05 May 2020

NHS COVID-19: The UK’s coronavirus contacts tracing app explained


The UK has this week started testing a coronavirus contacts tracing app which NHSX, a digital arm of the country’s National Health Service, has been planning and developing since early March. The test is taking place in the Isle of Wight, a 380km2 island off the south coast of England, with a population of around 140,000.

The NHS COVID-19 app uses Bluetooth Low Energy handshakes to register proximity events (aka ‘contacts’) between smartphone users, with factors such as the duration of the ‘contact event’ and the distance between the devices feeding an NHS clinical algorithm that’s being designed to estimate infection risk and trigger notifications if a user subsequently experiences COVID-19 symptoms.

The government is promoting the app as an essential component of its response to fighting the coronavirus — the health minister’s new mantra being: ‘Protect the NHS, stay home, download the app’ — and the NHSX has said it expects the app to be “technically” ready to deploy two to three weeks after this week’s trial.

However there are major questions over how effective the tool will prove to be, especially given the government’s decision to ‘go it alone’ on the design of its digital contacts tracing system — which raises some specific technical challenges linked to how modern smartphone platforms operate, as well as around international interoperability with other national apps targeting the same purpose.

In addition, the UK app allows users to self report symptoms of COVID-19 — which could lead to many false alerts being generated. That in turn might trigger notification fatigue and/or encourage users to ignore alerts if the ratio of false alarms exceeds genuine alerts.

Keep calm and download the app?

How users will generally respond to this technology is a major unknown. Yet mainstream adoption will be needed to maximize utility; not just one-time downloads. Dealing with the coronavirus will be a marathon not a sprint — which means sustaining usage will be vital to the app functioning as intended. And that will require users to trust that the app is both useful for the claimed public health purpose, by being effective at shrinking infection risk, and also that using it will not create any kind of disadvantages for them personally or for their friends and family.

The NHSX has said it will publish the code for the app, the DPIA (data protection impact assessment) and the privacy and security models — all of which sounds great, though we’re still waiting to see those key details. Publishing all that before the app launches would clearly be a boon to user trust.

A separate consideration is whether there should be a dedicated legislation wrapper put around the app to ensure clear and firm legal bounds on its use (and to prevent abuse and data misuse).

As it stands the NHS COVID-19 app is being accelerated towards release without this — relying on existing legislative frameworks (with some potential conflicts); and with no specific oversight body to handle any complaints. That too could impact user trust.

The overarching idea behind digital contacts tracing is to leverage uptake of smartphone technology to automate some contacts tracing, with the advantage that such a tool might be able to register fleeting contacts, such as between strangers on the street or public transport, that may more difficult for manual contacts tracing methods to identify. Though whether these sorts of fleeting contacts create a significant risk of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus has not yet been quantified.

All experts are crystal clear on one thing: Digital contacts tracing is only going to be — at very best — a supplement to manual contact tracing. People who do not own or carry smartphones or who do not or cannot use the app obviously won’t register in any captured data. Technical issues may also create barriers and data gaps. It’s certainly not a magic bullet — and may, in the end, turn out to be ill-suited for this use case (we’ve written a general primer on digital contacts tracing here).

One major component of the UK approach is that it’s opted to create a so-called ‘centralized’ system for coronavirus contacts tracing — which leads to a number of specific challenges.

While the NHS COVID-19 app stores contacts events on the user’s device initially, at the point when (or if) a user chooses to report themselves having coronavirus symptoms then all their contacts events data is uploaded to a central server. This means it’s not just a user’s own identifier but a list of any identifiers they have encountered over the past 28 days — so, essentially, a graph of their recent social interactions.

This data cannot be deleted after the fact, according to the NHSX, which has also said it may be used for “research” purposes related to public health — raising further questions around privacy and trust.

Questions around the legal bases for this centralized approach also remain to be answered in detail by the government. UK and EU data protection law emphasize data minimization as a key principle; and while there’s flexibility built into these frameworks for a public health emergency there is still a requirement on the government to detail and justify key data processing decisions.

The UK’s decision to centralize contacts data has another obvious and immediate consequence: It means the NHS COVID-19 app will not be able to plug into an API that’s being jointly developed by Apple and Google to provide technical support for Bluetooth-based national contacts tracing apps — and due to be release this month.

The tech giants have elected to support decentralized app architectures for these apps — which, conversely, do not centralize social graph data. Instead, infection risk calculations are performed locally on the device.

By design, these approaches avoid providing a central authority with information on who infected whom.

In the decentralized scenario, an infected user consents to their ephemeral identifier being shared with other users so apps can do matching locally, on the end-user device — meaning exposure notifications are generated without a central authority needing to be in the loop. (It’s also worth noting there are ways for decentralized protocols to feed aggregated contact data back to a central authority for epidemiological research, though the design is intended to prevent users’ social graph being exposed. A system of ‘exposure notification’, as Apple and Google are now branding it, has no need for such data, is their key argument. The NHSX counters that by suggesting social graph data could provide useful epidemiological insights — such as around how the virus is being spread.)

At the point a user of the NHS COVID-19 app experiences symptoms or gets a formal coronavirus diagnosis — and chooses to inform the authorities — the app will upload their recent contacts to a central server where infection risk calculations are performed.

The system will then send exposure notifications to other devices — in instances where the software deems there may be at risk of infection. Users might, for example, be asked to self isolate to see if they develop symptoms after coming into contact with an infected person, or told to seek a test to determine if they have COVID-19 or not.

A key detail here is that users of the NHS COVID-19 app are assigned a fixed identifier — basically a large, random number — which the government calls an “installation ID”. It claims this identifier is ‘anonymous’. However this is where political spin in service of encouraging public uptake of the app is being allowed to obscure a very different legal reality: A fixed identifier linked to a device is in fact pseudonymous data, which remains personal data under UK and EU law. Because, while the user’s identity has been ‘obscured’, there’s still a clear risk of re-identification.

Truly ‘anonymous’ data is a very high bar to achieve when you’re dealing with large data-sets. In the NHS COVID-19 app case there’s no reason beyond spin for the government to claim the data is “anonymous”; given the system design involves a device-linked fixed identifier that’s uploaded to a central authority alongside at least some geographical data (a partial postcode: which the app also asks users to input — so “the NHS can plan your local NHS response”, per the official explainer).

The NHSX has also said future versions of the app may ask users to share even more personal data, including their location. (And location data-sets are notoriously difficult to defend against re-identification.)

Nonetheless the government has maintained that individual users of the app will not be identified. But under such a system architecture this assertion sums to ‘trust us with your data’; the technology itself has not been designed to remove the need for individual users to trust a central authority, as is the case with bona fide decentralized protocols.

This is why Apple and Google are opting to support the latter approach — it cuts the internationally thorny issue of ‘government trust’ out of their equation.

However it also means governments that do want to centralize data face a technical headache to get their apps to function smoothly on the only two smartphone platforms that matter.

Technical and geopolitical headaches

The specific technical issue here relates to how these mainstream platforms manage background access to Bluetooth.

Using Bluetooth as a proxy for measuring coronavirus infection risk is of course a very new and novel technology. Singapore was reported to be the first country to attempt this. Its TraceTogether app, which launched in March, reportedly gained only limited (<20%) uptake — with technical issues on iOS being at least partly blamed for the low uptake.

