Thursday, 30 September 2021
'Horned crocodile-faced hell heron' dinosaur terrorized prey on land, in water - CNET
The large predator is part of a surprising discovery.from CNET https://ift.tt/3F5hEes
Lil Nas X headlines TikTok's new collection of NFTs - CNET
NFTs from TikTok creators go up for auction starting Oct. 6.from CNET https://ift.tt/2Y6dPoR
Rocky IV rematch as Stallone debuts Rocky V. Drago: The Ultimate Director's Cut trailer - CNET
I must break you... again!from CNET https://ift.tt/3F4vopV
3 reasons why you should take your Alexa devices outside - CNET
You love what your Amazon Echo can do inside the house and you'll love what it can do outside, too.from CNET https://ift.tt/3oqYnOH
Windows 11 launches Oct. 5. Here's a sneak peek at the new desktop customization tricks - CNET
Windows 11 is days away for Windows Insider program members.from CNET https://ift.tt/3omg81v
Best streaming devices to give for the holidays 2021 - CNET
A streamer makes the perfect gift for the TV fan on your list and we've rounded up choices for every budget.from CNET https://ift.tt/3mg54QW
Ford recalls 354,000 cars over camera and suspension problems - Roadshow
A few Ford and Lincoln SUVs are affected by the camera recall, while the suspension issue is specific to the Explorer.from CNET https://ift.tt/3AXzbD5
12 of the best Squarespace templates for artists, painters, and creative types
There is a point that comes in the career of almost every artist: you’ve made all these works and feel like you are not doing enough to show them off. A strong website is an essential part of marketing yourself as a creator and, with templates that allow you to drag together different website elements visually instead of through coding, Squarespace is often the platform that creative types opt for.
SEE ALSO: Best Squarespace templates for mobile websites
We’ve taken a look at the templates that fit the needs of a range of different artists — from the painter to the musician, from the artist looking to simply show off work to the studio that needs to sell prints or schedule art classes.
Is Squarespace good for artists?
Yes! The combination of beautiful templates and no-web-experience-needed entry point has for years made Squarespace a popular choice for artists who desperately need a website but do not know much about coding or design. A majority of the templates on the site are built primarily with images in mind and make it incredibly easy to show off your painting or drawings. But if you happen to be a sculptor, a musician, or another kind of artist not mentioned on this list, fear not as there is almost certainly already a template for you as well.
Which website features are most important for artists?
While that will depend on what type of work you do and how you want it to look, a few core functions are necessary for anyone looking to draw attention to a creative portfolio. Knowing how many images you’ll want to display, as well as how you want them displayed, will allow you to make a few basic decisions about overall layout. After that, the possibilities are endless so take time to think about what it is you’ll need. While some artists just want to display a portfolio, others will want their site to have a blog, a podcast, or an online store where they can sell their work.
Here are our top picks to get you started.
from Mashable https://ift.tt/3B9UcKw
Best Squarespace templates for mobile websites
If you ever had to pinch-and-zoom your way around a website, trying to press microscopic buttons just to get to the next page, then you probably know how important it is that your website can adapt to the small screen. Squarespace is a website design and hosting platform that ensures that every one of its 90+ templates will resize itself for a legible mobile experience, but some templates offer even more options with customizable features you can play with just for the mobile version of your website.
Among these templates, some of the mobile features are pretty basic and come down to adjusting font size. But others, such as any of the 40+ templates within the Brine template family, offer many ways to tweak the mobile version of your website and give your phone-holding viewers a strong first impression.
Do Squarespace websites work on mobile?
Every Squarespace template is built off the concept of responsive design, which changes the dimensions of your website as viewers adjust the size of their browser or switch devices to read your content from a tablet or phone. On mobile, all of your content will stack vertically, eliminating the need to pinch, zoom, or scroll horizontally. Aside from making your site easier to use, there are many benefits to having a mobile-optimized website, such as having a higher SEO indexing priority and the opportunity to take advantage of some mobile-only customizations.
How to make a Squarespace website look good on mobile
When you’re using your desktop to design your website, the first thing you should do is adjust the size of your browser so you can preview how design elements will shift in the mobile view. If you’re using spacer blocks on the desktop version of your website, bear in mind that these will disappear in the mobile version as the priority is to stack each element vertically. When deciding how to layout your website, you should think about the potential reader who has just arrived and where they are coming from. Did they click through from your Instagram profile or find one of your blog posts on Google? Because everything on mobile is stacked vertically, you should put your most important information at the top of the page every time.
SEE ALSO: Here are the best Squarespace templates
If your website features many photos, you should also consider uploading them at reduced file size, since large-format images can cause your mobile site to load more slowly. (Peep our picks for the templates that photographers will love here.) Squarespace recommends keeping your page under 5 MB to make sure it loads quickly and if you are using your website for blogging, you can also toggle on Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) to quicken the pace of how fast your posts load.
What is the best Squarespace template for mobile websites?
We selected some of our favorite Squarespace templates for mobile websites, not just from the all-star Brine family, but also other templates that may have features better-suited for your business.
from Mashable https://ift.tt/3okarkT
Need a laptop that won't break the bank? Here are the best options for under $300.
