Software Copy Protection during the IBM PC days

June 28, 2025

When I was in junior high school, I used to spend my time tinkering with software copy protection. It was a fascinating topic for me because – sure I wanted copies of software that I couldn’t afford (how many 12yo do you know that could afford $1000 business database software like dBase III) – but the manner in which the software was protected was really what interested me.

There was a silent war going on between:

  • companies that created “software copy protection” (ex: Softgard)
  • companies that provided tools defeated that copy protection (ex: Central Point Software)
  • individuals that independently circumvented or “cracked” this copy protection by making modifications to the machine code, making the software fully functional & fully copiable (ex: crackers who posted their “warez” on BBS)

ROB SMITH’S COPY PROTECTION VIDEO
One of the best explanations and demonstrations of copy protection during the heyday of its use was done by Rob Smith in a video entitled, “How Floppy Disk Copy Protection Worked“:

ROB CRAIG’S COPY PROTECTION DOCUMENTATION
Additionally, much of this information & documentation on these era has been lost but some of it was archived by Rob Craig on his retired blog. Here are some examples of the posts he made:

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Posted by kurtsh

Postponing the New Outlook

January 28, 2025

The New Outlook does not support COM addins.  Microsoft is basically killing all the addins for Outlook that people use.  You have no idea how pissed I am about this.  In the 30 years I’ve worked for this company, I’ve used 3 COM add-ins for Outlook in my day-to-day work:

  • Simply File – Uses AI to file messages into folders for archival/reference in a single click
  • Send Individually – Uses Outlook to email merge messages to contacts by simply putting all of their email addresses/contacts into the To: line of an message & hitting “Send Individually”
  • FileMinimizer – Auto-compresses Office documents – particularly PowerPoint files – by resizing graphics, removing large OLE objects, etc.

These apps are critically important to how I work and when I’m forced to go to New Outlook, I will no longer have these add-ins available and the manufacturers do not have replacements & likely will NEVER have replacements because the programming model is so radically different.

There’s a links to provide FEEDBACK to the Outlook group to stop the mandatory switch to New Outlook & enable customers to remain on Classic Outlook.  Here’s the feedback entries to “vote up”:

The New Outlook’s lack of extensibility is simply horrible.  I don’t understand how the Outlook Product Group can be so completely blind. Unless I’m missing something, the New Outlook cripples users by having:

  • No integration with any of the Outlook productivity add ins people have relied on for DECADES
  • No integration with ERP, CRM, Legal & Financials solutions that have been built for DECADES
  • No compatibility with customer VBA scripts people have used to run their businesses – esp small businesses

I’ve heard the excuse is “SECURITYSECURITYSECURITY” and my answer to that is MAKE YOUR CODE MORE SECURE THEN.  Don’t kill everyone’s Outlook business work patterns just because you in the Outlook product group can’t get your stuff together.

I’m slightly passionate about this issue as you can tell. If you’ve switched to the New Outlook & want to switch back to Classic Outlook but you discover that the toggle is missing in the Outlook UI, read the following instructions & apply the referenced Registry Key:


This won’t allow you to keep Classic Outlook forever I’m afraid. There is a Microsoft 365 Message Center entry here that discusses the future of Classic/New Outlook:

The message outlines what will happen to users. The timeline for the mandatory rollout of the New Outlook is outlined in the above Microsoft 365 Message Center message starting with the Opt-Out phase of new Outlook’s rollout beginning in April 2026.

In April 2026, you’ll be switched to the New Outlook however you’ll have the option to switch back. The question that is unclear right now is, “And then what? How long can I remain on Classic Outlook? When is Microsoft going to force me to go to New Outlook if I switch back to Classic Outlook after April 2026?”

