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Woo hoo!! 3rd Qtr 2025 FReepathon is now underway!!

Computers/Internet (General/Chat)

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  • Do any FReepers use the Brave or Opera web browsers? Feedback wanted!

    07/17/2023 8:47:53 AM PDT · by Paul R. · 120 replies
    Me | 7/17/2023 | Paul R.
    My last computer question here on FR generated a lot of furor and only limited useful information (mostly positive comments regarding the Firefox browser.) But I'd like more info (feedback) from FReepers who may have used Brave or Opera, for comparison, as I got none in my prior thread. Pro's and cons from hopefully extensive use would be great to receive! In online articles, Brave seems particularly well thought of from a privacy and security standpoint, without going to the extremes (and more limited functionality) of TOR.
  • Delete these two apps that steal your photos, videos, location and more, experts warn

    07/16/2023 5:55:56 AM PDT · by BenLurkin · 9 replies
    Anyone who downloaded File Recovery & Data Recovery or File Manager are urged to wipe the allegedly compromised apps from their devices. According to cybersecurity firm Pradeo, the supposed file management applications are actually “programmed to launch without users’ interaction, and to silently exfiltrate sensitive users’ data towards various malicious servers based in China.”
  • Browser Print Preview Options?

    07/16/2023 5:29:30 AM PDT · by Paul R. · 28 replies
    Me | 7/16/2023 | Paul R.
    I do a lot of printing of receipts and such from the Web, and print previews become "an issue". I both screen capture them as png files, and of course often print them. Internet Explorer gives one a WYSIWYG preview / display, and the WYSIWYG includes a (roughly) std. 8-1/2" x 11" image to view or even screen capture and save. I really like that 8-1/2" x 11" image. But, of course, IE is old hat, doesn't work on many sites, and probably isn't what you want to use if paying some company via the Web, anyway. Chrome's security issues...
  • How to add an "exe" to "All Programs" list in Win 10Pro?

    07/15/2023 5:04:55 PM PDT · by Paul R. · 25 replies
    Me | 7/5/2023 | Paul R.
    There seems to be no way to get certain desired exe files (apps) to show up in the "All Programs" list in the Windows 10 Pro Start Menu. (This is common to Win 7 also, I believe, and perhaps earlier OS's as well.) I can add such exe's* to the Start Menu "tiles" in Win 10 Pro, but not to the "All Programs" list. This seems quite odd, but maybe I'm missing something? *Examples of such apps / exe files are "IV_Player" (Irfan View Player, a very handy & lightweight media file player), as well as "Wavosaur", a handy and...
  • Woman Remains Certain Boyfriend is Not a Romance Scammer

    07/15/2023 12:08:44 PM PDT · by MD Expat in PA · 9 replies
    Woman Remains Certain Boyfriend is Not a Romance Scammer
  • A teenage girl found her mom's debit card and spent $64,000 on mobile games, wiping out her family's life savings

    07/15/2023 10:53:36 AM PDT · by nickcarraway · 40 replies
    Isider ^ | Matthew Loh
    A 13-year-old girl in China spent around $64,000 of her parents' money on mobile games this year, wiping out their savings account without their knowledge. Gong Yiwang learned about the spending spree in late May after receiving a call from a teacher at her daughter's boarding school, who worried the child was addicted to pay-to-play games, according to Elephant News, a regional TV channel in the Henan province. When Gong checked her bank account, she realized it was left with a bank balance of only seven cents. She later discovered that from January to May, her daughter had spent around...
  • WEF Launches 'Mark of the Beast' CBDC Microchip To 'End Gun Ownership in America'

    07/15/2023 7:04:00 AM PDT · by Jan_Sobieski · 66 replies
    Rumble ^ | 07/15/2023 | The People’s Voice
    Propelling ahead at breakneck speed, the globalist elite are implementing their plan to utilize CBDCs embedded under the skin, aiming to abolish the Second Amendment.The World Economic Forum has called on Western nations to “urgently” ban cash and implement a Chinese-style social credit score system amid growing public rejection of the globalist agenda.The WEF urged world leaders to begin fast-tracking the implementation of CBDC’s during the “Summer Davos” event last week.For years now the globalist elite have been telling us about their plans to seize control of every aspect of our lives and turn the world into a giant prison,...
  • Another Friday Night PC Wrestling Match! Dell 3420 Tower "almost there" / "Ghost" drive letters question...

