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 Paul & Glenn were in the studio

If Glenn is true to form, the audio for this show should be posted here, eventually.

Glenn briefly talked about an item from the last show. On that show it was suggested Sheree get a different browser and move her bookmarks and such into it from Internet Explorer. This was in preparation to resetting IE to the factory default condition. He's heard from Sheree since then and she's managed to move the data, but today he asked her to call the show and let us know if the resetting procedure solved the problem with IE. <She didn't call during the show>. Paul noted that it's important to determine and eliminate the original cause of her problem. In her case, it was tentatively determined to be a browser helper object (plugin) for IE.

Over the years the guys have suggested various anti-virus programs, starting with Norton Anti-virus, then AVG followed by Microsoft Security Essentials. Lately, the guys and the KVMR station have been using the free version of Avast. Paul said Avast has the ability to check for malicious browser helper objects and "tends to remove them" — "no other anti-virus does that"
<Windows Defender and Microsoft Essentials are no longer recommended.>

Paul said that iOS 8, the operating system for Apple's mobile devices. is expected to come out in Aug or Sep. "It promises to come closer to the Mac software". He said the two are converging (mobile & desktop).

Glenn let us know that the intro music for this show was by Pentatonix.

That got Paul talking about music royalties for mashups. <Music derived from combining & editing of existing songs> He said royalty has to be paid to authors of all the songs used, except for "fair usage".

He went on to say that it's amazing what music editing software can do. Songs with 2 different keys & 2 different tempos can be combined — pitch in one song can remain unchanged as the tempo is varied to match the other song.

Paul then talked about a protocol used in the Mac world called Bonjour (formerly Rendezvous). Apple introduced Rendezvous with version 10.2 of its operating system. It lets devices on the local network in your house send messages to each other to "indicate the presence of things that can be shared or printed to". For instance, iTunes announces itself using Bonjour, so if you share your music in iTunes on machine #1, whether Mac or PC, you can use iTunes on machine #2, that's on the same local network (not the internet), to play music from machine #1. You'll only be able to play but not copy the music.

The protocol also exits in the PC world, where it's known as Zeroconf (zero configuration). One feature of Zeroconf is that "if you turn on a computer that's accustomed to being connected to a network and it's not connected to a network. it will get a Zeroconf IP address for itself" beginning with 169 "in the hopes that when it does join a network, that doesn't have host configuration protocol, at least the other fellow will be in the same subnet because it does use what they call LAN packets — local area network packets". <I think he meant the devices would be able to find each other on the network>

Today Paul noticed on news.google.com a Supreme Court ruling that Police need warrants to search cell phone data. He wondered, what if you lose the phone or just leave it lying around? He thought they would still need a warrant.
<In Landmark Case, High Court Issues Limits To Cellphone Searches — by NPR's Nina Totenberg.>

Bongo called. He has an iPhone 4 and an iPad 4. He had read an article about the password managers Dashlane & Lastpass. It said Dashlane is more attractive & easier to use but Lastpass was less intrusive. He asked the guys for their opinions.
– A manager needs just one password to access, and then the manager will enter any of the passwords stored in it, as needed, as you surf the web.
– Some will also automatically fill in forms that ask for your name, address, phone, etc.
– Paul said security & convenience are mutually exclusive. "If its too convenient then it can't possibly be secure because it's too easy to slip up".
– These mangers will not be of use if you have a keylogger (malware) on your machine. <Keyloggers record what you type, including a master password, and send it on to the hackers (crackers).>
– Glenn noted that the iPad & iPhone come with a password manger. He thought it came with an iOS update in the last year or so. Glenn couldn't remember its name. Look under Settngs -> Passwords Security

Paul talked about an article that referred back to the days he did programming in C in the 1980s. C was created by the same person(s) who created the Unix operating system <which is now mimicked by the Linux operating system>. The authors of C were Ken Thompson & Dennis Richie.

