I’ve got a couple of bits for you this week.
First, I wanted to tell you about a change in the way Microsoft show adverts in with emails. This will only affect you if you use either the Outlook.com website to read your emails, or have the Outlook app on your phone or tablet. So if you use a different app or webmail service (e.g. Gmail, iCloud or BT) or read your emails using the Mail app on a computer, you don’t need to worry about this for now.
Adverts on Outlook.com
So, the Outlook.com website has always had adverts down the side while you’re reading your emails. It’s a free service, so you expect them. But last week, Microsoft started running a different sort of Ad that could be quite confusing.
At the top of your inbox, you might find one or two “emails” that are actually adverts. They’ll have a little “Ad” next to them, but otherwise look just like unread emails – something like this:
If you click on one of them, it doesn’t open an email – instead, it takes you to the advertiser’s website. This isn’t something you can turn off, unfortunately, but once you know they’re there (and what they are) it gets easier to ignore them!
The other thing I wanted to tell you about today is a really interesting website called “WaitButWhy”…
Wait but why?
If you’ve ever got a spare half an hour, and you’re looking for something interesting to read, there are some really thought-provoking articles on WaitButWhy. It’s a blog written by Tim Urban – a very intelligent and witty writer – on mostly sciency topics. My personal favourite is all about the Fermi Paradox (but then, I’m a bit of a Physics geek).
Tim Urban is American, so there’s a general US lean to his articles, but I still really enjoy them – hope you do, too.
PS Don’t forget, we’re about half-way through the time when our course Windows 11 Made Simple and Windows 10 Made Simple are open to new members. If you ever find your computer frustrating or awkward to use, they could be just what you need. Why not have a look at the full information now.