Microsoft

Cities with 3D buildings and tree placement via Blackshark’s AI

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Im Microsoft Flight Simulator it is well known that one will be traveling all over the world. The maps and data of the virtual world are based on Bing maps from Microsoft, supplemented with elevation data for the reconstruction of mountains. While some iconic cities, popular destinations and sights, e.g. via photogrammetry (taking lots of photos and calculating 3D models from them) were recorded and realized or reproduced by hand in 3D and placed on the map, Artificial Intelligence takes care of most of the 3D scenery on the ground. Buildings and vegetation such as trees, which are fairly flat on satellite data, are generated with the help of specially trained AI algorithms from Blackshark.ai from Graz.

Using the material learned, the AI ​​creates various three-dimensional objects from “the flat data”. As a result, the developers did not have to replicate and place all the houses in the world themselves – or place trees everywhere. Cities generated by AI support are not exactly like the original, but they come close to the model. The AI ​​is even supposed to take into account region-specific architectural styles, colors and peculiarities, although in the current version there are far too many trees to be seen on green areas.

The following video from Microsoft gives you a glimpse of Artificial Intelligence including before / after comparisons.

Last updated video: Partnership Series Blacksharkai

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Microsoft stops physical stores and focuses entirely on online NOW

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Microsoft is definitely going to stop physical stores. On Friday, the tech giant announced that the Microsoft Stores are closing permanently. Instead, Microsoft is committed to online sales.

Microsoft’s physical stores had been closed since March due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Now the company has decided that the stores will no longer open. According to Microsoft, customers have already bought most products through online channels.

This mainly concerns stores in the United States, where Microsoft has the most physical stores. There were no Microsoft Stores in the Netherlands yet.

Customers who have previously purchased Microsoft products through a store can now go online for customer service. This has already been the case in recent months due to the corona crisis.

Four large Microsoft Stores will remain open to show new Microsoft products to the public. These are locations in New York, London, Sydney and Redmond.

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Windows 10, a problem that makes it impossible to use the PC: what happens

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Windows 10 he has problems once again. Does not seems to end the chain of problems that is featuring the Microsoft operating system now for a few months. The the release of Windows 10 May Update first and June 2020 Security Update after, seems to have created several malfunctions to the PC users, so much so that in some cases are not even able to properly use the PC. But let’s go with order.


The two updates released by Microsoft have caused several operating problems, many of which are already reported in previous articles. For example, the malfunction of the printer which made it impossible to use, it was fixed quickly with an ad-hoc patch. Now, however, there are three new problems are severe enough: the PC will restart by itself and error messages that appear on the screen while you are using OneDrive, and Outlook, two apps made by Microsoft itself. Here’s what’s happening.

Windows 10, because the PC restarts

The computer crashes, the system crashes and the user is forced to restart it. This is as far as you can see from the various reports which have appeared online in recent days. The problem seems to be the same for all: it appears to be on the screen the error c0000008 that causes a total block of the computer and you are forced to restart the computer for later reuse. More experienced users have also discovered the cause: this is an error in the file lsass.exe.

Microsoft has taken note of the problem and has assured that will be resolved in the shortest possible time, but in the meantime, users are forced to live with it. The versions of Windows 10 affected by the malfunction are the number 1809, 1903, 1909, and 2004, i.e. all those releases in the past two years.

Outlook, and OneDrive will not work on Windows 10, what happens

If the problem that forces the user to restart it were not already severe enough, in recent weeks, were joined by two others. Both appeared after the update to the Windows 10 May Update 2020. This time the malfunction affects two app rather important: OneDrive, and Outlook. The first is to manage the files uploaded to your cloud space from Microsoft, the second to check their e-mail addresses. What exactly happens?

On OneDrive many users complain that they can’t access the files on your personal space. Display them, but they can not interact. On Outlookinstead, a message appears that warns you that something has gone wrong and you need to restart the program. Even in these two cases, Microsoft is aware of the issues and will soon be releasing a patch corrective.

How to solve the problem of Windows 10

For the moment do not know what are the PC models affected by these problems, but what is certain is that are creating many headaches to the users. Microsoft has confirmed this to be a knowledge of the malfunzionamenti, to be already at work to solve them, and that soon should get a ad-hoc patch. But we do not know nor when and neither if it will be really effective.

