Google’s New Chromebook Ad Roasts Windows and Mac

Google has unveiled a new commercial for Chromebooks. And this one serves the dual purpose of roasting Windows and macOS while simultaneously talking up the benefits of Chrome OS and the machines it powers. Microsoft and Apple can’t be happy about this.

Google Roasts Microsoft and Apple

From the moment it arrived on the scene, Chrome OS has battled to be taken seriously. It has felt like Windows and macOS are the big boys (with Linux the neverending trier), while Chrome OS is a junior operating system that doesn’t deserve to be taken seriously.

However, Google has fostered Chrome OS into a mature operating system, and with the addition of Android apps, Chromebooks are now worthy purchases. The only thing left to do is sell them to the great unwashed, which means releasing a punchy new TV ad…

In the space of a minute, Google not only puts the boot into Windows and Mac, but also highlights the strengths of Chrome OS. Owning a Chromebook used to be a frustrating affair, but the devices are now capable of competing with its more popular rivals.

Interestingly, there’s no mention of Windows 10. Instead, the error messages displayed in the ad are those which appear in older versions of Windows, up to and including Windows 8. Which suggests Microsoft is doing something right with Windows 10.

Selling to Students and Beyond

The timing of this ad is intentional, and designed to persuade even more parents that Windows and macOS are the past, while Chrome OS is the future. Chromebooks are popular amongst students, and this represents Google doubling down on its core market.

Whether you’re already a fan of Chrome OS or are newly interested in buying a Chromebook, our previous coverage has you covered. Here are some tips for first-time Chromebook users and the things you need to consider before buying a Chromebook.

Read the full article: Google’s New Chromebook Ad Roasts Windows and Mac

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How to Significantly Improve Your Communication Skills

Successful business leaders are able to effectively communicate with others. This makes communication one of the most important skills to develop in not only business but in life.

Here’s how you can significantly improve your communication skills.

Practice listening

One thing that is often overlooked when your improving communication skills is your ability to listen. We focus so much on ourselves that we forget that communication typically involves multiple parties. How can you provide a thoughtful and effective answer to someone if you don’t listen to what they have to say?

If you work in sales for example, listening is more important the speaking. Any great salesperson knows that you listen 80% of the time and talk the other 20%. The key is you want to ask questions. You want to learn as much as you can about the other person. Why are they interested in your products or services? What solutions do they currently use? Without the answers to these questions you simply won’t be able to give them the right information.

Whether you’re closing a multimillion dollar deal or talking to your buddies about where they want to eat, take the time to practice listening. The better you get at picking out key points from others the better you’ll be at communicating.

Know your audience

If you want to communicate effectively you need to truly understand your audience. The tricky part about this one is every audience is often different. Different audiences will have different preferences and sometimes different cultural norms altogether.

This also doesn’t have to be viewed on such a large scale either. It can simply be a one on one meeting with a client. In this case, you could do a simple LinkedIn search to learn about some of their history. For larger groups, take the time to learn about some members of the organization. When you’re actually speaking to them, you can also ask questions or ask people to identify the best communicators within the organization.

Learn about nonverbal communication

Some studies say that nonverbal communication accounts for nearly 55% of how an audience perceives a presenter. What does that mean? The majority of what you say is actually communicated through your physical cues, not your words.

If you want to clearly communicate from a nonverbal standpoint, you need to adopt good posture. You should standup straight and always avoid slouching or making yourself appear smaller than you are. Folding your arms or having them in your pocket will make you seem uncomfortable. Whenever you’re presenting or communicating to a group, make sure you truly fill the space you’re given. Walk around the room or stage and always make eye contact with your audience. This will show confidence and your audience will be much more engaged.

Try to forego the visual aids

When giving a presentation it’s common to bring a visual aid along. Whether it’s a powerpoint or a few simple graphics we feel more comfortable with the visuals behind us. Sometimes these aids are very necessary. If you’re a startup giving a presentation to potential investors, you definitely need to have a slide deck put together. If you’re holding a team meeting or giving a sales presentation however, it’s often a good strategy to forego the visual aid.

You may think this sounds silly but some of the greatest leaders in business actually banned PowerPoints at their companies. Both Steve Jobs and Sheryl Sandberg instituted a PowerPoint ban at their respective companies. The way Jobs puts it, “People who know what they’re talking about don’t need PowerPoint”.

Rely on using words, nonverbal cues, and compelling storytelling to communicate with your audience. This allows them to connect directly with you, not the bar graph on the projector.

Record and listen back

Many of us don’t like to sound of our own voice. For some reason is just sounds different when we listen to it played back doesn’t it? While that may be the case, you need to start liking it because listening to yourself is a great way to improve your communication skills.

Platforms like UberConference and Zoom allow you to record your conference calls. Not only is this a good way to listen back for key information, but it gives you a chance to listen to yourself deliver your message. I bet you’re going to hear a lot of “umm”, “uhh”, and a few unnecessary “likes”. Play a game with yourself and count the number of times you use this kind of language. Try to get it down to zero. Pausing and saying “umm” on a call only makes you sound less credible.

Get your audience involved

Regardless how funny you are or how good of a storyteller, you’re going to lose your audience at some point if you keep on talking. The reason is because people just have short attention spans. After a while, they’ll start thinking about their next meal or what they’re going to do on the weekend. If you want to avoid this, try turning your presentation into a discussion.

Ask your audience questions and encourage them to share their thoughts on some of the topics you bring up. If you want to take it a step further, you can prepare your presentation to engage the audience at certain points. Propose two options and start a discussion on which is better and why. The more creative you get with this, the more engaged the room will be.

Always get feedback

As with any leadership skill, asking for feedback from the people you respect is crucial to becoming better at communication. If you constantly ask for feedback others will feel invested in helping you improve. That’s because it shows you value their opinion.

At the end of the day, communication skills aren’t developed overnight. In fact, some people avoid learning they never become effective at communication. Follow the seven strategies above so you don’t become one of those people.

_ _

This article was originally published on Calendar.

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The 20 Best Kodi Add-Ons You Didn’t Know You Needed

If you have been using low-quality, illegal add-ons to watch TV shows and movies on Kodi, STOP!

Firstly, they could land you in legal touble. Secondly, there are plenty of great, content-packed add-ons that are perfectly legal, so why take the risk? Here are the best Kodi add-ons you didn’t know you needed, but should install right now.

1. Charge

Charge is a new live TV service that’s entirely free to watch. It offers action movies, TV shows, sports, entertainment, and even the occasional series.

Download the app in Kodi’s official repo.

