The Chosen: "Reveal Jesus" - an inspiring new video!

Come and See: "Reveal Jesus" - a brand new taster video. It’s a compelling & commissioning depiction of how The Chosen has joined (and built upon) a long and storied history of global impact through Christian media projects. 

In this 7-minute film, show creator Dallas Jenkins shares how The Chosen reveals the Jesus of the Bible in a fresh, personal, and deeply authentic way that is resonating across current generations. 

“For whatever reason, this portrayal of Jesus seems to be cracking the code for people to experience a more emotional and authentic relationship with Jesus than they’ve ever had before.”

www.youtube.com

Today's Reading: the Fall from Grace

Traditional doctrine points to a sin against God, an act of disobedience, not a sin against the neighbour. And certainly, if we are to hold the doctrine of the Fall in any real sense, we must look for the great sin on a deeper and more timeless level than that of social morality.

This sin has been described by Saint Augustine as the result of Pride, of the movement whereby a creature (that is, an essentially dependent being whose principle of existence lies not in itself but in another) tries to set up on its own, to exist for itself. Such a sin requires no complex social conditions, no extended experience, no great intellectual development. From the moment a creature becomes aware of God as God and of itself as self, the terrible alternative of choosing God or self for the centre is opened to it. This sin is committed daily by young children and ignorant peasants as well as by sophisticated persons, by solitaries no less than by those who live in society: it is the fall in every individual life, and in each day of each individual life, the basic sin behind all particular sins: at this very moment you and I are either committing it, or about to commit it, or repenting it.

By C.S. Lewis - taken from The Problem of Pain

There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves. I have heard people admit that they are bad-tempered, or that they cannot keep their heads about girls or drink, or even that they are cowards. I do not think I have ever heard anyone who was not a Christian accuse himself of this vice. And at the same time I have very seldom met anyone, who was not a Christian, who showed the slightest mercy to it in others. There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others.

The vice I am talking of is Pride or Self-Conceit: and the virtue opposite to it, in Christian morals, is called Humility. You may remember, when I was talking about sexual morality, I warned you that the centre of Christian morals did not lie there. Well, now, we have come to the centre. According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.

By C.S. Lewis - taken from Mere Christianity

Artificial Intelligence bubble, anyone?...

The reason RAM prices went up 4x is that a massive amount of not-yet-manufactured memory was bought with money that doesn't really exist to be put into GPUs that haven't been made yet, to be installed in AI data centers that haven't been built, powered by infrastructure that may never exist, to satisfy demand that isn't actually there, in order to generate profits that are mathematically impossible. 

www.wikipedia.org

Web push notification scams and how to block them

 

Seeing pop ups similar to the above in the bottom right corner -or- filling up the right hand side of your screen? You are almost certainly seeing what is known as a Web Browser Notification Scam.

What is a Browser Notification Scam? A browser notification scam consists of fake messages that look like real notifications from websites. These scams deceive users into clicking on links that could direct them to harmful websites, phishing schemes, or malware downloads. The notifications often imitate real alerts, such as system updates, subscription confirmations, or attractive offers, making them hard to spot initially.

What is a Browser Notification? Browser notifications are messages that websites send to your device, typically showing up as pop-ups or alerts in the corner of your screen. These notifications can offer helpful information, like social media updates, reminders, or news alerts. When you visit a site that requests permission to send notifications, you’ll usually see a prompt asking if you want to allow or block these messages. While legitimate notifications can enhance your online experience, scammers have found ways to exploit this feature for malicious purposes.

Need a hand resolving this? Contact Donline.

www.trendmicro.com

Bars close and hundreds lose jobs as US firm buys Brewdog in £33m deal

 

Hundreds of people have been made redundant and dozens of bars have closed after craft beer firm Brewdog went into administration.

US beverage and medical cannabis company Tilray has bought the company's UK brewing operations, brand and 11 pubs in a £33m deal.

