04 October 2018

Intel Core i3 vs. i5 vs. i7: Which One Do You Really Need?


i3-i5-i7

The processor is the brain of a computer, but understanding the difference between processors requires a lot of brainpower of your own. Intel has a confusing naming scheme, and the question we get asked most often is: What’s the difference between an i3, i5, or i7 processor? Which one should I buy?

It’s time to demystify that. In this article, we won’t be touching on Intel’s other processors like the Pentium series or the new laptop-centric Core M series. They’re good in their own right, but the Core series is the most popular and confusing, so let’s just focus on that.

The Differences Between Core i7, Core i5, and Core i3

Intel Core i3 vs. Core i5 vs. Core i7

An Intel Core i7 is better than a Core i5, which in turn is better than a Core i3. The trouble is knowing what to expect within each tier. Things go a little deeper.

First, i7 does not mean a seven-core processor! These are just names to indicate relative performance.

Typically, the Core i3 series has only dual-core processors, while the Core i5 and Core i7 series have both dual-core and quad-core processors. Quad-cores are usually better than dual-cores, but don’t worry about that just yet.

Intel releases “families” of chipsets, called generations. The current one is the 8th-generation series called Kaby Lake Refresh. Each family, in turn, has its own line of Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 series of processors.

You can spot which generation a processor belongs to by the first digit in its four-digit model name. For example, the Intel Core i3-8250 belongs to the 8th generation.

Pro Tip: Here’s a useful rule of thumb. The other three digits are Intel’s assessment of how the processor compares to others in its own line. For example, an Intel Core i3-8145U is superior to the Core i3-8109U because 145 is higher than 109.

What Intel’s Model Numbers Mean: U vs. Q vs. H vs. K

Intel's processor naming scheme

As you can see, the model number will typically be followed by one, or a combination of the following letters: U, Y, T, Q, H, G, and K. Here’s what they mean:

  • U: Ultra Low Power. The U rating is only for laptop processors. These draw less power and are better for the battery.
  • Y: Low Power. Typically found on older generation laptop and mobile processors.
  • T: Power Optimized for desktop processors.
  • Q: Quad-Core. The Q rating is only for processors with four physical cores.
  • H: High-Performance Graphics. The chipset has one of Intel’s better graphics units in it.
  • G: Includes Discrete Graphics. Typically found on laptops, this means there is a dedicated GPU with the processor.
  • K: Unlocked. This means you can overclock the processor above its rating.

Understanding these letters and the numbering system above will help you know what a processor offers just by looking at the model number, without needing to read the actual specifications. Of course, before making a buying decision, it’s advisable to check the details at ark.intel.com.

You can find the meaning of other suffixes at Intel’s guidelines on processor numbers.

Intel Core i7 vs. i5 vs. i3: Hyper-Threading

The physical cores largely determine the speed of a processor. But with how modern CPUs work, you can get a boost in speed with virtual cores, activated through a system called Hyper-Threading Technology.

In layman’s terms, hyper-threading allows a single physical core to act as two virtual cores, thus performing multiple tasks simultaneously without activating the second physical core (which would require more power from the system).

If both processors are active and using hyper-threading, those four virtual cores will compute faster. However, do note that physical cores are faster than virtual cores. A quad-core CPU will perform much better than a dual-core CPU with hyper-threading!

The Intel Core i3 series has hyper-threading. The Intel Core i7 series supports hyper-threading, too. The Intel Core i5 series does not support it.

However, recent reports suggest Intel might be dropping hyper-threading on all its processors except the fastest Core i9 series.

Intel Core i7 vs. i5 vs. i3: Turbo Boost

The Intel Core i3 series does not support Turbo Boost. The Core i5 series uses Turbo Boost to speed up your tasks, as does the Core i7 series.

Turbo Boost is Intel’s proprietary technology to intelligently increase a processor’s clock speed if the application demands it. For example, if you are playing a game and your system requires some extra horsepower, Turbo Boost will kick in to compensate.

Turbo Boost is useful for those who run resource-intensive software like video editors or video games, but it doesn’t have much of an effect if you’re just going to be browsing the web and using Microsoft Office.

Intel Core i7 vs. i5 vs. i3: Cache Size

How cache size of processor impacts speed

Apart from Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost, the one other major difference in the Core lineup is Cache Size. Cache is the processor’s own memory and acts like its private RAM. It’s one of the little-known specs that slows down your PC.

Just like with RAM, more cache size is better. So if the processor is performing one task over and over, it will keep that task in its cache. If a processor can store more tasks in its private memory, it can do them faster if they come up again.

The Core i3 series typically has up to 3MB of cache. The Core i5 series has between 3MB and 6MB of cache. The Core i7 series has between 4MB and 8MB of cache.

Intel Graphics: HD, UHD, Iris, Iris Pro or Plus

Ever since graphics were integrated on the processor chip, it’s become an important decision point in buying CPUs. But as with everything else, Intel has made the system a little confusing.

There are now typically three levels of graphics units: Intel HD, Intel Iris, and Intel Iris Pro or Iris Plus. You’ll see a model name like Intel HD 520 or Intel Iris Pro 580… and that’s where the confusion begins.

Here’s a brief example of how mind-boggling it can be. Intel HD 520 is a basic graphics chipset. Intel Iris 550 is better than Intel HD 520, but also basic. But Intel HD 530 is a high-performance graphics unit and is better than Intel Iris 550. However, Intel Iris Pro 580 is also a high-performance graphics unit and better than Intel HD 530.

The best advice for how to interpret these? Just don’t. Instead, rely on Intel’s naming system. If the processor’s model ends with an H, you know it’s a model with high graphics performance. If it ends with a G, that means there is a dedicated GPU, not one of Intel’s chips.

Choosing Between Intel Cores i3 vs. i5 vs. i7

Intel-core-i3-i5-i7-table-comparison

Generally speaking, here’s who each processor type is best for:

  • Intel Core i3: Basic users. Economic choice. Good for browsing the web, using Microsoft Office, making video calls, and social networking. Not for gamers or professionals.
  • Intel Core i5: Intermediate users. Those who want balance between performance and price. Good for gaming if you buy a G processor or a Q processor with a dedicated graphics processor.
  • Intel Core i7: Power users. You multi-task with several windows open at the same time, you run apps that require a lot of horsepower, and you hate waiting for anything to load.

How Did You Choose?

