We’ve known for a while now that Google was bringing the “Incognito mode” concept to Maps, allowing you to run searches and find routes without them automatically being tied to your account history.
If you’ve been digging around trying to find the option without any luck, you weren’t just missing it. Though first mentioned back in May at Google I/O, the company says the rollout is just now officially underway.
It’s a staged rollout, so don’t be surprised if you don’t see the new feature immediately, even if you’re on the latest version of maps. It’s rolling out in batches, beginning with Android users. Google says it should be available to all Android users in “the next few days.”
Once it’s enabled on your account, you can toggle incognito mode on/off by tapping your profile picture, then flipping the switch. Here’s what that looks like:
So why incognito mode? As we wrote back in May: Whether it’s the holiday season and you’re trying to keep your gift-hunting locations under wraps, or you’re visiting a doctor and would just prefer it not pop up the next time a friend grabs your phone for some quick directions, there are all sorts of reasons you might want to leave fewer breadcrumbs. Remember, though, that while it’s less visibly tied to you, it’s still all stored in ways behind the scenes on Google’s end; the company told Wired earlier this month that while Incognito sessions aren’t tied to an account, they are logged with a unique session identifier that gets reset between sessions.
We’ve known for a while now that Google was bringing the “Incognito mode” concept to Maps, allowing you to run searches and find routes without them automatically being tied to your account history.
If you’ve been digging around trying to find the option without any luck, you weren’t just missing it. Though first mentioned back in May at Google I/O, the company says the rollout is just now officially underway.
It’s a staged rollout, so don’t be surprised if you don’t see the new feature immediately even if you’re on the latest version of maps. It’s rolling out in batches, beginning with Android users. Google says it should be available to all Android users in “the next few days.”
Once it’s enabled on your account, you can toggle incognito mode on/off by tapping your profile picture then flipping the switch. Here’s what that looks like:
So why incognito mode? As we wrote back in May: whether its the holiday season and you’re trying to keep your gift hunting locations under wraps, or you’re visiting a doctor and would just prefer it not pop up the next time a friend grabs your phone for some quick directions, there are all sorts of reasons you might want to leave fewer breadcrumbs. Remember, though, that while it’s less visibly tied to you, it’s still all stored in ways behind the scenes on Google’s end; the company told Wired earlier this month that while Incognito sessions aren’t tied to an account, they are logged with a unique session identifier that gets reset between sessions.
Ed Niedermeyer is an author, columnist and co-host of The Autonocast. His book, Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors, was released in August 2019.
“Congrats! This car is all yours, with no one up front,” the pop-up notification from the Waymo One app reads. “This ride will be different. With no one else in the car, Waymo will do all the driving. Enjoy this free ride on us!”
Moments later, an empty Chrysler Pacifica minivan appears and navigates its way to my location near a park in Chandler, the Phoenix suburb where Waymo has been testing its autonomous vehicles since 2016.
Waymo, the Google self-driving-project-turned-Alphabet unit, has given demos of its autonomous vehicles before. More than a dozen journalists experienced driverless rides in 2017 on a closed course at Waymo’s testing facility in Castle; and Steve Mahan, who is legally blind, took a driverless ride in the company’s Firefly prototype on Austin’s city streets way back in 2015.
But this driverless ride is different — and not just because it involved an unprotected left-hand turn, busy city streets or that the Waymo One app was used to hail the ride. It marks the beginning of a driverless ride-hailing service that is now being used by members of its early rider program and eventually the public.
It’s a milestone that has been promised — and has remained just out of reach — for years.
Nearly two years after Krafcik’s comments, vehicles driven by humans — not computers — still clog the roads in Phoenix. The majority of Waymo’s fleet of self-driving Chrysler Pacifica minivans in Arizona have human safety drivers behind the wheel; and the few driverless ones have been limited to testing only.
Despite some progress, Waymo’s promise of a driverless future has seemed destined to be forever overshadowed by stagnation. Until now.
Waymo wouldn’t share specific numbers on just how many driverless rides it would be giving, only saying that it continues to ramp up its operations. Here’s what we do know. There are hundreds of customers in its early rider program, all of whom will have access to this offering. These early riders can’t request a fully driverless ride. Instead, they are matched with a driverless car if it’s nearby.
There are, of course, caveats to this milestone. Waymo is conducting these “completely driverless” rides in a controlled geofenced environment. Early rider program members are people who are selected based on what ZIP code they live in and are required to sign NDAs. And the rides are free, at least for now.
Still, as I buckle my seatbelt and take stock of the empty driver’s seat, it’s hard not to be struck, at least for a fleeting moment, by the achievement.
It would be a mistake to think that the job is done. This moment marks the start of another, potentially lengthy, chapter in the development of driverless mobility rather than a sign that ubiquitous autonomy is finally at hand.
Futuristic joyride
A driverless ride sounds like a futuristic joyride, but it’s obvious from the outset that the absence of a human touch presents a wealth of practical and psychological challenges.
As soon as I’m seated, belted and underway, the car automatically calls Waymo’s rider assistance team to address any questions or concerns about the driverless ride — bringing a brief human touch to the experience.
