Future computing: The Internet of Things

Future computing: The Internet of Things

Some thirty years ago, the personal computer revolution began — and no other technology has evolved more quickly.

Now there a new revolution, often referred to as the Internet of Things. Here’s what you need to know about it.

The term Internet of Things (IoT) made little sense to me when I first heard it. I thought: “Oh no! Not another meaningless tech-industry marketing term — like Web 2.0.” But then I visited my pool-supply store and the sales person asked me whether I wanted to connect my pool pump to the Internet.

As you might expect, my first reaction was: “Why?” I left the store a bit bewildered and spent the next several months looking into the topic of new Internet-connected devices. What I’ve discovered took me by surprise — and I teach computer technology.

The Internet of Things extends far beyond just attaching your thermostat (or pool pump) to the Internet. In the broader sense, IoT could encompass any instance in which objects or organisms (including people) are fitted with sensors that collect and transfer data over a computer network. No human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction is required.

IoT isn’t driven simply by convenience; the ultimate goal is collecting and processing large amounts of data in real time. More than fifty years of technology discovery and development has brought us to this point.

For example, with nanotechnology (more info), we can now build data-collecting sensors that measure in billionths of an inch. These tiny devices are described as nanoelectromechanical systems — or the somewhat larger microelectromechanical systems (MEMS; more info).

Figure 1. A tiny MEMS humidity and temperature sensor from Sensirion – Source: Bing Images/Envirotech

Building a ubiquitous data-collection system

These data sensors are so inexpensive and so tiny they can be placed everywhere: in cars, homes, clothes — and even in our bodies. That potential flood of data collection would easily overwhelm our current IPv4 Internet-addressing scheme. Which is why we’re moving to the more-capable IPv6 (more info).

This newer addressing system uses 128 bits, an address space so large that each person on earth could be given a few Octillion (10 to the power of 27) IP addresses and there would still be a lot of addresses left over. In short, it will be nearly impossible to run out of IPv6 addresses.

With many ways to collect data, we also need ways to move the information to the computers that will process it. In the past, this connection was via Ethernet cabling. But now we live a mobile world. Advances in Wi-Fi and cellular transmission rates now make it more practical to move mountains of data wirelessly. And if GPS is added to a sensor, we can know exactly where the data came from.

Data processing has also grown exponentially over recent years. Massive server farms and cloud-storage facilities make real-time processing of huge amounts of data — popularly called Big Data — cheap and practical. (Cloud storage is about a tenth the cost of local storage.) And all this “Big Data” is now stored in “Data Lakes,” where it might reside for years or even decades to come.

Currently, hard drives still do the heavy lifting in data storage. But tech companies are working on new forms of computer memory (RAM) and data storage. For example, Carbon nano tubes (CNT; more info) could increase storage in our devices up to a thousandfold — while using less electricity. It’s quite possible that in the next five to 10 years, your smartphone might have 10TB of RAM/disk storage and a month of battery life.

And what becomes of all this collected information? Businesses use sophisticated data analytics to process it — outwardly to “make our lives better,” but mostly to make a profit. For the most part, the information is cleaned, sorted, and combined with other data to build models of our online behavior. That information is then used essentially to convince us to purchase products and services.

Connecting everything to the Internet

What does the Internet of Things offer us today? It’s far more than you might realize. You might be familiar with products such as the Nest (site) thermostats and smoke alarms; or wearables such as Fitbit devices that monitor heath and exercise.

But IoT is rapidly expanding into more prosaic things; for example, I found a BBQ propane-tank sensor that will notify you that it needs refilling or that you forgot to turn off your gas grill. And then there’s that pool pump I mentioned that can be monitored and controlled via a smartphone app.

