March 8, 2020 SpaceFlight Post a Comment

Release Notes for Office Insiders, Microsoft Docs

Release Notes for Office Insiders

This article contains release notes for Insider builds of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, and Project for Windows desktop. Every week, we’ll highlight interesting new features, important fixes, and any significant issues we want you to know about. Note that we often roll out features (and sometimes even fixes) to Insiders over a period of time. This allows us to ensure that things are working smoothly before releasing the feature to a wider audience. So, if you don’t see something described below, don’t worry you’ll get it eventually.

Release notes are posted weekly and may be a compilation of multiple builds.
The release notes publication date may not match the actual build release date.
Microsoft Teams on existing installations of Office 365 ProPlus – Beginning in late June, Microsoft Teams will be included in existing installations of Office 365 ProPlus (and Office 365 Business) upon updates of these installations. The date when Teams will be added depends on which update channel you’re using. Please refer to Deploy Microsoft Teams with Office 365 ProPlus for additional information.

Version 2003: March 06

Version 2003 (Build 12624.20086)

Resolved issues

Outlook

Fixed an issue where creating a rule with Outlook Web Access did not persist to the Exchange server and resulted in a conflict.
Fixed an issue with Outlook in dark mode would not display the drop down list in the ‘From:’ field.
Addresses an issue that caused users to be unable to attach a file to their mail message via the file explorer when that file was open in another application.

PowerPoint

Fixed an issue where the recommended thumbnails flash when hovering your mouse over the thumbnails. In some cases this could cause PowerPoint to crash.

Office Suite

Fixed an issue Word/Excel/PowerPoint where the User Principal Name (UPN) is no longer case sensitive resulting in less failures when working with files on SharePoint.

Fixed a cosmetic issue where the ‘OK’ button on the File Options dialog was being displayed as grayed out but functionality was not impacted.

Version 2003: February 28

Version 2003 (Build 12619.20002)

Feature updates

Outlook

Incident Notification for IT Admins: Microsoft 365 tenant global administrators and Office Apps Administrators will be notified about Outlook and O365 Exchange incidents affecting their users with a new right-side panel notification in Outlook for Windows.

PowerPoint

Improved ink to shape diagramming experience: Draw better diagrams and have it convert so office object you can manipulate Learn more

Resolved issues

Excel

Outlook

Addresses an issue that caused the “Last Modified” date on a file to be updated when adding an attachment to a mail or saving an attachment from a mail by dragging and dropping it (as opposed to via a menu).

Fixed an issue that when tabbing through a comment card, the focus on the comment edit box would not be visible.

Inserting a control (such as a Text Content Control) in an equation then saving and opening the file results in an un-readable content error.

Fixed an issue where saving a previously password protected file to a cloud storage would not work.

Office Suite

Fixes an issue when multiple documents are open in Word/Excel/PowerPoint from the same SharePoint library, only the first document opened will be scanned for Policy compliance.

Version 2003: February 21

Version 2003 (Build 12615.20000)

Feature updates

Office Suite

Pick the perfect color: Use hex color codes to choose exactly the color you want for your font, text highlight, and more.

Resolved issues

Excel

Fixed an issue that users may have experienced when renaming pivot table measures.
Fixed a performance issue that users may have experienced when using a VBA macro to clear the contents of a range.
Fixed an issue that caused the UI to flash when users executed a macro that interacted with the ribbon.
Fixed an issue where CSV files were loaded incorrectly when the first word in the file was TABLE.
Fixed an issue where users may have experienced crashes when switching between two workbooks that had different zoom levels.

Outlook

Addressed an issue that caused users to be unable to open public folder messages when Outlook was left running overnight.
Fixed a race condition where the ‘Allow’ and ‘Deny’ buttons on the permissions page are disabled during the authentication workflow of adding a Gmail account.
Addressed an issue that caused Outlook to unexpectedly generate logging output in some scenarios, even when logging was turned off.

Fixed an issue where comment cards don’t always get highlighted when a mouse pointer hovers over the comment card.
During an active document co-authoring session, adding an image directly in to a comment card may result in the addition of a tag. This issue has been fixed.

Office Suite

When using Multichoice/Lookup/Managed-metadata properties with Word/Excel/PowerPoint documents and saving to a SharePoint Document Library, these properties were previously limited to 255 characters. When these properties exceeded 255 characters, such documents could not be saved. With this change, this limit has been increased to 2048 characters.

Version 2003: February 14

Version 2003 (Build 12607.20000)

Feature updates

Outlook

New experience for captive wifi networks: Have you ever joined a wifi network that required a web page to sign in with? Outlook now detects this and helps you get connected.

Find Ink Editor in your drawing toolbox: Select Draw and then choose the Ink Editor pen to edit your document with your finger or a digital pen. Learn more

Office Suite

Resolved issues

Outlook

Addressed an issue that caused users to lose access to the “Free Busy Options” calendar permissions dialog.

Fixed an issue that may result in the alert: “Sorry we’re having trouble opening this item” when opening some recurring meeting instances sent from a different time zone.

Addressed an issue that could cause users to be unable to reopen a .msg file after dragging and dropping an attachment from that message.

Fixed an issue where after uploading a file attachment from Outlook to OneDrive could result in the file name being changed if the attachment’s name contained parenthesis.

PowerPoint

Fixed an issue that could result in a failure to save a document in PowerPoint or Word containing an Excel chart.

Version 2002: February 07

Version 2002 (Build 12527.20040)

Feature updates

Access

Be more productive working in Query Designer, SQL view, and the Relationships window: Right-click a table to open, design, size, and hide it. Search and replace text in SQL View. Select multiple tables in the Relationships window.

Resolved issues

Access

This update fixes an issue where using an ADODB. Recorder object in VB code may incorrectly report an error.

This update fixes an issue that can cause Microsoft Access to fail to identify an Identity Column in a linked SQL Server table, which can cause rows to be reported as deleted incorrectly.

Excel

Outlook

Fixed an issue where scrolling in calendar with month view, fails to show previous calendar events.

Addresses an issue that caused users to experience a crash when viewing more than 30 calendars in a Citrix environment.

PowerPoint

Fixed an issue where after closing a file, PowerPoint does not immediately remove it from the Presentations collection if there are any event handlers running. Hence the number of open presentations reported by the object model is incorrect, and shutdown of PowerPoint is prevented.

Fixed an issue with highlighter : White texts with dark highlighter colors are printed as black in Grayscale.

Updating and scrolling through a table of contents may sometimes display a gray area over the document.

Fixed an issue where if a document is being coauthored, the draft version of a root comment may not be preserved.

Fixed an issue where going back and forth between comment cards would sometimes display the initially selected comment with a selection highlight.

Fixed an issue where using ‘Browse’ to save a file did not work if a comment was written but not posted and the user tried to save the file.

With SlideTrack enabled and the comments pane closed, Ctrl+Alt+M may not open the comments pane.

Fixed an issue when adding @mention in a table could generate the error message: ‘A table in this document has become corrupted’.

Office Suite

Resolves an issue that may have caused Norway Nynorsk (nn-no) proofing tools package to be installed incorrectly.

Version 2002: January 31

Version 2002 (Build 12513.20010)

Feature updates

Excel

Read and reply on the fly: Respond to comments and mentions right from email without opening the workbook.

DataВ ProfilingВ inВ QueryВ Editor: Get-a-glance analysisВ ofВ theВ dataВ inВ yourВ columns,В identifyВ errorВ andВ emptyВ values, seeВ distributionВ histogramsВ andВ more.

Resolved issues

Outlook

Fixed an issue where emails expiring based on a retention policy would display two labels. One showing that the mail will expire in one day and another displaying that it will expire in two days.

Fixed an issue where comment hint was not visible in read mode with “Inverse” page color.

Fixed an issue where italics formatting is lost after editing a comment, italicizing the text and then posting it.

Fixed an issue where comment commands (Edit comment, Reply to comment, Delete comment, Resolve comment) in the comments context menu were not being displayed.

Version 2002: January 17

Version 2002 (Build 12508.20000)

Feature updates

Mention & comment notification emails now contain previews: Email notifications for mentions & comments will now include previews of the comment text and context for what it is referring to.

Resolved issues

Excel

Outlook

PowerPoint

Fixed an issue where Ink may not render completely or get skipped when used in a PowerPoint ink animations.

Version 2001: January 10

Version 2001 (Build 12430.20000)

Feature updates

Excel

Save shapes as pictures: In just a few clicks, save a shape, icon, or other object as a picture file so you can reuse it elsewhere. Learn more

Outlook

User can now save objects in Word/Excel/Outlook as a picture for Windows.: With the ability already seen in PowerPoint, users can now save objects in Word, Excel and Outlook as a picture. Objects include shapes, icons, pictures, and more! This can be accessed through the right-click menu.

Easily select ink in Word by drawing a shape around it.: The Lasso tool on the Draw tab helps you select objects drawn with ink. Select individual strokes, or whole words. It’s handy when you have lots of ink and you only want to work with some of it. Learn more

Save shapes as pictures: In just a few clicks, save a shape, icon, or other object as a picture file so you can reuse it elsewhere. Learn more

Resolved issues

OneNote

In a large set of comments, deleting a comment near the end of the list of comments may result in the pane scrolling all the way to the top.

Version 2001: January 03

Version 2001 (Build 12425.20000)

Resolved issues

Excel

Some border lines may not print as expected on A4 size paper.
Adding an image to the header/footer of a chart object on a sheet using VBA may result in an error.
When formatting a chart axis, the interval between labels was limited to 255.
Fixed an issue where an error would occur trying to refresh an XML query in which the URL to the datasource was being truncated.
Workbook Statistics would report a macro count from all open workbooks, including the personal macro workbook.

Outlook

Switching folders may result in a brief white ‘flash’ in the mail list / mail preview. This behavior was more pronounced in dark mode.

PowerPoint

Fixed an Object Model issue where calling Shape.Paste method would result in the pasted shape receiving focus.В
Improved a copy-paste scenario:В Progamatically copying a shape from a PowerPoint slide and pasting it to another slide in a loop could fail with an exception error.В
Animation in the section headers of slides would not render properly after collapsing and expanding section headers.

Project

Fixed an issue where text wrapping wasn’t working in the task and resource usage views.
Fixed an issue where if a resource has more than one cost rate, cost value on assignments may not be correct.

Inserting a control (such as a Text Content Control) in an equation, then saving and opening the file would result in an un-readable content error.
When co-authoring, adding a comment using Word online may not appear in Word desktop.

Office Suite

Removed showing an erroneous expiry date of the valid license when trying to change license with only one license.

Version 2001: December 13

Version 2001 (Build 12410.20000)

Feature updates

Outlook

Drag email to a group you own: Move and copy messages and conversations by dragging them from your inbox. Messages you drag will be shared with all group members.

Resolved issues

Access

Executing a union query that references linked ODBC table(s) and contains an Order By clause crashes 64 bit Access.
Summing of data from union queries in Access (O365) may result in truncation of decimal data.
COM Interfaces for ACE are not exposed for use outside of Office applications.

Excel

Inserting a 3D model (animated or static) and trying to ‘Save as Picture’ doesn’t work.
The shortkey (Alt+Ctrl + 7/8) to launch feedback from backstage is in conflict with AZERTY keyboards (Alt-Gr + 7/8). Impact: users may not be able to use some characters such as: ”.

Outlook

Addresses an issue that caused email to be sent to the wrong address for the recipient.
Addresses an issue that caused Outlook to incorrectly allow users with “read” access to a mailbox to change the read/unread state of a message.
The revocation of the security certificate on the web site is not re-producible by Product Support. Logging needs to be added to help root cause the issue.
Addresses an issue that caused users to see synchronization failures.

PowerPoint

Project

Task work is not calculated in Summary roll-up for manually scheduled child tasks.
Project VBA Code invoked from a Ribbon button may not work when trying to save server-based Projects.
Unless Project is already running, opening Project files from a SharePoint document library displays an error and the file will not open.

Saving existing files may not work.
Using arrow keys in the Spelling and Grammar editor window may result in intermittent flickering.
When resolving a follow-up, associated comments may not convert to point comments.
Inserting a 3D model (animated or static) and trying to ‘Save as Picture’ doesn’t work.

Office Suite

Fixed an issue where Office update messages appear in a different language than expected. Going forward, Office update messages will correctly match the Windows display language.

Version 1912: December 06

Version 1912 (Build 12325.20012)

Feature updates

Outlook

Advanced group email settings: This feature helps groups users to customize which emails or events to receive/follow in their inbox.

Groups Naming policy: A group naming policy enables the IT admin to standardize and manage the names of groups created by users in the organization. The admin can require a specific prefix and suffix be added to the name for a group when it’s created, and can block specific words from being used. This helps minimize the use of inappropriate words in group names as well as IT manage the representation of groups in their directory. Naming Policy also helps organizations that deploy team sites to categorize them based on department.

Office Suite

Tabbed Panes: Now you can switch between multiple panes using a tab UI on the right hand side of the app. The UI will only be visible when you have 2+ panes open.

Resolved issues

Excel

Users may encounter an error when saving changes while using some non-English character sets.
Users may encounter an error when accessing a hidden named range.
Disabling hardware graphics acceleration with 4K resolution may result in delayed rendering of cells when scrolling around.
Clearing a long formula that overlaps a cell boundary may still display across the cell boundary.
Resolved an issue with ribbon customization not loading when opening embedded workbook.
Margin dropdown menu may not render correctly.

OneNote

Outlook

Retention policy labels may display the retention time period in parenthesis.
Blank spaces may appear in Contact cards with Japanese language pack.
Images inserted inline to Outlook e-mail messages can sometimes get resized.

PowerPoint

If a user has two (or more) different videos on a slide in a cloud file, the video images are rendered correctly, but when the user clicks on each one to play, the video content is the same.
In some cases, scrolling with touch devices will not work.
Margin dropdown menu may not render correctly.
Safelinks from one Office application to another may not launch the linked application.

Project

Project may crash when you use the Compare Projects feature.
If you are in Dark mode, when you go to the task inspector panel on a task with an over allocated resource, you are unable to read the table.
Setting effort on tasks that have no assignments are rounded to 1 day.

Saving a file after doing a mail merge may not work under certain conditions.
Building blocks organizer may display an invalid alert: “You have modified styles, building blocks”.
Comment pane sometimes gets reloaded when using copy/paste.
Comments are sometimes not pasted in the correct order.
Applying a template consisting of a multi-level list with custom styles to existing documents may not preserve the style under certain conditions.
Resizing a split screen border may introduce an additional split screen.
Margin dropdown menu may not render correctly.
At-mentioning a user in a comment card may show JSON.
Safelinks from one Office application to another may not launch the linked application.

Office Suite

For Japanese based products, account user first name, last name may appear in incorrect order.
Hovering a mouse pointer over comments may display a textbox outline around the comment.

Version 1912: November 15

Version 1912 (Build 12307.20000)

Feature updates

Insights Services

Natural Language Queries in Ideas in Excel: Excel Ideas’s new capability to ask a natural language question about your data.

Resolved issues

Excel

Text to Column functionality may fail for some localizations.
Editing dynamic array formulas within a cell may result in text being aligned outside of the boundary of the cell.

Outlook

Added the ability to enforce S/MIME configuration via group policy.
Embedded images may appear smaller than expected.

PowerPoint

Project

Users may experience an error regarding licensing.
The Today button in the date picker may sometimes set the incorrect date.

Right-clicking can sometimes not result in selecting the whole word.
The cursor may remain active within an object after converting to a suggested format.
Images in messages may be incorrectly scaled in some scenarios.
Some themes may make it difficult to determine which comment is selected.
Selecting a comment hint should now show the modern comments pane when hidden in pane switcher.

Office Suite

Version 1912: November 08

Version 1912 (Build 12231.20000)

Feature updates

User Lifecycle

Experience improvements for AFO activation: Updates to the screens customers see when activating Office that comes bundled with their new PC.

New and improved online video experience in Word: New and more secure online video experience to help you insert new videos and play existing videos in Word.

