Decision time for Windows 10
To install or not to install Windows 10 is the question of the day. The answer is not obvious as there may be significant downsides, but time is running out. Microsoft’s offer of a free upgrade to Windows 10 to current Windows users ends July 29. However, those...
From Roswell to Robots
Independence Day, our annual festival of American freedom, is here again. But down in southern New Mexico, the Fourth of July comes around another celebration of an entirely different sort. For this weekend, the good citizens of Roswell are holding their grand UFO...
Rebooting the Internet
Every now and then, most computers need rebooting. The longer one runs, after all, the more applications and processes are engaged and abandoned. Eventually short-term memory fills up with useless data. The machine slows down, activity and connections may become...
Algorithms: Magic Formulas That Rule Our Lives
Computer geeks and math nerds familiar with the concept of algorithms probably smiled cynically at that headline. But for the vast majority of us who aren't even sure of what they do or even are, it's a fair description. The term is derived from the name of a Persian...
What’s the Big Deal About Facebook News Feeds?
This week, the Web exploded over charges that the content of Facebook's Trending topics feature is decided by humans – including a bunch of young, college-educated contractors in Knoxville, Kentucky. Who, despite their location, according to the Gizmodo report,...
Windows 10 Spying and Sharing Is Unstoppable
The more that technical types examine Windows 10, the less of a good thing it seems to be. For ordinary users, that is. For the software giant of Redmond and the National Security Agency, however, Windows 10 might be the answer to a dream. Researchers have found, for...