Catching the Hackers While They Act

How investigators trying to catch hackers work

The role of the computer expert becomes increasingly relevant to the proliferation. Nowadays, the attacks such as phishing or data hacking for ransomware purposes are the main issues. Hence, these specialists perform a thorough analysis on the affected devices to solve the issues. And also they obtain the digital evidence to get it right.
While hackers try not to leave traces, their footprints are not so easy to erase. That is why their job is to shed light on the hacking. This can be done by the reconstruction of the activity of the electronic device that has been used by the hackers. This is explained by Telam Maximiliano Bendinelli, the computer forensic expert.
A specialist works with Pablo Rodríguez Romeo in the CySI, said that last year they received a large number of queries from companies about the attack.

Virtual Hijacking of Data

Bendinelli cited virtual hacking of data for extortionate purposes known as ransomware. The hacking of data stored in a technological device to be later released in exchange for a ransom.

With their experience in the cases, the experts dealt with in the study. They found that the cost for the release of the data usually ranges from the US $ 300 to the US $ 1,500, always in Bitcoins.

These experts found sometimes interesting turns in the case of ransomware. They could even solve the situation without paying the hackers.

The hackers trick the users with some fraudulent methods that intend to direct them to some other page. If the user gets into to the page, paves the way to download some malicious codes into their computer for hacking their data.

Some reputed banks are also victims of these attacks, but they don't want to expose it. Rather, they get the experts' consultation to solve the issues.

The intervention of the computer expert becomes crucial in the field. They carry out the corresponding analysis, obtain and safeguard the digital evidence of the users. And also to implement the necessary methods to avoid invalidating the test.

The investigation of the issues arises from an audit, working with those who might be involved. And also identifying the correlation of facts and equipment.

The victims or the users never work with the original evidence. Because the users run the risk of damaging it. Hence, they proceed to preserve the evidence from a forensic copy.

The Forensic copy helps to identify the hacker

The forensic copy allows recovering all the information on the disk. Even the deleted, and also rebuilding the hacker's steps on the computer.
Currently, it is very common to use the forensic investigation software. It allows the analysis and processing of a lot of information with unmatched speed. This kind of software showed very good results. It makes technology a top-quality alternative to the old forensic computer applications.

The specialists summarized the work of the computer expert as a researcher and consultant. This is to carry out the processes, using the benefits offered by the research software and the management of various analytical tools to find hackers. This allows the identification of relevant data and cross-referencing of fundamental information.

Mono-live Gadget Review: Samsung Galaxy J+ with Impressive Specs and Dual Rear Cameras

A new war is being waged in the smartphone market wherein manufacturers are trying to woo customers with ‘dual rear cameras’. This new trend comes after the successful trend of dual sim, fingerprint scanner and larger display which has been prominent in the earlier years. Samsung has announced the launch of a new smartphone Samsung Galaxy J7+ which simply follows the latest trend of ‘dual rear camera’ setup in the smartphone. A number of leaks has emerged earlier which gave hints that Samsung will be following the suit of other smartphone manufacturers who are bringing ‘dual rear camera’ smartphone as the new thing in the mobiles.

Samsung Galaxy J7+ with Amazing camera with commendable performance

Dual rear camera setup is the main highlight of Samsung Galaxy J7+ and this smartphone will help Samsung in competing against the similar devices with similar camera setup. It has one 13-megapixel rear camera having aperture of f/1.7 while secondary camera is of 5 megapixels with aperture of f/1.9 aimed at capturing information. Both of these cameras works together to offer a splendid photo quality which is certainly better than a single camera setup in many ways.

This smartphone also has a 16-megapixel selfie camera with an aperture of f/1.9. This smartphone doesn’t have different design rather it follows the similar standard design language which is found in almost all the Samsung devices nowadays. It does have a finger print sensor in the front along with a metal unibody design which has become a norm in the mid-range smartphone. On the connectivity front this device has 4G VolTE along with Wifi, Bluetooth 4.2 and GPS. This device sports a battery of 3000 mAh which is more than enough to last a day or two depending on the usage.

Great specification turns  Samsung Galaxy J7+ into a powerful device

Samsung Galaxy J7+ comes with a 5.5 inch Full HD Super AMOLED display with a 2.5 curved glass and it has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. This device is powered by MediaTek Helio P20 Octa-Core clocked at 2.39 GHz along with a ARM Mali T880 GPU. On memory front it has a 4GB RAM with internal storage of just 32 GB which can be easily expanded up-to massive 256 GB using a microSD card.

Colour choices and availability in different regions

Samsung will be the Galaxy J7+ in three different colors of Gold, Black and Rose Gold. Samsung Galaxy J7+ has just been launched in Thailand where will be sold at price of 12900 Thai Bhat which equals to $ 388. Currently this smartphone is in pre-order stage till September 2017 and it will start shipping in Thailand from 22nd September. Samsung has declined to offer any details regarding its availability in different regions. This time around Samsung is also offering free U Flex headphones with all the pre-booking. Tech enthusiasts are hopeful that Samsung will be launching this dual rear camera smartphone by next month in Indian market followed by others.

Microsoft Bring The Subtle Mixed Reality Features to Windows

Windows 10 is based on the same model of popular Android OS which gets upgraded after an interval of few months with set of new over-the-air (OTA) updates. Just now Microsoft has announced that it will be updating the Windows 10 next month which will allow it to make use of the augmented and virtual reality technologies to be more precise the mixed reality domain. This software upgrade is seen as the fourth largest update ever made by the Microsoft to Windows 10 and the latest update is expected to reach the target audience from October.

Mixed Reality brings the best of both worlds

Microsoft will also be bringing new plans which will enable the computer manufactures and the virtual reality headset makers to come up with such hardware which can make use of the mixed reality features. At the ongoing IFA consumer electronics in Berlin Microsoft has stated that they are thrilled to bring the best of the mixed reality experience to the users’ right in their operating system which can be used both at work and hole. Mixed Reality is basically a term which has been coined by Microsoft to signify that their software make use of both the augmented reality and virtual reality.

Virtual reality can be described as the virtual world created using the entirely computer generated imagery and attributes while the augmented reality helps in overlaying the text, graphics, sound and video right onto the real world images or scene which is present right in-front of the users.

Currently people make use of the variety of platform to consume the multimedia content which includes not just computer and TV displays but also the smartphones, tablets and the virtual reality headsets. Microsoft I simply aiming to get into the play by targeting the users only at the highly advanced video game players where they can experience exponential using the VR headsets like never before. Microsoft isn’t the only one tech firm who is looking forward to establish themselves as a major player in the world of augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and cloud based services as a whole. Microsoft will have to deal with stiff competition from a number of firms from Silicon Valley namely Google, Amazon, Apple and Facebook as well as the Chinese giant Baidu.

More in store for Microsoft fans and users

Microsoft has partnered with a number of firms ranging from Lenovo, Asus, Acer, Dell, HP Inc to Fujitsu to manufacture and market such hardware which has the ability to take advantage of the mixed reality features. This new software update to Windows 10 will help in cutting down the time loss to just 10 minutes from 2 to 3 hours which were usually lost in setting up the VR headsets by the users. This major software update will also brings a range of new features to Windows 10 apart from the mixed reality which includes a new updated Photos app along with considerable enhancement in the saving files capability using the One Drive service.

