According to half a dozen current and former colleagues of the man now tasked with steering Britain's coronavirus strategy, the 46-year-old former lawyer will be a forensic stand-in for the prime minister, albeit one who sometimes lacks charm.

Raab, who backed Johnson for prime minister after a short-lived bid for the top job himself, is loved by Brexiteers, though has relatively limited experience at the top of government.

"He made the most cogent case for Brexit of those currently in Cabinet, that is what annoys his enemies," according to a former Cabinet minister who has worked with Raab, who, like most of those interviewed for this piece spoke on condition of anonymity.

Both current and former colleagues point to Raab's attention to detail.

"The one thing he is very good at is detail and [the coronavirus] sort of operation requires the detail to be right. So he is the ideal person to grab hold of it now that the direction has been set by the prime minister and deliver," according to another senior government figure.

A wooden media performer, Raab also causes some to worry that what they see as his political naivet might mean he struggles to sell the government's plan to the public.

"He is unflinching in his arguments," the former Cabinet minister said. "Interestingly for a foreign secretary, he is sometimes quite undiplomatic."

Most pressing in Raab's in-tray is the question of how to end the national lockdown crippling the U.K.'s economy.

As foreign secretary, Raab will be familiar with the discussions. He has been part of the 9:15 a.m. daily "war cabinet" meetings throughout the crisis, which he began chairing on Monday after the prime minister was first taken to hospital on Sunday night.

"He is not someone who will have been sitting at the back of the room. He will have been taking notes, listening intently and wanting to play his part," according to one of those familiar with the war cabinet's operation.

"He is very forensic, very clever, he has a lawyer's mind and will take every argument apart piece by piece," said the former Cabinet minister who has worked closely with Raab.

The former minister believes the foreign secretary's more prominent role could lead to a more skeptical approach to the scientific research and decision-making as ministers mull how to get people back to work, although the ex-minister acknowledged a final decision was unlikely to be imminent and would ultimately be taken by the prime minister.

"If you want someone to grind the truth out of conflicting data, Dominic is your man," they said.

But while Raab will take a microscope to the evidence, few believe that he will want to make any major decisions if the prime minister continues to recover.

"It will be a big call for someone to pull us out of lockdown without the PM making that decision, the senior government figure said.

While Raab has "a lot of self-confidence," he will be very aware that it is "uncharted territory in terms of proper Cabinet decisions," according to one former departmental colleague.

"He will be looking to [Cabinet Secretary Mark] Sedwill for the constitutional appropriateness of this. He will play by the rules and be sensitive," the former departmental aide added.

"Dom doesnt care about headlines, his focus will be on doing the right thing for the country," saidJames Starkie, another former colleague who ran communications for Raab's leadership bid last year. "He had a tremendous work ethic and hell instill that drive in those around him, the country is in safe hands with him."

While Raab is well-known in Conservative ranks having worked as Brexiteer David Davis' chief of staff before becoming an MP in 2010, he is little-known beyond the Westminster bubble.

A favorability poll conducted by YouGov last week put him among the least known of those in top Cabinet posts. More thanhalf of those asked about his performance suggested they did not know who he is, and among the half of those who did, more had an unfavorable than a favorable view.

He also has relatively little experience.He only became a junior minister in May 2015, and was in Theresa May's Cabinet as Brexit secretary for just four months in 2018 before he resigned over her approach to negotiations with the European Union.

"What he isn'tis an optimistic booster in the way that Boris is," the former Cabinet minister said. "He doesn't compete with Boris at all on those terms. If that is what you want, then Raab is not your man."

But in the midst of the crisis, allies say "delivering a good story, rather than talking a good story" is more important.

"He is like the [footballer] James Milner of politics. He plays in midfield for Liverpool, worked his arse off, perhaps there are people around him who like to do a few more flicks and kicks, but you don't win titles unless you have people like James Milner, and you can't run government unless you have people like Dominic Raab," said the former colleague.

