Interesting

My collegue Michael O'Neill wrote this article:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mojoneill_seo-aieo-aio-activity-7346993428431257600-a3tA?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&rcm=ACoAAAPe9isBuASgWBUquifC7UzhEtUZo-dg2FQ 

The Extinction Event

https://skooloflife.medium.com/the-extinction-event-why-saas-is-already-dead-it-just-doesnt-know-it-yet-bf98fb4d9514 

Why SaaS is Already Dead (It Just Doesn't Know It Yet)

As data centers proliferate, conflict with local communities follows - ABC News

https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/data-centers-proliferate-conflict-local-communities-116473971 

Why Google Drive storage is still full after deleting files | PCWorld

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2382252/google-drive-files-deleted-but-storage-still-full-how-to-solve-the-problem.html

How to search multiple PDFs at the same time like a pro | PCWorld

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2412056/searching-multiple-pdfs-at-the-same-time-how-does-that-work.html

Delete duplicate photos with this free PC software | PCWorld

https://www.pcworld.com/article/613426/delete-duplicate-photos-with-this-free-pc-software.html

5.25-inch floppy disks expected to help run San Francisco trains until 2030

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https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/04/5-25-inch-floppy-disks-expected-to-help-run-san-francisco-trains-until-2030 - 5.25-inch floppy disks expected to help run San Francisco trains until 2030 - "We have a technical debt that stretches back many decades."

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How a Small Iowa Newspaper’s Website Became an AI-Generated Clickbait Factory

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https://www.wired.com/story/iowa-newspaper-website-ai-generated-clickbait-factory/ - How a Small Iowa Newspaper’s Website Became an AI-Generated Clickbait Factory - When two former Meta employees dug into why the website of Iowa’s Clayton County Register was spewing dubious posts about stocks, they uncovered a network of sites slinging seemingly AI-made content.

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Triumph of the Nerds Part II

Prepare yourself for a long transcript about the genesis of what is known, in 2023, as the "good old days" in the world of computers and technology. The link below will take you to a transcript of a PBS show during which legendary visionary computer nerds talk about the way things were when computers started becoming a reality.

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https://www.pbs.org/nerds/part2.html - Triumph of the Nerds Part II

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Triumph of the Nerds Part I

Prepare yourself for a long transcript about the genesis of what is known, in 2023, as the "good old days" in the world of computers and technology. The link below will take you to a transcript of a PBS show during which legendary visionary computer nerds talk about the way things were when computers started becoming a reality.

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https://www.pbs.org/nerds/part1.html - Triumph of the Nerds Part I

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Leftist Media Mocks Devout Christian Mike Johnson For Using Anti-P0rn App Along With Son | The Daily Wire

https://www.dailywire.com/news/leftist-media-mocks-devout-christian-mike-johnson-for-using-anti-p0rn-app-along-with-son 

Windows 12 Release Date and Everything Else We Know

The title of this article Windows 12 Release Date and Everything Else We Know, on the How-To-Geek website - Windows 12 Release Date and Everything Else We Know - is wrong. Early on in the article, I learned that the release date for Windows 12 is unknown. All the article does is speculate that it could be released in 2024.

Do Smartphones Belong in Schools?

The link below has links to 6 articles about whether a smartphone belongs in a school. This answer should have been the easiest of all answers and in a single word: no.

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https://getpocket.com/collections/do-smartphones-belong-in-schools?utm_source=pocket-newtab - Do Smartphones Belong in Schools? - Device bans in schools are meant to protect young minds from being “forever elsewhere.” But some teachers are concerned by the potential for a different kind of distraction

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I Hated Tests in High School and Typically Fail a Test but I Passed this One with a 6 out of 6!

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2023/privacy-work-surveillance-quiz/ - Quiz: Do you know how to keep your boss from snooping on you? - Six questions to find out how much you know about keeping your personal activities, files, photos and communications private at work

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ChatGPT took their jobs. Now they walk dogs and fix air conditioners.

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ChatGPT took their jobs. Now they walk dogs and fix air conditioners.

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Microsoft OneNote will block 120 dangerous file extensions

This drives me NUTS!
I despise the strategy followed by the author in this article because there's a better strategy. Typically, "better" is an opinion, but not in the way I am using the word. There's a better way to communicate this information and I'm going to step through it.
First, this is the article I am critiquing - https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/microsoft-onenote-will-block-120-dangerous-file-extensions - Microsoft OneNote will block 120 dangerous file extensions - and when you look at that article, you see this section:

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The hyperlink in the above screenshot - Blocked attachments in Outlook - includes a table, which I have included as a screenshot below, but I am only showing the file extensions that start with the letter a.