2. Comet TV

The Comet TV add-on is made by the same developer as Charge. Like Charge, it offers 24/7 live streaming.

Comet TV’s focus is on science fiction. You’ll find old movies, classic TV shows, cult series, and forgotten gems. For more modern content, check out the best sci-fi movies on Netflix.

3. Tubi TV

Tubi TV is the first on-demand add-on in the list. It has more than 20,000 TV shows and movies, all of which are both free and legal to watch. The app is ad-supported, hence the extensive library.

You won’t find the latest blockbusters. To give you a taste, movies such as Jeepers Creepers, Afterlife, and Bandits are listed. Much like Netflix, the available content you see will vary depending on your geographic location.

Tubi TV is available in the BG Addons Repository.

4. FilmRise

FilmRise’s YouTube channel is one of the best ways to watch legal movies. The add-on lets you access the same library from your Kodi app.

The company behind the app is a film acquisition and distribution company, so the quality of the available movies is solid.

5. ToonJet

They don’t make cartoons like they used to. Let’s face it; the modern rubbish doesn’t hold a candle to classics like Looney Tunes, Mighty Mouse, Popeye, and Tom and Jerry. With the possible exception of Rick and Morty.

You can relive all the masterpieces through ToonJet’s official Kodi add-on.

6. Live Tube

YouTube has offered live streaming since May 2013, but it wasn’t until mid-2017 that the minimum subscriber level was reduced to 100.

The change has meant YouTube has become a treasure trove of live content. You can find everything from 24/7 music videos to news. This add-on makes the live streams easy to browse and watch.

It’s available in the Fusion repo.

7. USTVNow

USTVNow is a paid service for US citizens who live abroad. For $19/month, you can watch ABC, Fox News, ESPN, BBC America, AMC, and more.

On-demand content is also available.

8. The Internet Archive

The Internet Archive is a well-known online repository of digital materials. At the last count, it held more than 15 petabytes of data, including many classic arcade games that you can play for free.

The Internet Archive contains a lot of movies. Examples include The Night of the Living Dead, His Girl Friday, and Jungle Book.

9. Pluto.TV

Pluto.TV offers a mix of on-demand content and live TV channels. It provides access to mainstream networks like CNBC, Sky News, Bloomberg, and Cheddar, as well as internet-only channels such as The Nerdist and IGN.

10. BBC iPlayer

If you’re in the UK and pay your TV license fee, you can use the unofficial BBC iPlayer app. It provides live streams of the network’s TV channels and a vast library of on-demand content.

Despite being unofficial, the app is available in the Kodi repo.

11. Popcornflix

Popcornflix is no relation to controversial Popcorn Time movie streaming app. The add-on offers full-length movies, trailers, clips, and TV series legally and for free.

You can also watch on the web or by using the company’s smartphone apps.

12. TBD TV

TBD TV is a channel for millennials. Its content includes web films, scripted and unscripted series, and featurettes.

It also owns the rights to some feature films. They form the backbone of the TBD Movie of the Day, which runs seven-days-a-week.

13. Twitch

Twitch is essentially YouTube for gamers. You can watch other people play your favorite titles, listen to some (often hilarious) commentary, and chat with other people.

14. TV Land

TV Land is a Viacom-owned cable and satellite channel in the U.S that’s been running for more than 20 years.

Its bread-and-butter is television series. It offers an enjoyable mix of new and classic shows. You’ll also find the odd limited theatrical release movie and original series.

15. Plex

Plex is Kodi’s great rival, with most users committing to one of the two apps. So, if you’re a Kodi user, why should you install Plex on Kodi?

Well, you’ll get access to Plex’s unofficial channels, which will massively increase the amount of content you have available to you.

16. YouTube

400 hours of video uploaded every minute, 5 billion videos on the platform, and 50 million content creators.

Just install it already.

17. Adult Swim

Adult Swim is an adult-orientated offshoot of the Cartoon Network. It screens animation, mockumentaries, sketch comedy, and live action programs.

It offers a large number of syndicated shows, including King of the Hill, American Dad, and Family Guy.

18. TVPlayer

TVPlayer is another add-on for people based in the U.K. If you’re located outside the British Isles, you’ll need to use a VPN to tune into it.

It provides more than 100 channels, including the full complement of leading British networks.

The TVPlayer add-on is available through the Fusion repo.

19. MovieZoot

MovieZoot is a legal way to watch thousands of Community Commons or copyright-free films. As such, the quality varies dramatically, but you can be confident you’ll always be able to find the latest indie film that the hipsters are talking about.

You’ll also have access to old classics such as To Kill a Mockingbird, A Farewell to Arms, and God Created Woman.

MovieZoot is in the Fusion repo.

20. NewsON

NewsON is a joint venture between five of the largest TV stations in the United States and offers 170 channels from 108 American cities. The NewsON add-on is geo-restricted, so you need to be within the US to watch the streams.

It’s one of the best ways to watch live news on Kodi.

Download Even More Content for Kodi

These legal Kodi add-ons should mean you never run out of content, but if you’re still looking for more, we’ve previously covered how to watch live TV on Kodi.

And if you would like more information about any of the technical details we briefly touched upon in the above article, be sure to read our beginners guide to setting up and using Kodi.

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How to Get a Free Domain Name for Your Website

A website advertises you 24/7—so long as people can find your website, of course. For many new businesses and organizations, a fresh website is one of the first expenses in the startup process.

Unfortunately, it can also be costly.

But finding a domain name doesn’t have to empty your wallet. In fact, what if I told you it doesn’t have to cost you a dime? Let’s take a look at how you can get a free domain name for your website.

What Is a Domain Name?

A domain name is the easy-to-remember name of your website. For example, MakeUseOf.com is a domain name, as is Facebook.com, Google.com, Wikipedia.org, and so on. Domain names are a vital part of internet infrastructure.

Without them, you would need to remember the exact IP address for each website you visit. The Domain Name System (DNS) translates the standardized name to an IP address, and helps you arrive at your desired destination.

The most common domain extension (known as a top-level domain, or TLD) is .com, but it isn’t the only TLD. Some TLDs have specific uses:

• .com: Commercial enterprises, but general use
• .edu: Educational facilities and organizations
• .org: Generally non-commercial organizations
• .net: Initially for network organizations, but is now general use
• .gov: The TLD for US government websites; the US is the only country with a specific TLD for its government pages (for instance, the UK uses .gov.uk)

For a long time, there were only a few TLDs. That changed drastically in 2015 when the ICANN announced the introduction of over 500 new TLDs. Within the new TLDs were many business, location, and activity-specific extensions, such as .accountant, .barcelona, .loans, and .radio. Check out the full list here.

