The 10 Best Apple Watch Complications You Must Use

Apple Watch complications are a great way to get information from your favorite iPhone apps at a glance on your Apple Watch. With the added display real estate on the Apple Watch Series 4, complications can now do and show more than ever before.

Here are several Apple Watch complications that are worth a place on your primary watch face.

1. Dark Sky

Dark Sky is one of the best hyper-local weather apps available. It provides up-to-the-minute weather for your specific location that’s almost always on the money.

The Dark Sky complication shows you the most important weather information on your watch face. Every option gives you the current temperature, as well as up-to-date weather conditions. Larger complications also include information such as temperature highs and lows, and even sunset times.

Download: Dark Sky ($4)

2. Just Press Record

Using your iPhone to take notes or dictation is fine, but you have to stop what you’re doing, take out your iPhone, and start tapping away. With Just Press Record, your iPhone can stay where it is during the recording process.

Simply tap the red circle and your Apple Watch will start recording almost instantly. Everything you record is not only synced straight to the iPhone app, but also transcribed.

Download: Just Press Record ($5)

3. ActivityTracker

One of the big selling points of the Apple Watch is its fitness tracking capabilities. It’s a little bizarre, then, that there’s no native way of displaying your step count on your watch face.

Thankfully, there’s an app to fill in the gap. ActivityTracker takes data directly from your Apple Health app and lets you display your step count as a complication,. This is a real game-changer when you’re trying to hit a specific step goal, as you’re able to monitor your progress in real time as you work out.

You can also choose to display calories, distance, active time, and floors climbed.

Download: ActivityTracker (Free, premium version available)

4. Things 3

There are a lot of great to-do apps for iPhone. Things 3 stands as one of the best, and its Apple Watch complications make it even better.

The complications can show a progress bar to indicate how many tasks you’ve completed for a day. Some faces will display the next task in your list; the Modular face can show as many as three. You can also mark tasks as complete directly from your watch.

Download: Things 3 ($10)

5. HeartWatch

Another great health feature of the Apple Watch is the built-in heart rate monitor. The native Heart Rate complication does a good job of showing your current heart rate, but HeartWatch takes this a step further.

You can see your current heart rate as well as your minimum and maximum heart rates for the day. Some complications include your average heart rate too, which is great for fitness enthusiasts. There’s also a color-coding system—if the ring around your complication is red, it means your heart rate is elevated.

This complication sits nicely with some of the best Apple Watch fitness apps on the market—it’ll monitor your heart while you sleep, work out, and even while you rest, too.

Download: HeartWatch ($3)

6. Streaks

Streaks is a to-do list app that focuses on tracking how many days in a row you complete each task. It’s a great way to motivate yourself as once you’ve built up a long streak, you don’t want to break it.

The simplest complication shows six dots that turn from orange to gray when you’ve completed each task. You can mark a task as complete directly on your watch, as well as starting the timers for duration-based tasks. Larger complications will also show the name of an incomplete task on the face.

Download: Streaks ($5)

7. Fantastical 2

Fantastical 2 is already one of the best calendar apps for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. With the Apple Watch complication, you can be sure that you’ll never miss another appointment again.

At first glance, it appears quote similar to Apple’s Calendar app, allowing you to see the date as well as the name of appointments on larger complications. Dig a little deeper, and you’ll find that there’s a lot more on offer with Fantastical 2.

You can see how long your current event is going to last, even in small complications which show the information as a slowly-shrinking ring. Most useful of all, tapping on the complication followed by a force touch allows you to add a new appointment by voice command.

Download: Fantastical 2 ($5)

8. WaterMinder

If you’re concerned that you don’t drink enough water, WaterMinder makes for a great addition to your favorite Apple Watch face. You can set up a target of how much water you want to drink and count it off throughout the day, all from your watch.

The smaller complications give you another ring you can aim to close by the end of the day. Larger ones give you a percentage of your total in addition to the amount remaining for that day. Tap on the complication and you can add one of the preset amounts, or input one of your own.

Download: WaterMinder ($5)

9. iTranslate

If you’re traveling abroad, the iTranslate complication for your Apple Watch could be a lifesaver. Not only will it automatically detect the local language, but will also pop up with useful common phrases throughout the day.

One tap on the complication will launch the app. Tap on the flag and you can either speak or scribble the phrase you want to translate. After a moment, the app will offer you the translated phrase. Click on the speaker icon and your Apple Watch will speak the translated phrase for you.

The translated phrase remains on your watch face, so you can refresh your memory every time you glance at your watch.

Download: iTranslate (Free, subscription available)

10. BatteryPhone

There’s already a native complication for the Apple Watch to show your watch battery percentage. If you want to see how much juice your iPhone has with just a glance at your wrist, then you’ll need something like BatteryPhone.

This isn’t the most refined complication on the list, but it’s a great way to keep tabs on your iPhone’s battery level without constantly having to take your phone out. You can also use the (fairly basic) iPhone app to customize the complication to show both your phone and watch battery levels together.

Download: BatteryPhone (Free)

Make the Most of Your Apple Watch

Complications have always been one of the most practical features of the Apple Watch, thanks to the increased functionality they offer. They help to make your smartwatch even smarter, as well as your life a little easier.

If you’re a new Apple Watch owner, don’t forget to try out some of these hidden Apple Watch features too.

