Paul's Tech Talk

The Break Down on Loki Episode 6

PaulJuly 15, 2021

Spoilers

(If you haven’t seen the last episode, that’s your fault. I take no responsibility if you continue to read my post!)

The End of Season 1

It’s not over! That’s what I want to say right now. Here’s the breakdown in what I saw on the last episode of Loki. This is all just speculation but I thought it would be nice to at least talk about it. When we last saw Loki in episode 5, they were about to enter the castle. I even talk about it to a point. My predictions were right, it was going to be Kang and a twist of Loki. We at least at the end of episode 6 will see a season 2 of Loki. I am glad now we can hopefully slow the speed of the episodes down and let us explore the TVA and what will happen next. At least we don’t have to know if there is going to be a season 2.

Loke and Sylvie

The two of them did actually surprised me because of what actually happened at the end. I am not sure why it happened but I am sure it was thought out by our villain Kang. During that episode Loki and Sylvie find Kang who for whatever reasons knows that he will die eventually. He talks about how he got there and what happened to create the TVA. He talks about the time line and why he does it. He even says he would like Loki and Sylvie to become the ones who takes control of the TVA and keeps it going to help prevent the splitting of the time lines and making it branch off. Kang who doesn’t really say his name but eludes to it by saying he has been called “the conqueror” in the past. He even talks about where he went to and what he did to a point. That all lines up with what easter eggs we saw in the show as we progressed in the plot. We see where Ravonna Renslayer was actually a principle in a school and that is why she had that blue pen she would use to sign off on documents.

The Battle

After all this is done, Kang says he had this all planned out to begin with and even tried other branches to see what the results were for his ending. Loki seems to take what he says as truths and Sylvie just wants to kill him for taking her life away from her. So a battle ensures between Loki for all intents and purposes seems to be wanting to be good and thus he still has the TVA clothing on, trying to make Sylvie listen to his way of thinking and not acting out of emotions. She doesn’t listen and they fight each other, but no one gets extremely hurt just pushed around. Finally Loki shows her that he doesn’t want to fight her and does care for her. They kiss and the next thing I know he’s being pushed through a portal to the TVA. That part, I am quite certain Kang had the forethought to make sure he went to a different reality. At least that’s what I am thinking.

Sylvie

Sylvie is left alone with Kang who doesn’t want to fight and absolutely doesn’t know what will happen next. Sylvie on the other hand wants to kill him for everything he has done. She pushes the desk away and say’s “aren’t you going to beg for your life?” He just fumbles and says “He could but ..” Sylvie kills him with her blade and he just winks and says “This is who?” I’m really trying to figure this one out because I am not exactly sure why he said or if he said that. I thought he said it instead of who but I could be wrong.

Loki in the TVA

We see Loki walking around the TVA and no one seems to pay him much notice and He gets to B-17 and Mobius talk about the branching of the timelines. They think he’s an analyst due to his outfit and don’t know anything about him. He tells them about what he saw but they just ask who he is and what is name. They seem to not know who he is and that is because I think Kang intentionally put him in a different timeline or branch so they wouldn’t know who he is.

Branching of the timelines

As we leave the episode we know there are nothing the TVA can do to prevent the timelines from branching and this is where Dr. Strange will probably pick up in the movie in the beginning of the year or just before Season 2 starts, I would assume. We might have it where there is a two seasons before we see the movie but since it’s in post productions, I can only hope that it is before season 2 is released. I am sure we will see mobius in that movie also but we don’t know who will be in it. I’ve heard rumors he will return to the MCU but I am not sure if that is with anything other than the Loki series or if he will branch out to the MCU movies. I can only guess that the Dr. Strange would need him for something or to know something that will help him figure out how to solve the problem of the multiverse branching.

Just my two cents. . . . As I have said before this is just my thoughts and I will have to wait just like everyone else to find out what happens to Loki and Sylvie and even the TVA till next year but they left it off in a good way. I just hope next year the series progresses a little bit slower so we can get more enjoyment of the series.

Loki and the Time Variance Authority, who really wins?

PaulJuly 14, 2021

Loki to set records

I’ve heard this from other sources that Loki will set the highest watched episodes Disney+ has ever done. I do not know if that is the case but I did want to talk about some of my theories about where Disney+ is going to go on the coming years. I also wanted to talk about how these episodes really felt rushed. First off, we should talk about how Loki got the following they did and why it is so popular in the MCU. I can’t imagine we’d expect it to come like this full circle. As of writing this we are waiting for the final episode to drop just days from now and I am wondering just what will become of Loki and who is behind the TVA. I’ve heard many theories from Kang the Conqueror to Loki. I agree it is most likely going to be Kang just for the facts that they have so many clues in each episode and we’ve seen the progression of the series. I however have doubts that it could also be Loki because he at one time or place wanted to rule them all.