For example, if Microsoft provides access to Classic Outlook for 12 months after this, then April 2027 would be the drop dead date. We unfortunately will not know until more is revealed – supposedly in the same Message Center message. I’ve copy/pasted the Message Center message verbatim below: (Warning: The Microsoft 365 product group says that they’ll update this message as they have more to report so check the OFFICIAL message center message to ensure you’re reading the most recent message content)

MC949965 – Toggle to New Outlook

We’re making some changes to the migration from classic Outlook to new Outlook for Windows.

We aim to give more than 12 months of notice to help our customers prepare. Starting April 2026, users with Microsoft 365 for Enterprise licenses will be toggled from classic Outlook for Windows to new Outlook for Windows. Users will be toggled into new Outlook once with this roll-out, with potential to be toggled again in the future. Users will maintain the ability to go back to and use classic Outlook.

Our goal with this change is to give users an opportunity to try new Outlook as millions of users already have. New Outlook gives users the most modern experience with Copilot features, theming, and a wave of valuable time-saving features like Pinning and Snoozing mails. Users are also welcome to give us feedback on new Outlook using Feedback in the Help ribbon, so we can tailor the best email and calendar experience.

When this will happen:

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out April 2026.

How this will affect your organization:

You are receiving this message because our reporting indicates one or more users in your organization are using Microsoft 365 Enterprise licenses.

Users will have notice in the application prior to being toggled and will have the option to opt out of the experience in Outlook Options > General. Users who are toggled into new Outlook can toggle back to classic Outlook if they choose to.

Users will not be toggled if one or more of the following is true:

User-facing article: Switch to new Outlook for Windows – Microsoft Support. We will continue to update this article as we get closer to April 2026.

What you need to do to prepare:

This rollout will happen automatically with no admin action required starting April 2026. You may want to notify your users about this change and update any relevant documentation as appropriate. When this change takes effect, if you choose to exclude users from the experience, you can use the following Admin policy to manage new Outlook migration: Admin-Controlled Migration to New Outlook

Later, this policy will also be available via Group Policy Objects (GPO), Cloud Policy, and Intune.

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Posted by kurtsh

My favorite Escape Rooms in Los Angeles

December 25, 2024

Of the dozens of escape rooms that I & my family have been to, I judge them on a 5pt scale across 6 categories: DECOR, INNOVATION, NARRATIVE, ORIGINALITY, VALUE, SERVICE.

These are the Escape Room companies I’ve been to in Los Angeles (most several times) and assessed, ranked top to bottom:

Hatch Escapes (555555) – https://www.hatchescapes.com/
The best Escape Rooms we’ve ever been in. Ever. The most innovative, the most immersive & frankly, some of the most challenging. The creator puts such ridiculous care, detail, & original thought into their massive rooms like “Lab Rat”, that they only have 3 rooms. TOTAL. But they’re clearly a labor of love. You’ll find yourself saying, “What the… OMG” over and over again. If you go to one escape room in LA, let it be Hatch.

The Escape Game (555545) – https://theescapegame.com/la/
My favorite major Escape Room company… and also the most expensive. The lousy part is if you don’t buy out the room timeslot (8 people), The Escape Game may put strangers into the room with you to fill up the room which sucks. They have 8 rooms available & some rooms are only available at certain locations. They don’t skimp on tech innovation, decor/effects & the stories are generally solid. With the odd exception of “Prison Break” (which is apparently their 1st room ever & filled with older puzzle tropes & diminishing innovation as the story progresses), all the escape rooms are unique, innovative & really top notch quality, enough that we’ve played through several of them twice.

PanIQ Escape Room (444445) – https://paniqescaperoom.com/los-angeles/en
There’s some genuinely unique innovations in PanIQ’s rooms, eye-opening tech/innovation & their decor/presentation is always inspiring & professional, including their all-digital in-room displays. If they had a decent maintenance crew, they’d probably be closer to The Escape Game in quality & value but if there’s one thing that mars this company is the consistent *malfunctions* with its puzzle tech/components. Features frequently don’t work or require gamemaster intervention… I can’t count the number of times a PanIQ room had frustrating technical difficulties in San Jose, Los Angeles & Las Vegas.

