Google implemented a change recently that makes YouTube slow for some users. This is not a bug, but a deliberate action by Google to punish visitors that use adblockers. It is quite easy to find out. Visit YouTube and check what happens. If you stare at a blank page for seconds, then you’ve experienced Google’s…
Author: Martin Brinkmann
Windows 10 issue: File system error (-2147219196)
Some Windows 10 users reported issues with certain apps on their devices that refused to launch. Users noticed that default apps would not launch anymore on their systems or crash shortly after launch. Some received the error message File system error (-2147219196), others no error at all. One user reported the issue on Microsoft’s official…
Is the main purpose of Windows 11’s Settings Home page advertising?
I never really liked the Home page of the Settings app that Microsoft introduced last year in Windows 11. Back then, I described it as half promotion half pointless. Windows 11 users who open the Settings app see the home page by default. It features a mix of quick settings, which Microsoft calls recommended, account…
Ad Free on Prime Video does not mean ad free, apparently
When Amazon announced that it would introduce ads in Prime Video for all customers, it revealed that customers could pay a few bucks per month extra to avoid advertisement on the service. Prime Video customers from the United States may see ads already when they view shows and movies on the platform. Soon, starting next…
Amazon launches the AI Clerk Rufus
Amazon launched Rufus to a small audience in the United States today. Rufus, a “generative AI-powered expert shopping assistant”, adds something to the shopping experience on Amazon that has been missing until now. Online shopping, as comfortable as it is, lacks interactions with clerks. Even simple questions may remain unanswered on Amazon and other shopping…
0Patch patches Windows vulnerability that Microsoft did not consider “patchworthy”
Not every Windows vulnerability requires patching according to Microsoft. When Microsoft analyses reported vulnerabilities, it may conclude that a vulnerability does not meet the bar for servicing. Exactly this happened to a security researcher recently who reported a Windows Event Log vulnerability to Microsoft. Successful exploitation of the vulnerability results in a crash of the…
PlayStation Network: passkey support coming soon
PlayStation users may soon protect their account with a passkey. A support page is already available on the official PlayStation website, but some of the functionality is not yet usable. Passkey is a new technology that promises to be more secure than username and passwords. One of the main advantages is that passkeys are created…
Bug or Intentional: Edge reportedly importing Chrome tabs automatically
At least for a year, some Chrome users reported that Edge imported data from their browser automatically. Back in May 2023, user Cerevox reported the issue on the official Microsoft Community website. Cerevox claimed that Edge imported bookmarks and passwords from Chrome automatically. In November, another user claimed that Edge imported favorites and browser data…
Firefox 122 for Android launches with secret local add-on install option
Mozilla released Firefox 122 for the desktop and for Android a few days ago. The desktop release was a light release. The highlight was a new -.deb package release for Linux users. The Firefox 122 for Android release, on the other hand, introduced several improvements that are noteworthy. The official release notes list just a…
Vividl: download videos from hundreds of sites on Windows
Vividl – Video Downloader is an open source tool for Microsoft Windows devices to download videos from hundreds of websites. The app uses the popular downloader youtube-dl / yt-dlp in the background. It supports downloads of video or audio files from hundreds of sites. Most video streaming sites do not want you to download videos….









