Stop WhatsApp Read Receipts

How to Stop Your WhatsApp Friends from Knowing You’ve Read Their Messages

WhatsApp is a really popular, Facebook-owned messaging service, although most of its users are outside the US. While it’s encrypted end-to-end to protect you from spying, WhatsApp shares read receipts by default—so people can see if you’ve read their message—as well as sharing the last time you were online.

If you’re concerned about your privacy, or just want to be able to respond to messages in your own time without offending people, you should turn both of these features off.

I’m using iOS screenshots as examples but the process is the same on Android. Here’s how to do it.

Open WhatsApp and head to Settings > Account > Privacy.



To keep people from knowing you read their message, tap the Read Receipts switch to turn it off. This means you won’t be able to see whether or not they’ve read yours either, though.



To stop WhatsApp showing your last online time, tap Last Seen and then select Nobody. You also won’t be able to see other people’s last online time if you have it turned off.



WhatsApp is a great messaging app and, although it is secure, by default, it shares more information than many people like with their contacts. I personally leave read receipts and my last online time switched off; I recommend you do too.

Todays HaHa

Entertainment News

Ranking the awards shows — from first to farce

Oscars: Martin Scorsese wasn't the only one with a big smile on his face after winning the director trophy for "The Departed" in 2007. For fans, his first statuette was a long time in coming. The film also won best picture and two other awards. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)


We’re just turning the calendar to December, and already awards shows are popping up fast and furious, keeping statue assembly line elves working long into the nights. The Gotham Awards were Monday. Something called the National Board of Review announced its nominees Tuesday. The New York Film Critics Circle and Broadcast Film Critics Assn. will reveal their slates Thursday.

And on Friday they rested. Because even God probably can’t keep up with awards season.

Which is why we decided to rank the awards shows, letting you know which groups to watch and which to ignore. No need to thank us … unless you win one of these things someday. Then you damn well better mention us in your acceptance speech. (Except if it’s a Hollywood Film Award, that is.)

1) OSCARS

Established: 1929

Ranking rationale: Everything else owes its existence and advertising to this show, which began its life as an afterthought to studio mogul Louis B. Mayer’s desire to scuttle guilds and labor unions. Hooray for Hollywood!

High point: From the show: Cher’s Bob Mackie era, David Niven’s improv reaction to a streaker in 1974. From the awards: How about Martin Scorsese finally winning the director Oscar for “The Departed” in 2007?

Low point: From the show: “We Saw Your Boobs” in 2013. From the awards: “The King’s Speech” winning best picture over “The Social Network” in 2011.

2) GOLDEN GLOBES

Golden Globes: Dick Clark gives a tipsy Elizabeth Taylor a hand during the presentation of the best picture winner in 2001. (Chris Haston / NBC)

Established: 1944

Ranking rationale: Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. membership remains as sketchy as ever, even if its voters aren’t making wacky choices as often as they used to. But network ratings legitimize the group and its awards — sort of. Anyway, it’s usually a fun night and much better television than the Oscars.

High point: For a classic Globes mixture of star power and inebriation,  it doesn't get better than a plastered Elizabeth Taylor presenting best picture drama in 2001.

Low point: And the 1982 award for New Star of the Year … Pia Zadora!

3) SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS

Screen actors Guild: Idris Elba won two awards in January in the awards that honor film and TV work. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Established: 1995

Ranking rationale: Actors! The world revolves around them — or so they think. The winners here often go on to win Oscars. Also, the cast award is always a fun way to see a film’s entire ensemble together — though if Jennifer Lawrence is involved, there should be a rule that she must give the speech.

High point: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to diverse TV," Idris Elba quipped in January after Viola Davis’ win for “How to Get Away With Murder.” Elba won two SAG awards, including an honor for his work in the movie “Beasts of No Nation,” just weeks after the Oscars took a PR hit for failing to nominate any actors of color for a second straight year.

Low point: Nominees on the television side are more typically two years behind the curve.