Raab also did not havethe privileged upbringing of the prime minister. He was educated at a state-run grammar school, and his Czech-born, Jewish refugee father fled the Nazis in 1938, then died when Raab was just 12 years old.Raab worked as a lawyer in the Foreign Office before entering politics in 2006.

In 2017, Raab revealed he was named on a list of Tory MPs accused of inappropriate behavior but branded the allegations false.

Raab's main support base in the Conservative Party comes from the most hardline ofBrexiteers in the party.

Since December's election, however, many of his political opponents have either left parliament or been voted out, making Brexit a less contentious issue than in previous eras.

Raab is unlikely to have to make any major Brexit decisions while deputizing for Johnson, with the next significant decision over whether to extend the transition period due in June. "The signs are hopefully the PM will be back soon, there are no big Brexit decisions to take, Frosty [chief U.K. negotiator David Frost] knows what he has to do," said a former colleague.

Beyond Brexit, Raab is no stranger to controversy. In 2012, he was a contributor to Britannia Unchained, a book that made the case for free markets and deregulation, which attracted headlines for suggestingBritish workers are "among the worst idlers in the world."

He also courted controversy for suggesting people who use food banks typically do so not because of poverty but because they have an occasional cashflow problem.

A second former colleague said the examples suggested a "political naivet," and a lack of understanding of the "politician's way of saying something."

Were Raab to be in charge of the coronavirus response in the longer term, the same former colleague does have concerns.

"The criticism that I have of him is that he is very black and white. It can be quite hard to nudge him in certain areas," the former official said. "He always did his own thing [as a minister]. You have to be flexible, you have to remain dynamic, you have to remain open, and I think he might struggle with that."

Emilio Casalicchio contributed reporting.

Are you a professional following the impact of Brexit on your industry? Brexit Transition Pro, our premium service for professionals, helps you navigate the policy, and regulatory changes to come. Email [emailprotected] to request a trial.

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Who is Boris Johnson's stand-in, Dominic Raab? - Politico

Mr Osborne praised new Labour leader Sir Keir Starmers shadow cabinet. Taking to Twitter, the former chancellor said: Keir Starmers reshuffle is impressive - the Marxist nutters are out; moderate left are in.

When this crisis is eventually over, and politics is resumed, the Tories are going to find that the five years when there was no opposition and no alternative has come to an abrupt end.

It comes as Sir Keir unveiled his shadow cabinet after he was announced as Jeremy Corbyns replacement earlier this month.

Many MPs from Mr Corbyn's team have been kept on, but those from the centre and right of the party have also been given promotions.

Sir Keir said: "This is a new team that will take the Labour Party forward in a new era.

"Under my leadership, the Labour Party will be utterly focused on working in the national interest, rebuilding people's trust in our party and winning the next election."

Sir Keir included his former leadership rivals in the shadow cabinet.

Rebecca Long-Bailey has been made shadow education secretary and Lisa Nandy is shadow foreign secretary.

READ MORE:Supporters blast Momentum after leadership election fiasco

He added: "The Labour Party is an incredible and powerful force for good.

"Together with those that went before us we've changed the lives of millions of people for the better.

We created the NHS. We created the welfare state. We passed equalities legislation, the Race Relations Act, we set up the Open University. We built hospitals and schools, established Sure Start and played our part in bringing about peace in Northern Ireland.

"But we've just lost four elections in a row. We're failing in our historic purpose.

"Be in no doubt I understand the scale of the task, the gravity of the position that we're in.

"We've got a mountain to climb. But we will climb it, and I will do my utmost to reconnect us across the country, to re-engage with our communities and voters, to establish a coalition across our towns and our cities and our regions with all creeds and communities to speak for the whole of the country.

"Where that requires change, we will change. Where that requires us to rethink, we will rethink.