Thompson wrote an article in 1984 called "Reflections on trusting trust". One of the things it talks about is "to what extent should one trust a statement that a program is free of undisclosed behavior. Perhaps it's more important to trust the people who wrote the software" — if you personally trust the people then you can trust the programs they write. However, the people who write programs will be using software to do so — software they personally can't vouch for. The article comes under 2 titles: "On Trusting Trust" and "Reflections on trusting trust".

Julie called because this talk about trust reminded her of Wimpy (of the Popeye cartoons) who famously said, I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for two hamburgers today.

More on trust, Glenn reminded us to distrust the links you find in emails, even if it's from someone you know. You can open the email but don't click on the links in it.

Paul recalled the "I Love You" malware, which came as an email attachment. He said it was the first to use social engineering to spread itself. The guy who wrote it left his name inside the code. When the police finally caught up with him, he claimed "I never knew it would do that".

Paul talked about how, years ago, some "nanny" software that was put on students' computers to keep them from visiting inappropriate sites. The students eventually figured out how, using the approved browser, to go to Netscape and download the Netscape browser. Then using the Netscape browser, they had unfettered access to the web.

Next, Paul talked about problems encountered when electrical conductors, made of different metals, are connected. They tend develop a resistive layer between them thus reducing current and producing heat. Headphone jacks or battery contacts are examples of dissimilar metals making a connection that can fail. To restore function, use a pencil eraser or emery board to abrade the contact points.

Paul bought a battery tester for about $5 from Amazon. He used to use a cheap multimeter to test batteries, but doing that only measures volts, and doesn't take current into account. It may read a high voltage when the demand for current is low. As soon as the need for current increase, a bad battery will drop to a low voltage. So its best to measure the voltage when there's a load on the battery. A resistor of about 100 ohms across the terminals should do it, or just get a battery tester.

A caller told of someone he knew who bought a new machine, and when it arrived, it had all of her data on it. <He left out a lot of details that would explain it. Paul assumed the retailer performed the data transfer with her permission.> Paul noted that Mac users can use iCloud to help with this type of data transfer. Similarly, when PC users of Windows 8 sign in with an online Microsoft ID, "supposedly a number of their apps will store your data for you" <which you can then download to a new machine>.

Paul has been looking for an operating system that would serve as a replacement for XP. He's looked at Lubuntu, but he's not satisfied with it. He'll keep on looking.

Last Updated 10:43 PM 6/25/2014

Zentech traded time slots with Bike Talk and there was no show on 6/11/14

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 and Paul were in studio today.

During the show, Glenn said he would post the audio for this show. You should be able to find the podcast here, eventually.

Glenn is still struggling with Google Hangouts. He's gotten more instruction from Coryon Redd but it wasn't enough to start a hangout for today's show — "it's not intuitive in any way, shape or form". He scheduled the hangout but the window only had 'share' and 'cancel' buttons. After clicking 'share', the only way to close the window was to click 'cancel' — there was no 'create' button, or similar. Now he couldn't find the hangout and thought it was not really created. He plans to keep trying and hopes to create a hangout well in advance of the next show.

People with multiple Gmail accounts, after they log off, are presented with a login screen giving them a choice to login from a list of all their accounts. Paul said that could be confusing, especially if you're using someone else's machine where you could be seeing their accounts along with yours. <Paul wandered away from the topic without any suggestions or saying if this is a security issue. I suggest clearing the Google cookies and closing the login window. That "might" help, if you're really paranoid.>

Paul said he bought, for $24, a timing device to schedule watering of his garden. <He didn't give its name> It's a battery-powered device that screws into the garden hose. It has settings for start and stop times as well a duration and repetition. He likes it better than a Rainbird device be bought before, which had a complicated interface. He said there's a slightly more advanced unit that has a probe to be pushed into the soil to monitor how saturated it is.

Paul's latest acquisition is a flow meter that screws into the 3/4" water main. It has an impeller that spins when the water flows. One of its blades has a magnet and there's a Hall Effect sensor on the outside to detect when that blade goes by. The sensor counts the number of times the impeller goes around, which translates into gallons per minute of water. There's an add-on alarm available. It will sound the alarm when the flow rate goes above a certain value, indicating a massive leak.

