7 Photography Projects That Could Change The Way You Look At Selfies

The “selfie” really came into its own in 2013 with word mavens finally giving it a place in the dictionary. The year probably saw the best of such self-expression which my friend Dave duly recorded in his curation of the best, worst, & funniest selfies of 2013. The Kim Kardashians of the world can get away with non-artsy but “arse-y” selfies, but the rest of the world has to put some thought into self-portrait shots and make sure there’s something more than a mirror involved for the sake of creativity. Yes, there is a right way to take self-shots; but...

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Wikipedia Introduces A Draft Feature For New Articles

Wikipedia seems to be determined to raise their accuracy standards, because they are now introducing the ability to write a page in “draft” mode. Similar to WordPress (which MakeUseOf and millions of other sites are published on), you can work on an article and save it in draft mode, not publishing it until it is truly ready for prime-time. For those of you who have published on Wikipedia in the past (especially those of you who have started new pages), you know getting it right is absolutely essential. Accuracy is extremely important, and the Wikipedia editors are always monitoring new...

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Best Modern PDF Reader: Windows 8 Default Or Adobe Reader Touch?

The default PDF reader that comes pre-loaded with Windows 8/8.1 isn’t bad, but it has some stiff competition coming from Adobe with their Windows 8 version of Adobe Reader. Both of these apps have their advantages and disadvantages, but which should you use on your Windows 8 device? Reader By default, opening up a PDF in Windows 8/8.1 opens up the aptly-named Reader app. It’s a pretty basic PDF reader, but I’ve actually grown to like it; it’s perfect for sketching notes in the corner. As seen below, page numbers will appear in the upper left as you scroll onto...

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Create Windows To Go USB Drive Without Enterprise Edition

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As you would know, Windows To Go feature is available only in the Enterprise edition of Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. That is, in order to install Windows 8/8.1 on a USB drive and run Windows 8/8.1 from a USB drive, you need to have installed the Enterprise edition of Windows 8/8.1. In other words, […]

10 Technology Predictions For 2014 [We Ask You Results]

Technology is always evolving, always improving, always changing to suit the needs of the world and its inhabitants. Just 20 years ago the Internet was fledgling technology, and it was only five years ago that smartphones were beginning their long ascent to (near-) ubiquity. As 2013 draws to a close and 2014 opens with expensive fireworks displays in major cities around the world, we here at MakeUseOf are looking to the future. We recently asked you to stare into your crystal balls and mystically gaze into the swirling clouds until a vision of the future became clear. Your Best Predictions...

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Happy New Year From Google!

Mr. Jingles, the Google+ mascot, has some special yellow glasses for the New Year's party. It's a joyful way to wish everyone a Happy New Year.



"I'll be up late tonight looking forward to 2014. Have fun and stay safe tonight," says Mr. Jingles.

Click the icon and you should see some fireworks. Here's the animation:

And here's the disco doodle from the Google homepage:

Happy New Year!

Mount and Use .IMG Files With These Free Tools

Don’t let the terminology mislead or turn you off! .IMG files are useful for everyone who uses software or game CDs / DVDs on a regular basis. Let’s take a look at what an .IMG file is, what you can do with .IMG files, and some tools to help you make the most of them. What is an .IMG File? You may have guessed that an .IMG file type is an image file of some sort. However it’s not about photographs or pictures. No, the kind of image we are talking about is a copy of a disk, whether it...

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Netflix Showdown: Windows 8 Modern App Vs. Desktop Version

Netflix is a fantastic service, but users on Windows 8 have multiple options for enjoying it. Should you go with the modern-styled Windows 8 app, or the desktop version accessible in the browser? Well, both have their pros and cons. For the most part, the Windows 8 app will be a simpler, dumbed down version of Netflix on the desktop, with larger buttons that are better for a touchscreen. The Web version, on the other hand, has more features and options, but isn’t as aesthetically pleasing and is difficult to navigate with a touchscreen. If you’re running Windows 8, there’s...

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Windows Defender Uninstaller: Completely Uninstall Or Remove Windows Defender From Windows 7

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Windows Defender, the free security software that ships with Windows operating system, provides basic protection against malware and spyware. The enhanced version of Windows Defender in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 includes almost all features of Microsoft Security Essentials and offers protection from viruses, malware and spyware. Users who prefer using third-party security solution like […]

Should Parents Spy On Their Kids? [MUO Debates]

Do you spy on your kids? If so, why? If not, why not? This is the question at hand today. These are the questions that we're going to explore in this debate.

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How to Delete Auto Backup Photos

If you've tried the Auto Backup tool and you want to delete your photos, it won't be easy. You can go to the Auto Backup section of Google+ Photos, mouse over a photo, click the "tick" icon, select photos one by one and click "Delete". That's great if you only have a few photos, but not if you have thousands of photos.



Fortunately, there's a better way:



1. go to Google+ Photos, click "More" and pick "Albums"



2. add /camerasync to the URL in the address bar and press Enter. You should get something like:



https://plus.google.com/photos/+YourName/albums/camerasync

3. click "Select" below "Photos from Auto Backup". After a few seconds, Google will select the last 2000 photos uploaded to Auto Backup. If you have less than 2000 photos, all of them will be selected.

4. click "Delete" at the top of the page. This only moves the photos to Trash, so they're not permanently deleted. If you change your mind, click "undo" after they're moved to Trash.

5. you may need to manually refresh the page (press F5) to see the remaining photos. You'll have to go back to step 3 and select the next 2000 photos and then go to the step 4.



6. to permanently delete your photos, go to the Trash, click "Empty trash now" and confirm this action.