Read the full article: The 10 Best Apple Watch Complications You Must Use

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How to Back Up and Export Chrome Bookmarks in 5 Easy Steps

You save Chrome bookmarks like the little odds and ends buried in a shoebox. The links are meant to be visited often or later. Each of these links can be a precious corner of the web for you. That’s why it’s important to export Chrome bookmarks and keep them backed up always.

Mishaps happen. Fortunately, Chrome lets you save bookmarks in a single HTML file and also sync them automatically across devices.

So let’s see how easy it is to back up and export your Chrome bookmarks—both manually and automatically.

How to Back Up Chrome Bookmarks to an HTML File

Chrome makes it easy to create a manual backup of your bookmarks. It houses them all in a single HTML file which you can import into any other browser or another Chrome profile. Let’s go through the five easy steps.

Step 1: Launch Chrome.

Step 2: Click the Chrome Customize and Control button (the three dots on the top right). Select Bookmarks > Bookmark Manager from the menu. Alternatively, right-click anywhere on the Bookmarks bar if it’s visible.

The Chrome shortcut to open the Bookmark Manager is Ctrl + Shift + O.

Step 3: In the Bookmark Manager window, click the Organize menu button (the three dots on the top right). The select Export bookmarks.

Step 4: Chrome opens the File Explorer dialog box so that you can save your bookmarks as an HTML file. Use this file to import your bookmarks into another Chrome browser or any other browser via its import dialog screen.

Step 5: Save this Chrome bookmarks HTML file in a designated place like the Documents folder. You can export it directly to a connected flash drive too or save it to the cloud on Dropbox or Google Drive.

You can also choose to organize your bookmarks before you export them by selecting Sort by name on the above menu in the Bookmark Manager.

Restore Your Chrome Bookmarks From a Backup

To restore your bookmarks, you just have to import them back into the browser from the same Bookmark Manager window. Click the three dots in the top right corner, then select Import bookmarks.

Chrome will display the Open file dialog box. Go to your bookmark HTML file, select it, then click on Open to import your bookmarks. All your bookmarks will be retrieved.

How to Back Up Chrome Bookmarks From the Hidden Folder

There is another way to manually back up your Chrome bookmarks. You just have to make the effort to locate the hidden folder in your Windows PC or macOS. Then copy and paste the Bookmarks file from the Chrome profile folder to another secure location.

Follow the steps below.

Drill down to the User Data folder on your PC. This is the default location for all your entire browser profile (it includes Bookmarks, Passwords, Extensions, and Settings).

In Windows (Windows 10, 8, 7 & Vista), the default location is:

C:\Users\<Your_Username>\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default

In macOS, the default location is:

Users/<Your_Username>/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default

For both paths, replace Your Username with the account name you use on the computer.

Steps to Back Up the Chrome Bookmarks Manually in Windows 10:

1. Close the Chrome browser.
2. Go to File Explorer and enable the Hidden items view. (You can also do it from Folder Options > View tab)
3. Navigate to the path mentioned above and shown in the screenshot from Windows 10.
4. Copy and save the Bookmarks file somewhere else.
5. To restore, copy the same file from the backup location and paste it in the Default folder.

What if you have multiple Chrome profiles?

If you share a computer, then maintaining separate Chrome profiles with their own set of bookmarks is always better. The User Data folder has a folder for each profile that you create in Chrome. If you only have one profile, that folder will be called Default as you see above. If you have more than one profile, the folders will be listed with the profile names.

What Is the Bookmarks.bak File?

You will also notice that the same location has another file called “Bookmarks.bak”. This is the most recent backup of your regular bookmarks file that Chrome created when you last opened the browser. It is overwritten every time you launch a new session of the browser.

If your Bookmarks file ever disappears or is damaged for some reason, you can recover all your saved bookmarks from this backup file. Just rename the backup file by removing the “.bak” file extension.

How to Sync Your Chrome Bookmarks Across Devices

Your Google account acts as a hub to sync your bookmarks and other browser settings across your devices. If you have multiple computers and Android or iOS devices, you can not only sync your entire profile but also select what you want to include or exclude.

Step 1: Open Chrome and click on More > Settings.

Step 2: Sign into the Google account you want to use with Chrome.

Step 3: Go to People. Click on the tiny arrow for Sync and Google Services.

Step 4: In the next screen, click the arrow for Manage sync. You can also explore the encryption options for added security.

Step 5: If you want to sync everything in your Chrome profile, then keep the Sync everything toggle enabled.

Step 6: Want to sync specific data? Turn off Sync everything and go down the list to enable the profile information you want to be synced.

Optionally encrypt your Chrome bookmarks and other synced data. Secure your data with your Google account’s passphrase or a custom passphrase for extra security. You will need to enter the same passphrase into the Chrome installs for all devices you want the data synced to.

If you use multiple Chrome profiles, you can sign into each and keep all your data synced across devices and your Google accounts. Even if you lose your bookmarks in one device, it can be retrieved with a simple sync.

Manage Your Chrome Bookmarks Well

Click-happy fingers can delete your entire bank of links in one go. There’s no undo button in the browser or the bookmarks manager. You realize how much you miss your bookmarks when you don’t have them (try a browser where you don’t have them around!).