Glenn said it's not too hard to fix leaks and you can find Youtube videos to help with that or just about any plumbing project.

Paul spent some time talking about plumbing and his home project to replace galvanized steel pipes with plastic. I won't go into details. If you're interested, you can listen to the podcast after Glenn's had a chance to post it.

Paul reminded us about his rule for internet searches — get your query down to 4 carefully chosen words for best results. Be objective and naive about your query; don't try to prejudge what the answer will be.

The guys then talked about auto transmission fluid and the process of flushing it. Listen to the podcast if you're interested.

Sheree called. She has a new machine with Windows 8. When she launches Internet Explorer, it opens with a blank window and she can't go to any webpages. She clicked on the gear icon hoping to go to the internet options but it wasn't highlighted, so she didn't get anywhere. The problem started after trying to download a free software program.
– Be sure you are connected to the net — she said other internet apps were working.
– Use a different computer to download the Firefox browser, and/or Chrome. Most computers these days are 64bit machines, so look for that version of each browser.
– Start Internet Explorer in safe mode by holding down the shift key and clicking on the Internet Explorer icon. IE should start without any of its extensions running. She tried that and still got the blank window.
– Safe mode can also be started by holding down the windows key & pressing 'R'. Then enter command: iexplore -extoff. That got IE working for her.

They then told her to click the gear icon -> internet options -> programs -> manage addons. This is where you can see the browser helper objects (programs that are similar to plugins). She read off what was in the list and the one from Zeon Corporation drew suspicion.

Paul asked her what anti-virus program she's using. She thought the anti-virus came built into Windows 8. It's supposed to have Windows Defender but it's not obvious: it doesn't have an icon in the taskbar.
– Windows Defender and Microsoft Essentials are no longer recommended.

Paul guided her thu the steps to reset Internet Explorer to factory default settings. Click the gear button -> Internet Options -> Advanced tab and click on "reset Internet Explorer to the default conditions". You should also do a scan for malware, a process that's not obvious when using Windows Defender. Paul thought there's a way to do it in the Control Panel. Paul said it's a good idea to shut down and then restart Windows before doing the Explorer reset.

For Windows 8 users who want to get back the look & feel of Win7 or XP there's classicshell.net. You'll get back the start button & cascading menus etc. but you don't lose the "desktop", if you really think you might need it. <By "desktop" I think he meant the tile interface, but I'm not familiar with Win8 so I really shouldn't be second-guessing him.>

Paul said that Homeland Security has been issuing a bulletin for a few years, saying one shouldn't use Internet Explorer because of its flaws. The guys suggested using Firefox or Chrome.

Paul vaguely recalled that Alt + Q will get you to the Control Panel in Win8 where there's an icon for Windows Defender and you can run it from there to do your virus scan. But consider getting Avast or AVG for your anti-virus program.

The disclaimer:
Anything that you hear on this show is the thought or opinion of the speakers only and not necessarily that of KVMR, its staff, management, underwriters, board of directors or volunteers.

Glenn thanked those who've become supporting members of KVMR. If you'd like to become a member, the local number is 530-265-9073 or you can join at kvmr.org.

For people searching for a good anti-virus program Paul suggested they search for the words: compare antivirus. Among the search results, he's more likely to trust well-known publications such as PC Magazine or Cnet. I'm guessing this is the link he found at PC Magazine that rates Norton Anti-virus highest followed by AVG and then others.

Jeff called from Woodland. He said he sympathizes with Sheree because she likes Internet Explorer. However, he recently bought a laptop with Windows 8 and he was advised to remove Explorer. Subsequently, he's been working with Firefox and Chrome. Glenn said he neglected mentioning Safari, which also is a decent browser.

Briefly, Paul said he's discovered the worst program he's ever seen: Outlook 2013. It's much much worse than any previous version. He didn't elaborate.