4) DIRECTORS GUILD AWARDS

Directors Guild Awards: Adrien Brody stars in Roman Polanski's movie, "The Pianist." (Guy Ferrandis / Focus Features)

Established: 1938

Ranking rationale: Auteurs! The world actually does revolve around them. Plus, it’s almost an ironclad Oscar predictor.  Only seven DGA winners have not gone on to win the Academy Award, most recently (and famously) Ben Affleck.

High point: Martin Scorsese and Joel and Ethan Coen on the same stage, as the former presented the brothers top honors for “No Country for Old Men” in 2008. (Judging from the way he gave the envelope a second look, we think Scorsese might have believed Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood” should have won.)

Low point: Rob Marshall’s “Chicago” prevailing over Roman Polanski’s “The Pianist” in 2003. Plus too many actors winning for movies that haven’t held up particularly well. (C’mon, directors! Close your ranks!)

5) PRODUCERS GUILD AWARDS

Established: 1990

Ranking rationale: The PGA uses the same preferential voting ballot that the academy employs, meaning its winner usually goes on to take best picture. Except when it doesn’t, as was the case last year with “The Big Short” taking the PGA and “Spotlight” winning the Oscar.

High point: The top-prize tie between “12 Years a Slave” and “Gravity” in 2014 made pundits’ heads explode.

Low point: “The King’s Speech” won here too.

6) FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS

––Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson star in Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation." (Focus Features)

Established: 1984

Ranking rationale: Loose ceremony held in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica the day before the Oscars. Could stand to be looser with choices, though, as winners too often mirror the Oscars.

High point: Bill Murray’s win for “Lost in Translation” in 2004, demonstrating why it would have been awesome if he, and not Sean Penn, had gone on to win the Oscar. “I have no prepared remarks,” Murray began. “I didn’t feel that would be independent.”

Low point: “Silver Linings Playbook,” a borderline indie at best, sweeps the Spirits in 2013, leading many to question the Film Independent show’s mission and/or point.

7) WRITERS GUILD AWARDS

Established: 1949

Ranking rationale: The nominations never include the entirety of the film year’s best as some screenwriters don’t belong to the guild and many movies are not guild signatories.

High point: The great Harold Ramis receives a posthumous career honor in 2014, continuing a welcome willingness on the part of the guild to acknowledge that superb comic writing deserves recognition too.

Low point: Simultaneous ceremonies in New York and L.A. can ruin the suspense when the West Coast show lags behind.

8) LOS ANGELES FILM CRITICS ASSN., NEW YORK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE AND NATIONAL SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS

Established: 1975, 1935, 1966, respectively

Ranking rationale: LAFCA and NYFCC, early December voters, can establish an outsider movie’s awards legitimacy. The L.A. group’s recognition of George Miller last year helped propel “Mad Max: Fury Road” to 10 Oscar nominations.

High point: L.A. critics group gives Terry Gilliam’s then-unreleased “Brazil” best picture, director and screenplay in 1985, prompting Universal studio head Sidney Sheinberg to put Gilliam’s cut of the movie in theaters.

Low point: New York critics opt for insanely early voting date beginning in 2011, putting a priority on “First!” rather than best.

9) BRITISH ACADEMY OF FILM AND TELEVISION ARTS AWARDS

Olivia (Patricia Arquette) and Mason (Ellar Coltrane) in the movie "Boyhood," directed by Richard Linklater. (IFC Films)

Established: 1948

Ranking rationale: Oscars equivalent for the tea-and-crumpet crowd. In 2001, BAFTA moved its ceremony date so it’d take place before the Oscars. Because there’s a small overlap between BAFTA and Oscar voters, pundits strain to parse meaning from the winners. It’s minimal.

High point: Picking “Boyhood” over “Birdman” in 2015.

Low point: “The King’s Speech” won here too.

10) CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARDS

Established: 1996

Ranking rationale: Broadcast Film Critics Assn. event that prides itself on predicting the Oscars. Never met a category it couldn’t engrave — there’s a best action movie, a best comedy and a best picture, along with animated feature and foreign film prizes. (Let’s hope westerns don’t make a comeback.)

