Somewhere along the timeline of modern tech, the idea of a “quiet week” in Windows land became as quaint and fictional as a clippy-free Office. And yet, when Leo Laporte, Richard Campbell, and Paul Thurrott convene for another episode of Windows Weekly—this time titled “The Rice is Done”—what follows is a whirlwind, a patchwork quilt of innovation, nostalgia, business intrigue, and the occasional collision between man and machine (with no warranty implied). Buckle up: the rice cooker just dinged, and dinner is piping hot.
It’s become a kind of nerdy parlor game to track each new Windows 11 update. For all those who have ever greeted a Patch Tuesday with a shudder, take heart: the latest wave has been more party than panic. Microsoft Edge has received a speed injection, boasting web rendering up to 9 percent faster—enough, according to some sources, for a “fiesta.” With Microsoft’s marketing departments, one hesitates to visualize the kind of sombrero-clad celebration they envision, but hey, browser upgrades and confetti are a match made in Redmond.
But the real kicker for nostalgia enthusiasts? The Windows 95 startup and logout chime has finally been inducted into the National Recording Registry. Yes, you read that right: the sound that inspired a generation of computer users to get out of bed (with varying degrees of enthusiasm) now sits alongside Sinatra and Satchmo in the audio hall of fame. One can only imagine how the conversation went at the Library of Congress committee meeting. Perhaps someone dimmed the lights and let that familiar chord ring out, summoning the ghosts of Clippy and Solitaire past.
Yet the “what counts as a computer?” debate refuses to die. With Apple still insistent on painting the iPad as the next great productivity tool (“What’s a computer?” remains their cheeky tagline), the hosts wade in with skepticism and the sense that, at heart, the PC—much to the chagrin of marketing teams everywhere—is still alive and well. This is the long tail of Windows’ success: stubborn utility, adaptability, and a user base that refuses to surrender their Start menus without a fight.
It’s a lively time for hardware news beyond Redmond as well. Google’s layoff of hundreds in their Pixel and Android groups triggered hushed murmurs across the industry, even as Intel’s first major move under a new CEO has watchers wondering if the mighty chipmaker is set for a renaissance or a rerun.
Not to be outdone, Adobe is going “agentic,” conjuring up visions of sentient Photoshop filters that might one day unionize for better rights. OpenAI’s Claude, meanwhile, is integrating with research tools and Google Workspace, because what we really needed was another reason to burn time in the endless tabs of modern knowledge work.
But the real AI news with an extra shot of drama? Meta’s bold plan to mine EU user data and “train” its models, with a wink and a shrug. Privacy advocates, your time has come. The battle between “AI that knows too much” and “users that wish it didn’t” is only just getting started.
Game streaming on Xbox consoles is evolving too: users can now broadcast their own games, turning every living room into its own carnival of questionable Minecraft architecture and Rocket League upsets. Add to that, new arrivals to Game Pass including the original Modern Warfare II and crowd favorite Sea of Thieves—now destined for Battle.net, of all places.
While fans cheer the upcoming wave of titles, it’s not all smooth sailing. Rumor has it that Sony is raising PS5 prices in select regions, leaving PlayStation gamers clutching their consoles in mild terror. Meanwhile, Xbox pushes limited edition Doom: The Dark Ages accessories—a feat of retro branding as bold and audacious as it is blood-soaked.
App pick of the week? Enter Notion Mail—a sleek, Gmail-only web app with the kind of caveats that make power users salivate and everyone else mildly grumpy. If you want to do anything cutting-edge, you’ll need to cough up for Notion AI. Still, it’s a love letter to the impossibly high-maintenance knowledge worker who won’t settle for “good enough.”
For those whose headaches are more shell script than spreadsheet, there’s always “RunAs Radio,” this week featuring tips for those who want to “Not Hate PowerShell.” (Apparently, the secret is to love yourself and maybe buy a nicer keyboard.)
And what would a proper Windows Weekly be without a nod to brown liquor? This week, they hoist their glasses to 12th Hawaii Distiller’s Reserve, because nothing pairs quite so well with end-of-life warnings as a dram of something sweet and aged.
It’s not just about raw speed. Subtle improvements in the underlying engine, UI tweaks, and the promise of “fiesta-level” updates paint a picture of a browser that’s finally shaken off its legacy baggage. Whether you’re a hardened Chrome user or one of the Edge-curious, it’s yet another reason to cast a sideways glance at your taskbar.