I’ve been riding in autonomous vehicles on public roads since late 2016. All of those rides had human safety drivers behind the wheel. Seeing an empty driver’s seat at 45 miles per hour, or a steering wheel spinning in empty space as it navigates suburban traffic, feels inescapably surreal. The sensation is akin to one of those dreams where everything is the picture of normalcy except for that one detail — the clock with a human face or the cat dressed in boots and walking with a cane.
Other than that niggling feeling that I might wake up at any moment, my 10-minute ride from a park to a coffee shop was very much like any other ride in a “self-driving” car. There were moments where the self-driving system’s driving impressed, like the way it caught an unprotected left turn just as the traffic signal turned yellow or how its acceleration matched surrounding traffic. The vehicle seemed to even have mastered the more human-like driving skill of crawling forward at a stop sign to signal its intent.
Only a few typical quirks, like moments of overly cautious traffic spacing and overactive path planning, betrayed the fact that a computer was in control. A more typical rider, specifically one who doesn’t regularly practice their version of the driving Turing Test, might not have even noticed them.
How safe is ‘safe enough’?
Waymo’s decision to put me in a fully driverless car on public roads anywhere speaks to the confidence it puts in its “driver,” but the company was cagey about the specific source of that confidence.
Waymo’s Director of Product Saswat Panigrahi declined to share how many driverless miles Waymo had accumulated in Chandler, or what specific benchmarks proved that its driver was “safe enough” to handle the risk of a fully driverless ride. Citing the firm’s 10 million real-world miles and 10 billion simulation miles, Panigrahi argued that Waymo’s confidence comes from “a holistic picture.”
“Autonomous driving is complex enough not to rely on a singular metric,” Panigrahi said.
It’s a sensible, albeit frustrating, argument, given that the most significant open question hanging over the autonomous drive space is “how safe is safe enough?” Absent more details, it’s hard to say if my driverless ride reflects a significant benchmark in Waymo’s broader technical maturity or simply its confidence in a relatively unchallenging route.
The company’s driverless rides are currently free and only taking place in a geofenced area that includes parts of Chandler, Mesa and Tempe. This driverless territory is smaller than Waymo’s standard domain in the Phoenix suburbs, implying that confidence levels are still highly situational. Even Waymo vehicles with safety drivers don’t yet take riders to one of the most popular ride-hailing destinations: the airport.
The complexities of driverless
Panigrahi deflected questions about the proliferation of driverless rides, saying only that the number has been increasing and will continue to do so. Waymo has about 600 autonomous vehicles in its fleet across all geographies, including Mountain View, Calif. The majority of those vehicles are in Phoenix, according to the company.
However, Panigrahi did reveal that the primary limiting factor is applying what it learned from research into early rider experiences.
“This is an experience that you can’t really learn from someone else,” Panigrahi said. “This is truly new.”
Some of the most difficult challenges of driverless mobility only emerge once riders are combined with the absence of a human behind the wheel. For example, developing the technologies and protocols that allow a driverless Waymo to detect and pull over for emergency response vehicles and even allow emergency services to take over control was a complex task that required extensive testing and collaboration with local authorities.
“This was an entire area that, before doing full driverless, we didn’t have to worry as much about,” Panigrahi said.
The user experience is another crux of driverless ride-hailing. It’s an area to which Waymo has dedicated considerable time and resources — and for good reason. User experience turns out to hold some surprisingly thorny challenges once humans are removed from the equation.
The everyday interactions between a passenger and an Uber or Lyft driver, such as conversations about pick-up and drop-offs as well as sudden changes in plans, become more complex when the driver is a computer. It’s an area that Waymo’s user experience research (UXR) team admits it is still figuring out.
Computers and sensors may already be better than humans at specific driving capabilities, like staying in lanes or avoiding obstacles (especially over long periods of time), but they lack the human flexibility and adaptability needed to be a good mobility provider.
Learning how to either handle or avoid the complexities that humans accomplish with little effort requires a mix of extensive experience and targeted research into areas like behavioral psychology that tech companies can seem allergic to.
Not just a tech problem
Waymo’s early driverless rides mark the beginning of a new phase of development filled with fresh challenges that can’t be solved with technology alone. Research into human behavior, building up expertise in the stochastic interactions of the modern urban curbside, and developing relationships and protocols with local authorities are all deeply time-consuming efforts. These are not challenges that Waymo can simply throw technology at, but require painstaking work by humans who understand other humans.
Some of these challenges are relatively straightforward. For example, it didn’t take long for Waymo to realize that dropping off riders as close to the entrance of a Walmart was actually less convenient due to the high volume of foot traffic. But understanding that pick-up and drop-off isn’t ruled by a single principle (e.g. closer to the entrance is always better) hints at a hidden wealth of complexity that Waymo’s vehicles need to master.
As frustrating as the slow pace of self-driving proliferation is, the fact that Waymo is embracing these challenges and taking the time to address it is encouraging.
The first chapter of autonomous drive technology development was focused on the purely technical challenge of making computers drive. Weaving Waymo’s computer “driver” into the fabric of society requires an understanding of something even more mysterious and complex: people and how they interact with each other and the environment around them.
