil secondary for some reasonable value — 40 to 50 ohms was Paul's guess. <Mark had already replaced the coil>
– Check motorcycle forums on the net. Someone may have had the same problem & found a solution.
– In the end, Mark concluded he might just have to take in to a repair shop.
<I had a similar problem years ago with my Honda. It turned out the battery was going bad. It needed a good battery for the generator to work right>

Glenn asked Paul what he's heard about the new iPhone 6. He hasn't heard much except that..
– It's the best selling model. More people have bought this model than earlier ones when they first came out.
– There have been complaints about the IOS 8 — the new operating system that the iPhone 6 comes with. <I couldn't make out what he said the problem is> He said it's not unusual to have some glitches at first introduction. Paul put IOS 8 on an iPad 2 and it works fine.
– Glenn said he knows someone who installed IOS 8 on an iPad 2 and the predictive text doesn't work, even though it's turned on in the settings. Paul thought it might be that the usage history was deleted when IOS 8 was installed and it has to accumulate a new history.
<Since the broadcast, I've found reference to the iPhone problems…
Apple Releases iOS 8 ‘Fix,’ but Users Report Major Problems with Update
Buggy, Bendy iPhones Create Bad Week For Apple
Apple Responds to Complaints of Bent iPhones
Apple Pulls iOS 8 Software Update After iPhone Problems (mentions the bending problem too)
    Follow these instructions to downgrade
Note: I heard that Apple reissued the IOS 8 update>

Paul again mentioned the Obihai device, which does VOIP (voice over IP). <This was talked about on the 7-30-14 show> He said it's a marvelous piece of technology at a moderate price of $39 list ($30 sale price, Glenn said).
– It's not proprietary — not locked to a particular provider.
– You just plug it into your internet router.
– Subscribe to a telephone service provider of your choice.
– If you like, you can port over your existing phone number.
– You can call anywhere in the country and Eruope for about 1 cent per minute. <Depending on the phone service you choose, I guess>
– It's one of the most easily configurable devices Paul has ever seen. You just create an account at obitalk.com and you're guided thru the setup. They even give you choices for telephone service providers, including Google Voice.
– Glenn said that Paul found a provider that costs $1 per month for service and 1 cent per minute for the call.
– With some services you can make calls without paying for a phone number, but then others can't call you
– As mentioned on the 7-30-14 show, Google Voice was going to drop support for the Obihai device, but support is going to continue.

Glenn mentioned he was getting poor internet speed at home. Paul reminded us that you can test your internet connection at speedtest.phonepower.com (but not while using an Apple IOS device). Paul also mention factors such as latency & jitter that affect your experience using VOIP. <see the notes for the 1-25-12 and 7-11-12 shows, for more details>

Glenn found an app for testing your connection with an IOS device called ookla.

Ralph called. He's been using an external charger for his phone and found that his phone gets very hot.
– Stop using it for now and check it's voltage.
– As mentioned above, there are devices that check how much voltage is being put out. If it puts out much over 5 volts, it can damage the phone. Nominally you should be getting 4.90 to 5.1 volts

Ralph wondered why he doesn't get the heating when he uses an inverter with his car's electrical system. Though he misheard what Ralph said, Paul went on to explain that the inverter produces a pseudo sine wave. The wave produced by house current has smooth sine curves, which are hard to reprodued by an inverter. The inverter uses a square wave, <or something close> which goes positive to negative and back abruptly. In fact, some equipment can be damaged and manufacturers warn users away from using an inverter.

Ralph reiterated that he has NO problem using the inverter. The heating happens when he uses the external charger with the USB cable. Paul said he should check the voltage being put out by the external charger.

Changelog:
added links to the to the iPhone 6 problems

Last Update 2:24 PM 9/26/2014

Notifications of new show notes and edits are tweeted at: twitter.com/ddhart.
– They're tagged with #Zentech.
– When what's said is unclear to me (or I'm unfamiliar with a topic) I tend to quote (" ") verbatim.
– Editor's comments are delimited by < >

Podcasts of recent Zentech shows are here.