MagIQ Escape Room (433344) – https://magiqescaperoom.com/los-angeles  
These rooms scream small business. The exterior looks like it was put together with bubble gum & scotch tape but the interior rooms are pretty solid. They were acquired by PanIQ Escape Rooms, so they’re now kind of the family-friendly subsidiary of PanIQ. The puzzles aren’t terribly complicated & one gets the impression that there’s only a couple people supporting the business, leveraging puzzles created & imported from Romania. That said, it’s likely the best facility for kids (parties) & families. Parents have closed circuit viewing of their kids in the escape rooms & the owners sell cocktails while you watch… so that’s kind of a hoot.

Trapped! (343442) – https://www.trappedescaperoomlosangeles.com/
This is way out in Upland, San Dimas or Las Vegas so I’ve only been able to do 3 rooms from Trapped! but from the rooms I’ve seen, their atmosphere is a little barebones with little decor but the puzzles are different & entertaining, with unique environmental ‘special effects’ & some genuine surprises. Both times however, it took an unusually long time to for the staff to get to us – leaving us waiting in the lobby for more than 30min despite having a scheduled appointment, so I’d be lying if I said that that didn’t rub me the wrong way.

60out (334344) – https://www.60out.com/
60out’s thing is they have a MASSIVE variety of rooms. These guys crank out escape rooms like Hollywood cranks out B-movies. They have something like ~25 escape rooms scattered throughout Southern California of variable quality. At some point, I felt like we’d visited all the bigger high-end rooms in Los Angeles so we started going through 60out’s rooms & yes, they don’t have the same level of detail, decor or plot but some of the “surprising innovation” in them – like in “Grandma’s Masterplan” – had our family surprised with some puzzles we’d genuinely never seen before, even in higher-tier escape rooms, so don’t sleep on them. Personally, I love these guys, especially their newer locations.

QuestRoom (324434) – https://questroom.com/
Questroom’s thing is they incorporate an actual live actor in all their rooms. It adds a level of ‘weird’ that is important because most of their puzzles aren’t very innovative so the actor’s performance is the highlight. Sometimes a puppet, other times a costumed individual – the live actor makes for an fun experience. And in one situation – an escape room called “Amnesia” – the story was genuinely shocking, and had a innovative twist we’d never seen before.

Architect Escape Rooms (323334) – https://architectescaperooms.com/
I’ve only been through 2 of their escape rooms so it’s harder to judge them but the decor is a little uninspired for the narrative they put forth. Also, in one room, the story flow required an actual sign in the room that explained to players “not to attempt to open this door until you do X Y & Z” which is IMO weak. Many puzzles are typical “find numbers” & “use them to open locks” & honestly not very surprising or innovative, relying on written puzzles using very little innovative technology, which has become the norm for most rooms. But the stories are unique & not the usual “heist” or “wizard” style narratives so if you’re looking for a good story you may enjoy Architect.

Maze Rooms (222222) – https://mazerooms.com/
These rooms were painful. We only did 2 rooms but both times, the decor was lackluster & atmosphere simply isn’t at the same level of investment as other escape rooms. Even the lobby appearance had us questioning whether or not we were in the right location. Most rooms rely on eye-rolling “find numbers” & “use them to open locks” puzzles. Very little was surprising & ultimately, I felt bad bringing my kid there because the solutions weren’t intuitive & often didn’t even make logical sense. Frustrated, we required confirmation of the solutions with the gamemaster to make sure we were on the right track.