A new laptop is always a big investment, one that you'll likely need to make every few years to keep up with ever-changing technology. You might even put it off after an initial browse when you start to see how pricey a new laptop can get, as well as the sheer volume of how many options are out there.
But you don’t always need to break the bank to get a suitable laptop — there are plenty of affordable models out there for less than $300 (because buying a laptop shouldn’t need to cost more than your rent).You’ll still have a huge range of products to choose from if you’re only looking to spend a few hundred bucks. And if you just need another device to check email on, browse YouTube, or pull up recipes, — not all of us are gaming or editing the next Oscar-winning film, after all — maybe a budget laptop is all you need.
Cheaper laptops may not have all the features of top-of-the-line computers, but you can still get reliability and the basic features that you’ll be using every day.
Each individual will find different specs to be their priority. Depending on what kinds of tasks you’re hoping to accomplish with your new laptop, maybe a larger screen display is what you’re looking for. Perhaps if you’re the kind of worker who enjoys taking your laptop to the corner cafe, or a student who needs something cheap that will get them through a day of classes, battery life is super important. Maybe you’re looking for a place to store all your photos and documents, in which case, more storage space is what you’ll have in mind. A commuter may value a lighter laptop over a heavier machine, for ease of transport. It’s all up to the individual, and just because you’re looking at a lower price point doesn’t mean you don’t have all of these options available.
What size laptop should you get?
This really comes down to two things: Personal preference and lifestyle. Personal preference is self-explanatory, really — do you like having a huge display, or do you prefer something more compact? Lifestyle is where practicality comes into play. If you're traveling often and usually have your computer on your back in some way, you're going to want to go with something more light and compact (thin, 11-inch models will most likely be the best). But, if you're a huge movie buff who doesn't normally take their laptop on the road with them, spring for a 15-inch (and higher) screen with a bulky construction so you can have sweet Netflix and chill sessions. If you're getting a gaming laptop, you should probably "go big or go home," as well.
Most of the best laptops under $300 are on the smaller size when it comes to screens, with many clocking in around 11.6 inches — though there are starting to be more out there that measure in at 14 inches or even larger at 15.6 inches.
What am I losing by getting a cheap laptop?
Laptops in the $300-or-below price range are not going to be good for PC gaming. You won’t get a 4K resolution display or a refresh rate higher than 60Hz. RAM is going to max out around 8GB, which isn’t bad but also isn’t spectacular. You’re also unlikely to get more than 500GB of storage space.
In this price range, laptops are going to be best for web browsing, word processing, Zoom calls, and streaming. Bells and whistles-wise, don’t expect a ton of extras like touch screens or backlit keyboards to come standard on every model — though a few of them certainly offer one or the other. As long as you don’t expect more than something serviceable — which is all some of us need! — you’ll be fine.
But are cheap laptops worth it?
You know the old saying: You get what you pay for. But thanks to the technology boom of the last few decades, a cheap laptop can actually take you pretty far and won't break down immediately. It's all about knowing which one to select.
Rather than just making a few purchase suggestions and sending you on your way, we're going to equip you with some knowledge that'll help you be a more informed laptop shopper. You know all that computer jargon of processor-this and gigahertz-that — we'll explain it all in terms that anyone can understand.
Whether you’re looking for a machine for school, work, or fun, you can find a laptop that can handle the basics for less than $300. It may sound impossible in today’s world, and that’s why we’ve listed our favorites for you below. Here are our favorite models at that price point.
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FCC aims to crack down on SIM card swapping scams - CNET
Identity thieves can use your personal info to convince a wireless carrier to transfer your service to a new device. Now, the FCC is taking action.from CNET https://ift.tt/3kXdvBg
Road-tripping to the Long Beach Grand Prix in a Lexus IS 500 F Sport - Roadshow
I took a scenic route to the races in Lexus' new performance sedan.from CNET https://ift.tt/3ioi8Tf
Best car battery chargers for 2021 - Roadshow
Car batteries can lose their charge because of weather, age or simply because the lights were left on. These will get your vehicle started and back on the road.from CNET https://ift.tt/30BuMVW
COVID vaccine mandate: Today's update, who's required to show proof of vaccination - CNET
Federal and local vaccine mandates are in place to help to curb the surge of COVID-19 cases, but they're getting a bit of blowback.from CNET https://ift.tt/3uu3D5m
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl: How to get a free Manaphy at launch - CNET
Buy the upcoming Pokemon remakes before Feb. 21 and you can receive a free Manaphy egg as an early purchase bonus.from CNET https://ift.tt/3kflZly
Yes, you can find a real relationship without paying for dating apps
Finding your soulmate is priceless. Sure. But do you have to use a paid site to find a real relationship? Does a monthly fee really weed out people who aren't taking the process seriously?
This wasn't really an issue before 2012, but the Tinder-led surge of 30-second profiles and instant access to all single folks within 10 miles gave sites with tedious personality analyses and upscale subscriptions a run for their money — literally.
Vox said what we're all really thinking: "At what point in the completely nightmarish process of online dating does one decide that it’s worth spending money on making that experience slightly less terrible?"
Is it worth paying for a dating site?
