BRUCEB NEWS
Breaking News: Apple Postpones, Microsoft Accelerates, Google & Facebook Play Defense
Since it’s a short week, here’s a collection of brief updates about stories you thought I had beaten to death already. Apple postpones CSAM features After criticism and pushback on its plans to scan photos for Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), Apple said last week…
MICROSOFT OFFICE 2007 SP1
By now you’ve installed the updates and patches released last Tuesday on Microsoft’s regularly-scheduled “Patch Tuesday.” Some of you with new computers…
WINDOWS LIVE ONECARE 2.0 UPGRADE NOTES
The upgrade to Windows Live OneCare 2.0 is being rolled out this week to many OneCare users. A few of them have reported confusion or problems with the upgrade. Here are some of…
J RIVER MEDIA JUKEBOX 12
J River Media Center is the only important program on my computer developed by a small company. J River just released Media Jukebox 12, a simpler free version focused on music…
XMAS SHOPPING
Monday, December 10 is expected to be the busiest online shopping day of the year. Can I ask you for a favor? There are a few links on the bruceb favorites page and the bruceb…
MP3s AND THE FUTURE OF MUSIC
The music industry is in complete disarray; the shift away from CDs is irreversible and most consumers simply expect music to be free. The recording industry’s hostility,…
ACROBAT 8 TIPS & TRICKS
It’s easy to start using Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional, but it is also full of features that only emerge after a little digging. Here are some cool things that I…
VERIZON’S OPEN NETWORK
Verizon’s announcement that it would open up its network next year to devices not sold in Verizon stores made headlines and generated lots of online buzz. It is a welcome…
NEW YORK TIMES READER
The New York Times has a software-based version of the paper that – for the first time – makes it possible to imagine mornings without a newspaper printed on dead…
THE BAD GUYS NEVER STOP
Google has just purged its index of thousands of malware sites that were being displayed in results lists for hundreds of innocuous search phrases. It’s a quick end to a…
PLUGIN POSTSCRIPT
As if to emphasize my paranoia about plugins, yesterday I got a call from a client who has successfully used the YouSendIt Outlook plugin for months. It stopped working for no…
UNPLUGGING PLUGINS
We’ve become familiar with the slowdowns and crashes associated with programs and services that start up automatically when a computer is turned on. Now I’m running…
YOUSENDIT OUTLOOK PLUGIN
YouSendIt is one of the best-known services for moving large files from place to place – a persistent problem. I just learned about a way to set up Outlook to transmit…
COMPUTER SHOPPING 2007
Thinking about a new computer – home, home office, small business? Let me give you some generalizations that will help you get started. (As always, gamers will be looking…
VISTA FEATURE: DREAMSCENE & DESKSCAPES
Vista Ultimate includes “Dreamscene” as an optional extra installed through the Windows Update system. It’s a completely frivolous bit of eye candy that…
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at bruceb consulting! All my best wishes for a happy holiday filled with family, food, and computers that stay running long enough to show off…