Jamf Now Makes It Easy for Businesses to Manage Apple Devices

When most companies reach a certain size, they start supplying employees with computers and phones. Setting up and configuring each of these devices by hand is a big time commitment for any IT department. Jamf Now offers a great alternative. This platform allows you to deploy, manage and protect all your iPhones, iPads and Mac through one simple interface. Right now, you can sign up and manage three devices without spending a dime.

Device Management Made Simple

Once upon a time, office workers would spend their entire day using a single desktop machine. But times have changed, and now we get work done on phones, tablets and laptops. For business owners, keeping all these devices updated and protected can be a nightmare.

Jamf Now is an Apple-focused solution that makes things much more straightforward. This cloud-based platform allows technical staff to configure, update and optimize company devices from anywhere in the world. This includes installing required apps, freeing up disk space and checking on devices.

Better still, your technical team can ensure that security is maintained. Through Jamf Now, you can set up encryption and passwords with a couple of clicks. If a colleague loses their Apple device, you can even lock or wipe it remotely.

Sign Up Free

Normally priced at $2/device/month, Jamf Now is an affordable time-saver for any Apple-minded business. Want to give it a try? Sign up now and manage three devices free forever.

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5 Money-Saving Guides & Apps to be Financially Independent and Retire Early

How cool would it be if you could retire much before you reach your 60’s, and live a fulfilling lifestyle? That’s the goal of the FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) movement. And these apps, calculators, and guides can help you save money for early retirement.

The FIRE movement is a combination of living within your means, saving wisely, and managing your finances. Financial blogger Mr. Money Moustache, who managed to retire in his 30’s, spearheaded the movement and it has now even got a documentary.

You will also need to learn about lifestyle choices and changes, as well as the tools you need to be financially independent. That’s where these resources come in.

1. Financial Toolbelt’s FIRE Resources: Calculators, Guides, and Articles

Financial Toolbelt is one of the best new sites to learn how to save money and reduce spending. It has now added a new section dedicated to early retirement, that talks about many of the common terms you will hear when reading or discussing FIRE.

There’s a set of five calculators that tackle different aspects of financial independence, like calculating costs based on habits or how your investments will grow with compound interest. The more interesting part is the set of articles that explain FIRE.

Through a set of FAQs, Financial Toolbelt lays down the basics of financial independence in simple terms. Go through these first because understanding these is key to every further step in FIRE.

Then read the articles that give you an idea of what living with FIRE would be like. You’ll learn the difference between lean and fat FIRE, common jobs for financial freedom, and how to calculate and use your savings.

2. Our Rich Journey: 30 Day Money Challenge and Other Free Resources

Amon and Christina, parents of two daughters, are beacons of the FIRE movement. They retired at the age of 39, and through their website, show how they managed it and continue to live a full life.

It’s worth your time to browse through the portal to see everything they have on offer. But we’d particularly like to point out four great free resources:

1. 30 Day Money Challenge: This free PDF puts you on the path to being financially independent by giving you one new task every day for 30 days. Through 30 tasks spread across budgeting, investing, saving, and so on, you will set up a healthy financial portfolio.
2. Budget Template: Every financial journey starts with a sound budget. Amon and Christina’s budget template is a fantastic example of how to execute FIRE principles. They also have a helpful video to guide you through each part of how to set up a budget and live off it.
3. Stock Tracker Spreadsheet: One of the principles of FIRE is to invest wisely and live off them. The Stock Tracker Spreadsheet guides you on how to diversify your investments and how much you can afford to spend.
4. Travel Hacking Tracker: What’s the point of retiring if you don’t get to travel the world? Again, as long as you are following the principles of FIRE, you’ll be able to do it. Use Our Rich Journey’s travel hacking guide for pointers.

You have to sign up for the newsletter to download each of these free resources.

3. Nomad List’s FIRE Calculator: How Early Can You Retire If You Move?

Nomad List has become one of the favorite destinations for digital nomads to figure out how to live their lives, hosting a range of different tools. One of the newer tools is a FIRE calculator that shows how early you can retire if you are willing to move to a different city.

This is a piece of advice that you will often hear from FIRE enthusiasts. You will find it more difficult to retire early in a bustling first-world metropolis, due to the high cost of living. But Nomad List’s legions of users have helped create a database of the best cities to live and work in and added figures for true cost of living in recent times.

That’s where the FIRE calculator comes in. First, you pick your current city and add details about your finances, along with your age. You’ll need all the details of your salary, debt and returns, taxes, and so on. Key in those numbers to see at what age you can likely retire in your current city, and then scroll down to see other options.

You will find a long list of different cities sorted by how soon you can retire if you lived there while keeping your current financial circumstances. It also marks recommended cities in yellow for a better lifestyle choice.

4. The Financial Freedom Formula (Ebook): Monty Campbell’s Equation for FIRE

FIRE requires a change in your mindset. If you go by the old ideas of working till you’re in your 60s and retiring with a pension, you won’t be able to achieve financial freedom. For that radical shift, try millionaire Monty Campbell’s free ebook.

The Financial Freedom Formula is an 80-page ebook where he outlines how a combination of demand, conviction, and action will lead to financial independence. Campbell gleans lessons from a variety of sources, both from the world of finance and outside, to explain his formula. It might seem simple after you read the book, but that shift in mindset might not come easily otherwise.

The ebook is not just a treatise. It has practical advice too, including exercises on how to put what you read into action.

If you like Campbell’s approach to FIRE, you should also consider looking at his other guides. Among these, you’ll find crash courses on budgeting, saving money, investing wisely, all of which are key components to early retirement.

5. r/FinancialIndependence: Reddit’s Awesome Community for FIRE

It’s great to read from the experts and use calculators to figure out your own situation. But at some point or the other, you’re going to need to talk to other people who are in the same boat as you. Reddit’s r/FinancialIndependence community is an awesome resource of like-minded people trying to retire early.