According to Reddit and Consumer Reports, not really. This Consumer Reports survey found that free sites actually scored better than paid sites on this when it came to overall satisfaction because they're a "better value." Unless you're absolutely lost without those heavy-duty matchmaking algorithms, many free sites still offer the questionnaires, detailed bios, and compatibility ratings that indicate red flags and users you wouldn't get along with.
There's no one dating site that everyone is particularly psyched about. Swiping exhaustion and creepily persistent users are an omnipresent part of all online dating. Sorry, but a paid subscription isn't a metal detector that pulls all of the upstanding, faithful singles up out of the crowd. When there are sites that can offer millions of users for free and success stories to prove they work, why not try them before spending $40 per month elsewhere?
A hefty price point doesn't guarantee the absence of fakes or catfishes, either. (In 2019, some guy on match posed as a millionaire and stole $80,000 from the woman he was talking to.) Many free sites are just as big on privacy and safety, requiring users to verify themselves through Facebook to increase transparency about age and first names. No paid sites have the safety features that Tinder does, which is the first of the Match Group apps to offer 911 assistance and location services to make meeting a stranger safer.
The aesthetic experience certainly isn't what your money is going toward, either. Many of the older, subscription-based sites have been slow to modernize their UX designs, still relying on the very 2000s style of bombarding you with notifications for every wink, message, and whatever else.
Can you actually fall in love with someone online?
We've all accepted that online dating is great for finding a friend with benefits, but telling family members that it's getting serious with that person you met online still takes convincing. However, recent studies show that meeting online can foster a pretty reliable romantic foundation.
A 2017 study cited in the MIT Technology Review found that people who meet online are more likely to be compatible and have a better chance at a healthy marriage if they decide to get hitched. Another study found that heterosexual couples who met online were quicker to tie the knot. These stats don't take anything from correlation to causation, but they do make the case that people who sign up for dating sites that require thoughtful responses are in a better spot to settle down.
There's an unspoken assumption that people on free dating sites are young, horny people with no disposable income and that people on paid dating site are mature, employed individuals who are ready to settle down. But eharmony, Match, Tinder, and OkCupid have rather similar age demographics, all with surprisingly close splits between people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.
Which dating sites are actually free?
Waters get muddied when basically every damn dating site has some sort of paid and free version. True free apps let users do all of this as a baseline, and then offer paid perks such as the ability to see everyone who has swiped right on you or boosting your profile for a certain amount of time. Free-but-not-really apps are the ones that are technically free to use, but you have to pay to do just about anything including read or respond to messages.
Premium memberships of freemium apps are an affordable way to give more control over your pool of potential boos, but they probably don't do much to expedite the grueling swiping process. When Tinder released Tinder Gold, it beat out Candy Crush as the Apple Store's top-grossing app. People were that willing to pay to see who swiped right on them. That might be handy knowledge if you're looking to get laid, but it's hard to tell if it would help find someone that you like enough to share your life with. No one I know has kept a paid version of a free app for more than a month.
At any rate, there's a certain serendipitous feeling that comes with the possibility that, out of the millions of users Hinge could have shown you that day, your soulmate popped up in the crowd of 10 likes you can give out per day (compared to the unlimited likes that come with Hinge Preferred).
These are the best free dating sites for finding a serious relationship:
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Tackle your horror movie list with Sony's bang-for-your-buck OLED TV on sale
Save $500: As of Sept. 30, the 65-inch model of Sony’s A80J 4K OLED TV is 22% off at Amazon, dropping it to a record-low price of $1,798.
There are two groups of shoppers with their eye on an OLED TV: OLED veterans and those shopping for baby’s first OLED. Sony’s not-top-tier-but-still-great OLED model, the A80J, is a top contender for the latter group. The 65-inch model is seeing a huge discount of $500, which brings it down to $1,798 — its lowest price ever at Amazon by far.
Aside from the saved money, there’s still a lot to be squeezed out of Sony’s next best OLED. First and foremost, the A80J harnesses the same processing power of the pricier A90J flagship. Through the new Cognitive Processor XR, these Sony TVs survey the frame in real time to optimize details and specific objects that (they think) would draw our attention. These customized adjustments on make-or-break visuals like tone or background light depending on the angle from which a scene is filmed.
from Mashable https://ift.tt/3zWHHkc
Save up to $30 on dog DNA tests for Adopt a Shelter Dog Month
Amazon has several dog DNA tests on sale as of Sept. 30:
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Embark Breed ID Kit — $99 (save $30)
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Embark Breed + Health Kit — $169 (save $30)
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Wisdom Panel Essential — $89 (save $10.99)
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Wisdom Panel Premium — $129.99 (save $30)
There comes a time in every rescue or mixed-breed dog owner's life when you begin to wonder: What's this mutt? (See also: Are they actually part dachshund, or have all my wiener jokes been way off-base?)
You can find out exactly what makes your pup unique by picking up a dog DNA test, which screens for different breeds and genetic markers using a simple cheek swab (obtained by you at home, then mailed in). Many will also pick up on potential health risks, which can be a total game-changer down the road as far as vet bills go.