Resolved issues

Outlook

Office Suite

Version 1911: November 01

Version 1911 (Build 12228.20020)

Feature updates

Excel

Bring the context along with your SVG objects!: Now you can retain the text in maps, chart and other SVG vectors when converting these objects in Office.

See Your Pen Options When You Pick Up Your Surface Pen: When you first pick up your Surface Pen in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, the Draw tab will be activated to make selecting your pen colors easy.

PowerPoint

Bring the context along with your SVG objects!: Now you can retain the text in maps, chart and other SVG vectors when converting these objects in Office.

Visio

Make polished Visio diagrams in Excel: Quickly and easily visualize your data into polished Visio diagrams within Excel. Learn more.

Coauthoring improvements: Improved the coauthoring experience by making it more likely that content changes will be received by others in real time.

Others see your changes quickly: Co-authoring improvements mean your collaborators can see your changes faster than ever before.

Resolved issues

Excel

Resolved an issue where Excel may crash when editing a protected file from an untrusted network share.
Resolved an issue where deleting sheets containing sparklines referencing data on another sheet could cause the file to be identified as corrupted when re-opened.
Resolved an Issue where you may get incorrect results when converting report filters along with the rest of the PivotTable for queries to SQL tabular servers.
Using Narrator and Magnifier at the same time may result in a crash.
Using Narrator and Magnifier at the same time may result in a crash.

Outlook

A forwarded e-mail may be missing embedded images.
Room Finder tool may be displaying “None” for available rooms.
Users may not be able to create Outlook profiles with strict tenant restriction.

PowerPoint

Project

User is unable to mark a task as complete, and it gets set to 99%.
Overallocations are not resolved by leveling.

Using Narrator and Magnifier at the same time may result in a crash.
Opening legacy documents and then going to the Info tab can cause a crash.
Proofing suggestins are not displaying in contextual menus.
Content policies are being incorrectly applied to comments.
Legacy comments written with dark text is not visible in Dark Mode.
Incorrect characters may appear when using Korean/English autocorrect.
Lower policy labels may be applied when a higher policy label should have taken priority.
The links of cid: images from Outlook messagesВ can now be successfully broken when requested.
Using Narrator and Magnifier at the same time may result in a crash.
Searching from the Navigation pane may fail.

Office Suite

Some drawings may not display in preview or slide shows.
Some katakana characters may display incorrectly in a vertical text box.
Attempting to save a file to a disconnected network share may result in a crash.

Version 1911: October 25

Version 1911 (Build 12215.20006)

Feature updates

Visio

Make polished Visio diagrams in Excel: Quickly and easily visualize your data into polished Visio diagrams within Excel. Learn more

Coauthoring improvements: Improved the coauthoring experience by making it more likely that content changes will be received by others in real time.

Others see your changes quickly: Co-authoring improvements mean your collaborators can see your changes faster than ever before.

Resolved issues

Access

Excel

PowerPoint

Publisher

Office Suite

Version 1911: October 18

Version 1911 (Build 12209.20010)

Feature updates

Outlook

Send accessible mail to those who need it most: Outlook will display a mail tip to help you ensure that your content is accessible when sending to a user who prefers accessible content

PowerPoint

Optimize your presentation for all: Accessibility Checker helps you arrange objects on your slides with screen readers in mind.

Office Suite

The Upload Center is being replaced by the Files Needing Attention experience: The Upload Center is being replaced by the Files Needing Attention experience that will show up inside the Office applications under File > Open. This new experience is more modern, integrated, and less intrusive compared to the Upload Center.

Non-security updates

Excel

Outlook

PowerPoint

Project

Office Suite

Version 1910: October 11

Version 1910 (Build 12130.20112)

Non-security updates

Excel

PowerPoint

Version 1910: October 04

Version 1910 (Build 12126.20000)

Feature updates

Excel

Non-security updates

Excel

Access

Outlook

PowerPoint

Office Suite

Version 1910: September 27

Version 1910 (Build 12119.20000)

Non-security updates

Excel

Outlook

Office Suite

Version 1910: September 20

Version 1910 (Build 12112.20000)

Non-security updates

Excel

Outlook

that can prevent mailbox sync for customers with multiple mailboxes in Outlook when migrating to modern authentication in Office 365.

Project

Version 1910: September 13

Version 1910 (Build 12105.20000)

Non-security updates

Excel

Outlook

PowerPoint

Project

We fixed an issue which could inhibit the ability to sync events with enterprise calendars

Office Suite

Version 1910: September 06

Version 1910 (Build 12030.20004)

Feature updates

Excel

PowerPoint

Non-security updates

Excel

Outlook

Version 1909: August 30

Version 1909 (Build 12026.20000)

Feature updates

Access

PowerPoint

Save an illustration as SVG: Save a chart, shape, or other illustration as a scalable vector graphic, which can be resized with no loss of image quality. Learn more

Non-security updates

Excel

Access

Outlook

OneNote

PowerPoint

Project

Office Suite

August 23, 2019

Version 1909 (Build 12015.20004)

Non-security updates:

Excel

Office Suite

Outlook

PowerPoint

August 16, 2019

Version 1909 (Build 12013.20000)

PowerPoint Feature updates:

Print slide numbers on handouts: Slide numbers are included on your handouts automatically. Leave them on, turn them off, it’s all up to you.

Non-security updates:

Excel

Office Suite

OneNote

We fixed an issue where the names of sections appear blank in the section dropdown list when Office Theme is set to Black.

Outlook

PowerPoint

User Lifecycle

August 09, 2019

Version 1909 (Build 12001.20000)

Excel Feature updates:

Collaboration just got easier: Co-authoring improvements mean that when working with conditional formatting, cell styles, and more, your changes are merged seamlessly with those of your collaborators.

Search and enjoy: We’ve added Search to Insert Icons to make it easy to find the icon you want. And when you’re selecting, the Insert button tells you how many you’ve picked.

Office Suite Feature updates:

New Office app icons: Redesigned app icons to reflect the simple, powerful, and intelligent experiences of Office

Outlook Feature updates:

Advanced protection against attack: With Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection, you’re protected against attacks through hyperlinks within email subjects, attached messages, signed messages, network paths, and so on.

Search and enjoy: We’ve added Search to Insert Icons to make it easy to find the icon you want. And when you’re selecting, the Insert button tells you how many you’ve picked.

PowerPoint Feature updates:

Search and enjoy: We’ve added Search to Insert Icons to make it easy to find the icon you want. And when you’re selecting, the Insert button tells you how many you’ve picked.

Word Feature updates:

Others see your changes quickly: Co-authoring improvements mean your collaborators can see your changes faster than ever before.

Search and enjoy: We’ve added Search to Insert Icons to make it easy to find the icon you want. And when you’re selecting, the Insert button tells you how many you’ve picked.

Non-security updates:

Outlook

PowerPoint

August 02, 2019

Version 1908 (Build 11929.20002)

Excel Feature updates:

Convert files to improve accessibility: Upgrade your files to the modern format to make them more accessible for everyone.

Apply sensitivity labels to your documents: Apply sensitivity labels to your files and emails to keep them compliant with your organization’s information protection policies.

Outlook Feature updates:

Apply sensitivity labels to your documents: Apply sensitivity labels to your files and emails to keep them compliant with your organization’s information protection policies.

PowerPoint Feature updates:

Convert files to improve accessibility: Upgrade your files to the modern format to make them more accessible for everyone.

Apply sensitivity labels to your documents: Apply sensitivity labels to your files and emails to keep them compliant with your organization’s information protection policies.

Word Feature updates:

Convert files to improve accessibility: Upgrade your files to the modern format to make them more accessible for everyone.

Say it another way: When you want to say it differently, Rewrite is there to help. Rewrite offers alternatives for finessing your phrases.

Apply sensitivity labels to your documents: Apply sensitivity labels to your files and emails to keep them compliant with your organization’s information protection policies.

Non-security updates:

Access

Excel

Office Suite

Outlook

PowerPoint

Project

July 26, 2019

Version 1908 (build 11916.20000)

What’s New:

Word, Excel, PowerPoint

Create more accessible PDFs

Create a PDF and the accessibility checker will point out accessibility issues to fix before you save.

Notable Fixes:

We fixed an issue where file type association and icons for Office could sometimes break after an Office Update

Excel

We fixed an issue where moving a chart could sometimes result in a crash
We fixed an issue where to get Workbook object from Chart object after changing chart types could sometimes result in an error

PowerPoint

Outlook

We fixed an issue where in simplified ribbon, a disabled control could sometimes not be greyed out in the ribbon

Access

Project

July 19, 2019

Version 1908 (build 11911.20000)

What’s New:

Learn what Acronyms mean when you read in Word Online

When you encounter an Acronym, we’ll try to define it using data from within your organization.

Notable Fixes:

We fixed an issue which BookMarkEnd tag was missing.
We fixed an issue where the font selection could change while the user was typing special characters
We fixed an issue which could sometimes cause blank replies to a new comment card
We fixed an issue which could cause formatting to be lost when sharing an email

Excel

We fixed an issue where an array with a large range could sometimes cause a crash
We significantly improved the performance of copying data from filtered ranges
We fixed an issue which prevented some files from opening if the filenames contained special characters

PowerPoint

We fixed an issue where section name was not selected by default for newly created section in PowerPoint.
We fixed an issue which could cause the UI to become difficult to use when using a 4:3 display

Outlook

We fixed an issue which could prevent available rooms from being listed
We fixed an issue which prevented HTML formatting for some POP3 users

Access

Project

July 12, 2019

Version 1907 (build 11901.20038)

What’s New:

PowerPoint

Use ink replay in your presentations

Apply a replay animation for ink in PowerPoint to express and communicate more in presentations.

Notable Fixes:

Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

Access

Project

July 5, 2019

Version 1907 (build 11901.20018)

What’s New:

Word, Excel, PowerPoint

Sketchy Shapes!

In the middle of drafting a presentation? Apply the sketchy style to show that you’re still working on it. It gives a personal touch to your objects without turning it into a free form, hand-drawn shapes.

Excel

Faster file sharing: Share your documents right from the recently used list without having to open the file.

PowerPoint

The setting to Print Slide Numbers in Handouts has been moved to the Print Menu for easier access: Find it in the Print > Print Layout dropdown when a Handout layout is selected. This also allows the setting to be easily toggled per presentation. Learn more

Faster file sharing: Share your documents right from the recently used list without having to open the file.

Faster file sharing: Share your documents right from the recently used list without having to open the file.

Notable Fixes:

We significantly improved the performance of Ribbon KeyTips
We fixed an issue which prevented the “See what’s coming soon” dialog from being displayed properly
We fixed an issue which could cause Photos to be misaligned in the Co-auth Gallery flyout

We fixed an issue which could sometimes prevent new comments from being added
We fixed an issue where tables could sometimes cause a crash
We fixed an issue where invalid data could sometimes be added to the end of a mail merge
We fixed an issue which could cause some LaTeX equations to render incorrectly

Excel

We fixed an issue where changing chart types could sometimes result in a runtime exception
We fixed an issue where the incorrect ribbon could be displayed when multiple windows were open
We fixed an issue which could cause an error when a macro opened a second instance of a workbook
We fixed an issue which could cause a crash when opening or creating a workbook, or switching between workbooks
We fixed an issue preventing users from opening a PDF created from Word in Teams

PowerPoint

We fixed an issue which would degrade the quality of a chart when exported to a pdf
We fixed an issue which prevented a tooltip indicating the distance to center from displaying

Outlook

We fixed an issue which could sometimes prevent a Disk Full error to be displayed
We fixed an issue which could cause attachments to become duplicated when updating a meeting request

Access

We fixed an issue which prevented some queries from returning large integer values
We fixed an issue which could make the sql textbox uneditable
We fixed an issue where tooltips could be difficult to see on some High DPI displays

Project

We fixed an issue which could cause flag values to become uneditable in new tasks
We fixed an issue which could cause a status update to improperly set Actual Start Date on Assignments and Tasks
We fixed an issue which could cause some resources to incorreclty appear overallocated
We fixed an issue where the TaskDependencies Add method could fail when Lag is added, the decimal separator is a comma, and when connected to a server
We fixed an issue where updating local custom field lookup table values via CSOM could crash PCS
We fixed an issue where the total work values may appear incorrect if they contain a decimal

June 28, 2019

Version 1907 (build 11819.20002)

What’s New:

Excel

Code quickly with Power Query enhancements: Get to code completion quickly with auto-complete and syntax coloring. Easily discover functions, columns, and parameters, too

Join tables on similar columns: Get & Transform (Power Query) now features approximate text matching logic (also called fuzzy matching) when comparing columns for merging tables.

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Visio

Notable Fixes:

We fixed an issue which could prevent some .DOC files from opening
We fixed an issue which could have prevented comments from loading properly

Excel

PowerPoint

We fixed an issue related to using a pen on a Surface device which could cause the screen to flicker

Outlook

We fixed an issue which could change the free/busy status of an appointment when converted to a meeting
We fixed an issue where the wrong template and description would be displayed when an e-mail was protected with an ad-hoc template

Access

Project

June 21, 2019

Version 1907 (build 11815.20002)

What’s New:

Outlook

Dark Mode for Black Theme in Outlook Desktop

With dark mode, users in black theme will now also see the reading pane with a dark background when reading emails, and the compose experience with a dark background when writing emails. There is a sun/moon toggle on the reading pane and in the ribbon in case users want to preview what the message looks like with a light background instead.

Getting Started:

Turn on black theme and dark mode will be on by default.
Use the moon/sun toggle (in the reading pane and in the ribbon) to preview what the message looks like for users not in dark mode

Scenarios to Try

Read emails in dark mode. If you are unable to read something, use the sun toggle in the Reading Pane to switch to a light background.
Compose emails in dark mode. Preview what your message will look like with a light background by using the sun toggle in the ribbon.

If you encounter any emails that don’t render properly, please send them (as an attachment) to [email protected]

Get location suggestions

Start typing and Outlook will look for matching locations.

This applies to the Location field when creating Appointments and Meetings.

Getting Started:

Create an Appointment or Meeting on an O365 or Outlook.com calendar in Outlook.
Click into the Location field and start typingвЂ¦

Scenarios to Try

When adding a conference room to a meeting, click into Location field, rather than using Room Finder add-in or Address Book. For appointments at a physical place with a public location – like a restaurant, coffee shop, or even your dentist’s office – try finding the exact location using the new picker. This way, you’ll be able to get notified on Outlook Mobile when it’s time to leave.

Notable Fixes:

We fixed an issue where keyboard focus could sometimes be difficult to see
We fixed an issue where text pasted into a new document could sometimes have the wrong text alignment
We fixed an issue which could prevent some users from saving changes after suspending their computer
We fixed an issue where in certain cases an entire document would be printed instead of the selected range
We fixed an issue which could make comments difficult to read on smaller displays
We fixed an issue which could cause a crash when capturing to a device

Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

We fixed an issue which could incorrectly display an add-in as being enabled when it was not.
We fixed an issue which would prevent a customer from viewing all retention policies if there were a large number of them

Access

Project

June 14, 2019

Version 1907 (build 11807.20000)

Notable Fixes:

We fixed an issue which could prevent a user from signing in when saving to OneDrive
We fixed an issue where a user could be prevented from changing SharePoint properties while in restricted access mode
We fixed an issue where header and footer content could change when adjusting margins
We fixed an issue where formatting could break when switching to web view
We fixed an issue which could prevent a user from using custom fields when opened from SharePoint

Excel

We fixed a performance issue when deleting rows of a filtered set
We fixed an issue which could sometimes cause the mouse to flicker in protected view
We fixed an issue which could have caused a crash when deleting a series
We fixed an issue where some users would have the option to add version history when that was not available
We fixed an issue which could have caused an exception when using the Spreadsheet Compare tool

PowerPoint

We fixed an issue where a crash could occur when clicking a link to SharePoint
We fixed an issue which could switch the user to the next page while typing using a Surface Pen

Outlook

Access

Project

June 7, 2019

Version 1907 (build 11727.20064)

Notable Fixes:

We fixed an issue where Word could sometimes crash when autocorrect was set to capitalize the first letter of a sentence
We improved performance when editing a document on SharePoint
We fixed an issue where vector-based images created in Adobe Illustrator would not display correctly

Excel

We fixed an issue where sorting fields were sometimes not set correctly when recording a macro
We fixed an issue that causes hang or crash during recalculation of an array formula

PowerPoint

Outlook

Access

Project

We fixed an issue where timesheets on a fixed duration could sometimes change the assignment finish date
We fixed an issue where Percentage Complete values could be wrong when opening a project from an earlier version

May 31, 2019

Version 1906 (build 11722.20008)

What’s New:

Outlook

Dialog for Contacting Support now is dockable and appears on the right

The dialog used for Contacting support will now appear in a pane on the right and will start off as a docked window.