Incorporating the principles of FIRE can feel difficult and overwhelming at times. It helps to have a forum of people who have gone through it or are currently going through it, who can give you tips and tricks, or just lend some encouragement.

Additionally, you can get more localized help depending on where you are trying to achieve financial freedom. Each region’s obstacles are unique, and you can learn to solve them accordingly. There are already dedicated subreddits for Australia, India, and Europe, and more seem to be popping up regularly.

The Best Calculators for FIRE

You’ll notice that we haven’t featured many of the popular and highly recommended FIRE calculators available online. For example, crowdsourced cFIREsim is the first tool that everyone will tell you to use.

The thing is, you need to check different calculators based on your approach towards financial freedom. It’s a bit more complex, so check our guide on the best calculators to see if you can retire early.

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You Can Now Take a Virtual Tour of Versailles

Google is now offering everyone the chance to take a virtual tour of the Palace of Versailles. You’ll be able to tour the royal residence, view hundreds or artworks in ultra high resolution, and more besides, all using the Google Arts and Culture app.

What Is The Palace of Versailles?

The Palace of Versailles is the former royal residence of France. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lived there when the French Revolution began in 1789. And it’s now a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most visited monuments in France.

Unfortunately, not everyone can visit the Palace of Versailles in person. Which is why Google has teamed up with the Palace to create an online exhibition dedicated to Versailles, its history, its occupants, and the many works of art contained within its walls.

Take a Virtual Tour of Versailles

Google announced the new effort in a post on The Keyword. The company describes Versailles: The Palace Is Yours as “a new online exhibition for everyone who can’t make it to Paris or who wants to explore this majestic place in a new way”.

While Versailles was already a part of the Google Arts and Culture app, there are now “18 new online exhibitions featuring 340 artworks”. This includes hi-res portraits of the royal family, and tours of Versailles’ most famous rooms.

The headline feature is a new virtual reality app called VersaillesVR. Available on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Valve Index, VersaillesVR lets you wander around the palace alone, exploring rooms, and inspecting hundreds of works of art up close and personal.

Visit the Palace of Versailles in Person

Versailles: The Palace Is Yours is a monumental undertaking. However, even Google admits that “nothing will ever replace the emotion of actually stepping into the Palace.” So the company hopes “this visual immersion might inspire you to do just that.”

We urge anyone who hasn’t visited the Palace of Versailles to take the virtual tour. Not only is it entertaining, it’s also educational. And Google Arts and Culture as a whole is one of Google’s hidden gems that can still surprise you.

Image Credit: Herbert Frank/Flickr

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The 8 Best Fact-Checking Sites for Finding Unbiased Truth

With deliberate misinformation campaigns and the continued prevalence of fake news, fact-checking sites are now more important than ever.

So in the digital era, where news travels quickly through multiple channels, how do you check your facts? Here are five of the best fact-checking websites, like Snopes and PolitiFact, so that you can find the truth.

1. Media Bias/FactCheck (MBFC News)

If you were wondering who is there to fact check the fact-checkers, that would be MBFC. From Palmer Report to Breitbart and even browser extensions like Newsguard, MBFC rates them all.

The website is a bias rating resource, with multiple fake news checking apps and extensions integrating these ratings into their own systems. The site’s reputation means that it has long been a resource that internet users can visit to check the bias in their favorite news websites.

MBFC not only includes reports on the bias of famous fact-checking websites like Snopes and PolitiFact but also publishes a daily source bias check. Factors that they consider include sourcing, biased wording, story choices, and political affiliation.

The site analyzes bias, transparency regarding funding sources, press freedom in the country of origin, and the site’s history of factual reporting. Failed fact-checks and instances of biased language are flagged in each site’s summary.

Finally, MBFC also has extensive lists on news sources with different biases (right, extreme, left, etc.). This includes lists of websites known for conspiracies, pseudoscience, and questionable sources. This helps users know which reports to take with a pinch of salt.

We’ve also included the MBFC News bias rating on each of the fact-checking sites on this list, excluding any sites that have been flagged as including bias.

2. Snopes

MBFC News Rating: Least Biased

Is Snopes biased? According to MBFC, as well as other fact-checking sites, the answer is no.

Snopes started out as a site that mainly dealt with urban legends, myths, common misconceptions, and rumors. However, it has expanded to encompass general fact-checking of viral misinformation, including political statements.

Snopes has been accused of receiving funding from liberal billionaire George Soros. However, Snope’s disclosure page provides a summary of the website’s yearly expenditure and income. Its income is split between its GoFundMe campaign, advertising, its Facebook fact-checking partnership, reader contributions, and shareholder financing.

The website further states:

“We do not accept political advertising, nor do we accept any other form of funding from political parties, political campaigns, or political advocacy groups. We accept contributions directly from our readers and from non-partisan organizations to further our mission. The source of any single contribution we receive exceeding $10,000 or comprising more than 5% of our total annual revenue will be disclosed to the public.”

Meanwhile, FactCheck.org has put its weight behind Snopes; saying it is a reliable source and frequently citing the website in their own fact-checking articles.

3. PolitiFact

MBFC News Rating: Least Biased

PolitiFact is a non-partisan fact-checking website that focuses on political claims made in the US. This includes statements by politicians, political topics such as immigration, and general political news. A global edition of the site tackles stories from other parts of the world.

PolitiFact is a Pulitzer Prize-winning website and was acquired by the Poynter Institute in 2018—a reflection of the site’s commitment to truthful journalism.

The website has a few unique elements that make it stand out from other fact-checking websites. Firstly, there’s the Truth-o-Meter, which assesses the level of truth in a statement. This scale includes levels such as true, half true, mostly false, and even a “pants on fire” rating at the far end of the meter. The site even has an affiliated app called PolitiTruth that aims to test your political knowledge and susceptibility to fake news.

MBFC continues to rate PolitiFact as one of the most reliable, truthful fact-checking sites out there.

