Marathon – just one of the problems highlighted this week (Bungie) A reader is disturbed by the amount of bad news in the video game world at the moment, especially as most of it involves issues that have been brewing for many months. We are in a strange situation right now with video games, where almost all the news is terrible and yet great games continue to be released. This has the side effect of masking the serious issues from many gamers, who either don’t know or don’t care about what’s really going on. As long as games as good as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Monster Hunter Wilds are still coming out then everything must be fine, right? Wrong. What disturbed me this week, while reading the Metro, is that apart from job cuts (although they were implied) it had examples of all the biggest problems going on. What I found extra worrying is not only did they happen all at the same time but they’re all long running issues that show absolutely no sign of being fixed. Perhaps the most obvious problem was the growing inevitability of £80 becoming the default price for big name games. At this point it’d be a victory if it only increases to £80, because GTA 6 will almost certainly be more. What was so awful about this week’s news is that we had two big industry figures telling us that actually we shouldn’t complain, we should get a second job to afford the games and just eat the cost. I wouldn’t necessarily expect better from someone like Randy Pitchford, but hearing the ex-Sony guy saying that we shouldn’t complain just shows how out of touch these execs and decision makers are. Increasing costs will lower the number of games people buy and that means a lot of titles and companies are just going to have the door slammed in their faces. People’s money is not going to stretch as far as it used to and that is going to be a big problem for some games. Many are already predicting Marathon will either be a flop or just cancelled before it gets a chance, and it’s not hard to see why. Nothing about it looks appealing and Sony seeming to be looking for any excuse to shut down Bungie completely, at the loss of hundreds of jobs. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Oh, and the reason for Bungie’s downfall? Corporate greed, according to the people that used to work there. That’s not exactly shocking news but there it is in black and white: all these problems could’ve been avoided if Bungie’s bosses had thought of the company first and not themselves. But then we also had the revelation that the boss of Take-Two doesn’t play video games and has no interest in trying out GTA 6, even though he totally could. This is also a massive non-surprise and probably very common in the games industry, where decisions are made on a spreadsheet and not from a place of passion or ambition. Sometimes they just seem to lack basic competence though, such as the lack of any plan for when games become too expensive and time consuming to make – a problem they must have seen coming years ago. This was illustrated perfectly this week by Hideo Kojima saying his Metal Gear spiritual sequel won’t be out for five or six years, even though he announced it over a year ago. The amount of time it takes to make a game is out of control, but nobody is doing anything about it. And then to finish we had the rumour that Sony is only going to have a State of Play this summer, not a full showcase, or possibly have nothing at all in terms of not-E3 events. Thereby setting us up for another 12 months of no major announcements and only one or two releases. More Trending I don’t want to get anyone down, but I do think it’s important to point out that just because good games are still coming out it doesn’t mean that it’s not chaos behind the scenes, which ultimately is only going to lead to even greater disaster if none of the problems are dealt with. By reader Ollie Hideo Kojima will be approaching his 60s by the time Physint comes out (Lorne Thomson/Redferns) (Credits: Redferns) The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro. You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

It's like "a USB-C port for AI applications..." according to the official documentation for MCP — "a standardized way to connect AI models to different data sources and tools." And now Microsoft has "revealed plans to make MCP a native component of Windows," reports DevClass.com, "despite concerns over the security of the fast-expanding MCP ecosystem." In the context of Windows, it is easy to see the value of a standardised means of automating both built-in and third-party applications. A single prompt might, for example, fire off a workflow which queries data, uses it to create an Excel spreadsheet complete with a suitable chart, and then emails it to selected colleagues. Microsoft is preparing the ground for this by previewing new Windows features. — First, there will be a local MCP registry which enables discovery of installed MCP servers. — Second, built-in MCP servers will expose system functions including the file system, windowing, and the Windows Subsystem for Linux. — Third, a new type of API called App Actions enables third-party applications to expose actions appropriate to each application, which will also be available as MCP servers so that these actions can be performed by AI