The problem that the TraceTogether app faced initially is the software needed to be actively running and the iPhone open (not locked) for the tracing function to work. That obviously interferes with the normal multitasking of the average iPhone user — discouraging usage of the app.

It’s worth emphasizing that the UK is doing things a bit differently vs Singapore, though, in that it’s using Bluetooth handshakes rather than a Bluetooth advertising channel to power the contacts logging.

The NHS COVID-19 app has been designed to listen passively for other Bluetooth devices and then wake up in order to perform the handshake. This is intended as a workaround for these platform limits on background Bluetooth access. However it is still a workaround — and there are ongoing questions over how robustly it will perform in practice. 

An analysis by The Register suggests the app will face a fresh set of issues in that iPhones specifically will fail to wake each other up to perform the handshakes — unless there’s also an Android device in the vicinity. If correct, it could result in big gaps in the tracing data (around 40% of UK smartphones run iOS vs 60% running Android).

Battery drain may also resurface as an issue with the UK system, though the NHSX has claimed its workaround solves this. (Though it’s not clear if they’ve tested what happens if an iPhone user switches on a battery saving mode which limits background app activity, for example.)

Other Bluetooth-based contract tracing apps that have tried to workaround platforms limits have also faced issues with interference related to other Bluetooth devices — such as Australia’s recently launched app. So there are a number of potential issues that could trouble performance.

Being outside the Apple-Google API also certainly means the UK app is at the mercy of future platform updates which could derail the specific workaround. Best laid plans that don’t involve using an official interface as your plug are inevitably operating on shaky ground.

Finally, there’s a huge and complex issue that’s essentially being glossed over by government right now: Interoperability with other national apps.

How will the UK app work across borders? What happens when Brits start travelling again? With no obvious route for centralized vs decentralized systems to interface and play nice with each other there’s a major question mark over what happens when UK citizens want to travel to countries with decentralized systems (or indeed vice versa). Mandatory quarantines because the government picked a less interoperable app architecture? Let’s hope not.

Notably, the Republic of Ireland has opted for a decentralized approach for its national app, whereas Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK but shares a land border with the Republic, will — baring any NHSX flip — be saddled with a centralized and thus opposing choice. It’s the Brexit schism all over again in app form.

Earlier this week the NHSX was asked about this cross-border issue by a UK parliamentary committee — and admitted it creates a challenge “we’ll have to work through”, though it did not suggest how it proposes to do that.

And while that’s a very pressing backyard challenge, the same interoperability gremlins arise across the English Channel — where a number of European countries are opting for decentralized apps, including Estonia, Germany and Switzerland. While Apple and Google’s choice at the platform level means future US apps may also be encouraged down a decentralized route. (The two US tech giants are demonstrably flexing their market power to press on and influence governments’ app design choices internationally.)

So countries that fix on a ‘DIY’ approach for the digital component of their domestic pandemic response may find it leads to some unwelcome isolation for their citizens at the international level.


Read Full Article

How to Use Formulas with Google Form Responses in Sheets


When people submit your Google Form, a new row is inserted in the Google Sheet that is storing the form responses. This spreadsheet row contains a Timestamp column, the actual date when the form was submitted, and the other columns in the sheet contain all the user’s answers, one per column.

You can extend the Google Forms sheet to also include formula fields and the cell values are automatically calculated whenever a new row is added to the sheet by the Google Form. For instance:

  • You can have an auto-number formula that assigns an auto-incrementing but sequential ID to every form response. It can be useful when you are using Google Forms for invoicing.
  • For customer order forms, a formula can be written in Google Sheets to calculate the total amount based on the item selection, the country (tax rates are different) and the quantity selected in the form.
  • For hotel reservations forms, a formula can automatically calculate the room rent based on the check-in and check-out date filled by the customer in the Google Form.
  • For quizzes, a teacher can automatically calculate the final score of the student by matching the values entered in the form with the actual answers and assigning scores.
  • If a users has made multiple form submissions, a formula can help you determine the total number of entries made by a user as soon as they submit a form.

Autofill Google Sheets Formulas

Google Sheets Formulas for Google Forms

In this step by step guide, you’ll learn how to add formulas to Google Sheets that are associated with Google Forms. The corresponding cell values in the response rows will be automatically calculated when a new response is submitted.

To get a better understanding of what we are trying to achieve, open this Google Form and submit a response. Next, open this Google Sheet and you’ll find your response in a new row. The columns F-K are autofilled using formulas.

All examples below will use the ArrayFormula function of Google Sheets though some of these example can also be written using the FILTER function.

Auto-Number Form Responses with a Unique ID

Open the Google Sheet that is storing form responses, go to first empty column and copy-paste the following formula in the row #1 of the empty column.

=ArrayFormula(
  IFS(
    ROW(A:A)=1, "Invoice ID",
    LEN(A:A)=0, IFERROR(1/0),
    LEN(A:A)>0, LEFT(CONCAT(REPT("0",5), ROW(A:A) -1),6)
  )
)

The ROW() function returns the row number of the current response row. It returns 1 for the first row in the Invoice Column and thus we set the column title in the first row. For subsequent rows, if the first column of the row (usually Timestamp) is not empty, the invoice ID is auto generated.

The IDs will be like 00001, 00002 and so on. You only need to place the formula is first row of the column and it auto-populates all the other rows in the column.

The IFERROR function returns the first argument if it is not an error value, otherwise returns the second argument if present, or a blank if the second argument is absent. So in this case 1/0 is an error and thus it always returns a blank value.

Date Calculation Formula for Google Forms

Your Google Form has two date fields - the check-in date and the check-out date. The hotel rates may vary every season so you have a separate table in the Google Sheet that maintains the room rent per month.

Google Sheets Date Formula

The Column C in the Google Sheet holds the responses for the check-in date while the D column is storing the check-out dates.

=ArrayFormula(
    IF(ROW(A:A) = 1,
      "Room Rent",
      IF(NOT(ISBLANK(A:A)),
       (D:D - C:C) *
       VLOOKUP(MONTH(D:D), 'Room Rates'!$B$2:$C$13,2, TRUE),
       ""
      )
   )
)

The formulas uses VLOOKUP to get the room rates for the travel date specified in the form response and then calculates the room rent by multiplying the room rent with duration of stay.

The same formula can also be written with IFS instead of VLOOKUP

=ArrayFormula(
    IF(ROW(A:A) = 1,
        "Room Rent",
        IFS(ISBLANK(C:C), "",
           MONTH(C:C) < 2, 299,
           MONTH(C:C) < 5, 499,
           MONTH(C:C) < 9, 699,
           TRUE, 199
        )
    )
)

Calculate Tax Amount Based on Invoice Value

In this approach, we’ll use the FILTER function and that could lead to a less complicated formula than using using IF function. The downside is that you have to write the column title in row #1 and paste the formulas in row #2 (so one form response should exist for the formula to work).

=ArrayFormula(FILTER(E2:E, E2:E<>"")*1.35)

Here we apply 35% tax to the invoice value and this formula should be added in the row #2 of the column titled “Tax Amount” as shown in the screenshot.

Assign Quiz Scores in Google Forms

Which city is known as the big apple? This is a short-answer question in Google Forms so students can give responses like New York, New York City, NYC and they’ll still be correct. The teacher has to assign 10 points to the correct answer.

