Here’s everything Google announced at CES 2020

Another year, another blast of Google Assistant news on the first official day of CES.

Google slimmed things down a touch for CES this year, though they’ve still got a big presence here. While they didn’t build a whole damn amusement park ride this time around, they’ve still got a massive two story booth (complete with slides) parked right outside the front doors of the Las Vegas convention center.

As with last year, just about everything Google is showing off at CES 2020 is focused around the company’s voice-powered AI helper, Google Assistant.

Here’s what’s new:

• Webpage reading: Been meaning to read that long article all day, but don’t have 20 minutes to stare at your phone? Folks on Android devices will soon be able to say “Hey Google, read this page” and Assistant will fire up its neural networks to generate a pretty lifelike reading, with the system only reading the relevant text (assuming all is working as planned) while avoiding mentioning things like social sharing buttons or the page’s myriad navigation options. Google says it also wants to make the page autoscroll/highlight text as it reads, though it sounds like that may come a bit later down the road.
• Scheduled actions: You’ll soon be able to make one-off requests for things you want to happen later in the day, like “Hey Google, turn on the lights at 6 pm”. Sorta surprising this wasn’t already a thing.
• Sticky notes: Ever written something on a post-it and put it wherever someone would see it as soon as they walked in the door? Google is taking that idea and putting it on their smart displays, allowing you to say things like “Hey Google, leave a note that says ‘Don’t forget to pack'” to pin a note to the lock screen (visible by all) accordingly.



• Speed Dial: If that sticky notes feature is meant to replace the front door post-it, this one is meant to replace that list of important phone numbers stuck to the fridge door for the babysitter. You’ll be able add a handful of phone numbers to a smart display’s lock screen, allowing anyone to quickly call those contacts with a tap or voice command.
• Uh, forget I said that: Google Assistant isn’t supposed to record anything you say unless you start the sentence with “Hey Google”… but, well, that doesn’t always work. Sometimes things on TV will cause Assistant to perk up its ears; other times you might be mid-conversation and only realize you somehow caught Assistant’s attention when it responds “Sorry, I can’t help with that.” With that in mind, you’ll now be able to say “Hey Google, that wasn’t for you” to have it wipe its history of the last thing you said.

The one catch: as with most new Google Assistant features, the company isn’t getting too specific about when this stuff is rolling out, saying only that it’ll come “later this year”.

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American Airlines starts trialing Google Nest Hubs as translators in its lounges

Delta is keynoting CES today and launching a slew of updates to its digital services. Its competitors don’t want to be left behind, of course, so it’s probably no surprise that American Airlines also made a small but nifty tech announcement today. In partnership with Google, American will start trialing Google Nest Hubs and the Google Assistant interpreter mode in its airport lounges, starting at Los Angeles International Airport this week.

The idea here is to make it easier for the company’s customer service teams to provide personalized service to its customers when no multilingual representative is available. Since the interpreter mode supports 29 languages, including the likes of Arabic, French, German, Japanese, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese,” the Assistant should be able to help in most cases.

“The science fiction universal translator is now science fact,” said Maya Leibman,
American’s Chief Information Officer. “Incorporating technology like the Google
Assistant’s interpreter mode will help us break down barriers, provide a worry-free travel experience and make travel more accessible to all.”

While this isn’t exactly a groundbreaking new airline experience, what we’re seeing here is how the airline industry is now starting to see technology as a way to differentiate. There is only so much you can do once a customer has boarded (though a good seat, meal and friendly service sure help). What the airlines want to do, though, is extend their relationship with their customers beyond that initial booking experience and the flying experience, with more proactive services through its mobile apps and other touchpoints. That’s pretty clear from Delta’s announcements today and the rest of the industry is pushing in the same direction.

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This autonomous security drone is designed to guard your home

One of the new products unveiled at CES this year is a new kind of home security system – one that includes drones to patrol your property, along with sensors designed to mimic garden light and a central processor to bring it all together.

Sunflower Labs debuted their new Sunflower Home Awareness System, which includes the eponymous Sunflowers (motion and vibration sensors that look like simple garden lights but can populate a map to show you cars, people and animals on or near you property in real time); the Bee (a fully autonomous drone that deploys and flies on its own, with cameras on board to live stream video); and the Hive (a charging station for the Bee, which also houses the brains of the operation for crunching all the data gathered by the component parts.)

Roving aerial robots keeping tabs on your property might seem a tad dystopian, and perhaps even unnecessary, when you could maybe equip your estate with multiple fixed cameras and sensors for less money and with less complexity. But Sunflower Labs thinks its security system is an evolution of more standard fare because it “learns and reacts to its surroundings,” improving over time.

The Bee is also designed basically to supplement more traditional passive monitoring, and can be deployed on demand to provide more detailed information and live views of any untoward activity detected on your property. So it’s a bit like having someone always at the ready to go check out that weird noise you heard in the night – without the risk to the brave checker-upper.

Sunflower Labs was founded in 2016, and has backing from General Catalyst, among others, with offices in both San Francisco and Zurich. The system doesn’t come cheap, which shouldn’t be a surprise given what it promises to do on paper – it starts at $9,950 and can range up depending on your specific property’s custom needs. The company is accepting pre-orders now, with a deposit of $999 required, and intends to start delivering the first orders to customers beginning sometime in the middle of this year.

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6 VCs explain why seed investors now favor enterprise startups

Hello and welcome back to our regular morning look at private companies, public markets and the gray space in between.

Today we’re digging into seed-stage companies, the vanguard of the venture market. In particular, we’re trying to understand why the ratio of seed deals now favor enterprise startups over their consumer-focused brethren. The fact that seed investors recently inverted their preferences, cutting more checks to enterprise (B2B) startups in 2019 than consumer-oriented companies (B2C) was news.

We wrote about the trend here, as regular readers will recall.

To better understand what’s going on, I spoke with a number of early-stage venture investors who recently dropped by Equity, came highly recommended by peers, and several I know personally. The goal was to get a handful of inputs from different firms to get under the skin of the trend.

What in the hell is going on in seed? Let’s find out.

Why are enterprise seed deals on top?

This morning we’ll hear from Jenny Lefcourt at Freestyle Capital, Jomayra Herrera of Cowboy Ventures, Hunter Walk from Homebrew, Iris Choi of Floodgate, Sarah Guo from Greylock and Ajay Agrawal of Bain Capital Ventures. As you can see, we picked a list of investors form firms of different sizes, theses and focus. However, each investing group either focuses on early-stage investments that include seed deals or dabbles in them.

Here’s what we want to know: why did the the majority of seed deals swap from consumer-focused startups to enterprise-focused deals? 