Both Paul & Glenn were in the studio for today's show

The new Apple products that came out yesterday were to be covered on today's show, but not much was said about them.

Listeners were reminded they can email the guys either during or after the show. Email to zen at kvmr dot org

According to a promotional email Paul received, when Apple comes out with a new iPhone, the price of the previous model immediately drops by 5%. In the next 3 weeks it drops by about 15% to 20%.

Paul said he saw a website that will presell your phone — you can offer to sell your phone at today's price. That way you can continue using your current phone right up to the day the new model is released and still get a good price for the old one. <He didn't give the name of the website.>

He said Ebay has a guarantied price on used iPhones. Go to ebay.com and search for the word: iphone.

Paul still uses an iPhone 3S. It doesn't have an official resale value anymore because it's not "supported any more". Updates and new software increasingly refuse to install because it's so old. The apps require IOS 7, which doesn't work on the 3S. Apps that do load, run noticeably slower because they expect to run on the faster processors found in newer phone models.

The older phone will run some of the news apps and though they run slower, they run reliably, for the most part. Some times he needs to do a 'cold start' because, over time, it "leaks bits of memory" and gets a little "confused". Cold start means to officially, completely and totally shut it down, and not just push the off button. You'll have to press and hold the off button until it notifies you to "slide this little red doodad to turn it off".

If it's so messed up that it (or any iDevice, for that matter) refuses to cold start, hold the power button and hold the home button at the same time for 10 to 12 seconds. This bypasses the operating software and sends the command to the hardware. So be sure the phone isn't in the middle of doing something and that it's really unresponsive.

Newer MacBook Air & MacBook Pro computers don't have user accessible batteries. They, along with the iPhone, require you to take off the back, which often requires special screwdrivers. <This was talked about in the last show>

You are supposed to be able to issue a cold reset when the regular reset, shift + option + control + space + power button (as he recalled), doesn't work. Paul ran into this situation on a recent repair job. He thought the battery may have been dead. He then opened the case and unplugged the ribbon cable to the battery and, on a whim, plugged it back in. He discovered that reinstalling the cable fixed the problem. In the process, he found the battery itself was not easily accessible. He highly recommended the website ifixit.com to those who want to tackle difficult jobs like a battery replacement in the Macs. In general, newer electronic products require special equipment to do repairs, so let websites like ifixit guide your judgment about starting a repair.

Glenn announced that a dog was lost about 10am today at the corner of Red Dog and Cedar Springs Road, Nevada City. She's a red and merle female Australian shepherd about 4 years old. She has a collar, tags and microchip and she's named Joey. If you find her, please call 530-265-9295. Or in the 408 area code, call either 393-6887 or 888-6036.

Paul talked about the magnetron he took from his microwave oven, which was giving him problems. The magnetron is what produces the 2cm or 3cm (2.4gigHz) microwave, which cooks the food. The magnetron has a resonant cavity where the electrons acquire the 2.4gigHz frequency

He again used ifixit.com as well as Wikipedia to bone up on microwave ovens. He diagnosed the problem by trying to microwave a bucket of water. After microwaving for 5min it came out cold. He also tested the transformer, rectifier diode and capacitor in the oven and they were fine.

He bought a replacement magnetron from Ebay for $19, though it didn't exactly match the model number. After installing it, the oven worked fine. He warned listeners that it's extremely dangerous to mess with a microwave oven when it's turned on. Keep it unplugged, he warned.

The magnetron is made from copper and has a salvage value. Glenn noted that some community organizations hold recycling events to raise money. Rather than taking scrap metal to a salvage yard, consider that such events benefit the community.

Glenn said he's getting about 46mpg in his new Prius, which he talked about on the last show. Unlike the other Prius models, he suspects his gets better mileage on the open road than in town. Paul said his vintage 1993 Toyota Corolla still gets close to 30mpg even though he's put close to a third of a million miles on it.