Administrators said the sale had preserved 733 jobs - but that 484 jobs had been lost and 38 bars had closed after they were not included in the rescue deal.

Tilray, which already owns several US craft beer brands, described the deal as a significant opportunity for growth in the UK and international markets.

The two firms are still negotiating for a deal on Brewdog's assets in the United States and Australia.

A very sad day. We always have a selection of Brewdog beers in our fridge. I really feel for those folks whose jobs are lost or at risk. Also for all those peeps who invested in the company.

www.bbc.co.uk

10 great chain lubes to avoid unsightly rust and extend the life of your bike's vital components

Chain lube is an essential maintenance spray for any motorcycle that uses a drive chain (which is the vast majority). Chain cleaning and lubrication is an important step in chain care and should be part of your life as a motorcycle owner.

Modern X-ring or O-ring chains have built-in lubricant on the inside of the rollers but you still need to make sure the outside of the chain stays lubricated, too.

You will have likely been told by someone, possibly in the social comments below the promotion of this article, possibly by an influencer, maybe even a mate down the pub that you can just use gear oil and that chain lube is a con.

And the truth is, they’re right. You can put gear oil on your chain and then enjoy it flinging off all over your bike and clothing when you ride. You can opt for not lubing at all and either wipe your chain down with non-penetrating oil every single day or put up with an unsightly orange-brown finish.

Or for the cost of a couple of pints you can buy a formulated spray that’ll potentially last you months and get on with enjoying your motorbike. It’s up to you, but I know what I’m choosing!

This is my secret: Constand central Stand, ChainMate, Chain Brush, S100 Chain Cleaner & S100 White Chain Lube Spray. A perfect chain: cleaned & lubed - with no "fling" all over the back wheel / bike / me!

www.motorcyclenews.com

World's tallest church is practically complete after 144 years under construction

 

Almost a century and a half after construction began on La Sagrada Familia, the exterior structure of the tallest church in the world was finally completed last Friday in Barcelona, Spain.

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, as it's officially named and the only way I refer to it in casual conversation, has now had its tallest tower, the tower of Jesus Christ, reach its maximum height. It's been topped with the upper arm of a three-dimensional four-armed cross that's clad in glass and white enameled ceramic.

Last week saw the upper arm of this roughly 56-ft (17-m) tall cross fitted with the help of a giant crane. That final piece, which is nearly 15 ft (4.5 m) tall, completes the grouping of the six central towers of the church – and brings the basilica's height to a dizzying 566 ft (172.5 m). READ MORE...

Kim & I have been to the Sagrada Família twice - and it's amazing! Outside it's vast & the detail is so intricate. Inside it's breathtaking. Some folks claimed that it would never be finished - but now amazingly - it's almost finished!  Antoni Gaudí's vision was incredible & to the Glory of God: "One metre less than Barcelona’s tallest hill Montjuic, as Gaudi thought it improper that a mere mortal’s construction should overshadow anything made by the Creator". If you haven't been yet - do go - you won't be disappointed! 

www.newatlas.com

Oxford Products is reviewing whether or not to continue as a sponsor of the British Superbike Championship

Major BSB sponsor Oxford Products is considering leaving the championship due to the series’ partnership with title sponsor Zyn. 

BSB struck a deal with the nicotine pouch manufacturer in June 2025, however, Oxford Products is concerned about the impact it could have on racing fans and motorcyclists in general. 

Zyn took over the role of title sponsor earlier this year when long-time partner Bennetts ended its partnership with the British series. The company is a subsidiary of tobacco giant Philip Morris International, with its nicotine pouches advertised as ‘smoke-free’ alternatives to cigarettes.

However, studies have suggested that the pouches are “highly addictive”, which Oxford Products says “is not compatible with our philosophy of making life on bikes better”.

Oxford Products has been a mainstay in the world of two-wheel racing since the mid-1970s, and in recent years it has backed riders and teams in BSB. Oxford Products was previously the title sponsor of the Moto Rapido Ducati team.

