2026 January eBytes
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Hackers Are Targeting Windows 10 Users
What are passkeys really? The simple explanation - for anyone tired of passwords
Apple and Google Pause Plans for App Store Changes In Texas After New Ruling
Free Photoshop in ChatGPT: How to edit photos with AI, no experience necessary
Gemini vs. Copilot: I tested the AI tools on 7 everyday tasks, and it wasn't even close
Is that an AI image? 6 telltale signs it's a fake - and my favorite free detectors
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Hackers Are Targeting Windows 10 Users.
Make Sure to Do This One Thing to Stay Safe. Windows 10 is now a prime target for malware. Here's what you need to know to avoid an attack.
https://www.pcmag.com/explainers/hackers-are-targeting-windows-10-do-this-one-thing-to-stay-safe
Upgrade Fail? An Estimated 1 Billion PCs Are Still Running Windows 10 - It's unclear how many Windows 10 users took advantage of Microsoft's extended support program, and how many PCs are a security nightmare waiting to happen.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/upgrade-fail-an-estimated-1-billion-pcs-are-still-running-windows-10
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What are passkeys really? The simple explanation - for anyone tired of passwords
Yes, the technology underlying passkeys is confusing. Here's a plain-English guide that can help you ditch passwords today.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-are-passkeys/
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Apple and Google Pause Plans for App Store Changes In Texas After New Ruling
A new law, called the App Store Accountability Act, aims to make tech companies verify the age of users before they can download apps.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/apple-google-pause-plans-for-app-store-changes-in-texas-after-new-ruling
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Free Photoshop in ChatGPT: How to edit photos with AI, no experience necessary
Adobe has launched free Photoshop, Express, and Acrobat apps inside ChatGPT. Here's how they work.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/edit-images-with-adobe-photoshop-in-chatgpt-for-free/
How to use Canva in ChatGPT to build a stunning presentation in minutes - for free - This is by far the fastest way I've ever made a presentation - and it might even help me win Christmas this year.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-use-canva-in-chatgpt-to-design-presentations/
Hate making presentations? Google's new Nano Banana Pro-powered tool blew me away - Mixboard now uses Nano Banana Pro to create presentations from your photos and documents - for free.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-mixboard-ai-create-presentations-free-nano-banana-pro/
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Gemini vs. Copilot: I tested the AI tools on 7 everyday tasks, and it wasn't even close
Microsoft is building Copilot into every product it owns, while Google is integrating its Gemini LLM tool into all of its properties. To determine which tool is better, I came up with seven challenges.
https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/work-life/gemini-vs-copilot/
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Is that an AI image? 6 telltale signs it's a fake - and my favorite free detectors
AI slop is everywhere, and it's getting harder to tell what's real. But these tips and tools can help.
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Links - News, Tips, & Downloads
10 free Windows apps that improved my productivity - There are great open-source applications available for most any task. Here are some of my favorites.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/open-source-free-windows-apps-boost-your-productivity/
5 essential Windows apps I always install on new PCs (and how they're uniquely powerful) - For productivity, entertainment, and an overall improved experience, check out these services that I use regularly.
https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/work-life/5-essential-windows-pc-apps/
How to clear your Android phone cache (and put a stop to slow performance) - This quick tweak can significantly improve the speed and responsiveness on almost any device - no matter the brand.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-clear-android-phone-cache/
Bigger Is Better: How to Mirror Your iPhone Screen to Your Mac - With the latest version of iOS and macOS, it's easy to display your iPhone screen on a Mac, but you'll need third-party software to screen mirror on a Windows PC.
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/mirror-your-iphone-screen-to-mac
Just Got a New PC? Do These 11 Things on Day One - "Out of the box" doesn’t mean "out of the woods." These essential first steps will tidy up Windows, lock it down, and get your new PC ready for real work and play.
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/just-got-a-new-pc-do-these-11-things-on-day-one
This Free App Makes Transferring Files Between Devices Ridiculously Easy - LocalSend is an open-source app that provides device-to-device transfers between Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, and Linux. Here's how it can help you send holiday snaps, work files, and more.
8 Surprising Things the Windows 11 Snipping Tool Can Do Beyond Screenshots - Whether you're extracting text or doing a visual search, the Snipping Tool in Windows is a much more versatile and powerful tool than you might think.
