Newsletter Archives
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Cleaning up your printer
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).
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Safely retiring a device
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).
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A $1,000 hot technology? It’s quite a steal.
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).