High point: TV deal with A&E.

Low point: Just this year: Ridiculously early vote date precludes consideration of late-breaking movies like Scorsese’s "Silence.” Prominent members resign after group announces marketing partnership with Entertainment Weekly.

11) OTHER GUILD AWARDS

Established: Various and sundry times

Ranking rationale: All the guilds comprising the gifted people responsible for making movies truly special — cinematographers, costume and production designers, editors, sound, makeup, visual effects  (Have I forgotten to thank anybody? Sorry!) — host their own awards shows too, keeping the chicken-dinner industry hopping through the winter.

High point: Depends on which justifiably proud parents you ask.

Low point: Depends on which justifiably upset parents you ask.

12) ANNIE AWARDS

Annie awards: Giant panda Po (Jack Black) in DreamWorks 2008 movie "Kung Fu Panda." (DreamWorks Animation)

Established: 1972

Ranking rationale: From the Annies website: “Each year we dress up and get together like the other academies to honor our stars.” Wait … animators dress up???

High point: The murderers’ row of animators —  Tex Avery, Friz Freleng, Chuck Jones, Art Babbitt, Winsor McCay — honored for their careers in 1974.

Low point: Animators accuse DreamWorks exec Jeffrey Katzenberg of rigging the vote after his studio’s “Kung Fu Panda” beats Pixar’s demonstrably superior “WALL-E” in 2009.

13) GOTHAM AWARDS

Established: 1991

Ranking rationale: Originally formed to honor movies made in the Northeast, the Gothams capitulated to recognizing Hollywood in 2004. Now it’s basically an early Spirit Awards held in the dead of New York winter, as opposed to the Spirits’ sunny Saturday on the Santa Monica beach. Guess which event is more fun.

High point: Trumpets itself as the first event of the awards season.

Low point: Not really the first event of the awards season. (See below: Hollywood Film Awards)

14) NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW

Established: 1909

Ranking rationale: Who these “film enthusiasts” are and how they vote have always remained a secret. But they have a tradition of being the first to announce their slate, guaranteeing coverage for a day until actual, legitimate groups begin to weigh in.

High point: None. (See below.)

Low point: Showing a suspicious amount of love recently toward Clint Eastwood. Best actor for “Gran Torino”? Best director for “Invictus”?

15) HOLLYWOOD FILM AWARDS

Hollywood Film Awards: Host James Corden pokes fun at the event's insignificance at the ceremony in early November. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Established: 1997

Ranking rationale: The show that CBS called the “greatest-kept secret in Hollywood” has gone back to being just that, with prizes going to anyone willing to show up. That they continue to do so is a testament to Hollywood’s desperate need for approval, no matter what form it takes.

High point: The annual mocking of these fake prizes, even as A-list talent regularly turns up to accept them. "If you haven't won an award tonight and you're here, you should fire your publicist," host James Corden joked this year.

Low point: “Multi-year broadcast agreement” with CBS ends after just one year when 2014 ceremony draws infomercial-level ratings.

Copyright © 2016, Los Angeles Times

Trivia

The Ration Of Rum Given To English Sailors Was Known As?

Redbeard	Runner
Grog	Limey

Answer: Grog

Throughout the great age of sea exploration, ship captains were constantly struggling to find a way to easily (and safely) satisfy the demands of sailors for a daily allowance of alcohol and, at the same time, to make the water stored aboard the ship palatable enough to prevent the crew from turning on them over accusations of rotten water and sparse alcohol.

The two concerns became particularly pressing as sea voyages lengthened. Beer didn’t keep long enough to survive long voyages (nor was it easy to store adequate quantities), water barrels would grow quite slimy, and the stored water would take on foul odors. To combat this, British Vice Admiral Edward Vernon introduced a new drink in 1740: a mixture of water and rum.