In the meantime, the only way to be able to go back to using your PC is to manually uninstall the June 2020 Security Update directly from Windows Update. In this way, however, your PC will not be protected by more than 100 security vulnerability fixed by the security update of June.

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Windows 10 will be revolution, how to change the Start menu

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One of the many projects on which Windows 10 are working the user interface. Are several months that you talk about it and even Microsoft has ensured that the new UI is in the top of the list of things to do and that should arrive in the next core update. It is unlikely that we will see with the November Update 2020that is confirmed by the most entries will be a simple update to fix bugs and improve the stability of the system. Much more likely, however, that will come next year with the update expected to be between march and may 2021.

Waiting for news a bit more in-depth, Microsoft has wanted to give a preview of how will be the new user interface to publishing of the images on the account Facebook of Microsoft 365, the productivity suite launched a few months ago. From the pictures posted you can see how the graphics and the developers are working to make the Start menu of Windows 10 even more useful and suited to the requests of the users.

How will the new Start menu of Windows 10

Who waited an epoch-making change will be disappointed: from the pictures you can imagine how Microsoft is working in continuity with what is already present now. The Live Tiles, one of the most discussed and hated by the Microsoft community, they remain, even if you do not have the same importance and predominance as in past versions of Windows 10.

In these years, Microsoft has been constantly working for improving the user experience of Windows 10 and the progress has been remarkable. But there is still a further step to complete the job. The Step that should arrive next year. What will change? Of the Live Tiles we have already mentioned. Will remain, but the color will adapt to the theme chosen by the user (light or dark), and will not be predominant over all the rest. In addition, users will be able to turn off the animated effects that are replaced by static icons designed according to the dictates of the “Fluent Designthe style chosen for the the new interface of Windows 10.

When will be available the new Start menu

The development of the Start menu has an absolute priority over all the rest, but there is still need of a bit of time to ensure that everything is ready. The most likely hypothesis is that the the new interface of Windows 10 to be released with the update expected to be between march and may 2021.

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Windows 10, released an update for the printer problem

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Windows 10 has released these days an update to resolve this the problem with the printers emerged in recent days following the security updates released on the 9th of June. Microsoft could not wait any more time: too the stir created by this problem, and too many of the people who have suffered. On the official forum of the company of Redmond were dozens of messages of users who complained about the impossibility to printeven if the device was turned on and working.


Microsoft has released the news of the update directly on your Twitter account: “An optional upgrade is now available for the following versions of Windows 10 in the Microsoft Update catalog to resolve a known issue where some printers may not be able to print after installing updates released on the 9th of June 2020.” The bug affected all users that have it installed on your computer versions of 1909, 1903, 1809 and 1803 of Windows 10, i.e. all those issued in the last two years, to the exclusion of Windows May Update 2020.

What fixes the update to Windows 10

In total, Microsoft has released three updates: KB4567512, KB4567513 and KB4567514, each dedicated to a different version of Windows 10. The update should be to solve one of the most serious problems encountered by users after the June 2020 Security Update, the update released the 9 June that was going to cover over 100 security flaws. What is the failure encountered by the users? You cannot print. The device, even if connected to the PC, is not recognized.

In practice, if you turn on the printer, the connects to the computer and then turn off both devices, at the next reboot the device is no longer recognized, as the USB port that it was connected. A problem software recognized by Microsoft itself and has been forced to resolve quickly.

How to update Windows 10

The three updates are already available on Windows Updatethe platform where you can download all of the updates released by the developers. For access you must open your Settingspress on “Update and security” and then on “Windows Update” from the left column. In the screen that opens, you have to check if among the available updates are present in the KB4567512, KB4567513 and KB4567514.

Alternatively, you can download the update directly from the Microsoft Update catalog is available at this address. Just enter the name of the update, start the search and download it to your PC.

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Windows 10 a hidden function that no one knows: what is

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The update of the computer Windows 10, May Update 2020 continues shipped: in the last few days have increased the PCS that received the update. Despite the problems reported by users and some confirmed by the same Redmond company, the release continues, shipped and expected to arrive in the coming weeks on a large number of devices. Among the changes that users will notice there is also a new voice inside “Information on the PC”.


It’s called “Experience” and, next to it there is written The Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2202.130.0. What do you mean this new item? And what is the Windows Feature Experience Pack? What he’s hiding Microsoft? All these questions have tried to answer the colleagues at ZDNet have also tried to get information from Microsoft itself, without, however, to get the desired effect. The Redmond company seems to want to keep the maximum discretion about this new feature and does not release information. Digging deep in the files of the May Update 2020, however, it is possible to understand what is the use of the Windows Feature Experience Pack.