Other uses of IoT include monitoring your wine collection. Sensors embedded in corks report temperature, acidity, bottle location, and other properties. IoT sensors are being used in casino chips and golf balls to track location and movement. A golfer’s performance can be monitored and tracked over time. Parking spaces can be fitted with IoT sensors; as you enter a parking garage, you can be notified ahead of getting to it where an open space is located. Power companies are using IoT in appliances and solar systems to manage and track energy usage.

And that’s just the consumer side. Things get really interesting when you look at IoT for the business-to-business (B2B) market. Farming, automotive, security, and heath care are taking advantage of Internet connectivity.

In farming, for example, cameras have been mounted on booms attached to tractors. As the machines are driven though the fields, the cameras take images of each plant and also record its GPS location. An onboard computer system processes the images in real time and determines whether a particular plant needs a shot of fertilizer, pesticide, or water — or is doing fine. The health of the plant is recorded and archived (again, Big Data) so that farmers can make year-over-year comparisons.

For the dark side of electronics in farm equipment — and our cars — see a related Wired story. It tells why we don’t really own the vehicles we think we paid for.

Many newer cars already have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity built in. Your next new car will most likely have at least four high-definition (HD) cameras, a hundred or so performance sensors, and a cellular data-service plan — not for you, but for the automobile manufacturer to keep tabs on the car.

Figure 2. Cars are becoming loaded with small, specialized sensors. Source: Bing Images/Intech

You and millions of other drivers will be “testing consumers,” so manufacturers can produce better cars. But they’ll also be able to monitor wear and tear on individual vehicles. In theory, they could use GPS data to tell you, via your onboard navigation/information system, that it’s time to change the oil — and here’s the location of the nearest dealer.

Onboard cameras and computers can now prevent unsafe lane changes, assist in emergency braking, and help with parking. The videos from the cameras can be stored, so should you have an accident, the images can be downloaded and used for any follow-up investigation.

IoT is rapidly finding its way into security. For example, retail stores that suffer heavy losses to shoplifters might install wireless cameras. Though some are visible, others are hidden. Yes, that mannequin actually is watching you.

These connected cameras can capture the face of anyone who enters the store; they then immediately compare that information against a list of known shoplifters. If there’s a match, the store’s security staff can then track the person’s movements throughout the store.

IoT, Big Data, and cloud storage let stores share a common database of known shoplifters. Someone caught stealing at the local department store will be recognized and watched at the nearby home-improvement store. The next time you enter a store, check out your image on a conspicuously placed, high-definition screen; it’s there to remind you that you’re being watched.

Residents of my town are concerned about the number of robberies. To help the police, some homeowners are installing IoT cameras that are connected to systems running License Plate Recognition (LPR) software. Every car that drives by has its license plate recorded with the LPR software. If a particular car was used in a previous burglary, homeowners, neighborhood watch groups, and the police are immediately notified. When a large number of homeowners install these cameras, the path the burglars take can be tracked by police in real time. (This obviously raises privacy issues. It might also be adapted for unwarranted profiling.)

In health care, IoT-equipped pacemakers monitor heart rhythm. If a pacemaker detects an abnormal rhythm, it can notify a doctor, dispatch emergency-medical personnel, and initiate treatment. Moreover, if the device is equipped with GPS, it can send out your exact location.

IoT is assisting with pain management and neurological diseases. I was recently told that doctors have imbedded Windows 10 computers into patients. Using wireless connections and the Internet, doctors can remotely manage pain or, in the case of those with neurological diseases, send software updates that help patients cope with their illness.

The dark side of ubiquitous IoT applications

We are a well aware of security on our phones and computers. But the concept of billions of devices connected to the Web raises real concerns over hacking, privacy, and personal security. For example, there was an uproar when it was shown that smart TVs might be capable of sending private conversations back to Web servers. And it was recently shown that hackers could take control of cars remotely. Anything attached to the Internet is a potential target.

Potentially more difficult, will be finding a balance between security and privacy. For many, having your neighbor record your comings and goings and sending that data to police computers is unacceptable. But if you’ve been the victim of a burglary, you might think it’s okay. And will you be comfortable knowing that your car’s manufacturer — and possibly your insurance company — can track your driving habits?

