A winter sunset over Badin Lake in the heart of the Uwharrie National Forest in central North Carolina.
I Hate PDFs, Here Are Some Tips
First off, just let me say I hate PDFs in the workplace because even in 2025, few people understand all the ins and outs of working with them. All they know is that the boss needs to buy them or IT needs to give them some expensive software, preferably top of the line Adobe software, so they can do what they want with a single damn document they got from some seminar.
If you occasionally work with documents saved as PDFs, you can probably avoid purchasing, or worse, subscribing to expensive services to create, join, split, annotate and convert files. The key word is occasionally. If your everyday workflow involves working with PDFs all day, you need to go ahead and invest in the tools you need.
Both Macs and PCs can create PDF files from just about any file you can print. Where folks run into trouble is when they get a PDF file created by someone else, and they want to edit it as if it were a Word document. It is not. When you look at a PDF, you are essentially looking at a picture of a document rather than an original. Still, depending on your pain point, there are free tools you can use to make some modifications to PDFs.
There are also free tools to do OCR (object character recognition) on PDF files so that you can search the text in them for keywords. Not every PDF has a searchable layer. It can be created if it doesn't exist, but it isn't always there by default.
One last bomb blast from your IT guy - do not come at me with some 1GB 800-page PDF full of tiny text and full color pictures and complain about anything because you are asking for trouble if you expect to work with files like that. You just are.
PDFgear - Free PDF Editor Software & Online tools
Annotate a PDF in Preview on Mac - Apple Support
How To Edit a PDF on Mac—Three Fast and Free Ways | Smallpdf
PDF online - FREE | Adobe Acrobat
PDF OCR - Recognize text - easily, online, free - PDF24
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I’ve been looking at this giant oak since I was a kid when it was in front of the local newspaper. After the paper moved, the area became a notorious red-light district patrolled by civilian police and Army MPs. Today, the tree is on the grounds of the Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum.
Acorn Image Editor Provides Great Value
Through the years, I've used multiple versions of Adobe Photoshop,
Pixelmator add even GIMP for layered image editing and graphic design.
The most user-friendly yet powerful app I've ever used in that category
is Acorn, by the developers at Flying Meat, Inc. For less than $20 you
get a Photoshop compatible application, either from the developer's website
or the App
Store.The feature set is long and varied, but the interface isn't
overly complicated, and you don't need to buy an 800-page book to
explain the ins and outs of using it. A two-time Apple award winner,
it's a one-time purchase of $19.99, and you get access to extensive
online documentation, a user forum and tech support. The current version
is a universal binary compatible with macOS 14 and 15, but earlier
versions can still be downloaded.
New Features in Latest Version
- AI subject selection
- Live text tool
- Data-driven graphics
- On canvas ruler
- JPEG-XL support
- Look up tables (LUTs)
- Super resolution (upscaling)
- Extensive export support
- Apple shortcut support
Basic Use Cases
- Design logos and custom typography by adding text to paths or shapes.
- Remove backgrounds using Magic Wand and Instant Alpha Eraser.
- Combine images to create collages and layouts.
- Retouch images with Clone, Dodge, and Burn.
- Adjust contrast, highlights, and shadows with Levels and Curves.
- Export professionally with customizable color profiles, file formats, and precise size control.
Extended Feature Set
- Layer capabilities
- Filters, effects and styles
- Basic and custom brushes (including Adobe imports)
- Magic Wand shapes
- Vector support
- Supports multiple file types
If you only need basic features, like image conversion, compression and resizing, there are programs with smaller feature sets to accomplish those tasks. If. However, you want something full-featured with batch processing capabilities (using Automator support), Acorn is a good tool to have.
Limited Purpose Tools
I captured this snap of a Blue Crowned Hanging Parrot, one of the smallest, at our state aviary before it closed a few years back. It was one of my favorite places in the world
Get Ready for More
If you aren't a regular reader of Linkage, the daily collection of interesting places to visit on the Internet, you really should be. Earlier tonight i shared the news that I've decided to stop working at the university where I've been full time since 2022. My new ambition is to be able to devote my time to writing in a way I never have been able to before. Writing is what brings me the most joy these days but I have had to cram it into a life with a full time job, family time that I treasure and trying to be a supportive husband to Wonder Woman. I've always enjoyed helping people with technology issues, so my job wasn't unenjoyable, but like any workplace, sometimes personalities and politics get in the way of the mission. Well, not any more, not for me. My last day in my 50s will be my last day as an employee. My first day of the final retirement is going to be my 60th birthday.