This article provides a basic guide for anyone looking to buy a new Intel processor but is confused between Core i3, i5, and i7. But even after understanding all this, when it’s time to make a decision, you might need to choose between two processors from different generations because they’re priced the same.

When you’re comparing, my best tip is to head to CPU Boss where you can compare both processors and get a detailed analysis, as well as ratings. If you don’t understand the jargon, just go with the rating and the basic advice. Even if you understand jargon, CPU Boss has all the details you’ll need.

Note: Most People Don’t Need Intel Core i9

Intel also has a top-end, high-performance range of processors called the Intel Core i9. Typically, these have more cores (10 to 18 on desktop), leading to higher speed. But for most people, the extra performance is not really worth it.

The Core i9 is only useful if you’re a hardcore gamer who also streams live, or a video editor working on multiple tasks. For everyone else, the Intel Core i7 should be good enough, and maybe even the Intel Core i5. If you’re curious, here’s what you need to know when deciding between Intel Core i9 vs. Core i7 vs. Core i5.

Read the full article: Intel Core i3 vs. i5 vs. i7: Which One Do You Really Need?


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Instagram launches scannable Nametags, tests school networks for teen growth


When your feed and Stories tray go stale, or your follower count stops rising, you drift away from Instagram. That’s why the app is rolling out two big new features designed to connect you to new people and diversify your graph so there’s alwasy something surprising to look at and like.

Today Instagram launches its QR Snapcode-style Nametags globally on iOS and Android, after TechCrunch broke the news on the feature back in March and April. Though not technically QR codes, they’re scanned like them to let you follow people you meet offline.

The customizable codes are accessible from the three-line hamburger menu on your profile. They can be scanned when other users tap and hold on your code through the Instagram Stories camera or Scan Nametag button on your own Nametag to instantly follow you. You can add colors, emojis, or AR-embellished selfies to your Instagram Nametag, show it off on your phone to help people follow you in person, put it on your website or social media, or message it to friends through SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, and more.

It’s actually surprising it took this long for Instagram to copy Snapchat’s Snapcodes that debuted for profiles in 2015 and were later expanded to open websites and unlock AR filters. Facebook Messenger launched its own QR codes in April 2017, though never quite caught on. But they make a ton of sense on Instagram since it’s tougher to share links on the app, people often treat it as their primary presence on the web that they want to promote, and because businesses are increasingly relying on the app for commerce. It’s easy to imagine brands putting their Instagram Nametags on billboards and posters, or buying ads to promote them around the web.

Facebook Messenger and Snapchat’s QR codes

Secondly, Instagram is starting to test school communities in a variety of universities across the US. The allow you to join your university’s network to add a line to your profile listing your school, class year, and your major, sports team, or fraternity/sorority. You’ll show up in a directory listing everyone from your school that you can use to follow or message people, though those DMs may go to their pending inbox.

The school communities feature harkens back to Facebook’s origins when users could actually set their privacy to show all their content to everyone in their school. Here you won’t be able to instantly expose your private Instagram to everyone from your school. You could imagine a freshman in college going through their network to discover new potential friends to follow, or an alumni seeking out others from their Alma Mater in search of business or romance.

Instagram relies on info users have publicly shared about their school and the people they followed to verify if they were in fact a student or recent alumni of a university. Rather than actively signing up, users will get a notification prompting them to join the network.That’s a lot less reliable than using university email addresses for verification like Facebook used to, but also a lot simpler for users.

The company does provide a tool for alerting it to misuse of the school communities feature in case any sketchy older users are employing it as a stalking tool. Beside each user’s name is a three-dot button that opens a menu where users can report  Next to each user’s name is an overflow menu of 3 dots where people can report accounts they don’t think belong in a certain community.

Today’s launch is the first under Instagram’s new leader Adam Mosseri following the resignation of the company’s founders. Critics are watching to see if Mosseri, the former Facebook VP of News Feed and member of Mark Zuckerberg’s inner circle, will push harder to drive growth and monetization for Instagram. Given Instagram’s priority here is expanding its social graphs and keeping users engaged, it seems willing to trade occasionally allowing or disallowing the wrong people to reduce friction and juice growth.


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Instagram launches QR Nametags, tests school networks for teen growth


When your feed and Stories tray go stale, or your follower count stops rising, you drift away from Instagram. That’s why the app is rolling out two big new features designed to connect you to new people and diversify your graph so there’s alwasy something surprising to look at and like.

Today Instagram launches its Snapcode-style QR Nametags globally on iOS and Android, after TechCrunch broke the news on the feature back in March and April. These customizable QR codes accessible from the three-line hamburger menu on your profile can be scanned with the Instagram Stories camera by other users to instantly follow you. You can add colors, emojis, or AR-embellished selfies to your Instagram Name, show it off on your phone to help people follow you in person, put it on your website or social media, or message it to friends through SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, and more.

It’s actually surprising it took this long for Instagram to copy Snapchat’s Snapcodes that debuted for profiles in 2015 and were later expanded to open websites and unlock AR filters. Facebook Messenger launched its own QR codes in April 2017, though never quite caught on. But they make a ton of sense on Instagram since it’s tougher to share links on the app, people often treat it as their primary presence on the web that they want to promote, and because businesses are increasingly relying on the app for commerce. It’s easy to imagine brands putting their Instagram Nametags on billboards and posters, or buying ads to promote them around the web.

Facebook Messenger and Snapchat’s QR codes

Secondly, Instagram is starting to test school communities in a variety of universities across the US. The allow you to join your university’s network to add a line to your profile listing your school, class year, and your major, sports team, or fraternity/sorority. You’ll show up in a directory listing everyone from your school that you can use to follow or message people, though those DMs may go to their pending inbox.

The school communities feature harkens back to Facebook’s origins when users could actually set their privacy to show all their content to everyone in their school. Here you won’t be able to instantly expose your private Instagram to everyone from your school. You could imagine a freshman in college going through their network to discover new potential friends to follow, or an alumni seeking out others from their Alma Mater in search of business or romance.

Instagram relies on info users have publicly shared about their school and the people they followed to verify if they were in fact a student or recent alumni of a university. Rather than actively signing up, users will get a notification prompting them to join the network.That’s a lot less reliable than using university email addresses for verification like Facebook used to, but also a lot simpler for users.

The company does provide a tool for alerting it to misuse of the school communities feature in case any sketchy older users are employing it as a stalking tool. Beside each user’s name is a three-dot button that opens a menu where users can report  Next to each user’s name is an overflow menu of 3 dots where people can report accounts they don’t think belong in a certain community.

