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Show of 01-18-2020

Tech Talk

January 18, 2020

Email and Forum Questions

  • Email from Dennis in Kansas: Dear Doc and Jim. I have been using Norton 360 for years, but it lets too viruses slip through. I heard that you recommend Avast Free Antivirus. I really want to delete Norton and install Avast. However, I’m having a problem getting Norton 360 uninstalled so that I can install Avast. Windows uninstall will get rid of some of the Norton files but they come back when I reboot the computer. How can I completely uninstall ALL the Norton files from my hard drive? Dennis in Kansas
  • Tech Talk Responds: It sounds like the viruses on your PC might have corrupted your Norton 360 installation, making it virtually impossible for the native Windows “Uninstall a program” utility to properly remove it. Luckily, the folks at Semantec have a great free tool just for handling situations like this. It’s called Norton Removal Tool, and it does exactly that (and it does it quite well). Download the Norton Removal Tool give it a try. I’ve never seen it fail to completely wipe out am installation of supported Norton software.
  • Link to tool: https://support.norton.com/sp/en/us/home/current/solutions/v60392881
  • Email from Tung in Ohio: Dear Tech Talk. I am an amateur photographer but I’m hoping to go pro before too long. I regularly upload some of my best photos to my Facebook profile to get feedback from my friends and other photographers. Someone told me that once I upload a photo to Facebook they automatically become the copyright holder of that photo and they can do anything they want to with it. Is that true? If I delete my Facebook account, will the copyright return to me? This really has me upset so I hope you can give me an answer ASAP. Thanks so much in advance! Tung in Ohio
  • Tech Talk Responds: Tung, your friend has given you a mixture of correct and incorrect information. When you take a picture you automatically become the copyright holder of that photo the instant it is taken. According to this page on the US Copyright Office’s website you will own the copyright to that photo until the day you pass away. What’re more, your heirs will own the copyright to it for 70 years after your death. Of course you can sell (or otherwise transfer) the copyright for any photo to a third party at any time, but simply uploading a photo to your Facebook profile doesn’t affect that photo’s copyright in any way.
  • Because Facebook states it on this page of their Terms of Service (TOS). Here is the relevant passage:
    • “You own the content you create and share on Facebook and the other Facebook products you use, and nothing in these Terms takes away the rights you have to your own content. You are free to share your content with anyone else, wherever you want.”
  • When you upload a photo to Facebook’s website that does give Facebook the right to USE that photo in pretty much any way they see fit as long as they don’t share it with people who aren’t allowed to see it (based upon your privacy settings). For example, if your privacy settings allow the Public to view your photos then Facebook is allowed to share them with everyone on Facebook via advertisements and other common uses as they see fit. However, if your privacy settings only allow your Facebook friends to see your photos, Facebook won’t share them with anyone else on Facebook. They also won’t share “Friends Only” photos with third parties because doing so would circumvent your privacy settings.
  • As per the TOS, if you delete your Facebook account your uploaded photos will be removed and they will no longer be used in any way by Facebook. However, if anyone else has shared your photo, it may not be deleted when you delete from your account.
  • Email from Hac in Bowie, MD: Dear Doc and Jim. I have been wondering about the following and wonder if you could help out. I always carry my credit cards, my debit card and the key ring with my car keys and key fob on it all in my purse right next to my cell phone. My question is could the battery or any parts of the cellphone or the electric current in the phone damage the key fob or erase the data on my bank cards? Enjoy the show. Hac in Bowie, MD
  • Tech Talk Responds: The short answer is no. The tiny magnets and electric currents in a modern cell phone/smart phone are too weak to demagnetize a credit card stripe. I often carry my wallet and phone right next to each other in the same pocket, and I’ve never had an issue with a card after doing so. As far as the remote entry fob is concerned, there is virtually no chance that your phone could damage it either.
  • On the other hand, I have demagnetized a hotel key card by placing it near the magnetic strips of other credit cards.
  • Email from Bob in Maryland: Dear Doc and Jim. I was mentioning Tech Talk Radio, and encouraging everyone to listen, when I said that Mr. Bigvoice sometimes tells harmless jokes about Canada and Canadians. Everyone was quite offended. Someone said “Who is this Mr. Bigvoice? Why is he making jokes about us? We want to meet him! We want to talk to him!” I told them about Mr. Bigvoice, and said it was all very innocent and just a bit of humor. I reminded them that we Canadians often make jokes about the Yanks. I will send over some more background information to help with “Profiles in IT” that you can use you sees fit. Bob in Maryland
  • Tech Talk Responds: Thanks for all the Profile in IT ideas. You will see some of these suggestions showing up in future shows. I love your informative emails. You have had some very interesting experiences. Thanks for sharing.
  • Email from Brian in California: Dear Tech Talk. I recently started using Twitter and sometimes have typos. Is there any way to edit a tweet? I have looked and looked and cannot find an edit button. Love the show. Brian in California
  • Tech Talk Responds: The short answer is no. Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter, stated clearly that the service is probably never getting an edit feature.
  • To make sense of Twitter’s decision, it helps to be aware of its history and the challenges it faces that other social networks don’t. Twitter began as an SMS based service. You’d text to the service to Tweet. That’s part of the reason why Twitter limited you to 140 characters for years—that’s the character limit of a text message. Text messages cannot be edited once they are sent.
  • You still cannot edit because of the retweet feature. It would be all too easy for someone to Tweet a particular opinion, amass a thousand or more retweets, and then edit the tweet to say the opposite of what the original message stated. Suddenly, thousands of people would be endorsing an opinion they did not intend to support. If all you really care about are typos in your tweets, there’s an easy solution. Delete the tweet, then tweet it again without the typo. While it’s not elegant, it gets the job done.
  • Email from Lisa in Manassas: Dear Doc and Jim. I still have Windows 7 because I love the interface. No that MS is not send out security updates for Windows 7, I am worried and now I cannot get a free upgrade. I think that I may have made a huge mistake. What are my cheapest options? Love the show. Lisa in Manassas
  • Tech Talk Responds: I have good news for you. Microsoft has quietly continued the free upgrade offer for the last few years. Assuming you’re using a Windows PC with a genuine and activated Windows 7 (or Windows 8) key, you can upgrade to Windows 10 in just a few clicks. Your PC will get a genuine, activated Windows 10 key, just like it worked during Windows 10’s first year when the free upgrade offer was officially being advertised. You can also upgrade a PC by doing a fresh install of Windows 10, even if it doesn’t have any operating system installed. You just have to provide a valid Windows 7 (or Windows 8) key. There’s no guarantee this will work forever. Microsoft may one day pull the plug and cut off new upgrades.
  • Before you get started, we recommend you back up your files. The upgrade process should not erase your files unless you choose to erase them, but it is always a good idea to have a current backup—especially when you are performing a major operating system upgrade. We also encourage you to find your Windows 7 (or Windows 8) key, just in case you need it.
  • To get your free upgrade, head to Microsoft’s Download Windows 10 website. Click the “Download tool now” button and download the .exe file. Run it, click through the tool, and select “Upgrade this PC now” when prompted.
  • Link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