It is this last bit of information that concerns us. The sudden rise in TLD extensions made millions of new potential domain names. So many that some sites give them away to get your business, one way or another. Let’s take a look at the domain names you can lay your hands on for free.

5 Ways to Get a Free Domain Name

Now, I’ll level with you. While there are a few methods to obtain a completely free domain name, other methods involve purchasing web hosting first.

Sounds like a let-down? Well, you need web hosting to host a website for your domain name. Check out the options below and see what suits you best.

1. Use a Free Website Building Service

One of the easiest methods to grab a free domain name is through a free website building service. Free website building services have brought customizable website design to the masses.

Anyone with a little bit of time can drag and drop or copy and paste elements, as well as peruse professionally design templates. Popular free website building sites include:

• WordPress.com
• Wix
• Google Sites
• Squarespace
• Weebly

When you sign up to one of these services and build your site, you also receive a free domain name. The downside is that the domain name contains a reference to the free service, such as wixsite.com/yourdomainname or yourdomainname.wordpress.com.

The example below is a site thrown together in less than two minutes, complete with a “custom” Wix domain name.

Notice the other issue? Many of the free website creation sites add an advertisement to your site in exchange for their service. For many users, it isn’t an issue. But for others, it betrays the professional touch many desire.

In that, all of these free website services have premium subscriptions that remove advertisements and the company tag from the domain name.

2. GitHub Student Developer Pack

The GitHub Student Developer Pack is a free bundle of services and tools for existing students. Within the bundle are a bunch of vouchers and tokens for services like Amazon Cloud, Digital Ocean, Microsoft Azure, Stripe, and many more.

Students can register a free domain name using the .me TLD for a single year with the Namecheap voucher included in the pack. The domain does expire after one year, so you’ll have to renew it or upgrade to another service.

Note: You don’t have to sign up to the entire GitHub pack to get a free Namecheap domain for students, but you get a load of extra stuff if you do.

3. Sign Up for Free Hosting

Buying a domain is only part of the website development process. When you buy a domain name, you need somewhere to host it. Even if you manage to snag yourself a free domain, you pay for it to be online. Unless you use a free hosting service that also offers a free domain name. Bonanza!

Unlike the free website building services, the free hosting domain offers require a more hands-on approach. That said, many offer a WordPress installation that in turn enables you to install custom and professional website templates.

The best free services have caveats such as site downtime every day, advertising on site, design limitations, and others. Here are a few options available to you:

• 000webhost: Free website builder, SSL security, no adverts, one-hour downtime every day, support preference given to premium clients
• X10Hosting: Free website builder, no adverts, unlimited storage, and bandwidth, plus three free email accounts
• AwardSpace: WordPress and Joomla installers included, 1GB storage, advertising-free, one email account, but doesn’t allow eCommerce sites

4. Pay for Web Hosting, Receive Free Domain

For some businesses, the idea of using a free service doesn’t make sense. Sure, those free services are great. But some offer next to no customer support, while others simply need more from their hosting provider.

In those cases, why not sign-up to a hosting provider that throws in a free custom domain name? Exactly, it’s a great idea. Here are a few options for you to peruse:

• Bluehost: You can grab a free domain with Bluehost’s Basic, Plus, and Prime web hosting options
• GoDaddy: Similar to Bluehost, GoDaddy throws in a free domain name when you sign-up to one of their hosting subscriptions
• 1&1: Sign up for 1&1 web hosting and you get a free domain name, unlimited storage, and SSL certificates

There are many more similar deals to these out there. Furthermore, your local hosting company may offer a similar sign-up deal, and its always good to support local businesses.

5. Free Domain Sites

Last of all, there are several sites where you can grab any number of free domain names. The free domain names use the phenomenal range of TLDs to provide free domain names. Your domain name won’t have a .com or .org TLD; rather it will have .tk, .ml, .gq, and so on. However, that doesn’t matter much if the domain name itself is completely free.

Here are three choices for you to check out:

• Dot TK
• Name
• FreeNom

The domain name renewal status varies between sites. Make sure to check out the renewal details so you don’t lose your site and it’s a free domain name.

Free Domain Names Are Out There

Free domain names, along with free web hosting, make it easy for anyone to get online. A website is vital for businesses and organizations looking to reach the rest of the world. And why reach deep into your pockets when there are so many excellent free domain name options available?

That said, is free hosting the best choice for your first website?

Read the full article: How to Get a Free Domain Name for Your Website

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The 5 Best Sites for Finding Perfect Font Pairings

In the design world, fonts are worth their weight in gold. A trustworthy group of fonts, such as the fonts found in Windows 10, can be applied to any design or project you come up with. The hard part is finding the perfect font(s) for you.

With so many options, how is one supposed to choose? The answer: font pairing websites!

These are an underutilized tool that will help your pair various types of fonts with one another to create the perfect poster, design, website, and so on. In fact, you don’t even need to know about font weights and styles to use these sites. Here are the best ones we’ve found.

1. Type Connection

First up to bat is Type Connection, a fun and surprisingly effective font pairing web app. Type Connection turns font pairing into a kind of dating game, allowing you to select different types and styles of fonts. The site then presents you with a variety of similar or complimentary fonts that you can download and use.

The process is simple: you begin by choosing a font from a selection.

Then, you begin the process of selecting a viable match for the font. Type Connection is part font pairing device and part educational tool, and the process provides abundant information of what makes or breaks a font pairing.

Once you’ve picked your pairing font, the app will provide you with a rundown on the similarities and differences of both fonts.

Continue on and the app will device whether or not your font pairing would be effective. If you choose two fonts that don’t belong together, you will be told why.

If you pick the correct font, however, you will not only be given the name of your font. You’ll also be given a detailed explanation of why the fonts function well together, information concerning each font, and a fantastic example of both fonts.

What more could a typographic designer wish for?

2. Google Type

Google Fonts is a Godsend for all designers, and Google Type makes an art of the fantastic free font repository. Google Type presents users with a simple type and background interface.

These examples display a variety of Google Fonts—which you can even use in Adobe Photoshop—showing fantastic font pairings you can also use in your own projects.

To download and use the fonts yourself, click on a font at the top of the example. You’ll be redirected to the official Google Fonts webpage.

Click the SELECT THIS FONT option. Then, click on the menu that appears on the bottom of the window. Select the Download icon once you’ve finished selecting your font or fonts.

That’s it, enjoy your fantastic font pairing!

3. Font Pair

Font Pair is another site that’s part exhibition and part font pair repository.