Today’s launch is the first under Instagram’s new leader Adam Mosseri following the resignation of the company’s founders. Critics are watching to see if Mosseri, the former Facebook VP of News Feed and member of Mark Zuckerberg’s inner circle, will push harder to drive growth and monetization for Instagram. Given Instagram’s priority here is expanding its social graphs and keeping users engaged, it seems willing to trade occasionally allowing or disallowing the wrong people to reduce friction and juice growth.


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20 Private Roku Channels You Should Install Right Now


private-roku-channels

Roku devices come in a variety of different models and specifications, but at their core, they all operate in the same way: you add channels and watch the content you want.

There are two sources of channels. One is the Streaming Channels library on the device itself. There are more than enough free Roku channels in there to keep you entertained. However, the Roku really comes into its own when you start adding private channels.

Keep reading to learn how to add private channels to your Roku and discover the best Roku channels that you can install right now.

How Do You Add Private Channels to Roku?

Before you can add a private channel to your Roku box, you’ll need two things:

  • The channel’s code (we have included the codes in our list below)
  • A Roku account (set one up for free on the Roku website)

Once you have the code and have created an account, it’s easy to start adding channels.

To begin, head to your account portal and click Add a channel with a code. Insert the code, accept the on-screen confirmation, and you’re done.

The channel should immediately appear at the bottom of the channel list on your Roku’s homescreen. If it doesn’t, you can force a refresh by going to Settings > System > System Update > Check Now on the device.

So, now you know how to add channels, you just need to know which channels are worthwhile. Here are a bunch that you should consider installing right away.

1. Clikia (clikialive)

Clikia offers a mix of live channels, on-demand videos, and ad-free radio stations. You can access some free content without paying anything.

If you’re willing to dip into your wallet, there are three packages available. If you want access to cable channels like TNT, Sony, Cartoon Network, FOX News, and ESPN, you’ll need to pay $31.95/month.

2. Weather Radar (radar)

weather radar

Weather Radar will be especially useful to people who live in hurricane- and tornado-prone areas. It features local radar and satellite loops for your location, as well as tropical cyclone and disturbance maps.

Content from U.S. GOESs and the National Hurricane Center is available.

3. FreeJack TV (YQJ5B)

Are you a fan of conspiracy theories? If the answer is yes, you need to check out FreeJack TV. It offers a mix of conspiracy-themed chat shows, live streams, movies, and more.

4. EuroRoku (296XJKP)

EuroRoku is a paid private Roku channel that provides access to 24/7 streams of European TV stations.

The service costs $15/month and offers more than 300 channels, including networks from the U.K., France, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Poland, and Sweden.

5. Back From the Grave (BFTG)

back from the grave main screen

If you’re into sci-fi, murder mystery, horror films, and noir content, Back From the Grave is the channel for you.

The TV shows and movies that are available include Tales of Tomorrow and The Moon of the Wolf.

6. Donkey Kong (DonkeyKong)

Roku’s gaming potential is often overlooked. There are lots of great games you can play on your Roku device.

One that’s definitely worth checking out is the remake of Donkey Kong. It’s still in beta—hence why it’s a private channel.

7. The Silent Movie Channel (rollem)

French movie The Artist might have cleaned up at the 2012 Oscars, but the real heyday of silent film was back in the 1920s.

The Silent Movie Channel lets you relive the glory days of Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin, and Buster Keaton. Genres include adventure, sci-fi, comedy, and horror.

8. RokuMovies (zb34ac)

Not to be confused with the official ad-supported Roku movie channel, RokuMovies focuses on bringing you the world’s strangest and most outlandish low-budget films.

Give it a try if you like giant monsters and forgotten kung-fu flicks with ridiculous storylines.

9. iTunes Podcast Channel (ITPC)

Podcasts continue to grow in popularity. Regardless of your specific tastes, you should be able to find something that you like.

The iTunes Podcast Channel provides access to the iTunes Podcast Directory and lets you listen to the shows through your Roku device.

10. Daily Motion (Dailymotion)

dailymotion roku channel

Oddly, the world’s second-largest video streaming site doesn’t have an official channel on Roku. Nonetheless, if you install this private channel, you still be able to enjoy all the best content that the site has to offer.

11. The Internet Archive (NMJS5)

The Internet Archive should be familiar to you by now. We’ve recommended its content as an excellent resource for cord cutters on numerous occasions.

The Roku channel provides access to the site’s vast repository of old TV shows, movies, and videos.

12. LodeRunner (LodeRunnerPreview)

LodeRunner is a classic video game from 1983. The puzzle-oriented game was initially available on the Apple II, Atari 8-bit machines, the VIC-20, the Commodore 64, and IBM PCs. In later years, it also appeared on PCs and Game Boys.

It was one of the first games to feature a level editor.

13. Home Movies (HomeMovies)

There was something special about shows like America’s Funniest Home Videos back in the 1990s. They’re not the same since smartphones became commonplace.

If you’d like to relive some of that glorious home video hilarity, install the Home Movies channel. There are hours of funny, silly, unusual, or just downright unbelievable classic home video footage to watch.

14. Syntrix (synctrixbeta)

Lots of people use Google Drive or Dropbox as their media server. It’s not as elegant a solution as a service like Plex, but it works.

If you store your TV shows and movies in the cloud, grab Syntrix. It lets you access your accounts and watch your videos on your Roku device.

15. Science Fiction and Beer (TZG6P92)

What’s the perfect way to end a tough day in the office? Crash on your sofa with a beer and a sci-fi movie, of course!

Science Fiction and Beer brings you a number of classic sci-fi movies for free. But no free beer, unfortunately. More are being added all the time.

16. The Odeon Theater (odeon)

The Odeon Theater has a sole focus on classic, cult, and independent films. It shows just one movie per week; it’s released on Wednesdays at noon.

17. Nowhere TV (H9DWC)

nowhere tv home screen

Nowhere TV isn’t as impressive as it once was, but it’s still a must-have for any Roku owner.

These days, most of the content is podcast video and audio content. However, it’s still a great way to stay on top of the latest videos from networks like CNET, NASA, and C-SPAN without needing to install multiple channels that clog up (and slow down) your Roku device.

18. Twitch (TwitchTV)

Twitch has a curious relationship with Roku. There used to be an official app, then Amazon pulled it, then reinstated it, then pulled it again. It’s not entirely clear why this is the case.

Install this unofficial Twitch app, and you won’t be at the mercy of Amazon’s latest whims.

