October's Digital Life from Lökwest - Facebook outage, new products, new Windows, tips, and more!
It's been another exciting month in the tech world. Facebook revelations in Congress and the whole Facebook system going down, new products from Microsoft and Apple, a new version of Windows, and much more.
We've got you covered on what you need to know! Plus, we have our usual collection of security tips and entertainment. Do you know the top phrases in phishing e-mails? Have you ever painted with music? Read on to learn more.
Lastly, in tech history learn about the first webcam and what it was used for, and a special tip to those of you who experienced Facebook withdrawal. 🙂
Have a wonderful month and start to the holiday season. If you haven't noticed, retailers are starting sales 2 months early this year to account for supply chain disruptions. Keep an eye out for those deals!
Until next month,
In the news...
Why Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp All Went Down — www.wired.com
The problem relates to something called BGP routing, and it took down every part of Facebook's business. Essentially, Facebook pushed an update to some equipment that was supposed to "test" their "address book" of computers. The test, however, withdrew all the addresses instead. And you thought you had a bad day! 😮
iPhone 13 Apple Event in 7 Minutes! — www.youtube.com
Apple had its big annual event last month. In case you missed it, you can catch all the highlights in this 7-minute video. See the new iPhone 13 lineup, Apple Watch Series 7, and a newly redesigned iPad Mini!
Windows 11 launched this week, but Don’t Be Surprised If You Can’t Install It — www.reviewgeek.com
Microsoft is now rolling out Windows 11, setting the stage for its next generation of computing. Unfortunately, you may get left behind. The Windows 11 operating system’s strict hardware requirements make it incompatible with most PCs. You need a recent processor with certain security features built-in, for one. In short, there's no compelling reason to upgrade right away unless you're itching for the new experience.
Security and Tips
The Most Common Email Keywords That Everyone Should Know to Avoid Phishing Scams — lifehacker.com
Here's an interesting article we ran across last month with some of the most used phrases in phishing e-mails. Read this article, and keep these phrases in mind before you open your next e-mail.
Microsoft accounts can now go fully passwordless — www.theverge.com
Microsoft is rolling out a fully passwordless option for Microsoft accounts. It will allow consumers to remove their passwords and authenticate using an app, security keys, Windows Hello, or SMS / email codes. As we say in our security talks, strong two-factor authentication is better than a password!
Amazon launches an elder care subscription service, ‘Alexa Together’ — techcrunch.com
Is Alexa the new "Life Alert"? Amazon announced a new subscription service called “Alexa Together,” designed for families with aging family members who are still living independently, but who may need extra support. The $19.99 per month subscription expands on Amazon’s existing product, Alexa Care Hub, an earlier investment in elder care, by taking many of Care Hub’s features and integrating them into the Alexa experience.
Entertainment
Paint With Music — Google Arts & Culture — artsandculture.google.com
Take a break from the stress and try out this nifty new experiment from Google. What if you can hear your painting? Turn your paintbrush into musical instruments and compose on sensorial canvases!
What to Watch on Streaming — agoodmovietowatch.com
agoodmovietowatch is the world’s first portal of highly-rated but little-known movies and shows. Curated by humans and not algorithms. We've tried several movie recommendation sites in the past, and liked this one enough to share.
In tech history...watching the coffee brew
The Very First Webcam Was Invented to Keep an Eye on a Coffee Pot at Cambridge University — www.openculture.com
The internet as we know it today began with a coffee pot. Despite the ring of exaggeration, that claim isn't actually so far-fetched. Read this article or watch the video below to learn about XCoffee, created at Cambridge in 1993.
In Closing...a message to the youth
In case you forgot, here's what we did before Facebook! 🙂