How to Remote Connect to a Windows PC From a Raspberry Pi

Working hard on your Raspberry Pi but need to access your Windows computer? But wait, it’s at the other end of your house, or even upstairs…

It isn’t convenient to stop and switch to the main PC. Wouldn’t it be great if you could access your PC while staying where you are? Well, you can! Just remote connect to your Windows PC from your Raspberry Pi instead.

Note: If instead you’re looking to remotely control your Raspberry Pi from a PC, you should check our guide to SSH, VNC, and RDP with Raspberry Pi.)

How to Remote Connect From Raspbian to Windows

Perhaps you need to check an email, or some other application that you can only access on your PC. Whatever the case, you’ll need to configure a remote connection from your Raspberry Pi.

While straightforward to do, the steps seem to be shrouded in mystery. We’ll clear it up for you. Here’s an overview:

1. Configure windows to accept remote connections
2. Find the IP address of your Windows PC
3. Install Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) software on Raspbian
4. Install a remote desktop app on Raspbian
5. Connect to your PC via your Raspberry Pi

In just five steps you can set up a remote desktop connection from your Raspberry Pi to your PC.

Step 1: Configure Windows for Remote Connections

The first step is to ensure Windows can accept incoming remote connections using the RDP protocol. To ensure this, you’ll need to enable the Remote Assistance setting.

Open Windows Explorer, then find This PC. Right-click, then select Properties; in the System window, find Remote settings.

Here, you’ll find the Allow Remote Assistance connections to this computer checkbox. Click to add a check, then Apply to confirm. Note that there is an Advanced button, which you should also click. Check the Allow this computer to be controlled remotely box, then OK.

Click OK to close the Properties box, then exit the System window.

Step 2: Find the Windows Device IP Address

Next, you need to find the IP address of your Windows computer. You have several options here.

Perhaps the easiest is to ask. Right-click the Start button and select Windows PowerShell. When the blue command line window opens, enter

ipconfig

Check the list for your current connection; Wi-Fi will be listed as a Wireless LAN Adapter, whereas Ethernet will be listed as such.

If this is too complicated, the alternative is to access your router through your web browser. You’ll need to check the router documentation for how to do this, but once connected it’s possible to see a list of devices connected to your home network.

Look for the hostname of your PC (via the System window that you opened earlier to enable Remote Assistance) and you’ll find the IP address. It will typically be in the format 192.168.0.x or 192.168.1.x.

When you’ve found the IP address, jot it down for later.

Step 3: Install RDP Software on Raspberry Pi

It’s time to turn your attention to your Raspberry Pi. With the little computer booted up (presumably with a keyboard and mouse attached) and connected to your local network, open the Terminal and update Raspbian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Enter these commands in turn, and follow any prompts that are displayed. When done, your Raspbian system will be up-to-date. Once complete, restart the Pi with:

sudo reboot

When the little computer reboots, start a new Terminal session. This time, install xrdp with:

sudo apt install xrdp

Once again, follow the prompts until the software is installed.

Step 4: Find and Install a Remote Desktop App

Several remote desktop tools are available for Linux distributions. These can handle one or many of the various protocols that can be used to remote control another machine.

However, the best option—certainly for the Raspberry Pi—is probably Remmina, which supports RDP, VNC, SPICE, NX, XDMCP, SSH and EXEC.

To install Remmina, return to the Terminal and enter:

sudo apt install remmina

Follow the prompts, and wait for completion. You can find out more about Remmina at remmina.org.

Step 5: Connect to Your PC With Remmina

You’re about ready to start accessing your Windows PC remotely from your Raspberry Pi. To do this, open Remmina via the single Terminal command:

remmina

You might even launch it from the Internet menu.

A new window will appear, so find the space to enter the IP address, ensuring that RDP is selected as the protocol.

When you’re ready, click Connect, and wait as the connection is established. A few moments later, you’ll be accessing your Windows desktop from within Raspbian (or whatever your chosen Raspberry Pi operating system might be).

Tweaks to the connection (including adjusting quality) can be made via the Edit > Preferences window.

