I’ve switched to using the Duckduckgo web browser on my laptop and phone as it promises to reduce tracking and increase privacy.
Early thoughts are that I am indeed seeing a lot less adverts, pop-ups, and opt-in modals. The video player is great as most YouTube videos play on it no trouble with zero adverts. It’s only the occasional one that insists that it is played through YouTube.
There are a few bugs in it though. One annoying one is where you have two instances of the browser open on your computer with each displayed on a different screen. If you select a bookmark in one it sometimes opens in the other replacing what was already in that window. This is especially annoying if it was a YouTube video and you have to then go back to it and find out exactly where you were up to.
Overall though it works much better than Chrome’s incognito mode. You can still be tracked by each site you visit but you automatically reject the third-party tracking cookies and content.
I still keep Chrome around as there are a handful of sites that only seem to work properly with it. I also use Google search on occasion as DuckDuckGo search filters-out a lot of stuff that you may actually want.
Still, early days..
Category: software
Paint Shop Pro
I miss Paint Shop Pro. The last version I had was 8. The software was originally created by Jasc then taken over by Corel and after that it became just another PhotoShop clone.
I’ve spoken previously about being a graphics artist on the Commodore Amiga back in the day using tools like Deluxe and Photon Paint. When I switched to the PC I continued creating pixel art using Paint Shop Pro. Over time though it seems like all the paint software became variations on PhotoShop; image manipulation and effects.
What I really needed was a tool that would allow me to create pixel art. There are a few web sites that allow you to do this to some extent but you need to be online to use them. You have Gimp, an open source tool, but if you’ve ever used it you will know how awkward and non-intuitive the controls are. I’d rather go to the hassle of running Paint Shop Pro on an ancient PC than having to use Gimp.
I get that most people want fancy high-definition graphics these days but some of us just want to create something old-school using a mouse, free-hand, and maybe on occasion the line tool.
I do miss Paint Shop Pro.
AV Test
I’m occasionally asked what antivirus tool I use, or what anti malware tool, personal firewall software, etc. My answer changes with each passing year. New tools emerge, old ones don’t score so well or become bloated with features I don’t need.
These days I just point people at AV Test. These guys do all the heavy lifting for you. They test the commercial and free security tools, putting them through rigorous testing and benchmarking. They then collate the results and present them to you for free to make your own choices.
So next time you want to know what the best antivirus tool is for your device head on over to AV Test. I check in at least once a year to see if I need to upgrade my own setup.
A Shazam for languages
I’m addicted to Shazam. The app is installed on my mobile and when I’m out and about and hear a song I like but don’t recognise, I Shazam it. As long as I have a signal I’ve soon presented with the song title and artist details.
As I travel more, enjoying cosy nooks in cafes and bars nursing a beverage as I write, I tend to overhear snippets of conversations in foreign tongues. I try to guess the country of origin but I’m never sure if I’m correct. This got me thinking about a shazam for languages. Unsure of a language being spoken? Just open an app and it will tell you. Maybe even including the dialect or region. Would that be useful to anyone? Beyond satisfying a curiosity of mine that is.
It doesn’t need to interpret what is being said. I’m not asking for a universal translator. Besides, that would technically be eavesdropping. No, I’m just interested in knowing what languages are being spoken around me.
It’s just a thought.
The art of patching software
Patching software can be a fine art.
I mean, when do you do it?
Too soon and you run the risk of a bricked device or loss of services due to an unforeseen bug or inadequate testing.
Too late and you risk exposing yourself to CVEs and known vulnerabilities.
It’s a fine art working out just when to take a software update. It pays to backup first so that you have a recovery option should an early update fail. You can then restore from backup and wait until the patch is stable before trying again.
So when do you patch?