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Boris warning: Conservatives will find strong opposition now Marxist nutters are out - Express.co.uk

An expert panel set up by the Okinawa prefectural government has called for scrapping what it calls an almost impractical plan to relocate a U.S. Marine Corps air base in the city of Ginowan some 40 kilometers northeast to a coastal area in Henoko next to the U.S. Camp Schwab.

The panel, consisting of university professors and former bureaucrats, urged the Japanese and U.S. governments to hold talks with the prefectural administration to find an alternative plan to achieve the original goal of eliminating the danger posed to local communities by the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.

The panel, tasked with proposing ideas to reduce the U.S. military presence in the southernmost island prefecture, presented its proposals to Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki on March 26.

The seven-member panel, headed by former senior defense bureaucrat Kyoji Yanagisawa, has been discussing possible options since May 2019. Yanagisawa served in various senior posts at the Defense Agency (now the Defense Ministry) before being appointed as assistant chief Cabinet secretary in charge of security and crisis management.

In addition to pointing out that the government's contentious plan to build a new Futenma replacement facility in Henoko in Okinawa's northern city of Nago is no longer workable, the panel said the U.S. Marine Corps based in the prefecture should be decentralized and deployed in smaller units to the Japanese mainland and overseas locations in response to changes in the regional security environment and the U.S. military's strategy review.

It also proposed a vision for the future of Okinawa as "the hub of a network of regional cooperation."

Despite a series of elections in which local voters made their opposition to the base relocation plan patently clear,the Abe administration has continued to forge ahead with land reclamation work to build the new base.

As the panel rightly argued, the discovery of extremely soft ground under the seabed in parts of the reclamation area has made the relocation plan "technically and financially difficult to complete."

The central government should sincerely recognize this grim reality and give serious consideration to the panel's proposal to set up a new expert council to discuss the issue involving representatives of the Japanese and U.S. governments, as well as Okinawa Prefecture.

With regard to the regional security landscape, the panel pays special attention to China's significantly enhanced missile capabilities.

That means the concentration of U.S. forces in Okinawa, which is geographically close to China, creates a major vulnerability in the defense of Japan, according to the panel.

The experts contend that it would make more strategic sense to redeploy the U.S. Marine Corps based in the prefecture in smaller units to Self-Defense Forces bases in the mainland of Japan, along with wide areas in the Asia-Pacific region.

This idea, of course, entails the colossal political challenge of winning the understanding and support of the local communities around the bases to which U.S. troops would be transferred.

The panel stressed the need to promote a fresh national debate on how the burden of hosting U.S. forces should be shared.

Even if the U.S. military presence is crucial for Japan's national security, it is debatable whether the nation should be allowed to maintain the status quo--where Okinawa is forced to shoulder an unfairly large portion of the burden.

The central government is not the only actor which should make a serious response to the panel's proposal. Local governments and residents in the mainland should not remain uninterested in the issue, either.

There is no doubt that China's military buildup and naval expansion has undermined stability in the region. It is clear, however, that this security challenge cannot be effectively met only through bolstering Japan's military capabilities and deterrence.

A national security strategy can only be dependable when it is underpinned by an effective system to ease tensions and build mutual trust.

Okinawa, which once thrived as an intermediate base of trade with China and Southeast Asia, should serve as the hub of regional cooperation that supports the system, the panel argues. As specific measures to realize this vision, the experts proposed regular meetings among researchers in the region. It also called forestablishing a new research institute that would serve as the center of such efforts.

In a nutshell, the panel has proposed to redefine the strategic position of Okinawa to transform it from the front line of confrontation between the United States and China and between Japan and China into a bridge between Japan and the rest of Asia.

This vision should lead to a serious national debate over the future of Okinawa.

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 11

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EDITORIAL: Bold proposals made by panel trying to resolve the bases issue : The Asahi Shimbun - Asahi Shimbun

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Home renovation projects are on the rise. In fact, about 90 percent of homeowners plan to renovate at least one room in their homes.

