Posts by Mike Knight
Stooky Bill
In days gone by, a Scottish person with a broken appendage might well have said their arm or leg was held in a ‘stooky’ (or ‘stookie’) which meant a plaster-cast. It’s thought the word comes from ‘stucco’ (plaster) although the term also has a derogatory meaning for a ‘stupid person’, so perhaps it’s no surprise…
Read MoreHow To Make a QR Code
In this tech insight, we look at QR codes, the many different methods to generate them, the benefits of doing so, and the future for QR codes as the successor to barcodes. What Is A QR code? A QR (Quick Response) code, first designed in 1994 by Japanese company ‘Denso Wave’, is a type of…
Read MoreAdobe Photoshop On The Web Arrives…With AI Features
After a long beta testing wait, Adobe Photoshop for the Web (which includes Firefly generative AI features) is now available as part of all Photoshop plans. Major Milestone The release of Photoshop on the web, which Adobe describes as “a major milestone” offers creators who are new to Photoshop “a streamlined user experience” (with easier navigation) and gives existing…
Read MoreZapier Launches New AI-powered Business Diagramming Tool
Zapier, the company behind the automation tool that lets apps link up to each other, has announced the launch of ‘Canvas,’ an AI-powered diagramming tool to help visualize, plan, and automate business-critical processes. Why & Who? Canvas is a tool designed to help businesses that need to gain clarity and refine their work operations when…
Read MoreLive Information From ChatGPT
OpenAI’s ChatGPT has announced that as part of three big changes, it can now access current information by browsing the internet. Previously Prior to the new (Beta) change, ChatGPT had only been trained on information up until September 2021, although ChatGPT’s newer GPT-4 architecture was trained up until January 2022. This has meant that unless…
Read MoreRecent Research : MSPs And Staff Monitoring
Given the importance to MSP owners of recruiting and (more importantly) retaining excellent staff, it’s more vital than ever to maximize the value that they get from the relationship with the business. So to this end, it may be worth reviewing a quick precis about a recent academic study. There’s a 2023 article entitled “Is…
Read MoreMSP Copywriting – Part 4
Just as a recap, we’ve covered the three set-up questions, Why you should learn copywriting, Who you’re writing for and What their pain points are. Now, we’ll take a leap into how to construct a sales letter. Traditional sales copy follows a well-known and well-documented formula, you may well have heard of it already, it’s…
Read MoreBlockchain Bill
In this insight, we look at the introduction of the Electronic Trade Documents Act 2023 (ETDA), what it means and why it’s so significant, plus its implications. The ETDA The Electronic Trade Documents Act 2023 (ETDA), which was based on a draft Bill published by the Law Commission in March 2022, came into force in…
Read MoreGoogle’s Bard Now Manages Your Email
Google has announced that it is embedding its ‘Bard’ chatbot into its apps and services with the launch of ‘Bard Extensions’. Bard In a similar way to Microsoft’s Copilot, Google’s own ‘Duet’ (for Google Cloud users), and Salesforce’s Einstein Copilot, Google is giving users an embedded chatbot assistant that works across its apps to leverage…
Read MoreCopyrights Conundrum: OpenAI Sued
It’s been reported that a trade group for U.S. authors (including John Grisham) has sued OpenAI, accusing it of unlawfully training its chatbot ChatGPT on their work. Which Authors? The Authors Guild trade group has filed the lawsuit (in Manhattan federal court) on behalf of a number of prominent authors including John Grisham, Jonathan Franzen,…
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