Battle Born Tech
Battle Born Tech
Defying the Best Used By Date
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BBT from 2020

Has High Quality Stereo Recordings 

Breakmaster Cylinder composed and performs our theme music.

Defying the Best Used By Date

This week on Battle Born Tech we back pedal on last weeks memory amount recommendations, get in your face about your iPhone security, Notepad++ update server malware compromise, and talk to our callers about real concerns!

Bill is looking for desktop shortcuts. In addition to dragging the URL, you can hold Alt while dragging a file from File Explorer, this makes a shortcut instead of copying the file. For Programs, right click on the Program icon, then click More then choose create shortcut on desktop.

Halley stuffing new wine in old wineskins with VGA input from HDMI output. (3.5mm jack not 1/4″!)  Maybe a dock?

Steven is tentative about having Windows 10 on his network with Windows 11 and Linux machinces. 

We are in the studio Saturdays 9 am to 11 am Pacific. Call direct to studio then or anytime at 775-241-3571 and set up a time to battle your tech!
 

“Everything is easy if you know how to do it. ” 

“That guy just went update crazy.”

“Better but less popular”

“Smart to Dumb is easier than Dumb to Smart”

“It helps to have greybeard to figure out how to get old things working with new things.” 

“New wine into Old wineskins have been a problem since Bible times.”

“USB keys have a 4th dimension” 

“Times Up for Windows 10”

“What happens? Things STOP happening!” 

“You’re on your own, good luck!”

“Don’t tell  Microsoft” 

“There is a lot of nothing on the other side of October?”

“Take a left turn over to Linux” 

All em-dashes — were made by the common number of human fingers on the keypad—ALT+0151—no A.I. was involved in their creation.
 

 

 

BATTLE PLANS
assisted by Claude.ai


Hex Character Codes

A Hex Character Code (like ♥ for ♥) is a way to “type” any character using its Unicode number written in hexadecimal (base-16). The &#x is a standard HTML prefix that tells the browser “what follows is a hex number,” and the digits after it (e.g. 2665) are that character’s unique address in the Unicode system. 

Memory Interleaving²

Memory interleaving works by using the lowest bits of a address to select which bank to access — with 2 banks, addresses ending in 0 go to Bank 0 and 1 to Bank 1, keeping both banks continuously busy in a smooth pipeline.

It requires powers of 2 because the bank selection is done with simple, near-instant bitwise operations

Phone Lock Down Mode

iPhone Lockdown Mode is an optional, extreme security feature designed for the rare individuals who may be personally targeted by highly sophisticated cyberattacks. When enabled, it tightens security by strictly limiting certain apps, websites, and features — including blocking most message attachments, disabling complex web technologies, and restricting device connections. 

Metro Interface 

Metro (AKA Modern UI, Windows 9-style UI, Microsoft Design Language) was the bold, tile-based design language Microsoft introduced with Windows 8, featuring large, colorful, flat tiles on the Start Screen that replaced the traditional Start Menu and were designed to work equally well with touch and mouse input.

ESU for Windows 10 

Windows 10 ESU (Extended Security Updates) allows users to keep receiving critical security updates  after end of support on October 14, 2025. It does not include new features, bug fixes, or technical support — strictly security patches only, and consumer enrollment runs through October 13, 2026.

Tuesdays 8 PM Pacific 95.1 FM

Streaming LIVE on at KNVC.ORG

775-241-3571 or [email protected]

Battle Born Tech
Battle Born Tech
Roughing the Data
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CALL US SATURDAYS

9 am – 11 am Pacific

775-241-3571

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Breakmaster Cylinder composed and performs our theme music.

Roughing the Data

This week on Battle Born Tech the Big Game looms. Joe warns about the WhatsApp flaw that allows a code to be executed. Turn OFF auto-download feature to be better protected from the attack. Joe also cautions giving your data to AI, especially if you have medical or legal data. Christy has a warning about laptop batteries and underused dot matrix printers.

Bill wants to keep his work off of the cloud. After avoid OneDrive, we talk about on-prem options for backup and encryption for cloud storage.

Robert is stumped setting up his nest hub on the home guest network.  Security vs. Convenance is highlighted or obscured.

Brian has a slow laptop spinning in the data rut when he needs solid state traction. Memory needs to be matched, 2x4gb (8gb total), 2x8gb (16gb total), etc. not unmatched (4gb and an 8gb for 12gb total) Also warned about leaving a laptop plugged in.

We are in the studio Saturdays 9 am to 11 am Pacific. Call direct to studio then or anytime at 775-241-3571 and set up a time to battle your tech! 

“Probably just for the older folks…but who else is listening?” 

“A good way to use the cloud but not use the cloud.”

“O great, I got garbage!”

“Those things die without warning.”

“Except for bots trying to sell you something.” 

