1194. "Primordial Threat" by M.A. Rothman -- 5 Stars

 Primorial Threat is Science Fiction that one needs to constantly check the little things, the trees, to determine what's real and not. Of course, the forest is far fetched, bu described with enough factual trees to want you to believe it's possible and just the forest next door in 2066, or Stardate 0 AE. So what's this Stardate AE? Read and find out.

Dave, the genius scientist, is one of the main characters and is the one who comes up with the plan to save the Earth from a Black Hole barreling directly toward it, meaning through our solar system right to the sun. How will he protect Earth? An unbelievable solution is is developed and executed and the Earth lives on -- but is it crippled in any way? What about the sun and moon? And who is Dave's girl friend who can talk only via numbers?

Joining Dave are Burt and Neeta, two more brilliant scientists that help pull off the magic. What else can you call it, except, it is way beyond magic! The reader gets to live with the problem and experience an incredible journey escaping the Black Hole's destruction. As mentioned, there is plenty to keep you searching the Internet for background and history. 

Since I already read the sequel Freedom's Last Gasp, another MUST READ, I attest that Earth is still surviving, but quite different. I love how Mr. Rothman incorporates present date issues into his story without blatantly stating them and making them political or controversial. Stephen King has alway been a favorite author before he started doing just the opposite! So, get settled into an easy chair and be ready to be entertained like no TV show or movie can provide. Just you and this novel. 

I'll also review Freedom's Last Gasp and the first of Mr. Rothman's Levi Yoder series, Perimiter, which I also just finished and can't wait to get the 2nd in the series. Three 5-Star hits. 

1193. ALL Input Fields randomly fill with same character - UPDATE

 This is a weird problem that some people have reported as far back as 4+ years! Looks like maybe 10 different people maximum that reported and received no useful responses. Many more responded with "I also have this problem" which doesn't mean they have exact problem or just interested. So, I call it very few people and low, low priority.

However, that doesn't make those, including my visually impaired client, very happy! So, I am doing my best to find the common link/cause of the problem and some resolution it, or at least a way to stop the infinite filling.

Problem: In ANY input field. i.e., Browser fields (URL field, Google.com field), some forms, word processor, and even Window Sign-in before Windows even active have resulted in some character, in our case "-" or +l" or "/" or "0" or etc to just on its own start filling the field and beyond. You will see, e.g., AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ... forever. We initiall had no way to stop it and couldn't type what we wanted. Recently, if you catch it, maybe early enough, using the Backspace Key to continually erase them and typing a quick key to insert something else will stop it and life can continue. Up to this discovery, the only way to clear it was to reboot. But, then we one time hit it at Windows Signin! So, RESTART and do it again until clear.

Things tried and problem still persisted:

Changed Keyboards

Removed Keyboard

Windows SAFE mode

Updated all Keyboard Drivers

Ran all HP Hardware Tests successfully

Ran HP BIOS update check  -- Back Level was updated just an hour ago. Hopefully this might work, but after it PASSED the date given was 3/8/22 for F.22 level and this is exactly what we originally had. So, the HP diagnostics either reported that we were back level, or the PASSED report reported it wrong. Next time over there, I'll run SPECCY to see if it reports a newer date.

    Update 1/18/24. HP should have told me to RESTART! This morning I checked again using "Run MSINFO32.exe" and it still said F22. Checked HP site again (no help), except set up HP ID. The downloaded code to look at the machine did not work. Even after setting up an account ID it didn't help. Did a RESTART as seen needed under Device Manager>Drivers. It updated the BIOS to F40 7/17/23. Short of current F42 as per support system. We'll run with this to see if problem reoccurs. Apparently, the caretaker said it just started happening when they went to new keyboard. Why? Because the old Visually Impaired Keyboard was reported as not functioning (turned out it was jammed in port next to the USB that it should have gone into. I believe this is for the printer cable!) Maybe this jam caused the problem with the now possibly damaged port, whatever it is, OR the keyboard cable connector). They went to a wireless, but it wasn't a Visually Impaired one and useless to him. I went over and plugged the old keyboard back in, but by this time they had already ordered another Visually Impaired one (Corded). That one is now active and no problems yet on it. Time will tell on the new BIOS code and new keyboard. If anything the problem is with the USB/Keyboard to USB. 

