WorldCAD Access

How to Decode Android WiFi Password QR Codes

Plain as day

 

I was faced with the problem of my Windows laptop not connecting to a relative's WiFi. He had given me the password to my Android phone through QR code, and that worked. But when I typed in the password he gave me into my Windows laptop, the router refused to allow it.

Andorid normally hides WiFi passwords with texts that reads "(unchanged)". I wondered if I could get the password from the QR code, translating the array of small squares into English. I could. Here's how.

This method uses a second Android phone:

1. On the Android phone that successfully connected to the WiFi, display the QR code of the password. I have found that different variants of Android put the code in different places. Here is one location: Settings > Network & Internet > WiFi > tap the gear icon, and then the QR code is displayed. On another Android, I found I needed to scroll down the list of WiFi networks and tap on an item labelled QR Code.
   
   
   
2. With a second Android, open an app that reads QR codes. This is a stand-alone app that you download from Google's Play store.
   
   
3. The app prompts you to point the phone camera at the QR code.
   
   
   
4. After a moment, the app displays the human-readable version of the WiFi router's SSID, password, and security type.

Spatial's 3D Insider's Summit conference 2022

Live from Munich

 

Alright, here we are in Munich, my first trip overseas in 2.5 years. For a decade or two, it was normal for me to commute to Europe and other fascinating places in the world several times a year. Heck, I timed my shopping trips in Europe to replenish those things that aren't available or are more expensive in North America.

So, I am in Munich for the Dassault Systems Spatial conference, while most of the rest of the CAD media is in Detroit. Dassault Systemes (Spatial) and arch-rival Siemens planned conferences for the same day, coincidence, I am sure. Both CAD vendors announced a date, but not the location, with things being up in the air so much. In-person Solidworks World (er, 3Dexperience World) was, after all, cancelled with just a few weeks to go.

As it was,  Spatial announced Munich first, and so I booked the trip; Siemens announced Detroit with just four weeks notice, and so this morning I am not in Michigan. Roopinder Tara reports from Detroit on his CAD Insider blog: thecadinsider.com/2022/04/back-in-the-circuit.html.

The two conferences are very different. The Siemens one is specifically directed at the CAD media and analysts, and so those guys and gals have their airfare and hotel paid for by Siemens. The Spatial one is directed at programmers and customers; I may be the only media person here. Disclosure: Spatial paid my hotel and provided all participants some corporate gifts (like a blank book and pen), one of which I am still trying to figure out. (It's round and white and plastic.)

This Spatial event is broadcast live online at info.spatial.com/2022-insiders-summit-broadcast-registration. The sessions are being recorded for later viewing.

 

The Importance of Spatial, ODA, et al

I consider the conferences put on by Spatial, Open Design Alliance, and similar firms to be the most important in the industry. These are the companies that determine the future of the CAD software we all use. They write the code that undergirds functions like data translation, solids and surface modeling, constraints, rendering, and even some aspects of the user interface.

By attending this conference, I learn what is in the pipeline for you.

 

Overview of Spatial Products
Spatial makes two lines of products based on two kernels, ACIS and CGM. ACIS was the first solid modeler licensed on the market, going back to the 1980s, and it continues to be the basis of CAD programs like BricsCAD and IronCAD. CGM is the kernel used by CAD software from Dassault Systemes, and Spatial has the job of licensing it to other CAD vendors. From what I know, CGM is not [updated] as popular as ACIS outside of Dassault, but [updated] is much more powerful than ACIS, and so some features of CGM, like polyhedral modeling, are being ported to ACIS.

The primary competitor to ACIS is Siemens with its Parasolid kernel. It is my understanding that Parasolid is more commonly used than ACIS. There are some oddities in the industry. IronCAD uses both ACIS and Parasolid. Solidworks, a Dassault program, uses Parasolid. Autodesk uses ShapeManager, which is based on ACIS but developed independently.

The theme for this 2022 Spatial conference is "being a trusted partner." Spatial plans to do that thru three phases:

1. Trusted partner thru ALM -- application lifecycle management -- applications that become decades old (think AutoCAD turning 40 next year).
2. Workflow-based solutions
3. Expertise available in different flavors

"We are expert in geometry; it's what we do. But we have to make sure we match your workflows." To so this, Spatial relooked at what it means to provide expertise. For instance, it improved its definition of "done" to mean the product is ready to use by customers. Spatial now provides dedicated people in a variety of locations in the world to support customers. Finally, Spatial tries to make sure that updates are meaningful across all APIs (application programming interfaces).

"We are very excited about the future, about all the problems to solve."

 

Despite what this photo seems to show, the room is in fact mostly full.

 

Overview of Spatial's Portfolio

Spatial has

• 3D modelers
• 3D InterOp
• 3D Precise mesh
• Bridges to HOOPS (from 3D Tech Soft)

In addition to porting polyhedral modeling from CGM to ACIS, Spatial is considering move feature recognition to ACIS, as well. This came about because ACIS customers did not want to have to also implement CGM just to access those functions.

Geometric translation is important as designers want to access the data and meta data in drawings from other CAD systems.

Spatial continues to improve simulation, which involves model preparation (remove unnecessary details to speed up the simulation computation time), Boolean-ing parts together (to turn multiple parts into one to simplify the simulation process), and mesh generation (because simulation works on individual cubes of the model).

In subtractive manufacturing (machining), customers are interested in determining ahead of time how much each operation will cost -- grinding or drilling or turning. PMI helps make these cost estimates. Also, customers want less human interaction -- maybe even getting rid of expert machinists entirely [booo!] -- so, determining automating drill sequences of holes, workpiece orientation, and bounding fences of rough cuts.

For sheet metal work, Spatial software can unbend and cut 3D models automatically, along with recognizing features in sheet metal parts.

In additive manufacturing (3D printing), Spatial  is improving slicing performance; the next release will expose 3D nesting, borrowed from Delmia. Spatial is working on adding more supports and different kinds of support shapes, like cones. 

Polyhedral modeling is modeling with "natural shapes," like teeth in gums or tunnels through mountains. A new feature is mesh deformation, so that there is space between teeth for flossing. Still working on more tools for healing meshes. Reverse engineering of scanned data to produce a b-rep model "is still a ways off," but they do have edge detection. 

Spatial is working on supporting non-CAD graphical data, such as from Viz, and converting portions to b-rep (CAD models). There is work being done by Spatial on AR/VR and BIM/IFCs, which involve huge models. InterOp reads IFC and Revit, and will soon write IFCs.

To improve QA (quality assurance), Spatial now offers alpha and beta versions to test that things work when the release is finalized. Working to improve performance in large models with Booleans and clash detection, along with faster releases.