Sheree called again. While doing the Explorer reset, she got to the point where it says "are you sure you want to reset all settings" it also said "delete personal settings" and she questioned whether she'll lose her 'Favorites'.
– Yes, those will be lost. Don't proceed with the reset.
– Instead, do a Google search for "how to save my Internet Explorer favorites".
– Or, get Firefox first. It has the ability to import the Favorites from IE. (Firefox calls them bookmarks).
– When you have Internet Explorer working again, you'll be able to use it to import Favorites back from Firefox, if you choose.
– Now that she has IE working in safe mode, she should be able to use it to download Firefox.

Last Update 9:50 PM 6/18/2014

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 Paul and Glenn were in studio

During the show, Glenn said he will post the audio for this show. You should be able to find it here, eventually.

Glenn tried to start a Google Hangout for today's show with no success. Earlier, he managed to 'schedule' a Hangout for today using the Chrome browser but he didn't know where to go to actually start the Hangout.
– When he tried using Firefox, he couldn't get it to download and install a needed plugin. He speculated that you'll have to use Chrome if you're on a PC.
– To find Hangout content for Zentech, go to Youtube and search for the words: zen tech kvmr
– He thought the process doing a Hangout is a lot more complicated than it should be.

Paul shared a historic factiod. Until recently, it was thought that the Mayans had no use for the wheel because they didn't have beasts of burden. Now, toys they made for their children have been found that have wheels.

The guys went to the Maker Fair last weekend, but on different days. Glenn used public transportation from the Millbrae Bart Station to the fair. It was noted that it actually costs less to take Bart all the way to Millbrae than it costs to go to the S. F. Airport, which is along the way.

Paul said that there are apps now for bus schedules.
– There is a free GPS mapping app called OsmAnd which shows transportation routes.
– And there's one called something like Muni just for San Francisco's public transportation. The Muni app is a work in progress and will soon be able to tell you when the next bus will arrive at your stop. The S. F. busses have GPS chips onboard that communicate with the dispatch center.
<This looks like the home page for OsmAnd:
Download the app here:
Also check this out
There are several apps for the Muni, here's one.>

Glenn has been using an app called Embark for Bart schedules. But it failed him during his trip to Maker Fair: it kept saying "no data found". Instead, he discovered that the Bart website worked well in providing real-time info, and he didn't have to use the app at all. On the Bart site, he used the item called "Real Time Departures".
<It looks like Embark is only for iDevices. And there are versions for other cities too:
Embark's home page.
Embark & other similar apps for Android can be found here:>

Paul said those who create apps for mobile devices can register a web address using .mobi as the top level domain. The creator of the application has to demonstrate that the address being registered is intended for use by mobile devices.

A website using web access protocol (WAP) is able to recognize when someone with a tiny screen (mobile phone) is trying to view it. So when you use your phone to view the Bart site, Bart will format the content to fit the small device. However, using the Bart website isn't always convenient, like when you lose your connection while underground. So using an app, which can download and store some of the data, still has some advantages.

Some things seen at the Maker Fair:
– Art objects made from LED lights.
– People in various costumes.
– Vehicles of different types, including wooden frame bikes.
– The Pedal Power Performance Stage had 14 bikes connected to it. <This may be similar to The Shamancycle mentioned during the 8-28-13 show>.

Paul briefly talked about a gift he received and just got around to using. It's a water rocket consisting of a base that's screwed on to a plastic soda bottle that has fins attached. The bottle is partly filled with water and is pumped up with air. The pressure eventually blows the base away from the opening allowing the pressurized water to propel the bottle skyward. He was impressed with the height it reached: maybe 300 or 400 feet. He plans to attach a webcam to it eventually.

Ed called saying his laptop "crashed". He wanted to "reset my programs" and was told by a technician that its memory was too small, the computer was too old and that he should get a new computer. He wanted to know what to look for in a new machine. He downloads music to practice singing and he burns CDs to share with other members of his choral group.
– You may want to consider a tablet instead of a laptop. Often, people have a tablet to compliment their computer but they use the tablet with increasing frequency.
– For web browsing, email etc., the tablet is just fine. If you do a lot of typing, go with a computer instead.
– In a laptop, look for a Core I3, I5 or I7 processor, Glenn suggested.
– Tablets don't come with CD/DVD drives. But on an Android tablet you'll most likely be able to attach an external drive. <Not so with the iPad, as I recall>.
– Some laptops don't come with CD/DVD drives, like later models of the Apple Mac. Consider using storage on the internet (the cloud).
– Instead of burning CDs, get a Google Drive account to store the music where it can be communally shared with the other members. You can even play the music directly from Google Drive.
– If you go with a PC, Glenn suggested one with Windows 7 rather than Win8.