The reaction? Equal parts pride and amusement. After all, is there another OS whose boot-up sound is so iconic that it triggers a Pavlovian urge to check your email? For all its faults, Windows 95’s music lives on—if only as a reminder that your computer is, indeed, alive (or, perhaps more accurately, not dead).
EOL (End Of Life) is a bittersweet phrase in the tech world. On one hand, it’s a chance for progress; on the other, it’s a forced march to upgrade that most users greet with the resigned patience of a British commuter. But as one good-bye follows another, it’s hard not to pour one out for the icons of an earlier era.
Combine this with rumors of cost-cutting and shifting priorities within the company, and the big question emerges: can Google stay competitive as its rivals double down on their own silicon, AI expertise, and hardware-software synergy? Only time—and a few more announcements—will tell.
At this point, the major players—Microsoft, Apple, Google, OpenAI, Meta—are all betting that the next frontier is not just digital assistance, but digital anticipation. How much can your OS, or browser, or cloud app know about you without crossing that invisible line between “helpful” and “creepy?” The absence of a clear answer ensures this debate, like the machines themselves, will evolve well into the future.
Of note, Sea of Thieves is jumping ship for Battle.net—a historic nod to Activision Blizzard’s complicated family tree and the increasingly blurry lines that divide console, PC, and cloud gaming. Meanwhile, Xbox’s newly announced ability to stream user-owned games means the “Netflix of gaming” future is accelerating, even as Sony raises PS5 prices and scrambles to keep its base happy.
Maybe that’s why Windows Weekly remains such compulsive viewing for many. It’s not just the updates, tips, and hardware news—it’s the sense that, for all the noise and churn, the world’s most important operating system is still holding the line: keeping the lights on, the rice warm, and millions of desktops ticking.
So next time you hear that familiar chime, or stare down another Patch Tuesday, remember: in a digital world always rushing forward, sometimes it takes a little Windows to remind us why we started computing in the first place. And that’s no small feat—even if the rice is, indeed, done.
Source: Thurrott.com Windows Weekly 928: The Rice is Done
Nostalgia and the New: Windows 11’s Feature Parade
It’s become a kind of nerdy parlor game to track each new Windows 11 update. For all those who have ever greeted a Patch Tuesday with a shudder, take heart: the latest wave has been more party than panic. Microsoft Edge has received a speed injection, boasting web rendering up to 9 percent faster—enough, according to some sources, for a “fiesta.” With Microsoft’s marketing departments, one hesitates to visualize the kind of sombrero-clad celebration they envision, but hey, browser upgrades and confetti are a match made in Redmond.But the real kicker for nostalgia enthusiasts? The Windows 95 startup and logout chime has finally been inducted into the National Recording Registry. Yes, you read that right: the sound that inspired a generation of computer users to get out of bed (with varying degrees of enthusiasm) now sits alongside Sinatra and Satchmo in the audio hall of fame. One can only imagine how the conversation went at the Library of Congress committee meeting. Perhaps someone dimmed the lights and let that familiar chord ring out, summoning the ghosts of Clippy and Solitaire past.
Hardware: Surface Hubs, the iPad Debate, and the Ever-Present End of Life
All good things—except maybe Solitaire—come to an end. For owners of the original Surface Hub, the digital whiteboard that promised to revolutionize conference rooms and found a comfy niche as a $9,000 video call enabler, end-of-life is nigh. The original Surface Hub will ride into the sunset this year, keeping pace with the looming sunset of Windows 10. There’s something poetic about these two relics of an earlier, more optimistic era in Microsoft hardware reaching their mutual EOL, as if to say: “We tried, folks. We really did.”Yet the “what counts as a computer?” debate refuses to die. With Apple still insistent on painting the iPad as the next great productivity tool (“What’s a computer?” remains their cheeky tagline), the hosts wade in with skepticism and the sense that, at heart, the PC—much to the chagrin of marketing teams everywhere—is still alive and well. This is the long tail of Windows’ success: stubborn utility, adaptability, and a user base that refuses to surrender their Start menus without a fight.
It’s a lively time for hardware news beyond Redmond as well. Google’s layoff of hundreds in their Pixel and Android groups triggered hushed murmurs across the industry, even as Intel’s first major move under a new CEO has watchers wondering if the mighty chipmaker is set for a renaissance or a rerun.
