How to Geek: “…While you require a Microsoft 365 subscription to use the desktop apps (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook), the web versions are completely free. As long as you have a constant internet connection and are using a modern browser, you can access them without installing anything. Even though some advanced features found… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Microsoft
Microsoft Tweaks Fine Print To Warn Everyone Not To Take Its AI Seriously
The Register – “Microsoft is notifying users that its AI services should not be taken too seriously, echoing prior service-specific disclaimers – an update to the IT giant’s Service Agreement, which takes effect on September 30, 2024, Redmond has declared that its Assistive AI isn’t suitable for matters of consequence. “AI services are not designed,… Continue Reading
Most Adults are Not Confident They Can Tell Whether Information from AI Chatbots Is True or False
KFF: “…Most U.S. adults are not confident that they can tell what is true versus what is false when it comes to information from AI chatbots, such as Chat-GPT and Microsoft Copilot. Fewer than half say they are either “very confident” (9%) or “somewhat confident” (33%) that they can tell the difference between true and… Continue Reading
Study finds 94% of business spreadsheets have critical errors
PHYS.org – A recent study published in the journal Frontiers of Computer Science “reveals that 94% of spreadsheets used in business decision-making contain errors, highlighting significant risks of financial and operational mistakes. Phys.org reports: Errors in spreadsheets can lead to poor decisions, resulting in financial losses, pricing mistakes, and operational problems in fields like health… Continue Reading
FTC Outlines Remedy Concerns in Amicus Brief After Jury Finds Google Illegally Monopolized App Store
“The Federal Trade Commission filed an amicus brief in a case brought by online video game maker Epic Games Inc. against Google LLC’s app store, which outlines how the court should consider potential remedies when determining effective relief to restore competition after Google was found liable for illegal monopolization. The FTC filed its amicus brief… Continue Reading
You can upgrade your old PC to Windows 11
ZDNET – even if Microsoft says it’s ‘incompatible’ here’s how: “On October 14, 2025, Microsoft will stop delivering security updates to your Windows 10 PC unless you’re willing to pay an exorbitant price to join the Extended Security Updates program. If you try to upgrade to Windows 11 on a PC over a few years… Continue Reading
‘Google Is a Monopolist’ in Online Search, Ruling Says
The New York Times [unpaywalled]: “Google acted illegally to maintain a monopoly in online search, a federal judge ruled on Monday, a landmark decision that strikes at the power of tech giants in the modern internet era and that may fundamentally alter the way they do business. Judge Amit P. Mehta of U.S. District Court… Continue Reading
CrowdStrike, Antitrust, and the Digital Monoculture
EFF: “Last month’s unprecedented global IT failure should be a wakeup call. Decades of antitrust inaction have made many industries dangerously reliant on the same tools, making such crises inevitable. We must demand regulators break up the digital monocultures that are creating a less competitive, less safe, and less free digital world. The Federal Trade… Continue Reading
Microsoft Dynamics 365 called out for ‘worker surveillance’
The Register: “Microsoft Dynamics 365 provides “field service management” that allows customers to monitor mobile service workers through smartphone apps – allegedly to the detriment of their autonomy and dignity. According to a probe by Cracked Labs – an Austrian nonprofit research group – the software is part of a broader set of applications that… Continue Reading
Laid-off California tech workers are sick to death of LinkedIn
SFGate – Tech workers hate the Bay Area company’s site. But more than ever, they need it: “…Over the past few years, folks online have repeatedly called the platform a “cesspool,” whether in a viral TikTok video’s caption, a popular Reddit post or even on LinkedIn itself. (In fact, “cesspool” has swung into fashion as… Continue Reading
The AI Search War Has Begun
Follow up to Perplexity is cutting checks to publishers following plagiarism accusations See also The Atlantic [unpaywalled] – And tech companies might not be the winners. “Every second of every day, people across the world type tens of thousands of queries into Google, adding up to trillions of searches a year. Google and a few… Continue Reading
Microsoft’s generative search engine weds something new, something old
ZDNET: “Microsoft has been a major player in the AI race and one of the first companies to unveil a chatbot that’s a worthy ChatGPT competitor — Copilot. Now, the company is returning its attention to the project that started it all: the Bing search engine. On Wednesday, Microsoft unveiled a new generative search experience… Continue Reading
