Where would life be without fascinations? Where would life be without exploring the different aspects of our world through laughter, amazement, curiosity, and that childlike glee when we see something anew for the first time? I only wish that I could somehow bring many of the different treats that arrive on my web doorstep to your attention. Of course, through the magic of the Internet, there are few constraints to this excitement.
On the last workday of the week (usually Friday), we will bring you something at 12:00 noon Pacific Time (that’s late afternoon on the East Coast, so you have something before leaving the office). It’s here to tickle your fancy, entice you to learn, entertain you, or simply explore your funny bone. It may not always be humor, but it should never be boring. It will be clean, safe for work and the family, and will be related to our core topics at Computer Talk Radio, that’s computers and technology, and occasionally just plain nerdy.
Further, like many of the other things around here, if you submit something that we use in our Friday Fascinations, I’ll also send you something from the grab box(es).
Benjamin Rockwell
Computer Talk Radio Broadcast – 07-25-2020
Computer Talk Radio Broadcast 07-25-2020; Twitter, Ford, NBC, and more; iOS 14 Beta hands-on experience; Apple settlement; predictions and cautions; hotspot for WFH; video projectors; watch out for bad guys; website editing; Dress codes; Lunar landings
Twitter launches crackdown on QAnon – Axios
Cracking down on 100 accounts, perhaps reasonable. Maybe even 7000. But this is 157,000 Twitter accounts that are being censored. One has to ask when does it move from censoring the crazy fringe, to eliminating what may be a political stance that deserves to be heard?...
Why AMD says we’ll be buying a lot of PCs this year | PCWorld
Predictions aren't all that they are cracked up to be, but it looks like a lot of people are looking at computers to fill out needs in the household. Needs include more people at home at the same time, a computer for everyone, and a computer for non-work items....
AT&T’s scary email tells customers they need new phones now | Engadget
It's not the first time that a company has used scare tactics to push customers to buy, but AT&T really needs to explain this a lot more clearly. Unfortunately, I was unable to get more details to piece this apart. In a recent email, AT&T told some of its...
The U.S. Space Force logo and motto. > United States Space Force > News
There's a lot of snark about the logo, how it looks like Star Trek, and so forth, but I'm giving them credit... it looks really good to me. Semper Supra as their motto as well.... "Always Above". I think this entire design setup really works well. The U.S Space Force...
Twitter bans 7,000 QAnon accounts, limits 150,000 others as part of broad crackdown
Banning 7,000 people, and squelching another 150,000 people based on speech seems inappropriate, manipulative, and the kind of elimination of civil discourse we need during an election season. I'll be speaking, not on QAnon, but the overall idea of shutting down free...
SpaceX and NASA targeting August 1 for Crew Dragon return trip with astronauts on board | TechCrunch
Bob and Doug, the astronauts, are coming back to Earth on August 1st on the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. This has been an exciting start to the return to space, and will continue to bring new improvements in coming years. Pete Trabucco has already provided a great...
Watch Out: 99.9 Percent of Hacked Microsoft Accounts Don’t Use 2FA
Two Factor Authentication is not perfect, and it has many other issues to deal with. Still, 99.9% of hacked Microsoft accounts are not using 2FA. This says that perhaps we need to at least consider diving into this headfirst. I will be spending some time researching a...
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 to become 3-digit number to reach hotline by 2022 – CNNPolitics
A new number is coming for those who are seeking the ultimate worst possible permanent solution to their problems, suicide. Instead of a longer number, people who are struggling with the pain in their lives (like the 1000 former LinkedIn employees just laid off), can...
LinkedIn will cut nearly 1,000 jobs as pandemic slows global hiring | Engadget
I had started to back off on talking about layoffs, but this one had to be covered. With Microsoft reporting 28% year-over-year growth with LinkedIn in their last earnings report, it is disheartening to see them slice nearly 1000 jobs. So what if they can keep their...