(A great index of Escape Rooms in Los Angeles is available from World of Escapes at:
https://worldofescapes.com/quests/search?q=&l=Los+Angeles%2C+CA%2C+USA&p=)

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Posted by kurtsh

Notes on applying for jobs at Microsoft

December 21, 2024

In most of the hiring loops that I’ve been involved with (“Loops” are a fancy term for the interviewing process for multiple candidates in a day, usually around 4-5) there are more internal candidates than there are external. Most job roles have 200 to 300 applicants, meaning there are that many resumes to process. Internal candidates generally get preference. Also, during the selection first pass, your resume needs to get past a digital filter looking for key words, otherwise you’re likely not considered. Then there’s the manual/human resume screening which reduces things down even more. Of those, I’m told that maybe 25 on the high side get a phone screening. Employee referrals are like an astrisk next to your name getting you past the digital filter but they’re in no way a guarantee for screening.

So if it’s so difficult to get a screening much less secure the role, what’s the best strategy? If I’m being honest I think the best path to success is to play the field. There are hundreds and hundreds of roles that people can fit into. People that get too selective about the role they want will find themselves consistently having very low odds of even getting a callback.

The strategies candidates use for applying to big tech companies is different from smaller employers. Instead of one narrow, specific job, I think it’s better to select the company you want to work for & hone your resume to that. The best way to approach getting into a company like Microsoft is to identify roles that could work for you and apply to them and over time transition to other roles that you think would be a better fit.

One thing that can legitimately increase your odds is an “Informational interview”. This is an informal meeting between yourself and the hiring manager for the role you’re interested in. In order to get one you need someone on the inside that is willing to vouch for you, request such a meeting on your behalf and set up the call based on the hiring managers availability. (Internal employees have access to more information that what is published on the job posting such as who the hiring manager is, so they’d also be the one to look up who that is) This is a lot of work on the MS employee so it’s not something that anyone’s going to do for you for multiple roles – so choose wisely.

BTW, this is nothing new. Going back to the early 90s, I applied to the 4 roles over 6 years before getting an offer. During that time, I networked, discovered other roles I might fit & was advised about other job openings I might be a good fit for, always asking, “Who else should I be speaking to?” … all the while expressing my deep desire to be hired into the company. I had several champions and was even referred to for my 4th (and successful) job interview.

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Posted by kurtsh

Why does Rise of the Resistance break so much? (A cast member’s response)

December 21, 2024

I found this post on Reddit that explains the details behind “Why does Rise of the Resistance break so much?” as told by a Disneyland cast member.

As a cast member who works at Rise of the Resistance in Disneyland, I have seen my fair share of downtimes at the ride. Many guests ask why it breaks down so often, so I thought I’d give my observations and explanations as I understand them. I would first like to say that Rise of the Resistance really doesn’t break as much as people claim. While it has broken down 5+ times in a day, those are uncommon, I’d say our average is once or twice a day. That is about the same as the other larger attractions at Disneyland, but due to its popularity and high demand, it is noticed more than something like Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (another trackless ride). Here are four of the most common reasons for the ride to temporarily close.

Communication Loss:

Rise of the Resistance uses trackless technology to immerse the guests in the story of Star Wars. The ride has dozens of nodes or points that communicate with the 30+ ride vehicles on the ride path. If the system loses connection with any of those points for less than a second, the ride will stop. This is the most common reason for the ride to break down. Average recovery (40 min).

Lifts/Drops:

Spoiler Alert, there’s a drop. When a vehicle goes into a drop, it locks in place, there are sensors to make sure everything is clear and aligned, and an impressive drop with motion simulation. Any of these elements could cause the ride to break down. Hats are one of the concerns that could interrupt the ride. If a hat blocks a sensor or gets jammed into the locking mechanism, it will cause the ride to break. We do have cameras to see when a hat is in the ride path, and we determine if it could cause the ride to break and will pause operations to retrieve the hat, but sometimes it’s too late. The lifts aren’t as complicated but could still fail for similar reasons. Average recovery if we catch the hat (10 min). Average recovery if we miss the hat (1hr).

ITS (Intersystem Transport Ship):

Rise of the Resistance really is more than a ride; it’s two rides. Part of the queue contains a ride that, like other rides, could break down. These downtimes vary like other rides and could range from system to mechanical. Disney World has a way to bypass extended downtimes due to the ITS and can keep running sans ITS, but Disneyland does not (yet). Average recovery (20 min – 1+ hrs or not included).

