Microsoft Monday: Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer, PlayFab Acquisition, Font Store Being Tested
A Microsoft office glowing at night. (Photo Credit Mikhail TereshchenkoTASS via Getty Images)
“Microsoft Monday" is a weekly column that focuses on all things Microsoft. This week, Microsoft Monday includes details about the PlayFab acquisition, a patch for Intel’s Spectre firmware update, a font store, a $1 million donation for ID2020, the Ink to Code project and much more!
Microsoft Acquires Gaming Cloud Platform Company PlayFab
In a blog post, Microsoft’s Corporate VP of Gaming Kareem Choudhry announced the acquisition of PlayFab today. PlayFab is a backend platform provider of services to build and launch cloud-connected games. And PlayFab powers over 1,200 live games for customers like SEGA, Disney, NBC Universal, Atari, Rovio, Capcom and many more.
“PlayFab’s tools are designed to be used by game developers across all platforms (mobile, PC and console). This acquisition extends the investments and work we’ve done on Microsoft Azure to provide a world-class cloud platform for the gaming industry,” said Choudhry. “As Satya Nadella noted in our annual shareholders meeting, ‘We’re mobilizing to pursue our extensive opportunity in a 100-plus-billion gaming market. This means broadening our approach to how we think about gaming end to end, about starting with games and how they’re creating and distributed, and how they’re played and viewed.’”
Microsoft Issues Update To Patch Spectre Problem
According to The Verge, Microsoft was forced to issue a second out-of-band security update this month in order to patch a problem involving Intel’s Spectre firmware updates. Last week, Intel said that its own security updates have been buggy and caused some devices to randomly reboot. Intel has been advising PC companies to stop updating their firmware until properly tested updates become available.
Microsoft’s patch fixes the problem on Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 systems. And Microsoft said that its update prevents the reboots. However, the update has to be downloaded manually from the Windows Update catalog.
And Microsoft is also releasing a new registry key setting for devices that were impacted by the buggy update, which enables IT administrators to manually disable or enable the Spectre variant 2 protections.
Microsoft Adds A Font Store In The Windows Insiders Update
Microsoft's font settings
In the latest build of the Windows (Build 17083) rolling out to Insiders in the Fast Ring, there is a way to discover and customize fonts. In the Fonts control panel — which is where you can see which fonts are currently installed and you can uninstall fonts — there are new capabilities such as color fonts and variable font properties.
Microsoft's font settings
“Note that you need to be running build 17040 or later to be able to install the font packages in the Store. For now, we have a small set of curated offerings from Microsoft’s library of fonts, but this will grow over time,” said Dona Sarkar, a software engineer that works in the Windows and Devices Group, in a blog post.
It is unknown which fonts will show up in the Windows Store. Perhaps it will be open for third parties or simply just for premium Microsoft fonts.
All Microsoft Studios Games Will Become Part Of Game Pass Service At Launch
Microsoft has made a change to the Xbox Game Pass so that all games published by Microsoft Studios will become part of the Netflix-like game service at launch, according to BusinessInsider. The first game that will be part of this initiative will be “Sea of Thieves” followed by Crackdown 3” and “State of Decay 2.” Microsoft’s franchises like “Halo,” “Gears of War” and “Forza Motorsport” will be included as well.
The Xbox Game Pass service costs $10 per month and users can play a over a hundred Xbox 360 and Xbox One games through the service. From Xbox Game Pass, users can download and play the games so it will work offline.
‘Sea of Thieves’ Closed Beta Update
Last week, Forbes contributor Paul Tassi wrote about the Sea of Thievesclosed beta kicking off. And that is significant for the Xbox One as it is the biggest exclusive of the year.
Rare, a gaming company that Microsoft acquired in 2002, is the team developing Sea of Thieves. Rare is known for making games like Battletoads, Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie and Conker’s Bad Fur Day.
To access Sea of Thieves, you will have to pre-order the game. The closed beta was supposed to end today, but it was extended by a couple of days to Wednesday January 31st at 8AM GMT.