Our investing group detailed a number of explanations, a handful of which echoed each other. To best convey their thinking, we’ll quote each investor at moderate length. If you are in a hurry, the most common point made against consumer-focused seed deals is go-to-market difficulty in the current market.

Other reasons include price, secular changes to the technology landscape, and the changing experience profile of the investing class themselves. (Minor edits made to select responses for clarity.)

Freestyle’s Jenny Lefcourt said via email that consumers are an increasingly difficult cohort to sell to, because they “became fickle with the proliferation of VC-backed, consumer-focused startups over the past few years.” As a result, consumers became “harder and more expensive to acquire and even harder to retain,” meaning higher customer acquisition costs (CAC) and lower lifetime value (LTV).

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Google and ClimaCell team up to launch a new high-resolution weather forecast for India

Weather technology company ClimaCell, which is taking a number of innovative approaches for gathering weather data and building forecasting models, today announced that it is partnering with Google Cloud to launch a new high-resolution forecasting model. The first model will focus on India, with other geographies following soon. ClimaCell and Google will make the forecast available for free through under the Google Cloud Public Datasets program.

The model will provide forecasts for the next 48 hours and have a resolution of 2km and 15-minute timesteps. It will also serve as the foundation for other weather products from ClimaCell for predicting floods, air quality and more.

“For the first time in history, a private company is offering a full-blown operational numerical weather prediction model for an entire country, working continuously and providing high-resolution forecasts for up to 48 hours ahead,” said ClimaCell CEO and co-founder Shimon Elkabetz. “Not only is it an historical milestone, we are providing it completely free of charge. We invite others to join us in making weather data free and accessible for everyone.”

The company argues that it takes a local model like this to address the nuances of local climates and geographies. The company plans to customize the model for other regions over time.

Since the models are available as public datasets, anybody will be able to make use of them. What we don’t know yet, of course, is how good these forecasts are, but ClimaCell has developed a pretty good reputation over the last year or so and a number of large companies, including airlines like Delta, Jetblue and United. The company also offers a freemium mobile app for consumers.

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The urgent case for antibiotic-free animals | Leon Marchal

The urgent case for antibiotic-free animals | Leon Marchal

The UN predicts that antimicrobial resistance will be our biggest killer by 2050. "That should really scare the hell out of all of us," says bioprocess engineer Leon Marchal. He's working on an urgently needed solution: transforming the massive, global animal feed industry. Learn why the overuse of antibiotics in animal products, from livestock feed to everyday pet treats, has skyrocketed worldwide -- and how we can take common-sense measures to stave off a potential epidemic.

Click the above link to download the TED talk.

Insta360 Launches the ONE R Modular Action Camera

Insta360, the market leader in 360-degree cameras, has partnered with Leica to reinvent the action camera, bringing a host of new and innovative features in tow. The Insta360 ONE R is the result of this partnership.

The camera os available now and includes 360-degree capture, 4K support, and a 5.3K one- inch sensor. If you think that sounds like a lot to pack into one device, you’d be right. That’s why the ONE R comes with quick-swapping lenses instead.

What Is the Insta360 ONE R?

At first glance, the Insta360 ONE R resembles a traditional action camera; the small, rectangular device fits into the palm of your hand. The lens is on the front of the device, with a small screen on the back. However, instead of being a single unit, the device is broken up into replaceable mods.

At launch, there are three lens mods available; Dual-Lens 360, 4K Wide Angle, and the 1-Inch Wide Angle Mod.The Dual-Lens 360 mod brings the company’s 360-degree video capture to the ONE R, while the 4K wide-angle mod allows you to take high-definition video.

The 1-Inch Wide Angle Mod was co-engineered with Leica. Not only does this mean you get a lens packed with Leica’s design experience, but you can use it to capture 5.3K video and 19MP photos, even in difficult or challenging lighting.

Insta360 ONE R Features

The Insta360 ONE R builds on the success of the Insta360 GO, the company’s previous action camera. The GO was one of the most straightforward action cameras for creatives, bundling excellent hardware with easy-to-use editing software. If you want to know more about that camera, you can check out our review of the Insta360 GO. Despite retaining many of the GO’s features, the ONE R is a huge leap forward, too.

The camera integrates Insta360’s FlowState stabilization, which makes your footage seem as though you’d been using a gimbal, even in low-light. The ONE R is IPX8 rated for waterproofing to a depth of five meters. You can increase that up to an incredible 60 meters with the optional Dive Case.

Of course, when you’re out recording, the last thing you want to do is be fiddling about with your camera. That’s why the Insta360 ONE R comes equipped with voice control, too, allowing you to operate the camera with simple spoken commands. The action camera is equipped with two onboard microphones, with wind-reduction algorithms.

If you want to add an external mic, just plug it into the device’s USB-C port. You can also use the camera to create time-lapse videos with the TimeShift feature. There are also additional extended battery mods, as well as an Aerial mod, which renders drones invisible in your footage.

Where Can You Buy the Insta360 ONE R?

The Insta360 ONE R is available to buy now via Insta360.com, Best Buy, or worldwide in many electronics retailers. As not every creator needs every mod, you can purchase each component of the ONE R in whichever combination suits you. However, Insta360 has also put together pre-packed editions to get you started, too.

The ONE R Twin Edition, containing the Dual-Lens 360 and 4K Wide Angle mods, is available for $479.99. The Insta360 ONE R 1-Inch Edition comes with the 1-Inch Wide Angle Mod for $549.99. Alternatively, you could opt for the Insta360 ONE R 4K Edition with the 4K Wide Angle mod for $299.99.

If you’re considering your options, you may want to check out our review of the Insta360 One X, too.

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The 4 Best Virtual Pet Games for Your Mobile

Pets are cute, fuzzy, and a source of comfort. And they’re the source of plenty of online memes. However, not everyone can own a real pet, which is why virtual pet games exist.

While most of us love animals, it isn’t always possible to own one. Maybe due to the cost, living space, or allergies. However, everyone can own virtual pets which live on your mobile.

In this article, we list the best virtual pet games for Android and iOS.

1. My Tamagotchi Forever

Everyone who grew up as a kid in the nineties will remember Tamagotchis. They were little virtual pets stored in oddly-shaped plastic eggs.

These pets danced around on monochrome screens, making little wiggling motions as you watched them. A lot of kids spent hours looking after these digital creatures. We fed them, cleaned them, and put them to bed.

Now, the company that had a hand in the creation of the original Tamagotchis has turned the concept into a free-to-play app. My Tamagotchi Forever is one of the best mobile games I’ve personally played, and the app is stupidly good.

With a bright, colorful interface, adorable creatures, and amazing mini-games where you can collect coins and gems, My Tamagotchi Forever is a shining example of how you can create a free-to-play game without littering it with ads to the point of making it spammy.

