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27 Jul 2024

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Justice Department responds to TikTok lawsuit, argues algorithm could allow Chinese government to influence US elections

Elon Musk’s X Gives Users Chance to Keep Posts From AI Chatbot

97% of CrowdStrike systems are back online; Microsoft suggests Windows changes
Kernel access gives security software a lot of power, but not without problems.

TikTok Goes All-Out in Washington With Its US Survival at Stake

Here's what the CrowdStrike outage exposed about our connected world. It's not good.

Windows 11 now lets you access Android phones via File Explorer
It’s been a long time coming! Microsoft is finally keen to improve integration between Windows 11 computers and Android phones. If you hate transferring files between the two, there’s good news ahead. Microsoft has started beta testing a new feature that lets you “see your Android phone in File Explorer” and “wirelessly browse through all your folders and files, including media that is on your Android phone.” Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft Not only will you be able to view what’s on your phone, but you’ll also be able to move, copy, delete, rename, and even open directly without first bringing files and folders over to your PC. The best part is that you won’t even need a USB cable for this. You can access your Android phone wirelessly, which is fantastic news for anyone who needs to work with their phone via Windows regularly. In order for this to work: Your phone needs to be running Android 11 or later. Your phone needs the beta version of the Link to Windows app that’s available on the Google Play Store. Your PC needs to be running Windows 11. As of right now, this feature is only rolling out to those who are in the Windows Insider Program, but is available to all Insider Channels. Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft Once registered for Windows Insider and opted into any Insider Channel, you can enable this feature by going to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile Devices and choosing Manage devices, then allowing your PC to access your Android phone. After that, you’ll see a toggle in File Explorer to view your phone. If you don’t see the toggle, the feature hasn’t rolled out to you yet.

Need a numpad? Add this wireless one to your laptop for just $30
As someone who frequently types in lots of numbers for works, using a laptop or keyboard without a numpad is pure torture. But I also don’t want a numpad all the time because it takes up space. Which is why I absolutely love this Bluetooth numpad, which is currently half off and available for just $30 on Amazon. It’s a fantastic deal on a sleek accessory that’s perfect for smaller laptops and compact keyboards that lack numeric keypads. The number pad has an ergonomic tilt to ensure comfortable data entry, and it’s small enough that you can toss it into your laptop bag and forget about it. It doesn’t just feature the number pad, by the way—it also has navigation arrows, page up, page down, and so on. This numpad connects to your computer via Bluetooth for a convenient, cable-free experience. It also has a rechargeable battery that uses a USB-C input and lasts about two weeks with regular activity. And when you aren’t using it, it automatically goes to sleep. The Lekvey Bluetooth Number Pad is compatible with pretty much any device, including Windows, Macs, and Androids. As long as your device has Bluetooth connectivity or a Bluetooth dongle, you should be good. (The only exception is that it does NOT work with Chromebooks!) So, if you need a numpad but only sometimes, you really should consider the Lekvey Bluetooth Numpad for just $30 on Amazon. This awesome deal won’t last forever so make your decision quick! This sleek Bluetooth numpad is only $30 right nowBuy now on Amazon

Autumn date to fix blood transfusion services
The systems were affected by a hack on the NHS, which caused significant disruption.

Here's how to disable X (Twitter) from using your data to train its Grok AI

Baker Hughes sees lower North America activity; bets on foreign demand

At the Olympics, AI is watching you
New system foreshadows a future where there are too many CCTV cameras for humans to physically watch.

Why I test gaming PCs with free Steam demos – not canned benchmarks
You only have to read a few PC gaming hardware posts on Reddit to see how many gamers there are out there unsure if their low-spec potato of a gaming PC will run the latest AAA games. I know the feeling. In fact, I too find myself in the precarious position of having a low-spec potato PC after many years of thinking about upgrading but not pulling the trigger on it — I tend to spend any extra cash I have on holidays, and yes, even the odd Funko Pop for my car’s dashboard. But because I’m in this position I’ve worked a few things out. And, let me tell you, you really don’t want to be wasting time waiting for replies on forums to serious hardware questions like, “Can my PC run this game?” Forums are great for a lot of things, but PC specs tend to be so specific that getting anyone with a remotely similar setup to your own can be like locating a lost sock in the Bermuda Triangle. And the advice when it finally does come? A scattershot answer is usually the best you can expect. You also don’t want to be wasting your time trying to match the minimum spec requirements for games to your own PC’s hardware just by looking. Personally, I’d never base a purchasing decision on a list of specs the devs have most likely pulled out of hat and not tested their games on themselves. One thing’s for sure, the devs certainly aren’t developing their games with programs like Unreal Engine on PCs powered by Intel Celeron N4100 CPUs. I’m almost certain that minimum specs lists have just been created to torture poor souls like us, to give us a glimpse of the fun times we could be having if only we had an AMD Threadripper CPU, when the actual gameplay we will get is so poor it will be as much fun as nailing Jell-O to the wall. Benchmarks in websites like Technical City can be helpful in giving you a rough indication of what games you can at least get operational. But let me be clear: Running a game is an entirely different kettle of fish from getting an acceptable level of performance in it — and that’s something apps and websites can’t tell you. Personally, I’d never base a purchasing decision on a list of specs the devs have most likely pulled out of hat… You can find AAA games like Final Fantasy XIV Online among Steam’s free demos. You can find AAA games like Final Fantasy XIV Online among Steam’s free demos. Square Enix You can find AAA games like Final Fantasy XIV Online among Steam’s free demos. Square Enix Square Enix No, to truly see if your PC has the muscle to run a game there’s really nothing like a real-life playtest, an experiential trial; getting your hands dirty, your frame rates cranking, and your CPU’s core temperature rising. Thankfully you don’t have to go out and buy a heap of games and test them out one by one, draining your bank account in the process. Steam’s free demo section is a goldmine of titles just beckoning to be raided for your homestyle performance experiments. You might not find the game you’re looking to buy among the demos, but chances are there’s a game with very similar specs that will act as an excellent performance trial run. The beauty of Steam’s free demo list, too, is you can find games of all kinds: old and new, different genres, different hardware requirements — all of them can form a broad testing base. For instance, you can test out AAA titles like Final Fantasy XIV Online, Call of Duty: Warzone, Lost Ark, CounterStrike 2, and DOTA 2, alongside lower-budget games like Tavern Keeper and Hidden Cats Invade Venice. If you like spreadsheeting, it’s a great idea to record the performance you get in each demo as a way to keep a reference handy. In fact, I’ve created a rough list of my rig’s performance capabilities just by taking notes about my frame rates in each demo. My PC can keep action smooth in CounterStrike 2, from which I’ve extrapolated I should be able to get decent performance in most of Valve’s other games, something I would have only known about by downloading and testing the game. My list is nowhere near as comprehensive as Reddit user mrman1mrman1, though, who has gone through the whole shebang even categorizing the demos into categories. They’ve gleaned some handy nuggets of information to help other gamers too — like after trialing the game Attack on Titan 2 they noted: “Not laptop friendly but I can get 30+ FPS with my Radeon 550.” So, don’t wait for answers on forums. Instead, try taking the proactive approach and get your game compatibility answers in real time. You may have to do a ton of installing, but on the bright side, you’ll know your rig’s capabilities inside out.