Spatial sees a move from C++ to C# for programming; Linux support is finally available. A Mac version for the new ARM-based M1 CPU will be available in the fall. Spatial is still working on learning what customers want to do with the cloud; Spatial has cloud APIs available. Finally, Spatial is making sure their code has no cyber vulnerabilities.

https://www.spatial.com/

 

Practical Help for Ukraine

Mission Without Borders

 

 

Back in upFront.eZine issue #1,126, I wrote...

"If you would like to donate to an agency that has already been helping people in Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania for decades now (“boots on the ground”), and which upFront.eZine  supports annually, then I would like to suggest Mission Without Borders at mwbca.org/ukraine. We did. Donations are used to provide emergency aid and food packages for people in eastern Ukraine. (Tax receipts available for Canadian donors only.)"

 

I found an international debit card

Killing the exchange rate

The only benefit to the EU was its original function: a single currency for many countries. Never mind that my German relatives were disgusted by stores switching DM to Euros, leaving the numbers unchanged, meaning everything doubled in price, overnight.

For us non-European travelers, having a single currency is so-o-o convenient. Unless, of course, we also went to England. Or to Switzerland. Or to Sweden...

Over the years, I employed a variety of ways to pay for things with our Canadian dollars in Europe:

• American Express travelers cheques -- remember those? 
• Withdrawing Euro cash from European bank machines with my Canadian bank card -- once too often experiencing machines that didn't work right when I needed more cash urgently!
• Using my credit card -- at a terrible exchange rate plus service fee
• Purchasing Euros in Canada when the exchange rate was optimal -- but then carrying 1,000 Euros in cash on my person.

After the WHO shut down the world, one fallout was from currency exchange locations going out of business. Looking ahead to my upcoming trip to Germany, I found there was exactly 1 within 50km. I went there, and the proprietor said he didn't have any Euros, but could get some in a week. Or maybe in two weeks. I declined.

Then Wise (formerly TransferWise) released their debit card to Canadians. It took me a bit to figure out how it works, and it seems like a brilliant solution. Wise charges a low fee (no, this is not an ad I am writing for them!) and exchanges funds at the current exchange rate -- no markups. Banks often charge 6% difference in exchange rates, as well as charge a fee on top. The spread in exchange rates has worsened over the years.

A 7-cent difference for Canadian-US cash at my bank

(Wise doe not actually moving any funds across borders: they debit funds in one currency in one country, and then credit the other currency in the other country. I use Wise to "move" funds to and from clients and family in Europe, saving as much as $32 each time in bank fees.)

Here is how the Wise debit card works:

1. Move funds from your bank to your Wise account. In my case, I "pay a bill" on my bank account to Wise. The funds remain in in Wise account in my local currency, Canadian in my case.
2. When I need money in another currency, such as Euros, I move funds from Canadian to Euros within the Wise app. There is a small fee, like a dollar or two.
3. 
4. I can now use the debit card to make purchases in Europe, with no service fee. While still in Canada, I tried this out by using the Wise card to pay for seat reservations through Deutsche Bahn's Web site. It worked. I paid e8 instead of (roughly) $12.
5. I can move funds between currencies at any time, and it takes a second or two. I try to wait when the exchange rate is favorable, like this morning (red circle) from xe.com/currencycharts/?from=EUR&to=CAD&view=1W.

Waiting for the Canadian-Euro exchange rate to bottom out

If I do not use all the Euros on a trip, then I can convert them to, say, US$, should I have a trip to USA. Or back to Canadian funds. Each time, though, Wise charges its fee.

The card works as a debit card in Canada (I tested it), but it cannot be used to withdraw funds in Canada. I look forward to seeing if I can use it withdraw Euro cash from a European bank machine.

(Tip: Wise lets you specify an exchange rate, at which point Wise converts a set amount automatically. Useful when the exchange rate bottoms out in the middle of the night!)

 

 

 

Why we love not flying

It is Cancel culture, but in the real world

 

With all my international travel over the decades, we actually got to the point we were planning shopping trips in Germany: "No point buying it here [in Canada], we'll get it next time we're in Germany." Then the WHO shut down the world, but after 2.5 years we are finally booked for Germany again. Quite frankly, as much as we love travelling overseas, we found not-flying a rather pleasant experience. But, as we have family in Europe, it was time to see them again.

When it comes to flying across oceans, I prefer Air Canada over the other airlines. But Air Canada was not yet ready to fly non-stop from Vancouver to Germany, so we are going Lufthansa, our #2 choice. Inside Germany, we travel with Deutsche Bahn, second class (which feels like an airplane's first class) with reserved seats. 

(Tip: Germany no longer requires covid testing for arriving passengers who have at least two doses of the approved vaccines.)

Everything was booked! Then came the cancellations.

 

Cancelled Train 

"Timetable change for your trip to Berlin Hbf (tief)." DB wrote that our train was cancelled, and that we needed to manually book a different one. Best as I can tell, the high-speed ICE train to Berlin (3 hours) was replaced exactly on our date by a slower locomotive, so the trip would now take 5.5 hours.

I re-booked, but never did figure out how to get back our $24 seat reservation and cancellation insurance fees for the cancelled train.

 

Cancelled Flight

"ACTION REQUIRED: Your Air Canada flight has changed." Air Canada wrote that our Lufthansa flight was cancelled, but that we had been re-booked for another one. I just needed to click the button to accept the changed reservation, or else cancel it and then choose a different flight. The button showed the name of the button's variable, and so it did not work in four brands of Web browser on three computers -- an HTML coding error. 

No button, no click

Examining the changed flights carefully, I could see no difference: same flight numbers, same departure times, same arrival times.

Spot the difference

I phoned the airline (Air Canada, through whom I had booked the flight) and was pleased that they offered a callback service. As I waited, I finally found the difference: our seating class had changed from N to E, but still in Premium Economy. The agent confirmed that that was the only change, but could not explain why it happened, or what the difference between N and E is. Neither could the Internet.

The agent kindly offered to book our seats while on the phone, but then realized she couldn't, as the flight was with Lufthansa. Lufthansa told me they would charge $364 to reserve seats early.

 

Cancelled Plane

I was puzzled why the flight from MUC to NUE would take two hours, instead of the normal one hour. Again, it took a while to figure out the difference. The "flight," LH3806, it turns out, is a bus.

Spot the bus

Other than taking twice as long, we don't mind taking long-distance buses in Europe, as they also are luxurious. Being a bus ride, I wondered if we could disembark early, so that our relatives would not have to drive to NUE to pick us up. Nope, it's non-stop, airport to airport, almost as if it were a real plane.

 

Cancelled Insurance

Our credit card had been giving us travel health insurance over the years, but I wondered if it covered us should we get covid while travelling.