The best part of this website is the helpful navbar on the top of the site. Options like “Sans-Serif/Serif” or “Display/Sans-Serif” allow users to specify the exact type of font they’re looking for.

Scroll down the site to peruse the catalog. You can adjust any type you see in the examples to view your example text directly from the site.

To download the font, simply click on either the Heading or Body options below the text. These fonts are available in Google Fonts, so you’ll be redirected there.

Additionally, the View font pair in the wild option will show a website using the particular font pairing in the example. Not only will it label the font pairing, it will also link the example and note the color scheme of the website.

Do you have the perfect font pairing you want to share to the world? Font Pair also allows you to submit new font pairings—and possibly include them in the website—by clicking on the Add a Font Pair option at the top of the page and filling out a form.

4. Mixfont

Mixfont is a everything you would want in a font pairing site. Head to the site and click on Start the Generator! to generate a random pairing.

You’ll be given a randomly generated font pairing. Every font pairing on Mixfont creates a mini-website to exhibit the pairing.

Simply click on the red button to the bottom right of your window to continue creating random font pairings.

Once you’ve found a font you like, lock it by clicking the font on the top left of the window. A green lock will appear next to the font, locking it in.

Then, continue clicking on the red button to generate additional pairs. Once you’ve found your perfect pairing, click on the Embed option to the top right of the window and then click on the font you want to download.

What makes Mixfont truly impressive, however, lies just under the font selection. Mixfont also provides users with a selection of different text examples to showcase your fonts.

It even displays simple applications using the fonts you’ve chosen, creating a truly comprehensive outline of the perfect font pairing for you. And all for free.

5. FontJoy

What Mixfont does, FontJoy simplifies. From the UI to the font selection, FontJoy is a quick, simple, and useful font pairing site you’ll definitely revisit again and again.

Head to the site and you’ll be presented with a very simple, largely editable UI. Above the text, you’ll see two icons, a Generate button, and a slider.

To create a random font pairing, click the Generate button. The slider on the right adjusts whether the font pairing is different, complimentary, or similar.

To the left, you’ll see the individual names of the fonts you’re using.

Click on the Lock icon, and then the Generate button to find complimentary fonts for the locked font. You can lock each font at your discretion.

To the right of the lock button is the Adjustment button. If you want to pick a different, specific font for a section, click on the Adjustment button. You’ll be presented with a large selection of different font types, all depicted by images instead of name.

Click on the option you choose to change the font selection. Remember to adjust the dial at the top of the text in order to narrow your search.

Have you found the font pairing you’re looking for? Then simply click on the name of the font to be redirected to its Google Fonts page.

These Fonts Make Quite the Pair

Fonts can make or break a design. Whether it be a project, an essay, a thesis, or something else, choosing the right fonts can be as important as punctuation.

If you’re designing something someone is reading, never settle for weak fonts. Instead, use these font pairing sites. And if you still can’t find the perfect font, why not try making your own font for free?

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The 10 Best Tools for Your iPhone: Ruler, Level, and Distance Measurement

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WhatsApp Launches Group Calling on Android and iOS

In 2015, WhatsApp introduced voice calling, enabling users to voice call other WhatsApp users. Then, in 2016, WhatsApp introduced video calling, enabling users to video call other WhatsApp users. Now, WhatsApp is introducing group calling for voice and video.

WhatsApp Finally Adds Group Calling

At the Facebook F8 2018 conference back in May, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that group calling would be coming to WhatsApp in the not-too-distant future. Two months later, and WhatsApp (owned entirely by Facebook) is rolling out the feature.

Group video calling also coming to WhatsApp. Pretty soon Facebook is going to have four apps—Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp—that are absolutely exactly the same thing.

— David Pierce (@pierce) May 1, 2018

Other messaging apps have offered group voice calls and videos chats for a while now. Even Snapchat joined the party in April 2018, with support for voice calls for up to 32 people, and video calls for up to 16 people. But it’s better late than never for WhatsApp.

Encrypted Calls for Up to Four People

WhatsApp’s group calling for voice and video supports up to four people in total. All you need to do is start a one-on-one voice or video call with someone, and then tap the “Add participant” button in the top right corner to invite someone else to the conversation.

Two things separate WhatsApp’s group calls from the competition. First, all group calls are end-to-end encrypted. Which is probably why they’re limited to just four people. Secondly, WhatsApp has designed group calls to work under a variety of network conditions.

Update Your WhatsApp to Gain Access

WhatsApp is currently rolling out group calling to its Android and iOS apps. So, be sure to keep your WhatsApp updated to the latest version in order to gain access to the feature. With more than 1.5 billion people using WhatsApp, that’s a lot of people to group call.

If you’ve read this far down we assume you’re a regular WhatsApp user. Which means you should check out these tips to make WhatsApp more secure and private. But if you’re new to WhatsApp, take a look at the best WhatsApp features everyone should know.

Read the full article: WhatsApp Launches Group Calling on Android and iOS

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The 6 Best Laptop Power Banks to Recharge Your Computer Anywhere

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20 Fascinating Subreddits With Facts and Stories That’ll Blow Your Mind

Reddit is a treasure trove of content. If you know how to find new and interesting subreddits, there’s one for just about everything.

Today, we’re going to dive into several subreddits packed full of facts likely to blow your mind. We’ll cover everything from the fascinating and the phenomenal to the downright odd. Prepare to be amazed!

1. /r/ChemicalReactionGIFs

Inserting a Coin Into Dry Ice from chemicalreactiongifs

Have you ever wondered what happens when you throw a coin into dry ice or mix food coloring with bleach?

No, we hadn’t either until we found this subreddit. Subscribe if you want to see awesome GIFs of different elements reacting with each other in weird and wonderful ways.

2. /r/DataArt

Most regular Reddit users are probably familiar with /r/DataIsBeautiful, but have you heard of the data art subreddit?

It’s full of posts that blur the line between data and art to make stunning visualizations. The creations are as gorgeous as they are interesting. You can expect a couple of new posts per week.

3. /r/PropagandaPosters

"Americans will always fight for liberty", American WW2 recruitment poster, 1943 from PropagandaPosters

This subreddit is full of historical propaganda posters. Its focus is on World War II and the Cold War, but you can find content from issues as diverse the Palestinian conflict to the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

4. /r/Nostalgia

Supersoakers, Pokémon cards, Etch-a-Sketches, Blockbuster stores, and overhead projectors in classrooms. No matter what decade you grew up in, you’ll find something in r/Nostalgia to take you back to a simpler time.

If you love this subreddit, there are some awesome websites about nostalgia that you should also check out.