Outsourcing Your Calls Is a Great Way to Stay on Top of Essential Tasks

Burn out and overload are some of the most common work issues. Everyone has experienced these negative consequences that are associated with working too hard for too long. If you find your day to day activity consists more and more of these tiny little tasks that add up to a major investment of time, you need to do something about it. Your employees may also be up to their necks in a ton of details that are eating up their productivity. Luckily, there is an excellent solution that you can turn to in order to regain your independence from these necessary but boring little details.

When Minutiae Gets Deadly Dull, It's Time to Outsource the Issue 

When the boring little tasks, such as dealing with customer calls, gets too much to deal with, there is a way that you can outsource them. You can contact a call center services provider in order to get this tedium off your back once and for all. A call center will gladly take these calls off your hands so that you can get back to concentrating on the day to day tasks that require your urgent personal attention. The questions, comments, and complaints of your customers are important matters. But you can only deal with so many of them at a time, hence the need to outsource the rest.

A Third Party Call Center Can Raise Your Office Morale and Productivity

The main reason to contact a third part call center service is to get these annoying calls and other related details off your radar. The service you hire will provide you with the necessary details and info concerning these calls so that you can prioritize them. This gives you the breathing space you need so that you can to deal with them at a later date. Meanwhile, the morale and productivity of your employees will see a much needed rise. Not having to spend hours on the phone allows you and your team to get on with important tasks that require your attention. It's a freedom you will love having.

The Time to Outsource Your Customer Calls Is Now, Not Later 

If you are serious about staying focused, productive, and profitable, the time to outsource your customer calls is now. This is the only way you will be free to deal with the urgent tasks that demand your personal involvement. You have so many things to do during the day as it is. Why add spending several hours on the phone dealing with tiny details that a third party call center is much netter equipped to handle? Not every business owner is supplied by nature with the gift of gab. If small talk gets too much for you to handle, leave the job to a trained, well paid professional.

When It Comes to Dealing With Customers, This Is a Job For an Expert

Outsourcing your calls to a third party service is a choice that will pay immediate dividends. It's an investment that will allow your customers to be greeted and served by a friendly, courteous professional who is glad to hear from them. This level of customer service will give your business the true ring of professional quality.

Top 4 Samsung Galaxy Deals You Don't Want To Miss

 
Latest Samsung Galaxy phones, the S7, S8 and S8 Plus, are some of the best devices on the mobile phone market, and every user wants to get their hands on them. Very few people can resist the allure of the super AMOLED display, enhanced camera and battery life, and a host of other breath-taking features that push the far beyond the core functionality of mobile devices and help redefine the cell phone experience.

However, these high-end devices will cost you upwards of $700, and you may have to make certain sacrifices to afford them. If you still need to acquire these top of the range communication and entertainment gadgets, you can compensate for your troubles by taking advantage of the various Samsung Galaxy deals that offer financial rewards.

Take a look at four of them.

Best deals from Best Buy

Best Buy has decided to live up to its name, for once! It is offering one of those mind-boggling deals you just can’t forget, making it the preferred destination if you are looking to purchase the S8 or S8 Plus cutting-edge smartphone.

You get $100 gift card and a free wireless fast-charging stand if you sign up for a lease program with Verizon, Sprint or AT&T, or a 24-month instalment payment program. The wireless charging stand goes for $90, but you get it here for free. The good news doesn’t end here. When you buy from Best Buy, you will enjoy a massive discount on the Samsung Gear 360 which sells for $300, but you get it here for only $49. The huge savings will be enough for a subscription to unlimited data plans for your internet use.

The Quidco voucher £30 offer

Considering the massive financial sacrifice you have to make to get your hands on the coveted S7 or S8, you would appreciate any amount of discount, however little it may seem. You can save up to £30 if you decide to purchase the device using Quidco voucher. Samsung has joined hands with the UK-based cash-back website to offer customers the chance to make savings when they buy Samsung products. This offer may not last, so if you are out there contemplating the amazing S7 or S8, or even the utterly astounding S8 Plus, hurry and sign up with Quidco.

25% Discount on Amazon Prime Day

One sweet deal you shouldn’t miss is on offer at Amazon, via the Amazon Prime Day offers. You can lay your claim on the unlocked version of the S8 at just $665 instead of the original price tag that reads $899. The Amazon Prima Day is offering a massive 25% on this device, and you can invest this money in unlimited data plans to keep you online for a whole month.

Samsung’s astounding deal

Well, if the units run out of stock at Amazon, you got very little to worry about because Samsung has your back covered. Samsung has a buy one, get one free deal running at the moment and no fine print to keep you on edge. Just purchase the S8 at $750, activate it on your T-Mobile line, and receive a rebate of up to $750 to help you acquire the second S8 within seven to ten days. Apart from the free phone, you also get a free Galaxy S8 Entertainment Kit which includes six months of free Netflix. The deal will be running for a limited time, and you had better rush before it runs dry.

Samsung Galaxy phones are getting more expensive with each subsequent release, but you can get the sting out of the hefty price tags by taking advantage of the many discount deals available. Visit Best Buy, Quidco, Amazon, or Samsung itself for discount offers you don’t want to miss.

7 Essential SQL Skills That Can Help You Command a Higher Paycheck

Programming is cool and sophisticated avenue which can lead to huge income and reputable job. If you are looking forward to shape your career in programming then the best to start is nothing else than the databases. In this modern time everything is tied up to database for influential and optimum performance and effectiveness. SQL helps in handling data in the databases, spreadsheets and effectively ends up in managing the back-end of almost every modern application. Here is the list of the skills which will help in mastering the SQL to enhance your programming acumen.

1. Learn & understand how to structure a database

The very first step towards mastering the SQL is to get to know how the database works. Learning all the aspects of the database ranging from the rows, tables to relationship will help in coming up with the best way to structure the database for specific purposes.


2. Learn the right way to author SQL statements and clauses

Once the first stage is complete then you can begin with learning the way of extracting the information from the SQL queries. Understanding what a query is designed to do and how it can be manipulated to serve one own needs will help a long way in coming up with such commands which deals with any tasks at hand.


3. Understand the management of the SQL database

Anyone looking forward to craft a career in IT or data science should must invest his or her time in learning about the management of the database. Taking up administrator course for the SQL data management will help in understanding as well as performing the right actions to ensure efficient management and scalable growth of the database.


4. Learn to work with popular database programs like PostgreSQL and MySQL

Understanding and learning the database management is great thing to do but if you doesn’t know how to work with latest database programs then it will be simply impossible to land a good job. Some of the most popular database management programs used on global scale include MySQL and PostgreSQL which allows users to manage access, limit users and perform a wide variety of tasks as the database admin or manager.


5. Get the advantage of PHP

MySQL works simultaneously with the PHP. So the database professionals are required to have a good knowledge of the PHP. PHP is a highly popular yet open source programming language which is used in tandem with the MySQL for wide variety of technologies, applications and programs on global scale.