Why mix them and why did the mixture take on the name “grog”? Mixing the two together was a clever idea. First, it made stale water taste much better. More importantly, however, it would spoil faster than straight rum and thus would prevent crafty sailors from saving their daily ration of rum for days (or even weeks) in order to drink it all at once and enjoy a bit of high seas drunkenness (often coupled with a bit of disorderly conduct).

As for how it came to be called grog, Vice Admiral Vernon wore a coat made of grogram cloth, the sailors called him “Old Grog” in reference to the cloth, and soon they were calling the rum and water mixture he created “grog” in reference to him.

Did You Know/Todays Term

Did You Know?

Edward I, King of England between 1272-1307, was known as “Edward Longshanks” due to his height—although only 6′ 2″ tall and hardly a giant by modern standards, he was extremely tall for his time and towered over many of his subjects.

Today's Tech Term 

Active Archiving

Active Archiving refers to the process of moving infrequently used data to secondary storage where it can still be easily accessed, yet not negatively impact the performance of production databases.

Thur Inspiration

Morning Inspiration with Pastor Merritt

"A local businessman was teaching a Sunday School class of fourth grade boys, and he was really trying to impress the class, because his son was a member. So during the lesson, he asked the class this question: “Why do you suppose that people call me a Christian?” There was dead silence. Not one boy or girl spoke up. He asked the question again: “Boys and girls, why do you suppose that people call me a Christian?” There was still no response.

Finally, the man paused, scratched his chin, and said: “Now come on, think about it. Why do people call me a Christian?” His own son broke the silence and spoke up and said, “Maybe it’s because they don’t know you!”

Well, why do people call other people Christians? What do they mean by that term? In fact, what do you mean by that term? Today that term is used more than any other term to describe a follower of Christ and to describe so many things. People talk about the Christian church, the Christian faith. They debate whether or not we are a Christian nation. Yet, I believe the average person has no real clue what a Christian really is at least biblically speaking. Many who profess to be Christians really are not Christians at all, and many who use the term don’t even really understand what they’re saying.

I was amazed to learn that even though the term “believers” is used 80 times to describe Christians, “saints” is used 60 times, and “disciples” is used 30 times, the word “Christian” is used only three times. Those referred to as “Christians” by unbelievers were called “disciples” by believers. The two titles were synonymous.

Both words describe the same people. All true disciples were Christians, and all true Christians were disciples. A disciple is simply someone who learns the truth that is found in God’s word, and then lives the truth that is found in God’s word. In fact, the definition Jesus gave the disciples was this one: “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.” (John 8:31)

How this world would be changed if every Christian would just simply stand for Christ when the opportunity presented itself. I read something that staggered me the other day. If one Christian won one person to Jesus Christ this year, then next year those two won one person each to Christ, then the next year those four won one person to Christ, and so on, in 33 years, the time Jesus lived on earth, four billion people would be saved.

We don’t need to bring the term Christian down to the way many of us live. We need to raise the way we live up to the level of the name "Christian." Then when people ask, “What is a Christian,” they will have no doubt what a Christian is; they won’t even have to ask the question, “Are you a Christian?” Because by the way we live, walk, and talk they will know it.

Working While Waiting

God is Working While You’re Waiting

God Is Working While You’re Waiting
By Rick Warren

“I wait expectantly, trusting God to help, for he has promised” (Psalm 130:5 TLB).

God wants you to wait patiently for him to answer your prayer, but he also wants you to wait expectantly. Have faith. Trust God to hear and to answer. When you wait expectantly, you show God that you believe his promises. You believe he’s going to keep his word.

Daniel Boone, the famous frontiersman, was once asked, “Have you ever gotten lost in the wilderness?” He said, “No, I’ve never been lost. I’ve been bewildered for weeks at a time, but I’ve never been lost.”

Some of you may feel bewildered right now. You’re bewildered about yourmarriage: “I’m praying for it to get better, but it’s not getting any better.” You’re bewildered about your career: “Do I go up, down, change jobs?” You’re bewildered about relationships. You may feel powerless and hopeless and like you can’t do anything to change your situation on your own. You’re bewildered.