That’s why it is important to know how to save your bookmarks in Chrome when disaster strikes. You can also choose to keep bookmarks synced across all your favorite browsers like Chrome and Firefox.

Read the full article: How to Back Up and Export Chrome Bookmarks in 5 Easy Steps

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Twitter will remove location tagging in tweets, citing lack of use

In an announcement today from its support account, Twitter said it is removing the option to tag locations in tweets. The feature will still be available for photos through Twitter’s updated camera. The company said this is because “most people don’t tag their precise location in Tweets.”

Most people don’t tag their precise location in Tweets, so we’re removing this ability to simplify your Tweeting experience. You’ll still be able to tag your precise location in Tweets through our updated camera. It’s helpful when sharing on-the-ground moments.

— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) June 18, 2019

Twitter users can opt out of location sharing in its “privacy and safety” menu. If you don’t want to share your location details, you should continue keeping the feature turned off since it is still available in Twitter’s camera.

Twitter’s location tagging feature for tweets on its website

While location tagging may not have been a particularly popular feature (and also posed a potential privacy nuisance for people who didn’t opt out of location sharing), it nonetheless had its uses. For example, researchers used it to study large-scale demonstrations, including Occupy Wall Street in 2011 and the 2013 Vinegar protests in Brazil.

After the location sharing feature for tweets is removed, users who want to share where they are can do so through services like Foursquare or Yelp or location hashtags.

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WEP, WPA, or WPA2: How to Tell What Security Type Your Wi-Fi Is

5 Xmarks Alternatives to Sync Bookmarks Across Devices and Browsers

Gone are the days when we used a single browser on our one and only computer. Today, many of us constantly switch between devices as we move around. Keeping all of your bookmarks with you and automatically synced on that many devices can be a challenge.

Xmarks was the popular choice for a long time. There are several other great solutions to keep your bookmarks in sync.

This article introduces you to some of the best alternatives to the Xmarks bookmarking tool that will help you safely sync and access your bookmarks across browsers, devices, and platforms.

Sync Your Bookmarks Across All Platforms

You likely use one of the five most common browsers; Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Edge, or Safari, right? Many people use one on their work computer and another at home, or one for business and another for pleasure. But, often times, you want your bookmarks to stay in sync. If this is you, here are the tools you need.

1. EverSync

EverSync is a terrific bookmark syncing tool for browsers, mobile devices, and FVD Speed Dial users. You can install the browser extensions for Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and Internet Explorer and download the apps for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone.

When you use the browser extension, click the button to start the synchronization. You can then hit the EverHelper Account button to view your bookmarks if you like and to check for any duplicates. Also, you can look for empty folders and import or export your bookmarks if needed.

Individual bookmark management options include saving favorites, deleting, editing, and marking sites as private. And for managing everything with bookmark groups, you can create new folders.

EverSync is available for free, but you can check out the Pro plan if you need unlimited bookmarks, dials, and archiving plus server backups. For a nice tool that covers your computer and your mobile devices, check out EverSync.

Download: EverSync for Firefox | Chrome | Android (Free)

2. Atavi

Atavi is another great choice for managing and syncing your bookmarks. Like EverSync, Atavi also stores your bookmarks for you, but you can access them from any device or browser with an internet connection.

A key difference with this tool from the others is that you use your bookmarks through the Atavi service, which you can set as your homepage.

Whenever you want to bookmark a new page, you do it through the Atavi screen. This way, you can see it on any device or browser once you log in. Atavi also provides a few extra features like themes, bookmark grouping, and favorites. So, it is similar to a new tab tool like FVD Speed Dial.

To get started, you can sign up for a free account using your email address or social media profile. Atavi also offers bookmark extensions for Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Opera. This gives you easy access to Atavi and easy import and export features.

So, if you want something a little different in a bookmark syncing tool that works on any device or browser, take Atavi for a spin and see if you like it.

Download: Atavi for Firefox | Chrome | Safari (Free)

3. TeamSync Bookmarks

While a bit more limited to just Firefox, Chrome, and Safari on iPhone, TeamSync Bookmarks is still a terrific option due to its extra features. As the name implies, you can use this bookmark tool for groups. If you don’t have a group, you can simply use the extension for your own bookmark syncing.

But if you do have a team and want to share bookmarks, it’s super easy. Just sign up for an account and create your first group of four members for free. You can then invite members and adjust their access for the ability to edit bookmarks.

Adding sites is simple once you install the extension. Your group will be added to your bookmark toolbar for both Firefox and Chrome. When you want to add a site, click either your default bookmark button or choose Bookmarks from your menu. Then, pick the group you created and the site will pop into your list.

In addition to the sharing feature, TeamSync Bookmarks integrates with Slack. So you can add bookmarks directly from Slack and notify your group at the same time. For market research at work, team projects at school, or vacation planning for your family, this is a great bookmark syncing extension.

For groups of more than four members, you can also check out their paid plan.

Download: TeamSync Bookmarks for Firefox | Chrome | iPhone (Free)

Mobile Bookmark Syncing Options

Maybe you like to keep things simpler. You want to just sync your bookmarks between your preferred browser and mobile device. Here are a couple of options to check out if this is how you like to take care of your bookmarks.

4. xBrowserSync

For another great bookmark syncing option, xBrowserSync offers anonymity to its customers so there’s no need to create an account or sign in. It works as an extension for Firefox and Chrome and an Android app.

