3 clever gift ideas using Raspberry Pi

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While thoughts of savory roast turkey and green bean casserole may come to mind when you hear mention of Raspberry Pi this holiday season, the credit card-sized computer is more likely to make you drool over techie gift ideas.

If you want to get creative with your gift-giving this year -- and impress your friends and family with your technical skills -- consider tackling one of these projects that are perfect for RasPi beginners. From AI-enabled teddy bears to mini retro game arcades, these are memorable gifts that anyone would be happy to find under the tree.

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Get a great deal on a Linux-powered System76 computer for Cyber Monday

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Today is Cyber Monday, y’all! It’s basically Black Friday, but instead of shopping at brick and mortar retailers, you shop online instead. Oh yeah, it’s a Monday rather than a Friday too. For some people, today is the ultimate shopping day as you can score some amazing deals without leaving your house -- no savage fistfights at Walmart or Target.

Before you head over to Amazon or Newegg to score some new technology devices, can I make a suggestion? Consider a Linux-powered desktop or laptop from System76. These are computers that come with an Ubuntu-based operating system pre-installed. Today only, for Cyber Monday, the company is giving some rare discounts on most of its computers.

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Synology DiskStation DS218+ review

Synology DiskStation DS218+

The new DS218+ is the most impressive NAS in Synology's two-bay range for home users. It's got powerful hardware and lots of features that you expect in the high-end segment, like a versatile operating system, a solid selection of ports, and support for 4K video streaming.

Those specs make it a very attractive option for power users and consumers who want a future-proofed NAS. Question is, does it have what it takes to also impress in real-life? I've tested the DS218+ to find out.

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Find the best local craft coffee shop from your smartphone

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We can’t be the only people who make finding the best coffee one of our priorities when visiting a new city. Frankly, it’s become a bit of a mission.

You could do some research in advance, scour websites and recommendations, but there’s an easy way of finding the best location for a good coffee without requiring tedious pre-planning. We’ve collated three of the most popular apps for searching, locating and enjoying the best coffee in your new city.

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Facebook launches AI-powered suicide detection tool

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Facebook has long offered a range of support options to help those considering suicide. Today the social network launches an automated AI-powered tool that aims to spot suicidal posts before they are reported.

Relying on the reports of people who spot worrying posts is just one of the ways Facebook has tried to provide a safety net for people who are struggling, and by adding artificial intelligence to the mix, the company will be hoping to speed up detection and offer help more quickly when it matters most.

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Facebook outlines its advertising policies, begging users to believe their privacy is respected

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Facebook is accustomed to criticism, and it's no different when it comes to advertising. There's been a lot of talk about advertising on the social network recently, not least because of concerns about Russian ads being used to influence the outcome of the US election.

In its latest attempt to calm fears that may have built up around its advertising platform, Facebook has today set out its advertising principles. This sees the company explaining the ethics behind ads, as well as seeking to reassure users that their privacy is protected and respected at all times.

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New solution automates container security

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Businesses are increasingly turning to technology to speed up application development and delivery, but this has placed additional pressure on making sure they’re secure.

Cloud security specialist CloudPassage is launching a new set of automated compliance and security controls for containers designed to protect container images, running containers and the container engine/host.

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Bitcoin mining and transactions use more electricity than Ireland and 19 other European countries

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When Bitcoin hits the headlines, it tends to be because its value is rocketing, or because there has been a token theft. Now, however, the financial cost of mining the cryptocurrency has been revealed.

The energy consumption of Bitcoin has been investigated by Digiconomist, and the cost is staggering. Using more power per year than Ireland, the mining of Bitcoin as well as performing checks gobbles up 30.14TWh every year.

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Technology killed my imaginary friend

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The use of technology is harming children's imagination and leading to a reduction in the numbers of imaginary friends according to new research.

The study by face paint company Snazaroo finds only 17 percent of children have imaginary friends, a steep drop from 2001 when nearly half of British kids had invented an invisible playmate.

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New drone laws will require owners to take tests, and give police new powers of seizure

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The UK government is planning to introduce new laws to control the use of drones. Under the new legislation, drone owners may be forced to take safety awareness tests before they can take to the air.

The draft Drone Bill also sets out new powers for police, granting them the authority to seize drones believed to have been used in criminal activity. The bill also places restrictions on where drones can be used, and requires larger drones to be registered.

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Microsoft Office is now available for all Chromebooks

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A key piece of software that has been missing from Chromebooks is now available to everyone -- Microsoft Office. Microsoft has made its office suite available for a range of platforms over the years, but Chromebook support has been notable by its absence. Now, without announcement from the company, this changes.

It's great news for anyone who has been put off by the idea of using a Chromebook because they couldn't use their favorite software. The arrival of Office is partly thanks to the appearance of the Play Store on Chromebooks.

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Oreo arrives on the OnePlus 5 through OxygenOS open beta

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The OnePlus 5T may have just rolled out, but the Chinese smartphone maker has not forgotten its older handsets. Having rolled out a beta version of Android Oreo to the OnePlus 3 and 3T, now the OnePlus 5 is getting the same treatment.

Making good on the promise it made at the launch of the OnePlus 5T, the company has launch the first OxygenOS Oreo open beta for the OnePlus 5. It is available for anyone to download and install, and the full, stable release of Oreo is due early next year.

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Time to change your password: Imgur was hacked in 2014

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While much of the US was celebrating Thanksgiving, social image hosting site Imgur was made aware of a security breach that took place back in 2014. Around 1.7 million user accounts were affected.

This is a relatively small percentage of Imgur users, and COO Roy Sehgal points out that the site has never asked for "personally-identifying information." Nevertheless, the company is contacting the owners of affected accounts, advising them to change their passwords.

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G.SKILL announces CL17 Trident Z RGB 32GB DDR4-4266MHz memory kit

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When consumers buy RAM for their computers, they often look at the rated speed. That is a smart thing to do, although it is only part of the picture. Actually, CAS latency timings are just as important, if not sometimes more so. You see, it is sometimes possible to get better performance out of slower RAM with a lower CAS rating. In other words, throwing money at MHz and ignoring CAS is a big mistake. Here is a great video to learn more about RAM timings.

Today, G.SKILL announces a 32GB CL17 Trident Z RGB DDR4-4266MHz memory kit, which the company claims is the only RAM at that speed with a CAS latency of 17. In addition, there are CL17 Trident Z RGB kits at 4000MHz and 4133MHz too. To prove stability, G.SKILL has successfully tested the kits using an impressive machine -- an Intel Core i7-8700K CPU and ASUS ROG MAXIMUS X HERO motherboard running Windows 10. The memory easily ran at both claimed speeds and latency without errors using Intel XMP 2.0.

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OnePlus 5T update will improve camera quality

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The OnePlus 5T is undeniably the best flagship killer yet. It's got a gorgeous display, superb performance, premium build, a lovely dual camera and, to top it all off, it undercuts many of its high-end rivals by hundreds of dollars.

However, if there is one area of the OnePlus 5T that could use some improvement it is the main camera. While overall it is very good, as noted in our review, in low-light the quality could be better. OnePlus is well aware of this, as it just promised that an upcoming update for OxygenOS will address this.

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