Don’t be discouraged! Don’t give up! Look up. Turn to prayer. I have had many, many requests in my life that I’ve prayed to God that have never been answered. I can think of one prayer that I have prayed almost every day for 24 years, and it hasn’t been answered. I don’t know why God hasn’t chosen to answer that prayer, and I don’t understand it. But I have decided this: Whether or not God ever answers that prayer, I am going to die believing his promises. Because God is a good God, and he knows what’s best, even when I don’t understand it.

When God doesn’t answer your prayers, you need to remember a couple very important truths. First, God is in control, and you’re not. He knows better what you need than you do. There is no mountain too tall that he can’t move it. There is no problem so big that he can’t solve it. There is no sorrow so deep he cannot soothe it. God is in control, and he has a plan.

The second thing you need to remember is that, whether or not you ever receive your answer, God will honor your patience — if not in this world then in eternity.

“I wait expectantly, trusting God to help, for he has promised” (Psalm 130:5 TLB).

Intercession Prayers

Why Does God Love our Intercession? by Debbie Przybylski

“Intercession! Would one not say that this is the very holiest exercise of our boldness as God’s children? It is the highest privilege and enjoyment connected to our communion with God. It is the power of being used by God as instruments for His great work of making men His habitation and showing forth His glory.” - Andrew Murray Dear intercessors, You may not realize it, but God loves your intercession. You may be right now in the thick of the battle in prayer and may not see any answer or way through. But know this! When you come to God in prayer, it moves His heart deeply. He is seeking for intercessors and for those who will give themselves to prayer. Jesus is the greatest intercessor. He knows what it is to sweat great drops of blood for others. He spent whole nights and long seasons in prayer. And there are others – Daniel, David, and Paul. Today Jesus looks across the whole earth, seeking for intercessors. Are there others who will stand in the gap on behalf of the land? Are there some who will raise their hands and say, “Jesus, let me be your intercessor for such a time as this? I want to be your man or woman of prayer.” If this is the cry of your heart, God is seeking you out. His eye is upon you. We read in Ezekiel 22:30: “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.” Intercession and prayer is so important to God. It is the primary way that God governs the universe. Through intercession He release His (government) power through Jesus and with His people. This requires cooperation on our part with Him. This is an expression of His desire for intimate partnership with us. He will not do our part and we cannot do His part. If we do not do our part, then God withholds some of the help and blessing He would have given us. We need a deep revelation of the majesty and mystery of intercession. I pray for you: "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power" - (Ephesians 1:17-19). I have been involved in prayer for decades in many nations and cities. I know the ups and downs, the perseverance, and the attacks that intercessors face. But I also know of the power and glory of prayer if we will persevere and not give up.  Why God Loves our Intercession “You will make your prayer to Him, He will hear you, and you will pay your vows. You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways” (Job 22:27-28). God wants us to ask in order to receive (James 4:2). He will answer if we pray and ask (Isaiah 30:18-19). He loves when we verbalize our prayers. I will mention a few reasons why God loves our intercession to help you realize the beauty and power of partnering with Him in prayer: God passionately desires that we partner with Him in prayer and intercession - Prayer draws us into intimacy with God, and at the same time, it humbles and transforms us. When we bring the needs of others to God in prayer, we interact in partnership with His heart. We are in governmental partnership with Him - The governmental center of the universe is in the prayer ministry. We partner with Him or we will not see these blessings. Intercession is God’s brilliant strategy for including the saints in ruling with Him in power. God seeks for those who will stand in the gap in intercession. He opens doors of blessing when we intercede - We have a dynamic role in determining the measure of the quality of our life. It’s marvelous! Charles Finney was a lawyer from New York in the 1800’s whom the Lord used greatly to bring about revival. These amazing results were because of two strong intercessors who prayed earnestly for every meeting. He changes us on the inside as His Word abides in us - The mystery of intercession is in its “weakness”, simplicity, humility, and accessibility to all. We are filled with God's heart as we pray, and our effectiveness in intercession increases. God’s mind then dominates and saturates ours, renewing us as we pursue Him in prayer. He initiates prayer by declaring His will in His Word - We respond by praying His Word. Then He answers us by releasing His blessing because of our prayers. Prayer and intercession cause us to internalize God’s Word because when we speak His ideas back to Him. His Word builds us up in our heart and delivers us (1 Thessalonians 2:13, Acts 20:32, Hebrews 4:12, James 1:21). We then decree God’s decrees with power from on high.  Jesus releases God’s justice in response to intercession - Justice is God making wrong things right. He requires night and day prayer as the condition to release justice. Wrong things are made right, the sick are healed, those bound in sin are freed, and revival is released in geographical areas. “Shall God not avenge (bring about justice for) His elect who cry out day and night to Him? I tell you that He will avenge (bring about justice) them speedily - (Luke 18:7-8). General Robert E. Lee was a United States Army officer for thirty-two years and among the greatest generals in American history.He is best known for fighting in the American Civil War on behalf of the Confederate Army. General Lee saw that prayer and intercession was a mighty weapon in taking back land from the enemy and winning battles. He was one who not only fought for the nation of America, but he also pleaded earnestly that people would pray everywhere. We must likewise fight for nations on our knees in intercession. This is what Robert E. Lee said: “Knowing that intercessory prayer is our mightiest weapon and the supreme call for all Christians today, I pleadingly urge our people everywhere to pray. Believing that prayer is the greatest contribution that our people can make in this critical hour, I humbly urge that we take time to pray - to really pray. Let there be prayer at sunup, at noonday, at sundown, at midnight - all through the day. Let us all pray for our children, our youth, our aged, ourpastors, our homes. Let us pray for our churches... Let us pray for our nation. Let us pray for those who have never known Jesus Christ and redeeming love, for moral forces everywhere, for our national leaders. Let prayer be our passion. Let prayer be our practice.”

