The Quickest Ways to Turn Your Screen Off in Windows

Do you know how long it takes until Windows automatically turns off your screen?

Unfortunately, Windows 10 does not offer a convenient keyboard shortcut to switch off the display. But we’ll show you the easiest ways to control your screen and turn it off when you want. Not only will this save you energy, but you’ll also prevent screen burn-in and long term damage.

Windows 10 Power Management Settings

Windows 10 offers multiple power management settings. Let’s see how you can use these to control your screen on and off time.

How to Make the Screen Turn Off Automatically in Windows 10

To control how fast your displays turns off, head to Start > Settings > System > Power & sleep and customize the times under Screen. On battery power, we recommend letting your screen turn off after 5 minutes or less. When plugged in, you can let it stay on for a little longer, but 10 or 15 minutes should be your max.

Note that this setting won’t impact games or video-based media since those should keep your display always on. This means you can continue to watch a movie or a show without the screen turning off on you, even when the screen off times are set to merely minutes.

How to Turn the Screen Off Using the Power Button

Now, letting Windows turn your screen off automatically when it’s been inactive for a few minutes is great. But you can save even more battery power if you turn your screen off manually. While your PC monitor has an off switch, your laptop might not have a button to turn off its screen or backlight. So if you’re using a laptop, we’ll show you how to repurpose the power button to turn off the display.

On the Power & sleep settings window described above, find Related settings and click Additional power settings. This will open the old Windows Control Panel.

Alternatively, press Windows key + Q, search for Control Panel, open the respective result, and manually navigate to Power Options. In the left-hand pane, click Choose what the power button does.

In the next window, under When I press the power button, you can make it tun off the display while on battery or plugged in. Click Save changes to lock in your preferences.

Now all you have to do to turn off your laptop’s screen is to press the power button. Not that you can still shut down your computer forcefully (in case it’s locked up) by holding the power button for a few seconds.

Do You Not See the “Turn Off the Display” Option?

You probably have a computer with Modern Standby. To find out, press CTRL+R, type cmd, and click OK to open the command prompt. Type powercfg -a into the prompt and hit Enter. If you see the option Standby (S0 Low Power Idle), you have a Modern Standby machine. You might also see that other standby options are not available.

How to Add “Turn Off Display” on a Modern Standby Windows 10 PC

Turning off the display using the power button is such a convenient solution. Fortunately, there’s a way to add it back. But we’ll have to head into the registry to do this. Please follow these instructions carefully as you won’t want to break anything critical.

Press Windows+R to launch the Run menu, enter regedit, and click OK to open the Windows Registry Editor.

Within the registry, head to the following location:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Power

Once there, find the entry CsEnabled, change its value from 1 to 0, and click OK to save your changes.

Now exit the registry editor, reboot Windows, and return to the system settings outlined above to find the “Turn off display option” back where it belongs.

The Best Tools to Turn Off Your Screen in Windows

Maybe you don’t want to manually turn off your PC monitor. Or maybe you don’t want to change your power button’s default settings. Well, just use a third party Windows tool to turn off your display. Below are the three best ones.

Turn Off Monitor

Turn Off Monitor is a small executable utility that just does one job: turning your display off. You don’t have to install it. Just download the file, unpack the ZIP archive, store the utility on your desktop, and double-click whenever needed. You can assign a keyboard shortcut to run the utility, which I’ll explain below.

If you see a security warning, you can bypass it by removing the checkmark next to Always ask before opening this file.

Note that in Windows 10, when you used this utility and are ready to resume work, the screen will wake to the lock screen. If you’d rather not type in your login credentials every time you turn off the screen, you could disable the lock screen. However, that means anyone will be able to access your desktop while you’re not around.

The download for Turn Off Monitor is provided by Softpedia, one of the safer sites for free software downloads. A similar tool that works exactly like Turn Off Monitor is Display Power Off (via Sourceforge).

Turn Off Screen

Someone at Microsoft must have noticed how nice it is to have a shortcut to turn off the screen because they wrote a script for it. Fortunately, they also made that script available through TechNet, from where you can download the batch script file for free.

Save the BAT file to your desktop and double-click to run it. You can even change the icon and assign a shortcut, which you can find instructions to below.

NirCmd

NirCmd is a command-line utility, which can complete a range of tasks, including turning your monitor off. You can run NirCmd without installation. However, if you want to use it regularly, it’s more convenient to install it and thus not having to type the full path every time you want to run a command.

To install NirCmd in Windows 10, unpack the ZIP archive, right-click nircmd.exe, and select Run as administrator. Next, click the Copy To Windows Directory button.

Confirm with Yes in the following window. Once the operation is completed, click OK in the previous window.

Now that you installed NirCmd, you can use it to turn off your monitor and complete other tasks. Admittedly, opening the command line and typing a command every time you want to turn off your screen is probably the most inconvenient solution of all. However, you only have to do it once in order to create a shortcut, which you can then assign a hotkey to.

Click Windows key + R to open the Run utility, then type cmd and click OK.

In the command line, type the following command:

nircmd.exe cmdshortcutkey "c:\temp" "Turn Monitor Off" monitor off

Hit Enter to run the command.

If you did not copy nircmd.exe to the Windows Directory, spell out the full path. Instead of “c:\temp” you can choose any other location for the shortcut file. “Turn Monitor Off” will be the name of the shortcut file, but you can choose a different name.

How to Assign a Hotkey to Run Any Tool

This works for any executable, including the tools above. First, right-click the EXE file and select Create shortcut. Note that you have already created a shortcut for NirCmd if you followed the steps above.

Next, right-click the shortcut file and select Properties. Place the mouse in the Shortcut key: field, which should say “None”, and click your keyboard shortcut, for example, Ctrl+Alt+J. Click OK to confirm.

Finally, test your shortcut key and enjoy!

Your Monitor Under Control

We showed you how to control your computer display, from customizing power settings to using third-party utilities to turn the screen off.

Ready to customize Windows 10 a little more?

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How to Write a Company Profile (Plus Samples and Templates to Aid You)

If you have never written a company profile before, it can be a little intimidating. A company profile’s purpose, after all, is not just to include basic details, but to clearly and confidently highlight the strengths of your company. You can think of it as your company’s resume.