Amazon is kicking off Adopt a Shelter Dog Month by offering up to $30 off popular kits from Embark and Wisdom Panel, two of our absolute favorite companies in the pet DNA test game. (Not sure which one's best for you and Fido? Click here.) Here's the lowdown:
Embark
Developed by scientists at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Embark's research-grade DNA genotyping platform tests for more than 350 different dog breeds, types, and varieties, with results down to 5% of your dog's total makeup.
The entry-level Embark Breed ID Kit comes with a detailed family tree, along with access to an online canine relative finder that lets you connect with other dogs that share some DNA with your pooch. It usually sells for $129, but at the time of writing, you could score it on sale on Amazon for just $99 — a 23% savings. That's only $3 away from its all-time-low price there, FYI.
For about $70 more, you can upgrade to the Embark Breed + Health Kit that further includes screening for over 200 genetic diseases (like MDR1 drug sensitivity) and more than 20 physical traits (like coat patterning). Amazon will give it to you for just $169, which is 15% off its suggested retail price of $199.
Wisdom Panel
Wisdom Panel lays claim to the world’s largest dog DNA database and recently revamped its breed detection system with the help of experts in population genetics from 23andMe and AncestryDNA. Its tests now screen for over 350 breeds and varieties, too, with a precise mix reported down to an impressive 1%.
Its base (but not basic) Essential kit includes testing for over 25 potential medical issues and more than 35 traits, along with a multi-generational family tree. Amazon's currently pricing it at $89, which is just over 10% off its $99 MSRP.
Want even more health insights? Opt for Wisdom Panel's Premium kit instead to unlock more than 180 additional tests, a genetic diversity score, and a carrier status report (with the option to discuss all results with a licensed vet for free). Typically $159.99, you can get it on sale at Amazon for only $129.99 — a 19% savings.
Explore related content:
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Jake Gyllenhaal was directed from a van for his latest film — and he has thoughts
While filming The Guilty, Jake Gyllenhaal had to be directed by Antoine Fuqua from a van due to COVID-19 precautions — but it ultimately helped the film.
from Mashable https://ift.tt/39UYz06
Keep tabs on your pet with the Whistle Go Explore — save $25 for a limited time
SAVE $25.99: As of Sept. 30, the Whistle Go Explore pet tracker is $25.99 off (a savings of 20%) at Amazon for a limited time. Pick one up for $103.96.
Being a pet parent is as rewarding as it is anxiety-inducing. If you're like us, you view your pet as your literal child, and you would do anything to ensure their safety. Being the perfect caretaker is a bit of a high bar to reach for, though. Luckily, there are a few accessories out there that may be able to get you just an inch closer to that "pet parent of the year" title.
One of those accessories is a pet tracker, and one of our favorites, the Whistle Go Explore, is $25.99 off at Amazon for a limited time. (Looking for something a little more budget-friendly? Check out the Tractive GPS.)
The Whistle Go Explore is a must-have collar accessory for pet parents who prefer to stay in the loop. Think Fitbit, but for pets (sidenote: Whistle's product photos mainly feature dogs, but the Go Explore is totally suitable for cats, too). The device's main function is GPS tracking, but also offers in-depth health monitoring for things like overall activity, sleep quality, habitual behaviors, and more. A subscription to Whistle's service even allows you to send all of that information to an on-demand vet whenever you need. The tracker also boasts a 20-day battery life, as well as a built-in light for late-night walks.
If you want to be the best pet parent you can be, the Whistle Go Explore isn't a bad place to start — grab one at Amazon and save $25.99.
Explore related content:
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The best GPS dog trackers that help you keep tabs on your pet around the clock
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6 of the best pet cameras for keeping tabs on your cat or dog
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Don't do all the cleaning yourself. Here are the best robot vacuums for pet hair.
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Get Sennheiser’s PXC 550-II wireless noise-canceling headphones cheaper than AirPods Pro
Save $190: As of Sept. 30, the impressive Sennheiser PXC 550-II wireless headphones are on sale for $159.95, down from $349.95. That's a 54% savings.
Good pairs of wireless noise-canceling headphones typically cost $300 or more, and the Sennheiser PXC 550-II headphones are no exception. But, every once and a while, there comes a deal that drops the price down so much, you almost have to impulse buy.
As of Sept. 30, the Sennheiser PXC 550-II wireless ANC headphones are on sale for $159.95, down from their original price of $349.95. We did the math for you: That’s $190 or 54% off. For reference, AirPods Pro are $197 at the time of publishing, meaning this pair of over-ear headphones with better noise cancellation is actually cheaper.
The noise cancellation on these headphones adapts to your surroundings to block out annoying background noise wherever you are. To turn on the ANC, just move the switch on the right ear cup and choose between two levels of noise cancellation. The music controls also live on the right ear cup, and you're able to play/pause, skip forward and backward, fast forward and rewind within songs, adjust volume, and take calls.
To get the best deal on the Sennheiser PXC 550-II headphones, head directly to Sennheiser's website and score them for $190 off. Amazon has them for only $180 off.
Explore related content:
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Best noise-canceling headphones for blocking out the outside world
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Which wireless earbuds have the best sound? These are our top picks.
