19 July 2017

5 Reasons Not to Use a Genuine Arduino in Your Next Project


The name Arduino has become synonymous with DIY technology. Many people started their journey into electronics and robotics with one. Here at MakeUseOf we have covered their use extensively, from a beginner guide to get you started to more complex projects like a Laser Turret. There is no doubting the influence these boards have had, but a question remains: should you use a genuine Arduino board in your project? Perhaps not. Here’s why. 1. There Are Better Alternatives For the sake of clarity, we need to make a distinction. There are officially produced Arduino products, and third party products which...

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Should You Buy Any Of Amazon’s Deals Today? [US/CA]


Today, Amazon has deals on refurbished gaming laptops, a Sony soundbar, a 1080p camcorder, surge protectors and more. But are they worth jumping on? Here’s how we rate the deals to make it quick and easy for you to decide if they’re worth getting. Must buy: The lowest price ever and a deal that hasn’t been seen often. Good: At or close to the all-time low, but has been available at that price other times. Decent: If you need one, it’s a solid deal, but the price isn’t much lower than its average. If a deal is just bad (a...

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Is Computer Science Right For You?


In the simplest of terms, computer science is the study of information (“data”) and how it can be manipulated (“algorithms”) to solve problems, mostly in theory but also in practice. Computer science is not the study of computers, nor does it strictly require the use of computers. Data and algorithms are possible to compute using pen and paper, which makes “computer science” a misnomer. Computer science is more akin to mathematics, which is why some now prefer to use the term “informatics” instead. Computer science often gets conflated with three other fields, which are related but not exactly the same:...

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The Complete Guide to Windows 10 Taskbar Customization


windows-10-taskbar

The Taskbar is one of the least appreciated aspects of the Windows user interface (UI). It’s there, it’s reliable, and it does exactly what it’s supposed to. Some, however, have come to terms with the fact that desktop customization is a thirst that knows no bounds. Even your Taskbar isn’t off limits: there are plenty of ways, both by default and through third-party software, which allows users to tweak every conceivable facet of their Taskbar. Since it’s such a minor aspect of the UI, however, there’s almost never a complete online guide to twist, shape, and change your Taskbar. That...

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Beware LeakerLocker: Ransomware That Locks Your Mobile


Fresh on the heels of the malware best known as WannaCry, new ransomware threatens to lock your device and send private information to your family and friends. It’s as if you can’t go a month without a new strain of malware hitting the headlines. Admittedly, while relatively few are actually victims, it’s a catch-22: fear of ransomware is why it’s always big news, but media attention only heightens this. Nonetheless, this is a particularly nasty threat that you need to know about right now. What Is LeakerLocker? You’ll likely be pretty familiar with ransomware: it’s malicious software that encrypts all...

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How to Get Ubuntu Running on Your Raspberry Pi


Raspbian Jessie is a great operating system for the Raspberry Pi, but if you want a more traditional Linux computing experience, you might be looking for a different OS. Many operating systems are available for the Raspberry Pi, among them Ubuntu. But surely that’s a desktop operating system? Well, yes, and no. In fact, Ubuntu is a desktop OS as well as a server OS. And both variants can be run on a Raspberry Pi 2 or 3. Several paths to installation on your Raspberry Pi’s SD card are available, and we’re going to take a look at each below....

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Do NOT Go 100% Paperless, Here’s Why


The idea of going 100 percent paperless might seem like a dream, especially if you’ve been reading the golden promises of many top minimalism and productivity blogs. Ah, the bliss of waving goodbye to that shelf of ugly ring-binders. Imagine the time you’ll save being able to retrieve an ancient utility bill at the swipe of a finger. And let’s not forget the trees you’ll save. The trees! But as is always the case with these solve-alls, things aren’t so simple. We can’t simply disregard a medium we’ve relied on for millennia. There’s a reason why paper has lasted so...

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5 Features Android Has That the iPhone Still Doesn’t


The Android versus iOS debate is as controversial as Pepsi versus Coke. But like the two colas, Android and iOS today are more alike than they are different. So if one has to choose between the two platforms, there isn’t much to lose — you can do most smartphone tasks on either platform. But now that we know what Android O and iOS 11 both offer, it turns out that there are still some things you can do on an Android phone that you just can’t on an iPhone. And although there are many other tiny advantages, we’re going to point out the...