To help you create this all-important document for your business, we have tips, templates, and samples to get you started.

What Is a Company Profile?

A company profile is a professional summary of the business and its activities. You need a company profile if you want to raise capital and win investors, but you can also use it to inform other stakeholders, including clients.

You will find many variations and lengths for a company profile. Some businesses may not have grown enough yet and have profiles that are just two pages long. On the other hand, some might include awards, certifications, and a large client portfolio, topping out at 30 pages.

The bottom line with both situations, as well as those in between, is that a company profile is your business’s time to shine.

What to Include in Your Company Profile

Do your best to comprise a well-written document so that it is clear, concise, and correct. Check your spelling and grammar, look for typos, and be sure to read it several times. You might even consider a proofreading tool as another check. And of course, include the following information as applicable to your business.

The Business Details

When you begin, gather the details listed below. These items should appear at the beginning of your company profile. Keep them accurate and up-to-date.

• Company name
• Established date
• Physical address per location
• Phone and fax numbers
• Website URL
• Email address

The Company Basics

These items will vary depending on your business type. So, just keep in mind that they may not all apply to your company, but you should include those that do.

• Description of the business including the mission and/or vision
• Product descriptions
• Description of services
• History, expansion, and growth
• Public relations
• Advertising
• Industry information
• Safety, health, and environmental policies
• Core team details
• Client portfolio

The Highlights

The next set of items also will not apply to every company. These are some of the types of notable achievements and accomplishments that you should include.

• Awards
• Certifications
• Special programs and projects
• Testimonials
• News or media recognition

Optional Items

You may see the following items in other company profiles or within the samples and templates below. If you feel that any of these is noteworthy for your business, then you should include them.

• Annual sales
• Financial targets
• Number of employees
• Partners
• Photographs

Company Profile Samples and Templates

Now that you know what to include in your company profile, take a look at these helpful templates. You will notice that some are actual samples, so you may just feel inspired by their ideas. Other templates provide useful tips and prompts for the details you need.

You can edit each one’s text, formatting, and subsequent page length to suit your needs and preference. Just keep in mind that these are PDF files, so you will need a PDF editing tool, converter, or application that allows you to open and edit. There are several tools that let you convert PDF files to Microsoft Word for free.

Short Templates

Sometimes short is simply better because it lets you get straight to the point. Here are a few templates to check out that take the length to the minimum.

2-Page Template

This first template from TidyForm is short and sweet. If this is your first time creating a company profile, this might be a good one to start with due to its simplicity. The sections in blue help prompt you with what should be included in that area.

3-Page Template

Another basic template with a small splash of color comes from FormsBirds. With this option, you can put your own company logo at the top and then edit the color throughout the document to match. You will also notice that the color use emphasizes company values on the second page, which adds a nice touch.

4-Page Template

If using a table format is more your style, this template is ideal. It begins with a useful table of contents and you can then simply enter your company details into the sections as you go. If you like crisp, clean, and structured documents, check this one out.

Medium-Length Templates

If you have more company details to include than a short template can accommodate, but not enough for a lengthy profile, these templates are right in between.

5-Page Template

Maybe you appreciate a strict format but prefer outlines over tables. If so, this template from TidyForm is for you. You can walk through the pages very easily with this layout. Each section and level describe the details you should include. This particular template is available in both PDF and DOC file formats.

7-Page Template

If your company would benefit from a visual presentation, try this company profile. Along with sections for the written items you need, you can take advantage of several spots to add images. One note on this template: if you are using Microsoft Word to make your edits, you may notice slight formatting issues due to its landscape view.

11-Page Template

One more great option if you like the visual theme is this template from FormsBirds. You can add company and team photos for a personal touch along with graphs and charts for a graphic presentation to accompany your words. You will see that each of the pages in this template is unique. This will make your company profile stand out and one to remember.

16-Page Template

From TidyForm, this template is attractive as much as it is useful. This one carries an eco-friendly theme and colors to emphasize that. However, you can certainly edit those borders. You can use the handy table of contents at the beginning and get ideas from the way this company presents its profile.

Long Templates

When you have a lot of company information to include, you need a template that can handle it. These longer templates give you plenty of space, pages, and sections for everything you need.

30-Page Template

If you are ready to create a lengthy company profile, then you should look at this option from TidyForm. You will notice the understated color scheme to match the company logo. In addition, you can see how they have written their highlights which include merits and awards.

33-Page Template

Another hefty template is this option from FormsBirds. Like the one from TidyForm, you can see how nicely the company colors enhance the overall appearance. This template also shows you interesting ways to display business details. For instance, you will see the modern image showing their divisions, useful charts with their organizational structure, and the use of small images to accompany their written words.

Get Started on Your Company Profile Today

Hopefully, these tips, templates, and samples are just what you need to get to work on your company profile. Just remember to keep it updated with any additions, changes, or noteworthy items.

Writing a company profile isn’t the only place templates will come in handy. For example, there are plenty of templates and tips for running efficient meetings, helping you stay productive, and taking your company to the next level. You can also use templates that help keep meeting minutes or those for writing business requirements documents.

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The 8 Best BBC Documentaries to Watch on Netflix

We know it’s hard to pull yourself away from the endless stream of Netflix Originals, but the best BBC documentaries on Netflix are well worth watching. The British network has a reputation for creating stunning shows covering topics such as war, nature, and celebrity.

So, what are the best BBC documentaries you can watch on Netflix?

1. Wild Alaska

Wild Alaska is a three-part documentary that first aired in 2015. It features three 50-minute long episodes, each of which focuses on a different season of the year—Spring, Summer, and Winter.

As you watch, you will learn about how the local wildlife deals with coming out of hibernation, the competition between the species for the landscape’s resources, and the dramatic change in life and scenery that occurs when the coldest months return to Alaska.

2. Nature’s Weirdest Events

Nature’s Weirdest Events has run for five seasons since 2012, but only the second, third, and fourth seasons are available on Netflix. Like Wild Alaska, each season has three parts, and each of the three episodes runs for 50 minutes.

