Random Thoughts

See You at the Start of Term

It’s summer and we all need a holiday. This blog is taking a hiatus until next term. Enjoy your break. You deserve it. Khawla labdi, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What Happened To Photosynth.net? – @Visbody

A long, long time ago I recommended a fantastic service called PhotoSynth, a service now sadly departed to the great bit bucket in the sky. Here’s the story of how the service flamed to greatness before dying to embers. Photosynth.net was an application that made it possible for users to capture the world in 3D using two types of tools: panoramas and synths. Having started as a research project…

Microsoft #OneNote New Features – Top 10 updates for 2021 | #Desktop, #Mac, #Web, #iOS and more #MIEExpert

Zoom Events will try to re-create the in-person conference experience

I know, I know. You’re totally video-conferenced out. The last thing you want to be thinking of is what you’re going to do next tear. But, you know, maybe now’s the best time to explore these things. Before you absolutely, positively have to. Zoom is announcing an expanded live events product today that’s launching this summer. Zoom Events builds on Zoom’s previous paid event marketplace,…

🎬 Top 5 Best FREE #Video #Editing Software – 2021

For many of us, in class presentations have given way to recorded videos. Here’s some free software available to your students.

Yes, I hate them too. So let’s do them the best we can. Meetings are viewed as a fundamental element of every team’s communication. Everyone likes meetings, right? Because what’s there to dislike?Meetings have nothing but advantages! As a meeting participant, you gain the time to pretend you’re working while stroking your boss’s ego and, in the meantime, checking your email or social media. As…

France embraces Google, Microsoft in quest to safeguard sensitive data | Reuters

The question of who to use, where and how your data is stored is tricky. Various legislative frameworks, often competing, make choosing a vendor problematic. This French government initiative may point the way for other countries. Some of France’s most sensitive state and corporate data can be safely stored using the cloud computing technology developed by Alphabet’s Google (GOOGL.O) and…

SpecTrust raises millions to fight cybercrime with its no-code platform | TechCrunch

The issue of CyberSecurity grows continually, and with it the opportunities for businesses and careers in the industry.

How to stop procrastination – BBC Science Focus Magazine

Sorry. I meant to post this last week. You’re procrastinating right now, aren’t you? Don’t worry, we’re not judging. But we are here to tell you that you’re not alone: an estimated 20 per cent of adults (and above 50 per cent of students) regularly procrastinate.In fact, procrastination – defined as voluntarily and unnecessarily delaying a task – is so widespread that scientists have even found…

Writers’ block? 8 Creators share tips and inspiration

Writing is hard. This article shares some tips to unblock the muse and get writing. Building an audience for your brand takes time, commitment and a lot of content. Most successful web creators have been publishing consistently for years. That can seem daunting to new creators and it’s easy to panic when the well runs empty, but there is no reason to worry. We recently spoke with eight creators…

How to Highlight the Mouse Pointer in Windows 10

Need to make the cursor easier to see during online learning? Kevin Stratvert explains how. In this step-by-step tutorial video, learn how to highlight your mouse cursor to make it easier for your audience to follow your mouse movements and clicks. The two options that I feature in this video are entirely free. Highlighting your mouse pointer is especially valuable during presentations, demos,…

Top 20 Microsoft Word Tips and Tricks for 2021 // All the features you didn’t know existed! – #MIEexpert

A step-by-step tutorial on Mike Tholfsen’s top 20 tips and tricks for Microsoft Word. He covers many of the new Microsoft Word features that have come out in 2019, 2020 and 2021. This is not your parents’ Word! These Microsoft Word tips and tricks include our new features based on AI and inclusive features like Editor, Dictation, Immersive Reader, Translation, and many more. Use these MS Word…

It’s always nice to get new qualifications. Almost makes Monday mornings bearable.

Top 20 PowerPoint tips and tricks for 2021 – #MIEexpert

A step-by-step tutorial on my Mike Tholfsen’s 20 Microsoft PowerPoint tips and tricks for 2021. The PPT Tips and tricks are the latest and greatest features, and include Microsoft Teams and PowerPoint integration, PowerPoint Presenter coach, Narrate Slide Show, PowerPoint Designer, Dictation, and a bunch of other core features and new improvements for PowerPoint. This is the modern and AI-infused…

Adobe Believes Every Student is Creative

Adobe for Education have a YouTube channel with helpful teaching videos both for Adobe products but also for creativity generally. A good idea deserves to be shared with the world, in whichever media will make the most impact. Whether it’s a video, a website, posters, flyers, t-shirts, an app, or a social media campaign. We believe that when students learn to express themselves in any medium,…

Explainer: What Is Google FLoC?

Worried about browser cookies? Would a central cookie authority make anything better? Read about Google’s FLoC proposal here. Google says it will block third-party cookies from its Chrome browser and instead will use what’s called Federated Learning of Cohorts, or FLoC. It’s billed as a privacy-preserving platform that lets advertisers reach users using behavioral targeting without needing…

It’s not about the subscribers but…

I started this blog mainly as a way of remembering things I’d come across during my researches. As I was recording things anyway it seemed reasonable to make it available to everyone. Based on that extremely slim reasoning the blog has grown until now when I have noticed that it has 3000 email subscribers. That’s exciting, humbling and terrifying in equal measure. Thanks for dropping…