digital workspace Archives

AppWizard

June 28, 2026

Sally Beaumont, voice actor in Old Skies and The Séance of Blake Manor, extols the virtues of narrative singleplayer games ‘You can have lots of them in your PC toolbelt’

Sally Beaumont began her gaming journey with Leisure Suit Larry and was inspired to pursue voice acting after playing The Curse of Monkey Island. Her portfolio includes titles like Harold Halibut, The Excavation of Hob's Barrow, Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader, and she is the lead voice in the upcoming Old Skies. Currently, she is playing The Séance of Blake Manor and enjoys revisiting Nelly Cootalot. Beaumont has spent the most hours on Old Skies, using it to ground herself in her role, while Two Point Hospital is her most-played game outside of her work. She does not have a game she would never uninstall, as she prefers narrative-driven games with endings. Her essential non-gaming software is GoldWave, an audio editing tool. Beaumont describes her desktop as chaotic, with some organization but overall disarray.

AppWizard

June 21, 2026

Bryce Clark, game director of Poppy Playtime, has played 23,000 hours of Steam games: ‘I’m a bit obsessed with learning the market’

Bryce Clark is the game director of Poppy Playtime and has a history in gaming that began with DOS games. His childhood favorite was the 1994 RTS Dominus, which had technical difficulties that required troubleshooting. He has worked for studios like 343 Industries and Blizzard and became the lead technical artist at Mob Entertainment in 2023 before directing Poppy Playtime: Chapter 5, released in February. Clark enjoys games like Aethus, Strange Antiquities, and Prosperous Universe, and recently played Librarian: Tidy Up the Arcane Library and Forza Horizon 6. The oldest games on his PC are No Man's Sky and The Hunter: Call of The Wild. He has logged over 23,000 hours on Steam, with Rocket League and Ark: Survival Evolved among his top titles. Clark finds comfort in The Hunter: Call of the Wild and Subnautica. He uses Snagit for screenshots and video recording and WinDirStat for disk space management. He has shifted to a minimalist desktop organization style, using the taskbar and search bar instead of desktop shortcuts.

Winsage

June 12, 2026

Microsoft is adding a new customizable Start menu to Windows 11: Here’s a first look

Microsoft has introduced customization enhancements for the Start menu in Windows 11, available in preview through the Windows 11 Insider Program. Users can now fully configure which segments of the Start menu are displayed, allowing them to toggle off individual segments: Pinned, Recommended, and All apps. Accessing these options can be done via the Windows Settings app or by right-clicking an empty space in the Start menu. The Recommended feed now allows users to specify the types of items displayed, such as excluding recommended apps while still viewing recent files and installed applications. Users can also adjust the size of the Start menu between small and large, and they have the option to hide their account name and profile picture. However, users cannot rearrange the order of the segments, which remains fixed.

Winsage

June 9, 2026

I took a look at Windows 11’s new eye‑strain reduction feature called ‘Screen tint’

Microsoft is developing a new feature for Windows 11 called "Screen Tint," which introduces a system-wide color overlay aimed at enhancing visual comfort for users who spend extended periods in front of screens. Currently available through the Windows Insider Program, this feature allows users to adjust the visual tone across the operating system, differing from the existing "Color filters" feature that targets specific accessibility needs.

Winsage

June 9, 2026

Get Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Windows 11 Pro for a one-time $26

For a one-time payment of .99, users can acquire both Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 and Windows 11 Pro, a deal that contrasts with the regular price of 9.99, resulting in a saving of 0.01. Microsoft Office 2019 includes applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access, featuring enhanced tools for user experience. Windows 11 Pro offers a cleaner interface, improved security features, productivity enhancements, and tools such as BitLocker and Hyper-V. It also includes a built-in Copilot for quick answers and writing assistance.

Winsage

May 23, 2026

Spend only $26 on this MS Office and Windows 11 Pro together

The All-in-One Microsoft Office Pro 2019 for Windows: Lifetime License + Windows 11 Pro Bundle is available for .99, reduced from an original MSRP of 9. This bundle includes lifetime access to Microsoft applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Publisher, and OneNote, along with Windows 11 Pro, which features a sleek interface, advanced productivity features, enhanced security, and integrated Copilot AI functionalities.

Winsage

May 18, 2026

Switcher 2026: Minimizing the Microsoft in Windows 11 ⭐

Many users of Windows 11 seek to minimize reliance on Microsoft products while still utilizing the operating system's capabilities. This can be achieved through a thoughtful configuration of the system. Two laptops, the Surface Laptop 7 (Windows 11 Pro) and the HP OmniBook 5 (Windows 11 Home), were reset using the "Reset this PC" feature for a clean setup. A local account can be created during the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) by bypassing the online requirement. After connecting to Wi-Fi, updates were installed, and account security was enhanced by adding a password, PIN, and facial recognition. For Windows 11 Pro users, BitLocker can be enabled for disk encryption, while Windows 11 Home users may need to upgrade to Pro for this feature. Unnecessary Microsoft applications, such as OneDrive, OneNote, and Microsoft 365, were uninstalled, and the Start menu was cleaned up. Preferred applications were installed using web-based methods and the Windows Package Manager (winget). A preferred web browser was set as the default, and measures were taken to prevent Microsoft Edge from launching unexpectedly. OneDrive was uninstalled in favor of an alternative cloud storage client, and File Explorer was configured to improve usability. The Copilot key was repurposed to avoid accidental activation, and optional diagnostic data transmission was disabled to enhance privacy. Additional configurations included removing unnecessary taskbar items and adjusting power settings for a more personalized experience.

Winsage

May 5, 2026

Microsoft is finally ditching the junk MSN feed in Windows widgets

Microsoft will eliminate the MSN news feed from the widgets panel in Windows 11, shifting to a "quiet by default" experience. This change includes disabling the automatic opening of the widgets panel when hovering over its taskbar icon and turning off distracting taskbar badges by default. Users will now see a more personalized set of information in the widgets panel instead of notifications related to stocks, weather, or news. These updates aim to create a less distracting interface and improve the overall user experience in Windows 11, with further enhancements expected throughout 2026.

Winsage

April 30, 2026

Don’t be filled with regret—get this Office & Windows 11 Pro bundle while it’s $22

The Microsoft Office Pro 2019 and Windows 11 Pro bundle is available for a one-time payment of .97, down from its MSRP of 9.99, until May 3. The bundle includes a lifetime license for Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) and Windows 11 Pro, which features performance improvements and advanced tools like BitLocker encryption and an AI assistant called Copilot. Office 2019 is noted for its stability and reliability.

AppWizard

April 5, 2026

Tarn Adams, co-creator of Dwarf Fortress, has over 1,400 hours in Factorio and is currently obsessed with terraforming games: ‘Dwarf Fortress just doesn’t accommodate a full-on sci-fi thing’

Tarn Adams is the co-founder of Bay 12 Games and is best known for co-creating Dwarf Fortress, which was released in 2006 and is celebrating its 20th anniversary. He has recently been playing The Planet Crafter, a terraforming game, and has logged 1,454.5 hours in Factorio, a factory-building simulation. Adams does not have a single game he would never uninstall but frequently plays Caves of Qud. He uses Ableton, a music sequencer, as essential non-gaming software. His desktop is about half full with various folders and .txt files, including a nostalgic folder for BASIC games from the '80s.