Remote Control a Windows PC With Raspberry Pi

With your Windows 10 computer now accessible from your Raspberry Pi, any number of options are available. You might check emails, or access the PowerShell command line remotely. You might need to access game settings if you’re managing a game server on your Raspberry Pi.

Basically, any task that requires your presence in two places can be completed. However, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to attempt play video games on your PC via your Raspberry Pi in this way. The frame rate will prove a problem. (If you want to do that, try streaming from PC to TV via Raspberry Pi.)

Meanwhile, it’s also possible to remote connect from Windows to other Linux computers.

Read the full article: How to Remote Connect to a Windows PC From a Raspberry Pi

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15 of the Best Courses on Udemy for Self-Improvement

These days, you can learn a whole lot without ever going to school, all through the magic of self-directed learning and Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs). You have so many online education sites to choose from today.

One of the most highly recommended options is Udemy. Not only does it have 22,000+ courses already available, but Udemy continues to add around 800 courses every month.

With so many courses, you might be wondering which ones are actually worth taking. Well, we can help! If you’re looking for a healthy dose of personal growth, here are the best self-improvement courses on Udemy that we recommend.

1. Become a SuperLearner 2: Learn Speed Reading & Boost Memory

Total students enrolled: 73,000+
Course length: 5 hours
Key lesson: How to improve your memory and read better.

In our schools, we are not taught the most fundamental subject of all: how to learn. Once acquired, this meta-skill can help you tackle tough subjects without stress.

Speed reading isn’t great for retaining information, but it can be a useful filter when you want to sift the essential information from the garbage. The SuperLearner course is regularly updated with methodologies to improve your speed reading and visual memory skills.

2. Master Your Brain: Neuroscience for Personal Development

Total students enrolled: 17,000+
Course length: 2.5 hours
Key lesson: Understand how your brain works in everyday situations.

Cognitive sciences have come to the fore because of groundbreaking research for solutions against everyday stresses, lack of motivation and willpower. You can take this online course if you have a keen interest in human behavior.

This course will help you look back at your own personal history, prejudices, and belief systems. Real world applications are explained with concrete examples and practical exercises. For instance, you will learn how to “switch off” your stressed brain with a cognitive trick.

3. Your Soul Is Calling: Creating Your Ideal Life

Total students enrolled: 4,000+
Course length: 7.5 hours
Key lesson: Make specific changes in your life by understanding the relationship between your body and mind.

Change has to come from within. This course is a step-by-step guide to help you get in touch with your inner feelings and the beliefs that may be feeding them. It’s not a whammy formula as self-awareness and mindfulness have been scientifically tied to life growth.

Each section of the course explores a specific concept and it is recommended that you take your time through it.

4. Meditation for Beginners: How to Meditate Deeply & Quickly

Total students enrolled: 16,000+
Course length: 3 hours
Key lesson: How to start a meditation habit in just a few minutes a day.

Meditation and mindfulness are rooted in Eastern thought and philosophy. There’s a galaxy of meditations apps out there to confuse you. This course can help every beginner clear the confusion around the simple practice.

One of the sections will explain the four types of meditation while at each step you will be guided on how to develop a consistent meditation habit.

5. Learn Optimal Sleep to Improve Your Health, Energy, and Mind

Total students enrolled: 23,000+
Course length: 1.5 hours
Key lesson: Learn how to improve your diet, exercise, morning and evening habits for optimal sleep.

One of the first victims of modern day stress has been our sleep. In 2013, Gallup found that Americans average 6.8 hours of sleep at night, down more than an hour from 1942. It’s not going to change soon unless you cause a small blip by changing your sleep habits.

It’s a short sleep hacking primer course, but the exercises might help you achieve a state of deep sleep or tap into the power of napping.

6. The Complete Presentation and Public Speaking/Speech Course

Total students enrolled: 37,000+
Course length: 16 hours
Key lesson: Learn everything on how to give the perfect professional presentation.

Public speaking and presentations are often cited among the top fears. We all have a touch of glossophobia (or speech anxiety). If there’s a word for it, then there must be a cure for it too. And it can be summed up in one word: preparation.

The Complete Presentation and Public Speaking/Speech Course is a bestselling course on Udemy. The course is exhaustive with 12 parts (or “Acts”) that will prep you in the art of public speaking and presentation design.