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Look to sound quality and battery life when shopping for new headphones
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Wednesday, 29 September 2021
Paramount Plus: Champions League, shows, movies free trials and everything else to know - CNET
Paramount Plus streams shows, movies and originals, plus sports like UEFA Champions League matches. Here's everything to know.from CNET https://ift.tt/3ojQivi
FDA could authorize Moderna COVID booster vaccine at a half dose. What to know - CNET
If you got the Moderna vaccine against COVID-19, you could be in line for a booster shot. Here's what we know so far.from CNET https://ift.tt/3ASKa0w
How to disable Live Photos after watching that episode of 'The Other Two'
Think Live Photos are all fun and games? So did I, until a particularly mortifying episode of The Other Two — a delightful comedy created by former Saturday Night Live head writers Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider — made me completely reevaluate the feature.
For those unfamiliar with the way Live Photos work, when the iOS feature is enabled your iPhone or iPad will record what happens 1.5 seconds before and after you take a photo. When you go to look back at a Live Photo, a normal still image will appear, but if you push down on the photo the extra recorded movement and sound that was captured will play like a mini video clip.
"You can take Live Photos on iPhone 6s or later, iPad (5th generation) or later, iPad Air (3rd generation), iPad mini (5th generation), and iPad Pro models from 2016 or later," Apple explains. You can edit, add effects, and share Live Photos. And you can save Live Photos as videos, too.
Live Photos are great for capturing brief but sentimental audio and video clips of people or scenes you want to look back on in the future. But as The Other Two's Season 2 episode "Chase and Pat Are Killing It" proves, the feature isn't ideal to use in every scenario.
Tweet may have been deleted
The episode follows an unfortunate Live Photo mishap of actor Cary Dubek (Drew Tarver). Essentially, a man who matched with Cary on a dating app asked him for a "hole pic" (a picture of his butthole). Cary, about to take off on a flight from New York to Los Angeles, made his way to the airplane bathroom, snapped a hole pic, sent it off to the stranger, then proceeded to enjoy his flight.
By the time he landed, his hole had made headlines. How? Well, the initial recipient showed Cary's nude to a friend, that friend realized it was a Live Photo, and when they played the Live Photo Cary's face appeared at the beginning. The two forwarded the Live Photo around, and before the plane touched down it had become a hole — er, whole deal. At the time, Cary had no idea what Live Photos were or that they even existed. So he went on Instagram Live to publicly deny his association with the butthole. After commenters explained that simply holding the photo down revealed his face, along with audio of a flight attendant making an announcement, he ended the stream in embarrassing defeat.
Let's all learn from Cary's Live Photo mistakes, shall we?
How to turn off Live Photos permanently
If you don't trust yourself to use Live Photos responsibly, there are a few ways to disable the feature on your iPhone or iPad — be it permanently or on a case-by-case basis. Many people have Live Photos enabled without even realizing it, so to start, let's take a look at how to permanently turn off the feature.
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Navigate to the Settings app.
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Tap Camera > Preserve Settings
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Switch the toggle next to Live Photos off. (Green means on. Gray means off.)
How to turn off Live Photos temporarily in your Camera app
If you want to keep Live Photos enabled but don't want to use the feature when taking certain photos, there's an option to temporarily disable the feature in your Camera app. Here's how:
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Navigate to the Camera app.
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Before taking a photo, look for the Live Photos symbol in the upper righthand corner of your screen.
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Tap it and you should see a slash run through it. The words "LIVE OFF" will also flash in the upper center of your screen.
This is an easy method for quickly disabling and enabling Live Photos straight from the Camera app. You won't have to navigate to Settings, but Apple notes that "the Camera app turns Live Photos on again automatically," so always be sure to check if the feature is on or off before snapping away.
How to disable Live Photos when sending an iMessage
You also have the option to leave Live Photos on all the time and only disable the feature when sending photos to others, such as in iMessage. Here's how to individually turn off the Live Photo feature in iMessage:
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Open an iMessage chat and select the Live Photo(s) you want to send.
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If you selected Live Photo(s) you'll see the Live Photos icon (the blue and white shutter lens) in the upper lefthand corner of the photo.
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To disable the Live Photo feature, simply tap the icon. If a slash runs through the icon and it turns gray in color you've successfully disabled the feature and the image you send will appear to the recipient as a normal photo.
If you disable Live Photos in iMessage, don't worry: The photos will still be Live in your Photo app.
Keep in mind that although this method allows you to disable Live Photos in iMessage, you're not disabling the feature on your device.
To use Live Photos or not to use Live Photos?
In certain instances, Live Photos can be genuinely great memory makers. If you like the feature, we encourage you to utilize it. Just keep Cary Dubek's Live Photo mishap in the back of your mind and remember the feature can get you into some trouble.
If you're going to use Live Photos, remember that they record both video AND audio in the seconds before and after the image is captured. Other real life mishaps have occurred from failure to keep that fact in mind.
If you're going to send someone nudes and don't want to risk anything else — such as your face or surroundings — popping into frame, consider not using Live Photos. Mashable's tech reporter Matt Binder noted that if you're sending a Live Photo via a third party app that doesn't support the Apple feature (such as a dating app) your Live Photo will likely just appear as a regular photo. But you may still want to disable the feature just to be safe. (If you need other tips on how to safely store your nudes, we've got you covered.)