“It’s also important because I’m largely skeptical of the rest of Microsoft’s 2018. I have been almost dreading the release of Crackdown 3 because even after delays, nothing I’ve ever seen from that game has looked good,” Tassi wrote. “Perhaps Microsoft has a fall surprise planned, but it does seem possible that Sea of Thieves will be its most important exclusive of the year.”
Bill Gates Is Funding Genetic Research For Cows
Microsoft co-founder and Technology Advisor Bill Gates is now funding genetic research for cows. The goal of the genetic research is to breed cows that can produce more milk like the ones in Europe and handle high temperatures like the ones in Africa. Gates is funding the research as part of a $40 million investment via The Bill And Melinda Gates Foundation in an Edinburgh, Scotland-based nonprofit called Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed), according to the BBC.
“There is great, world-class understanding here of both animal diseases and how we can treat it, and how we enhance the genetics so that you can get, say the same type of milk or egg productivity that we have in the UK,” said Gates via The BBC. “Getting anywhere close to that in Africa would be very transforming.”
Bill Gates Reveals His New Favorite Book Of All Time
In a personal blog post, Bill Gates revealed what his new favorite book is of all time. Previously, Gates said that Steven Pinker’s book The Better Angels of Our Nature was the best one he read in a decade. Gates appreciatesd Pinker’s meticulous research for arguing that we are living in the most peaceful time in human history in The Better Angels of Our Nature. However, Gates said that Pinker “managed to top himself” with the upcoming book Enlightenment Now.
“Enlightenment Now takes the approach he uses in Better Angels to track violence throughout history and applies it to 15 different measures of progress (like quality of life, knowledge, and safety),” said Gates in the blog post. “The result is a holistic picture of how and why the world is getting better. It’s like Better Angels on steroids.”
Images Of Cancelled Xbox Watch Device Appear
Back in 2013, Microsoft designed a prototype of an “Xbox Watch,” but the project ended up getting cancelled. Twitter user Hikari Calyx shared shared some photos of the prototype device. And it appears that Microsoft as going to integrate fitness and health features into the device like a heart rate sensor and a workout tracker. There also appears to be a GPS feature in the device as well.
Try to feel terrible resolution of Xbox Watch... If you find the Xbox Watch can't be recharged, you can disassemble the screen with an utility knife or a razor, then hit the positive pole on the battery with piezoelectric ceramic igniter from a lighter. pic.twitter.com/TcQwMcvJEQ
— Hikari Calyx (@Hikari_Calyx) January 22, 2018
Microsoft Is Launching A New Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer To Handle Privacy Concerns
Microsoft has been scrutinized for the way it handles data collection in Windows 10 by the European regulators, the Chair of the National Data Protection Commission (CNIL) in France and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). Data is collected anonymously through Windows 10 from users in order to improve the operating system. So the next update of Windows 10 will include a new Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer, which is currently being tested by developers. The Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer shows what data is being sent to Microsoft’s servers through Windows 10.
According to The Verge, the Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer includes “device connectivity, peripherals, configuration options, performance data, movie consumption, installed apps” and many other details. And the Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer will allow you to filter the data to view more information about it. You can see the full list of the diagnostic data for the Full telemetry data at: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/configuration/windows-diagnostic-data-1703
The Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer will be available for Windows Insiders first and then it will be rolled out in the next major Windows 10 update (codenamed Redstone 4) coming this spring. After the Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer tool becomes available, it will appear as an app in the Microsoft Store. Microsoft will also update its online privacy dashboard with the ability to export and delete data along with the ability to view and manage media consumption data.
Microsoft Is Working On How To Biologically Search For Images Stored In DNA
Microsoft is working on an initiative where it is collecting 10,000 selfies from the public, which will be encoded in DNA so it can figure out how to search for them within the molecules. If you are interested in sending a selfie, you can do so by going to MemoriesInDNA.com.
In July 2016, Microsoft partnered with the University of Washington researchers to store 200MB of data on DNA strands. And in April 2017, Microsoft purchased 10 million DNA strands through Twist Bioscience to store digital research data.
According to MIT Technology Review, Microsoft is aiming to search and classify images while they are in DNA form. This might be possible because certain DNA letters stick to others. For example, a search query for “red car” coded into DNA should stick to DNA bits that contain such an image.