6. Equip yourself with the knowledge of technical SQL data analysis

It is necessary to equip yourself with value added knowledge of the data analysis as it will aid in the marketing field. In this modern age a number of professional spends a better part in understanding the users’ behavior, demand and purchase patterns by looking at the SQL tables in order to boost the business revenue.


7. Start working with the SQL and WAMP

Having the knowledge and understanding isn’t enough if you are not putting it to use. Start working with the WAMP and SQL to enhance your potential, understanding and knowledge base to become a competent programmer.

Google is Testing Search Lite App for Slow Connections

Google gets a major chunk of its revenue from the searching engine business and nowadays almost 80 percent users make use of the smartphone to search online. Google understands a wide portion of the worldwide users lives in slow or poor connectivity regions which seriously hampers their ability to search online.

Therefore Google has begun trial of a lightweight Search app which will be made available only on the Android platform in the Indonesian region. This Google Search lite app will help millions of users to perform search queries with better effectiveness. The best thing about this new Google Search lite app is that it is designed to work better than the default tools and sites available on the smartphone even in the slow mobile network regions.

Google Search Lite: Simple, Lite and Elegant

This Google Search lite app is amazingly fast in bringing results within moments of feeding the query in slow connection areas. Google Search lite app can be used within the existing browser of the smartphone as well where it makes use of the Google’s Lite Mode in order to reduce the load time factor and bring results at a fast pace to the users. Another great feature associated with this Search lite app is that it allows users to switch between languages while making the search through swiping sideways.

This Google Search lite app also features different ‘find shortcuts’ which are designed to take users straight to varies categories of web content. Shortcuts allow users to get endless stream of results in by simply clicking on any of categories from the fashion, beauty to news and almost anything. Users also get a chance to share their search query or download it or simply follow the trail of searchable webs pages. In short Google has brought almost everything into this light version of Search app to ensure people doesn’t lose of chance of successfully searching even in limited connectivity region.

Google aims to retain its numero uno position in search market

Rather than being a simple search tool Google has ensured that the new Search lite app allows users access to a wide variety of web content. So far Google has kept it under wraps whether this app will be launched on global level or it will made available in select countries suffering from limited or slow connectivity issues. Just a few months ago Google has also launched an app named Triangle which was aimed at helping users save more data on the Android platform.

Quite incidentally Google isn’t the first tech firm to come with a light weight version of their popular app. Facbeook has launched a lite version of its popular social network just a year ago to bring connectivity, efficiency and connectivity to the users living in slow mobile networks region on global scale. Currently Google Search Lite version isn’t available on the Play Store but interested users can download the apk file of the same from the internet. IN order to enjoy Google Search in slow connection areas simply download the apk file, install it, choose the language and start making your searches.

Supercapacitive Performance of Porous Carbon Materials Derived from Tree Leaves

Converting Fallen Leave – Porous Carbon Material

An innovative system of converting fallen tree dried leaves to porous carbon material which could be utilised in producing high tech electronics have been found by researchers in China. Researchers have defined in a study printed in the Journal of Renewable and sustainable energy, on the procedure of converting tree leaves into a system of integrating into electrodes as active resources. Initially the dried leaves are ground into powder and thereafter heated to 220 degrees Celsius for about 12 hours which formed a powder comprised of small carbon microspheres.

The carbon microspheres are then said to be preserved with a solution of potassium hydroxide and heated on gradually increasing the temperature in sequences from 450 to 800 degrees Celsius. Due to the chemical treatment it tends to corrode the surface of the carbon microspheres which tends to make it tremendously permeable.

The concluding production which is a black carbon powder is said to have a great surface area owing to the existence of several small holes which tend to have been chemically carved on the surface of the microspheres. The great surface area provides the ultimate produce with unusual electrical properties.

Permeable Microspheres

Led by Hongfang Ma of Qilu University of Technology in Shandong, the detectives followed a succession of standard electrochemical test on the permeable carbon microspheres in order to enumerate their possibility for utilisation in electronic devices.

The current-voltage curves for these materials showed that the element tends to make exceptional capacitor. Additional tests indicated that the materials had in fact been super capacitors having precise capacitances of 367 Fards/gram.

 These were said to be over thrice the value seen in some of the graphene super capacitors. Capacitor is said to be an extensively utilised element which tends to store energy on holding a charge on two conductors, which are detached from each other with the support of an insulator.

Super capacitor tend to store 10 to 100 times the energy as an ordinary capacitor and has the tendency of accepting and delivering charges much quicker than a usual rechargeable battery. Hence super capacitive materials have the potentials for an extensive selection of energy storage essential in particular in computer technology as well as hybrid or electric vehicles.

Enhance – Electrochemical Properties

The roadsides of northern China are said to be scattered with deciduous phoenix trees which produce abundant fallen leaves during autumn and these leaves are usually burnt in the colder climate, aggravating the air pollution issue of the country.

The investigators in Shandong, China, had recently found the new system of resolving this issue by means of converting waste biomass into porous carbon materials which could be used in energy storage technology. Besides tree leaves, the team together with the others have also succeeded in changing potato waste, corn straw, pine wood, rice straw as well as other agriculture wastes into carbon electrode materials.

Professor Ma together with her colleagues expects to enhance more on the electrochemical properties of porous carbon materials by augmenting the preparation procedure and enabling fixing or adjustment of the raw materials.

WhatsApp Beta for Android Gets Verified Accounts: Here's How It Will Work

WhatsApp Certified Profiles - Businesses

Certified profiles of WhatsApp for the purpose of businesses are apparently being tested on the Windows Phone beta app. Presently the company has come up and made an announcement on how the feature tends to function on the Android beta version.

For Android beta the company has added launcher App Shortcuts which will enable users to open directly a New Chat, Starred messages or in-app Camera. The feature is said to be live for Android beta users but it is not known on the availability of the same.

WhatsApp App Shortcuts had initially been spotted by Android Police and the site had displayed screenshots of the updated features. WhatsApp also enables these shortcuts to be dragged on the home screen as separate shortcuts and the messaging app also has the potential of creating shortcuts for self-regulating chats as well as camera on home screen.

 Though the new App Shortcuts tends to be useful, it probably will find lesser use owing to the choice of shortcuts. For instance, a new Status shortcut rather than New Chat shortcut would make more sense since the Facebook-owned company had reported that it had over 250 million users on the Status feature. It is rare that WhatsApp user open new chat window instead they tend to chat with those who exist on their friends’ list.

 

Increasing List of WhatsApp Features

 
WhatsApp starred messages shortcuts tends to take the users directly to three pinned chats towards the top of the chat list and though the choice seem to be useful of most of the users, there could be others who tend to end up in not utilising the shortcut at all.

WhatsApp has now added another feature to its increasing list of features introduced in 2017 with this announcement. Another most important feature likely to come up to the app will be the UPI integration for easy money transfers.

 Together with this, WhatsApp has joined in with Facebook, Instagram as well as Twitter in partaking in certified profiles and has taken initiative in increasing the convenience wherein users could interconnect with businesses on the platform.

With regards to the latest update in an FAQ post, Facebook-owned social media app had mentioned that some business account had been certified already by WhatsApp and if one tends to see a green badge with white tick mark near the name of a contact, you are assured that it has been certified by the company as a business profile. The company had stated in its post that `WhatsApp would enable the user to know when one begins talking to a business through yellow messages within a chat.
 