See Also: Best headphones for iPhone owners: Think outside the (AirPods) box
If you follow the steps above you can successfully disable Live Photos on your iPhone or iPad on a case-by-case basis or permanently. And if you're ever wondering whether a photo you took or received is a Live Photo, here's how to tell.
If you're viewing a photo in your own iPhone or iPad photo library it will say LIVE in the upper lefthand corner of your screen. If the photo is sent in an iMessage conversation, look for that Live Photo button on the upper lefthand corner of the image.
Now go forth with all your newfound wisdom and live your best lives sans Live Photos.
And whatever you do, do not — we repeat — do not pull a Cary Dubek.
from Mashable https://ift.tt/3iiyBsc
Light Pong is an interactive gaming console that doesn't need a screen — Future Blink
Light Pong is a one dimensional gaming console that lets you play light-up ping pong, tug of war, and a variety of other games, all of which are programmed along a single line.
from Mashable https://ift.tt/3upWbrN
The best smart thermostat of 2021 - CNET
Looking for a new thermostat? Read this.from CNET https://ift.tt/3gKb8zz
7 easy and free ways to save money on your gas, electric and water bills now - CNET
Reducing your utility bills has never been so quick and simple.from CNET https://ift.tt/2Y3on8f
Looking for extra Amazon savings? Here's one way to save hundreds - CNET
Prime members still get free, two-day shipping and returns. Here's how it works.from CNET https://ift.tt/3kPySnY
James Bond movies ranked: The best and worst of 007 - CNET
Our take on how the Bond movies stack up now includes No Time to Die.from CNET https://ift.tt/3F2Knkg
Google adds context to search results, brings more wildfire info to Maps - CNET
The search giant unveils a handful of new features at its annual Search On event.from CNET https://ift.tt/3igXO6a
I drove the Lucid Air. It's the future of cars.
Experience has taught us to be wary of any "car of the future." Decades' worth of cool concept vehicles with that title never made it near a production line. Grand failures like DeLorean stood as warnings to anyone who would innovate outside the conservative carmaker club. Tesla only bucked the trend, according to the latest reporting, with a lot of charismatic bluster from Elon Musk and a lot of skill from his estranged engineering guru, Peter Rawlinson, the father of the Tesla Model S.
Now Rawlinson has unveiled the first fruit of his new company, Lucid Motors. Some 13,000 pre-order customers will be taking delivery of the Lucid Air, or rather its extremely expensive $169,000 Dream edition, starting in October. We've known what the Lucid Air looks like since Rawlinson showed us in 2020 and compared it to a TARDIS (it does indeed feel bigger on the inside). We knew it gets a world's-best 520 miles per charge, according to the EPA.
What we didn't know was how it drove, or exactly what was under the hood of this suspiciously secretive car of the future. That changed Tuesday at Lucid's sprawling million-square-feet factory in Casa Grande, Arizona, an hour north of Phoenix, where there was nothing but flat desert two years ago. During a bladder-testing three-hour tour, we were shown a production line where every aspect of making EVs — heck, of making cars, period — has been meticulously re-thought.
The line's precision and care, with multiple redundant quality control tests from battery pack assembly to "squeak and rattle" track, seemed like a middle finger to Musk — whose Tesla production process is famously haphazard, corner-cutting, and full of grueling shifts that spill out of the factory and into temporary tents.
And then, finally, after years of waiting, a small group of media folks got to actually drive the Dream Edition. Smiles spread across once-skeptical faces. Because of the GT-like handling and torque, yes, but also because so much thought has gone into the interior experience. Sitting in the roomy back seat (which we also did) seems like something you could happily do for hundreds of miles at a time — and even when all occupants are over 6 feet tall, everyone has plenty of legroom.
The Air banishes car sickness alongside range anxiety, because you never feel like you're crammed inside a box. Rather, you feel like you're in the observation deck of a high-speed train. A roof that is (bar one bar) made of infrared light-blocking glass keeps everything cool within, while specially-designed gills draw heat out from inside the car. You won't need to crank the AC to max unless you're in hundred-degree temperatures (it was 90 degrees in Casa Grande, and we had our Air's AC at less than half capacity). But even if you do, it's whisper-quiet. (As EV drivers know, running the AC zaps charge.)
The extra sky view was almost a distraction for this driver. The 34-inch dashboard display that curves subtly around the steering wheel was not; it's more width than height. There's also what Lucid calls the "pilot panel," another screen angled up to look at you from the area where automakers normally put the temperature controls and the cupholders (which, in the Lucid Air, are hidden in the center console). The pilot panel, sized like a regular iPad, can be stowed if necessary, but I never found it the slightest bit distracting either.
Rawlinson was careful not to use any "car of the future" language introducing the Air. Instead the soft-spoken Brit obsessed over innovations like the miniaturized 1,100 HP power train and the brain of the vehicle, a "Wunderbox" that turns the car into an AC/DC battery that can theoretically charge your house or other cars. Lucid execs enthused that they could make smaller, less powerful versions of both, for anything from a VW Golf on up. Indeed, their business model may rely on using the Air (and its SUV successor, the Lucid Gravity) as proof that its expanding factory can make components to fuel other automakers' EV revolutions.