My Tamagotchi Forever does this by designing a toy that is actually fun to play long-term. It also trusts that its audience will enjoy the game long enough to watch those ads independently.

Download: My Tamagotchi Forever for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

2. Fishdom

Like the other games on this list, Fishdom is a free-to-play virtual pet game for your mobile. It has a very simple premise, where you can create and build up an aquarium for your tropical fish through a series of “tapping” puzzles.

The first thing we noticed about this game is how similar its graphic style and initial plot was to the Pixar film, Finding Nemo.

You start off the game by dropping a clownfish into your tropical tank—a creature that looks similar to the protagonist of the film. Then you gain a blue fish that looks similar to the secondary character of the story.

This should be considered a bonus if you love Pixar films, giving you another reason to get unreasonably attached to this game and its inhabitants.

Fishdom differs from a lot of the pet-raising games that frequent the app store. This is because:

• Its gameplay is pared down.
• The game focuses on enjoyment rather than complexity.
• The minigames you play also have the singular goal of removing as many tiles from the board in as few moves as possible.

Despite this, it’s actually pretty fun. You can also resize and move objects around your fish tank the minute you’ve bought them.

This game is a good one to play if you’re just looking for some mindless entertainment for a few minutes before bed. You can also check out our list of trendy free games to play on mobile if you want simple apps similar to this.

Download: Fishdom for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

3. Cat Game

Cat Game is another really cute virtual pet game. In many ways it’s even simpler than Fishdom, and this is because it’s semi-automated.

The whole idea behind this automation is that the collection of coins lets you earn supplies to build up your dream house and fill it with cats. While we weren’t as big fans of this game due to its automation—and we also found the minigames less fun—interactivity is the point.

Instead, it’s the collection and allocation of cats and house supplies.

Cat Game allows you to:

• Collect lots of different-looking cats.
• Buy furniture.
• Win building supplies.

On top of this it’s clearly designed for a younger audience who may not be as good with puzzle-solving. And for the puzzles that do exist in the game there are step-by-step instructions to teach you how to play each one. Making it almost impossible to lose a game.

Cat Game is a great, easy virtual pet game for kids, so long as you trust their ability not to compulsively make multiple in-app purchases.

Download: Cat Game for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

4. Wildscapes

Last on our list of virtual pet games is Wildscapes. Like the other games, it’s free-to-play and one we recommend without reservation. The style and premise is very similar to Fishdom.

This makes sense, as they’re created by the same company.

With Wildscapes, the aim of the game is to build up a whole zoo. This zoo can be filled with:

• A plethora of animals.
• Gift shops.
• Fast-food cafes.
• Public infrastructure like parks, benches, and rest areas.

Unlike Fishdom—which tends to keep your interactions confined to your fish—Wildscapes gets you to interact with the visitors in your park. You complete quests by talking to these visitors.

You can also level up by playing minigames, through which you can earn points.

At the end of the day, the question, “Which game from this company is right for me?” really depends on your time constraints. Fishdom can be played for 10 minutes a night, while Wildscapes takes more time to build up to get to the good stuff.

Download: Wildscapes for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

These Virtual Pet Games Can Fill the Void

Now that we’ve gone through the best virtual pet games, you can try out some of them for yourself. You can also search through the Google Play Store or Apple App Store for more. After all, we’ve been pretty picky with this list, and there are a ton of other options to explore.

If you’re looking for great mobile games but aren’t into pets, here are the best cooking games for Android and iOS. Like the virtual pet games we have recommended, these games are all free-to-play.

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3 LinkedIn Recommendation Examples and How to Write Your Own

LinkedIn is a website for professional networking. When searching for a new job, it’s great to have someone vouch for your skills. Which is where LinkedIn recommendations come in.

In this article, we list some great LinkedIn recommendation examples, and then explain how to write your own LinkedIn recommendation. All of which should help you (and others) secure jobs.

LinkedIn Recommendation Examples

For this article we decided to highlight some LinkedIn recommendation examples by Saikat Basu, who just happens to be a MakeUseOf editor. He’s been working with us for a long time, and he really knows how to write.

For the example seen below, the recommendation is pretty general:

It’s keeping to surface-level details about the writer’s detail-driven, organizational skills. Our editor also added a personal touch by connecting the candidate’s skills to his own position. He then explains how these skills helped their two roles coincide.

In the next example, our LinkedIn recommendation is specific to the job field of the candidate:

Our editor is still talking about the candidate’s soft skills, and how they relate to the person giving the recommendation, but he also mentions the unique hard skills learned by the candidate. One of these skills is an in-depth, regional knowledge of the IT industry.

The specificity of these hard skills can show that a candidate will potentially bring a unique perspective to a company. This is especially true if that company is based in a different geographic region and looking to expand into other markets.

A recommendation like this is good for a candidate looking for a more senior position within their own industry.

Additionally, the candidiate can also use LinkedIn Skill Assessments to stand out. It’s a type of testing system put in place by LinkedIn where you can verify the experience that you state you have.

How to Write a Recommendation on LinkedIn

The first thing you need to do when writing a LinkedIn recommendation is draw attention to the candidate you’re recommending. The way you do this is through a snappy first line that reads like a pitch.

If you’ve ever written a pitch before, regardless of the business you’re in, you’ll know that they follow the same basic principles:

• One or two sentences drawing attention to the product or idea.
• Something in those two sentences explaining why the product or idea is helpful, amazing, and unique.

Essentially, you’re trying to catch people’s attention so you can explain to them why they should care. A great example of an opening pitch would be a line from the screenshot below, where our editor says, “The best editor-writer relationships are built on trust.”

This statement is true, personable, and has the ability to put a manager at ease. After all, a trustworthy dynamic with an employee is something they’re looking for, as well.

Let’s continue to use this example as our guide, and talk about what else you should include in your LinkedIn recommendation.

1. Explain Your Position

When you’re writing a LinkedIn recommendation, it’s important to reinforce your own professional identity. LinkedIn does this automatically by showing your working relationship with the candidate when you post your recommendation to the site.

In this case, the recommendation tells us that our editor managed the writer directly. He also reinforces this dynamic in a positive light by saying “My role in mentoring has been minimal.”

This implies that the candidate is good with directions and taking a proactive approach to her work.

2. Describe Your Connection

After you reinforce your position, you’ll want to go into detail about your working relationship with the candidate.

In this example, our editor talked about how he was able to take a laid-back approach while the writer sent him pitches. He also talks about the unique ways in which she approached these pitches, which ties into our next talking point.

3. Emphasize Uniqueness as It Relates to the Workplace

When giving a LinkedIn recommendation, make sure you emphasize the ways in which this candidate will be a unique asset to the company.