WhatsApp Business Verification Restricted

 
There is no manner in which one could delete these messages from the chat. If one tends to have a phone number of any business saved in the address book, the name seen will be the name one has saved in the address book.

If one does not have a business phone number saved in the address book, then they will see the name that the business seemed to have chosen for their own self, within the app. Moreover if the user does not desire any business to trouble you on WhatsApp, you could have the choice of blocking them in the same manner as in contact.

The company has explained that WhatsApp business verification is presently restricted to small number of businesses partaking in a pilot program. WABetaInfo who had initially spotted the feature had pointed out that with the announcement of 2.17.285 form of the Android beta app, the manner in which users tend to view business account and the information which is made available has been disclosed.

WhatsApp, as per report, has reorganized its servers to enhance the management of contact numbers and in case there tends to be a business contact in your address book, it will apparently not download that contact again.

 

New `Business Info’

 
Moreover, the report had also stated that the new `Business Info’ fragment has the information such as the address of the business, the real name of the business together with the mail address of the business as well as its website.

 If the business seems to have an account on Instagram, one would be presented with the link of that profile also. WhatsApp is said to have more than 1 billion active users on the app used in more than 60 languages and the platform had lately added a multitude of updated features to make it more convenient as well as exciting.

For Android it had made it simpler for users in formatting text to Italic, Bold, Strikethrough or Monospace by selecting the part which they desire to format. GIF support tends to make easy call forwarding, the capability of sharing 30 photos as well as video on one go with more addition to it. In India, where the app has reached to almost 200 million users, it is said to be looking forward in adding UPI enabled in-app wallet too.

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How to Roll Your Own VPN

Free Wi-Fi access offered by restaurants, bars or public places are not safe. These networks are not encrypted. Anyone who is connected to it can intercept the data, name of users or passwords that you are sending by identifying yourself in your email account or social networks.

1: What are VPNs?

VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a type of network in which you create an extension of a private network, such as the local network you have at home, over a public network. That is, you use the open network as a vehicle to connect to your private VPN network and thus, to be able to navigate with the same level of security as if you did it from your home, since your laptop, smartphone or tablet, connects directly to your Private network, isolating itself from the rest of the public network traffic.

2: Free VPN Networks

There are companies that offer, among other services, the free connection to VPN servers to protect your connections from public networks. These servers act as protective filters for your privacy on the Internet. The greatest virtue of this type of services is that they do not require any registration. Simply enter the server address, a username and password and start browsing.

Before connecting to the VPNBook servers, you need to know your connection details. Go to your website and click on the PPTP tab.

Record the address of the server you want to connect to. Just below the servers, you also specify the login user name and password. Write them down as well.

3: Connect to a VPN network from your iPad

If you're connecting to a VPN network from an iPad or any other iOS device, go to your Settings menu. Touch General on the side panel, and in the central box, look for the VPN entry.

Now touch Add VPN configuration .... In the box that appears, click on PPTP. Then write the connection data you wrote down on the VPNBook page.

In Description,  type an identifying name for this VPN network. For example VPNBook. In Server, type the address of the server you want to connect to. In Account, enter the username you copied from the
VPNBook page and do the same in Password.

Then turn on the Send All Traffic switch to direct all browsing data over this VPN. Finally, touch Save.
When you're done, activate the VPN switch to connect to the VPNBook server and thus protect your privacy.

4: VPN connection from an Android app

Another easy way to connect to VPN networks and maintain your privacy is to do so from apps installed on your smartphone or tablet.

This app will connect to the VPN server, allowing private browsing in just a couple of touches on the screen.
To do this you must install Spotflux free VPN on your device. This time we will use an Android device, although it is also available for Apple devices.

After you search for and install the SpotFlux free VPN app on Google Play, start the app. Scroll to the left and press Proceed. As you need to create a new network connection, you will be asked if the app is authorized to do so. Check the I trust this app option and click OK.

It will automatically connect to Spotflux servers and encrypt your connection. An icon in the notification bar will tell you the VPN connection is active.

During the initial trial period, you will be able to test all the services offered by the app. After this period, the Premium functions will be blocked, but you can continue to use all other functions with normality. When you want to disconnect from the Spotflux VPN server, click on the Disable button. This is all you need to use public Wi-Fi networks safely!

5: Fix your IP with No-ip

Another option to keep in mind is to create your own private VPN network. For this you will need a computer on and connected to the Internet, which serves as VPN server.

Doing so is not as easy as connecting to the VPN networks in the previous sections, but you will have the absolute certainty of the security of your navigation.

But first you must fix your IP address. If your IP is already static you can skip this step.

Before starting to configure your computer, you need to know if your IP is static or dynamic. If your IP is dynamic, which happens in most cases, you can use the No-ip service to "fix" it.

This free service synchronizes the dynamic IP of your router with a domain name. That way, you will not have to worry if your IP changes. Entering the name of the domain that will be assigned to you, other devices will be able to connect with your computer.

To create a domain for your dynamic IP, go to the No-ip website. Then click Sign up and create a No-ip account. In it you must specify the user name with which to identify you and a secure password.

Then, establish a name for your domain, make it simple to remember. You can also choose which domain to belong to. The only free domain is .noip .biz, the rest are paid. Select it and click on Free sign up.
Then, you will be sent an email to the address you have provided to confirm your registration in No-ip. You can start using No-ip !

6: Install the No-ip client on your computer

Now is the time to install the No-ip client on the computer that will act as a VPN server.

This program will synchronize the IP of your computer and the domain name that you have created in No-ip. That way you can connect to it even if your IP changes. Which will do every time you turn the router off and on.

Go back to your account on the No-ip website and, in your control panel, click on the Dynamic Update Client option, which you will find in the side panel. Then click on the Download Now button to download the No-ip client installer. Install it on your computer and start it.

Then enter the email address and password you used in the No-ip log.

In the No-ip client window, you may notice that you have not yet recognized any domain and therefore can not synchronize your IP. Click Edit Hosts. Check the box for the domain you created in the previous section and click Save.

Now it recognizes the domain and assigns it the correct IP. If you turn off and turn on your router you will see how the IP changes, but the No-ip client reassigns it to your domain. Even if you close the No-ip client window, it will continue to work in the background.

7: Configure your VPN server in Windows

The first step in creating a VPN in Windows is to access the Network and Sharing Center on the computer that will act as a VPN server. You can access it from the Control Panel.

Then choose Network and Internet, and then choose Network and Sharing Center. You can also access from the Network icon in the system tray, next to the clock.

Now, click Change adapter settings in the side panel.

In the Network Connections window, go to the File menu and choose New Incoming Connection. If you do not have the menu bar visible, press the ALT key and they will be displayed.

Then click on the Add someone ... button to create a new user for the VPN network. In the box that appears, type a user name and set a password. These will be the identification data that your device will ask you when you want to connect to the VPN network.

When finished, tap OK. Continue with Next. Then check the box over the Internet and continue with Next. Finally, click the Allow access button.

After this, it will be necessary to restart the computer so that the new network is created. If, after the reboot, you return to the Change Adapter Settings window, you will notice that a new network has been created, which will tell you if there are any users using the VPN network.

