Released July 11 (build 46.4.33)

Date/time preferences now reflected on News items

All Users: The publishing dates that appear on News items, tiles, and banners will now be displayed for each user in their preferred date/time format (as indicated in My Preferences > Date Format).

Tasks users will also see their preferred format reflected in the due dates for their tasks.

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TOTAL:  84 bug fixes and/or performance enhancements.

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Release cycle theme: Jostle: A to Z

D is for Deliver

Did you know that the word deliver is an emordnilap?

Similar to a palindrome (a word that spells the same word forwards or backwards, see: "noon", "radar"), an emordnilap is a word that spells a completely different word backwards than it does forwards (as in: "deliver/reviled")?

Also, "emordnilap" is "palindrome" spelled backwards, so that doesn't confuse things at all, right?

So, as my brain was absorbing all of the above info, I somehow decided I needed to issue myself the following challenge: Could I make a coherent sentence containing ONLY emordnilaps AND arrange them pair-by-pair so that the sentence itself becomes a palindrome?

That is, create a sentence that's spelled the same forwards and backwards, consisting only of words that spell different words forwards and backwards. Again, not confusing at all, right?

Well, spoiler alert! It turns out that the answer was YES. Yes, I could.

BEHOLD, my emordnilap/palindrome combo sentence (context - crisis at a culinary school):

Pupils stressed, deliver reviled desserts. Slipup!

Ta-da! And with that, my brain is now completely fried, forwards and backwards. I'm ready to pots...uh, I mean "stop". I'm ready to stop.

Stop won. 😣 Stop NOW.

*sigh*

Released June 15, 2022 (build 46.3.14)

Library Sign Off

Available only on platforms with Library and Tasks enabled

Similar to the Sign Off feature already available in News, Library Sign Off lets Volume Librarians assign tasks that require users to read and sign-off on selected Library items. For more information, see our Support Center.

NOTE—This feature will be gradually rolled out after the Create release has been deployed.

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TOTAL:  68 bug fixes and/or performance enhancements.

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Release cycle theme: Jostle: A to Z

C is for Create

Did you know that to co-create is not the same as to collaborate? Of course, I can elaborate, and via this poem I shall elucidate:

There is a correlation
Between co-creation and collaboration.

But not the same are these two,
Even though both require more than just you.

In the case of collaboration
A common goal is the destination.

But when you co-create, you innovate.
You work with others and extrapolate
From different views and concentrations
Ideas, sparks and inspirations.

Resulting in something new to celebrate!
And something, something...predicate?

(I'm running out of words to rhyme,
So this bit's padding, to fill the time.)

And now there's no more time to wait--
We're at the end of my poem for create.

Released June 3, 2022 (build 46.2.18)

Jostle Viewer: Improved CSV support

Previously, when viewing CSV files in the Jostle Viewer, the data would be presented without any column separation or uniform alignment. Now, the Viewer will properly present CSV files in a spreadsheet format, making their data much easier to read and analyze.

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TOTAL:  102 bug fixes and/or performance enhancements.

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Release cycle theme: Jostle: A to Z

B is for Build

Did you know that the famous quote from Field of Dreams, "If you build it, they will come" is actually a misquote? In the 1989 movie, about an Iowa famer who hears a voice that compels him to turn part of his cornfield into a baseball diamond, it's "...he will come", not "they".

The reason why it's been misquoted is most likely due to how quickly it was adopted (and still used today) as mantra in the world of business. As in: If you build "it" (your company/store/service), "they" (customers) will come".

Now while that may have been somewhat true back in the brick-and-mortar heyday of the early '90s, when giants like Starbucks and Wal-Mart could open a new location practically anywhere at anytime and start raking in the profits, the story is a lot different in the e-commerce/online shopping/SaaS world of today. It's no longer enough to simply build something to get people to come to it.