What is the Windows Feature Experience Pack

The Windows Feature Experience Pack has started to appear on the PC Windows 10 to December 2019. A debut on the sly that nobody had given weight, but in reality we are talking about one of the features on which Microsoft is focusing more. It is available for Windows 10 and Windows Server, and inside the dedicated folder (for the time weighs a little more than 40MB) files are present, the various applications of the operating system. By reading the description given by Microsoft, the The Windows Feature Experience Pack includes essential functionality for the operating system, signal that we are looking at a tool that is really important.

By analyzing the files available, the Windows Feature Experience Pack seems to be a kind of tool that collects some of the functionality of the PC needing updates faster than normal. For example, in this moment inside you can find the snipping tool, the panel for the insertion of the text. Soon will be also added to other features and apps.

What is the use of the Windows Feature Experience Pack

Which is the real goal of Microsoft? How to evolve the Windows Feature Experience Pack? The Redmond company is preparing the ground to make Windows the operating system of all its devices and adaptable to any situation. With the creation of the The Windows Feature Experience Pack you may not separate the software from the user interface, in order to work with the developers to individual problems without having each time to intervene on all the operating system. We will see in the the next few months how to evolve the Windows Feature Experience Pack.

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Microsoft refuses to face recognition to the police

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On a background of protests against police violence in the United States, the juggernaut of computing, Microsoft is committed. Thus, in the absence of legislation, it said on Thursday, June 11, that it will deny u.s. law enforcement access to its facial recognition technology.

→ REPORT. In the United States, the anger brings together the youth

“We don’t sell our facial recognition technology to police americans at the present time, and as long as there will be no federal legislation in the solid based on the rights of man, we will not sell this technology to the forces of the order “said Brad Smith, a top manager of Microsoft, during a round table organised by the Washington Post.

Beyond the use by the forces of the order, Microsoft plans to put in place mechanisms to assess the use made of this technology is controversial even outside of the forces of law and order, he added. “For the past two years, we have focused on the development and implementation of sound principles to help us in the use of facial recognition, and we have not ceased to seek governmental regulation, strong “insisted Brad Smith.

Amazon, IBM, Google, etc.

It is committed to working with other supporters of the legislation in this area and has indicated that Microsoft took advantage of the occasion “to strengthen the processes of examination of applications for our customers who wish to use this technology on a large scale “. Since the death of George Floyd, an African-American, was asphyxiated by a white policeman at the end of may in Minneapolis, businesses, and local and national authorities, are trying to respond to the pressure of the street and social networks.

Wednesday, June 10 already, Amazon has decided to ban the police to use its facial recognition software Rekognition for a year, to give Congress time to “to put in place appropriate rules “ use of the technology. On his side, on Monday 8 June, IBM had announced to suspend the sale of similar software identification and said he was “opposed to the use of any technology for the monitoring of mass, racial profiling, and violations of rights and freedoms, human basic “.

→ INVESTIGATION. Facial recognition, between fear and fascination

The other juggernaut of artificial intelligence, Google, was also expressed on the subject in January. During a speech in Brussels, Sundar Pichai, the boss of the group, had explained that Google would not provide turn-key service of facial recognition so that rules and safeguards were not put in place by the authorities.

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Windows 10, released a large security update: the news

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Are well 129 the flaws in the security of Windows 10and , not only, solved with the latest update rollup yet released by Microsoft, the June 2020 Security Update, identified with the code KB4560960. With this update the version of the operating system switches to build 18363.900.


Many of these vulnerabilities, now corrected by Microsoft, were quite dangerous if exploited by hackers. Fortunately, however, at least at the moment there are no instances of exploitation of these flaws (the so-called “exploit“). However, the installation of this upgrade is crucial because it is actually the biggest update yet in the history of Microsoft: never have so many flaws were resolved in a single update. Also because, and this it should be noted, some of the vulnerabilities are quite old, and applies to the versions of Edge pre-Chromium, and even Internet Explorer.