The aerodynamic exterior should be an inspiration to all-comers too. "I don't want to sound presumptuous, but I believe this will be the prototypical silhouette for sedans in five to 10 years," says Derek Jenkins, who designed the Air alongside Rawlinson. "Everybody's eventually going to reduce everything down; we're all going to make small cars with lots of space, and big cars with even more space."
The Lucid Air (especially in its "DreamDrive" autonomous mode) feels like a blueprint for our AI-driven future.
He's not wrong. The Lucid Air (especially in its "DreamDrive" autonomous mode) feels like a blueprint for our AI-driven future. In future generations, you can imagine designers simply flipping the chairs so a family can get on with bonding on a road trip while the car takes care of the road part. The miniaturization of components will allow more space and storage everywhere (such as the Air's front trunk, or "frunk," where the engine once was — which is larger than the Tesla frunk).
I wouldn't make the claim that the Air itself is the car of the future. Certainly not before we see the $80,000 version. But this claim I will make: The Lucid Air is the future of cars.
Brakes and massages
As you might expect with a car this new, however, there are still some tweaks to be made. Tweaks either in future updates to the car, or in the way you need to drive it in order to live up to the designers' intent. One small example: If you use the turn indicator the way you do in most cars, you'll become one of those annoying drivers stuck in their lane with a turn signal on. Lucid's indicator requires only the lightest nudge if you want it to go off automatically.
A larger example: You get the sense that Lucid really, really would like to get rid of the brake pedal the way it got rid of the parking brake (the brake is always on when the car is in P, which makes a lot of sense). If you're not accelerating, or in DreamDrive, the car is (to some extent, depending on the gradient and the driving mode) decelerating for you. "You essentially learn to do one-pedal driving, which I love," says Lucid's chief engineer Eric Bach. "Every time I slow down, I don't waste any calories. You hit the brake and you're burning energy, heating up the brake pads, wearing out the discs."
One-pedal driving is kind of a thing in other EVs too. But the Lucid Air's regenerative braking feels a bit ... extra. In the car's default "smooth" mode, the brakes seemed to kick in like a horse the instant I lifted my foot — making a smooth driving experience, ironically, a little jerky. (You could get around this by switching to "swift" or "sprint" mode, but you won't get the same range; "smooth" also offers better suspension.)
Would I get used to this? Probably; any new car requires adjustment time for the driver to use it in a way that is optimal to them. Which is why Lucid needs to make these cars available for test drives that last longer than 45 minutes. (It wasn't supposed to be that long, even, but the Lucid employee in the passenger seat forgot to tell me when to exit the freeway.)
Another feature that would take some time getting used to, but in a positive sense, is the chair massage. There are five different massage styles built into the front two seats, using a mixture of vibrating and thumping — and as I and a shocked designer discovered during some time spent in a stationary Lucid Air, you can currently engage all five at once. This came as a surprise to the executives too, so it may not survive the next software update. But it was nice, albeit perhaps too distracting, while it lasted.
More importantly, the massages go further than most car massage options by focusing on the thighs. Lucid is well aware that sitting for too long is killing us, even if we exercise during the rest of the day. No amount of stopping to stretch our legs can make up for the harm that long drives cause — unless our cars can in some way stimulate the muscles in our legs. The fact that Lucid is even thinking of this is a sign of the meticulous attention the company pays to almost everything. And it's yet another sign that the other cars of the future are going to have to up their game.
from Mashable https://ift.tt/3CRMmWu
Fall is still the internet's favorite season
It’s officially fall, the season of spookiness, the word crisp, the pumpkin spice industrial complex, and that one screenshot of When Harry Met Sally. The beginning of autumn has fall fanatics coming out of the woodwork to wax poetic about the season and to claim seemingly everything as autumnal.
In the first week of fall, Twitter and TikTok became inundated with fall movies, fall outfits, fall playlists, fall recipes. It’s Christian Girl Autumn, Meg Ryan Fall, the time we can really start dressing.
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No other season has this kind of cult following. Fall comes after summer, which is so obviously good no one needs to hum and haw over it. Winter is so obviously bad it’s best not to talk about it.
What does it take for something to go viral as autumnal? It seems relatively easy. A film just needs one scene with some good fall foliage and an album cover just needs to be red or orange.
Let's investigate some of the internet's favorite "autumnal" media.
Unpacking Meg Ryan Fall
While you've probably heard of Hot Girl Summer, you may not have heard of the latest internet season, Meg Ryan Fall. Meg Ryan Fall is a TikTok trend where users draw inspiration from Meg Ryan's most iconic movies to create fall outfits. This means outfits consisting of wool blazers, button downs, and most importantly, knit sweaters. Users are replicating Ryan’s outfits in When Harry Met Sally and You’ve Got Mail. Both movies are written by Nora Ephron and fit into the fall movie paradigm due to Ephron’s signature enviable outfits and comfortable interiors.
An example of the Meg Ryan Fall trend on TikTok is @_christianawebster's video where she recreates Meg Ryan's outfits to a tee. The video is set to a sounds that incorporates one of Ryan's lines from When Harry Met Sally and the song "Tis Autumn" by Nat King Cole.
Both When Harry Met Sally and You’ve Got Mail have iconic fall scenes: When Harry Met Sally has Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan walking through peak fall foliage in the coziest of fall fits and You’ve Got Mail has Ryan crossing the street with a pumpkin in tow.