Ed then asked if he would be able to buy an iPad for less than $400.
– The 16gig Mini is $399, if Glenn recalled correctly. A 32gig iPad is about $599.
– Also consider a Mac Mini at around $600, though you'll have to add an external CD/DVD drive for under $50, and a monitor

There are a couple of pieces of software Paul meant to talk about today but will hold off until the next show. Both are free looping applications that take a piece of audio and make it repeat in creative ways while creating multiple tracks.

One is called SooperLooper for the Mac or PC,
– Look up SooperLooper on Youtube to get an idea of what it does. Paul said the instructional video is very good.
– It's also available as an "audio unit", a .au file. That means you can run it in Logic Pro, though it drove Paul nuts when he tried to.
– You can use SooperLooper with a mouse & keyboard, but it can be controlled with Midi instruments where you don't even need a monitor screen.
<I had trouble finding a PC version. Maybe it's only for the Mac>
<I did find a couple of links that may be helpful here and here.>

The other looping program is called Mobius for the PC

Mark called. He was listening to a program about radiation from cell phones, smart meters and microwaves. He's taken some steps to limit his exposure and wanted to know what the guys thought about the radiation issue as well as their thoughts on nuclear power. He saw the movie called Pandora's Promise where some anti-nuclear activists now think nuclear power is not so bad.
– Glenn said that he's no expert on this but is skeptical about claims of harm from such radiation. He's not aware of any research that shows harm.
– Paul said we're often exposed to radiation that we don't suffer from, like the 60 cycle AC current that comes in to our homes or all the radio and TV radiation all around us.
– There are even people in the flight path of aircraft that are exposed to microwave radiation without ill effects.

With regard to nuclear power, Paul doesn't see a good argument for it, given and the alternative energy sources coming online: wind and solar. But Ed argued that the alternative energy still requires backup <peak power, I think it's called> and that nuclear is cleaner than fossil fuels. Paul pointed out the nuclear accidents that have happened and that we tend not to learn that much from them. My take on Paul's comment is that we can't really avoid accidents, "there is no such thing as an accident, there's only the unforeseen", Paul said.

Glenn thought that if we're going to rely on nuclear, we'll need to build in the safety that the nuclear industry is, at this point, unwilling to pay for.

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 or contributors.

Meteom <me.tee.yom> called. She has a relatively new computer and burned a CD for the first time. The CD only plays on her computer, not in her CD player.
– You should burn it as a 'music disk' not a data disk, Paul said. But she said that's what she did.
– Try playing it in some other CD audio player to see if the problem persists. Some old players don't like burned disks. But she said her player has played burned disks before.
– Glenn asked if she created .wav files or .mp3 files. She said .mp3. Glenn said many CD players can't play .mp3, try creating .wav files.
– You may have burned the disk at a speed that's too fast. try a slower rate.
– To find where to change the burn rate in Media Player, which she uses, google the words; windows media player audio burn.
<What I think the guys were getting at was to burn the CD in Red Book Audio (the form commercial music CD come in) and not .mp3 OR .wav (which actually produce a 'data' disk).

Last update 10:47 PM 5/28/2014

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 Paul and Glenn were in studio

During the show, Glenn said he will post the audio for this show. You should be able to find it here.

It wasn't until well into the show that Glenn tried to create a Google Hangout to broadcast this show. He was not successful — he's still experimenting with this service.

Glenn thanked supporters of KVMR. If you'd like to become a supporter, please visit KVMR.

Glenn noted that a pair of tickets to the Maker Fair was given away to Doug during the last show. Another pair will be given away today. The Maker Fair will be at the San Mateo County Events Center this coming weekend — Sat the 17th 10am to 8pm and Sun the 18th 10am to 6pm.

