Hosting a web server on a disposable vape, which makes it a disposable web server of sorts

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Reportedly, someone managed to get a tiny web server running on one of those disposable vapes, electronic cigarettes that you see more and more people consuming, at least where I live.

Unlike regular cigarettes, which consist of non-electronic components, a filter, some paper and tobacco for the most part, vapes contain electronic components.

Our ingenious engineer dissected vapes that he received from friends and family for some time and discovered something peculiar in vapes from a specific brand.

He noticed that they included a micro processor, probably the cheapest micro-controller in existence. Further inspection revealed that it had the following characteristics:

  • 24 MHz Coretext M0+ processor.
  • 24 KiB of Flash Storage.
  • 3 KiB of Static Ram.

He realized that he could use it to run a web server, and that is exactly what he set out to do. You can check out the blog post to find out more about the process. In the end, he managed to get the web server, with a single page, running on the vape.

The post has a link to the website, but I could not get it to run. Not sure if it has been taken down, if it is overloaded, or caused by another issue.

It is a remarkable feat of engineering, very similar to getting Doom running on any device with a display and some form of micro-computer inside.

Android

Android is getting an option for experts for sideloading

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Google announced plans earlier this year to change a fundamental cornerstone of the Android ecosystem: sideloading. The plan was to force all developers to verify their identity, even those who had no interest in publishing via the Google Play Store.

This was a stark change compared to the status quo. Currently, developers may choose to publish their apps outside Google Play, for instance only on F-Droid, and they can do so unhindered.

Under the new system, they would be forced to verify their identity. Google says that this is for improving security, while third-party stores like F-Droid claim that it is the end of sideloading as we know it.

The main issue, from F-Droid’s perspective, is that Google is dishonest when it states that sideloading is not going away on Android. The reasoning is simple: the definition of sideloading is “the transfer of apps form web sources that are not vendor-approved”. Under the new system, developers need to register an account with Google, pay a fee, provide verification, e.g. with government IDs, accept the terms and conditions, and more.

Google published an update to its plans today on the Android Developers Blog. There, Google explained why it is introducing verification in first place (to keep users safe).

However, Google says that it has listened to feedback and decided to integrate an option for experienced users, students, hobbyists and developers.

It says that it is building “a new advanced flow that allows experienced users to accept the risks of installing software that isn’t verified”. This new flow is designed to ensure that users cannot be forced to bypass the safety checks, even when under pressure from scammers.

Additionally, Google wants to display clear warnings to help users understand the risks involved.

How this is going to work is unclear at this point. Google says that it will share more details in the coming months about this new option.

Still, it could be a good compromise that allows developers and users to install apps from other sources, even if they are not verified by Google.

Now it is your turn. What is your take on this? Is it a good compromise or would you like to see something else entirely? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Windows 11 is removing an option to bypass Microsoft account and internet during setup

Former Windows Engineer claims Windows “sucks”, explains how he would fix it

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

While Windows continues to be the most-used desktop operating system, not everyone is particularly happy with it. If you have used Windows for a while, you may have encountered bugs and issues, an infusion of ads and unpopular features, and more.

Former Microsoft-engineer Dave Plummer, responsible for development on core components such as the Task Manager, has published a video on YouTube about the state of Windows and how he would fix it.

His key argument for the statement that he makes — Windows “sucks” — is that Microsoft has optimized the operating system for median users and by doing so, has frustrated power users. Power users, while a minority, are influential and they do set the narrative for the most part, according to Plummer.

To address this, Plummer suggests that Microsoft adds a “professional mode” to the operating. Users should be able to enable the mode to turbo-charge Windows. Reduce verbosity and nudges, consolidate controls, pre-install major tools and give power users more control over their operating system.