7. Body Language for Entrepreneurs

Total students enrolled: 30,700+
Course length: 5.5 hours
Key lesson: How to convince and persuade with non-verbal communication.

In a popular TED Talk, American social psychologist Amy Cuddy said, “Don’t fake it till you make it. Fake it till you become it.”

Power posing has its detractors, but can anyone refute the fact that slouching subtracts from your confidence while an upright pose adds something to it? Her second message was that to convince others, you have to convince yourself first.

This is where this body language course can help you land and make the most of non-verbal cues.

8. Persuasion Masterclass: How to Powerfully Influence Anyone

Total students enrolled: 3,100+
Course length: 3 hours
Key lesson: How to communicate better with positive persuasion methods.

Persuasion is a vital meta-skill that can not only make you a better communicator but also lift you with confidence. Even online you may need to ask for favors or challenge viewpoints. Entrepreneurs and even parents need to learn how to influence a thought.

Take a look at the seven most powerful personality traits and the secrets of persuasive messages. There are worksheets to help you practice before you head outside the door.

9. Personal Finance Masterclass: Easy Guide to Better Finances

Total students enrolled: 27,000+
Course length: 7 hours
Key lesson: Change your financial beliefs and learn how to make your money work for you.

Money compounds. And time is the only ingredient you need to add to it. That’s the secret of personal finance which we often ignore because we think that there’s always tomorrow. It’s one belief that this bestselling finance course on Udemy seeks to change.

Make yourself financially secure with the help of a smart budget that chips away at your loans, credit card debts, and save for retirement with common sense instructions.

10. Acumen Presents: Elizabeth Gilbert’s Creativity Workshop

Total students enrolled: 15,500+
Course length: 1 hour
Key lesson: How to pursue your creative projects with practical tips and tools.

Maybe you are sitting here burned out. Only your own creative motivation can pull you out of the rut. But you need to find it with conscious effort. This course can help you identify that driving force by giving you a purpose map.

Do the exercises and find inspiration in the three case studies of people who are caught in a similar trench. The creator of this workshop, Elizabeth Gilbert, has also done multiple TED Talks and wrote the book Eat, Pray, Love.

11. Mini Habit Mastery: The Scientific Way to Change Your Habits

Total students enrolled: 13,700+
Course length: 3.5 hours
Key lesson: Break bad habits and develop good ones with this simple strategy.

Ditch massive resolutions. Take it one tiny step at a time. This is the essence of achieving any goal. Mini-habits (or micro-habits) can help you make effective changes to your lifestyle without the burden of overwhelming expectations.

You can take this quick course over the weekend and start attacking your own bad habits from Monday to beyond.

12. Neuroscience for Parents: How to Raise Amazing Kids

Total students enrolled: 6,500+
Course length: 2 hours
Key lesson: Improve your parenting skills with the help of psychology and behavioral science.

Self-improvement cannot be in isolation if you have a family. Your biggest win could lie in the way you raise your kids. This course seeks to make the hardest challenge of all a bit easier with its insights into the human brain based on behavioral models.

Learn how to see the world from both your kid’s perspective and your own as you grab the secrets to better communicate with them.

13. 30 Day Challenge to a More Productive and Much Happier You!

Total students enrolled: 13,800+
Course length: 3.5 hours
Key lesson: Change your mindset by completing all 30 short exercises in 30 days.

This course is a natural follow-up to the one above. Do 30 exercises in 30 days and learn how to boost your productivity and happiness with the simple mind shifts taught here. For instance, the act of being grateful can immediately help you look at any challenge in a better way.

14. Science-Based Bodyweight Workout: Build Muscle Without a Gym

Total students enrolled: 3.500+
Course length: 1.5 hours
Key lesson: Get past a few exercise myths and start a simpler home workout habit.

Fitness often gets bushwhacked when business comes calling. But, you don’t need to lay down a gym subscription to stay fit. Thanks to bodyweight exercises you can keep to a routine anywhere.

Yes, there are umpteen YouTube channels and exercise websites to choose from… but try this course for its bodyweight workout program with exercise videos which keeps its focus on the most essential exercises.

