The Knowledge...
Microsofthada bigpresenceatthisyear’sE
conference:it announcedthata newXbox
wasintheworks,it convincedKeanuReeves
totaketothestage.But(atleastforus)the
mostexcitingannouncementwasthereturn
ofMicrosoftFlightSimulatoraftera lengthy
absence.SetforboxXboxandPC,thenew
version– whichgoesbytheirritatingly
broadnameof‘MicrosoftFlightSimulator’
- is likelytobereleasedatsomepointin
2020.SeenextissueformorefromE3.
Help someone out with
your old hardware
77 ȱȱȱɏɏɏ ȩȩHHVVɢɢ XXȿȿɏɏ IIʝʝʝɠɠ ʋʋʋɚɚɼOɍɍ^3
&&
PCsdon’tlastforever.Whetherit’s
hardwarebreakingdownorthe
increasingdemandsofsoftwaremaking
aginghardwarerunslower,weallneed
toupgradeatsomepoint.Butwhatto
dowiththatoldmachine?If you’renot
planningtokeepit around,it’sa three
stepprocess:copyeverything
important,completelywipeitsstorage,
thenfindit a goodhome.Thefirststep
is probablythemostdifficult– if we
weretoselectone
ofthenumerous
methodsabletodo
so,settingup
Windows’File
Historytooland
copyingallofyour
importantfoldersto
anexternalharddriveis probablythe
easiest,asit’seasytothengetyourfiles
backexactlywhereyoufoundthem.
It’simportanttoproperlyclearthe
contentsofanoldcomputersince,as
you’llseeoverthepage,thereareapps
outtherethatcancrawlthrougha disk
andfinddeletedfiles– andthiscouldbe
personalinformationyoudon’twant
shared.Windows’owntools(inthe
RecoverysectionofSettings)might
claimtoclearyourPC,butthey’llleave
traces:better,instead,togetyourselfa
Windows 10 installer(whichwon’task
fora newkeyif you’rereinstallingonto
thesamecomputer)thenusea program
likeDBan(dban.org)tosecurelyerase
yourdrive.It’llwriteovereverything
multipletimes,ensuringit’sproperly
gone,andyoucan
reinstallWindows
10 whenyou’re
done.
Thenyou’llneed
tofinda homefor
yourPC.Thereare
variouscharitiesout
therethatacceptoldcomputer
hardwareandeitherusetheminternally
ordonatethemonwardstothosein
need.It’shardtofindtherightone,so
we’drecommenddonateapc.org.uk
whichbasicallyletsyoulistyour
hardware’savailabilityandconnects
youdirectlytogoodcauses.Got yourself a new PC? Safely erase the
old one, and pass it on to someone new
Facebook’s currency
What is it?
Facebook is set to launch its own
digital currency, initially set for use on
Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp.
Completely missing the golden
opportunity to call the currency
‘Facebucks’, the company appears to
have named it Libra.So it’s a Bitcoin competitor?
In a way, yes, but not entirely.
Cryptocurrency like Bitcoin has taken on
a new life in some developing countries
and in places like Venezuela, where the
country’s own currency has collapsed, as
a reliable way of making transactions.
Libra isn’t quite the same – it’s not a
currency you can ‘mine’ or generate out
of thin air, so it’s unlikely to suffer the
same exchange rate fluctuations that
Bitcoin has.What’s the point, then?
Libra is aimed at making easy, secure
transactions throughout the world.
Facebook’s data suggests that half of
people worldwide do not have a bank
account; the company is aiming to
provide the Calibra digital wallet to
anyone with a smartphone, and eventually
roll out services to merchants, retailers
and services to enable easy payments in
Libra wherever you may be.Is this a new idea?
It’s not: if anything, this is a very well-
proven idea, and emulates the success
of similar payment methods in China’s
immensely popular WeChat and Alipay
apps. These can be used in shops, online,
and to pay between users, and often don’t
require sharing any personal information:
WeChat, for example, can just generate a
barcode that, when scanned, makes the
transaction seamless.When can we get it?
If Facebook has its way, you’ll see the
Calibra wallet and Libra currency arrive
some time in 2020. If the banks have
their way, you won’t. This, like China’s
system, is one which cuts banks out of
the loop, and we’d imagine there’ll be
some backlash.DO LOOK DOWN Microsoft is employing high-res
satellite imagery to texture the whole world.CLEVER COOKIE Microsoft’s Azure AI will be used
to power unique events and weather as you play.FLY RIGHT There’s a selection of aircraft to choose
from, and detailed cityscapes to fly through.
BACK IN THE SKY Flight Simulator returns
We all need to upgrade
at some point – but
what to do with that
old machine?
Discover
Donate your old PC
August 2019 | |^7