He goes on to address several key issues that especially power users have regarding the current state of Windows:

  • Telemetry: Is essential, but erodes trust. Solution: privacy ledger that logs all outbound data in plain-English explanations, with mute option and audits to build user trust.
  • Local accounts: Restore the ability to make local accounts. Stop enforcing Microsoft accounts. While Microsoft accounts have advantages, like easier recovery and roaming, not everyone wants to use one and Microsoft should give users that option without any dark patterns.
  • Control over updates: Users should have control over updates. While security updates are critical, pro users want more control, such as one-click rollbacks, staged kernels, deterministic scheduling.
  • Ads and nags: Eliminate them, all, as they are disrespectful and turn the operating system into a sales channel.
  • Address core technical issues: Plummer mentions native archiver support, move non-essential functions to user mode.
  • Fix fragmentation and usability pain points. Consolidate Settings and Control Panel with redirects, don’t alter user-made changes without prompts or notifications, prioritize local, text-first search, ensure clean installs without bloat.

You can check out the video here:

Now You: what is your take on this? Do these suggestions align with your own or do you want to see something different? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Google launched a new anti-ad-blocking update on YouTube, reportedly

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Ah, the battle continues as predicted. Over the past one or two years, a cat and mouse game played out between Google-owned YouTube and content blockers. YouTube implemented various systems to limit or block users with ad-blockers from accessing videos, and the makers of the solutions tweaked their extensions and services to bypass them again.

The next stage of this back and forth battle has just begun, claims Tom’s Guide. According to the website, YouTube has updated its systems on November 7. While the company has not publicly revealed anything about the update, thousands of users flocked to various Internet sites reportedly since then claiming that YouTube was down or not working for them anymore.

Turns out, YouTube did not have an outage but did make changes that blocked certain ad-blockers from doing their works. Most users reported that the YouTube homepage was not loaded at all for them and that videos would not buffer, or take a very long time to start playing.

Especially extensions, like AdBlock Plus, are affected reportedly. However, some extensions or options seem to work still. Brave Browser’s built-in content blocker, for instance, worked just well this morning when I tested it on YouTube.

Firefox with uBlock Origin installed worked as well. It is possible that only some content blockers are affected, or that updates were released already that address the issue.

In any event, it is very likely that this is not Google’s last attempt at blocking users with ad-blockers from accessing videos on YouTube.

Affected users have a few options to address the issue. The first thing they may want to do is disable the content blocker to verify that YouTube is not down. Once verified, using a different content blocker or web browser with integrated content blocker might help.

Now You: do you use YouTube regularly? What do you use to watch videos on YouTube?

Netflix on TV

Annual price hikes every year will end many services

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Like clockwork, many companies are increasing the price of subscriptions on a regular basis. Take Disney as an example. It launched its streaming service Disney+ back in November 2019 with an introductory price of $6.99 per month in the United States. Today, Disney+ subscribers pay $18.99 per month for the service.

Disney increased the price annually starting in 2021. Each year, customers had to pay an extra $1, $2 or $3 to keep the subscription.

The company is not alone. Its biggest competitor, Netflix, launched in 2007 with a price of $7.99 per month. Today, Netflix subscribers pay $17.99 for the cheapest ad-free plan or $22.99 if they want 4K content and some extras. Granted, it took Netflix 18 years to get there, but it is a massive increase nevertheless.

Rising costs are not just an issue for customers of streaming services. Take software subscriptions as another example. Microsoft 365 cost $6.99 in 2022. Today, customers pay $9.99 per month, and even more, if they want integration of the Copilot AI.

Companies increase the price to improve rentability, make more per subscriber. However, they do not seem to have answers for a simple question: what happens when the bulk of subscribers can’t afford the subscription anymore?

What if the price of service does not justify its cost? While you could argue that the majority does not really care and will keep their Netflix subscription no matter what, I’d argue that breaking points exist.

Paying Disney $180 per year just to watch a few shows or movies, that are not really that good, or for entertaining your kids with Disney classics, sounds like it could be too expensive for quite a few already.

With that money, you could purchase DVD or Blu-Ray, preferably on the second hand market, and keep them forever. You find plenty of classic movies on sites like eBay, and if you like thrifting, flea markets or garage sales, you know that bargains can be made there. Not always, but there is a good chance.

Many might also switch back to something that has always existed, but has lost popularity since the advent of streaming services: sailing the seven seeks, aka, piracy.

Lastly, another viable model is to switch to 1-month subscriptions only. This works well, considering that most streaming services do not put out enough content to warrant a full-year subscription. It is possible, however, that streaming services will end the option eventually, if too many subscribers start using it.