agents. According to Microsoft, "developers will be able to consume actions developed by other relevant apps," enabling app-to-app automation as well as use by AI agents. MCP servers are a powerful concept but vulnerable to misuse. Microsoft corporate VP David Weston noted seven vectors of attack, including cross-prompt injection where malicious content overrides agent instructions, authentication gaps because "MCP's current standards for authentication are immature and inconsistently adopted," credential leakage, tool poisoning from "unvetted MCP servers," lack of containment, limited security review in MCP servers, supply chain risks from rogue MCP servers, and command injection from improperly validated inputs. According to Weston, "security is our top priority as we expand MCP capabilities." Security controls planned by Microsoft (according to the article): A proxy to mediate all MCP client-server interactions. This will enable centralized enforcement of policies and consent, as well as auditing and a hook for security software to monitor actions. A baseline security level for MCP servers to be allowed into the Windows MCP registry. This will include code-signing, security testing of exposed interfaces, and declaration of what privileges are required. Runtime isolation through what Weston called "isolation and granular permissions." MCP was introduced by Anthropic just 6 months ago, the article notes, but Microsoft has now joined the official MCP steering committee, "and is collaborating with Anthropic and others on an updated authorization specification as well as a future public registry service for MCP servers." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Maria Diaz / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETThere are plenty of apps and websites available to keep you organized and on task, but for raw data power, nothing beats Microsoft Excel -- and for repetitive tasks, its drop-down lists are a real game-changer.Whether you're juggling a side hustle, keeping tabs on family schedules, or just trying to make sense of a mountain of numbers, drop-down lists are a godsend that speed up typing. They can also cut down on typos and just keep everything looking neat.  Here's how to add them in Excel fast -- plus a few expert tips to tweak and style dropdowns to your liking. How to add drop-down lists in Excel What you'll need: You'll need a Microsoft 365 subscription to use Excel, whether you're on the web or the desktop app. I'm working from the desktop version here, so if your menu looks different online, Microsoft's support site can help you bridge the gaps. And yes, Google Sheets (and other tools) have dropdowns too, but the setup steps aren't exactly the same. 1. Select the cells where you want a drop-down This article uses an example spreadsheet to better show how to create drop-downs. In our example, column A holds client names, and column B is for their communication preferences. Highlight the cells in column B -- because that's where you'll want a drop-down to pick between Email, Phone Call, or Text for each client.Also: How to remove Copilot from your Microsoft 365 plan Show more Select the cells where you want a drop-down. Maria Diaz / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET 2. Select Data Validation in the menu Head to the Data tab in the menu bar, then click Data Validation (on Mac or the web, it might just say Validation). You'll see the Data Validation dialog pop up -- this is where the magic happens. Show more Select Data Validation in the menu. Maria Diaz / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET 3. Select List as your validation criteria In the Settings tab of the Data Validation pop-up, find the Allow drop-down menu and pick List. Show more Select List as your validation criteria. Maria Diaz / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET 4. Enter the values for your drop-down Once you pick List, a Source field will appear. In there, type your values or options separated by commas -- no spaces. For example:Call,Email,Text,NSThat gives you four choices -- Call, Email, Text or NS ("Not Specified") -- in each drop-down. Show more Enter the values for your drop-down. Maria Diaz / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET 5. Click 'OK' to create your drop-down When you hit OK in the Data Validation pop-up to save your changes, Excel will insert your options right into the sheet. You'll see a little arrow beside each cell -- click it to open your drop-down list and pick an option. Whatever you choose will instantly fill the cell, no typing needed. Show more Click 'OK' to create your drop-down. Maria Diaz / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETFAQs Show more Can you edit a drop-down list after? Absolutely. Just highlight the cells, go back to Data > Data Validation, and tweak the list of items in the Source box. Pro tip: If you have a longer list (or want to easily tweak your options later), you can type them into a column on another sheet and then point the Source field in the Data Validation pop-up to that range (e.g. =Sheet1!D1:D10). Is there a limit to the number of items? Excel lets you add over 30,000 options to drop-down lists -- but scrolling through that many choices is a real chore. If you have a huge list, try splitting it into categories or using