Daily Links and Deals: Tape recording was introduced 70 years ago today

daily_links_1Today 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 DealsPanasonic 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.

Daily Links and Deals: A computer has made a Rembrandt painting and it’s perfect

daily_links_1In today’s stories,there’s news on Rembrandt going digital, chat bots, lifelogging and chat app encryption. In the deals department, There are deals on smart sprinkler systems, incredible savings on both e-ink Kindles and Fire Tablets.

Daily Links for Wednesday, April 6, 2016:

Kik Messenger launched a bot store one week before Facebook is expected to launch a bot store (ReCode) This may go a long way towards making information readily accessible. Interesting to see where this one goes.

Lifelogging is dead (for now) (Computer World) This was an interesting experiment. Are there any lessons learned here?

WhatsApp, the world’s most popular messaging service, just turned on encryption for all its data (Quartz) Yes, it is now fully encrypted. And, it looks like your tax dollars paid for the software.

A computer has made a Rembrandt painting and it’s perfect (The Next Web) Is technology taking on the art world now? This opens some interesting doors for artists of the future.

Adobe to issue emergency Flash patch (ComputerWorld) Again? *sigh* We really need to get rid of Flash – for good.

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s selection of Kindle Daily Deals includes The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White for $1.99.

Today’s Deals include a BISSELL 1940 Powerfresh Steam Mop, up to 50% off Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller and 15% off Fire TV models. There are still Kindle deals as well: Savings on the Fire HD 6, pre-owned Fire tablets, and the great  Kindle Deals for customers with Amazon Prime.

If you are not happy with the on-board storage on your 7″ $49.99 Fire, Amazon recently started offering a 16 GB version for $69.99. Personally, I like the resolution on the Fire HD6 better, and the 16GB HD 6 version is on sale right now for only $89.99. IMHO,  that’s the better value. 🙂

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen for $1.99. The Romance Daily Find is The Choice (Lancaster County Secrets Series #1) by Suzanne Woods Fisher for $1.99.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is Long Gone by Alafair Burke for 99 cents.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick for $1.99.

(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.