While those renovations will look different for every house, most homeowners choose to focus their attention on their bathrooms and kitchens.

If youre like most of them, youre ready to start tackling the project on your own, but that doesnt mean you should. Instead, youll want to hire a plumber to oversee the project. Heres why.

Your Project Might Need Permits

Believe it or not, most home remodeling projects require permits issued by the county or city government. This ensures that the project is up to current building codes and maintains modern safety features.

If you handle the project on your own, youll have to apply for the permits yourself. This is time-consuming and confusing if youve never applied for permits before.

When you work with a professional plumber, theyll be able to either help you apply for the permit or take care of the task for you.

Remember, they know what information the county or city needs to determine if they can issue a permit. This will save you time and frustration so you can get your project started quickly.

Plumbers Will Save You Money

When you install new fixtures on your own or mess with the pipes in your walls, theres always the risk that something wont get done properly. For most homeowners, this increases the likelihood of leaks and water damage throughout their homes.

Worse, most of those leaks and damage can be hard to detect until it starts to cause serious problems with the rest of the house. Youll have to pay to get the damage repaired and could end up having to redo portions of your renovation.

When you hire a plumber at the beginning of your project, you wont have to worry about costly mistakes derailing your budget or causing damage to your home. Theyll take care of all plumbing work correctly the first time.

They Can Spot Issues Quickly

Issues pop up throughout bathroom and kitchen remodels all the time. However, if youre not familiar with the intricacies of your homes plumbing system, its easy to miss those issues entirely.

Experienced plumbers can tell when something is wrong long before it has a chance to damage your house. Even better, theyll be able to fix those issues quickly so you wont have to deal with your project taking longer than it should.

If you try to handle plumbing renovations on your own, you may miss those minor issues entirely. Even if everything else goes according to plan, those minor issues can cause serious damage to your home if left unrepaired.

Most Homes Need Pipes Moved

The configuration of your homes pipes and plumbing is the way it is because of the fixtures you currently have. When you change those fixtures out, the configuration may not work the way you need it to.

This can make it almost impossible to install your new fixtures and give your bathroom or kitchen the look youre dreaming of.

When you work with an experienced plumbing remodeling contractor, theyll be able to move your pipes and install your new fixtures quickly and easily.

Installing Fixtures Correctly Is Hard

Even a simple showerhead installation can quickly turn into a difficult project if youve never done it before. The more complex the fixtures are, the harder it is to install them.

Worse, you often need specialized tools to make sure that the fixtures get installed correctly and wont start leaking after just a few uses.

Experienced plumbers have all the right tools already to make sure the fixtures get installed correctly. When they oversee the process, youll know that your fixtures will be ready to use as soon as the renovations are over.

Plumbers Stand By Their Work

When you hire bathroom or kitchen plumbers, youre hiring their expertise and get to benefit from their knowledge of proper plumbing techniques. They stand by the work they do whether its a complete bathroom renovation or just fixing a leaking toilet.

If their work doesnt fix issues completely or causes new leaks in your home, theyll make the necessary repairs free of charge.

If you do the same work and end up having serious plumbing issues in your home because of the renovations you made, youre out both time and money. Youll need to hire someone to fix the damage and may end up needing to replace the fixtures you installed in the first place.

Hiring a plumber may cost money upfront, but it can save you hundreds in the long-run.

What to Look for When You Hire a Plumber

If youre trying to find a plumber to help you with an upcoming renovation, look for one thats local to your area and schedule a consultation. Theyll be able to come to your home and provide you with a written estimate that details how much their services will cost and what theyll do to bring your vision to life.

Shop around and get quotes from several plumbing contractors before you make your decision. You may also find it helpful to ask for references before you agree to work with them.

Reputable plumbers always have a few clients who are happy to discuss their experiences with you. Follow up with those references and choose the plumber that offers you the best balance between price and quality workmanship.

