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   PastimesAll Things Technology - Media and Know HOW


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From: Don Green9/22/2023 11:15:33 AM
   of 1899
 
Battle of the 'Buds: Apple AirPods Pro 2 vs. Bose QC Ultra Earbuds vs. Sony WF-1000XM5Apple, Bose, and Sony all make top-rated noise-cancelling true wireless earbuds. Here's how they stack up on battery life, noise cancellation, sound quality, and value.



pcmag.com

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From: Don Green9/22/2023 11:29:19 AM
   of 1899
 
Claims of China government iPhone ban shines light on Apple’s geopolitical risk

youtu.be

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From: Don Green9/23/2023 4:40:26 PM
2 Recommendations   of 1899
 
Windows 11 is going passwordless. Here's what you'll be using instead.


Soon you'll never have to worry about resetting your password again.Credit: Getty Images

With the new Windows 11 update, Microsoft is one step closer to a passwordless future.

At the Microsoft Surface event on Tuesday, which also revealed new Surface devicesand updated Copilotfeatures ,Microsoft debutedpasswordless login to websites and apps — and other security features for its operating system built around using passkeys.

SEE ALSO: How to preorder the two new Microsoft Surface laptops: Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Surface Laptop Go 3
Unlike passwords, which are stored in servers (and can therefore be hacked or intercepted), passkeys are more secure because they exist locally on your device. But best of all, you don't have to remember passkeys to log into supported apps and websites. Instead, you can authenticate your identity with biometrics (e.g., facial recognition or fingerprint scanning). This then "unlocks" the passkey to access your accounts and website logins.

Companies like Microsoft and Apple have been moving steadily away from passwords, encouraging users to embrace biometric authentication and passkeys. Apple announced a similar passkey feature with iOS 17for iPhone.

When Windows 11 drops on Sept. 26, users can create a passkey with Windows Hello and use it to access a website or application using facial recognition, fingerprint scanning, or a Windows PIN — without the need for a password. Thanks to Microsoft's industry partnerships and participation in the FIDO (Fast Identity Online) Alliance, this feature should work with GitHub, DocuSign, PayPal, and other sites that support passkeys.

Additionally, IT teams working with Windows 11 devices will be able to remove the option to input a password on Windows Hello for Business. This will encourage teams to opt for more secure ways of logging in like biometrics, 2FA, and passkeys.

Passkeys are a cybersecurity trend we welcome; it saves us the headache and worry of using passwords. So thanks, Microsoft, for giving us back some storage space in our brains.

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From: Don Green9/24/2023 12:31:35 PM
2 Recommendations   of 1899
 
10 Reasons Windows Is Going in the Wrong DirectionMicrosoft has made a lot of bad changes to Windows. As a fan of the OS, I want the company to do better for everyone's sake.When I remember the direction Microsoft was headed with Windows 8, it’s hard to criticize Windows 11. And yet I do have criticisms. There are at least 10 ways Windows is heading in the wrong direction, and I'm talking about both Windows 11 and 10. I’ve heard many of the same points over and over from subscribers to my Windows Intelligence newsletter, too, and these critiques go well beyond AI.

A lot of us have rose-colored glasses on when we talk about the previous and still widely used operating system, Windows 10. It’s easy to forget that the now-beloved version of Windows had its own controversies, including a big Candy Crush Saga pushand twice-per-year big updates that were so unmanageable they eventually started deleting people’s files.

Here are 10 areas where I see Windows heading down the wrong path.

pcmag.com

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From: Don Green9/24/2023 12:53:02 PM
   of 1899
 
13 Best Free Email Service Providers (New 2023 Rankings)

September 7, 2023

List and comparison of the Best Free Email Service Providers of 2023:


In today’s technological world, email is the most common way of communication, whether it is for business or personal use.

There are several email service providers in the market with their own unique capabilities. This article will, in turn, help you choose the best email provider.

There are two types of email services, i.e.Email clients and Webmail.

The email client is an application for the desktop and it allows you to configure single or multiple email addresses. You can compose, send, receive, and read emails from these applications.An exampleof an email client is Microsoft Outlook.

softwaretestinghelp.com

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From: Don Green9/24/2023 4:59:30 PM
   of 1899
 
I asked Microsoft Bing the following question:

Has microsoft made it not possible to use bart in edge browser on the ipad, because I am having this problem

Response: According to a recent article onThe Verge, Microsoft Edge developer versions now display a new Bing ad next to the Google Bard URL 1. This suggests that Microsoft is promoting its own Bing AI chatbot as an alternative to Google Bard 1. However, it’s unclear whether this promotion affects the functionality of Bart AI on the Edge browser for iPad.