    07/14/2023 6:57:40 PM PDT · by Paul R. · 15 replies
    Me | 7/14/2023 | Paul R.
    After considerable grief(!) I have my new (refurbished) Dell Precision Tower 3420 just about ready to take over as my "main" desktop PC. The NVME M.2 drive is back to being the boot & programs drive (see note on using Acronis cloning software below), a 500 GB Crucial MX500 SSD is installed as the data drive (but also has Win10 Pro and a few other programs on it as an immediate fallback should the primary drive fail), and I've copied all my data files from my old HP Win 7 Pro machine onto a 240 GB SDD (actually the original...
  • Elon Musk Openly Ponders About Tesla Making a Smartphone . . . Which Means They Already Are

    07/14/2023 1:11:48 PM PDT · by Red Badger · 43 replies
    Liberty Daily ^ | Jul. 14, 2023 | By J.D. Rucker
    Elon Musk took to Twitter and declared Tesla is making its own smartphone. He didn’t explicitly announce it, saying they “should” do it, but if we’ve learned anything about Elon Musk over the last couple of years it’s that he doesn’t hint at anything unless it’s already happening. Tesla should create its own smartphone. Your information will never be collected. Would you use it? This came from his “parody” account, but it’s actually his account. And to answer his question, yes, people would use it… but he already knew that. The cult-like following of Tesla and Musk is similar to...
  • The SAG/WGA Strike Could Affect Content Creators. Here's What to Do About It. ('You'll Be Known as a Scab')

    07/13/2023 11:48:15 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 30 replies
    Mashable ^ | July 13, 2023 | Elizabeth de Luna
    Actors aren't working right now, so studios will turn to you for content in their place. Don't fall for it.If you're a content creator, the SAG/WGA strike will likely affect you in some way. It might change the way you view Hollywood, affect what opportunities are available to you, or keep your loved ones from finding work. Here's a quick run down of why you should support the strike and how you can show solidarity. What is this strike about? What are SAG and WGA striking over? We've put together a helpful summary at this link but basically, amidst an...
  • Phosphate Discovered in Norway Could Help in Electric Power Generation for the Next 50 Years

    07/13/2023 6:54:34 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 8 replies
    Times of India ^ | Jul 14, 2023,
    A significant discovery has been made in Norway that could have a positive impact on electric cars. Norge Mining, a government organization responsible for finding valuable minerals, recently found large deposits of phosphate rocks in the country. These rocks can be used to power electric cars. According to the mining company, there could be up to 70 billion tonnes of phosphorus in Norway, which is enough to meet the demand for electric power generation for the next 50 years. Phosphorus is an important mineral listed by the European Union as crucial to the economy. Previously, the largest deposits of phosphate...
  • Tens of millions of Americans' private details compromised after three major tax preparation companies accused of sharing information with Google and Meta

    07/13/2023 1:07:44 AM PDT · by Libloather · 18 replies
    Daily Mail ^ | 7/12/23 | Tilly Armstrong
    Three of America's largest tax preparation companies have been accused of sharing tens of millions of taxpayers' sensitive financial data with tech giants Google and Meta without their consent. A seven-month congressional probe, led by Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, alleges H&R Block, TaxAct and TaxSlayer used visitor tracking technology embedded in websites to share the information. In a potential violation of federal law, the investigation found data was in some cases misused by Facebook parent company Meta for targeted advertising. According to the report, alongside sharing data such as addresses and phone numbers, companies also shared details about taxpayers' filing...
  • Eh-I? Kamala Harris' latest 'word salad' gaffe sees VP attempt to explain artificial intelligence - with VERY confusing results

    07/13/2023 12:16:40 AM PDT · by dennisw · 28 replies
    Mail on line ^ | 13 July 2023 | By KEITH GRIFFITH and NIKKI SCHWAB
    Harris faced criticism over her remarks at a round table on AI on Wednesday 'AI is kind of a fancy thing. First of all, it's two letters,' she explained It came a day after Harris delivered a memorable explanation of transportation Vice President Kamala Harris is facing ridicule over her latest awkward turn of phrase, after she delivered a jumbled explanation of artificial intelligence. 'AI is kind of a fancy thing. First of all, it's two letters. It means 'Artificial Intelligence," Harris told a roundtable gathering of labor and civil rights leaders in Washington DC on Wednesday. She continued: 'It's...
  • Kids LGBTQ Youtube Channel Reads Abortion Picture Book

    07/12/2023 6:42:00 PM PDT · by Morgana · 2 replies
    Odins Men ^ | July 12, 2023 | Odins Men
    Kids LGBTQ Youtube Channel Reads Abortion Picture Book LGBT Youtube channel for kids reads a picture book about what abortion is to kids. They should just talk about "What does an IED explosion look like anyway"
  • It's not just tech. FOMO is in full swing across the stock market, and investors are about to be disappointed.