Well done Oxford Products - good to see a company with decent ethics. Now if only big tech could learn how to behave...

www.visordown.com

A Meta AI security researcher said an OpenClaw agent ran amok on her inbox

The now-viral X post from Meta AI security researcher Summer Yue reads, at first, like satire. She told her OpenClaw AI agent to check her overstuffed email inbox and suggest what to delete or archive.  

The agent proceeded to run amok. It started deleting all her email in a “speed run” while ignoring her commands from her phone telling it to stop. 

“I had to RUN to my Mac mini like I was defusing a bomb,” she wrote, posting images of the ignored stop prompts as receipts.

Rookie mistake: NEVER allow software to delete your data. When it all goes horribly wrong (one day it will) - you'll only have yourself to blame! Back in the early 2000s - I allowed an early version of Apple iTunes for PC to "manage" my MP3 music library. I'm still living with the fallout of that disaster now... Never again! Learning experience #2 - always backup!

www.techcrunch.com

Microsoft says bug in classic Outlook hides the mouse pointer

 

Microsoft is investigating a known issue that causes the mouse pointer to disappear in the classic Outlook desktop email client for some users.

This bug has been acknowledged almost two months after the first reports started surfacing online, with users saying that Outlook became unusable after the mouse pointer vanished while using the app.

"My mouse just stopped being visible while I am using Outlook, and this is very, very, frustrating because my permission wasn't given to make these changes, and now I can't find anything, can't open emails, can't copy and paste, and the list goes on and on," one customer noted.

Microsoft explained in a recent support document that the mouse pointer (and in some cases the cursor) will suddenly vanish as users move it across Outlook's interface, and noted that this bug also affects some users of other Microsoft 365 apps.

www.bleepingcomputer.com

Reading for today: Jeremiah tells of God's love & Grace

 

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 

Read Jeremiah 29 at Bible Gateway

What happens to a car (or motorbike) when the company behind its software goes under?

Imagine turning the key or pressing the start button of your car - and nothing happens. Not because the battery is dead or the engine is broken but because a server no longer answers. For a growing number of cars, that scenario isn’t hypothetical.

As vehicles become platforms for software and subscriptions, their longevity is increasingly tied to the survival of the companies behind their code. When those companies fail, the consequences ripple far beyond a bad app update and into the basic question of whether a car still functions as a car.

Over the years, automotive software has expanded from performing rudimentary engine management and onboard diagnostics to powering today’s interconnected, software-defined vehicles. Smartphone apps can now handle tasks like unlocking doors, flashing headlights, and preconditioning cabins—and some models won’t unlock at all unless a phone running the manufacturer’s app is within range.

However, for all the promised convenience of modern vehicle software, there’s a growing nostalgia for an era when a phone call to a mechanic could resolve most problems. Mechanical failures were often diagnosable and fixable, and cars typically returned to the road quickly. Software-defined vehicles complicate that model: When something goes wrong, a car can be rendered inoperable in a driveway—or stranded at the side of the road—waiting not for parts but a software technician. READ MORE - and beware!

Take for example KTM and their 890 Adventure R motorcycle - then remember KTMs legendary reliability - or lack thereof and add to that KTMs horrific financial issues. Remember in the olden days when you bought something & it was actually yours? Now - not so much! I'm a technologist by trade - but really don't want tech in my car or motorbike! 

www.arstechnica.com

The data center gold rush is warping reality

It begins quietly, as many stories do, in a small rural town where the horizon seems impossibly broad. The town planning commission gathers in a modest room, the air thick with the scent of burnt coffee and aged carpet, to hear that their town will soon win the modern economy: 10 new data centers within the town’s boundaries. Not just one or two, but 10. The PowerPoint presentations shine with promises: construction jobs, some permanent positions, “community investment,” and a new tax base that will “transform the region.”

