Daily download: What's going on in the world of Microsoft for Tuesday, May 12, 2015

I​f it's Tuesday, there must be security updates and patches, right? Let's launch into the news with those bulletins, then move on. As Rod Trent wrote: Patch Tuesday: May 2015 Brings Unlucky 13, With 3 Critical Updates

He's got a handy chart listing which updates are important and which ones are critical, so I recommend checking that out ASAP.

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SKYPE TRANSLATOR PREVIEW NOW OPEN TO ANYONE 

If you have a Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 PC, you can now download the Skype Translator program for free. The app currently translates real-time conversations so long as the people having those conversations are speaking in English, Mandarin, Italian and/or Spanish.

If the notion of having a computerized voice doing all the talking for you is weird and unsettling in some way, users do have the option of reading a transcript of the translation as they listen to what the person on the other line is saying. The advantage there: If you're a reasonably proficient speaker of both languages in the conversation, you can double-check the translation to see exactly how accurate it is.

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WHERE TO FIND NEW OFFICE 365 TRAINING

One of the phrases that floated up occasionally during Office 365 session at Ignite: "User education." Microsoft presenters stressed that one of the tasks of IT pros who roll out Office 365 is to inform their users of all the cool features and how to use them. But where do you start? This blog entry sorts the ready-made options into three categories: IT Pro/Admin, end user and developer.

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NANO SERVER BLOGS AHOY

One of the technologies expanded upon at Ignite was the Windows Nano Server, a very lightweight server designed specifically to run micro services and focusing on cloud infrastructure and born-in-the-cloud apps. At a press briefing for bringing Azure to the datacenter, I heard Mike Neil and others saying specifically that over time, the Nano Server will be the foundation of the server.

So aren't we lucky there's a new Nano Server blog on TechNet! Watch this one for more news, and check out the "Early Learnings in Deployment" entry for hands-on deployment experience with Nano Server.

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MAKE YOUR IPAD A WINDOWS DISPLAY

The Duet Display app has now added Windows support. This means if you're running Windows 7 or Windows 8 (or maybe even Windows 10) on your laptop and you want a second screen, you can now use the app plus a Lightning cable to conscript your iPad into extending your display. The nice thing about using a cable and an app for this two-screens business is that you avoid any glitches or delays that a wireless solution might introduce.

So long as we're talking about Apple and iOS, now is as good a time as any to point out that the Word, Excel And PowerPoint Apps For iOS have all been updated with new features: users can use new Word templates, change their slide layout in PowerPoint, or do further spreadsheet-fu in Excel.

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HOW GREEN ARE YOUR WINDOWS? 

Greenpeace released its "Clicking Clean: A Guide to Building the Green Internet" report, issuing grades to 17 different companies on their commitment to clean energy, energy transparency, renewable energy commitment and energy efficiency. The good news, if you're Microsoft: You're not dead last! Both Amazon and Oracle racked up "D" and "F" grades for energy transparency, efficiency and renewable energy commitment. Microsoft scored across the board with straight Cs.

There was no comment or update on Microsoft's Environment website or its Microsoft Green blog.

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FROM US/FROM OUR SISTER SITES

Patch Tuesday: May 2015 Brings Unlucky 13, With 3 Critical Updates

Yeah, Windows 10 is the Last Version of Windows

Why we shouldn’t care that Exchange 2016 really is Exchange 2013 SP2

PowerShell: Objects and Output

Run Windows from Any USB Flash Drive

Include Your Own Windows 8.1 Toast Notifications in Your Scripts

What's Included in Microsoft Operations Management Suite

Understand TCO for Azure vs on-premises

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FUN STUFF

Microsoft was recently granted a patent that would let it overlay virtual instructions for how to build furniture over the furniture parts themselves.

What does this mean? Assembling Ikea furniture may no longer be a test of will and/or intellect: by using the Hololens and a bunch of directions include no words, people could be able to put together their BORGSJÖ, BRIMNES and BÖRJE sets without trauma. The key word is could: there are no definitive product announcements here, only patent-based speculation.