Windows 10: the leaks resolved with the June Update

The June Security Update resolves security issues related to Windows 10, Microsoft Edge (older versions based on EdgeHTML), the Microsoft Edge in compatibility mode Internet Explorer (newer versions are based on Chromium), the JavaScript engine Microsoft ChakraCore, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office (also online), Windows Defender, Microsoft Dynamics (business apps management customers), the software development environment Microsoft Visual Studio, Azure, DevOps (a kit of tools for the remote work, collaborative), the viewer HoloLens, Adobe Flash Player, Windows App Store, Microsoft System Center (management software systems), and the Android app of Microsoft with which you can run the Android apps on Windows 10).

Windows 10: how to install June Security Update

The June Security Update it is already available for download via Windows Update. On most systems, is unloaded automatically, unless there are other updates prep earlier that has to be installed first and that have been blocked or delayed by the user. View the importance and the amount of vulnerabilities addressed with this update yet, it is good to open Windows Update and search for updates. If there will be others waiting to be installed, then you can download and install the update rollup KB4560960. May be required several restarts of the operating system to complete the procedure.

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Windows 10, a massive security update arrives: what changes

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Waiting for the Windows 10 May Update 2020 is made official, Microsoft announces that it is distributing the May security update for its operating system in these hours. While part of the technicians and developers are in fact completing the details of the six-monthly update (in the hope that the compatibility problems of the previous versions will not be repeated), other engineers have developed what promises to be one of the security update most important ever.




As we read in the press release of the giant of Redmond, what is about to be released is the third largest security update in the ten-year history of Windows, containing over 100 security patches for as many flaws discovered in recent weeks. The vulnerabilities obviously do not only concern the operating system, but also all the software pre-installed with Windows 10: the Edge browser, the .NET Framework and Visual Studio. Fortunately, among the various vulnerabilities there are none “zero day “and there is no danger, therefore, that some hacker is already exploiting unknown holes.

Windows 10, what are the most serious flaws corrected with the May update

Some of the more than 100 “corked” holes by the engineers and developers of the Redmond house they have an “emergency nature” superior to the others. Two of these, for example, concern the Microsoft Edge PDF reader and the operating system itself.

As we read in the Microsoft notes that accompany the updates, the PDF reader vulnerability allows you to execute malicious code simply by launching a corrupt PDF document. Using this vulnerability, hackers can corrupt the memory cells occupied by the document and exploit this “bridgehead” for get administration permissions on the device.

The vulnerability affecting the operating system, on the other hand, allows hackers to access memory and to execute malicious code remotely (for example, running a trojan without the user having to download any programs or perform any other actions). In this way, cybercriminals can guard system administrator privileges and operate inside the PC as if it were “their thing”.

How to install Windows 10 security updates

To verify that the updates are already available and download them, all you have to do is access the Settings operating system (click on the Start button and then on the gear icon located above the shutdown and restart button), click on Update and Security and check the list of available updates. To start the download and installation, simply click on the “Download” button and wait.

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Windows 10 update fixes annoying bugs

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Microsoft continues to develop, but inconsistently enough, new features for Windows 10 and to release them to the “fast ring“, The public channel of the Windows Insider Program to which users who want to test the new tools are subscribed, knowing that what they feel could be full of bugs.




And indeed the latest build of Microsoft’s operating system released the Fast Ring (la 19624), mainly contains corrections to previous bugs. The list of fixes is long, as is that of “known issues“, The already known problems brought by this test version of Windows 10. In short, the Insider Program Fast Ring has now become a sort of anarchist space where Microsoft publishes highly immature material, then relying on the testers and their feedback. It is clear, therefore, that it is increasingly difficult to understand which features among those contained in build for the Fast Ring will then actually be included in the final versions of the Microsoft operating system.

Windows 10 build 19624: fixes and news

The main new features of build 19624 are temporarily disabling the search box in Default app settings, because it didn’t work, an improvement of the VPN connection, to which you now connect and disconnect in a similar way to what is already done for normal Wi-Fi connections, some changes to File Explorer, to make it more stable. Also fixed a problem with the laptop battery icon, which indicated low battery even when it was not, and one that prevented Windows Hello from unlocking the PC if it was connected to an external monitor and video camera. Also fixed issues that prevented Windows Update from completing some updates.

Windows 10 build 19624: known issues

This build of Windows 10 has already known problems, which Microsoft will solve in the future: for example the Narrator and NVDA screen readers do not work 100% on Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based versions), some devices cannot update to this version, others get stuck with the error code 0xc0000409.

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