Given how fundamentally autonomous mobility could impact our society and cities, it’s reassuring to know that one of the technology’s leading developers is taking the time to understand and adapt to them.
Change your story, change your life | Lori Gottlieb
Stories help you make sense of your life -- but when these narratives are incomplete or misleading, they can keep you stuck instead of providing clarity. In an actionable talk, psychotherapist and advice columnist Lori Gottlieb shows how to break free from the stories you've been telling yourself by becoming your own editor and rewriting your narrative from a different point of view.
The rumors are true. A week after word surfaced that Google planned to buy Fitbit, the companies have confirmed the purchase in a blog post authored by Google device SVP, Rick Osterloh. The match could ultimately prove beneficial for both parties. Google has struggled to make much of a dent in the wearables category, leading the software giant to purchase a large chunk of IP from watchmaker, Fossil for $40 million.
Fitbit, meanwhile, has had issues maintaining growth in recent years. The company, which first pioneered and then dominated the wrist-worn tracker space, struggled as smartwatches grew and ultimately dominated the space. While late to the category, the company has had luck with the Versa watch, the result of its own acquisition of Pebble, Vector and Coin, while working to pivot much of its focus into healthcare.
“Over the years, Google has made progress with partners in this space with Wear OS and Google Fit, but we see an opportunity to invest even more in Wear OS as well as introduce Made by Google wearable devices into the market,” Osterloh writes. “Fitbit has been a true pioneer in the industry and has created engaging products, experiences and a vibrant community of users. By working closely with Fitbit’s team of experts, and bringing together the best AI, software and hardware, we can help spur innovation in wearables and build products to benefit even more people around the world.”
Having problems updating your iPhone or iPad to the latest version of iOS or iPadOS? There are a few reasons why you could be facing these issues. Don’t be disheartened, though—there’s almost certainly a solution to the problem.
Let’s look at some fixes that will help you get the latest software running on your device properly. Here’s how to fix your iPhone or iPad when it won’t let you update iOS or iPadOS.
Preliminary Tips to Fix iPhone Update Issues
Before you dive into advanced troubleshooting, it’s a good idea to check a few basics first. Don’t forget to run through these simple troubleshooting steps when your iPhone won’t update.
1. Charge Your iPhone or iPad
Your device won’t let you upgrade if you don’t have enough battery power. This is to prevent your device from turning off in the middle of an update, which can cause catastrophic damage to your phone.
Make sure you plug in your device and have plenty of charge before updating. It’s a good idea to leave it on the charger while the process runs, too.
2. Make Sure You’re Eligible to Update
Unfortunately, Apple eventually drops support for older devices, so not all iPhone and iPad models can update to the latest iOS iteration. To make sure your device can get the latest release of Apple’s mobile operating system, scroll down to the bottom of Apple’s iOS info page or iPadOS info page and look for your model.
3. Give It Some Time
When you try to update to the latest version of iOS as soon as it comes out, you might run into trouble. Apple’s servers go under heavy load when thousands of people are trying to update at once.
If you receive an error when trying to update to the latest version of iOS, try waiting for a while. You might have better luck later when the update servers aren’t under such a strain.
4. Force-Restart Your Device
A one-off bug can prevent you from updating your iPhone. Restarting your phone will refresh its processes and hopefully clear up any temporary glitches. Follow our guide to restarting your iPhone to learn the steps for your specific device.
Once you’ve done this successfully, you’ll see your screen turn black. Afterwards, an Apple logo will appear, and you’ll be greeted by your lock screen. Your device is now fully refreshed, so you can go ahead and try to update again.
5. Free Up Space
A lack of device storage a common culprit for a faulty update process. Luckily, modern versions of iOS help you free up space easily. Here’s how:
Open Settings.
Scroll down and tap General.
Tap iPhone Storage.
In this menu, you’ll see how much storage you have. Depending on what’s taking up space, your phone will provides a few recommendations, including:
Offload Unused Apps
Review Large Attachments
iCloud Photos
Auto-Delete Old Conversations
Offload Unused Apps deletes any apps that you rarely use. This won’t delete any of your personal data, though; only the app data itself will be deleted.
Review Large Attachments lets you see the largest photos and videos inside of Messages so you can delete them. This is often an easy way to gain a big chunk of storage, to give your iPhone a bit more room for the update.
iCloud Photos allows you to back up all your photos to iCloud. After doing this, you’re free to delete as many images as you want from your device. However, if you decide to do this, you’ll only be able to access your photos via an internet connection later on.
Auto-Delete Old Conversations has your phone clear out messages and attachments that were sent years ago in order to save space.
Connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer with its charging cable.
Open iTunes.
Sync your iOS device.
Click Check for update.
Click Download.
Once the download is finished, select Update.
Since Apple retired iTunes in macOS Catalina, you’ll need to do this through Finder instead. Connect your device to your Mac, open Finder, and click the device name on the left sidebar. This will bring you to a panel similar to the old iTunes interface, where you can follow the steps above.