15. Double Your Confidence & Self Esteem: Complete Blueprint

Total students enrolled: 25,00+
Course length: 5 hours
Key lesson: Key strategies for building your self-esteem

We go into self-improvement courses because we want to re-shape the way we think about ourselves. And that starts with our mindset first. So, it’s important to have a map to guide us through the many ups and downs of self-transformation. This course lays down the guiding stones.

You may have heard about some of the advice but the repeated exposure and real-life practice will only help.

Set Your Mind on Your Goals and Succeed

In his classic book “Think and Grow Rich”, Napoleon Hill had said that the starting point of all achievement is desire. Weak desires will bring weak results. So, decide right away if your urge for self-improvement is strong enough.

And then pick one course to begin with. Take one step at a time and stick with it and eventually you’ll end up where you want to be.

Read the full article: 15 of the Best Courses on Udemy for Self-Improvement

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Alexa Cast will let users cast Amazon Music to Alexa devices

Amazon today announced Alexa Cast to allow for better music control on Alexa devices. Users will be able to more easily transition from listening to through the Amazon Music app to listening to Amazon Music on an Alexa device. This is a much-needed function for Amazon’s core services.

Before Alexa Cast, it can be messy switching between listening to Amazon Music on different devices. The service does not have the same sort of controls found on other services like Spotify. It sounds like Amazon is finally building out features that will turn Amazon Music into a legit music service and Alexa Cast is a good step forward.

The service is available starting today. Users need to update their iOS and Android app to access the feature. Just like with Spotify Connect or Apple AirPlay users will need to tap on the Alexa Cast icon and select the device they want to playback the streaming music.

It’s unclear from the initial announcement if Amazon will bring this functionality to other apps or let developers use it.

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Snapchat “Storytellers” program pairs creators with advertisers

Snapchat hopes to boost ad spend by connecting businesses with its top independent creators, but it won’t take a cut of deals it helps arrange. Today Snap Inc launches its “Snapchat Storytellers” pilot program that will introduce brands to five of the app’s most popular content makers including Mplatco, Cyrene Q, and Shonduras. They’ll star in ads for Stories and Discover or provide creative direction to brands with their expertise gleaned from gathering audiences of millions over the past few years in exchange for cash. Top creators can often earn tens of thousands of dollars or more for deals with brands.

The program is late but a smart move for Snapchat, since it needs to educate businesses about how to make great Stories ads. These often require stylish vertical video that’s a big creative jump from the tiny photo, link, and text ads many are accustomed to, or even the pithy landscape videos they’ve learned to make for YouTube or Facebook. If creators can help brands make great looking ads that perform well, those businesses will be more likely to spend a lot more on Snapchat.

That’s critical for the public company which lost $385 million last quarter and missed its revenue estimate by $14 million when it brought in $230 million. With Facebook’s Snapchat Stories clones from Instagram and WhatsApp depressing Snap’s user growth rate to a measly 2.9 percent (its lowest rate ever), the company will have to figure out how squeeze more dollars out of each user it already has.

Facebook launches Brand Collabs search engine for sponsoring creators

Meanwhile, if Snap extends the program to more creators, it could be a good way to help them monetize and stay loyal to the platform. YouTube has long offered ad revenue shares and Facebook’s ad breaks let creators insert commercials into their videos for a cut of money. Both are experimenting with subscription patronage and tipping options to help creators earn money. Facebook recently launched its Brand Collabs manager that offers an entire search engine of creators that brands can sort by audience demographics.

But Snapchat still doesn’t have any of these options, and its Storytellers program looks half-hearted in comparison. As the social media influencer space matures, many creators are sick of giving away their content for free, and will bring their best work to whatever network helps get them paid.

Still, Snap will take a relatively hands-off approach in terms of how deals between brands and creators are struck. It’s not going to take a cut, nor will creators get locked into exclusivity contracts with Snap or the businesses. Basically, Snap is adding the five creators that include Geeohsnap and Georgio Copter to its Creative Partners list alongside ad agencies and creative studios. If advertisers express interest in a creator, Snap will make an introduction then leave them to work out the deal.