Sure, there will be jobs. But not the jobs that rebuild a town’s soul. Data centers don’t employ thousands once they’re up; they employ dozens, sometimes fewer, depending on how automated the operation is. The real impact isn’t people—it’s power, land, transmission capacity, and water. When you drop 10 massive facilities into a small grid, demand spikes don’t just happen inside the fence line. They ripple outward. Utilities must upgrade substations, reinforce transmission lines, procure new-generation equipment, and finance these investments. Guess who ends up paying a meaningful portion of that over time? Local ratepayers, in one form or another, will face higher bills or the quiet deferral of other infrastructure work.

Water is often the second shoe to drop. Even when operators insist they’re “water efficient,” cooling is cooling, and cooling at scale is never free. Some facilities will use evaporative systems; some will use closed-loop systems; some will promise innovation that appears impressive in a press release. Meanwhile, the town’s farmers now watch the aquifer levels and the weather forecast with equal anxiety, except now they’re competing with an industry whose thirst is measured in engineering diagrams, not drought stories.

This is what the data center boom looks like on the ground: a glossy promise wrapped around very physical constraints. READ MORE...

www.infoworld.com

Your AI-generated password isn't random, it just looks that way

AI security company Irregular looked at Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini, and found all three GenAI tools put forward seemingly strong passwords that were, in fact, easily guessable.

Prompting each of them to generate 16-character passwords featuring special characters, numbers, and letters in different cases, produced what appeared to be complex passphrases. When submitted to various online password strength checkers, they returned strong results. Some said they would take centuries for standard PCs to crack.

The online password checkers passed these as strong options because they are not aware of the common patterns. In reality, the time it would take to crack them is much less than it would otherwise seem.

Irregular found that all three AI chatbots produced passwords with common patterns, and if hackers understood them, they could use that knowledge to inform their brute-force strategies.

The researchers took to Claude, running the Opus 4.6 model, and prompted it 50 times, each in separate conversations and windows, to generate a password. Of the 50 returned, only 30 were unique (20 duplicates, 18 of which were the exact same string), and the vast majority started and ended with the same characters.

www.theregister.com

Kim & Don's 60th birthday fundraiser for Hope and Soul

Thanks for celebrating our special joint birthday with us - we're really pleased that you can be with us! To mark this milestone (LOL!) - we want to raise funds for a great cause that's close to our hearts: www.hopeandsoul.org.uk .

Hope Prosser has been a family friend for many years. The work that she & her team do in Tanzania is incredible. Please take five minutes to visit her site & see what an incredible difference her charity makes to children living in extreme poverty - giving them an education & a better chance of having a good life.

So no presents for us please - but we'd be very grateful if you could make a donation to support Hope's work. Thanks & Blessings, K&D xxx

www.justgiving.com

British bikers Lindsay and Craig Foreman jailed in Iran for ten years

Lindsay and Craig Foreman, the British couple riding around the world on motorcycles, have been handed a 10-year jail sentence in Iran after being accused of espionage – a charge their family insist is baseless.

The Foremans, a Sussex couple in their 50s, were arrested in January 2025 while travelling through Iran as part of a round-the-world bike trip. This week, a judge at Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced them to a decade behind bars.

They are being held separately inside Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, a facility long criticised by human rights groups for alleged torture and inhumane conditions.

www.visordown.com

Western Digital is already sold out of hard drives for all of 2026

Western Digital Chief Executive Officer Irving Tan said that the company has already sold out of hard drives for 2026. Tan confirmed this during the company’s Q2 2026 earnings call, where, according to the transcript shared by Investing.com, he also confirmed that there are already some long-term agreements (LTAs) in place for the next couple of years.

“As we highlighted, we’re pretty much sold out for calendar 2026. We have firm POs with our top seven customers,” the executive said. “And we’ve also established LTAs with two of them for calendar 2027 and one of them for calendar 2028. Obviously, these LTAs have a combination of volume of exabytes and price.” This announcement is on track with the report from late last year that hard drives are on backorder for two years due to massive data center demand.

www.tomshardware.com

In a blind test, audiophiles couldn't tell the difference between audio signals sent through copper wire, a banana, or wet mud

A moderator on diyAudio set up an experiment to determine whether listeners could differentiate between audio run through pro audio copper wire, a banana, and wet mud. Spoiler alert: the results indicated that users were unable to accurately distinguish between these different 'interfaces.'

