“The Perfect Weapon” Is The Perfect Book For 2018
The Perfect Weapon by New York Times national security correspondent David Sanger, is the most important book you will read this year.
Before I describe the book, let me start with something essential to know about it: The Perfect Weapon reads like a thriller. It does not get technical or difficult. […] continued
Read moreListen To Your Computer: New Read Aloud Options In Outlook, Word
When you’ve finished talking to your computer, you can sit back and listen to it instead. Microsoft has improved the speech features in Word and Outlook for Office 365 subscribers, so the computer will read documents and messages out loud with more natural inflection and pauses. It’s still mechanical but it’s better mechanical. […] continued
Read moreTalk To Your Computer: Speech Recognition In Windows 10 And Office
Microsoft has quietly improved the speech recognition features in Windows 10 and in the Office programs. They’re still not great but you might want to give them a try if you haven’t talked to your computer in a while.
One fundamental truth has not changed: If you are serious about dictating on a computer, there is no alternative to the Dragon Naturally Speaking products. […] continued
Read moreMicrosoft Is Running FAST Searches In Outlook 2016
Microsoft has changed the way we search for mail in Outlook 2016. The changes are almost (but not quite) invisible, so the details are only important if you’re an Outlook power searcher. The rest of you can take a day off and rest up for the next article.
TL;DR
Here’s the short version. […] continued
Read moreThe Definitive Answer To Which Is Better: An Amazon Echo Or A Google Home
The definitive answer to which is better, Amazon Echo or Google Home? Yeah, that’s not going to happen. Forget about it. Just a stupid clickbait headline so this article goes viral and I get a gazillion tweets and Facebook likes and LinkedIn bites or whatever they do over at LinkedIn.
After a couple of years of blanket advertising, you know about Amazon Echo and Google Home devices, right? […] continued
Read moreItsy Bitsy Teensy Weensy PCs
Your next business desktop tower computer might be tiny. At least you should be open to the idea.
Old habits die hard. It has taken me far too long to realize that something fundamental is changing. It’s going to sound obvious when I describe it, but if it’s so obvious, why didn’t you think of it, huh, smart guy? […] continued
Read moreHow To Use Google Maps In Outlook
Here’s a tip for a few select people. Wonderful people. The best people. My people. All of you who use the desktop version of Outlook.
You also use Google Maps, because everyone uses Google Maps. That’s obvious, right? It has become so valuable, so rich, so far ahead of the competitors, that you are doing yourself a disservice if you use anything else. […] continued
Read moreMicrosoft Is Cutting The Ribbon In Word, Excel & Outlook
Microsoft intends to simplify the ribbon in Outlook, Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. It’s possible that Microsoft will work thoughtfully and carefully and you will be happy with the result.
Oh, stop it. I hear you laughing. I’m serious. Microsoft is saying all the right words. They want to make the ribbons (the tabbed toolbars across the top) simpler and easier to use, but they say there will be an easy way to return to the way they look now for people with strong muscle memory who don’t want to change. […] continued
Read moreSecurity Warning: Malicious Email Reaches Epidemic Levels
The onslaught of spam email with malicious links has reached epidemic levels. I’ve never seen it this bad. I hear from clients every day about dangerous email messages. I get 5 or 10 or 20 a day myself.
This is my new suggestion: Assume every message you receive is phony. […] continued
Read moreYour Neighbor Is Not Calling You: 3.4 Billion Reasons Not To Answer The Phone
It’s not your imagination. Your cell phone is ringing off the hook with automated spam calls – 3.4 billion robocalls in April alone, a 35% increase from the previous year.
Advances in call technology make it easier for the bad guys to make higher volumes of calls. VOIP calls can be placed inexpensively from anywhere in the world. […] continued
Read moreHow To Measure Your Internet Speed
This is a basic tip but it comes up all the time. Everyone needs a fast Internet connection. You might want to check your Internet speed out of curiosity, or because you suspect that your ISP is not delivering the connection that you were promised, or because some problem has developed with your equipment or your network. […] continued
Read moreFBI Warns That Your Router Is Possessed By Demons; Government Recommends Panic
Hundreds of thousands of routers – maybe yours! – are infected by malware linked to the Russian government. The bad guys behind the malware attack, Sofacy Group, are believed to be directed by Russia’s military intelligence agency. It’s the same group that hacked the Democratic National Committee before the 2016 election. […] continued
Read moreFacebook And Fake Accounts: A Miscalculation Of Scale
Douglas Adams tells this story in his classic novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy.
After waging frightful war against each other for centuries, two alien civilizations realized that the Earth was actually the source of the dreadful insult that had started the conflict. The strange and warlike beings sought vengeance by uniting and launching a million fierce star cruisers on a joint attack against Earth. […] continued
Read moreHow To Fix Low Disk Space Notifications After Installing Windows 10 April 2018 Update
This is why Microsoft doesn’t have any friends.
If you start seeing a barrage of notifications about “low disk space” on your Windows 10 computer, it is likely to be the result of a bug in the Windows 10 April 2018 Update. There’s an easy fix – all you have to do is run a short, dangerous command that could potentially kill your computer if you mistype it. […] continued
Read moreGoogle Performs An Amazing Magic Trick With Artificial Intelligence
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” – Arthur C. Clarke
Google gave one of the all-time great technology demos on stage this week at Google I/O, its developer conference.
Before you do anything else, watch this video of Google CEO Sundar Pichai presenting Google Duplex. Take four minutes. It’s worth it. […] continued
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