30 August 2017

VR Gaming on a Laptop? Check This Out


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Virtual reality is obviously not going anywhere, but it very well could be the future of video games. Actually, it might just be the here and now, but there’s one big drawback: it’s expensive. Not only do you need to buy the VR hardware itself, but you also need a fairly high-end computer or PlayStation 4 to run the graphics-intense games. That brings us to why we’re here today: to talk about using a laptop to power your virtual reality headset. Is it even possible? If so, is the Vive or Oculus better suited to the task? We’re going to...

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Amazon Has A Bunch of PCs On Sale, But Are They A Good Deal?


There’s a bunch of refurbished HP gaming PCs on sale today, but should you jump on any of them? We’ve explained the deals and we have the answers you seek! Rather than just list the deals (Amazon already does that), we analyze the value of the discount and the quality of the product. 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...

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15 Chrome Extensions by Google You Didn’t Know You Needed


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With all the extensions available for Google Chrome, it can be tough to decide which ones to install. And with so many from unknown third parties, you might be overly cautious. If you want to play it safe, go right to the source — and who better to provide Chrome extensions than Google? From useful to unique, here are the best Chrome extensions direct from Google that you need. 1. Google Mail Checker If you keep a close on eye on your Gmail inbox, then the Google Mail Checker is the extension for you. This basic button simply shows the...

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How to Change Your Mac’s MAC Address (and Why)


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A MAC address is a serial number that ships with every hardware device connected to the internet. It’s the building block of networking because it enables unique identification of a hardware device over a network. This makes sure that the packets are sent to the right place. Earlier we covered how to change MAC address on Windows. Today, let’s see why you might want to change the MAC address (and how) on your Mac. What Is a MAC Address? A Media Access Control address (MAC address) is a serial number used to identify a network adapter uniquely. A computer with...

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You Can Now Pay Tinder to See Who Swiped Right


Tinder has launched its new paid subscription tier around the world. Tinder Gold is designed to offer “a first-class swipe experience” for members only. So it’s kinda like the difference between having an ordinary credit card and a platinum credit card. Except Tinder Gold is cheaper. Tinder announced Tinder Gold in June 2017. And we duly wrote about it. At the time Tinder Gold was being tested in Argentina, Australia, Canada, and Mexico, but it has now gone live worldwide. It’s initially only available to iOS users, but will soon be available on Android as well. Tinder Gold Gives You...

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How to Use Kodi Without Breaking the Law


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You’ve been streaming sports and movies on your Kodi media center, without realizing that, actually, you probably shouldn’t. But now the penny has dropped, and you want to move on. Is it time to dump your Kodi box (which is still legal to own and use), or can you still enjoy your favorite movies, TV shows, music, podcasts, and sport? Cull the Add-ons To start, you need to give some attention to the various add-ons you have installed on your Kodi box. Where legal challenges have been made, you’ll find that the add-ons concerned have stopped working. It doesn’t matter...

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10 Hobbies for Programmers That Don’t Involve Code


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As a programmer you have quite a selection when it comes to hobby opportunities, and we’ve covered them in our roundup of hobbies that involve coding and scripting. If you love tapping away at the keyboard more than anything else, consider starting there. But if you want to exercise your mind in a fun way without writing a single line of code, then keep reading. There are several no-code hobbies you can take up that’ll help you become a better programmer in unexpected ways. 1. Baking Baking may seem like a hobby better suited for homemakers and retirees, but the...

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The Luddite’s Guide to Modern Technology


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The promise of technology is one of empowerment. Computers are tools. They make it easier, or even possible, to do certain tasks. Technology’s basic purpose is to help. While developers often mean well, much of our technology is less than helpful. Today’s web services leave us dependent on telecommunications companies, put control of our data in other people’s hands, and open us up to pervasive surveillance. Planned obsolescence takes our hard-earned cash and turns it into products that we need to replace every couple of years. Online media stores now sell us permission to access books and movies instead of...

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Probox 2 AVA Android TV Box and HD Recorder Review (and Giveaway)


The Probox2 devices are solid Android TV boxes that we’ve reviewed favorably before, so when we heard a new model had a been released that isn’t just an incremental upgrade, we jumped at the chance to check it out. Available for $155 bundled with the Remote+, or $130 for just the box, the Probox2 AVA adds room in the case for a 2.5″ SATA HDD, and the ability to record from an HDMI source. Those are quite compelling additions, so let take a look at the details and see what we thought of it. At the end of this review,...

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Confused by Home Automation Jargon? Study This Smart Home A-Z!


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One of the most challenging aspects of embracing new technology is getting your head around all the unfamiliar lingo. For most people, there are still some terms we don’t understand about the apps and software we use every day (how many non-geeks know what HTTP stands for, or what a MAC address is?). If you’re just starting out on your smart home journey, there are some words and phrases it’s essential to understand. But don’t worry, MakeUseOf is here to help. Here’s our A-to-Z of smart home terms every newbie needs to know. A is for Automation Smart devices are...

