App Discovery: Patch My PC Home Updater, keep your apps updated easily!

I've touted many times before the 3 simple cyberhygiene rules of Brian Krebs, one of which is keep apps updated. But some apps update themselves (but you have to run them), some have external updaters, some relies on Windows update... 

Now, there is Patch My PC's Home Updater. That's right, there's an app that will scan your home PC, find the apps, and update them for you, with minimal headaches. 

While this doesn't replace ALL updaters, this will do about 80% of the updates. Just run it periodically (say, once a week)... Start it up, and just hit "update" and walk away. Come back in half an hour, and it should be done. 

How easy is that? 

You can also use this to FIND new apps to install by browsing the library of apps they scan for. These scan for mostly free alternatives to famous apps, and thus, you may discover apps that does what you pay monthly or yearly for. 

And of course, it will UNinstall apps you no longer want to use, which is another one of Kreb's cyberhygiene rules. 

So give it a try. 

For the few apps this won't update, there's another app I will recommend... in the next post. 

App Discovery: Ninite -- Install or Update MANY Programs at Once

Ninite, available at Ninite.com, is a tremendous timesaver for people who need to keep PCs up to date or standardized on certain number of free or freemium programs, and it has a wide selection and is extremely easy to use. 

Basically, go to Ninite.com, and select which of the programs you want the installer to download and install by ticking its checkmark. 

Ninite Installer Config (as of 2024/06/16), bottom's cut off... Ninite.com

As you can see, it will install or update ANY of the programs on this list, from security tools to web browsers, from messaging and email apps to compression utilities, from media players (video, audio, etc.) to developer / programming tools, from image editor/viewer to system utilities, PDF viewers, and other commonly installed toolsand apps. Once you chose all you wanted, click on the Ninite button to download the installer. 

Then you can run this installer on any Windows computer, and it will download and install EVERY program you chose from the list, WITHOUT ASKING you to confirm anything. EVERYTHING will be done automatically, no user prompting, no confirmation, completely automated install like systeadmin magic powers... And it's all free. 

So if you need to keep 10 computers on the latest version of various apps, just make 1 Ninite installer, and run it on all 10 computers (probably with some sort of USB drive). Run it, and walk away to do something else. It'll be done when it's done. You'll probably still have to run each app to config it, but that's easy enough, right? 

For individual users, this is easier than running X programs one at a time to engage the auto-update for each one. 

So give it a try, eh? 

Yes, still alive...

Went to the CPMC campus on Van Ness for my ECRP procedure. 

How did Uber get so expensive? I was going to book Uber, and apparently at 6AM it will cost me $43 to go 1.3 miles (!!!).  I changed to Lyft and it only cost me $20. And yes, I tipped $5. The guy came in a BMW!  Rene, you're a good egg. Could drive a little smoother, but your car's immaculate. 

Anyway, the procedure went without a hitch. Pretty much got dressed in the gown, got EKG, had a little problem getting the IV in, that the nurses decided to let the anesthesiologist do it. But I have always had difficult veins, and lack of water intake before the procedure (if I regurg during the procedure I could drown, no joke, or get water in my lung, which is not good either) means I am a little dehydrated, which added to the difficulty. I think I got like 4 holes poked in me before the nurses gave up. :D

Anyway, got to the procedure room, got the IV put in, then it's time for the procedure. Got transferred from the gurney to the table, was warned that the drugs are going in, got a couple breaths of pure O2, then it's lights out for me. And I woke up in recovery. Then... I got the "bad" news? They apparently did find a 3cm mass, and they were able to biopsy that for the lab. Then they put a stent in, so I should start feeling better. But they need a better look at that mass, so I have a CT scan to be scheduled "soon". 

Got back home with a ride from family friend, pretty much went to bed, and dozed off. 

Spent Wednesday pretty much moping at home. Dad decided to move his shitter to my room in case I needed it. :D  Let's just say my bowels before the procedure was loose enough I may have gone a couple times in my trash can, that I got so tired of it I loaded myself with Loperamide (generic Immodium AD) that I constipated for a full day, didn't go until late Wednesday night / early Thursday morning. And yes, I had gone all the way to my local pharmacy to buy some. 

Finally decided to venture outside on Thursday, but I didn't go to sleep until like 5AM, that I didn't get out until noon. Nothing quite taste right, but forced myself to eat some cheungfun, then got a haircut (I think my last one was in... January?)  

Have a doctor's appt tomorrow, my sleep doctor, not much to report there, then there's an interview next week... Not getting paid MUCH, but my resume is apparently impressive to them, probably because no one else applied. Still, it'd put some money in my bank account, which is getting down to negligible status, and my credit card's over limit. ARGH!

Separate update about other stuff in the next blog post.