Tech Teach - Scams and Prices

 

Tech Teach – October 2025

 

Hi Everyone,

 

It’s been a long time since I did one of these newsletters, way too long.  Sorry about that.  With so many things going on in my life, it’s been hard to keep track of time unless there’s some appointment scheduled.  Hope you had a good Thanksgiving with family and friends.

 

This issue, I’d like to go over a couple of things:  scams and prices.

 

Being that this is the time of year just about everyone is buying online, we all need to be very careful of scams trying to get us to click on links to who knows where.  Keep an eye for the “https” (the “s” is for secure”) in the URL / web site address.  Watch out for intentional spelling errors, Like a capital I (i) instead of a lower case l (L) in the name.  When you get an email from “your favorite business,” make sure it’s from that actual business, not from HotMail or Yahoo or something you don’t recognize.  Amazon is going to send emails from an amazon.com account, same with other large businesses.

 

A legit business is not going to use gmail.com, yahoo.com, hotmail.com, or even a protonmail account.

 

Lots of places want you money, make sure you’re giving it to the businesses YOU chose.  If it looks funky, it probably is.  You can always log in to your account and see what orders have been places, or call (or better yet go in person) to your financial institution and look at your account history.  They’ll be able to put a stop to any unauthorized transactions and maybe put a hold or scam watch on the account.

 

I don’t need to tell any of you that prices are going up.  From gas to food, it ain’t getting cheaper (much).  Case in point: memory and solid state drives.

 

In the last six months or so, RAM (memory) has tripled in price due to AI (artificial intelligence) servers going online.  The RAM in one of my computers, 2x 16GB of DDR5-6000 (there won’t be a test) that was $80 from Newegg in July is now $300, if it’s even in stock.  Manufacturers have been trying to hold prices down as much as they can, but December is going to be some big sticker shock if you’re looking for a new computer.  Also, the TeamGroup QX2 2TB SATA SSD (solid state drive) I bought two years ago for $65 is now <eeek> $145 from Newegg.

 

Even CPUs (central processing units) are starting to be hit by memory pricing.  They use very fast and very difficult to manufacture memory directly on the CPU die that’s starting to creep up.

 

If you’re looking at new computer, I’d try to do that purchase as soon as you can.  Or wait until well into next year if you can hold out and see if prices drop.  If your needs are modest, I’d certainly give a refurbished computer a good look.  Dell (at the time of this email) is running some very nice deals, with up to 55% off on some laptops.

 

Speaking of laptops, and computers in general, here’s some ideas of what to look for in the way of specs.

 

If you’re just looking for a casual use machine (email, YouTube videos, documents) 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage with a Core i3 or Ryzen 3 CPU should do nicely.  For a bit more snap and less waiting, go for 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage with a Core i5 or Ryzen 5 CPU.  If you want to take lots of pictures or just store a lot of file in general (music and video), then look for 1TB of storage.  Or buy a nice external USB drive of at least 1TB.

If you want a computer with no waiting, then a Core i7 / Ultra 7 from Intel (i9 or Ultra 9 is really for gaming, video editing, program compiling uses) or Ryzen 7 (same for Ryzen 9) will do nicely.

 

Ideal universe:  Intel i7 / Ultra 7 / Ryzen 7 with 16GB of RAM, 1TB of storage and a screen with 1920x1080 resolution.  Your budget may vary and your use case.  Not everyone needs a high end gaming rig to read email. And 1366x768 resolution is doable, but if you plan on watching streaming content, like Netflix of Pluto.tv, I’d recommend a screen you want to look at for hours.

 

I’d strongly recommend avoiding “Celeron” or “Pentium” or any Intel “Nxxx” CPU.  Just painfully slow.  Same with less than 8GB of memory for Windows 11 in any form.  4GB of memory will have enough for Windows, and not much else to run.

 

Also, look for a computer that’s not too difficult to upgrade or is upgradable at all.  Some companies (looking at you, Lenovo) are fixing the RAM to the motherboard where the amount can not be changed.  Same with storage.  An NVME / M.2 slot makes replacing storage fairing easier, short of taking the case apart.

 

As many know, Windows 10 has stopped being supported by Microsoft as of October 15.  No more security updates.  What this means is that as time goes on, Windows 10 will get less secure and easy to “hack.”  I’d probably say to stop accessing finances and paying bills on a Windows 10 computer.

 

Pretty much, there’s four options to deal with Windows 10:

 

1)       Do nothing and just use your computer till it stops working

2)       Upgrade to Windows 11 (this is an option I offer, even on older computers)

3)       Do a full install of Windows 11 (same, even on older computers)

4)       Buy a new or refurbished computer with Windows 11 installed

 

If you find this information useful, please let me know.  Always welcome questions and comments.  And please feel free to forward this to anyone you think might benefit from it.  If you don’t want it anymore, let me know that too.