Yes, You Really Do Need a Plumber for Your Remodel

When you hire a plumber to help with your bathroom or kitchen remodel, youll be able to get the project done more quickly and with fewer serious issues. Do your research and find a plumber thats worked on similar projects in the past.

This way, youll know that your renovation or remodel will get done quickly and properly.

Looking for more helpful tips to streamline your upcoming remodel or home renovation project? Check out our latest posts.

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Will I Need to Hire a Plumber When Remodeling My Kitchen or Bathroom? - RealtyBizNews: Real Estate News - RealtyBizNews

The season six finale of Pop TV's "Schitt's Creek" premiered on Tuesday, bringing the masterfully-written comedy series to a close.

In the sixth season, the Schitt's Creek community is as tight-knit and quirky as ever. David Rose (Daniel Levy) prepares to marry his fianc (and Rose Apothecary business partner) Patrick Brewer (Noah Reid), while his sister Alexis Rose (Annie Murphy) establishes herself as the town's burgeoning publicist.

Their parents, meanwhile, both throw themselves into their work as Johnny Rose (Eugene Levy) franchises the Rosebud Motel and Moira Rose (Catherine O'Hara) chases on-screen opportunities.

While the finale serves as an emotional goodbye to the beloved town's residents, it also becomes apparent that a switch has flipped within the Rose family, who manages to go from being comically unrelatable to completely lovable.

Johnny, Moira, David, and Alexis are no longer adjusting to their stripped-down lifestyle; by the end, they've all discovered their independent identities in "Schitt's Creek."

Here's where all the major characters end up after the series finale.

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Here's where every major character ended up on the series finale of 'Schitt's Creek' - Insider - INSIDER

The tips that we are yet to share with you here will not only help you clean the window panes, but bathroom mirrors too. Essentially, we are going to teach you how you can handle cleaning glass materials.

While some people can try to do it anyhow, the window panes may still remain dirty, or they can end up breaking, putting you in great danger. That is why during your next summer window clean up; you should approach https://www.getmywindowsclean.com/scottsdale-az/ for a professional window clean up.

So, back at home, how do you go about window cleaning to ensure that the panes look sparkling clean at the end of it all? well, the tips include the following:

Before you take your cleaner on the windowpane, you need to prepare the whole window by giving it a thorough rinse first. That way, youll get rid of any dirt or particles that may have found their way there. For instance, if you live in a compound with many trees, it is common for birds to release their waste on window panes. Get rid of the waste with water and rinse until the window remains clear.

There are commercial glass cleaners or even home-made cleaners to choose from. If you hired professionals to do the job, they would likely come with commercial cleaners. Commercial cleaners can be the best option here because they are specially formulated to clean gas, and may not interfere with texture or construction material.

The biggest mistake people do is using moist toilet rolls or old newspapers to clean windows and end up having a lint-covered mess. In other words, you should only use low-lint rags that arent rough enough to create scratches. Remember, you can easily wipe a streak, but a scratch may need a new window replacement.

This is easy. If you wipe downwards, make sure that the next wipe is upwards on the same spot. That way, youll minimize the chances of leaving streaks behind.

Even after wiping in alternative directions as advised above, youll still get a streak, even if it isnt the same day that you washed. No one is ever perfect when it comes to window cleaning, and that is why you should follow it up with buffing. You can easily buff with a clean, dry cloth. If you use a moist cloth, then the streaks will reappear again after some time. Also, dont make the using cotton or toilet roll because they absorb and release the same moisture creating streaks.

Cleaning windows isnt something that you need to attend a college to learn. Just make sure that you follow all the tips weve shared with you above, and all shall be well in as far as cleaning windows is concerned. Lastly, if you notice any crack, please make sure you replace the pane before your next cleaning exercise because it can collapse at the slightest pressure and injure you. Let us keep our windows sparkling, clean, and glittering!

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Window cleaning tips that will leave your panes sparkling - AZ Big Media

With dual-screen Windows devices apparently off the table for 2020, Microsofts Windows 10X has to find a home. Will it become a replacement for Windows 10 S on low-cost single-screen devices instead?