(The answer seems to be: you are not covered if your government recommends against international travel.)

I made a half-dozen attempts to get through to CanAssist, the insurance firm -- email, phone calls, online chats -- and all were rebuffed. When I called the credit card company direct, the call was redirected to the wrong insurance company. Blue Cross, the agent told me, had not handled this credit card in quit a few years, and he was puzzled why he was still getting redirects.

As I perused the credit card's impregnable Web site, I found that we, in fact, had no insurance. Now that were were older, the duration of coverage was cut in half. As our trip was longer than the duration, we had no coverage at all.

Followed by a frantic search for travel health insurance from elsewhere. The one we got does cover covid.

 

Cancelled Covid Test

While I was making all the travel arrangements, the Canadian government still required a covid test in the country from which we would be returning to Canada.

(Tip: Flying into Canada, everyone needs to download the ArriveCAN app for your phone, and then fill in the information required: personal data, passport info, covid vaccinations, for you and your travelling companions. Government of Canada now carries out random covid tests upon arrival, and you do not need to quarantine while awaiting the result.)

So I booked with the official test center at BER -- $122. Then the Canadian government rescinded the requirement. I wrote the email address provided for "Further questions regarding the order or payment?" requesting the refund, but received no reply. Wrote again, no reply. I was getting tense, as refunds were provided only within 14 days.

So, time to search for solutions, again. It turns out the covid reservation site is run by ticket.io, which is like a TicketMaster for Germany, and offers their Web site in English. The testing is done by a firm in Koln, whose Web site is in German. Through the assistance of Google Translate, I found a phone number, but did not relish the idea of having to speak in bureaucratic German, which is a language all of its own. While dithering over making the phone call at a timezone-appropriate moment, I spied an unlikely email address, and was desperate enough to try it. Five minutes later, I had my refund.

The $122 refund will go towards the $624 travel insurance premium.

 

The Secret of Premium Economy

When I last flew to Europe, I discovered the secret of premium economy. Briefly, this is like flying business class at a cost that's lower than full-fare economy. Airlines dedicate only 3 or 4 rows to this class, and fit seven seats across a width that in economy is ten or 11 seats across.

The 3x7 entirety of premium economy

Here is the pricing for a flight leaving next Monday, YVR-MUC:

• $1,164 - cheapest economy
• $1,924 - most expensive economy
• $1,619 - premium economy
• $5,927 - business class

Instead of being squeezed into cattle class, you get

• Two suitcases and a carry-on free
• Early boarding
• Dedicated flight attendant
• Big wide seats with lots of knee room and leg rests
• A travel kit
• Pre-flight drink
• Offered a paper menu of meal choices
• Served on china with stainless cutlery
• Can change flights with no service fee

In general, you are treated like a human being again.

 

Not Cancelled

At least our booking for airport parking hasn't been cancelled -- yet.

 

 

 

Update 3: The Impact of CAD Vendors Leaving Russia

Cold War II

CAD vendors who are shutting down their businesses in Russia (that I know about, so far):

• Autodesk
• PTC
• Siemens
• Graphisoft
• Dassault Systemes
• Altair
• Nemetschek Group
• Hexagon
• AVEVA
• SAP

As well, these twenty 3D manufacturing firms and publications: 3dprintingindustry.com/news/the-additive-manufacturing-industry-supports-the-security-and-foreign-policy-course-of-the-german-federal-government-european-union-and-nato-205472.

For its part, Nemetschek Group is doing the following actions:

• Organizing visas for local employees
• Providing refugee housing
• Donation matching for the humanitarian crisis in the Ukraine
• Suspending new business in Russia
• Suspending existing business with sanctioned individuals and organizations for the time being

Update 3 (Apr 27/22): We had indications that CAD vendors do not get a lot of revenue from Russia.

Hexagon confirms that Russia s approximately 2% of annual revenues, and so they took a Q1 write-down of e63 million. 

SAP indicates that it lost 1% of its cloud backlog by backing out of Russia.

Russia represents around 2% of revenue in fiscal year 2022 for AVEVA.

For Dassault Systèmes, Russia represents less than 0.5% of non-IFRS revenues in 2021.

Perhaps these firms could be saving some money as they "freeze business operations" by no longer paying staff in Russia, although I do not know if this is the case.

Q&A

Which leads to questions:

Q: Why did these vendors pivot away from Russia but not, say, China?

A: Some estimates I have read suggest that Western firms make only 1%-2% of their revenues from Russia.

 

Q. Will western CAD software shut down when Russian users cannot renew their subscriptions?

A. Perhaps. It depends on how the subscription confirmation and payment systems are implemented. Permanent licenses are unaffected.

 

Q. Will these CAD vendors be allowed back into Russia after, um, peace breaks out?

A. Perhaps not. Russia has local versions of many kinds of software, which it has being trying to promote. Lowered foreign competition gives domestic firms greater opportunities for regional growth.

Russian replacements for western CAD software include

• nanoCAD (for AutoCAD)
• Renga (Revit)
• KOMPAS-3D (Inventor/Fusion, Creo, Solid Edge/NX)
• Neolant (P&ID, plant design)
• C3D Labs (Parasolid).

 

Russia Responds

From The Register, we learn that Russia plans

• Subsidies to develop software
• Offer jobs to foreign workers without having visas approved
• 0% tax rate for necessary tech companies
• Preferential mortgage rates for techies
• Exemption from military service
• Loans of 3% to firms that do not lay off staff
• Discount on insurance;
• Free TLS certificates for entities whose certs are revoked

Rumours abound that Russia will disconnect from the rest of the Internet March 11, something it actually tested a few years ago. Another rumour is that the government may nationalize Western businesses that left Russia.

 

Apple dangles Facebook

Live by the ad, die by the ad

 

Facebook was this week kneecapped for being a one-trick revenue pony in pretty much only selling ads based on skifing (local slang for taking things without permission) our personal details. Facebook's underwhelming financial report was due to Apple increasing privacy in its products, making Facebook less attractive to ad agencies. One estimate* is that 70% of the loss of ad revenue was due to Apple's hardening of privacy, which, over time, Apple will make more stringent.

And so for Facebook, this will not be a one-time drop, which the stock market noted by lowering the boom on the share price (which represents a corporation's future value) by 28% -- the $92-billion fall being largest dollar-drop in the history of stock markets.

But it's not just loss of future ad revenues. The pivot to a future VR/AR-based metaverse, which included a change of the corproate name to 'meta', kneecaps Facebook's other leg, representing a loss of $10 billion on its own. This, too, will get worse, because the future for metaverses is as bright as for 3D TVs, something I have been saying for years now.

Google doesn't suffer from the same problem, because Apple picked Google over Facebook, and Google benefits from being somewhat more diversified. Of the monster tech firms, Amazon is the most diversified. 