Profiles in IT: Norman Joseph Woodland

  • Norman Joseph Woodland was an American inventor, best known as one of the inventors of the barcode, for which he received a patent in October 1952.
  • Woodland was born September 6, 1921, in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
  • After graduating from Atlantic City High School, Woodland did military service in World War II as a technical assistant with the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, TN.
  • Woodland earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University in 1947.
  • As an undergraduate, Mr. Woodland perfected a system for delivering elevator music.
  • His system, which recorded 15 simultaneous audio tracks on 35-millimeter film, was less cumbersome than existing methods, which relied on LPs and reel-to-reel tapes.
  • He planned to pursue the project commercially, but his father forbade it because he felt that elevator music was controlled by the mob.
  • From 1948-1949, he worked as a lecturer in mechanical engineering at Drexel.
  • In 1948, Bernard Silver, a fellow Drexel Institute student, overheard a supermarket executive asking the Dean how to capture product info automatically at checkout.
  • Silver mention the problem to Woodland, who worked on some preliminary ideas and thought that they could create a viable product.
  • Woodland took some stock market earnings, quit his teaching job and moved to his grandfather’s Florida apartment.
  • While at the beach, he recalled, from his Boy Scout training, how Morse code dots and dashes are used to send information electronically.
  • He drew dots and dashes in the sand similar to the shapes used in Morse code. After pulling them downward with his fingers, producing thin lines with the dots and thick lines with the dashes, he came up with a two-dimensional, linear Morse code.
  • Using optical sound film technology, they applied for a patent on October 20, 1949.
  • The received the U.S. Patent 2,612,994 Classifying Apparatus and Method on October 7, 1952, covering both linear barcode and circular bulls-eye printing designs.
  • Woodland was hired by IBM in 1951. He wanted IBM to develop the technology, but IBM felt it wasn’t commercially feasible.
  • They sold the patent to Philco in 1952 for $15K, which sold it to RCA later in 1952.
  • RCA tried to develop commercial applications until the patent expired in 1969.
  • In 1969, RCA and the National Association of Food Chains formed the U.S. Supermarket Ad Hoc Committee on a Uniform Grocery Product Code.
  • IBM joined the group in 1971, discovered it was based on Woodward’s work, and transferred Woodland to its North Carolina facilities.
  • Woodward played a key role in developing the most important version of the technology, the Universal Product Code (UPC), beating RCA in a competition.
  • The first item scanned was a packet of chewing gum in an Ohio supermarket in 1974.
  • In 1992, he was awarded the National Medal of Technology from President George H. W. Bush for his contribution to barcode technology.
  • Woodland died from Alzheimer’s disease on December 9, 2012, in Edgewater, NJ.

