A study by UK academics looking at how fake social media accounts were used to spread socially divisive messages in the wake of a spate of domestic terrorists attacks this year has warned that the problem of hostile interference in public debate is greater than previously thought. Read More
The future of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are bright — depending on who you ask. Ask that question of a crypto-trader or investor, and you’ll get a positive response. Ask an environmentalist, however, and you might receive a very different response. That’s because as Bitcoin’s popularity soars, so does its overall global power consumption. An entirely digital currency requires a significant amount of computing power. The process of creating new Bitcoin (“Bitcoin mining”) also requires a considerable amount of processing power. So much so that Bitcoin allegedly uses more electricity than the countries of Ireland and Denmark. Is it true?...
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Amazon’s Echo lineup got a refresh earlier this year that included a brand new version of its basic Echo, well as an Echo Plus with integrated smart home hub, and the stalwart Echo Dot – unchanged, but still a compelling device at its price point. The new lineup of devices also made its way to more markets this year, including an expansion to Canada just this month, which is why I… Read More
Open Garden launched its mesh networking platform at TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2012. Since then, the company has gone through a few iterations and found unexpected success in its Firechat offline messaging service. Now, it’s ready for the next step in its evolution. The company now wants to make it easier for anybody with an Android phone to share their WiFi connections with anyone who is… Read More
There is a small panic that goes through your mind when your Mac refuses to boot. It either means one of two things: you are spending the day getting your machine working or you are taking an expensive trip to the Apple Store. Your Mac has a surprising number of startup options to help you get it working again. These can save you a lost afternoon of computer problems, and might even save you a trip to the Genius Bar. How Startup Keys Work The Mac’s startup sequence is so famous it is a trademark. The grey screen with the...
Read the full article: Troubleshoot Your Mac With These 9 Startup Key Combinations
Desktop apps are now available in the Windows Store, but it doesn’t mean the oft-maligned Universal apps are dead. In fact, they are better than ever. Their design and usability is unrecognizable from a couple of years ago, Microsoft has largely got the problem of fake and imposter apps under control, and the selection of apps is the most diverse it’s ever been. Yes, some universal apps in the Windows Store are still poor imitations of their desktop cousins. However, it doesn’t mean that you can’t find some really useful, high-quality apps – you just need to know where to look. Here, we’ve rounded...
Read the full article: The Best Windows 10 Apps
Twitter today says it will begin to enforce new rules related to how it handles hateful conduct and abusive behavior taking place on its platform. The changes are a part of the company’s broader agenda to craft new policies focused on reducing the amount of abuse, hate speech, violence and harassment. Specifically, Twitter explains that in addition to threatening violence or physical… Read More
Christmas is coming. Theoretically, that means lots of family nights around the fireplace singing carols and a near-endless supply of perfectly-cooked food. In practice, many people are gearing up for two weeks of utter chaos. But it doesn’t have to be chaotic! Believe it or not, it is possible to enjoy the holiday season without queuing in the rain outside Macy’s at 5am on December 26. These days, if you choose to forgo the sales and stay at home for the duration of the festivities, you can bask in an even more relaxing experience thanks to Amazon Alexa. You can...
Read the full article: Why You Need Amazon Alexa in Your Home This Christmas
Have a friend, spouse, or family member who’s a die-hard programmer and can’t think of what to get them for Christmas, Valentine’s, or their birthday? You’re not alone! Geek gifts for programmers can be hard to find because programming is so specialized and unusual. As one myself, I can help you. Every programmer is different, of course, and there’s never such a thing as a one-size-fits-all gift, but there’s a good chance that most programmers will appreciate most of the gift ideas below. We’ll start with the cheapest and work up in price. 1. Rubber Duck No, this isn’t a...
