Dariusz Więckiewicz

See Favorites Start Page by Jimmy Lye in chrome web store.

There’s been a lot going on recently with Google Chrome (and Microsoft Edge) browser extensions.

Things really heated up when new requirements were introduced, dictating how Chrome extensions are built and what they can do – Manifest V3.

Think of Manifest V3 as a blueprint or set of guidelines for extension developers, with a strong focus on boosting security, privacy, and performance.

While the shift to Manifest V3 is a whole other story, the PayPal Honey scandal prompted Google to take a much closer look at how Chrome extensions behave, especially those involved in affiliate marketing.

I recently upgraded my work computer from i5 8th Generation to i7 11th Generation. In the opposite of installing OS from scratch and setting it all up again, as I haven’t got time, I decided to use Rescuezilla and simply clone my system from the old hard drive to the new computer.

All goes well.

After the first run, some drivers needed to be updated. I needed to detach the Windows 11 license from the old computer and pair it with one that had been delivered (embedded) with it.

All seems to be working really well until I start putting a bit of a stressful task into it.

With very short notice, Microsoft finally made a move to kill Skype altogether and concentrate on something that, by default, is integrated with Windows 11 – Teams.

I personally tried to move a few people out of Skype to Teams years back, but now there are no ifs or buts, as Microsoft is pulling the plug. There is no going back.

As much as I am happy, I quickly started feeling that removing Skype is putting some users back.

If you are not paying anything extra to Microsoft, you will quickly notice that you are missing some crucial features in Teams that have been available in Skype for years.

Update 01/07/2025
Because Gmailify.com was just too spicy for the trademark police, the owner of the service been forced to rename it to Gomailify. Apart of the nothing change, Same trusted service, same mission to supercharge your Gmail, just with a dash more go!

After years of using a free Google Workspace account, and after ups and downs with it, due to Google’s decision to kill it and then keep it alive, I decided to move my emails and other files back to my personal Gmail account.

My main reason for using Google Workspace was the ability to use my domain across Google services, mainly concentrating on the ability to send and receive emails within my domain, but still using the Gmail interface.

After extensive work I had done to move my data from Google Workspace back to my Gmail account, I set up an option for me to receive and send emails within my domain.

Adding a physical camera button to the iPhone 16 series was a great step towards people using it as a main device for photography and making videos, and believe it or not, there are a lot of them. Some people have even successfully made full movies with iPhones.

When I upgraded my 13 Pro Max to the 16 Pro Max, the camera button was something I had been looking forward to until I noticed that I was not using it at all!

A router with custom firmware (OpenWrt) is a basic device on my home network, but I am also using it in the business environment as a main device, and all works great.

In the past I used DD-WRT on my routers. Despite that their project is still ongoing, I found it lacking behind current needs.

OpenWrt use strictly depends on the device – router, that I am using. I always choose a device that will work for me and it will not bend under spikes of load.

GitHub is a great place to find some good resources and solutions. Whenever I need it personally or professionally, if the solution is really useful, I make sure to add a star to it.

I review my stars from time to time, and it wasn’t any different on the 31st of December 2024.

By the end of 2024, I had accumulated the following, which are really worth looking at.

The list is curated, and I pick the ones that are worth knowing for the following year, 2025.

The announcement of RCS support on iPhone with iOS 18 was a very big disappointment for me, as I mentioned in my earlier post; however, in recent days, the situation has changed.

Cloudflare’s DNS service, known as 1.1.1.1, has transformed the internet for the better and continues to make a significant impact every day.

From setting DNS on your device to installing the dedicated app for using WARP technology, you can make your connections faster by choosing optimised routes for traffic.

If you are an advanced user, you can secure your entire network at home or in the workplace by implementing Cloudflare technology at your router.

For some users, this may feel too overwhelming.

Windows 11 introduced built-in integration for Secured DNS (Encrypted) that can be implemented at the interface level (your network card, whether wired or wireless). Thanks to this, all the DNS requests going through it will be encrypted.

When Jack Dorsey departed from Twitter, it was passed into the greasy hands of another billionaire who turned it into a cesspool.

I don’t have anything against billionaires. Let them have their money; just do good with it, not harm. This reminds me of the meme that rings true for every hard-working person:

“Most people don’t want to be rich. They just want enough money to not worry anymore.”