5. /r/TalesFromRetail

The Tales From Retail subreddit will blow your mind in a different way. It’s a neverending feed of stories about horrifying hygiene, shocking working conditions, duplicitous bosses, and evil corporations.

After a little time spent in this subreddit, if you work in a shop, you have our sympathy.

6. /r/Pareidolia/

Africa, Europe, and Asia in the sky from Pareidolia

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines pareidolia as “a tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern.”

Who knew clouds could look like a map of the world or potatoes could look like aquatic life? Check it out.

7. /r/Neuropsychology

The brain is a fascinating thing; the source of every emotion we feel and every action we take.

Neuropsychology is the study of the brain. Example posts include “My brain tumor and its psychological repercussions,” “Inflammation: The Hidden Cause of Depression Nobody is Talking About,” and “Musicians Hallucinate Less: Implications for Schizophrenia.”

8. /r/WatchingCongress

S. 3235: A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a presumption of service-connection for certain veterans with tinnitus or hearing loss, and for other purposes. from watchingcongress

Watching Congress makes a post every time a new bill is submitted to the U.S. Congress. It’s a fantastic example of democracy in action, as thousands of users debate and scrutinize all the legislation.

It’s also a great testament to the amount of work that the American government deals with on a daily basis. Don’t believe me? Then take a look for yourself.

9. /r/FanTheories

This subreddit is precisely what the name suggests. It’s a collection of fan theories for popular TV shows and movies.

Some of them are admittedly terrible, but occasionally a theory will pop up that will blow your mind. One of the most famous is the post which argued that the Joker was the hero in Dark Knight.

10. /r/FunFacts

Fun Fact: In 1989 the Soviet Union traded Pepsi Company 17 submarines, a cruiser, a frigate, and a destroyer for Pepsi to be sold in the Soviet Union. This trade made Pepsi the 6th largest military in the world at the time. from funfacts

Well-crafted facts can be jaw-droppingly stunning; they alter your perception of history, opinion of people, or conceptions of reality.

Want an example? Well, did you know polar bears are the largest land predators on earth, standing over 11 feet high and weighing over 1,700 pounds? Or that Romans used urine to clean clothes and their teeth due to its high levels of ammonia content?

Subscribe to r/FunFacts for more.

11. /r/Offbeat

Don’t doubt for a second that the world is a crazy place. r/Offbeat is a subreddit dedicated to the strangest news stories from all corners of the planet.

Some of the antics that people get up to will blow your mind. A man accidentally draining an entire canal in England? Drunk seagulls on American beaches? An Indonesian mob killing 300 crocodiles in a “revenge attack”? Read about it here.

12. /r/Fascinating

What if the largest countries had the biggest populations? from fascinating

The content in this subreddit is, um, fascinating. Most of the posts are YouTube videos, but there’s some user-generated original content as well.

13. /r/Cosmology

The Cosmology subreddit only has 22,000 subscribers compared to the 450,0000 on /r/Astronomy, but we prefer it.

Rather than being full of (admittedly incredible) photos, this subreddit debates, discusses, and hypothesizes on the universe’s most pressing questions. It’s guaranteed to expand your horizons.

14. /r/CrazyIdeas

Put ads on school buses and use the revenue for school funding. from CrazyIdeas

/r/CrazyIdeas is best described as Shark Tank meets /r/ShowerThoughts. It’s full of great—but distinctly left-field—suggestions from users.

For example, one user suggested that a film studio should make a series of seemingly unrelated movies with different characters, then make a movie that reveals they all actually take place within the same universe. Another said Snapchat should harness crowd-sourced video and location data to create a weather service.

Both mind blowingly good ideas, we’re sure you’ll agree.

15. /r/WowThisSubExists

We’re only going to introduce you to 20 subreddits in this article. But there are an estimated 1.2 million subreddits across the whole of Reddit. How can you ever hope to find all the cool stuff?

Step forward r/WowThisSubExists. It’s like a meta subreddit full of links to content that you probably wouldn’t otherwise know about.

16. /r/PerfectTiming

Alligator gar jumping into alligators mouth. from PerfectTiming

So much of photography is about skill, but to capture genuinely mind-blowing images, you also need a healthy dose of luck.

On r/PerfectTiming you’ll find thousands of stunning images when the person behind the camera was fortunate enough to press the shutter at exactly the right moment.

17. /r/100YearsAgo

[July 19th, 1918] An officer of the 444th Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA), smokes a pipe as he supervises a kitten balancing on a 12 inch gun shell near Arras, 19 July 1918. from 100yearsago

What happened on this day, 100 years ago? For an educational trip back in time, subscribe to this sub.

You can expect to see about 10 stories posts per day about events that occurred exactly a century in the past.

18. /r/FinancialIndependence

Look, we know that financial independence sounds like a dry topic and isn’t particularly mind-blowing, but stick with us.

What if we told you this entire subreddit was dedicated to retiring early? And we mean in your early-to-mid-40s, not just a couple of years before you hit 65.

You don’t need to be a millionaire or have a high-paying job. This subreddit teaches you the secrets.

19. /r/CatastrophicFailure

Visual of how a tsunami can wreak havoc. from CatastrophicFailure

A subreddit about machinery and man-made structures breaking, collapsing, or failing in spectacular ways. It offers a good mix of images and videos.

20. /r/NotInteresting

No, this isn’t a quirky name or a joke; nothing on this subreddit is interesting. Its specialty is posting the most mundane content imaginable.

And the mind-blowing part? That 227,000 people have the time and interest to keep the sub alive!

The Never-Ending Journey of Reddit

Reddit is an infinite rabbithole that fans can’t get enough of. So, if you know about some insane subreddits that we should all subscribe to, let us know in the comments.

And, before you leave, make sure you check out our lists of great alternatives to the default subreddits, subreddits about finance, and the most sociable subreddits.

Read the full article: 20 Fascinating Subreddits With Facts and Stories That’ll Blow Your Mind

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How to Switch Between LastPass and 1Password While Migrating Your Data

There’s no question you should be using a password manager to keep your passwords safe. There are plenty of options out there, but two of the most reputable options are LastPass and 1Password. If you’re thinking of switching from one to the other, they both make it very easy to export and import your data.

How to Switch From LastPass to 1Password

When exporting your LastPass passwords, you have to use the website rather than the browser extension. It’s also recommended to use Chrome, Opera, or Safari, but not to export your data using Firefox.

To export your data, do the following:

1. While signed in to your LastPass account, click More options in the left sidebar menu.
2.  Click Advanced > Export. 
3. Enter your password when prompted.
4. You’ll see all your LastPass data in a  plain text document in your browser.
5. Select all the data using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl/Cmd+A , and use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl/Cmd+C to copy it.