Yes, the candidate may be competent, but so are thousands of other people. In today’s highly competitive workforce, being competent is sometimes not enough. You often want a person who will help you innovate, too.

Is the candidate great at navigating workplace politics, but also good with grunt work? Do they have a wide variety of hard skills that a person in their position normally doesn’t possess?

Talk about these qualities to make them stand out from a pile of applicants.

4. Talk About Soft Skills

Soft skills—like patience, communication, and a willingness to learn—are the keys to a successful workplace. Hard skills will help with basic tasks, but they can also be “taught.” A good attitude often can’t.

With this in mind, tell recruiters why this candidate would be a great fit for the team. Explain why they’ll fit in with corporate culture by talking about how they fit into yours.

5. Talk About the Candidate’s Personality

Another thing you can talk about if there’s room—although not necessary—is the candidate’s personality. Not the stuff about how they “make the workplace more efficient,” but whether or not they’re generally a fun person to be around.

Does the candidate make people laugh? Are they considerate of other people’s allergies in the lunchroom?

Simple details like this will make them look more like a real person to the hiring manager instead of just a number. It will also give a better idea as to whether or not they’re a good culture fit.

6. Reinforce Your Recommendation With a Positive Statement

Lastly, you’ll want to end your LinkedIn recommendation with an affirmation: something that tells people reading your post that they should reach out to this candidate directly, and they can trust in your word.

If we’re using our previous recommendation example, a call to action in this case would be “I would recommend her without any reservations.”

Write a LinkedIn Recommendation

Writing a LinkedIn recommendation can take some time, but with a little structure and a conversational tone, it can become a great way to network. And if you’re lucky, someone may write you a recommendation in the future, as well.

Looking for other ways to network? Here’s how to message LinkedIn Recruiters the right way.

Image Credit: ArturVerkhovetskiy/Depositphotos

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What Does HMU Mean and Where Can You Use It?

The internet is full of confusing slang. One term you might have come across is HMU. It’s used all over the place: on social media, chats and texts, and even dating apps. But what does HMU mean?

In this article we detail what HMU means and give you examples of how, where, and when to use it.

What Does HMU Mean?

HMU stands for Hit Me Up. It’s an invitation for someone to get in touch with you. Often, as is the style these days, it isn’t capitalized.

If you want a girl who drinks literally one glass of wine and is absolutely obliterated… I’m your girl, hmu

— amanda (@amanda_c_rae) December 2, 2019

The original context for saying “hit me up” to someone would be when asking for something, usually money. For example, “My brother hit me up because his business went bankrupt.”

While it can still mean that, the definition has expanded to encourage contact. As in, message me, get in touch, or you know where I am if you need me. If you see the acronym HMU online, that’s likely what people mean.

A 2010 entry to Urban Dictionary popularized the joke that HMU stands for hold my unicorn, but that has no basis in fact. Since that definition was submitted by user UnicornLover238, you could even say they have a bias.

Where Can You Use HMU?

HMU is used online, primarily on social media websites like Twitter and Facebook, or chat apps like Snapchat or WhatsApp.

While you might say “hit me up” out loud, the acronym hasn’t entered common parlance, so only use HMU online.

There are different situations in which you can use HMU. Here they are alongside examples:

• Suggestion to meet up, either at a specific time or at some point in the future. For example, “We should go see that new movie! hmu when you’re free.”
• Request for something, like asking for recommendations or opinions. For example, “Where should I go for lunch? hmu with ideas.”
• Flirting, to encourage conversation or a date, and can be used on dating apps like Tinder or Bumble. For example, “hmu if you like animals, travel, and gingerbread cookies.”
• Providing contact details, like your phone number or email address. For example, “If you want to chat, hmu on email@example.com.”

When Did HMU Originate?

According to Facebook, the acronym HMU was unheard-of in early 2009. Only a couple of posts per day included it, many of which were likely typos.

Come May of that same year, the term was growing, averaging 20 posts a day. It continued to double each month. In 2010, that growth rapidly accelerated, increasing at a rate of 75 percent each month. At the end of that summer, HMU was at 80000 daily mentions.

Interestingly, HMU was used evenly throughout the summer, on account of youngsters having lots of spare time on their hands. But when the kids went back to school, the term became more frequently used during weekends.

You can also track the rise of HMU on Google Trends, which correlates with what Facebook found. The related searches for the term are all variations on “what does hmu mean”, which makes sense—as mentioned, people use HMU within chats and on social media, rather than as a standard word in Google searches.

Get Hip With More Slang Terms

HMU may have gained popularity in 2010, but it still remains a common slang term to use online today. And now that you know what HMU means, you can start using this particular acronym with confidence.

If you want to expand your dictionary of slang words and phrases, here are the trendy internet acronyms you need to know.

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The 12 Best Google Stadia Games to Play

In order to ditch game consoles, huge downloads, and endless patches, you’ve bought into the Google Stadia dream. Now you just need some games to play on it. Luckily, we’re here to help, with a list of the best Google Stadia games to play right now.

1. Red Dead Redemption 2

When thinking of what to begin your Google Stadia games collection with, this first entry shouldn’t come as a surprise. As a Rockstar title, fans have come to expect a meticulously crafted open-world adventure. With a seemingly endless list of praise, Red Dead Redemption 2 did all of that and more besides.

If you’ve previously avoided this critically acclaimed western title, you can enjoy a quick saddle up for hours of entertainment.

2. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

If the great American West doesn’t scratch your adventure itch, go back to ancient Greece amidst the Peloponnesian War. If you’ve felt burnt out by the formulaic releases of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, worry not. With more roleplay elements (random loot, skill trees, and dialog choices), Odyssey helps shake up the classic kill quest formula.

For those following the game’s progress since Project Steam, its rather poetic to witness at 4K with 5.1 surround sound. The price difference for the Ultimate Edition also makes it appealing for Stadia Pro adopters.

3. Gylt

Gylt, an exclusive Google Stadia launch title, is a third-person horror title. Tequila Works’ entry offers a visual style reminiscent of modern animated films.

If you’re looking for a Google Stadia game for children, Gylt offers a more forgiving take on the horror genre than other well-known titles. So, whether you’re a fan of exclusivity or just want to support the horror genre, Gylt deserves your consideration.

4. Borderlands 3

The huge RPG shooter loot fest franchise by Gearbox Software provides another big studio game for Google Stadia. As another sprawling and massive title, Borderlands 3 provides a welcome content sink to anyone looking to invest their time and energy into it.

For those looking to return to Pandora (the planet Borderlands is set on) on a different platform, the performance on Google Stadia doesn’t miss a beat.

5. Final Fantasy XV

As the list thus far lacks any proper RPG titles, it would be remiss not to include Final Fantasy XV. While it doesn’t follow typical turn-based JRPG standards, this emotionally powerful entry shakes things up with real-time combat.