This is the real culmination of a dream I've had for a while. There are so many things in my life that have taken a back seat. I'll have time to cook again. I won't have to go for walks in the coldest hour of the day. I can spend evenings doing things with Wonder Woman as opposed to doing things near her.
My vision for writing is to be able to spend more time developing ideas, spending some time mind mapping or outlining what I want to write about. I may even start proofreading before I publish! Usually my editing is of the oh, shit variety, after I spot a mistake or three on a live blog post. I get email from developers fairly regularly asking me to consider reviewing their apps and now I will have time to do more of that. It would really make me happy to be able to lend a hand to someone who comes up with a great idea to get more attention for their work. I don't have the stress or pressure faced by commercial journalists.
For this blog, where tech takes a back seat and I tend to write more autobiographical prose along with social commentary, nothing will change about the format or direction. I'll just be able to develop some ideas more fully. It is a precarious moment in time. Documenting how we get through these next four years is important. I want to be a part of a support network of progressive voices who advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the face of an assault on vulnerable people. Activists absolutely need to be in the streets, but no one should discount building communities online. If the right wing's Internet presence is a problem for the left, the same can be true in reverse. Keeping people engaged and involved and ready to vote isn't a given. I'm not planning to become a pundit. I just want to be the same outspoken citizen I have tried to be since conservatism turned so poisonous.
I am excited and happy. Life is awesome.
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Vivaldi, My Favorite Browser Just Got Some Updates
I switched to using Vivaldi late last year after being all in on Microsoft Edge because of work. I am trying to leave as many big tech companies behind as possible, and I grew tired of having AI shoved in my face all day. Vivaldi is a Chromium-based browser designed for the technically proficient, who form the core of its 3.1 million user base.
Through the years I've used Netscape, Internet Explorer, Camino, Safari, Chrome and Edge. None of them ever provided the customization options that Vivaldi does. The ability to group tabs and save them as browsing sessions is a real game changer. The iOS version is great too and getting to my bookmarks, tabs and history works well between platforms. Version 7.1 was released recently and these are some of the new features.
Bring Your Tabs Along
If the thought of abandoning the open tabs in your current browser gives you anxiety, Vivaldi now has you covered. It can import them all so you can get right back to doing what you were doing without having to set things up again.
Speed Dials
Vivaldi has a mechanism for setting up link collections called Speed Dials. You can reach your Speed Dials right from the new tab page. I have several, including one with the websites I use for posting to my blog and another for research. The process for adding sites to them has been redesigned and is no easier than ever to manage.
Seamless Tab Sharing
If, like me, you use your browser on multiple devices, four in my case, the ability to send tabs to my phone, iPad or work computer is easier than ever. I can continue to read or research anything without using third-party software or cumbersome workarounds.
New Default Search Engines
Vivaldi doesn’t track you, profile you, or sell your data. It's monetized by defaulting to one of three search engines, although you are free to use anything you want. Vivaldi features Startpage, Ecosia, DuckDuckGo and Qwant. It's built in tracker blocking and the availability of ad blockers routinely give me a score of 99 to 100 on sites that grade privacy.
Weather Widget
There is a new custom weather widget for Vivaldi's new tab page, which it calls a dashboard. The dashboard already has widgets to display your email inbox, top stories from your choice of RSS feeds, your calendar and more.
Dashboard Customization
You can now customize the look of your dashboard with themes ranging from minimalist styles to bold and colorful. The page background is adjustable to fit your style, and you can color your widgets to match the overall them you've chosen for the browser as a whole.
Vivaldi, My Favorite Browser Just Got Some Updates
I switched to using Vivaldi late last year after being all in on Microsoft Edge because of work. I am trying to leave as many big tech companies behind as possible, and I grew tired of having AI shoved in my face all day. Vivaldi is a Chromium-based browser designed for the technically proficient, who form the core of its 3.1 million user base.