Narrated by the English naturalist, Chris Packham, the show explores some of the natural world’s oddest phenomena. They include a ball of worms rolling down a road, frozen frogs, and fish that attack birds on the land. Trust us; it’s all very bizarre, making the title a fitting one.

3. Monkey Planet

2014’s Monkey Planet was an immediate hit when it first aired in the UK, and this BBC documentary has remained just as popular since making the leap to Netflix.

Filmed in South Africa, Uganda, Ethiopia, Congo, Thailand, and Japan, the show aims to explore the diversity of primates, their social behavior, their intelligence, and their self-awareness.

The British entomologist, George McGavin, presents the documentary. Each of the three parts lasts for one hour. Unfortunately, a second season was never made.

4. Hiroshima: The Real History

Hiroshima: The Real History brings a new sense of understanding to one of the 20th century’s greatest tragedies.

The documentary uses never-seen-before footage, new interviews with eyewitnesses and survivors, and tales of human suffering to add a personal element that is perhaps missing in many of the other documentaries on the subject.

One of the most jaw-dropping claims made during the 90-minute documentary is that Japan knew about the bombs at least five hours before they hit but refused to warn the city or its residents. Give it a watch to learn more.

This is one of the only World War II documentaries by the BBC you will find on Netflix. Many of the BBC’s best documentaries about that period were removed at the end of 2019.

5. Weird Wonders of the World

Weird Wonders of the World is the second BBC documentary on Netflix narrated by Chris Packham. The first and second seasons are available on the platform, and each has eight episodes lasting 50 minutes for you to enjoy.

Some of the weirder events you can look forward to seeing in the multi-part documentary include a silk-producing goat, an Antarctic glacier that emits red water, and a drought which causes rocks to explode.

6. My Scientology Movie

Louis Theroux is a famed documentary maker on both sides of the pond. Some of his most famous early works include Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends and When Louis Met… However, it was his 2015 documentary about The Church of Scientology that really catapulted him into the mainstream. It was his first full-length feature film and was shown in movie theaters around the world.

The uniqueness of My Scientology Movie comes from the way it is filmed. The church repeatedly refused to give Theroux inside access for a true documentary, so he joined forces with some of the church’s former senior officials to reconstruct some of the events described by witnesses. Of particular focus is alleged unseemly behavior by the group’s leader, David Miscavige.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the church does not react well and puts Theroux under constant surveillance. It predictably leads to fireworks, and the events are captured on film for our entertainment.

7. Stop at Nothing: The Lance Armstrong Story

The first (and only) BBC sports documentary on our list is Stop at Nothing: The Lance Armstrong Story. Armstrong, of course, went from being one of the most acclaimed cyclists on the planet to a world-renowned cheat after he admitted to doping offenses in 2012.

At the time, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said the fallen star was a leader of “the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that [cycling] has ever seen.”

This BBC documentary was filmed after Armstrong was exposed. It paints a portrait of a man who would stop at nothing for money, fame, and success. The show tells the story of how he conned fellow riders, blackmailed friends and team owners, and eventually came to his downfall.

8. A Grand Night In: The Story of Aardman

Wallace and Gromit will never be forgotten. The stop motion clay animation (which is split into four short films and one feature-length movie), was widely acclaimed by critics. The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave both won Oscars for Best Short Film (Animated), while The Curse of the Were-Rabbit won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film.

A Grand Night In: The Story of Aardman explores how Aardman Animations came to make some of the most famous animated films of all time. Narrated by Julie Walters and featuring interviews with David Tennant, Hugh Grant, and Martin Freeman, the documentary shines a light on the creative processes behind these brilliant films.

More BBC Shows to Watch on Netflix

Sadly, the BBC has pulled many of its best documentaries off of Netflix, presumably due to the popularity of BBC iPlayer and BritBox, its increasingly successful joint streaming venture with ITV.

However, there are still lots of other BBC shows beyond documentaries you can watch on Netflix, including these, the best BBC shows on Netflix that Americans will enjoy.

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Coronavirus Worries

Coronavirus Worries

Google’s Advanced Protection program for high-risk users now includes malware protection

Google is expanding the feature set for its Advanced Protection Program, a security offering that helps safeguard Google Accounts of those at risk for targeted attacks — like politicians, journalists, activists, business leaders, and others. The program already provides an increased level of protection for these accounts by limiting access to data, blocking fraudulent account access, supporting the use of physical security keys, and more. Today, Google is adding new malware protections to the program, as well.

For starters, those enrolled in the Advanced Protection Program will have Google Play Protect automatically enabled. This is Google’s built-in malware protection for Android that’s currently used to scan and verify 100 billion apps per day, Google notes. The system uses machine learning to automatically scan users’ device and apps to check for harmful behavior and potential security issues. Now, this will be enabled for Advanced Protection Program members and will not be able to be shut off.

The program will also now limit users’ ability to install apps from outside the Play Store, where apps are now scanned for malware before approval. Those from outside the store can present a greater risk. Google will now prevent the download of non-Play Store apps on any devices enrolled in the Advanced Protection Program, with a few exceptions. Users will be able to install non-Play Store apps through other third-party app stores that may have shipped on your device from the device manufacturer. Others can be installed through the developer tool Android Debug Bridge. However, Google says non-Play Store apps that have already been installed won’t be removed and can continue to be updated.

Google launched its Advanced Protection Program in fall 2017, as an opt-in option for those who believe they’re at increased risk of online attacks. The program focuses on defending against phishing, locking down malicious apps, and fending off hackers. The trade-off is reduced convenience as there are additional steps to take during authentication and more limitations on what can be done. But the result is a safer, and free, way to increase the security of your account and device.

The new added protections will roll out gradually to accounts enrolled in Advanced Program on Android devices, to be later this year be followed by new malware protections for Chrome, Google says. However, G Suite users won’t get these new protections now — instead, they’re offered through endpoint management which helps secure devices belonging to mobile workforces.

 

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Google’s Advanced Protection program for high-risk users now includes malware protection

Google is expanding the feature set for its Advanced Protection Program, a security offering that helps safeguard Google Accounts of those at risk for targeted attacks — like politicians, journalists, activists, business leaders, and others. The program already provides an increased level of protection for these accounts by limiting access to data, blocking fraudulent account access, supporting the use of physical security keys, and more. Today, Google is adding new malware protections to the program, as well.