Therefore, I propose a new, more realistic mantra for the ambitious people of today who are looking to launch their own venture:

"If you identify a need for it, build it, test it, market it, promote it, advertise it, social medialize it, incentivize it, land early adopters for it...then MAYBE they will come" 😉

Released May 19, 2022 (build 46.1.16)

Special release

This release includes the usual number of small fixes and improvements, but its remaining features will be used to provide support for upcoming advancements. As such, there are no customer-facing features to highlight for Approve.

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TOTAL:  47 bug fixes and/or performance enhancements.

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Release cycle theme: Jostle: A to Z

A is for Approve

Did you know that the reason why you hear so many politicians say "...and I approve this message" on their campaign commercials is because they are required by law to do so?

In an effort to rein in the growing rise of political candidates using their campaign ads to make controversial claims or attacks against their opposition, a provision was enacted in 2002. It required candidates to align themselves with their television and radio ads by stating their name along with some variation of the words "And I approve this message" (essentially taking responsibility for the claims being made in the ad).

And while it did initially result in reducing the amount of muckraking among candidates, it has since been used as a tactic to increase the credibility of negative ads. Recent studies have shown that so long as a candidate approves an ad's message, viewers will tend to see their statements - positive OR negative - as the truth.

Huh. Well, in that case...

"I'm Vince and I approve this message." 😁

Released May 9, 2022 (build 45.26.22)

Special release

Aside from the usual fixes and improvements, most of the features included in Zuccotto will be used to lay the groundwork for future advancements. As such, there are no customer-facing features to highlight for this release.

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TOTAL:  44 bug fixes and/or performance enhancements.

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Release cycle theme: Sweet treats

Did you know that zuccotto means "little pumpkin" in Italian? It's a nod to the tradition of making this semi-frozen dessert in a pumpkin-shaped mold, the shape of which is said to be a nod to the dome of the Duomo di Firenze—whose design was said to be a nod to the classic Mediterranean domes and was itself, a nod to the growing desire of the Italian architects of the late 1300s to f;jdjvlmjcnaufhpZzzzz-*SNRK!* Huh? Wha?!

Oh...oops. Sorry about that. Apparently I've been nodding off quite a bit lately.

Um....so, back to zuccotto. One last fun fact is that it's basically a mash-up of cake, ice cream, and brandy (...which could be seen as a nod to people who can never decide what to order from a dessert menu).

Released April 27, 2022 (build 45.25.28)

Gallery Mode added for Discussions, News, Tasks

With Gallery Mode, you can now easily browse through multiple attachments posted to a Discussion, News item, or Tasks timeline instead of having to individually open and close each one.

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TOTAL:  100 bug fixes and/or performance enhancements.

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Release cycle theme: Sweet treats

Did you know that the Yule log dates back to an old Norse tradition where a symbolic log would be lit in celebration of the Winter Solstice? Over the years, this tradition spread to various countries and cultures, with each adding their own customs and beliefs to its lore (it's unlucky if the flame goes out and has to be re-lit, the burnt remains of the log should be placed under your bed for luck, and so on).

Then, in the 19th century, France sized up this whole Yule log situation and concluded that what this tradition really needed to take it to the next level was to make it 100% more edible. And voila! The Yule log cake was born (Note - descriptions of historical events may not be entirely accurate).

And it's quite genius, really. I mean, who wants to spend their Christmas vacation getting their hands all dirty and splintered making sure their Yule log keeps burning, only to shove its smelly burnt-out shell under their bed afterwards (..."for luck")? Instead, you could just get a cake replica of a Yule log and take a moment to admire the beauty of its bark-like icing and powdered-sugar snow before shoving it all in your mouth in sweet celebration. No need for luck, that's just being smart.

Released April 4, 2022 (build 45.24.6)

Special release

This smaller-than-usual release does not contain any new customer features and is instead focused on delivering fixes and patches needed to support upcoming advancements. New features will return starting with our next release.

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TOTAL:  34 bug fixes and/or performance enhancements.