When you’re ready to sync, you’ll receive a Sync ID and create a password so that you can obtain your bookmarks from another browser or device. Then, head to your other spot, open xBrowserSync, enter your Sync ID and password, and that’s it!

The xBrowserSync service offers a few simple settings. You can use your local bookmarks in the bookmarks bar rather than those that are synced. You can also check the service status, view the data usage, and create or restore a backup.

Download: xBrowserSync for Firefox | Chrome | Android (Free)

5. iCloud Bookmarks

Don’t worry Apple users, we have you covered too. The iCloud Bookmarks tool for Firefox, Chrome, and Windows keeps your Safari bookmarks in sync. This is super handy when you use one browser for work and another for play.

The only catch with iCloud Bookmarks for Windows users is that you need to install the iCloud desktop app. But, the good news is that once you do that, you can sync photos, mail, calendar, and task items that you store in iCloud. So, if you are an Apple user and using iCloud already, this is an ideal syncing choice.

If you currently run into syncing issues on Safari, take a look at how to resolve iCloud sync problems.

Download: iCloud Bookmarks for Firefox |Chrome | Windows (Free)

Pick the Easiest Bookmark Tool

You might love a tool like EverSync for the automatic syncing across browsers and easy access. Or, perhaps you like the idea of a tool like Avati that allows you to log in from anywhere, on any browser, on any device. Or still yet, maybe you limit your bookmark syncing to just your mobile device and favorite browser.

Whatever you prefer, however you sync, pick a tool that’s easiest for you. Just don’t forget the virtues of managing your bookmarks before it turns into a black hole.

Read the full article: 5 Xmarks Alternatives to Sync Bookmarks Across Devices and Browsers

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6 Ways to Copy Files Faster in Windows 10

While you probably don’t think much about the copy dialog in Windows, it arguably could be better in some ways. It isn’t always fast when you copy a large number of files. And on Windows 7 and earlier, the entire process stops and waits for your input if there’s a conflict or other error.

Thankfully, Windows 10 doesn’t have this problem. But you can still speed up copying files in Windows in other ways. Let’s take a look at some of them.

1. Master Fast File Copy Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are a great way to work more efficiently in almost any piece of software, and the File Explorer is no exception. For basic file copying and moving, you should get some common keyboard shortcuts under your belt.

The most important ones are the basic cut, copy, and paste operations:

• Press Ctrl + X to cut a file. This moves the file to your clipboard so you can paste it to another location. When pasted, a cut file is removed from the original location.
• Use Ctrl + C to copy instead. Copying is like cutting, except the original file remains after you’ve pasted a copy.
• Ctrl + V is the shortcut to paste. Use this to move a cut file or create a second instance of a copied file in a new location.

These aren’t the only File Explorer keyboard shortcuts you should know. Use Ctrl + Shift + N to quickly create a new folder to put your copied files into. Alt + Left/Right will let you jump to the previous and next folders, respectively. Use Alt + Up to jump up one level in your folder hierarchy.

For a lot more, see our huge guide to Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts.

2. Know the Mouse Shortcuts, Too

If you prefer to use a mouse, there aren’t quite as many tricks for easy copying and pasting. But you can use a few tricks.

Hold Ctrl and click multiple files to select them all, no matter where they are on the page. To select multiple files in a row, click the first one, then hold Shift while you click the last one. This lets you easily pick a large number of files to copy or cut.

Normally, clicking and dragging files with the left mouse button will move them to the new location (the same as cutting and pasting). However, if you click and drag them with the right mouse button instead, you’ll see a little menu appear. This lets you choose whether to copy or move the files; handy if you don’t want to use keyboard shortcuts for whatever reason.

3. Use Windows 10

We mentioned earlier that Windows 8 and Windows 10 feature a much better copy interface than Windows 7 and earlier. It’s faster and provides a graph showing the speed over time.

Even better, if you copy multiple files at once, it combines everything together so you don’t have multiple windows floating around. You can also pause and resume individual processes, letting you prioritize one operation or pause a long transfer while you use your computer for something else.

And best of all, the copy dialog in Windows 10 won’t completely stop if there’s a conflict in the operation. It continues on and lets you respond when you return. This is much better than stepping away for a while, only to return and find that the operation paused ten seconds in.

Microsoft will say goodbye to Windows 7 in 2020. If you’re still using Windows 7, now is a great time to upgrade to Windows 10 and get all sorts of improvements like this.

4. Try TeraCopy

The above are all fairly simple ways to increase your copying speed in Windows 10. To go further, you should install a dedicated copying app. One of the most popular is the free TeraCopy.

This app goes much further than what Windows offers. It uses special algorithms to speed up the copying process. The app can verify copied files to make sure that they’re 100% identical. And if you often drag and drop files by mistake, you can enable a confirmation dialog to make sure you really meant to do it.

TeraCopy has a few other touches that make it even more polished. If you like, you can integrate the app with File Explorer so that all copy/paste operations use TeraCopy by default. It also keeps the original date and time information on copied files.

Of course, the software also intelligently skips problematic files and lets you review them later instead of freezing up the entire operation. Overall, it’s a great tool for anyone who copies files often.

