With progress on the Webb Space Telescope continuing, a million miles from Earth, there’s a discovery here on Earth, 10,000 feet below Antarctic ice.
Category: Tech
Looking Back on the Bag
A few posts ago, “Little Green Bag” is in stereo. My copy of the recording, on a CD, is in mono, like the original single.
That very nifty record player looks like a Voice of Music A1272, from 1972. I had one, very briefly. Voice of Music record changers were everywhere on house brand stereos, but five years after the A1272 the company went out of business.
This video has a good view of the complete unit. Not an audiophile quality turntable, but good enough for all practical purposes.
Tech Tweaks
Computer Tech – 1
Did PHP 8 make this site faster and more responsive than it was? In the past, Google’s speed tests have rated it from poor (42) to no better than average (67). The results are still variable, but they now include hits in the excellent range.
Computer Tech – 2
Nine years ago (NINE YEARS??) I posted this item about what was then my new netbook.
Now retired from general use, the netbook (now running Windows 10) is my Logitech Media Server. Checking on it last summer, I could hear the fan was running at double speed, so I wasn’t surprised by the heat coming out of the side vent.
The workaround was as low tech as it gets. I flipped the netbook over for passive cooling from the bottom vents. This time of year, at times the fan doesn’t even need to run, but I do need to check occasionally for dust in the vents.
TV Tech – 1
Six years ago (SIX YEARS??) I wrote about getting a cheap Personal Video Recorder.
I later replaced the Mediasonic Homeworx with a vastly superior TiVo DVR that continues to work well. The PVR sat in its box for years, until I recently pulled it out for use with my bedroom TV, so I can pause live television. The TV is a 12-year-old 32-inch Samsung I bought for my offspring, who no longer needs it.
Being pleased with the Roku streaming stick on the porch TV, I bought one for the bedroom. So the TV went from having no HDMI devices to having two of them. Then the Roku’s sound went out. Not muted, but silent.
Hmm. I swapped its HDMI port with the PVR. The PVR had no sound. Then the Roku had no sound. I moved the Roku to the third HDMI port, and it likewise went quiet. The sound was fine when using the TV tuner.
Hmm. I went online and found how to enter service mode on the TV. I did a factory reset, and the sound returned on the HDMI ports. But then the Roku flashed a message saying its HDMI port had a problem. It suggested trying another port, which I knew was pointless.
Hmm. Would a firmware update fix the problem? Given the set’s age, I doubted Samsung would have one available but, yeah, they do! I put the file on a flash drive, ran the update, and that was the end of the problem. Kudos to Samsung! For the heck of it I checked the porch TV I bought ten years ago (TEN YEARs??), and it came with Samsung’s final firmware release for the model.
TV Tech – 2
Regarding Roku, it has a problem that Amazon’s Fire TV doesn’t. The current models of both products support 5 GHz WiFi, but neither device supports Dynamic Frequency Selection for 5 GHz WiFi. Fire TV is okay when the router tries to negotiate DFS, but Roku chokes on it sometimes. The result is the SSID’s for 5 GHz networks disappear.
The solution is to disable DFS on the router, which should also be checked to see if the Roku has been blocked, after repeated failed attempts to connect. This may or may not be something an average Roku user is willing or able to do on their own. It would be much better if Roku had a firmware update to properly handle DFS negotiation.
Steal This Podcast
A podcast series on ransomware from MIT Technology Review and ProPublica. The end of Part 1 automatically leads to Part 4, so I’ll post them in the correct order.
Spaced Out
Lots going on out in space. Progress on the Webb Space Telescope (not renamed, despite protests) continues, so far without technical problems. A suspected black hole turns out to not be one. And a rocket is about to crash into the Moon.
Contrary to earlier reports, it is not a piece of SpaceX debris, but Chinese junk.
P.S. Oops! I missed one. A new weather satellite has been launched and will reach geo-synchronous orbit.
A Cautionary Tech Notice
Everything with this WordPress installation is updated and working as well as is presently possible. Updates are delivered directly from WordPress, and Bluehost’s plugin is integrated with the WordPress Dashboard. I am running the version of the PHP program interpreter that WordPress says it supports. Which is saying something, considering the technical struggles I had, and how very close I was to packing it in and walking away. So I am concerned by this message from Bluehost.
Hi DOUGLAS,
In an ongoing effort to bring you the very best products and services, Bluehost is excited to announce that we will be upgrading our servers to newer versions of PHP. In addition to improved data processing, which can boost site speed and performance, you also gain increased security. Newer versions of PHP have more frequent security updates to help protect your site against unwanted hacks or malware.
When will it happen?
At some point during the upgrade window, March 2 to March 4, 2022, your account will be updated, and older versions of PHP will no longer be supported. You may experience a brief disruption in service, but we will work to upgrade your site quickly with the most updated version of PHP software your website will support.
Do I need to take any action?
To avoid a negative impact to your site, we recommend that you upgrade all of your web installations to the newest PHP software available before we move your account.
If you look at the link above, WordPress says it supports PHP 7. Bluehost intends to update to PHP 8, as stated here. This is what WordPress developers say about PHP 8.
WordPress is not fully compatible with PHP 8.0 or 8.1.
After the update, will Prattling Before the Pratfall go offline? Will the .htaccess file for the Apache HTTP service continue to work? Will the SQL database play nice with the updated PHP? Honestly, based on past experience I expect all heck to break loose. So for posterity here is my screen as it appears at this moment, with everything working and Bluehost about to bill me this month to renew for another year.
Follow-up: I pre-emptively updated to PHP 8.0 manually, and the site has lived to tell the tale.