Paul mentioned a psychology article he read about how humans evaluate risk — humans don't perceive money saved in the same way as money received". So the saying "money saved is money earned" is a reminder of that dichotomy. His microwave repair illustrates this. It cost him under $50 to fix it. Whereas the same model refurbish on Amazon would have cost him $165. But he risked being wrong about the magnetron being defective.

Glenn mentioned Rod's Computer Service and Gaming Center at 146 Scandling Ave <Nevada City I presume, not sure of the street spelling> where you can recycle ewaste. Paul mentioned the local ReStore, which also takes ewaste.

Over the past 4 or 5 years Glenn has made an effort to exclusively use Google Voice for texting and phone calls but it doesn't allow picture a or video messaging. Paul noted that Google Voice has run out of local numbers in the Nevada City area.

Glenn said he'll be porting his phone number to Google Voice from NetTalk when his account expires in Feb. <Porting was discussed during the 7-30-14 show> He said when the NetTalk equipment works, you're fine. Otherwise it's difficult to deal with the company.

Magdalena called. She has a Mac that's about 11 or 12 years old and was thinking of getting a iPad Air. She's not a heavy computer user but is writing a book. She wanted to know if the iPad Air is a good choice.
– A writer will need something with a keyboard, Paul said. She's aware of that and planned to add a keyboard to it.
– Many retailers will let you return a device without question within a certain trial period. That should give you a chance to see if it works for your needs.
– Tablets are quite different than computers. Consider how the differences fit in with your needs.
– Remember that the iPad doesn't accept a mouse. It's touch oriented so editing could be problematic.
– Paul said, for people who are new to computing it's much easier and natural to use a tablet than a computer (laptop or desktop).

Paul asked Glenn what he would do if he had to write a document a few pages long. Glenn said he would use a laptop. If he only had a tablet to use he would dictate the text using a microphone. He said he would dictate a couple of sentences at a time and check the results for errors. Dictation wouldn't work for editing a document and it's difficult to do using only a touch screen. You can add a Bluetooth keyboard starting at about $50 if you want to do much typing. Glenn recommended getting a case as protection for any mobile device you have. Some cases come with an integrated keyboard.

Paul said he likes the latest iPad Air compared to the older ones because it's made sturdier — the earlier ones were pretty flimsy. However, they still don't have Firewire nor a flash card reader, only 2 USB ports. They depend a lot on using cloud services. He noted that the Mac OS & the iPad/iPhone IOS don't share the same 'ecosystem' and they don't seem to be converging. iTunes, however, works on both.

Paul said Intel started naming their microprocessors and abandoned numbers (286, 386, 486 etc.) because they found out they couldn't register numbers. They then started with the name Pentium.

Glenn said he had a issue with iMessage. The sender of the message would get a notification when the message was delivered and another one when it was read. He wasn't comfortable with the sender of a message knowing when he, Glenn, read the message. He found how to turn off the notification — go to Settings -> Messages -> Send Read Receipts and make sure it's not green, if you don't want others to know you read their message yet.

Paul discovered something disconcerting about iMessage. If the sender & recipient use iMessage it will try to send the message over the internet but not as an SMS. If the recipient doesn't have iMessage (non-Apple user) or has iMessage turned off, it will be sent as an SMS. The problem is when it's sent to a non-existant phone number or a landline — iMessage can't tell there is no SMS service at the receiving end. Many Apple users don't subscribe to a text (txt, SMS) messaging plan and if they happen to be off the internet when a message is sent, it will disappear into the ether.

Jerrie called. She has a Win7 laptop and wants to epublish an illustrated picture ebook. It will allow her only to publish in print (paper). She's able to create a .pdf file of her book.
– If you go to Amazon and create an ebook account, it will take your PDF and convert it to Kindle format — an ebook format.
– You can just publish a PDF book but it's an open format, anyone can download it without paying for it. That's fine if you want to give it away, but not so good if you want to make money on it.

