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Google recently updated Gemini for Workspace, improving what the AI assistant can analyze, understand, and do in Google Sheets. This comes about a year after Google first introduced Gemini for Workspace and brought AI tools to Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and more to users who pay for a Google One AI Premium plan ($19.99 per month). In the update announcement post, Google explains that Gemini in Sheets is now better at identifying trends and relationships between variables, generating charts to be inserted into spreadsheets, and using Python code to conduct even more advanced analyses. However, there are some limitations: AI-generated charts can’t be edited after they’ve been inserted. They’re not dynamic, which means they won’t automatically update if you change the data in the spreadsheet. For best results, Google recommends that the data is well-structured, with clear headings and no missing values. Google The new Gemini Dashboard in Sheets is available to Google One AI Premium users, enterprise customers with Business or Enterprise Workspace (Standard or Plus), and users with Gemini Education, Gemini Education Premium, Gemini Business, or Gemini Enterprise plans. Google has already started rolling out the feature but won’t be complete until February 20, so if you don’t see it yet, you may have to wait. Read...

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Lenovo’s iconic crimson red TrackPoint nub, which has been going strong for three decades, is a staple of ThinkPad laptops. However, this year at CES, Lenovo announced that it’s ditching the nub on the ThinkPad X9 Aura Edition laptops.  It’s a surprising move and although Lenovo’s not removing the nub on every single laptop at this time, who knows what the future holds. It’s entirely possible Lenovo may completely phase out the TrackPoint nub in the next couple of years. So, as a way to celebrate the nub, let’s dive into its long and sometimes complicated history. Further reading: Lenovo’s newest ThinkBook laptop ‘unrolls’ for extra screen space The TrackPoint served as an alternative to the traditional mouse The TrackPoint burst onto the scene in 1992 with the release of the IBM ThinkPad 700C laptop, which was originally designed as a data entry tablet for hospitals and health care workers. The nub, which sits in the middle of the G, H, and B keys, allows you to move the cursor on your screen without ever having to lift your hands off of the keyboard. Essentially, it’s a joystick that sits in the middle of the keyboard. It works by applying direct pressure with a fingertip — the more pressure you apply, the faster the cursor moves.  Computer scientist Ted Selker originally developed the pointing-stick technology for IBM, which later became known as the TrackPoint. This was innovative at the time because trackpads weren’t invented yet, so computer users were still relying on traditional mice to navigate the content on their screens. Not only did the pointing stick reduce wrist strain, but it also saves the user “0.75 seconds” (according to a study from Selker), which is the time it takes to shift from the keyboard to the mouse.  Nowadays, trackpads are the norm on laptops. While TrackPoint technology still exists, there’s a steep learning curve. Personally, I find that I have better control over the cursor with the trackpad than with the TrackPoint nub. That said, there’s a whole Reddit community of true TrackPoint fanatics if you’re looking to find your people. IBM adds negative inertia to the TrackPoint The TrackPoint underwent a couple of different revisions under IBM. However, the most notable revisions arrived in the third and fourth iteration of the nub. IBM added negative inertia to the TrackPoint III, which increases accuracy by counteracting the positive inertia with applied force, making it feel less sluggish. The fourth iteration, dubbed the TrackPoint IV, had a press-to-select feature that allowed you to select items on the screen by pressing down on the pointing stick. These days you can disable the TrackPoint altogether if you prefer to use the trackpad. The TrackPoint is also compatible with other operating systems (including Windows and Linux), and you can adjust the cursor speed and acceleration. The nub and its various designs The TrackPoint’s crimson cap went through a series of changes, too. In the above interview with Laptop Retrospective, former IBM designer David Hill explains the evolution of the iconic red cap. The original TrackPoint had a smooth rubber red cap that was dome-like, but it was prone to wear and tear and it had poor traction. The “Cat Tongue” nub, on the other hand, exhibited excellent traction but it was a dirt magnet. It also felt a bit like sandpaper and was uncomfortable to use. Hill even experimented with a design that resembled a bicycle seat in shape. The idea behind this design was to increase the diameter of the nub, but there were concerns that it would hinder the user’s typing experience. Though the design never came to fruition, it’s still an interesting little tidbit of information. Speaking of interesting tidbits of information, the blood red red cap that we know and love almost didn’t happen! IBM’s product safety division had a lot of power at the time. In fact, they said the color red was reserved for the emergency button on their mainframe computers, so it couldn’t be used for the TrackPoint. You want to know how ThinkPad designer Richard Sapper got around this? The nub’s red color was altered slightly and called magenta. However, when the first batch of ThinkPad laptops shipped, the engineers made the TrackPoint more crimson in color. Talk about a loophole, yeah? Lenovo acquired the TrackPoint brand from IBM in 2005 Lenovo purchased IBM’s PC division in 2005 for approximately $1.75 