Pano, the moderator who built the experiment, invited other members on the forum to listen to various sound clips with four different versions: one taken from the original CD file, with the three others recorded through 180cm of pro audio copper wire, via 20cm of wet mud, through 120cm of old microphone cable soldered to US pennies, and via a 13cm banana, and 120cm of the same setup as earlier.

Initial test results showed that it’s extremely difficult for listeners to correctly pick out which audio track used which wiring setup. “The amazing thing is how much alike these files sound. The mud should sound perfectly awful, but it doesn't," Pano said. "All of the re-recordings should be obvious, but they aren't."

www.tomshardware.com

Motorcycle helmet cameras & intercoms vs the law

When Schuberth announced its new ‘Concept’ helmet in 2025, it proudly pointed out that its ‘ECE-R22.06 UA’ marking meant it was the first lid to be tested and certified as safe to use with a universal accessory… like an intercom. 

But digging into what that actually means opens a massive can of worms, and it’s one we need get into so you can understand why it has such a big impact on fitting intercoms, cameras and ANY other accessory to ANY motorcycle helmet.

While debate still rages over whether the GoPro fixed to Michael Schumacher’s helmet contributed to his tragic injuries, it’s entirely plausible that sticking objects to the outside of your motorcycle lid, or indeed adding anything – inside or out – that wasn’t designed specifically for it could lead to injury or worse in a crash.

The new ‘UA’ (Universal Accessory) and ‘SA’ (Specific Accessory) classification of helmets under the ECE-R22.06 safety regulation sets out to address that, but it also means your choices for intercoms and other gear could be very limited… READ MORE...

www.bennetts.co.uk

Openreach turns up the heat to force laggards off legacy copper

 

Openreach is warning British businesses that the old phone network shuts down in less than a year, with half a million commercial lines still unmigrated.

BT Group's infrastructure arm is switching to an all-digital, IP-based service over fibre. To speed migration, it's hiking charges on legacy products.

Deadlines for the cutoff have slipped several times, but the telecoms giant is now bent on finally burying the copper-based public switched telephone network (PSTN) by January 31, 2027, and Openreach is already working to kill off any services that use it. (Although it looks like they're roping in the coppers to assist too!)

Those products come under the umbrella term of Wholesale Line Rental (WLR), and Openreach stopped selling them nationwide in 2023 to prepare the way.

Openreach claims all technical barriers to migration – including protections for vulnerable telecare users – are resolved and the deadline is "locked in," so BT customers need to make sure they are ready.

www.theregister.com

Bikers Wanted: Help prove riding is good for you

Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) is inviting motorcycle riders to take part in a new research study exploring the mental and physical health benefits of motorcycling. If you’ve ever said that riding clears your head, sharpens your focus, or just makes life feel better, this study wants to hear from you.

Who can take part? The research is open to anyone aged 18 or over who rides a motorcycle, whether you’re a daily commuter, seasoned tourer, or weekend tinkerer. Taking part starts with a 15-minute online questionnaire covering your riding habits, how motorcycling affects you, and some basic details about your physical and mental wellbeing.

For those who fancy going a step further, there’s an optional lab-based session. This involves light physical activities and a cognitive assessment, helping researchers dig deeper into how riding may influence brain health and ageing.

Why take part? The goal of the study is to better understand the unique benefits motorcycling may offer, particularly as we get older. It’s officially approved by the Brighton and Sussex Medical School Research Governance & Ethics Committee (RGEC approval No. 0302), so your data is in safe hands.

How to get involved Interested? Scan the QR code below or follow this link to learn more and take part.