multiple, smaller dropdowns so it's easier. Want to create a yes/no dropdown? Creating a yes/no drop-down in Excel uses the process we followed for the example above. Just change what you put in the Source field to say "Yes,No". Select the cells that you want to contain the drop-down lists.Click on Data > Data Validation or Validation from the menu bar.In the Settings tab of the Data Validation pop-up window, select List under Allow for your validation criteria.Insert "Yes,No" in the Source field on the pop-up, separated by a comma only and no spaces.Click OK in the Data Validation pop-up to save your yes/no drop-down list. Can you add colors to dropdowns? Yes. You can use Conditional Formatting to apply colors to cells. Create your drop-down list using Data Validation.Select the cells containing the drop-down list.Open Conditional Formatting by going to Home, then Conditional Formatting, and selecting New Rule.Set a rule for a value by choosing "Format only cells that contain," entering a value, and assigning a color through Format and Fill.Repeat the process for other drop-down options.Click OK to save and apply the color-coding. Is a formula needed to create dropdowns? No. A formula is not needed to create drop-down lists in Excel. All you need to do is use the Data Validation menu. Are dropdowns the same as data filtering? People often mix up filtering with dropdowns, but they're not the same. Filters sit in your column headers so you can hide or show rows -- say by month, name, or location -- while drop-down lists live inside individual cells, letting you pick a value to enter. Can you use Copilot to create dropdowns?No, Copilot in Excel doesn't yet let you set up Data Validation drop-down lists directly via a prompt. You'll still need to use Excel's built-in Data Validation feature to insert those menus into your spreadsheet.Get the morning's top stories in your inbox each day with our Tech Today newsletter.Featured

Macworld If you’ve been dreaming of owning a MacBook Air, this is your chance to bring home the power and sleek design of Apple without breaking the bank. Priced at just $199.97 through June 1, this top-quality refurbished MacBook Air 13.3″ (2017) gives you the premium experience Apple is known for. From its ultra-slim aluminum design to the fast 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 processor, this laptop can keep up with your busiest days. The 128GB SSD provides ample storage for your important files and favorite apps while ensuring lightning-fast boot times. Whether working remotely or streaming your favorite shows, the 12-hour battery life and Wi-Fi connectivity will keep you going. Plus, with Intel HD Graphics 6000, you’ll enjoy smooth visuals, whether tackling spreadsheets or binge-watching on Netflix. This MacBook Air is either grade-A or grade-B refurbished, which means it’s in excellent condition with minimal or no cosmetic imperfections. It’s been tested, cleaned, and certified to meet high-performance standards. Don’t miss the chance to get a MacBook Air for less than a week’s worth of groceries.  This refurbished MacBook Air 13.3″ is just $199.97 (reg. $999) with free shipping through June 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apple MacBook Air 13.3″ (2017) 1.8GHz i5 8GB RAM 128GB SSD Silver (Refurbished)See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.

Qualifications: Required: A minimum of 5 years of experience in capture management with a proven record of recent wins. In-depth knowledge of Army and/or Naval organizations and procurement behaviors. Strategic thinking skills to highlight unique differentiators in IT service delivery. Ability to translate past performance into compelling win strategies. Proficiency in project management with organizational and communication skills. Solid understanding of government contracts and contract vehicles. Extensive experience in the federal proposal process. Strong judgment in assessing bid/no-bid decisions. Preferred business development experience. Familiarity with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and pipeline tools (e.g., TechnoMile) is advantageous. Desired: Training or certification in the Shipley Method for Proposal Writing & Capture. Bachelor's degree preferred; Master's degree is an advantage. Proven success in leading the capture of large federal contracts ($50M+), especially within DHA and DHS. Comprehensive knowledge of the federal acquisition lifecycle. Responsibilities: Lead efforts to secure major contracts ($50M+) within DoD organizations. Adhere to established business development and capture processes, ensuring compliance with Federal Procurement and Business Ethics Codes. Determine necessary resources for bids and estimate effort levels. Collaborate with various internal and external stakeholders (e.g., analysts, solution architects, proposal managers). Develop win themes and perform competitive analyses using available intelligence. Formulate price-to-win strategies in partnership with solution architects, program managers, and other team members. Implement best practices in capture management to improve success rates. Provide executive briefings on capture status and manage concurrent capture initiatives. Represent the organization externally and gather business intelligence to inform strategies. Cultivate positive