To get accurate and up-to-date information about Bart AI’s compatibility with the Edge browser on the iPad, I recommend visiting the official Microsoft Edge website or reaching out to Microsoft support directly. They will be able to provide you with the most reliable information regarding this matter.

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To: Don Green who wrote (1396)9/25/2023 1:50:01 PM
From: S. maltophilia
1 Recommendation   of 1899
 
Windows 11, Surface, and Windows Copilot

By Will Fastie

In case we didn’t realize it already, Microsoft told us where we are headed.

Last week, Microsoft held an event in New York. The bulk of the presentation was about AI, specifically Windows Copilot. Not Copilot, butWindowsCopilot.

This is deeply significant......

....This is where things get complicated.

Microsoft presented some convincing demonstrations of Copilot in action. Watching them in the event videois much more compelling than anything I could write here. Instead, a deeper dive into some key points is in order.

Note the use of the word “companion” in Microsoft’s graphic to the left. The second I saw that, I worried. The primary definition of companion means “one that accompanies another” or “one that keeps company with another” (Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary,11th edition, 2020). “One,” in this case, obviously refers to aperson.

Are we ready to personify AI? Microsoft evidently thinks so, but we’ve discussed lack of ethics before.

There is also the word “everyday,” as in “Copilot will be with you every day and in every way.” Unfortunately, this is no exaggeration.....

askwoody.com

.......

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From: Don Green9/26/2023 10:09:48 AM
   of 1899
 
How much 'Titanium' does iPhone 15 Pro *actually* have? - NO SECRETS HERE!

youtu.be

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From: Don Green9/26/2023 10:31:13 AM
   of 1899
 
Turin Shroud reimagined by AI shows what Jesus 'really looked like'EXCLUSIVE: The mystery of the Turin Shroud has enchanted generations, only shown to the world on rare occasions but now its face has been shown in crystal clear HD with the help of AI
Harry Thompson


The face of the Shroud has been the source of great controversy(Image: AFP via Getty Images) Artificial Intelligencehas revealed the clearest ever image of the Turin Shroud to show what Jesus may have looked like.

Today marks the 90-year anniversary of the first time thefabric was put on display in 400 years, drawing in crowds of more than 25,000 to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin. The mysterious and controversial item has been claimed by some to show the true face of Jesusafter it was allegedly wrapped around him after this crucifixion.

And to mark the anniversary, the Daily Star decided to put a modern spin on this ancient relic. With the help of Midjourney, you can now be met with a lifelike face of what AI thinks Jesuslooks like compared to the 14 feet (4.2 metres) long original cloth.

It shows a man with long hair and a beard with his eyes open looking directly out. Part of his body can also be seen.

Tipping Point: Contestant gets royal question wrong

READ MORE: Bloke's penis left mangled as mum invited to threesome 'shoots other woman in head'

For the latest brilliantly bizarre news from the Daily Star, click here.

Those who turned up at the cathedral back in 1933 were certain that the blood of Jesus Christ was on the cloth, although to this day much scepticism remains. It was first revealed to the masses some 600 years ago and even then, some thought that the Shroud was more likely to be a scam than the real traces of Jesus.



The AI drew more detail onto the famous fabric(Image: Midjourney)French bishop Pierre d'Arcis wrote to Pope Clement VII in 1390 to say he believed that the Shroud was little more than "a clever sleight of hand". He instead said it was more likely to be someone "falsely declaring this was the actual shroud in which Jesus was enfolded in the tomb".

"[The purpose] is to attract the multitude so that money might cunningly be wrung from them."

Work has of course been done to try and get to the bottom of the Shroud’s authenticity, with carbon dating having found that it may have been created between period 1260AD and 1390AD.



AI has whipped up the in-depth image(Image: Midjourney)



The Shroud claims to show the front and back of Jesus(Image: Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

SIMILAR ARTICLES TO THIS



Meanwhile, in 1979, the Turin Commission declared that it was likely that the stains were not blood, but rather pigment. Then, in 2018, forensic scientists reported that it was artificially created in work published in the Journal of Forensic Science.

The Roman Catholic Church, meanwhile, has never accepted or completely rejected that the Shroud is real.

For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.

