When is stupidity fraud?
Next month I return from my first—and hopefully last—summer sabbatical. I resume writing with a question for you: "When is stupidity fraud?" I ask because someone is using my gmail address to sign up for a humungous number of newsletters and websites. At first, I presumed someone trolled me. But that no longer appears to be the case. This guy, presumably living in North Carolina, either uses my address randomly to hide his identity, or he mistypes one that is similar. Given many of the services are for an unidentified widower looking for love, I assume the latter.
Behind my question are real concerns about identity and privacy that do not just apply to me. The email address gives me the ability to change the passwords and even cancel accounts—both of which I have done, treating his misuse of my email address as identity theft and violations of my privacy; after years of careful cultivation that reduced spam, crap is on the rise as this misuse spreads my gmail identity across dating and discount sites and sex webcams. Who knows on what mailing lists it will appear next.
How to: Install Google Chrome web browser on Ubuntu Linux (and uninstall Firefox)
Ubuntu comes with a lot of quality software pre-installed. Unfortunately, the default web browser, Mozilla Firefox, has been on the decline -- it is slow and clunky. On Linux, Google Chrome is now the top web browser, and it is the best way to experience Adobe Flash content too (if you still need it).
Installing Google Chrome on the Linux-based operating system is not totally straightforward. This is unfortunate, as the search-giant's web browser is an important part of having an overall quality experience on Ubuntu. Don't worry, however, as we will help you to both install the wonderful Google Chrome and uninstall the disappointing Mozilla Firefox.
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Apple releases macOS Sierra as free upgrade
New law requires IMDB to respect actors' privacy and remove ages on request
If you've ever got into an argument about the age of an actor, or you've just been curious about how old someone is, you may well have hit IMDB to find out. But starting next year, the Internet Movie Database will have to comply with requests to remove age details from profiles after the state of California passed a new anti-discrimination law.
The bill, AB-1687, requires that all sites that have paid subscriptions that allow people to post resumes and other information respect requests to remove information relating to age -- or just not post this information in the first place. Welcomed by some, the new legislation has also been criticised for being a violation of free speech.
iHeartRadio introduces All Access
Being able to collect music as you listen to the radio isn't entirely new. Different streaming apps provide various methods of accomplishing this.
Now one popular app that had not previously offered this option is getting in on the game. iHeartRadio is introducing its version, called All Access. The service claims it's the first to allow this option for listening to terrestrial radio.
Minecraft getting huge October update for Windows 10, Gear VR, and Pocket editions
Minecraft is a worldwide phenomenon. Heck, it is even being used in classrooms for education. For many, including yours truly, the game's popularity is a bit of curiosity. The graphics are rather poor and the entire thing just feels very rudimentary. With that said, it does not require a lot of resources, meaning it runs well on modest hardware -- this is likely a huge driver of its success. It even has special 'editions' for Windows 10, Samsung Gear VR, and mobile (Pocket).
Today, at MINECON 2016, Microsoft announces that it will bring some very important updates to the game next month. While the previously announced 'boss battles' will become available on October 18, there are some even more impressive things coming that day too, such as something called 'Add-Ons'.
New York Times endorses Hillary Clinton for president, but sexist online ad taints it
The New York Times is one of the most respected news publications. Yeah, some folks call it a liberal propaganda tool, but I disagree with that stereotype. While the paper does tend to lean left, ultimately, it is based on common sense and forward-thinking.
Today, the aforementioned paper endorses Hillary Clinton. While this was totally expected, it is still historic. Why? Because it is backing the first-ever female candidate for president that is representing a major party. When I clicked the link for the article, I was excited to read it -- I have many women in my family, and it made me proud. Unfortunately, my pride quickly turned to disappointment and shame. There, in the middle of the endorsement, was an online advertisement featuring an almost naked woman.
Protect your web privacy with ScriptSafe for Chrome
ScriptSafe is a free Chrome extension which has been helping users manage their web privacy for years, building up a huge list of features along the way.