Google Photos Refreshes Its Video Editor With a New Layout, Helpful Tools - The built-in video editor now lets you add a soundtrack, insert custom text, or pick from preset templates.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/google-photos-refreshes-its-video-editor-with-a-new-layout-helpful-tools
Don't skip this crucial PC maintenance step - an expert explains how to do it correctly - Regular PC maintenance keeps your computer running smoothly for years - here are a few simple ways to care for your tech.
Stop SIM Swappers Cold: 7 Ways to Protect Your Phone Number - With SIM-swapping attacks, scammers hijack your phone number to gain access to your accounts. These tips can help you safeguard your most private information.
https://www.pcmag.com/explainers/stop-sim-swappers-cold-tips-to-protect-your-phone-number
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Ask a Question - Send any Tips & Downloads, Ask a Question, For Sale, or articles to: TheMiningPCC@gmail.com
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Q. From a PCC Member from the Survey - Computing with no vision/low vision. The subject is of interest to me, because I’m totally blind in one eye and down around 20/80 in the other eye.
A. From Tom Kreuzer, a PCC Board member. Win 10 & 11 have lots of features to aid in low vision, hearing and many other problems. Below is a video listing a number of Settings\Accessibility. You can also do a Google Search or AI to get lots of things to try:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yQ9HUNuLeI&t=162s
Member Responds - Yes, I’ve used Windows accessibility features in the past. I’m now using a software program called Fusion, which is marketed by freedom scientific, and it does a more comprehensive job than Windows accessibility, in my opinion. But your suggestion of checking AI an other sources for what’s new is a good one and I’ll follow up on it.
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Q. From a PCC Member - I saw that you presented on scanning slides and negatives. Maybe you covered scanning old photos too and I'm missing it. Can you recommend a photo scanner. I have an old Canon TS9120 printer that is supposed to be able to scan photos. But, I'm missing some of the software package and the software does not reload now that I'm running Windows 11 Pro. The
install disc is 9 to 10 years old and I'm thinking a small photo scanner that's more current is a better option?
A. From Tom Kreuzer, a PCC Board member. Look on the PCC website, I did talk about scanning at the last meeting, Your printer can scan and is supported in Win 11 when installed correctly.
Sounds like you have not done an install for your printer in Win 11, so you do not have the scan and other features working. Your printer will print without the install, but you need to do an install for other features. You need to disconnect the printer and uninstall any drivers or software you may have in Win 11 for the printer and do a proper install to get all the features working.
The install software and manuals for your printer are all out on the Canon site. Do not use the old disk versions. Look at the Getting Started manual and full User manual. You do not need the photo editing software and manuals. :
https://www.usa.canon.com/support/p/pixma-ts9120
Member Responds - I will try what you suggested. I have been printing, but not scanning.
Tom Responds - Most printers will print if you just plug them into a computer. The computer will install a print driver and pages will print. That is not the way you want to install a printer. To get all the features and functions you need to install software that is created by Canon. That is why you do not have the ability to scan until you install the Canon software.
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Q. From a PCC Member - I joined a gym and am using underwater headphones that work via your cheek bone and do not involve anything in your ear. The issue is that when you are underwater with these headphones, the bass is unbearable and you have to turn the volume way down to counter it. Mike Griffin recommended the Mac software Garage Band and I found a YouTube video that shows how to apply EQ settings to bring that bass down and save the resulting file.
A. From Tom Kreuzer, a PCC Board member. Heard you talking with Mike about a Music editor. One of the best and top rated is the free AudaCity that is available on Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is open source and free with lots of plug-ins and a ton of special features. Garage Band is good for simple edits, this is like the PhotoShop for audio. Do Ctrl+A to select everything then use "Effect\EQ and Filters\Bass & Treble" and set Base dB to -30 to remove all the bass. You may want to then "Normalize" or increase the volume if it is too low.
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Q. From a PCC Member - Is it possible to retrieve inadvertently text messages? Don't think so, but thought I'd check.
A. From Tom Kreuzer, a PCC Board member. eMails and most other files can be restored, but text messages are gone when you delete them. You can ask the person who sent the text messages to resend if they still have them.
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