Search by Camera in Google+ Photos

Google+ Photos has a sophisticated search feature, but some of the features aren't easy to find. For example, you can search photos by camera. Use queries like #canon, #nikon, #sony, #apple, #panasonic, #samsung, #nokia to find photos taken using a phone or camera from one of these companies. You can also use the name of the phone or camera, but not all of them work. These worked for me: #iphone4s, #iphone5s, #canonpowershots95, #canoneos, #dsc-w150, #k800i.

Supercharge Your eBook Reading With IFTTT

Remember when finding a good deal on books required sifting through piles of used or on-sale paperbacks? As fun as that was (and still is), it’s pretty time consuming. In the world of eReaders, we’re now used to thinking of a book one moment, and reading it the next. Unfortunately, finding eBook deals can still be time consuming. Unless you find a hack. As you probably already know, IFTTT is just the hack you’re looking for. This great automation service can be used for anything from superpowering Google Calendar to making money, and yes, it can also be used to...

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Google+ Auto Backup for Desktop

The latest version of Picasa for Windows and Mac installs a separate utility called Google+ Auto Backup. It's a simple tool that lets you select the folders that you want to backup automatically and even has support for SD cards. Google+ Auto Backup works in the background, much like Google Music Manager and Google Drive for desktop.

The application uses the new Google Photos icon and, even though it's installed by Picasa, it doesn't have anything to do with Picasa, which has its own syncing feature.

Here's the installer file in the Picasa folder:

When you visit Google+, you'll see this message, which informs you that you can use the search box to find photos and videos from Auto Backup.

By default, Google uploads the original photos and they use your Google Drive storage space. You can enable photo resizing, so that the uploaded photos don't count against your Google Drive storage quota. Photos are resized so that the longest edge is 2048px or less.



{ Thanks, Daniel. }

How To Go Visual With Your Ideas On The Microsoft Research Mood Board

One wouldn’t expect a tool as basic as a mood board to come out of Redmond’s multi-million dollar research labs. The Microsoft Research Mood Board (v1.3) probably grew from the potential that rests in visual communication. If you are not a designer or a visual communicator in any sense, then the concept of a ‘mood board’ is probably alien. But the joyful art of pasting together images and colorful text into collages shouldn’t be. A mood board is a collage of images, color samples, sketches, pasted items or text meant to communicate an idea visually. They are used across disciplines...

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Google+ Photo Search Filters

Google+ Photos has some filters you can use to refine your search results. Just click the search box and you can choose the source of the photos (Auto Backup, Hangouts, Google Drive, posts) or the type of results (Auto Awesome, photos of you, photospheres, videos). For some reason, Google uses hashtags and they don't work well all the time: the #Videos hashtag returns not only videos, but also photos that match "videos".



Here are the hashtags: #AutoBackup, #Hangouts, #GoogleDrive, #Posts, #AutoAwesome, #PhotosOfYou, #PhotoSphere, #Videos. You can add them to your query and filter the results. Google first shows your photos and then the photos from your circles. If you choose the source of photos, Google will only show your photos.

Some cool searches you can try:



- #AutoAwesome (all your Auto Awesome photos and videos and the ones from your circles - if they're public or shared with you)



- #AutoAwesome twinkle gif (find photos with the twinkle effect)



- #AutoAwesome motion gif (find photos with the motion effect)



- #AutoAwesome snow gif (find photos with the snow effect)



- #PhotoSphere (show panoramic images uploaded from Nexus devices)



- #AutoBackup (quickly find the photos from your mobile devices).

How To Negotiate Syndication Deals And Protect Your Search Rankings

Let’s say you ask two friends for financial advice. The first friend works at a fast-food restaurant, but is a self-proclaimed financial genius. The second friend is modest, but ten different people have told you he’s a financial wizard, and he has given you fantastic advice in the past. Which advice would you take more seriously? The truth is that links on the Internet are like credibility in real life. The more credible people who legitimately link to you, the more you are “viewed” by search engines as an influential source of information on the Web. However, you have to...

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Technophilia 94 Live From MakeUseOf

This week on Technophilia, MakeUseOf’s Chief Visionary Officer Jackson Chung sits down with the crew to discuss the latest in technology nonsense. News is a little slow this week, so we’ll talk about some of the biggest new gadgets and news stories that broke over the last 356 days. Media Temple is offering MakeUseOf readers a special 20% discount off their web hosting — choose from their GRID shared hosting, Dedicated virtual private servers, or DV Enterprise dedicated hosting and enter the code “makeuseof20” at checkout. The discount is valid for all hosting plans, and will take 20% off the...

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Ashampoo Snap 7 Review: Easy Screenshot And Video Capture

Taking screenshots or video of your desktop seems like it should be a simple task but, when you actually try it, you quickly realize it’s not. Sure, print screen works fine, but what if you want to capture only a specific portion of the screen, capture multiple shots successively, or capture video? Windows doesn’t have any features or software that can handle these needs. That’s where Ashampoo’s Snap, recently updated to version 7, comes in. This software promises to provide a simple, all-in-one solution for desktop image and video capture. You’ll have to pay $19.99 for the full version, however,...

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How To Safely Upgrade To Windows 8.1

Are horror stories of how Windows 8.1 upgrades went horribly wrong keeping you from upgrading yourself? Yet you wish you could access some of Windows 8.1′s novelties, like better SkyDrive integration, improved desktop features, or you name it. This article summarizes the lessons we have learned, to help you navigate the potential pitfalls of upgrading to Windows 8.1, including a safety net that — in case things do go wrong — will allow you to return to Windows 8, as if nothing ever happened. Make Sure Your Software & Hardware Is Compatible With Windows 8.1 Some people have faced problems...

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