Broadband Data Usage

I last shared by broadband data usage in 2020. Here's my latest chart.

The bump in 3Q2021 and the spike in 3Q2024 are both upload of pictures and data to various clouds as I have transitioned my backup strategies.

When the blue stack is below the y-axis that indicates that Comcast didn't report as much WAN data as my router did. The occasional blue is usually an issue with my router collecting data.

Since my 2020 post, Comcast has reinstated their data caps but raised it to 1.2TB. Steady state, I'm still below .5TB. I can throttle my cloud uploads as necessary.

Backup 2024

I've been riding the Drobo train a long time. It has served me well. But in early 2023, Drobo closed their doors. My Drobo kept working but reports began of failing units and subsequent problems replacing the hardware. Eventually, my son-in-law's Drobo suffered a hardware failure. He purchased a used replacement but never could get the drives to be recognized. Luckily, he used the Drobo as a backup and the primary copy was still good.

Anyway, this sent me on a quest for a path forward for myself.

My immediate solution was to buy a 4 TB SSD and copy the sensitive contents off the Drobo to that which I did.

I remembered that when I built The Next Decade, I included 2 4TB drives in a Storage Spaces mirror. The Drobo utilization was less than 2TB so that would easily be contained in the Storage Spaces mirror. And even then, probably 1/2 of the Drobo was old DVD rips that I could easily live without.

But then, I wouldn't have an off-site backup. I actually had never had an off-site backup of the Drobo.

As I studied the move from Trump to The Next Decade, I had to research how to switch my CrashPlan definitions to the new server. In that process, I found that I had UNLIMITED storage with CrashPlan.

So I copied the sensitive data (less than 1TB) from the Drobo to the Storage Spaces mirror and included that data in the CrashPlan backup. It took about 3 weeks for CrashPlan to upload that.

I'm sure you all use the 3-2-1 Backup Strategy (archive.org).

So now I had the data mirrored (1), backed up to the cloud (2), but not yet offsite (3).

I have been using Macrium Reflect for several years with good success. I was backing up to a 5TB USB drive that I kept offsite (3). But it bothered me that I had to install Macrium Reflect on each system. Subsequently, I only ran it on Trump.

You'll recall that I had experimented with Drive Snapshot. Due to complications of my own doing, it wasn't satisfactory for me at that time.

So I looked at it again.

This time it did exactly what I needed. It runs as a portable application. I just put the executable on the target drive. It does it's own compression and encryption.

I bought a new 5TB USB drive and am backing up not only The Next Decade but a collection of my laptops. I did a full backup initially and am doing differentials each month. As these backups are encrypted, I keep this drive offsite (3).

For those laptops, I had been using Windows System Image Backup. I still like that as that you can restore from a Windows Recovery Environment but it's all or nothing.

I have created a bootable WinPE disk to use to restore from Drive Snapshot.

Now, I'm looking at taking that interim 4TB SSD and mounting it as a NAS drive (4). You can't have too many backups.

To move data around, I used FreeFileSync.

It's been a journey.

The Next Decade

About every decade, I upgrade my "server" PC. In 2009, I built "The Big Honker". In 2016, I built "The Trump".

With the end of support for Windows 10 in November 2025, I started looking to replace "The Trump." That configuration had served me well but in the summer of 2024, I was thrown a curve. Drobos started to fail and I discovered that Drobo had closed their doors. While I didn't suffer any failure, I started looking for alternatives.

"The Trump" had mirrored 2TB drives that had been faultless. So I looked at even bigger drives for this decade's server. I chose mirrored 4TB CMR drives still using Windows Storage Spaces.

This meant that I needed 2 3.5" internal drive bays. I still like to have a DVD burner. I always look for lots of USB ports, now with USB 3.0. With "The Trump", I had to use an SSD just sitting loose so this time I was looking for an M.2 bay or two.

I found an HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Tower for $364. I populated it with 32GB of DRAM for $66, 2 Western Digital 4TB drives for $150, an Samsung 970 EVO Plus 500GB NVMe M.2 SSD for $64, and an HP Slim CD/DVD RW for $30.

It came with Windows 10 Pro which I upgraded to Windows 11 Pro.

Chrome Nuisances

Google's Chrome is my browser of choice. But it does have some nuisances.

I finally got fed up with a couple of them and spent a few minutes figuring how to eliminate them.