Right now, subscriber counts do not really fall, despite the price increases in the previous years. But this will change eventually. Some subscribers might switch to ad-supported plans, which are cheaper, but these come with their own disadvantages (namely ads).

Now you: are you subscribed to a streaming service?

Windows 11 is removing an option to bypass Microsoft account and internet during setup

Not again! Microsoft confirms another Bitlocker Recovery issue in Windows

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Windows users who use BitLocker to encrypt their data either willingly or unknowingly may have run into a BitLocker related issue several times in the past.

It is unclear when it all started, but the essence of the bug was always the same: affected Windows PCs would boot into BitLocker Recovery Mode after installation of an update that caused the issue.

The problem here is that to get out of the mode, users needed the recovery key, which many probably did not really know. While it is easy to look it up online, at least when a user uses a Microsoft account to sign in, it still was a hassle in the best case.

Microsoft confirmed another BitLocker Recovery issue on the Microsoft 365 admin center, but not yet as a known issue for regular users who do not have access to the admin portal.

The issue affects the following Windows versions:

  • Windows 10, version 22H2
  • Windows 11, version 24H2
  • Windows 11, version 25H2

The systems are affected, if the October 2025 security updates are installed on the machines.

Microsoft says that the issue affects Windows PCs with Intel processors and Modern Standby mostly. Still, other systems may also be affected.

As usually, Windows users may resolve the issue by entering the BitLocker recovery key when prompted for it.

Closing Words

Microsoft seems to have a hard time fixing the BitLocker bug for good, as it reappeared several times, including in May of 2025 when Microsoft issued another warning about the problem.

Google Chrome Split View

Google is rolling out Split View for Chrome Tabs and is late to the party

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Google released Chrome 142 to the stable channel recently with just a few changes that it revealed publicly. Noteworthy is a new permission that regulates access to local resources. Basically, users will see a prompt going forward, if a website or application attempts to access a resource on the local network.

It turns out that Google is also rolling out a new tab feature gradually to all users. Split View allows users to display two websites or apps in Chrome side by side in the same browser window.

All you need to do for that is to right-click on the first tab and select the option “move tab into split view”. If you want, you can also select to move it to the left or right location in split view directly.

Google Chrome Split View

Google Chrome then displays the list of other tabs open in the browser, so that you can pick one for the other half.

Tip: You can enable the feature right away in Chrome, if you like. Just load chrome://flags/#side-by-side in the Chrome address bar and change the status of the feature to Enabled. Restart Chrome, and the new context menu option becomes available when you right-click on tabs.

Split View: pros and cons

So what is the advantage of Split View compared to using two browser windows? The main advantage is that both websites are displayed in a single browser. You can display, move, hide, or close them at once, while you would have to juggle with two windows if you’d display the two websites in two Chrome instances. You can be sure also that both windows are always visible, when the browser window is active.

However, there are also some disadvantages. You can only see one of the URLs at the same time in the Chrome window. It changes when you activate the website in the inactive half, but it is still worth considering that you don’t see the address all the time.

Google is late to the party

Split View is not a particularly new feature. Vivaldi, for instance, has supported it for years and even gives users multiple layout options that go beyond displaying two sites side-by-side or split horizontally.

Even Microsoft tested the Split View feature in Edge in 2023 already. Mozilla is also working on integrating a split view feature in its Firefox web browser.

Now You: do you use split view already or do you have no use for the feature? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Windows 11: Block Windows Search from sending anything to Bing

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

The integration of Microsoft Bing, or any other online search tool for that matter, in Windows Search is an abomination. The main idea is to run a search online if Windows can’t find anything locally or at least give you the option to run the search.

I’d argue that the vast majority of Windows users does not want this. When you run a search locally, you expect local results. Also, a web browser is just a click away and the more appropriate vessel for running searches online.

Recently I noticed that if you are too fast when the system boots, your searches may end up opening Bing in Microsoft Edge, even if there is a local match. It happens only when you open Start right after the system has booted, start typing and press the Enter-key.