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7 Music Sites All Audiophiles Need in Their Lives


Music streaming services haven’t traditionally focused on audio quality. Spotify and Google Play Music both boast maximum bitrates of 320 Kbps, while Apple Music comes in at just 256 Kbps. This might sound like a lot, and for most users, it’s enough. However, when you compare the quality of most streaming services to CDs — which typically offer 1,411 Kbps — there’s no contest. If you’re an audiophile, this poses a problem. You don’t want poor-quality audio to sully your expensive Hi-Fi system. Because you demand the clearest and most refined music available. As such, your options are rather limited....

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Why It’s Important to Password-Protect ZIP Files


You’ve probably worked with ZIP files at one time or another. Whether you want to archive a bunch of files yourself, downloaded a portable version of an app, or sent a collection of files to someone, a ZIP file is a quick and easy way to accomplish these. But when using a ZIP file, you should protect it with a password for several reasons. First, it provides another level of security for sensitive data. If you’re archiving important pictures or documents, they probably contain some content you don’t want the world to see. Having a password on your user account and using...

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Never Mix Up Your Time Zones Again With This Chrome Extension


Time zones — one of the best and most annoying inventions in the history of humankind. I dread to think just how many business meetings, flights, and TV shows have been missed because someone got confused. The professionals would never make such basic mistakes. Most frustrating? If you don’t know a country’s time zone, it’s not even as simple as drawing a straight line on a map to make an educated guess. Some of the time zones are seriously wacky and appear to follow no geographic logic. Clearly, we need a better solution. It needs to be easy to use,...

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How to Preview All Fonts on Your PC at Once


Your choice of font can make or break a design… but previewing fonts on your computer, whether on a Mac or Windows machine, can be a cumbersome affair. Online tool WordMark.it makes it incredibly easy to see a preview of all fonts installed on your computer, all on one easy-to-view and customizable screen. WordMark.It’s Features On the surface, WordMark.it is a simple tool to use. Type in your preview text (it can be one word, a phrase, or a whole paragraph) and hit Enter to see how it would look using all the fonts installed on your computer. You will have to...

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How to Share Google Keep Notes With Other Apps on Your Phone


google-keep-daily

Google Keep is one of the simplest ways to collaborate with vanilla notes. You can tap and feed a Gmail ID to share notes with a colleague or family member. But did you know that the Google Keep app on your phone also allows you to share notes with other apps? This is one of several Google Keep tips you can start using right now. The most obvious way is to send Google Keep notes to Google Docs. This transfer is useful when you want to develop quick ideas: capture an idea in Google Keep, then send it over to Google Docs...

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The Top 5 Free Apps to Split or Merge Video Files


video-editing

Editing videos can be surprisingly complex — so much so that it may take days or weeks before you can comfortably cut one video into smaller clips or join several bits into one larger video. So what are you to do when you don’t have that kind of time or energy? What if it’s a one-time thing and you don’t want to scale the learning curve of a full-blown editor like Adobe Premiere Pro or HitFilm? Don’t worry, you have options! You’ll find all kinds of free tools for splitting and merging video files on the web. The tricky part...

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Netflix Now Has Over 100 Million Subscribers


Netflix has announced its latest financials, but before you click away for fear of being bored, there’s some rather interesting information buried in the Q2, 2017 earnings. Not least that Netflix has hit another milestone in terms of subscribers, meaning more people now watch Netflix than ever before. Reed Hastings’ company has a long and checkered history. Netflix started life shipping DVDs by mail, but once it started streaming content instead things really took off. The Qwikster split and various price hikes have caused people to cancel their Netflix subscriptions, but the company is on an upwards trajectory that shows...

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Who Unfollowed Me on Instagram? The Only Way to Find Out


Every Instagram addict wants more likes, and that means getting more followers. However, it’s just as important to retain your current followers. But can you really see who unfollowed you on Instagram? A quick Google search for this problem will yield a bunch of guides and apps, so I tried out each of those guides and each of those apps, going till the fifth page of search results. Here are my results. Brace Yourself for Disappointing News I tried some of the most oft-recommended and popular tools for this problem. Among the many, many apps I tried were: StatusBrew Followers+...

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Unimpressed by Your Smart Gadgets? Try These Accessories On for Size


There’s been a lot of buzz in recent years about the rising popularity of smart home products, such as voice-activated speakers, responsive lighting systems, streaming video boxes, and more. These devices are often described as smart home accessories. That’s probably the wrong term when you consider that devices like Amazon Echo Dot, Apple TV, and Philips Hue now have accessories to call their own. With these additions, you can make your smart home setup even more useful and practical, and yes, in some cases, smarter. In this article, you learn more about some of the accessories available for many of the...

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