“Go right out of the house on the internet…don’t stop to talk to anybody”

“Maybe don’t ever answer a text…don’t click the link in text.” 

“Inkjets are like goldfish.”

All em-dashes — were made by the common number of human fingers on the keypad—ALT+0151—no A.I. was involved in their creation.
 

 

 

BATTLE PLANS
with help from Claude.ai


DIP Switches

A DIP (Dual Inline Package) switch is a small manual electric switch packaged in a series of individual on/off switches housed in a single unit, commonly used to configure hardware settings on circuit boards. 

Cloud

A term for the internet or the web and more specifically storage online with  internet service providers like OneDrive, DropBox, Google Drive, Amazon Web Services.

Dark Pattern

A dark pattern is a deceptive User Interface design trick intentionally crafted to manipulate users into doing something they didn’t mean to do: like signing up for a subscription, sharing more data than intended, or making an accidental purchase. Dark Patterns exploit cognitive biases uses and confusing layouts.

On Perm

“On-premises” refers to hosting and running software and data on one’s own machines, rather than relying on third-party cloud providers. This gives users direct control over their data, security, and compliance.

Zip File

The ZIP file format is a widely used archive format that compresses one or more files into a single file, reducing size and easing transfer especially executable files that could be blocked from downloading.

Side loading

Sideloading is the process of installing an app on a device directly from a file (such as an APK on Android) rather than through the device’s official app store, bypassing the platform’s standard review and distribution process.

Phishing

Phishing is a cyberattack where criminals impersonate legitimate organizations or individuals — typically through deceptive emails, texts, or fake websites — to trick people into revealing sensitive information like passwords, credit card numbers, or personal data. 

Spinning vs. Solid State

Traditional spinning hard drives (HDDs) store data on rotating magnetic platters and use a mechanical read/write arm to access data, making them slower and more vulnerable to damage from drops or movement, but they offer large storage capacities at a lower cost per gigabyte. Solid State Drives (SSDs) have no moving parts and instead store data on flash memory chips, making them significantly faster, quieter, more durable, and energy-efficient but more expensive. 

M.2

M.2 is a compact form factor for Solid State Drives that plugs directly into a slot on the motherboard, and when using the NVMe protocol, delivers blazing-fast speeds several times quicker than a traditional SATA SSD, making it the preferred choice for modern computers where performance is a priority.

Spicy Pillow

A “spicy pillow” is a slang term used to describe a laptop battery that has become dangerously swollen or bloated due to internal chemical breakdown, causing it to puff up and potentially warp the laptop’s case. This condition that poses a serious fire and safety hazard requiring immediate battery replacement. 

 

Carson City Linux User Group – Meeting third Saturdays at ComputerCorps in Carson City – carsoncitylinux.org
 

One on One Tech Help at the Carson City Library Wednesdays 3-4 pm Techbusters
 

Tuesdays 8 PM Pacific 95.1 FM

Streaming LIVE on at KNVC.ORG

775-241-3571 or [email protected]

Battle Born Tech
Battle Born Tech
Passwords, Pirates, Pi
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Password, Pirates, and Pi

This week on Battle Born Tech. UnderArmor loses 72 million customer name and email records that were later published. This joins other major leaks of personal info.

Lee with his Raspberry Pi 500 with a HMDI monitor but without sound like a TV has. Lee will need a ribbon cable to get access to his expansion port.

Annabelle has trouble getting on the internet. We discover a new router from an ISP means a new password for every device! If you have your WiFi passwords that YOU SAVED on your phone, then follow instructions at techradar here.

Art a fun pirate not a baddie, is side loading Firefox into an Android tablet to keep his tablet Google free. At least until September 2026, when Android is going to lock down Android to only registered and approved developers. 

We are in the studio Saturdays 9 am to 11 am Pacific. Call direct to studio then or anytime at 775-241-3571 and set up a time to battle your tech! 

“I hate Bluetooth audio.” 

“They’re big on passwords.”

“Apps that reveal passwords—don’t use them!”

“Many flavors of Raspberry Pi.”

“I got a lot of boxes here.” 

“Not really friendly – FTP”

“Allow rogue programs…” 

“Higher numbers are better.”

“I hear the drums are beating” 

“Have a Neat Week.”

All em-dashes — were made by the common number of human fingers on the keypad—ALT+0151—no A.I. was involved in their creation.
 

 

 

BATTLE PLANS
with help from Claude.ai


Doxs

The malicious practice of researching and publicly exposing a person’s private or personally identifiable information, such as their real name, address, workplace, or phone number, online without their consent, often with the intent to harass, intimidate, or harm them.

HDMI

High-Definition Multimedia Interface is a single-cable standard that transmits both high-definition video and multi-channel audio simultaneously from a source device to a display or receiver.

SSID

Service Set Identifier is the name assigned to a wireless network.