2021 Revenues

Amazon        $458 billion* (7% revenue from ads)

Apple         $366 billion* (not broken out; c.3% from ads)

Google        $257 billion* (81% from ads)

Facebook      $112 billion  (98% from ads)

upFront.eZine ---           (19% from ads)

 

Apple's Isolation

Not that Apple is the golden boy here. The public reason that it increased privacy in its products is to protect us from outside firms skifing our personal details. The inside reason is that it wants exclusive access to our data, which it sells to advertisers via Google to pump ad revenues. Google scratches Apple's back by returning $15 billion yearly to keep Google the default search engine in Apple's Safari Web browser.

With Apple being a $365.82 billion/year company, the need to grow revenues ever higher will lead it to ever more desperate measures at revenue-grabbing. We see desperation in moves like attempting to prevent the US government from blocking American firms doing business with the nasty areas of China and eliminating the Apple Store monopoly on apps.

As well, we see

• Apple OSes siloing users
• Safari Web browser siloing users
• New M1 hardware siloing users
• Stricter privacy measures siloing ad revenues

The drawback to siloing (locking in users) is that it blocks Apple's access to the 85% of technology users who aren't inside the Apple camp. Recall that iPods and iTunes were damp squids until Apple allowed Windows users to access them -- an instant six-fold increase in the potential user base.

So I find it fascinating that Apple has reverted to ignoring the rest of the addressable market; perhaps, from inside the Apple Park bubble, siloing makes exquisite sense. Just as it makes perfect sense to Facebook to hold an a priori assumption that all our personal details belong to it. 

As Andy Grove wrote, "Only the paranoid survive." Translated, this means that we must run our companies on the assumption that our a priori assumptions are expendable: what we do today won't be what we'll be doing tomorrow. Plan on it; I did. It's how I ran upFront.eZine Publishing for the last 30 years. (For 25 years Intel didn't follow their former CEO's advice.)

 

 

Best tweets on Zucker's recent disinvolvement

Cuomo blast radius (@benyt)

 

As the head of CNN leaves the network following a sexual relationship scandal, Twitter voiced its opinion:

 

"Breaking news from the Caligula News Network. CNN could completely solve their ratings problem by turning their studio cameras 180 degrees in the opposite direction." - @iowahawkblog

 

"Over the last year, CNN has made more news than they have reported." - @KateHydeNY

 

"Jeffery Toobin is the only person at CNN that keeps his hands to himself" - @Richard_Harambe

 

"congratulations to jeff zucker for his new show on CNN+" - @SaysSimonson

 

"CNN blames Russia for Zucker's illicit relationship" - @zerohedge

 

"Whoopi Goldberg, welcome to Substack" - @mtracey

 

"CNN - Canoodle News Network? Trying to think of something" - @Goodtweet_man

 

"And behold, God said to Tapper if you find nine other righteous at CNN I shall spare my wrath; else the network will burn" - @SethAMandel

 

"Events at CNN suggest that our institutions of Woke morality are held together by fears of mutual assured exposure. Empires of virtue are built on blackmail." - @wretchardthecat

 

 

Driver-less taxis isn't a problem needing solving

Dystopia through technology

 

We used to have two young men riding the back of the garbage truck roaring down our street once a week. They threw off the lids, grabbed the cans, hurled the contents into the back of the truck, and back onto our driveways again -- in a smooth fluid motion that was a joy to watch.

On special occasions, like Christmas or April Fools, they'd wear funny hats, and always give a cheery hello to onlookers. Sometime they'd stack the empty cans in artistic ways.

Then the city went automatic. Garbage trucks are outfitted with claw-like devices that grab a can, lift it into the air, and then shake the contents into the back of the truck. Being a wanna-be green city, we have three sets of diesel-spewing trucks roaming about, one each to take in compost, recyclables, and garbage.

What's fascinating to see is how the city eliminated the jobs of two young men for a less-capable robot. Here's what went wrong:

• Cans must be spaced at least 1m apart, blocking half my driveway each week. (Humans can handle cans that are bunched together.)
• Cans must be placed specific distances away from shrubs and overhanging trees. (Humans aren't bothered by those.)
• Extra humans must be employed to periodically cruise our streets to inspect the contents of the compost, recyclables, and garbage bins to ensure homeowners are sorting correctly. (The young men did that as part of their jobs.)
• Failure to follow strict rules can lead to loss of service.
• Minor irritant: the lids of the new bins slam back into place automatically, so we are never sure when the garbage has been collected. (Humans used to flip the lids upside down, as a signal.)
• During the autumn, under the old rules, we could have up to ten huge paper bags filled with leaves and other yard waste; now we're limited to one compost bin, because the robot arm cannot handle paper bags.

I was reminded of how going forward with technology goes backwards in human service with an article that described the problem that self-driving taxis isn't solving. In short, all they eliminate is the cost of the driver, in exchange for losing the human-based security system, the ability to optimize gas tank refilling, and so on. The cost of the robot cars is about 5x higher than a regular vehicle adapted to taxi service -- or, in the case of Uber, no extra hardware needed at all.

And it reminds me of some Silicon Valley startup wanting to eliminate jobs at recycling centers to automate through technology the sorting. I'm sorry, but I gotta call them idiots, as they don't understand what eliminating humans does. I have an adult adopted cousin with elementary-school-level of intelligence who tells me proudly of his job going down the road each day to work at the recycling center.

The inhumanity of some technological directions is discouraging. Robots aren't cheery ever, even when  they have painted faces.

 

 

Why people left the workforce

Rat race status: no longer normal

 

One of the puzzles of our era is over the large numbers of people who didn't go back to work. As someone who was laid off (during a recession in 1984) and quit a regular job (to become self-employed in 1991), I find the puzzle fascinating. Of those not returning to the workforce following the Great Coronavirus Lockdown of 2020

• Why did they not go back?
• What are they doing instead?

- - -

GCL'20 was a disrupter, an event in history so significant that it dramatically changed human behavior for good: what once was normal no longer is.

The first time I experienced this was following 9/11. Until then, trips by Canadians across the US border to communities like Sumas and Blaine were casual, normal. The village of Sumas WA had the largest number of gasoline pumps per capita in the entire USA, because we Canadians would troop down there for cheap gas, cheaper milk, and lower postage costs. Often, US and Canada border guards asked us only about the purpose of the trip. 

Following 9/11, the US clamped down on border security, and trips were casual no longer. A decade later, the Canadian dollar sky-rocketed, making US products expensive. The weekly habit of "goin' down to Sumas" ground to a halt, and the village now features vast ghost plazas of dismantled gas pumps. What was normal no longer is.