AI: Apple’s “Intelligence,” Agents, and the Steamy Data Buffet
Move over, Clippy. There’s a new wave of intelligence vying for our attention, and it comes with far less cartoonish optimism. Apple, always a step or two behind in the AI arms race, appears to be rolling up its sleeves for a true “Apple Intelligence” reboot. Will this finally close the gap with Microsoft and Google, or just lead to an iSiri that still can’t reliably set a timer? Only time will tell.Not to be outdone, Adobe is going “agentic,” conjuring up visions of sentient Photoshop filters that might one day unionize for better rights. OpenAI’s Claude, meanwhile, is integrating with research tools and Google Workspace, because what we really needed was another reason to burn time in the endless tabs of modern knowledge work.
But the real AI news with an extra shot of drama? Meta’s bold plan to mine EU user data and “train” its models, with a wink and a shrug. Privacy advocates, your time has come. The battle between “AI that knows too much” and “users that wish it didn’t” is only just getting started.
Xbox: From Consoles to Battle.net—And a Doomed Doom?
If you think the browser wars are fierce, may we recommend the rapidly mutating world of Xbox and Microsoft gaming? The latest round of announcements offers a peek into a future where, for the first time, you can soon buy games and add-ons directly from the mobile Xbox app, join Game Pass, and redeem perks. How did Microsoft wrangle this from Apple and Google, the infamously iron-fisted mobile platforms? Let’s just say this: the phrase “Did Microsoft get a concession?” was asked with suitable disbelief.Game streaming on Xbox consoles is evolving too: users can now broadcast their own games, turning every living room into its own carnival of questionable Minecraft architecture and Rocket League upsets. Add to that, new arrivals to Game Pass including the original Modern Warfare II and crowd favorite Sea of Thieves—now destined for Battle.net, of all places.
While fans cheer the upcoming wave of titles, it’s not all smooth sailing. Rumor has it that Sony is raising PS5 prices in select regions, leaving PlayStation gamers clutching their consoles in mild terror. Meanwhile, Xbox pushes limited edition Doom: The Dark Ages accessories—a feat of retro branding as bold and audacious as it is blood-soaked.
Tips and Picks: From PowerShell Aversion Therapy to Brown Liquor Therapy
In a segment that’s quickly becoming the tech equivalent of “Dear Abby,” the hosts dish out their tip of the week with trademark candor: “Think like an individual, not an enterprise.” If you’ve ever built yourself a mini domain controller or spun up a VPN at home just because you could (and not, you know, because you actually needed it), you know who you are. It’s time to stop projecting your corporate “best practices” onto your gaming PC. Nobody at home needs SharePoint to open Netflix.App pick of the week? Enter Notion Mail—a sleek, Gmail-only web app with the kind of caveats that make power users salivate and everyone else mildly grumpy. If you want to do anything cutting-edge, you’ll need to cough up for Notion AI. Still, it’s a love letter to the impossibly high-maintenance knowledge worker who won’t settle for “good enough.”
For those whose headaches are more shell script than spreadsheet, there’s always “RunAs Radio,” this week featuring tips for those who want to “Not Hate PowerShell.” (Apparently, the secret is to love yourself and maybe buy a nicer keyboard.)
And what would a proper Windows Weekly be without a nod to brown liquor? This week, they hoist their glasses to 12th Hawaii Distiller’s Reserve, because nothing pairs quite so well with end-of-life warnings as a dram of something sweet and aged.
Microsoft Edge: A Fiesta in the Browser Lane
Of all the browsers to wear the party hat, Edge has become the surprise success story of the Chromium era. Once the butt of dinosaur jokes, the latest rev claims a 9% speed bump in web rendering. That’s the digital equivalent of moving from stale white bread to a crusty baguette—marginal gains, maybe, but significant for anyone who spends their day in tab hell.It’s not just about raw speed. Subtle improvements in the underlying engine, UI tweaks, and the promise of “fiesta-level” updates paint a picture of a browser that’s finally shaken off its legacy baggage. Whether you’re a hardened Chrome user or one of the Edge-curious, it’s yet another reason to cast a sideways glance at your taskbar.
The Windows 95 Chime: From Boot Sound to Cultural Honoree
For the children of the ‘90s, the Windows 95 startup chime is a memory as crisp as a clicky IBM Model M. Now, with its induction into the National Recording Registry, the sound has officially transcended mere nostalgia. It’s been enshrined as an artifact of modern culture—a digital Big Ben for the PC generation.The reaction? Equal parts pride and amusement. After all, is there another OS whose boot-up sound is so iconic that it triggers a Pavlovian urge to check your email? For all its faults, Windows 95’s music lives on—if only as a reminder that your computer is, indeed, alive (or, perhaps more accurately, not dead).