APK

Android Package Kit is the file format used by Android to distribute and install applications, similar to how an .exe file works on Windows, and can be downloaded from sources outside the official Google Play Store.

FTP

File Transfer Protocol is a standard non-secure network protocol used to transfer files between a computer and a server over the internet.

Router

A networking device that receives your internet signal from a modem and distributes it to multiple devices either through wired ethernet connections or via Wi-Fi.

Side loading 

The process of installing an app on a device, particularly Android or newer iPhones, from outside the official app store by using a downloaded file such as an APK, bypassing the platform’s standard review and security checks.

Neat Week

“Neat” is without ICE.

Carson City Linux User Group – Meeting third Saturdays at ComputerCorps in Carson City – carsoncitylinux.org
 

One on One Tech Help at the Carson City Library Wednesdays 3-4 pm Techbusters
 

Tuesdays 8 PM Pacific 95.1 FM

Streaming LIVE on at KNVC.ORG

775-241-3571 or [email protected]

Battle Born Tech
Battle Born Tech
Power Screen Pass
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CALL US SATURDAYS

9 am – 11 am Pacific

775-241-3571

Click for More Info

Breakmaster Cylinder composed and performs our theme music.

Power Screen Pass

This week on Battle Born Tech. Verizon users need to reboot there phones (turn it off and on again.)

Steve has a question about Windows 11 and checking your battery life. We unearth powercfg /batteryreport from the command line under the GUI, journey to diagnostics and BIOS (ESC, F12, F2, F1) with function keys at startup. We toss it a recommend to turn down the brightness.

Lee looking for the clipboard app for Linux. PrintScreen key works without telling you with ALT and SHIFT options discussion. Flameshot is recommended.

Joan looks for password help. We discuss NIST guidance, built in password managers, bitwarden, and long passwords or phrases.

We are in the studio Saturdays 9 am to 11 am Pacific. Call direct to studio then or anytime at 775-241-3571 and set up a time to battle your tech!
 

“Before you flip over that USB for the third time.” 

“Unless you like to muck around with the command line.”

“I’m a slow learn and a fast forgetter.”

“In 2004 hobbyist programmer wrote it for his girlfriend—in 2026 it is owned by venture capitalists in Czechoslovakia”

“Just make it longer.” 

All em-dashes — were made by the common number of human fingers on the keypad—ALT+0151—no A.I. was involved in their creation.
 

 

 

BATTLE PLANS
with help from Claude.ai


Package Manager

Used either as a command line utility or included in the desktop menu that automatically handles the installation, updating, and removal of software on your system.

Password Manager

Either a standalone app or built into your browser, that securely stores and automatically fills in your passwords so you only need to remember one master password.

Passkeys 

A modern replacement for passwords that use your device’s built-in security (like a fingerprint, face scan, or PIN) to log you in, and can also be stored in a password manager, with no password to remember or steal.

 NIST

National Institute of Standards and Technology) is a U.S. government agency that develops widely adopted technical standards and guidelines, including best practices for cybersecurity and password policies

 Extension 

A small add-on you install into your web browser to add extra features or functionality, like blocking ads, managing passwords, or enhancing privacy.

 CVE 

Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures is a standardized identifier assigned to a publicly known security flaw in software that attackers can potentially exploit with malware or other threats.

 

Carson City Linux User Group – Meeting third Saturdays at ComputerCorps in Carson City – carsoncitylinux.org
 

One on One Tech Help at the Carson City Library Wednesdays 3-4 pm Techbusters
 

Tuesdays 8 PM Pacific 95.1 FM

Streaming LIVE on at KNVC.ORG

775-241-3571 or [email protected]

Battle Born Tech
Battle Born Tech
A Host with No Backup
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CALL US SATURDAYS

9 am – 11 am Pacific

775-241-3571

Click for More Info

Breakmaster Cylinder composed and performs our theme music.

A Host with No Backup

This week on Battle Born Tech we don’t have Linux Lee who was featured over the break. Joe’s hair on the fire is the old bug-a-boo interpreters gone wild! This one is code execution hidden in MMS text service in your phone messaging. Use RCS instead if your carrier supports it.

Nancy finds out how to leave a Zoom meeting she is a host and keep the meeting going with someone NOT on the Zoom account.

Charlie struggles with getting Windows 11 taskbar back up on the side of his monitor. There are third party programs to modify the task bar position but there is a warning it is NOT supported by official Windows API.

Kirk has a sad story about a death of a hard drive, leaving no heirs. We help him through the stages of grief for his dead hard drive. Let this be a cautionary tale for Backup: different locations, different media is mentioned. 

We are in the studio Saturdays 9 am to 11 am Pacific. Call direct to studio then or anytime at 775-241-3571 and set up a time to battle your tech!
 

“I Zoom a couple times a week.” 