Ink in Your Email!

You can now draw and annotate pictures in your Outlook emails.

Open document links in Word

When you click a document link in Office, you can update your preference to open in the Word app by default. To update your preference go to File->Options->Advanced->Link Handling. Learn more: https://support.office.com/article/open-file-links-directly-in-office-desktop-apps-fe241745-9e05-4142-9ba8-1bb1dc044773?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US

Getting Started:

Feature will default to off. Users can either turn it on via Options->Advanced->Link Handling setting, or they can opt-in when Win32 WXP apps take them through an opt-in experience. When users click on links to Word/PowerPoint/Excel files stored on OneDrive/OneDrive for Business/SharePoint from Outlook/Word/PowerPoint/Excel, these links will open in the appropriate Office application instead of the browser by default.

To change this default, users can update the following setting in Outlook/Word/Excel/PowerPoint:

This setting is shared across Outlook/Word/PowerPoint/Excel and can be set in any of these apps.

Scenarios to Try:

To trigger the opt-in experience – Open a link tot a Word document stored in OneDrive/SharePoint from Outlook/Word/PowerPoint/Excel – click on Open in Client from Office Online – do this twice in a 30 day window. After you opt-in, links will launch in the Win32 apps by default.

PowerPoint

Open presentation links in PowerPoint

When you click a presentation link in Office, you can update your preference to open in the PowerPoint app by default. To update your preference go to File->Options->Advanced->Link Handling. Learn more: https://support.office.com/article/open-file-links-directly-in-office-desktop-apps-fe241745-9e05-4142-9ba8-1bb1dc044773?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US

Getting Started:

To change this default, users can update the following setting in Outlook/Word/Excel/PowerPoint:

This setting is shared across Outlook/Word/PowerPoint/Excel and can be set in any of these apps.

Scenarios to Try:

To trigger the opt-in experience – Open a link to a PowerPoint presentation stored in OneDrive/SharePoint from Outlook/Word/PowerPoint/Excel – click on Open in Client from Office Online – do this twice in a 30 day window. After you opt-in, links will launch in the Win32 apps by default.

Excel

Open workbook links in Excel

When you click a workbook link in Office, you can update your preference to open in the Excel app by default. To update your preference, go to File->Options->Advanced->Link Handling. Learn More: https://support.office.com/article/open-file-links-directly-in-office-desktop-apps-fe241745-9e05-4142-9ba8-1bb1dc044773?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US

Getting Started:

To change this default, users can update the following setting in Outlook/Word/Excel/PowerPoint:

This setting is shared across Outlook/Word/PowerPoint/Excel and can be set in any of these apps.

Scenarios to Try:

To trigger the opt-in experience – Open a link to an Excel workbook stored in OneDrive/SharePoint from Outlook/Word/PowerPoint/Excel – click on Open in Client from Office Online – do this twice in a 30 day window. After you opt-in, links will launch in the Win32 apps by default.

Notable Fixes:

Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

We fixed an issue where some users would incorrectly appear as Offline in a Group Schedule view
We fixed an issue which prevented SafeLink from parsing a URL with a trailing space
We fixed an issue where rooms were displayed as available outside of non-working hours

Access

Project

May 24, 2019

Version 1906 (build 11715.20002)

What’s New:

User Experience Updates

Updates that have been in Coming Soon are now here, featuring the Simplified Ribbon, and a visual refresh of the folder pane, message list, and reading pane.

Notable Fixes:

Excel

We fixed an issue where an incorrect icon was used in for Chart Elements
We fixed an issue where the incorrect workbook could be activated in a VBA script when the same book was already open

PowerPoint

Outlook

Access

Project

May 17, 2019

Version 1906 (build 11708.20006)

What’s New:

Outlook

User Experience Updates

Updates that have been in Coming Soon are now here, featuring the Simplified Ribbon, and a visual refresh of the folder pane, message list, and reading pane.

Getting Started:

These change will be part of the new default UI; it has been available behind the Coming Soon switch since mid Dec for 100% prod

Customizable Simplified Ribbon

Easily customizable to switch between classic and Simplified views and pin/unpin commands.

Getting Started:

Users can get to the simplified ribbon by turning on Coming Soon (initially) and clicking the chevron in the ribbon to toggle between the classic multi-line ribbon and the new simplified single-line ribbon.

Scenarios to Try:

Switch from Classic ribbon to Simplified ribbon

Pick your favorite action

Don’t use Flag and Delete? How about Archive or Mark as Read? Customize the quick action menu with the commands you use most.

Getting Started:

To select your Quick Actions, right click on an email in the message list to bring up the Context Menu. Then click “Set Quick Actions. “

Scenarios to Try:

Change the defaults from flag and delete to either archive, move, mark as read, or none for a cleaner message list

Relaxed or tighter layout? You choose

Use Tighter Spacing lets you decide if you want more space between items, or a tighter layout to see more.

Getting Started:

View tab, use tighter spacing checkbox – in Messages group for classic ribbon, Current View settings for simplified ribbon

Scenarios to Try:

Use Outlook to triage and write email with and without the setting enabled. With Use tighter spacing on, more messages fit per page, and controls on the compose forms are more streamlined.

Dedupe MRU entries when using the Onedrive sync client

Enable better integration with onedrive sync client with cloud attachments by deduping the mru entries and to enable faster attach as copy behavior for synchronized data

Getting Started:

If you use the OneDrive sync client, you will no longer see file duplicates in the Attach File MRU.

Scenarios to Try:

Enable the OneDrive sync client and use the Attach File menu in Outlook Desktop

Improved shared folder synchronization for mailboxes with many folders

For years Outlook has been limited to a maximum of 500 folders when synchronizing shared mailboxes. With this change Outlook has been improved to sync in a way that will no longer encounter this 500 folder limit.

Getting Started:

Create 1000 folders in a mailbox, give someone else access to the mailbox, create an Outlook profile for the “someone else” and verify that sync works.

Erase just a little bit

Getting Started:

Go to the Draw Tab. Select the Eraser dropdown. Choose Small Eraser or Medium Eraser.

Scenarios to Try:

Go to the Draw Tab. Select a pen. Draw an ink stroke. Select the Eraser dropdown. Choose Small Eraser or Medium Eraser. Erase just bits of the ink stroke.

Notable Fixes:

We fixed an issue which could prevent some users from saving as PDF
We fixed an issue which could impact users saving large files on a 32-bit system

Excel

We fixed an issue where double-click events could fail on touch screen devices
We fixed an issue which could prevent some users from being able to edit VBA macros
We fixed an issue which could impact performance when using slicers

PowerPoint

Outlook

Access

Project

May 10, 2019

Version 1906 (build 11702.20000)

What’s New:

Outlook

Fit more messages on the screen: Select View > Use Tighter Spacing to adjust spacing between messages.

Notable Fixes:

Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

Access

Project

May 3, 2019

Version 1906 (build 11629.20008)

What’s New:

Outlook

All your encryption options in one place: Just go to Options > Encrypt to choose how to secure your email message.

Notable Fixes:

Excel

We fixed an issue where external links were sometimes removed from workbooks after upgrading to a newer version of Excel
We fixed an issue where some users could experience difficulty selecting cells in a new workbook

PowerPoint

Outlook

We fixed an issue where saving a contact from a .VCF file could result in empty fields
We fixed an issue where a message could get stuck in the outbox folder even though it had been sent
We fixed an issue where Outlook could crash when viewing a DRM message

Access

Project

We fixed an issue where the editor would switch from Chinese to English
We fixed an issue where unpublished tasks could appear in the published copy of a master project

April 26, 2019

Version 1905 (build 11617.20002)

New Features

Outlook

Shared calendar updates just got faster: For shared calendars in Office 365, Outlook can update these calendars using the REST API. Turn on the preview for faster and more reliable updates to shared calendars.

Excel

Coauthoring improvements

Improved the coauthoring experience by making it more likely that content changes will be received by others in real time.

Visio

Export Visio visuals from Power BI: Visio Visual for Power BI will now display properly when you export Power BI reports as PDFs, PowerPoint files, and more.

Notable Fixes:

Excel

We fixed an issue where Solver macros would fail to run
We fixed an issue which could prevent Excel files from being imported into SharePoint

PowerPoint

Outlook

Access

Project

April 19, 2019

Version 1905 (build 11609.20002)

What’s New:

Outlook

Get email suggestions when you search for a person: When you type a person’s name in the Search box, the most relevant email messages will be included with your search suggestions.

Excel

Improved Filled Maps experience using Data Types

This feature is an improvement for users who plot Filled Map Charts using Excel’s Geographic Data Types. The benefit to the end users will be richer integration between the features and better accuracy of the region the end user wants to map. Additional benefits include – ability to map city polygons.

Getting Started:

This feature is an improvement to the existing features within Excel. To use the improvement – convert locations into Rich Entities and plot with Filled Maps.

Scenarios to Try:

Notable Fixes:

All Applications

We fixed an issue where the First Run dialog would display whenever an application was launched
We fixed an issue where a SharePoint link in the “save as” dialog could be missing.
We fixed an issue where users would incorrectly see a “Repair Now” dialog

We fixed an issue where some users could receive an error for insufficient memory or disk space when requesting a font
We fixed an issue where a window could lose focus when switching from the comments pane

Excel

PowerPoint

We fixed an issue preventing the resizing of branded shapes
We fixed an issue where PowerPoint could crash when opening a file in protected view mode

Outlook

We fixed an issue which prevented some users from selecting Chinese words
We fixed an issue where expiry dates were not calculated correctly

Access

We fixed an issue which prevented some users from using the Macro Builder
We fixed an issue where printing a report would only print the first page
We fixed an issue where the application could crash when hovering over a hyperlink
We fixed an issue which caused some items to appear off screen when using relationships view

Project

April 12, 2019

Version 1905 (build 11601.20042)

What’s New:

Access

Get smart with Microsoft Graph

Import or link to intelligent data and reinvent your desktop database with Intelligent Technology.

Notable Fixes:

All Applications

We fixed an issue which prevented some users from saving files to cloud locations
We fixed an issue where the wrong pane could open from the ribbon

Excel

We fixed an issue where users would see an error message for linked data types when the workbook did not contain linked data types
We fixed an issue where URL links within a Word document could change when viewed locally vs. online

PowerPoint

Outlook

We fixed an issue which prevented some users from modifying the Notes field for contacts in a Public Folder
We fixed an issue where a conflict could occur between expiration dates and deletion dates

Access

Project

April 5, 2019

Version 1904 (build 11527.20014)

What’s New:

Outlook

Outlook for Windows: set and share your Focused Inbox settings

Your Focused Inbox preferences are stored in the cloud so you can enjoy the same consistent experience when using Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web on any computer.

Getting Started:

Under File > Options > General tab, there is a new preference for ‘Store my Outlook settings in the cloud’. Users will need to check the box to enable their Focused Inbox setting to roam to other Desktop Outlook installations and OWA.

Scenarios to Try:

Change Focused Inbox on the machine that has cloud settings preference turned on. Navigate to OWA and see the preference applied there as well. Change Focused Inbox in OWA and start Desktop Outlook to see the preference reflected.

Learning Tools mode has additional support for more page colors

Learning Tools in Word adds support for more page theme colors, which allows the changing of the background color of the page. Many people have challenges reading with an all-white or all-black background, so we’ve expanded the choice of colors in Word on PC and Mac.

Getting Started:

To try this out, go to the View tab and choose Learning Tools, and then Page Color.

Scenarios to Try:

To try this out, go to the View tab and choose Learning Tools, and then Page Color.

Excel

Elevate Creativity with Animated 3D Models

Office now supports animated models, which will playback in the editor so you can bring your sheets to life!

Getting Started:

Open Excel
Insert an animated 3D Model (coming to Remix soon, but for now, access animated models here: osanogxPublicTestFiles3D ModelsAnimated3DC3Art)
The animated model will play in the editor! Check Slideshow mode – it will play there too!
In the 3D Format Ribbon, explore more animation scenes in the model

Scenarios to Try:

Insert an animated model and watch it play in the editor
Explore the animation scenes available in the animated model via the Scenes Gallery, available in the 3D Format Ribbon
Easily play/pause the animation via the ribbon, floatie or space bar

Notable Fixes:

All Applications

We fixed an issue where the incorrect app icon could appear for Excel in contextual menus
We fixed an issue where the File Menu button could disappear after installing an update
We fixed an issue which could change your user license

Excel

We fixed an issue where users would not be prompted to save a workbook after making edits
We fixed an issue where a BeforeSave event would not be triggered if the user shared the workbook.
We fixed an issue where resizing a column to fewer than 6 pixels could throw an incorrect error message.
We fixed an issue where Excel would ignore the Application.Visible flag
We fixed an issue where trace arrows would remain on non-active frozen panes
We fixed an issue where cell formatting of dates an currency could change when opening a workbook
We fixed an issue where tooltips would move unexpectedly
We fixed localization issues for the Power Query editor
We fixed an issue where a workbook would be removed as an attachment when sending via e-mail

PowerPoint

Outlook

We fixed an issue where Outlook could crash while using the drawing tool
We fixed a localization issue when composing html e-mails
We fixed an issue where the user would have difficulty in selecting the lower pane

Access

Project

March 22, 2019

Version 1904 (build 11514.20004)

New Features

Privacy controls: New, updated, and improved controls for diagnostic data and connected experiences. Learn more https://docs.microsoft.com/DeployOffice/privacy/overview-privacy-controls?toc=/deployoffice/toc.json

Office icons have a new look: The Office icons have been redesigned to reflect simple, powerful, and intelligent Office experiences.

Notable Fixes:

Excel

We fixed an issue where the application could crash after moving a worksheet
We fixed an issue where the application could crash after saving as a PDF
We fixed an issue where the save dialog would not accept some Korean characters

PowerPoint

Outlook

Access

We fixed the error message in Access where an extra shortcut to Access was created
We fixed an issue where data from a linked SharePoint would display incorrectly

Project

We fixed an issue where the language settings would switch from Chinese to English
We fixed an issue where the application could crash when synching to SharePoint

March 15, 2019

Version 1904 (build 11504.20000)

What’s New:

Focus Mode

Switch to Focus on the View menu to remove distractions and concentrate on your work. For Office 365 subscribers only.

Getting Started:

View tab “Focus” Button in the Ribbon Status Bar “Focus” Button

Scenarios to Try:

Enter Focus Mode and experience the Focused Experience

Notable Fixes:

Excel

PowerPoint

We fixed an issue where the comments pane would not open or close properly
We fixed an issue where the application could crash when deleting a video
We fixed an issue where in some instances the application would fail to launch

Outlook

Access

Project

March 8, 2019

Version 1903 (build 11425.20036)

What’s New:

Find What You’re Looking For with Microsoft Search

With Microsoft Search, you can find all the files, actions, people, and help you need to get work done.

Getting Started:

Scenarios to Try:

Search for a college, a recent document or search for the ribbon commands you use most often
Look up a topic or subject to get more information on it

CoAuthoring

Tired of being locked out of your document with macros? Now your docm files on OneDrive for Business allow simultaneous editing by multiple authors.

Getting Started:

The user doesn’t need to press any buttons in the UI to access this feature. It is enabled by default on OneDrive for Business docm files. So, the user should save a docm file to OneDrive for Business to try it out.

Scenarios to Try:

Create a docm file on OneDrive for Business, share it with your colleagues, and collaborate!