4. FactCheck.org

MBFC News Rating: Least Biased

Not only is FactCheck.org a fact-checking website with an established history of journalistic rigor, but it also partners with Facebook to combat viral fake news.

FactCheck is a non-partisan fact-checking website which focuses primarily on US politics. It is also a non-profit project—meaning it focuses on information, not the pursuit of profit.

Not only does the site regularly debunk politician claims and viral fake news, but it also lets users submit their own questions to the website.

5. TruthOrFiction.com

MBFC News Rating: Least Biased

TruthOrFiction.com is one of the longest-running fact-checking sites out there. While it initially focused on looking at internet hoaxes and rumors, it has extended its range to include general fake news as well. This includes political stories and viral content.

The website gives stories various ratings to reflect their reliability. These include ratings such as true, fiction, unknown, decontextualized, or variations thereof. The analyses of rumors or stories look at the origins of these stories, whether there are elements of truth, and where stories may have gone astray (such as decontextualizing truth).

6. Lead Stories

MBFC News Rating: Least Biased

Lead Stories is a lesser-known website that helps users fact-check information. The website debunks fake news across a variety of beats, including entertainment, tech, politics, and international news.

The website also uses the Trendolizer search engine to monitor trending content—using these results to identify trending fake news. Depending on certain criteria, the site then debunks any trending hoaxes or false information using objective sources.

“Generally we will prioritize stories that are most trending or which are very new and which are gaining traction fastest. We might occasionally also tackle a story that has been debunked by another site already if we have more/better information. And if we receive a tip from a reader or spot an obvious hoax making the rounds on social media we might also decide to fact check and/or debunk it if it meets the above criteria,” Lead Stories explains in their methodology.

The site also partners with Facebook as part of the social network’s effort to combat fake news.

7. Hoax Slayer

MBFC News Rating: Least Biased

Hoax Slayer is another reliable website that you can use to check out the latest online hoaxes. It focuses primarily on the type of hoaxes and misinformation shared on social media, such as Facebook scams, viral privacy policy hoaxes, phishing scams, and social network rumors.

The site mostly stays away from fact-checking politicians, considering there are a number of other sites that do this already. However, it does debunk certain fake news stories with a political agenda. One example includes debunking a WhatsApp message that claimed a billboard in Zimbabwe claimed white people can be killed in South Africa with no consequence, encouraging people to get in touch with South Africa’s ruling party to see how.

Hoax Slayer is also a much smaller website than others on this list, owned and run by Australian Brett M. Christensen. Despite this, the site has a stellar rating from MBFC for its factual reporting and neutrality.

8. FullFact.org

MBFC News Rating: Least Biased

If you are looking for a UK-based fact-checking website, Full Fact is considered a reliable source and is endorsed by MBFC. The website is a fact-checking charity, with a diverse range of funding and transparency around income. They even make sure their Board of Trustees come from different sides of the political spectrum.

Full Fact also goes further than fact checks and even provides a fact-checking toolkit. The site also pushes for corrections from publishers when they publish incorrect or misleading information.

Fact-Checking Sites With Bias?

There are a few popular fact-checking websites that do receive high ratings for factual reporting but do not qualify for this list due to receiving a biased score on MBFC.

A few of these sites include:

• Fact Checker by Washington Pos: Left-center bias
• CheckYourFact: Right-center bias
• FactMyth.com: Left-center bias
• Zebra Fact Check: Right-center bias
• ExposingTruth.com: Left-center bias

These biases emerge from the focal point of fact checks (such as fact-checking the right more than the left), or from the occasional use of loaded words to sway readers. While these websites do usually use credible sources, their focus indicates some level of bias.

How to Do Your Own Fact-Checking

While fact-checking websites will help you debunk myths and fake news, you should also aim to improve your own skills at spotting fake news. This will help you figure out the best ways to research topics, avoid confirmation bias, and learn which sites are not credible sources.

Have a look at our guide on how to avoid fake news for tips on spotting misinformation.

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YouTube Music Now Comes Preinstalled on Android

From now on, the YouTube Music app will come preinstalled on Android devices. While this only applies to devices running Android 9 (Pie) and Android 10, it’s another nail in the coffin of Google Play Music, which you’ll now have to download manually.

YouTube Music vs. Google Play Music

In May 2018, Google announced YouTube Music. YouTube Music comes in two flavors: the free, ad-supported version called YouTube Music, and the $10/month paid version called YouTube Music Premium. Both of which allow you to stream music and more.

Over time, YouTube Music is going to replace Google Play Music. However, the inability to import your songs and playlists to YouTube Music is slowing progress down. Still, Google is pushing forward, and YouTube Music is the new default on Android.

YouTube Music Becomes the Default Player

Google announced the switch in a post on the Official YouTube Blog. The company explains that YouTube Music will now “come installed on all new devices launching with Android 10 (and Android 9), including the Pixel series.”

This is at the expense of Google Play Music, which will no longer come preinstalled on new Android devices. However, even if YouTube Music is the default music player, you can still continue using Google Play Music by downloading it from the Play Store (for now).

By the same token, even if YouTube Music doesn’t come preinstalled on your Android device you can download it from the Play Store. So, just like Google’s multitude of messaging apps, it’s currently maintaining a variety of similar music players.

Google Is Pushing YouTube Music Hard

If you have visited YouTube recently you’ll have seen the ads for YouTube Music. They’re everywhere, as Google is pushing YouTube Music hard. So it should come as no surprise to discover YouTube Music will now come preinstalled on Android.

We’re not quite sure what’s stopping Google from completely killing Google Play Music in favor of YouTube Music, but this decision brings that one step closer. And in the meantime we’ve already argued why you should switch from YouTube Music to YouTube Premium.

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How to Convert an Image With Handwriting to Text Using OCR

Do you need to digitize handwritten notes to edit or index them? Or would you like to copy text from the picture of a handwritten quote? What you need is something called an optical character recognition (OCR) tool.