There will be a shuttle (Maker Fair event bus) between the Millbrae "transportation hub" and the fair. Public transportation options are recommended because parking at the fair is very limited. More info and an app for your mobile device can be found here. People who would like to carpool to the maker fair call Glenn or Paul at KVMR 530-265-9073 and leave a message or contact Paul using zen at kvmr dot org.

Glenn talked about a KVMR volunteer who used a KVMR computer to log in to either Yahoo or Google using Google Chrome and was given the option of using her son's or husband's account. She was surprised at being given access to other people's accounts on something other than her home computer.
– It's a new feature that when you "sign into Google Chrome, the browser, you suddenly now have synchronicity between all of your computers". Synching means information (e.g. bookmarks) is available wherever you login.
– Glenn warned, "Don't log into your Google Chrome account".
– When you first install Chrome you're given the option to create a login to the browser itself. Paul said Chrome is usable without a login.
– Be careful when using a public computer with Chrome. If you used a login, go to settings, look for your user name and sign out ("disconnect account").
– Paul's used the search terms: chrome login credentials sync, and I think this is what he found: Protect your synced data
– Glenn said he'll do more research on this.
– Paul said he uses a bogus, throwaway Gmail account to try things out. He sometimes uses it to "see what Google Plus looks like to a stranger that's not subscribed to anything".

Mac users have a app called Apple Keychain that manages username and passwords.
– Only one master password is needed to accesses the Keychain.
– Various applications on the Mac — Thunderbird, Safari, network logins etc. — can use the Keychain for signing in.
– You only need to remember the master password
– Those using the Mavericks operating system (10.9) will find that the Keychain can be stored in the cloud in encrypted form. But there's the potential of havoc if it's cracked. When a company provides encryption, they guaranty only that it hasn't been broken into YET.
– The Heartbleed defect (from the 4-30-14 show) could have, but not necessarily did, compromised your Keychain's master password, if you typed it in and was sent thru a vulnerable SSL connection.

Projects that Google is working on can be found at their Labs site.

A few years ago they launched a project called Google Expert where you can pose a question to real people and obtain an answer, at a cost.
– Some people have provided technical computer support thru Google Expert at a rate of $30/hr, as Paul remembered.
– More recently, people have been using Google Hangouts to provide support using the remote desktop and remote viewing features of Hangouts <mentioned in the 4-23-14 show>.
– Google is buying up companies to add various feature to Hangouts — teleconferencing, chat etc.

Paul said various KVMR programs are available as podcasts. Go to kvmr.org and click on 'Podcasts'. For legal reasons, podcasts with substantial music content can't easily be provided — there is a "2 week moratorium" on music programming.

Paul is doing some work on his house and mentioned the ReStore on Loma Rica Drive, which he likes a lot. He recently got a garbage disposal there. He talked a bit about how the blades in it worked, and about getting it choked up and having to take it outside to clear it out.

Paul said the internet is great for the videos and animations that explain how things work or how to fix stuff. <Youtube should be a good place to start>

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

Brian called. He has a couple of iMacs that are 3 or 4 years old. He upgraded them to the Mavericks operating system and new he gets the "spinning beach ball all of the time".
– Mavericks, itself, won't install on underpowered Macs so that shouldn't be the problem.
– Go to the application folder -> utilities -> disk utilities and check the disk for "permission problems".
– Also, in the upper right, there is what's called Searchlight (or maybe Spotlight). Type 'console' into the box. Console is an app from the Unix days that will show you the error messages. Look for the message 'disk io error'.
    If there is no other disk other than the internal drive, that message means there is something physically wrong with the drive. If the disk utilities are unable to fix it, the console will say 'unable to repair disk' and the disk is toast.
– A less likely fix, and more applicable to laptops, is to reset the programmable random access memory when you start up the computer. There is a setting that Paul didn't explain. He asked Brian to message him if the first 2 things didn't solve the problem.

At this point, Glenn asked people to call in to win the Maker Fair tickets. The first caller and winner was Karen.

