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Show of 01-29-2022

Tech Talk January 29, 2022

Email and Forum Questions

  • Email from Donald in Kansas City: Dear Tech Talk. I always “eject” my USB flash drives before removing them from the computer because I heard that not doing that could cause the drive to be corrupted. Someone saw me eject a drive the other day and said we do not have to do that anymore. My question is, can we now just pull the drive out of its socket or do we still need to eject it first? Love the podcast. Donald in Kansas City, KS
  • Tech Talk Responds: You did not mention whether your computer is a Windows machine, a Linux box or a Mac. Unfortunately, that bit of info is needed in order to accurately answer your question.
  • First, let us talk about Windows PCs:
    • Prior to the Fall 2018 update of Windows 10, the default setting for USB flash drive removal was “Better Performance”, which basically enabled something called write caching.
    • That meant data that was going to be written to a drive was cached and then actually written to the drive later. If you didn’t eject a thumb drive before removing it any data in the cache that was waiting to be written to the drive would never make it onto the drive.
    • However, Microsoft changed the default setting from ‘Better Performance’ to ‘Quick Removal (i.e. disabled write caching for USB flash drives) with the release of the Fall 2018 Windows 10 update.
  • Both Linux machines and Macs have write caching enabled by default. As a result, you could well end up with data loss and (possibly) a corrupted drive if you remove the drive without ejecting it first.
  • If you’re using a PC that’s running either an updated version of Windows 10 or any version of Windows 11 you can safely remove a USB flash drive from the machine at any time without ejecting it first. However, if you’re using either a Linux PC or a Mac you still need to eject the drive before unplugging it.
  • Email from Doug in St. Louis: Dear Tech Talk. I am getting ready to take my first trans-Atlantic flight in over 20 years to visit family in Italy. I have heard that hackers can break into a laptop via WiFi. I know my laptop has an Airplane Mode. If I turn it on will that prevent other passengers from being able to break into my laptop while I play local games? Doug from St. Louis, MO
  • Tech Talk Responds: The short answer to your question is yes. Putting your laptop in Airplane Mode will protect it from any kind of wireless intrusion.
  • If the airline you will be flying offers WiFi, using the Internet would give you more options for your in-flight entertainment (but probably at an extra cost). Use a really good Virtual Private Network (VPN) like ExpressVPN to protect your Internet communications from being intercepted and/or hijacked.
  • Email from Arnie in Colorado Springs: Hi Dr. Shurtz & Andrew. Re profiles in IT, take a look at Nihad A. Hassan and Rami Hijazi, who wrote “Open Source Intelligence Methods and Tools A Practical Guide to Online Intelligence” (OSINT). It’s a 2018 book, so you may be familiar with. I have never seen a book referencing so many Internet sites. Some intelligence experts estimate that more than 90 percent of intelligence information is coming now from OSINT sources. This book covers a lot if territory for doing legal research for government, businesses & personal investigation. It may be a good book for IT students as well. Arnie in Colorado Springs, CO
  • Tech Talk Responds: Great suggestion, Arnie. I will take a look at the book when it arrives next week. It sounds interesting..
  • Email from Ken H.: Dear Tech Talk. Please spell the names of the people that you do for Profiles in IT. I like to search for them on the web, and I often cannot figure out how their names are spelled. Ken H.
  • Tech Talk Responds: Great suggestion Ken. Thanks for listening to our show.
  • Dear Doc and Andrew. I just came across a lawsuit recently filed against Google for using “dark patterns” to trick users into giving Google access to more of their data. The D.C. and Texas lawsuits allege the “deceptive and unfair” practices may have violated local laws. Dark patterns, which the suit claims were a crucial part of Google’s alleged deceptive practices, refer to the practice of using design tricks like interface design, and social engineering that takes advantage of behavioral tendencies to manipulate users into doing something that harms themselves. I had never heard this term before. What is this all about, Doc? All the best, your faithful listener. Bob in Maryland.
  • Tech Talk Responds: If you have ever seen a clock counting down next in checkout next to that pair of jeans you wanted to buy, that is an example of dark patterns in use. We’re talking about bonus purchases that appear by default in your shopping basket (a trick now illegal in the EU), confusing mixes of opt-in and opt-out check boxes when you sign up for services, and other forms of misdirection on the web and in apps. User Experience consultant Harry Brignull set up DarkPatterns.org and coined the phrase dark patterns to try to highlight this practice. Check out is Hall of Shame on the DarkPatterns website. Lawmakers and regulators in the U.S. and Europe have criticized dark patterns in the past with one group of Senators even introducing legislation to ban the practice back in 2019.
  • Doug in Kilmarnock: Dear Tech Talk. I use Windows 10 and love the clipboard. I use it frequently, but it only remembers the last entry. Is there anyway to activate a Clipboard History. That would be a fantastic feature. Love the show. Doug in Kilmarnock, VA
  • Tech Talk Responds: Soon after Windows 10 was released Microsoft made a very useful upgrade to the Clipboard via a new tool called Clipboard History. In days of old the Windows Clipboard was limited to storing just one item at a time: the last item you either “copied” or “cut”. Clipboard History is also included with Windows 11, but as with Windows 10 it’s disabled by default.
  • It is very easy to enable the Clipboard History feature in Windows. You can enable Clipboard History via the “Settings” app:
    • Right-click the Start button, then click Settings.
    • In the search panel, search for Clipboard. Click on Clipboard Settings.
    • Toggle the ‘Clipboard history’ setting to On.
  • That’s all there is to enabling Clipboard History on your Windows PC. Even though Clipboard History is now enabled you can still paste something from the Clipboard by either pressing the Ctrl+V key combination or clicking Edit>Paste, but those methods will simply paste the last item that was copied or cut just like it always has.
  • However, press Windows+V and you’ll see a box pop up with all the stored items listed there with the item that was copied or cut last at the top. Simply click on the item on want to paste and Windows will paste that item at the current cursor position.
  • Click on the icon in the upper right corner of each stored item. It gives you the option of pinning the item to the Clipboard to prevent it from being erased when you either click the Clear all button or shut down the computer.
  • Alex in Winchester: I have an old laptop that came with Windows 7 preinstalled. The hard drive died and I had to replace it and my co-worker recommended that I install Linux on it. Which version of Linux do you recommend for a system that was running Windows 7 previously? Thanks for your help. Alex in Winchester, VA
  • Tech Talk Responds: Replacing Windows with Linux is a great idea. There are a number of excellent Linux distributions. I recommend installing the latest version of Linux Mint. Mint has evolved over time into what I consider to be the most user-friendly (for Windows users) of all the Linux distros that are currently available. In fact, if you install it with the Cinnamon Desktop you’ll find that it looks and works a lot like Windows 7.
  • It’s easy to download Mint and burn it onto a blank CD or USB thumb drive, and it’s even easier to install thanks to its awesome plug-and-play installation routine and broad hardware support.
  • Just be aware that replacing Windows with any flavor of Linux is going to involve a learning curve, and most Windows programs that you used before will need to be replaced with open source (Linux) equivalents. The exceptions are the major web browsers since you can still use Firefox and Chrome.
  • Download link: https://linuxmint.com/