8: Open the ports on your router

In order for your router not to block the connection of external devices to your VPN network, it will be necessary to open a specific port, through which this connection will be directed. The port to be opened will be the TCP 1723.

Each router has a different configuration interface and its own way of opening the ports. If you do not know how to do it, consult the manual of your router or contact the support service of your Internet provider, they will show you how to open the ports of your router.

9: Connects to your private VPN network from another computer

Once you have configured the VPN network, you have created the user account and you have opened the ports of your router, you just need to establish the connection from another computer.

On this occasion, we will use a laptop with Windows 7 - which we bought at a great price thanks to our Amazon discount coupons - and connected to the Internet from an open network. Access the Network and Sharing Center, as shown in the previous section.

Then click on the Configure a new network connection option. Then choose the option Connect to a workspace and click Next. Now choose Use My Internet Connection (VPN) and configure the connection settings.

In Internet Address, write the static IP of your router or the domain that you created in No-ip. In Destination Name, type the name of the network. For example, My VPN. When you're done, click Next. Then enter the username and password you created during VPN

Host Your Own RSS Feed Reader

How to create an RSS feed from scratch

Today most of the systems we implement (such as WordPress) already come with a feed created and implemented, ready to validate, it is always possible to create a zero, or want to further customize what already exists.

Through a simple tutorial we will teach you to create an RSS feed from scratch, whether with static or dynamic content.

As always, first things first:

Reqirements for RSS feed:

A website with content, whether static or dynamic.

A Web editor.

Process of creating RSS feed:

To create an RSS feed, it is necessary to encode a file in XML format, which contains the necessary tags to interpret and display the content in the specified format, to which users will access. This file we can leave it native in XML, or embed it inside PHP, as we will see in both cases below.

For this we will perform 2 processes. In the first instance we will create a static feed, from content that we have available on our site.

After that we will repeat the task, but this time we will retrieve contents from a database to put them into the feed, ideal if they are publishing through a CMS or if they obtain content directly from a database.

So without further ado, let's get down to business:

1.- Creating a static RSS feed

This option is valid only if we have static content on our site, which although not very justified, can be a useful functionality to deliver to visitors.

For this, we need to create an XML file in our Web editor, and start coding:

The first 2 lines that we added correspond to the definition of the version and coding of xml (in order for it to validate correctly we must add the version, as far as the coding is optional but it never is) and the version of RSS that will use The file we are creating. Currently most sites offer subscriptions for both RSS 1.1 and 2.0, but with the latter is more than enough. At the end we close the rss tag to finish the document.

Following the above, it is necessary that everything related to the feed (both information and content), be included within the </ channel> tags, which we will add just after the previous code.

And now, inside the channel tags we will be adding the feed information.

And finally, after the information, we add the related content that will be displayed in the feed, we will do this by repeating the same tags we used previously, but closed between < item>and </ item>:

The above we save it with any name and with extension xml, we upload it and when opening it in the navigator we will be able to see that our static feed is completely ready:

2.- Creating a dynamic RSS feed

We created our static feed, its just onnly a few minutes, we realized that it was very simple and we are ready to conquer the world ... right ?. Well, not yet. As we indicated in the previous point, a static feed is not very funny, since we must add each new content manually and ends up being a lot of work, or it may be that on more than one occasion we forget to update. Due to this, if we have a site where the content is obtained dynamically from a database, it is possible to adapt that to our feed and that the new information will be added as it is generated. For this, we will work with both XML and PHP, in a bombastic that will spark and make us the most popular kids in high school.

For this, we will consider that we have a database, which has a news table with a title field, a link field, a detail field and a date field of the news, as we see below:

[Table id = 1 /]

So, the first thing to do is create a PHP file in our Web editor.

As you can see, in the previous code we left a blank section, between the <? Php and?> Tags. This part of the code is where we will connect to the database, rescue the news and deploy it dynamically.

For this, we will first connect to the database. As a good practice we will use DEFINE to define redundancy, define the connection data, but if you want, you can skip this part and execute the function directly:

And now we make the connection. We run the query.

Now that we have retrieved all the news from the database in an orderly way by date, obtaining the newest ones first, we will pass them to an array to write them in the specified XML format, as follows:

With the above, we execute a cycle that will pass to an array in an associative way (thanks to the parameter MYSQL_ASSOC, which will allow us to access the records in the array with the same name that they have in the table of the database). That they are finished and will create a new item with the respective values to include in the feed.

With that we are almost ready, the last detail is to add a small header at the beginning of the document, indicating that we are executing XML content for better recognition at the time of executing the complete script, we do this by adding at the beginning.

And ready!.

We have our dynamic RSS feed, which will add the results obtained from the database and each time we publish new content will be updated automatically.

And now, to conquer the world ?. Not yet. Before finishing:

3.- Useful tips for launching RSS feed

Some tips that are never over:

Validate feed

Before launching our feed to the public, it's good to make sure that it works properly and that we have not made coding errors. For this we can validate through several services, such as:

W3C Validator

Feed Validator

Just add the URL of our feed and validate.

Publish the feed

There are services that allow us to publish our feed and offer a series of interesting features, such as adding advertising or statistics about our subscribers. The best known and undoubtedly used is Feedburner, which in only moments we can publish our feed without problems.

Show users that a RSS feed exists on the site

If at this moment they look at the address bar of your browser, you will see that there is an orange icon.
This icon indicates that the site has an RSS feed to which they can subscribe. How to add it? Very simple, we should only add the following lines between the <head> and </ head> tags of each page we want it to appear in, such as a favicon. Simple, right?

and </ head> tags of each page we want it to appear in, such as a favicon. Simple, right?

Customize your RSS feed

The details certainly make the difference in the minds of the users. So, now that we've learned how to make a feed from scratch, why not play it a bit and make it more personalized? Only by modifying small parts of the code can we display certain types of information in our feed (for example comments if they exist), or limit the number of articles to be displayed, or make a separate feed for each person that writes in the site and thus each Reader follow his favorite author.

The possibilities are many, you just have to experiment.

And with this we have finished this tutorial in which we have covered the process of creating an RSS feed from scratch. As you can see, it only takes a few minutes and the difficulty is low, so we encourage you to try and tell us your experience.

Before ending, we remind you that as always, this tutorial has been:

Any questions or comments you may have, we invite you to leave us a few lines in the area enabled below.
We hope this tutorial has been useful for you.

Microsoft Patent Reveals That The Company is Working on Augmented Reality Wand

Microsoft’s Patent – Wand-Like Controller

From Microsoft’s patent filing, it has now come to light that the company has been functioning on a wand-like controller for augmented reality (AR) and `HoloLens’. Microsoft had made an announcement of a new patent on August 22 of the design for an augmented reality input device wherein the wand-like controller appears like a cross between a motion controller and a pen, according to the report on The Verge.

The software giant company had originally filed the patent in June 2016 on the same day it had published its Windows Mixed Reality vision video. In the video one would see what seems to be a wand-like device in action being utilised to articulate hand tracking with a HTC Vive VR headset.