First, was the "<web site> wants to Know your location":

Go to chrome://settings/content/location:

The next is "Sign in to <web site> with Google":

Go to chrome://settings/content/federatedIdentityApi?search=additional+content+settings:

You can thank me later.

GL.iNet GL-MT300N Mini Travel Router

With shared public Wi-Fi becoming so ubiquitous, it is still not readily accessible to the non-techie user, e.g. your family.

This is particularly frustrating where the guest Wi-Fi has a landing portal such as on an airplane or hotel.

I was traveling with a family group this summer and wanted a way to make this more transparent.

I bought the GL.iNet GL-MT300N V2 Travel Router from Amazon. It's home page is here (archive.org). It's 2 1/4 in. square and 1 in. tall. It's powered by a micro USB port and has 2 Ethernet ports.

There's a good post (archive.org) on it Scargill's Tech Blog. He refers to an OTA firmware update. My device's firmware was so old it wouldn't update OTA. 

This page on GL's site lists current firmware and alternate update procedures. You'll need to use the "Local Upgrade" process.

This upgraded me 2 versions and fixed a couple of SSL problems that I was having.

I'm using it in Wi-Fi repeater mode. I've setup an SSID/PSK that is one of our family's alternates. This means that all of our family's devices connect to the GL.iNet GL-MT300N V2 automatically.

If I'm mobile, I just power it with a battery bank. When I power it up, I connect to the SSID then browse to 192.168.8.1 and login with "admin" and my admin password.

Here's the Admin page:

The router keeps a list of known networks. Just click one to connect to it or chose one of the other available networks.

If there's a portal login required, you'll see it at this point. Once that is completed, other clients that connect to the GL.iNet GL-MT300N V2 will not see the portal.

You can't be sure what the network you're connected to is doing with your DNS queries so I use encrypted DNS.

I also use ProtonVPN Free. The GL.iNet GL-MT300N V2 supports ProtonVPN's WireGuard natively. Here are the instructions (archive.org). You toggle it on and off on the Admin page. It just works.

Manifest V3

If you don't know what "MV3" is just quit reading and go back to Facebook.

Congratulations, now we can begin.

Google has been sabre rattling over big changes in Chrome extension support for years. Well, they're finally pulling the trigger on it.

Here's ZDNET's summary (archive.org) of Manifest V3:

In development for the past six years, Google's Manifest V3 extension platform is designed to replace version 2 with tighter controls over the behavior of extensions. Malicious or suspicious extensions are a problem for any browser, including Chrome. To address this issue, Google claims that the new platform will better ensure that extensions offered in the Chrome Web Store are safe and reliable.

There's an even deeper dive (archive.org) over at BinaryFolks.

The short explanation is that extensions will no longer be able to dynamically load content from other sites. While this sounds good (and is good), it kneecaps extensions like uBlock Origin that dynamically updates its filter lists. Further, MV3 limits the number of filter objects that an extension can use.

The warnings started in Chrome 127 which dropped in August 2024.

While I'm sure that this will be a problem for some users, it doesn't seem to be a problem for "regular" users like you and me.

uBlock Origin has released uBlock Origin Lite that is MV3 compliant.

I set 2 options in uBlock Origin Lite: "Default filtering mode" to "Optimal" and checked "EasyList/uBO - Cookie Notices". I left "Filter lists Default" of "Ads, trackers, miners, and more" checked.

Honestly, I can't tell the difference.

YMMV

Driver User Experience

Up until 2 years ago, all of our cars were Hondas. While there were small differences in the driver's controls, for the most part, they were similar. At one point, 2 of them were identical.

That all changed with the arrival of a 2022 Corvette. The differences increased with a 2023 Kia Stinger. The latest 2024 Honda CR-V took it to a whole new level.

In this post, I won't even begin to discuss the differences in the gear selection mechanism nor the parking brakes but I'll try to cover just the steering wheel.

Here's a base line line.

And then the differences:

Fake "I Can’t Believe He’s Gone" Facebook Posts

We've all seen those fake "I Can’t Believe He’s Gone" posts on Facebook. You didn't click on them, did you? I hope not.

But I couldn't figure out what they were up to. This post (archive.org) on KnowBe4 explains it.

These posts never have the name of the deceased person in them. They have a link that you need to click on to find out who is deceased. DON'T!

Source: bleepstatic

If you click on it, you are taken to a page that asks you to login with your Facebook credentials.