But You’ve Got Mail also has vivid scenes of other seasons. It has Ryan and her coworkers caroling, Ryan putting up twinkly lights, and Tom Hanks and Ryan finally getting together in Central Park at the height of Spring. It seems foolish to trap movies with such lush seasonal scenes like You’ve Got Mail as fall movies. If we are in the business of trapping movies into one season, why not leave all movies with an iconic winter scene to be enjoyed in the most miserable season?
Similar to You've Got Mail, the latest adaptations of Little Women, Emma, and Pride and Prejudice are celebrated as fall movies for their beautiful autumnal sequences. But again, they all feature lavish shots of every season. These films could just as easily be recognized as winter films. Little Women opens with a Christmas celebration where the characters are artfully bundled up and has wonderful winter imagery, like Jo, Laurie, and Amy ice skating. Not to mention it's so heartwarming that it could thaw your heart on the coldest of winter days.
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A trend of TikToks claiming these as fall films and showing off fall outfits are often set to Hozier's cover of "Do I Wanna Know" by the Arctic Monkeys. It's only fitting that Hozier's self-titled debut album is praised as The Fall Album, and that title fits. After all the album cover is orange. It also has a rustic sound and romantic, yearning lyrics.
Another part of the internet claiming fall is the Dark Academia subculture. Dark Academia is a popular subculture and aesthetic found on TikTok and Tumblr that celebrates the crossover between all things academia and all things gothic. Dark Academia is defined by a devotion to reading, writing, old libraries, tweed jacket, worn leather, and skulls. Dark Academia is a fall aesthetic mostly because of its emphasis on outerwear and the season’s association with school.
In August TikTok user @lynlapid posted a video with the text "me being sad that summer's ending, but then remembering this style is coming soon." The video then flashes to a bunch of images that characterize the Dark Academia aesthetic, like the one below.
Dark Academia’s Bible is The Secret History by Donna Tartt which was hailed as "the most autumn book ever" by Twitter user @maryellen. The idolization of the characters in The Secret History found in the Dark Academia subculture is disturbing because the characters are varying types of problematic and all murderers. More importantly, The Secret History is a winter book. Snow is a key plot device and the narrator nearly dies from hypothermia while living in an unheated basement. If that doesn’t make something a winter book, I don’t know what does.
The final three of the internet's fall darlings are rightfully the holy trinity of autumnal media: Knives Out, Gilmore Girls, and "All Too Well" by Taylor Swift. Like When Harry Met Sally, Knives Out falls in the Sweater Genre of Fall Movies because of Chris Evan's iconic cream sweater. Unlike other "fall" movies, the entirety of Knives Out takes place in fall. It also doubles as a spooky movie and of course features fall foliage and rich interiors. Gilmore Girls has all the best fall stuff: a small town, studying, coffee, reading, and Milo Ventimiglia in a leather jacket. Finally, "All Too Well" is first and foremost about a scarf and features the lyric "autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place." I'll be waiting to celebrate fall until Taylor Swift releases her ten-minute version of "All Too Well."
That being said, if you have to cosplay as Meg Ryan to make it through another uncertain pandemic fall by all means put on your chunkiest sweater and order a pumpkin spice latte.
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Butt dialing on Instagram is a real problem, please beware
DMs can be a place of a, let's say, sensitive nature. It's where secrets are shared, gossip mongered, and, for some folks, where romantic relationships are sparked.
Those are often the sorts of conversations where you simply do not want to unexpectedly turn the chat into a phone call. But that's what can happen, pretty easily, on Instagram. The button to dial someone is inside the DM tab for a conversation, and pretty easy to hit by accident.
A coworker shared that they'd been butt (or pocket) dialed twice in recent days. And a quick look around shows, yep, this is a Thing. It's happening quite a bit.
Here's a Twitter user posting a seeming butt dial from actress Mia Healey.
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And here are other people detailing their experience with butt dials.
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Be careful out there, because it's not a feature you can simply turn off. And if you do accidentally butt dial someone, they will receive it exactly like a normal phone call. In a couple of test runs with my editor, we found that even though his settings have push notifications turned off for Instagram, an audio call in the app came straight through like a normal call.
Here's how the call log looks in our DMs and a look at where the button to make an audio call is placed. Notice the video call button is imminently butt dial-able as well.
However, there is a way to turn off notifications for Instagram calls, if you wish to never receive a video or audio call. You have to click the three bars in the Instagram app, then click the gear icon to go into settings. From there, you click notifications, then DM push notifications, then click the video call toggle to off. Here are those steps, in pictures.
There remains no way, however, to turn off the option of making Instagram calls. That means there remains the chance you accidentally butt dial.
To be fair, Snapchat — you know, the ethereal social platform Instagram has copied ruthlessly — might have an even worse set up for its audio calls. The phone call button — which, similarly, is placed inside DMs — is directly next to the return arrow that takes you back to the app's homepage. It is so, so easy to hit the video or audio call button by accident. I know; I have done it.
I wish there were some way to totally prevent you all from butt dialing, but alas all I can suggest is be careful where you tap. And of course please make sure your screen isn't open when you put your phone in your pocket.
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