=ArrayFormula(
    IF(ROW(A:A) = 1,
      "Quiz Score",
      IFS(
        ISBLANK(A:A), "",
        REGEXMATCH(LOWER({B:B}), "new\s?york"), 10,
        {B:B} = "NYC", 10,
        TRUE, 0
      )
    )
)

In this formula, we are making use of the IFS function that like an IF THEN statement in programming. We are using REGEXMATCH to match values like New York, New York, newyork in one go using regular expressions.

The IFS function returns an NA if none of the conditions are true so we add a TRUE check at the end that will always be evaluated to true if none of the previous conditions matched and returns 0.

Extract the First Name of the Form Respondent

If you have form field that asks the user to entire their full name, you can use Google Sheets function to extract the first name from the full name and use that field to send personalised emails.

=ArrayFormula(
  IFS(
    ROW(A:A)=1, "First Name",
    LEN(A:A)=0, IFERROR(1/0),
    LEN(A:A)>0, PROPER(REGEXEXTRACT(B:B, "^[^\s+]+"))
  )
)

We’ve used RegexExtract method here to fetch the string before the first space in the name field. The PROPER function will capitalise the first letter of the name incase the user entered their name in lower case.

Find Duplicate Google Form Submissions

If your Google Form is collection email addresses, you can use that field to quickly detect responses that have been submitted by the same user multiple times.

=ArrayFormula(
  IFS(
    ROW(A:A)=1, "Is Duplicate Entry?",
    LEN(A:A)=0, IFERROR(1/0),
    LEN(A:A)>0, IF(COUNTIF(B:B, B:B) > 1, "YES", "")
  )
)

Assuming that the Column B is storing the email addresses of the form respondents, we can use the COUNTIF function to quickly mark duplicate entries in our responses spreadsheet. You can also use conditional formatting in Sheets to highlight rows that are possible duplicate entries.

Email Form Responses with AutoFill Values

You can use Document Studio to automatically send an email to the form respondents. The email is sent after the formular values are auto-filled by the Google Sheet. The original form response and the calculated values can also be included in the generated PDF document.


Google Podcasts finally gets listener analytics


For all of its strengths, Google hasn’t exactly led the way in podcasting. After years of letting third-party developers dominate the category on Play, the company finally introduced its own Podcasts app. Since then, however, it’s been largely eclipsed by Spotify as second place to Apple’s longstanding efforts.

This morning, however, the company is taking another important step. Google Podcasts is finally getting some key analytics for producers by way of the Google Podcasts Manager tool. Show owners will be required to go through a verification process (similar to those you’ve likely already gone through for iTunes and Spotify), before gaining access to engagement metrics.

The tracking looks to be fairly extensive, down to where listeners tune in and drop off during a given episode, along with standard figures like total number of listens and listening duration. The app will also show how people listen, be it through smartphone, tablet, desktop or smart speaker.

The new feature follows the recent Podcasts redesign, along with the app’s debut on iOS.


Read Full Article

How we're using AI to discover new antibiotics | Jim Collins

How we're using AI to discover new antibiotics | Jim Collins

Before the coronavirus pandemic, bioengineer Jim Collins and his team combined the power of AI with synthetic biology in an effort to combat a different looming crisis: antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Collins explains how they pivoted their efforts to begin developing a series of tools and antiviral compounds to help fight COVID-19 -- and shares their plan to discover seven new classes of antibiotics over the next seven years. (This ambitious plan is a part of The Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.)

Click the above link to download the TED talk.

Xiaomi launches Mi Commerce in India to boost sales amid lockdown


Xiaomi today launched a new e-commerce service in India that allows people in the nation to easily browse and order its handsets and other products from nearby physical retail stores as the Chinese giant rushes to kickstart its sales in its biggest overseas market.

Dubbed Mi Commerce, the service allows people to locate nearby stores that are either run by Xiaomi or those that have tie-ups with the company and browse smartphones, TVs, electric lamps, and a range of other products.

Users can express their “interest” to purchase the selected item through the app that would prompt the retail store to place a confirmation call. The retail store would deliver the item and then process the payment, Xiaomi said. A spokesperson told TechCrunch that Mi Commerce is available only in India currently.

Xiaomi has also launched a WhatsApp Business account that operates on a similar flow. Users can send a message to +91 8861826286 to initiate the conversation with retail stores through Facebook-owned service.

The shift to what is often described in the industry as an online to offline model comes as Xiaomi, like other smartphone vendors, looks to make up its lost sales in recent weeks. India ordered a nationwide lockdown in late March that shut retail shops, and restricted e-commerce firms to only service grocery orders.

According to Hong Kong-headquartered research firm Counterpoint, no smartphone units were sold in India, the world’s second largest smartphone market, in April.

In a call with reporters, Xiaomi executives said they were hopeful that the Indian market would attain at least 80% of its momentum by the end of the year. Counterpoint slashed its smartphone projections for India last month, saying it now expects the market to shrink by 10% this year. Indian smartphone market has consistently grown year-by-year in the last decade.

Mi Commerce would additionally also help potential customers maintain social distance and avoid errands to stores that would otherwise expose them to novel coronavirus.

Xiaomi said it was working with the government for an update on the resumption of smartphone manufacturing plants that are also shut since the lockdown was ordered in March. The company executives said they currently have inventory to meet demand for three to four months.

The Chinese giant is also providing working capital to its retail store partners, it said.

Samsung, which lost the tentpole position in India’s smartphone market to Xiaomi in 2018 and recently the second spot to Vivo, did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment on any similar efforts it has made — or not made — in India.

On Monday, e-commerce firms including Amazon and Walmart in India resumed their service for people in more than 80% zip codes in the country. A lockdown would remain in place for another two weeks in India, but New Delhi has eased some restrictions.


Read Full Article

5 Outdoor Virtual Tours to Get Back to Nature With Hikes, Dives, and Spelunking


Outdoor Virtual Tours

Feeling cooped up and missing being out in nature? The outdoors are still waiting for you, but you can take a step towards them through these virtual hike websites and natural tourism apps.

At times when you can’t get moving on the roads, take the information highway. You can visit virtual museums at home or disappear into the wild with these virtual outdoor tourism sites and apps.

Take a virtual tour of Yosemite natural park, go spelunking into the world’s deepest cave, catch the Aurora Borealis in the frigid north. And you can even join a live interactive hike where you get to tell the person where to go.

1. Virtual Yosemite (Web): Virtual Hike in the World-Famous National Park

Virtual Yosemite offers 360 degree panorama shots and audio of major hotspots in the national park

Virtual reality photographer Scott Highton shot panoramas of the magnificent Yosemite Natural Park to create a virtual tour experience. The team also captured the sounds of each distinct environment to make it feel like you’re there. Now if only virtual reality could capture smells…

You’ll start at Glacier Point, high in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Each panorama point has an audio track too, of both natural sounds (like gushing water) or people’s sounds (murmuring and camera clicks). A small write-up pane tells you more information about the point of interest.

You can let the camera auto-rotate to give you a full 360-view of the area, or pan and scan manually. Most panoramas also let you zoom in and out. Red markers in each image indicate other points you can jump to. If you want to quickly move between points, use the panorama index or the map.

The Virtual Yosemite tour is also an excellent leanback experience. The website randomly switches to new locations every two minutes. I’d recommend visiting it through a browser on your smart TV, and then let it do its magic.