Through the years I've used Netscape, Internet Explorer, Camino, Safari, Chrome and Edge. None of them ever provided the customization options that Vivaldi does. The ability to group tabs and save them as browsing sessions is a real game changer. The iOS version is great too and getting to my bookmarks, tabs and history works well between platforms. Version 7.1 was released recently and these are some of the new features.
Bring Your Tabs Along
If the thought of abandoning the open tabs in your current browser gives you anxiety, Vivaldi now has you covered. It can import them all so you can get right back to doing what you were doing without having to set things up again.
Speed Dials
Vivaldi has a mechanism for setting up link collections called Speed Dials. You can reach your Speed Dials right from the new tab page. I have several, including one with the websites I use for posting to my blog and another for research. The process for adding sites to them has been redesigned and is no easier than ever to manage.
Seamless Tab Sharing
If, like me, you use your browser on multiple devices, four in my case, the ability to send tabs to my phone, iPad or work computer is easier than ever. I can continue to read or research anything without using third-party software or cumbersome workarounds.
New Default Search Engines
Vivaldi doesn’t track you, profile you, or sell your data. It's monetized by defaulting to one of three search engines, although you are free to use anything you want. Vivaldi features Startpage, Ecosia, DuckDuckGo and Qwant. It's built in tracker blocking and the availability of ad blockers routinely give me a score of 99 to 100 on sites that grade privacy.
Weather Widget
There is a new custom weather widget for Vivaldi's new tab page, which it calls a dashboard. The dashboard already has widgets to display your email inbox, top stories from your choice of RSS feeds, your calendar and more.
Dashboard Customization
You can now customize the look of your dashboard with themes ranging from minimalist styles to bold and colorful. The page background is adjustable to fit your style, and you can color your widgets to match the overall them you've chosen for the browser as a whole.
Quitting But Still a Winner
I did something today I've only done a couple of times in the 21st century. I quit my job. Technically, leaving my previous job wasn't quitting. It was retiring. I spent 27 years working for the state of NC before sailing off into the sunset. I ended up not liking my first shot at retirement, but I think this time will be different. For the past two years I've been an end user support specialist at a private university in the town where I live. The students and 99% of the faculty were great to work with. The atmosphere in tech has really changed though. A lot of time and energy is spent on what is essentially security theater. While there is information the law requires an IT department do everything in its power to protect, there are also lots of restrictions placed on folks that are there purely for show and don't do a damn thing to make data more secure. It makes me crazy. So I turned in my notice. My last day at work will also be my last day in my 50s. My 60th birthday will be the first day of my second retirement.
To celebrate my impending freedom, I found a few good stories about people leaving jobs to share with you.
Quitting Stories- Funny & True Stories | NotAlwaysRight.com
The CRAZIEST Job Quitting Stories You Will Ever Hear - Don’t Try These Yourself - YouTube
30 Hilarious Ways People Quit Their Jobs
4 of the wildest quitting stories we've ever heard
‘I’m outta here': Employees Share Stories About Quitting on the First Day - FAIL Blog - Funny Fails
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Winter sky
Let's Talk About Corporate Hypocrisy
When the Republican's in the NC legislature pushed through the nation's first bathroom bill in 2016, other states banned travel there, artists like Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam canceled concerts, major corporations canceled plans to open offices and the NCAA pulled the college basketball Final Four tournament. By the time the bill was rescinded, North Carolina lost billions of dollars in revenue as the nation punished it for enacting a spiteful and hate-filled law. Times have changed. Today the president of the NCAA issued a fawning statement with a positive spin on Trump's executive order banning trans athletes. In eight years time, the NCAA lost what little moral compass it ever had.
To give this exploitive and hypocritical organization, tonight I'll feature a few other less than respectable organizations.
2016
NCAA pulls 7 championship events out of North Carolina - ESPN
2025
Disney is once again giving money to anti-LGBTQ+ Republicans who passed the "Don't Say Gay" law | Salon.com - the recipients include Republicans who supported the law that banned discussions about LGBTQ+ issues in public schools through third grade, even though the company, under pressure from its employees, previously opposed the measure, officially called the Parental Rights in Education bill.
