Nerd News Tracker

Running an older version of Windows? You've got about 4 months to update to Windows 10 or 11, or OneDrive will stop working for you. Not thrilled with this, not because I'm running Windows 7... cause I'm not... but because this is such simple basic communications,...

Taking an Uber, but you're disabled? Apparently there has been an extra fee added for taking too long to get in or out of the car. The USDOJ is working to fix this and bring Uber into compliance with the American's with Disabilities Act. Frankly, I'm not surprised,...

Just recently, it was uncovered that Apple installed a chip into the screen with a serial number. Swap out the screen, and the phone would know, and then break your FaceID. This unconscionable act had nothing to do with anything but Apple trying to lock you into their...

Last weeks news about Hertz and Tesla inking a 100,000 car deal has some interesting battles. Hertz says Tesla is already delivering cars... but Elon Musk says there's no contract that's been signed. Very strange... Hertz declined to discuss details of the agreement...

Strangely, Facebook announced they will end their face recognition plans, and delete more than 1 Billion individual identification parameter templates. Amazingly, they announced concerns over how regulators are adjusting rules governing usage, and also "how people can...

Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, and genuine nerd, has joined with our own Keith in dismissing the newer versions of the iPhone. Keith is still using an older version, and I'm less inclined to make the jump these day's. Woz revealed this past week to Business...

In a new twist to keep you addicted to computing, or more specifically, gaming, the latest version of Far Cry is now sending you emails. The email contains a taunt from the villain, who guilt trips you into playing more. In a day and age where we are bombarded to...

I've already had a few contacts reach out about how Windows was offering to upgrade to Win11. Yes, it's an option, but it's barely been out a few weeks and they are already getting pushy. I've never resisted an upgrade like this before, and it concerns me how fast...

A shakeup in the car industry is coming, as Tesla just received a 100,000 car order from Hertz. This deal, estimated at $4.2 Billion is coming from Hertz who just left bankruptcy about 18 months ago. It blew up Tesla stock, and pushed Elon Musks value even higher than...

The latest news is that the big chip manufacturers are going to continue soaking us for more money. Yes, they are predicting at least a year before the prices on chips will come down. That means that pricing on computers will be going back up, and that will even...

Donald Trump announced a new social media platform, slated to open next year, and reporters started to create fake accounts named after the previous President and Vice President. I find it shameful that they participated in the news story, instead of reporting on it...

Process this number as best you can. FedEx shipped less packages last year than... Amazon. Amazon controls 21% of the shipping market, with FedEx in 2020 at 16%. While Amazon is still working on some components in various areas, like the last mile, that is amazing for...

Facebook may likely be rebranding, much as Google is technically Alphabet. It's coming next week, but it won't affect us and how we think of it. It will likely serve to merely hide some of the shadier dealings, and resist the PR of breakup actions by the government....

A section of our big blue ball has censorship to a level beyond the imagination of us here in the United States. The Yahoo news app is no longer available in China, and Apple and Yahoo are avoiding comments. This joins a number of new crackdowns against Olive Tree...

In a move to make more money, Best Buy is now locking some of the more coveted purchases behind their Totaltech membership at $200 a year. Sure, there are other features to it, like discounts, expanded warranty and return periods, as well as free delivery and...

Many new scams come out each day. The latest is labelled as a "Verizon Free Msg" and states that your bill is paid and there's a little extra gift if you click the link. Key thing... don't click links, especially when you can't even tell where they are going. If...

Miami's mayor has an idea of becoming a crypto-capital, by dealing in bitcoin for any and all who desire. Employee's, residents, and even holding it on the balance sheet are of interest to Mayor Suarez. I like the idea of enabling it as a currency, but I am also...

William Shatner, aka Captain Kirk, finally made it to space this past week. Upon his return to earth, and even from videos in space, it seems that he was speechless, and sometimes almost incoherent until moving forward. it was clear that he experienced something...

A massive DDoS attack happened this past week as a Microsoft customer experienced peaks of traffic hitting 2.4 Terabits per second. 70,000 computers were involved, so that's the equivalent of trying 70,000 people coming through your front door at the same time....