Notable Fixes:

We fixed a crashing issue that occurred when pressing ‘ESC’ while in Options
We fixed a crashing issue that occurred when replying to comments
We fixed an issue with copy & paste from Word to PowerPoint Online

Excel

We fixed an issue where copying a cell in Excel caused high CPU usage when protected document and editable document were opened

PowerPoint

Outlook

We fixed an issue where Outlook Search was not honoring the selected chronological sorting
We fixed an issue where the “Open this task” workflow ribbon button was unresponsive for certain emails
We fixed an issue where Outlook did not clear on premise rooms after users selected an available room in Room Finder

Access

We fixed the saved import/export dialog that had white text on white background in Dark Theme
We fixed an issue where users could not set the DisplayControl property for a Yes/No field to Textbox in table design

Project

March 1, 2019

Version 1903 (build 11414.20014)

What’s New

Colors for Track Changes, Comments and Real-Time Collaboration in Sync

Fixes in our product now ensure that the comments, track changes and the cursor for a collaborator show up in the same color.

Getting Started:

Open a SharePoint or OneDrive document that others have open. Verify that track changes and comments color for a user matches the color of that user’s cursor.

Scenarios to Try:

Open a SharePoint or OneDrive document that others have open. Verify that track changes and comments color for a user matches the color of that user’s cursor.

Notable Fixes:

We fixed a crashing issue that occurred when pressing ‘ESC’ while in Options
We fixed an issue with copy & paste from Word to PowerPoint Online

Excel

We fixed an issue where copying a cell in Excel caused high CPU usage when protected document and editable document were opened

PowerPoint

Outlook

We fixed an issue where Outlook Search was not honoring the selected chronological sorting
We fixed an issue where the “Open this task” workflow ribbon button was unresponsive for certain emails
We fixed an issue where Outlook did not clear on premise rooms after users selected an available room in Room Finder

Access

We updated the prompt text that showed when confirming the relinking tables with a datasource
We fixed the saved import/export dialog that had white text on white background in Dark Theme
We fixed an issue where users could not set the Display Control property for a Yes/No field to Textbox in table design

Project

February 15, 2019

Version 1903 (build 11310.20016)

What’s New:

PowerPoint

Morph Transition Enhancements – Morph by Name

Specify the shapes you want to morph

Getting Started:

To get Morph to treat two objects as the same object, the user can rename the shapes using the Selection Pane.
The name must be prefaced with “!!” (two exclamation points) for Morph to use it to override our default matching behavior, e.g. “!!Name”
Users can continue to rename shapes with any name that doesn’t start with “!!” without worrying that it will change the way Morph works

Scenarios to Try:

Insert a Shape in a slide, let’s say Rectangle
Create a new slide
Insert a different shape in the 2nd slide, let’s say Triangle
Open SelectionPane, rename the Rectangle in slide 1 to “!!shape”, and rename the Triangle in slide 2 to “!!shape”
Apply Morph on the 2nd slide

Morph Transition Enhancements – SmartArt

SmartArt morph with smoother transitions

Getting Started:

Use Morph the same way you would with SmartArt

Scenarios to Try:

Insert a SmartArt in a slide
Duplicate the Slide
Resize/Change/Move the SmartArt on the duplicated slide
Apply Morph on the duplicated slide

Morph Transition Enhancements – Tables

Tables morph with smoother transitions

Getting Started:

Use Morph the same way you would with tables

Scenarios to Try:

Insert a Table in a slide
Duplicate the slide
Resize/Change/Move the Table on the duplicated slide
Apply Morph on the duplicated slide

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Access, Project, Publisher & Visio

Seamlessly Switch Between Accounts

The new account manager shows all of your work and personal accounts in one place, and puts you in control of switching between them. This updated experience makes it clear how you’re logged in, and now you can toggle between work and personal accounts without having to sign out first or deal with complex dialogs.

SpaceFlight Post a Comment

Agencies made – significant progress – on insider threat, but space is constantly evolving, ODNI says, Federal News Network

Agencies made ‘significant progress’ on insider threat, but space is constantly evolving, ODNI says

Seven years after the Obama administration directed all agencies to establish fully functional insider threat programs, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said it’s finally seeing some progress on some particularly stubborn challenges.

But the insider threat landscape has changed so much since the 2011 executive order that ODNI’s National Insider Threat Program has created a new framework to help agencies navigate a particularly dynamic environment.

“The threat landscape is continually evolving, technology is rapidly shifting and organizations are changing in response to various pressures,” the task force wrote. “Our collective efforts to address the insider threat require constant evaluation, fresh perspectives and updated approaches to address current and future risk.”

As with many unfunded mandates, agencies have approached the directive with mixed results and many were slow to stand up and formalize insider threat programs.

Just a handful of agencies met ODNI’s December 2016 deadline to achieve final operating capability on an insider threat program. The Obama administration in quarterly updates on Performance.gov had cited a combination of “organizational culture, legal questions and resource identification” as obstacles that prevented agencies from meeting the original goal.

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But while ODNI acknowledged many of those same challenges still exist, more agencies see the benefits of having an insider threat program, Dean Boyd, spokesman for ODNI’s National Counterintelligence and Security Center, wrote in an email to Federal News Network.

“The federal government as a whole has made significant progress in the past year,” Boyd said. “These challenges are increasingly being addressed as formal training of insider threat personnel becomes more prevalent.”

Leaders are also finding ways to devote resources to what’s mostly been an unfunded mandate, he added.

ODNI couldn’t comment on how many agencies today have achieved initial or final operating capability. The information isn’t considered public.

Framework designed to withstand evolving insider threat space

Though ODNI cited agency progress in finding leadership and getting buy-in for insider threat programs, the new framework is designed to help agencies advance past the basic building blocks.

The first seven elements of the task force’s new framework broadly address personnel. The framework instructs agencies to elevate insider threat as a dedicated effort with specific leadership. The entire workforce should receive insider threat training, and employees who don’t work directly with their agency’s program should learn to foster a culture of threat awareness, the task force said.

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“The workforce can act as a human sensor, alerting [insider threat personnel] to anomalous activity long before it may be detected by other means,” the framework reads.

The remaining 11 steps guide agencies in accessing necessary information they need to systematically gather, monitor and analyze in order to track employee activity and behavior.

Agencies, “especially those with a large or geographically-dispersed workforce and diverse sources of insider threat relevant information, can increase [insider threat program] effectiveness through the use of data aggregation and normalization utilities and advanced analytic tools,” the framework reads. “These utilities can help manage large data volume as a first step in establishing a baseline from which to identify anomalous behavior.”

Though the intelligence community has more mature insider threat programs, most agencies are still grappling with the task of installing and advancing user monitoring systems, David Wilcox, vice president of federal business development for Dtex, said in an interview. Dtex provides insider threat technology to some federal agencies.

“It’s the unclassified networks that don’t have much in the way of insider threat activity or monitoring or capability deployed on them,” Wilcox said. “The intelligence community is more mature, but some of their capabilities are due to be replaced. They need to find innovative solutions [and] more cost effective solutions.”

Though the National Insider Threat Task Force sees its new framework as a tool that will likely evolve as the threat landscape changes, it does lay the foundation and gives agencies a specific sequence to follow as they stand up and mature insider threat programs.

The framework perhaps focuses more intently on the human elements of insider threat over best, innovative IT practices agencies might consider to gather, monitor and analyze large swaths of personnel data.

It doesn’t detail how agencies might leverage emerging technologies, such as advanced data techniques, data tagging, artificial intelligence and robotics processing, to advance insider threat monitoring programs, Wilcox said.

“That’s something that might be missing from the framework,” he said. “It doesn’t call specifically for an innovation and a technology maturity plan.”

Nicole Ogrysko is a reporter for Federal News Network focusing on the federal workforce and federal pay and benefits. Follow @nogryskoWFED

March 6, 2020 SpaceFlight Post a Comment

Iconic Vancouver Luxury Retailer ‘Leone’ to Shutter Store After 33 Years

RI Articles

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Photo: Leone via Google Maps

Multi-brand luxury retailer Leone will shutter its Vancouver store this spring after 33 years of operation. The retailer introduced many of the world’s top brands to the Vancouver market over the years, some of which have since opened standalone stores or have moved into competing multi-brand retailers.

Leone has begun a clearance sale and will shutter within the next three months according to an employee in the store.

We reported last month that Leone had downsized its store substantially after it exited a large lower-level space that was home to contemporary fashion brands as well as an in-store cafe. The retailer has since decided to pull the plug on its operations entirely amid intense competition in Vancouver’s luxury retail market.

” >

Sinclair Centre lease plan

Luxury retail sales in Vancouver are said to be seeing a downturn for several reasons. The coronavirus scare has reduced the number of Chinese visitors to the city while many are avoiding social situations. However the coronavirus is only a recent phenomenon and other issues are more likely at play. That includes a boycott by some Chinese after Canada arrested Huawei’s CFO in December of 2018 as well as issues surrounding Hong Kong protesters where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed a pro-democracy sentiment. A crackdown on money leaving China is also said to have had an impact on luxury retail sales in Canada and particularly in Vancouver.

Leone introduced many luxury brands to the Vancouver market over the years, many of them Italian. Founders Alberto and Maria Leone opened the current Leone storefront at 757 West Hastings Street in the Sinclair Centre in 1987 in a 12,000 square foot one-level space that resembles an Italian galleria. When it opened, a Versace fashion boutique was a first for the city and it remains operational today. In 1996 the basement level space spanning nearly 12,000 square feet was added for contemporary brands with the floor being called ‘A-Wear’ and then ‘L2’, and a mezzanine level was subsequently added to house additional fashions that formerly included a Burberry boutique and a footwear area.

As discussed in our previous article, Alberto and Maria Leone moved to Vancouver from Montreal in 1970 and after opening a hair salon, introduced a fashion concept called ‘Alberto Boutique’. Several locations opened prior to them being amalgamated into one storefront at CF Pacific Centre in 1974, which remained operational until the current Leone space opened at the Sinclair Centre in 1987. At the time, the store cost about $4 million to build.

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March 4, 2020 SpaceFlight Post a Comment

Dallas Mavericks Team Salary, Basketball Insiders, NBA Rumors And Basketball News

Dallas Mavericks Team Salary

Quick: Over the cap. Hard capped by the Delon Wright sign and trade.

Salary Cap: $109,140,000

Luxury Tax Threshold: $132,627,000

Hard Cap: $138,928,000

Projection for 2020-21 ($115 million cap): Up to an estimated $23.3 million, none if Tim Hardaway Jr. opts in.

Roster Count: 15 guaranteed, two two-ways

Depth Chart
PG: Jalen Brunson, Delon Wright, JJ Barea
SG: Luka Doncic, Seth Curry, Courtney Lee, Josh Reaves (two-way), Antonius Cleveland (two-way)
SF: Tim Hardaway Jr., Justin Jackson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
PF: Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber, Dwight Powell (injured)
C: Kristaps Porzingis, Willie Cauley-Stein, Boban Marjanovic

*Note: Teams often adjust their depth chart throughout the season, sometimes game by game.

Mid-Level Exception — $296,620 (Seth Curry, Isaiah Roby)
Bi-Annual Exception — $123,000 (Boban Marjanovic)

Waived Players: Daryl Macon (two-way), Kostas Antetokounmpo (two-way, claimed by the Los Angeles Lakers), Yudai Baba, Aric Holman, Dakota Mathias, Chad Brown, Justin Patton, Ryan Broekhoff

Traded Players: Isaiah Roby

G-League Affiliate: Texas Legends (Spud Webb president of basketball operations, Coach Bob MacKinnon)

Two-Way Players: Josh Reaves, Antonius Cleveland

Coaching Staff

Assistants: Darrell Armstrong, Jamahl Mosley, Larry Shyatt, Jenny Boucek, Stephen Silas

Trainer: Casey Smith, Dionne Calhoun (assistant)

Basketball Executives

Mark Cuban — owner
Donn Nelson — president of basketball operations/general manager
Keith Grant — assistant general manager
Kristy Laue — manager of team operations
Michael Finley — assistant vice president of basketball operations

2020 — Owed second-rounder from the Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets (TBD).
2020 — Owe second-rounder to the Golden State Warriors (Nerlens Noel, Alec Burks).
2021 — Owe first-rounder to the New York Knicks (Kristaps Porzingis).
2023 — Owed second-rounder from Miami HEAT (Josh McRoberts).
2023 — Owe the lower second-rounder (Miami HEAT or Mavericks) to the Memphis Grizzlies (Delon Wright).
2023 — Owe first-rounder (top-10 protected through 2025, otherwise converts to a 2025 second-rounder) to the New York Knicks (Kristaps Porzingis).

Cash Paid ($5,617,000 max): $0

Cash Received ($5,617,000 max): $800,000 to the Dallas Mavericks (Isaiah Roby) — $4,817,000 remaining

6/29/20 — Player options for Willie Cauley-Stein and Tim Hardaway Jr.
Before first day of the 2020-21 season — Extension deadline on Justin Jackson.
10/31/20 — Team option on Delon Wright.
6/29/21 — Qualifying offer deadline on Justin Jackson.
6/30/21 — Jalen Brunson’s $1,802,057 guarantees for 2021-22.
Before first day of the 2021-22 season — Extension deadline on Luka Doncic.
6/29/22 — Qualifying offer deadline on Justin Jackson.
7/3/22 — Maxi Kleber’s $9,475,000 (incentives TBD) for 2022-23.
6/29/23 — Player option on Kristaps Porzingis.

Teams and players can renegotiate guarantee dates. The NBA’s general cut-down date is January 10, although players need to clear 48 hours of waivers.

Transactions

5/14/19 — Received the 37th pick in the draft lottery.
6/18/19 — Dwight Powell opted into his $10,259,375 salary.
6/20/19 — Drafted Deividas Sirvydis (37th).
6/26/19 — Extended qualifying offers to Kristaps Porzingis, Dorian Finney-Smith and Maxi Kleber.
6/27/19 — Traded the rights to Deividas Sirvydis (37th) to the Detroit Pistons for the rights to Isaiah Roby (45th), a 2020 second-rounder and a 2021 second-rounder.
6/29/19 — Ryan Broekhoff’s $1,416,852 guaranteed for 2019-20.
7/6/19 — Signed Dwight Powell to a three-year $33,240,375 extension.
7/6/19 — Removed Petteri Koponen (2007-30th) from their salary cap.
7/8/19 — Traded the rights to Satnam Singh (2015-52nd), a 2021 Portland Trail Blazers second-rounder, a 2023 second-rounder (lower of the Miami HEAT and Mavericks) for Delon Wright (via sign and trade) on a three-year $30,149,000 contract (incentives TBD).
7/10/19 — Signed Seth Curry to a four-year $32 million contract.
7/10/19 — Re-signed Dorian Finney-Smith to a three-year $12 million contract.
7/10/19 — Re-signed Maxi Kleber to a partially-guaranteed four-year $35,900,000 contract.
7/12/19 — Re-signed Kristaps Porzingis to a five-year $158,253,000 contract.
7/21/19 — Waived Kostas Antetokounmpo (two-way), claimed by the Los Angeles Lakers.
7/23/19 — Signed Boban Marjanovic to a two-year $7 million contract.
7/24/19 — Signed Antonius Cleveland to a two-way contract.
7/26/19 — Waived Daryl Macon (two-way).
7/26/19 — Signed Dakota Mathias to a non-guaranteed $898,310 minimum summer contract.
7/29/19 — Signed Josh Reaves to a two-way contract.
8/7/19 — Signed Isaiah Roby (2019-45th) to a partially-guaranteed $6,731,283 contract, team option on final season.
8/19/19 — Re-signed J.J. Barea to a one-year $2,564,753 minimum contract.
8/29/19 — Claimed Aric Holman off waivers (Los Angeles Laker).
9/18/19 — Signed Yudai Baba to a non-guaranteed $898,310 minimum summer contract.
9/23/19 — Picked up the third-year option on Luka Doncic.
9/23/19 — Picked up the fourth-year option on Justin Jackson.
10/12/19 — Waived Yudai Baba.
10/15/19 — Waived Aric Holman and Dakota Mathias.
10/17/19 — Signed Chad Brown to a non-guaranteed $898,310 minimum summer contract.
10/19/19 — Waived Chad Brown.
1/24/20 — Traded Isaiah Roby to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Justin Patton and $800,000.
1/25/20 — Waived Justin Patton.
1/25/20 — Traded a Utah Jazz 2020 second-rounder to the Golden State Warriors for Willie Cauley-Stein.
1/31/20 — Wesley Matthews trade exception ($1,233,152) expired.
2/7/20 — Harrison Barnes trade exception ($9,648,211) expired.
2/11/20 — Waived Ryan Broekhoff.
2/11/20 — Signed Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for the rest of the season at $798,478.