19. Spanish Time (spanishtime)

If you speak Spanish and would like to keep abreast of the latest goings on in Latin America, you could subscribe to Spanish Time for $9.99/month.

It offers more than 150 live streaming channels from across the region, including all the biggest networks in Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia. There’s also a broad selection of miscellaneous Spanish-language sports and entertainment channels.

20. Goats Live (GoatsLive)

No, this isn’t a joke—it really is a channel focused on live goats.

Sure, it sounds ridiculous, but bear in mind that it was listed in EarthCam’s “25 Most Interesting Webcams of 2015”. There is also an accompanying YouTube channel.

As one viewer said, you simply “can’t get enough of goats in a tree.”

What Are Your Favorite Roku Channels?

Roku private channels have something for everyone. If you’re not using them, you’re going to severely restrict your enjoyment and limit your device’s potential.

To learn more about how to get the most out of your Roku device, check out our article on awesome Roku features you’re probably not using.

Read the full article: 20 Private Roku Channels You Should Install Right Now


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This autonomous spray-painting drone is a 21st-century tagger’s dream


Whenever I see an overpass or billboard that’s been tagged, I worry about the tagger and the danger they exposed themselves to in order to get that cherry spot. Perhaps this spray paint-toting drone developed by ETH Zurich and Disney Research will take some of the danger out of the hobby. It could also be used for murals and stuff, I guess.

Although it seems an obvious application in retrospect, there just isn’t a lot of drone-based painting being done out there. Consider: a company could shorten or skip the whole scaffolding phase of painting a building or advertisement, leaving the bulk of painting to a drone. Why not?

There just isn’t a lot of research into it yet, and like so many domain-specific applications, the problem is deceptively complex. This paper only establishes the rudiments of a system, but the potential is clearly there.

The drone used by the researchers is a DJI Matrice 1002, customized to have a sensing rig mounted on one side and a spraying assembly on the other, counterbalancing each other. The sprayer, notably, is not just a nozzle but a pan-and-tilt mechanism that allows details to be painted that the drone can’t be relied on to make itself. To be clear we’re still talking broad strokes here, but accurate to an inch rather than three or four.

It’s also been modified to use wired power and a constant supply of paint, which simplifies the physics and also reduces limits on the size of the surface to be painted. A drone lugging its own paint can wouldn’t be able to fly far, and its thrust would have to be constantly adjusted to account for the lost weight of sprayed paint. See? Complex.

The first step is to 3D scan the surface to be painted; this can be done manually or via drone. The mesh is then compared to the design to be painted and a system creates a proposed path for the drone.

Lastly the drone is set free to do its thing. It doesn’t go super fast in this prototype form, nor should it, since even the best drones can’t stop on a dime, and tend to swing about when they reduce speed or change direction. Slow and steady is the word, following a general path to put the nozzle in range of where it needs to shoot. All the while it is checking its location against the known 3D map of the surface so it doesn’t get off track.

In case you’re struggling to see the “bear,” it’s standing up with its paws on a tree. That took me a long time to see so I thought I’d spare you the trouble.

Let’s be honest: this thing isn’t going to do much more complicated than some line work or a fill. But for a lot of jobs that’s exactly what’s needed — and it’s often the type of work that’s the least suited to skilled humans, who would rather be doing stuff only they can do. A drone could fill in all the easy parts on a building and then the workers can do the painstaking work around the windows or add embellishments and details.

For now this is strictly foundational work — no one is going to hire this drone to draw a Matterhorn on their house — but there’s a lot of potential here if the engineering and control methods can be set down with confidence.


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The 10 Best Wired Headphones

You can now use the Google Assistant to order an Uber or Lyft


If you ever wanted to use your Google Assistant to book you a ride with Uber or Lyft, your wishes have been heard. Starting today, you’ll be able to use your voice to ask Google’s virtual assistant to book you a car from Uber, Lyft, Ola, Grab, GO-JEK and similar services.

The new feature works with Google Assistant-enabled speakers and on phones. You can either request a car from a specific company or place a more generic request (“Hey Google, book a car to PDX”) and the assistant will return current pricing for all the supported ridesharing services in your area.

To actually book the ride, the Assistant will then hand you off to the ridesharing company’s mobile app, though.

Still, it’s a useful feature if you want to quickly compare prices or are frantically running around the house, trying to pack your suitcase for your next trip, and want to get a car quickly.

Lilian Rincon, Google’s director for the Assistant, told me that having a similar feature in Google Maps already made it easier to implement this in the Assistant, too.

“We think of the Google Assistant as highlighting the best of Google,” she said. “There is a ridesharing feature in Google Maps and we’ve been working very closely with that team to highlight this.”

It’s worth noting that Google announced a redesign of the visual side of the Google Assistant yesterday. This new feature isn’t directly linked to that as far as I can tell, but it does show some of that same focus on bringing more visual elements to the Assistant experience by showing you a list of prices and a map.

The new feature is now rolling out globally, but only in English. It’ll expand to other languages over time.


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Chinese chip spying report shows the supply chain remains the ultimate weakness


Thursday’s explosive story by Bloomberg reveals detailed allegations that the Chinese military embedded tiny chips into servers, which made their way into datacenters operated by dozens of major U.S. companies.

We covered the story earlier, including denials by Apple, Amazon and Supermicro — the server maker that was reportedly targeted by the Chinese government. Amazon said in a blog post that it “employs stringent security standards across our supply chain.” The FBI and the Office for the Director of National Intelligence did not comment, but denied comment to Bloomberg.

Much of the story can be summed up with this one line from a former U.S. official: “Attacking Supermicro motherboards is like attacking Windows. It’s like attacking the whole world.”

It’s a fair point. Supermicro is one of the biggest tech companies you’ve probably never heard of. It’s a computing supergiant based in San Jose, Calif. with global manufacturing operations across the world — including China, where it builds most of its motherboards. Those motherboards trickle throughout the rest of the world’s tech — and were used in Amazon’s datacenter servers that powers its Amazon Web Services cloud and Apple’s iCloud.

One government official speaking to Bloomberg said China’s goal was “long-term access to high-value corporate secrets and sensitive government networks,” which fits into the playbook of China’s long-running effort to steal intellectual property.

“No consumer data is known to have been stolen,” said Bloomberg.