It goes downhill from there.

There are more details on Bleeping Computer (archive.org).

Integrity of Amazon Reviews

You'll recall my experience with PHI-Not so-COOL. It purported to have 128GB of storage but only had a low quality 32GB microSD card.

I guess I'm a sucker for "deals" so I kept on looking for a USB drive with USB A, USB C, and Lightning connectors. But this time, I thought I would be smarter. Instead of just looking on Amazon, I use Google to double check Amazon.

With this, I found AUAMOZ USB iOS Memory Stick Photo Stick that had several positive comparative reviews on the Internet. So I ordered it from Amazon.

Bad choice!

Here's the review I submitted to Amazon on 01/10/24:

This is a complete FAKE. I ran GRC's ValiDrive against it and it showed that it claimed 268GB but only tested as 71GB. I couldn't resist so I opened it. All this is is a microSD card in a cheap carrier.

How did this get almost 6,000 reviews with a 4.1 rating? Amazon, are you asleep at the wheel?

I even submitted pictures of the internals and the ValiDrive test results.

Amazon's response on 01/12/24:

We couldn't post your review because it doesn't meet our community guidelines.

So, I guess telling the truth doesn't meet their community guidelines.

So I resubmitted my review on 01/12/24 omitting "FAKE":

Doesn't Have Stated Capacity: This doesn't have the stated capacity. I ran GRC's ValiDrive against it and it showed that it claimed 268GB but only tested as 71GB. I couldn't resist so I opened it. All this is is a microSD card in a cheap carrier. You won't be able to read your data from this drive.

Amazon replied on 01/14/24:

Thank you for submitting a review of Flash Drive for iPhone 256GB, AUAMOZ USB iOS Memory Stick Photo Stick External Storage Thumb Drive for iPhone iPad Android Computer (Light Blue); we are sorry you did not have a positive experience. We investigated your concerns about product authenticity, and the information we have indicates that the product you received was authentic. As a result, we removed the review you submitted. This ensures that customer reviews remain as accurate as possible for the benefit of future customers.

If you go read the Amazon reviews, NOBODY mentions restoring their files from the drive.

So I resubmitted my review a third time on 01/14/24 trying to be more succinct:

Doesn't Have Stated Capacity: It only had 71GB of capacity. If you copy files to it, you can't read them back.

Amazon replied on 01/15/24:

Thank you for submitting a review of Flash Drive for iPhone 256GB, AUAMOZ USB iOS Memory Stick Photo Stick External Storage Thumb Drive for iPhone iPad Android Computer (Light Blue); we are sorry you did not have a positive experience. We investigated your concerns about product authenticity, and the information we have indicates that the product you received was authentic. As a result, we removed the review you submitted. This ensures that customer reviews remain as accurate as possible for the benefit of future customers.

I finally bought a SanDisk 128GB iXpand Flash Drive Go that tested and worked great. It cost twice as much as the AUAMOZ and had half the stated (but actual) capacity.

Caveat emptor.

macOS for Windows Users

This has been a journey but one I needed to have made.

This post is going to be my (and hopefully your) cheatsheet for macOS.

Tips:

• Command-Q to quit - like the red X in the upper-right corner
• Function-Delete to forward delete - backspace key
• Command-Tab to switch apps - like Windows Key + Tab
• Command-Option-Esc to Force Quit - Control-Alt-Delete
• Option-click on the Notification Center icon at top right of the menu bar to toggle Do Not Disturb
• Option-click menu bar icons - access different or expanded menus
• Option-click the Apple button - lets you restart or shut down your Mac and view system information
• Command-spacebar for Spotlight search - like Windows Key
• Use the trackpad as right mouse button - press with 2 fingers to get the right mouse button
• Use the shortcuts you're used to - use ⌘ instead of Ctrl

Links:

Mac tips for Windows switchers (archive.org)

10 Mac shortcuts you need to know (archive.org)

Taking a Screenshot on Mac (archive.org)

Clean Up Your Mac’s Dock (archive.org)

Mac tips for Windows switchers (archive.org)

5 tips if you switch from Windows to an Apple MacBook (archive.org)

Helpful Applications:

Google Chrome

Microsoft Office

Strongbox - for KeePass

CheatSheet

zClock

OneDrive

MacBrick

As mentioned earlier, I Sipped the Kool-Aid. And then I stumbled.