Michael called. He has the Comcast Xfinity service at home. His Chrome Book keeps dropping the network connection but his iPad doesn't have the problem.
– Go into your Chrome Book a tell it to forget that network and start all over again to reacquire the network.
– If you want to reset the Comcast router, be aware that some of them have a backup battery and you can't reset it by pulling the power plug. There is a hole in the back where you can shove in a paper clip to reset it.

Last update 11:40 PM 9/10/2014

Notifications of new show notes and edits are tweeted at: twitter.com/ddhart.
– They're tagged with #Zentech.
– When what's said is unclear to me (or I'm unfamiliar with a topic) I tend to quote (" ") verbatim.
– Editor's comments are delimited by < >

Both Glenn & Paul were in the studio for today's show

Podcasts of recent Zentech shows are here.

Glenn thanked those who've become contributing members of KVMR. If you'd like to become a member, please visit KVMR.

Paul mentioned that he bought a 31-bit driver kit for $11. It "contains every possible tiny, miniscule, peculiar undoing screw type bits". <More about screw heads below>

In the past couple of years, MacBook Air models have been coming out with Solid State Drives (SSD). Apple made a proprietary format that's about twice the length of a chewing gum stick with about 15 to 20 gold pins on the end, in a PCI Express format. The back of the MacBook Air has a slot that takes a 128 or 256 gig SSD. So, the drive can be replaced though they cost more per gig than traditional drives.

But there have been problems with the SSD in the early MacBook Air models — they become unreliable and Apple has issued a recall. "If you have weird things going on with your MacBook Air" do a search for the words: MacBook Air recall. With no moving parts, SSDs are extremely reliable, but when they go wrong, they go seriously wrong and with no warning.

The electronics on these drives tries to evenly distribute usage over the entire drive so no single area gets written to more than other areas. The memory in the drives can be written to a limited number of times — 20,000 times, Paul thought — before they go bad. He thought that would be about 10 years of typical usage. Cosmic radiation wares out silicon chips and solid state devices, he added. This was discovered at the beginning of the space age when crafts were sent into space where radiation is more intense.

Paul asked Glenn about his "green finger lights". Glenn said he got them at either Ebay or Amazon around the July 4th. They're composed of LED lights, which are actually very bright, Glenn said.

Paul talked about the safety of laser pointers. People have ended up in the hospital after shining them in their eyes. The red lasers are not as dangerous as people once thought but there are now high intensity blue & white LEDs. Though their wattage may not be especially high, their beams tend to be concentrated in one direction. Paul couldn't see for a couple of hours after looking at one that was only 5 watts. Adding to the problem is the lack of warnings on many models.

Paul went on to say LED lights use less energy for the light they put out than compact fluorescent because less energy ends up as heat. They last longer — 50,000 to 100,000 hours. And the spectrum is more pleasing.

He related a story about the highways department in Alaska replacing high-pressure mercury street lamps between Fairbanks and Anchorage with LED lamps. They had a problem when winter came and the LED lamps froze over. Unlike mercury & sodium lamps, which generate some heat, the LED lamps run too cool to keep the ice off. Heaters had to be added.

Glenn said that the city of Davis is replacing their lights with LEDs in a test area and asking people for their opinions. Some people don't like them because they're too bright and interfere with sleep.

Glenn mentioned a friend with an iPhone 5S with a power button that was intermittent. They found out this is a known problem with some iPhones. He didn't know if a recall has been issued. If yours is under warranty or you have Apple Care, Apple will replace or repair it for free. If it's not under warranty, try begging & pleading with Apple; there's fair chance they'll repair it for free — after all, it's their problem. Paul suggested doing a search with the words: iPhone 5S power button recall.

Paul said there is technology to block cell phone signals during public performances and in movie theaters. It works by sending out a transmission at the frequencies the phone use — a jamming signal. It doesn't harm the cell phone. The phone still shows it has reception but it won't ring. Blocking is not commonly done because of possible legal liability — as in the case of doctor needing to receive an emergency call.