According to ZDNet, the delays associated with the coronavirus have pushed back the launches ofSurface Neo and other dual-screen PCs, past their expected holiday 2020 debut and into 2021. Microsofts Android-powered Surface Duo has apparently not been affected.

Sources close to the company had told PCWorld that the Surface Book 3 and Surface Go 2 launch was being delayed until the end of April. That delay was due to concerns that Microsoft simply wouldnt have enough devices to put in stores, they said. Microsoft is also wrestling with the reality that audiences might not want a premium Windows workstation and a mobile-centric Windows device when consumers are stuck at home because of the coronavirus pandemic, worried about losing their jobs.

A source close to Microsoft indicated that the Surface Neo is being paused to realign resources to address the most urgent customer needs. The Android-based Surface Duo is still on track to ship in 2020.

Microsoft has also invested resources into developing Windows 10X, which was released as an emulator in February. Enterprising users figured out a way to put it on a single-screen device shortly thereafter.

According to ZDNet, single-screen Windows 10X devices are now the priority, including potentially traditional clamshells and two-in-ones. The reason may have a lot to do with the lukewarm reception for Windows 10 S.

The Surface Neo may be in doubt, but the Surface Duo isnt; Microsoft corporate vice president Brad Anderson showed off the Duo, Surface Book, and a Surface Pro tablet in a photo posted to Twitter this week.

When Microsoft launched Windows 10 S in 2017, it had designs on upending Google and its inexpensive Chromebook hardware in schools. At the time, Windows devices were criticized as being expensive and overcomplicated. They still are. Googles approach was to confine pretty much everything to the web, and sandbox it within its ChromeOS operating system. That met schools budgetary needs, and also gave them a device that was harder for kids to mess up.

Up to now, weve all been somewhat obsessed with Microsofts vision for pricey dual-screen hardware, and whether that makes sense in a PC world largely predicated on a single screen and keyboard. But with Microsoft now delaying those dual-screen devices, the company could pivot and start positioning Windows 10X for the low-cost market.

If youve read our earlier coverage of Windows 10X, its easy to see the potential. Like Windows 10 S, Windows 10X is designed to be locked down, so that only trusted apps can run in the OS. (This time, however, theres a broader range of trusted apps, beyond the Windows Store.) Updates will take place quickly and behind the scenes. Its possible no anti-malware will be required.

Perhaps the most important advantage to Windows 10X will be its container model, however. Every app within Windows 10X will run within its own virtualized container, protecting the OS, the users data, and other applications in case an app goes rogue. Microsofts also saying, however, that it will require fewer resources and operate with lower latency than traditional virtual machines, a necessity for an environment whose hardware will probably as cut as many corners as possible in the name of cost.

Windows 10X is also visually simple. Gone is the traditional Start menu, replaced with a very bland app drawer model that mimics the interface of a smartphone.

Whatever happens will likely take some time to shake out. As ZDNet notes, nailing the app container model will likely be Microsofts short-term priority. It will have to finish off the OS, polish it, integrate it with its existing device management software, and convince PC makers either to create dedicated single-screen Windows 10X devices for it or repurpose some of its existing hardware. Most likely, virtually all PC makers will follow suitwhile continuing to develop and supply Chromebooks just in case Windows 10X fails to gain traction.

If youre a Surface Duo fan, dont worry. Microsoft has been happy to show off the Surface Duo Android phone in a work-from-home environmentright next to a Surface Book, incidentally. As for Windows 10X: Well, Microsofthasto be shooting for July or August of 2021 to release Windows 10X, in order to make the back-to-school deadline. Until then, traditional Windows PCs (and Chromebooks) will rule the roost.