Surface Hub OG and Windows 10: The Long Goodbye
With everything speeding ahead, it’s easy to overlook the quiet exits happening elsewhere in Microsoft’s stable. The original Surface Hub, once a beacon of future-of-work optimism, is quietly bowing out. At the same time, Windows 10—arguably the last “stable” version before the perpetual beta-testing of Windows-as-a-Service—also approaches its sunset moment.EOL (End Of Life) is a bittersweet phrase in the tech world. On one hand, it’s a chance for progress; on the other, it’s a forced march to upgrade that most users greet with the resigned patience of a British commuter. But as one good-bye follows another, it’s hard not to pour one out for the icons of an earlier era.
The New Intel CEO: More Than Just Another Suit?
Corporate shakeups are as regular as security updates, and Intel’s first major CEO change in years has the entire hardware ecosystem watching. Will we get a bold new direction or just more of the same? This is a company at a crossroads: juggling supply chain chaos, upstart rivals in AMD and ARM, and the endless dance of “getting back to basics.” Even the most jaded industry watchers admit the next few years could be make-or-break for the chip titan.Google’s Trouble in Pixel Paradise
Not to be outdone by the competition in the “unwanted headlines” department, Google recently announced major layoffs in its Pixel and Android hardware teams. Is this the end of the road for the homegrown phone? Hardly, but it injects a note of uncertainty into what’s already a crowded and chaotic smartphone space.Combine this with rumors of cost-cutting and shifting priorities within the company, and the big question emerges: can Google stay competitive as its rivals double down on their own silicon, AI expertise, and hardware-software synergy? Only time—and a few more announcements—will tell.
AI Everywhere: Are You Being Watched (and Mined)?
AI has moved from the stuff of Blade Runner to something slightly more mundane: helping you write emails, suggesting calendar invites, and (in one memorable case) proposing to optimize your photo editing workflow. But as Apple eyes real “Apple Intelligence” and Meta readies another round of data-fueled model training, the question becomes one not only of innovation, but privacy.At this point, the major players—Microsoft, Apple, Google, OpenAI, Meta—are all betting that the next frontier is not just digital assistance, but digital anticipation. How much can your OS, or browser, or cloud app know about you without crossing that invisible line between “helpful” and “creepy?” The absence of a clear answer ensures this debate, like the machines themselves, will evolve well into the future.
Game On: The Blizzard Moves East and a Modern Warfare Renaissance
Gaming news is rarely without a twist these days, and Microsoft is relishing the role of disruptor. In the coming weeks, Game Pass subscribers will get a taste of the original Modern Warfare II, a shot of adrenaline for a service that continues to redefine how (and where) we play.Of note, Sea of Thieves is jumping ship for Battle.net—a historic nod to Activision Blizzard’s complicated family tree and the increasingly blurry lines that divide console, PC, and cloud gaming. Meanwhile, Xbox’s newly announced ability to stream user-owned games means the “Netflix of gaming” future is accelerating, even as Sony raises PS5 prices and scrambles to keep its base happy.
Doom: The Dark Ages and the Power of Backwards Branding
While the rest of the world marvels at ray tracing and 4K textures, Microsoft is spending real energy on a new set of limited edition accessories inspired by Doom: The Dark Ages. Never has a franchise so perfectly blurred the boundaries between nostalgia and innovation—after all, wasn’t Doom the original “killer app?” Now, with gamepads and headsets dripping in ‘90s-meets-Gothic style, Xbox is proving there’s plenty of life left in the old demons yet.Closing Tabs: Why Windows 11 Remains the World’s Most Accidental Operating System
There’s a kind of poetry to the way Windows continues to straddle the line between chaos and competence. Windows 11, with its steady trickle of new features, is an OS that never stands still. It borrows from the past (hello, Windows 95 chime), looks to the future (AI-driven everything), and—through it all—finds a way to remain maddeningly indispensable.Maybe that’s why Windows Weekly remains such compulsive viewing for many. It’s not just the updates, tips, and hardware news—it’s the sense that, for all the noise and churn, the world’s most important operating system is still holding the line: keeping the lights on, the rice warm, and millions of desktops ticking.
So next time you hear that familiar chime, or stare down another Patch Tuesday, remember: in a digital world always rushing forward, sometimes it takes a little Windows to remind us why we started computing in the first place. And that’s no small feat—even if the rice is, indeed, done.
Source: Thurrott.com Windows Weekly 928: The Rice is Done
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