One of the closed gas stations in this town of 1,500

- - -

The Great Coronavirus Lockdown of 2020 did the same. People found that what once was normal (you're 18, now get a job!) no longer was. Commuting each day to work at deadend jobs like retail sales clerk or office paper pusher wasn't the way life was meant to be. People realized life could instead be pleasant. 

Still, in this society we need money to live on, so this is what people are doing instead:

• Taking retirement early
• Not working as long after 65
• Cutting two-income families to one
• Becoming self-employed
• Doing work that's part-time and enjoyable

These changes to employment result in lower income, but it turns out that the same disruption is also allowing people to afford to live on less. By categorizing the less-working population into two groups, let's see how.

Group A. Being paid to not work

• The massive increase in equities since March 2020 has ballooned the value of retirement funds, allowing people to retire sooner.
• Governments freely handed out wage subsidies, some of which are on-going, allowing non-retirees to be paid to not work.

Group B. Reduced cost of living

• As trips to restaurants, exercise clubs, and vacation places are repeatedly curtailed by government, people don't have as much on which to spend their wages.
• No longer commuting saves repeating expenses like gasoline or transit passes, higher car insurance, workplace-specific clothing and accessories, and $4 coffees and frequent meals out.

The lockdowns caused people to realize that they could live better by earning less combined with having less to spend on.

The Great Disrupter wasn't so much due to coronavirus as governments' reaction to it; we can credit government for creating the conditions under which large chucks of people chucked it.

- - -

Being self-employed, the Great Coronavirus Lockdown of 2020 had no effect on me workwise, except in one area: travel. Since my childhood, it was normal for our family to fly across the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans to visit Europe every couple of years. (All our relatives live there.) This normal way of living carried on with my work, where my wife and I (and sometimes my children) traveled to Europe two to five times a year.

With GCL'20, travel abruptly ended. We found it was nice to no longer endure airport security and immigration lineups, sitting ten hours on aircraft, suffering from jet lag (both ways), missing train connections, and being bitten by bedbugs in hotels (just one time). We have stopped thinking about our next trip; and by no longer travelling we've saved a tonne of money. The new normal is that I can earn less because I spend less.

For people whose worklife routine was disrupted in 2020, the new normal has become very pleasant in 2022. As the lonely gas islands in Sumas attest, sometimes there is no going back.

 

 

 

When the replacement SSD won't boot

Time to panic!

 

Over the years, I've switched all our computers and laptops to solid state drives (SSD), after discovering just how fast they are compared to regular hard disk drives (HDD). The process is simple, usually:

1. Use software or hardware to clone the content of the old drive to the new one. The cloning process makes an exact copy of everything, including the operating system. You pay for cloning software or get it free, such as Macrium Reflect Free. Cloning hardware is a device that holds two drives, and clones the content from one to the other; see figure at left.

2. Swap the drives.

3. Start up the computer with the new SSD.

But when I followed this tried and true procedure on my newish Dell laptop, the result was two days of trying to figure out why the new SSD wouldn't boot. The Dell repeatedly complained "no boot drive installed." So I put in the old drive, and to my amazement (or horror, take your pick), it made the same complaint. Now I was really worried; after all, the worst case scenario was buying a new laptop.

I won't go through all the things I tried during those tense 48 hours. In the end, what worked was burning a recovery version of Macrium Reflect to a DVD (found in the menu under Other Tasks), booting the Dell off that, and then running Reflect's option to repair the boot sector. First time, it made no difference, oddly enough; later, I tried it again, and this time it worked. 

Whew!

Inside the Dell laptop

 

Other Problems

Here are some of the other problems I had during those two nail-biting days.

Samsung. I purchase Samsung SSDs, because they come with cloning software; the memory chips are made by Samsung, so no dodgy ones; and the Magician utility software lets me easily add a trim section and setup a cache to make the drive every faster. I bought the 2TB 970 EVO Plus Series M.2 NVMe SSD at a Black Friday sale for nearly half-price.

The very first headache of the two-day endurance race was that Samsung's cloning software wouldn't work, which is why I eventually got Macrium Reflect Free.

After I got the new SSD working in the Dell, I was so disappointed to find that the Magician utility software doesn't do much with the 970 EVO Plus SSD. The software won't perform benchmarks on it, won't set up a cache in RAM -- the Dell has, after all, 32GB RAM. Maybe an update might add these functions later.

NVMe. All of the SSDs I've installed either are 2.5" SATA versions that fit in desktop computers, or M.2 SATA versions that fit inside today's laptops. This means I have both kinds of adapters for cloning drives in external drive enclosures. My newish Dell laptop, however, uses the latest NVMe drives, which are much, much faster than the older SATA-interface drives.

Also, the new ones use a different physical connection. Which mean I had to buy an M.2 NVMe external drive enclosure, about $40. This was not a wasted purchase, as I later plugged the old SSD from the Dell into it, to create a portable 512GB drive for "free."

Macrium Reflect. When I finally found that I could use Macrium Reflect to repair the boot sector of the drive, this process was not straight-forward either. Initially, I used a USB thumbdrive onto which to put the recovery files. Macrium Reflect complained it could not write to track 0. So I tried another USB drive, and another. Always the same complaint. (I couldn't get the Dell to create a Windows-based recovery disk.)

Finally, I gave in and created a recovery DVD, which is mildly annoying as booting off a DVD is so much slower than from a USB drive. But at least it worked.

Dell. I worked through all kinds of workarounds suggested by Dell forums, which included things like holding down the power key for ten seconds while unplugging the power supply, then doing this and that and the other. None of it worked.

 

 

About this 80% keyboard

Clacking is the best typing

 

The IBM Selectric typewriter was the Bugatti of typewriters. It was heavy (so it wouldn't bounce around or be stolen easily by employees), it struck the paper with a single ball (so it couldn't jam; see figure at left), and the keyboard was lux. You just felt good typing on it, it attained 75% of the office typewriter market, and it became the standard for the clacky keyboard shipped with the original IBM PC.

Most computer keyboards today, however, are mushy. And so it was with great joy that a reader a few years ago recommended I buy a keyboard with Cherry Brown switches. My love of typing returned.

Germany's Cherry invented a line of keyboard switches, the MX series, on which the patent has now expired. The switch is the mechanism that sits between the keycap and the keyboard's body. It determines how far the key travels when depressed, the sound it makes, and the force needed to press it. 