2. Son Doong Cave (Web): Explore the World’s Largest Cave With Nat Geo

Explore Vietnam's Son Doong Cave through National Geographic's virtual reality tour

Hang Son Doong, or “mountain river cave,” was discovered pretty late in a remote part of central Vietnam. Before it was run over by tourists, a team from National Geographic captured 360-degree interactive photographs and virtual reality content to let you explore the pristine cave.

Move around the virtual cave with your mouse, keyboard, or touchscreen. On certain phones and tablets, you can also move the tablet in any direction to “look around”. It’s quite cool, almost like the tablet is a window into the world.

On the left, you’ll see a short description of what you’re looking at, with a map of the entire Son Doong cave on the right. Click anywhere on the map to move quickly, but it’s obviously a better experience to take the guided step-by-step tour.

The team captured the sounds of each unique environment within the cave to add to the virtual reality feel. Some of the spots have super-high-resolution images, over 500 megapixels. The app notifies you when you’re in such a position, so you can zoom into minute details of the fascinating environment.

3. The Faroe Islands (Web): Control a Hiker Through Their Webcam

Remote Tourism lets you control an islander in the Faroe Islands to take a hike, ride a horse, or tour the islands in a helicopter

Like most tourist hotspots, the Faroe Islands had to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. But the administrators have come up with one of the most ingenious ways to do remote tourism. They’ve created a virtual tour much like a video game to let you explore the 18 islands.

A local official or islander straps on a helmet with a camera, and a backpack with instructions. The official’s view is displayed live to viewers around the world. And these viewers, sitting in the comfort of their home, take turns to control the islander.

With a virtual remote controller, you can make the islander go in any direction, run, or jump. Activities including hiking, sailing, riding horses, and even taking (and controlling) a helicopter ride.

It’s an unprecedented virtual exploration of the islands, its unspoiled and pristine habitat, and its 80,000 sheep (which is where it derives the name from). The whole thing is a fun interactive experience that works on both computers and smartphones. Visit the website to see a countdown to when the next virtual tour begins and set an alarm.

4. Virtual Aurora Tours (Web): Snow-Clad Forests and Northern Lights in VR

Among the white sheets of snow and the clear skies, Earth puts on a spectacular light show for its humans. When solar winds disturb the magnetosphere, in some parts, you can look up to see the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. Lights Over Lapland captured the experience of going to watch the Aurora Borealis in a virtual reality tour.

This is a series of YouTube videos, in which you can move pan-and-scan within an active video to change the camera angle. It’s particularly breath-taking in some of the action shots like the virtual dog sled tour, shot from a first-person view. Look around the snow-capped forest for a breath-taking ride.

Other videos from this Swedish VR tour include an ice hotel, Lake Torneträsk, and reindeer. But the highlight is the Northern Lights above Abisko National Park. You could pause and move the camera, but I found it a better experience to let the video play on loop while changing the angle ever so often.

5. The Click Effect (Web, Android, iOS): Dive Underwater With Whales

Dive underwater to see how dolphins and whales communicate in The Click Effect, a virtual reality short film

Virtual reality storytellers WITHIN have a number of cool interactive movies on their app and website. For those who love the ocean, dive into the virtual waters and check out the unique clicking communication of dolphins and whales.

Marine scientists Fabrice Schnoller and Fred Buyle recorded 360-degree video and audio of their free dives (i.e. diving without oxygen tanks). While 100 feet underwater, they studied and captured the clicking between mammals, and explored a shipwreck. It’s turned it into a fascinating virtual underwater dive for those who can’t scuba.

The Click Effect is best seen through the WITHIN app on phones or through a VR headset, as you can move the device to look around. But it also works perfectly on a computer screen. The occasional commentary by Schnoller and Buyle can break the immersive environment, but it’s not a deal-breaker.

Download: WITHIN for Android | iOS (Free)

Best Google Earth Virtual Tours

It’s impossible to ignore Google Earth when it comes to virtual tours. It offers unparalleled immersive experiences, especially since Google gets access to spots that others can’t go to. It was hard to pick a single trip, so we rounded up the best Google Earth virtual tours you can explore from the comfort of your home.

Read the full article: 5 Outdoor Virtual Tours to Get Back to Nature With Hikes, Dives, and Spelunking


3 Ways to Block Your Number and Hide Your Caller ID on iPhone or Android


hide-caller-id

Sometimes you don’t want to risk letting your phone number fall into the wrong hands. You could be making work-related calls, reaching out to someone on Craigslist, or calling a company you aren’t sure whether to trust or not. In these situations, you should block your phone number to hide your caller ID and protect your privacy.

We’ll show you all the ways to block your number on an iPhone or Android device below. Just remember that a lot of people automatically decline calls from private numbers, so people might not answer the phone if they don’t know it’s you calling.

1. Dial *67 Before the Number You Want to Call

*67 from iPhone Phone keypad

The simplest way to block your number is to dial *67 at the beginning of the phone number you want to call. If you use this method to hide your caller ID from someone saved in your contacts, you’ll need to make a note their number (or copy it to the clipboard) first. Then type (or paste) it into the phone app manually, with *67 at the beginning of it.

As an example, if you wanted to block your phone number when calling 555-555-5555, you’d need to dial *67-555-555-5555.

When you use *67 to call someone, you will show up as No Caller ID, Private, Blocked, or something similar on their device. It’s completely free to use *67, and you can use it as often as you like.

Of course, you need to dial *67 before any blocked phone call you want to make. So if you want to block your number for every single call, you might be better off using one of the following options instead.

2. Change the Caller ID Settings on Your Phone

You can block your phone number and hide your caller ID for every call you make by changing the settings on your device. Both Android and iOS devices let you hide your caller ID, making you show up as No Caller ID, Private, or Blocked to everyone you call.

If you want to temporarily unblock your number after changing these settings, dial *82 before the number you want to call. This overrides your settings and shows your caller ID again.

Unfortunately, some cell carriers don’t allow you to block your caller ID from your device. If you can’t find the settings below, move onto the next step to find out how to block your number directly with your carrier.

How to Block Your Caller ID on an iPhone

  1. Open the Settings app and scroll down to tap on the Phone option.
  2. Tap Show My Caller ID, then turn the toggle off to hide your number.

Show My Caller ID option from iPhone Settings

How to Block Your Caller ID on an Android Device

Depending on your Android phone and dialer app, this process could differ. Below are two common places for the option to block your caller ID:

  1. Launch the Phone app and open the three-dot Menu () in the top-right corner.
  2. Go into Settings, then scroll down to Supplementary Services. Depending on your particular device, you may need to go to Call > Additional.
  3. Tap Show my caller ID and choose to Hide number from the popup menu.

If this doesn’t work, try a different location:

  1. Open the Phone app again and tap Menu > Settings.
  2. Select Calling accounts, then tap your carrier name under Settings.
  3. Choose Additional settings.
  4. Tap Caller ID and choose to Hide number to block it every time.

[hide android]

3. Block Your Caller ID Directly With Your Cell Carrier

Verizon home page banner

If you can’t find an option to block your number or hide your caller ID in your phone’s settings, you need to block it directly with your cell carrier instead.

Most carriers who don’t let you block your number in the device settings let you do so using their own app instead. If that isn’t the case, you’ll need to call your carrier to ask them to block your number.

