Brian Fagioli

By now you undoubtedly have seen news coverage of the so-called "Facebook Murder." While the social network was not responsible for the killing, the suspect did upload a video of the murder to Facebook. The video upload aspect of the killing has lead to reflections on society's reliance on social networks, but it is important to remember that there is a real victim here -- a 74-year old grandfather named Robert Godwin. His justice and remembrance is more important than blaming Facebook for not removing the video fast enough.

Of course, Facebook still has a responsibility to issue a statement on the situation, and today, Justin Osofsky, VP Global Operations, has done so. Osofsky explains that the murder "goes against our policies and everything we stand for."

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When you think of YouTube stars, you likely picture people like Casey Neistat, iJustine, and Leafyishere. Of course, we cannot forget Felix Kjellberg, also known as "PewDiePie" -- probably the most popular person on the video service. Despite some recent controversies, he has more than 54 million subscribers!

According to Google, PewDiePie apparently has some competition, but it is not by a human. Actually, the newest YouTube star is a zoo animal -- April the Giraffe. She gained notoriety due to a very long pregnancy which had people all over the world tuning in to see her calf being born. The baby was finally birthed this past Saturday, and now YouTube is sharing some impressive engagement numbers.

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Smartwatches haven't taken off as many manufacturers had hoped, and that is probably due to one big issue -- they largely duplicate smartphone functionality while also needing the phone to properly function. In other words, spending money so you don't have to pull your smartphone from your pocket isn't exactly a smart investment. For fitness, however, wearables have definitely found a market.

Luckily, smartwatches with integrated 4G LTE -- so you do not need to carry a smartphone -- may save the day, and Verizon has an attractive model on the way. The previously announced "Wear24" Android 2.0 smartwatch finally has official pricing and a release date, and you won't have to wait too long to buy it. You can use it to make and receive calls or listen to music without needing your phone nearby. How cool is that?

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Today at 3pm Eastern Time, the 2017 NBA Playoffs will begin. All of the playoff series are best of seven, meaning the first team to win four games in each is victorious and moves on. This happens for both the Eastern and Western conferences, until the best of both meet each other for the Finals.

This year, Microsoft -- through its "Bing Predicts" service -- says that Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors of the West will beat LeBron James and the the Cleveland Cavaliers of the East to become NBA Champions.

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Say what you want about Microsoft, but the company stays on top of security. Yeah, it may issue more patches and fixes for Windows compared to some other operating systems, but that doesn't necessarily mean the OS is less secure -- it could mean that the company is simply more proactive and transparent than others. Quite frankly, I'd rather get many patches than be lulled into a false sense of security.

When hacking group "Shadow Brokers" started leaking NSA-discovered exploits, many people were understandably worried. While the leaks would enable operating system makers to issue patches -- thereby making the OS more secure -- it also meant that before the fixes were issued, many computers would be at an increased risk. Luckily, when it comes to the recently leaked Windows exploits, Microsoft was already prepared -- currently supported versions of the operating system are not impacted.

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Now that AMD has embraced DDR4 with Ryzen and AM4, as Intel already had with its processors and platforms, it is time to wave goodbye to DDR3. For legacy systems, it could make sense to buy the increasingly more expensive DDR3 for an upgrade, but in 2017, most new builds will probably be using DDR4.

If you do need to buy some memory, there are plenty of quality manufacturers nowadays, such as HyperX, Crucial, and Corsair. G.SKILL is another respected RAM maker, and the company is constantly pushing the envelope. Today, it announces a new DDR4-4333MHz 16GB Memory Kit (2x8GB) -- the first ever. While that alone is very cool, the company is bragging about what it accomplished with it -- an overclock that hit 4500MHz using an Intel Core i5-7600K processor paired with an ASUS ROG Maximus IX Apex motherboard.

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Now that the weather is getting better, many people will start spending more time in their backyard. One of the most rewarding spring or summer activities is having a barbecue with friends and family -- food can really bring people together. One aspect of a successful outdoor party is good music. If you don't have some decent sounding audio equipment, your guests may not have a good time.

Today, Bose announces some new speakers that are well-designed for outdoor parties, relaxing near the pool, or trips to the beach. The SoundLink Revolve and Revolve+ Bluetooth speakers feature 360 degree sound, so you do not have to worry about the position to satisfy all of your guests. The larger plus model even has a really cool built-in carry handle. While they are a bit pricey, the cost is surprisingly reasonable given the Bose branding.

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The Samsung Gear S3 is a very interesting smartwatch. Unlike many other watches it runs Tizen OS, instead of Android Wear. Software aside, it has great specifications and features -- it has GPS and is IP68-certified, making it great for those that live active lifestyles. Of course, less active folks can use it too. It doesn't look like a fitness-focused device, however, and it would look good with both casual and fancy clothes. In other words, it wouldn't look out of place in any situation.

