Mike Struan
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mikestruan.com
Mike Struan
@mikestruan.com
Author of Dam Breakers
Husband of wonderful guy
Owner of cheeky corgi

Working on my next novel; read a free short story in the universe at http://free-story.mikestruan.com
I know I'm probably very digital minded, but I can wholeheartedly recommend Obsidian (obsidian.md). That's where I keep everything about my books, from outline to characters to expertly hand-drawn maps. If you use the linking feature, you even get a pretty cool graph view of your story.
Obsidian - Sharpen your thinking
The free and flexible app for your private thoughts.
obsidian.md
July 20, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Good to see our corgi isn't the only one who enjoys a good roll on the grass.
April 6, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Grateful for any hints on battle strategies.
March 11, 2025 at 7:44 PM
That is awfully early!
March 3, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Not a chance! Once one of the lazy humans is up, it's time for a walk.
March 2, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Funny, that's not terribly far from the skin color of my next main character...
January 2, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Perhaps using an alternative like LibreOffice, NextCloud (instead of OneDrive) or Scrivener (not OpenSource, though) is more suitable for you, then :)?
I personally never got warm with LibreOffice and never tried Scrivener, but heard a lot of good about it.
November 18, 2024 at 6:23 PM
Absolutely. To be honest, generally, I don't trust corporations the size of Microsoft farther than I can throw them.
My (badly worded) point was that the same scrutiny can also be applied to all of MS Office. If they want to train AI, they can just do so, regardless of the connected experiences.
November 18, 2024 at 6:11 PM
Sure, feel free to turn off anything you don't need or want - I certainly didn't want to stop you :)

Here's a list with the connected services. They do appear to be of some - very limited - use. There's also a page explaining the data usage.
learn.microsoft.com/en-us/micros...
Connected experiences in Office - Microsoft 365 Apps
Provides Office admins with information about connected experiences for Office, such as experiences that analyze content or experiences that download online content.
learn.microsoft.com
November 18, 2024 at 5:55 PM
- The vast and confusing landscape of EULA and Privacy agreements probably would allow Microsoft to train models on your content - regardless of "connected experiences", just by using word or OneDrive (not a lawyer, though)

AI training is a difficult topic, and I'm looking forward to emerging laws.
November 18, 2024 at 5:46 PM
While the rumor that "connected experiences" do train AI models on your content have emerged recently, I have yet to see any actual sources for this.
Two facts are certain:
- "connected experiences" have been around for years, longer than the current AI hype
November 18, 2024 at 5:46 PM
Haha, kung fu fights as consequences sounds awesome!
November 17, 2024 at 1:21 PM