Things California is great at:

 

- #1 in homelessness - #1 in poverty - #1 in Retail crime - #1 in gas prices - #1 in illiteracy - #1 in wage stagnation - #1 in frivolous lawsuits - #3 in unemployment - #2 in housing costs - #2 in water bills - #1 in restrictions on workers - #1 in Anti-business regulations - #3 in energy/electricity costs - #3 in inequality - #1 in income tax - #1 in gas tax - #1 in budget deficit - #2 in educational inequity - #1 in COVID school shutdowns - #1 in COVID business shutdowns - #1 in COVID mandates - #1 in illegal border crossings - #1 in funding for illegal immigrants - #1 in People leaving state

Todd Beamer

 Remembering The Heroes of 9/11

TODD: Hello? Operator, listen to me... I can’t speak very loud – this is an emergency. I’m a passenger on a United flight to San Francisco, we have a situation here. Our plane has been hijacked, can you understand me? LISA: (exhaling a deep breath to herself) I understand… can the hijackers see you talking on the phone? TODD: No. LISA: Can you tell me how many hijackers are on the plane? TODD: There are three that we know of. LISA: Can you see any weapons? What kind of weapons do they have? TODD: Yes… they don’t have guns… they have knives; they took over the plane with knives. LISA: Do you mean, like steak knives? TODD: No, these are razor knives… like box cutters. LISA: Can you tell what country these people are from? TODD: No... I don’t know, they sound like they’re from the Middle East. LISA: Have they said what they want? TODD: Someone from the cockpit announced that there was a bomb on board. He said that he was the captain, and to stay in our seats, and stay quiet. He said that they were meeting these hijacker’s demands, and returning to the airport… It was very broken English, and I’m telling you… it sounded fake. LISA: Ok sir, please give me your name. TODD: My name is Todd Beamer. LISA: Ok Todd… my name is Lisa... Do you know your flight number? If you can’t remember, it’s on your ticket. TODD: It’s United Flight 93. LISA: Now Todd, can you try to tell me exactly what happened? TODD: Ok. Two of the hijackers were sitting in first class near the cockpit; a third was sitting near the back of the coach section. The two up front got into the cockpit somehow, and there was shouting. The third hijacker said he had a bomb. It looks like a bomb. He’s got it tied to his waist with a red belt of some kind. LISA: Is the door to the cockpit open? TODD: No, the hijackers shut it behind them. LISA: Has anyone been injured? TODD: Yes… They… they killed one passenger sitting in first class. There’s been lots of shouting, we don’t know if the pilots are dead or alive. A flight attendant told me that the pilot and copilot had been forced from the cockpit and may have been wounded. LISA: Where is the third hijacker now Todd? TODD: He’s near the back of the plane. They forced most of the passengers into first class, there are fourteen of us here in the back. Five are flight attendants; he hasn’t noticed that I slipped into this pantry to get the phone. The guy with the bomb ordered us to sit on the floor in the rear of the plane. Oh Jesus… help. LISA: Todd; are you ok? Tell me what’s happening. TODD: Hello.. We’re going down… I think we’re going to crash. Wait - wait a minute. No, we’re leveling off… we’re ok. I think we may be turning around… that’s it - we changed directions. Do you hear me… we’re flying east again. LISA: Ok Todd… what’s going on with the other passengers? TODD: Everyone is… really scared. A few passengers with cell phones have made calls to relatives; a guy, Jeremy, was talking to his wife just before the hijacking started. She told him hijackers had crashed two planes into the World Trade Center… Lisa is that true? LISA: Todd… I have to tell you the truth… it’s very bad. The World Trade Center is gone. Both of the towers have been destroyed. TODD: Oh G-d... help us! LISA: A third plane was taken over by terrorists. It crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC. Our country is under attack... And I’m afraid that your plane may be part of their plan. TODD: Oh dear G-d, dear G-d… Lisa, will you do something for me? LISA: I’ll try… if I can… Yes. TODD: I want you to call my wife and my kids for me and tell them what’s happened. Promise me you’ll call. LISA: I promise - I’ll call. TODD: Our home number is 201-333-1073... You have the same name as my wife… Lisa... We’ve been married for ten years. She’s pregnant with our third child. Tell her that I love her.. (choking up). I’ll always love her… (Clears throat) We have two boys; David, he’s three, and Andrew, he’s one... Tell them… (choking up), tell them that their daddy loves them and that he is so proud of them. (Clears throat again). Our baby is due January 12th… I saw an ultra sound… it was great… we still don’t know if it’s a girl or a boy… Lisa? LISA: (barely able to speak) I’ll tell them, I promise Todd. TODD: I’m going back to the group... if I can get back I will. LISA: Todd, leave this line open; are you still there?... LISA: (dials a phone number)... Hello, FBI, my name is Lisa Jefferson, I’m a telephone supervisor for GTE. I need to report a terrorist hijacking of a United Airlines Flight 93… Yes I’ll hold. GOODWIN: Hello, this is Agent Goodwin, I understand you have a hijacking situation? LISA: Yes sir, I’ve been talking with a passenger, a Todd Beamer, on Flight 93 who managed to get to an air-phone unnoticed. GOODWIN: Where did this flight originate, and what was its destination? LISA: The flight left Newark, New Jersey at 8 a.m. departing for San Francisco. The hijackers took over the plane shortly after takeoff and several minutes later the plane changed course - it’s now flying east. GOODWIN: Ms. Jefferson… I need to talk to someone aboard that plane. Can you get me thru to the plane’s phone? LISA: I still have that line open sir, I can patch you through on a conference call, hold a mo… TODD: Hello Lisa, Lisa are you there? LISA: Yes, I’m here. Todd, I made a call to the FBI, Agent Goodwin is on the line and will be talking to you as well. TODD: The others all know that this isn’t a normal hijacking. Jeremy called his wife again, on his cell phone. She told him more about the World Trade Center. GOODWIN: Hello Todd, this is Agent Goodwin with the FBI. We have been monitoring your flight. Your plane is on a course for Washington, DC. The terrorists crashed two planes into the World Trade Center and one into the Pentagon. Our best guess is that they plan to fly your plane into either the White House or the Capital Building. TODD: I understand… hold on… I’ll… I’ll be back. LISA: Mr. Goodwin, how much time do they have before they get to Washington? GOODWIN: Not long ma’am. They changed course over Cleveland, they’re approaching Pittsburgh now. Washington may be twenty minutes away. TODD: (breathing a little heavier) The plane seems to be changing directions just a little, it’s getting pretty rough up here. The plane is flying real erratic… we’re not going to make it out of here. Listen to me - I want you to hear this - I have talked with the others and we decided that we won’t be pawns in the hijackers suicidal plot. LISA: Todd, what are you going to do? TODD: We’ve hatched a plan. Four of us are going to rush the hijacker who has the bomb. After we take him out, we’ll break into the cockpit. A stewardess is getting some boiling water to throw on the hijackers at the controls. We’ll get them, and we’ll take them out. Lisa, will you do one last thing for me? LISA: Yes… what is it? TODD: Would you pray with me? They pray: Our father which art in Heaven Hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses As we forgive our trespassers, And lead us not into temptation But deliver us from evil For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, For ever. Amen The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want He makes me to lie down in green pastures He leads me beside the still waters He restores my soul He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. TODD: (softer) G-d help me. Jesus help me (clears throat and louder), Are you guys ready?... Let’s Roll...