Unusual Conditions:

What’s that squeaking noise? Do you see that? Is Kylo supposed to do that? These kinds of questions could cause enough concern to pause the ride and verify the legitimacy of the concern. If something doesn’t look, sound, feel, or even smell right, cast members have to react by stopping the ride and having the maintenance team check it. Most of the time, it isn’t always something that needs to be fixed right away; a sticky wheel or a door that needs some oil. Sometimes it’s a quick fix; the droid isn’t scanning or the lightsaber doesn’t cut through the ceiling. Other times it could cause an extended downtime; a screw was found in the ride path or there was a loud grinding noise. Average recovery (5 min – 1hr).

Now you know why it breaks down, but why does it take so long? It’s a complicated ride. The system needs to undergo multiple checks before it can operate with guests again. However, we can’t initiate that process until everyone has been evacuated from the ride. It takes about 20 minutes to clear the ride of guests if everyone cooperates. Anyone who has reached the ITS or beyond will receive a pass to return and will exit the attraction, as well as everyone in Lightning Lane before the ITS. Standby can choose to wait or exit. If the downtime is expected to take more than an hour, we will have Standby exit and give them a pass for a different attraction. I hope this alleviates your questions, concerns, frustrations, or curiosity.

TL;DR:

Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland experiences occasional downtimes, but not as frequently as perceived. Common reasons for breakdowns include communication loss between ride nodes, issues with lifts or drops (often caused by foreign objects like hats), malfunctions in the Intersystem Transport Ship (ITS), and unusual conditions requiring safety checks. Repairs can take time due to the ride’s complexity and safety protocols, with evacuation of guests necessary before maintenance can begin.

✅ https://www.reddit.com/r/Disneyland/comments/1bvthf7/why_does_rise_of_the_resistance_break_so_much_a/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

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Posted by kurtsh

Decorations for your Tesla owning friends

December 21, 2024

Some stocking stuffers for people you know that still own a Tesla:

✅ “Bought it before we knew how awful he is” bumper sticker ($11.96)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1577874321/bought-it-before-i-knew-how-awful-he-is

✅ “Where is the STOP ELON MODE on this thing?” bumper sticker ($33.09)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1814105107/tesla-bumper-sticker-anti-elon-musk

For my remaining Tesla-owning friends:
✅ “I bought this before I knew Elon was crazy” license plate frame ($26.85)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1570069971/i-bought-this-before-i-knew-elon-was

✅ “Anti-Elon Tesla Club decal” ($13.54)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1763691274/anti-elon-tesla-club-decal


#tesla #elonmusk

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Posted by kurtsh

Tesla sales crash. I wonder why.

December 21, 2024

Like driving a giant red baseball cap. And the truck is a self-own for douchebags.

✅ Tesla sales crash as drivers snub Trump supporter Elon Musk – The Telegraph
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/tesla-sales-crash-as-drivers-snub-trump-supporter-elon-musk/ar-AA1w9Udf

#cybertruck #tesla #elonmusk

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Posted by kurtsh

Emily King. Still crushing it on explanations of the guy’s mindset

December 21, 2024

WHERE IN GOD’S NAME WAS EMILY KING WHEN I WAS DATING?!? 😂
(This video BTW is 100% correct.)

✅ This is why men don’t understand “hints”…
https://youtube.com/shorts/H5G0aqiMZjY?si=0jottDfsg4vLmSWl

Emily King is a Guru of the guy’s mindset

#shorts

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Posted by kurtsh

It’s Dr. Ken v2.0 Day on Hot Ones!

December 21, 2024

Merry Christmas, y’all! It’s Dr. Ken v2.0 Day!

✅ Ken Jeong Spreads Joy at the Hot Ones Holiday Extravaganza | Hot Ones
https://youtube.com/watch?v=66oNlEUcGdQ&si=po2oHgSuGPXDZFAO

Dr. Ken rules.