To import your data into 1Password, do the following:

1. While signed in to your 1Password account in a browser, click your username in the top right corner and select Import. 
2. From the list of services that appear, select LastPass.
3.  If you have more than one vault in 1Password, select the vault where you want to import your data.
4. In the field where you can paste your CSV data, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl/Cmd+V to fill in your data. 
5. LastPass will immediately begin to import your data. You’ll see a message letting you know how many accounts have been imported.

Immediately after you complete your import, you can undo the import if you notice that anything went wrong.

How to Switch From 1Password to LastPass

To export your 1Password data, you’ll need to use the desktop app:

1. While signed in to your 1Password account in the desktop app, open the vault you want to export (if you have more than one vault.)
2. Click File > Export > All items. (If you want to be selective about the process, you can choose selected items. You can select multiple accounts first by holding down the shift key and clicking the accounts you want to export.) 
3. You’ll be prompted to enter your password to continue.
4. In the dialog box that opens, you can select a file name, format and choose where the file with your passwords will be saved. For the format, select .pif. (1Password warns you that this file will not be encrypted so be sure to keep it safe.)
5.  For fields to export, keep Common fields selected. 
6. Click Save.

LastPass recommends using Firefox to import your passwords. To import them, open LastPass in your browser and do the following:

1. Click More options in the left sidebar menu > Import. 
2. In the window that opens, for Source select 1Password from the dropdown menu.
3. Open the pif file you downloaded using your browser of choice. You can do this quickly by opening a new tab and dragging the pif file into the empty tab.
4. Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl/Cmd+A to select all the data and Ctrl/Cmd+C to copy it.
5. In the LastPass import window, paste that data in the Content field.
6. Click the Upload button. 
7. LastPass will parse the data, and you should see all the passwords listed. You can manually remove any items you don’t want to import, and then click Import All. (You can also avoid importing duplicates by keeping Remove duplicate items checked.)

If you’re not sold on either LastPass or 1Password, then check out these alternative password managers.

Read the full article: How to Switch Between LastPass and 1Password While Migrating Your Data

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Stuck in Windows 10 S Mode? Here’s How to Get Out of It for Good

Windows 10 has several versions which can be difficult to keep straight. One of the most prominent was Windows 10 S, a limited mode which only let you install software from the Windows Store.

In early 2018, Microsoft dropped Windows 10 S as a dedicated OS flavor and introduced S Mode instead. Now, manufacturers can choose to ship their devices with Windows 10 S Mode enabled.

If you have Windows 10 S Mode on your computer and want to leave it, here’s how.

Before You Leave Windows 10 S Mode

You should know what Windows 10 S Mode does and its advantages before you leave it, because doing so is a one-way option.

Essentially, S Mode limits you to only using software from the Windows Store. You can’t install traditional desktop software, including browsers, game clients, and more. It also doesn’t let you change the default search engine in Edge from Bing or use the Command Prompt.

For power users, S Mode is far too limiting. But for those with less experience, S Mode can actually be handy. The restricted environment makes it much harder for malware to attack a computer, and helps keep it running smoothly.

How to Leave Windows 10 S Mode for Good

Leaving S Mode is free, and isn’t difficult. Open the Start Menu and type Store to launch the Microsoft Store app. Click the Search icon in the upper-right and search for Switch Out of S Mode.

You’ll see a banner about S Mode with a Learn more button. Click this, then follow the steps to leave S Mode and get a full version of Windows. Depending on the version of Windows that shipped with your PC, you’ll get either Windows 10 Home or Professional.

If you’re looking for a lightweight computer, check out why Chromebooks beat Windows 10 S Mode.

Read the full article: Stuck in Windows 10 S Mode? Here’s How to Get Out of It for Good

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Get 3TB of Lifetime Cloud Storage with Zoolz for $75

Dropbox and Google Drive are great for syncing a few files between your devices. But if you want to back up all your files, these services can be really expensive. Zoolz Cloud Storage offers all the same features at a far more affordable price. Right now, you can get lifetime access to your very own 3TB cloud vault for just $74.95 at MakeUseOf Deals.

Smart Storage

Zoolz makes it easy to back up your files. After you download the app on Windows or Mac, you simply select what you want to upload. The app then works in the background, keeping all your files synced.

Your 3TB of storage space is split into two sections. The 1.5TB Instant Vault is perfect for the files you use every day. Your data is synced instantly, and Zoolz can keep multiple versions of each file.

For the things you want to keep longer term, the 1.5TB Cold Storage provides a safe home. It’s like your very own digital attic — the place to put precious family photos and important tax records.

You can access all your uploaded files via any web browser, and the Zoolz mobile apps offer instant previews. Copies of your data are kept in several secure locations, and you can back up two devices on one account.

Lifetime 3TB Storage for $74.95

This deal is worth $2,100, but you can order now for just $74.95 to get lifetime backup.

Read the full article: Get 3TB of Lifetime Cloud Storage with Zoolz for $75

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5 Apps to Identify a Song by Humming, Tapping on Keyboard, or Asking Others

When you come across a song you don’t know, you can usually use Shazam or SoundHound to find its name. But if the song is stuck in your head, these music identifying apps can’t work. That’s when you need something different.

You have multiple options, all of which we’ll tackle here. There are sites that let you hum the tune or tap the beat on the keyboard, and the site will try to guess based on that. Or you can go to certain forums to ask others. Here are your best options.

Wat Zat Song (Web): Sing a Sample for People to Identify

The easiest way to express that tune stuck in your head is to sing it out loud. Wat Zat Song is a web app made to let you post a quick recording, which others can then comment on.

You’ll need to sign up to get started. Click the “Post a Sample” button, and wait for it to prompt you to record your voice. Lean in to your microphone and belt out the best rendition you can of the tune you want to know. Turn it into a post and wait for the community to weigh in.

While you wait, you can help others who are similarly stuck. Click “Listen” on any post to hear the audio, and then answer it if you can. You can also “follow” any post so that you’ll get a notification when there are any updates on it.

Name That Song (Reddit): Reddit’s Song Identification Community

Of course, there is an entire subreddit dedicated to naming songs that you can’t identify. In fact, there are two, but we’ll get to the other one later. For now, head over to r/NameThatSong to figure out that tune.

As with most Reddit communities, there are some rules on how to format your posts, so read those first. Plus, adhere to the age-old rules of what not to do on Reddit. You can usually make a text post, but don’t be afraid to upload a quick video of yourself singing that tune.