Besides its RPG offerings, Final Fantasy XV on Google Stadia comes with new content. It features a collection of mini-games titled Crazy Challenge made for Google Stadia. If you’re willing to take a road-trip with a colorful cast, this deserves a playthrough.

6. Mortal Kombat 11

As both a long-lived classic fighter and esports title, NetherRealm Studios’ Mortal Kombat franchise brings a lot to the table. If you want to experience the brutal combat tournament, you can do so without the installation hassle.

For those looking to train your skills on a new platform, Mortal Kombat 11 provides another big studio entry.

Fans of beat’em ups should also check out our list of the best fighting games on Android and iPhone.

7. Darksiders Genesis

As far as Google Stadia games go, you aren’t getting much exclusivity. So the release of Darksiders Genesis on Google Stadia three months ahead of consoles made for a wonderful device-specific bonus. While Darksiders games don’t always receive heavy recognition as hack-and-slash titles, don’t let that dissuade you from giving it a go.

With tightly responsive combat controls, skill upgrades, and two characters to play between, there’s plenty of diverse playstyles to experience. Despite being a prequel, both long-time and new Darksiders fans should enjoy Darksiders Genesis.

8. Farming Simulator 2019: Platinum Edition

While Farming Simulator 2019 may come as a surprise selection, the Google Stadia games catalog definitely lacks simulation titles. Which is why this gets the nod.

If you’re looking to expand from the usual combat-heavy titles, Farming Simulator 2019 presents a peaceful alternative. With the Platinum edition, you also get over 35 new tools and vehicles by CLAAS (an agricultural machinery company).

9. Thumper

Space beetle. Does that have your attention yet? As a bizarre entry, this rhythm game provides you with an intense and colorful visual ride.

If you’re ready to follow sound cues and follow the beat, add Thumper to your Google Stadia games collection.

10. Samurai Showdown

This old school fighting game franchise returns with an impressive showing. If you aren’t a fan of Mortal Kombat XI’s gore and darker tones, this SNK title offers a welcome alternative.

If you enjoy your fighters with some character absurdity and added color, give Samurai Showdown a shot.

11. GRID

Can you truly feel a need for speed anywhere? There’s definitely a subtle pleasure to racing on your TV, Chrome browser, and phone. With no real latency issues on a stable connection, GRID comes as a welcome port to Google Stadia.

If you’re looking to race on the go, look no farther than GRID on Google Stadia.

12. Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle

With the Attack on Titan anime still as popular as ever, this title deserves a special nod. As with Farming Simulator 2019’s Platinum Edition, Final Battle indicates added content. Fans of season three of the anime will be able to hop into its story missions.

This title deserves its place on our lis as a great adaptation and companion game that just got better. And even if you’re not familiar with the Attack on Titan franchise, you can still enjoy slaying some monstrosities.

Is Google Stadia Worth Buying?

If you have already bought a Google Stadia setup then these are the best Google Stadia games to play right now. However, if you’re still on the fence about Google’s gaming platform, we recommend reading our review of Google Stadia before taking the plunge.

Read the full article: The 12 Best Google Stadia Games to Play

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Razer shows off Sila, the first 5G router built for gaming

Gaming — with its huge demands on bandwidth, graphics and overall processing power — is likely to be one of the big use cases for 5G networking in the future, and today one of the big players in consumer gaming hardware showed off a 5G router that underscores that trend. Razer, the consumer electronics upstart that has long billed itself as “for gamers, by gamers,” today at CES showed off a new product called the Razer Sila 5G Home Router — a high-speed networking device that both automatically prioritizes bandwidth for gaming and streaming, and also lets users choose which devices on the network get more or less juice.

Alongside that, it also unveiled a new universal mobile gaming controller — Razer Kishi; a new gaming desktop Razer Tomahawk Gaming Desktop, and a new Razer e-racing simulator created in collaboration with game publishers and vendors. The Sila and e-racing simulator are both concept pieces at this point, while the Android- and iOS-compatible controller will be on the market in early 2020. (No date given for the Tomahawk.)

Razer — which went public in 2017 (market cap currently around $1.5 billion) — has faced recent controversy from a number of former employees coming out to criticize its figurehead and CEO, Min-Liang Tan, and how he runs the company, alleging a culture of fear with violent threats and more. Tan at the time of the reports brushed off the remarks claiming they were in jest, but it’s notable that he doesn’t seem to be making himself particularly visible or available this year at the show — a contrast from years before.

Instead, we are presented with the fruits of the company’s labor over the past year, a time where it has continued to produce hardware — computers, peripherals like controllers, mainly — but has made a number of moves to figure out the best way ahead with software and services, where it says it is increasing its share of revenue, but has also shut down its digital game store, as well as its Ouya and Forge TV services.

Although it’s only still a concept, the Sila 5G Home Router is perhaps the most exciting of the pack of announcements this year, as it is tapping into a bigger wave of interest in 5G by giving it a more relevant feel to the consumer market; and represents a notable new area for Razer itself (in routers).

The Sila is described as a “high-speed networking device tailored for gamers” and notable features include ultra-low latency during both stationary and mobile gameplay, built on Razer’s FasTrack engine — which allows a user to play a game with no pings or interruptions from other services or network glitches. The router has a built-in rechargeable battery so you can travel with it and use it outside the home.

It is built using a Qualcomm SDX55 + Hawkeye IPQ8072A chipset, and is also usable with 4G LTE over a 802.11ax 4×4 WiFi connection, with one 2.5Gbps WAN, 4 x 1Gbps LAN and 1 x USB 3.0 ports, along with a SIM slot to link up to the cellular network. All of it can be controlled through Android or iOS apps.

Razer’s presence at CES where it shows off its latest ideas has become a regular fixture at the annual event for good reason.

As gaming has expanded beyond traditional consoles and into the cloud and across the web to PCs and phones, it has become one of the most demanding uses of computer processing power, putting machines through their paces not just in graphics, but audio and overall responsiveness when it comes to gameplay. At CES, if you go to any of the big product launches for the computing giants (Nvidia, AMD, Intel, Qualcomm), or visit any number of stands showing off the latest in computing tech, gaming is the most common demo you will see as a “proof point” — not just because it’s eye-catching, but because it genuinely is a test of how well something works.

So it’s no surprise that Razer, a company building hardware specifically for the gaming market, has a regular, big presence at CES, where it shows off both products that it plans to launch as well as those that are still in concept, in order to test market interest and have some fun with what could be in the future.

(It’s also a very obvious reason why Intel became an investor in the company many years ago when it was still in startup mode. It was a strategic move that helped ensure both that Intel could collaborate with Razer to have a closer idea of what is needed and should be built, but also to make sure that its chipsets are at the core of those new gaming-focused machines).