">A Microsoft office glowing at night. (Photo Credit Mikhail TereshchenkoTASS via Getty Images)
“Microsoft Monday" is a weekly column that focuses on all things Microsoft. This week, Microsoft Monday includes details about the PlayFab acquisition, a patch for Intel’s Spectre firmware update, a font store, a $1 million donation for ID2020, the Ink to Code project and much more!
Microsoft Acquires Gaming Cloud Platform Company PlayFab
In a blog post, Microsoft’s Corporate VP of Gaming Kareem Choudhry announced the acquisition of PlayFab today. PlayFab is a backend platform provider of services to build and launch cloud-connected games. And PlayFab powers over 1,200 live games for customers like SEGA, Disney, NBC Universal, Atari, Rovio, Capcom and many more.
“PlayFab’s tools are designed to be used by game developers across all platforms (mobile, PC and console). This acquisition extends the investments and work we’ve done on Microsoft Azure to provide a world-class cloud platform for the gaming industry,” said Choudhry. “As Satya Nadella noted in our annual shareholders meeting, ‘We’re mobilizing to pursue our extensive opportunity in a 100-plus-billion gaming market. This means broadening our approach to how we think about gaming end to end, about starting with games and how they’re creating and distributed, and how they’re played and viewed.’”
Microsoft Issues Update To Patch Spectre Problem
According to The Verge, Microsoft was forced to issue a second out-of-band security update this month in order to patch a problem involving Intel’s Spectre firmware updates. Last week, Intel said that its own security updates have been buggy and caused some devices to randomly reboot. Intel has been advising PC companies to stop updating their firmware until properly tested updates become available.
Microsoft’s patch fixes the problem on Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 systems. And Microsoft said that its update prevents the reboots. However, the update has to be downloaded manually from the Windows Update catalog.
And Microsoft is also releasing a new registry key setting for devices that were impacted by the buggy update, which enables IT administrators to manually disable or enable the Spectre variant 2 protections.
Microsoft Adds A Font Store In The Windows Insiders Update
Microsoft's font settings
In the latest build of the Windows (Build 17083) rolling out to Insiders in the Fast Ring, there is a way to discover and customize fonts. In the Fonts control panel — which is where you can see which fonts are currently installed and you can uninstall fonts — there are new capabilities such as color fonts and variable font properties.
Microsoft's font settings
“Note that you need to be running build 17040 or later to be able to install the font packages in the Store. For now, we have a small set of curated offerings from Microsoft’s library of fonts, but this will grow over time,” said Dona Sarkar, a software engineer that works in the Windows and Devices Group, in a blog post.
It is unknown which fonts will show up in the Windows Store. Perhaps it will be open for third parties or simply just for premium Microsoft fonts.
All Microsoft Studios Games Will Become Part Of Game Pass Service At Launch
Microsoft has made a change to the Xbox Game Pass so that all games published by Microsoft Studios will become part of the Netflix-like game service at launch, according to BusinessInsider. The first game that will be part of this initiative will be “Sea of Thieves” followed by Crackdown 3” and “State of Decay 2.” Microsoft’s franchises like “Halo,” “Gears of War” and “Forza Motorsport” will be included as well.
The Xbox Game Pass service costs $10 per month and users can play a over a hundred Xbox 360 and Xbox One games through the service. From Xbox Game Pass, users can download and play the games so it will work offline.
‘Sea of Thieves’ Closed Beta Update
Last week, Forbes contributor Paul Tassi wrote about the Sea of Thievesclosed beta kicking off. And that is significant for the Xbox One as it is the biggest exclusive of the year.
Rare, a gaming company that Microsoft acquired in 2002, is the team developing Sea of Thieves. Rare is known for making games like Battletoads, Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie and Conker’s Bad Fur Day.
To access Sea of Thieves, you will have to pre-order the game. The closed beta was supposed to end today, but it was extended by a couple of days to Wednesday January 31st at 8AM GMT.
“It’s also important because I’m largely skeptical of the rest of Microsoft’s 2018. I have been almost dreading the release of Crackdown 3 because even after delays, nothing I’ve ever seen from that game has looked good,” Tassi wrote. “Perhaps Microsoft has a fall surprise planned, but it does seem possible that Sea of Thieves will be its most important exclusive of the year.”