Today, the versatile watch gets even more so, thanks to three new smartwatch watchfaces -- Outdoor, Travel, and Sports. You don't have to wait to try them, as they are available to download immediately.

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Today is finally the day. Ubuntu 17.04 "Zesty Zapus" is available for download. No, this is not an Alpha or Beta, but an official stable version of the Linux-based operating system. Unfortunately, the release is a bit tainted -- it uses Unity as the official desktop environment, which Canonical has announced will be killed. Not to mention, there has been some controversy regarding some comments by Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth. Just yesterday, the CEO of Canonical announced she is leaving the position.

With all of the aforementioned controversy and chaos, it is understandably hard to get too excited for "Zesty Zapus," especially as this is not a long term support version. With that said, if you are an existing Ubuntu user that likes Unity, this is certainly a worthwhile upgrade if you are OK with the shorter support. Unity may no longer have a future, but version 7 will continue to be supported -- for a while, at least.

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Ubuntu is in a very weird and uncertain place right now. If you have been following the Linux distribution lately, you would know that Canonical dropped some bombshell news that it was killing the Unity desktop environment, along with its tablet, phone, and convergence plans. This was shocking, as the company sunk a lot of resources into these things, and now it looks like all that time and money was wasted.

Then, Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth insulted the free software community, going so far as to compare the hatred towards Mir to the gun control debate. Now today, following rumors and speculation, Canonical CEO Jane Silber announces she will be stepping down and walking away from the position -- ultimately handing the reigns to Shuttleworth. She will remain on the company's board of directors, however.

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If you are a Linux desktop user, you know that buying a laptop can be a pain. You undoubtedly have purchased a Windows machine, formatted the drive, and then installed your favorite distro. This sometimes works well, although you then have that Windows logo on your keyboard. Look, I'm not an anti-Microsoft Linux user, but having the Windows icon on your keyboard takes away from the overall experience.

Luckily, there are companies like System76 that sell computers pre-loaded with Linux-based operating systems (with no Windows key on the keyboard!). Its machines come with Ubuntu, but they can run any Linux distro, such as Fedora, like a champ. The company's newest offering, the all-new 'Galago Pro' laptop, looks drop-dead gorgeous. It delivers a thin and light notebook experience -- like the MacBook Pro -- but without sacrificing specifications or ports. It even has a HiDPI screen, backlit keyboard, and optional NVMe storage. Best of all? Pricing starts at $899!

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Mesh Wi-Fi home networks are all the rage nowadays. If you aren't familiar, it is the use of several access points as opposed to a single router. For larger homes in particular, a mesh option can provide greater coverage -- potentially minimizing dead zones.

Today, TP-Link launches Deco M5 Whole-Home Wi-Fi System. Not only does the 802.11ac offering offer respectable specifications, but they look very attractive too -- yes, that matters. The access points (you get three of them) look like white small hockey pucks, allowing them to be placed in any room in your home without being too conspicuous. It even comes with a three-year subscription to Trend Micro HomeCare for free.

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Google Chrome is a great web browser for many reasons. Like Firefox, it is a cross-platform program based on (mostly) open source technologies, but compared to Mozilla's offering, its development moves at a much faster pace. Google is constantly pushing the envelope, creating a largely positive web browsing experience.

Today, Google introduces a new Chrome web browser feature that highlights the search giant's forward-thinking. Called "scroll anchoring," it literally "anchors" the web page, preventing the page from scrolling to the top in certain circumstances. In other words, if the user is reading text on a page, it will prevent the page from shifting and interrupting the consumption. The brilliance of this feature is its overall impact -- this annoyance has probably been experienced by most, if not all, web surfers.

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Bluetooth speakers can be very convenient, as they are often designed to be compact and portable. With that said, the wireless connection can be used in tabletop speakers too. After all, sometimes you just want to connect a phone or tablet while relaxing at home -- a battery is not needed. In fact, home speaker systems can sometimes have better and louder sound, thanks to bigger speakers and the ability to move them apart for better stereo separation.

Today, Logitech announces a new speaker system called "Z537 Powerful Sound With Bluetooth." This 2.1 system features dual satellites and a subwoofer. You can connect devices to it wirelessly, but also via a wire. You can easily switch between the two connection types too. Unfortunately, bass control is located on the rear of the subwoofer -- not the control pod.

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The newest MacBook Pro only has USB-C ports. For some, this can be a pain point. For others, it is refreshing to only have the most modern connectors. As time marches on, other manufacturers will likely follow Apple by forgoing USB Type-A entirely too.

Today, G-Technology unveils a beautiful new external storage drive. Called "G-DRIVE USB-C," it is designed for the MacBook and MacBook Pro, but it will work with Windows and Linux too (a Type-A cable is included in the box). The 3.5-inch 5400 RPM drive features speeds up to 195MB/s, is available in capacities up to 10TB, and offers power-delivery so it can charge your Mac too -- how cool is that?

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