Everything You Need to Know About WordPress and Other CMSes

For the average internet surfer, viewing web content is simple. You open a browser, type in a URL, and voila! The page shows up. But on the other end, there’s software working hard to serve that page up for you. And a large number of those servers are leveraging content management systems in order to create and serve your favorite content. What actually happens when you “open” a page from a CMS? Let’s look at the different parts of the systems that bring content to your screen. The Early Web Improvements in Web Hosting The late 1990s — when the web began...

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How to Watch the U.S. Solar Eclipse Online for Free

On August 21, North America will enjoy a total solar eclipse. The moon will pass directly between the Sun and the Earth, causing the Sun to light to be “occulted.” Contrary to popular belief, total solar eclipses are fairly common events. On average, the planet experiences one every 18 months. The last one happened over Indonesia, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands in March 2016. Nonetheless, the upcoming eclipse will mark the first time in 99 years that a total eclipse will be visible across the entire contiguous United States. It’s even 39 years since a total eclipse was visible from...

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This Site Shows How Long It Takes to Beat Any Video Game

Have you ever wanted to know how long a video game is before starting it? Unlike movies which have a set running time, it could take different people varying amounts of time to get through a game. Depending on how you value games, paying full-price for a game you can play for dozens of hours could be worth it. On the other hand, you’ll find many small games only costing a few dollars that you can play through in a few hours. Before you buy a game, you should check out the website How Long to Beat. Using the search...

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Here’s an On-Screen Dictionary for Fictional Characters, Places, and Terms

IBM Watson counted more than 2,000 characters in the Game of Thrones book series. Now imagine trying to track them all and their bios in your head. Tough. This is where The Fictionary can be a huge help: “A free look-up capable custom e-book dictionary of fictitious terms, places, and people in literature. Created by author provided content or community wikis.” Yes, it is a dictionary for fiction literature. Install these sets of custom dictionaries and understand fictitious terms in e-readers and Kindles. Now, those 2,000 characters fighting and dying throughout the seven kingdoms will seem more familiar. The Little Fictionaries Dave Byard...

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Make Gmail Less Distracting by Pausing Incoming Emails for a Duration of Time

The internet hasn’t done our attention spans any favors. Hop online for any reason and you may find yourself down the rabbit hole of Twitter, Wikipedia, Reddit, or whatever else happens to catch your eye. Incoming emails can also distract from tasks at hand — but with one extension, you can banish not only notifications but also the messages themselves! The browser extension Boomerang, known for scheduling emails using Gmail, can also be used to pause incoming messages. The extension is available for Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Safari web browsers. Once it’s installed, load your Gmail account and authenticate your account. There are two...

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Audible Wants Your Dogs to Listen to Audiobooks

Audible has launched a new initiative called Audible for Dogs. This is exactly what you’d expect it to be: a place for your canine friends to listen to audiobooks. Which sounds crazy, but actually makes a lot of sense once you delve deeper. And Audible has the science to back it up. It turns out that audiobooks can keep dogs calm when their owners are away from home. A study conducted in 2015 showed that audiobooks outperformed music in reducing stress in dogs. A subsequent study has backed up these claims, leading inevitably to Audible for Dogs. Audible for Dogs...

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You Can Now Try the New Outlook.com Beta

Microsoft has been busy improving Outlook.com, making significant changes to the UI and introducing several new features. The company is now keen to release the new Outlook into the wild. However, the new features clearly need to be tested first, which is where you come in. Despite the rise of social networking and messaging apps in recent years, email is still important. These days it tends to be used for more formal lines of communication, which means it’s more crucial than ever to have a solid and dependable email provider. Such as Outlook.com. The Outlook.com Beta Is Now Live Microsoft...

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Before You Study IT, Know What You’re Getting Into

Information Technology (IT) has become such a widespread career choice. But few people actually know what IT is and what its discipline entails. Let’s take a look at the facts. We’ll give IT a proper definition, discuss its many facets, and list the skills that any skillful IT worker must have. What Exactly Is Information Technology? Look at different reputable sources, and you’ll find varying definitions of what IT means. Most will serve you fine, but for the purposes of this post, we’ll refer to IT as: The use of an organization’s computer systems — including physical hardware as well...

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Tinder Is Awful for Finding Friends, Use One of These Services Instead

Loneliness is a silent killer. To say it’s scary would be an understatement. People make art and music pieces to spread similar messages around those suffering from the feeling of loneliness — “You’re not alone” and “This will pass, too.” Sometimes knowing you’re not alone is enough. But for those who are tired of listening to the same reassuring messages and are ready to take an active approach in fighting loneliness, there’s another way. Plenty of resources on the internet will offer new friends, but only a few of them will deliver on the promise. We will cut to the...

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10 Ways to Customize Windows 10 With Classic Shell

Windows 10 is great out the box, but there’s so much customization you can do to make it even better. We’re going to show you how to use Classic Shell, a third-party program that focuses on tweaking the Start Menu, Taskbar, and File Explorer. From changing the Start icon, making the Taskbar fully transparent, to checking for Windows updates on shutdown, there’s so much that Classic Shell can do. If you have your own Classic Shell tips and tricks to share, let us know in the comments below. Download Classic Shell First things first: head over to the Classic Shell...