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From: Don Green9/27/2023 8:35:41 AM
   of 1899
 
The dawn of self-aware software

Windows 11’s new Copilot may not be magical, but the idea of using AI to teach software how to use itself is worth exploring.

Greetings to you and thanks for spending time with Plugged In, Fast Company’s weekly report from the world of tech. I’m global technology editor Harry McCracken, and it’s always nice to see you. If a friend or colleague forwarded this edition to you—or you’re reading it on FastCompany.com—you can check out previous issues and sign up to get it yourself every Wednesday morning. You’ve been sending me some great emails with ideas and feedback lately: Keep them coming to hmccracken@fastcompany.com.

Last week, when I was visiting New York City to help host Fast Company’s Innovation Festival, I played hooky on Thursday morning to attend a media event that Microsoft happened to be holding in town. It was packed with news—everything from details on when new AI-infused versions of apps such as Word and Excel will be available (November 1, at least if you’re an enterprise customer willing to pay extra) to the unveiling of two new Surface laptops.

But among all the elements that CEO Satya Nadella and others covered onstage, one captured my imagination. It was Windows 11’s new Copilot, which is currently rolling out, and the way it can respond to typed commands such as “turn on dark mode” and “play something to help me focus.”

It’s not that Microsoft’s examples were that huge a whoop in themselves. When I gushed a little about the Copilot on Leo Laporte’s This Week in Tech podcast, Laporte was unimpressed. Being able to use a chatbot to turn on dark mode, he said, is not exactly an epoch-shifting moment in tech history. He has a point—though I must confess that I wasn’t sure how to do it on my own, perhaps because the option is buried several layers deep in the settings app.

Even then, it’s less the specifics of what Microsoft showed than what it could portend that got me thinking. The fact that Windows 11 even grasps it has a dark mode and can switch it on is tantalizing. What if all the operating systems and apps in our lives had a sense of their full capabilities? What if using them was less about mastering all of those features on our own, and more about telling the OSes and apps what to do?

In other words, what if software were self-aware?

Talking about self-aware software might bring to mind visions of 2001: A Space Odyssey’s HAL or Her’s Samantha—the sort of stuff that would have felt like fantasy until recently. But I’m not thinking of automatons that border on sentience or even a halfway convincing simulation of it. I just want software to understand its own features so I can spend less time thinking about what’s located where and how to get to it. Nobody even has to stick a talking paper clip on the screen as an avatar of such assistance.

Using AI in this way would address the software industry’s long-standing failure to adequately explain how to use its own products. Built-in help systems are shallow resources at best, and meaty printed manuals are a thing of the distant past. True, there’s valuable information out there in support forums and other web destinations—but when I use Google to hunt for it, I find that the results are increasingly dominated by links to companies trying to sell me products.

Even if figuring out how to turn on Windows 11 dark mode by myself isn’t exactly an impossible dream, there are plenty of features in all the software I use that straddle the line between being a tad intimidating and completely impenetrable. For example, now that I own an iPhone 15 Pro with an action button, I’m excited about customizing it using iOS’s shortcuts feature—but I’ve never gotten around to mastering the intricacies of building a sophisticated shortcut from scratch. An iOS upgrade that crafted shortcuts based on my instructions would feel pretty magical.

And have I mentioned that my new HP OfficeJet printer, which I complained about in last week’s newsletter, isn’t even visible on my network at the moment? Rather than me having to block off time to troubleshoot it, I’d much rather it solved its own problems.

In part, I’m excited about the potential of self-aware software because of all the things it wouldn’t be. AI-powered search-engine substitutes such as ChatGPT, Bing Chat, and Google Bard have a devious tendency to spout fabrications that sound like they might be true. Wondering whether the email I’m responding to was ghosted by a computer doesn’t sound like fun. I can’t help but feel that the world may be better off without the ability to generate convincing-looking fake photos with a few clicks. But software that takes more of the heavy lifting of using it off your hands sounds like it should be all upside and no dystopia.

Back to the Copilot in Windows 11: It feels like its ChatGPT-esque interface might be an expedient stopgap rather than the ideal way to deliver the sort of help I envision. At Microsoft’s NYC event, I asked Corporate VP Jared Spataro about the possibility of other kinds of AI experiences that haven’t quite been invented yet. “We do think that in the future you’re going to start to have a little bit more of what you might call a rich user experience that’s not just chat-based; that’s just starting to emerge,” he told me.

Color me intrigued—and remind me to spend some time with the Windows 11 Copilot to see just how useful it is right now.

Fast company

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