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How to Stop Facebook Memories From Appearing in Your Notifications


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While Facebook’s memories can sometimes be a reminder of pleasant days past, the algorithm has been known to remind us of things we’d rather just forget. If you’re tired of seeing “memories” on Facebook, you can turn them off using these methods. Method 1: Turn Off All Reminders If you want all of these posts to stop appearing in your notifications, go to Settings > Notifications and look for On this day under the list for What you get notified about. In the dropdown menu, change the setting to None. Method 2: Turn Off Some Reminders You may not mind some of the memories that appear, but...

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Why Your PS4 Downloads Are Slow and How to Speed Them Up


Does it seem like the download speeds on your PlayStation 4 are taking forever? It’s not just you! Juho Snellman, a systems programmer from Switzerland, has taken the time to describe why PS4 downloads slow down for various reasons. You can read his full post for the technical details, but we’ll discuss the biggest cause here. In short, having applications open on your PS4 will cause the download speed to drop dramatically. Even if your PS4 is on a wired connection, having a game or media app like Netflix open will cause download speeds on the PlayStation Store to slow to...

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Get Email Alerts When New Employees Join a Company


Most people use LinkedIn to get email alerts for new job postings that match their interests but did you know that LinkedIn can also help track new hires made by a company? You can easily keep an eye on new employees joining your own company or a competitor.

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Also see: The Best Email Alerts Services

How to Set People Search Alerts on LinkedIn

Similar to job alerts, you can set up people alerts in LinkedIn and they will send you an email when new employees join the tracked company. You can track new hires by the parent company (e.g., Amazon) or limit your employee searches to a regional office of that company (e.g., Amazon India or Amazon’s Bangalore office).

To get started, open the LinkedIn website, click the search box, type the name of the parent company and choose the “people search” option from the autocomplete list (see screenshot above).

On the search results page, expand the Locations section and check the regions that you would like to track. You can select the country name, city,  geographic region or even make multiple selections.

Next click the “Create Search Alert” button and LinkedIn will send you a weekly email listing all the profiles that have joined the specified company in that week.

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The service obviously depends on the employee joining the company and he would have to update their existing profile for LinkedIn to know that they have made the move.


How to Archive Evernote Notes and Free Up Notebook Clutter


Are you still using Evernote? Kudos! The company has been through some major trials and tribulations over the last 12 months, and many users have jumped ship to OneNote. But alas, OneNote isn’t right for everyone. So if you’re still using Evernote, you’ll no doubt be aware of one missing feature — a glaring omission for a supposedly full-featured note-taking app. I am, of course, talking about archiving. Why isn’t there a simple, native way to archive your old stacks for posterity? Even the paid tiers don’t offer this feature. Luckily, there are a couple of workarounds. Using Native Workarounds...

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Uber Stops Tracking You After Your Ride Ends


Uber is set to stop tracking riders after they have reached their destinations. This is the latest in a long line of changes Uber is making in order to improve its terrible reputation. And this one means riders will only need to share their location when actually using the Uber app. Which is fair. Uber Tracks Riders In December 2016, Uber updated its mobile apps. And one of the changes it made affected how it collected location data from riders. Previously, Uber would only collect location data when riders had the app open, but users were suddenly faced with a...

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Amazon Echo Now Supports Multi-Room Music Streaming


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Amazon is introducing multi-room music streaming. This means you can now stream music to multiple Echo speakers positioned in different rooms of your house. This is great news for those who host raucous house parties, but bad news for your neighbors. And my neighbors too for that matter. The Amazon Echo can do lots of different things, powering other smart devices, for example. However, for most of us, it’s a powerful speaker capable of playing music. And now, if you own more than one Echo device, you can synchronize them to stream music all through your house. Synchronize Music Across...

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CrashPlan for Home Shuts Down: What Now for Online Data Backups?


CrashPlan is a popular cloud based backup provider. Their recent announcement to close the Home solution has left users in the cold. But here's what you can do next to safeguard your data.

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How to Turn an Old Laptop Screen Into a Magic Mirror


Laptops don’t last forever, but the screens inside them usually do. Even if the main computer is broken, you can extract the display panel, and reuse it. In today’s project, we’ll be turning an old laptop and a Raspberry Pi into a magic mirror. What You’ll Need Broken laptop. Please don’t tear apart a functional one, there are much better things to do with one that still works! (Free) Raspberry Pi 2 or 3 (preferably 3 since it has built-in Wi-Fi). ($30) Thick wood and a Kreg jig to make a frame. ($10 for the wood) 1-way mirrored acrylic sheet....

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