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PopSockets launches a $60 wireless charger that works with its PopGrips

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Popsockets is launching a new must-have item to its lineup of smartphone accessories — and one that solves a significant problem for PopGrip users. The company today is unveiling the PopPower Home wireless charger that allows you to wirelessly charge your supported Apple or Android smartphone by making room for the PopGrip on the back of your phone by way of a hole in the middle of the charging pad.

This design allows the mobile device to sit flush with the charging pad so it can wirelessly charge — something that hasn’t been possible with standard wireless chargers. Instead, PopGrips users would either have to remove their phone case (or swappable PopGrip) to take advantage of wireless charging, or they’d have to forgo it altogether and instead opt to charge their phone with a power cord, as usual.

The new PopPower Home charger solves this problem. It will also work through phone cases up to 5 mm thick and can charge devices that don’t have a PopGrip on the back, like other phones or the AirPods with Apple’s Wireless Charging Case – even if it’s protected by one of the AirPods cases covers that PopSockets sells.

The new charger, powered by Nucurrent, features Qi certification with Extended Power Profile (EPP) to deliver up to 15 watts of wireless power for fast-charging wireless mobile devices. (Many other chargers are 5 to 10 watts, for comparison’s sake.) The phone’s brand/model, case thickness and battery depletion will affect the charge times, PopSockets says.

 

At launch, the PopPower Home supports both Apple and Samsung’s Fast Wireless charging modes. (Popsockets tells us Pixel phones that support wireless charging will also be supported.)

Using the case is as simple as plugging it in, then placing your phone or another device on top, making sure the PopGrip slides down into the hole in the middle. An LED indicator on the side will subtly alert you that the case is charging.

Like PopGrips themselves, the case comes in an array of designs, including Night Bloom, Mountainscape, Matte White, Cosmic Cloud, and Carbonate Gray.

Unfortunately, the case only works with standard PopGrips, and excludes metal grips, PopGrip Mirror, and PopGrip Lips.

PopPower Home is available today exclusively on Popsockets.com for $60. That’s pricier than many of today’s wireless chargers, which tend to be $20 or less. But for dedicated PopGrips users, it’s worth it for the convenience of just being able to lay your phone down to charge.

At launch, only three styles are available, but the others will arrive in late January.

It’s not currently being sold as a bundle, but will arrive on Amazon later this year — possibly as soon as February.

Despite the price, the new product will likely do well because of PopSockets’ large, existing customer base. To date, the company has sold 165 million PopSockets, it says.

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Facebook bans deceptive deepfakes and some misleadingly modified media

Facebook wants to be the arbiter of truth after all. At least when it comes to intentionally misleading deepfakes and heavily manipulated and/or synthesized media content, such as AI-generated photorealistic human faces that look like real people but aren’t.

In a policy update announced late yesterday, the social network’s VP of global policy management, Monika Bickert, writes that it will take a stricter line on manipulated media content from here on in — removing content that’s been edited or synthesized “in ways that aren’t apparent to an average person and would likely mislead someone into thinking that a subject of the video said words that they did not actually say”.

However edits for quality or cuts and splices to videos that simply curtail or change the order of words are not covered by the ban.

Which means that disingenuous doctoring — such as this example from the recent UK General Election (where campaign staff for one political party edited a video of a politician from a rival party who was being asked a question about brexit to make it look like he was lost for words when in fact he wasn’t) — will go entirely untouched by the new ‘tougher’ policy. Ergo there’s little to trouble Internet-savvy political ‘truth’ spinners here. The disingenuousness digital campaigning can go on.

Instead of grappling with that sort of subtle political fakery, Facebook is focusing on quick PR wins — around the most obviously inauthentic stuff where it won’t risk accusations of partisan bias if it pulls bogus content.

Hence the new policy bans deepfake content that involves the use of AI technologies to “merge, replace or superimpose content onto a video, making it appear to be authentic” — which looks as if it will capture the crudest stuff, such as revenge deepfake porn which superimposes a real person’s face onto an adult performer’s body (albeit nudity is already banned on Facebook’s platform).

It’s not a blanket ban on deepfakes either, though — with some big carve outs for “parody or satire”.

So it’s a bit of an open question whether this deepfake video of Mark Zuckerberg, which went viral last summer — seemingly showing the Facebook founder speaking like a megalomaniac — would stay up or not under the new policy. The video’s creators, a pair of artists, described the work as satire so such stuff should survive the ban. (Facebook did also leave it up at the time.)

But, in future, deepfake creators are likely to further push the line to see what they can get away with under the new policy.

The social network’s controversial policy of letting politicians lie in ads also means it could, technically, still give pure political deepfakes a pass — i.e. if a political advertiser was paying it to run purely bogus content as an ad. Though it would be a pretty bold politician to try that.

More likely there’s more mileage for political campaigns and opinion influencers to keep on with more subtle manipulations. Such as the doctored video of House speaker Nancy Pelosi that went viral on Facebook last year, which had slowed down audio that made her sound drunk or ill. The Washington Post suggests that video — while clearly potentially misleading — still wouldn’t qualify to be taken down under Facebook’s new ‘tougher’ manipulated media policy.

Bickert’s blog post stipulates that manipulated content which doesn’t meet Facebook’s new standard for removal may still be reviewed by the independent third party fact-checkers Facebook relies upon for the lion’s share of ‘truth sifting’ on its platform — and who may still rate such content as ‘false’ or ‘partly false’. But she emphasizes it will continue to allow this type of bogus content to circulate (while potentially reducing its distribution), claiming such labelled fakes provide helpful context.

So Facebook’s updated position on manipulated media sums to ‘no to malicious deepfakes but spindoctors please carry on’.

“If a photo or video is rated false or partly false by a fact-checker, we significantly reduce its distribution in News Feed and reject it if it’s being run as an ad. And critically, people who see it, try to share it, or have already shared it, will see warnings alerting them that it’s false,” Bickert writes, claiming: “This approach is critical to our strategy and one we heard specifically from our conversations with experts.

“If we simply removed all manipulated videos flagged by fact-checkers as false, the videos would still be available elsewhere on the internet or social media ecosystem. By leaving them up and labelling them as false, we’re providing people with important information and context.”

Last month Facebook announced it had unearthed a network of more than 900 fake accounts that had been spreading pro-Trump messaging — some of which had used false profile photos generated by AI.

The dystopian development provides another motivation for the tech giant to ban ‘pure’ AI fakes, given the technology risks supercharging its fake accounts problem. (And, well, that could be bad for business.)

“Our teams continue to proactively hunt for fake accounts and other coordinated inauthentic behavior,” suggests Bickert, arguing that: “Our enforcement strategy against misleading manipulated media also benefits from our efforts to root out the people behind these efforts.”

