TechByter Worldwide 2020-01-24: Tools to Help You Write Gooder English. Short Circuits. Spare Parts.

Published: Jan. 24, 2020, 4 a.m.

Those who need help with spelling, grammar, and style might be inclined to use spelling checkers and grammar checkers. Although these tools can be helpful, it's essential to avoid having them lead you astray. In Short Circuits: Microsoft's January patches include one that's designed to repair a major security flaw in Windows 10. Installing this patch should be a priority for everyone. • If the account you use with Windows 10 is a local account instead of a Microsoft account, you may want to reconsider. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Malwarebytes Labs says a company that provides mobile phones for low-income individuals under a federal program has been packing those phones with malware. • Responding to threats from do-it-yourself home security system providers, ADT has launched its own brand of user-installable devices. • Twenty years ago: We were so concerned with battery life on notebook computers that a company attempted to create a super-low-power system.