While Name That Song is all about music, you can also try your luck at r/TipOfMyTongue. This one isn’t limited to music alone, and also helps you find books without authors, or movies without actors, or just about anything else. It’s a much larger community that Name That Song, so you might have better luck there.

Identification of Music Group (Facebook): The Best in the Business

Big love for the identification of music group, Shazam is out of business ? pic.twitter.com/Kd3kerOGu5

— EFK (@erin_fk) April 29, 2018

The Identification of Music Group (IoMG) is about three years old now and is one of the best Facebook groups you can follow. It has over 95,000 members and gets about 50,000 posts every month. The entire group has one purpose: to help you figure out what that tune is.

Like with the Reddit group, you can ask the question in various ways. You could write it as a question and give context, or use a homemade recording of yourself singing, humming, or recreating the tune in any way.

The group has a few rules that you should familiarize yourself with first. They want you to do a few basic steps before you post, like trying to find the tune on Shazam, search old posts, and generally be respectful and helpful. Do that and the whole group will rally around you to help you identify that tune.

Find Music By Lyrics (Web): When You Only Know a Few Words

With some songs, you have a few words in your head, but not all the lyrics. And if the words are too common, you need to prime Google search with operators. Find Music By Lyrics (FMBL) makes the process easy.

You can type an artist’s name, a song, or a few words of the lyrics to get a match in seconds. FMBL has a bunch of Google operators already clubbed in, making it easier to use than Google itself.

For example, try searching for the phrase “look who’s crawling lyrics” in Google. You’ll get a bunch of links to Linkin Park’s song, Crawling. But do the same search in FMBL and you’ll get results for that phrase from different songs, like Still Tippin’ by Mike Jones, Boris The Spider by The Who, and Wedding Dress by Melee.

Musipedia (Web): Tap a Beat or Play a Virtual Piano

If you need to know the answer immediately, you can’t wait for a reply on these forums. Musipedia uses AI and some innovative methods to search for your song. Here are the various ways:

1. You can tap the beat of the song on your computer’s keyboard, and hope to identify it based on that.
2. You can sing into your microphone.
3. You can use a virtual piano to play notes on it. You can also use your mouse to “compose” a tune on the piano, which is easier than playing it.
4. The “music contour search” is the most complicated, and you should only use that if you’ve exhausted all the other options.

Musipedia isn’t new, and we’ve talked about it before, but it still remains the best app for this kind of internet magic.

The Best Music Identification App?

These apps are only going to be useful when you can’t play that song again and it’s only stuck in your head. But when the song is playing, you should use something like Shazam. So what’s the best music identification app today?

Image Credit: SIphotography/Depositphotos

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YouTube Admits Vertical Videos Are Here to Stay

The YouTube website now adapts to the aspect ratio of the video it’s playing. The idea is to provide you, the viewer, with the best possible viewing experience. But it also means YouTube admitting that vertical videos are here to stay. Sadly.

Vertical Video Syndrome

For decades video was shot in landscape mode, because our eyes are positioned next to one another, and TVs and PCs were designed to accommodate that. And then along came the smartphone with its vertical design. And people started shooting vertical videos.

For a time many of us fought this, even naming it Vertical Video Syndrome. But the battle is over, and the vertical video brigade won. Instagram’s IGTV actually insists on vertical video, and now YouTube is admitting defeat by getting rid of those black bars.

YouTube Removes the Bars

On the YouTube Help Forum, a community manager announced that “the YouTube video player on desktop […] now automatically adapts to provide the best viewing experience based on the video’s size (aspect ratio) and your computer’s screen/browser size.”

This has been the case on YouTube’s mobile apps—on Android and on iOS—for some time, but the update is now live on desktop too. Which means that whether you’re watching a YouTube video on mobile or desktop you should no longer see black bars.

Instead of black bars, YouTube will try to expand the video to fill the available space. If this isn’t possible, which is the case with videos shot vertically on smartphones, white space will fill the voids on either side. Which is a lot less jarring on the eyes.

Some YouTubers are complaining that the update means parts of their videos are being cut off, and the change in aspect ratio is adversely affecting the quality. However, unfortunately for the whiners, there is currently no way to disable this feature.

Smartphones Ruined Everything

This is a sad day for those of us old enough to remember the fight back against vertical videos. But the current generation of youngsters has grown up believing vertical video is fine, thank you very much, because everyone except this guy now owns a smartphone.

Image Credit: Rego Korosi/Flickr

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5 Ways to Protect Yourself Against Keyloggers

Keyloggers are one of the most well-known and feared security threats on computers today. Keyloggers carry a fearsome reputation for several reasons, not least because they’re hard to detect, but because the direct damage to your life extends well beyond the computer and screen in front of you.

Keylogging malware is, unfortunately, very common. More often than not a malware variant packs a keylogger for maximum damage and to compound the attacker’s investment. Luckily, there are several methods to protect your system from a keylogger. And while no defense is perfect, these five steps drastically improve your chances.

What Is a Keylogger?

Before looking at how to mitigate a keylogger, consider what a keylogger is and where they come from.

A keylogger is consistent to its name. The term refers to a malicious computer program that captures and records your keystrokes; that’s every word, character, and button you press on your keyboard. The keylogger sends a record of your keystrokes to the attacker. This record might contain your banking logins, credit and debit card details, social media passwords, and everything else in-between. In short, keyloggers are a dangerous tool in the battle against identity and financial fraud.

The overwhelming majority of keyloggers are bundled with other forms of malware. In the “old” days, the malware delivering a keylogger would remain silent for as long as possible. That means, unlike other virus and malware variants, files remain intact, there’s a little system disruption as possible, and you continue using your system as normal.

However, that’s not always the case. For instance, the recently discovered MysteryBot targets Android devices with a banking Trojan, a keylogger, and ransomware—that’s quite the combination. But by-and-large, a keylogger will feature as part of a large exploit kit that grants an attacker control over various aspects of your system.

There’s another common variety of keylogger you hear about, too, but not something you immediately think about. Have you got it yet? That’s right; card readers and skimmers, and other point-of-sale malware deploy keyloggers to copy your PIN to use later. The PoSeidon malware is a prime example of this type of scam.

Now you know, how can you protect yourself?

5 Ways to Protect Yourself Against Keyloggers

Protecting against keyloggers covers a fairly standard security spectrum. That is, your online and personal digital security needs this level of protection on a day-to-day basis. There’s a lot more than just keyloggers out there.

1. Use a Firewall

In most instances, the keylogger has to transmit its information back to the attacker for it to do any harm. The keylogger must send data out from your computer via the internet. As your internet passes through a firewall (for instance, Windows Firewall is a default security setting for Windows 10 systems), there’s a chance it will realize something isn’t quite right.