Finally, Paul talked about fixing a misbehaving Mac laptop by resetting the SMC (System Management Console). Unfortuately, MacBooks made in the last 3 or 4 years have a built-in battery.
– First of all, don't open the Mac to pull the battery unless you have a serious problem.
– What you do is turn the machine off, if you can. Then press the Left-shift + control + option key and the power button all at the same time.
– For more information, search for the words: macbook reset fix battery. Make sure you only look at the search result that point to apple.com — others may be misleading.

Last update 10:23 PM 5/14/2014

Additional notes

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 < >

The audio for this show has been posted here

Among other topics, the guys talked about the Heartbleed vulnerability, "the greatly exaggerated death of XP" and a security issue with Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

The Pentatonix song was played during the intro, again. Glenn thinks they are a wonderful entertainment group and suggested that listeners check them out on Youtube.

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

Glenn thanked those who've become supporting members of KVMR. If you'd like to become a member, the local number is 530-265-9073 or you can join at kvmr.org.

Glenn started the Google Hangouts broadcast of today's show but wasn't sure it was actually running. He thought he needed a plugin. Paul said Firefox does need a plugin but thought that the Chrome browser already came with the plugin. Glenn said no, because it's prompting him to install it.

Paul mentioned that Google bought Youtube because their own service, Google Video, didn't work out. He went on to say that Microsoft was late to the social media scene and tried to make up for it with the Metro interface in Windows 8. He complained that the native apps, like Skype, for Win8 take up the entire screen when running.

Recently, Glenn tried to find Microsoft Office on his new touch screen laptop, but couldn't. He knows it's on the computer. Paul said that pressing the Windows Key + Q initiates a search and that there are 3 ways to search, depending on what you're doing at the time: search for an application, a file or the internet.

The Department of Homeland Security suggested that people don't use the Internet Explorer browser because a zero-day exploit was found. It's true for all versions of IE and on all platforms. As late as yesterday, there is no fix for it. The suggestion is to use a different browser. If you have used nothing but Internet Explorer, Paul suggested you switch to Chrome rather than Firefox. Chrome is simpler, smaller, lighter and integrates with Gmail.
<Microsoft Rushes to Fix Browser After Attacks; No Fix for XP Users
But now Microsoft changed its mind. One for the road: Microsoft patches Windows XP for SA 2963983>

At this point, Glenn verified that Google Hangouts is indeed broadcasting this show.

Paul continued explaining the Internet Explorer exploit. What's generally called a watering hole attack is when the bad guys target a popular website: LexisNexis, New York Times, etc. They want to target a site that gets a lot of traffic by installing malicious code on it. Then, when an IE user visits the website, any of various exploits take place: a virus gets on the user's computer, information is stolen, etc. Such an attack can evolve so quickly that an anti-virus program may not catch it because the anti-virus program can't be updated quickly enough.

Paul said that Microsoft Security Essentials has fallen so far behind other anti-virus programs that it's not even on the rating charts. It's "not a valid anti-virus anymore". It's "75% effective at best". In its place, Paul has come to like Avast, while Glenn likes AVG.

If you install Avast it gives you the option to install Dropbox & Chrome. If you don't really need them, it's best to skip them. When installing Avast, There's a customize option where you can configure what features get installed. Paul found that he needs "file update", "file scanner" and "browser fix", but doesn't need "web protection" or "email protection". The browser fix scans the plugins for Internet Explorer and Firefox.

Windows XP is no longer supported.
– Get a newer operating system. <Win7, Win8 or Linux>.
– It's important to remove Microsoft Security Essentials. Not only does it not work well anymore, but it's not supported any longer.
– Don't use Internet Explorer with XP.
<7 tips for keeping Windows XP secure without Microsoft’s support>

If you buy a new computer to replace your XP machine, don't delete the data off the old machine before you've transferred it to the new one. And, leave the XP machine intact for a week or two just in case there's some data you forgot to transfer, like your tax data. Don't rely on backed-up data until you've tried loading it onto your new machine.