Download: TeraCopy (Free, premium version available)

5. Get Geeky With Robocopy

If you don’t mind digging into the Command Prompt, you can try a handy built-in tool called Robocopy (short for Robust File Copy). While average users shouldn’t need to worry about it, it offers more power for advanced users who need to run complicated file copy operations.

Using it makes running repetitive copy jobs much easier. Those who need a fast copy method over a network will find Robocopy essential too.

To use Robocopy, open a Command Prompt or PowerShell window. The command starts with robocopy and takes a number of parameters based on what you want it to do. Reviewing all of these is beyond the scope of this discussion; check out Microsoft’s help page on Robocopy or type robocopy /? at the Command Prompt for instructions.

If you need to run the same copy operation regularly, consider creating a batch file that you can simply double-click to run. You can even set the script to run via the Task Scheduler so it requires no manual work from you.

6. Upgrade Your Drives to Speed Up Copying Files

While the above are all software tweaks, we have to mention that hardware plays a major role in how fast data copies, as well.

As you probably know, older hard disk drives (HDDs) are much slower than solid-state drives (SSDs). Copying files on an HDD will take longer than the same operation on an SSD. If you don’t have an SSD in your machine yet, consider upgrading to make moving and copying files much faster.

This is also a consideration when copying to or from an external drive. If you have an older external hard drive or flash drive that uses USB 2.0, you’ll experience poor transfer speeds. For best results, use a modern USB 3.0 drive that supports much faster data transfer. You’ll recognize these by their blue coloring; find out more in our guide to USB cables and ports.

Fast File Copying Is in Your Hands

We’ve looked at several ways to make copying files more efficient in Windows. You’ll find lots of other programs that perform a job like TeraCopy, but they’re all pretty similar. Most people should be happy with what TeraCopy offers.

Combined with the other tips mentioned here, you’ll be transferring files in no time at all. If you want to get even more out of your file management, check out the best extensions to enhance the File Explorer.

Read the full article: 6 Ways to Copy Files Faster in Windows 10

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10 Awesome Free Screensavers for Windows

Cool screensavers are a bit of a forgotten art form. That’s a shame; they can make your PC look awesome when it’s not in use.

Alas, it’s time to put the best screensavers back under the microscope. These are our picks for the best screensavers for Windows and they will have your screen looking incredible in no time.

Before You Download Windows 10 Screensavers

Most screensavers for Windows 10—both in this article and elsewhere on the web—are delivered as a ZIP file. You’ll need to extract the contents before you can use them on your system.

Sometimes, your extracted screensaver will be an EXE file; at other times, it will be in the SCR format. If it’s an EXE file, you can install the screensaver on your system by double-clicking on it in the usual way. If it’s an SCR file, you will need to right-click on the file and select Install.

In both cases, the custom screensaver will become available in the list of Windows screensaver options.

And remember, many custom screensavers also have various settings that you can tweak.

To choose the screensaver you want to use and to edit any of its available settings, open the Windows Settings app and go to Personalization > Lock Screen > Screensaver Settings.

The Best Free Windows 10 Screensavers

1. Fliqlo

We’re going to come to some cool “arty” screensavers shortly, but we’ll to start our list with a clock screensaver called Fliqlo.

After all, how long do you actually spend starting at your computer screen when the screensaver is running? For most people, it’s probably not very long at all.

A clock, therefore, seems like a better use of the space. Having the current time immediately on hand is always useful.

Fliqlo has a couple of settings, including clock size and a 12/24-hour toggle.

Download: Fliqlo (Free)

2. Briblo

How do you fancy being able to make buildings out of virtual LEGO when you’re not using your screen? This free Windows 10 screensaver lets you do exactly that.

In truth, the screensaver is a bit like LEGO-meets-Tetris. It would be better if you had more control over the blocks that appeared.

The screensaver even comes with controls that won’t activate your screen while you’re building. The arrow keys let you move blocks; the space bar rotates them.

Download: Briblo (Free)

3. Electric Sheep

Best described as a collaborative art project, Electric Sheep is probably the ultimate custom screensaver in Windows 10.

Let’s take a moment to explain. When you’re running the screensaver and your computer is asleep, it communicates with other computers in the Electric Sheep network to create custom abstract animations (called “Sheep”).

Users can then vote for their favorite sheep. The more votes, the more likely the sheep will reproduce and live longer.

You should only use Electric Sheep if you have a high-bandwidth, always-on connection to the web.

Download: Electric Sheep (Free)

4. Pong Clock

Pong Clock is a cool screensaver that will both protect your screen and provide a bit of light entertainment.

We’re sure everyone is familiar with the classic 2D game, Pong. Created by Atari in 1972, it was of the earliest arcade video games. Gameplay was a simplified form of table tennis, in which the aim was to make the ball fly past your opponent’s paddle.

Pong Clock takes the game to your screensaver. Sadly, you can’t play yourself—it will terminate the screensaver—but you can watch the two computer players battle. There’s also a clock in the center of the screen.

Download: Pong Clock (Free)

5. Vehicle Screen Savers

Vehicle Screen Savers isn’t quite as fancy as some of the free screensavers we have looked at so far, but for anyone interested in vehicles (in the broadest sense), it’s a must-have.

It features beautiful, high-quality images of cars, motorbikes, planes, trains, and boats.

This free Windows 10 screensaver is available in the Windows 10 Store.