OCR tools analyze the handwritten or typed text in images and convert it into editable text. Some tools even have spell checkers that give additional help in the case of unrecognizable words.

We’ve tested six of the best OCR tools to convert handwriting to text.

1. Microsoft OneNote

Availability: Windows, Mac, Web, iOS, and Android

Microsoft OneNote is a digital note-taking program that doubles up as a pretty good handwriting OCR app.

Right-click on an imported picture and you’ll see the option to Copy Text From Picture. Use this command to extract letters from the image and convert them to text you can edit.

This option works in seconds, and Microsoft OneNote is a free, cloud-based program that you can use across various devices, including smartphones, tablets, and computers.

As with all handwriting OCR apps the results can be patchy at times. On the whole, though, it works pretty well even with harder to read writing. Write your notes in uppercase and you’ll find it to be a more than a serviceable tool.

OneNote is an amazing app. OCR is one of the many lesser known features of OneNote that are well worth trying out.

Download: Microsoft OneNote for iOS | Android (Free)

2. Google Drive and Google Docs

Google has a few tools that can turn handwriting into text, and chances are you’ve already got them.

The first is Google Drive. Open the app on your phone, hit the + icon in the bottom corner and select Scan.

The PDFs it saves aren’t editable in Drive itself, but they are searchable. If you’ve got handwritten notes that you just need to index, this is the ideal solution.

But when you do need to turn handwritten notes to editable text as well, a combination of Drive with Google Docs is what you need.

First up, scan your note to create a PDF doc, as before. Then jump over to your desktop and open drive.google.com. Locate the scanned file, right click, and select Open with > Google Docs.

This opens the PDF as a text file in Docs, and you can edit, or copy and paste the text into another document. It also automatically saves the editable version into Drive.

There’s a third option. The Google Lens app (it’s part of Google Photos on iOS) lets you do search for real-world objects by pointing your camera at them. It works with text, too. Hover your phone’s camera over some printed or handwritten text and wait a few seconds while it gets decoded. Then tap to complete the search.

With the power of machine learning behind it, Google has some of the best OCR for handwriting tools.

Download: Google Drive for Android | iOS (Free)

Download: Google Lens for Android | iOS (Free)

3. Simple OCR

Availability: Desktop only

This freeware tool recognizes approximately 120,000 words and allows you to add more words to its dictionary. Boasting up to 99 percent accuracy, SimpleOCR even identifies formatted text, and it’s possible to set it to ignore formatting, too.

Use the despeckle or noisy document feature if the handwriting you’re converting is messy.

SimpleOCR is a speedy tool, especially since you can set it to decipher whole documents, portions, or multiple documents in batches.

However, the aforementioned accuracy rating is clearly for printed text in pictures and less so for handwritten media. When comparing SimpleOCR with the Microsoft or Google tools, you’ll probably find the latter work better.

Download: SimpleOCR for desktop (Free)

4. Online OCR

Availability: Web

This straightforward website allows you to go through the process of uploading an image, choosing an output format, and downloading the completed file in less than a minute.

Registration is not required for basic use of this free site. You’ll just have to complete a captcha.

However, during a test of a PNG photograph of handwriting to TXT format, Online OCR spit out random gibberish that failed to match the handwriting at all, so use this tool with a grain of salt.

Because it’s cheap and easy to use, there’s no harm in seeing if you get better results. One possible perk of Online OCR is it recognizes many languages.

Try: Online OCR (Free)

5. TopOCR

Availability: Windows only

TopOCR is one of the best pieces of handwriting recognition software.

Using a sourced image captured by a scanner or digital camera, TopOCR offers a dual pane format that displays the original image on the left and the conversion on the right. Expect it to work reasonably well if your handwritten text appears from left to right. If it features columns, the program will likely not be accurate.

TopOCR is efficient, supports 11 languages, and has a PDF export feature. The free trial version is capable enough to enable you to easily verify whether or not it will work for your needs and make a decision about buying the full, feature-unlocked program. One possible limitation of TopOCR is it only works on Windows computers.

Download: TopOCR (Free trial or $4.99 for full program)

6. FreeOCR

Availability: Windows only

Made for the Windows platform, FreeOCR works with images and PDFs. Conversion time is very fast, but accuracy is dismal.

The original technology that runs FreeOCR was never designed to convert scanned handwriting to text. However, some users say after they used the program for that purpose repeatedly and carefully followed instructions in users’ guides and forums, accuracy got better.

Download: FreeOCR (Free)

Free vs. Paid OCR Apps

When you need to scan handwriting to text, it’s hard to look beyond what Google has to offer. It isn’t flawless and depends to a great extent on how clear your writing is in the first place, but is capable of producing some very good results.

One surefire way to get better results is to make sure your writing is easy to read. Check out these resources for improving your handwriting for tips on that.

We’ve focussed on free tools in this guide. Would you be better off with a paid app instead? Take a look at our OneNote vs. OmniPage comparison to see if professional OCR software is worth investing in.

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The Best Zombie Series on Netflix to Watch This Halloween

Are you feeling zombie fatigue yet? Zombies have been on trend for decades. People still love them, and there’s no sign of that stopping. Fortunately, the genre isn’t completely stale, as evidenced by some of the best Netflix zombie series currently available.

If you’re looking for a TV series to satisfy your zombie fix this Halloween, here are the best zombie shows on Netflix ranging from horror to comedy, and from drama to action.

1. Kingdom

Drama, Horror | IMDb: 8.3 | RT: 89%

Kingdom is, without a doubt, the best zombie series on Netflix. This South Korean production isn’t just about survival against the undead—it’s set in medieval South Korea and drenched in political intrigue, class warfare, and cultural insight.

While many zombie shows suffer from long seasons and repetitive story beats, Kingdom is smart and knows the story it wants to tell. The first season is a tight six episodes, and the overall narrative is based on a South Korean webcomic series with clear direction.

