Blogs from Wise Owl on General IT in Hardware/software

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.

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.

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.

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.

YouTube Silver Award - 100K + subscribers!

Posted by Sam Lowrie on 25 November 2019

We're proud to announce that YouTube have given us their coveted silver award, in recognition of the fact that our video channel has over 100,000 subscribers.

Wise Owl Training have joined Manchester Digital

Posted by Karen Webber on 08 August 2019

Wise Owl have joined the Manchester Digital network, promoting digital and tech businesses in the North-West.

This short blog gives a quick Windows short-cut key to insert emojis into text

Posted by Andy Brown on 17 June 2019

If you want to spice up your emails or reports, use this Windows shortcut to insert emojis.

A quick way to copy the path and name of a file in Windows Explorer

Posted by Andy Brown on 17 June 2019

This short blog highlights a quick way to copy the full path (including the file name) of a file in Windows Explorer.

A new booking system for Wise Owl public courses!

Posted by Andy Brown on 09 May 2019

We've introduced a new online booking system for our public course places, although only 50% of people (chosen at random) will see it. This blog explains the reasoning behind the new system, and the benefits it offers.

How to get the custodians of your data to give you access!

Posted by David Wakefield on 18 June 2018

GDPR isn't as restrictive as most commentators claim, as this blog sets out to show. Don't let data custodians block you from analysing your corporate data!

How to use the Windows Magnifier to zoom in on parts of your screen

Posted by Andy Brown on 29 January 2018

If you're trying to project your screen at the front of a class, the Windows Magnifier lets people see what you're doing more easily.