Again, one of the foundations of IoT is targeted marketing. Not too long ago, a woman who was still in high school began receiving drugstore ads targeting pregnant women. The woman’s father (angrily) asked the chain store that sent out the ads why; he was told that, thanks to Big Data, it knew his daughter was pregnant. I’m sure that’s not the way we’d want to learn about a loved one’s private matters.

Text support: Good books for mastering Win10

When Microsoft releases a new version of Windows, a slew of third-party self-help manuals soon follows.

The launch of Windows 10 is no exception; Amazon lists over a hundred guides on working with the new OS. We’ve narrowed the list down to two we recommend — and one we can’t.

In this review, I focus on how each of the books describes changes to key parts of Windows (and not necessarily for the better). I also looked at Win10’s digital assistant, Cortana.

Note that most of these books also come in digital versions such as Kindle books.

Windows 10: The Missing Manual

There was once a time when software came packaged with detailed manuals in one or more small binders. (Remember the original WordPerfect user guides?) But today, documentation comes in some sort of digital or online format — or we’re forced to go on an online scavenger hunt, searching for the information we need.

Former New York Times technology columnist David Pogue got fed up with missing manuals, and the dry computer books that were tedious to read. So he created the “Missing Manuals” series, for Windows, Macs, and applications. Each offers clear and engaging instructions that answer the question: “What’s this feature for?” It also covers features that are relatively useless or simply don’t work.

If you’re looking for just one book on Microsoft’s latest OS, Windows 10: The Missing Manual (O’Reilly; U.S. $39.99) might be all you need to master Win10’s intricacies.

Figure 1. Windows 10: the missing manual is the best place to start for comprehensive information on using the new OS. Source: O'Reilly

Pogue’s book does a nice job of not talking over the head of novices, nor ignoring the details needed by advanced users. He not only explains most of Win10’s nooks and crannies, but also critically reviews the system where relevant. Pogue’s conversational style is easy to read, and the occasional snarky comments are entertaining.

Case in point: his forthright handling of the Win10’s Control Panel. In a shaded sidebar titled “Control Panel Terminology Hell” Pogue splashes some cold truth on the reader:

“The Control Panel continues to be an object of bafflement for Microsoft, not to mention its customers; from version to version of Windows, the[Control Panel] undergoes more reorganizations than a bankrupt airline. Windows 10 presents the most oddball arrangement yet … with more icons than ever before, about 50 of them.”

One section, Control Panel and Settings collide in Windows 10, takes on the conflicting roles of the Control Panel and Setting applets. In short, Settings is where you’ll make most of the customizations in the new OS. Many of the admin tools are either duplicated or orphaned in the Control Panel. But advanced users will still use the Control Panel — partly out of habit and partly for its more-granular options.

Pogue takes us on an alphabetical and educational tour of the Control Panel tools, and demonstrates in words and images which of the applets are more easily accessed via Settings screens. He also notes that many of the tools can be quickly launched using text or audio-based Cortana searches.

The Missing Manual’s coverage of Cortana is probably the most exhaustive of any Win10 book I’ve seen. In How to talk to Cortana, the voice assistant, Pogue shows how to set up the digital assistant; the also explains the various functions beyond searches — from reminders to making changes to system settings.

Signing in to Win10 with a Microsoft account and using Cortana means sacrificing some personal privacy. But the book offers help in a section titled “How to make Microsoft forget all about you.”

Talking to Cortana can take some getting used to. The Missing Manual has nearly three pages of sure-fire conversation starters; phrases and questions for which there’s an AI answer — some informative and others humorous, or at least as humorous as an AI is programmed to be.

The book nicely gets into the Cortana weeds, describing how the digital assistant can be customized with Cortana Cards and the Notebook. The book also goes into setting up financial alerts, meetings notifications, movie times, restaurant suggestions, and shipped package tracking.