Expired 10-Day Contracts: None

Trade Kickers:

Kristaps Porzingis — five percent

Note: Players can waive their trade bonuses.

No-Trade: None

Free Agents (with Cap Holds)

Bird: Dirk Nowitzki ($9,500,000), Salah Mejri ($1,620,564)
Non-Bird: Devin Harris ($1,620,564)

Unsigned Draft Picks

Second rounders: Stanko Barac (2007-39th)

Non-Guaranteed Salaries

Arena: American Airlines Center

For notes on some of the rules and an explanation of cap holds, please refer to the following Salary Notes.

Salary and team data change quite often. If you notice a discrepancy, please notify Basketball Insiders Senior Writer Eric Pincus.

SpaceFlight Post a Comment

Abundance Insider: August 30th, 2019

In this week’s Abundance Insider: Stratospheric drones, a new space elevator design, and CRISPR-controlled materials for drug delivery.

P.S. Send any tips to our team by clicking here, and send your friends and family to this link to subscribe to Abundance Insider.

P.P.S. Want to learn more about exponential technologies and home in on your MTP/ Moonshot? Abundance Digital, a Singularity University Program, includes 100+ hours of coursework and video archives for entrepreneurs like you. Keep up to date on exponential news and get feedback on your boldest ideas from an experienced, supportive community. Click here to learn more and sign up.

Cambridge scientists reverse aging process in rat brain stem cells.

What it is: A team of researchers at the University of Cambridge’s Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute has discovered a critical component of the extracellular environment’s effect on our brain’s aging process. As a result, they’ve now uncovered a potential mechanism for reversing loss of function in brain stem cells, typically due to stiffening. The researchers first studied the function of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) — a type of stem cell critical for normal brain function and myelin reformation — by placing the OPCs of older mice into the far softer brain tissue of younger animals. Surprisingly, the older cells became rejuvenated, behaving more similarly to younger counterparts. The team then took its research a step further by removing Piezo1, a protein on the cell’s surface that detects whether its environment is soft or stiff. Once Piezo1 was removed, the OPCs were essentially tricked into believing their environment was soft, subsequently resuming normal, healthy function.

Why it’s important: In the near term, this discovery holds extraordinary potential to alleviate the pain of patients with Multiple Sclerosis, who suffer loss of function in both the brain and other parts of the nervous system. More broadly, however, this study demonstrates a key link between extracellular environment and the human aging process, opening new avenues for research and therapeutic applications. A major feat for longevity research, this and similar discoveries make aging research far more relevant to the well-funded study of other diseases, helping spur new funding for our extension of the human healthspan. | Share on Facebook.

Drone Ambitions Soar to the Stratosphere.

What it is: Airbus, Boeing, and SoftBank are now developing stratospheric autonomous drones, capable of flying at (and even above) 60,000 feet. Intended to fly for months without intervention, the drones could deliver imaging and even internet services from above, generating a new market for commercial and military customers. Already, Airbus’s current iteration of its solar-powered Zephyr UAV weighs just 175 pounds yet touts a wingspan of 75 feet. Taking after this lightweight model, the stratospheric drones would be able to recharge batteries during the day to stay aloft at night. While seemingly a competitor to satellite connectivity providers like Starlink, OneWeb or TeleSat, these drones could additionally improve the link between ground and space satellites, according to the European Space Agency. This, in turn, would make upper stratospheric and space efforts far more complementary than competitive.

Why it’s important: According to research firm NSR, high-altitude aircraft (including stratospheric drones, balloons and airships) could generate $1.7 billion in revenue over the next decade. Despite the challenges of building aircraft light enough to fly above 60,000 feet, yet capable of withstanding turbulence at lower altitudes, there are already over 40 development programs currently under way. As both R&D and private sector investment continue on the rise, we will soon bring connectivity to upwards of 4 billion people currently without access to the web— no undersea cables or capital-intensive trenches needed. Last-mile connectivity costs will plunge, and anyone anywhere will be able to leverage the connected globe. | Share on Facebook.

Double’s new telepresence robot now drives you around like you’re a Sim.

What it is: In a new feat for telepresence robotics, Double has announced the third generation of its flagship telecommuting device. The company’s latest model, “Double 3” has vastly improved upon previous hardware, no longer consisting of a scooter-like mount topped with (separately purchased) iPad. Embedding a screen for remote interaction with the robot’s environment, Double 3 is additionally equipped with a suite of cameras and 3D sensors, enabling seamless self-driving and augmented reality integration. No longer needing to manually steer Double around the office, users can simply place a “pin” on their target location and the robot will automatically go there, avoiding all obstacles and people along the way. Further geared with high-resolution Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras, the device grants remote workers anywhere the novel ability to collaborate with colleagues in a hyper-efficient, life-like way.

Why it’s important: In just the past 5 years, the number of employers that allow working from home has grown 40 percent. Yet beyond the benefits of no commute, a recent survey revealed that 86 percent of employees find they are more productive at home than in an office. Yet Double and similar telepresence robots provide teams the best of both worlds, offering the convenience of working from home, while still maintaining the efficiency of spontaneous “water cooler” conversations and in-person meetings. As investment in sensors, AI, and AR surges year-to-year, the cost of producing telepresence hardware will continue to plummet. An indication of the technology’s growing commercialization, Suitable Technologies (Double’s main competitor) was recently acquired by Blue Ocean Robotics, as the company continues deploying its Beam robot. Amplifying the experience of decentralized teams, Double’s latest iteration could permeate a range of industries, from elder care to surveillance to supply chain management. How might your business leverage telepresence robotics in a growing decentralized workforce? | Share on Facebook.

Wildfire science: computer models, drones and laser scanning help fan the flames and prevent widespread devastation.

What it is: Utah University atmospheric scientist Adam Kochanski and a team of researchers are now refining a computer model with new data to predict how fires will spread and what weather events will follow in their wake. Initiating a “prescribed fire” — a controlled fire typically intended for habitat restoration in forest regions — the team used numerous infrared camera-fitted drones, laser scanning, and sensors to collect data while Kochanski tested his predictive model’s forecasts. While generated data is still being processed, the experiment is contributing to ‘coupled fire-atmosphere models,’ which leverage data to determine how wildfires influence local weather conditions, and the interaction of the two. Yet already, Kochanski’s model proved remarkably predictive of the experimental fire’s actual behavior.

Why it’s important: As wildfires grow ever more untamable and regions like the Amazon suffer detrimental losses, high-accuracy predictive models are more vital than ever before. Just in the last 10 decade, wildfires have decimated between 16,000 and 40,000 square kilometers of land in the U.S. each year, resulting in financial losses of US$5 billion. Paired with robust networks of sensors and autonomous drone fleets, computer models that incorporate weather conditions in AI forest fire mapping could help us to stem early fires before they gain momentum, saving forests, lives, and entire habitats. |Share on Facebook.

These researchers want to run a cable from the Earth to the Moon.

What it is: Space elevators have remained a science fiction moonshot since the Space Race of the 1960s. Building them would require cable material far stronger and lighter than any material currently discovered. However, in a newly published paper, researchers from Columbia and Cambridge universities describe Spaceline, a promising cable design made from known materials that could run from the surface of the Moon to geostationary orbit (approximately 36,000 kilometers above ground). Given that the elevator would not attach to Earth’s crust, the design eliminates numerous past engineering challenges, as rockets would only need to reach Spaceline’s endpoint, dock on the elevator, and be pulled to the Lunar surface.

Why it’s important: Rocketing into space (particularly with heavy cargo) is exorbitantly expensive, costing between US$10-20 million per metric ton of weight. Finding alternative methods of exiting the Earth’s atmosphere is therefore crucial for our democratization of space travel and extraplanetary discovery. In success, Spaceline could significantly lower the cost and challenge of modern-day rocket launches, possibly even allowing future researchers to tether orbital telescopes and research institutions between the Earth and Moon. Made far more accessible given its use of existing materials, Spaceline may not only forge a faster path to private space travel, but could enable new space-based research to fundamentally shift the way we understand our universe and our species’ place within it. | Share on Facebook.

Gene Editing Transforms Gel into Shape-Shifting Smart Material.

What it is: We often think of CRISPR in the context of genetically modified organisms or treatment of genetic diseases. Yet a team of researchers led by MIT bioengineer James Collins now has a new application for the gene-editing tool: smart materials that can shape-shift on command. Working with water-filled polymers held together by DNA strands called DNA hydrogels, the team used DNA-snipping enzyme Cas12a to alter the properties of these polymers. Programmed to recognize a specific DNA sequence and cut the targeted strand, Cas12a is now being used to build a number of CRISPR-controlled hydrogels that can change shape or dissolve completely to release a payload. Having demonstrated effectiveness, the team has even designed these hydrogels to release enzymes, drugs and human cells in response to programmed stimuli.

Why it’s important: Smart sensors for targeted drug delivery within the body have long been a hot topic of discussion, poised to revolutionize medicine with personalized and preventive care. Yet this research team’s CRISPR-controlled hydrogels could soon make this vision a practical reality. As expressed by Collins, “We’re in the CRISPR age right now [. ] It’s taken over biology and biotechnology. We’ve shown that it can make inroads into materials and bio-materials.” Enabling constant monitoring of internal conditions, shape-shifting hydrogels and similar CRISPR-controlled materials might one day be capable of surrounding an infection with antibiotics the minute it appears, or releasing cancer drugs as soon as tumors are detected. Fortifying our bodies with an internal line of defense, smart biomaterials are slated to vastly increase the human healthspan, revolutionizing healthcare and the way we treat disease. | Share on Facebook.

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March 3, 2020 SpaceFlight Post a Comment

If you re from Florida or the nearby Southern states and don t want to travel to Vegas, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel – just prepare for a lot of noise and cigarette smoke, Business Insider – Business Insider Malaysia

If you’re from Florida or the nearby Southern states and don’t want to travel to Vegas, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa is a terrific alternative — just prepare for a lot of noise and cigarette smoke

source Alyssa Powell/Business Insider

The recently expanded Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa is an all-in-one entertainment compound with the largest casino in Florida, the Seminole Hard Rock Event Center, the Rock Spa & Salon, three pools, and many food and drink venues.
The hotel has 800 rooms and suites, including 500 that were newly built in 2019. Stay in the West Tower to party like a rock star, or in the new 15-story East Tower for the most updated rooms.
I stayed in a Deluxe King, which starts at $219 but cost me $619 in high season. I loved the modern and expansive space, but as a whole, the venue smelled like cigarette smoke and was loud. This hotel is best for groups or couples who like to party rather than business travelers or those looking for romance.
Read all Business Insider hotel reviews here.

Located just off I-4 on the Tampa Reservation – one of the six governed by the Seminole Tribe of Florida – the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa is a massive compound. Founded on nine acres of land, it sits relatively isolated, with only the Florida State Fairgrounds and its MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre nearby for competition.

But the self-contained complex doesn’t really need any company. It debuted in 2004 but has undergone a glitzy $700 million expansion that was completed in fall 2019. Florida’s biggest gaming site and one of the largest in the nation, the casino alone is nearly 200,000 square feet. And the many milling guests justify all that space.

The new enhancements include a 15-story, 564-room East Tower, which brings the lodgings to a total of 800 rooms and suites, as well as a 25,000 square-foot Rock Spa & Salon, and a 30,000 square-foot Seminole Hard Rock Event Center. Six shops and a 200-seat Italian restaurant, gelateria/coffee shop, and wine cellar were also added, as well as three enticing pools and a 120-seat pool bar and grill. Finally, 600 parking spots were tacked onto the 6,000 that already await wheels.

I decided to go and check out all these numbers – and play a few of my own, because I’m something of a blackjack addict. I booked a standard Deluxe King in the East Tower, which typically starts at $269 and drops to $219 in the summer. On coveted peak nights, these standard rooms run between $599 (West Tower) to $619 (East Tower). And that’s without the upgraded pool view.

Being a Florida resident and signing up for a Wild Card can help reduce costs as well. But even though I live in Miami and registered for the account, I wound up shelling out, with taxes and fees, $685.85 for a room overlooking the parking lot. Next time I’ll know to upgrade to the Luxury King Suite in the West Tower, which ranges from $499-849 and includes a bathtub with jets, floor-to-ceiling windows, and contemporary, custom-crafted furniture that likely feels more worth the inflated price.

Keep reading to see why I was so impressed by the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa.

source Business Insider

caption The valet lanes are well-managed and efficient. source Jen Karetnick/Business Insider

Pulling into the multiple-lane valet parking system was like coming in for a landing at an executive airport. Uniformed team members directed traffic so efficiently I was out of the car and heading to the lobby within seconds. The valet costs $25 per day with unlimited re-entry. I was told it takes three to five minutes to retrieve the car, but the actuality was more like 13-15 minutes, especially during busy dinner hours, so plan accordingly. I was almost late to an event because of this optimistic information.

More than anything, this campus resembled an upscale mini-mall, with a large parking garage, modest signage, and several connected structures to greet you.

caption Elvis Presley’s gold piano greets guests in the lobby. source Jen Karetnick/Business Insider

Inside, the polished marble floors and gold-hued light fixtures hung from recessed ceilings and added to that initial mall impression.

Entering the lobby, I was charmed by the brilliantine of Elvis Presley’s gold piano, but less so by the clanging and trilling of more than 4,000 slot machines and the unmistakable haze of cigarette smoke. It’s easy to forget, in our everyday clean-air cocoons, that public smoking is still allowed in casinos. And to get to reception, your room, and every amenity, you have to skirt or cross the smoky casino floor.

That said, you don’t go to a Hard Rock property if you’re not prepared to tolerate other people’s habits. Along with tons of rock-and-roll memorabilia, retail shops offering branded merchandise, and framed gold records everywhere, expect to observe drunken debauchery and public displays of affection from fellow guests. In the end, just like the games and live music acts that were performing in the various bars, I considered it all entertainment. What can I say? I’m a creative writer: I adore a good scene.

caption Lady Gaga’s costume stands guard at check in. source Jen Karetnick/Business Insider

Checking in was a Tampa Bay breeze. Velvet ropes anchored by electric guitar “poles” were there to keep crowds organized. I arrived on a Saturday night at 5 p.m., but didn’t encounter anyone other than a mannequin wearing a Lady Gaga costume.

After giving my card to one of the numerous, polite clerks for the requisite $100 security deposit, and receiving instructions for the free Wi-Fi, I was on my way.

caption To get to the hotel, you have to skirt the casino. source Jen Karetnick/Business Insider

I walked the carpet along the edge of the casino to the elevators, which are guarded by security to prevent non-guests from entering. The elevators also smelled like smoke, as did the hallways, even if you’ve booked a non-smoking room. I found it more pleasurable to focus on the souvenirs left by the likes of Nicki Minaj.

source Business Insider

caption Rock-and-roll memorabilia is everywhere, including this costume from Nicki Minaj. source Jen Karetnick/Business Insider

Fortunately, when I reached my room, I found it shut out smoke, noise, and every other unwanted intrusion as effectively as an angry spouse.

I booked a Deluxe King in the new East Tower. Because it was a Saturday night in high season, it cost $619 without tax. On other days of the week, however, this room and the Deluxe Queen, which has two beds, start at $269 in high season. In the low season, it goes down to $219.

I found the Deluxe King and Double Queen, at 400-square-feet, to be expansive enough for two people without feeling crowded. I liked the generous bed, contemporary corner seating arrangement that was ideal for room service, and the 55-inch television mounted above a dresser topped with ice bucket, glasses, and drinks menu.

caption The Deluxe King Room is 400-square-feet of contemporary decor. source Jen Karetnick/Business Insider

I found the “Sleep Like a Rock” Egyptian cotton bedding to be comfortable as well as clever, embroidered with little guitars on the pillowcases. I also appreciated the variety of charging cords and connections offered on the night table.