Much like the previous method, blocking your number this way hides your caller ID for every call you make. If you want to override this and show your phone number for a particular call, you need to add *82 to the beginning of the number.

How to Block Your Caller ID With AT&T or T-Mobile

AT&T and T-Mobile usually let you block your caller ID using the settings on your device. Return to the section above to find out where this option is on your particular phone.

If you can’t block your number from the device settings, you need to call the customer support line for AT&T or T-Mobile instead. Dial 611 from your smartphone to do so.

Explain to the customer service operator that you want to hide your caller ID. They should be able to make the necessary changes to your account.

How to Block Your Caller ID With Verizon

Although Verizon doesn’t let you block your caller ID from your iPhone or Android settings, you can do so using the Verizon website or the My Verizon app instead.

To use the Verizon website, go to the Blocks page and sign in to your account, then select Block Services. If you’re on a smartphone, tap the Add button. Find Caller ID under the Additional Services section and turn it On to block your number.

To use the My Verizon app, download it for free from the App Store or Google Play Store on your device, then sign in to your Verizon account. Tap Devices and select your smartphone, then go to Manage > Controls > Adjust Block Services. Turn on the option for Caller ID Blocking.

Download: My Verizon for Android | iOS (Free)

How to Block Your Caller ID With Sprint

Sprint lets you hide your caller ID through your My Sprint account. To do so, sign in to the My Sprint website and select your smartphone from the list of devices. Choose to Change my service, then find the Setup your phone section and select the Block Caller ID option.

If that doesn’t work, dial *2 from your Sprint smartphone to speak to Sprint’s customer service team. They should be able to hide your caller ID for you if you couldn’t do it through the website.

You Can’t Block Your Number for Everyone

Unfortunately, even if you follow the steps above to hide your caller ID, you can’t block your phone number from everyone. Certain people can always see who’s calling, including 911 and toll-free numbers.

There are also third-party apps available that let you find out who’s behind a blocked number. If someone you call uses one of these apps, they might know it’s you calling even if you hide your caller ID first.

So be wary of who you start making prank phone calls to!

Use a Burner Number Instead of Hiding Your Caller ID

Blocking your number and hiding your caller ID isn’t the only way to maintain privacy when making phone calls. You can also use a burner number instead. Traditionally, this is a separate phone that you only use for certain calls. But these days you can use a burner number app to get a second number on the same phone instead.

Read the full article: 3 Ways to Block Your Number and Hide Your Caller ID on iPhone or Android


Read Full Article

10 Netflix Shows to Watch on a Virtual Date


watch-netflix-friends

If you’re going on a virtual date, watching Netflix together is a good option. However, it can be difficult to decide what to watch when Netflix offers so many licensed and original shows.

So, to help you out, we’ve put together this list of Netflix shows to watch on a virtual date. These shows are all light-hearted and easy-to-watch, making them perfect for a virtual date.

1. Middleditch and Schwartz

Thomas Middleditch and Ben Schwartz are a pair of American comedians—you might know the former from Silicon Valley and the latter from Parks and Recreation. Together in this Netflix original, they hop on stage and improvise an hour of entertainment based on an audience interview.

It’s perfect to watch on a virtual date because it will have you laughing in no time. Afterwards, you could even try to do some improv together. However, be warned that it’s harder than it looks.

2. The Chef Show

The Chef Show is a spin-off from director Jon Favreau’s 2014 film, Chef. In this show, he teams up with chef Roy Choi and together they cook and chat.

The atmosphere is relaxed and the show is more interested in letting you hang out with these likeable personalities and their friends (like Robert Downey Jr. and Seth Rogen) than it is about teaching you how to cook.

You can watch The Chef Show on your virtual date and get inspired to cook something together when you can next meet in person.

3. Too Hot to Handle

Too Hot to Handle might be vapid entertainment, but it’s weirdly watchable. In this show, a group of attractive singles spend time together in a sunny resort. The twist is that have to resist one another in order to win a huge amount of money. As you might expect, they aren’t great at following the rules.

This is a fluffy, breezy watch that you can easily commentate on as you watch on your virtual date.

4. Our Planet

The world we live in is an incredible natural wonder, crammed full of amazing ecosystems from the deserts to the jungles. Our Planet is a stunning documentary series presented by David Attenborough, which aims to not only highlight the beauty of Earth, but also the impact of climate change.

Our Planet would go down well on a virtual date for nature lovers. You can both enjoy the jaw-dropping visuals, learn some interesting facts, and chat about pets, nature, and traveling.

If this goes down well, there are other places to watch free documentaries online.

5. Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

The concept behind Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee should be clear from the title. The comedians vary from the likes of Zach Galifianakis to Jamie Foxx, who all hop in the car with host Jerry Seinfeld. They grab a drink and roam the streets as they chat and try to make each other laugh.

It’s a very laid back and easy watch, which makes it great to watch on a virtual date. It’s fun to watch two witty people just shoot the breeze.

6. You vs. Wild

You vs. Wild is hosted by Bear Grylls, a man who thrives off trying to survive in the wilderness. This is an interactive Netflix shows which asks you to guide Bear through harsh terrain. Do you scale the cliff or head down to the rocks? Each decision you make will have consequences for Grylls.

This is great fun to watch on a virtual date because you can both decide how you want to guide Bear. You can see your decision play out and debate whether you made the right choice.

7. Bob Ross: Beauty Is Everywhere

You might never have seen a full episode of Bob Ross’ show. However, given its cult status, it’s likely that you’ve seen clips of it or stumbled upon images shared online.

In this 1991 show, gentle and softly spoken artist Bob Ross slowly guides you through how to create some seemingly complex, but always stunning, pieces of art.

This is a relaxing show to watch on a virtual date, but you can take it one step further and try to follow along. You can then share your painting with your date and talk about how you found the process.

8. Grand Designs

Grand Designs is a British show fronted by Kevin McCloud. He follows people as they set out to build their dream home, often with unique features or in a remote part of the country.

This isn’t a show that thrives on the drama, though of course things can go wrong during construction. Instead, it’s about the spectacle of the homes people design and build.

Watching Grand Designs could spark some discussion between you and your date about what your ideal home would be.

9. The Great British Baking Show

The Great British Baking Show shouldn’t really work, but it makes for superb viewing. It follows a group of contestants in a tent who are baking against the clock to try to impress the judges.

The show is very gentle and twee, with very low stakes, but somehow it manages to hook you in. You’ll be rooting for your favorite person in no time.

When watching The Great British Baking Show on your virtual date, there are lots of moments when you could chat about baking or cooking. If you’re feeling brave, you could both try baking a cake or a loaf of bread as you watch. See who produces the best creation!

10. Glee

Glee ran for six seasons and ended back in 2015, but it still holds up well (if you like cheesy musicals). It tells the story of a group of high school students who join their glee club and explores all of the issues that young people deal with.

While it has some deeper moments, the show has lots of comedy and, of course, lots of songs.

This would be one to watch on your virtual date if you’re both into the performing arts. You could even sing along with the show and/or bust your own dance moves.

The Best Movies to Watch on Date Night

These are some of the best TV shows to watch on a virtual date. We have picked them because they’re really easy to watch. However, they’re also quality shows that are well worth your time.

