Nobody Cares: Technology-only Edition

[Beebo Brink]

My company has decided to end the Wild West approach to software downloads by employees. From now on we're only supposed to use company approved software programs and they're in the middle of what I assume will be a long, torturous process of reviewing and (possibly) approving all the rogue programs. In the meantime, we're supposed to remove them from our laptops.

I'm using two unapproved programs that I have no intention of giving up unless they come wipe them from my computer. And good luck with that because I'll just download them again, tyvm.

 

[Veritable Quandry]

My company has decided to end the Wild West approach to software downloads by employees. From now on we're only supposed to use company approved software programs and they're in the middle of what I assume will be a long, torturous process of reviewing and (possibly) approving all the rogue programs. In the meantime, we're supposed to remove them from our laptops.

I'm using two unapproved programs that I have no intention of giving up unless they come wipe them from my computer. And good luck with that because I'll just download them again, tyvm.

I had to fight with University IT to get an admin account on my workstation so I can keep the Nvidia drivers up to date. I have a number of rogue apps, but most can run from a thumb drive without installing.

 

[Essence Lumin]

Microsoft issues urgent security update

It seems a tech security company accidentally posted a "exactly how to hack this specific Windows vulnerability" article online regarding an exploitable weakness in a Windows printer process. It was only up for a short time, but during that short time multiple people grabbed it and reposted it all over the rest of the internet, so MS is now pushing an emergency security update. They have even issued a patch for this particular vulnerability for Windows 7 despite Windows 7 no longer being supported, which goes to show how bad they think the situation is.

If you believe this article you are only vulnerable if you have remote printing set up which would be almost no home users so meh but updated anyway.

Instructions on how to exploit Windows Print Spooler accidentally leaked after research blunder | IT PRO

Security firm releases a PoC exploit for a bug it thought Microsoft had already patched

www.itpro.co.uk

 

[danielravennest]

Urg...

So I have been getting texts and now a letter about AT&T shutting down 3G and how three of the five phones on my plan will no longer be compatible.
...

Anyway, JUST VENTING.

So when I was first looking at this house, seven years ago, I wanted to be sure I could get broadband. So I called AT&T, whose name is on the terminal pillar next to my power pole, and they assured me I could get it, and that "fiber would be coming soon". I did get U-verse service from them, and it worked reliably until this February, when fiber *finally* was available, only 6 1/2 years later.

The installer ran the fiber line from the AT&T box to the house, and set up the inside wiring to replace the previous copper wiring. He left me running with the gateway router/wireless box running and all was good. A few days later *another* gateway box arrived via UPS, with instructions to return my old U-verse box. The installer had already taken away the old box, so I had nothing to return. I called them and told them so, and that's the last I heard. So now I have a spare gateway in case the first one breaks.

One part of the company must have thought this was a self-install for someone who already had a house with fiber, while another part of the company knew they had to physically run the fiber line, and sent an installer.

Moral of this story: AT&T doesn't know what the fuck they are doing. It's a wonder they can stay in business.

 

[Noodles]

Moral of this story: AT&T doesn't know what the fuck they are doing. It's a wonder they can stay in business.

Sometimes they really don't. And they are desperate to be thought of as a "Cool Tech Company" like Google or Microsoft.

 

[Clara D.]

Moral of this story: AT&T doesn't know what the fuck they are doing. It's a wonder they can stay in business.

At least they aren't actively evil like TimeWarner or Comcast.

 

[Essence Lumin]

My headphones didn't pair with my laptop this evening. I hit the connect button. It says bluetooth is off. OK so where do I turn it on? Nowhere it seems. Device manager does not list bluetooth at all. I ran the .exe from asus / qualcomm to reinstall the driver. It didn't make any difference. Bluetooth troubleshooter says I have no bluetooth device. I know I do unless the hardware failed or something so what now? It did some cumulative windows update last night so maybe the problem lies there. I do a system restore and lo and behold the bluetooth reappears. So do I dare try and update again? Sure what the hell. Cannot do the update. Windows update troubleshooter says it found problems it fixed and to retry. No dice. Somewhere on the web says to rename C:\windows\SoftwareDistribution to something else and retry. Ok that fixed it. The reboot occurs. Will bluetooth still be there? Yes thank god.

Windows can be such a pain in the butt.

 

[Free]

My headphones didn't pair with my laptop this evening. I hit the connect button. It says bluetooth is off. OK so where do I turn it on? Nowhere it seems.

My previous laptop had this problem regularly. Rebooting *usually* fixed it, for a time. Or removing/reinstalling the driver. I finally relented and opened up the machine, assuming the card was not quite seated in its connector. But nope, removing and reseating didn't solve it.

I was planning on replacing the card, but then the problem just stopped happening.

Then after a while, my fingerprint reader stopped working.

I hate hardware.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Let's spawn a new sub genre to this thread: songs about technology, here we go!

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

So when I was first looking at this house, seven years ago, I wanted to be sure I could get broadband. So I called AT&T, whose name is on the terminal pillar next to my power pole, and they assured me I could get it, and that "fiber would be coming soon". I did get U-verse service from them, and it worked reliably until this February, when fiber *finally* was available, only 6 1/2 years later.

AT&T keeps trying to sell us U-Verse but apparently we're too far from the CO for anything but relabelled DSL.

My headphones didn't pair with my laptop this evening.

Mine have decided to start disconnecting a few seconds after pairing. Tried it with two Macs and Windows and it's no different on any of them. No problem pairing with my speakers, either, so I don't think it's the computer.

Frigging Bluetooth.

 

[danielravennest]

Sometimes they really don't. And they are desperate to be thought of as a "Cool Tech Company" like Google or Microsoft.