#hotones #kenjeong #xmas #firstwefeast

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Posted by kurtsh

What’s it like to compete at the Microsoft Excel World Championships? (from 2 amateurs)

December 21, 2024

Wondering what Excel eSports challenges are like?

Watch 2 amateurs go through what the pros do during the #Microsoft #Excel #World #Championships. (#MEWC)

✅ We Entered the World of Microsoft Excel eSports & Got Our Asses Beat – PMG
https://youtube.com/watch?v=N2QC6VQXo8U&si=rb2OHZbXudrXU0_N

2 noobs try to compete in the Microsoft Excel World Championships 😂

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Posted by kurtsh

From the mouths of the Elderly: The “Cybertruck”

December 21, 2024

This lady’s reaction to seeing a Cybertruck in the wild for the 1st time.

She’s ain’t wrong.

When older folks have no filter & say outloud what we’re all really thinking

#tesla #cybertruck #reaction #humor

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Posted by kurtsh

Those Blinders when you’re ‘Locked In’ 😂

December 21, 2024

This made me LMAO because it brought back. When you’re working with intensity, in the zone & in a groove, the ol’ sensors sometimes don’t pick up on the obvious.

I’ve been there a few times when I was single in my 20s, working public events. I found out later that each time, I had coworkers openly laugh at me behind my back while it was happening & rib me relentlessly later over drinks. 🤷

Guys, we’ve all been there, yeah?

#humor #hints #zone

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Posted by kurtsh

Trump realized yesterday how Joe Biden boxed him in on the debt ceiling

December 21, 2024

#Trump is stuck with the #debt ceiling that #Biden negotiated with Mike Johnson.

He’s only just realized he now can’t increase the debt limit to enable his #billionaire tax cut under Biden’s term.

✅ Lawrence: Trump has realized how Joe Biden boxed him in on the debt ceiling
https://youtube.com/watch?v=k5GWT8zk2Hk&si=PVcGYjMImygfFooF

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Posted by kurtsh

Egotistical Billionaire discovers you can’t issue uneducated Federal directives on a whim

December 21, 2024

Elon Musk is trying to backtrack on his previous demands to shut down the government & hoping you forget everything he’s done.

✅ Elon Musk Suddenly Realizes He Has No Clue How to Govern | The New Republic
https://newrepublic.com/post/189603/elon-musk-backtrack-govern-shutdown

#elonmusk #shutdown

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Posted by kurtsh

Narcissist Sociopathic Billionaire pushes to cut funding for Child Cancer Research

December 21, 2024

Elon Musk just helped cut $190M in funding for #child #cancer #research.

Because of course he did.

✅ Republicans Cut Child Cancer Research From Funding Bill After Musk’s Meddling – Rolling Stone

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/gop-cuts-child-cancer-research-funding-bill-musk-1235212295/

#elonmusk

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Posted by kurtsh

Microsoft Teams Meeting backgrounds for National Voter Registration Day

September 17, 2024

At Microsoft, we believe that the right of every US citizen to participate in their democracy is a fundamental right. It’s a right we work hard to defend. That’s why we are committed to giving our employees the time and the resources you need to exercise your right to vote in every election, whether it is local, state, or federal. We have partnered with National Voter Registration Day to encourage US citizens to fulfill their civic duty – to register and vote in the upcoming general election on November 5.