While still relatively nascent as a technology, deepfakes have shown themselves to be catnip to the media which loves the spectacle they create. As a result, the tech has landed unusually quickly on legislators’ radars as a disinformation risk — California implemented a ban on political deepfakes around elections this fall, for example — so Facebook is likely hoping to score some quick and easy political points by moving in step with legislators even as it applies its own version of a ban.

Bickert’s blog post also fishes for further points, noting Facebook’s involvement in a Deep Fake Detection Challenge which was announced last fall — “to produce more research and open source tools to detect deepfakes”.

While says Facebook has been working with news agency Reuters to offer free online training courses for journalists to help reporters identify manipulated visuals.

“As these partnerships and our own insights evolve, so too will our policies toward manipulated media. In the meantime, we’re committed to investing within Facebook and working with other stakeholders in this area to find solutions with real impact,” she adds.

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GitHub, Mozilla, and Cloudflare appeal India to be transparent about changes in its intermediary liability rules

Microsoft’s GitHub, Mozilla, and Cloudflare have urged India to be transparent about the amendments it is making to an upcoming law that could affect swathes of companies and the way more than half a billion people access information online.

In December 2018, the Indian government proposed changes to its intermediary rules (PDF) that would require any service that facilitates communication between two or more users and had more than 5 million users in India to set up a local office and have a senior executive in the nation who could be held responsible for any legal issues.

The proposal also suggested that any of these services must be able to take down questionable content in within 24 hours and share the user data in within 72 hours of request.

Technology giants such as Facebook, Google have so far enjoyed what is known as “safe harbor” laws. The laws, currently applicable in the U.S. under the Communications Decency Act and India through its 2000 Information Technology Act, say that tech platforms won’t be held liable for the things their users share on the platform.

Several organizations have shared feedback and expressed concerned about the suggested changes in India’s intermediary rules. In an open letter addressed to India’s IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday, GitHub, Mozilla, and Cloudflare requested the Indian government to be more transparent about the final amendments it has drafted for the upcoming law.

The Indian government has said previously that it would submit the final draft of the proposal to the nation’s apex Supreme Court by January 15. But one of the concerning issues with the proposal is that nobody — except for the government officials — knows what is in the final draft.

“We understand and respect the need to ensure the internet is a safe space where large platforms take appropriate responsibility. However, the last version of these amendments which were available in the public domain suggest that the rules will promote automated censorship, tilt the playing field in favour of large players, substantially increase surveillance, and prompt a fragmentation of the internet in India that would harm users while failing to empower Indians,” the organizations wrote.

The organizations argued that safe harbour liability protections have been fundamental to the growth of the internet in India — which has emerged as the last great growth market for internet companies globally. Imposing the obligations proposed in these new rules would “place a tremendous, and in many cases fatal, burden on many online intermediaries — especially new organizations and companies. A new community or a startup would be significantly challenged by the need to build expensive filtering infrastructure and hire an army of lawyers,” they said.

Critics say that last publicly known version of the draft also had an extremely broad definition of the term ‘intermediary’, which would likely lead to many unintended parties being impacted. Additionally, they have argued that proactively monitoring user content on the platform and bringing “traceability” for “all unlawful content” would lead to over censorship. The short timelines of 24 hours for content takedowns and 72 hours for the sharing of user data pose significant implementation and freedom of expression challenges, the organizations said today.

“Given your government’s commitment to the Supreme Court of India to notify these rules by January 15, 2020, it is vital that the public has the opportunity to see a final version of these amendments to help ensure that they assuage the concerns which have been voiced by a wide variety of stakeholders during the public consultation. We appeal for this increased transparency and we remain committed to working with you to achieve the broader objective of these amendments while allowing Indians to benefit from a global internet,” they added.

Wikimedia Foundation expresses deep concerns about India’s proposed intermediary liability rules

 

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Douyin, TikTok app in China, hits 400 million daily active users

China’s TikTok, which has taken the world by storm, is working its magic in its home nation, too.

The Chinese version of TikTok, called Douyin, has amassed 400 million daily active users, parent company ByteDance revealed in its annual report this week (in Chinese). This is an impressive growth for the addictive video app, which had 250 million daily active users in January last year. (A ByteDance spokesperson confirmed the figures to TechCrunch.)

The report, which describes the user behavior and trends, illustrates the cultural difference between China and the U.S., said Katherine Wu, an investor at New York-based firm Notation Capital.

“Things that trend in these two countries are insanely different. For example: knowledge-based content is extremely popular in China, and less so in the U.S. Also, this was wild to me: those creators that did the most dance videos in China are users born in the 60s (!!), whereas in the US, it seems that it’s mostly teenagers who are creating the dances,” she wrote.

ByteDance claimed that Douyin has established itself as the largest knowledge, culture, and art platform in China. (Douyin is only available in mainland China.) 14.89 million “knowledge-based content videos” were shared on the app last year, it claimed.

Citing an example, one of the world’s most valued startup claimed that one user alone who posts videos on chemistry reached 130 million people last year. On the art and culture front, videos that revolved around those topics had 543.1 billion plays on Douyin last year, it claimed. (TechCrunch was not able to independently verify the authenticity of the claims.)

Education has become a crucial use case for ByteDance. TikTok, which is estimated to have clocked more than $50 million in revenue last year, already counts educational content as one of the most consumed categories on its app across the world. The app launched an educational campaign in India, where it has amassed more than 200 million users, last year.

“The behavioral differences also underscore one major thing to me: there really isn’t a ‘one-size-fit-all’ social app that exists. Different regions like different types of content, even though the medium itself (in this case, short-form video) is the same. Cultural factors (geography, age, local pop culture) play a huge role in how users end up using a product,” Wu added.

Marketing research firm eMarketer said on Monday that Douyin’s user growth outpaces those of WeChat and Weibo. But it’s facing challenge from newer entrants such as Tencent-backed video app Kuaishou.

According to eMarketer, Douyin already makes up 67.9% of China’s mobile social network users and 59% of smartphone users. “These figures will grow to 68.3% and 59.6%, respectively, in 2020,” it estimated.

Such user growth and penetration would be music to the ears of ByteDance, which is widely expected to list in Hong Kong this year. But its growing popularity and link to China has also caused some to worry. U.S. senators have warned that user data on TikTok could be sent to China and accessed by the Chinese government. TikTok has denied the accusation. U.S. Navy last month told its members to not install TikTok on their devices, according to media reports.

Some have also questioned the reach of the educational content on TikTok, where certain sensitive topics that are critical of the Chinese government are restricted. ByteDance has denied this accusation, too.