A smart fridge with “quick cool” and “snooze” options was handy for storing leftovers from Council Oak Steaks & Seafood or Cispresso, and was found under the room’s Keurig coffee maker.

caption The spacious closet includes a safe that is disguised as a dresser drawer. source Jen Karetnick/Business Insider

In the closet, a safe pulled out like a drawer and opened from the top, which was very convenient and easy to use. The closet itself was spacious and contained an ironing board, an iron, and robes.

caption The double sinks and steam shower have a stacked-stone backsplash in fashionable white and gray hues. source Jen Karetnick/Business Insider

The bathroom was also roomy, with double sinks and a generous seat in the shower. The toilet had a separate room, and the whole area was tastefully done in tones of white and gray with stacked stone backsplashes.

I thoroughly enjoyed the walk-in steam shower, which had both a European handheld showerhead and a regular shower function, with a simple hot-cold dial that did not take an engineering degree to figure out.

I also admired how the Sweetgrass toiletries were attractively wrapped in a washcloth, and the Gilchrist and Soames soap propped on a fanned towel. The only problem, aside from the single-use plastics, was that the water puddled over the lip of the shower, requiring an extra towel along with the bathmat to soak it up.

caption The single-use plastic toiletries are cleverly wrapped up in washcloths and hand towels. source Jen Karetnick/Business Insider

Overall, the room was discriminatingly decorated in modern lines. Filled with light from windows that were covered by gauzy curtains (and blackout blinds at night), it was also an oasis of quiet and clean air that facilitated quality sleep. Oddly, though, the view of the parking lot was jarring.

A similar room in the West Tower would have cost $599. In summer months, prices fall on weekends in both towers for Deluxe rooms to $419. It makes just as much sense to book a Luxury Spa or King Suite in the West Tower, which ranges from $499-849, depending on day and season, as it includes a bathtub, a wall of windows, and customized clusters of furniture. For higher-end suites, which are fewer in number and have more specialized amenities and features, you have to call for price and availability.

If I were to come back, I’d book a Luxury Suite for the same money or spring for the Deluxe pool view.

source Business Insider

caption Prepare for drunken scenes and PDA at any of the half-dozen bars, especially on a weekend evening. source Jen Karetnick/Business Insider

The 200,000-square-foot casino, which was crowded at all times of the day and night, was easily the biggest draw. Although it doesn’t technically have roulette and craps, it offers computerized versions of those games, as well as 4,000 slot machines and 138 table games. A non-smoking casino on level two is also available.

Within the casino complex, you can listen to live music or watch sports at the half-dozen bars and lounges. These handle overflow from the restaurants at night – you do need reservations if you want to dine at prime hours – and are also quite busy.

I eventually grabbed a drink at the Center Bar, which had 12 televisions broadcasting everything from motocross to music videos, while I waited for a last-minute reservation at Council Oak Steaks & Seafood. While I was there, security was called to intervene in a drunken incident.

caption Council Oak Steaks and Seafood offers an expensive but delicious dining experience. source Jen Karetnick/Business Insider

On the way to Council Oak, the popular albeit pricey steak house, I witnessed more guests being less than their stellar best. One who was being carried by friends, another was drunkenly sobbing, a third was belligerent.

Once in the steakhouse, over a tasty meal of medium-rare rib-eye, baked potato, and creamed spinach, another table had trouble controlling a near passed-out member of their party. This is certainly a venue where guests overindulge. Next time, I’d come on a weekday, when folks likely keep it more together.

If you’re on-site for several nights in a row, you can also try Cispresso, the new high-end Italian restaurant, or go with the more casual, tried-and-true Hard Rock Café.

caption Constant Grind, a casual venue, offers gourmet coffees, pastries, and ice cream. source Jen Karetnick/Business Insider

Other dining choices run the gamut from The Rez Grill and Fresh Harvest Buffet to Rock ‘N Raw and Jubao Palace Noodle Bar. I enjoyed gelato for dessert from Constant Grind, another new addition.

For breakfast, Rise Kitchen & Deli is popular, but the smoke from the casino drifted into the open eating area. I took my made-to-order mocha latte out to the pools to avoid it.

caption The trio of pools is a welcome refuge. source Jen Karetnick/Business Insider

The three pools, a cabana area, and a Pool Bar & Grill, are also part of the recent expansions.

Located on the second floor, they are adjacent to the eerily quiet Rock Spa & Salon and the Body Rock gym, complete with weight machines, free weights, treadmills, and other cardio equipment – everything but people. I wandered around the spa, gym, and salon, all of which were lovely and tastefully done, before making my way out to the pools. The echoing interiors were a stark contrast to the can’t-hear-myself-think casino.

The pools, too, were mostly unoccupied, an advantage for those like me who appreciate solitude. I’m not sure if the majority of people who visit this venue are locals who don’t need to soak up the sun as much as others, or if the pool area was too new to be a serious draw. But it was unusually quiet on this particular, amazingly beautiful Sunday.

Should it become busy, however, guests will have to arrive early to find a lounge chair. There didn’t seem to be that many. Other options include renting a cabana, which ranges from $150 to $700.

caption If lounge chairs aren’t available, or you prefer privacy, rent a cabana. source Jen Karetnick/Business Insider

The Pool Bar & Grill was on-hand to serve frozen drinks in pouches as well as one of the biggest club sandwiches I could ever hope to attempt.

If or when the interior overwhelms you, the pool and spa area is your escape hatch.

caption The ritzy Seminole Hard Rock Event Center is a performance and conference space as well as a venue for poker tournaments. source Jen Karetnick/Business Insider

Opposite the Rock Spa & Salon, framing the other side of the pools, the 30,000 square-foot Seminole Hard Rock Event Center hosts concerts, trade shows, conventions, and meeting space, with a full model of the entire complex.

The walls were covered with renderings of various artists and gold records. When a convention is in the building, or a poker tournament or concert is taking place, I’d imagine the pool area becomes quite crowded.

Not much is located in the immediate neighborhood. Next door, the Florida State Fairgrounds and the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre also offer events that complement or compete with the Seminole Hard Rock Event Center, depending on how you look at it.

Otherwise, the nearest entertainment is Ybor City, a National Historic Landmark District only seven miles away. Once there, you can learn about cigars and dominos, shop boutiques, and dine on Spanish cuisine (don’t neglect the Cuban sandwich!) at the historic Columbia Restaurant, open since 1905.

For larger attractions that may require just a little more drive time, head to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, the Florida Aquarium, the Glazer Children’s Museum, the Museum of Science & Industry, and ZooTampa at Lowry Park.

Check flight prices to Tampa on Expedia

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa is ranked 45 out of 173 on Trip Advisor with a four out of five-star rating. Hotels.com rates it 8.2 out of 10, and Booking.com says the hotel is an 8.5 out of 10.

Past guests loved the large room sizes, upscale restaurants, casino offering, and other activities. Most agree that there’s always something to do at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa. They also liked the modern decor in rooms with “amazing” showers. Almost everyone agreed that the pools are beautiful even if they didn’t get to use them.

However, many guests complained about the smoke, calling the air in the casino and hallways “unbreathable.” A few had issues with air-conditioning and plumbing fixtures. Several didn’t think it was worth the elevated price at busier times.

Read reviews, compare prices, and book the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa on Trip Advisor

Who stays here: People who like to party, and party hard. Couples, bachelor and bachelorette parties make up many of the revelers, but I also saw families with small children that appreciated the suites and pools.

We like: The rock-and-roll memorabilia, the gorgeous pool and spa area, and the professional and friendly staff.

We love (don’t miss this feature!): The on-site concerts are a fabulous option, and if you like to gamble, as I do, this is the biggest casino in Florida. There’s also a no-smoking casino on the second level.

We think you should know: As mentioned, the cigarette smoke can be overwhelming. My hair, clothing, and luggage all smelled afterward. And if you’re offended by loud partiers and drinkers, book elsewhere.

We’d do this differently next time: I’d book a suite in the older West Tower for the same money that I spent on a newer room in the East Tower with more features. I’d also stay during the week for a few days as opposed to one day over the weekend, to hopefully experience a calmer crowd.

If you’re from Florida or the nearby Southern states and don’t want to travel to Vegas, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa is a terrific alternative. Although the roulette and craps are computerized, the casino offers blackjack and poker, and the slots machines are hypnotic. While room rates surge on weekends, they’re more moderate on weeknights, so it averages out. I was only in town for one night and love to gamble, so I didn’t mind building up some credibility on my Wild Card with an expensive room.

With its 2019, $700 million expansion, the hotel’s facilities definitely increase the allure. The high-end restaurants and casual cafes offer fare that’s high-quality enough to keep you on campus. On-site entertainment, a luxurious salon and spa, and three pretty pools with private cabanas also make it easy to linger.

The cigarette smoke, however, is a big problem. It’s clear that management has tried to address it with the alternative, smoke-free casino. But like the rowdy crowds, there’s simply no escaping it.

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Spaceflight Insider

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March 2, 2020 SpaceFlight Post a Comment

The Space Between: On Being an Insider-Outsider in Qualitative Research – Sonya Corbin Dwyer, Jennifer L

The Space Between: On Being an Insider-Outsider in Qualitative Research

Article Information

Abstract

Should qualitative researchers be members of the population they are studying, or should they not? Although this issue has been explored within the context of qualitative research, it has generally been reserved for discussions of observation, field research, and ethnography. The authors expand that discussion and explore membership roles by illustrating the insider status of one author and the outsider status of the other when conducting research with specific parent groups. The strengths and challenges of conducting qualitative research from each membership status are examined. Rather than consider this issue from a dichotomous perspective, the authors explore the notion of the space between that allows researchers to occupy the position of both insider and outsider rather than insider or outsider.

Introduction

The qualitative researcher’s perspective is perhaps a paradoxical one: it is to be acutely tuned-in to the experiences and meaning systems of others—to indwell—and at the same time to be aware of how one’s own biases and preconceptions may be influencing what one is trying to understand. (Maykut & Morehouse, 1994, p. 123)

Much of the discussion of researchers’ membership roles in qualitative research is in the areas of observation, field research, and ethnography. This discussion requires expansion to other qualitative methods. The issue of researcher membership in the group or area being studied is relevant to all approaches of qualitative methodology as the researcher plays such a direct and intimate role in both data collection and analysis. Whether the researcher is an insider, sharing the characteristic, role, or experience under study with the participants, or an outsider to the commonality shared by participants, the personhood of the researcher, including her or his membership status in relation to those participating in the research, is an essential and ever-present aspect of the investigation.

The impact of insider epistemology has been considered by qualitative researchers who are insiders to the population of study and by those who are outsiders. In examining staff development research, Asselin (2003) has suggested that it is best for the insider researcher to gather data with her or his “eyes open” but assuming that she or he knows nothing about the phenomenon being studied. She pointed out that although the researcher might be part of the culture under study, he or she might not understand the subculture, which points to the need for bracketing assumptions. Rose (1985) concurred, “There is no neutrality. There is only greater or less awareness of one’s biases. And if you do not appreciate the force of what you’re leaving out, you are not fully in command of what you’re doing” (p. 77).

Adler and Adler (1987) identified three “membership roles” of qualitative researchers engaged in observational methods: (a) peripheral member researchers, who do not participate in the core activities of group members; (b) active member researchers, who become involved with the central activities of the group without fully committing themselves to the members’ values and goals; and (c) complete member researchers, who are already members of the group or who become fully affiliated during the course of the research.

A critique of researchers’ roles has developed “in response to a greater consciousness of situational identities and to the perception of relative power” (Angrosino, 2005, p. 734). Postmodernism emphasizes the importance of understanding the researcher’s context (gender, class, ethnicity, etc.) as part of narrative interpretation (Angrosino, 2005). By extension, researchers are increasingly making known their membership identity in the communities they study.

In this paper we describe our experiences as qualitative researchers. After much time as an outsider researcher, Sonya became an insider researcher when she first decided to conduct research with other White parents of children adopted from Asia. This fact is revealed in all of her recruitment advertisements. Jennifer is an outsider researcher with respect to her research with bereaved parents. Although she considered this fact before engaging in her research with this group, she became much more aware of her status as an outsider researcher when she was asked pointedly by some of her participants whether she belonged to their group.

Being an Insider

David Kirk (1984) is the author of Shared Fate: A Theory and Method of Adoptive Relationships. Inside the front cover of this revised edition, it is stated:

Shared Fate has become a classic. When it appeared in 1964 it sent a shock wave through the adoption mystique … by showing that “difference” could serve the adoptive family as an asset … This discovery derived from ten years of meticulous research involving some 2,000 adoptive families in Canada and the United States.

A colleague of mine who studied with Kirk lent me a copy of the 1984 edition. I perused the book, reading some sections closely, and was quite intrigued by what it had to offer on the topic of relationships between adoptive parents and their children. Then I got to the postscript written in 1983. When I read it, it made me go back and read the sections again because of the information I learned about the author.

As the preface to this new edition has noted, Shared Fate was originally written in the impersonal style then expected of social science monographs. As a result, a number of events that happened in my personal life and the life in my family were camouflaged and made anonymous. Today, two decades later, I am at liberty to speak more personally. (p. 175)

Kirk (1984) went on to describe bringing his daughter home when she was 4 months old after she had been living in foster care. I was struck by how affected I was by this knowledge that Kirk created his own family through adoption. Did I feel it gave him more credibility? Did I feel that he “got” the adoptive parent-child relationship beyond what he found out from his research participants? Did I feel he was more sympathetic towards the adoptive parent-child relationship instead of trying to look for the negative aspects? Did I feel that he was one of “us”? I think the answer was yes to all of these questions, but the most important thing I discovered was that the fact that he is an adoptive father mattered to me as an adoptive mother. Obviously I had read the book not only in my role as an academic and researcher but also in my role as a mother.

In my research with White parents of Asian children, I develop knowledge that not only will enhance understanding of the experience but also will assist me personally and help my children as it could help me become a better parent. However, when I was conducting my data analysis, I found myself writing both “we” and “us,” and “they” and “them.” Sometimes I wrote myself into my research, and other times I did not. On further reflection, I realized I sometimes shared experiences, opinions, and perspectives with my participants, and at other times I did not. It is not that I sometimes saw myself as an outsider instead of an insider. Rather, not all populations are homogeneous, so differences are to be expected.

In grant applications I state that I belong to the community in which I hope to conduct the study as it is important for qualitative researchers to situate themselves in the research (Ely, Anzul, Friedman, Garner, & Steinmetz, 1991). I leave it up to the reader to decide if my insider status would improve or impede my ability to carry out the study. I think it helps me although I do not explicitly discuss how.

As a qualitative researcher I do not think being an insider makes me a better or worse researcher; it just makes me a different type of researcher. Perhaps because of my background in counseling, I have always engaged in much self-reflection, and I continue to do so in my research (as this paper demonstrates). Perhaps, at least for me, being an insider limits the type of research in which I would engage. The whole concept of insider researcher struck me when, after talking to Jennifer about her research, with my eyes filling up with tears each time, I asked her if she thought she would be able to do her research if she was a parent. Because of my strong emotional response, I felt that I would not be able to engage in talking to these parents about their experiences of losing a child. Perhaps the issue of being an insider or outsider conducting research with parents has to do with the emotional aspect of parenting. Parenting is pervasive, affecting (almost) every decision I make. I do realize and enjoy the privilege of conducting research on adoptive parenting, a topic that is so personal and important for me.

Being an outsider

The issue of the researcher as an outsider or an insider to the group studied is an important one that has received increasing exploration by social scientists, often because they find themselves studying a group to which they are not a member. In the case of my research with bereaved mothers and fathers, I have not experienced the death of a child. The majority of the participants in my research do not seem to perceive this as an impediment to the research process. Two bereaved fathers, however, did express concern about my outsider status and questioned my capacity to appreciate their experience. The first father stated,

Because I know where you’re sitting that you’re interviewing from the glass house, cause when I said, “Has she ever had a personal loss, like a sibling?” and they [organization staff] said, “Well, not that we’re aware of.” And I said, “That’s fine, it doesn’t bother me, but, it’s different if you’re a member of the club.” And I never want you to be a member of the club, don’t get me wrong, but you talk differently to people who have lost somebody.

