Want to spice up your Windows 10 PC by adding a little personal flavor to Microsoft’s latest operating system? We’re here to help. Changing your Windows login screen background and desktop wallpaper is rather easy, but if you’re not familiar with Windows 10’s overall layout — or if Microsoft decides to remap the process — this guide will provide the hand-holding you need. In a nutshell, everything is accomplished through the Settings app, so let’s dig in! Step 1: Navigating to the ‘Personalization’ settings window The shortest route to the Personalization panel is to just right-click on the desktop and select Personalize from the menu. Once the window appears, follow Steps 2a and 2b below to successfully change your Windows 10 login screen background and desktop wallpaper. The long route to accessing the Personalization panel is taken by clicking the speech balloon-like Action Center icon located next to the system clock on the … [Read more...] about How to change your Windows 10 login screen background, desktop wallpaper
Computing
A new algorithm could help protect planes from damaging volcanic ash
Five to 10 minutes. That’s what it takes for superheated volcanic ash to shoot 11 kilometers into the sky — reaching altitudes at which commercial jets cruise and potentially harming their engines. Now scientists have developed a new algorithm that can identify and track explosive ash clouds soon after volcanoes erupt. Using satellite imagery, the program can measure the temperature, height and trajectory of the expanding clouds within about three minutes, researchers report online November 8 in Earth and Space Science. By tracking these ash plumes in near real time, scientists can alert aviation authorities if there is a need to alter any volcanic ash advisories or change the flight paths of any planes barreling toward hazardous eruptions. “Timely detection is crucial,” says study coauthor Michael Pavolonis, a physical scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Madison, Wis. The new technology could be especially useful for tracking … [Read more...] about A new algorithm could help protect planes from damaging volcanic ash
How to tell if someone is stealing your Wi-Fi — and what you can do about it
If your internet has been unexpectedly slow lately, someone living nearby may be stealing your Wi-Fi. There’s only a certain amount of bandwidth to go around, and if yours is already divided up between a few computers, a smart TV, and a couple of phones, there’s a good chance you’ll start seeing slower speeds when an internet freeloader streams a high-definition video. You don’t want any unauthorized devices tapping into your Wi-Fi, both because of the performance issues it causes and the big security risk that it represents. So if something funny is going on with your Wi-Fi, it’s important to check it out and fix the problem (while ditching the moochers). Determining if someone is stealing your Wi-Fi If you only have a few Wi-Fi devices in your house, you may want to unplug or turn them all off, and then watch the wireless signal light on your router. If the light continues to flicker, someone else is using your Wi-Fi. However, this method only works … [Read more...] about How to tell if someone is stealing your Wi-Fi — and what you can do about it
How to recall an email in Outlook
We all know how it feels to click “Send” on an email, only to realize you’ve included an embarrassing mistake in it. Or even worse, you accidentally hit “Reply All” and sent your embarrassing mistake to the entire office. Before you start cringing at the thought of what you’ve done, we have some good news for you: A lot of email clients give people the ability to recall emails after they’ve been sent. In this guide, we’ll teach you exactly how to recall an email in Outlook, Microsoft’s popular email service. If you use Outlook to manage your email, check out the step-by-step process below for an easy way to pull those emails back from the brink. Steps to recall Outlook emails Step 1: Open your Sent Items folder, and look for the email you want to recall — it should be at the top of the list. Double-click to fully open it. Step 2: Check the top of the window and make sure that you are in the “Message” tab. Then look … [Read more...] about How to recall an email in Outlook
Virtual avatars learned cartwheels and other stunts from videos of people
Animated characters can learn from online tutorials, too. A new computer program teaches virtual avatars new skills, such as dances, acrobatic stunts and martial art moves, from YouTube videos. This kind of system, described in the November ACM Transactions on Graphics, could render more physically coordinated characters for movies and video games, or serve as a virtual training ground for robots. “I was really impressed” by the program, says Daniel Holden, a machine-learning researcher at Ubisoft La Forge in Montreal not involved in the work. Rendering accurate, natural-looking movements based on everyday video clips “has always been a goal for researchers in this field.” Animated characters typically have learned full-body motions by studying motion capture data, collected by a camera that tracks special markers attached to actors’ bodies. But this technique requires special equipment and often works only indoors. The new program leverages a type of … [Read more...] about Virtual avatars learned cartwheels and other stunts from videos of people