Smartphone Party is Over

The smartphone party is over

Phone sales for 2016 will likely be flat as consumers in the US and other established markets hang onto old phones.

Smartphone sales around the globe have slowed dramatically in 2016 as forecasters expect nearly flat growth.

Sales worldwide of smartphones have flatlined in 2016, but strong growth for 4G smartphones in emerging markets remains a bright spot.

In IDC's latest forecast projecting sales for 2016, the market research firm reported worldwide smartphone shipments are expected to reach about 1.45 billion units. This represents a year-over-year growth rate of just 0.6 percent, a steep drop from the 10.4 percent growth rate the industry saw between 2014 and 2015, according to IDC.

The only good news is that sales of 4G smartphones, mostly in emerging markets, is expected to see a 21.3 percent year-over-year boost in 2016. Much of this growth will be driven by sales in developing markets in Asia, Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East. While 4G smartphones only accounted for about 61 percent of sales in these regions in 2015, they're expected to be 77 percent of smartphone shipments in 2016.

Meanwhile, smartphone makers saw a slowdown in sales last year in mature markets, such as the US, China and Western Europe, where sales growth in 2015 was only in the single digits. Sales in these markets is expected to be even worse in 2016.

Big manufacturers are feeling the pain as Apple and Samsung have each experienced significant declines in sales. Samsung saw its sharpest dip ever in the third quarter with a 14 percent decline in sales, according to market research firm Gartner. The slump is due, at least in part, to battery problems that caused some of Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 phones to explode or catch fire. Apple also saw a 6.6 percent decline in sales in the third quarter, in spite of the launch of its new iPhone 7.

The reason? The smartphone industry has been hit by "phone fatigue." Consumers in mature markets have been turned off by a lack of exciting features in new phones, causing more of them to stick with their current smartphones. At the same time, mobile carriers are doing away with subsidized plans, causing more customers to buy their phones at the full retail price, putting a damper on sales of expensive models.

by Marguerite Reardon

Breaking News - Former NBC Boss Dies

Grant Tinker, former NBC boss and MTM Enterprises founder, dies at 90

Grant Tinker in Beverly Hills in 2006. (Danny Moloshok / Associated Press)

Grant Tinker, who brought “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and other hits to the screen as a producer and a network boss, has died.

