If you're thinking about buying a new computer, perhaps you're also pondering the choice of operating systems. Windows, MacOS, and various flavors of Linux are the primary choices, but there are others. In Short Circuits: The Windows feature that minimizes all other windows when you move one back and forth rapidly may not be to your liking. There's a way to eliminate it. Fingerprint authentication, available on many smart phones and on some notebooks and tablets, may not be as secure as we'd like to believe. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Data as a service claims to improve business resiliency. A Dutch philosopher would like us to understand that we have entered what he calls a new evolutionary phase. And your smart phone can help when the weather turns nasty.