Plus, there’s something unusual about the zombies in Kingdom…

2. The Walking Dead

Drama, Horror | IMDb: 8.3 | RT: 80%

The Walking Dead needs no introduction. Even if you’ve never watched it, you’ve certainly heard of it. According to Variety, in 2016, The Walking Dead finished its fourth straight year as the most popular drama in the 18-49 demographic.

But if you’ve never heard of it, here’s what you need to know: a comatose sheriff in rural Georgia wakes up and finds himself in a world overrun with zombies. He sets out to find his family, and runs into all kinds of trouble along the way.

The Walking Dead is well-produced: atmospheric, cinematic, with top-notch costume design and special effects. But the writing is slow and shaky throughout its seasons. Is it thrilling? Sure. Just know that it’s often described as “a soap opera with zombies,” and for good reason.

3. Z Nation

Action, Drama | IMDb: 6.7 | RT: N/A

Z Nation is, in many ways, the exact opposite of The Walking Dead. Whereas The Walking Dead loves to build up and stretch out suspense through slow-burning plotlines, Z Nation is all about action. It’s fast, it’s thrilling, and it will leave you breathless.

If you’re tired of zombies as lumbering sacks of rotting meat, you’re in for a treat. Z Nation pulls its inspiration from films like 28 Days Later, where zombies are rage-filled and semi-intelligent. It’s frightful to watch and fills a hole that The Walking Dead left wide open.

4. iZombie

Drama, Comedy | IMDb: 7.9 | RT: 91%

iZombie is a series on The CW loosely adapted from a comic book series of the same name. The premise involves a medical student who gets turned into a zombie and must eat brains to keep from raging—but also absorbs the memories and personalities of those whom she eats. These memories help her to solve criminal investigations.

The premise sounds silly, but iZombie executes well. The cast is mostly great, the stories are engaging, and it walks a fine line between several genres: crime, horror, comedy, and romance. It still feels like a show on The CW—a bit corny at times and doesn’t have the best camera work—but it’s one of the better zombie series out there.

5. Santa Clarita Diet

Comedy, Drama | IMDb: 7.8 | RT: 89%

Santa Clarita Diet is a bit rough in the first two episodes, but eventually grows on you if you give it a chance. The hardest thing to accept is that this show intentionally goes for its over-the-top, over-acted style of humor that has turned some people off from the show.

What’s it about? Joel and Sheila are a pair of California realtors who wake up one day to find that Sheila now craves human flesh. Santa Clarita Diet explores the comical side of how a husband, wife, and daughter might deal with such a life-changing event.

Despite the over-the-top humor, Santa Clarita Diet is smart comedy. No laugh track, no inconsistent punchlines, and lots of mature character development. It’s one of the best sitcoms to watch on Netflix right now.

6. Dead Set

Horror, Drama | IMDb: 7.7 | RT: N/A

Do you like your TV shows to be more than mindless entertainment? Then you’ll probably enjoy Dead Set, which is an exploration of what might happen on the set of Big Brother if the world succumbed to a zombie outbreak during filming. It’s horror, yes, but also acts as commentary on the state of modern media and entertainment.

Would you expect any less of Charlie Brooker? Indeed, the guy behind Dead Set is also the guy who created Black Mirror, an anthology series about the unintended consequences of new technology. If you love Black Mirror, then Dead Set is one of the next TV shows you should watch.

NB: Dead Set is a five-part mini-series, so you could treat it as one long movie cut into five acts.

7. Containment

Drama | IMDb: 7.2 | RT: 50%

Containment follows the story of an epidemic outbreak in Atlanta, which results in a quarantine that keeps a group of people stuck inside the city as the outbreak spreads. Not a situation you want to be stuck in with an illness brewing all around—doubly so when that illness turns people into manic zombies.

Here’s the thing about Containment: it’s one of those shows that’s hated by critics but enjoyed by the masses. If you’re looking for a thrilling disaster movie-type experience without a care for artistic nuance or original story beats, this show will be right up your alley.

NB: Containment is a 13-episode limited series.

8. Helix

Sci-Fi, Mystery | IMDb: 6.8 | RT: 81%

From the creator of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica comes Helix, a science-fiction show that follows an Arctic research team tasked with investigating a disease outbreak. While infected victims don’t necessarily become zombies, the similarities will satisfy zombie tastes.

Unfortunately, Helix received mixed reviews and was canceled after two seasons. It’s not a bad show per se, but many viewers thought that it tried to do too much and failed to deliver satisfying resolutions. But if you’ve run out of zombie shows to watch and dying for more, it’s certainly worth a try.

9. Black Summer

Action, Drama | IMDb: 6.3 | RT: 75%

Black Summer has a simple premise: a mother is separated from her daughter and will stop at nothing to find her and be reunited. The problem is, the world is six weeks into a zombie apocalypse and she’s going to run into plenty of obstacles on her journey.

Black Summer is produced by the same company behind Z Nation, so if you liked that one and want more like it, you should definitely check this out. There are elements that are different, of course, but it’s an enjoyable zombie drama with enough action to keep you on the edge of your seat.

More Thrills and Chills for Halloween

Halloween is about more than just zombies, you know. There are plenty of other scary TV shows on Netflix and scary horror movies on Netflix to watch to get yourself into the Halloween spirit.

Image Credit: leolintang/Depositphotos

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Need a Lightweight Raspberry Pi Distro? Try DietPi!

Looking for a lightweight Raspberry Pi distro without the burden of a desktop environment? You’re thinking Raspbian Lite, right? Well, don’t. There is an alternative that you need to try: DietPi.

Designed to be light, with excellent and hardware tweaking options, DietPi also comes with pre- configured software ready to install. Basically, if you haven’t tried DietPi already, now is the time.

Here’s how to install DietPi on your Raspberry Pi and why it might just turn into your favorite Raspbian alternative.

Why Use a Lightweight Distro?

Most Raspberry Pi users rely on the latest version of Raspbian. There’s nothing wrong with this. After all, it the original operating system and is designed specifically for the Pi.

