Newsletter Archives

• Cleaning up your printer

  Posted on April 22, 2024 at 02:45 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 21.17 • 2024-04-22

  HARDWARE

  

  By Susan Bradley

  You’re probably thinking this article is about cleaning paper dust from a printer or fixing a stuck pick-up wheel.

  We all deal with that sort of thing. This is about something you probably don’t think about before heading to your local e-cycler with that old printer — sensitive information.

  That’s right. Printer manufacturers are increasingly adding beacons, tracking, and — worse yet — the subscription ink plans to wring out every bit of profit from a device that increasingly is being used less and less. That’s data, and it’s tied to you. I’ll get back to that.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.17.0, 2024-04-22).

  Hardware Factory Defaults, Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts, Printers, Recycling, Security, SMTP

• Safely retiring a device

  Posted on September 6, 2021 at 02:41 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  ON SECURITY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  When and how should you get rid of a computer or device?

  Microsoft came out with new news about supportability of Windows 11 on older platforms. The news about Windows 11 hasn’t changed much, so most of us will need to purchase new hardware to run it.

  Microsoft’s updated guidance suggests that those who install an ISO image configured to avoid the stringent hardware requirements will not be supported. It’s not yet clear whether that unsupported state means no security updates. If so, and if your device is not on Microsoft’s approved hardware list, I recommend sticking with Windows 10 and not upgrading to Windows 11. Security trumps modern.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.34.0 (2021-09-06).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, On Security AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Hardware, Patch Lady Posts, Recycling, Security

• A $1,000 hot technology? It’s quite a steal.

  Posted on March 15, 2021 at 01:02 CDT by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  Every technology has unintended consequences, but this is ridiculous.

  Essential elements in the devices we use every day — lithium, platinum, palladium, rhodium, basic semiconductors — are soaring in price as demand outstrips the facilities we humans have built to extract and produce them.

  It’s gotten so bad that common street thieves are stripping tech parts from autos and trucks simply to fence the “hot” components, which are literally worth more than their weight in gold.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.10.0 (2021-03-15).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Public Defender AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Crime, Precious metals, Recycling