It’s dumbfounding that Snapchat waited this long to launch this program, and it didn’t even come up with it. It was the weirdo “gummy money” former Vine star Shonduras that suggested Snapchat build the program during its first Creators Summit back in May. That shows how out of touch with the creator community Snap was until now. If it can’t grow its user count quickly, it should be doing everything it can to keep creators and advertisers from straying to Facebook’s Stories platforms with a lot more users.

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Snapchat “Storytellers” program pairs creators with advertisers

Snapchat hopes to boost ad spend by connecting businesses with its top independent creators, but it won’t take a cut of deals it helps arrange. Today Snap Inc launches its “Snapchat Storytellers” pilot program that will introduce brands to five of the app’s most popular content makers including Mplatco, Cyrene Q, and Shonduras. They’ll star in ads for Stories and Discover or provide creative direction to brands with their expertise gleaned from gathering audiences of millions over the past few years in exchange for cash. Top creators can often earn tens of thousands of dollars or more for deals with brands.

The program is late but a smart move for Snapchat, since it needs to educate businesses about how to make great Stories ads. These often require stylish vertical video that’s a big creative jump from the tiny photo, link, and text ads many are accustomed to, or even the pithy landscape videos they’ve learned to make for YouTube or Facebook. If creators can help brands make great looking ads that perform well, those businesses will be more likely to spend a lot more on Snapchat.

That’s critical for the public company which lost $385 million last quarter and missed its revenue estimate by $14 million when it brought in $230 million. With Facebook’s Snapchat Stories clones from Instagram and WhatsApp depressing Snap’s user growth rate to a measly 2.9 percent (its lowest rate ever), the company will have to figure out how squeeze more dollars out of each user it already has.

Facebook launches Brand Collabs search engine for sponsoring creators

Meanwhile, if Snap extends the program to more creators, it could be a good way to help them monetize and stay loyal to the platform. YouTube has long offered ad revenue shares and Facebook’s ad breaks let creators insert commercials into their videos for a cut of money. Both are experimenting with subscription patronage and tipping options to help creators earn money. Facebook recently launched its Brand Collabs manager that offers an entire search engine of creators that brands can sort by audience demographics.

But Snapchat still doesn’t have any of these options, and its Storytellers program looks half-hearted in comparison. As the social media influencer space matures, many creators are sick of giving away their content for free, and will bring their best work to whatever network helps get them paid.

Still, Snap will take a relatively hands-off approach in terms of how deals between brands and creators are struck. It’s not going to take a cut, nor will creators get locked into exclusivity contracts with Snap or the businesses. Basically, Snap is adding the five creators that include Geeohsnap and Georgio Copter to its Creative Partners list alongside ad agencies and creative studios. If advertisers express interest in a creator, Snap will make an introduction then leave them to work out the deal.

It’s dumbfounding that Snapchat waited this long to launch this program, and it didn’t even come up with it. It was the weirdo “gummy money” former Vine star Shonduras that suggested Snapchat build the program during its first Creators Summit back in May. That shows how out of touch with the creator community Snap was until now. If it can’t grow its user count quickly, it should be doing everything it can to keep creators and advertisers from straying to Facebook’s Stories platforms with a lot more users.

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Samsung teases Note 9’s extended battery life in new video spot

Based on the many, many Galaxy Note 9 leaks we’ve seen in the past few weeks and months, it seems like a pretty safe bet that the upcoming phablet won’t look all that different from its predecessors. The phablet does, however, appear to have a lot going under the hood.

The most recent piece of news hinted at a massive 4,000 mAh battery — marking a 700 mAh jump over its predecessor. That’s some pretty rarified on-board battery air right there. The first in a series of quick video spots for the handset does appear to confirm an increased capacity, without going into any specifics. And, naturally, it takes Apple to task in the process. That’s just Samsung’s M.O. these days. 

A sizable jump in battery is notable for one key reason, of course. Samsung’s been pretty cautious on that front ever since all of those Note 7s started exploding a few years back. The company apologized profusely, before instituting a bunch of new safety mechanisms in the process. Since then, it hasn’t…played with fire, so to speak.

