BRUCEB NEWS
Please Chat Amongst Yourselves During This Brief Intermission
My websites - Bruceb.com, Bruceb Favorites, and Bruceb News - are going to be spruced up during the next week or so. During the construction, there won't be any new articles or updates. When the dust settles, the websites will be exactly as dull as before, but with...
The Apple Ecosystem: Life Behind The Greatest Wall
Apple is a company that sells premium smartphones with very high profit margins. Its incentives are all tied to profits from selling iPhones. The other products, the iPads and...
All Your Loyalties Are Belong To Us: How Technology Companies Lure Us Into Walled Gardens
Five giant technology companies have set up walled gardens full of shiny devices and enticing services. All of us live in their gardens. We’re not completely locked in. We move...
The Bad Guys Do Not Have A Video Of You Looking At Porn
The bad guys know where you live. The bad guys know your old passwords. But the bad guys do not have a video of you looking at porn. They’re lying to scare you. If you get an...
Decoding Russian Cyberattacks: The Difference Between Hacking And Meddling
There is a difference between Russian hacking, on the one hand; and Russian meddling in American society and interfering with our election, on the other hand. The terms are used...
“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...
Listen 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...
Talk 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...
Microsoft 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...
The 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...
Itsy 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...
How 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...
Microsoft 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...
Security 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...
Your 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....
How 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...