Cable Haunt Modem Security Flaw

  • A new and very dangerous security flaw has just been discovered in millions of some of the most popular cable modems in use today.
  • The flaw has been codenamed “Cable Haunt” and it could very well be present in YOUR cable modem.
  • If so, hackers can potentially exploit the flaw in your modem’s firmware to inject malicious code into your data transmissions, steal any personal or financial information that is sent or received by the modem or do one of several other malicious things – in your name!
  • This is a very serious and dangerous flaw that could put your personal info, your finances and even your identity at risk.
  • You should check ASAP to see if your modem is one of the models affected.
  • Your modem’s brand and model number should be printed on one of the stickers that’s located on the side, back or bottom of your modem.
  • Below is a list of the modems that are already known to be affected, but there could be others as well.
  • If your modem is on the list you’ll need to call your ISP right away to find out what you (or actually they) need to do to either patch the security flaw or replace the modem with a new one.
    • Arris Surfboard CM8200A
    • Arris Surfboard SB6183
    • Arris Surfboard SB8200
    • COMPAL 7284E
    • COMPAL 7486E
    • Humax HGB10R-02
    • Netgear C6250EMR
    • Netgear CG3700EMR
    • Netgear CM1000
    • Sagemcom F@st 3686
    • Sagemcom F@st 3890
    • Technicolor TC4400
    • Technicolor TC7230
    • Technicolor TC7300
  • Even if your modem isn’t on the list it would still be a good idea to call your ISP and have them check the status of your modem since the “Cable Haunt” flaw could possibly be discovered in additional modems at any time.

Scientists Build Living Robots with Stem Cells

  • Researchers in the US have created the first living machines by assembling cells from African clawed frogs into tiny robots that move around under their own power.
  • One of the most successful creations has two stumpy legs that propel it along on its “chest”. Another has a hole in the middle that researchers turned into a pouch so it could shimmy around with miniature payloads.
  • “These are entirely new lifeforms. They have never before existed on Earth,” said Michael Levin, the director of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. “They are living, programmable organisms.”
  • When damaged, living robots can heal their wounds, and once their task is done they fall apart, just as natural organisms decay when they die.
  • Their unique features mean that future versions of the robots might be deployed to clean up microplastic pollution in the oceans, locate and digest toxic materials, deliver drugs in the body or remove plaque from artery walls.
  • The robots, which are less than 1mm long, are designed by an “evolutionary algorithm” that runs on a supercomputer. The program starts by generating random 3D configurations of 500 to 1,000 skin and heart cells.
  • The best performers are used to spawn more designs, which themselves are then put through their paces.
  • Because heart cells spontaneously contract and relax, they behave like miniature engines that drive the robots along until their energy reserves run out.
  • The cells have enough fuel inside them for the robots to survive for a week to 10 days before dying.
  • The work raised ethical issues, particularly given that future variants could have nervous systems and be selected for cognitive capability, making them more active participants in the world.
  • The research is funded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s lifelong learning machines program, which aims to recreate biological learning processes in machines.

Organized Cybercrime — Evolution of the Mafia

  • Does the common stereotype for “organized crime” hold up for organizations of hackers?
  • Cybercrime networks work together to cause an estimated $445-600 billion of harm globally per year.
  • Cybercriminals work in organizations, but those organizations differ depending on the offense. They may have relationships with each other, but they’re not multi-year, multi-generation, sophisticated groups that you associate with other organized crime networks.
  • Organized cybercrime networks are made up of hackers coming together because of functional skills that allow them to collaborate to commit the specific crime.
  • So, if someone has specific expertise in password encryption and another can code in a specific programming language, they work together because they can be more effective—and cause greater disruption—together than alone.
  • In some of the bigger cases that we had, there’s a core group of actors who know one another really well, who then develop an ancillary network of people who they can use for money muling or for converting the information that they obtained into actual cash.
  • The Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement, reviewed 18 cases from the Netherlands in which individuals were prosecuted for cases related to phishing.
  • As things move to the dark web and use cryptocurrencies and other avenues for payment, hacker behaviors change and become harder to identify.