Excerpt from:
Windows 10X may be the new Windows 10 S after the Surface Neo gets delayed - PCWorld

Throughout the 1990s, Microsoft developers were in a race of one-upmanship to produce the most elaborate secret Easter eggs. These included games of pinball, racing, and even flight simulators, all hidden within Office and Windows. Lets take a look back at some of the best.

Easter eggs are developer credits, silly features, or inside jokes hidden in software. Because you can only access these through a series of arcane steps resembling an Easter egg hunt, thats how they got their name.

Easter eggs were a sly, fun way for authors to secretly immortalize themselves in their work, even if individual programmer credits were discouraged for the sake of company unity.

Microsofts history with software Easter eggs began as far back as theCommodore PET BASIC in the 1970s. Over the decades, it grew dramatically, continuing through MS-DOS and reaching peak complexity during the late 90s in Microsoft Office applications.

Microsoft Management officially put the kibosh on the practice in the early 00s, citing security and customer trust concerns.

For a while there, however, the eggs were on a rolland they got pretty wild!

In the 90s, Excel attracted a large share of elaborate Easter eggs. For example, in Excel 95, if you follow a series of complex steps, a window called the Hall of Tortured Souls appears. In this apparent reference to Doom, you can actually roam a 3D, first-person environment. After crossing a zigzag bridge, you discover a room with the names of Excel 95s developers and a low-resolution photo of the team.

During the development of Windows 3.1, one of the programmers carried around a stuffed teddy bear. It became an inside joke and unofficial mascot for the operating system.

When the team hid developer credits in the Program Manager of Windows 3.1, the bear naturally made an appearance. The Easter egg normally shows a man in a yellow suit next to a scrolling list of the developers internal email system names. If you perform the trickrepeatedly, though, you might see the bears head in the yellow suit instead.

Once word got out about the hidden flight simulator Easter egg in Excel 97, it spread quickly in the press because it sounds so sensationally weird.

In truth, though, its not exactly a flight simulator in the sense of gauges and airplane controls. Rather, its more of a surreal 3D, first-person flying experience over a purple landscape. If you fly around enough, you find a black monolith with the scrolling names of Excel 97s developers on it.

Several versions of the Windows NT operating system shipped with a pioneering 3D OpenGL screensaver called Pipes. It displayed endless linkages of pipes, connecting and extending in 3D space.

If you set the joint style to mixed,in the screensavers settings, one of the joints will sometimes be replaced by the famous Utah Teapot. The teapot originated in 1975 at the University of Utah and later became a standard reference model for testing 3D rendering across many platforms.

Not to be outdone by the Excel 97 team, the developers of Word 97 included a simple game of pinball you could accessvia a series of obscure steps. It included a scrolling list of development team credits on a pinball-style, faux LED scoreboard.

Players used the keyboard (Z for the left flipper and M for the right) to control the game. It was simple, but amusing.

Windows 95shipped with a hidden musical tribute to its developers. If you created a new folder on the desktop, renamed it several times, and then opened it, you saw the moving, fading names of the Windows 95 team accompanied by a MIDI musical score. Windows 98 included a similar developer tribute Easter egg.

According to some Microsoft insiders (see the comments on this blog post), Office 2000 was the last version of the software to include Easter eggs as sanctioned by Microsoft management.

However,that might be true for Windows versions only, as a developer did hide a game of Asteroids in Office 2004for Mac.

Excel 2000 made sure Easter eggs went out with a bang!A 3D car racing/shooting game reminiscent of the arcade classic Spy Hunterwas included in the software. You raced down a road with the developers names on it while shooting at other cars.

Imagine how complex the hidden games might have gotten over the next few years if Microsoft hadnt stopped to the practice.

Finally, there was a physical Easter egg! In 2007, a Spanish blogger with the screenname Kwisatz discovered something stunning on the holographic anti-piracy label on the Windows Vista Business DVD. It was atiny (less than 1mm wide) photograph of three men. News of this discovery rattled through the blogosphere until Microsoft responded officially about four days later in a blog post.