Anyway, it is highly recommended to block Bing entirely in Windows Search, unless you are one of the few users who finds this useful actually (I have yet to meet a single user who does though, let me know..).

Here is how you can end Bing in Windows Search in a matter of seconds (thanks Henk):

  1. Open the Start menu on the Windows machine.
  2. Type Powershell.
  3. Select “run as administrator” to open an elevated PowerShell window.
  4. Paste the following code: Set-ItemProperty -Path “HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search” -Name “BingSearchEnabled” -Value 0 -Type DWord
  5. Press the Enter-key to run it.

That is all there is to it. In case you wonder, this adds the Dword BingSearchEnabled to the Registry. Note that you can add the information manually as well using the Registry Editor, or create a Registry file if you prefer that way.

You can undo the change at any time by setting the value to 1 or deleting the key. I doubt anyone would, but it may happen that Microsoft accidentally resets this. You will notice right away though, as searches may include online content in that case again.

Now You: Do you use the online search feature of Windows Search? Or do you disable it / ignore it instead? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Greenshot: open source screen capturing app is now also available as a portable version

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

There is certainly no shortage of options when it comes to capturing screenshots or videos on computer systems. From built-in solutions like Microsoft’s Snipping Tool to excellent third-party apps like my favorite PicPick.

Greenshot is another household name. The open source application has been around for a long time and it is well maintained. It supports various types of screenshot captures, from full screen over windowed to region captures.

While it does lack some of the advanced options, like capturing video or scrolling windows in most programs, it does support a few extras like excellent support for integrating third-party services like Flickr or Dropbox. Other features that it supports include adding annotations and highlights, obfuscating parts of the screenshot, and more.

Greenshot interface

The developer of Greenshot Christian Schulz released a new version of the application just a few days ago. It includes a single fix for file associations not working when the app is running already and a new feature: a portable version.

Good news is that you can run Greenshot now from any location using the portable version. You can put it on a USB flash drive or stick and carry it with you around to use it on any Windows machine you plug the USB device in.

So, if you are using Greenshot already you might switch to the portable version, if you prefer it. You can download the portable version, or the setup version, of Greenshot from its GitHub repository.

Now You: which screenshot tool or tools do you use and why? Feel free to leave your recommendation in the comment section below.

Microsoft announces plan to simplify Windows Update titles

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft announced an upcoming change regarding the titles of Windows Update. Going forward, Microsoft wants to simplify the name of updates so that they are “more intuitive, consistent, and informative”.

The company hopes that this change will make it easier for regular users to understand what an update does that is installing or was installed on the Windows device. Original equipment manufacturers and partners should benefit from this as well, according to Microsoft.

The updated titles follow a simple structure and will focus on the name of the update. Most updates, the exception is a driver update, include the KB ID as before. Windows Updates include the build number furthermore, while drivers the version of the driver.

An example of an update with a new title. Source: Microsoft

Microsoft posted several examples of how driver updates will be named in the future:

  • Monthly or out-of-band security updates: Security Update (KB5034123) (26100.4747)
  • Monthly preview non-security updates: Preview Update (KB5062660) (26100.4770)
  • .NET Framework security updates: .NET Framework Security Update (KB5056579)
  • .NET Framework non-security updates: .NET Framework Preview Update (KB5056579)
  • Driver updates: Logitech Driver Update (123.331.1.0)
  • AI component updates: Phi Silica AI Component Update (KB5064650) (1.2507.793.0)

Generally speaking, the new titles apply to Windows operating system updates, such as monthly cumulative updates, .NET Framework updates, driver updates, AI component updates, and Visual Studio updates.

Windows users will find the new titles under Settings > Windows Update and also in the update history, which can be accessed from the Windows Update page of the Settings. Lastly, it is also shown on the Windows release health website.

Microsoft says that updates that do get deployed via WSUS (Windows Server Update Services) or the Microsoft Update Catalog, won’t reflect the changed titles for the most part. Windows feature update titles will also keep the traditional title.

The new titles may omit the version of Windows the update is for. While that may not affect regular users who install the update on their devices, it could affect users who want a quick overview of the released updates on Microsoft’s website or elsewhere.

Now You: What is your take on this change? Is it for the better?