However, things have started to grow a little out of control. At the time of writing, three versions of Raspbian are available:

• Raspbian Lite
• Raspbian with desktop
• Raspbian with desktop and recommended software

With more choice comes more software. For a basic experience that eschews the desktop in favor of increased processing power, you might opt for Raspbian Lite. But why might you want a lightweight OS for your Raspberry Pi? Some possible answers:

• Don’t need a desktop
• Focus the Pi on specific tasks
• Make maximum use of the hardware

These days, Raspbian Lite is not the lightest Raspberry Pi OS. In fact, it isn’t even the second lightest.

Enter DietPi.

DietPi or Raspbian Lite: Which Should You Use?

Comparisons are unfair. However, while Raspbian Lite is basically Raspbian without the desktop and additional software, DietPi is so much more.

If you’re happy using Raspbian, then Raspbian Lite is probably going to work great for you. However, if you’re looking for more configuration options (akin to a more mature Linux OS) then DietPi is the stronger OS.

With in-depth configuration options, DietPi can be tweaked to perform most tasks from the command line. This means you can configure the Pi to run at its optimum settings for every purpose. Worried about losing access to the GPIO? Don’t be—DietPi supports the Raspberry Pi’s in/out pins.

Unless you’re looking for an operating system with a desktop environment, DietPi is the potentially the best Raspberry Pi OS. Don’t just take our word for it though— find out for yourself!

Install DietPi on Your Raspberry Pi

DietPi requires the standard method of installing an operating system on the Raspberry Pi. Download the IMG file, use a PC to write it to your SD card, then boot it in the Pi.

While various native and third-party disk writers are available for this, the best option is Etcher. This cross-platform tool simplifies the process considerably.

Download: Etcher

Download: DietPi for Raspberry Pi

Begin by unzipping the downloaded DietPi disk image. Next, download and install Etcher, then insert your microSD card in your PC’s card reader.

Run Etcher and click Select image to find the DietPi IMG file. With this selected, the SD card should be detected. Confirm it is the write device, then click Flash. Writing the disk image typically takes around five minutes.

Etcher will inform you when this is done. Close the software, then open your file explorer. Find the file labelled dietpi.txt then find AUTO_SETUP_NET_WIFI_ENABLED and set it to 1

AUTO_SETUP_NET_WIFI_ENABLED=1

Next, add the following lines:

AUTO_SETUP_NET_WIFI_SSID=

AUTO_SETUP_NET_WIFI_KEY=

Be sure to populate these with the network name (SSID) and password of your local wireless network. Note that you can simply use Ethernet if you prefer.

Once you’ve done this, Save the changes. Then remove the SD card from your PC, insert in the Raspberry Pi, then power it up. It’s time to use DietPi!

Set Up DietPi on the Raspberry Pi

First boot of DietPi may be slower than you would expect. Once it has fully loaded, however, you’ll see the DietPi login. The default login credentials are

username: root

password: dietpi

Logging in will launch the license details. Using the arrow keys, accept this, then proceed to select the DietPi-Config tool. It’s a good idea to change the login details from the default. Use 6: Security Options to select a new password.

With that set up, take the time to look at 4: Advanced Options. Here, you’ll see settings to enable USB boot support, enable Bluetooth, and more. Also, check 3: Performance to access the Overclocking option if you’re looking to squeeze as much juice as possible out of your Raspberry Pi.

If you’re overclocking, you might want to run benchmarks before and after. You’ll find Benchmarks in 10: Tools, alongside the Stress Test utility.

There’s an option to upload the results to DietPi-Survey if you wish.

Great Software Options With DietPi

Several software options are included with DietPi. These are pre-configured and ready to be installed. The command

dietpi-launcher

will take you to a menu of in-epth configuration options, where you’ll spot DietPi-Software.

Select this to find a list of optimized, ready to run software. This includes Kodi, Emby, RetroPie, even a kiosk mode that installs Chromium browser without the desktop.

Once installed, some of these can be configured via 9: AutoStart Options. Here, you can toggle whether the installed application or service boots automatically when the Pi powers up.

With DietPi running, you can use the Pi as you would at any other time. It’s a Linux-based operating system, so almost all the Raspberry Pi terminal commands you already know will work.

Elsewhere on the DietPi-Launcher, look out for DietPi-Update for installing updates, DietPi-Cleaner, and DietPi-Backup for backup and restore. You’ll also find options for LetsEncrypt SSL certificates and NordVPN.

If you run into trouble, meanwhile, some great support documents and a user community forum can help. Find them at dietpi.com.

DietPi: Not Just for Raspberry Pi

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about DietPi isn’t about the Raspberry Pi at all. Sure, it helps to maintain a high level of hardware performance in the device, but if this isn’t quite enough, alternatives are available.

More importantly, DietPi can come with you for the ride. Builds of the operating system are available for a range of devices, including NanoPi, Odroid, Pine, and other boards. There are even builds for desktop computers and VMware, Virtualbox, and Hyper-V virtual machines.

In short, the low-fi, high-performing operating system is available wherever you need a fast, lightweight Linux OS.

DietPi Is the OS Raspbian Lite Needs to Be

Easy to set up and with a wealth of configuration options, DietPi puts Raspbian Lite to shame in many ways. Three times lighter than Raspbian Lite, DietPi can also be easily backed up. A selection of other features single this out as a Raspberry Pi OS you should be considering for most projects.

However, DietPi isn’t the only Raspbian Lite alternative. Several other lightweight Raspberry Pi operating systems are also available. Check them out!

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The Roborock S4 is a Premium Robot Vacuum at a Surprisingly Affordable Price

Our verdict of the Roborock S4:
If you're looking for a quality robot vacuum and want to save a few bucks by skipping the mopping functionality, the Roborock S4 is one of your best options.810

There was a time when robot vacuums were largely a novelty. Sure, they’d pick up some dirt and help you keep your home slightly cleaner, but even the best didn’t work all that well. That was quite a long time ago now, and things have changed.