That said, there’s also a stronger chance it won’t detect an issue. An easily terminated keylogger isn’t much use to the attacker. The Windows Firewall is an excellent option for most users, but several excellent third-party firewall options come with extensive functionality. Unsure where to start? Check out these seven third-party firewall options to get started.

A firewall alone might not stop a keylogger or its associated malware, but it is better to have one than not.

2. Install a Password Manager

One constant piece of security advice is to update and change your passwords (along with using a strong single-use password to begin with). But, let’s face it: it’s really hard to remember tens of 16-character passwords for the staggering number of sites most of us use. Keyloggers are effective in their simplicity; it copies the keystrokes and logs the information. But what if you never actually typed a password?

Most password managers use autofill functionality to provide a master password that unlocks a specific account. Your password still works, you’re already browsing your Twitter feed, and all without typing. Sounds great, right?

Unfortunately, a password manager can only get you so far, for a few reasons.

1. Some password managers don’t copy and paste your password. Instead, they use an auto-type function to input the password. Any keylogger worth its salt will copy virtual keystrokes, too. But…
2. …A sufficiently well-designed keylogger will also periodically take screenshots as well as record the contents of the clipboard.
3. Some dangerous advanced malware variants will target offline password databases, stealing the entire list rather than one at a time.

Now, all is not lost. For example, KeePass negates the first and second issue using Two-Channel Auto-Type Obfuscation (TCATO). TCATO basically splits the password down into two subparts, sends both to the clipboard, then merges in the password field. However, by their admission, TCATO isn’t 100% secure, noting that “it is theoretically possible to write a dedicated spy application that specializes on logging obfuscated auto-type.”

The point of a password manager wasn’t to stop keylogging. However, if you do encounter a keylogger and you have a password manager installed, there’s a chance you only lose the strong single-use password for one account, rather than every password for every account you own. Check out this comparison of five password manager services to get you started.

3. Update Your System (And Keep It That Way)

Being proactive about system security is always a good idea. One of the most important parts of a proactive defense is keeping your system up to date. That includes your operating system as well as the applications and programs you run on it. Keyloggers and other malware look for exploits in outdated software and can take advantage of them, sometimes without you knowing anything is wrong.

Security researchers find new exploits all of the time. Some are relatively benign. Others are patched immediately by the developer. But others still become critical exploits used to expose your computer to malware.

Particularly rare and unreleased vulnerabilities are known as zero-day exploits and carry a significant threat. Indeed, the CIA ran into trouble when it emerged hackers had liberated their previously unknown and top secret zero-day vulnerability stockpile, releasing powerful exploits into the wild—leading directly to the enormous WannaCry ransomworm.

Updating software isn’t always convenient, but it could save you and your system from serious trouble down the line.

4. Consider Additional Security Tools

The default security options for Windows 10 and macOS are okay, but you should always consider bulking that security out for maximum protection. Check out our list of the best security and antivirus tools for your system. These are Windows-focused, but many have macOS equivalents and are worth the small investment.

If you want security tools that specifically target keyloggers, check these two free options out:

• Ghostpress: a free anti-keylogger with an extremely small performance footprint. Features Process Protection to stop any other program terminating Ghostpress.
• KL-Detector: a basic keylogger detection tool. Once you detect a keylogger, it’s up to you to remove it, but the tool will alert you to the keyloggers presence.

Another worthwhile investment is Malwarebytes Premium. Unlike the free version, Malwarebytes Premium constantly monitors your system for potential threats. This alone drastically cuts your chances of picking up something nasty.

5. Change Your Passwords

If you suspect something is wrong, use a different computer to change your passwords. The measures listed above should provide ample protection against keyloggers, but there always seems to be people who have their passwords stolen even though they did everything right.

Frequently changing your passwords will help minimize the potential damage of a keylogging attack. Your password may be stolen, but it would be uncommon for it to be stolen and used immediately unless that keylogger was targeted directly at you (in which case you may have bigger problems than keylogging!). If you change your password every two weeks, your stolen information will no longer be useful.

Remove Your Keylogger…

These methods will help protect against keyloggers by decreasing their opportunity to infect your PC with malware. Furthermore, you’re taking steps to isolate the amount of data a keylogger can access in the event you happen to pick one up. And, although you can never have 100% protection, you can certainly empower yourself and your system in the battle against malware.

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LinkedIn Adds Voice Messaging No One Wants

LinkedIn has added voice messaging to its platform. This means you can now record and send a voice message to someone on LinkedIn, saving you the time and effort of writing out a message. No one asked for this, but LinkedIn thinks it’s a good idea regardless.

Why LinkedIn? Why Voice Messaging?

You may be wondering why LinkedIn would add voice messaging. Well, LinkedIn predicted the response to this feature, and has laid out a trio of reasons why you may want to use voice messaging. As explained on the LinkedIn Blog:

Voice messaging makes it easier to contact people on the go. Because, if you’re busy doing something else, speaking into a microphone is easier than typing. And as most people speak faster than they type, voice messaging can save you time too.

Now you can communicate in your own voice with your connections on LinkedIn: https://t.co/0W6ni36g1P

— LinkedIn (@LinkedIn) July 26, 2018

Voice messaging is less intrusive on the recipient’s time. If you call someone you’re essentially asking them to drop what they’re doing to speak to you. A voice message is more permanent, and can sit there until the recipient is ready to respond.

Voice messaging allows you to communicate on a personal level. Written messages can sometimes read as dry, with a distinct lack of personality shining through. The intended tone can also get lost in the time between you writing it and someone else reading it.

How to Use LinkedIn Voice Messaging

You can use voice messaging through the LinkedIn app on Android and on iOS. To record a voice message simply tap the Microphone icon in the mobile messaging keyboard. Then tap and hold the new Microphone icon to record your message, releasing it to send.

You can cancel sending a voice message by sliding your finger away from the microphone while recording. Which will be a Godsend if you either say the wrong thing, stumble over your words, or employ the wrong tone. All of which could make you look less professional.

As If Endless Emails Aren’t Bad Enough

LinkedIn is famous for flooding your inbox with emails. Which is all kinds of annoying. Now, imagine that barrage of emails sent as voice messages, and you’ll see why this new feature hasn’t exactly been greeted with enthusiasm by regular LinkedIn users.

Still it cannot be denied that, with or without voice messaging, LinkedIn can be an extremely useful tool. So why not check out the LinkedIn features you should be using and the reasons why LinkedIn Premium may be worth paying for.

Read the full article: LinkedIn Adds Voice Messaging No One Wants

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