TechByter Worldwide 2017-02-05: Fractional Increase Brings Big Changes to SnagIt; ANTHOLOGY: Because it Sounds Better than A Big Bag Full of Little Things; Short Circuits; and Spare Parts.

TechSmith just released a minor-version update of its flagship application, SnagIt, but the improvements are surprisingly robust for what's considered a minor release. I store random thoughts and small stories that show up and have some promise, but aren't big enough for their own segment. When the batch is large enough, I compile them and give them a fancy title. That's what you're in for this week. In Short Circuits: Popcorn Time Ransomware starts by apologizing to you, but you'll still spend nearly $1000 to get your data back. There's a better way. A new company promises to help us identify and eliminate fake news. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Most companies seem to concentrate more on the loss of customers than on the loss of data if their systems are breached; if you're a Facebook advertiser, you might want to take a look at an app from ConsumerAcquisition.com; and maybe you remember when computers were fragile, but some of today's computers can survive a misadventure at a construction site.