It turns out the three men were members of Microsofts anti-piracy team. They hid the photo of themselves and several public domain paintings as part of the labels anti-piracy technique. These details were far too small to copy without specialized equipment, and most pirates duplicating Vista DVDs probably didnt even know they were there.

As more computers started to connect to the Internet in the early 00s, and the worlds infrastructure became more reliant on Microsoft software (voting machines, ATMs, point-of-sale terminals, and U.S. Navy ships have all run a version of Windows at some point), the existence of secret undocumented code in applications took on a new meaning. As a result, Microsofts elaborate Easter eggs fell out of favor.

During the 1980s and 90s, Microsoft developers tucked hundreds of amusing Easter eggs in their products. If youre interested in finding more, check out Wikipedias list of Microsoft Easter eggsand the Easter Egg Archive website. Happy hunting!

See the rest here:
The Best Retro Easter Eggs in Windows and Microsoft Office - How-To Geek

You can rename files on Windows 10 in many ways. If youre still right-clicking and selecting Rename every time you want to change a files name, weve got some tips to make it faster.

Windows 10s File Explorer is a powerful tool. Did you know that there are four separate ways to rename a file or folder built-in? Theres a keyboard shortcut that lets you rename a file or folder without having to click a mouse, too.

All methods using File Explorer to rename a file or folder work identically for both.

Fire up File Explorer by pressing Windows+E, and navigate to a directory with either a file or folder to rename.

Click on a file or folder to select it, and click Rename from the Home menu at the top of File Explorer.

Once the name is selectedif youre renaming a file, not the file extensionyou can start to type a new name.If youve configured File Explorer to show file extensions, make sure only to change the file name.

When youre done typing, press Enteror just click somewhere elseto save the new name.

Fire up File Explorer by pressing Windows+E, and navigate to a directory with either a file or folder to rename.

Select the file with a single click, pause for a second, and then click one more time.

After the name is highlighted, type out a new name, and press Enter to save the changes.

To rename a file from the context menu, right-click a folder, and click Rename from the context menu that appears.

With the name of the folder highlighted, start typing out a new name, and press Enter when you finish.

If you prefer to use a keyboard shortcut, you can use one to highlight a file or folders name so you can rename it without using a mouse.

Select a file or folder with the arrow keys, or start typing the name. Once the file is selected, press F2 to highlight the name of the file.

After you type in a new name, press the Enter key to save the new name.

If you feel more comfortable in the Command Prompt, you can use the ren command to rename files or folders with ease.

One of the fastest ways to open a Command Prompt in the desired directory is from File Explorer. First, open File Explorer and navigate to the destination. Click the address bar and type cmd in, and press the Enter key.

To rename a file or folder, you can use the following commandif youre renaming a folder, just omit the file extension:

Although the quotes arent mandatory, theyre required if either of the current or new names has a space in them. For example, to rename the file Home Movies.ogv to First Birthday.ogv you would use the following command:

Windows PowerShell is even more powerful and flexible than Command Prompt when it comes to renaming files and folders in a command-line environment. While well only scratch the surface of naming your files, you can do some really powerful things, including piping cmdlets together to batch replace characters in a filename.

The quickest way to open a PowerShell window at your desired location is to first open the folder in File Explorer. Once there, click File > Open Windows PowerShell, and then click Open Windows PowerShell.

RELATED: 9 Ways to Open PowerShell in Windows 10

First, letslook at renaming a single file. For that, you would use the following syntax:

So, for example, to rename a file from SampleVideo.mp4 to My Video.mp4 you would use the following cmdlet:

PowerShell isnt just a shell. Its a powerful scripting environment you can use to create complex scripts for managing Windows systems much more easily than you could with the Command Prompt. If you want to learn how to use PowerShell cmdlets, weve put together a list of the best ones to get you started.

RELATED: 5 Cmdlets to Get You Started with PowerShell

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6 Ways to Rename Files and Folders in Windows 10 - How-To Geek