Loki Episodes Felt Rushed

I know I am not the only who has said it or will say it. If you’ve haven’t I strongly suggest you do and decide for yourself. Let’s get back on topic. The Loki Variant or The Main character as some would call him seemed to be really rushed. I hate to say that but I do think it is due to the need to bring a character out for the coming movies. MCU has done this in the past and will give us little glimpse of what is to come. They are good at that and this just seems to be rushed to get us that glimpse into the future of the MCU. I really think this is due to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. I’ve heard rumors that Kang is going to be in there and I wouldn’t doubt it since he is always involved with Time travel. If anyone who has read the comics will know that Kang was always time traveling and you see that time and time again in the comics.

What’s Next for the MCU

For me I am hopeful that some of this will be even better than before. If you’d watched the ending to the Black Widow Movie, you’ll see Yelena Belova talking to Valentina Allegra de Fontaine about her next assignment would be Hawkeye aka Clint Barton. It’s not a leap to think it was so they can tease the Hawkeye Tv Show coming to the MCU this fall. So we will see the show Hawkeye becoming another hopefully longer series than the last two. I’d love some really good backstory about Barton or even Yelena. We only get glimpses of their history in the Marvel Universe the last few years and Yelena is the newest character for us to know about since they just showed her on Black Widow. I am hopeful this will not be rushed like the others and we get to dig deep into knowing more about the characters and what they have in store for the MCU. I can’t wait to see the last episode of LOKI and I’ll probably even talk about in the coming days onces it is released.

What’s your thoughts on the Show? I’d love to hear your reactions or thoughts on what will be next.

3 alternatives OS to use instead of Windows 11

PaulJuly 12, 2021

Windows 11 and Secure Boot

Some of the hardware people have will not be able to run Windows 11. Microsoft has said they will stop updating Windows 10 in 2025. This will leave people in hardware limbo because there system is still quite fast and works perfectly well. I thought today we would talk about some other operating to use that might work for you and not require you to have secure boot, which Windows 11 will required. I’ve talked a little about secure boot in my previous post. So I am sure Microsoft is doing this to get more Windows 11 revenue. After all if you have to upgrade your hardware you will most likely have to get a new key from them unless you try to call them and get a free one because you tell them you had to upgrade. It could work you just have to upgrade the system and when the system boots back up, you have to call and validate that you are using your system. I think you’ll allowed one or two times like this before you have to go and buy another 100$ key. I really don’t know if it will, but it is a way around paying for a new key.

Linux All the Way

This will be a Linux post about the different OS you can use that are free. I am sure you could go buy a Mac and be happy with that also. Any way it goes, this will at least help not waste the hardware you have and let you use it even longer than you thought you could. I will always be one of those who advocates for a free OS. Linux seems to be the only OS that will do the job after Windows 11 is released and Windows 10 is retired so I am hopeful people will at least look into using Linux as an Alternative.

Ubuntu

As you can see Ubuntu can look almost like Windows 11. I wonder if Windows 11 got the idea from Ubuntu or from Apple. Any which way, you can customize Ubuntu and have the Start menu anyway you like it. So You have full control of what you can do with it and how to use it. In a way, I like to say that this is the easiest to learn. It’s pretty easy to start using it and still be able to browse the web and other things. Once you get your feet wet per say. You’ll be looking for other OS that might be more of your tastes but this is a good choice.

Download Ubuntu

Linux Mint

I personally love Linux Mint and use it more and more. I have been playing around with it in terms of playing games like Microsoft Flight Simulator. You can do a lot with Linux Mint and I like it because of what you can do with it. You can play games on it that you think you wouldn’t be able to play on Linux or even run video editing programs that you thought would only run on a MAC or windows. In the End, Linux seems to be getting more and more useful. I think in the end Microsoft and Apple will always be competing with Linux due to the universality of what you can do with it.

Download Linux Mint

Manjaro

Manjaro is the last one I suggest looking into for those that are new to Linux. it has been one of those that has started growing the last few years. As you can see they also can let you customize the windows and how you the look of it can be. I’ve only tried this Distro for a while and went back to Linux mint.