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Release cycle theme: Sweet treats

Did you know that I had to look up xuixo online to find out that it is pronounced  "ˈʃu.ʃu/", and then because I'm not a linguist, I had to go to an audio pronunciation site to find out that "/ˈʃu.ʃu/" sounds like "szhu-szhuo"? Which I then had to translate phonetically on my own into something semi-readable so everyone looking at this right now would know that:

xuixo = "szhu-szhuo" (aka /ˈʃu.ʃu/)

I guess what I'm trying to say is that xuixo (a deep-fried, sugar-coated cylindrical pastry filled with cream, thought to have originated in Catalonia, Spain in the 1920s after a local pastry shop owner learned how to prepare cream-filled pastries during a trip to France) is a mouthful, in more ways than one.

Released March 24, 2022 (build 45.23.7)

Events: "Add to Calendar" improvements

All users Previously, when you used the "Add to calendar" function on a notice posted in Events, the notice's description would be rendered in your calendar as one big block of text.

Now, when "Add to calendar" is used, it will retain any headings and line breaks from the original notice's description—improving the calendar notice's readability and making it easier for you to pull out key details, at a glance.

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TOTAL:  43 bug fixes and/or performance enhancements.

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Release cycle theme: Sweet treats

Did you know that the thin, crispy goodness known as wafers actually date all the way back to ancient Egypt?

Released March 10, 2022 (build 45.22.12)

Special release

Aside from the usual bug fixes and improvements, the majority of new features included in the Vanilla release will be used in preparation for future advancements  (some of which can be previewed right here). As such, there are no customer-facing features to highlight for this release.

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TOTAL:  37 bug fixes and/or performance enhancements.

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Release cycle theme: Sweet treats

Did you know that if one of the makers of the most popular flavor of the most popular dessert in the U.S. used their product to sponsor a concert tour co-headlining the rapper who gave the world "Ice Ice Baby" and the rock band behind such classics hits as "Sunshine Of Your Love" and "White Room", AND they gave out free product samples at their concert venues, then we could very possibly be blessed with the following ad copy:

<brand name>

Vanilla Ice Cream
presents
VANILLA ICE / CREAM
(w/ vanilla ice cream)

Magical.

BTW, did you also know that vanilla extract contains hundreds of different flavor compounds, in addition to its primary compound of vanillin? This results in a complex, deep flavoring that complements almost any dessert, which is why it's seen as an essential ingredient in everything from cookies and cakes to ice creams and custards.

(Side note: HUNDREDS of different flavour compounds? Suddenly a Vanilla Ice/Cream collab doesn't seem as unlikely as it did just a few moments ago.)

Released February 24, 2022 (build 45.21.11)

Special release

Aside from the usual fixes and improvements, the majority of new features included in Upside will be used to provide the foundation for upcoming advancements. As such, there are no stand-alone, customer-facing features to highlight for this release.

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TOTAL:  67 bug fixes and/or performance enhancements.

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Release cycle theme: Sweet treats

Did you know that this release was not named in error, and "Upside" is actually a nod to the sweet treat more commonly known as the upside-down cake?

An upside-down cake is named so because it is prepared "upside-down". That is, by layering fruit on the bottom of a skillet or pan and then pouring prepared cake mix overtop the fruit and the placing the whole thing in the oven. Once baked, the cake is popped out of the pan "right-side" up and voila! Your bottom layer of fruit is now the tasty baked-in topping of your cake. Impressive!

Except not as far as my childhood self was concerned. When I first saw an upside-down cake, I was not impressed. Because I've always adhered to a very simple scientific theory:

   spongy layers + frosting = cake 🥳

Therefore:

   spongy layer + fruit layer + no frosting = not a cake 😒

I mean, I'm all-in with everything from mini-cakes (cupcakes) to inside-out cakes (Twinkies), but don't try to trick me by calling something an upside-down cake, when it's really just a right-side up fruit flan.