If you can’t update through iTunes either, the next step is to take a look at your Wi-Fi connection. A slow or unreliable Wi-Fi connection means you may not be able to update properly.
Make sure you’re connected to a strong Wi-Fi network when you try to update. It’s worth restarting your router if you haven’t done so in a while. You might also try connecting to another network and seeing if you have the same issue there.
If you can’t update on any Wi-Fi network, you can reset your device’s network settings to start fresh. Note that this will clear out all network preferences you’ve saved, so you’ll need to reconnect to all previously saved Wi-Fi networks again. This will also reset any VPN configurations you use.
To reset network settings on your iPhone or iPad:
Open Settings.
Tap on General.
Scroll down to Reset.
Select Reset network settings.
Enter your passcode and confirm you want to do this.
8. Factory Reset Your Device
If none of the above has fixed your problem, you should consider completely wiping your device. In the Reset menu mentioned above, you can either reset all settings on your device, or perform a factory reset to erase everything.
Resetting your settings probably won’t fix an update issue, but it’s worth a try if nothing else has worked:
Launch Settings.
Open General.
Tap Reset.
Select Reset all settings.
Confirm with your passcode.
All your settings are now reset. Try to update again. If it works, you’ll need to put all your settings (including app preferences, display options, and similar) back as they were.
Failing that, you can go the more extreme route and reset your device to factory defaults. Keep in mind this will erase all the data on your iPhone or iPad. Make sure you’ve backed up your iPhone before proceeding so you don’t lose any information.
Here’s how to factory reset your device:
Open Settings.
Tap General.
Tap Reset.
Select Erase All Content and Settings.
Confirm with your passcode.
Your device will now revert back to its factory state. Because everything is fresh again you’ll hopefully be able to update without issue. You can restore your iPhone backup when you set up your phone after the reset.
iPhone Updating Troubles: Fixed!
It’s frustrating when your phone won’t let you update. Hopefully, one of these fixes solved your problem and you can now enjoy the latest version of iOS.
A Chromebook is a great option for your kids. They’re cheap, portable, lightweight, and the software doesn’t cost anything, either. When your kids start using technology, you want to keep tabs on what they’re up to.
Because of their focus on kids, students, and education, Chromebooks and Chrome OS have a decent range of parental controls. Some are integrated with Chrome OS, while others come from the Chrome Web Store or Google Play.
Here are the best parental controls for your child’s Chromebook.
One of the best-integrated Chromebook parental control tools available is Google Family Link. The Google-designed app lets parents monitor their child’s Chromebook session from their Android smartphone. Family Link is the replacement for Chrome Supervised Profiles. Existing Chrome Supervised Accounts still work, but you can no longer edit their settings, or create a new profile.
Google Family Link allows parents to:
Set Chromebook use time limits
Control daily time limits manually
Set individual app time limits
View app usage and make time activity reports for the kids
Approve app downloads and other online activities
Add education and exploration focused apps remotely
Lock the Chromebook remotely, with a specific unlock time
Locate your child via Family Link on their Chromebook
You can also control your kid’s Chromebook from another Chromebook, so long as you can install Android apps. (Some Chromebook models can only install Chrome Web Store apps, rather than Android operating system apps.)
Google Family Link has the same functionality as a Chrome Supervised Profile, with some handy extras.
Mobicip Parental Control with Screen Time (the app’s full title) is a remote parental control app. It is one of the most popular and comprehensive parental control apps that work for Android, iOS, and Chromebooks, as well as macOS and Windows.
The Mobicip Parental Control Standard Plan includes the following features:
Schedule and limit Chromebook screen time
Lock Chromebook remotely
Review recent browsing history
Block and control social media, video, and gaming apps
Manage internet content filtering
Send messages to the Chromebook; reminders, homework checks, and so on
Track the location of the Chromebook when switched on
Mobicip Parental Control is easy to use and feature-packed. It is a premium parental control app. A year’s subscription to Mobicip’s Standard Plan will set you back $49.99 per year, offering protection for five devices. Mobicip also offers a free seven-day trial to figure out if the parental controls suit you and your kids.
WebWatcher is a long-standing player in the parental control market. The WebWatcher Chromebook offering isn’t as comprehensive as Google Family Link or Mobicip Parental Control. But it does allow decent remote Chromebook management and some handy content alerts. With WebWatcher Chromebook monitoring, you can:
Monitor website and search history
Keep tabs on social media URLs
Create word alerts with automatic screenshotting
Use continuous screenshot mode for constant updating
WebWatcher’s Alert Log tool is highly recommended. The Alert Log continually scans data on the Chromebook, using advanced filtering to catch any dangerous behavior or content. If your child engages in any nefarious behaviour on their Chromebook, you receive an email update complete with a screenshot of the issue.
The WebWatcher Chromebook monitoring model respects the privacy of the Chromebook user while keeping parents informed about any dangerous activity.
WebWatcher for Chromebook is a premium parental control app. You can opt for a monthly payment of $3.32 or pay $39.99 for a 12-month subscription. WebWatcher also offers a free trial to test the parental control system before buying.