Did SFC /SCANNOW -- no issues

Checked Event Log, but had no date/time to see if anything was reported during error -- nothing found to date

Additional Information:

Over the 4+ years of issue reported, there is no common PC brand or type. More than HP had problem, Ours is Desktop and Laptops with their fixed keyboards also had problem. One individual went to the trouble of disconnecting the laptop keyboard from the motherboard and installing an external one. There were some differences as to some keys working or not working, but the issue persisted. 

I'll be adding to this post as we test more, get this corrected, or find a reasonable workaround.

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1/18/24. Restart done to install F40 BIOS. Awaiting any error reports.

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3/2/24. https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/character-repeats-automatically-forever-in-all/59fcc9ce-98ce-4740-b539-ddd64d66477e details the Repeating Character troubleshooting and resolution as of this day. Bottom Line it seems like an old surge protector, one I can no longer find on the Internet either didn't stop an electrical surge it itself had a problem that sent a charge to the PC. A full memory test via Memtest86 passed, leaning us with most likely a motherboard failure, or just the surge protector failing. We have run a week without the problem appearing after a new surge protector (about 4300 joule one) replaced the old one. Regardless, a new PC was bought and the old one will go to a friend. Many reports of this problem appear on the Internet with not one resolution or root cause. This could be it! 

1192. Set a Yahoo Finance Portfolio VIEW as default

 Assuming you know how to get to Yahoo Finance, then MY PORTFOLIOS, then creating your new portfolio, say STOCKS, you can bring it up with the fields of your choice. Once on your portfolio, STOCKS in this example, you can select any of the views desired. You might want to create a new view, say MyView, with your field desires -- Create New View at right of all available views is there for you to do this. So, have at it. Finally, on the portfolio of choice you can select MY Portfolios and then the portfolio you desire. On the resulting screen, now your portfolio, you an select the view of choice, say MyView. Now, Bookmark it onto your Bookmark Bar or other place. Note the specific view designator at the end of the URL address assigned by Yahoo. This corresponds to the view you are looking at and, thus, the one the bookmark will take you too. Hence, your selected DEFAULT. You have established a default now assigned to the bookmarked URL. Play with the other views and you will see the end of the URL change to its view designator. Bookmark whichever you desire and go directly to that portfolio and view when desired, i.e., YOUR desired portfolio and desired view. 

1191. Accessibility: My visually impaired client now using Voice-to-Text software for eMails

 A huge improvement for my friend was first getting him to us Narrator (great product) to listen to his eMails as it read them to him. This is step 2 to allow him to dictate to gmail his eMail text and letting Voice In Chrome Extension recognize voice and convert to text. He has been playing with it since I left and loving it. Big improvement for a near-blind person. He can now "read" his emails without the sender sending them with 24-pt text and vice-versus.  

Don't forget to unmute the mike. This is PF4 on a Lenovo PC.

Note: Voice In is free only if use is kept less than 60 minutes daily. I don't know if this is 60 minutes as long as the mic is on or when actually dictating time. So, you probably have to close Mic when finished dictating and don't leave it on.

A REAL Free Chrome Extesnion from the Chrome Store is Dictation for Gmail. It appears to work as well. However, it also appears ONLY to work with gmail and not other Chrome applications like voice In.

1190. Letter "A" repeats until cows come home on ALL Input Fields

 Here's  a strange problem on friend's PC. While working with him we went to the Google Chrome screen to look something up. Before we could type even the first keyword to search on, his PC starting typing continuous "A"s in the field and we couldn't type, stop it, etc.! Thought immediately it was due to his new keyboard, but he said it happened on old one before too and couldn't recreate the problem then. Anyway, you have to RESTART to fix it. Testing showed it was NOT limited to CHROME. Even hitting the Windows 11 START Key and it started putting A's there. EVERY input filed available it types A's! 

I am trying the following to stop this annoying behavior:

1. I remembers about 3 weeks ago I entered a REGEDIT zap to permanently turn on Num Lock so he could use it (remember, he is visually impaired and can't even see the letters on the Num Lock Key to press it. Also, now he can use the Num Pad to enter PIN for signing in to Windows. I don't see where this plays into the problem (yet!).