relationships with internal teams to support seamless implementation of capture strategies. Build winning industry teams that address capability gaps and meet special requirements like small business utilization. Analyze performance requirements and competitor strengths to craft effective avoidance and mitigation strategies. Ensure the development of proposals that stand out and align with strategic goals. Maintain professional conduct and stewardship of resources while executing duties. Meet or exceed performance goals to contribute to overall organizational growth.Apply NowLet's start your dream job Apply now Meet JobCopilot: Your Personal AI Job HunterAutomatically Apply to Remote Full-Stack Programming JobsJust set your preferences and Job Copilot will do the rest-finding, filtering, and applying while you focus on what matters. Activate JobCopilot Executive 1st View company Jobs posted: 1 Tired of Applying to Jobs Manually?Let JobCopilot do it for you.No more spreadsheets. No more copy-pasting. Just set your preferences and let your Al copilot search, match, and apply to jobs while you sleep.Applies for jobs that actually match your skillsTailors your resume and cover letter automaticallyWorks 24/7-so you don't have to Activate JobCopilot

Since 1984, Dell has been dominating the prebuilt PC and accessory market by making hardware that keeps up with modern needs at reasonable prices. Its desktops and laptops are consistently good value and review well when we put them through our benchmarking process in the PC Labs. If you're in the market for a new machine, Dell has launched its Memorial Day sale. Here are six of the top offers we've found, with more to come.Dell Laptop DealsInsiprons are Dell's reliable midrange performers, and the 16 on sale right now is well worth your attention if you want a bigger screen in a nice-looking chassis. With a FHD+ touch-enabled display, it works great for streaming media, lightweight creative tasks, business and more. If you do a lot of videoconferencing, the 1080p 30 fps webcam is better than you'd expect from a budget machine, and there are plenty of ports.The Dell Inspiron 16 Laptop is also available at Amazon for $789Another midrange productivity laptop from Dell, the XPS 14 does enough well to be worth your attention at a $400 price drop. We reviewed this model, noting that it had one of the better touchpads we'd seen on Dell portables, coupled with a LED-illuminated function row that made it a solid choice for spreadsheeters and other heavy keyboard users. The component loadout is good for the price, with 16GB of RAM making multi-tasking smooth and stable. The battery is also massive, adding to its weight but making it a worthwhile option for long trips and other scenarios where you won't have access to a power plug.Dell Gaming Laptop DealsIt's a spendy one but, for all-around performance, the Alienware x16 R2 is a tough gaming portable to beat. That's especially true when it's kitted out with an RTX 4090 graphics card. In our review, we praised the incredible amount of tech in this slim machine, including the gorgeous QHD+ 240Hz display, which is capable of keeping up with the blistering framerate that GPU can pump out. The rest of the silicon is no slouch, with a speedy Core Ultra 9 processor coupled with 32GB of system memory. Customizable RGB keys, touchpad, and chassis lighting adds an extra touch of style, and slicing $900 off makes it tempting.Recommended by Our EditorsFor a more affordable gaming on the go option, Dell's G15 is a solid choice, especially at $300 off retail during their Memorial Day sale. We reviewed this laptop, and although its component loadout didn't dazzle, praised its 120Hz display and fun color options. It feels solid in the hands, weighing in at a little over six pounds, and the keyboard and trackpad both have good responsiveness, along with orange LED backlights for the keys. As you'd expect from a gaming machine, it has plenty of ports for your peripherals as well.Dell Desktop DealsDell's enterprise-oriented towers aren't visually striking, but there's a reason you can find them in homes and offices around the world. They combine solid performance with well-built components at a nice price, and are flexible enough to fill a bunch of different roles. The Slim desktop is designed for minimal footprint while not compromising power, and this configuration ships with a capable Intel Core Ultra 5 processor along with 16GB of RAM. It multitasks well, has plenty of ports, and ships with a keyboard and mouse.If you need a new gaming machine to get you through the lean years ahead, we're quite fond of the Alienware Aurora R16. In our review, we gave it an Editors' Choice award, with tester Charles Jefferies saying that the redesigned tower "marks a new chapter for the Alienware brand" thanks to its whisper-quiet operation, capacious and easily modified case and multiple connectivity options. Dell has a bunch of different configurations on sale during the Memorial Day event, but this is a nice midrange choice with a generous 32GB of RAM paired with a RTX 4060 graphics card.We’re finding Memorial Day Deals everywhere, from retailers like Amazon and Walmart to top brands like Apple and HP. And don’t forget to check out all of the Memorial Day Deals Under $100 and Under $50. But, if you’re looking for something more specific, we’ve rounded up the following holiday deals for you:

