Ready for 2016

2015.....Going.... Going.... G.....

...and if you'd like a copy of this without the text messing it up, then here it is...

Enjoy the New Year everyone!

Linux Mint: Bulk Renamer for Files....

If you are looking for a program to do bulk renaming, its name is "Thunar" and you add it to your Nemo using the command "sudo apt-get install thunar".

I made a desktop shortcut of it and also added it to the panel (below) and the easy way to use it is to open it, open the folder in which you want to do the bulk renaming, and then simply "select all" in the folder to be renamed, and then use drag-and-drop to drag all those into your Bulk Renamer, choose how you want the renaming to be done in the configuring section below the main window, and click on "Rename Files" in the lower right of its window, and "Poof!" - all done! When you look in the folder those came from, they are now all renamed, and you can close your open windows and get on with your day.... Like they say, "It just works!"

Meanwhile, back in Linux Mint 17.3....

The morning's weather.....

 

And the next "Fix" is...... Get Opera Browser....

This is Opera's "Speed Dial". You add tiles for each website that you want to use in it, and then one click or tap on that tile takes you there. It's like the Windows "Start" tiles, but you do all the choosing, and if there's something on it that you don't want - like all those sites that are on it when you first open its page - you mouse-over a tile's upper right corner to find the little "X" and then click/tap it to make that one disappear, so it can be replaced with something you choose. This is slicker than a bug's ear, and it really works. Here's where to find it.

Now that Linux has fixed my Win-10 Boot......

Here's the next thing I'm fixing.......

This is a simple Registry hack which removes that gawd-awful Welcome Screen and lets you replace it with something of your own choice - like a picture or a plain background in any color you like. It only takes a minute, and it works.
 

Today's Top Ten

Спасибо друзья. Я рад, что вы это нравится.

Here's that shot as a background in Linux

The Snow Report

This often is hidden by clouds this time of year, so it's a sometime thing...

Re-installing Win-10 in a dual-boot setup with Linux

This Linux Mint 17.3 desktop took a while to show you, because when I re-installed Windows 10, it quite naturally re-wrote the boot sector to make it a standard Windows type MBR. So that meant going on the web, and googling for a Linux Boot Repair Disk. And yes, there is one, and it's about 600 Mb, and once you burn the .iso to a disc, you're in business.

But I should mention that I got it using my other PC running another Linux O/S, and first of all, I needed a burning program for it, to make the disc from the .iso and the best one I found is called "K3b" and if you're already running a Linux system, you can install it using your regular package manager. Just go into your Terminal, using the command "sudo apt-get install K3b" and after you put in your password, a whole big download of stuff comes flying in. When that finishes, it's a good idea to stay in Terminal and do a "sudo apt-get update" to make sure that all those new additions are the latest versions. Then, you're "good to go".

Using that burning program K3b is even simpler than using "ImgBurn" in Windows, because all you have to do is find the file you want to burn, and then drag and drop it into the bottom window of the two in the program, and press "start". But first, don't forget to add the mark in the box for "Verify" so it will be verified before it completes the process. Then you're done.

Using the Boot Repair Disk is easy. Just make sure you're set to boot from removable media before you start, and then follow the directions. Your "F" keys will show you various sections of its help and instructions, beginning with "F1".
All I did was give it its head from a normal beginning, and in just three or four minutes, it had restored the original Linux dual-booting setup, like before the mung hit the fan the other day. All's well that ends well.

And just so you can see that I still do have the dual-booting working, here's my Windows desktop on this same PC. And I must say that I'm impressed with how nicely everything worked this morning in Linux. Just more proof that it is a really good system, and well thought out. When they say "It just works." they really mean it. And you should try it.

Win-10 Pro = Reinstalled again!

This is it, with my own custom-made icons, and my favorite graphics programs, and my own choices of security programs, and of course, those gadgets....  and speaking of making your own icons, if you're into that, google the program called "IcoFX" because that's the one that does it. It can make Windows icons or Mac icons, and it can convert an image file into an icon. That icon on my desktop for Irfanview was made from an image file using IcoFX.

And now for today's Snow Report, now that I've got Zoombrowser EX in here once again.... (and you don't need a Canon camera to make it work!) I gave my Canon cameras to the grandchildren a couple of years ago, but I do like the Zoombrowser program. It works fine with any of your memory cards.

Nikon Coolpix P510, Auto mode, various zooms, earlier this morning.

Another "Must Have" for Windows 10

You can get the location codes ( Vancouver = 9807) from the Weather gadget's page, and you find that by going onto the website shown in the Config files for the Time gadget. Confused yet? Should I try again?