billion, thus acquiring the ThinkPad brand of laptops and the TrackPoint technology that came along with it. This was a big deal at the time because, according to this article from PC Mag, “no Chinese company had acquired a major U.S. company” up until that point. It turns out that Lenovo’s acquisition was pretty damn lucrative. As of October 2022, Lenovo has sold over 200 million ThinkPads. IBM sold its PC division to shift focus from hardware to software. The company was also up against some pretty stiff competition and profits from the PC division were declining; selling off the PC division helped improve its financial situation. Lenovo removed the TrackPoint nub from the ThinkPad 11e in 2014 Lenovo removed the TrackPoint from the (now discontinued) ThinkPad 11e back in 2014, which was a surprising move from the company. However, the reasoning was perfectly sound (at least in my eyes!). The ThinkPad 11e was designed for the education market, so the company didn’t want to risk including the TrackPoint nub because it posed a potential choking hazard for younger PC users. Of course, die-hard fans weren’t happy about the missing TrackPoint on the ThinkPad 11e, but the thing that really pissed them off was the removal of the left and right mouse buttons at the top of the touchpad on the X1 Carbon model. This design choice caused a rebellion so great that Lenovo quickly changed course and permanently brought back the left and right mouse buttons on the second generation of the X1 Carbon. Wild, right? The takeaway nobody asked for The TrackPoint is something of a legacy item, a beloved relic of the past. While it was innovative at the time, I’m not sure it’ll survive the rising tide of modern laptop technology and design. Though long-time fans will likely raise their pitchforks and torches at Lenovo’s TrackPoint-less Aura Edition laptops, I can’t help but wonder… is this a glimpse into what’s to come? Will Lenovo finally ditch the TrackPoint nub for good? It’s likely. Very likely. Read...

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There’s a lot of stuff happening right now. Here in the US, it seems kind of inescapable. And it surely doesn’t help that a lot of people might be without their short-form social video fix very soon. TikTok, for all its many, many faults, is something millions of people use in the US. That said, a TikTok ban seems increasingly likely. But there is another. There are a lot of others, actually, all initially trying to ape TikTok’s success, now poised to try and fully replace it. My personal poison (only slightly joking) is YouTube Shorts, perhaps because it happens to be built into the thing I already use. I have a lot of beef with YouTube as a platform, but that doesn’t take away from the many talented creators that are on it. YouTube Shorts is filled with a lot of the same garbage littering TikTok. Clips blatantly stolen from movies and TV shows, reactions that add nothing to the original video, AI-generated slop that the uploader didn’t even bother to check. But there’s some genuinely entertaining, interesting, and instructional stuff too. Here are 25 of my favorites to get you started. I’m so sorry, puppets. We’ve all failed you. Food I don’t know how to cook SJohnsonVoiceOvers, AKA SnackDaddy: Stefan Johnson is a professional voice actor, but lately he’s been diving into his love of food, in both the snack/junk and home-cooked varieties. He’ll do earnest and often hilarious reviews of fast food and restaurant products, try out trending recipes, and generally give you some great ideas. It doesn’t hurt that his takes and advice are easy to follow even for amateur cooks like me. Turkuaz Kitchen: Betel Tunc is a cook who loves using traditional methods, ingredients, and tools to make amazing meals. Frankly she’s way beyond me in all of these areas, but I love watching her intense focus in short, bite-sized videos that leave my mouth watering from whatever she ends up with, all set to some chill music with no narration. Check out her full YouTube channel (and cookbook!) if you want more detailed instructions. Jose.elcook: As a recovering Texan, I almost hate this guy, if only because it’s really hard to find good Mexican food in rural Pennsylvania. Jose’s passion for Mexican and other recipes from Latin America shines through in his simple and straightforward delivery, though he’s not at all limited to that niche. Inject that salsa verde straight into my veins, please. Longer recipes and equipment reviews are on his main YouTube channel. CookShowTrevor: This idiot makes pizzas that should not exist, and I say that in full confidence that he would agree with me. Trevor, or at least the caricature that he plays for YouTube, puts pretty much everything on lovingly handmade pizza just to see what happens. Frequently it burns, occasionally it explodes, every once in a while it’s a legitimately good result. I give it the highest honor I can bestow: a seven out of ten. Crafts I don’t know how to do JonPaulsBalls: Get your hand off that HR report, this is a guy named Jon-Paul Wheatley who makes soccer balls. That’s footballs, if you live somewhere civilized. Watching Jon-Paul’s design process from start to finish for balls I never would have imagined is hypnotizing, as is his soothing narration. Watch as he combines modern and old-fashioned methods and materials to create the best balls of them all, and give it a try yourself if you want with his personal website. SaraMicsPottery: Sarah Luepker mixes the usual crafting instruction videos with a bit of personal insight and vlogging. I appreciate that she includes her pottery screw-ups in her videos — it makes me feel better about spending six hours on a PC build that won’t boot. Sara’s shorts are less about full instruction than the satisfying tactile process and a lot of commentary, but there are plenty of of things