Our government is pursuing multiple tracking items. An IRS proposal to track meager sized bank accounts, and now "keyword warrants" that could delve into even some of the most mundane. Thoughtcrime is coming to our doorsteps, where innocuous terms could be used...

Now that it's allowable to censor based on the political whims of a platform, Pandora's Box (TM) is open. Google and YouTube are shutting down ads and monetization based on one side of the climate change argument. I haven't said which side, but it should never matter...

Amazon announced a lot of new stuff this week, just as we saw with Microsoft last week, Apple before. A cheesy $1000 voice activated robot; no thanks. A Ring home security drone; not feeling it. Another fitness tracker; not great. But, they did add items that I'm...

Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of WILLIAM SHATNER heading off into space.. Yep, Jeff Bezos plans to launch Captain Kirk on the next voyage to space, and that's amazing. William Shatner will become the oldest person to ever be launched into space,...

Imagine getting a car, and your windshield needs replacing. You go do it, but then your engine says "nope". Imagine that you even used the official factory windshield. Imagine that both are perfectly fine, other than that. Apple has done it again, crippling those who...

Microsoft announced a new version of the Surface, called Surface Laptop Studio. Using some of the same terms like "best ever", it delivered exactly as much thrill as last weeks Apple announcements. Yawn. The Surface Laptop Studio is supposed to be the sequel to the...

Apple's memo about going after leakers within the company... was leaked. Yawn. Apple CEO Tim Cook has warned employees about leaking company information, in a leaked memo seen by The Verge. Last week, discussions from a... See full story on Apple CEO Tim Cook in...

Amazon is going green, but not in the way that you think. They are actively switching gears and jumping onto lobbying efforts directed at our government, that would allow for people to purchase certain herbal substances, while they are also no longer testing for those...

Many of the pundits have noted that the iPhone 13 is just the unlucky one, as it just seems to be underwhelming. Just a little faster, just a little more memory, just a little more in the camera world. It's a plateau in a tech world that is no longer innovating as...

There is one e-reader still left on the market that's worth anything. Amazon's Kindle has been a strong leader for years, and now there's a newer version of the Paperwhite. It's a little larger, a little faster, and a little brighter... with a little more battery...

Apple has already started a progression over to the USB-C connector, but has stayed with lightning for the iPhone and the entry level iPad series. The EU push is a bit late, and nearly sad. It's no longer an innovation to push people forward, but merely an...

A new SpaceX launch took four American's actually into orbit for a three day experience that's far more than the little jaunts by Branson and Bezos. Still, the trip was paid for by a billionaire, as the first fully commercial trip went into a true orbit at 360 miles...

A scheme called pump and dump has been in the regular stock industry for decades. Now it's been found in the cryptocurrency world, as a fake press statement claiming to be from Walmart caused one of the virtual currencies to climb 30% before it was revealed to be...

Well, we're back at it again. The FTC has said what we've known... that the behemoth Facebook is a monopoly and acts with monopolistic behavior. They control 85% of the personal social media market, and as such, see many of our eyeballs on a regular basis. I know that...

In an ongoing story, on Thursday, while the President stated most everyone needs to be vaccinated, Microsoft pushed back their return to office from October 4th, to indefinite. This continuing pushback indicates that this major player (with 181,000 FTEs), is joining...

See someone sporting some Wayfarers from Ray-ban? Look closer, as they may also have two little circles that include dual 5 megapixel cameras. These also include 20 different styles, 4GB of storage, and yep, can even be loaded with standard prescription lenses....

Starlink (through this rich guy you might have heard of, called Elon Musk) will be offering speed at 40% faster than fiber in the future. This is a promise that will have to be proven, but I'm excited for it. The additional plus is that they are now interlinking the...

One of the scammiest things that Keith and I have seen, is where landlords, from apartment complexes to rest homes, just gouge their residents. The FCC is finally taking action because their weak rules keep a monopoly and a high price in place. Now if we can get them...

I like using tech. I love the idea of touchless pay, and the speed is a little better than the "insert the chip" version of pay. The problem that I've found the most with using Apple Pay is that I'm not going to hand my smartphone to some wait staff to take to their...

Apple's next event is coming in just a few days. Keith M. Sedor will be joining us on next weeks show to give his thoughts and opinions regarding the announcements.Watch the latest Apple keynote stream, and check out the archive of special event announcements for our...