Microsoft Build 2025 is almost at an end. Microsoft’s annual developer conference might be aimed at software engineers and cloud devs, but realistically, there’s plenty in there to dig into even if you don’t work as a programmer. Unsurprisingly, the theme throughout the conference this year (and for some years previous now) has been AI. In his opening keynote, Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella highlighted the importance of AI and the company’s plan of “building the open, agentic web at scale.” The idea is to hand over the reins to Copilot and let the AI agents take over repetitive, costly tasks. Here are some of the most important announcements from this year’s Microsoft Build. Recommended Videos Windows File Explorer gets an AI-powered boost By the sound of it, this is a tool we might all benefit from and not something strictly aimed at devs. Windows File Explorer will now receive something Microsoft refers to as “AI actions.” Available in Windows 11, AI actions (or shortcuts, if you will) will let you right-click on a file of your choosing and use AI to get things done easier. Some of the highlights here include the ability to get Copilot to summarize an Office document for you, right from the File Explorer menu. You can also erase unwanted objects from photos, again, thanks to AI, or blur or remove the background with Paint (via Copilot, that is). As reported by The Verge, there might be more coming than what Microsoft specifically spoke about; four new image-related AI actions are currently in the Dev Channel builds of Windows 11. This includes the ability to find similar images on the web with the help of Bing. GitHub gets an AI coding agent The big announcement here is that GitHub Copilot will now be available to all Copilot Enterprise and Copilot Pro+ users, but also that Copilot’s coding agent will save devs a lot of time — which could reduce the time it takes for new features to come out and be available to us all. Although many developers aren’t huge fans of the use of AI in their daily work, many others find the benefits in automating simpler tasks, which frees them up to work on more complex code. For the latter, Microsoft has just introduced a new coding agent, now available on GitHub. The agent was made to help programmers with one of the most annoying parts of their jobs — bug fixes. It’ll also take care of adding features and refactoring code. “GitHub continues to be the home for developers. […] We’re doubling down for developers building any applications. Trust, security, compliance, auditability, data residency are even more critical today. Open-source is at the core of GitHub, and we’re taking this next big step,” said Nadella. You can now translate PDFs directly in Edge If you deal with a lot of PDFs, you’ll love this one: You’ll soon be able to translate them directly in the Microsoft Edge browser. Simply clicking “translate” in the address bar will let you leverage AI to translate the entire document into one of over 70 languages supplied by Microsoft. This appears to only be a feature in Edge for Business, though. Right now, it’s rolling out to Windows Canary users and is said to be available next month. Microsoft 365 gets a major AI boost with new agents As reported by PCMag, the new update to Copilot is said to be huge. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella himself referred to it as the biggest update since the launch of Teams — and whether you love it or not, it’s hard to deny that Teams turned out to be a pretty big thing worldwide. Copilot’s current arsenal of AI-powered goodies includes Chat, which is essentially Microsoft’s version of ChatGPT. Search lets Copilot dig through your files and help you find what you’re asking for. The results of both those tools can be summarized in Notebook. Of course, you can also generate images, PowerPoints, and videos with Create. Microsoft is now taking AI a few steps further by adding Agents. Agentic AI is a big topic these days, so it’s not a surprise to see Microsoft jumping on the bandwagon. Microsoft’s AI agents now include Researcher and Analyst. Researcher relies on deep reasoning to help you create comprehensive reports. Copilot’s Researcher will be able to search the web and your own files, giving it a solid overview of various sources. Analyst fills in the gaps by being able to analyze data, including massive spreadsheets, to help you analyze (well, duh) various data points and draw accurate comparisons. Although exciting, these new AI agents will be available to large enterprises. The company needs to be included in Microsoft’s Frontier program to benefit. Perhaps with time, Microsoft will bring AI agents to Copilot at large. AI, AI everywhere At this point, no one is surprised when an event such as Microsoft Build focuses solely on the use of AI. Many hoped to hear more about things like the Xbox handheld, but alas, that did not happen. A lot of the new features and improvements announced during Build weren’t consumer-centric, but I recommend watching the full video if you’re curious about what else is new. Remember to also check out our Best of Computex 2025 roundup to give you a better overview of the exciting tech that made a debut in the last week.

