Windows Help & Advice – May 2019

(Joyce) #1

The Knowledge...


Oculus’RiftS,itslatestVRheadset,makes
plentyofstridesintermsoftechnology,
withsharperscreensandevenbetter
responsetimes,butit’stheupgradesinits
trackingthatimpressmost.It’sreadyfor
room-scaleVR,whichmeansyourbody
movementsaremappedin-game,butit
pullsit offwithoutneedinganyexternal
sensors,insteadusingbuilt-incameras.It’s
stillwiredtothePC,though:forfullfreedom,
theOculusQuestshowmostpromise.


Feed your mind and


learn something new


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T


here’snevera badtimetopick
upsomethingnew.Andwith
onlyyourPC,anInternet
connection,andbitofpersonal
effort,youcandojustthatrightnow.
Whereyouheadfirstdependson
whatyouwanttoknow.If it’sa new
languageyou’reafter,Duolingo
(www.duolingo.com) shouldbeyour
firstportofcall.It’sentirelyfree,unless
youwanttopaytoremoveads,and
therearea hostof
languagesto
choosefrom.
Youlearnbya
combinationof
repetition,constant
grading,anda gameelementwhich
trackshowoftenyouvisitandpractice.


BRAINGAMES
Toimproveyourmaths,science,
andmore,thecompletelyfreeKhan
Academy(www.khanacademy.org) is
aninvaluableresource.It is,admittedly,
gearedaroundtheUSsyllabus,butyou
canburrowdownintoallaspectsofall


kindsofsubjects,andmanyhave
creditedit withgettingthemthrough
theirformaleducation.If youregret
neverpickingupcalculus,forexample,
it’sa fontofinformation– andthere’sa
kids’version,too,whichcouldhelp
yourlittleonesswelltheirbrains.
Therearepaid-forsitesthatofferfull
university-levelcourses;checkoutthe
likesofTheGreatCourses(https://
thegreatcourses.co.uk), whichteach
youeverything
fromthehistoryof
theCIAtoplaying
classicalguitar,or
Brilliant(https://
brilliant.org), which
offersdailypuzzlesandquizzestokeep
yourmindactiveanda hostofcourses
availableonceyou’vepaida monthly
subscription.If you’remorecreative,
somethinglikeSkillshare(www.
skillshare.com) offersa numberof
coursestohelpyourefineallsortsof
skills,andBluprint(www.mybluprint.
com) hostsprojectscoveringsewing,
baking,andotherartisticpursuits.

A new language, a new skill, or mindless trivia; whatever


you want to know, there’s a way to do it online


Windows’ Calculator
Calculator? Are you quite alright?
Yes, OK. Windows’ calculator has been a
part of the operating system literally
since the very beginning – there was a
calculator in Windows 1.0, released in


  1. But it’s far from just an app that adds
    and multiplies numbers: Windows 3.
    added scientific functionality; Windows 7
    brought separate programmer, statistics,
    unit conversion, date calculation and
    worksheets modes. Windows 10’s big
    update so far has been currency
    conversion – but it’s about to get a
    whole lot more complex.


In what way?
Now building on the scientific
functionality introduced 28 years ago (at
last) Microsoft is set to tack a graphing
mode on to the Calculator app, so you’ll
be able to visualise all those equations
you have bouncing around your head.

Great for students, then?
Absolutely – though you’d likely not be
afforded the same permission to bring
a Windows 10 laptop into an exam as
you would a Texas Instruments or Casio
pocket calculator.

Why is this interesting?
It’s not necessarily the new feature that’s
so remarkable, but the way it’s come
about. In early March, Microsoft’s
programmers released the code for the
Calculator application as open source,
meaning anyone could delve into it and
make their own changes. This wasn’t a
move of abandonment, more a nurturing
thing – Microsoft was watching, and liked
the changes it saw.

Who’s responsible?
The graphing mode was actually
suggested by a Microsoft engineer,
Dave Grochocki, but there are plenty of
feature suggestions flooding in from
people outside Microsoft as well. No word
on when a graphing mode might trickle
down to your Windows 10 desktop, but if
you’d desperate to plot a graph in the
meantime try Microsoft Mathematics,
from https://bit.ly/2TvlCUH.

3D SHAPE As well as adding five cameras, the Rift
S switches its old straps for a halo headband.

PRICED NICE We’d expect the Rift S to come in at
around £400 – but you’ll need a strong PC, too.

OPTICAL IMPROVEMENTS There are improved
lenses, and the screens are 2,560x1,440 resolution.


SIMPLE RIFT Next-gen VR makes things easy


“There are paid-for


sites that offer full


university-level courses”


Discover


Boost your brain power


May 2019 | |^7

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