Blocksi Manager Home is a comprehensive Chromebook parental control option, with a wide range of monitoring and management features. There are several Blocksi versions. The free Blocksi option offers a handy but standard array of URL and content filtering, whitelisting, and website ratings.
The best option is Blocksi Manager Home Premium, which gives you:
Internet, social media, video, gaming access time controls
Additional YouTube keyword and channel filtering
Customizable filtering policies
Near real-time analytics, search, and web history
Notifications on attempts to access dangerous or illicit content
Screen time enforcement
Blocksi Manager Home Premium costs $59.50 per user per year. Comparatively, Blocksi Manager Home is one of the pricier Chromebook parental control products. However, it is also one of the most comprehensive. Like the other Chromebook parental control options on this list, Blocksi offers a free trial.
mSpy is a parental control app with a focus on constant tracking. In that, mSpy gives you a constant view into your kid’s Chromebook world, so long as the Chromebook is switchd on or in use. mSpy provides an extensive range of parental controls, including:
Social media monitoring, including WhatsApp and Snapchat
Web browsing and search monitoring and reporting
Email tracking and analysis
Location tracking when the Chromebook is in use
Geo-fencing alerts; if your child accesses the Chromebook outside the fence, you receive an alert
Installed application control, monitoring, and blocking
mSpy is extremely comprehensive, but it is also the most expensive parental control app on this list. Geo-fencing, website blocking, and other features fall under the Premium subscription, which costs $53.99 per month. You can reduce the monthly cost with a 12-month subscription, dropping the price to $12.49 per month.
If you want something free and relatively easy to use, look no further than Google Family Link. It works straight out of the box. You can install it on almost any Chromebook, so long as it is compatible. It uses your existing Gmail account to monitor your kid’s Chromebook usage, and the app itself is intuitive.
The other options are all handy, with different strengths for parental control. However, as they all come with a price tag, the free option wins.
Want to understand more about parental controls? Check out our guide to parental controls of every kind to decide what type of parental control suits your situation.
Writing your first novel can be more daunting in life than actually putting pen to paper or finger to keyboard. The untouched page is a frank sign of how much work there is to do.
In Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott explains the writer’s dilemma:
You are desperate to communicate, to edify and entertain…to make real or imagined events come alive. But you cannot will this to happen. It is a matter of persistence and faith and hard work. So you might as well just go ahead and get started.
Yet getting started is easier once you’ve done some initial prep work on your story; its structure, characters, and how on earth you’re going to get this thing out of your head.
That’s where these free novel-writing templates and worksheets prove handy.
This worksheet from Evernote is a simple way to outline the main characters, plot themes, events, and conflicts within your story. By teasing them out of your mind and onto a worksheet like this, you’ll be able to plot the broad story arc.
Remember to keep your descriptions specific and concise. This isn’t meant to be an entire plot description.
If you’re an Evernote fan, there are plenty of other Evernote templates you can use. But if you don’t use Evernote, this worksheet can easily be replicated in other programs, or on a sheet of paper.
This straightforward worksheet from The Novel Factory helps you to pad out your main characters. You’ll find yourself adding to, and referring back to this info, time and again as your character develops.
If you’re looking for a more linear approach to plan your novel, this spreadsheet from EA Deverell is especially useful. This customizable resource allows you to break down and describe each of your scenes so that you have a concrete plot before you start writing.
To start using this spreadsheet, open it up, click File then Make a Copy.
The Freytag method of planning out your novel sits somewhere between vague and extremely detailed. If that sounds like the approach you’d like to take, complete this worksheet from Duolit.
The model covers all essentials, without going overboard on planning. From the introduction of characters, through to rising action, and to the final resolution of your story.
This PDF from The Writers Craft will help you to flesh out important scenes before writing them out in your first draft.
With this worksheet, you’ll paint a detailed picture of an individual scene from your main character’s viewpoints. You’ll explore the sights, sounds, and smells of the situation to develop a vivid idea of what it is that you need to portray.
Writer’s Digest has a number of useful writing worksheets aimed at helping writers pen the first draft in 30 days. One of the most useful of these templates is the At-a-Glance Outline. This worksheet helps you to fill in any gaps and plot holes in your story before you come across them in the middle of your draft.
Working your way through this worksheet may be difficult at first, but when it comes to writing your novel, it’ll make things a whole lot easier.
This simple flowchart from Duolit will help you to figure out what perspective and tense you’ll be writing in. This is an often overlooked part of writing a novel, so having this pinned down early on will give you a good advantage.
Another template from Evernote, this chapter and scene breakdown can easily be replicated in whichever program you prefer to use. Once you’ve planned out your novel in more detail, quickly creating a breakdown like this is useful for easy reference.
This will save you time searching through your notes when you’re in the writing “flow”.
Another great worksheet from Writer’s Digest is their Climax Sketch PDF. This is where you will plan out the climax of your novel, “the point where the protagonist faces the conflict directly, with his goal on the line”.
It’s important you get this part of your story right, so spend some time on this to make it compelling.
Technically, it’s not a template or a worksheet, but given that figuring out how to end your novel will be one of the biggest challenges you face, this infographic is extremely valuable.