Cherry switches comes in colors, and the color determines the keystroke effect:

• Black - linear, no feedback, makes noise when bottoming out; used by gamers.
• Red - like Black, but requires less force; also used by gamers.
• Silver - like Red, but with a shorter keypress; for gamers
• Blue - makes a noise when the actuation point is reached, so no need to press all the way down; used by typists.
• Green - like Blue, but with high force required and meant for spacebars
• Brown - not as noisy as Blue; used by fast typists (like me!), and similar to Logitech Romer-G and GX Brown
• Clear - like Brown, but requires more force
• Grey - like Clear, but requires even more force

 

Keychron K8

This week I got a new keyboard, ostensibly for my new M1-based Mac Mini. It is the K8 from Keychron, which is an 80% keyboard. A slightly smaller keyboard suits me, as my fingers are not particularly long.

K8 keybaord with key puller in lower right (Image source switchandclick.com)

But this keyboard hosts a ton of functions:

• Runs with Windows, Linux, MacOS, iOS, and Android
• Works corded or cordless with a 4000mAHr battery
• Supports three Bluetooth connections
• Backlit keycaps with white light all on or off, or with patterns (which I abhor)
• USB-C port for corded connection and charging
• Toggle the top row between functions keys or multimedia keys
• Gateron (not Cherry) G switches
• Includes key puller tool and a set of alternative keys for Windows and MacOS.

The only thing missing, for me, is a roller wheel for changing the volume, like on the AZIO MGK keyboard I use with my desktop computer.

The keyboard works well, and so I am pleased with it. The one flaw is the size of the printing on the side for the switches that change between Windows/Android and MacOS/iOS modes, and between Bluetooth/Off/Cable connection. The labels are illegible. I finally figured out their meaning by their length.

Illegible switch labels (image source switchandclick.com)

 

The keyboard is US$70, and is available with Red, Blue, or Brown switches.

keychron.com/products/keychron-k8-tenkeyless-wireless-mechanical-keyboard?variant=32018252267609

 

 

The reality of homelessness in cold weather

Only as grim as the media wants to portray it

 

The CBC headline "Homeless people left to fend for themselves amid extreme-cold warning, advocates say" is not warranted by the content of the article. The writer seems to confuse people who don't/can't live inside four walls year-around, with the number of cold weather beds.

I volunteer at a cold weather shelter in our downtown, and it is never full. We have room for 30 men and women, and on the coldest nights of last week (wind chill down to -26C/-15F), we had at most about 25 places filled -- even with the local help agency and police bringing us additional clients throughout the evening.

We offer them an evening supper, washing their clothes, recharging their phones, replacement clothing, hotpocket hand warmers, and a place to sleep from 8pm to 7:30am. In the morning, clients are bused to Salvation Army for breakfast, and then they are allowed to hang out there for a time afterwards. During the day, the old tourism building is a day shelter against the cold.

Hearing the head of a local homeless advocacy group speak unfiltered by the media tells me he knows the difference: There will always be those who refuse to live inside four walls. All we can do is offer them a place when the weather is bad, and even that cannot be forced on them.

But they are never left to fend for themselves. And advocates are not saying that.

 

How to make a smartwatch last a week

Don't buy Apple. Or Google.

 

My first smartwatch was the first smartwatch to look like today's, the LiveView put out by Sony in 2010 (battery life 4 days). It was appalling, and I soon gave up on it. Next was the Nike Fuelband in 2012 (battery life also 4 days), one of the first fitness trackers -- handed out by Autodesk marketing to us members of the press for free -- whose rubberized (and unswitchable) band irritated my skin.

Then came the winner, the Pebble Steel. Its claim to fame was to use digital paper for its display, so that the watch drew very little power while displaying watch faces; digital paper consumes power only when it changes the display. The watch lasted up to ten days between charges, and when I turned off Bluetooth, it eked out two weeks. But the display was coarse, and when FitBit bought Pebble it dropped support, and finally the display went bonkers, sadly.

Watches with operating systems from Google and Apple now dominate sales, unfortunately, proudly boasting that they last up to a day, if your day is 18, instead of the standard 24 hours.

Apple calls up-to-18-hours battery duration "All-Day Battery Life"

 

The fundamental flaw with watches running WearOS and iOS is that they have big operating systems shoe-horned onto very small devices hosting tiny batteries. It's that "let's get a foothold into the market" thinking that has given us technological marvels that don't last much past bedtime.

But now some watch manufacturers are doing the hard work of writing new smartwatch operating systems from scratch. The new OSes minimize use of the CPU to prolong battery life to a week or longer. Mine, for instance, uses about 15% of the battery after 2.5 days.  

I only really want a smartwatch to make it easier to change the time between time zones and light up in the dark -- for the convenience. I really don't care for all the other features. So the battery life in my watch is extended partly because I have the display on for just five seconds and turn off every function that I can -- sports, sleep, heart, stress, et al.

Here's the thing, tho: all the manufacturers writing efficient OSes for watches are in China: Motorola, Huawei, and a third one whose name I forget. 

So as watches run out of new functions to add, the next battlefield will be longevity, and here China has the lead.

Update: Garmin also uses its own operating system in its watches to make them last a week or longer.

 

 

When your Logitech mouse won't connect

Press real hard

 

So in an earlier post I waxed eloquent about mice from Logitech that handle two (such as the M585) or three computers (the M720). In  my case, these mice are ideal as I have a Mac Mini that shares an ultrawide monitor with my Dell laptop. One mouse for two computers.

However, in the last week, I've not been able to get the mice to work with either computer -- neither with the transmitter or by Bluetooth. Lots of generic advice out there that is really unhelpful ("Try turning on Bluetooth") or downright dangerous ("Erase this file...").

TIP  You can have more than one mouse connected to your computer at a time. This is useful when debugging wireless mouse problems. Plug a wired mouse into a USB port to help you manipulate the user interface of Windows or MacOS.

 

Unifying Receiver Don't Connect

Logitech's Unifying Receiver is supposed to handle up to six devices -- mice and keyboards. But they aren't just plug'n-play nilly-willey. I have several laying around, and found that when I plugged in one, it might not be the right one.

So if your computer can't connect to your Logitech mouse through the Unifying receiver, try this steps:

• Check if your mouse's battery compartment to see if it still has its Unifying receiver embedded; take it out and use that one.
• If you have more than one receiver laying around, try the others.
• Use the Unifying program from Logitech to link a receiver to the mouse. Download it from https://download01.logi.com/web/ftp/pub/controldevices/unifying/unifying250.exe

 

Bluetooth Don't Connect

I spent two days trying to figure out why the two mice would not connect to my computers through Bluetooth. MacOS saw the mice in the Bluetooth connection panel, but would not connect. Windows just plain called them "Unknown devices." I tried a lot of things suggested by others on the great intertubes, but finally found this one cool trick that makes them work -- one that Logitech does not tell you about.

• Hold down the switching button until the LED flashes very quickly. This action forces the mouse into pairing mode, and the computer finally recognizes it.