AI’s real impact — Freeing Us from Repetitive Tasks

  • In the past two or three years, artificial intelligence has advanced rapidly.
  • Companies such as DeepMind have captivated our attention. We seen developments in areas such as computer vision, machine translation and speech recognition.
  • According to consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, the widespread adoption of AI will add about $15.7 trillion to global GDP by 2030.
  • Most of that business value will come not from AI-focused companies, but from the infusion of artificial intelligence into traditional industries.
  • One defining area of AI infusion is in the automation of repetitive tasks, using technologies such as RPA (robotic process automation).
  • RPA will see widespread application in the work performed by functions such as accounts payable, back-office processing and various forms of data management.
  • Routine tasks associated with a large number of jobs will now lend themselves to automation, freeing up people’s time to focus on endeavors that are more complex.
  • RPA is already creating some of the most valuable AI companies in the world.
  • Another similar area of routine task replacement is the use of speech recognition and natural-language processing in customer service, telemarketing and telesales.
  • New advances in these technologies allow 80 per cent of queries to a call center to be dealt with through automated processes, while achieving higher customer satisfaction.
  • In addition to optimizing existing processes, in 2020 we will see new applications for AI across existing industries. Retail stores will use AI to forecast demand and sales, as well as to reshape logistics and the supply chain.
  • In 2020, healthcare will start to be significantly transformed by AI.
  • Expect strides to be made in the application of smart AI tools in radiology, pathology and diagnosis – leading to better treatment, faster recuperation, and lower cost.
  • Unlike RPA and speech recognition, these tools will not replace humans, but will help them be more productive.
  • AI will bring personalization to many other areas too, including banking, insurance, loans and investment. We have already seen personal recommendations of news, content and merchandise, and we will see this continue to expand.
  • In education we will see AI being used to give and grade homework and exams, and to guide students through various exercises.
  • This will free up teachers’ time to focus on students’ personal and emotional development, in areas such as resilience, empathy, creativity and compassion.

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act

  • The Communications Decency Act is over 20 years old, but lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have started to seek changes to the law as a remedy for all kinds of problems they have with platforms and moderation.
  • This section treats social media companies as platforms that are not responsible for the content posted by users.
  • After the live-streamed mass shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand last spring, Democratic lawmakers sought changes to 230 as a method of ensuring that terrorist content is removed from platforms.
  • They’ve responded to Facebook’s refusal to remove misinformation peddled by politicians in digital ads with threats to carve holes in the law as well.
  • Republicans have made similar criticisms against companies like Facebook and Twitter in recent months, calling the platforms out for what they believe is bias against conservatives.
  • Both Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) have floated changes to the law to address the alleged censorship.
  • Former Texas representative Beto O’Rourke was the first presidential candidate to make changes to 230 an official platform position.
  • Now Joe Biden is calling to revisions to Section 230.

Even Democracies can become Digital Dictators

  • Internet shutdowns are an increasingly popular tool for digital repression.
  • These shutdowns have happened in Egypt, Zimbabwe, Iraq, and many other nondemocratic countries.
  • Studying these incidents, a pattern starts to emerge: Citizens take to the streets; the government chooses to resist the resistance; and they shut down the internet under the guise of halting unrest.
  • On the other hand India, the most populous democracy on earth, recently shut down the internet in the state of Assam (population: 31 million) after citizens protested a highly controversial citizenship law passed at the end of 2019. Services were then cut in other states: Meghalaya, Tripura, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and elsewhere.
  • India led the world in web shutdowns in both 2018 and 2019. India’s case highlights how internet repression is not confined to dictatorships.
  • Various regional governments in India have exerted control over parts of the internet in their borders to execute internet shutdowns.
  • A September 2019 court decision ruled that national security concerns could permit Indian authorities to shut down the internet despite concerns about free information access.
  • The Indian government has asked WhatsApp for the ability to track and stop certain messages. WhatsApp has denied these requests, so various governmental entities have turned to internet shutdowns as a result.
  • Chinese state media have already capitalized on recent events to say that it is a routine operation for governments all over the world to manage the internet based on national interests, including shutting down the internet in a state of emergency.

Verizon Responds to Cord Cutters

  • Verizon is changing the way it sells its internet and cable packages as customers are increasingly seeking ways to cut the costly cord.
  • The company is eliminating bundles and contracts.
  • It will sell its Fios TV and internet services separately.
  • Long-term contracts are also being trashed in favor of charging customers month-to-month. That is similar to how streaming services charge customers.
  • There are now three internet packages and five Fios TV packages.
  • A home telephone package will also be sold for $20 per month.
  • Unfortunate, not all surcharges are going away: Verizon will continue charging a $15 monthly fee for routers in some of its internet packages and a $12 set-top monthly fee in most of its Fios TV packages.
  • Verizon lost nearly 70,000 video subscribers in its most recent earnings report.
  • However it did add 30,000 internet subscribers.