Bonus: Pogue’s book also includes “The Missing CD,” an online resource of downloadable apps and links that replace the discs that were once bundled with guide books. Even if you don’t buy the book, this feature can be accessed on the O’Reily site.

Windows 10 All-in-One For Dummies

Authored by former Windows Secrets senior editor Woody Leonhard, Windows 10 All-in-One for Dummies (Dummies/Wiley; $35) is a compilation of 10 minibooks. But don’t let the “Dummies” moniker fool you: this 984-page guide is for Windows users of all levels.

Figure 2. Windows 10 All-in-One For Dummies calls out the good and bad. Source: Wiley

Unlike Pogue’s “The Missing Manual,” Woody makes it clear from the start that “this isn’t the manual Microsoft forgot. This is the manual Microsoft wouldn’t dare print.” Indeed, for Woody, the only dummy seems to be Microsoft. He sees his mission as guiding you “around the disasters, pointing out the rough spots, and giving you tips that may or may not involve Microsoft products.”

The ten minibooks cover the usual suspects of Windows features, from starting and personalizing the OS to maintenance, security, and using Universal apps.

Tips for mastering the Control Panel fills one minibook; it boldly — and somewhat sarcastically — confronts the schizoid nature Win10’s many controls. But the sarcasm doesn’t get in the way of the clearly delineated steps for easily finding needed system controls. In fact Leonard speeds us to the various apps by showing how to create desktop shortcuts. A handy table with each command makes the shortcut-creation even quicker.

Following the format of all Dummies books, icons on page margins alert readers to quick tips, more information, the author’s website, technical stuff, and warnings. Screen shots help guide the way, making sure readers are on the right screen for a particular tip.

A large portion of the chapter is devoted to troubleshooting system problems, getting help from Microsoft and third parties, and remote assistance. He also shows how to record your problems in images and video, using Windows 10 tools. Using his step-by-step approach can help can take the stress out of solving tech issues.

Hello Cortana; goodbye privacy: With roots in Microsoft’s Halo video game, Cortana was an AI character that has developed into the Win10 personal assistant. But as Leonhard points out, it’s far from full-featured if you don’t link it to a Microsoft account. Therein lies a big gotcha: Leonard notes that “a very big chunk of everything you do on your computer gets logged in Microsoft’s database.” And he reminds us that the Microsoft Privacy statement is 147 pages of dense legalese.

Though not thrilled with Cortana’s capabilities, nor its privacy tradeoffs, Leonhard still breezes us through the set-up process. He also provides screenshots that illustrate various ways to customize the app. And there’s just enough info in this section to get you started asking questions of Cortana that will elicit helpful answers.

Bonus: Typical of the Dummies series, the “Windows 10 All-in-One” edition includes a section of free online extras, covering hacks, tips, and links to enhance productivity and Win10 enjoyment (sometimes a tall order with Windows). You can find it at the online Extras page.

Windows 10 Bible

Guide books with “Bible” in the title are all too common. Choosing the right one can be as predictable as a coin toss. Often, it’s only after buying the book that you discover its true religion.

It took three authors to write this “Comprehensive Tutorial Resource” that I ultimately can’t recommend. Saddled with a deficient index, the 854-page Windows 10 Bible (Wiley; $50) boasts that it explores the latest tools and features. Yet if the Control Panel is mentioned at all in the book, please show it to me. It’s not in the index and it’s not in the 20-page table of
contents. As far as I can tell, information on the Control Panel options doesn’t exist in this bible.

Figure 3. I found the Windows 10 Bible far from comprehensive. Source: Wiley

Moreover, other than a two-paragraph description in the What’s New section, Cortana isn’t addressed. Even in the extensive section on using the buffed-up search tools, there’s no mention or help with Cortana.