Download: Vehicle Screen Savers (Free)

6. Living Marine Aquarium 2

There’s something that’s timelessly classic about a virtual fish tank on your screen. Naturally, it’s calming and soothing, but it looks great too. And a virtual fish tank is also considerably cheaper than the real thing!

Living Marine Aquarium includes 18 species of sea creatures (including fish, seahorses, and crabs), coral, and plenty of bubbles.

This awesome screensaver is also surprisingly customizable. You can choose the number of fish on-screen and also select from three different reef views on offer.

Download: Living Marine Aquarium 2 (Free)

7. System 47

Here’s one of the best screensavers for geeks. System 47 is a replica of the Library Computer Access and Retrieval System (LCARS) computer interface seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

For those who don’t know, LCARS is the primary computer system in the universe of Star Trek’s Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets.

The free screensaver offers eight random animations in total, including the famous Sector Scan, Star System Analysis, and Milky Way Galaxy Map.

Download: System 47 (Free)

8. zz DVD

Ah, the bouncing DVD logo, we’ve all seen it, right? And now for the real question—who has ever seen the logo perfectly hit the corner of the screen? It’s a once in a lifetime event!

If you’ve not yet been lucky enough to witness one of the most magnificent technological sights known to man play out in front of your eyes, you can give yourself a fighting chance by downloading this awesome screensaver.

The color of the logo changes with every bounce.

Download: zz DVD (Free)

9. YoWindow

A screensaver that displays the weather forecast is cool enough, but YoWindow goes one step further. It has a “live landscape” that reflects the real-time weather, sunlight, and season.

If you’re stuck staring at a wall all day in your office, this custom screensaver is a great way to know what’s happening on the outside.

Five days of the forecast are shown on the screen, and you can set your location to anywhere in the world.

Download: YoWindow (Free)

10. Another Matrix

We end with another of the best screensavers for geeks. Another Matrix displays the falling green code as made famous by the 1999 movie.

You can customize the screensaver by changing the code density, speed, and font. Unfortunately, anyone hoping to change the color of the code will be out of luck.

There’s also a fun little Easter egg that you can activate. You can enter your own messages into the Matrix code, and they will slowly become apparent over time. It could be an excellent prank to play on your buddy’s laptop.

Download: Another Matrix (Free)

Which Are the Best Screensavers for Windows 10?

The 10 custom screensavers we’ve shown you in this article only scratch the surface of what’s available. If you have any free screensavers you want to share, feel free to let us know about them in the comments.

And if you’d like to learn even more about Windows screensavers, make sure you check out our articles on how to use a video as a screensaver and how to set up a screensaver slide show on Windows 10.

Read the full article: 10 Awesome Free Screensavers for Windows

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Google will start attributing lyrics in its search results to their third-party providers

Earlier this week, music lyrics repository Genius accused Google of lifting lyrics and posting them on its search platform. Genius told the Wall Street Journal that this caused its site traffic to drop. Google, which initially denied wrongdoing but later said it was investigating the issue, addressed the controversy in a blog post today. The company said it will start including attribution to its third-party partners that provide lyrics in its information boxes.

When Google was first approached by the Wall Street Journal, it told the newspaper that the lyrics it displays are licensed by partners and not created by Google. But some of the lyrics (which are displayed in information boxes or cards called “Knowledge Panels” at the top of search results for songs) included Genius’ Morse code-based watermarking system. Genius said that over the past two years it repeatedly contacted Google about the issue. In one letter, sent in April, Genius told Google it was not only breaking the site’s terms of service, but also violating antitrust law—a serious allegation at a time when Google and other big tech companies are facing antitrust investigations by government regulators.

After the WSJ article was first published, Google released a statement that said it was investigating the problem and would stop working with lyric providers who are “not upholding good practices.”

In today’s blog post, Satyajeet Salgar, a group product manager at Google Search, wrote that the company pays “music publishers for the right to display lyrics, since they manage the rights to these lyrics on behalf of songwriters.” Because many music publishers license lyrics text from third-party lyric content providers, Google works with those companies.

“We do not crawl or scrape websites to source these lyrics. The lyrics you see in information boxes on Search come directly from lyrics content providers, and they are updated automatically as we receive new lyrics and corrections on a regular basis,” Salgar added.

These partners include LyricFind, which Google has had an agreement with since 2016. LyricFind’s chief executive told the WSJ that it does not source lyrics from Genius.

While Salgar’s post did not name any companies, he addressed the controversy by writing “news reports this week suggested that one of our lyrics content providers is in a dispute with a lyrics site about where their written lyrics come from. We’ve asked our partner to investigate the issue to ensure that they’re following industry best practices in their approach.”

In the future, Google will start including attribution to the company that provided the lyrics in its search results. “We will continue to take an approach that respects and compensates rights-holders, and ensures that music publishers and songwriters are paid for their work,” Salgar wrote.

Genius, which launched as Rap Genius in 2009, has been at loggerheads with Google before. In 2013, a SEO trick Rap Genius used to place itself higher in search results ran afoul of Google’s web spam team. Google retaliated by burying Rap Genius links under pages of other search results. The conflict was resolved after less than two weeks, but during that time Rap Genius’ traffic plummeted dramatically.