Infiltrating Supermicro, if true, will have a long lasting ripple effect on the wider tech industry and how they approach their own supply chains. Make no mistake – introducing any kind of external tech in your datacenter isn’t taken lightly by any tech company. Fears of corporate and state-sponsored espionage has been rife for years. It’s chief among the reasons why the U.S. and Australia have effectively banned some Chinese telecom giants — like ZTE — from operating on its networks.

Having a key part of your manufacturing process infiltrated — effectively hacked — puts every believed-to-be-secure supply chain into question.

With nearly every consumer electronics or automobile, manufacturers have to procure different parts and components from various sources across the globe. Ensuring the integrity of each component is near impossible. But because so many components are sourced from or assembled in China, it’s far easier for Beijing than any other country to infiltrate without anyone noticing.

The big question now is how to secure the supply chain?

Companies have long seen supply chain threats as a major risk factor. Apple and Amazon are down more than 1 percent in early Thursday trading and Supermicro is down more than 35 percent (at the time of writing) following the news. But companies are acutely aware that pulling out of China will cost them more. Labor and assembly is far cheaper in China, and specialist parts and specific components often can’t be found elsewhere.

Instead, locking down the existing supply chain is the only viable option.

Security giant Crowdstrike recently found that the vast majority — nine out of ten companies — have suffered a software supply chain attack, where a supplier or part manufacturer was hit by ransomware, resulting in a shutdown of operations.

But protecting the hardware supply chain is a different task altogether — not least for the logistical challenge.

Several companies have already identified the risk of manufacturing attacks and taken steps to mitigate. BlackBerry was one of the first companies to introduce root of trust in its phones — a security feature that cryptographically signs the components in each device, effectively preventing the device’s hardware from tampering. Google’s new Titan security key tries to prevent manufacturing-level attacks by baking in the encryption in the hardware chips before the key is assembled.

Albeit at start, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. Former NSA hacker Jake Williams, founder of Rendition Infosec, said that even those hardware security mitigations may not have been enough to protect against the Chinese if the implanted chips had direct memory access.

“They can modify memory directly after the secure boot process is finished,” he told TechCrunch.

Some have even pointed to blockchain as a possible solution. By cryptographically signing — like in root of trust — each step of the manufacturing process, blockchain can be used to track goods, chips, and components throughout the chain.

Instead, manufacturers often have to act reactively and deal with threats as they emerge.

According to Bloomberg, “since the implanted chips were designed to ping anonymous computers on the internet for further instructions, operatives could hack those computers to identify others who’d been affected.”

Williams said that the report highlights the need for network security monitoring. “While your average organization lacks the resources to discover a hardware implant (such as those discovered to be used by the [Chinese government]), they can see evidence of attackers on the network,” he said.

“It’s important to remember that the malicious chip isn’t magic — to be useful, it must still communicate with a remote server to receive commands and exfiltrate data,” he said. “This is where investigators will be able to discover a compromise.”

The intelligence community is said to be still investigating after it first detected the Chinese spying effort, some three years after it first opened a probe. The investigation is believed to be classified — and no U.S. intelligence officials have yet to talk on the record — even to assuage fears.


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Do FM Transmitter Apps Work? How to Transmit Radio From Your Phone

Google launches accelerator to increase diversity in podcasting


Google has partnered with media company PRX to launch the Google Podcasts creator program. PRX, a public radio distribution marketplace, is behind shows like This American Life, Reveal and The Moth Radio Hour. The accelerator aims to remove access barriers to podcasting and to increase the diversity of the podcast industry.

This program comes after Google launched the podcasts app for Android in June. At the time, Google teased a partnership with an organization to increase diversity in podcasting. This is that program.

“We want to dramatically change the podcasting ecosystem and support more access,” PRX CEO Kerri Hoffman said in a press release. “Training is a primary way to close the skills gap that keep many from being successful in podcasting. This is particularly true for those who are underrepresented in other forms of media. We hope to elevate more diverse voices and empower others with tools to create and share.”

The idea is to focus on empowering and training underrepresented people, offering free educational tools and showcasing their work. As part of the program, which kicks off in January, 12 teams will receive seed funding, training and mentorship. Those who are interested can apply until November 18 here.

“We are committed to lowering barriers to podcasting through education and information sharing,” Google Podcasts Product Manager Zack Reneau-Wedeen said in a press release. “As we work to bring hundreds of millions more listeners into the fold, we want to play a role in ensuring content is available for all types of global audiences. PRX has a proven track record of mentorship and education, and we couldn’t be more excited to work with them as our lead partner.”


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Despite objection, Congress passes bill that lets U.S. authorities shoot down private drones


U.S. authorities will soon have the authority to shoot down private drones if they are considered a threat — a move decried by civil liberties and rights groups.

The Senate passed the FAA Reauthorization Act on Wednesday, months after an earlier House vote in April. The bill renews funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) until 2023, and includes several provisions designed to modernize U.S aviation rule — from making commercial flights more comfortable for passengers to including new provisions to act against privately owned drones.

But critics say the new authority that gives the government the right to “disrupt,” “exercise control,” or “seize or otherwise confiscate” drones that’s deemed a “credible threat” is dangerous and doesn’t include enough safeguards.

Federal authorities would not need to first obtain a warrant, which rights groups say that authority could be easily abused, making it possible for Homeland Security and the Justice Department and its various law enforcement and immigration agencies to shoot down anyone’s drone for any justifiable reason.

Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, have rocketed in popularity, by amateur pilots and explorers to journalists using drones to report from the skies. But there’s also been a growing threat from hapless hobbyists accidentally crashing a drone on the grounds of the White House to so-called Islamic State terrorists using drones on the battlefield.

Both the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have denounced the bill.

“These provisions give the government virtually carte blanche to surveil, seize, or even shoot a drone out of the sky — whether owned by journalists or commercial entities — with no oversight or due process,” an ACLU spokesperson told TechCrunch. “They grant new powers to the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security to spy on Americans without a warrant,” and they “undermine the use of drones by journalists, which have enabled reporting on critical issues like hurricane damage and protests at Standing Rock.”

“Flying of drones can raise security and privacy concerns, and there may be situations where government action is needed to mitigate these threats,” the ACLU said in a previous blog post. “But this bill is the wrong approach.”

The EFF agreed, arguing the bill endangers the First and Fourth Amendment rights of freedom of speech and the protection from warrantless device seizures.

“If lawmakers want to give the government the power to hack or destroy private drones, then Congress and the public should have the opportunity to debate how best to provide adequate oversight and limit those powers to protect our right to use drones for journalism, activism, and recreation,” the EFF said.

