The $20 Nano Is the Cheapest Arduino, But Is It Worth It?

While there is quite an array of Arduino boards to choose from, the Nano is a versatile board suitable for almost all DIY electronic projects. These tiny micro controllers make compact DIY hardware development available to more people than ever before. In the past we have covered reasons you may not want to choose a genuine Arduino for your projects, but today lets take a look at the positives and negatives of the Arduino Nano. Here’s a quick summary of the details before we jump into the specifics: Pros Great platform for beginners. Tiny size makes it perfect for compact...

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What Is Shell Scripting and Why You Should Use It

The shell is a program within a Linux or Unix operating system which allows you to enter commands for execution by the system. When a terminal window is opened on a linux computer, it starts the shell program which presents an interface to enter commands. This interface is known as the command line interface. When a command is entered, it is executed by the shell and the output is displayed on the screen. In addition to being able to accept and execute commands interactively, the shell can also execute commands stored in a file. This mode of execution is known...

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Spotify and Hulu Announce New Combined Subscription Partnership; Discounted First Bundle

Spotify and Hulu today announced a brand new partnership that will see the respective audio and video streaming giants combining to create entertainment bundles. Spoti-Hulu-fy Hulu and Spotify made their joint announcement today. Initially, the combined bundles will target U.S. college students, costing just $4.99 per month — the same as an existing Spotify student plan. So, what’s in the box? The first bundle will include access to Spotify Premium, and the Hulu Limited Commercials plan. And, to be honest, it is a great deal at that price. If you already have a Spotify Premium for Students plan, you can...

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How to Protect Your USB Ports on Linux

The Universal Serial Bus (USB) is the double-edged sword that revolutionized the way we interface with our devices. Its plug and play nature has made transferring data between devices simple. USB sticks are not without their faults though. They quickly became the medium for infecting entire networks with viruses and malware. Image Credit: Marek R. Swadzba via Shutterstock.com Enter the USB Kill device, which can completely fry your USB port or destroy your motherboard. It achieves this by charging its capacitors from the USB port and surging the brutal voltage back to the port. This happens several times until unplugged,...

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7 Best Note-Taking Tools for Programmers

Programming is an activity prone to frustration and difficulty — even when done as a hobby. Creating a web, mobile, or desktop app is a big undertaking, and good note-taking skills are key to staying organized and not succumbing to stress, despair, and burnout. But most note-taking apps aren’t designed with programmers in mind, and they can be so frustrating to use that they drive you to give up on notes entirely. That’s why we’ve gone ahead and rounded up the best note-taking tools for coders. Check these out — you’ll love them! 1. Boostnote Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux Boostnote...

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Go Anonymous: How to Delete Your Entire Social Media Presence

There are a variety of reasons you might want to delete your social media accounts. You may miss the days of anonymity, you might want to reclaim your privacy from companies, or maybe you just aren’t interested anymore. Whatever your reason, there are several ways you can delete your social media accounts and history. You aren’t only limited to the traditional means, such as deleting your profile through Facebook. In fact, there are lots of online services and apps that can help you with this task. From traditional avenues to new tools, here’s an in-depth look at how to delete...

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15 Email Acronyms You Should Use for Catchy Subject Lines

Everyone wants to write better emails that people will actually interact with. Maybe you’re struggling to communicate properly with your coworkers in the business world, or just want to improve your knowledge of email standards. What you might be surprised to find is that email carries its own set of lingo. If you’re not used to these, opening an email to find it full of “EOD”s and “LMK”s will send you on a long trip to Google just to decipher a message — even if you know other internet slang. Don’t worry, we’re here to help. Here’s a big list...

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Back to School: 6 Ways Scammers Can Exploit Students and Parents

Buying all new stationery. Checking if the old uniform still fits. Preparing packed lunches. Most kids hate going back to school or college after a long summer vacation. But cybercriminals like it. Why? Because it’s another opportunity to scam folk out of their hard-earned cash. It doesn’t matter if you’re a student or a parent. When it comes to term time, you’re a target. Here are just a few things to watch out for. 1. Malware in Online Textbooks Buying your academic books is one of the costliest outlays at the start of each term. These might simply be copies...

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Angry Birds Is Still Flying High! Your Guide to Every Game

It all began in 2009 with some unhappy birds and nasty pigs. The Angry Birds game series from Rovio Entertainment has continued to flourish over time and just keeps on going. The birds have traveled, the pigs have evolved, and the fun has never stopped for fans of the Angry Birds franchise. If you are an Angry Birds enthusiast and are wondering just how many games there are or which ones you missed, here you go! We’re going to take a survey of every game in the series. Angry Birds (2009) The game that started it all, Angry Birds, is...

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How to Generate Pro Email Signatures for Free

Creating a professional email signature can be daunting, from figuring out which details to include to how to format it. But with the right online tool, the process can be extremely easy. That’s good news because email signatures are perfect for sharing contact information and promoting your company. One of the easiest and most straightforward (and completely free!) tools is MySignature. There are no upgrades you have to pay for, no extensions you have to install, and you don’t even have to create an account to use the service. MySignature has five small tabs where you can fill in your...

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How Dynamic Reordering Saves You Time in PowerPoint for Mac

Imagine you have a few images and shapes stacked on a PowerPoint slide. You want to change the stacking order and give the slide a more pleasing appearance and a more creative option for a better PowerPoint presentation. It’s troublesome, like shuffling a deck of cards. There are two ways PowerPoint 2016 for Mac can help you out here: Use the Bring Forward and Send Backward tools to change the order. Use the Dynamic Reordering command to manage the stacking order visually. The Bring Forward and Send Backward functions have been long-standing features for graphic re-arrangement in PowerPoint, but Dynamic Reordering...

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How to Lend Kindle Books to Friends for Free

Many people want to read more, but what’s stopping you? Perhaps you have trouble finding new books to read, or you don’t have the extra income to spend on books. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to read for free, especially if you have a Kindle. One of the best ways to read a book for free (or help friends read books at no charge) is by lending out your Kindle books. You’re allowed to lend any book you own on your Kindle to a friend for 14 days. As long as they can finish it within that time, it’s...

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Roku Launches a Brand New Ad-Supported Movie Channel

Roku today announced the launch of its own movie channel. The Roku Channel will be available on all Roku streaming players, sticks, and TVs, in turn connecting users to hundreds of movies. The channel will include licensed material, as well as movies aggregated from other publishers. The Roku Channel Roku currently offers an easy way to access numerous streaming services, including Netflix and YouTube. The introduction of The Roku Channel will see movies licensed from studios such as Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Warner Brothers, appearing alongside a number of TV shows. The new channel will be entirely...

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MacPorts Brings the Best Open Source Software to Your Mac

It’s safe to say that the Apple ecosystem brought “app stores” to the mainstream. Before the introduction of the iPhone, buying digital software was often full of trials like submitting your payment to the developer’s website, waiting for a license key by email, and negotiating refunds. You’d be forgiven for thinking that free and open source software (FOSS) is rare on the Mac, given Apple’s approach. In reality, the Mac is an excellent host for many of the community’s best free tools. MacPorts is your “app store” for all this great software. Let’s take a look at how it works....

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