Bill Gates Is Funding Genetic Research For Cows
Microsoft co-founder and Technology Advisor Bill Gates is now funding genetic research for cows. The goal of the genetic research is to breed cows that can produce more milk like the ones in Europe and handle high temperatures like the ones in Africa. Gates is funding the research as part of a $40 million investment via The Bill And Melinda Gates Foundation in an Edinburgh, Scotland-based nonprofit called Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed), according to the BBC.
“There is great, world-class understanding here of both animal diseases and how we can treat it, and how we enhance the genetics so that you can get, say the same type of milk or egg productivity that we have in the UK,” said Gates via The BBC. “Getting anywhere close to that in Africa would be very transforming.”
Bill Gates Reveals His New Favorite Book Of All Time
In a personal blog post, Bill Gates revealed what his new favorite book is of all time. Previously, Gates said that Steven Pinker’s book The Better Angels of Our Nature was the best one he read in a decade. Gates appreciatesd Pinker’s meticulous research for arguing that we are living in the most peaceful time in human history in The Better Angels of Our Nature. However, Gates said that Pinker “managed to top himself” with the upcoming book Enlightenment Now.
“Enlightenment Now takes the approach he uses in Better Angels to track violence throughout history and applies it to 15 different measures of progress (like quality of life, knowledge, and safety),” said Gates in the blog post. “The result is a holistic picture of how and why the world is getting better. It’s like Better Angels on steroids.”
Images Of Cancelled Xbox Watch Device Appear
Back in 2013, Microsoft designed a prototype of an “Xbox Watch,” but the project ended up getting cancelled. Twitter user Hikari Calyx shared shared some photos of the prototype device. And it appears that Microsoft as going to integrate fitness and health features into the device like a heart rate sensor and a workout tracker. There also appears to be a GPS feature in the device as well.
Try to feel terrible resolution of Xbox Watch... If you find the Xbox Watch can't be recharged, you can disassemble the screen with an utility knife or a razor, then hit the positive pole on the battery with piezoelectric ceramic igniter from a lighter. pic.twitter.com/TcQwMcvJEQ
— Hikari Calyx (@Hikari_Calyx) January 22, 2018
Microsoft Is Launching A New Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer To Handle Privacy Concerns
Microsoft has been scrutinized for the way it handles data collection in Windows 10 by the European regulators, the Chair of the National Data Protection Commission (CNIL) in France and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). Data is collected anonymously through Windows 10 from users in order to improve the operating system. So the next update of Windows 10 will include a new Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer, which is currently being tested by developers. The Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer shows what data is being sent to Microsoft’s servers through Windows 10.
According to The Verge, the Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer includes “device connectivity, peripherals, configuration options, performance data, movie consumption, installed apps” and many other details. And the Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer will allow you to filter the data to view more information about it. You can see the full list of the diagnostic data for the Full telemetry data at: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/configuration/windows-diagnostic-data-1703
The Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer will be available for Windows Insiders first and then it will be rolled out in the next major Windows 10 update (codenamed Redstone 4) coming this spring. After the Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer tool becomes available, it will appear as an app in the Microsoft Store. Microsoft will also update its online privacy dashboard with the ability to export and delete data along with the ability to view and manage media consumption data.
Microsoft Is Working On How To Biologically Search For Images Stored In DNA
Microsoft is working on an initiative where it is collecting 10,000 selfies from the public, which will be encoded in DNA so it can figure out how to search for them within the molecules. If you are interested in sending a selfie, you can do so by going to MemoriesInDNA.com.
In July 2016, Microsoft partnered with the University of Washington researchers to store 200MB of data on DNA strands. And in April 2017, Microsoft purchased 10 million DNA strands through Twist Bioscience to store digital research data.
According to MIT Technology Review, Microsoft is aiming to search and classify images while they are in DNA form. This might be possible because certain DNA letters stick to others. For example, a search query for “red car” coded into DNA should stick to DNA bits that contain such an image.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2018/01/29/microsoft-monday-windows-diagnostic-data-viewer-playfab-acquisition-font-store-being-tested/