Windows 10 Update Brings Google’s Retpoline spectrum mitigation ByBill Toulas-March 2 2019.570 The latest Windows 10 update includes mitigation of the Retpoline spectrum and several updates. It took Retpoline a while to land on Windows but it will be insignificant for kernel engineers to guarantee its effect on performance of your machine. Vulnerability of the Spectre remains an issue but upgrading will mitigate the risks by far. Microsoft has started rolling out a cumulative update for Windows 10 version 1809 with the name code “Kb4482887Cve-2017-5715Retpoline was developed by Google Incorporate Retpoline into the Windows kernel with development manager Mehmet Iyigun saying the delays were due to the technological complexities involved. Retpoline has finally arrived so it is time for everyone to immediately refresh. In addition to minimizing the spectrum risks, Retpoline is also deliberately developed and implemented by Microsoft engineers to avoid adversely affecting the performance of the kernel. Google published some estimates of success affection on Google Cloud servers last year citing an effect of 1.5 per cent. However, those numbers on Linux distributions which implemented the Retpoline mitigation were significantly higher. Although it is preferable to have a slower and more stable system over having a fast but weak one. The decline in output stems from the fact that Retpoline restrains the processor’s predictive behavior which is exactly what can be exploited in the Spectre vulnerability sense. This means that no forecasts will occur for the calculation branch and therefore the process is less optimized than the norm. Google has tried to reduce the adverse effects of this restrictive approach by providing the ability to manually add direct branch hints offering kernel developers a ‘ directed optimization ‘ option. Many notable enhancements and fixes that come bundled in the specific update include Edge Pdf fixes Action Center monitor bug fixes disk detection error fixes laptop “Sleep” mode updates Windows Server 2019 Remote Desktop performance improvements Bluetooth radio peripherals support Mp4 decoding and playback improvements Internet Explorer interface improvements and S2D issue fixes. Some may encounter authentication problems after upgrading with Internet Explorer 11 while others may obtain an “Error 1309” while running Msi and Msp files. When logging in to a Windows Server system and disabling several Rdp sessions, it is recommended that people create unique user accounts for the first problem. For the 1309 error users please ignore this as a patch is on the way. To see what else’s going on in today’s tech world. YouTube Audio Ripper Sites Flvto.biz and 2conv.com Sued By Music LabelsByNitish Singh-August 6 2018.572 Figure 1 Photo Courtesy of Kinja Some of the biggest names in the music industry are following websites that allow internet users to download Mp3 files from YouTube videos. The music companies claim that such websites illegally eat into a large part of their analysis and should be stopped. Two Russia-based websites are being targeted by music labelsactively trying to end piracy with multiple lawsuits filed against piracy websites recently. “The recording industry also notices other stream-ripping services suspected to be originating from Russia, including Flvto.biz 2Conv and Fly2mp3.org (all three are basically the same service operating from different domains). The platforms provide users with copies of converted YouTube videos as Mp3 audio files (from Germany’s servers). Website content such as YouTube Deezer and Spotify can be easily exploited with the right technical know-how and there are hundreds of websites that allow users to access copyrighted content free of charge by ‘ ripping ‘ it off websites. Such piracy websites will receive legitimate websites at possible revenue and it comes as no surprise that the music labels behave against them. The association of complaint filing music labels has submitted a list of 70 websites that are being monitored due to their negative impact on the music industry, including Flvto.biz and 2conv.com. The sites are known to generate large amounts of traffic with Flvto attracting over 94 million visits per month from internet users. 2Conv is a much smaller website but still continues to rake through its YouTube ripping services in 23 million visitors per month. The two websites have not yet been suspended, as the lawsuit is still awaiting trial in court. The app will be able to gradually learn how to listen to your voice commands and help you handle subscriptions. The retail price is a bit salty at the moment but the maker hopes it will gradually fall as sales pick up. A new streaming app called “Dabby” launched in Ces 2020, and it is the offspring of an era of over-saturation in the streaming market. More precisely, Dabby promises to make the transition between streaming service apps a thing of the past that unites everything from 912 supporters to raising $191k. Diving into the specifics of what makes Dabby amazing it features a proprietary “Content Ai Engine” that learns what the user likes and delivers relevant content to them. It also comes with another patented technology called “Dynamic Credentials Ai” that lets the user control their subscriptions across the different streaming platforms. No advertisements coming from nowhere need to download any additional apps, and no loading of any kind of third party software. As for the subscription services currently being funded, the list includes Instagram and Twitch, YouTube Netflix TubiTv Disney Plus. Browsing on Dabby means browsing all the facilities and receiving results from anywhere you subscribe. In addition, the device has its own screen so that you can place something on the TV or other devices or watch something on Dabby. For example, if you take it with you to the toilet the Dabby screen will activate and restart the playback of anything you watched on the Tv. If you want to watch something else on the television of Dabby while submitting something else to the Tv that is still perfectly possible. Dabby finishes by endorsing voice searches and voice control orders. Simply say “hey Dabby play be-pop jazz” and it will scan for something important to find and perform. All that said, the list price for Dabby is currently set at $399 which is quite high but it’s understandable for such a unique product. If you’re switching between three or more streaming services and you’re finding yourself wasting time going back and forth between different apps, perhaps this tool will save you life. Offering a single way to manage subscriptions could also be a smart way to mitigate the possibility of “subscription fatigue” being struck. After all, streaming content is done for entertainment which does not create anxiety. That said Dabby might be the piece for many of you out there to bring back the joy of streaming.