There's no escaping spreadsheets. Tools like Excel and Google Sheets are ubiquitous these days, and learning how to use them more effectively will quickly enhance your daily work. But spreadsheets aren't always the easiest thing to work with. Grids of numbers, obscure menus, arcane formula syntax—it can leave you feeling lost and overwhelmed. That's the bad news.The good news? I've figured out how to harness AI to make Excel and Google Sheets much easier to work with. And I'm not talking about specialized plug-ins or spreadsheet-specific apps. Standard (and free) AI tools can give you a major leg up. I've been using my newfound spreadsheet superpowers to do everything from planning birthday dinners to automating work tasks and diving deeper into advanced features in Google Sheets.Here are my three favorite basic ways to level up your spreadsheet game with ChatGPT. You can use basic chatbots to effortlessly get structured data from almost any source, use AI as your personal formula generator, and even get personalized tutorials and guidance for mastering advanced features.Choosing Your AI Spreadsheet AssistantFor this project I'm using Google Sheets for my spreadsheet work and ChatGPT for AI assistance. But I regularly use other tools, like Google Gemini, and the same techniques apply. In fact, these tips will also work with other Anthropic's Claude, DeepSeek, Perplexity, and others.This guide also isn't limited to Google Sheets, since the same general approach works for Microsoft Excel and even more specialized tools like Microsoft Access.While sophisticated, purpose-built AI tools and even integrated AI features within Excel and Google Sheets exist (topics for another time), it's impressive how even these free chatbots can really elevate your everyday spreadsheet use. Right now, I'm using ChatGPT because it's the most popular AI tool out there, but you can get even more out of your spreadsheets when used synergistically with the right chatbot: If you're an Excel user, Microsoft Copilot delivers even more capability, while Google's Gemini is the best tool for enhancing Google Sheets. We'll address those specific tools in future articles but know that what we're looking at here is just scratching the surface.Stepping Up My Spreadsheet Game With Google Sheets and ChatGPTWhile I do not do financial analysis or data science as a writer for PCMag, I do deal with a fair amount of data. From test results to traffic reports—not to mention researching new stories and staying up to date on academic studies around AI and other tech topics—it's not unusual for me to have to dig through some numbers now and then.I've also found ways to speed up my data entry with a couple of handy automations that pull specific bits of information from a website or parse extra-long URLs to let me quickly grab product photos from an article when I need to reuse them elsewhere. But all of those tools require complex functions that, in all honesty, I don't want to figure out from scratch.AI has enhanced all of that, so let's explore the three most basic ways ChatGPT can help you do more with spreadsheets.1. Get Structured Data From Any SourceOne of my favorite uses for tools like ChatGPT is to take data from one source and turn it into a structured table or list. That sort of data manipulation can be grueling when done manually, but AI can do it quickly and accurately, letting you automate data entry and skip that step entirely.For example, I recently planned a birthday dinner for someone who loves sushi. But as anyone who knows their sashimi from their wasabi can tell you, bites of fish and rice get pricey. Putting the sushi selection and pricing details into a spreadsheet could make it easier to track who wanted what, how much, and what it would all cost. But first, I'd need to get all of that delicious data into spreadsheet format. I don't love sushi (or spreadsheets) enough to do all of that manually. Thankfully, ChatGPT is pretty great at taking data from one format (be it plaintext or a PDF) and outputting it as another. In this example, all I had to do was download the menu from the restaurant's website, upload it to ChatGPT, and specifically ask for a table that included all of the items on the sushi menu, with price information.(Credit: OpenAI / Brian Westover)It took a little tweaking to get things just how I wanted them, including details like whether it was priced per roll or per piece, but in short order, I had a nicely formatted table of menu items and prices. (Credit: OpenAI / Brian Westover)Copying and pasting into Google Sheets was a cinch. And here's a bonus tip: Pasting with CTRL+V might result in some funky data formatting. Instead, use CTRL+Shift+V to get tables to paste cleanly. (And for a real upgrade, you can do all of this with Google Gemini, and then output the resulting table directly to your Drive as a Google Sheet.)This works for more than just semi-structured restaurant menus and PDF files. You can do the same thing for plaintext lists, photos of whiteboards, scans of old book pages, almost anything. The output format can be as simple or complex as you want. You can output as a table or CSV or use structured formats like JSON or XML. In this case, while copy and paste would do the job just fine, I also wanted to demonstrate how easy it is to output something to a CSV file. (Credit: OpenAI / Brian Westover)If you're unfamiliar, CSV stands for "Comma-separated values" and is a plaintext file format for storing tabular data—literally tables of text and numbers. II's a file format that's supported by both Excel and Google Sheets, so even huge reports can be opened as a clean spreadsheet.