TechByter Worldwide (formerly Technology Corner) with Bill Blinn

Although it's far from being my favorite Creative Cloud application, Adobe Illustrator 2019 adds some features that will please users and may even convince me to give it some love. In Short Circuits: Checking the safety and validity of a link before following it is always a good idea and a service from Google makes the process fast, painless, and easy. Adding network attached storage to a home net...

Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, there is no podcast this week. The link goes to last week's program.

DxO's second iteration of PhotoLab adds some superb features, particularly the ones that cut through atmospheric haze and remove digital noise. If you're not yet familiar with DxO, PhotoLab shows why you should be. In Short Circuits: The MacOS Mojave update brings several welcome options, including the ability to create a darker version of the interface, create better screen shots, and enjoy impro...

On1's Photo Raw continues the company's effort to work with Photoshop and Lightroom while competing with those same applications. A new version ships this month. In Short Circuits: The terms "internet" and "privacy" can exist in the same sentence if you're cautious about selecting applications and services to use. Microsoft has reduced the size of Windows 10 updates, but only for enterprise users...

SnagIt, the screen capture application that's been popular with documentation specialists and others since the early 1990s continues to receive updates and the 2019 edition adds unusual functions that won't appeal to everyone, but will delight some users. In Short Circuits: Adobe's website application, Dreamweaver CC 2019, receives several new tools that will please advanced developers. Microsoft...

The 2019 version of Photoshop extends content-aware-fill's capabilities and makes several user interface modifications that may seem small but were met with enthusiastic applause at the Max conference in Los Angeles. In Short Circuits: Is your computer's hard disk full? If so, you might find hundreds of gigabytes of useless files, so we'll examine how to find them and then get rid of them. One of...

Alien Skin's X4 version of Exposure makes it more capable as a standalone application, but Lightroom users will probably still want to use it as a Lightroom filter, where it adds several new features not otherwise available. In Short Circuits: Adobe's Max conference in Los Angeles introduced so many new and improved features that Adobe's presenters were unable to describe them all in a 2-hour pres...

Updates to Adobe's Elements applications do what we've come to expect from updates: Add powerful new features in the form of guided edits. Those who want to create projects they can share without having to learn more complex applications such as Lightroom and Photoshop should take a look at the new Elements. In Short Circuits: Facebook went wild this week with persistent hoax messages about accoun...

Computers often seem to become slower as they age. The hardware doesn't really slow down and some of the problems can be resolved by eliminating unnecessary applications that are running, but new hardware can also help. In Short Circuits: No matter how many monitors you've attached to the computer, placement is important because a bad arrangement can leave you stiff and sore. Mozilla is now offeri...

Open source software is secure and it isn't secure. There's no one-size-fits-all statement about security. Both open source and proprietary applications are like Schrödinger's cat, simultaneously secure and not. Let's visit a recent conference by the Linux Foundation and learn more about security. In Short Circuits: The Federal Communications Commission wants to fine an Arizona company more than $...

Let's take a look at Smart Photo Editor Studio from Anthropics. It's an application that features an unsual interface and thousands of presets that can be used to turn everyday images into something special. In Short Circuits: Apple introduced IOS version 12 for its mobile devices this week. Besides fixing some of the worst bugs in IOS 11, it adds some useful functions. Although I don't often use...

Listening to music on a computer can be challenging because most computer audio systems have severely limited fidelity. An audio equalizer application can help. In Short Circuits: Maybe you've wondered from time to time if your antivirus application might have missed something. Getting a second opinion is good idea and it's easy. I've explained before how to use a Registry edit to turn off keys th...

Those who have Microsoft's Office suite almost always use Word and Excel. PowerPoint and Outlook are lower on the usage scale. Access lower still. And then there's OneNote, an application that gets far less attention than it should, so I'll explain why it's been indispensable to me for more than a decade. In Short Circuits: User Access Control alerts can be bothersome. They can be disabled, but do...

Lynda.com used to have two membership plans at $25 and $35 per month, but now it's available only to LinkedIn Pro subscribers for $30 per month unless you know the trick for obtaining free access. And you have access to a lot more from an organization with a presence near your home. In Short Circuits: Windows 95 was revolutionary. Every version of Windows since then has evolved from it. Those who...

If you use a computer or other mobile device with any connection other than your own private network, virtual private network software is essential. A VPN can be helpful on your private network, too, but it can be troublesome. In Short Circuits: Two free applications exist to help users sort out what starts when Windows boots up. Malware sometimes has auto-start components, but the most common use...

If one of your Facebook friends says that you just sent a friend request, you'll probably think that your Facebook credentials have been compromised and that somebody has taken over your account. That's probably not the case and fixing the problem is easy. In Short Circuits: The latest phone from Samsung has some amazing features and an equally amazing price. Even if you don't use On1 Photo Raw, t...

Although GoodSync isn't designed to create a disk image or to back up the computer's operating system, it's a most capable and adaptable tool for backing up or synchronizing files and folders. In Short Circuits: Microsoft appears to be preparing to charge enterprise clients a monthly fee for maintaining the Windows 10 operating system, so maybe you're wondering if this will someday apply to home u...

Organizing a music library seems like it should be easy, but complications keep getting in the way. I've found some uncomplicators. In Short Circuits: Over the years, tiny computers have been novelties, but they haven't really gained widespread acceptance. Now there's a new one with some power. Are you tempted to buy some of those sale-priced $20 "RayBan" sunglasses you see ads for on the internet...

Several ways exist to test your internet connection speed and it's a good idea to check at least occasionally to ensure that your internet service provider isn't shortchanging you. We'll take a look at five options. In Short Circuits: An app that allows employees to communicate anonymously with each other and with people in related businesses will probably be near the top of the HR department's li...

With a variety of free office suites available, is sticking with Microsoft's $100-per-year offering the right choice? Let's look at the history of suites and then consider what's available now. In Short Circuits: To avoid installing a virus accidentally, it's a good idea to do more than just depend on an antivirus application. Even Linux users need to start taking malware seriously. We'll examine...

Data protection firm Cybereason says Macs are now one of the most serious security threats in businesses and other enterprises. That statement will surprise a lot of people and anger some, but it shouldn't be rejected. In Short Circuits: It's been 20 years since Apple introduced the IMac, a computer that was so different from previous Apple computers that it nearly caused a user revolt, but it als...

If you need to buy a new monitor, you'll have several questions to consider: The physical size and the number of pixesl are two of the key considerations. The number of options has increased a lot, so let's take a look. Also: A company with the ironic name Securus was hacked and thousands of accounts have been exposed. This is the 600th TechByter podcast. In Spare Parts: Virtual private network te...

Anyone who needs to document on-screen applications will appreciate some of the new capabilities in the 2018 version of TechSmith's Camtasia that also brings the MacOS version closer to duplicating the Windows version. In Short Circuits: Browser security is more important every day. A new version of Firefox adds some safety features and Mozilla is developing a process that might be able to warn us...

Last week we talked about the importance of updating your router's firmware to avoid a nasty flaw, but the files on your computer are vulnerable even with the latest firmware because no security system is perfect. That's why this week's topic is backup. In Short Circuits: TechSmith has a new version of Camtasia. Although I haven't yet had time to review it, the update appears to be a good one. A p...

A firmware update is available for most routers designed for home and small-office use. Firmware updates are easy to miss, but the current updates are important because they patch a security flaw that can give criminals access to the router and let them see any information sent to or from your network. In Short Circuits: This week Net Neutrality ended. There's still a possible way to reverse the F...