Glenn got a new vehicle recently, a 2012 Prius C. It's the smallest in the Prius line. It's very basic — no power seats, windows and doors. He found that it will happily accept his 64gig flash drive whereas the 2010 model will not. He speculated that the 2010 model could only take up to 32gig memory.

Paul talked about regenerative braking in electric cars. The electric motor also acts as generator when going downhill or applying brakes. The energy derived from slowing the vehicle is used to charge the batteries.

There is a hacker community for hybrid cars, Paul said. Some hybrid cars aren't supposed to be charged from house current. <The gas engine of the car runs a generator to charge the batteries, as I recall> If I understood Paul correctly, the generator only charges the batteries up to 2/3 full. The hackers look for ways to fully charge the batteries using household current.

Earlier, Glenn searched for hacking tips for his Prius and didn't find much. The one interesting thing he found was making the car go up to 45mph in electric-only mode (not using the gas engine). Normally one can go only so fast before the engine will "decide" to kick in. Glenn would like to remain in electric-only mode at his discretion.

Glenn said the Prius C gets the best mileage of Prius models. He got 46 mpg on his 1st tank of gas and 48 mpg on the second full tank. He found the onboard electronics kept track of the mileage very accurately and he'll no longer need to keep written records and manually calculating the mileage.

Paul gave the algorithm to calculate the mileage. Every time you fill up with gas you reset the odometer (or write down the miles). Then if you go 100 miles and you fill up again, the number of gallons you put in corresponds that 100 miles. Then divide 100 by the number of the gallons. Keeping track of your mileage can give an indication of engine problems. If the mileage suddenly goes down, there may be a problem.

Steve called. He had sent the guys some screen shots of the messages he's getting on his computer. He has a wireless connection at home. When he goes to a website he gets the message "Can't display that page. Do you want to fix the problem?". When he clicks "yes" and closes the troubleshooter it goes to the desired website. <I guess the problem is that it keeps happening.>
– Try a different browser like Firefox or Chrome.
– Steve thought it might be because TV uses the internet connection too and there might not be enough bandwidth. Paul said it may slow things down but shouldn't keep a website from loading.
– The machine may be losing connection to the internet and the problem is not with the browser. When he clicked "fix the problem" the machine then connected to the internet.
– Try other machines or wireless devices simultaneously.
– Try SpeedTest. There are apps called SpeedTest for both the Android & iPhone.
– Unplug everything. That includes the computer. Shut down the computer first, then unplug the computer, unplug everything that uses the internet, wait 2 minutes. Then reverse the order — turn on the internet and, finally, the computer.

Steve also asked if this show will be podcast. Glenn said he won't have a chance to do that until next week. <When available, it will be here>

Paul emphasized the value of screen shots for trouble shooting. If there isn't an easy way to do it on the device itself, take a picture of the screen with a camera. The PC has the print screen button ("prt scr" on my keyboard) which takes the image of the screen and puts it in the clipboard (as if you did a 'cut' in a cut-and-paste operation). You then run a graphics program like Paint or even Microsoft Word and paste it in (control + V).

Paul offered a tip for zooming in & out when using Firefox & some other browsers. You can zoom by holding down the Control key and working the scroll wheel on the mouse.

Paul was working on 2 MacBook Airs — one from 2010 & the other from 2012. He was trying to remove the back panel to get at the battery — the Macs don't have a removable battery. He was having a problem getting the screws out and decided to google: macbook air floor panel. He found that in 2010 Apple started using a never-seen-before screw head called a pentalobe. It took a while but the Chinese are now producing the pentalobe driver.
<Wikipedia: screw types>

John from Citrus Heights called. He's a student at American River College in the area of design technology. The school's website is set up to work best with the Firefox browser. He also uses Google Docs & Gmail, which is best accessed with Chrome, he claims. At work he uses Outlook.
– Paul thinks that Internet Explorer should only be used as a last resort and shouldn't be used at all by those still using Windows XP. IE has a long history of being unpatched in a timely manner.
– Glenn has been using Firefox for Google Docs with success. He's tried Chrome but doesn't like the interface, probably because he's not used to it.
– Paul likes Chrome but he's concerned that Google gathers info about you when you use it.