 There is a possibility that this tends to be simply a reference device which had been testing with partners by Microsoft though it could also hind that the company intends accessories which would operate across several VR headsets.

The software major had intended to introduce a range of Mixed Reality headsets from partners like Asus, Acer, Dell, HP and Lenovo, later in the year. The headsets would be available at a price below the prevailing VR devices, with the unit of Acer beginning at $299.

Aiming - Six Degrees of Freedom

Microsoft has been aiming on six degrees of freedom tracking with the need of traditional external sensors positioned all through a room.

 The lowest specs for Mixed Reality platform of Microsoft also specify most PCs would have the potential of running the most basic apps together with games. Augmented reality has been gaining power quickly in the US, powered by Snapchat Lenses and Facebook Stories.

 Facebook has also been operating on emerging augmented reality glasses which could balance digital object with that of the physical world. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of the company had earlier shown photos of comparable glasses stating that they would be the future of augmented reality though had not disclosed that it would be developing this kind of product.

CEO of Facebook is of the view that augmented reality would be the subsequent big user tech platform after the smartphones. This information had been reported after the announcement of Microsoft on its Build developer conference in May that the company plans to utilise AI for the purpose of safety in workplaces.

Purpose – Match with Promotional Video

It had also showcased how AI can make for example a construction site to be safer and also efficient. Spotted by WalkingCat, the patent revealed an accessory which seemed to appear like want, having buttons, a trigger and a finger guard.

It is unknown at the moment as to what the accessory would be capable of doing though it seems like it could be utilised as a pointing device for the purpose of presentations, a prop for augmented reality games or could be also a painting tool.

The purpose of the device tends to match with promotional video wherein Microsoft portrays too small want controllers which tend to interact with an augmented reality setting. It appears similar to Google’s Draw accessory for Google Glass and increases on the controls that are available with the HoloLens clicker.

Android Oreo:12 Best Features of New Android Operating System

Google has finally launched Android Oreo successor of the Nougat after months of name guessing. This version brings a wide range of upgrades which helps in enhancing the overall experience, security and intelligence of the Android platform. Here is a quirky list of things which Oreo users will be proudly showing off to the Nougat counterparts in the days to come.

1.  Turn on notification badges Oreo brings the app based notification badges right on the home screens. Enable this feature by going to the Settings followed by ‘Apps & Notification’. Notification and then turn it on. 
2.  Better protection for everyone One of the best features to debut with Android Oreo is the Google Play Protect and this feature will be making its way on older devices as well with the Google Play Services. This service is designed to make Android device more secure from before by providing the much needed basic scanning of the installed as well as incoming apps for malware and it sends out alerts if it detects anything suspicious or malicious. 
3.  Unique picture-in-picture display This feature is applicable with Google’s YouTube app wherein users are able to shrink videos into little window for some time and another app can run right in the background with no issues. This feature is unique as it offers the benefits of two apps on a single screen and it also works with Chrome app but for more apps we will have to wait for app developers to start supporting it. 
4.  Its simpler to install unknown apps Installing apps from the unknown sources have always been troublesome. Android Oreo is addressing this issue wherein users will get a chance to whitelist unknown app installation whether doing it from the Gmail, Chrome or Google Drive. It also does away with the need of enabling ‘unknown sources’ in the Settings. From now on users will be able to install app from the downloaded APk files without any issues at all. 
5.  Snooze gets more power This snooze upgrade is vital for those who love to keep dismissing the alarm. Users will get the ability to deal with the snooze notification at a later stage rather than dismissing them once and never seeing them. In order to enable it simply swipe on the right on any alert in lock screen or present in the notification or simply tap on the clock icon and edit the time delay as per your requirement. 
6.  Text selection made easier Text selection has become bit more intelligent in the Android Oreo. Simply tapping and holding on any kind of text like a phone number will ensure that now Android automatically highlights the complete number for the user. Secondly upon performing any kind of text selection the Oreo will give out context sensitive shortcuts right above the bar like if a user has selected an address then Google Maps shortcut will be shown. 
7.  Sync all your data across the different devices Android Oreo makes use of a new Autofill feature which allows the system to sync everything across the range of devices used by the users. Upon getting requisite permission form the user Oreo will help in syncing the app logins, credit card information, address details along with a wide range of information shared between the devices and apps. 
8.  Take photos in style with new shortcuts Google has made some aggressive feature enhancement in the camera app bundled with the Android Oreo. The upgrades or tweaks can be said to be minor but it has potential to go a long way in enhancing the photo and video capturing abilities of the users. Users get a chance to zoom in by 50 percent through giving a double tap on the screen. 
9.  Set and manage notification property Android Oreo enhances the way we manage notification to a whole next extent. Users will be able to make use of notification channels to categorize the one which they want to see and the one which they don’t. There are few more minor tweaks wherein swiping right on any notification then tapping on the cog icon will help getting options. Even checking out the setting of any specific app will allow users to see the options to control notification minutely. An example will help in illustrating its usefulness; users can set the group messages in the messaging app to use notification light differently. In certain situations users can get permission for group chats to buzz and light up while in other cases it will remain silent. 
10.  Fun filled new emojis Every Android version brings in new emojis for the Android users but rather than bringing just a bunch of emojis Oreo has gone ahead and brought a whole new set of emoji set. Google has spent a huge time in redesigning the emojis to give a whole new feeling to the aging Android emojis. There are few special characters in the new emoji set in the form of a dinosaur, an exploding head and a wizard showcasing the magic of Oreo. 
11.  Now get more juice for your phone’s battery Android is known for its great battery life and each year Google is enhancing the battery saving potential of the OS for better. This time around Android with a whole new set of rules which defines what varied apps can do and cannot do running in the background. It is widely known that apps running in the background are the primary reason behind loss of battery in quick succession and Oreo is aiming towards ensuring battery lasts for longer period of time at a stretch. 
12.  Easter egg for future Google is known for carefully hiding Easter eggs in its software. Similarly the Android Oreo has a unique Easter egg which can is revealed when user taps on the Android version repeatedly. To everyone’s surprise rather showing an ‘Oreo’ biscuit which ideally should be the case there comes an octopus on the screen.

Google Tracks Everything You Do. Here's How To Delete It

Google Knows A Lot About Users

In the present scenario, our lives have become more assimilated online than ever before. We tend to interact with families and friends online through social media, emails etc. We also tend to conduct business through difficult, data-driven channels and inventions due to which the culture that we encounter online seems to be essentially connected to what we seem to encounter in real life.

Google being the most popular search engine platform has most of the users utilising its services. It is a known fact that Google tends to know a lot about the user. A major section of the search engine industry model depends on advertising and in order to be successful it requires to know who you are.

Google does not makes an issue regarding its in-depth knowledge of its users however at the same time it does not even tend to keep it undisclosed. Users could get to know how to find out what Google seems to know and take control of your data.Perhaps the least surprising is that Google tends to have all of the search history stored up.

You could follow these guidelines:

If the user prefers not have a list of the search queries stored up, he could go to the history page of Google, click Menu which are the three vertical dots and then hit Advanced - > All Time -> Delete.
If the user desires to stop Google tracking your searches for good, go to the activity controls page and toggle tracking off.