Facebook settles a federal lawsuit over allegations it favored foreign job applicants : NPR - This is the same company that just crawled into bed with MAGA and its America First Agenda.
Dove's 'Real Beauty' campaign: Hypocritical? | The Week - After earning praise for featuring women who were not professional models in an ad campaign, Dove decided to solicit candidates with this pitch - "Beautiful arms and legs and face... naturally fit, not too curvy or athletic!" the ad read. "Beautiful hair & skin is a must!!!"
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Located right off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock, NC, Cone Manor, the former home of one of NC’s textile barons, overlooks the frozen surface of Bass Lake down below.
Affirmations - IndieWeb Carnival for February 2025
This month, the topic for those participating in the monthly IndieWeb Carnival is "affirmations." I've long enjoyed reading poetry and collecting quotes. I will stop whatever I am doing if I hear a recording of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. or Winston Churchill, two of the greatest speakers to ever be recorded. I am inordinately fond of the power of language. Several years ago, I decided to see if it was possible to achieve happiness through adopting positive behaviors. Among the many things I tried over the course of the year-long experiment was internalizing affirmations. I didn't use an app for it or search through my quotes collection. Instead, I looked at the parts of my life that caused me the most stress. Then, I flipped that by determining what my favorite things were about myself.
Affirmations for Stress
The year I undertook this project was one of changes. After 15 years of working in elementary and middle schools supporting teachers and students using Apple computers, I switched to working in high schools where everything was Windows-based. I transitioned from using computers and software with which I was intimately familiar, to systems I loathed and had done my best to avoid for a long time. Not only that, I was faced with learning the ins and outs of the faculty and staff at four giant campuses. I went from a life on cruise control to one where the stress level was ramped up by the demands of high-stakes online testing, students striving for college admissions and ramped up security concerns.
Since I was trying everything in my power to make that year the best I could, I used two affirmations, which I wrote out by hand in a notebook every morning.
- I react calmly to stressful situations
- I am intelligent and resourceful. I find solutions to problems. I am not defeated by them.
I repeated those affirmations to myself before I got out of my car in the mornings as work and I had post-it notes taped to my laptop as constant reminders. I was doing a lot of other positive things that year, meditating, walking several miles a day, striving for eight hours of sleep a night, eating healthy. Combining all of those things did, in fact, keep the stress level down. Despite my misgivings, I finished out my career truly enjoying the time I spent working with older students and adapting to a whole new workflow.
Having a Purpose
The other word game i played with myself, not only that one year but right until this very day was taking the time to determine my purpose. What is it I'm on earth to do? It's a hallmark of my personality to like the things I like as much as I possibly can. I am not one to dip my toe into the pool. I do a cannonball. Because I am usually convinced that my latest passion is the best thing ever, I naturally try to convince other people to take part. When I started rescuing parrots, I had two aviaries built at my house within a year. I set up anyone who was interested with a bird of their own and helped them outfit a habitat and choose the right food. When I was into cycling, my greatest joy was helping people train for and complete their first 100-mile bike rides. When it comes to tech, I have spent the past thirty years showing people how to use various gadgets and programs to be more productive and creative. With blogging, I went from one blog to four in just a few months and I evangelize for the IndieWeb every chance I get.
My Purpose — To let my curiosity and enthusiasm create and nurture passions I can share with others.
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Tapestry by Iconfactory on Day 2
Announced a year ago on Kickstarter, Tapestry by Iconfactory was
released on February 4. Tapestry is an aggregator that creates a
combined timeline from a long list of possible sources including :
- RSS feeds
- YouTube channels
- Podcasts
- Mastodon
- Bluesky
- Micro.blog
- Tumblr
Items in your timeline are shown in chronological order. There is no algorithm. Searching within Tapestry searches across all feeds. Likewise, setting a mute filter for terms such as "Elon Musk" will block content from every source. Content from different sources is color coded to make readily apparent which resource your information is coming from. If you install Tapestry on a phone and an iPad, your reading position syncs across devices via iCloud. You can combine sources in any way you want to have your own custom feeds. I am still experimenting, but so far I created the following:
- Personal bloggers
- Hard news
- Tech news
- Combined Mastodon and Bluesky home feeds
- Favorite individual social media feeds, since you can add a feed for a single account holder (e.g. Kottke, AOC, Joan Westenberg)
The settings allow you to choose an icon, a theme and a font for the timeline. You can use the in app browser or your default browser to view content. I recommend doing that so you can view content using reader mode. Reddit links open in the Reddit app. Mastodon links open in my browser, although I can use the share sheet to open them in my preferred app. Tapestry also has bookmarks.