For starters, those enrolled in the Advanced Protection Program will have Google Play Protect automatically enabled. This is Google’s built-in malware protection for Android that’s currently used to scan and verify 100 billion apps per day, Google notes. The system uses machine learning to automatically scan users’ device and apps to check for harmful behavior and potential security issues. Now, this will be enabled for Advanced Protection Program members and will not be able to be shut off.

The program will also now limit users’ ability to install apps from outside the Play Store, where apps are now scanned for malware before approval. Those from outside the store can present a greater risk. Google will now prevent the download of non-Play Store apps on any devices enrolled in the Advanced Protection Program, with a few exceptions. Users will be able to install non-Play Store apps through other third-party app stores that may have shipped on your device from the device manufacturer. Others can be installed through the developer tool Android Debug Bridge. However, Google says non-Play Store apps that have already been installed won’t be removed and can continue to be updated.

Google launched its Advanced Protection Program in fall 2017, as an opt-in option for those who believe they’re at increased risk of online attacks. The program focuses on defending against phishing, locking down malicious apps, and fending off hackers. The trade-off is reduced convenience as there are additional steps to take during authentication and more limitations on what can be done. But the result is a safer, and free, way to increase the security of your account and device.

The new added protections will roll out gradually to accounts enrolled in Advanced Program on Android devices, to be later this year be followed by new malware protections for Chrome, Google says. However, G Suite users won’t get these new protections now — instead, they’re offered through endpoint management which helps secure devices belonging to mobile workforces.

 

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How you can support farmers in the US | Eric Sannerud

How you can support farmers in the US | Eric Sannerud

Farmers keep us fed and our economies stable, but in the US they're retiring faster than they're being replaced. Take a crash course in agricultural policy with Eric Sannerud to see why this problem can't be solved by simply buying from your local farmer's market -- and learn how you can use your vote to create a better future for farmers.

Click the above link to download the TED talk.

Around is the new floating head video chat multitasking app

You have to actually get work done, not just video call all day, but apps like Zoom want to take over your screen. Remote workers who need to stay in touch while staying productive are forced to juggle tabs. Meanwhile, call participants often look and sound far away, dwarfed by their background and drowned in noise.

Today, Around launches its new video chat software that crops participants down to just circles that float on your screen so you have space for other apps. Designed for laptops, Around uses auto-zoom and noise cancelling to keep your face and voice in focus. Instead of crowding around one computer or piling into a big-screen conference room, up to 15 people can call from their own laptop without echo — even from right next to each other.

“Traditional videoconferencing tries to maximize visual presence. But too much presence gets in the way of your work,” says Around CEO Dominik Zane. “People want to make eye contact. They want to connect. But they also want to get stuff done. Around treats video as the means to an end, not the end in itself.”

Around becomes available today by request in invite-only beta for Mac, windows, Linux, and web. It’s been in private beta since last summer, but now users can sign up here for early access to Around. The freemium model means anyone can slide the app into their stack without paying at first.

After two years in stealth, Around’s 12-person distributed team reveals that it’s raised $5.2 million in seed funding over multiple rounds from Floodgate, Initialized Capital, Credo Ventures, AngelList’s Naval Ravikant, Product Hunt’s Ryan Hoover, Crashlytics’ Jeff Seibert, and angel Tommy Leep. The plan is to invest in talent and infrastructure to keep video calls snappy.

Not Just A Picturephone

Around CEO Dominik Zane

Around was born out of frustration with remote work collaboration. Zane and fellow Around co-founder Pavel Serbajlo had built mobile marketing company M.dot that was acquired by GoDaddy by using a fully distributed team. But they discovered that Zoom was “built around decades-old assumptions of what a video call should be” says Zane. “A Zoom video call is basically a telephone connected to a video camera. In terms of design, it’s not much different from the original Picturephone demoed at the 1964 World’s Fair.”

So together, they started Around as a video chat app that slips into the background rather than dominating the foreground. “We stripped out every unnecessary pixel by building a real-time panning and zooming technology that automatically keeps callers’ faces–and only their faces–in view at all times” Zane explains. It’s basically Facebook Messenger’s old Chat Heads design, but for the desktop enterprise.

Calls start with a shared link or /Around Slack command. You’re never unexpectedly dumped into a call, so you can stay on task. Since participants are closely cropped to their faces and not blown up full screen, they don’t have to worry about cleaning their workspace or exactly how their hair looks. That reduces the divide between work-from-homers and those in the office.

As for technology, Around’s “EchoTerminator” uses ultrasonic audio to detect nearby laptops and synchronization to eliminate those strange feedback sounds. Around also employs artificial intelligence and the fast CPUs of modern laptops to suppress noise like sirens, dog barks, washing machines, or screaming children. A browser version means you don’t have to wait for people to download anything, and visual emotes like “Cool idea” pop up below people’s faces so they don’t have to interrupt the speaker.

Traditional video chat vs Around

“Around is what you get when you rethink video chat for a 21st-century audience, with 21st-century technology,” says Initialized co-founder and general partner Garry Tan. “Around has cracked an incredibly difficult problem, integrating video into the way people actually work today. It makes other video-call products feel clumsy by comparison.”

There’s one big thing missing from Around: mobile. Since it’s meant for multitasking, it’s desktop/laptop only. But that orthodoxy ignores the fact that a team member on the go might still want to chime in on chats, even with just audio. Mobile apps are on the roadmap, though, with plans to allow direct dial-in and live transitioning from laptop to mobile. The 15-participant limit also prevents Around from working for all-hands meetings.

Competing with video calling giant Zoom will be a serious challenge. Nearly a decade of perfecting its technology gives Zoom super low latency so people don’t talk over each other. Around will have to hope that its smaller windows let it keep delays down. There’s also other multitask video apps like Loom’s asynchronously-recorded video clips that prevent distraction.