Read the full article: Geek Gifts for Programmers: 15 Presents for Techies and Nerds Who Code
A lot of crap gets shared on Facebook, but coming soon the volume may be a little less after Facebook made a move to penalize content that shamelessly begs people for engagement. The social network giant said today that it will penalize Page owners and people who resort to “engagement bait,” which means posts that encourage users to like, comment or tag people in the comments… Read More
It’s that time of year again, when social media is awash with reminders of how our years went. Nowhere does this work better than on Instagram, where you’re probably seeing your friends sharing their nine best photos of the year. If you want to create a similar grid, here’s how. How to Find and Share Your Best Instagram Photos Go to 2017BestNine. Enter your Instagram username and click Get. (You can also just add your username to the end of the URL.) The website will generate a grid for you of your nine most popular photos, and will also provide info on...
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Microsoft PowerPoint has a little feature tucked away in the Ribbon called Set Transparent Color that can remove the background from an image and turn it transparent. This tip is handy when you want to make infographics with PowerPoint using inserted clipart images. This tip works on inserted images only. It does not work for images inside shapes. If your image is inserted in a shape as a fill, the Set Transparent Color option won’t be available. Here’s how to work it. The screenshots are from Office for Mac, but it’s all the same for Office on Windows. How to Change Image Transparency in PowerPoint Select...
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Seeing your Xbox One turn on randomly? This could be happening from several different causes. While it can be a bit hard to diagnose, we have several elements to check to pin down why this is happening. Try each of them and you should be able to stop it. Why Does My Xbox One Turn On by Itself? Check the following settings and elements if your Xbox One turns on by itself: Wipe down the front of your console near the Xbox logo power toggle. Since the Xbox One doesn’t have a physical power button, its capacitive button triggers when...
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As we grow as a culture, especially for newer generations, we need to start asking important questions: ‘how as a species do we begin the education process of device addiction?’ And more importantly, ‘how do we begin taking back control?’ Read More
Apple has more cash than any other tech company on the planet. Yet, that hasn’t translated into spending on acquisitions. Over the past five years, Apple has spent the least on M&A out of all the “Big Five” most valuable U.S. tech companies. That’s despite the fact that it is estimated to have more than $260 billion in cash and cash equivalents. So, is it buying… Read More
Netflix had a pretty good year by very Netflix-y standards: it added a ton of subscribers; its international growth plans seem to be playing out as hoped; it cleaned up in the Golden Globe nominations, and users are watching a ton of Netflix. While the company has continued to show growth with its existing strategy — investing a ton in its original content strategy in the hope that… Read More
Google is doing so many things all the time, it’s difficult to keep a track of every new release or update. Plus, not everything that the internet giant releases is gold. But in the past few months, five of their launches are worth knowing. From freeing up space on your phone to weekend techie projects for beginners and kids, there’s a little something for everyone here. It’s all free, of course, but there is the cost of giving Google access to your information. 1. Google Maps Space (Web): Explore the Great Beyond With Google Maps You’re probably familiar with Google...
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Only weeks before Christmas, and in a mad rush; you realized your best gift ideas weren’t up to much. You’ve bought for the children, and diminished your wealth; but what do you buy for a fit freak who’s focused on health? Terrible, clichéd Christmas rhymes aside, buying a suitably techy gift for those obsessed with health and fitness shouldn’t be a chore. It’s time for the MakeUseOf health and fitness gift guide. Activity Trackers & Trainers Wearable activity trackers are the obvious choice for anyone who likes to stay in shape and monitor their fitness level from the comfort of a smartphone. However, the recipient may already own one, so...
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Google announced today that it’s shutting down its high-end smartphone augmented reality platform, Tango, in order to focus on the more mass market ARCore product. The company had already confirmed this much to us when they announced ARCore in August, but now we have an official timeline for Tango’s demise. Read More
Twitter has released two new ads designed to persuade people to join Twitter. However, the social networking site, or rather its ad agency, has taken a rather novel approach to achieving this end. The ads admit Twitter can be hard to understand, before shattering that misapprehension. It feels like Twitter is more important than it actually is. It’s always getting cited on the news, especially when President Trump tweets, and every brand has a hashtag it wants you to use. However, in actual fact, Twitter “only” has 330 million users, and growth has virtually stalled. Romesh Ranganathan Is a Twitter...
Read the full article: Twitter Admits People Don’t Know How to Use Twitter