Profiles in IT: Andrew Rubin

  • Andrew Rubin is the developer behind the Android OS for mobile devices.
  • Rubin was born in 1963 in Chappaqua, N.Y., the son of a psychologist who later founded his own direct-marketing firm, selling electronic gadgets
  • In 1981, Rubin graduated from Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, NY
  • In 1986, he earned a BS in computer science from Utica College in New York.
  • After college, he worked for Carl Zeiss in NY, as a robot engineer.
  • In 1988, he moved to Geneva, Switzerland working as a software engineer at the Societe Genevoise d’Instruments de Physique.
  • In 1989, a chance encounter in the Cayman Islands brought him back to the US, while walking on the beach there very early one morning.
  • There he met Bill Caswell, sleeping on the beach. Bill had been evicted from his cottage after a fight with a girlfriend. Rubin gave him a place to stay.
  • Caswell offered him a job at Apple, which he accepted. He worked at Apple as a software engineer from 1989 to 1992. Rubin’s love of robots was apparent at Apple too, He even earned himself the nickname Android while working at the company.
  • Rubin got into trouble with IT department after he reprogrammed the company’s internal phone system to make it appear as if calls were coming from the CEO.
  • In 1993, Apple spun off a unit that was exploring hand-held computing and communications devices into a separate entity called General Magic.
  • Rubin joined the new company two years later, where he thrived in total immersion.
  • He and several other engineers worked around the clock developing Magic Cap, an OS for handhelds. It was called a precursor to the modern smartphone.
  • When Magic Cap failed in 1997, Rubin joined Artemis Research, founded by Steve Perlman, which became WebTV and was eventually acquired by Microsoft.
  • In 1999, he founded Danger, Inc., and rented a store he called the laboratory in Palo Alto, populating it with robots, as a clubhouse for Rubin and his engineer friends.
  • Rubin’s team created an Internet enable device, with a radio receiver and transmitter.
  • They pitched it as an Internet smartphone called Sidekick. They got VC support and sold it to T-Mobile.
  • In early 2002, Mr. Rubin gave a talk on the development of the Sidekick to an engineering class at Stanford. Larry Page and Sergey Brin attended the lecture. It was the first time they had met Mr. Rubin. Google was the default search engine.
  • In 2003, Rubin was ousted as CEO by the Board. Probably evil VC influence.
  • Using a domain name that he had owned for several years, Android.com, he started a new business and assembled a small team of engineers and product planners.
  • Their goal was to design a mobile hand-set open to any and all software designers.
  • Rubin spent all his savings on that project. He called his friend Mr. Perlman from Magic Cap and told him he was broke. Perlman ultimately lent him $100K.
  • This time, VC loved the idea. But Larry Page at Google found out about the company and within weeks, Google acquired Android for $50M in 2005.
  • He became VP of Engineering at Google, where he is oversaw the development of Android, an open-source operating system for smartphones.
  • However, he had trouble getting carriers interested. Then Steve Jobs announced the iPhone with a touch screen and with AT&T as the exclusive carrier.
  • Andy team scrapped the Blackberry-like keyboard and went all touchscreen.
  • The iPhone contributed to Android’s success in a strange way. By 2009 the growing success of the iPhone had become a problem for the carriers. The iPhone pushed phone manufacturers and carriers to side with Android.
  • The first Android phone was manufactured by Motorola, called The Droid.
  • Open source was important because it gave carriers and manufacturers confidence that Google would not have absolute power over the Android platform.
  • In March 2013, Rubin left the Android department at Google to return to his first love: robotics. He oversaw the robotics department at Google.
  • In 2014, he left the Google, was forced out because of sexual harassment claims by a subordinate He received a $90M settlement.
  • In 2015, Rubin founded Playground Global, a venture capital firm and studio for technology start-ups, providing funding, resources, and mentorship. Rubin left Playground Global in May 2019.
  • In 2015, Rubin joined and helped create the Android phone start-up Essential Products. On February 12, 2020, Essential announced it was ceasing operations. Details from his ongoing divorce proved fatal.
  • He still loves robotics. His front door has a retinal scanner. If the scanner recognizes you, the door unlocks. His doorbell is a robotic arm, which grips a mallet and then strikes a large gong.