Taking a cue from the last United States elections, Russia is threatening Apple and Google over allowing an app by the leader of the opposition to the political party of choice... United Russia. Scant different between Facebook and Tiwtter banning voices they don't...

Taking a cue from the last United States elections, Russia is threatening Apple and Google over allowing an app by the leader of the opposition to the political party of choice... United Russia. Scant different between Facebook and Tiwtter banning voices they don't...

Richard Branson, the first commercial billionaire in space (as opposed to Jeff Bezos), is now grounded again, or at least SpaceShip Two is. It comes from an issue where as he returned, his toy got a little off course. That will delay the first fully commercial flight...

Richard Branson, the first commercial billionaire in space (as opposed to Jeff Bezos), is now grounded again, or at least SpaceShip Two is. It comes from an issue where as he returned, his toy got a little off course. That will delay the first fully commercial flight...

Here it comes. Windows 11 is just a month away; October 5th. October 5th brings the most boring version of Windows yet. Minor coats of paint, it contains little changes here and there which look like Chrome OS or Mac OS. I've been working in Windows since before most...

Here it comes. Windows 11 is just a month away; October 5th. October 5th brings the most boring version of Windows yet. Minor coats of paint, it contains little changes here and there which look like Chrome OS or Mac OS. I've been working in Windows since before most...

So what is going on with Windows 11 and older computers. My personal theory is that it's here to render old hardware obsolete, and make us have to make the next move towards upgrading. Some older hardware has been allowed in the Insider's Preview program, but they are...

The FTC is adjusting a little, but they are pursuing Facebook as maintaining a monopoly since 2011. This includes where Facebook bought out competitors, or so heavily attacked them that they couldn't survive. The expressed FTC goal is to force Facebook to restructure...

The FTC is adjusting a little, but they are pursuing Facebook as maintaining a monopoly since 2011. This includes where Facebook bought out competitors, or so heavily attacked them that they couldn't survive. The expressed FTC goal is to force Facebook to restructure...

Hackers search for ingenious ways to get into systems. A recent vulnerability amounts to plugging in a Razer gaming mouse or keyboard, letting the software automatically load, and performing a simple trick. I won't go into deeper details, but one of the friends of the...

The headline is both revealing, and hiding more. Limiting accounts from making money, demonetization, hurts the creators, but still benefits YouTube who profits off of the content. One of the comments was about how to "make sure those who play by the rules are...

I like this headline, and think it says a lot of what we already know. I commuted an hour each way on Los Angeles area roads for many years, and it takes a toll. Today, a 14 stair step walk, in barefeet, and making my own lunch each day is a lot better on my stress...

Just shy of half of American's want censorship, in the form of the government restricting "misinformation" on social media. The 1st Amendment doesn't talk about good speech, knowledgeable information, facts or fiction, but all speech. Especially when we get into...

Facebook brought forth a new idea to bring VR to our homes, in the form of us using it to work from home. Current Oculus Quest 2 users will be able to join in conference rooms and the hardware will track movements and try to bring together a realistic world. I'm not...

Another hack of millions of current and past customers. The name could have been anyone. T-Mobile is just the latest in what is going to be an ongoing story where the characters are changed, but the plotline doesn't. Hackers recently came out claiming to have stolen...

Who says there's honor amongst thieves? One team used the tracking power of an Apple Watch, one of the cellular versions, to track down a drug runner's location where they robbed him of half a million dollars. Now, as with all tech, the digital fingerprints lead...

Changes coming to the Google platforms are coming to keep youth under 18 from trouble. Issues include preventing access to bad stuff, allowing them to delete their images from results, changing advertising to a much tamer level, and location history will be turned...

Time crystals. Quantum computing. The folks at Google have said they have managed to defeat entropy, change the laws of physics, and more... but oh yeah, it's not peer reviewed, and hasn't been seen out in the real world. It's interesting, but it could be just an...

It's not hard to deny that Apple is raking in the cash. When you consider that last years numbers for the tech company were $57 Billion, it explains a lot, like the valuation at 2 Trillion, it's 6th place marker on the Fortune 500, and oh yeah, why governments are...