The figure below shows the location of the switching button on each mouse. The switching button switches between linked computers. On both mice, #1 connects to the Unifying receiver; #2 and #3 connect through Bluetooth.

 

 

Working with a multi-computer mouse

One, two, and three

 

Logitech has several mice that work with more than one computer. To use the two-computer mouse, you plug the transmitter dongle into one computer, and set up the second computer with Bluetooth. Then, you press the 1-2 button on the mouse to switch between them. Button 1 relates to the dongle, button 2 to the computer with the Bluetooth connection. The Logitech M585 is a mouse like that. I was able to set it up for a Windows laptop and an M1 Mac Mini. 

Logitech M585 mouse for use with two computers

 

Another mouse handles three computers, the Logitech M720: attach the receiver to one computer, and connect the mouse with Bluetooth to two other computers. Press a button on the side of the mouse to switch between computers 1, 2 and 3. Computer 1 is the one with the dongle, computers 2 and 3 connect through Bluetooth.

Logitech M720 mouse for use with three computers

 

I recommend using the two-computer mouse if you are working with two computers, because pressing the button an extra time to skip past the unused connection gets annoying.

Logitech says these mice do not work with ChromeOS and Linux. I tested the claim and found it to be partially true. My Chromebook's Bluetooth could not find the mouse, but plugging the dongle into the Chromebook worked. So I could use the mouse with two computers -- Windows and Chromebook -- by connecting via Bluetooth on the Windows side and plugging the dongle into the Chromebook. 

TIP   Here's another reason to use a two-computer mouse: when I need all of the USB ports (both of them) on my laptop for other things, then I can connect the mouse through Bluetooth.

But Bluetooth connections are inherently slow, so when I want speedy response from the mouse, I use the dongle. Just remember to press the 1-2 button after you switch from Bluetooth to dongle mode!

You should download the Logitech Options software, which replaces the old Setpoint software. It lets you assign different functions to the buttons and set the cursor speed. Curiously, the MacOS version does not allow you to assign double-click to any mouse button through Options. There is no version of Options for Chromebook or Linux.

Logitech's Options software for customizing the buttons of their mice

 

Flowing Between Computers

Both of these mice offer Flow, which lets you copy and paste between two computers. Both must be on the same WiFi network. Make the connection with the Flow tab in the Options software. I tried several combinations of computers, but could not get it to work:

• Windows 10 laptop with M1 Mac Mini -- no flow connection. Could the problem lay with the incompatibilities inherent in Apple's new M1 CPU?
• Windows 10 laptop with Chromebook -- no flow connection, because the Options software is not available for ChromeOS
• Windows 10 laptop with Windows 7 desktop -- no flow connection. In this case, the problem lies with the desktop computer, which connects to the network with an ethernet cable; it has no WiFi, over which Flow communicates.
• Windows 10 laptop with Windows 10 laptop -- also did not work.

That Flow did not work was disappointing , as I would have interested in testing it out. One solution suggested by Logitech tech support is to disable the Hyper-X Virtual Adapter from networking in Control Panel's Device Manager. I did that but it did not cause Flow to work. 

 

Using your iPad as a portable second monitor for Windows

Luna does it

 

The folks at AstroPad figured out how to make an iPad a second monitor for Macs, wirelessly, with the Luna dongle. Then Apple did a nasty by integrating the tech into MacOS, leaving AstroPad scrambling. What Apple taketh away, Microsoft giveth.

Luna still works with Macs and iPads (such as a display for a Mac Mini), and now works with Windows computers and iPads. I bought one of the magenta-colored dongles at the launch sale price of $100 -- the USB-C model. Probably expensive, but I figured I was supporting a scrappy developer done bad by Apple. The Luna page is here: astropad.com/product/lunadisplay.

Now, I have been disappointed before by wireless, second device connections, but that was quite a few years ago. Would Luna work?

I am pleased to say it does, following the kind of setup you would expect:

1. Download the Luna software for the Windows computer
2. On the iPad, download the Luna app.
3. Run both, and follow the steps to get them to connect.
4. Then select the options. In my case, I position the iPad to the left of the laptop. I tried Retina Resolution mode, but it just seemed to make things slower.
   
   
   
   
5. With the connection in place, you can drag programs from the Windows screen to the iPad screen. As well, the iPad's touch screen works.

TIP  In my case, the two did not find each other initially. The problem is that my place has four WiFi SSIDs. Both computers have to be on the same one, ie, the SSID with the same name. 

If that still does not work, you can connect the iPad to the Windows computer with a USB cable.

There are drawbacks to the system. The iPads operates at a low screen resolution, 1024x768, in my case. Retina mode would run an iPad at a higher resolution. Perhaps Android tablets -- and even Chromebooks -- could be supported next. The next new thing Luna is working on is making the iPad a drawing tablet. 

When you go to buy Luna, you are faced with the difficulty of having three dongles to choose between: USB-C (works on Windows, and the one I bought), HDMI (for Windows only), or miniDisplayPort (for Mac only). Luna cautions that the dongle does not work through adapters, like port replicators. I wonder how it would work with the M1 Mac Mini, which has a full-size DisplayPort connector, and so would need an adapter.

I tried the USB-C dongle on my new M1 Mac Mini, but while the Luna software tried hard, it could  not connect to the iPad. The detailed details are here: help.astropad.com/article/223-luna-and-adapters.

By the way, Windows is fully cognizant of the "display," as you can see in the screen grab below.

And of course I can add a third display to my Dell, which isn't possible with the M1-based Mac Mini.

 

 

How much does a mouse cost?

$40, or $487 (with free shipping)

 

Of all the hardware I use in my job as a freelance writer, it's the mouse that gets worn out the most often. I thought I'd stock up on some spare ones, and came across an intriguing model from Logitech on the Best Buy Canada Web site.

The M720 is both wireless (using the Logitech dongle) and Bluetooth. I liked that, because I prefer using the dongle for speed, and Bluetooth is there for when the laptop runs out of available USB ports (happens to me sometimes).

In addition, it works with up to three computers in turn, handy for one of my workstations where I have the Windows laptop and the Mac Mini that share a large monitor.

As a triple bonus, the mouse was on sale for $90 (all prices in Canadian dollars, rounded to the nearest dollar), instead of $130. Cool! I was saving $40! Here I want to note that it was not sold by Best Buy Canada, but listed by a third-party vendor. 

Before clicking Add to Cart, I wanted to know the purpose of that button below the roller wheel. I checked out the Logitech Canada site, and -- to my chagrin -- learned that the suggested retail price of this mouse is $70. Quelle supris. Saved another $10.

Curiously, Logitech's official documentation does not explain the purpose of the mystery button, located between 5 and 6 in the image below. I suspect the button toggles the roller wheel between clicking and smooth scrolling, a function I appreciate on the Logitech Performance MX mouse I use with my desktop computer.