Observations from the Faculty Lounge

  • Why was Android successful? It was the impossible dream.
  • It was open source, giving carrier the chance to modify the code.
  • It has hardware diversity. Android has a range of manufacturers producing a range of products. Apple is restricted to one design and one manufacturer.
  • It had a great business model based on Google advertising revenue and Google Play revenue. The OS free pricing enabled low cost phones that could be sold in developing countries.
  • It was the perfect combination of price, control and flexibility, complementing the luxury and closed iPhone model.
  • Android now owns 87% of the global market because of these features, but only 41% of the US market.

DeFi Platform Qubit Finance Loses $80 Million to Hacker

  • Qubit Finance took to Twitter last night to beg hackers to return more than $80 million in stolen cryptocurrency this week.
  • On Thursday, the DeFi platform said their protocol was exploited by a hacker who eventually stole 206,809 binance coins from Qubit’s QBridge protocol, worth more than $80 million
  • An hour after the first message, the company explained that they were tracking the exploiter and monitoring the stolen cryptocurrency.
  • They noted that they contacted the hacker and offered them the maximum bug bounty in exchange for a return of the funds, something a number of other hacked DeFi platforms have tried to some success.
  • They shared multiple messages on Twitter that they purportedly sent to the hacker offering a bug bounty of $250,000 and begging for a return of the stolen funds.
  • The company explained in a blog post that their Qubit protocol “was subject to an exploit to our QBridge deposit function.
  • Essentially, what the attacker did is take advantage of a logical error in Qubit Finance’s code that allowed them to input malicious data and withdraw tokens on Binance Smart Chain even though none were deposited.

Birth of Weather Forecasting

  • Admiral Robert FitzRoy is the man who created weather forecasting.
  • FitzRoy is chiefly remembered as Charles Darwin’s captain on HMS Beagle, during the famous circumnavigation in the 1830s.
  • But in his lifetime FitzRoy found celebrity not from his time at sea but from his pioneering daily weather predictions, which he called by a new name of his own invention – “forecasts”.
  • There was no such thing as a weather forecast in 1854 when FitzRoy established what would later be called the Met Office.
  • With no forecasts, fishermen, farmers and others who worked in the open had to rely on weather wisdom – the appearance of clouds or the behavior of animals – to tell them what was coming.
  • But FitzRoy was troubled by the massive loss of life at sea around the coasts of Victorian Britain. Between 1855 and 1860, 7,402 ships were wrecked off the coasts with a total of 7,201 lost lives. FitzRoy believed that with forewarning, many of these could have been saved.
  • After the disastrous sinking of the Royal Charter gold ship off Anglesey in 1859 he was given the authority to start issuing storm warnings.
  • FitzRoy was able to do this using the electric telegraph. With the telegraph network expanding quickly, FitzRoy was able to start gathering real-time weather data from the coasts at his London office. If he thought a storm was imminent, he could telegraph a port where a drum was raised in the harbor. It was, he said, “a race to warn the outpost before the gale reaches them”.
  • FitzRoy’s storm warnings began in 1860 and his general forecasts followed the next year – stating the probable weather for two days ahead.
  • For FitzRoy the forecasts were a by-product of his storm warnings. As he was analyzing atmospheric data anyway, he reasoned that he might as well forward his conclusions – fine, fair, rainy or stormy – on to the newspapers for publication.
  • First published in The Times in 1861 and syndicated in titles across Britain, they soon became fantastically popular.
  • His department, which began with a staff of three, now employs more than 1,500 people and has an annual budget of more than $80m.