And if your virtual date goes well enough that you end up getting into a relationship, keep our list of the best date night movies for couples handy for when you want to Netflix and chill.

Read the full article: 10 Netflix Shows to Watch on a Virtual Date


Read Full Article

This App Translates Image, Text, and Voice in Over 112 Languages in Seconds


Even looking back ten years ago, the internet has facilitated the world to become more hyper connected. It is truly amazing to be able to connect with people all over the world in a matter of seconds. However, communication is sometimes a speed bump for most people. LingvaNex Translator aims to solve this problem by allowing users to translate just about every form of communication (text, images, voice, documents, and more) in over 112 different languages. You can get this utility app now for $79.99 at MakeUseOf Deals.

The World Is at Your Fingertips

Lingvanex Translator is perfect for just about anyone including business professionals wanting to double check what exactly a business agreement says, students learning new languages, and those looking to travel later this year.

Translate documents and images (all different files types) in over 112 languages including: Chinese (Mandarin), Germany, Spanish, and more.

Apart from being able to translate text and images, the mobile version allows you to translate voice calls. This feature is perfect for anyone making sure to pick up any details left off or wanting to learn the correct pronunciation of certain words.

Lastly, the app provides users with the option of using the tools offline! The Lingvanex Translator is available on a wide range of platforms: Android, iOS, MacOS, and Windows.

Translate Just About Everything

This app is usually worth $399.99, but you can grab it now for just $79.99.

Prices subject to change

Read the full article: This App Translates Image, Text, and Voice in Over 112 Languages in Seconds


Read Full Article

5 Outdoor Virtual Tours to Get Back to Nature With Hikes, Dives, and Spelunking


Outdoor Virtual Tours

Feeling cooped up and missing being out in nature? The outdoors are still waiting for you, but you can take a step towards them through these virtual hike websites and natural tourism apps.

At times when you can’t get moving on the roads, take the information highway. You can visit virtual museums at home or disappear into the wild with these virtual outdoor tourism sites and apps.

Take a virtual tour of Yosemite natural park, go spelunking into the world’s deepest cave, catch the Aurora Borealis in the frigid north. And you can even join a live interactive hike where you get to tell the person where to go.

1. Virtual Yosemite (Web): Virtual Hike in the World-Famous National Park

Virtual Yosemite offers 360 degree panorama shots and audio of major hotspots in the national park

Virtual reality photographer Scott Highton shot panoramas of the magnificent Yosemite Natural Park to create a virtual tour experience. The team also captured the sounds of each distinct environment to make it feel like you’re there. Now if only virtual reality could capture smells…

You’ll start at Glacier Point, high in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Each panorama point has an audio track too, of both natural sounds (like gushing water) or people’s sounds (murmuring and camera clicks). A small write-up pane tells you more information about the point of interest.

You can let the camera auto-rotate to give you a full 360-view of the area, or pan and scan manually. Most panoramas also let you zoom in and out. Red markers in each image indicate other points you can jump to. If you want to quickly move between points, use the panorama index or the map.

The Virtual Yosemite tour is also an excellent leanback experience. The website randomly switches to new locations every two minutes. I’d recommend visiting it through a browser on your smart TV, and then let it do its magic.

2. Son Doong Cave (Web): Explore the World’s Largest Cave With Nat Geo

Explore Vietnam's Son Doong Cave through National Geographic's virtual reality tour

Hang Son Doong, or “mountain river cave,” was discovered pretty late in a remote part of central Vietnam. Before it was run over by tourists, a team from National Geographic captured 360-degree interactive photographs and virtual reality content to let you explore the pristine cave.

Move around the virtual cave with your mouse, keyboard, or touchscreen. On certain phones and tablets, you can also move the tablet in any direction to “look around”. It’s quite cool, almost like the tablet is a window into the world.

On the left, you’ll see a short description of what you’re looking at, with a map of the entire Son Doong cave on the right. Click anywhere on the map to move quickly, but it’s obviously a better experience to take the guided step-by-step tour.

The team captured the sounds of each unique environment within the cave to add to the virtual reality feel. Some of the spots have super-high-resolution images, over 500 megapixels. The app notifies you when you’re in such a position, so you can zoom into minute details of the fascinating environment.

3. The Faroe Islands (Web): Control a Hiker Through Their Webcam

Remote Tourism lets you control an islander in the Faroe Islands to take a hike, ride a horse, or tour the islands in a helicopter

Like most tourist hotspots, the Faroe Islands had to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. But the administrators have come up with one of the most ingenious ways to do remote tourism. They’ve created a virtual tour much like a video game to let you explore the 18 islands.

A local official or islander straps on a helmet with a camera, and a backpack with instructions. The official’s view is displayed live to viewers around the world. And these viewers, sitting in the comfort of their home, take turns to control the islander.

With a virtual remote controller, you can make the islander go in any direction, run, or jump. Activities including hiking, sailing, riding horses, and even taking (and controlling) a helicopter ride.

It’s an unprecedented virtual exploration of the islands, its unspoiled and pristine habitat, and its 80,000 sheep (which is where it derives the name from). The whole thing is a fun interactive experience that works on both computers and smartphones. Visit the website to see a countdown to when the next virtual tour begins and set an alarm.

4. Virtual Aurora Tours (Web): Snow-Clad Forests and Northern Lights in VR

Among the white sheets of snow and the clear skies, Earth puts on a spectacular light show for its humans. When solar winds disturb the magnetosphere, in some parts, you can look up to see the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. Lights Over Lapland captured the experience of going to watch the Aurora Borealis in a virtual reality tour.

This is a series of YouTube videos, in which you can move pan-and-scan within an active video to change the camera angle. It’s particularly breath-taking in some of the action shots like the virtual dog sled tour, shot from a first-person view. Look around the snow-capped forest for a breath-taking ride.

Other videos from this Swedish VR tour include an ice hotel, Lake Torneträsk, and reindeer. But the highlight is the Northern Lights above Abisko National Park. You could pause and move the camera, but I found it a better experience to let the video play on loop while changing the angle ever so often.

5. The Click Effect (Web, Android, iOS): Dive Underwater With Whales

Dive underwater to see how dolphins and whales communicate in The Click Effect, a virtual reality short film

Virtual reality storytellers WITHIN have a number of cool interactive movies on their app and website. For those who love the ocean, dive into the virtual waters and check out the unique clicking communication of dolphins and whales.

Marine scientists Fabrice Schnoller and Fred Buyle recorded 360-degree video and audio of their free dives (i.e. diving without oxygen tanks). While 100 feet underwater, they studied and captured the clicking between mammals, and explored a shipwreck. It’s turned it into a fascinating virtual underwater dive for those who can’t scuba.

The Click Effect is best seen through the WITHIN app on phones or through a VR headset, as you can move the device to look around. But it also works perfectly on a computer screen. The occasional commentary by Schnoller and Buyle can break the immersive environment, but it’s not a deal-breaker.

Download: WITHIN for Android | iOS (Free)

Best Google Earth Virtual Tours

It’s impossible to ignore Google Earth when it comes to virtual tours. It offers unparalleled immersive experiences, especially since Google gets access to spots that others can’t go to. It was hard to pick a single trip, so we rounded up the best Google Earth virtual tours you can explore from the comfort of your home.