With coronavirus putting a new emphasis on video technology for tons of companies, finding great engineers could be difficult. “Talent is scarce, and good video is hard tech. Video products are on the rise. Google and large companies snag all the talent, plus they have the ability and scale to train audio-video professionals at universities in northern Europe” Zane tells me. “Talent wars are the biggest risk and obstacle for all real-time video companies.”

But that rise also means there are tons of people fed up with having to stop work to video chat, kids and pets wandering into their calls, and constantly yelling at co-workers to “mute your damn mic!” If ever there was a perfect time to launch Around, it’s now.

“Eight years ago we were a team of locals and immigrants, traveling frequently, moving between locations and offices” Zane recalls. “We realized that this was the future of work and it’s going to be one of the most significant transformations of modern society over the next 30 years . . . We’re building the product we’ve wanted for ourselves.”

One of the best things about working remotely is you don’t have colleagues randomly bugging you about superfluous nonsense. But the heaviness of traditional video chat swings things too far in the other direction. You’re isolated unless you want to make a big deal out of scheduling a call. We need presence and connection, but also the space to remain in flow. We don’t want to be away or on top of each other. We want to be around.

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Watch Sony unveil the PlayStation 5 live right here

A couple of days after Microsoft unveiled a ton of info about the Xbox Series X, Sony is about to do the exact same thing in a live video. Sony is hosting a live broadcast about the PlayStation 5 today at 9 AM PT, 12 PM ET, 4 PM GMT.

Lead system architect Mark Cerny will unveil the console’s architecture and what it means for both developers and gamers. We already know that the PlayStation 5 will be launched in late 2020. It’ll feature an eight-core AMD CPU, a custom AMD GPU with ray-tracing support and SSD storage.

The controller will support haptic feedback and adaptive triggers depending on what you’re doing in the game. But many details are still missing. Today’s announcement should answer some questions.

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Slack introduces simplified interface as usage moves deeper into companies

When Slack first launched in 2013, the product was quickly embraced by developers, and the early product reflected that. To get at advanced tools, you used a slash (/) command, but the company recognizes that as it moves deeper into the enterprise, it needed to simplify the interface.

Today, the company introduced a newly designed interface aimed at easing the user experience, making Slack more of an accessible enterprise communications hub.

Jaime DeLanghe, director of product management at Slack, says that the messaging application has become a central place for people to communicate about work, which has grown even more important as many of us have begun working from home as a result of COVID-19.

But DeLanghe says usage was up even before the recent work from home trend began taking off. “People are connected to Slack, on average, about nine hours a day and they’re using Slack actively for almost 90 minutes,” she told TechCrunch.

To that end, she says her team has been working hard to update the interface.

“From my team’s perspective, we want to make sure that the experience is as simple to understand and get on-boarded as possible,” she said. That also means surfacing more advanced tooling, which has been hidden behind those slash commands in previous versions of the tool.

She said that the company has been trying to address the needs of the changing audience over the years by adding many new features, but admits that has resulted in some interface clutter. Today’s redesign is meant to address that.

New Slack interface. Screenshot: Slack

Among the new features, besides the overall cleaner look, many people will welcome the new ability to nest channels to organize them better in the Channel sidebar. As your channels proliferate, it becomes harder to navigate them all. Starting today, users can organize their channels into logical groupings with labels.

New nested channel labels in Slack. Screenshot: Slack

DeLanghe is careful to point out that this channel organization is personal, and cannot be done at an administrative level. “The channels don’t actually live inside of another channel. You’re creating a label for them, so that you can organize them in the sidebar for just yourself, not for everybody,” she explained.

Other new features include an improved navigation bar at the top of the window, a centralized search and help tool also located at the top of the window and a universal compose button in the Sidebar.

All of these new features are designed to help make Slack more accessible to users, as more employees start using it across an organization.

What to consider when employees need to start working remotely

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Project Oasis is a Google-backed research initiative to support local news startups

As part of its $300 million News Initiative, Google is teaming up with the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media’s Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media, local news association LION Publishers and consultant Douglas K. Smith to launch a new initiative called Project Oasis.

In a blog post for Google, UNC CISLM Director Susan Leath wrote that this project is partly a response to to the school’s News Deserts Project (hence the name), which tracks the disappearance of local newspapers in the United States — apparently 2,100 of them have them have closed between 2004 and 2020, leaving a huge gap for many people hoping to stay informed about their communities.

Leath continued:

Despite these stark numbers, we’re starting to see the evidence that local news digital startups can thrive in communities and fill these gaps. [UNC Professor Penny Abernathy’s] research has shown that a positive response to the loss of local newspapers has come from the several hundred digital news outlets that now span the country, most of them started in the past decade. Project Oasis will build on a range of programs at UNC CISLM to arm these local news publishers with sustainable practices to help strengthen their digital business models and strategies.

The first piece of this project is a survey of digital news organizations  that will run through April. The aim is to create a database of online local news publications in the U.S. and Canada, a set of case studies focusing on specific publishers and a “starter pack” for entrepreneurs as they consider launching local publications of their own.

In a blog post of his own, LION Publishers Executive Director Chris Krewson said the “ultimate goal” is to create “a guide to help entrepreneurs start local news businesses, and existing local news startup founders learn from the successes of their peers.”

Krewson added:

This guide won’t be prescriptive; we won’t favor one tax status over another; we won’t mandate that success equals using any particular CMS; we won’t declare that financial sustainability can only come via the use of programmatic advertising or paid referral services. The reality is we need to try to learn from as many approaches as possible, because every community and business problem is different and our tools and platforms are rapidly changing.

Flipboard expands into local news

 

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Apple updates Mac Mini with more storage options

Apple today announced the Mac Mini will ship with more standard storage space. Starting at $799, the base model Mac Mini now ships with a 256GB SSD, up from 128GB previously. The CPU, GPU and system memory remains the same from the previous model.

This refresh is a slight but welcomed bump to Apple’s least expensive Mac. With the updated specs, the Mac Mini offers a bit more bang for the buck but the specs still lags sorely behind similarly priced pre-packaged Windows PCs.