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The real risk of Facebook’s Libra coin is crooked developers

 

Everyone’s worred about Mark Zuckerberg controlling the next currency, but I’m more concerned about a crypto Cambridge Analytica.

Today Facebook announced Libra, its forthcoming stablecoin designed to let you shop and send money overseas with almost zero transaction fees. Immediately, critics started harping about the dangers of centralizing control of tomorrow’s money in the hands of a company with a poor track record of privacy and security.

Facebook anticipated this, though, and created a subsidiary called Calibra to run its crypto dealings and keep all transaction data separate from your social data. Facebook shares control of Libra with 27 other Libra Association founding members and as many as 100 total when the token launches in the first half of 2020. Each member gets just one vote on the Libra council, so Facebook can’t hijack the token’s governance even though it invented it.

With privacy fears and centralized control issues at least somewhat addressed, there’s always the issue of security. Facebook naturally has a huge target on its back for hackers. Not just because Libra could hold so much value to steal, but because plenty of trolls would get off on screwing up Facebook’s currency. That’s why Facebook open sourced the Libra blockchain and is offering a prototype in a pre-launch testnet. This developer beta plus a bug bounty program run in partnership with HackerOne is meant to surface all the flaws and vulnerabilities before Libra goes live with real money connected.

Yet that leaves one giant vector for abuse of Libra: the developer platform.

Facebook announces Libra cryptocurrency: All you need to know

“Essential to the spirit of Libra . . . the Libra Blockchain will be open to everyone: any consumer, developer, or business can use the Libra network, build products on top of it, and add value through their services. Open access ensures low barriers to entry and innovation and encourages healthy competition that benefits consumers” Facebook explained in its white paper and Libra launch documents. It’s even building a whole coding language called Move for making Libra apps.

Apparently Facebook has already forgotten how allowing anyone to build on the Facebook app platform and its low barriers to ‘innovation’ are exactly what opened the door for Cambridge Analytica to hijack 87 million people’s personal data and use it for political ad targeting.

But in this case, it won’t be users’ interests and birthdays that get grabbed. It could be hundreds or thousands of dollars-worth of Libra currency that’s stolen. A shady developer could build a wallet that just cleans out a user’s account or funnels their coins to the wrong recipient, mines their purchase history for marketing data, or uses them to launder money. Digital risks become a lot less abstract when real-world assets are at stake.

In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook raced to lock down its app platform, restrict APIs, more heavily vet new developers, and audit ones that look shady. So you’d imagine the Libra Association would be planning to thoroughly scrutinize any developer trying to build a Libra wallet, exchange, or other related app, right? “There are no plans for the Libra association to take a role in actively vetting [developers]” Calibra’s head of product Kevin Weil surprisingly told me.  “The minute that you start limiting it is the minute you start walking back to the system you have today with a closed ecosystem and a smaller number of competitors, and you start to see fees rise.”

That translates to ‘the minute we start responsibly verifying Libra app developers, things start to get expensive, complicated, or agitating to cryptocurrency purists. That might hurt growth and adoption.’ You know what will hurt growth of Libra a lot worse? A sob story about some migrant family or a small business getting all their Libra stolen. And that blame is going to land squarely on Facebook, not some amorphous Libra Association.

Image via Getty Images / alashi

Inevitably, some unsavvy users won’t understand the difference between Facebook’s own wallet app Calibra and any other app built for the currency. ‘Libra is Facebook’s cryptocurrency. They wouldn’t let me get robbed’ some will surely say. And on Calibra they’d be right. It’s a custodial wallet that will refund you if your Libra are stolen and it offers 24/7 customer support via chat to help you regain access to your account.

Yet the Libra Blockchain itself is irreversible. Outside of custodial wallets like Calibra, there’s no getting your stolen or mis-sent money back. There’s likely no customer support. And there are plenty of crooked crypto developers happy to prey on the inexperienced. $1.7 billion in cryptocurrency was stolen last year alone, according to CypherTrace via CNBC. “As with anything, there’s fraud and there are scams in the existing financial ecosystem today . . .  that’s going to be true of Libra too. There’s nothing special or magical that prevents that” says Weil, who concluded “I think those pros massively outweigh the cons.”

Until now, the blockchain world was mostly inhabited by technologosts, except for when skyrocketing values convinced average citizens to invest in Bitcoin just before prices crashed. Now Facebook wants to bring its family of apps’ 2.7 billion users into the world of cryptocurrency. That’s deeply worrisome.

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives to testify during a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee joint hearing about Facebook on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, April 10, 2018. (Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

Regulators are already bristling, but perhaps for the wrong reasons. Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown tweeted that “We cannot allow Facebook to run a risky new cryptocurrency out of a Swiss bank account without oversight.” And French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told Europe 1 radio that Libra can’t be allowed to “become a sovereign currency”.

Most harshly, Rep. Maxine Waters issued a statement saying “Given the company’s troubled past, I am requesting that Facebook agree to a moratorium on any movement forward on developing a cryptocurrency until Congress and regulators have the opportunity to examine these issues and take action.”

Yet Facebook has just one vote in controlling the currency, and the Libra Association preempted these criticisms, writing “We welcome public inquiry and accountability. We are committed to a dialogue with regulators and policymakers. We share policymakers’ interest in the ongoing stability of national currencies.”