The privacy policy states that all searches take place on your
device. The developers do not collect any data.
Iconfactory offers monthly subscriptions for $1.99, yearly for $19.99 and a one time purchase for $79.99. A Mac version is in the works, but is not here yet. There is a free version with limited features. Get it on the App Store
Tapestry by Iconfactory on Day 2
Announced a year ago on Kickstarter, Tapestry by Iconfactory was
released on February 4. Tapestry is an aggregator that creates a
combined timeline from a long list of possible sources including :
- RSS feeds
- YouTube channels
- Podcasts
- Mastodon
- Bluesky
- Micro.blog
- Tumblr
Items in your timeline are shown in chronological order. There is no algorithm. Searching within Tapestry searches across all feeds. Likewise, setting a mute filter for terms such as "Elon Musk" will block content from every source. Content from different sources is color coded to make readily apparent which resource your information is coming from. If you install Tapestry on a phone and an iPad, your reading position syncs across devices via iCloud. You can combine sources in any way you want to have your own custom feeds. I am still experimenting, but so far I created the following:
- Personal bloggers
- Hard news
- Tech news
- Combined Mastodon and Bluesky home feeds
- Favorite individual social media feeds, since you can add a feed for a single account holder (e.g. Kottke, AOC, Joan Westenberg)
The settings allow you to choose an icon, a theme and a font for the timeline. You can use the in app browser or your default browser to view content. I recommend doing that so you can view content using reader mode. Reddit links open in the Reddit app. Mastodon links open in my browser, although I can use the share sheet to open them in my preferred app. Tapestry also has bookmarks.
The privacy policy states that all searches take place on your
device. The developers do not collect any data.
Iconfactory offers monthly subscriptions for $1.99, yearly for $19.99 and a one time purchase for $79.99. A Mac version is in the works, but is not here yet. There is a free version with limited features. Get it on the App Store
Linville Gorge in Western North Carolina, home to some of the most challenging hiking in the Eastern US.
We appeal to the angels we have, even if they aren’t the angels we think we need.
Cost vs. Benefit
When making a decision is easy, it is because there is little to no downside to taking action. I decide to get up early most mornings because I treasure being able to relax with coffee before heading to my office. I choose to be polite to most people I deal with because making people smile and being helpful makes me feel good. Those are easy choices to make for me today, although they are more difficult for some. Getting out of bed is a real challenge when you are depressed. Engaging with people in a friendly way can be intimidating for the painfully shy or introverted folks who do not want to invite uncomfortable small talk.
Often times, deciding to do something that's supposed to be good for me can be challenging. Currently, I am really struggling to be more physically active. I've used the fact that I had my knees replaced a few years back to serve as my excuse for not walking, an activity that I've enjoyed most of my life. I walked before work and at lunch for years, listening to podcasts and books or just enjoying the sounds from the local park or the neighborhood. Now, to my utter embarrassment, even short walks leave me breathing uncomfortably hard. My pace is glacial. To alleviate that, I'll have to put up with it until my body starts to adapt to the increased activity. I'll get to spend less time comfortably reading on my couch. That is the only downside. The upside is weight loss, better health, a longer life expectancy and no longer gasping for air anytime I have to walk uphill. Sounds like a no-brainer, but it hasn't been easy to decide to take the first walk.
Then there are other times when it's not obvious what the best course of action is. Life in America for people with the values I hold dear is full of outrage right now. Every day we find out about some horrible new thing the fascists are doing to vulnerable people. Today I learned that they've removed access to information on a host of topics including hate crime data, military suicides, teen dating violence and access to victim's compensation. It makes me crazy. Of course, I could easily filter out that news and read about new laptops and predictions for the next iPhone. I could just declare that my mental health is too important to risk being constantly angry about things I cannot control. I'm not going to do that, of course, due to having a conscience and not wanting to be a selfish older white guy who acts like nobody else matters as long as I've got mine. That's the attitude that let MAGA take over in the first place.