Voice search-saving habits of Google have several times been reported. Those who tend to use voice search or the voice-activated assistant of Google their searches have been stored by Google Now so that more relevant ads are served and the search features are steadily enhanced, the same manner one expects from regular Google search.

Many are not aware that these searches have been actually recorded which means that users are able to listen back to precisely what they have explored by listening to what they said and how they have said it.


If the user has utilised any of the opt-in voice features of Google for yourself, then go to the Voice & Audio Activity page of Google to review your voice searches and listen back the audio. A warning of caution - this could be fascinating, funny or plain cringe-worthy.In order to erase this database of embarrassing searches, you could opt for one or more of the recordings from the check box near them and click `delete’ towards the top of the screen. Google also tends to keep a tab on your location besides recording your searches and your voice.

The location history or timeline page of Google tends to serve up a Google Map enabling you to choose specific dates as well as time and locate where you were. Its precision is based on whether the user were signed in their Google account and carrying a phone or tablet at that point of time. When a user tends to visit the timeline page they can go to setting component towards the bottom right-hand area of the screen and choose delete all from there. Besides this there is also another option to pause location history by going to the big button towards the bottom left area of the screen.However this one seems a bit trickier to get rid completely since to stop it occurring in future, one would need to choose out of both location tracking and location reporting with your device, regardless of running Android or iOS.

A more interesting area of checking out what Google tends to precisely know about the user is to go over its ad setting page where. If signed in Google account, one would see a profile which Google has built for you depending on your search history, YouTube history and interests. For instance, it could know that one is a female, aged 18-24 and interested in banking, consumer electronics, mobile phones, shooter games, rap and much more.

From this page there is a possibility to turn ad personalisation on or off. If the user tends to opt out of personalisation, the adverts which seem to follow you around the web – trainers, after one has searched for them once, will stop showing up. The ad network of Google operates on more than two million websites all across the world and restraining its knowledge regarding the user would make everything less disturbing

If, the user wishes to completely eliminate himself from the internet, then Swedish website Deseat.metends to utilise your Google account for assistance. Utilising OAuth protocol of Google enables third-party users to access your other accounts without knowing your password details, Deseat.me tends to bring up all your online as well as social media accounts, and permits the user to delete his accounts from them.

In order to delete it you could visit Deseat.me and edit your Gmail address. This will bring up all the online accounts that have been linked to that particular email address and enable the user to get rid of the same.

How Self Driving Cars will Get Your Hands Back on the Wheel

Prevailing Navigation System in Cars

Self-driving cars will be driving themselves very soon on long expanses on the highway and it is left to be seen when the car seems to need you to take the wheel. In Germany, at a Bosch-sponsored event, the automotive equipment supplier had shown a solution which tends to work in the same way to the prevailing navigation systems in cars.

The function had been examined by a passenger who took the passenger seat of a heavily modified Tesla Model S while a Bosch test pilot had taken the driver seat for a demonstration on the test track of the company near Frankfurt, Germany.

As the car reached a section of road where it was permitted for self-driving cars, the centre screen calculated the distance and once in the zone area, the driver pushed two buttons on the steering then and let the car manipulate the driving.

As the car neared the end of the approved self-driving zone, the screen started to calculate the distance to when the driver required to take back control portraying and sounding alerts as they got nearer. The information seemed to be the same as the navigation system showing the distance to the next turn, which most of the drivers would find accustomed.

 

Level 3 Self-Driving

 
This competence signified the next step in driver support to what engineers consider Level 3 self-driving, where humans tend to share control with the car. This is a natural evolution of self-driving cars system from the prevailing adaptive cruise control systems that could regulate the speed of the car in relation to the traffic ahead.

Together with the adaptive cruise control cars progressively is likely to come with lane keeping systems which tends to use cameras in recognizing lane line and steering the car in order to avert it from travelling into another lane. In order to permit Level 3 self-driving cars would have to maintain high definition maps of precise roads.

Technology partners together with automakers could develop maps and also wirelessly modernize them to prevailing cars. When the car tends to driver on a mapped road, it has the potential of taking over the driving and the computer of the car is said to constantly compare what its sensors view with its stored map. Super Cruise technology had been recently demonstrated by Cadillac utilising this methodology that would be made available in the next few years.
 

Easier Driving Environments – Highways/Freeways

 
However, when this technology tends to be made available, high definition maps will not be accessible for every road. Similarly, the automakers could also opt for easier driving environments like the highways as well as freeways for the purpose of self-driving cars instead of suburban or city streets.

One can visualize driving down I-5 on the west coast, I-95 down the east coast or I-80 through the country and after merging on the freeway, your car tells you it can take over and so you permit it to drive for some hundred miles to your exit and then take the wheel for the off-ramp.

There could be issues when the section of high definition mapped road may run out and the driver does not seem to take charge. A solution was shown by Bosch for this type of a scenario. When the driver had not taken the wheel after several audio as well as visual warnings, the car seemed to pull over to the side of the road safely.

In the near future, drivers may be awaken from their nap to find that their self-driving cars are parked in a selected pull-over zone, relaxed though several miles down the road.

Alphabet Wants to Store Renewable Energy Using Salt in an Attempt to Save Power

Resources for Storing Renewable Energy – Salt/Antifreeze

 
Google’s parent company has turned to two unexpected resources of salt and antifreeze in order to endeavour in storing renewable energy. Alphabet which is owned by Google has been working on a project known as `Malta’ in storing renewable energy which would else be wasted.

 If the same tends to be effective, the system would be placed almost everywhere thereby saving millions of megawatts of energy which tend to be present lost all over the world annually. According to a report in Bloomberg, the mysterious X division of Alphabet has been operating on the `moonshot’ project Malta.

 The system has the capabilities of lasting longer than lithium-ion batteries and can compete with the other clean energy storage systems according to X executives and researchers. Obi Felton, director at X while speaking to Bloomberg had mentioned that if the moonshot factory gives up on a big important issue like climate change, then probably it would never get resolved.

He added that if they do begin resolving the issue there would be trillions and trillions of dollars in market opportunity. According to Ms Felton, the team of 10 researchers are now on the lookout for partners, in order to build and operate a prototype to the grid, though Malta has not yet been an official X project.
 

Insufficient Means of Storing Energy

 
Huge amount of energy seems to get wasted every year since there is insufficient means of storing the same. For instance, California had wasted 300,000 megawats of energy in the first half of this year that had been produced by solar panels and wind farms, while Chine threw out over 17% of its produced energy as per Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

The Malta system seems like a small power plant having four tanks that has been linked to a heat pump. X states that the system tends to come in several sizes ranging from the same size as a garage to a full-scale traditional power plant based on requirements. Julian Green, the product manager for Malta describing the system to Bloomberg had stated `to consider it at a very simple level as a fridge and a jet’.

Two of the cylindrical tanks are said to be filled with salt while the second two seemed to be filled with antifreeze. The energy is said to be taken in the system by way of electricity which is thereafter revolved into separate streams of hot and cold air.
 

Potential of Storing Energy for Days

 
The hot air is said to heat up the salt and the cold air tends to cool the antifreeze. In order to re-generate the energy, the procedure is inverted in order the hot and cold air rush towards each other thereby developing powerful winds which spin a turbine and produce the energy that is utilised.