That’s why as lawmakers confer about how to regulate Libra, I hope they remember what triggered the last round of Facebook execs having to appear before congress and parliament. A totally open, unvetted Libra developer platform in the name of “innovation” over safety is a ticking time bomb. Governments should insist the Libra Association thoroughly audit developers and maintain the power to ban bad actors. In this strange new crypto world, the public can’t be expected to perfectly protect itself from Cambridge Analytica 2.$

Get up to speed on Facebook’s Libra with this handy guide:

Facebook announces Libra cryptocurrency: All you need to know

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6 Slideshow Design Mistakes You Should Avoid in Your Next Presentation

You can make them with Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint, or another program. Slideshows are a reality of the working world. Sooner or later you’ll run into one. You might even have to make one yourself.

If you’ve never made a slideshow before, you might be sweating bullets. How are you, a novice designer, going to put together a professional presentation when asked?

Well, here are some common design mistakes that you should always avoid.

1. Never Use Comic Sans

If you run in design circles, or you have a graphic designer for a friend, you’ll know where we’re going with this. The “Comic Sans” typeface is a meme and a joke.

It is often the default presentation font of those who don’t know its history. The legacy of Comic Sans as one of the most hated typefaces is long and sordid. Simon Garfield, writing for the BBC some time ago, broke it down well:

But why, more than any other font, has Comic Sans inspired so much revulsion?

Partly because its ubiquity has led to such misuse (or at least to uses far being its original intentions). And partly because it is so irritably simple, so apparently written by a small child.

For a full rundown, read the article that’s linked above. The short answer is this: while some of the hatred towards it is overblown and it does have its purposes, Comic Sans was never designed for work. You need to use something else if you want your work taken seriously.

2. Avoid Cursive Script

On top of never using comic sans in your slideshows, you should avoid using cursive typefaces, too.

While cursive writing can make for a beautiful design element in moderation, it can be difficult to read from far away. This is especially true if your slideshow is animated or there is a low color contrast between your typeface and your background elements.

Most people have issues seeing cursive fonts from far away, and that’s simply because they’re not very legible. When you’re presenting your slideshow, you want people focusing on your content and what you’re trying to sell. You don’t want them squinting in an attempt to understand what you’re showing.

So what typefaces can you use, if you can’t touch Comic Sans or a cursive script?

Try sticking to sans serif typefaces: they’re simple to read, modern, and professional. If you’re unfamiliar with what “sans serif” means, check out our explanation on the most important typography terms.

3. Never Use an Image That You Don’t Have Permission to Use

One thing that we warn people about on this site is to make sure that you have permission to use the images that you’re using.

If you’re not a photographer or a designer, you might be tempted to grab the first pictures you find on Google. If you don’t have permission to use these images, however—and you’re putting them in a slideshow that is work-related—you can get in trouble. The copyright kind of trouble.

If you’re using Google Slides, Google even warns you to follow proper licensing agreements when you use their “Search the web” function. So you have no excuse. Trust me, running afoul of this is something you’ll want to avoid.

If you can’t take your own photographs, never fear. Here’s a list of sites that host free, high-resolution stock images.

4. Never Enlarge Pixel-Based Images

Have you ever sat through a presentation where a slide pops up and the picture on it looks kind of… fuzzy? This is because a pixel-based image has been “stretched out” past its maximum dimensions. It looks blurry and unprofessional as a result.

While slideshows can be enlarged on a screen through a projector, when you import a pixel-based image into your slideshow it will be a certain size. If you grab one of its corners to stretch it out to fit the page, for example, it will turn fuzzy and lose details.

If your picture is too small to use it in your slideshow, consider using another.

5. Don’t Place Your Text in a Random Order

It makes sense not to include too much text in your slideshow, but what about where you place the text? Turns out you have to worry about that too. If your writing is all over the place, regardless of how much or how little there is, people will have a hard time following it.

When placing your text, try to follow the normal reading pattern of the eye. If you don’t, people can falter while reading. This will be made worse by the fact that your slideshow is transitioning, or moving, from page-to-page.

6. Don’t Ignore the Importance of “Theme”

Having a cohesive look to your slideshow can go a long way in selling your product. You want things to be sleek and pleasing to the eye.

The best way to put your audience at ease through these visuals is by having a nicely thought out “theme”, or design package.

Themes are usually pre-made designs consisting of matching typefaces, colors and elements that can be repeated throughout your work. They look good together, and when combined these elements will help to create a certain mood or feeling—think “playful,” “calming,” or “serious”.

Without a theme, different pictures and elements won’t match. Your slideshow can look like it was hastily slapped together at last minute. If you’re given the option to use a theme, don’t discount it.

Be purposeful about the type of theme that you use, however. If you use the wrong style for the product that you’re talking about, it can be equally jarring.

Follow a Presentation’s Do’s and Don’ts

Let’s spell out the do’s and don’ts again:

1. Never use Comic Sans.
2. Avoid cursive script.
3. Never use an image without permission.
4. Never enlarge pixel based images.
5. Don’t place your text in random order.
6. Don’t ignore the importance of a theme.

These are some of the most common design mistakes that you’ll find in a slideshow, and you should try to avoid them whenever you can.

Design isn’t the only area of a presentation that you have to worry about, however. Your content and how to talk about your slideshow matters, too.

Check out our list of the most common mistakes that people make in their PowerPoint presentations.

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