(Credit: OpenAI / Brian Westover)As for the data in CSV format, just copy and paste the resulting text into a text file and change the file extension from .txt to .csv. Now, it can be easily opened in Excel or Google Sheets with proper table formatting, ready to be used however you need.2. The Three Fs: Formulas, Formatting, and FeaturesOnce you have your data, AI can also help you wrangle it. While you can use AI to do some data analysis, I find it's much better to just let AI assist me with building out my spreadsheets the way I want, using ChatGPT as an AI Excel formula generator.Recommended by Our EditorsExcel and Google Sheets formulas hit a sweet spot for tools like ChatGPT, where there's a ton of consistent and helpful instructional material on the topic in their training data. It's a mix of language and straightforward logic, making it easy for the AI to understand the tools and the syntax that often leaves human users scratching their heads. The result is even better: instant, copy-and-paste solutions.There are a ton of different ways to leverage this faculty with formulas. Here are just a few examples of the prompts I've found useful in my own work, starting with simple formulas.(Credit: OpenAI / Brian Westover)As you can see, these formulas work for handling math and logic, but also extracting information, whether it's grabbing domain names from email addresses or sifting through text for numbers.That same formula-writing capability is great for setting up more sophisticated conditional formatting rules:(Credit: OpenAI / Brian Westover)All you need to do is explain what you want the rule to do, and ChatGPT can figure out the formatting rule formulas for you, and even walk you through how to set up your custom formatting.And it goes the other direction, too. Not only can ChatGPT write formulas based on your plain English explanation of what you want it to do, but it can also break down what a complex formula does and walk you through the individual functions and variables. It's a great resource for learning formula syntax, but also for troubleshooting a formula that isn't working.(Credit: OpenAI / Brian Westover)Whether you need it for writing formulas, crafting rules for conditional formatting, explaining a formula you might not understand, or debugging a formula that's causing trouble, ChatGPT becomes your AI spreadsheet wingman.3. Learn Excel With AI: Your Personal VLOOKUP Tutorial and MoreChatGPT is also super-effective as a tutor for learning advanced features in Google Sheets and Excel. For all the same reasons that an AI chatbot is great at writing formulas, they're also well-equipped to teach you how to do things in your favorite spreadsheet app.What's the feature you've always thought would be useful but never really understood? Maybe it's Excel Macros or Google Sheets App Script. Maybe you feel intimidated by Regex, pivot tables, or VLOOKUP. Whatever it is, your AI tool of choice can probably help you learn it, and quickly.Now, you always have the option of looking up tutorial videos or digging through FAQs and help forums. There are even Excel tutors and courses that offer premium instruction on any aspect of the app you want to learn.But ChatGPT is also pretty great, and can do it for free. And it will do more than just regurgitate information; you can ask questions, get clarifications, and ask for step-by-step instructions when needed. You can also use it to create custom learning plans, make tutorials that solve your real-world problems and projects, and answer your questions over and over and over again. Unlike a human, AI won't grow impatient when you get stuck.Honestly, the best feature of using AI for learning is that it's endlessly patient and flexible. You can ask it anything, no matter how simple, complex, or specific to your exact use.For example, I needed to brush up on Google Sheets' ImportXML function to update several tools I use to grab product data as part of my work. So I used an extremely simple prompt to go over the basics:(Credit: OpenAI / Brian Westover)In response, ChatGPT walked me through the essential information about how ImportXML functions work, the nuances of Xpath usage, and the syntax of the formula structure used.(Credit: OpenAI / Brian Westover)And this isn't limited to any one function or feature. You can rinse and repeat to learn any aspect of Google Sheets or Excel, or all of them. You can even ask ChatGPT to put together a learning plan to boost your spreadsheet knowledge across the board.Smarter Spreadsheets for Your Daily LifeThese same uses can help you level up your own daily work in all sorts of ways. Whether you're assembling data for a weekly report, analyzing information to find actionable insights, or mining old content for new data, your use of spreadsheet tools can be simpler, faster, and more insightful.And we've only scratched the surface. Consider experimenting with using AI to go beyond basic formulas. The ability to use natural, conversational language to write complex formulas and fine-tune the more advanced features of modern spreadsheets is powerful. Even casually including your preferred chatbot in your daily work leverages AI productivity to make you faster and more efficient and unlock new ways to explore data for unexpected insights.But that doesn't mean that these lessons need to stay office-bound. AI can make Excel and Google Sheets so much more accessible, and you can leverage that in your daily life in creative ways:Grocery inventory and needs tracker to automate making grocery listsSchoolwork project and assignment tracker to keep you on course all semester longDIY Project materials calculator to keep your next project under budgetFantasy football draft and league tracking, so you can enjoy the gameAnd the broader lessons from these tips apply elsewhere. The same AI that can explain Excel formulas and teach you advanced features can be used to troubleshoot a Python script or quickly master the shortcuts in Adobe Photoshop.Personalized tutoring on things like Pivot Tables and ImportXML functions can also be applied to other subjects and skills. AI like ChatGPT is a hugely powerful learning tool and one that can be tailored to you, your projects, and your needs in any combination.Disclosure: Ziff Davis, PCMag's parent company, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April 2025, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