OpenCore Legacy Patcher's (OCLP) instructions are somewhat wanting. On a trip, I got a prompt that a new update to OCLP was available. Generally you don't need to install updates unless you are planning to upgrade to a new macOS that that update provides support for but, knowing me, I install them all.

The OCLP updates install automatically after you accept them but I was too aggressive. I got a prompt that something couldn't install because something else was already in progress. With no guidance from OCLP, I clicked the "Retry" button.

BRICK!

From Apple:

A prohibitory symbol, which looks like a circle with a line or slash through it, means that your startup disk contains a Mac operating system, but it's not a version or build of macOS that your Mac can use.

The MacBook wouldn't boot. Basically, the on-the-fly OCLP firmware patches weren't being installed and the MacBook Air 2015 wouldn't boot Ventura.

Being out of town, I didn't have the "magic" USB drive that I had used to install OCLP. Perhaps, with that I could have repatched the firmware.

Anyway, I had a MacBook brick for the rest of the trip. Thankfully, I had brought a Windows laptop as well.

Back at home, I still couldn't figure out how to repatch using the USB drive.

Finally, I just did a hard factory reset (archive.org) on the MacBook and rebuilt it. At least that was good practice and a check on my documentation.

There are lots of links on Google about how to reset a MacBook but they are usually telling you how to erase it. The above linked lifewire.com article will let you reset a bricked MacBook over the Internet. Pretty cool.

Say No to iOS Apps

I had made a reservation for dinner at a local restaurant. They required Yelp to make the reservation. I used the restaurant's link on their website and it worked fine.

Then the trouble began.

The day before our reservation, I got the following text message from Yelp.

Here's the web page I got when I clicked that link on my phone.

No, I'm not going to install an app just to confirm a reservation.

So, I just replied "YES".

So the demand to install an app was just a bluff. Why would Yelp bluff you to install an app?

I found this reddit comment that explains it better than I can.

• A website can't ask your OS for a list of installed apps and then sell it to the highest bidder.
• A website can't nag you with useless notifications, unless you explicitly click "yes" on a scary-looking browser dialog.
• A website can't access your phone's globally unique identifiers, nor can it collect stats about your battery to determine how likely you are to buy a new phone.
• A website can't scan your phone's entire storage for interesting stuff after you grant it the permission to pull one photo from a directory.
• A website can't put you on the "users to eventually ban" list if your phone is jailbroken or rooted.
• A website can't download ads in the background to show them even if you are offline (even though the web tech to make offline sites actually exists).

Now, that's why don't I like to install apps.

I Sipped the Kool-Aid

I've had an iPad for years. I've given up and moved to an iPhone, even enabling iMessage. Then I bought an Apple Watch.

Now I've gone and bought a Mac, actually a MacBook Air 2015. I got it CHEAP!

But the last macOS supported on the MacBook Air 2015 was Catalina 10.15.7. Not only haven't there been any security patches for Catalina for a while but it was 4 versions behind.

Then I found OpenCore Legacy Patcher (OCLP). OCLP is my kind of hack. Apple deprecates versions of their Mac hardware by requiring new but basically insignificant hardware. OCLP updates the Mac's firmware in memory to fake that the newly required hardware is present and then the new macOS runs without complaints. Even the performance is good.

But it's not for the faint of heart. As of this post, the installation instructions (archive.org) are for version 0.6.6 while the current version is 1.3.0. And some of the steps are implied rather than specified.

There are lots of other guides on the Internet but they all seem to assume a pretty good understanding of macOS.

So, if you're game, it works great.

My MacBook Air 2015 is running Sonoma 14.2.1.

PHI-Not so-COOL

You'll recall my experiences recently with ValiDrive and the FAKE 512GB USB drive with USB A, USB C, and Lightning connectors. It only had capacity of 64GB.

Somewhat later, I was out of town and had an urgent need for a USB drive. In my traveling toolkit, I had a PHICOOL USB drive with an alleged 128GB and USB A, USB C, and Lightning connectors.

Now my SOP is to run ValiDrive on new USB drives. Again, this drive was FAKE only having 32GB of capacity and was ridiculously slow.

As I studied the PHICOOL drive I realized that I could open it. Here is what was inside.

But look at this!

A 32GB microSD card!

Run ValiDrive on EVERY USB drive that you buy, even on memory cards.