    07/12/2023 7:35:54 AM PDT · by millenial4freedom · 21 replies
    Market Watch ^ | 07/11/2023 | Matthew Fox
    The stock market is overvalued, and it's not just the tech sector that appears stretched, according to JPMorgan's chief global market strategist Marko Kolanovic.The S&P 500's forward price-to-earnings ratio is currently 19.4x, and when you back out tech and AI stocks, the remaining 65% of the index trades at 17.4x, according to Kolanovic. That's not cheap, as the historical forward P/E of the index is 15.3x, meaning that current valuations represent a 10% premium. "FOMO is in full swing, there is complacency being built into stocks with VIX at the lows of its range," Kolanovic said in a Monday note....
  • After 30 Years, Linux Finally Hits 3% Market Share

    07/12/2023 4:56:02 AM PDT · by ShadowAce · 60 replies
    linuxiac ^ | 09 July 2023 | Bobby Borisov
    Linux enthusiasts rejoice! After a long journey, according to StatCounter’s data, by June 2023, Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share.Linux has a long history that dates back more than 30 years. However, it has never been as popular among regular computer users as other operating systems such as Microsft’s Windows or Apple’s macOS.Of course, for many years, Linux has emerged as a dominant force in the realm of server operating systems. Due to its exceptional performance, stability, reliability, and security, it has been widely adopted in server/cloud/IoT environments.However, these days, Linux is no longer limited to these environments...
  • Sarah Silverman Is Suing the Creators of ChatGPT

    07/11/2023 2:09:58 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 25 replies
    Far Out Magazine ^ | MON 10TH JUL 2023 | Thomas Leatham
    Actor and comedian Sarah Silverman is suing the creators of AI software ChatGPT over the unauthorised use of her 2010 book The Bedwetter. The details arrived in a lawsuit last Friday (July 7th) in a U.S. District Court. Silverman has come together with writers Richard Kadrey and Christopher Golden in two lawsuits against OpenAI and Meta, the creators of the AI chatbot LLaMA, a river to ChatGPT. The suits have been filed accusing the companies of illegally training their respective AI programmes with texts from the above-stated authors’ works without acquiring permission. They go on to explain that the AI...
  • Harvard study: Why a record number of Americans are struggling to pay rent

    07/11/2023 9:01:13 AM PDT · by millenial4freedom · 22 replies
    yahoo! Finance ^ | 07/11/2023 | Rebecca Chen
    A record number of American renters are spending at least one-third of their income on rents, according to 2023 The State of the Nation's Housing published by Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies. A total of 21.6 million households now spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent. Some households are even paying even up to 50% of earnings on apartments, per Harvard’s research. Housing experts often suggest tenants spend less than 30% of income on rent.“Housing costs remain well above pre-pandemic levels thanks to the substantial increases over the last few years,” Daniel McCue, senior research associate at...
  • Unearthing Rare Earth Elements – Scientists Use AI To Find Rare Materials

    07/10/2023 3:24:20 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 13 replies
    SciTechDaily ^ | JULY 9, 2023
    By harnessing patterns in mineral associations, a new machine-learning model can predict the locations of minerals on Earth and potentially, other planets. This advancement is of immense value to science and industry, as they continually explore mineral deposits to unravel the planet’s history and to mine resources for practical applications, such as rechargeable batteries. A team led by Shaunna Morrison and Anirudh Prabhu aimed to develop a method for identifying the occurrence of particular minerals, an objective that has traditionally been considered as much an art as it is a science. This process has often been dependent on individual experience...
  • Baldur's Gate III Boasts 'Tender, Consensual' Sex With a Bear

    07/10/2023 2:01:10 PM PDT · by Ciaphas Cain · 23 replies
    CBR.com ^ | July 7, 2023 | Julia Anderson
    Baldur's Gate III evelopers Larian got its livestream banned on TikTok after it revealed a spicy scene with a bear. Per IGN, the scene in question, which is still available to view on Twitch, sees the player as Astarion share a tender moment with a bear. The bear in question is actually a Druid, Halsin, taking Wildshape bear form after the two agree to have sex. The scene is partly played for laughs, according to Larian, as evidenced by the shot of a squirrel witnessing the moment and dropping its acorn. "Every single person who's seen it is like, 'oh...