The use of “Bible” suggests that this is the only book you’ll need. But to my mind, it’s full of unanswered prayers. It has less to say about Windows 10 than it does about general Windows-computing tasks (previously covered in the Win7 and Win8 editions). Those tasks include personalization, managing content and files, fine-tuning PC performance, managing network connections, and other miscellaneous topics.

Hardware components and how they're set

Lounge member StevenXXXX’s new system has a number of USB ports on the front and back.

The PC’s sole front-side USB 3.0 port failed to recognize two 2TB external hard drives — but the back-of-the-tower USB 3.0 ports did.

Posting in the Hardware forum, StevenXXXX wondered whether there was a difference between front and back ports. On further examination, however, he found that there’s much more going on than port location.

The following links are this week’s most interesting Lounge threads, including several new questions for which you might have answers:

Office Applications
Word Processing	Word issues
Spreadsheets	Grouping changes in VBA
Databases	Access 2007: Change selected subform’s controls’ color
Presentation Apps	Adding selected series lines
Microsoft Outlook	Can’t get Hotmail working again in Outlook 2007
Non-Outlook E-mail	Win7 Pro won’t download email
Other MS Apps	Shuffling music
Windows
General Windows	Question about Windows secure boot
Windows 10	Dropbox issue
Windows 8	Disk-management problem
Windows 7	Another “blocking Win10” question
Windows Vista	Audio has gone missing
Internet/Connectivity
Internet Explorer and Edge	F12 Developer-mode error with IE 11
Third-Party Browsers	Firefox server not found
Networking	Recommendations for Wi-Fi on a desktop
Software Development
Windows Programming	Add command output to a variable
Other Technologies
Security & Scams	Do I have antivirus software?
Hardware	Difference in USB ports on front and back of computer?
Other Applications	Foxit Reader no longer installs Foxit Cloud PUP

starred posts: particularly useful

If you’re not already a Lounge member, use the quick registration form to sign up for free. The ability to post comments and take advantage of other Lounge features is available only to registered members.

If you’re already registered, you can jump right into today’s discussions in the Lounge.

Cuisine you should probably avoid in any season

It’s now the holiday season — so let’s talk about food! For the novelty and sometimes outrageousness of their offerings, let’s invoke the memories of chefs Clarissa Dickson Wright and Jennifer Paterson, who were the “Two Fat Ladies” of a BBC cooking show in the late 1990s. Known for numbers of eccentric habits — such as travel to show locations via motorcycle and sidecar — they stirred controversy with their unapologetic enthusiasm for lard, butter, cream, and pork pie. As you’ll see in this video homage to varieties of cooking fats from a number of their shows, the two ladies were as well endowed with humor as appetites, even at their own expense. Bon appétit! Click below or go to the original YouTube video.

A Win10 upgrade with persistent errors

Here’s how to prevent — or correct — problems caused by corrupted system files, after a Win10 upgrade.

Plus: How to upgrade a Win7 PC stuck in Safe Mode and how to easily add an Edge shortcut/icon — or almost any shortcut/icon — to your Win10 Desktop.

Faulty Win10 upgrade creates broken system files

Like many Windows Secrets readers, Kees is the de facto Windows-support tech for others, including one person whose Win10 upgrade resulted in scrambled system files and various malfunctions.

• “A friend of mine did an upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10; and he was not happy with it. He was, for example, unable to connect to the Internet.

  “I used SFC /scannow and found corrupt files. As always, my remedy was to do a nondestructive reinstall.

  “Everything seemed to go well, and Internet access was restored. But when I did a second SFC /scannow, I again found corrupt files.

  “I tried to locate the exact source of the error by examining the CBS [Component-Based Servicing] log file, but it’s huge. Do you know the best and fastest way to search this large file? How can I fix this problem?”

Your note actually touches on two separate issues:

First, the PC has a major problem because something during the original upgrade resulted in system files so thoroughly corrupted that errors persisted even after a reinstall. [For more information on nondestructive reinstalls, see the section “OS, apps, and settings backup and recovery,” in the Oct. 15 Top Story “Best of breed: Win10’s hybrid backup system.”]