Paul suggested replacing XP with a distribution of Linux called Lubuntu. The interface is similar to XP and it comes with the Firefox browser, the Thunderbird email program and it will come with either Open Office or Libre Office. <See the Favorite Programs & Utilities file for more info about these Microsoft Office replacement programs>.

Lubuntu comes with a window manager that allows you to choose the interface you like as a replacement for explore.exe — similar to the file explorer in XP. In particular, The window manager called FVWM (Free View Windows Manager) is most similar to the file explorer in XP.

Paul talked a bit about the Heartbleed defect:
– The Heartbleed flaw is not a virus; it's a defect in some in some open source software — a programming flaw.
– It tends to be used a server (websites) rather that a client (on your local computer).
– It provides the encryption of data moving between your computer and your bank, for instance, when you see "https" (not http) in your address bar.
– Public and private keys are used to encrypt and decrypt the data. <See "Heartbleed explained" below>.
– On some browsers, you can click just to the left of the address bar (left of where it says https://…) to get info about the certificate for the website.
– The defect in the code was introduced in 2011 and was only recently discovered. It's rumored that the NSA has known about it for some time.
– The open source program that provides the Secure Socket Layer transactions (SSL) and is at the center of the Heartbleed issue is called OpenSSL.

How do you find out if a website you use is vulnerable to a Heartbleed attack?
– Go to norton.com/heartbleed and enter the URL of the website. <You'll have to click thru a couple of pages, or just go to http://safeweb.norton.com/heartbleed>
– Norton will tell you if it's vulnerable NOW, but not how long it's been vulnerable or when it was fixed.
– If the website checks out ok, change your password on that site.
– There have been complaints that Norton and McAfee don't perform a thorough check for Heartbleed problems.
<Heartbleed explained>
<Another Heartbleed checker>
<@ProPublica: Report: NSA exploited #Heartbleed security flaw for two years>
<Security Flaw Could Reach Beyond Websites to Digital Devices>

Glenn said AOL recently announced that changing your AOL password is not enough. The company has other security issues.

Glenn heard of a way to fix the Internet Explorer problem <mentioned above>:
– Run IE and go to tools -> manage -> addons. Then under 'Show', select "show all addons" and "under Microsoft third-party application component there's a Shockwave Flash object in Microsoft Windows and it says something 30, and that is supposed to be disabled". <I couldn't make sense of "something 30", but that's what he said>
– This is a temporary fix until there's a patch for IE. <I don't know if you're supposed to change it back after IE is patched, Glenn didn't say>
– Apparently the problem is how IE communicates with its plugins.

KVMR's membership drive starts on 5-5-14 (thru 5-17-14) and as far as what's known now, there will be a Zentech show on 5-14-14. They expect to have Coryon Redd on again at that time.

There is Maker Fair coming up at the San Mateo County Events Center on 5-17-14 & 5-18-14. If you're going to, try to carpool because parking may be a problem.
– Glenn has been promised 2 pairs of tickets to the event. He gave away 1 pair on today's show to a caller named Doug. The other pair will be given away on the next show 5-14-14.
– The local Maker group is The Curious Forge, located on Loma Rica Drive in Nevada City.
– The Maker fair has some things in common with the Burning Man Festival. It has some art projects and superfluous technology, mostly for entertainment. <I think you have to keep your pants on, though>.

Glenn noted that no one had joined the Google Hangouts broadcast of this show. There may have been some technical problems. This is still a work in progress and eventually they hope to get things going. The nice thing is that a video of the show will be posted to Youtube. Glenn said people "can find it at zen tech kvmr at gmail dot com". <I think you should search Youtube for the words: zen tech kvmr>. If you have trouble finding it, write to zen at kvmr dot org.

Paul found classicshell.net for Windows 8 & Windows 8.1 that restores some features found on earlier Windows versions:
– Brings back the Start Button,
– Bypasses the Metro interface

Changelog:
added link: Re: IE patch for XP -> Microsoft patches…
spelling: Lexus Nexus to LexisNexis
added link: post-support for XP -> keeping Windows XP secure
corrected link: to def. of URL

Last update 9:23 PM 8/14/2014