Other privacy groups, including the Electronic Privacy Information Center, denounced the passing of the bill without “baseline privacy safeguards.”

The bill will go to the president’s desk, where it’s expected to be signed into law.


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8 Plex Alternatives for Your Music Collection


Yes, we know, Plex can handle music pretty well. However, to unlock the service’s most powerful music features (such as automatic playlists, lyrics, and audio fingerprinting), you’ll need to subscribe to Plex Pass.

And even then, if you only use Plex for music (and not for TV shows and movies), you’ll have to wade through a lot of superfluous features.

If you’re looking for a similar feature list to Plex but on a service that’s primarily dedicated to music, you should check out these eight Plex alternatives instead…

1. Ampache

ampache app main screen

The open source Ampache is a web-based app. Although you can also use it to stream videos, its primary focus is on music. Ampache will run on any platform that supports PHP.

The web interface can be used as a playback tool and a music manager. It has the ability to pull your music collections from both local and remote locations so you can enjoy a unified library wherever you are.

You listen to your music through both the web app, your local speaker system, or a large number of smart devices.

To control the music remotely, use you can use the app’s Localplay feature.

2. CherryMusic

cherrymusic app main screen

CherryMusic is a music streaming server. Like Ampache, it is also open source. And again, you can get it running on most on your devices, including a Raspberry Pi. The server is extremely lightweight.

During the installation process, you’ll need to run a tiny bit of Python in the CherryMusic directory. Thankfully, it’s a simple process, even if you’ve never worked with Python. CherryMusic offers a detailed setup guide on its website if you need more information.

Once you have installed the app correctly, you’ll need to navigate to http://localhost:8080 in your browser to configure the app for the first time.

CherryMusic has a simplistic layout that’s easy to navigate. Features wise, it supports multiple accounts, playlist sharing, and artwork fetching.

3. Subsonic

subsonic app main screen

As you will soon see, Subsonic—which was originally open source—provided the bedrock for many of the best music server apps.

Today, the app is closed source. It can stream videos as well as music, but its core strength remains audio files.

If you’ve ever used Plex, you will be familiar with the basics of how the app works. You need to install it on the same drive as your music files, then use a web portal to access your content.

Subsonic does offer device-specific apps; however, they are part of the premium version. This costs $1/month. The subscription also buys you video streaming functionality, support for Chromecast and Sonos, a podcast player, an ad-free web player, and even your own personalized server address.

4. Airsonic

airsonic app main screen

When Subsonic’s developers made the decision to move to the closed source format and introduce a premium tier, the community split. Some of the former team created a new app called Libresonic.

After a few years of development, some further difference emerged between the creators, and yet another new app—called Airsonic—was born. Like the original Subsonic, the app is dedicated to remaining open source.

Some of the server’s best features include the ability to stream to multiple speaker systems at the same time, on-the-fly conversion of different audio formats, and customizable bitrate limits (in case you’re on a slow connection).

Furthermore, Airsonic can work with genuinely massive music collections. It can handle hundreds of gigabytes worth of content without breaking a sweat. If you’ve ever amassed a collection that large, you’ll know the difficulties that some of the mainstream music managers have handling similar-sized libraries.

5. Mopidy

mopidy app main screen

Mopidy offers something unique—in addition to being able to play your locally-saved music collections from anywhere in the world, it also works with Spotify, Google Play Music, and SoundCloud. Not even Plex offers those features natively.

Thanks to its ability to mix your music and tracks from music streaming services, you can make the argument that Modify is the most holistic music-based alternative to Plex.

Because Mopidy is available on GitHub, the community is constantly making more add-ons. Support for other music streaming services is continually becoming available, and there are many add-ons that can enhance the app’s native features.

Mopidy is also available on the Raspberry Pi.

6. Sonerezh

sonerezh app main screen

Sonerezh is a self-hosted music server; it’s similar to CherryMusic.

Thankfully, it’s somewhat easier to install than its competitor. The developers include an automatic two-click deployment wizard that’ll the app working in no time.

Adding music to the server is equally straightforward. Just tell Sonerezh where you’ve saved your files, and the backend will take care of the rest.

Sonerezh’s user interface is only accessible via the web. Its design is simple and easy-to-use.

The app supports MP3, MP4, OGG, and Vorbis files.

7. Funkwhale

funkwhale app main screen

Funkwhale is another self-hosted server option. The app is worth including for a few reasons.

Firstly, it offers music discovery tools such as automatic radio stations. Of course, the tools will only work with the songs you have added to the app, but if you have an extensive collection, it can help to remind you of some forgotten gems.

Secondly, it can pull music from free services like YouTube and Soundcloud. You can create playlists using a mix of all the sources.

Finally, the app includes MusicBrainz integration. It’s just about the most accurate app when it comes to tagging your music collection with the correct metadata.

And remember, because the app is free and open source, there are no ads anywhere on the platform.

8. Google Play Music

google muic upload music screen

We will conclude with a mention of Google Play Music. It’s well-known that the app lets you upload 50,000 of your own tracks which you can then stream from anywhere.

Of course, it’s not suitable for people who want more control and functionality from their app, or anyone who has a vast library that they want to access remotely. However, for people who want to make a small collection of music readily available, it’s an easy-to-use (and highly polished) alternative.

Learn More About Streaming Your Media

Plex-style music server apps are just one way you can make your media available wherever you go.

For example, you could try to make your own private Netflix using cloud services or turn a Raspberry Pi into a Plex media server. Check out our guides for more information on both options.

Read the full article: 8 Plex Alternatives for Your Music Collection


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Presidential alerts we really hope Trump won’t send…


Move over Twitter, President Trump now has the power to send every phone in the land a simultaneous message — thanks to the new “presidential alert”, tested by FEMA yesterday.

What’s it for? The idea is to enable the president of the United States to warn the nation of major threats — such as a natural disaster or terrorist attack.

FEMA did already have the power to mass text US phones, via the National Wireless Emergency Alert System devised by the Bush administration in 2006, which has been used for sending alerts about national emergencies like weather events or missing children at a local level.

But now the system has been expanded to allow for the White House to compose and send its own ‘presidential alert’ to all phones in a national emergency situation.

There is no opt-out.

Repeat: No opt-out.

Fortunately Congress did limit the substance of these alerts — to “natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters or threats to public safety”, further stipulating that:

Except to the extent necessary for testing the public alert and warning system, the public alert and warning system shall not be used to transmit a message that does not relate to a natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other man-made disaster or threat to public safety.