W Conran Design’s graphic design for last year’s Paris Olympics has won D&AD’s highest accolade. The Black Pencil is reserved for “truly groundbreaking work” and some years none are given out. But this year’s juries awarded three Black Pencils, including the Paris games’ visual identity. The judges called it a “breakthrough for traditional sports marketing aesthetics” and praised the design for being “playful and scalable, with a unifying but distinctive feel that blends heritage and sport.” W Conran Design co-founder and creative director Gilles Deléris called working on the Olympics and Paralympics, “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a designer.” “We are so proud and honoured by this recognition, which celebrates five years of collaboration with the Paris 2024 Organising Committee teams,” he said. “It was a shared commitment to excellence and a design system that is fresh, joyful, and popular.” W Conran Design’s work for the Paris Olympics It is only the fifth time a graphic design project has won a Black Pencil, joining Johnson Banks’ Fruit and Veg stamps for Royal Mail (2004), the new UK coin designs for the Royal Mint (2005), TBWA’s Trillion Dollar Flyers for the exiled Zimbabwean Newspaper (2010), and Hans Thiessen’s provocative annual report for the Calgary Society for Persons with Disabilities (2012). One rebrand has previously won the top honour – Made Thought’s 2015 work for GF Smith. This year, the Paris design was joined on the Black Pencil podium by A$AP Rocky’s music video Tailor Swif, by Iconoclast LA, and FCB New York’s Spreadbeats, which hacked spreadsheets as a way to promote Spotify’s ad offerings. Its Black Pencil was for digital design, and this award caps a fine couple of weeks for that work, which also cleaned up at the ADC Annual awards, where it was named Best in Show. This year, 11,689 entrants from 86 countries submitted 30,000 pieces of work to the D&AD awards. But JKR global executive creative director Lisa Smith, who is also a D&AD trustee, said that judging was tricky due to a level of creative sameness. “Too many entries follow the same established design codes and trends, making everything start to look and feel alike, regardless of category,” she said. “The work that stood out – and was ultimately awarded – was the kind that breaks away from the expected: inspiring, well-crafted, and truly fit for purpose.” The Yellow Pencil is the highest award in each category. There were 48 in total, 11 of which went to the main design categories. These were: Brand Identity Refresh: Porto Rocha’s Nike Run rebrand Porto Rocha’s work for Nike Run New Brand Identity: Meat Studio for Pangmei Deserts Meat Studio’s work for Pangmei Desserts New Brand Identity: Scholz & Friends Berlin for the Tiroler Festspiele Scholz & Friends Berlin’s work for the Tiroler Festspiele New Brand Identity: Angelina Pischikova and Karina Zhukovskaya for mud Angelina Pischikova and Karina Zhukovskaya’s identity for their mud pet care brand. Graphic Design and Packaging Design: Serviceplan Germany’s Price Packs for PENNY Serviceplan Germany’s Price Packs for PENNY Graphic Design and Spatial Design: Circus Grey Peru’s Sightwalks for UNACEM Magazine and Newspaper Design: Uncommon Creative Studio covers for Port Magazine Uncommon Creative Studio’s work for Port Magazine Typography: DutchScot’s work for Danish textile company Tameko DutchScot’s work for Danish textile company Tameko Type Design and Lettering: TypeTogether’s Playwrite for Google TypeTogether’s Playwrite for Google Overall there were 107 pencils awarded in the design categories, led by graphic design (21%), packaging design (17%) and type design and lettering (15%). There were 31 pencils awarded in the branding categories, with double the number of awards in the new brand category (21) compared to brand refresh (10). There were 26 pencils for illustration, 20 for experiential, 12 for typography, and seven for writing for design. Across the board, the winners demonstrate “the power of design not just as a form of art, but as a catalyst for commercial success and behavioural change,” says D&AD CEO, Dara Lynch. “The resurgence of craftsmanship stands as a reminder that in an era of automation, true excellence lies in the thoughtful execution of ideas,” she added. You can see all the D&AD winners here.

Macworld If you’ve ever opened a Microsoft app and wondered when it turned into a full-blown robot assistant that knows your birthday, favorite emoji, and weekly grocery list, you’re not alone. For those of us who just want to type up a doc, make a quick spreadsheet, or throw together a sleek presentation without being “helped” by three layers of AI, this Office 2019 deal is your moment. For just $42.99 via this limited-time offer, you can snag a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Home & Business 2019 for Mac. That’s Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and even Teams Classic—all the essential tools, ready to install, no subscription in sight. This isn’t some clunky relic either. Office 2019 for Mac was designed to take full advantage of your Mac’s beautiful Retina display, full-screen view, and native macOS features. It’s perfect for freelancers, students, small business owners, or anyone who wants premium productivity without the AI bells and whistles. No monthly payments, no auto-renewals, no surprise charges on your credit card. Just a one-time payment, instant download, and permanent access to your favorite apps. Don’t miss the chance to get Microsoft Office Home & Business 2019 for Mac while it’s just $42.99 (reg. $229). Microsoft Office Home & Business 2019 for MacSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.