to learn if you dive deep. EoinReardon: I’m even more useless at carpentry than I am at most crafts, and that’s amazing, because my first job was at a sawmill. Eoin Reardon gives me a glimpse into the life I might have had, if I hadn’t quit after six weeks and six stomachfuls of sawdust. Though he’s all about traditional techniques and results, his practical and straightforward techniques could be applied to household jobs. I assume they could, anyway. I fix computers. Tanner.Leathertein: Less about the actual craft of leatherworking and more about educating yourself on leather goods and the designer fashion industry, Tanner’s channel literally dissects handbags, wallets, and other goods to… well, show you the goods. In addition to the cathartic thrill of seeing fashionista items destroyed, he breaks down the value of the components and materials, helping you spot a good deal versus an unconscionable markup (or a plain old fake). GirlWithTheDogs: As a life-long dog owner, I can appreciate that washing and grooming one is not a task for the faint of heart. Vanessa De Prohetis is positively unflappable as she cleans dogs and cats of all stripes (and spots, and stippling… you get the picture). You might find some great tips for DIY pet grooming, but I’m more impressed by how she handles the toughest cases — no dog is too big, no cat is too crazy. Animals I don’t own HaydenKristialandandCo: My grandparents raised racehorses and my parents still raise miniature horses. So I’ve spent decades taking care of them, which is why I really don’t like them. But pro standup comedian Hayden Kristal does, and shares the best and worst of keeping a bunch of horses and donkeys on a Colorado ranch. Her hilarious insights and off-the-cuff takes almost make me want to go back to Texas. Almost. Cleolonglegs: Good grief these Borzoi dogs are goofy. DustyMDouglas: Okay, this is one of the most prolific and popular shorts makers out there. I am basic. But come on, you can’t deny that the voiceovers done in the style of America’s Funniest Home Videos (I am also old), cliché and pun-filled as they are, are often freakin’ hilarious. Other stuff I watch UFDTech: I’d be doing a real disservice if I didn’t acknowledge the work of Brett Stelmaszek and his team, who put out some fantastic and punchy short-form consumer tech videos. UFD Tech covers PCs, phones, video games… pretty much all the stuff that I’m interested in. And yeah, their pointed, no-frills style is definitely an influence around here. Check out their full channel for more long-form videos on topics that don’t fit into 50 seconds. PunkeyDoodles8: Audio from popular videos, with cartoon illustrations and a bit of animation. It ain’t much, but it’s honest work. Who am I kidding, it’s a lot more than I can do. Miniminuteman773: Pro archeologist Milo Rossi has made it his life’s mission to take apart the kind of conspiracy theory bullshit you see thrown around Facebook by amateurs and Ancient Aliens by actual, paid adults. Rossi’s short-form videos are quick and dirty debunks (in both the literal and figurative senses). But if you really want to dig into the ridiculousness of the topic (or alternately, look at some real archeology), check out his full channel. MakeSomeNoiseDO: Dropout.TV is great. It’s the best five bucks I spend every month. And while the all-improv quasi-game show Make Some Noise is often hilarious, a little bit goes a long way — I often struggle to get through the half-hour episodes. I think the skits tend to work better in short form, which is fortunate, because a lot more people can enjoy them for free. ProZD: SungWon Cho got his comedy start in ye olden days of Vine, basically doing TikTok before TikTok was a thing. He’s now a full-time voice actor (you can hear his flexible pipes in everything from the latest Batman and Pokémon cartoons to games like Yakuza), his older geeky YouTube skits make great shorts. Check out his full channel for longer compilations. Jill Bearup: I fell into a deep hole of Jill Bearup’s longer-form content, breaking down movie swordfights from a theatrical perspective using her expertise in stage combat. But her shorts are great too, generally eviscerating fantasy and romance tropes. Her series of back-and-forths between a heroine and the author writer her has been adapted into a full novel, Just Stab Me Now. Jerry Wayne Live: Fellow Texan Jerry Wayne is a standup comedian who’s kind of like Larry the Cable Guy, if that character was actually a genuine person instead of a city slicker’s idiotic impression. His series of “Truck Astrology” videos demonstrates real and loving knowledge of what pickup trucks and SUVs are supposed to be, and for that, I am grateful. I’d ask Jerry to review my ’03 Ranger Edge if it hadn’t blown its transmission long ago. OceanX: I was that kid in elementary school who was obsessed with Robert Ballard and the Titanic, before the movie came out. So there’s no small amount of envy in my recommendation for this channel, which chronicles the work of a team of oceanographers on a research vessel complete with submersibles and ROVs. They also have general education videos on a variety of topics. Oh yeah, follow PCWorld please Did you know that PCWorld is on TikTok? At least at the time of writing. Including me, Michael, the guy writing this. I record short little summaries of some of the articles that I and my coworkers write, and the video team over in California posts it with neato backgrounds and links. And they do it on YouTube Shorts, too. The PCWorld YouTube channel also has longer dives into all the latest PC news and hands-on coverage of the newest parts, laptops, handhelds, and anything else that strikes our fancy. Subscribe to TheFullNerd while you’re at it — that’s our sister channel for the weekly podcast (live every Tuesday and for most major PC-related events). Read...