By knowing about the different ways in which you can draw your story to a close, you may well be able to improve your writing and introduce more interesting plot twists and character development than you might have otherwise.
There are plenty of programs for creative writers, but Scrivener is arguably one of the best. Case in point: this seriously detailed Scrivener template for outlining and structuring your novel covers everything you could imagine.
From character arcs, premises, abbreviated outlines, and character details, to props, areas for worldbuilding, planning out a series, and more.
If you’re using Scrivener (30-day free trial available) to write your novel, this free template is certainly worth checking out.
Other Scrivener templates you might want to try are:
These five free Microsoft Word book templates from DIY Book Formats (email registration required) are of high quality. And what’s more, they’ll save you tons of time wrestling with document formatting when you could be writing.
Each template includes paragraph and header styling, a cover page, footers, and page numbers, and comes in PDF, DOC, DOCX, and INDD (InDesign) filetypes.
For Google Docs Users: The DOC and DOCX files included in this collection can also be uploaded and used on Google Docs. You may have to slightly tweak line spacing, etc. but most of the formatting is retained.
Start Writing
By the time you’ve worked through a few of the worksheets included in this article, you’ll be in a much better position to finally put pen to paper and become the writer you always wanted to be.
And who knows? After a few rounds of edits, you may even be ready to finally publish your ebook, and get your story printed so you can enjoy the pride that comes with having a physical copy of your work in hand.
Another day, another new media streaming service. This one courtesy of WarnerMedia. HBO Max is a streaming service offering the entire HBO service, plus original programming, and older content from the vaults. HBO Max is set to launch in May 2020.
From Cable Companies to Streaming Services
A decade ago, cable companies had consumers in their pockets. They could charge what they wanted, force bundles of unwanted channels on viewers, and generally take their customers for granted. Then Netflix arrived, and people started cutting the cord in droves.
Now, there are dozens of streaming services to choose from. All offering different movies and TV shows. The most recent additions being Apple TV+ and Disney+, which are priced at $4.99/month and $6.99/month, accordingly. And now HBO Max is joining the party.
Everything You Need to Know About HBO Max
As revealed at a glossy launch event in Burbank, California, HBO Max is launching in the US in May 2020. It will initially be priced at $14.99/month. An ad-supported tier will follow in 2021, with WarnerMedia also looking to expand into Latin America and Europe.
At launch, HBO Max will offer “10,000 hours of curated premium content”. This includes existing HBO shows, new original series, and content from Warner Bros., New Line, DC, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, TCM, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and more.
The price point of $14.99/month mirrors that of HBO Now, which seems fair enough. However, it means HBO Max will be more expensive than any other major streaming service, including Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV+, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video.
The caveat is that people already pay for HBO, so some of you will end up getting HBO Max for no extra charge. The exact details are yet to be confirmed, but existing HBO subscribers on AT&T plus HBO Now direct-billed customers should get HBO Max for free.
Are There Too Many Streaming Services?
WarnerMedia is keenly aware it’s entering a crowded market. So it’s trying to differentiate HBO Max from the competition. So, besides the usual downloads, profiles, and parental controls, HBO Max will offer human-curated content and a co-viewing feature.
Whether this all pays off remains to be seen, but HBO Max stands as good a chance as any of the other newcomers of securing a foothold in the sector. All we know is that there are too many streaming services, and some will inevitably end up failing.
When you need to compose a document in Microsoft Word, starting with a template can be very helpful. Whether it’s a resume, report, proposal, plan, or another type of common document, templates give you a jumpstart with built-in formatting.
We’ve covered a lot of great free Microsoft Word templates before. But if you need a unique document type or simply want more choices, you might want to search for yourself. Here are six websites you can visit that offer the best selections when you want to download a Microsoft Word template for free.
When it comes to templates for Microsoft Word, what better place could there be to start than with Microsoft Office Online? The advantage of using this resource is that your templates come directly from Microsoft.
The site organizes their templates nicely so that you can search by keyword or browse by category, event, occasion, or application. And you’ll find hundreds of free templates for Word. For instance, resumes and cover letters, flyers and brochures, calendars and cards, and so many more.
When you see a template you want, select it to view a brief description. Click the Download button to use it on your computer or click Edit in Browser to open the template in Microsoft Word Online.
Another great spot for Word template downloads is Template.net. Since the site offers both free and paid templates, it can be tough to use the search box because you’ll see a mixture. It’s best to use the Templates button at the top and then pick a category from the Free Templates.
Template.net has free Word templates for everything from agreements to invoices to planners to vouchers. Once you pick a category, you’ll see an organized grid of results. Each template has icons for the applications that are compatible. So just look for that Microsoft Word logo which isn’t a problem as there are many.
You’ll have to sign up for a free account in order to download the templates. Once you do, pick a template, click Free Download and continue through the prompts to obtain the template.
A favorite for Microsoft Office templates is Vertex42. While the site concentrates mostly on templates for Excel, you’ll find a good selection for Word as well. At the top, you’ll see a navigation button for Word Templates. Just click that and you’re on your way to their full list.
You can find letters, resumes, flyers, and agendas or get specific with basketball rosters, exercise logs, and camping checklists. And if you select a template to view or download, you’ll see related templates at the bottom which is super helpful.