The $799 Mac Mini runs an Intel Core i3 CPU with a clock-speed of 3.6Ghz. It also sports an Intel HD Graphics 630 GPU and 8 GB of RAM. The $1,099 package ups the specs to a 3.0GHz Intel Core i5 CPU and a 512GB SSD hard drive.

Both of the new models ship on March 20. Apple Store pickup is currently unavailable as Apple closed all its stores outside of mainland China in response to the coronavirus.

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Israel passes emergency law to use mobile data for COVID-19 contact tracing

Israel has passed an emergency law to use mobile phone data for tracking people infected with COVID-19 including to identify and quarantine others they have come into contact with and may have infected.

The BBC reports that the emergency law was passed during an overnight sitting of the cabinet, bypassing parliamentary approval.

Israel also said it will step up testing substantially as part of its respond to the pandemic crisis.

In a statement posted to Facebook, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote: “We will dramatically increase the ability to locate and quarantine those who have been infected. Today, we started using digital technology to locate people who have been in contact with those stricken by the Corona. We will inform these people that they must go into quarantine for 14 days. These are expected to be large – even very large – numbers and we will announce this in the coming days. Going into quarantine will not be a recommendation but a requirement and we will enforce it without compromise. This is a critical step in slowing the spread of the epidemic.”

“I have instructed the Health Ministry to significantly increase the number of tests to 3,000 a day at least,” he added. “It is very likely that we will reach a higher figure, even up to 5,000 a day. To the best of my knowledge, relative to population, this is the highest number of tests in the world, even higher than South Korea. In South Korea, there are around 15,000 tests a day for a population five or six times larger than ours.”

On Monday an Israeli parliamentary subcommittee on intelligence and secret services discussed a government request to authorize Israel’s Shin Bet security service to assist in a national campaign to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus — but declined to vote on the request, arguing more time is needed to assess it.

Civil liberties campaigners have warned the move to monitor citizens’ movements sets a dangerous precedent.

Netanyahu's announcement that he intends to bypass parliamentary oversight and implement emergency regulations that authorize the Shin Bet to locate Corona patients actualizes this danger.

— ACRI (@acri_online) March 16, 2020

According to WHO data, Israel had 200 confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of yesterday morning. Today the country’s health ministry reported cases had risen to 427.

Details of exactly how the tracking will work have not been released — but, per the BBC, the location data of people’s mobile devices will be collected from telcos by Israel’s domestic security agency and shared with health officials.

It also reports the health ministry will be involved in monitoring the location of infected people to ensure they are complying with quarantine rules — saying it can also send text messages to people who have come into contact with someone with COVID-19 to instruct them to self isolate.

In recent days Netanyahu has expressed frustration that Israel citizens have not been paying enough mind to calls to combat the spread of the virus via voluntary social distancing.

“This is not child’s play. This is not a vacation. This is a matter of life and death,” he wrote on Facebook. “There are many among you who still do not understand the magnitude of the danger. I see the crowds on the beaches, people having fun. They think this is a vacation.”

“According to the instructions that we issued yesterday, I ask you not leave your homes and stay inside as much as possible. At the moment, I say this as a recommendation. It is still not a directive but that can change,” he added.

Since the Israeli government’s intent behind the emergency mobile tracking powers is to combat the spread of COVID-19 by enabling state agencies to identify people whose movements need to be restricted to avoid them passing the virus to others, it seems likely law enforcement agencies will also be involved in enacting the measures.

That will mean citizens’ smartphones being not just a tool of mass surveillance but also a conduit for targeted containment — raising questions about the impact such intrusive measures might have on people’s willingness to carry mobile devices everywhere they go, even during a pandemic.

Yesterday the Wall Street Journal reported that the US government is considering similar location-tracking technology measures in a bid to check the spread of COVID-19 — with discussions ongoing between tech giants, startups and White House officials on measures that could be taken to monitor the disease.

Last week the UK government also held a meeting with tech companies to ask for their help in combating the coronavirus. Per Wired some tech firms offered to share data with the state to help with contact tracing — although, at the time, the government was not pursuing a strategy of mass restrictions on public movement. It has since shifted position.

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Make it Through Self Isolation and Remote Working

Stuck at home in self-isolation? Restricted to remote working as a precaution? Whatever your situation, we’ve pulled together a collection of the best tips and tricks to help you maximise production and make the most of your time locked up at home.

Really Useful Podcast Season 5 Episode 7 Shownotes

We take a look at some ways big tech has been helping Joe Public cope with COVID-19 coronavirus:

• Use your gaming PC to fight COVID-19
• Disney+ releases Frozen 2 early
• MSI offers warranty extension for coronavirus sufferers

We’ve also put together some tips and tricks for home working

• Strategies and tools for remote work
• Be more productive when working from home

PLUS: a list of things to do in self-isolation:

• Play Call of Duty: Warzone (battle royale game)
• Play steam games
• Fix old photos with mobile apps
• Save money by cutting the cable
• Do online surveys
• Home schooling
• Use Udemy, Khan Academy, YouTube and other resources to learn new skills
• Do some DIY or redecorate
• Get fit—you can still go outside

In short, there’s no reason to be bored! We also take a look at the latest tech giveaways and reviews on MakeUseOf:

• Creative Super X Fi Air Headphones
• MegaModz PS4 Controller

Rating or reviewing us on iTunes will help us reach more listeners. So you don’t miss a show, subscribe for notifications:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Transistor.fm
• Player.FM
• Google Podcasts
• Stitcher.com
• YouTube

See you next week!

Read the full article: Make it Through Self Isolation and Remote Working

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You Can Now Rent Movies Still Playing in Theaters

In an extraordinary move, Universal Pictures is offering movies to rent online at the same time that they’re playing in theaters. This is in response to the coronavirus crisis, which is forcing people to stay at home rather than venture out to movie theaters.

How COVID-19 Is Changing Everything

COVID-19, which is caused by coronavirus, is now a pandemic. Which means it’s prevalent in almost every part of the world. Governments and civilians are reacting differently to the crisis, but almost everyone is being urged to stay at home whenever possible.

This is impacting the way people work, but also how they choose to spend their downtime. Vacations are being cancelled, pubs and restaurants are being closed, and movie theaters are shutting their doors. Which has led Universal Pictures to do the unthinkable.