Well, if Logitech says the mouse is only $70, then what price does Amazon attach to it? There, I found it for $40. Be still my beating heart: I saved another $30! I clicked Add to Cart. 

Since then, the price from this particular vendor has risen to $60.

Now I was intrigued. Using Bing to search out other prices for this mouse, I see that we can pay whatever we want for it. At time of writing, NewEgg lists the M720 for the following prices from itself and 18 third-party vendors:

• $66
• $60 + $10 shipping
• $70
• $72
• $74
• $82
• $90
• $103 + $15 shipping
• $129
• $132
• $140
• $144
• $116 + $30 shipping
• $154
• $174
• $187
• $191
• $193
• $487

There is a lot of talk about monster retailers like Amazon undercutting smaller sellers by monitoring prices. (I wonder if that's why I was presented by the $40 price.) But what about the opposite end of the sales tunnel: smaller sellers overcutting customers by listing prices higher than the one suggested by the manufacturer, then representing them as a savings on the "regular price," as I found at the start of my hunt.

Well, I suppose the lesson here is to not trust a red "on sale" price tag, and to take advantage of the Internet to do price checking. In Best Buy Canada's defense, I have purchased a bunch of electronic gear in the past few months from them precisely because they were significantly cheaper than Amazon.

 

Why you might want to make that next CD an MP3

LP CDs

 

These days I purchase most of my music from iTunes. I don't like rewarding Apple with 30% of the musician's pay, but... When we here in Canada want to be legit in our music acquisition and reward musicians for their hard work, we have little choice when it comes to downloading tunes.

After downloading a new album, I burn it to a CD. To do this in iTunes, you need to make a playlist of the downloaded music, right-click the playlist name, and then choose Burn to CD.

I burn new albums to CDs because of the visceral interaction missing from files. Music files on computers and our phones are hidden from view. I want to see and hold the musician's handiwork in my hands, insert it into the player, and then sit back in a darkened room to enjoy the aural experience that is the album.

While I adore the 12" magnificence of vinyl records, the 20-minute playing time is annoying. To get around this short duration during the vinyl era, I always recorded newly purchased records to TDK SA C-90 cassette tapes.

Recently, I bought a DVD player from a local thrift store. It was $12. It even included the remote control. (I could've saved 10% had I shopped a day earlier during Senior's Day.) The Onkyo DVD player, around $50 on eBay, looks handsome, but more importantly, plays back regular CDs and CDs burned as data CDs with MP3 files.

DVD players often do not explicitly state that they handle CDs, so I took a semi-gamble here. This particularly thrift store allows returns of electronic goods within two days.

 

(image source elektroonika24)

 

Here's why this is great: a CD burned with MP3 files holds about 10 regular music CDs (which tend to be about an hour long) and about 15 records (which tend to be about 40 minutes long). The exact duration depends on the bitrate of the songs: higher quality, fewer songs.

The problem is this: how to burn a CD of MP3s from songs downloaded from  iTunes. The short answer: you can't, because Apple adds anti-copying code to its music AAC files (which are in M4P format.). iTunes won't let you. 

The good news: there is a workaround. 

TIP   Check the manual that came with your DVD/CD player. You might be surprised at the formats it supports.

In the case of this Onkyo unit, it plays back AAC-format M4A files, which is the format that iTunes uses. I can have iTunes burn long playlists to a CD or a DVD disc, and then play the music without going thru the steps I list below.

Android devices play AAC/M4A files directly.

 

How to MP3-ize iTunes Tunes

1. Use iTunes to burn a playlist of the music to a CD. This action strips away the copy protection, and gives you a CD you can play in any CD player.

2. Use AnyBurn (or another utility) to convert the music on the CD to MP3 files on your computer.

3. Use Microsoft Media Player to burn the MP3 files to a new CD as a data disc.

Enjoy up to ten hours of music with your new long-playing CD or 24 hours with the DVD disc!

Many DVD and CD player support MP3 on data CDs, but not all. My 2009 car CD player does; my more recent Denon mini stereo system does not; my $12 Onkyo DVD player does. You'll just need to test out your music systems, for the cost of a CD.

 

 

 

Sandboxing: How to test unfamiliar software securely

Sandboxing Windows

 

Sometimes I need to test new software or I am looking for a utility program to handle a task, say, converting the formats of audio  files. Reviews are no longer reliable, so it is a matter of downloading a bunch and try them out.

How unreliable are reviews? On Amazon, reviews can appear from customers who were paid $10 by the seller to write a positive one. Software companies buy up review sites to maintain a facade of neutrality, or else write blogs that mention no negatives of their own products. Product descriptions themselves can be misleading, such as stating they are free to use when (surprise!) they are time- or duration-limited.

The good thing today is that we can effortlessly download 3 or 4 or 5 products to test out free. The bad thing today is that we can effortlessly download 3 or 4 or 5 products to test out. 

Of the ones I download, I might end up keeping one -- or none. The others now clutter up my computer's hard drive with files and folders, or might have stealth-installed nag software, or might have added stuff to my Web browser, or just generally act like a bad flu.

The good news is that the solution is to test software a sandbox. The bad news is that sandboxing is available only in the Professional version of Windows. For me, it was worthwhile paying $130 (Canadian) to get that peace of mind.

A sandbox runs a second copy of Windows in isolation. When you close the sandbox window, everything you've done disappears. In my case, the utilities I installed to try out disappear from my computer. This is secure, because Intel CPUs have long had the ability to run processes independently of each other. 

Otherwise, the sandbox acts like normal Windows. It uses your computer's display, network connection, mouse and keyboard, and you can even copy and paste between regular Windows and sandbox Windows.

TIP  Windows Sandbox includes the Edge browser, which you can use to visit dodgy Web sites. 

 

How To Install Software in Isolation

In this tutorial, I am trying out a utility for converting WAV files to MP3 files. By using it as an example, I am not disparaging the software vendor.

1. Purchase and install Windows Professional.

2. Download the software you want to try out.

3. Start Sandbox. (Click the Windows taskbar logo and start typing s a n d...). Notice that the Windows Sandbox windows opens.

4.    In the download folder, right-click the downloaded software, and choose Copy.

5. In the Sandbox window, right-click and choose Paste. (You cannot drag and drop the file.)

6. To install the downloaded software, double-click its icon and then follow the steps of the setup program.

7. Run the software.

8. When done testing it, just close the Sandbox window. Click OK in the warning dialog box.

In this particular case, I found that this audio converter program did not read CDs, and so I could eliminate it from consideration. Later, I found that software I already had on my computer, AnyBurn, does the job exactly as I wanted.