For further information, you can contact Mariglen Meta, Research Assistant (m.meta1@uni.bsms.ac.uk), or Professor Dorina Cadar (d.cadar@bsms.ac.uk).

www.bennetts.co.uk

Reading for today: what God wants from us

 For it is not so much of our time and so much of our attention that God demands; it is not even all our time and all our attention; it is ourselves. For each of us the Baptist's words are true: “He must increase and I decrease.” He will be infinitely merciful to our repeated failures; I know no promise that He will accept a deliberate compromise. For He has, in the last resort, nothing to give us but Himself; and He can give that only insofar as our self-affirming will retires and makes room for Him in our souls. Let us make up our minds to it; there will be nothing “of our own” left over to live on, no “ordinary” life. 

I do not mean that each of us will necessarily be called to be a martyr or even an ascetic. That’s as may be. For some (nobody knows which) the Christian life will include much leisure, many occupations we naturally like. But these will be received from God’s hands. In a perfect Christian they would be as much part of his “religion,” his “service,” as his hardest duties, and his feasts would be as Christian as his fasts. What cannot be admitted - what must exist only as an undefeated but daily resisted enemy - is the idea of something that is “our own,” some area in which we are to be “out of school,” on which God has no claim.

For He claims all, because He is love and must bless. He cannot bless us unless He has us. When we try to keep within us an area that is our own, we try to keep an area of death. Therefore, in love, He claims all. There’s no bargaining with Him.

By C.S. Lewis

From The Weight of Glory

Donline is 20 years old today!

 

The 1st February 2006 was day one for Donline Computer Consultancy - here we are today on my business' 20th anniversary! Over those years I've amassed 875 clients, posted 2822 Blog articles (with well over 600k hits), placed 4057 purchase orders, & raised 6671 invoices 👍. 

It's such a great Blessing to have so many wonderful clients. Apart from the work (very much appreciated!), we have forged some great relationships & friendships along the way. So a huge thank you to all those who have travelled this journey with me. Good Lord willing: here's to many more years!

AND TO CELEBRATE: a competition! I'll be logging phone calls from Monday 2nd Feb. The 20th unique client caller will get a Donline goodie bag full of some very nice merch. Good luck!

UPDATE: We have a winner! CL from Farnham wins the goodie bag - well done to you!

www.donline.co.uk

A bit of fun for a damp Monday morning: guide to biker slang and terminology

So you’ve just joined a motorcycle club or bought your first motorbike and you’ve had a rude awakening: you don’t understand what your peers are saying. We don’t blame you. There’s plenty of biker slang that often finds its way into everyday conversations among motorcyclists.

We’re digging into biker lingo as part of Bikesure’s ‘Ride On’ campaign, which aims to get people on the road and celebrate their freedom, whether they’re getting back into biking after a break or taking up two wheels for the first time.

So if you’re feeling a little lost, take a look at our guide to biker slang. FIND OUT MORE HERE.

I'm a member of Waterlooville MCC, The 59 club, IAM RoadSmart Solent, and others - but deffo not one of those dodgy 1% outfits LOL! BTW - the pic above is my brother Dave & me on my dad's old moped! My very 1st MC club?... Hope you keep the shiny side up :0)

www.bikesure.co.uk

All Honda CB1000 Hornets to be recalled in the UK following investigation into oil consumption

 

All standard and SP versions of Honda’s CB1000 Hornet naked are to be recalled in the UK, following reports of excessive oil consumption by owners.

The announcement impacts all of the four-cylinder naked machines sold since their inception in late 2024, with customers now set to be contacted directly for the work.

“We are aware that concerns have been raised by a number of customers relating to excessive oil consumption in the CB1000 Hornet,” a statement from Honda UK read.

“Following a thorough investigation in collaboration with Honda Motor Co., Ltd (Japan), we are now instigating a safety recall. Customers will be contacted by direct mail with all relevant information.”