Now, we actually expect a robot vacuum to perform its job. Even budget robot vacuums can do a passable job of cleaning up. When you’re paying more, you expect a vacuum with serious performance. The good news is that the Roborock S4 delivers on nearly every front.

What’s in the Box?

Open up the box and the first thing that will catch your eye is the vacuum itself, as you may imagine. Alongside this, you’ll also find the dock and power cable. These aren’t the only things in the box, though, as Roborock has also included a few extras.

You’ll find a pair of manuals, one for the vacuum itself and one dedicated to pairing the vacuum with your phone via the app. You also get a multipurpose cleaning tool and one replacement filter, which is nice to see included free of charge.

What you won’t find included is any sort of remote. This vacuum works entirely via app control. The good news is that the new Roborock app can work on multiple devices, effectively giving you multiple remotes.

Specifications

The Roborock S4 has a large dustbin, much larger than some other robot vacuums I’ve seen. I’m not sure exactly how large it is, as I can’t find a size in the manual or on the Roborock website, but it’s larger than the dustbin in the pricier Roborock S6.

One downside is that the Roborock S4 doesn’t have wet mopping functionality. On the other hand, this means that there is more space available for the dustbin and battery.

Battery capacity: 5,200mAh

Charging time: 3 hours

Cleaning time: Up to 3 hours

Dimensions: 13.96×13.77×3.77 inches

Weight: 8.37 pounds

Do You Even Need a Robot Vacuum?

Robot vacuums may seem like an extravagance, but they’re much more affordable than they used to be. They have also gotten much more adept at navigating tight spaces. The Roborock S4 uses LIDAR to navigate your home and can work around some surprisingly complex obstacles.

Even if you don’t think of yourself as a “smart home” type of person, there are some major benefits to a robot vacuum like the Roborock S4. If you’re not sure, take a look at our list of reasons you should clean your home with a robot vacuum.

Build Quality and Design

As you might have noticed based on the weight listed in the specs, the Roborock S4 is solidly built. Unless it somehow knocks a heavy shelf over on top of itself, you shouldn’t have to worry about this vacuum damaging itself. Thanks to the LIDAR mapping, you shouldn’t even need to worry about an unexpected tumble down the stairs.

While all robot vacuums look somewhat alike, the Roborock S4 doesn’t look much like any of its predecessors. Part of this is simply aesthetic, but part of it is practical as well. It looks sleek, with a shiny black design that somehow seems to avoid gathering dust, even during the busiest jobs.

The lid is now semi-transparent, which lets you get a glimpse at the buttons underneath. This is only occasionally actually useful, but it’s still a nice touch.

Setup and Getting Started

The interaction manuals that come with the Roborock S4 are somewhat misleading. They specifically mention parent company Xiaomi’s Mi Home app instead of Roborock’s own app. Looking at the star rating of the Roborock app on the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, you might think they made the right call.

You can absolutely set up the S4 with the Mi Home app and it will work just fine. That said, the Roborock app lets you control the S4 from multiple devices once you sign up for a Roborock account. This is handy enough on its own that you may prefer the Roborock app as I did.

To get started, you simply download the app, sign in or create an account, and follow the prompts. This has you put the Roborock into pairing mode, add your Wi-Fi credentials, and let the vacuum connect to your network. From here, it can update itself and do all sorts of handy things.

I ran into a few problems during setup, but nothing I haven’t seen before when dealing with any sort of smart home devices. On my first attempt, the app hung on initializing the S4, but this only happened once. Every time I’ve used it since, the app has worked flawlessly.

Using the App

In the most basic sense, using the app is incredibly easy. If all you want to do is clean a floor of your home, just select the button labeled “Clean.” That’s it.

Of course, you may not always want to clean your entire home all at once. In this case, the Roborock app offers a few handy options. You can easily select a zone to clean instead. You can also spot clean a certain part of a room to clean up after a spill or other dusty event.

The Roborock S4 also has a feature where it can learn your home’s layout automatically. This means it can even partition a floor into separate rooms. We’ll look at this further in-depth a little later in the article.

Mapping and Smart Features

As the Roborock S4 moves around your home, it can get to know it. This is a feature seen in many robot vacuums these days, but that doesn’t make it any less useful.

Every time the Roborock S4 vacuums, it takes note of its surroundings. This means you can move furniture without having to worry about completely resetting the S4 in order to relearn its environment. The map saving mode is currently in beta, but seems to work just fine.

Once you’ve enabled map saving, you need to start the Roborock S4 in its dock. From here it will work its way throughout your home, automatically partitioning different rooms on its own. If it doesn’t partition properly, you can edit the map manually. Once this is done you can select a given room to clean it.

One of the most useful features is that the Roborock S4 can reliably return to its dock. The dock itself doesn’t have infrared sensors, but it is heavy. This means when the Roborock S4 aims to charge, it can wiggle into the appropriate spot.

In my case, I had to slightly prop up the dock in order to get the S4 to park itself correctly. Still, that the S4 was able to locate and seat itself in the dock every time is very handy. A vacuum that runs out of juice a few inches away from the dock isn’t useful to anyone.

Performance

My home has a medium-pile carpet, which isn’t always the friendliest to a robot vacuum. I also have two cats, one of which has long hair. Basically, this means that in testing the Roborock S4, I was sending it into a pretty tough environment. That said, I was impressed at how well it was able to perform.

My advice for this particular vacuum is something I would say about most robot vacuums. Your best bet is to thoroughly vacuum your home, then let the Roborock maintain that level of cleanliness for you. Make sure to occasionally empty out the dustbin, and you should be good for a long time.

In testing the Roborock S4, I followed none of that advice. I actually let my normal vacuuming routine slip in order to truly put the S4 to work. Within the first few minutes of cleaning, it had picked up a significant amount of dust and cat hair. I had to clean the dustbin out sooner than I normally would, but the Roborock did an admirable job cleaning up.