Finally, Paul mentioned the latest in car radios. You can get a more than adequate car stereo for about $25. It has no moving parts — no CD or cassette player. You can plug a USB music player into it. It has an auxiliary port if you want to plug in an iPod. It has Bluetooth & an AM/FM radio. Besides the power button, all controls are thru the touch screen

Last update 11:07 PM 8/27/2014

Notifications of new show notes and edits are tweeted at: twitter.com/ddhart.
– They're tagged with #Zentech.
– When what's said is unclear to me (or I'm unfamiliar with a topic) I tend to quote (" ") verbatim.
– Editor's comments are delimited by < >

Paul was in the studio. Glenn called in from San Francisco.

Glenn called while on BART. The connection was dropped a couple of times during the show and the audio was poor.

Podcast of recent Zentech show are here.

When this show started some 15 years ago, the majority of people had desktop computers and a minority had laptops. That statistic eventually reversed. And then, roughly a few years ago, mobile phones and, more recently, tablets took the lead.

Now, you can find all sort apps for the mobiles. One of them is MonkeyParking. Developed by an Italian company, it allows you to publicize a parking spot you're about to vacate so others can bid for that information and thereby more easily acquire the parking place. <Alternately, of course, you can use the app if you're the one looking for a parking spot>. MonkeyParking uses the GPS chip in the phone to determine the location of the parking spot.
<Looks like MonkeyParking is only for the iPhone>

There has been controversy about the app. San Francisco claims it's illegal because it's selling a parking place. Apple has been cautious and pulled the app from its store, as far as Paul could tell. He speculated that other apps would take its place.

The other app he mentioned was Airbnb, which allows people to easily rent out a spare room and such. The problem with it is that municipalities like to charge tax on these types of transactions, which is not easy to do with Airbnb because it's essentially a private transaction. As on Ebay, Airbnb rates, thru feedback, the reputation of both the buyer and seller. Paul had a good experience using the app during a trip to Mexico.
<mobile devices can download here.>

Marilyn called. She uses Outlook 2002 for email and one of her mail services would only allow her to receive but not send email. She uses AT&T as her internet provider and AccessBee.com for the mail service. She paid $50 to get AT&T to solve the problem but now she periodically gets the message: "The server you are connected to is using a security certificate that could not be verified. The certificate CN name does not match the past value. Do you want to continue using this server?" She wanted to ask Paul what it means before she goes back to AT&T tech support.
– The warning did not say what the name was that did not match.
– Paul has low opinion of Outlook. He expects such a program to provide the needed info in its warnings: the 'name' in this case.
– CN stands for Certificate Name, Certificates are issued to the exact name of the place where the webpage (or mail service) resides. Certificates certify the authenticity of whom you are connecting to.
– AccessBee may not have a certificate. Or the setting in Outlook may be using the wrong name for the mail server.
– She's already answered yes to the "do you want to continue" question but worried she may be circumventing some protection. Paul thought that probably it's OK.
– Certificates are being used more now than ever — more sites are using the https:// in their URL. They were never used for mail, until recently.
– Sites are implementing encryption (https) even though the chance of intercepting the information is relatively low. <This due in part to recent revelations of government spying.>
– If you ignore the certificate warning you could be connecting to some place that's impersonating the site you think you're connecting to. In the end, "I wouldn't worry about it too much", Paul said.
– Marilyn said AT&T determined the correct settings for AccessBee, requiring that the check box for using a 'secure server' be unchecked for incoming mail but checked for outgoing mail.
– Paul gets a bit concerned about using software more than a few years old. He suggest Marilyn get a newer version of Outlook, if she must use Outlook at all. He said don't use anything newer that 2011 because it depends on Office 365. <I think Office 365 works in conjunction with a Microsoft cloud server>

Marilyn mentioned that she's using Windows XP and Paul warned her…
– Do not use the Internet Explorer browser.
– Don't use Microsoft Security Essentials. Use some other anti-virus program.