Tinker died Monday at his home in Los Angeles, according to his son, Mark Tinker. He was 90.

Though he spent years at NBC, Tinker is best known for his work at MTM Enterprises. He founded the company in 1970 with then-wife Mary Tyler Moore. In addition to Moore’s own groundbreaking situation comedy, MTM scored with series including “Rhoda,” “The Bob Newhart Show” and “Hill Street Blues.”

Tinker became NBC chairman in 1981 and led the network out of the cellar with hits such as “The Cosby Show” and “Cheers.”

Movie Preview - Incarnate

Bring Back Office Pic Manager

How to Bring Back the Microsoft Office Picture Manager in Office 2013 or 2016

If you’re using Microsoft Office 2013 or 2016, you may have noticed that the Microsoft Office Picture Manager is not included. Picture Manager was included in Office 2010 and earlier and allowed you to easily view, edit, and manage pictures.

Microsoft has not updated Picture Manager since Office 2003, so the program is old and out of date, as you’d expect. However, if you used Picture Manager in the past, and the features it had back then are all you need, it’s fine to install it alongside Office 2013 or 2016.

If you have a disc or folder with the setup files for Office 2010, 2007, or 2003, you can install just Picture Manager from one of those versions of Office. If you don’t have any old versions of Office, Picture Manager was also a component of SharePoint Designer 2010, which is available as a free download from Microsoft. Use one of the links below to download SharePoint Designer 2010.

• 32-bit: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=16573
• 64-bit: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=24309

The procedure for installing Picture Manager from an earlier Office version or SharePoint Designer 2010 is essentially the same, so it doesn’t matter whether you install Picture Manager using Office 2010, 2007, or 2003 or SharePoint Designer 2010.

Start the setup program and follow the on-screen instructions until you get to the Choose the installation you want screen. Then, click “Customize”.



For each module listed on the Installation Options tab, including Office Tools, click on the drop-down button and select “Not Available”.



We turned off all the modules, but now we’re going to turn the Picture Manager module back on. Click the plus sign to the left of Office Tools module to expand that section. Notice that all the items under Office Tools are set to Not Available, including Microsoft Office Picture Manager. Click the drop-down button to the left of Microsoft Office Picture Manager and select “Run from My Computer”.



Then, click “Install Now” to install only the Picture Manager.



If you’re installing Picture Manager from SharePoint Designer 2010, do the same thing as you would in an Office setup. There are just fewer modules to make “Not Available”. Just make sure Microsoft Office Picture Manager is set to “Run from My Computer” under Office Tools and then click “Install Now”.



The progress of the installation displays.



When the following screen displays, click “Close” to close the setup program.



To complete the setup, you must reboot your computer, so click “Yes” on the following dialog box.



Once you’ve rebooted, the Microsoft Office Picture Manager is available under Recently added on the Start menu in Windows 10. In Windows 8, it doesn’t seem to get added to the Start screen, but a simple search on the Start screen for “picture manager” will easily find it and allow you to open it.



The Picture Manager is also available on the Start menu in the Microsoft Office group, which is where it’s available in Windows 7 as well.



Picture Manager is only included in SharePoint Designer 2010, not SharePoint Designer 2013, and there will not be a SharePoint Designer 2016. Therefore, SharePoint Designer 2010 is the last version to contain Picture Manager.

Stop Adding "-Shortcut" to Shortcut Names

How to Stop Windows from Adding “- Shortcut” to Shortcut File Names

When you make a new shortcut in Windows, it automatically adds “- Shortcut” to the end of the shortcut’s file name. This doesn’t seem like a big deal, but they can be bothersome. Sure, you can remove the text yourself when you create the shortcut, but why not stop it from happening in the first place?