From the looks of it, however, the company’s August 9 event could change all of that.

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iLife A7: The Best All-Round Robot Vacuum

How to Remove Followers on Instagram

How to Add a Paintbrush Effect to Images in Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 can be a capable tool to create interesting image effects if you know how to combine its features. For instance, in this post, we’ll show you how to give a cool paintbrush effect to any image.

Microsoft PowerPoint does not have a variety of brush styles like Adobe Photoshop. So, here’s the workaround:

First, use a paintbrush font or download a free paintbrush font to your PC. Then, convert the chosen font to a shape and use it to hide and reveal part of a photo.

Let’s do it step-by-step.

Step 1: Convert a Font to a Shape

1. Download a free paintbrush-styled font and install it. For this tutorial, I am using a font called Rush Brush.
2. Open a blank slide and type a capital I (or any other letter if you want). Increase the font size.
3. Go to Insert > Illustrations > Shape. To turn the font into a shape, draw any shape (e.g. a rectangle) that covers the letter. Also, go to Drawing Tools > Format > Shape Outline > No Outline.
4. Select the shape and the letter. Go to Drawing Tools > Format tab > Insert Shapes group > Tap the Merge Shapes dropdown > Select Intersect.
5. The font and the shape intersect to form a new shape. This will be the building block for your paintbrush effect design as you can now tweak it around like any other shape. For instance: increase its size or rotate it around.

Step 2: Create the Paintbrush Strokes

Now, you can group multiple shapes and add a picture or color behind them to create slides with visual impact. The above photo used a picture hidden behind the paintbrush shape.

1. Duplicate the paintbrush shape to assemble them into a pattern. Press Ctrl+A to select all and then go to Format > Merge Shapes > Union and group them as one combined shape.
   
2. To create a mask that will overlap the photo, insert a rectangle. Choose Shape Outline > No Outline.  Then, right-click on the rectangle and select Send to Back > Send Backward from the menu.
3. Now, subtract the font shape from the rectangle to create the transparent hole. Select the rectangle shape first and then the font shape. Go to Format > Merge Shapes > Subtract.
   
4. Choose a color for the rectangle shape that matches the slide color. For instance, white.
5. Insert a picture on the slide. Again, select Send to Back > Send Backward. Now, the rectangle shape acts as the mask for the picture except the subtracted area which works like a frame.

You can drag the picture to re-position area you want to frame.

Microsoft PowerPoint can help you do a lot of things. It’s not to difficult to get to learn Microsoft PowerPoint even when you are a beginner!

Read the full article: How to Add a Paintbrush Effect to Images in Microsoft PowerPoint

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What to Watch on Amazon Prime Video in August 2018

Every month, Amazon makes a bunch of new TV shows and movies available on its Prime Video subscription streaming service. Join us as we look ahead to some of the best new video content to watch in August 2018.

Note: Prime Video is only one of the many awesome benefits of an Amazon Prime membership!

1. Gringo

Gringo is the only new Amazon Original movie coming to the service in August. Featuring Charlize Theron, David Oyelowo, and Joel Edgerton, it tells the story of businessman’s journey from respected citizen into a wanted criminal.

2. Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan

The first of three new Amazon Original series becoming available is Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. John Krasinski plays the role of Clancy in what is the character’s first appearance in a TV show rather than a movie.

3. All Or Nothing: Manchester City

All Or Nothing: Manchester City is a behind-the-scenes docuseries about the English Premier League soccer club. It’s the latest in the All Or Nothing series, which has also covered the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, and the New Zealand Rugby Union team, among others.

4. Agatha Christie

The last Amazon Original is Agatha Christie. It follows the story arc of the novel as a family tries to establish which one of them is a deranged murderer.

5. Blair Witch 2

Also hitting the service on August 1 is the movie Blair Witch 2. It was not as well received by critics as is successful predecessor, but it’s sure to entertain horror fans for a couple of hours.

6. Deadpool 2

The biggest non-Amazon video that goes live in August is Deadpool 2. It’s the sequel to the original and picks up where the first story finished. The movie only arrived in theaters in May, so its appearance on Prime Video just three months later marks an impressively fast turnaround. You can catch it from August 7.