Microsoft doesn't like us using gadgets. They say it's a "security issue". But it could also be because they don't want us noticing, for example, how much "bloatware" is gobbling up our CPU's capacity during routine operations. And I on the other hand am really interested in stuff like this. And my security programs are protecting these gadgets and their contents just like they do all the rest of the system, and if there's anything nasty in one of them, they will find it, I'm quite sure. So I guess I'm saying I don't really accept Microsoft's excuses for not wanting these cute little gadgets. I really like them.

Windows 10 Users: You really should have this one!

This can do just about every tweak known to man on your Windows 10, and like they say, you could find all these yourself by looking in the several places within Windows where these can be found, but why bother when this has them all in one convenient program, ready to use? This is a real winner, I kid you not.

Two examples: Look at those three icons on the left here. No shortcut arrows. Now, look in the lower right over the clock. It displays the Windows version and its Build Number. It does about 150 other things too, but I won't list all those. You really should download this and look through it for yourself. It's well done.

Here's why I don't use Microsoft's "Windows Defender".....

This screenshot was taken during the early stages of re-installing this Win-10 Pro this morning, and as you see, Bitdefender (not to be confused with the "Defender" built into Microsoft's operating systems!) found some nasty malware inside a Microsoft system file, and removed it.

This is a good example of why the experts will tell you that Microsoft's own security program, "Windows Defender", is not up to the task it tries to do, and that's why you need something else that really works.

I have three "something elses". I have Bitdefender Free Antivirus, Malwarebytes Premium, and Superantispyware Pro. These all work happily together, and they each do the job they were intended to do. Bitdefender is a highly rated antivirus, Malwarebytes catches things that an antivirus doesn't usually see, and also blocks incoming malware items before they get into the system, and shows their IP Address, so you can find out where they came from if you wish - and Superantispyware, even though the name seems a bit "Mickey Mouse", is really good at grabbing those tracking cookies, and cleaning them out. And speaking of those, there have been times when it found over 400 in one day! Seems quite unbelievable, doesn't it? That's why I have it. It really kicks ass. And with all three of those programs, my system is quite well protected.

The Moscow Times: Russian economy: Oil

Someone skiing my favorite local mountain...

Watching this video, I almost wish I still had my ski stuff, and
wasn't quite this old.... I've had a lot of fun up there, so I really
shouldn't whine about being too old now. I've certainly had my
share of it, and it was great, and it still is from the look of it.

Today's Full Moon

( click to enlarge )

I get Feedback - ( but not enough!)

I'm moving this to the "front page" just to show that wherever we are around the globe, we're all on the same channel or the same wavelength most of the time.

"Monsieur Beep" lives in Germany, and "Tommy" lives in New York State, near the eastern coast of the U.S.A., and I'm on Canada's wet west coast. Yet, in some ways, it's like we're friends around a table in the local pub, having a beer together, and talking about current events.

This is the great promise of our Internet. The "coming together" of like-minded people everywhere for everyone's benefit. I've noticed lately on Facebook that there's a lot of negativity being expressed by a lot of people who have not yet mastered their own bigotry or hostility toward those whom they perceive to be "different". This promotes similar reactions in other readers, and defeats the higher purposes of having something like Facebook, on which we can all get together to exchange and share ideas and thoughts. And here, I have to interject that I'm as guilty as anyone of "fighting fire with fire" when some idiot mouths off at the world. I feel compelled to "educate" that unfortunate nitwit.

It has surprised and distressed me that so many of those Republican candidates for the presidency are exhibiting such utter disrespect for others and such contempt for the average voter's intelligence, and such disrespect for the ideals of the office to which they are aspiring. I wouldn't vote for most of those for the position of local dog catcher, never mind for leadership of the country, not because I'm prejudiced against rudeness and ignorance, but because I don't believe the world needs a leader such as those with such few obvious qualifications for such an important position. And the fact that they think they do have such qualifications really frightens me. That kind of unmitigated gall should never be encouraged with our votes. On the contrary, it should be shunned at every opportunity, and discouraged wherever found.

And I'm hoping that thanks to the Internet, and the many reasonable and sensible people on it, common sense will prevail, and the higher quality candidates with more acceptable manners and behaviour will win that contest.  And I hope they bear in mind that the U.S.A. makes up only 4.4 percent of the world's population. This means 95.6% of us are NOT Americans. And most of us believe in the greatest good to the greatest number. Think about that.

The Palestrina Choir, St Mary's Pro-Cathedral, Dublin

Another Christmas service