A spokesperson for the UK arm of the business went on to say that the cause of the problem was still under investigation however is believed to be related to the piston rings and piston specifications – potentially resulting in oil entering the combustion chamber.

www.motorcyclenews.com

Microsoft says uninstall Windows 11 KB5074109 to fix Outlook POP, PST hang, as 2026’s first update causes havoc

If your Outlook Classic freezes or hangs when you use POP accounts or deal with PST files, you’ll need to remove Windows 11 KB5074109 or use webmail. In some cases, third-party apps can also become unresponsive if they save files to cloud storage, such as OneDrive. These two issues are apparently related to a single core problem.

It’s very rare for Microsoft to admit that it messed up, but the January 2026 Update is a disaster, as it continues to break features in Windows 11, including something as basic as Sleep mode (S3) on older PCs. In our tests, Windows Latest found that the update causes a black screen, resets the desktop background, breaks File Explorer customization, among other problems.

KB5074109 is a mandatory update that began rolling out on January 13, 2026 and it installed automatically on our PCs. Your PC is using this update if you see OS Build 26200.7623 / 26100.7623 / in Settings > System > About or winver.

Meanwhile in other news: Windows 11 continues to lose market share to Windows 10. Oh dear Microsoft - when you go for a cash grab, and your code is garbage - you reap what you sow!

UPDATE TheRegister 260126: Microsoft probes Windows 11 boot failures tied to January security updates. Some machines are failing to start after security updates, prompting yet another Microsoft investigation

www.windowslatest.com

Hang on, is it 1st April? Sony and TCL join forces!

Sony Corporation ("Sony") and TCL Electronics Holdings Limited ("TCL") today announced that the two companies have agreed to move forward with discussions and consideration for a strategic partnership in the home entertainment field.

Specifically, the two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to confirm their intentions to establish a joint venture that will assume Sony's home entertainment business, with TCL holding 51% and Sony holding 49% of its shares. The joint venture will operate globally, handling the full process from product development and design to manufacturing, sales, logistics, and customer service for products including televisions and home audio equipment. Sony and TCL will proceed with discussions toward executing definitive binding agreements by the end of March 2026. Subject to execution of the definitive agreements and relevant regulatory approvals and other conditions, the new company is expected to commence its operations in April 2027.

You couldn't make this stuff up: Sony one of the biggest & best electronics companies on the planet - partnering up with & handing the reins to TCL of all folks!!! I honestly wouldn't use TCL if they were giving their kit away. What a crazy world we live in... 

UPDATE 240226: Panasonic, once revered for its plasma TVs, is giving up on making its own TV sets. Today, it announced that Chinese company Skyworth will take over manufacturing, marketing, and selling Panasonic-branded TVs. 

Looks like to me like everyone is on a race to the bottom...

www.sony.co.jp

There’s an exclusive offer that’s just up your street:

 

In partnership with CityFibre, UW is offering 6 months of free lightning-fast Full-Fibre broadband to homeowners in a few postcodes nationwide. Switch to UW and - subject to availability in your area - you can unlock free Full Fibre broadband as well as saving on energy or mobile.

Utility Warehouse (UW) – supply energy, broadband and mobile. Over the last 25 years, they’ve won over 70 awards and helped over a million people save on bills.

If you’d like to learn more about how UW can save you some cash, get in touch by CLICKING HERE TO EMAIL ME.

Who are Utility Warehouse? You can call us UW – much easier. In a nutshell, we can give you energy, broadband, mobile and insurance, all wrapped up in one simple bill. Saving you time, cash, and boring admin.

We’ve been at this for nearly 30 years and we’re now trusted by over a million customers. That’s a lot of people we’ve helped shrink their bills!

The secret ingredient? Our team of UW Partners – like Don. They’re the local experts who’ll help you find the best deal for your household, without the jargon or the faff.