Second, you’d like help interpreting the data in the huge and unwieldy Component-Based Servicing logs.

I’ll address both issues, but note that the second issue goes away if you manage the first. If you can prevent or correct the problems with system-file corruption, you won’t have to deal with digging information out of the avalanche of data in the CBS logs.

There are three common causes of system-file corruption: 1) disk errors resulting from wear, tear, and clutter (especially in older systems where the hard drive has accumulated some significant mileage); 2) malware; and 3) interference from anti-malware apps and third-party “tune up” or performance-boosting apps.

To see whether disk issues are the cause, thoroughly check for errors using the detailed information under “Disk health” in the Jan. 16, 2014, Top Story, “Keep a healthy PC: A routine-maintenance guide.” Also review the “Check the hard drive’s physical/logical health” section in the Jan. 1 Top Story, “Start the new year with a clean Windows PC.”

To see whether malware is the problem, run one or more of the many stand-alone anti-malware scanners. For suggestions, see “A dozen tools for removing almost any malware,” April 11, 2013, Top Story.

To prevent disk clutter from interfering with upgrades and reinstalls (and with routine, day-to-day operations), see the “Cleanup” section of the Jan. 16, 2014, Top Story, “Keep a healthy PC: A routine-maintenance guide.” Also read the sections, “Take out all the trash accumulated in Windows” and “Defrag (or optimize) data on hard disks,” in the Jan. 1 Top Story, “Start the new year with a clean Windows PC.”

To prevent disk clutter and related issues from causing trouble with future upgrades, see the July 2 LangaList Plus column, “Prepping a Win7 PC for the Win10 upgrade.”

To keep anti-malware and other apps from interfering with an upgrade or reinstall, disable or temporarily uninstall any app that runs continually in the background — especially if it monitors or is otherwise involved with disk or file activity.

Using those steps, you shouldn’t have to wade into the CBS logs to help unravel upgrade/reinstall errors. But if you do, here’s help:

• “Component-Based Servicing” – TechNet
• “How to read CBS.Log” – Microsoft Answers
• “How to analyze the log file entries that the Microsoft Windows Resource Checker (SFC.exe) program generates” – MS Support article 928228

How to upgrade a Win7 PC stuck in Safe Mode

Reader Bob Emerson has a severely ill PC; he’s wondering if an upgrade might sort things out.

• “Can I upgrade a computer running Windows 7 if it’ll start only in Safe Mode?

  “Alternatively, can I safely upgrade the computer via a clean install, using a Windows 10 ISO file downloaded from a known-good PC; then select the format-disk option?

  “All my user files are backed up to external disk drives, and I have the Win7 product key.”

If your PC is so severely out of whack that it can’t complete a standard boot, it’s likely that a direct upgrade will simply carry the current system’s problems. Upgrading might help clean things up — but it also might not; why take the chance?

The safer and better option is a clean install, especially given that you’ve backed up your user files and you have the Win7 product key in hand.

Using your Win10 setup DVD, follow the steps in the section titled “A bare-metal install, Step 2: Setting up Win10,” in the Sept. 10 Top Story, “How to clean-install a Windows 10 upgrade.” Enter the Win7 product key if and when it’s requested.

Copy your user files from wherever you stored them and reinstall your preferred apps; you should then be good to go — with your PC out of Safe Mode!

Easily add an Edge icon to your Desktop

Richard November’s note was succinct:

• “What’s the file or location of Microsoft Edge, so I can make a Desktop shortcut/icon?”

I’ll answer the question, but first let me offer a much easier way to create an Edge shortcut/icon — or almost any other shortcut/icon — on the Win10 Desktop.

Click Start/All apps and then scroll down to the item you want to add to the desktop. (You’ll find Edge in the M listings, as Microsoft Edge.) Click-and-hold the browser’s icon and simply drag it to the desktop.