Universal Pictures Rents Movies Early

As announced in this Comcast press release, Universal Pictures is offering its movies out to rent from home on the same day as their theatrical releases. Starting with DreamWorks’ Trolls World Tour, which you can rent on April 10, 2020, when it’s released in theaters.

Given the rapidly evolving changes to consumers’ daily lives during this difficult time, @UniversalPics will make its movies available in the home on the same day as their global theatrical releases. https://t.co/aFCA6gySJP

— Comcast (@comcast) March 16, 2020

Even before that, you’re going to be able to rent The Hunt, The Invisible Man, and Emma through a number of video-on-demand services from as early as March 20, 2020. This despite the fact that all three films are still showing in movie theaters.

All of the films mentioned above (and possibly others) will be available to rent for 48 hours and cost $19.99 (or its equivalent outside of the US). Which is a lot of money for a mere rental, but a lot cheaper than taking your family to the theater.

Reasons Not to Abandon Movie Theaters

Theaters have traditionally been afforded at least a 90-day window before movies are released for home viewing. And there’s usually a gap of 4-5 months between a theatrical release and a home release. However, COVID-19 has changed everything.

The question is whether Universal Pictures will carry this on after the coronavirus crisis has ended. After all, streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime have already started to break the wall between theatrical and home releases.

To balance the scales, here are some reasons not to abandon movie theaters.

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Facebook Shuts Down the MSQRD App

MSQRD, the Facebook-owned augmented reality app, is shutting down. Facebook is pulling the plug on April 13, removing MSQRD from app stores and shuttering the whole project. This move comes four years after Facebook acquired MSQRD in 2016.

The Rise of AR Filters

There was a time not so long ago when augmented reality face filters were something out of science fiction. Then several apps, included MSQRD, starting building apps which utilized the technology. Allowing people to become something else, at least virtually.

Love my new MSQRD app. ?? have so much fun with it ? @msqrdme pic.twitter.com/w1qSgv5yAR

— Deborah Sütö (@whoisdeborah) March 15, 2016

Mark Zuckerberg liked what he saw, and Facebook acquired MSQRD for an undisclosed sum of money. Facebook promised that MSQRD would continue to be developed. However, four years on, with no updates since 2016, MSQRD is being put out to pasture.

Facebook Kills the MSQRD App

When the MSQRD team joined Facebook they were put to work building Spark AR, Facebook’s AR platform that allows users to create custom face filters. Which left little time for MSQRD, which has been left to rot ever since it became part of Facebook.

Now, as announced on the MSQRD Facebook page, “on April 13, the MSQRD app will be going away.” The MSQRD team thanks the community before confirming that its “focus is now on delivering you the best-possible AR experiences through Spark AR.”

While we’re sure most people will remember MSQRD, and some will miss it, augmented reality is now everywhere. Anyone can just open Instagram or Snapchat and apply a face filter to become a dog, rabbit, or any other such nonsense. So MSQRD is unnecessary.

The Best Snapchat Filters to Use

While Mark Zuckerberg won’t want to hear this, Snapchat is probably the king of filters right now. There are literally thousands of Snapchat filters available, and we have compiled a list of the best Snapchat filters and lenses to use on your photos.

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The Remote Work Hub: Tips for Working From Your Home Office

Whether you’ve just started working from home or you’ve had a home office for years, we have plenty of tips, tricks, and guides to boost your productivity and eliminate stress.

MakeUseOf is a remote company, so we have years of experience in working from home. If you’re new to remote work, let us tell you, it can be both liberating and challenging at the same time. Yes, you won’t have to dress up and commute to work, but you might also struggle to get stuff done. Our collection of resources will help you stay focused, productive, and happy while working from home.

Are you not working from home, yet? Here is how you might be able to convince your boss to let you work remotely.

Get the Right Equipment for Your Home Office

Working from home is convenient, but working from your couch isn’t professional. Take yourself seriously and create an environment that’s conducive to productivity. Pick a quiet and distraction-free location, prepare a table you enjoy working at, maintain your morning routine, get dressed for work, and start at your usual time.

If working from home is going to be permanent, invest in a proper home office setup. We recommend looking into the items below.

Fast and Reliable Internet

If you’ll be working from home a lot, do yourself a favor and invest in a fast internet connection with enough data to get you through the month. Whether that’s fiber or cable internet and which package exactly depends on where you live and the nature of your work. If you have no clue where to start, first learn about the types of internet:

• Types of Internet Access Technologies, Explained
• 7 Reasons Why You Should Replace Your ISP’s Router

If your Wi-Fi connection is the issue, you may be able to fix it:

• How to Boost Your Wi-Fi Signal and Extend Wi-Fi Range
• 9 Things That Might Be Slowing Down Your Home Wi-Fi Network
• Why Is My Wi-Fi Is So Slow? Here’s How to Fix It
• How to Fix a Slow or Unstable Wi-Fi Connection

Better yet, connect your PC directly to your router using an Ethernet cable.

If that’s not possible, you could use a powerline adapter to channel your internet connection from your router to your computer through electrical outlets:

• What Are Powerline Adapters? 9 Things You Need to Know
• The 5 Best Powerline Adapters for Your Home Network
• Wi-Fi Extenders vs. Powerline Adapters: How to Fix Poor Wireless Signals
• 6 Tips to Improve the Speed of Your Powerline Network

A Proper Desk and Chair

When you work from home, you’re responsible for your own health and well-being—and it all begins with where you work. Will you be sitting all day? Can you covert to a standing desk occasionally? Does your chair permit good posture?

• The Best Compact Home Office Desks
• 7 DIY Computer Desk Projects That’ll Save You Money
• The 7 Best Cheap Computer Chairs
• The Best Adjustable Standing Desks (And Why You Need One)
• 9 Essential Standing Desk Accessories Every Worker Should Have

Finally, if you have the time, clean up the cable clutter and optimize your desk for maximum productivity.

