10 April 2025 - Bob's Bytes

A two-part presentation:

• A review of Windows 10 and 11 – what’s the difference, how to upgrade, how not to upgrade, and should you?  What happens if you don't?
• An "Oatmeal" story and loosely-associated video, "765874"
• (That's Yeoman's Colt Star Fleet serial number)

Some links for you:

• Preshow: Tesla LightShows, each one more complicated than the last -  Model X's Wizards in Winter, Dueling Teslas, Star Wars, 687 in Finland, 1,150 in Belgium.  Wow, just wow.
• Jared Isaacman nominated for NASA chief, he's "Astronaut worthy" <Wikipedia>
• Starliner's astronauts faced a critical decision, far more precarious and life-threatening than was originally known.  <link>
• How to encrypt your flash drive <link>  You don't need Windows Pro to use one.
• Windows market share <link>  Windows versions: <link>
• End of support for Windows 10 <link>
• Lock your version of Windows from changing with GRC's <InControl>
• Upgrade even if you don't meet the hardware requirements <link>
• The Oatmeal's story of the crashing plane: <link>
• It got fact-checked <link> Verdict: mostly true, with embellishments
• 765874, a video.  For Star Trek Fans ...
• Here are the 4 parts as published:
• 765874 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng8qTIythnA
• 765874 - Memory Wall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzeznWVQu5o 
• 765874 – Regeneration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KXU2Ob8gYY 
• 765874 – Unification https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgOZFny7F50
• The Roddenberry Archive <link>
• OTOY announces 765874 <link>
• What's it all mean?  Discuss! <link> This will help if you didn't understand it.

By popular demand, we saved a video of the main discussions, Encrypting a Flash Drive and the Windows 10 to 11 'upgrade.'  It's 54 minutes long: <link>

 

“How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life"

3 April 2025 - Barbara Ward

 “I TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS: ART FALLS OUT.”

Beautiful pictures:

March 27, 2025 - My Tesla Model 3

Bob's Bytes #335

I wasn't sure I should give this, but the membership ok'ed it.   I did my best to stay away from the politics.

I stick with my opinion that Tesla's aren't cars for seniors - because the typical senior doesn't like change.  The experience of buying, driving, and supporting it is very different than the traditional gas engine car.  There is lots more 'do it yourself' tasks required, including no printed manual and few direct instructions.

As I write this Tesla, at $800B, is currently the 11th biggest company in the world by Market Capitalization (The number of shares times stock share price.)  Those numbers change not only daily, but by the minute!  I recommend checking out the linked site below for updated numbers and comparing all major companies, not just the few listed on slide 11.

Discussion topics of the day:

• Current Market Cap numbers: https://companiesmarketcap.com/
• Kelly Blue Book listing of Tesla Models: https://www.kbb.com/tesla/
• You can buy a Tesla here:  https://www.tesla.com/ - or at least walk through the process to find out the costs.  They have new, demo, and used models available.
• Note: Some listings automatically include Federal and State rebates and your 'projected savings' over not needing to buy gas.
• Car and Driver liked the Model 3, <link>; they hated my loved Prius Prime. <link>
• Slide 25 includes my current DelMarVa electric rates which jumped up to 18.7 cents per kWh this month - an increase of 42% (!!!) since 2021 and a full 2 cents more than last year.  Supercharging can be up to 50 cents per kWh.
• I added a new slide on charging details as it can get complicated and there conflicting advice from different sources.
• I didn't know that at the time that 'One Pedal Driving" that we spent time discussing can be turned off.
• I'm still learning new things about it after just 2 weeks, there are lots and lots of YouTube videos available, both from Tesla <link> and many others <link>.  More Do It Yourself.
• One more point about the included Dashcam video: as that *&%$# driver passed me on the right, the car threw a stone from the shoulder that hit our windshield with a very loud crack.  We were worried about damage, but thankfully, it caused only a very small scratch on hood and windshield, barely detectable with the naked eye.