That’s all it takes!

You also can use the same click-and-drag technique to add any program listed in All apps to the taskbar or Start menu.

If, however, you want to do things the hard way, here’s how:

Right-click or press-and-hold an empty area on the desktop; then click/tap New and Shortcut. When you’re prompted to Type the location of the item, enter (or copy/paste) the following, all on one line:

%windir%\explorer.exe shell:Appsfolder\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge

Select the destination (e.g., the desktop) and give the shortcut whatever name you wish. When you’re done, you’ll see an Edge shortcut on the desktop that has a generic icon.

To use the official Edge icon, right-click the new shortcut, select Properties, select Change icon, and then enter the following (all on one line) as the icon source location:

%windir%\SystemApps\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe\MicrosoftEdge.exe

Click OK; your new Edge shortcut should now sport the official icon.

But I bet you’ll have to admit that a simple click-and-drag from the All apps list is a whole lot easier!

Coping with Windows 10 upgrades and updates

The upgrade to Windows 10 Version 1511 has been far from smooth — even for those who imagine the upgrade left them nothing to worry about.

Also: Some technical issues never completely disappear; take, for example, monitor burn-in.

Windows 10 1511 getting continuous updates

If you survived the upgrade to Windows 10 Version 1511 (aka Fall Update), your copy of Windows will get several updates, soon after. Most recently, Microsoft released KB 3120677, which, among other things, is designed to fix a personal-settings flaw that caused an uproar in the computer press.

As has been widely reported, Microsoft pulled the ISO version of Version 1511 and then restored it, a few days later. In an InfoWorld article, Woody Leonhard puts his particular spin on the event, including the possibility that Microsoft might have put a temporary pause in sending out Version 1511 via Windows Update.

The primary fix in KB 3120677 is to have Windows 10 restore your personal-security settings. On some systems, updating to Version 1511 resulted in resetting the “advertising ID,” “Background apps,” “SmartScreen Filter,” and “Sync with devices” settings.

The key word in the update’s description is “restore.” As Woody notes, it’s a bit scary that Microsoft has kept a record of those settings somewhere in the cloud.

Windows 10, of course, doesn’t let you pick-and-choose updates. Moreover, most updates are cumulative, meaning each update includes previous updates. If you like to keep track of what’s getting fixed in your copy of Win10, the combination of cumulative updating and thin documentation makes things somewhat difficult.

Occasionally, however, Microsoft posts something of a summary. For example, the description of the Nov. 10 patch includes a list of links to issued patches for Version 1511. (If you’ve upgraded your system to the Fall Update, there’s no point in looking at pre-upgrade patches. Your update history was reset when Version 1511 installed.)

In any case, if you’re running Version 1511, I recommend clicking Start/Settings/Privacy and double-checking your options. Start with the General section, but review all the other privacy settings, too. For more on this topic, see the Sept. 10 LangaList Plus column, “Working through Win10’s many privacy settings.”

Monitor burn-in is not completely extinct

Our featured forum thread in this week’s Lounge Life is about a problem with USB-port recognition. It’s a conversation I’ll look at closely because on at least one of my systems, the front USB port won’t recognize external hard drives and other devices unless I plug them in and then reboot the system. (Using the back ports means crawling under my desk, which I try to avoid. It’s a literal pain in the back.)

As often happens in forum discussions, new topics get introduced in a thread. In the case of the aforementioned post, one of the participants brought up the topic of monitor burn-in — images that are essentially permanently burned into a display. Conventional wisdom is that this was a problem with CRTs, but is not something you’ll find with today’s LCD and LED monitors. But that’s not precisely true.

As it turns out, it is possible to get ghost images on a flatpanel display, as noted in a Wikipedia article. The phenomenon is called image persistence; but unlike CRT burn-in, the ghost images are rare and typically not permanent. The Wikipedia story provides a couple of solutions to the problem.