The Right Computer and Keyboard

A slow computer can be a huge bottleneck for productivity. If you have a desktop computer, upgrading a few key parts (like RAM or the hard drive) might be enough to make it as good as new:

• These Upgrades Will Improve Your PC Performance the Most!
• The 6 Best Cheap Computer Parts Stores for Saving Money
• Laptop vs. Desktop: Pros, Cons, and Which Should You Get?
• Which Operating System Should You Choose for Your Next PC?
• When Is the Best Time to Buy a Computer? 5 Things to Keep in Mind
• The 5 Best Laptops Under $500
• The 8 Best Linux Desktop Computers and Laptops You Can Buy
• The 5 Best Cheap Linux Laptops
• The 6 Best Wireless Mouse and Keyboard Combos for All Budgets

A Multi-Monitor Setup

Do you often have to juggle a lot of spreadsheets, documents, and/or browser tabs? A dual- or triple-monitor setup could take your productivity to the next level:

• 5 Things You Should Know When Shopping for a Monitor
• The 7 Best Curved Monitors
• 3 Easy Steps to a Dual Monitor Setup and an Extended Desktop
• How to Use Your Laptop Like an External Monitor

Quality Headphones and Headset

If working from home entails many conference calls, get a headset or headphones+microphone to make virtual meetings more bearable. We also have tips on how to overcome distractions:

• The 5 Best Affordable Noise-Cancelling Headphones
• The 5 Best Wireless (Gaming) Headsets for the PC
• The 5 Best Conference Speakerphones for Your Office or Home
• The Best White Noise Machines for Drowning Out Distractions

Safely Connect to Your Office Computer

Wouldn’t it be great to use your home desktop computer even when you’re away from home? With the magic of a remote desktop connection, you can! The following resources will show you how to set up a remote connection at home:

• How to Set Up TeamViewer to Access Your PC From Anywhere
• Microsoft Remote Desktop: How to Access Windows From Your Mac
• How to Remote Control Linux From Windows
• Ubuntu Remote Desktop: Easy, Built-In, VNC Compatible
• How to Establish Remote Desktop Access to Ubuntu From Windows

If you’re going to deal with sensitive data over a remote connection, we recommend using a VPN for security reasons. If you’re working remotely for a bigger company, they should provide you with the tools and guidelines on how to do that. You should have access to a remote VPN solution, so check with your IT department before you try setting up your own VPN connection:

• What Is a VPN? How Tunneling Protects Privacy
• The Best VPN Services
• How to Set Up a VPN on Your Router

Communicate and Collaborate With Your Colleagues

One of the main challenges of remote work is feeling lonely and disconnected. With the right tools, however, you can always stay in touch and emulate your work place meetings.

Communication Platforms

We strongly recommend setting up a shared chat group. MakeUseOf uses Slack with multiple channels for our various teams, as well as a community “water cooler” channel for fun. You have many options, Slack or otherwise:

• How to Use Slack: Tips for Decluttering, Formatting, and Customization
• The Slack Cheat Sheet: Shortcuts, Commands, and Syntax to Know
• The 7 Best Free Slack Alternatives for Team Communication
• 7 WhatsApp Web Tips and Tricks All Users Should Know
• Use WhatsApp Web on Your PC: The Ultimate Guide
• What Is It About Telegram Messenger That People Love?
• 10 Useful Telegram Features You Should Be Using

Virtual Meetings and Video Conferencing

Remote work often involves maintaining structured meetings via conference calls or video chats. At MakeUseOf, we’ve mainly been using Whereby (formerly Appear.in) for virtual meetings, but in the past we’ve also used Slack audio calls, Google Hangouts, Skype, and GoToMeeting.

• The 6 Best Meeting Scheduling Tools and Apps
• The 7 Best Apps to Make Free Group Conference Calls
• 7 Skype for Business Tips and Tricks for Great Meetings
• 6 Free Skype Alternatives for the Windows Desktop
• Sick of Skype? 7 Best Free Skype Alternatives
• 10 Awesome Google Hangouts Tricks You Should Definitely Check Out
• How to Give an Online Presentation from Anywhere

Online Collaboration Tools

When you’re working on projects as a team, you’ll have shared tasks to manage, data and documents to exchange, and progress to track. Ideally, you already have tools and processes in place; if not, here are some tools that many remote teams use to collaborate effectively:

• 5 Online Project Management Tools for Small Teams
• The 6 Best Free Online Meeting Tools to Collaborate with Your Team
• 8 Free Tools to Work & Collaborate Online from Your Home

Manage Your Tasks, Your Time, and Yourself

Remote work isn’t magically different from office work. The lack of colleagues or meetings to interrupt your flow could make you more productive. On the other hand, not having people check in on you could leave you unmotivated and emotionally drained. Meanwhile, workaholics will have to take extra care of their physical health.

Task and Time Management

Whether you work remotely or in an office, you can use the same tools for your calendar and task management. But if you want to refresh your arsenal of tools and try out new online and mobile apps, start here.

• Time Blocking — The Secret Weapon for Better Focus
• Google Calendar + Tasks Is the Only To-Do List You’ll Ever Need
• 7 Ways to Make Google Calendar Your Windows Desktop Calendar
• How to Sync Your Google Calendar With Your To-Do List
• 7 Tools to Sync Microsoft Outlook With Google Calendar
• 10 Tips to Turn Microsoft To-Do Into a Serious Task Manager
• 11 Linux To-Do Apps, Timers, and Extensions to Help You Stay on Task

Self Management

Remote work can be isolating and tough on your mental and physical health. Structure your day with time for yourself, plan your meals, take breaks, go for walks, schedule fun times, and have healthy routines in place to end your day and take the edge off of a stressful work week.

• 4 Serious Health Issues From Sitting Too Long (And How to Avoid Them)
• 5 Free Apps for Reminders to Take a Break From Screens
• The Best White Noise Machines for Drowning Out Distractions
• 7 Best Recipe Organizer Apps to Replace Your Cookbooks
• MyFridgeFood & More Sites to Find Recipes With Ingredients You Have
• The 10 Best Calming Apps to Relax, Destress, and Clear Your Mind
• 6 Top Health Forums Online for Expert Support
• 8 Mental Health Apps for People Who Can’t See a Therapist

Read the full article: The Remote Work Hub: Tips for Working From Your Home Office

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