7. The Hurt Locker

The 2009 war film comes to Amazon Prime Video for the first time. At the time of its original release, it won six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. Its director, Kathryn Bigelow, became the first woman to win Best Director.

More Movies and TV Shows on Amazon Prime Video

These seven new shows and films are the ones that caught our eye, but there are more than 50 new releases scheduled to become available. The highlights include The Usual Suspects, Darkest Hour, and Watchmen.

And don’t forget all the great content that’s already on the service, including the best TV shows on Amazon Prime Video you just can’t miss.

Read the full article: What to Watch on Amazon Prime Video in August 2018

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LG Mobile’s losses continue but now sales are falling too

Korean electronics giant LG is soaring to new heights, but its mobile division continues to lag well behind the rest of the company and the signs aren’t promising.

LG’s latest financials released today recorded another quarter of success with operating profit jumping 16 percent year-on-year to hit KRW 771 billion ($715.1 million) as overall sales rose 3.2 percent across the group. LG said its sales and profit for the first half of 2018 are at all-time highs but — and you knew a but was coming… — its smartphone division remains a significant loss-maker.

The company’s mobile and communications division — which houses LG Mobile — posted yet another quarter in the red. Sales of KRW 2.07 trillion ($1.92 billion) represented an annual drop of 23 percent, while the division carded an operating loss of KRW 185.4 billion, or $171.95 million.

That’s compared to a quarterly profit of KRW 407 billion ($377.48 million) for LG’s home entertainment business and a KRW 457.2 billion ($424.04 million) profit for its home appliance unit, which are LG’s two stand-out business units.

There’s nothing new here, losses are commonplace for LG Mobile.

It hasn’t been break-even or profitable since 2014. Those losses have been cut by some degree since the company shook up the division with new leadership in November 2017, but there’s plenty to worry about with sales dipping noticeably over the past two quarters of business.

This time around in Q2, LG put its mobile losses down to “the slowing growth of the global smartphone market and a decline in mid- to low-end smartphone sales in Latin America.” While it claimed that the size of the operating loss was down to investments in sales and marketing ahead of the release of its next flagship devices.

There’s a hint a reorganization — perhaps even layoffs — as the company added that it would “seek to further improve its business structure” as it aims prepares to push its LG G7 ThinQ and LG V35 ThinQ devices worldwide and get ready for those new launches.

More changes are on their way, you’d imagine, as LG is surely looking for a way to stem the bleeding but also retain a mobile business has certainly been iconic despite its struggles in recent times. Perhaps the answer is a downsizing in a similar style to Sony in 2016. Back then, the Japanese firm was losing even more than LG is per quarter but it began to be more strategic with its new device launches and target sales markets. The end result of that strategy was an end to the big losses and a more sustainable mobile business.

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What Is the Default Username and Password for Raspberry Pi’s Raspbian?

Like many devices, the Raspberry Pi (with all the glory of standard Raspbian) comes with a default password. And as you probably know, leaving the default password on anything is incredibly insecure.

Since it’s easy to find the stock credentials for all sorts of devices online, anyone with malicious intent will certainly try them first. If you forgot the default password for your Raspberry Pi, or never changed it, we’ll show you what you need to know.

The Default Username and Password on Raspbian

According to RaspberryPi.org, the default username on Raspbian is pi and the default password is raspberry.

To protect your Raspberry Pi from online threats, you should immediately change the default password. The latest versions of Raspbian prompt you to do this upon installing, but you might still be using the default if you installed a while ago.

Here’s how to change your password on Raspbian:

When logged in, open a Terminal window. Enter the passwd command and press Enter. The system will prompt you to confirm your current password. After this, enter your new password twice, pressing Enter after each entry. As is the Linux standard, you won’t see any characters while entering this password.

If everything worked properly, you’ll see a password updated successfully message. This means that you’re good to go with the new password. Make sure you remember it!

For reference, if you ever need to remove the password from an account on your Raspberry Pi, you can use the command sudo passwd [USER] -d. Of course, it’s wise to keep a password on all accounts.

Changing the default password is only one of the many ways you should ensure that your Raspberry Pi is secure, so take a moment to check yours.

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