The second father, who seemed to have a similar concern, stated,

So, you don’t understand, if your boyfriend leaves you, you are going to have a broken heart, right? You lose a child it’s like ripping the total insides out of you. Absolutely everything is gone.

In both cases I acknowledged that I was not a bereaved parent, as I did in each interview, and could not claim to “understand” the experience of losing a child but that it was my hope to learn from them and their experience so that I and others might gain insight into their loss and its impact. It was also my impression that the second comment might have been a reaction to my age and gender (with the “boyfriend” example) and from that maybe an assumption of lack of life experience. Nevertheless, this concern by these two fathers did not appear to impede unduly either interview. Each was handled with honesty and openness, and I noted the same in their reaction. Both interviews proceeded, and much meaningful information was shared. In the end, both fathers were very positive about the process in their feedback.

Although my membership status in relation to the participants did not seem to affect the interviews negatively, it raised an important point that must be considered in all research endeavors with participants who identify with a group based on shared experience, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, race, and so on. This issue confronts both researchers who are members of the group they are studying and those who are not, for there are costs and benefits to each status.

Insider or outsider: To be or not to be

There appear to be as many arguments for outsider research as against, with the same issues able to be raised in support of outsider research, as against it. (Serrant-Green, 2002, p. 38)

For each of the ways that being an insider researcher enhances the depth and breadth of understanding a population that may not be accessible to a nonnative scientist, questions about objectivity, reflexivity, and authenticity of a research project are raised because perhaps one knows too much or is too close to the project and may be too similar to those being studied. (Kanuha, 2000, p. 444)

Insider research refers to when researchers conduct research with populations of which they are also members (Kanuha, 2000) so that the researcher shares an identity, language, and experiential base with the study participants (Asselin, 2003). The complete membership role gives researchers a certain amount of legitimacy and/or stigma (Adler & Adler, 1987). This insider role status frequently allows researchers more rapid and more complete acceptance by their participants. Therefore, participants are typically more open with researchers so that there may be a greater depth to the data gathered. Talbot (1998–99) noted this phenomenon in her study of mothers who had experienced the death of an only child. She wrote, “At the end of their interviews, several mothers said they would never have shared certain aspects of their experience if I had not been a bereaved mother also” (Talbot, 1998–99, p. 172). The stigma refers to the view of outsiders, who might see this role as creating a heightened level of researcher subjectivity that might be detrimental to data analysis and even collection. Adler and Adler asserted that the distinction between researcher and participant has “traditionally existed more strongly in theory than in practice” and that “objectification of the self has occurred in the analysis rather than the fieldwork” (p. 85).

Although emphasis on “objective” data has been replaced with focusing on the advantages of subjective aspects of the research process (Adler, 1990), being an insider is not without its potential problems. In Adler and Adler’s (1987) discussion of complete member researchers, they suggest that in this “ultimate existential dual role” (p. 73), researchers might struggle with role conflict if they find themselves caught between “loyalty tugs” and “behavioral claims” (Brannick & Coghlan, 2007, p. 70). Asselin (2003) has pointed out that the dual role can also result in role confusion when the researcher responds to the participants or analyses the data from a perspective other than that of researcher. She observed that role confusion can occur in any research study but noted that there is a higher risk when the researcher is familiar with the research setting or participants through a role other than that of researcher.

The benefit to being a member of the group one is studying is acceptance. One’s membership automatically provides a level of trust and openness in your participants that would likely not have been present otherwise. One has a starting point (the commonality) that affords access into groups that might otherwise be closed to “outsiders.” Participants might be more willing to share their experiences because there is an assumption of understanding and an assumption of shared distinctiveness; it is as if they feel, “You are one of us and it is us versus them (those on the outside who don’t understand).”

Although this shared status can be very beneficial as it affords access, entry, and a common ground from which to begin the research, it has the potential to impede the research process as it progresses. It is possible that the participant will make assumptions of similarity and therefore fail to explain their individual experience fully. It is also possible that the researcher’s perceptions might be clouded by his or her personal experience and that as a member of the group he or she will have difficulty separating it from that of the participants. This might result in an interview that is shaped and guided by the core aspects of the researcher’s experience and not the participant’s. Furthermore, its undue influence might affect the analysis, leading to an emphasis on shared factors between the researcher and the participants and a de-emphasis on factors that are discrepant, or vice versa.

These very issues were addressed by Watson (1999) and Armstrong (2001). In both instances, the researcher was a member of the group studied. First, Watson, a qualitative researcher, conducted a study of the subjective experiences of qualitative researchers. She commented that, despite the commonality, she had difficulty gaining access to qualitative research participants. Had she been a researcher with a positivistic, quantitative bent, her access to the qualitative researchers she required would likely have been dramatically reduced if not denied. Her membership in the group she was studying likely provided a level of safety and comfort for the participants she solicited. Likewise, Armstrong is also a member of the group that she studied. Her participants were women who left heterosexuality at midlife. Again, access to these individuals would likely have been problematic, if not impossible, had she not been a member of the group she was researching.

Despite this important benefit of being a member of the group studied, there are also drawbacks that both Watson (1999) and Armstrong (2001) acknowledged. Watson addressed this issue in relation to her interpretation of the text and analysis. She stated, “I still remain unclear whether this is my interpretation of an actual phenomenon, or if I am projecting my own need … onto my participants.” (p. 98). Armstrong also addressed her concern about being a member of the group studied when she commented on the possible impact that her insider status may have had on the interviews. She stated, “At the same time, my empathy and enthusiasm for a subject dear to my own heart may have kept them from considering certain aspects of their experience.” (p. 243).

As is clear, there are costs and benefits to be weighed regarding the insider versus outsider status of the researcher. Being an insider might raise issues of undue influence of the researcher’s perspective, but being an outsider does not create immunity to the influence of personal perspective. Furthermore, although there might be caveats to being a member of the group studied, for many access to the group would not be possible if the researcher was not a member of that group. The positive and negative elements of each must therefore be carefully assessed.

Being a member of the group under investigation does not unduly influence the process in a negative way. Disciplined bracketing and detailed reflection on the subjective research process, with a close awareness of one’s own personal biases and perspectives, might well reduce the potential concerns associated with insider membership. Furthermore, one does not have to be a member of the group being studied to appreciate and adequately represent the experience of the participants. Instead, we posit that the core ingredient is not insider or outsider status but an ability to be open, authentic, honest, deeply interested in the experience of one’s research participants, and committed to accurately and adequately representing their experience.

This approach is similar to that of Fay (1996), who addressed the question, “Do you have to be one to know one?” (p. 9). He stated that being a member of the group being studied is neither necessary nor sufficient to being able to “know” the experience of that group. He explained, “Knowing an experience requires more than simply having it; knowing implies being able to identify, describe, and explain.” (p. 20). Furthermore, he posited that sometimes not being a member of the group can facilitate the knowing of the group and outlined four reasons to support this view. First, individuals are often so enmeshed in their own experience that the adequate distance required to know their experience is not available; therefore, someone from the outside might more adequately conceptualize the experience. Second, people are full of overlapping, confusing, ambivalent, mixed, and sometimes contradictory goals, motives, desires, thoughts, and feelings. Because of these features of the human experience, another might sometimes be able to see through the complexity in ways the individual cannot. Third, often others external to the experience might be able to appreciate the wider perspective, with its connections, causal patterns, and influences, than one also internal to the experience. Finally, Fay proposed that we hide ourselves from ourselves out of fear, self-protection, and guilt, from which it might be extremely difficult to disentangle. It might be those external to the experience that more clearly see what is occurring and can override the self-deception. From this discussion, it is clear that there are both positive and negative aspects of insider and outsider status. A prudent researcher must be aware of these aspects in relation to his or her particular status to the group under study.

Furthermore, engaging in research from a feminist perspective also means not intentionally drawing boundaries between those doing the research and those being researched, although each person has a different relationship to the work being done (Lloyd, Ennis, & Alkinson, 1994). This issue has been indirectly explored using the terms rapport and friendship when referring to the relationship between qualitative researchers and participants. Researchers have been warned about overidentification, over-rapport, and “going native” (Glesne, 1999). Although relevant to the broader issue, the focus of this paper is not researchers’ relationship(s) with individual participants but researchers’ identification with the participant population.

There are multiple kinds of relationships that might enter into qualitative research; therefore, it is important to not hide behind the mask of rapport or the wall of professional distancing (Glesne, 1999). As qualitative researchers we must be fully authentic in our interactions with our participants and “honour the consequences of acting with genuineness” (p. 105), highlighting the necessity of remaining reflexive. Adler and Adler (1987) identified three membership roles, but perhaps there are more.

The space between

The notion of the space between challenges the dichotomy of insider versus outsider status. To present these concepts in a dualistic manner is overly simplistic. It is restrictive to lock into a notion that emphasizes either/or, one or the other, you are in or you are out. Rather, a dialectical approach allows the preservation of the complexity of similarities and differences. “In a dialectical approach, differences are not conceived as absolute, and consequently the relation between them is not one of utter antagonism” (Fay, 1996, p. 224). Although a researcher’s knowledge is always based on his or her positionality (Mullings, 1999), as qualitative researchers we have an appreciation for the fluidity and multilayered complexity of human experience. Holding membership in a group does not denote complete sameness within that group. Likewise, not being a member of a group does not denote complete difference. It seems paradoxical, then, that we would endorse binary alternatives that unduly narrow the range of understanding and experience.

To be considered the same or different requires reference to another person or group. Fay (1996) noted that each requires the other: “There is no self-understanding without other-understanding” (p. 241). Accepting this notion requires that noting the ways in which we are different from others requires that we also note the ways in which we are similar. This is the origin of the space between. It is this foundation that allows the position of both insider and outsider.

As Adler and Adler (1994) have pointed out, prior to postmodernism, complete member researchers were to avoid using their insider status so as not to “unnaturally” alter the interaction between the researcher and participants. In Adler and Adler’s (1987) discussion of complete member researchers, they described researchers having to accept a new role: becoming immersed in their membership roles or becoming immersed in their researcher roles (if they already belong to the group with whom they want to research). Conducting her research from an insider position, Kanuha (2000) became aware of and started to understand tensions inherent in conducting research “within the cultural context of one’s own people” so that she wanted to expand the definitions of the “researcher-researched relationship” (p. 444) and develop “strategies for researching at the hyphen of insider-outsider” (p. 443).

Drawing on Aoki’s (1996) work, insider and outsider are understood as a binary of two separate preexisting entities, which can be bridged or brought together to conjoin with a hyphen. This hyphen can be viewed not as a path but as a dwelling place for people. This hyphen acts as a third space, a space between, a space of paradox, ambiguity, and ambivalence, as well as conjunction and disjunction. Hall (1990) stated that “identities are the names we give to the different ways we are positioned by, and position ourselves within” (p. 223). Our position as qualitative researchers is from the standpoint of being “with” our participants. The “with” is in “relation to” our participants and can suggest a tensioned space. Sonya found herself writing both “we” and “us,” and “they” and “them” during data analysis. It is not that she sometimes saw herself as an outsider instead of an insider; rather, it acknowledges that not all experiences can be shared by everyone in any given population. Jennifer, on the other hand, always wrote “they” and “them,” “the parents” and “the mothers and fathers,” both to respectfully acknowledge her outsider status in relation to the participants’ insider status and to avoid leaving the impression of fully understanding or speaking from the experience of surviving the death of a child. Having said this, however, there certainly was content and experiences shared by participants in her research that she could relate to at a deep, personal level. As a human being faced with mortality, can one ever truly be an outsider when researching death, dying, loss, and grieving?

There are complexities inherent in occupying the space between. Perhaps, as researchers we can only ever occupy the space between. We may be closer to the insider position or closer to the outsider position, but because our perspective is shaped by our position as a researcher (which includes having read much literature on the research topic), we cannot fully occupy one or the other of those positions. Parenting is a developmental, dynamic process. Who one is as a parent and how one parents changes over time.

The parent Sonya was at the beginning of her research is not the parent she is today. Her experiences with her children, her interactions with her research participants (that is, conducting the study), and the knowledge gained from other research, which is not readily accessible to people outside of academia (including reading the literature and attending academic conferences), continues to inform her parenting approach. This might partially explain why she shared opinions with certain participants and not others. Sonya, on the other hand, continues to see herself as a parent first, then as an adoptive parent, and finally as a researcher, which, depending on one’s perspective, seems to place her in the space between.

For Jennifer, although an outsider to the bereaved parent status, she, like all of us, cannot be a true outsider to the experience of loss. Although she could not directly relate to the full experience of bereaved parents, she could certainly relate to the pain of the death of a loved one. Further, her access to the literature on parenting, bereavement, and the impact of the death of a child put her in a position that no longer could be truly considered outsider. It is her experience that she occupies the space between. Occupying this space between the two perspectives affords her a deeper knowledge of the experience she studies (although not complete understanding). The impact of occupying this third space extends beyond her role as a researcher. She is more acutely aware of the potential for loss. The consequences of this awareness are manifested in a deeper appreciation of the present moment and shape decisions regarding priorities. The downside of occupying this third space is a heightened sense of vulnerability.

The process of qualitative research is very different from that of quantitative research. As qualitative researchers we are not separate from the study, with limited contact with our participants. Instead, we are firmly in all aspects of the research process and essential to it. The stories of participants are immediate and real to us; individual voices are not lost in a pool of numbers. We carry these individuals with us as we work with the transcripts. The words, representing experiences, are clear and lasting. We cannot retreat to a distant “researcher” role. Just as our personhood affects the analysis, so, too, the analysis affects our personhood. Within this circle of impact is the space between. The intimacy of qualitative research no longer allows us to remain true outsiders to the experience under study and, because of our role as researchers, it does not qualify us as complete insiders. We now occupy the space between, with the costs and benefits this status affords.

As Sidebotham (2003) reflected, his personal and professional roles added to his research, and through his research he learned what he might never have through his personal and professional experience. Serrant-Green (2002) also emphasized the contradictions of being a researcher working in her own community. She pointed out that qualitative researchers share many tensions, but certain issues are magnified or different for researchers who are of ethnic (and we would add racial) minorities. She also notes that historically professionals working within their own communities have been accused of bias in their approach to their work. The same suggestions have not been made toward White professionals working with White populations, nor of White professionals working with racial and ethnic minority populations. Therefore, it is the perception of the researcher’s social position relative to the participant group from the point of view of the observed as well as the observer that can raise objections or concerns (Serrant-Green, 2002). The tidy categories and clarity about the effects rarely hold. It is important to embrace “broader ways of knowing and ways of being to understand peoples, cultures, and practices so different from and increasingly so similar to who we are” (Kanuha, 2000, p. 445–446).

Many feminist researchers have advocated for a participatory model (Reinharz, 1983, cited in Cotterill, 1992) that aims to produce “non-hierarchical, non-manipulative research relationships which have the potential to over-come the separation between the researcher and the researched” (p. 594). To make interviewing an interactive experience, researchers are invited to bring their personal role into the research relationship by answering participants’ questions, sharing knowledge and experience, and giving support when asked (Oakley, 1981, cited in Cotterill, 1992). One does not need to be either an insider or an outsider to do this.

In her discussion on positioning the researcher, Acker (2000) questioned when we know we are inside or outside or somewhere in between (¶ 1). She concluded that the insider-outsider question cannot be fully resolved and that perhaps it is necessary not to bring this issue to a close but to find a way to work creatively within the tensions created by the debate. She suggested that we follow the lead of other researchers and attempt to find a way to be both.

A theme throughout human history is our powerful and persistent tendency to frame complex issues as a struggle between two opposing sides (Gould, 2003). Surely the time has come to abandon these constructed dichotomies and embrace and explore the complexity and richness of the space between entrenched perspectives. As qualitative researchers we are uniquely equipped for the challenge.