Fancy discovering the best UW deal in Portsmouth or how to become a UW Partner yourself? Have a chat with Don – they’ll talk you through everything.

www.uw.co.uk

Phishing: Spot and report scam emails, texts, websites and calls

 

'Phishing' is when criminals use scam emails, text messages or phone calls to trick their victims. The aim is often to make you visit a website, which may download a virus onto your computer, or steal bank details or other personal information.

This page explains how to report phishing attempts, and protect yourself from scammers.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is a UK government organisation that has the power to investigate and take down scam email addresses and websites.

Reporting a scam is free and only takes a minute. By reporting phishing attempts, you can:
reduce the amount of scam communications you receive
make yourself a harder target for scammers
protect others from cyber crime online

Please CLICK HERE to read more, understand the risks & stay safe. 
Need more help or further advice? Contact Donline.

www.ncsc.gov.uk

More than half of all crypto tokens have failed — and most died in 2025

More than half of all cryptocurrencies ever launched are now defunct, with most failures occurring in 2025, according to a new analysis by CoinGecko.

The study looked at token listings on GeckoTerminal between mid-2021 and the end of 2025. Of the nearly 20.2 million tokens that entered the market during that period, 53.2% are no longer actively traded. A staggering 11.6 million of those failures happened in 2025 alone — accounting for 86.3% of all token deaths over the past five years.

One key driver behind the surge in dead tokens was the rise of low-effort memecoins and experimental projects launched via crypto launchpads like pump.fun, CoinGecko analyst Shaun Paul Lee said. These platforms lowered the barrier to entry for token creation, leading to a wave of speculative assets with little or no development backing. Many of these tokens never made it past a handful of trades before disappearing.

Meanwhile in other news: Fear that quantum computing is on the cusp of cracking cryptocurrency's encryption spurs a global investment firm to remove Bitcoin from recommendations.

www.coindesk.com

Microsoft forced to issue emergency out of band updates for Windows 11 after latest security patches broke PC shutdowns and sign-ins

The latest OS updates for Windows 11 introduces two major bugs that caused issues with shutting down your PC or signing into your PC using Remote Desktop.

Microsoft's first update for Windows 11 in 2026 has already caused two major issues that saw users unable to fully shutdown their PCs or sign-in into a device when using Remote Desktop. These are two serious issues that were not spotted by Microsoft during testing, and are so severe that the company has now issued an emergency fix to address the problems.

This isn't the first time Microsoft's lack of quality control has impacted Windows 11 PCs in a major way. Being unable to shut down your PC due to a recent OS update is a huge oversight on Microsoft's part, but this is the latest in a long list of updates over the last year to cause a major issue like this.

The out of band updates, KB5077744 and KB5077797, are available now via Windows Update and is rolling out to everybody. Once installed, your PC should go back to being able to shut down successfully, and signing-in via Remote Desktop should work again.

UPDATED - www.neowin.net: Microsoft has also confirmed problems on classic Outlook as many users claim that the new Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2 update, KB5074109, made the app "completely unusable" as there are random hangs and freezes, unsaved email progresses, and more.

www.windowscentral.com

Online petition calling for use of green lights on Blood Bike motorcycles passes 20,000 responses

 

An online petition calling for Blood Bike charity riders to be able to use green lights during their delivery runs has netted more than 20,000 signatures since January 2, 2026.

It follows the tragic death of volunteer rider Andrew Rogers of Blood Bikes Wales, who passed away in hospital on January 1, following a collision near Llanddarog on December 29, 2025.

The appeal was established by Merseyside and Cheshire Blood Bikes volunteer, Louise Burns-Lunt, who hopes to raise awareness of the issue and increase rider safety moving forward.

“I was just asking ‘what more could be done?,’” Burns-Lunt told MCN. “How did they miss somebody who’s so visible on the road when the bikes are mostly massive, they’re luminous, the guys are all in luminous gear, but it’s still not enough.”

Blood Bike charities operate across the UK and Ireland, with volunteer riders transporting life-saving blood, platelets, samples, surgical instruments, human donor milk, and more.

Please CLICK HERE to sign this petition.

www.motorcyclenews.com