When you see a template you want to download, just select it to see a full description that includes the compatible applications and versions. Choose your version of Word, click the Download button, and then follow the prompts to obtain your template.
The WordTemplates.org website is all about its name. You can find tons of Word templates for your business or home, easily and all for free.
When you land on the site, you’ll see a simple way to navigate common template categories like business, brochure, certificate, flyer, and contract. You can also check out the recent and popular options along with searching for something specific.
Each template gives you a helpful description and image. When you find a template you want, select it and click the Download Now button. That’s it! You don’t have to sign up for an account or sift through paid templates. WordTemplates.org takes care of your Word template needs for free.
Hloom is a cool website that offers templates for all Microsoft Office applications, not just Word. So this is a handy one to bookmark if you need templates for Excel or PowerPoint down the road.
At the top, you’ll see Free Templates and can pick to see their collections or a specific template for things like invoices, certificates, invitations, or flyers. If you check out the Template Collections section, you’ll see the templates organized into categories from agreements to surveys.
When you see a template you like, select it for its description, samples, and more information about that type of document, which is helpful. Next to the filename, you can confirm it’s for Word with the DOCX extension in the name. Click the Download button and you’re set.
Stock Layouts is one more site you must check out for Microsoft Word templates. You’ll find many attractive and functional options for your project.
The site has both free and paid templates, so if you just want only the free options, click the Templates button at the top and choose Free Templates. Then, under Free Graphic Design Templates, click the dots to move through the categories.
When you find a template you like, select it and check the file formats for Microsoft Word because the site also provides templates for applications like Illustrator and Apple Pages. Sign in or sign up for a free account and then hit the Free Download button.
Some paid templates are priced individually, or you can subscribe to a plan. But there are plenty of templates available for free to get you started.
Happy Template Searching!
These six websites are wonderful resources for free Word template you can download. If you’re just beginning your search, check each one to find the exact template you want. You’ll end up having a favorite in this bunch, but if you bookmark them all, you won’t need to scramble at the last minute when searching for a Word template.
Some video game genres give you a quick fix, while others are slow burners designed to suck hours of your life away. Kingdom building and base building games are definitely the latter, and you can lose whole nights playing them.
There are lots of kingdom building and base building games available to play these days. In this article, we sort the wheat from the chaff, listing the best base building games and kingdom building games you can play right now.
Rimworld is a base and a city builder, as it is “a sci-fi colony sim driven by an intelligent AI storyteller.” It doesn’t let down. Your Rimworld game begins with just three survivors. With these three survivors, you must start a new civilization.
Rimworld is engaging, making no qualms of the non-competitive sandbox mode. Your survivors’ story is led through an AI storyteller. The storyteller creates pirate attacks, traders, storms, random flocks of chickens, and more.
The AI storyteller isn’t just a random number generator, either. It is modeled on the AI Director from Left4Dead, meaning the encounters and scenarios create a narrative, rather than a series of random destructive events.
Rimworld left Steam Early Access in October 2018 and still receives regular updates. It also has a bustling Steam Workshop full of mods, extensions, and new AI storytellers.
Stardew Valley is an extremely popular “open-ended country-life RPG” with a strong Harvest Moon influence. Stardew Valley straddles several genres. It isn’t strictly about building a city or a base, but about contributing to the healthy development of your city through a farming simulation.
On the face of it this sounds a little dull. But there is a good reason Stardew Valley players log thousands of hours in this incredibly engaging indie title.
Stardew Valley is a qualified indie success story. Its first week of sales in February 2016 saw Stardew Valley ship around 425,000 copies. In under two years, over 3.5 million copies of Stardew Valley had been sold.
Sole developer, Eric Barone, was taken aback with the universal appeal of the game, saying, “I never expected it to have such wide appeal. I mean, I’m super happy about it and blown away by the reaction, but I’m surprised too.”
Factorio players will be happy to learn that this article was entirely automated using a series of conveyor belts and mechanical grabbers. If you are yet to delve into the world of Factorio, get ready to book two weeks off of work as you build an enormous factory with the aim of building a shiny rocket.
Factorio is a true base builder. You harvest resources to feed a continually expanding factory. Researching unlocks new facilities, appliances, conveyor belts, and alien technology.
It sounds simple. In practice, your first base will become a twisting maze of spaghetti-like mechanical arms, pipes, and sorters powered using a variety of energy sources and protected with giant weaponry.
Factorio is elaborate and can feel hectic. You will definitely fall asleep wondering how to squeeze more efficiency from your logistics robots. Since its February 2016 release, Factorio has maintained a sensational 98% positive review rating on Steam, with nearly 2 million sales.
4. Subnautica: Base Builder and Undersea Exploration
Enter an alien world submerged deep underwater, filled with all manner of beautiful and horrific sea life, amazingly vibrant coral reefs, and stiflingly dark deep ocean trenches.
Brought to you by indie developers Unknown Worlds Entertainment, Subnautica has won many plaudits for its open-water survival style of gameplay, and a constantly expanding and developing ocean world for you to explore.