Read the full article: 5 Outdoor Virtual Tours to Get Back to Nature With Hikes, Dives, and Spelunking


Read Full Article

Live Intraday Trading on 5-May-2020

Live Intraday Trading on 5-May-2020

Please click on the following link to view full post.

https://intradayguruji.blogspot.com/2020/05/live-intraday-trading-on-5-may-2020.html

Via http://intradayguruji.blogspot.com

Intraday Trading Calls for 6-May-2020

Intraday Trading Calls for 6-May-2020

Please click on the following link to view full post.

https://intradayguruji.blogspot.com/2020/05/intraday-trading-calls-for-6-may-2020.html

Via http://intradayguruji.blogspot.com

India’s Glance tops 100 million daily active users in 21 months


Glance, which serves media content, news, and casual games on the lock screen of Android-powered smartphones, has amassed 100 million daily active users, it said today.

The subsidiary of ad-firm InMobi Group reached the milestone in 21 months in what appears to be the shortest duration for any popular internet service to gain their first 100 million daily active users, said Naveen Tewari, founder and chief executive of InMobi Group, in an interview with TechCrunch.

Glance uses AI to offer personalized experience to its users. The service replaces the otherwise empty lock screen with locally relevant news, stories, and casual games. Late last year, InMobi acquired Roposo, a Gurgaon-headquartered startup, that has enabled it to introduce short-form videos on the platform.

“Introducing short-form videos and games on Glance has helped us increase the engagement level. About 25% of our users actively play games on Glance,” said Tewari. The firm is now working to make these short-form videos available in many local languages. (You can also try the service on your mobile web browser or through its preview app on Google Play Store.)

Glance ships pre-installed on several smartphone models. The subsidiary maintains tie-ups with nearly every top Android smartphone vendor including Xiaomi, the top player in India, and Samsung.

But users can easily disable the service, said Tewari, adding that the 100 million users the firm is reporting today are those who consciously engage with content on Glance. Users spend about 25 minutes consuming content on Glance each day, he said.

Sitting on the lock screen, perhaps the most coveted real estate on a smartphone to reach a user, has allowed Glance to deliver any information to a very large number of users in a short time. Tewari said more than 50 million users reacted to Glance informing them about India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech last month surrounding the lockdown in the country, for instance.

“We are not just a short-form video platform. We are not just a gaming platform nor one that serves just news. Given where we sit, we cater to nearly everything that is out there across the world. So everyone has something to consume,” he said.

The service is currently available in India, its biggest market with more than 80 million users, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Tewari said the firm plans to roll out Glance across the globe in the next two years.

Glance, which raised $45 million last year, is currently not monetizing its users. Tewari said he has experimented with a few ideas, but won’t make any push on this front for another one to two quarters.


Read Full Article

How to Create Custom Windows Desktop Icons With Rainmeter


custom-rainmeter-icons

Do you think the default Windows icons are underwhelming? Do you long for something more unique?

Rainmeter is arguably the best customization tool for Windows. It’s great for creating custom icons and entire custom skins. Your imagination and experience with the software is the only limitation as to what you can do with the custom icons.

The best part about Rainmeter icons? Whether you’d like to use the fantastic fan-made icons already at your disposal or want to create custom icons yourself, everyone can experience the satisfaction of custom desktop icons with Rainmeter. Here’s how!

How to Create Rainmeter Custom Icons

Rainmeter icons are some of the simplest skins to make but can also have the most substantial impact on your desktop. You can add custom Rainmeter icons for any program, app, or file path you want. All of those programs and files that never appear using the default Windows search option are suddenly a single click away.

It is best to learn how to create an icon before beginning to download and install icon sets. Since Rainmeter skin settings are text-based, learning your way around Rainmeter skins will help you get the most out of your skins.

That way, you can download and edit skins at your leisure instead of relying on already-made ones. Rainmeter has a very active user base, after all!

Create a Rainmeter Icon

You’ll need two items to create a Rainmeter skin: an image file and a Rainmeter (INI) skin file.

Head to the Rainmeter folder within your Documents folder, which is created by default when you install Rainmeter. Then, create a folder within this directory to hold your icons. Name it whatever you’d like.

Now you need to place your two files within this folder. Double-click your newly created folder, right-click an empty space within this directory, and select New > Text Document. Input the following:

[Rainmeter]
Update=1000
LeftMouseUpAction=["[address]"]
[Background]
Meter=Image
ImageName=[image file name].png
W=[width]
H=
PreserveAspectRatio=1 

Save this document with the INI extension (for example, muologo.ini) and not with the usual TXT extension. Head to File > Save As. Under Save as type, select All Files. Enter your file name, then change the TXT extension to INI.

This will allow Rainmeter to recognize your skin. You’ll have to replace the three bold parameters above.

  • [address]—Copy the file path of your choice here, within the two quotation marks. The LeftMouseUpAction parameter signifies the action is committed whenever the user left-mouse clicks the icon.
  • [image file name]—Input the name of your image file, which should be in the same directory as your INI file, here. This will allow Rainmeter to call the image for your icon.
  • [width]—Specify the width, measured in pixels by default, next to your W parameter. Since our PreserveAspectRatio parameter is set to 1, the width will determine both the width and height of your icon. If you leave width blank, your image will appear in its native resolution.

Your Rainmeter folder should look something like the following:

rainmeter icon setup

Icons can, of course, be considerably more complex (especially if they provide a large icon library and additional functions). However, you now know and understand the basic format for Rainmeter icon creation.

Placing Your Rainmeter Icon

Now that you’ve created your icon, it’s time to place it. First, ensure that you have your INI and image file in the same folder. Next, click Refresh All in the lower left-hand side of your Manage Rainmeter window.

Then, browse to your newly created icons folder. This folder should be located under the Active skins section in your Rainmeter window.

locate icon skin

Click on the drop-down menu beside your icon folder name (MUO Icon, as written in the example above), and you should see your INI skin file.

enable icon skin

If you don’t see the INI skin file, ensure you’ve added the INI extension to your file. Once you’ve found your INI file, double-click the file or select Load from the Rainmeter window. You should now see your skin on the desktop: if not, remember to ensure your files are both placed and configured correctly.

makeuseof rainmeter icon example

That’s how to create icons in Rainmeter!

The Best Rainmeter Custom Icon Sets

While it’s great to know how to create a custom Rainmeter icon, you don’t have to create them all from scratch. As you might expect, the Rainmeter custom icon creation scene has a lot of options. Here are some of the best Rainmeter icon sets for you to check out.

1. Honeycomb

Honeycomb is one of the most popular Rainmeter custom icon sets. For the beginner Rainmeter guru, Honeycomb is a must. The Honeycomb icon set provides stylish, high-quality hexagonal icons for various programs, folders, and websites.

honeycomb icons for rainmeter

The Honeycomb library is extensive. The developers continually refine Honeycomb to create more complex and feature-packed icons. Additionally, Honeycomb + GGL will provide users with similar, custom Rainmeter icons with an additional mouse-over effect. The mouse-over effect will add a background to your desktop, reflecting the icon you choose.

honeycomb plus ggl for rainmeter

If you need a few Rainmeter icons to spice up your desktop, Honeycomb is a great way to go.

2. Circle Launcher

Another fantastic, simple icon is Circle Launcher. If you don’t appreciate the definite line aspect of Honeycomb, you should give the Circle Launcher set a try.

circle launcher icons for rainmeter

It does everything you’d want from a beginner icon set, and nothing you don’t.