Every so often it is helpful to make lists of pros and cons or to seek counsel from friends, whether they be IRL or from online communities. Other times, going with my gut instinct is the only thing I can do. Every single day is full of choices. Because I am a world-class procrastinator, my choice is often to just wait on more information. That can sometimes be good, frequently it isn't, But, I give myself a break. Like almost everybody, I am doing the best I can with what I've got to work with. I just have to keep moving forward.
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Make Flying Less Miserable Using These Guides
I only fly two or three times a year. Most of my trips start at the regional airport a few miles from my home and involve changing planes at one or more major hubs, like Atlanta or Charlotte. If you've done much post-9/11 flying, you know the drill. Or, rather, you know that the drill is constantly changing. Shoes on or shoes off? Laptop in or out of the bag? How big can my deodorant be? That's just the stuff you have to know to get past the very first hurdle!
Then there are the rules about luggage size, the number of bags, worries about food and drink, your rights as a passenger when it comes to delays and canceled flights. Just how long can you be made to sit on the tarmac if your plane can't take off? Even if you are a seasoned traveler, there are extra steps to take for longer, overseas flights to have the best experience.
Even if you can afford a first class experience from beginning to end, sometimes the best you can hope for is to just suffer less than normal. The following guides don't answer every question, but they are a good start to having a better experience.
TSA's Top Travel Tips | Transportation Security Administration - Get TSA pre-check, Traveling with strollers, car seats and breast milk, Military travel guide, Up-to-date rules on liquids
10 Health Tips for Plane Travel | Northwestern Medicine - Many people experience some form of discomfort or sickness when they travel by plane. Dry mouth, aching limbs, swollen ankles — they’re par for the course on plane rides and they are, in fact, caused by the very environment you’re traveling in. That means there’s nothing you can do to eliminate these issues entirely, but you can take a few steps in the right direction
7 Must-Know Tips for First-Time Flyers - NerdWallet - You want to head for the gate with the swagger of a seasoned traveler, but that's hard to pull off when you don't know how much it costs to check a bag, or what to expect when you go through airport security.So how can you deal? Reviewing these tips before takeoff can boost your confidence, making your trip easier and more worry-free.
10 Airport Tips & Tricks for Stress-Free Travel - Airports and air travel can be stressful and confusing for new and seasoned travelers alike, though. With all the steps to navigate, rules, and the need to get the timing down just right, flying can quickly become overwhelming without a little help.
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Privileges - Operate Your Mac Safely
As much as you may not want to hear it, using an administrator account on your Mac as your daily driver is absolutely not the best practice. It's bad because it provides full access rights across the system to every application and process running in that account. If malware or a bad actor gains control of the administrator account, they could potentially install unwanted applications, alter system settings, or access or delete sensitive data. Limiting the use of an administrator account helps to mitigate these risks. Unfortunately, most people consider it a huge hassle to use the standard Mac method of temporarily elevating the privileges of a standard account. So they just accept the risk and use an admin account anyway. You don't have to be like them.
Use the free app, Privileges, a macOS application that lets users perform daily tasks as a standard user while easily requesting administrator rights. Users can set a specific timeframe in the app's settings to handle tasks like installing or uninstalling applications. To request admin rights, just click the Privileges icon in your Dock or menu bar. Using a standard user account instead of an administrator enhances your Mac's security and is a best practice. All users, including developers, can benefit from using Privileges. The app is compatible with macOS 11.x - 15.x. It has recently been updated.
Features
- Easy install
- Perfect for day-to-day use
- Turn on admin rights anytime
- Enjoy standard user security
- Command line use supported
New Privileges 2.1 features
- Installer package
- Revoke admin rights at login
- Unified expiration interval for administrator privileges
- Renew expiring administrator privileges
- Run actions on privilege change
- Status item
- Command line tool now also supports Touch ID
- AppleScript support
You can download the Privileges installer on GitHub.