Explorer STILL won’t refresh? Use Brute Force…
One year ago, I said this: "If you’re having trouble with files/folders not appearing until you refresh the folder view with a tap on F5, then you’ve been hit by the dreaded Explorer Doesn’t Refresh Automatically bug Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to fix. Behold: Three...
How to stop Apps from re-opening on reboot in Windows 10
When your computer with Windows 10 reboots or restarts automatically after updates, it will re-open applications that were running before the restart. There are two problems with this: First, not ALL applications will fire up again - only some. Second, sometimes you...
5 fun Computer Facts you probably didn’t know
And now it's time for something completely different! Computers are an integral parts of our lives now. Sometimes, we forgot how far we've come in such a short time. We also don't usually hear the details of where some specific piece of technology came from. So, join...
How to fix a Read-Only drive in Windows
There you are, minding your own business... Maybe you just installed a Windows 10 update. Maybe you just had to run a disk check that asked you to reboot. Maybe you didn't really do anything out of the ordinary at all. Whatever the case, things go kaflooey. All of a...
Even your APPS are invading your privacy!
As regular readers know, I'm not a big fan of the traditional smartphone craze. Sure, they're really handy gizmos, but the amount of data being hoovered up and shipped off to large service providers is a bit frustrating. As if things aren't bad enough on that front,...
5G or Virus? The data speaks for itself
Given the current global situation with the virus lock down, we are all looking for answers. Some people have suggested that 5G systems are causing the symptoms of Covid-19. But does that really fit the data? It turns out that we can easily find several rather large...
Smart Speakers are totally safe and privacy-enhancing (just kidding)
A recent study about smart speakers revealed that they are, in a word, crap. The study, entitled, WHEN SPEAKERS ARE ALL EARS: Understanding when smart speakers mistakenly record conversations, revealed that these smart gizmos are very often activated by words and...
How do Quick Chargers actually work? Magic!
Quick charging is all the rage these days. We all want our smartphones and tablets to charge REALLY quickly via plain old USB cables. But how do quick chargers actually work? After all, USB itself is limited in terms of the power that it can provide... Tune in and...
All the smartphone features, none of the Google!
I've been using dumbphones for awhile now, but I started to miss some smartphone features. Then a friend of mine mentioned LineageOS again. I decided to take the plunge... And I'm glad I did! It IS possible to have a relatively private smartphone without all the...
Surprise! Big Data doesn’t care about your right to Free Speech
In a shocking revelation that simply re-affirmed what everyone already knew, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals again ruled that internet platforms have nothing to do with the First Amendment because they're private corporations. Well, duh! In a ruling on February...
EEK! #7 – High Voltage DC is still alive!
We all know that AC won the war vs DC back in the day. But did you know high-voltage DC is still around? What's more, it's actually become quite useful! Some countries have recently installed million-volt DC power lines that span thousands of kilometers! While HVDC...
Mac malware surged in 2019 – true or false?
Macs were in the news again this week as Malwarebytes released a report claiming that for the first time ever, malware on Macs outpaced that of Windows-based PCs in 2019. It sounds like a total nightmare for Apple users! But hang on a sec... Malwarebytes released the...
The Power Problem with Electric Vehicles
These days, it's all about Going Green. And what could be more green than an electric car? Zero emissions, baby! Well, sort of... While the acceleration may be awesome, the range leaves something to be desired. And range is directly related to power - specifically,...
Help! My computer is turning off even though I have a battery backup
So, you buy a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for your puter. You hook it up. Then, a power outage or brownout hits... POOF! Your puter reboots. "Hang on", you think, "Wasn't my battery backup supposed to prevent this?" Yes, it was... But there are a few things you...
Can aluminum foil protect you from your phone?
There are quite a few smartphone cases, Faraday bags, and other little gizmos out there that claim to protect you from the phones RF waves. A common method that people use is to line one (or both) sides of their phone case with good old aluminum foil. So, the question...
Fix Windows 10 won’t boot – Stop Error 0xc000021a
So there you are, minding your own business. You try to restart your Windows 10 puter, and you end up with the new Sad Face Blue Screen of Death! At the bottom of the screen, you see: Stop Code: 0xc000021a No matter what you do (like the automatic Startup Repair), you...