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Here's the specifics about the strategy the original author chose that I do not like. The issue is that the 1st article means that there is now a second copy of the content. Two people are now "responsible" for keeping the list of file extensions accurate: the author of the 1st article and the author of the Microsoft article.
That's dumb.
The better strategy that should have been followed by the author of the 1st article would have been to link to Blocked attachments in Outlook and not to copy / paste from that Microsoft article.
I touched upon this idea elsewhere on this blog. However, instead of copying and pasting from Single Sourcing Rant, I am providing the link to it.
That's a better strategy.

Remove Me From Your List

I received the following email from Val Swisher on 11-03I did something like what Val Swisher describes - I have been asking to unsubscribe from the X number of music publicity email lists. I haven't published a music review since 11-29-2016, which is when my review of Metallica's Hardwired... To Self-Destruct album was published on Dailyvault.com.

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Remove Me From Your List

by Val Swisher

Every year I make a New Year’s resolution. Not one that I can’t keep (such as competing in the next Iron Man competition) - I make sure it is something achievable. Over the years, I’ve resolved to:
•    Not check email during conference calls (come on, you do it too...)
•    Not talk on the phone in the car
•    Not check email in bed
Last year, my resolution was to immediately unsubscribe from all the lists my name has ended up on. You know the type – the ones where magically some company (usually a marketing agency) has gotten your name and then barrages you with unwelcome correspondence asking for a meeting.

Here is one that I received yesterday:

"Hi Val,

Leah on my team just asked me to reach out. Despite the recent email to you, Leah thought it might be better for us to connect directly.

As I’m sure Leah mentioned, we make high-power introductions for a living, specifically in the world of marketing.

If marketing isn’t bringing in 25% of your revenue, you’re missing low-hanging fruit. To capitalize, I can introduce you to a vetted marketing expert with a verified track record of driving revenue. You’ll be impressed, and they’ll open your eyes to what is possible.

Can I make the connection and set up an intro call?

Best,

Joseph Williams"

No Joseph. No you may not.

I’m 100% sure that I’ve already told Leah to remove me from their list (note there is no unsubscribe button in this email). I’m sure of this because it is my New Year’s resolution to immediately unsubscribe from all unsolicited emails.

And yet, I get second, third, and even fourth follow ups stating, “I know you didn’t respond to me last time, but here I am again, with the same ask.”
 
Does anyone ever answer these emails? Someone sends an email out of the blue, makes it sound like you are their new best friend, and then asks for 15 minutes this week? No. I don’t think so. This is not exactly an effective content strategy.

I don’t know how much money these companies are paying for the lists and how much time and money they spend on creating and sending these emails, but however much it is, the money is wasted. In fact, I will never do business with a company that solicits me after I have already told them to remove me from their list.

I wrote back to Joseph. I asked him what it would take for them to remove me from their list, since I have already asked multiple times. I did not hear back. Let’s hope I don’t.

Until next time,

Val

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Some Tutorials

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Python for Beginners Tutorial - https://youtu.be/ b093aqAZiPU

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Playstore on laptop - https://youtu.be/ CguT4hl_KZg

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The Challenges of Phasing Out Old Technology and Bringing in the New

From The Challenges of Phasing Out Old Technology and Bringing in the New:

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No matter the siren song of new technology there are always challenges when systems and tech come to their natural end of life. It's hard to completely decommission fax machines, telephones, and backup tapes! Recently Japan’s digital minister has declared war on floppy disks, decades after the technology became largely obsolete, but could encounter opposition from nostalgic devotees inside the country’s vast bureaucracy.

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I admit that yes, I am a technology hoarder. I have a container of cords from technology gone by. I have an old TV in our sump pump storage room that I have kept because you never know when it could be needed even while thinking that I will never need it. All that to say no, I do not own any floppy disks.

How is this Done?

For decades, I have been curious about the technology I encounter daily. 

This dates back to at least 2005. My curiosity led me to receive the RoboHelp MVP award for answering questions in the Adobe forums. I point to the fact that I would seek out WinHelp (.hlp) files. If I saw something I wanted to implement into my WinHelp files at work, I would download the WinHelp (.hlp) file - many times to my PC at home at my leisure (off-work) and then decompile the .hlp file in order to figure out how the original technical writer implemented the cool thing I wanted to implement in my WinHelp files at work. At the time, I was working with a master.cnt layout of connecting 100+ WinHelp files seamlessly into what looked like a single WinHelp file. It was truly awesome. 

So that's the background for why I was looking at this email I received this morning. I spent a couple of minutes drawing lines from the email preview on the left to the corresponding text on the right. The question is: where is the text in green on the right side? My best guess is that there's text in the HTML code, somewhere, that shows that text in the green box on the left, but not on the right. Maybe? I do not know...

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