After all, we already have a shortcut arrow overlaid onto the icons of shortcuts—unless you’ve removed the arrows. How much reminding do we really need that they are, in fact, shortcuts? Plus, if you keep a lot of shortcuts around, the extra length on their names can get cumbersome. If you’re willing to make a quick change to the Windows Registry—or download our one-click hacks—you can prevent Windows from adding the text in the first place.

Remove the “- Shortcut” Text by Editing the Registry Manually

To remove the “- Shortcut” text for any PC running Windows Vista all the way through Windows 10, you just need to make an adjustment to one setting in the Windows Registry.

Standard warning: Registry Editor is a powerful tool and misusing it can render your system unstable or even inoperable. This is a pretty simple hack and as long as you stick to the instructions, you shouldn’t have any problems. That said, if you’ve never worked with it before, consider reading about how to use the Registry Editor before you get started. And definitely back up the Registry (and your computer!) before making changes.

Open the Registry Editor by hitting Start and typing “regedit.” Press Enter to open Registry Editor and give it permission to make changes to your PC.



In the Registry Editor, use the left sidebar to navigate to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer



On the right-hand side, scroll down and locate a value named link. If you don’t see the value, you’ll need to create it by right-clicking the Explorer key, choosing New > Binary Value, and then naming the new value “link.”



When you’ve found—or created—the link value, double-click it to open its properties window. In the “Value data” box, replace the current value with “00 00 00 00.” Note that the current value you see will depend on what version and edition of Windows you’re running. It doesn’t matter what’s there already. Just replace it with all zeroes.



You’ll need to restart your computer (or sign out and back in) to complete the change. Test it out by creating a new shortcut. Windows should no longer add the “- Shortcut” text. If you want to reverse the changes, just head back into the Registry and delete the link value. This will work whether the value was already there or you created it yourself. Windows will recreate the value with the default setting when it needs to.

Download Our One-Click Registry Hacks

If you don’t feel like diving into the Registry yourself, we’ve created some a couple of Registry hacks you can use. The “Remove Shortcut Text” hack sets the link value to 0, creating the value if it needs to. The “Restore Shortcut Text (Default)” hack deletes the value, restoring the default and causing Windows to add the “- Shortcut” text again. Both hacks are included in the following ZIP file. Double-click the one you want to use and click through the prompts. When you’ve applied the hack you want, restart your computer (or log off and back on).

Shortcut Text Hacks

These hacks are really just the Explorer key, stripped down to the link value we talked about in the previous section and then exported to a .REG file. And if you enjoy fiddling with the Registry, it’s worth taking the time to learn how to make your own Registry hacks.

Trivia

The Phrase “Pull Out All The Stops” Entered English By Way Of?

Surgeons	Police Officers
Baseball Players	Organists

Answer: Organists

It would be easy to think that “pull out all the stops” entered into the English language by way of sports, given how often that phrase is used by sports announcers (and the fact that there’s even a “shortstop” position in baseball). The phrase, however, entered English by way of music—specifically through terminology used by organists.

An organ stop is a component of a pipe organ that regulates the flow of air to the pipes. There are multiple stops and skilled organists will adjust the stops to help create that multiple-instruments-playing effect that organs are known for. To “pull out all the stops” is to adjust the stops for every rank of pipes in the organ and would indicate that the organist is playing a complicated and crowd pleasing piece that requires the entire range of pipes available to them. The phrase jumped to general usage where it now means to use every available means to achieve your goal (just as the organist uses every available pipe to play the piece).

Did You Know/Todays Term

Did You Know?

Although all turtles and tortoises breath air like us, some species have adapted to spending extended amounts of time underwater by developing large cloacal cavities lined with many finger-like projections in the rear of their shells that can take in water and extract dissolved oxygen in a pseudo-gill-like function that operates independently of their regular lungs.

Today's Tech Term 

ACK

An ACK (short for Acknowledgement Code) is a transmission control character (usually an ASCII character reserved for that purpose) that is sent from a receiving station to a sending station to indicate that a message or block of data has been successfully received (uncorrupted or with an acceptable number of errors).