But bearing in mind the ‘rip it up’ record of the current holder of office of the president of the US, there are no copper-bottomed guarantees about how ‘threat to public safety’ might be interpreted by president Trump.

So it remains a slightly mind-bending concept that the president could, say after a 3am binge-watch of his favorite TV show, fire out an alert entirely of his framing to EVERY US PHONE.

Technology is indeed a double-edged sword.

Here are a few ideas of presidential alerts we really hope Trump won’t be sending…

  • an accidental photo of a body part after he couldn’t figure out how to use the system and hit send accidentally
  • a text message intended for his son-in-law
  • “Donald Trump”
  • covfefe
  • an even worse spelling mistake, e.g. mangling the name of another world leader — like French president “Manuel Macaroon”
  • actual insults directed at other world leaders, e.g. suggesting Emmanuel Macron has a dandruff problem
  • threats of thermonuclear war
  • an unfortunate spoonerism, e.g. ‘the rockets are cot numbing’
  • a love sonnet to president Kim Jong-Un
  • encouragement to Russia to hack political opponents’ emails
  • a recipe for a “beautiful” chocolate cake
  • his golf handicap
  • an affiliate link to a brochure of Trump Tower
  • US stock market numbers
  • investment advice
  • an affiliate link to buy The Art of The Deal
  • any other book recommendations at all
  • a love sonnet to Ivanka Trump
  • a claim that the hurricane isn’t actually as bad as FEMA’s alert says it is
  • #MAGA
  • “Lock her up”
  • “His testimony was very credible, very credible”
  • “You also had some very fine people on both sides”
  • any claim about the size of the crowds at his inauguration
  • any claim about historical precedence and what his administration has achieved
  • all forms of self congratulation
  • his thoughts on the UN
  • his thoughts on NATO
  • his thoughts on the EU
  • his thoughts on China
  • his thoughts on the Queen
  • anything at all about women
  • “Melanie”
  • all insults about “the failing New York Times”
  • a heart emoji + the words “Tucker Carlson”
  • any text that includes the words “Fox & Friends”
  • any text that includes the phrase “America first”
  • a photo of Melania reclining on gilt furniture, in a gilt room, with some gilt statues
  • a selfie with anyone, especially Nigel Farage
  • any text written in ALL CAPS
  • any text ending with the word “Sad!”
  • his travel itinerary for his next trip to the Winter White House
  • a love sonnet to president Putin
  • ‘exciting’ real estate opportunities
  • credit for Brexit
  • a threat to Twitter not to shadowban conservative voices
  • “You’re fired!”
  • “Build the wall!”
  • “Mission accomplished!”
  • anything at all about president Obama
  • all sports commentary
  • anything containing the word “winning”
  • his thoughts on climate change
  • his thoughts on environmental protection
  • his thoughts on the safety of radioactive substances
  • a list of reasons why the Iran deal was a mistake
  • his thoughts on anything at all to do with the rest of the world
  • a photoshopped picture of Justin Trudeau to make him look ugly
  • diet advice
  • travel advice
  • fashion advice
  • complaints that Google is biased
  • anything about tax — unless it’s his own tax returns
  • a message to Peter Thiel asking him to come back
  • a message asking where the nearest KFC is
  • a message asking where he left his last bucket of KFC
  • a really boring and slightly blurred photo of the inside of Air Force One
  • any message about anything at all he saw on TV last night
  • “Ha-ha you can’t opt out!”
  • “Genius”
  • his thoughts

Read Full Article

Presidential alerts we really hope Trump won’t send…


Move over Twitter, President Trump now has the power to send every phone in the land a simultaneous message — thanks to the new “presidential alert”, tested by FEMA yesterday.

What’s it for? The idea is to enable the president of the United States to warn the nation of major threats — such a natural disaster or terrorist attack.

FEMA did already have the power to mass text US phones, via the National Wireless Emergency Alert System devised by the Bush administration in 2006, which has been used for sending alerts about national emergencies such as weather events or missing children at a local level.

But now the system has been expanded to allow for the White House to compose and send its own ‘presidential alert’ to all phones in a national emergency situation.

There is no opt-out.

Repeat: No opt-out.

Fortunately Congress did limit the substance of these alerts — to “natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters or threats to public safety”, further stipulating that:

Except to the extent necessary for testing the public alert and warning system, the public alert and warning system shall not be used to transmit a message that does not relate to a natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other man-made disaster or threat to public safety.

But bearing in mind the ‘rip it up’ record of the current holder of office of the president of the US, there are no copper-bottomed guarantees about how ‘threat to public safety’ might be interpreted by president Trump.

So it remains a slightly mind-bending concept that he could, say after a 3am binge-watch of his favorite TV show, fire out an alert entirely of his framing to EVERY US PHONE.

Technology is indeed a double-edged sword.

Here are a few ideas of presidential alerts we really hope Trump won’t be sending…

  • an accidental photo of a body part after he couldn’t figure out how to use the system and hit send accidentally
  • a text message intended for his son-in-law
  • “Donald Trump”
  • covfefe
  • an even worse spelling mistake, e.g. mangling the name of another world leader — like French president “Manuel Macaroon”
  • actual insults directed at other world leaders, e.g. suggesting Emmanuel Macron has a dandruff problem
  • threats of thermonuclear war
  • an unfortunate spoonerism, e.g. ‘the rockets are cot numbing’
  • a love sonnet to president Kim Jong-Un
  • encouragement to Russia to hack political opponents’ emails
  • a recipe for a “beautiful” chocolate cake
  • his golf handicap
  • an affiliate link to a brochure of Trump Tower
  • US stock market numbers
  • investment advice
  • an affiliate link to buy The Art of The Deal
  • any other book recommendations at all
  • a love sonnet to Ivanka Trump
  • a claim that the hurricane isn’t actually as bad as FEMA’s alert says it is
  • #MAGA
  • “Lock her up”
  • “His testimony was very credible, very credible”
  • “You also had some very fine people on both sides”
  • any claim about the size of the crowds at his inauguration
  • any claim about historical precedence and what his administration has achieved
  • all forms of self congratulation
  • his thoughts on the UN
  • his thoughts on NATO
  • his thoughts on the EU
  • his thoughts on China
  • his thoughts on the Queen
  • anything at all about women
  • “Melanie”
  • all insults about “the failing New York Times”
  • a heart emoji + the words “Tucker Carlson”
  • any text that includes the words “Fox & Friends”
  • any text that includes the phrase “America first”
  • a photo of Melania reclining on gilt furniture, in a gilt room, with some gilt statues
  • a selfie with anyone, especially Nigel Farage
  • any text written in ALL CAPS
  • any text ending with the word “Sad!”
  • his travel itinerary for his next trip to the Winter White House
  • a love sonnet to president Putin
  • ‘exciting’ real estate opportunities
  • credit for Brexit
  • a threat to Twitter not to shadowban conservative voices
  • “You’re fired!”
  • “Build the wall!”
  • “Mission accomplished!”
  • anything at all about president Obama
  • all sports commentary
  • anything containing the word “winning”
  • his thoughts on climate change
  • his thoughts on environmental protection
  • his thoughts on the safety of radioactive substances
  • a list of reasons why the Iran deal was a mistake
  • his thoughts on anything at all to do with the rest of the world
  • a photoshopped picture of Justin Trudeau to make him look ugly
  • diet advice
  • travel advice
  • fashion advice
  • complaints that Google is biased
  • anything about tax — unless it’s his own tax returns
  • a message to Peter Thiel asking him to come back
  • a message asking where the nearest KFC is
  • a message asking where he left his last bucket of KFC
  • a really boring and slightly blurred photo of the inside of Air Force One
  • any message about anything at all he saw on TV last night
  • “Ha-ha you can’t opt out!”
  • “Genius”
  • his thoughts