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Get Lifetime Access to World-Class Tech Certification Training for $59 With Whizlabs

In the current jobs market, learning new skills is essential if you want to stay ahead of the competition. The best way to prove your knowledge is by earning professional certifications. Whizlabs is an online platform that offers a wide range of courses, helping you to become a certified expert in code, security, IT, business, management, and many other topics. Right now, you can pick up lifetime membership for only $59 via MakeUseOf Deals.

Become a Certified Expert

More than anything, recruiters are currently looking for candidates with more than one skill set. Coders who can manage projects and IT staff with cybersecurity skills can expect to take home a six-figure salary.

Whizlabs helps you become a recruiter’s dream, with courses on cloud computing, Java, big data, project management, Agile, Linux, digital marketing, and much more. Used by Accenture, Bloomberg, and Cisco, this platform is packed with vital knowledge.

The training is delivered by true experts, and you can work towards top professional exams. Whizlab courses cover all levels, from beginner to advanced. You can access the video lessons on any device, and the content is regularly updated with the latest tips and technology.

Lifetime Learning for $59

Lifetime Whizlabs membership is worth $4,499, but you can currently grab a subscription for just $59 with this deal.

Prices subject to change

Read the full article: Get Lifetime Access to World-Class Tech Certification Training for $59 With Whizlabs

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5 Best Hidden Guides for Diets to Lose Weight, Eat Healthier, and Be Fitter

When you’re looking to change your diet, the internet throws an avalanche of data at you. We sifted through the information overload to find a few articles, PDFs, and other tools that serve as the best beginner’s guides to certain food plans.

These aren’t weight loss apps to get thin and stay in shape. Instead, we are focusing on the best places to find information about an existing diet. For example, if you watched The Game Changers or The Biggest Loser and want a similar diet plan, where do you go?

Rather than getting confused by a Google search, try these ready links.

1. 7-Day Diet for Weight Loss (Web): Diet Plan by the Bigger Loser’s Nutritionist

Cheryl Forberg serves as the nutritionist for weight-loss reality show The Biggest Loser. Forberg designed a seven-day weight loss plan for those looking for a crash diet to lose a few pounds. And no, you won’t be starving yourself.

Forberg’s diet plan ensures three meals a day, comprising carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats. And unlike a list of rules, this is a full meal plan. Just prepare the items yourself to ensure they meet the diet, don’t go with store-bought items or take-out for these seven days.

For each day, the diet plan has breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with two snacks in between. There’s a good mix of cuisines and products, so you’ll never get bored. You’re also free to experiment with the recipes, as long as you stick to the ingredients. Check your weight before and after the seven days to see the difference.

Let’s not forget, just a diet isn’t going to help. You need to diet and exercise together for the best way to get healthy.

2. Whole30 Starter Kit (Web): Rules, Recipes, and Meal Planning

The Whole30 diet plan is one of the more difficult ways to start eating healthier. There are major sacrifices for the first 30 days, which makes it difficult for people to stick to. But those who go the distance report fantastic results.

The idea behind Whole30 is to eat three meals a day made of whole foods in proteins, vegetables, fruits, oils and butters, coconut and olives, and nuts and seeds. Initially, the diet plan asks you to remove a large number of things from your diet plan, including sugar, grains, dairy, legumes, alcohol, and junk food.

You have to keep this up for a full month. And for those 30 days, you also aren’t supposed to hop on a scale to check your weight or progress.

If you’re keen on this diet plan, begin with the official Whole30 Starter Kit, which you can get by subscribing to the newsletter. It’s a 23-page free PDF that explains the philosophy of Whole30, gives you tips and tricks on how to abide by the rules, and includes a whole bunch of recipes too. There is also a basic meal planning template.

3. Low FODMAP Diet (Web): For an Easy-to-Digest Diet

Often, starting a new diet leads to digestive issues like bloating, cramps, constipation, or gas. Many popular diets often advise eating ingredients that don’t agree with everyone’s bodily system. The FODMAP Diet was originally intended for those who have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, but it is gaining a lot of supporters in how healthy it is making them understand what their body needs.

Dietician Joe Leech created one of the best beginner’s guides for understanding and implementing the FODMAP diet. FODMAP stands for Fermentables, Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, And Polyols. Leech explains which foodstuffs have these elements and how they affect the digestive system.

Leech then lays out the low FODMAP Diet’s three-phase diet plan. You start by eliminating all high-FODMAP foods for a few weeks. After that, you introduce each FODMAP food one at a time, to realize how it affects you. The idea of the program is to find out what nutrition your body really needs, and the best ways to get it.

Leech also offers a lot of downloadable PDF charts in his mega-post on FODMAP diets. There are food lists, recipes, and even a seven-day diet plan to get started.

4. Game Changers: Making It Easy (Web): For Those Starting a Plant-Based Diet

The Netflix documentary The Game Changers has taken the world by storm, espousing the benefits of being on a plant-based diet. If you’re inspired and want to start a plant-based diet, then you don’t have to look far. The official website of the Game Changers actually offers some of the easiest ways to convert from a meat-eating to a plant-eating diet.

Start with the Making It Easy section. This has a series of tips on categories like shopping, cooking, substitutions, traveling, and what to do when you’re out and about. It’s a single line tip, but you can expand to learn a little more. The tips for substitutions and cooking are especially useful for beginners.

Game Changers also offers a meal plan, with about 4-5 options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that you can mix and match. As you’d expect, there is also a large database of plant-based recipes to make the perfect food for you.

5. CrossFit’s Zone Diet (Web): Diet, Meal Plan, and Cheat Sheet

The Zone Diet by Barry Sears has been around for a long time and is often recommended by the official CrossFit organization. There’s a dedicated website for the Zone Diet where you can learn more about it, but the best resource is a back-issue of the CrossFit Journal, available for free online.

In the PDF, you’ll find the basics of the “block” system of the Zone Diet. A block of protein is 7 grams, a block of carbohydrates is 9 grams, and a block of fat is 1.5 grams. Based on your body type, you have to consume a certain amount of blocks every day. A handy chart divides this over your three meals and two snacks of the day.

The CrossFit Journal gives a handy cheat sheet for all types of blocks so that you don’t have to remember it. You can print it out and stick it to your fridge for an easy guide to the Zone Diet at all times. It also provides sample meal plans for two to five block diets, as well as one-block snacks.

Download: CrossFit Journal Issue 21 (PDF)

Guides to Lose Weight and Keep It Off

In this article, we looked at some of the lesser-known diets rather than popular plans like Keto, Mediterranean, DASH, or Paleo. But that doesn’t mean those diets aren’t effective. If your aim is to get slimmer, try these trustworthy guides to lose weight and keep it off.

Read the full article: 5 Best Hidden Guides for Diets to Lose Weight, Eat Healthier, and Be Fitter

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