The Old New Thing

On nearly getting pickpocketed in both Lisbon and Madrid

My trip to Lisbon introduced me to another tourist phenomenon: pickpockets. It was around 10:30 in the morning, and I got on the train to head into town, planning to climb the steps through the Alfama district to visit the castle which looms over the city. The morning rush was over, and the Metro car was nearly empty. Just before the doors ...

Why can programs empty the clipboard when they start up?

Via the Suggestion Box, Johan Almén asks, "What was the rationale behind the decision to let Excel empty the clipboard when launched?" Why can an application empty the clipboard? Because it's there. After all, the point of the clipboard is to hold information temporarily. Programs are permitted to empty the clipboard, add data to the...