Download Manjaro

I like Linux Mint much better than any other one that may come my way. I like it due to it’s look and how well it works out of the box but I am sure there is more Distros out there. There are so many distros out there that I like to look at distrowatch for any new and upcoming distros that I might like to try and look into because you never know when there is one that will do something better than another Linux. Which Distro do you like the most and why? I’d love to hear your opinions on this and what your thoughts are on Windows 11. Why not leave a comment and tell me your experiences.

How to install Windows 11 on a given system.

PaulJuly 10, 2021

Install Windows 11

It’s not as easy as it seems. Ever since Microsoft has told us what the requirements will be for Windows 11, there will be more than that for you to use Windows 11. Some of the issues some users are having is going from non-secure boot to changing the partition to secure boot. The problems associated has been far a wide for the people who are in the Preview program. So what do you really need to do to install Windows 11. I am will talk about some of the things you will probably need to do to get it to work on your system.

Gigabyte Motherboards

I currently have a B460M DS3H AC and finding Secure boot for my motherboard isn’t as easy as it seems. I had to first update my bios from factory default to the latest. You can download the bios for this motherboard and flash the motherboard with the latest bios updates. It seems the latest bios F5B bios update has secure boot automatically enabled but for those who do not want to update their bios to the latest version. In order to get secure to work on your motherboard you have to go to Advanced settings > Boot Menu. Once there, you will need to scroll down to CSM and I needed to disable that to get secure boot to work. Once that is down you can now have access to secure boot.

Converting your Partition

If you are like me have a MBR(Master Boot Record) partition than you will need to convert to GPT(GUID Partition Table) partition, in order to be able to run in secure boot. There is a tool that can do that for you call MBR2GPT offered by Microsoft to be able to convert your partition to GPT. Once you do this, than you can enable secure boot and have it ready for Windows 11. Since we are talking about the preview build and not the actual build I can only sumeize that it will be required with Windows 11 when it is finally active. It will be a long and hard process for many because there are several reasons why someone won’t want to go to GPT partition. I haven’t decided if I will or not but I wanted to show you how to install Windows 11 preview if you are one of those who wanted to try Windows 11 but didn’t have the necessary system setup the right to be able to install it.

Still not Compatible

If you are still having problems figuring out why you can’t install Windows. There is a Great little tool that will tell you what you have or don’t have enabled or what hardware you are missing to be able to install Windows 11 and what you might need to do to get all the requirements for Windows 11. In the end, this will at least help those who want to install Windows 11. I’m still not sure if I will but at least you can now know what you need to do to be able to install Windows 11.

What is a TPM and why do you need to know you have one?

PaulJuly 8, 2021

Trusted Platform Module

Everything about TPM screams security and ominous, some would call it. I am sure everyone is thinking about this and wondering, why Microsoft is doing this. We’ve heard them say it is a requirement and thus far it seems to be a sure as gold that it will be a necessity to be able to upgrade to Windows 11. So what is a TPM. According to Wikipedia,

“[TPM] is an international standard for a secure cryptoprocessor, a dedicated microcontroller designed to secure hardware through integrated cryptographic keys”

In other words, it basically is a hard encryptions and not a software encryption in your system. If you have bitlocker without TPM, than your system has to decrypt and encrypt files on the fly and slow your system down. If you had a TPM onboard it would be much faster and much safer because there would be no way a Man in the Middle attack could work, not saying it will never happen but I think it is far less likely.

Windows 11 Requirement

If you haven’t figure out if you have it on your motherboard. There are several websites where they talk about how to find out if you already have a TPM on your Motherboard. The real problem is if you haven’t no TPM and would like to be able to install Windows 11 on your computer. There are several options you can do. I’ll list them for you:

Install a Motherboard that has TPM
Check to see if you can Enable TPM on your current Motherboard
Install a TPM chip to be able to use Windows 11. Check out my Affiliate link if you need one!
Keep Windows 10 until the end of life which will be Year October 2025.

Scalpers a plenty

Scalping has seen an increase all over the net. When Microsoft, released the information needed to upgrade to Windows 11. It seemed to bring out the people who will charge even more than what you should be paying for it. Obviously they did the same thing with Graphics Unit Processors in the past, they seemed to do the same thing with TPM Chips to install on Motherboards and other such systems. I’m seeing more places that it cost more than you’d paid normally for a chip. So that is problem now with people wanting to get ready for Windows 11, there seems to be more people trying to make a buck out of this. In the end, they will get out of trying to make a buck because the demand will drop and we won’t have to worry about this anymore.

*Spoilers*