So after complaining here about AT&T, I discovered that they have bumped my speed to 300 Mbps and dropped the price by $10 on my bill this month. I called them to verify this was a real change. So since I moved here, my speed has gone from 6 to 24 to 100 to 300 Mbps, all for about the same price. I really can't complain about my service, that's been working fine. It's the business side that's messed up, with people like Argent still relegated to slow service.

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

So I have been getting texts and now a letter about AT&T shutting down 3G and how three of the five phones on my plan will no longer be compatible.

Except I am 99% sure they will be compatible.

I've been getting the same crap from Cricket (owned by AT&T and using their network) about my BYOD phone. Indeed, when I enter its IMEI into Cricket's compatibility checker, it comes up as "not compatible". It comes up as fully compatible with T-Moble/Metro, however. I see a carrier switch in the very near future.

 

[CronoCloud Creeggan]

Bluetooth is a @#$@%$ shitshow, the only Bluetooth shit that has been semi-reliable for me is Sony stuff and an old tiny little nubbin dongle from Iogear I got from Wal-Mart, that I have attached to the PC, which I need to replace to support new features. My low-end Samsung phone can't seem to keep a bluetooth audio connection going when I get near a lightpole near where I live, with at least two different headsets. My sister has been passing on bluetooth headsets to me that don't work well for her volume wise in her use cases. They all have varying degrees of suck, or as one of my fashion mentors used to say about various things: "they are varying degrees of pants"

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

with people like Argent still relegated to slow service.

I have Comcast for fast service and AT&T for reliable service and whe Comcast goes down for a few hours I unplug the DSL and plug it into the right port on my ERX and do a bit of arp -d $defaultroute

I think there's some protocol that automates that if I set up IRDP or some other ETLA somewhere but I can't be arsed.

 

[Essence Lumin]

Fairplay and I both have laptops that have internal speakers that are pathetically low volume even at 100% with some video or games. I ordered this thing and it's great! volume is more than adequate and sounds quite good. Way better than I expected for $14.99. It doesn't need batteries or a power cord. It's powered by usb. It has no controls, just plug it in. Volume is controlled from the windows volume slider.

Amazon.com: [Upgraded] USB Computer Speaker, Laptop Speaker with Stereo Sound & Enhanced Bass, Portable Mini Sound Bar for Windows PCs, Desktop Computer and Laptops : Electronics

Amazon.com: [Upgraded] USB Computer Speaker, Laptop Speaker with Stereo Sound & Enhanced Bass, Portable Mini Sound Bar for Windows PCs, Desktop Computer and Laptops : Electronics

www.amazon.com

I am in a quest for on ear (not over the ear) headphones that won't break the bank without much luck. I got $40 Soundblaster v2 Jam headphones today. I don't think they sound very good so they are being returned. I ran across these which Amazon is selling for $50 today and have very good reviews. They were between $80 and $100 when they came out and the reviews were written. We shall see.

Amazon.com: Status Audio BT One Wireless On-Ear Headphones - Bluetooth 5.0. + aptX, 30 Hours of Battery, USB-C + Quick Charge, Award Winning Sound + Minimalist Metal Design, Matte Finish (JetBlack): Electronics

Buy Status Audio BT One Wireless On-Ear Headphones - Bluetooth 5.0. + aptX, 30 Hours of Battery, USB-C + Quick Charge, Award Winning Sound + Minimalist Metal Design, Matte Finish (JetBlack): On-Ear Headphones - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

I'm not in a habit of posting product reviews but these both seem special.

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

Fairplay and I both have laptops that have internal speakers that are pathetically low volume even at 100% with some video or games. I ordered this thing and it's great! volume is more than adequate and sounds quite good. Way better than I expected for $14.99. It doesn't need batteries or a power cord. It's powered by usb. It has no controls, just plug it in. Volume is controlled from the windows volume slider.

Amazon.com: [Upgraded] USB Computer Speaker, Laptop Speaker with Stereo Sound & Enhanced Bass, Portable Mini Sound Bar for Windows PCs, Desktop Computer and Laptops : Electronics

Amazon.com: [Upgraded] USB Computer Speaker, Laptop Speaker with Stereo Sound & Enhanced Bass, Portable Mini Sound Bar for Windows PCs, Desktop Computer and Laptops : Electronics

www.amazon.com

Does it work with Linux? How long is the cord?

 

[Essence Lumin]

Does it work with Linux? How long is the cord?

The cord is about three feet. One reviewer says he is using ubuntu.

I am using the USB speaker on a Ubuntu Linux PC. The speaker worked right away when I connected the USB cable to the PC. It doesn't have a volume control button built-in so to control the volume I made some adjustments to my settings using the PulseAudio Volume Control options. Mainly making sure that the USB speaker is the default option for sound output. Also the Volume Control on the status bar of the screen was configured to use PulseAudio as opposed to ALSA to control the volume.
The speaker has some weight to it which is nice. The sound is clear and quite impressive for such a small unit. In summary, a great product at a reasonable price.

 

[Noodles]

I've been getting the same crap from Cricket (owned by AT&T and using their network) about my BYOD phone. Indeed, when I enter its IMEI into Cricket's compatibility checker, it comes up as "not compatible". It comes up as fully compatible with T-Moble/Metro, however. I see a carrier switch in the very near future.

From all of my Rage Research, it seems the issue is that AT&T doesn't want phones good with LTE, they also need to work with their HD Voice, which tends to be phones they authorized and phones that they sell.

I feel like this whole mess is kind of a big mess of a story that a lot of tech news outlets aren't covering. I imagine part of that is these outlets tend to always be running some hot shit next year model phone because that's what is hip so it doesn't affect them and they don't notice.

The vast majority of people I know, are running older phones because "normal people" aren't upgrading their phone on a monthly basis.

 

[Khamon]

Phones and automobiles are used, in this household, until they simply won't function any longer.