Once I’d tested how thoroughly the S4 could clean, it was time to put its navigation skills to the test. I arranged chairs and other obstacles around the room and let it get to work. Occasionally, the S4 would work itself into a position that I thought would mean it would get stuck, but it made its way out every time.

Should You Buy the Roborock S4?

The Roborock S4 shows that a low price doesn’t necessarily mean poor performance. This model retails for $399 on Amazon, but even though it has only recently been released, you may find deals taking as much as $40 off the price. Yes, that’s more expensive than a traditional vacuum, but this may be more than worth the time you save.

The only caveat is that unlike more expensive robot models, the S4 won’t also mop your floors for you. This might be a deal-breaker for you, but I personally consider this an advantage, as it’s less to deal with. Assuming you really need this feature, a more advanced model like the Roborock S6 may be perfect for you.

Considering all that it does and how well it works, the Roborock S4 is absolutely worth the price. If it’s still too expensive for you, there are cheaper options, and some of them are great.

Enter the Competition!

Roborock S4 Giveaway

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8 Companies Everyone Should Follow on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is perfect for job searching and networking, with job postings, video tutorials, hiring trends, and professional connections all on offer.

You probably already follow friends and individual influencers for their insights. However, you can also follow companies on LinkedIn too.

Here are the companies everyone should follow on LinkedIn. They offer information, insights, and interesting content everyone can make use of.

1. Indeed

First on our list—and one of the most useful companies that you can follow on LinkedIn—is Indeed. The fact that Indeed is one of the best companies to follow on LinkedIn is kind of ironic when you consider that they’re a rival job hunting website.

Despite this overlap, Indeed has a sizeable presence on LinkedIn. Along with advertising job postings and talking about what it’s like to work at the company, Indeed posts #MondayMotivation quotes, job hunting tips, and links to articles on job searching resources and trends. Its ultimate goal is to help you narrow down your options in a crowded employment field to help you find your dream job.

If you’re looking to read two job hunting websites in one place, Indeed is worth a follow. You can also read up on the best way to search for a job using Indeed, too.

2. Ted Talks Daily

Ted Talks is another useful, highly active company that you should follow on LinkedIn.

Just like Indeed, Ted Talks is big on motivating you with positive information and updates about your industry. If you log into LinkedIn on a daily (or weekly) basis, the company’s updates make for a great “morning digest” that you can read during your downtime.

In general, “Ted Talks” are short, informative speeches on innovations and insights into the tech, design, education, and science fields. On LinkedIn, the company posts articles related to these fields, as well as links to its Ted Talks videos.

3. Forbes

Forbes is an online magazine that is known as a very useful and authoritative source for anyone interested in corporate innovation and financial news. It also has a very active presence on LinkedIn, and posts on the company page regularly.

Along with new job postings, Forbes publicizes links to #ForbesFlash, its video series explaining recent financial and business-related trends. It also advertises articles that explore the different social situations that you might run into in the workplace, and how to navigate them.

Forbes is a great company to follow on LinkedIn if you’re a busy, money-oriented professional.

4. Google

Google is one of the biggest technology companies in the world. It havs a very active LinkedIn page that is totally worth the follow if you use any sort of Google products—which is pretty much everyone.

While Google talks quite frequently about what it’s like to work at the company, and posts interviews with its staff, it also posts links to its blog, where it goes into detail about new products that will be coming to the market. Google also talks about updates regarding previously released devices and online tools.

5. Adobe

Another really useful company that you should follow on LinkedIn is Adobe, especially if your job is related to design.

A lot of us are already familiar with Adobe products. Over the past couple decades, the company has become ubiquitous within employment fields like graphic design and illustration. Its industry-standard, highly popular Creative Suite is a must-have for any professional.

Along with interviews from its employees, the company also posts articles exploring the intersection between tech and design. Additionally, it posts links to blog posts that detail the practical ways that you can use Adobe products in the workplace.

6. Microsoft

While we’re on the subject of technology, another useful company to follow on LinkedIn is Microsoft. This is especially true if you use Microsoft products—which, like Google, applies to pretty much all of us.

Unique to the other entries on this list, Microsoft will post information about upcoming events and tutorials, along with links to in-house articles about its products. Additionally, Microsoft posts interviews with its staff, and blogs about Microsoft products being used in the workplace.

Like Adobe’s posts, these examples of real-life product applications can be useful when applied to your own place of employment. They’ll help you make improvements in the office.

7. MakeUseOf

Next on our list of the most useful companies to follow on LinkedIn is MakeUseOf. We know, it seems self-congratulatory to say, but “useful” is in our name, and you’re already familiar with our content.

As a company we’re active on LinkedIn, where we post links to our latest articles. The content in these articles ranges from tutorials to tech trends. If you already use LinkedIn on a frequent basis, your social media news feed is a great way to keep up to date on what we’re talking about in an aggregated format.

8. LinkedIn

Lastly, we recommend you follow LinkedIn itself.

No one one knows this social media site better than the group that created it, which gives LinkedIn a hometown advantage. The company frequently posts job hunting tips and tricks. It also posts articles about the ever-changing landscape of job hunting, information on professional networking, and links to tutorials that have been posted on the website.

Additionally, the company posts tips on how to use LinkedIn to its maximum potential. Seriously, LinkedIn’s LinkedIn page is a really worthwhile resource.

Use LinkedIn to Gain New Insights

LinkedIn is a great social media site with a very specific purpose that has helped a lot of people. It will continue to do so as the company improves its job hunting tools and its ability to connect you with a wider professional network.

It’s best to think of LinkedIn as a highly specialized tool for job hunting, rather than just a social media site. If you know all of the ins and outs, you can put the platform to good use without getting overwhelmed by all the information on it.

Are you looking for other ways that you can maximize your LinkedIn usage, even if you’re happily employed? Here are reasons to use LinkedIn beyond searching for jobs.

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