March 1, 2020 SpaceFlight Post a Comment

An asteroid half the size of Mount Everest is set to fly past Earth in April – but it s not going to end the planet, Business Insider India

An asteroid half the size of Mount Everest is set to fly past Earth in April — but it’s not going to end the planet

Asteroid 52768 (1998 OR) will make its close approach to Earth on April 29.
It will be sixteen times farther from Earth than the Moon, as it makes its approach.
Asteroid 52786 is over four kilometres wide, and by far, the biggest asteroid to fly past Earth this year.

The biggest asteroid of the year — half the size of Mount Everest — is set to zip past the planet in April. Over four kilometres wide, Asteroid 527 (1998 OR2) has been classified as a ‘ potentially hazardous object ’ by the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).

Bigger than most average asteroids, normally a few feet in size, the asteroid does not pose a threat. According to planetary scientist James O’Donoghue, the asteroid will be over sixteen times farther from Earth than the Moon as it makes its approach.

Hey Earth, about that asteroid in the news, 52768(1998 OR2), it will pass by Earth at a distance over SIXTEEN times… https://t.co/AT0HnD5PFa

In fact, the asteroid will be so far away from Earth that it won’t be visible to the naked eye. You’ll need binoculars and a clear sky to hope to catch a glimpse of the asteroid as it streaks through space.

What are the chances of an asteroid hitting Earth ?
Asteroid 52768 is over four kilometres wide — any asteroid that spans more than a kilometre in diameter can’t be compared to any human-made weapon. If it were to hit Earth, it might not destroy all life on Earth but the resulting impact would be 10 times worse than the damage from Hiroshima.

If it were to hit land, the asteroid would throw up enough dust and debris to block out the Sun. And, crashing into the water would result in numerous tidal waves hundreds of feet high — capable of submerging entire coastlines.

Smaller asteroids — called comets or meteoroids — breach Earth’s defences fairly often. However, large objects that pose a threat to life are rare. A historical study of asteroid strikes shows that a kilometre-wide asteroid hits the planet every 500,000 years on average. But asteroids bigger than five kilometres, only come around every twenty million years or so.

“There is a real but very small risk that we will be wiped out by the impact of an asteroid or comet,” says the study published in the Journal of Evolution and Technology.

There have been at least five confirmed mass extinctions and at least one is directly attributed to an asteroid hitting Earth. The K/T extinction, which wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, is believed to be the result of an asteroid at least 10 kilometres wide hitting the Yucatan peninsula.

In order to track the threat posed by an asteroid, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) are continually monitoring space for all approaching bodies. They’re also working on potential solutions to either destroy or reroute an asteroid if one is every heading directly for the planet.

“It’s a statistical certainty that one day the Earth will get hit by a large asteroid, whether that’s in 50 years or 100 million years,” said NASA’s Extreme Environment Mission Operations ( NEEMO) principal investigator Mike Gernhardt.

SpaceFlight Post a Comment

The San Francisco Proper Hotel, with its whimsical common spaces and clever guest rooms, is unlike any other hotel in the city – but the gritty neighborhood might not be a fit for all, Business Insider – Business Insider Singapore

The San Francisco Proper Hotel, with its whimsical common spaces and clever guest rooms, is unlike any other hotel in the city — but the gritty neighborhood might not be a fit for all

source Alyssa Powell/Business Insider

Since debuting in 2017, the San Francisco Proper Hotel has made a name for itself as one of the city’s most original, memorable hotels full of out-of-the-box artistic cachet.
Rooms and common spaces boast a hip, whimsical approach to design, and both travelers and locals flock to the Proper’s rooftop deck, Charmaine’s, and popular on-site restaurant, Villon.
I stayed in a Deluxe Queen room which starts at $175 per night in the low season but can skyrocket in mid-summer and fall to $550 per night. The room was small but mighty, with plenty of style and comfort.
Read all Business Insider hotel reviews here.

Since its debut in 2017, Proper Hotels, a boutique brand with a lively, artistic take on travel rooted in West Coast-cool mystique, has taken the San Francisco hospitality scene by storm.

Housed in a 111-year old Beaux-Arts flatiron building, the Proper is dripping with the bizarre-but-beautiful style of Kelly Wearstler. The talented designer somehow weaves patterns and prints that have no business going together into stunning, playful tapestries that fill the space with sophistication and whimsy.

The hotel’s painstakingly thoughtful details include abstract paintings and a life-sized stone Great Dane in the lobby, and extends to rooms that each serve as little works of art, accented by high-tech gadgets and artisan treats.

I’ve long been intrigued by the hotel, and when I finally booked my overnight stay, the lobby hummed with small groups of guests lounging in gallery-like “living rooms” and behind the bar at Villon, the hotel’s chic baby-blue restaurant. The crowning jewel is, appropriately, on the roof – an indoor-outdoor deck lined with fire pits and views that stretch to the San Francisco Bay. It all crafts an experience that takes place beyond the confines of your room.

I stayed in a Deluxe Queen room, the Proper’s standard room, which was comped for review. At just 200 square feet, the space was cozy, especially for two people, but well designed. Prices in low season (winter and spring) start at $175 per night, but surge to $550 in summer and fall, and that’s not including a daily resort fee.

Yet this hotel stands out in a sea of traditional brands as a beacon for millennials and art lovers looking for an innovative and experiential property. The surrounding neighborhood is gritty, and not everyone will feel comfortable, but the Proper has done an impeccable job curating an atmosphere that embraces the eclectic beauty of the city.

Need more hotel suggestions? Read our list of the best hotels in San Francisco.

Keep reading to see why I was so impressed by the San Francisco Proper Hotel.

source Business Insider

caption The hotel’s historic exterior. source Shoshi Parks/Business Insider

It’s no secret that San Francisco is experiencing an unprecedented level of homelessness and the blocks around the San Francisco Proper are not immune. Approaching the McAllister Street entrance at 5 p.m., though signs of the city’s ongoing tragedy were visible. I did not feel threatened or in danger, and most on the streets kept to themselves during both daylight hours and after dark. But those less used to this kind of neighborhood aesthetic might not feel as comfortable, and that’s something to strongly consider when booking this hotel.

However, the Proper does have a valet posted at the entrance and another staff member that mans the Market Street entrance to ensure security at all times.

That valet was on hand to open the door and welcome me to the Proper. Stepping over the threshold was like stepping through the looking glass into an imaginary world: A sophisticated French salon filtered through the fever dream of Alice in Wonderland, all pops of color, perfectly-mismatched pattern and vibrant art.

There was no line at check-in but I did have to wait as three gracious staff members tried, and failed, to find my reservation. Eventually, the manager came to kindly clear up the mistake (computer-system issues, she said) and apologize profusely. Finally, key in hand, I headed to the elevator.

source Business Insider

caption The room was small but made smart use of the space, especially the clever decor. source Shoshi Parks/Business Insider

Six floors up, my Deluxe Queen was the hotel’s lowest standard room. Despite the entry-level category, it was impeccably styled despite the small size at just 200 square feet.

The entire hotel was designed by West Coast maven Kelly Wearstler and while I was already impressed by the lobby, the room converted me into her biggest fan.

Each of the room’s four walls was covered in different but complementary statement wallpapers in shades of grey, black and white. Behind the houndstooth fabric headboard of the handmade queen-sized bed, bloomed a flower motif. On the wall to the right, where a large window looked out onto Market Street below, the wallpaper was patterned in a geometric print wholly different from the design on its black-out window shade. The other two walls were flowered and abstract.

It should have been too much for such a small space but somehow it was perfect. I’ve never seen another hotel with so many artistic details in San Francisco or elsewhere.

In front of the window, a bench-style couch, small black-and-white chair, and stone-topped table just barely fit. A 50-inch HDTV with Google Chromecast was mounted to the wall facing the bed and in the hallway, a curated minibar filled with artisan goodies and craft spirits was hidden behind a closet door. High-tech amenities were laid out around the room including a handsome Bluetooth speaker and an in-room tablet with a virtual concierge.

The Aierloom mattress swathed in Italian linens was soft and cozy and electrical plugs on both sides of the bed instead of just one meant I could read my news app on a fully-charged phone in the morning without having to get up. My boyfriend experienced his biggest disappointment in the cool light of day, however, upon discovering that there was no in-room coffee maker. Luckily, the hotel provides coffee and tea downstairs beginning before the sun comes up (as long as you’ve paid the $30/day amenities fee – more about that below).

caption The bathroom was small but mod with subway tile and brick. source Shoshi Parks/Business Insider

The tiled bathroom wasn’t large but had everything I needed without feeling cramped. The shower was stocked with luxury Aesop shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in eco-friendly large format bottles (instead of wasteful single-use bottles) and, combined with a rainfall shower, made getting ready a real pleasure. Patterned, lightweight Kelly Wearstler-designed bathrobes fit me well but made my boyfriend look like a 1970s adult film star.

Besides its compact but ultra-stylish design, the thing that impressed me most about the room was that it was remarkably quiet, despite looking out a major thoroughfare through downtown San Francisco. In part, this was due to the fact that the city recently closed the corridor off to regular car traffic (buses and streetcars still run) but even so, I can’t recall hearing more than the occasional passing siren during my stay. There was a little noise from activity in the hallways and neighboring rooms, but it was no more than what I’d expect from a busy hotel.

I stayed in one of two entry-level room options. The alternative is a 172-square foot European-style “Bunk Room” with built-in wooden bunk beds and the same techie amenities as the Queen Deluxe.

For a bit more space, the next level up includes the Premier Double and Premier King, both of which are only slightly larger (around 30 square feet) than the standard rooms for around $25-40 more per night. The Proper also has two suite options starting at around $700 per night. Given that the more expensive Premier rooms are only marginally larger with the same amenities, I would absolutely book the Queen Deluxe again for the strongest value.

source Business Insider

caption The sleek on-site bars and eateries are worth a look, or better yet, a full meal. source Shoshi Parks/Business Insider

The San Francisco Proper Hotel is as much a destination for travelers as it is for locals thanks to the hotel’s ground-floor restaurant Villon or, more likely, the glamorous rooftop bar and lounge, Charmaine’s. I knew in advance that Charmaine’s, in particular, would be the place to see-and-be-seen on a Saturday night and made a very necessary reservation.

Because it was a cold night – as most San Francisco nights are – we opted to sit inside the glass-walled lounge near the glow of a blazing fire. But thanks to fire pits scattered around the roof’s exterior and complimentary blankets, sitting outside would have been fairly cozy as well. I still braved a little February wind to step out for a birds-eye view of the sparkling city.

Like at the full-service Villon downstairs, Charmaine’s menu – which is made up of snacks and bites – is the brainchild of a brand new executive chef, Jason Fox. Most of the bargoers were a well-dressed bunch of Millenials and Gen Xers that were busily Instagramming the space, and cocktails.

While the bar felt exclusive and many were dressed up, I did not feel out of place in my cozy sweater and clogs. I did feel invisible, however, when I shimmied past the main bar to use the restroom where those who had walked in with no reservation were congregating and drinking with abandon. My advice, if you’re over 35, this place is most enjoyable if you’ve reserved seating.

caption The lobby lounge spaces are the best examples of the hotel’s intriguing design scheme. source Shoshi Parks/Business Insider

The next morning, my head thick from an evening of artisan cocktails, I enjoyed my morning tea in one of the lobby’s several lounge spaces. These areas felt like whimsical galleries hung with dozens of eclectic paintings and mismatched seating that paired velveteen couches with sculptural chairs. These lounge areas were easily my favorite part of the hotel. Plus, they looked great in photos.

Villon, painted in shades of turquoise with fabric jellyfish-like overhead lighting, was hopping with Sunday morning brunch-goers.

Meanwhile, in the basement, a weekend-warrior couple lifted free weights in a well-appointed gym stocked with Peloton Bikes, elliptical machines and more.

Access to the gym, as well as to a fleet of Shinola bikes for tooling around the city, morning coffee and tea service in the lobby, bottled water, premium Wi-Fi and priority admission to Charmaine’s require an additional $30 per day amenity fee. The fee technically isn’t mandatory, but if you decline you’ll miss out on some basic, and coveted, perks without it.

Unfortunately, I just missed the reopening of the Proper’s European-inspired cafe La Bande after undergoing renovations this winter.

The Proper is also dog-friendly, as long as they are under 35 pounds (sorry, no cats allowed). There’s a $100 per dog fee (two dogs max per room) but in exchange, your best friend will be provided with food and water bowls and treats. A portion of every pet fee is donated to Best Friends Animal Society.

Valet parking is also available for $65 but if you don’t have a lot of luggage, save yourself some cash by parking at the garage at Civic Center two-and-a-half blocks away. They permit overnight parking for $35 per day. Don’t bother asking the hotel for directions, though. I was told over the phone that not only could they not recommend a garage but that it would cost the equivalent as an overnight with their valet.

Though this section of Market Street is gritty, especially after dark, there’s actually a huge host of things to do. Within a one-block radius is the Alonzo King Lines Ballet, the music venue The Warfield, and the SHN Orpheum Theatre, which hosts the Broadway productions that come to town.

A few blocks further afield are the Asian Art Museum, Union Square, and the turnaround for the city’s iconic Cable Cars at the intersection of Powell and Market streets.

There’s also no shortage of excellent restaurants and bars near the Proper. We stopped for a beer at Danish brewery franchise Mikkeller Bar on Mason and Turk Streets (less than a 10-minute walk) before heading to Charmaine’s for our reservation. The Michelin starred Kin Khao, the brunch favorite Dottie’s True Blue Cafe, and the new multi-floor French concept ONE65 are all just a short walk away.

Check flight prices to San Francisco on Expedia

The San Francisco Proper Hotel has earned rave reviews from most of its past guests. On Trip Advisor, it has a solid 4.5 out of -star rating.

“Stunning property,” commented one reviewer. Another called her time at the Proper “the best hotel stay I’ve ever had.”

The tough scene outside the hotel’s doors was by far the biggest complaint. “The homeless littered the streets and drug deals and people shooting up were happening before our eyes,” commented one guest.

The neighborhood does have a large homeless presence. That said, I never once felt unsafe walking around outside the Proper and I saw several young families enjoying their stay that barely seemed to notice the neighborhood’s rough edges. The hotel does have staff posted at both entrances into the night, as well as at the entrance to Charmaine’s to keep an eye on things.

Read reviews, compare prices, and book the San Francisco Proper Hotel on Trip Advisor

Who stays here: Hip millennials and style aficionados will love the unexpected design and techie amenities in the rooms. I also saw a surprising number of young families with children that seemed to get a kick out of the lobby’s eclectic art.

We like: The artistic elements woven into every corner of the hotel. Staying the night here was like a lesson in interior design thanks to Kelly Wearstler’s innovative ability to combine patterns, dress up small rooms, and create intimate lounges

We love (don’t miss this feature!): The rooftop bar and lounge, Charmaine’s, is a glamorous place to spend an evening with excellent food, cocktails, and an epic view. But if you don’t want to be wedged between heavy-drinking Millenials all night, be sure to make a reservation for seats in the indoor lounge or on the deck.

We think you should know: The neighborhood is gritty with a large homeless presence. Staying here is safe, but some people might just not feel comfortable regardless. The Proper has staff posted at all doors though, so you can rest easy.

We’d do this differently next time: Hop on a Shinola bike for a ride down the now car-free Market Street corridor to the historic Ferry Building at its east end. It would make good use of the amenity fee, and would be a fun way to see the city.

The San Francisco Proper Hotel is beautifully-designed, from the bright whimsy of the lobby “living rooms” to the layered patterns of guest rooms, plus the sophisticated-but-fun Restaurant and glamorous rooftop.

The neighborhood does have its problems, but the Proper’s central location near some of San Francisco’s best arts and culture is a bonus. And while there are plenty of fantastic bars and restaurants within a few blocks, with the excellent food and cocktails at Villon and Charmaine’s, there is really no reason to leave after dark.

Luxurious but playful, whether you’re in town for business or pleasure, the Proper Hotel is an unforgettable destination. At a reasonably priced $175 per night in the low season, the amenities and atmosphere far surpass other hotels near Union Square for the same price, with far less character.