The add-on can help block various content types, fingerprinting technologies, cookies, web bugs, Google analytics, cross media requests, social media buttons and a whole lot more.
Pippa Middleton is the latest celebrity to suffer an iCloud account hack
There have been numerous cases of iCloud accounts being hacked over the years, but it's the celebrity ones that hit the headlines. Well, that and things like the Fappening. The latest celebrity account to fall victim to hackers is Pippa Middleton, sister of British royal Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge.
A reported 3,000 images have been stolen from Pippa's account, and these are said to include photographs of Kate and her children. Leaked images also show photos from private parties, and shots of wedding dresses.
Don't fall for the secret hack to add a headphone jack to the iPhone 7
As you're probably well aware, with the launch of the iPhone 7 Apple ditched the familiar headphone jack in favour of a wireless audio option. Many people have questioned the sense in this 'courageous' decision which has led some owners to take drastic steps to allow them to use their favorite set of wired headphones.
Some have been spurred on by a YouTube video that reveals a 'secret hack' for returning the headphone jack to the iPhone 7. YouTuber TechRax has created a tutorial for uncovering the hidden jack that Apple left inside the new phone. Except, of course, it is complete nonsense.
Snapchat rebrands as Snap Inc and announces Google Glass competitor called Spectacles
Snapchat today makes two big announcements, the first of which is that it is no longer called Snapchat. The company is starting to branch out into products and services beyond the Snapchat app and therefore decided it is time to drop 'chat' from the name. Snap Inc is the new company name.
The second announcement is a new product called Spectacles. These are sunglasses with an integrated video camera offering a 115-degree field of view. There's no word on exactly when it will be released, but the marketing machine is already in motion, building up momentum and drumming up interest.
Most employees don't want to share passwords
For many people, both business owners and employees, remote working is the future of business. It’s at the very heart of business transformation, together with cloud computing, automation and artificial intelligence. However, a new poll by OneLogin seems to suggest that certain workers aren’t really fond of the idea of remote working.
Half of full-time workers believe employees below mid-manager level shouldn’t be allowed remote access to the corporate network. This remote access refers to both work-owned devices (47 percent) and private devices (54 percent).
BT to offer customers Microsoft Azure services
British telecommunications company BT has announced a new offering, expanding the cloud choice for its customers. BT Computer for Microsoft Azure allows BT’s customers to order Microsoft Azure together with BT’s cloud.
With the new offering, according to BT, customers will be able to create hybrid cloud infrastructure with a single service wrap, on a single bill.
Knowing your unknowns
On a daily basis, the news is filled with stories about things that "should never have happened". Last weekend’s headline, "Improvised Explosive Device Explodes in New York City’s Chelsea Neighborhood", is one tragic example. No one could have anticipated the attack, but through the use of cameras placed throughout the area, law enforcement was able to identify a suspect and track his movements within hours.
In the real world, no one can know every single threat that could exist in the future, or when it might happen. You can make educated guesses with the right intelligence and data, but you can’t predict with certainty. This is why New York, London, and other metropolitan areas have installed surveillance cameras. They’ve done this so that if a situation does unfold, they can quickly triage and provide authorities with immediate and accurate information to inform response and investigation.
TunnelBear 3.0 brings faster, more secure VPN connections
Canadian VPN provider TunnelBear has updated its Windows and Mac clients to version 3.0. The Windows release features a simplified, stripped-back interface and connects and reconnects up to 60 percent faster than before.
There’s a new option to mark networks as "Trusted". TunnelBear then connects to trusted networks rather than others, whenever there’s a choice.
Benchmark report reveals effectiveness of marketing emails
Email is still among the most popular ways of delivering marketing messages to customers, but it can be hard to measure how well it works.
A new study from delivery platform SendGrid measures the engagement numbers for the average percentage of male and female recipients, the percentage of emails that are opened on mobile and non-mobile devices, open rates, click rate, click-to-open rates and monthly send rates across 10 industries.