2. But, also at the same time I turned ON the Toggle Keys (in Start>Settings>Accesibility>Keyboard>Toggle Keys) so he would hear when he pressed the Caps Loc and other keys (he can only see 24-pt, bold, CAPITAL letters). Well, the sound does NOT work at all. However, I left it turned ON. Maybe the problem! So, I turned it OFF.

3. A common element between his different keyboards was the keyboard driver. It was set as an HP keyboard driver and NOT another PS2 Keyboard driver. I checked both first and the drivers were up to date. Thus, I switched him off the HP Keyboard hardware to the Other PS2 Keyboard driver.

Now, we will run and see if the problem is resolved. Just to note: there are only 1-2 other related issues like this reported, but in each case the persons responding assumed a bad/dirty/sticky keyboard was the issue. Not the case here. I detached the Keyboard entirely then closed CHROME, then went to another Input Field under Windows 11 contro directly and the A's starting typing without a Keyboard.

If no further update is made to this post, we are over the issue and one of the changes made above worked.

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Update 1/17/24: See post 1193. No solution is yet available and this post is same as 1193 which has more details.

1189. "Trust No One"Glenn Dyer – 4.5 Stars

 

Trust No One by Glenn Dyer – 4.5 Stars

Publisher: TMR Press LLC

ISBN: 9781701105784

 I guess I should have read up on this novel before I started reading it. I hope Mr. Dyer did a better job in the Prologue, or even a Forward preceding it, to refresh his first 3 books and characters before releasing the final copy. It is important to note that following the actual novel text was the “Author’s Note” which I wish had read first. I struggled for many chapters getting into the event(s) and relearning the characters. That said, the way it was introduced lowered my 5-stars rating to a 4.5-starss for an excellent story in itself. Mr. Dyer, please put the “Author’s Note” up front!

 Over two years passed since the last read of his third book and unlike Mr. Dyer who lives in this WW II, I forgot most of it. I accept your apology for this long absence in completing it.

 Conor and Emily were well remembered and their cleverness and feistiness continued. It’s always a pleasure, particularly today in the world that has become so touchy-feely instead of suck-it-up and live with reality. Conor and Emily face a lot of adversity in a not-so-important-looking mission. Again, I stress that the Author’s Note be read first to get a perspective of why it was important, plus an additional refresh of some of the real-to-life characters. Mr. Dyer precedes each chapter with dates and places which without would really make this impossible to follow. My only suggestion relative to that is that the number of chapters be reduced and the consolation of pertinent information be done in larger chapters before hopping off to somewhere else.

 After finally understanding the characters, I could then consciously visualize the events and journey to its end. Bravo Mr. Dyer. But, the continuous referencing of character by names and/or positions, some in long German military and political position identities, and the numerous factions of Germany and France involved might have been a no-brainer for a history-buff. I’m still in infancy with the wars, hated history in school way back before the mid-1960s, but my interest finally peaked. Mr. Dyer’s Series was a great way to capture and promote that interest. Please spare your readers of the unnecessary military positions and better introduce the different country factions.  

 With all that said, I am amazed how well the history is imbedded with fiction in all the Connor Thorn & Emily Bright novels. Thank you, Mr. Dyer. If I can summarize, without revealing too much, this novel begins with the hiding of archives that start with thoughts it is limited to who assassinated a French Admiral., as his Author’s Note explains quite well as a document that could also endanger the coalition of the allies and outcome of the war. It was important to find the archives and determine the implications. General Eisenhower even committed to resigning if the OSS and SOE (look them up) were involved in the assassination of a Admiral, who in the beginning may or may not have been involved with Nazis. Conor and Emily’s journey started out rough with them being kicked out of their perspective organizations, but who do you call when you really need top spies to do an important mission? They again teamed and traveled through many locations to play detective, find the archives, assassinate a few Germans, and get beat up and shot on the way. The secrecy and cat-and-mouse events create a story that can not be put down, after the first several chapters as noted above. I almost want to read it again to appreciate the first part which I couldn’t reassemble from past novels in the Series. For example, I had totally forgot that Conor had a sister Maggie Thorn and for a while had her mixed up with Emily Bright Thorn his wife of 9 days when the novel began.

 It is only because of the structure of the novel that I removed ½ star from my rating, and would have liked to have rated it a 4.5 Star. The history and story rock as always.

 Reviewer: Rich