3. Silmeria Dock—Honeymoon

A simple-yet-sophisticated drawer icon set, Silmeria Dock—Honeymoon provides a simple interface for users to add, take away, and rearrange their icons.

silmeria dock icons for rainmeter

Remember, you can then change whatever aspect of these icons/icon docks you prefer.

4. Vivid Launcher

A magnificent addition to the Rainmeter folds, Vivid Launcher is a highly customizable icon launcher with a neat mouse-over effect to boot.

vivid launcher icons for rainmeter

Vivid Launcher’s icons, along with its mouse-over feature, are easy to change as well. Simply right-click the skin and select SETTINGS to modify.

Once you find an icon set or Rainmeter skin you like, find out how to create a custom Rainmeter theme for your entire desktop.

Use Flaticon for Custom Icon Image Sets

The following are not Rainmeter skins. At least, not yet. When you begin creating your custom icon sets, you’ll need plenty of icon images. That’s where websites like Flaticon come into play.

flaticon icons for rainmeter

Flaticon provides users with beautiful, often free, icon images of all shapes and sizes. Best of all, they provide multiple image formats for any icon projects you take up.

What’s Your Favorite Rainmeter Icon Set?

Rainmeter allows users to create and customize their icons, offering endless possibilities. That includes options for laypeople and code-monkeys alike. Create your own icon and share it. Use someone else’s. That’s what makes Rainmeter fantastic.

You don’t have to stop there, either. We’ve previously shown you how to use Rainmeter to create a Parallax desktop, a 3D hologram, and an interactive live wallpaper.

Read the full article: How to Create Custom Windows Desktop Icons With Rainmeter


5 Lesser-Known Free Online Image Editing Tools to Replace Photoshop


Photoshop Alternatives

Adobe Photoshop is the king of image editors and it costs a pretty penny. But don’t worry, there are other online photo editors like Photoshop that work in your browser on any platform and are also free.

No, we aren’t talking about the usual popular online Photoshop alternatives like PicMonkey, Pixlr, SumoPaint, and others. Instead, we’re focusing on relatively little-known image editors that make it easy for anyone to apply basic effects on their photos.

Naturally, none of these apps are going to be as powerful and full-featured as Photoshop itself. Adobe has hundreds of engineers working on a single product, while these online apps are usually labors of love.

But each of these does a great job to become a free Photoshop alternative online.

1. Photopea (Web): The Best Free Photoshop Alternative Online

Photopea is the best online free photoshop alternative

There is no debate about this. Forget about Pixlr, forget about SumoPaint, forget about anything else you’ve tried. Once you use Photopea, you can’t go back. It’s the best free online editor like Photoshop, even giving you a similar look and feel.

There are detailed tutorials available for it so that you can learn how to use any feature. All the popular Photoshop features are available, like clone stamp, layers, filters, and so on. You can even open a PSD file or save an image as PSD.

Photopea’s best part is that it does all its computation offline, so your pictures are never sent to the cloud. Open the website and that’s it, the rest of the work is happening on your computer. That not only makes it faster than working online but also protects your data.

Photopea has been around for some time, but never really got its due. With its regular updates to add new features, it has been gaining more popularity. Hop on this bandwagon now. Chromebook users should especially give this one a whirl.

2. Mara.Photos (Web): Swiss Army Knife of Tools and Effects

Mara Photos has a host of free image editing tools online

Mara slipped under most people’s radar when it launched, but it’s a brilliant and simple image editing app. If you’re looking for a free online Photoshop alternative, it mimics many of the bigger software’s features through a whole bunch of effects, filters, and tools.

First, you need to select the effect you want to apply. You can find all the options listed on the homepage. There are the common image editing options like Resize, Crop, Rotate, Type, Pop, Vintage, Art etc.

You will also find many other features like Bulge/Pinch, Wave, Splitter, Color Tint, Bump, Palette Extractor, Optimize Palette, GIF Editor, APNG/AWebP Editor, Mirror, Kaleidoscope, ASCII Art, 3D Anaglyph, Glitcher, RAW, EXIF, PNG Metadata, Steganography, ANSI Art, and even a Vector Graphics Editor.

You can then upload the image from your desktop, cloud drive, or share a URL. Each effect has multiple tweaks you can make, choosing how deeply to apply the effect. And yes, once you apply an effect, you can transfer the image to another tool or effect.

The simple interface is great for novices, making Mara among the easiest online Photoshop alternatives for basic photo editing.

3. Remove BG (Web): Automatically Remove Backgrounds of Photos

Remove.BG lets you automatically remove backgrounds of photos in one click

Remove BG is one of the best single-purpose online photo-editing apps available. It’s almost magical. In Adobe Photoshop, the magic wand tool lets you select the main subject of an image and then remove the background in the picture. Well, Remove BG is the free online Photoshop alternative to do that in any browser.

You have to try it out to see how well it works. Upload a picture from your computer or paste a URL. Remove BG will work on it for a few minutes and then you’ll get a result of the before and after version of the picture. You can download and save it to your computer for free, without any watermark. It’s fantastic.

Remove BG is by far the best free Photoshop alternative online we’ve seen for this feature. Others don’t offer the same accuracy or make you pay to remove watermarks. Bookmark this web app, you’ll need it.

4. Image Toolbox (Web): Easy Batch Image Resizing and Converting

Image Toolbox lets you batch resize images and convert them

Photoshop’s scripts make it easy to resize a batch of images quickly. If you want a free online Photoshop alternative for that, Image Toolbox has your back.

The web app lets you resize a bunch of images at the same time. You can resize them based on specific resolutions for width or height, or by percentage of the original picture.

At the same time, Image Toolbox can also convert all images to JPEG or PNG, depending on what you want. As always, you can choose the quality of the JPEG or PNG file, which determines the file size too.

One nice feature is that you don’t need to re-upload the pictures if you don’t get it right the first time. There’s an option to “Re-edit and retry”, which saves the time and energy of uploading a huge number of images a second time to get it right. That’s a smart online photo editor offering a key feature of Photoshop.

5. Promo Social Media Image Resizer (Web): Every Social Size, All at Once

Slidely's Promo online social image resizer

Photoshop scripts make it easy to convert one image into several different sizes for different social media uses in one click. Promo created a handy online photo editor like Photoshop to make this free and simple.

It’s surprisingly easy to use. First, upload a picture or add it from a URL. Then scroll down to select the types of image sizes you want. Promo has templates for everything you’d need in Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Email and Blog, and Google Display Network. These include every type of profile picture, cover image, story, and other space where you can upload the image.

The downloaded package of zipped files has the image type in the file name, so it’s easy to know what to upload where. It’s a fantastic tool that makes life much easier.

More Modern Online Photo Editors

The multitude of options and features in Photoshop isn’t for everyone. Many people need something simpler. For them, these free online Photoshop alternatives are a much better option as it doesn’t require deep knowledge of image editing.

In fact, the new trend seems to be to make online photo editors like Photoshop but without the confusing interface. You’ll get all the features and tools, but a simpler way to apply them.

The new Pixlr X and Pixlr E and the super-simple Doka are but two examples of such free and modern online photo editors that you should check out.

Read the full article: 5 Lesser-Known Free Online Image Editing Tools to Replace Photoshop