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7 Reasons Why Gamers Need a Gaming-Friendly VPN

Getting the gaming experience right can be tricky. You’ve sorted out your display and sound system, installed the right graphics card for your PC, and ensured you have a good seating position. Before long, you’ll perhaps be distracted by cooling for top performance, or maybe develop an interest in live streaming. But what about the advantages that using a virtual private network (VPN) might bring? Whether you have it set up on your gaming PC or console — or on your home router — a VPN account can improve the gaming experience in ways you maybe didn’t consider. Below, we’re...

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How to Build a Unique Website Without Code Using WIX

If you run any kind of business these days, then you need a website — even if your business isn’t conducted online. Not only does a website legitimize your business in the eyes of customers and/or clients, it provides a way for them to find your business in the first place. Similarly, if your career involves professional work, then a well-made personal website can set you apart from your competition. Yes, this personal website should be in addition to LinkedIn. (You do have a LinkedIn profile, don’t you?) Fortunately, such websites are easy to make as long as you keep...

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How the War on Terror Is Affecting Your Online Privacy

The war on terror can seem pretty relentless. It’s understandable if you feel overwhelmed at times by the threat of ISIS (although you might know the group as IS, ISIL, or Daesh), for example. Extremist groups are determined to take dominance over our lives, but we don’t have to bow to such pressure. We shouldn’t. Nonetheless, it is affecting your privacy. The gray line between right and wrong is an ever-expanding area. Here’s how your privacy is being infringed, supposedly in the fight against terror… Why Does This Matter? Let’s get this out the way first: many will tell you...

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Amazon 101: All Your Basic Questions Answered

Amazon is the world’s third largest retailer, valued at almost $430 billion. It’s ranked 83rd on Forbes’ Global 2000 list of the world’s biggest companies. And in 2017, Fast Company named Amazon “the world’s most innovative company.” The growth of Amazon seemingly knows no bounds. What was once a modest online bookstore is now a juggernaut of a company, with its influential fingers in more pies than you could imagine. This guide should be of some use to help you understand a little more about Amazon, how it came to be, what it offers, and exactly what it’s working on....

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In Case of Emergencies, You’ll Want These 7 Smart Devices Installed

Nobody wants to deal with an emergency, but sometimes life throws us curveballs. Unfortunately, we can’t live our lives constantly looking over our shoulders. Thankfully, with the advent of smart technology, we don’t need to. Reliable and responsive smart devices can essentially keep looking over your shoulder on your behalf, freeing you from worry or concern. Make sure you’re well-prepared for the next big crisis in your life before it happens by installing these seven smart devices. 1. Water Sensors If you live on a floodplain, water sensors might not be too useful. Sadly, there’s not much you can do...

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How to Convert an Image With Handwriting to Text Using OCR

Do you need to digitize handwritten notes to edit or index them? Or would you like to copy text from the picture of a handwritten quote? What you need is something called an optical character recognition (OCR) tool. OCR tools analyze the handwritten or typed text in images and compare it with fonts in a database or check it against known features of letters. Some tools even have spell checkers that give additional help in the case of unrecognizable words. Here are six of the best OCR tools available. 1. Microsoft OneNote Availability: Windows, Mac, Web, iOS, and Android Microsoft...

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How to Instantly Boost the Accuracy of Search Results on Google and Bing

How do you search Google and Bing? A few simple keywords plus blind hope that the search engines will return the results you wanted? Search engines are powerful, but they can’t read your mind. That’s why the best way to search still requires the use of boolean search operators. But who wants to memorize all the different search operators? It’s a pain, and that’s why most people never actually practice advanced searching. Fortunately, there’s a solution. Advangle (Beta) is a web form that builds advanced search queries for you. In just a few clicks, you can put together complex search queries and immediately see the results in...

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How to Find Out the Reading Time of Any Book

Perhaps you’ve decided you want to read more. We’ve shared advice on how to make your way through more books than ever, but perhaps you’re still having trouble because you’re reading the wrong books. If you’re a slow reader, a short book that you finish quickly might help you feel more motivated than a long book that slows you down. Likewise, bringing a short book with you on a long trip could leave you with nothing to do. That’s where How Long to Read comes in. Search for any book, and you’ll see some basic information about it including the...

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How to Get Facebook Group Notifications Without Leaving a Comment

Facebook groups with thousands of like-minded members are often packed with useful information. But when that many people congregate in one place, it also means you have to wade through a lot of irrelevant comments to find the information you need. A particularly annoying brand of comment in Facebook groups consists of the word “Following,” the letter F, an emoji of two feet, or something to that effect. People leave these comments to receive notifications for new comments on that post. But there’s a better way to do this! Instead of typing a comment that doesn’t add anything to the conversation, you...

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Last Chance: 3 Places to Buy an iPod Before They’re Gone Forever

Looking back, it’s hard to recall how revolutionary iPods were when they hit first hit the shelves 15 years ago. We’d been struggling with Walkmans and Discmans for years — cassettes could only hold a handful of music, and CDs skipped every few seconds. iPods changed everything. Suddenly, we could walk around with 10 GB of music in our pocket. Remember, this was at a time when services like Napster and LimeWire were king. It was heaven. Sadly, any music aficionado who saw the recent news about the discontinuation of the iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle likely shed a tear. These...

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