Tag: covid-19

ChromeOS Ryzen Above DoD

Thomas Holbrook II | The *Nixed Report

Image of an HP Chromebook with the Ryzen graphic over the top of it to illustrate how epic it would be.
A Chromebook with Ryzen?! Yeah!!!!!

It’s hump day, and what better way to start than with a Chromebook with an AMD Ryzen processor with integrated graphics! Michael Crider of Review Geek breaks the interesting news of HP releasing an enterprise-grade device with AMD’s hardware inside.

Android apps can run in ChromeOS, so having a more powerful APU (CPU with GPU integrated) makes sense.

HP has a page where those interested may sign up to be notified when the Pro c645 Chromebook Enterprise becomes available. It seems Ryzen has been living up to its name and rising above more than the competition.

The other entity that has risen above things of sorts is the Department of Defense, if by things we mean ethics….

It turns out that money from the CARES Act meant for COVID-19 related supplies, like masks and swabs, was redirected towards things like jet engine parts, body armor, and stuff that had nothing to do with COVID-19. Oops!

Some of the companies that received funding from the DoD provided by the CARES Act also benefited from the PPP (Paycheck Protection Program).

This shouldn’t come as a surprise since Economic Impact Payments from that law wound up in foreign countries, much to the confusion of those countries’ residents.

Extra Bonus for Today

I’ve written about Jeremy Hambly before. He was the one who revealed some issues in The Magic the Gathering community. He may have to wind up in court over a copyright claim on YouTube, which he argues that an image used was fair use.

It’s important to note that Hambly requested that his audience not contact the individual in question. I’ll keep an eye on this and will update everyone as things progress.

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Ubuntu Touch is No TikTok Crock

Ubuntu Touch logo.
Ubuntu Touch hasn’t gone away. It’s now an independent project via UBports.

Thomas Holbrook II | The *Nixed Report

Full Disclosure: Thomas owns a fraction of a share of Microsoft via SoFI Invest. He was also a Walmart Associate until December of 2016.

In the past, Ubuntu’s Unity Desktop was designed to work on mobile devices and desktop computers. When Canonical changed plans and moved back to GNOME 3 as their desktop environment of choice, the mobile variant all but disappeared.

Thanks to UBports, however, Ubuntu Touch is still being developed and works on several mobile devices.

Their newest release includes but is not limited to:

  • QtWebEngine 5.14: Now allows more flexible text selection and opening of multiple file types (PDF, MP3, images, text).
  • Icon-based System Settings Menu.
  • Newer backend components that will allow Ubuntu Touch to be based on Ubuntu 20.04.
  • Revamps of Messages, Dialer, and Contacts
  • Better compatibility with IPv6.

Their official release announcement can be read here.

It’s nice to be able to have progress without dealing with political theater, which TikTok has fallen victim to, according to media mogul Barry Diller.

“It has now morphed into a ludicrous game-match between tossing ownership here, control there. … Its original aims are out the window. It has just come a whole political mismash.”

–Barry Diller on CNBC’s Squawk Box

Microsoft was initially going to attempt a deal with ByteDance until China placed more export restrictions on computer-based algorithms. Now it’s Oracle and Walmart. World politics will continue to impact e-commerce in 2020, especially in the age of COVID-19.

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Volume 3, Issue 1 Now Available

Cover Issue of the 1st Issue.
Conspiracy theories, a first glance at Linux Mint 20, and Pro Wrestling in the COVID-19 era.

Thomas Holbrook II | The *Nixed Report

The first issue of volume 3 of the magazine is now available free of charge. In this issue, the following topics are covered.

  • Why conspiracy theories go viral.
  • A first look at Linux Mint 20, an operating system that’s an alternative to OS X and Windows
  • Pro Wrestling in the age of COVID-19 by Stephen Kelley.

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