Wise Owl Training - Hardware/software blogs (page 1 of 2)

The ridiculously wide Samsung CRG9 49" monitor

Posted by Andy Brown on 02 June 2021

How wide is too wide when it comes to a computer monitor? Perhaps the answer depends on the size of your desk, but you'll need plenty of space for this monster.

Our experience of switching to Stripe payments

Posted by Andy Brown on 01 June 2021

This is the blog which I wish I could have read before starting to integrate Stripe payments on our website! It explains why I'm ultimately glad we went for Stripe, but also some of the things which are harder than they need to be.

Use ZoomIt to zoom in and out in any application and to draw on screen

Posted by Andy Brown on 27 April 2021

ZoomIt allows you to use keystrokes to zoom in and out in any Windows program, and allows you to draw or write on screen.

A computer in a fish tank? Meet the Sea Drive

Posted by Andy Brown on 27 April 2021

What happens when you want an aquarium AND a laptop, but are short of space? Sadly, the answer is that you get a computer in a fish tank.

A fully-functioning modular laptop with plug-in ports and components

Posted by Andy Brown on 27 April 2021

Is this the next thing in laptops? Meet a laptop which you can break down into its component parts, each of which you can easily replace.

From one extreme to the other - a mini-PC anyone?

Posted by Andy Brown on 24 March 2021

Last month I blogged on a folding laptop with 7 screens; this week it's a five-inch fully-formed mini-computer.

Who needs extra screens, when you can have 7 in one laptop?

Posted by Andy Brown on 01 March 2021

Not sure what to buy your loved ones for their birthday? How about a laptop which weighs 12 kilos and includes 7 screens?

Microsoft seem to be planning a big upgrade to Windows in the second half of 202

Posted by Andy Brown on 23 February 2021

There's a minor update to Windows due in Spring 2021, but a much bigger one in the offing in the second half of the year

Microsoft Office 2021 should be released in the second half of 2021

Posted by Andy Brown on 23 February 2021

Microsoft have confirmed that they will release another standalone version of Office in the second half of 2021 - this should include dynamic arrays, the XLOOKUP function and a new dark mode, among other things.

Changes to Edge and Windows in the new October 2020 Windows update

Posted by Andy Brown on 24 October 2020

Although this is called a Windows update, the most useful changes are actually for the new Edge browser, as this blog explains.

A review of our first 6 months of online training

Posted by Andy Brown on 26 September 2020

By the end of October we will have been providing online training for 6 months. After putting off doing this for so long, we've been surprised at how well it works - and so too have our clients, it seems.

The results of our survey on whether we should develop a Python or R course next

Posted by Andy Brown on 24 September 2020

Many thanks to everyone who voted in our newsletter survey on whether we should train in Python or R next - the results are in!

A trainer's experience of giving the first Wise Owl classroom course in 4 months

Posted by Andy Brown on 24 August 2020

What was it like giving the first classroom course for Wise Owl since the middle of March? There were good and bad points, as this blog explains.

Should you use JavaScript or VBA to program in Excel?

Posted by Andy Brown on 28 June 2020

Is JavaScript for Office (also known as OFFICE-JS) the next big thing? Unless you're a full-time web developer, emphatically no - this blog gives 3 reasons why you should continue to write your Office programs in humble VBA.

Retrieving past items from your clipboard using clipboard history

Posted by Andy Brown on 28 June 2020

Windows now lets you retrieve up to the last 25 things you've copied. It does this by keeping a clipboard history, from which you can paste items with a single keystroke.

This parody of mistakes you can make building a website is surprisingly funny!

Posted by Andy Brown on 13 March 2020

A website which includes help messages which don't, a password with ridiculous rules, an unhelpful timer, annoying default options for almost everything - thoroughly recommended!

Microsoft have rewritten their Edge browser to be based on the Chromium platform

Posted by Andy Brown on 06 February 2020

Microsoft have completely rewritten their Edge browser. The result is (by design) very similar to Chrome - you can even use Chrome extensions -but is probably even easier to use than Google's browser.

Office 365 ProPlus users will soon be using Bing as their default search engine

Posted by Andy Brown on 06 February 2020

Whether you like it or not, if you're running Office 365 ProPlus you will soon have your default search engine set to Bing. This article explains why this is happening, and how to get round it.

Good news for geeks the world over - you no longer need to eject USB sticks!

Posted by Andy Brown on 16 January 2020

Microsoft have changed the default Windows policy for writing to USB sticks, which means that you no longer have to worry about safely ejecting them.

How to enter the 2020 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship

Posted by Andy Brown on 10 January 2020

Think you know Excel (or Word/PowerPoint)? Put your skills to the test in the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championships, held in California.