“On your way out…it gets pretty pouting”

“It’s like a church job…unless you find your successor…you can’t leave”

“Best Used By Date for Tech Advice.”

“I guess it makes a little bit of sense.” 

“Microsoft said: No!”

“Find yourself on the wrong end of an update.” 

“Accidental Technology.”

“Cloud: Other People’s Computers” 

“The dust is the only thing that keeps it running”

“Hammers are always good.” 

“Backup! Backup! Backup!”

All em-dashes — were made by the common number of human fingers on the keypad—ALT+0151—no A.I. was involved in their creation.
 

 

 

BATTLE PLANS
with help from Claude.ai


SMS

Short Message Service is a text messaging standard that allows users to send and receive plain text messages of up to 160 characters over cellular networks.

MMS

Multimedia Messaging Service is a standard for sending messages that include multimedia content such as images, audio, video, and longer text over cellular networks, extending the capabilities of traditional SMS.

RCS

Rich Communication Services is a messaging protocol that upgrades traditional SMS by enabling features like high-resolution media sharing, read receipts, typing indicators, and group chats directly through a device’s native messaging app.

API 

An API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate and share data with each other.

Cloud 

The cloud refers to a network of remote servers hosted on the internet that store, manage, and process data, allowing users to access computing resources and services from anywhere rather than relying on local hardware. Sometimes used to generically refer to the internet.

3-2-1 Backup 

The 3-2-1 backup rule is a data protection strategy that recommends keeping three copies of your data, stored on two different types of media, with one copy kept offsite to protect against hardware failure, disasters, or other data loss.

 

Carson City Linux User Group – Meeting third Saturdays at ComputerCorps in Carson City – carsoncitylinux.org
 

One on One Tech Help at the Carson City Library Wednesdays 3-4 pm Techbusters
 

Tuesdays 8 PM Pacific 95.1 FM Carson City, Nevada

Streaming LIVE on at KNVC.ORG

775-241-3571 or [email protected]

Battle Born Tech
Battle Born Tech
In Heaven There Is No Tech
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0CALL US SATURDAYS

9 am – 11 am Pacific

775-241-3571

Click for More Info

Letters KNVC 95.1 FM Logo

Breakmaster Cylinder composed and performs our theme music.

In Heaven There is No Tech

That’s why we call in here.

This week on Battle Born Tech We welcome church folk Rebecca, Paul, and Rebecca again. Rebecca has QR code shyness, Paul is wondering if he should  partition like its 1999. Then Rebecca returns with a phone call about phone calls, VOIP ones. 

We are in the studio Saturdays 9 am to 11 am Pacific. Call direct to studio then or anytime at 775-241-3571 and set up a time to battle your tech! 

“Uninvited and Underappreciated” 

“Makes you sad and never want to turn on your computer again.”

“The more unique you are the easier it is to track you.”

“Which is a good thing to do anyway.”

“Where I am going when I click this.” 

“Boring is good.”

“No one expects the Clippy” 

“Way to be alert there.”

“Turn you back on the computer and suddenly your logged into OneDrive.” 

“Keep the scammers and spammers away.”

 

Carson City Linux User Group – Meeting third Saturdays at ComputerCorps in Carson City – carsoncitylinux.org
 

One on One Tech Help at the Carson City Library Wednesdays 3-4 pm Techbusters
 

 

 

BATTLE PLANS
with help from Claude.ai


Cover Your Tracks

A free tool from the Electronic Frontier Foundation that checks how easily websites can identify and track your specific browser. Visit it to see your own digital fingerprint and how unique it is among other computers.

Browser Fingerprinting

A tracking method that identifies you not by cookies but by the unique combination of your screen size, fonts, and settings. Websites piece these small details together to recognize you even if you clear your cookies or use a private window.

QR Codes

Those square, pixelated barcodes you scan with your phone camera to open a website instantly. They are handy, but scanning one from an unknown source can take you to a scam page just as easily as a legitimate one.

Landing Page 

The first page you see after clicking a link, whether from an ad, a QR code, or a search result. It is worth a second look, since scammers build fake landing pages that mimic real companies.

artitions 

Separate, walled-off sections on a single hard drive, each acting like its own mini drive. Computers sometimes use partitions to keep your files separate from the operating system, or to run two systems side by side.

VOIP 

Short for Voice over Internet Protocol, meaning phone calls carried over your internet connection instead of a traditional phone line. It is how most home phone services and apps like Skype or Google Voice work today.

Shift+Restart

Holding the Shift key while clicking Restart on a Windows computer, a shortcut that opens advanced startup options instead of a normal reboot. It is the way in when you need to troubleshoot problems a regular restart cannot fix.

 

 

Tuesdays 8 PM Pacific 95.1 FM Carson City, Nevada

Streaming LIVE on at KNVC.ORG

775-241-3571 or [email protected]