Subnautica spent four years in Early Access, and finally released proper in early 2018. Since then, it has sold millions of copies and maintains an excellent 93% positive rating on Steam.
You might sigh at the thought of yet another indie voxel survival base builder. But you shouldn’t. Subnautica will hold your attention from your first dip in the water to the murky, face-eating monster depths of terror.
What base, city, and kingdom building list could exist without Dwarf Fortress? The incredible city building and kingdom management game is an indie gem, through and through.
Dwarf Fortress is complex. You view the world in ASCII, making your screen feel busy. The controls are extensive, and you must micromanage your dwarves lest they kill themselves in any number of gruesome or amusing methods. Dwarf Fortress is completely open-ended, too, without any main objectives.
Islanders is a bright and vibrant city builder set on a tiny island. Your job is to build and maintain your island utopia through its fledgling village stages to a vast, bustling city.
There is no resource gathering in Islanders. You unlock new buildings via your high score, placing them like a puzzle to maximize your real estate. Buildings link together in a modular fashion, with each placement earning you more points.
Each island is procedurally generated, meaning no two places are the same. It keeps Islanders fresh, with a new challenge each time you play.
The newly established space colony trope gives developers an easy entry point. Setting your space colony city builder apart from the rest is more difficult. Planetside manages to rise above the rest as you guide a group of settlers toward the genesis of a new civilization.
In Planetside, you switch between the role of colony manager and base architect. Switching between and combining the two roles gives you a rounded approach to maintaining development while keeping the colonists happy, and, importantly, alive.
One important thing to note is that Planetside has you manage your ecology. Run out of oxygen, water, and food, and death will come knocking on your interlocking chamber doors.
They Are Billions is a base-building strategy game where you must overcome the infected hordes of a post-apocalyptic planet. You take control of one of the last remaining human colonies. Your task is to build and defend against the billions of infected attackers that arrive, wave after wave.
They Are Billions uses a custom game engine to power the decision making of the infected. You can face up to 20,000 units in real-time, all attempting to wipe out your colony. The They Are Billions infection is extremely virulent, too. If just one infected breaks through your defenses, the first workers it comes into contact with will contract the virus.
You control a group of exiled travelers, searching for the perfect spot to build a new town. Banished doesn’t make restarting life easy. In the beginning, you only have the clothes on the travelers backs and pack-cart, depending on the difficulty level.
Winters come and go. Each time, you wonder how many people will die of starvation as your summer crop yields were low. You wonder if the children will survive because your hunter caught an illness and died. You wonder if a trade vessel will arrive. And if it does arrive, will it be carrying anything useful?
Banished stopped receiving updates in 2017. However, there is a decent modding community that brings additional features to the game.
The Universim asks, “What would you do with the power?”
In The Universim, you are the creator, the almighty. Your actions shape the development of the world. In your infinite wisdom, guide your world from its genesis into a mighty kingdom. Reward the faithful and punish the disbelievers.
The Universim is an ecosystem, too. Every aspect is linked, and tweaking one area can have unintended outcomes elsewhere on the planet. Nature rolls in and out and is unpredictable and at times, dangerous and destructive.
The Universim is still in early access and receives regular updates and bug fixes.
What Is the Best Kingdom or Base Building Game?
With so many kingdom and base building games available to play, and so many choices that didn’t make the list, there is no definitive answer to this question. How can you choose the best base or kingdom building game with so many options available?
The trick is not to pick just one. Play all of the games on this list that appeal to you, and you’ll never be bored again. Just be sure to stock up on coffee for those all-night sessions.
The world of phone-based AR has involved a lot of promises, but the future that’s developed has so far been more iterative and less platform shift-y. For startups exclusively focused on mobile AR, there’s been some soul-searching to find ways to bring more lightweight experiences to life that don’t require as much friction or commitment from users.
8th Wall is a team focused on building developer tools for mobile AR experiences. The startup has raised more than $10 million to usher developers into the augmented world.
The company announced this week that they’ve built a one-stop shop authoring platform that will help its customers create and ship AR experiences that will be hosted by 8th Wall. It’s a step forward in what they’ve been trying to build and a further sign that marketing activations are probably the most buoyant money-makers in the rather flat phone-based AR space at the moment.
The editor supports popular immersive web frameworks like A-Frame, three.js and Babylon.js. It’s a development platform, but while game engine tools like Unity have features focused on heavy rendering, 8th Wall is more interested in “very fast, lightweight projects that can be built up to any scale,” the startup’s CEO Erik Murphy tells TechCrunch.
8th Wall’s initial sell was an augmented reality platform akin to ARKit and ARCore that allowed developers to build content that supported a wider breadth of smartphones. Today, 8th Wall’s team of 14 is focused on a technology called WebAR that allows mobile phones to call up web experiences inside the browser.
The main sell of WebAR is the same appeal of web apps; users don’t need to download anything and they can access the experience with just a link. This is great for branded marketing interactions, where expecting users to download an app is pretty laughable; moving this process to the web with a link or a QR code makes life much easier.
The startup’s cloud-based authoring and hosting platform is available now for its agency and
business users.
