Today marks the 70th anniversary of tape recording, the antecedent of the state of media today. Also, a look at IVR systems and why we hate “pressing 1 for customer service”, a how-to for erasing hard drives,  the demise of flash on Chrome (mostly) and more. In deals, a rechargeable battery charger kit and a Roku streaming stick for $40.

Daily Links for Monday, May 16, 2016:

How to really erase any drive — even SSDs — in 2016 (ZDNet) How to wipe a computer before disposal has always been an issue. In today’s world where we do everything from shopping to banking online, correctly erasing your data from your hard drive is even more important than ever.

Tape recording was introduced 70 years ago today (Recode) Do you think Bing Crosby when you think about tape recording? You should. This fascinating article about the invention of tape recording  explains the the history of the medium that really kicked off the revolution in home entertainment.

6 ways to put an end to the ‘press 1 for…’ customer experience (The Next Web) If, like me, you consider IVR (Interactive Voice Response) systems part of the bane of modern existence, you may find this interesting.

Google to block Flash by default on most sites for Chrome users (ComputerWorld) Google means it this time: Goodbye Flash! Well…, mostly anyway.

Over-the-Air Antennas Are Making a Comeback (Motherboard) While these are not your grandmother’s rabbit ears, a surprising number of people are opting for cord cutting via over-the-air broadcasts.

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s selection of Kindle Daily Deals includes Supersurvivors: The Surprising Link Between Suffering and Success by David B. Feldman and Lee Daniel Kravetz for

In Today’s Deals, Panasonic Eneloop Power Pack for 10AA, 4AAA Colored Cells Advanced Battery Charger and $10 off the Roku Streaming Stick (3600R).

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is Love, Honor, and Betray (Reverend Curtis Black Series #8) by Kimberla Lawson Roby for $2.99. The Romance Daily Find is Hush by Karen Robards for $1.99.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is Evidence Series Box Set Volume 1: Books 1-3 by Rachel Grant for 99 cents.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore for $$1.99.

Google Books has a Limited-Time Deals promotion.

(A note on Daily Deals: All prices current at the time of posting and subject to change. Most items marked Daily Deals are good for only the day posted.

Many large promotions have discount pricing that is set by the publisher. This usually means that titles can be found at a discount price across most platforms (with iTunes sometimes being the exception). If you have a favorite retailer you like to patronize, check the title on that website. There is a good chance that they will be matching the sale price.)

Daily Links are interesting links I discover as I go about my online day. The frequency and number of links posted depend upon the daily news. I also post other, different links of interest on Twitter, Facebook, and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.