The system has the potential of storing the energy for days based on the amount of insulation. Mr Green had commented that the thermodynamic physics seem to be quite popular to all who had studied adequately at college level.

The project has now the support of Robert Laughlin, a Nobel prize-winning physicist whose research is said to be the foundation for the system. Laughlin had commented that `a blessing came out of the sky. X came in and took a giant bite out of this problem’. It is not known when the system would be ready for set-up.

What a Good Editing Photo Program Should Always Have

A good photo software program takes a good picture and makes it better. You don’t think a good photographer gets it perfect without using some editing program, do you? Of course, not – they do take great pictures and use a software program and make the photo even better.

Editing functions 

A good editing program does not have to be hard to use but there are some options that they need to have.

Set of editing tools 

Photo editing programs need to have a good set of editing tools. These are used when the photo is good but by just using a few editing tools makes them almost perfect. What type of editing can you use – there are many?

Functions 

You should be able to:

• Crop 
• Exposure 
• Sharpen 
• Rotate 
• Resize 
• Cropping a photo

To crop a photo is to put a fresh spin on your photos. With cropping you can eliminate what is not needed and watch your photo emerge almost perfect. Quickly trimming your photo can do wonders for picture, so cropping is often used.

Cropping is one of the Basic Editing tools. A grid will usually appear over your image. Then you drag the corner handles until you have your desired shape and size. Then you simply click apply and save the photo. Now your picture looks fabulous.

Exposure 

When a photo comes out murky (or a step too light or too dark) you can fix this with the exposure function. Exposure is usually the fix for this problem. Most programs will have simple sliders and by moving them back and forth you can quickly resolve specific exposure issues.

Sharpen 

Clarity might be slightly off and it will make your photo just be a little out of focus. This is when you can use your sharpening tool to make your photos crystal clear. Or perhaps you are trying to set an ambiance that is a little out of focus; you just use this same tool to make the photo have a slight blur.

Rotate 

It looked fine when you were taking the picture but for some reason it now looks upside-down when it is being edited. The rotate tool is there to help to rotate the pictures until you have just what you wanted.

Resize 

This resizing tool will spare you headaches by resizing tools – it can be bigger or smaller, whatever you want. A good program will support common social media, website and print sizes.

Transformative Photo Effects and Filters 

No matter what you are into, a good editing program should be able to make your photo effect match a theme for every image. You can also blend many different effects as possible to give you that perfect photo that will be truly one-of-a-kind.

Black and White 

This is a filter that can make your photo have a touch of class in monochrome – or black and white. Black and white effects can make your photo be silver-screen-worthy in no time.

These are just a few of the many effects that a good photo editing software program will have. Most of them will be included when the Window version of Luminar is finished. Currently Macphun is working on this Window version and has posted the Beta version that you might want to try out.

Google Docs: Big Update Happened with More Editing and Search Tool

Google set to bring a new vital update for the popular Google Docs

For a really long time people were dependent on the Microsoft Office programs to work and share their finding globally. But Google brought a commendable challenge to it through its suite of online office applications and among it the most popular and widely used application is Google Docs. Just a few days ago Google has announced that it will be a big update to the Google Docs which will open a whole new world of opportunities for the users.

This updates has helped in upgrading the online word processing application to the next level. Now more number of users will be able to work, collaborate and edit the documents at the same time. Google understands that modern requirements of the Worksheet processing program should be able to provide a unified control over the collaboration to enhance the productivity of larger teams. This new update will allow users to work on big projects with ease and simply by actively monitoring varied edits or inputs from large number of users. Enhancing the ability of the users in collaborating with large teams is essential as more and more users are working remotely from varied but carefully monitoring the progress or edits made on a single file has always been troublesome. Google Docs will be able to do offers respite to the users in dealing wide amount of edits.

 

What’s new in Google Docs?

This major update has focused on enhancing the editing and collaborative efforts of the users. Now users will be able to see all the team edits at a single place which is known as version history. On one hand users get to every edit made in the document with ‘version history’ view and another option allows them to check every clean version of the document without the presence of the other user’s edits and comments. This is a very thoughtful update as it helps in going back to the older version or understanding which person has made the unwanted edit when a large team collaborates on a single project online.

Another great feature included in this update is the ability to accept or reject all the edits in a single go. This is designed to ensure that one doesn’t spend their time in carefully understanding and going through all the edits made by all the persons appointed on a single project.

 

Challenging the ‘Word’, beating its own game

The latest update will bring almost similar functionalities and features to the Google Docs which is seen on the Microsoft’s Word. In recent time Google has been actively promoting its G Suite as the best reliable work collaboration service which comes loaded with the Docs- a word processing program and Slides – a spreadsheet program. Another awesome feature of the G suite is that it allows users to search for files containing specific words. With the latest update users will be able to make use of the built in explore tab for scanning the files without even leaving any of the program namely Docs and Slides.

Build Your Own Streaming Dash Cam - Do It Yourself

We have always been passionate about home automation and everything related to computers in the home. Most of us love the weather stations that display a lot of information, high-tech clocks that make a calendar and that sounds when you receive a mail, digital photo frames, etc ... Indeed, we find that what exists today is either far too limited or very limited and far too expensive.

Build a Dash Cam with a Raspberry Pi, Two Cameras and GPS

Car video cameras (dash cams) became very popular, where vehicular crash videos outpaced witness testimony in court. Surveillance cameras in cars have become ubiquitous among the driver's daily tools. Increased distractions and shorter care intervals have subsequently led to dangerous traffic. The use of a camera like this means irrefutable proof of guilt in case of being involved in an accident.

We have seen a raspberry Pi used as a dash camera before, but about in Pro techie's they took the same concept, but also have a live-streaming capability provided you can set a hot spot on your smartphone.

Dash cameras are an easy way to record everything you see on your windshield, but they vary …

The dash cameras are a cool, easy way to record everything you see on your windshield, but they vary greatly in price and quality. If you really want to personalize your own, you can make one with a raspberry Pi.

As expected, this configuration has some bells and whistles. It has two cameras, one front and one rear. It also has GPS packaged in it so the camera always knows where it is recording. There is also a button to turn it off and restart it when you need it along with status LED so you know what to do. Of course, most of us probably do not need all this, but it's a fun project, though.

To begin with, you can make use of an old USB camera.
You can combine it with your old USB version and possibly add a GPS.

Hardware - Raspberry Pi model B
OS - Arch Linux
Front camera - Pi camera
Rear USB camera – Any kind of old one
GPS - Adafruit Ultimate GPS Breakout
LEDs - 3 x 3mm
Pi camera mount - From pimoroni
SD card adaptor - pIO microSD card adapter
SD card - Samsung 32Gb micro SD PRO Card Class 10 UHS-I

The camera uses Node.js to set everything up, then takes a picture every few seconds and saves it online using the hot spot on your smartphone. In this way, the flow is available online at any time. To do this, you will need a Raspberry Pi and a camera module next to some form of network access. Beyond that, it is a fairly simple configuration process for the camera itself. When you're done with that, you'll make a viewer so you can see all those images in streaming. This project uses the PubNub application platform, but you can do this project using a free account.