Read Full Article

How to Create a Markdown Table


learn-markdown

In 2004 John Gruber of Daring Fireball created Markdown, a lightweight markup language for publishing content on the web. It uses easy to understand plain text formatting syntax to create tidy HTML or XHTML via the use of a simple Perl script.

Since then, several flavors of Markdown have appeared. While tables did not appear in the original specification, most Markdown editors now support them and they’re very easy to implement. Let’s take a look at creating tables from scratch, as well as resources that can speed up the process.

Markdown Table Syntax

If you’re new to Markdown, don’t worry—there are many good reasons to learn it.

As previously noted, vanilla Markdown did not include support for tables. Subsequent efforts to standardize Markdown have been made, with the most significant being CommonMark. This implementation of Markdown also does not include native support for tables, though it’s possible future iterations will.

Most modern Markdown editors support several different implementations of the lightweight markup language. Both Github Flavored Markdown and Markdown Extra introduce support for tables, and these are well-supported in both online platforms, and in modern editors.

Fortunately both implementations use the same formatting, which means you don’t have to remember different syntax for different languages. Table syntax is also quite robust, and you don’t need the neatest of code in order to create a table that formats nicely.

Here is an example of a Markdown table created using GitHub Flavored Markdown or Markdown Extra:

| Column 1       | Column 2     | Column 3     |
| :------------- | :----------: | -----------: |
|  Cell Contents | More Stuff   | And Again    |
| You Can Also   | Put Pipes In | Like this \| |

This creates a neatly formatted table that looks like this:

Table Created in Markdown

Tables are created using pipes (|) and dashes (-), with colons (:) used to align cell contents. In the above example we’ve used dashes and regular spaces to create a neat-looking table in both code view, and when rendered. Note the colons alongside the dashes, which cause the left column to be left-aligned, the center column to be centered, and the right column to be right-aligned.

As noted in the code, you can insert pipes as content as long as you precede them with a backslash (\). Tables are automatically formatted with bold in the first row, and with alternating striped background colors as you add more rows.

Simpler Markdown Table Code

But you can break a table down to a much simpler format. You only need three dashes beneath your first row in order to define the table. The outer pipes can also be left out. Added spaces to make the content fit nicely in the code can also be omitted.

Here’s an example of a perfectly valid, yet scrappy-looking table in Markdown:

Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3
--- | --- | ---
**Things** | _Don't_ | [Need](http://makeuseof.com)
To | *__Look__* | `Pretty`

Which creates a table that looks like this:

Markdown Table with Messy Code

Note that in this example, we have added some of the supported formatting, including bold, italics, an inline link, a combination of bold and italic emphasis, and a code snippet. There are limitations to this usage, for example code snippets cannot contain multiple lines, since this signifies the end of the column.

You can also insert images into tables, using the relevant Markdown syntax. Check out our printable Markdown cheat sheet for a full list of formatting syntax.

Markdown Table Generators

If you’re particularly fond of the way Markdown makes it easy to add simple formatting, headings, links, and images, and would rather not jostle with formatting a table, a Markdown table generator might be what you’re looking for.

Markdown Tables Generator

Markdown Tables Generator

Probably the simplest website of its kind, with a full set of tools for creating everything from tiny to huge tables, and exporting them to Markdown. You can customize the exact size of your table using a grid, then double click on a field to add content.

Hitting Tab allows you to move between the fields, and you can use the alignment tool at the top to align the contents of your table. Interestingly, the tool even allows you to align cells independent of the column rule, since it inserts the right number of spaces before or after the field content, to ensure things are formatted correctly.

Once you’ve filled out your table, hit the Generate button to see the Markdown. You can then Copy to clipboard and paste the table into your document. Check the Compact mode box to condense the table and save space. It’s also possible to use this generator to import a .CSV file via the File menu.

Copy Excel/Google Table, Paste as Markdown

This excellent Excel or Google Sheets to Markdown conversion tool is the brainchild of software developer Dave Johnson, and is hosted on his own blog. It’s based on Jonathan Hoyt’s copy-excel-paste-markdown code, and it couldn’t be simpler to use.

Simply copy a table range in your spreadsheet tool, paste it into the text box, and watch as it’s automatically converted to a Markdown compliant table. You can then copy it again and paste it into your Markdown document.

Dave has also created a version that handles column alignment too, much like Markdown Table Generator above.

MarkdownTableMaker Chrome Extension

MarkdownTableMaker for Chrome

If you spend a lot of time in Google Sheets, and would prefer a browser extension to convert either a cell range, or an entire spreadsheet to Markdown, MarkdownTableMaker for Chrome should do the trick. If you spend a lot of time in Google Drive, you can integrate it into your workflow with these Google Drive-compatible Markdown editors.

Master Markdown Today

Knowledge of Markdown is a great skill you to add to your digital publishing repertoire. Whether you’re posting comments on Reddit or thinking of starting a blog, this simplified markup language is quite versatile. When paired with the right editor, Markdown can easily be converted into HTML, PDF, and more.

Get started today with our guide to learning Markdown!

Read the full article: How to Create a Markdown Table


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