If you wanna get rich, get elected to Congress

 The wealth of members of the U.S. Congress varies widely, with many being millionaires due to a combination of their congressional salaries, prior business successes, investments, and sometimes inherited wealth or wealth from spouses. Here are some insights into the wealth of various members based on available data:

• Darrell Issa (R-CA) is often cited as one of the wealthiest members of Congress, with his wealth primarily from his car alarm business, Directed Electronics. His net worth has been reported to be around $283 million to $768 million.
• Rick Scott (R-FL) has a significant portion of his wealth from his tenure as a health care executive, notably from founding and later selling Columbia Hospital Corporation (now HCA Healthcare) and Solantic. His net worth has been estimated at over $300 million.

  
• Michael McCaul (R-TX) has a substantial net worth, much of which is attributed to his wife's inheritance from her father, Lowry Mays, who founded Clear Channel Communications. Estimates place his net worth between $200 million and $294 million.
• Mark Warner (D-VA) amassed significant wealth through his business ventures, including Columbia Capital, where he invested in telecommunication companies like Nextel. His net worth has been reported at around $30.8 million in certain investments and higher overall.

  
• Jared Polis (D-CO) before entering politics, was an entrepreneur, notably with an online greeting card company and other internet startups. His net worth was noted to be around $388 million in the past.
• Greg Gianforte (R-MT) made his fortune through software development and was listed as the wealthiest member of the U.S. House of Representatives with a net worth that has been reported to be over $189 million.

  

  
• Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and her husband, Paul Pelosi, have investments in real estate and stocks, contributing to her reported net worth, which has been stated to be around $114 million. However, some sources suggest it might be higher, with figures like $290 million mentioned in social media.

  
• Mitt Romney (R-UT) has a considerable fortune from his time at Bain Capital, with his net worth reported at around $174 million.

  

  
• Vern Buchanan (R-FL) has wealth from his car dealerships and other business ventures, with his net worth reported to be between $157 million.

  

  

These figures are estimates based on public disclosure forms and media analyses. They can change over time due to market fluctuations, new investments, or changes in asset values. Remember, these are broad strokes, and exact net worth can be difficult to pin down due to the nature of financial disclosures which use ranges rather than precise amounts. Also, wealth concentration among the top earners in Congress is significant, with a small percentage holding a large share of the total wealth of Congress members.