Want to join me in celebrating National Voter Registration Day? Here’s a few ways you can participate:

  • Check your registration! It never hurts to check. If you’ve relocated or had a change of address, you can update your registration.​ And make sure your coworkers, friends, and family also check!
  • Show your voting spirit by updating your Microsoft Teams conferencing background to one of the images below.
FY25-Voter Registration-Teams backgrounds 3D-1-16×9Download
FY25-Voter Registration-Teams backgrounds 3D-2-16×9Download
FY25-Voter Registration-Teams backgrounds 3D-3-16×9Download
FY25-Voter Registration-Teams backgrounds-1-16×9Download
FY25-Voter Registration-Teams backgrounds-2-16×9Download
FY25-Voter Registration-Teams backgrounds-3D-4-16×9Download
FY25-Voter Registration-Teams backgrounds-3D-5-16×9Download
FY25-Voter Registration-Teams secondary backgrounds-1-16×9Download
FY25-Voter Registration-Teams secondary backgrounds-2-16×9Download

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Posted by kurtsh

Converting old DVDs & Blu-ray discs to 4K UHD on-demand Digital Streaming & Downloads

July 27, 2024

Did you know you can convert your DVD/Blu-ray collection to digital streaming/downloadable versions for as little as $2/disc?

And you can step up your older, lower resolution content to 1K Blu-ray or 4K UHD quality for an additional fee?

And it’s all legitimate. I have a digital library of 1000s of streamable/downloadable movies from over a decade of Ultraviolet & MoviesAnywhere use.  Back in the 2000s, ‘converted’ my old DVD collection to at least Blu-ray quality online digital & it brought new life to all those stacks of movies.

I can download them for viewing offline/on a plane, or I can access my entire catalog anywhere there’s an internet connection. Including DVD extras & commentary.

And none of it is pirated content. 100% legit.

#vudu #fandango #dvd #bluray #4kuhd #d2d

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Posted by kurtsh

Spreadsheet of COVID-19 long term risk studies

May 6, 2024

I found the following spreadsheet over Mastodon (social network) of COVID-19 long term risk studies that I thought I’d share.

My spreadsheet of studies showing the #COVID19‘s long-term risks now includes 298 studies. Recent ones indicate:

  • Vaccine protection against death wanes from 90% to 34% in six months.
  • Even mild infections cause left and right ventricular strain months after diagnosis.
  • COVID causes the risk of autoimmune disease to rise considerably: pernicious anaemia 72% higher, rheumatoid arthritis 29% higher, Graves’ disease 30% higher, and multiple sclerosis 166% higher.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12VbMkvqUF9eSggJsdsFEjKs5x0ABxQJi5tvfzJIDd3U/edit?usp=sharing

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Posted by kurtsh

HOWTO: Get tickets to a taping of CBS’s “After Midnight”

April 8, 2024

You’ve likely seen comedian Taylor Tomlinson’s Netflix stand-ups or even caught her live on tour. Now, she’s the late-night host of CBS’ After Midnight, a spiritual successor to @midnight that pokes fun at what captures the internet’s attention.

Each episode, expect a low-stakes competition between three witty guests from the world of entertainment, comedy, music and beyond. You must be 18 years or older to sit in on the live audience.

Taping Times:
Typically Mon–Wed, Sun at 3:15pm

Location:
Paramount Studios
898 N Gower St, Los Angeles

Request tickets here: https://1iota.com/show/1646/after-midnight#t1

(taken from the larger list at: https://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/things-to-do/tv-show-tickets-in-la)

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Posted by kurtsh

Podcasts I was listening to back in 2012

March 8, 2024

I had this list of podcasts that I was listening to way back when and finally decided to update it. But it seems appropriate to SAVE the list I had from 2012 because damn… most of these don’t even exist any more.

