Tech Suggestions

I replaced my laptop with a Surface Pro 3, it's windows based (Windows 10) and is literally a PC in tablet form. The battery is ok, the camera sucks and I wish it had more usb ports. It is very difficult to see the screen in bright sunlight, reading a book by the pool isn't really workable. It's fast but from time to time it runs really hot which bothers me a bit.

Overall I really like my Surface and will never go back to a laptop.

+1 for the surface recommendation. Haven't met someone who hasn't liked theirs.

Although you'll have to be ok with MS knowing more about you than you'd probably care to have them know. Windows 10 is all kinds of sneaky with the information it sends to MS.

What doesn't anymore? Even Google is presenting me with app store reviews that were written by people I know listed at the top of the reviews. Some of those people were relationships that required connecting some dots (a cousin's husband, for example).

Eh. Google is a bit different. I've always treated them as up front and

honest

about what they collect - just not how they collect it and analyze it. Everything with google is

free

which means if you aren't paying for the product, you ARE the product. The app reviews can be linked by email address in your gmail account being a match for someone with a Gplay account review. You get CC'd on Aunt Edna's Christmas card and all of a sudden Google knows that you're somehow connected with those people - and that connection gets more concrete the more times that the communication happens.

Anyways, its a bit more nefarious in MS' case. Just the latest news from Windows 10 is that it will send MS a copy of your encryption key when you choose to encrypt your hard drive contents. It will also share your private network key with anyone in your contact list behind the scenes (so you know, you don't have to be bothered asking what your friend's network password is when you come over to the house).

Geesh... the price of being too clever. It can be disabled: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/06/30/windows_10_wi_fi_sense/

My theory is to use the oldest operating system that still functions on the internet. If you are that behind the times, no one cares about you enough to exploit you. I'm still using XP, but it is beginning to fail me. I'm considering moving up to Windows 7. Of course, I don't keep any worthwhile data on these

dirtball

computers. The hackers can have their way with me, but they never do. If they did, I'd just re-load. They'd rather take down a Windows 10 or 8.1 system. (If I could run Windows 3.1, I would.)

I thought WIN 10 was free, so it harkens back to Tad's comments.

Who in their right mind thinks the internet is

private

anyway? Even darkweb isn't totally private.. Orweb tries but unless you're a tech dude and can disable any outgoing info transfers from your computer/tablet/phone....

I have a separate laptop with only internet (no e-mail, etc) to online bank (and that's all I use it for). But I presume the best security would be to walk down the road and use the ATM or bank branch.

And social media is in my opinion the biggest sell-out of them all. But you knew that when you started posting pictures of you and Aunt Edna.

Was it

Deep thought

that was Facebook's facial recognition algorithm? That works better than NSA's system now?

So, with the tin-foil hat I propose we all use the postal service (you're paying for it anyway..) and ciphers or double blind-drops.

Sure, there's no reason to panic since most of us have nothing to hide, but it irks me how much money they make on information I volunteer (knowingly or otherwise). Do they toss me a cent or two for the billions they make?

For something funny (and sort-of related), watch the TED talk on the guy who wrote

.Con

about his dialogue with spammers. I wish I was that creative....

Indeed it can - but until someone like you or I tell our wayward friends and family, whose going to know?

Win10 was free for 1 year from release for people who had windows 7 or 8 licenses. It was seen as much as a

we're sorry for foisting Windows 8 on you

move from MS.

You would be appalled to know how many embedded systems (like the software on ATMs and medical devices) still run on Windows XP - which hasn't had a security update in almost 2 years. There's a lot of custom software out there (like the service center management used by car dealers) that will not run on Vista, Win7 or Win10 (forget about 8).

Not only that, but a system's security is only as good as its weakest link. If you're worried about people accessing your personal information and so you're only going to go to ATM's then you'll be really worried to know that the MST tech that Samsung put into their new phones to use mobile payments without Near Field Technology like Apple and the other Android phones has been hacked so that it can remotely READ credit card stripes as well as transmit them.

Not only that, but those security cameras are capable of reading your PIN number. A simple $200 IR camera attachment for a smartphone can detect which keys you pressed on those metal ATM buttons.

The fact of the matter is that the OLDER the tech is the more insecure it usually is due to the fact that resources aren't being spent keeping it up to date and bug-free since nobody uses it anymore.

dang... so back to bags of pennies handed to the bank teller.

But maybe if someone steals my credit it will improve my score?

There is that story (unsubstantiated, but still funny) that a dude with the Progressive Insurance plug-in reader got his car stolen, and the

new

driver actually improved his insurance rating...

But if the ATM is hacked, etc. doesn't that fall on the bank to restore? vs. if my phone is hacked and transmits my info?

I've used both the Surface Pro 3 and the Surface 3 in an enterprise environment... The core powered Pro 3 is a solid device, but the atom powered surface 3 has been one of the most unreliable devices I've used in the last 5 years. I'd give a thumbs up to the Pro models, but a solid veto of the Atom powered basic models.

Where do you find it to disable it? I checked settings but no luck.

If you are talking about the incessant pestering adds to upgrade to 10, you have to uninstall a windows update and then hide the windows update in the list of updates windows tries to apply. I had to do this to my PCs because a lot of our equipment isn't supported on 10.

http://www.howtogeek.com/218856/how... -10-icon-shown-in-the-notification-tray/

If I could get away with it, I'd run Mint Linux as my daily driver, but... too many challenges running certain MS Apps.

I upgraded to 10 already just wanted to know about the Wifi sense/sharing thing. Not keen on that

why not just turn off the wi-fi when you're leaving

safe

networks?

Saves battery too...

You block the feature at your WiFi router by naming it with the suffix _optout. It doesn't look you can disable it at W10 you can just keep W10 from sharing your wifi info with everyone in your contacts list.

Quote from the link:

In an attempt to address the security hole it has created, Microsoft offers a kludge of a workaround: you must add _optout to the SSID (the name of your network) to prevent it from working with Wi-Fi Sense.

(So if you want to opt out of Google Maps and Wi-Fi Sense at the same time, you must change your SSID of, say, myhouse to myhouse_optout_nomap. Technology is great.)

so you need to do this even if you aren't personally using W10? So the router doesn't send info to someone wandering by who is using W10, right?

dang you, techies!

Someone just wandering by using W10 won't spread your wifi connection info unless you give that stranger your wifi password. You only have to worry about the people using W10 that you give access to your wifi.

Secure WiFi

only exists in the land of unicorns and leprechauns. Your Windows version is the least of your problems if you think otherwise.

Mike

what about hiding your wi-fi name? does that help any?

I think I'll go back to my tablet:

Glad my wife doesn't use facebook or microsoft contacts.

WIFI Sense is actually safer since you never share the actual password, unlike the

traditional

way of writing it down on a PostIt note or just telling them the password 🙂
Most modern routers have a Guest mode anyway which separates your guests from your own network.