Paul gave some quick tips in diagnosing the cause of problems…
– Odds are high it's the internet
– If it's not the internet it may be a virus, especially if you're using Windows.
– Your children…<may be messing with your computer>

Glenn finally called in, while on a BART train in the East Bay. Paul thought cellular signals work in some BART tunnels, even under the bay. Glenn confirmed that they do.

Glenn uses Pure Talk for his phone service. Pure Talk uses the AT&T infrastructure. He pays month to month — no contract. It used to be $43.95 a month but is now $40.95. The price change was due to competition, Glenn assumed. He pays for it online with a credit card. He thought they don't take payments by mail. He said that the younger generation uses lot of data might not like Pure Talk. His account has a data cap of 1gig, but the voice and text (txt) are unlimited. He doesn't need more data because he uses wi-fi a lot.

Glenn's connection dropped out and we heard distortion that Paul said was caused by the cell service trying to compress the data. When there are less and less data packets <when the cell tower doesn't receive a good signal> it "substitutes little bursts of noise". He remembered when cell phones used analog rather than digital. Analog meant the radio frequencies were modulated by the audio (voice).
– Analog was eventually replaced by digital because it used too much bandwidth.
– Analog tended to have better range because it didn't compress the signal. You might get some noise during the call, but you still could get intelligible audio. <Similar to analog TVs, which were better at receiving weak signals>

Paul noted that cellular (phone) communications also use certificates for validation. Certification is different than encryption, he said.

Paul said he tried to establish a Google Hangout for today's show but failed. One of these weeks we'll actually succeed, he said.

Glenn was on BART because he was going back to where he parked his car to pay for parking, which he initially forgot to do. That got Paul talking about how London handles traffic congestion around the city. You can prepay for your trip into the city using your car's registration. Then when you enter a zone where there is toll, cameras recognize your license plate and they deduct the fee from your prepayment. If you didn't prepay you are sent a huge ticket.

Paul talked a bit about recognition software. He mentioned that Dragon Naturally Speaking works remarkably well. It takes words spoken into a microphone and converts it to text. It works on mobile devices as well as desktops.

He said there's OCR (optical character recognition) that takes a scanned image of words and converts it to text. Some of these programs will take the scan of a grid of numbers and convert it to a spreadsheet.

Then there's the Leafsnap app. You take a picture of a leaf and it gets sent off to a server that recognizes it and tells you what plant it came.
<Looks like it's only for iPhone>
<Similar programs for Android:
(NOTE: I can't vouch for these programs nor do I claim they are safe to use)
http://www.appszoom.com/android_applications/leaf+snap
http://www.appszoom.com/android_applications/lifestyle/mister-smarty-plants_hcgfl.html
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.anymals.anymallog&hl=en>

The guys talked a bit more about MonkeyParking. It's not illegal to have the app but if you're caught using it you may be in trouble, It's like years ago when CB radios were illegal in England but it wasn't illegal to sell them — just to use them.

Along the same thought, two of the proprietors of Pirate Bay, a peer-to-peer network, are in jail not because of copyright infringement but because of a type of conspiracy call 'facilitating copyright infringement'. You can read more about what's happening at the top of their page.

John in Citrus Heights called. He wondered if Paul's warning about not using Microsoft Security Essentials applied only to those using Windows XP.
– It's not being updated for XP.
– It's not recommended for anyone. It's effectiveness has gotten so bad it no longer qualifies to be on the list of those who rate anti-virus programs. It's only about 75% secure.
– Remember, no anti-virus is 100% effective.

Changelog:
added link to podcasts
added disclaimer for the Android apps

Last updated 9:15 PM 8/14/2014