  • Maximum PC No BS Podcast http://feeds.feedburner.com/maximumpc/1337 If you like Windows & PC hardware, this podcast is for you.  A favorite of mine, listening to the Maximum PC podcast is like hanging out with your friends.  Some people ramble, others go off on tangents, some talk about stuff they did the other day, others talk about the state of technology.  They cover stuff that was reviewed in the magazine but more importantly they let Senior Editor Gordon Mah Ung rant – and rant he does – about basically anything and everything.  Listening to Gordon rant is like having the little voice in the back of your head have a turn at the microphone.
  • KOXM Radio – The Official Xbox Magazine Podcast http://oxmpodcast.podbean.com/feed/ Ryan McCaffrey, Official Xbox Magazine editor runs this podcast and talks about Xbox gaming from the magazine’s perspective… well, sometimes.  See, I keep going back and forth on this podcast because the host sometimes talks minimally about Xbox instead going off on some story about his iPhone or something completely unrelated to the podcast topic, otherwise wasting my time with things I’m not even remotely interested in.  Hey Ryan?  Reign it in or get a co-host to help you reign it in, like Paul Thurrott does with Leo Laporte.
  • Windows Weekly with Paul Thurrott http://www.leoville.tv/podcasts/ww.xml And then there’s the big daddy of podcasting.  Paul Thurrott’s Windows Weekly podcast along with Leo Laporte, TWIT network founder & CEO runs the most successful tech podcast for Microsoft technology in the world.  Reviewing all things Windows and a lot of things “Microsoft”, Paul uses his decades of experience to weigh in on the importance of some things and the hype of others.  Windows Phone 7 users will want to definitely subscribe as Paul’s a big fan of WP7.
  • WPCentral Podcast http://feeds2.feedburner.com/WmexpertsPodcast The creation of Daniel Rubino, aka Malatesta, the WPCentral podcast was always informative and a very interesting 3rd party look at Windows Phone.  Malatesta tends to break news stories quicker than the other phone sites because he focuses exclusively on the Windows Phone platform.  Recently, they started podcasting more frequently and regularly… I’m sure the Nokia launch had something to do with that along with the fact that Windows Phone cracked 3.6% marketshare… and rising.
  • Tech News Today http://leo.am/podcasts/tnt Yes, I listen to this daily.  I like Tom Merritt and I admire him in the same way I have come to admire Leo Laporte.  Not for their understanding of technology which often times is shallow (and especially not for his fanatical love of Google), but more for their incredible skills as broadcasters and notable achievements in such broadcasting roles.  Being a host is not an easy job AT ALL and I am always in admiration of their ability to transition, smooth over, and otherwise push forward.  Iyaz Acktar is not only a great commenter, he’s brilliant and adds great color on all things legal, being a law school graduate.  Now if only I could get an audio filter for anything Sarah Lane says…
  • Freakonomics Radio        http://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio  This isn’t obviously a ‘tech’ podcast however I think it appeals to the same audience in many ways because it’s thoughtful and insightful.  Stephen Dubner carries on the Freakonomics torch past the books he co-wrote with Steven Levitt, “Freakonomics” and “SuperFreakonomics”.  Every topic discussed on the show is backed by economic statistics, direct interviews, and reveals unlikely linkages between things like the motivations of public school teachers & Japanese sumo wrestlers.  Easy to listen to and entertaining to think about, this is one of my favorites.
  • PC Perspective http://www.pcper.com/rss/podcasts.rss  Ryan Shrout, renown PC hardware expert and master of gaming rig components, continues to run his long-time podcast on the latest hardware, the most recently published benchmark tests, and the plans that hardware manufacturers have for evolving their product lines.  Always on the spot for improvements to components from Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, and other major label manufacturers, this is an IT person’s must listen to podcasts.  Note that this is a different podcast that what is published by TWiT’s podcast network run by Leo Laporte.  Ryan does a podcast called This Week in Tech Computer Hardware (TWiTCH) on that network that I also subscribe to but I think PC Perspective is better in some respects.
  • imageWhat The Tech http://feeds.feedburner.com/Whatthetechgfq Andrew & Paul Thurrott talk openly about all thing techie, with a major on Microsoft related subjects being that Paul’s an expert on the subject.  This is a more free form discussion compared to the Windows Weekly podcast Paul does with Leo Laporte and can be more diverse and thus sometimes more interesting.  I listen to it when I can but I usually start with Windows Weekly because they talk about more timely matters but on the other hand, I don’t find myself facepalming like I do when listening to Leo’s “WTF?” type questions so often times, What The Tech is less aggravating to listen to.

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Posted by kurtsh

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