After N2SUB posted a thoughtful, negative review of Ham Radio Deluxe, the company responded to his open trouble ticket with instructions that tricked him into bricking his software, caused his software to stop working in the guise of fixing his problem, then told him they'd done it on purpose, sent him a note implying it had been deliberate and stating he wouldn't be welcome to use their software anymore unless he deleted his review, and threatened to sue him.
(more…)
Google had a big year. Many people may consider the Pixel phone and the company’s many hardware launches among the most standout moves that the Mountain View company made in 2016, and they would be right, but 2016 was even bigger than that. It marked the first full year of Google operating under the umbrella of Alphabet, it marked a clear shift of focus for Google towards artificial intelligence, it brought the tenth anniversary of the Google I/O developers’ conference, and more.
But now that it’s 2017, let’s take a quick look into what really stood out as Google’s biggest wins of the year. From the flurry of official blog posts that come every week to the big press events at Google I/O 2016 to the fall Google event that saw the introduction of Google’s first solely self-branded smartphone, there’s a lot to talk about. In short: Google has long dabbled in hardware and AI, but in 2016 it became plainly obvious that these two areas will shape the company’s future…
Jennifer Jenkins writes, "What could have been entering the public domain in the US on January 1, 2017? Under the law that existed until 1978 -- Works from 1960. The books 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and 'Rabbit, Run' the films 'The Magnificent Seven' and 'The Time Machine' early episodes of 'The Flintstones' the musical 'Camelot' and more -- What is actually entering the public domain this January 1? Not a single published work." (more…)
You spend more time with your own failures than anyone else on Earth. Eventually, you might internalize them and come to fear failure. However, for everyone else, they barely know your failures even exist.
As personal finance site Four Pillar Freedom points out, many of the failures you internalize are completely invisible to everyone else. If you apply to a hundred jobs but only get one, most people only see you getting a job. You’re the only one who sees the hundred rejections. Sure, they might not feel great, but no one else is holding them against you:
So what does this mean? It means that no one on earth is aware of all the failures you have experienced (nor do they probably care to know). So if you feel like you are a ‘failure’ just know that you are solely responsible for giving yourself that label. Nobody else can label you as a failure. Only you can label yourself as one since only you are aware of how many times you have actually failed.
Of course, sometimes you’ll screw up in a public way that people can see. None of us can hide all of our faults. However, you’re not as much of a failure as you might think. Most people experience those same rejections. You just don’t see theirs and, naturally, they don’t see yours.
You Are the Only Person Tracking Your Failures | Four Pillar Freedom via Rockstar Finance
Photo by Emertz76.
Just in time for the new year, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has today officially launched the BHIM app, the country's new mobile payment solution. BHIM (which stands for Bharat Interface for Money) is India's bet to push the switch to a cashless economy, requiring nothing more than a smartphone to make any sort of transaction.
On stage at the DigiDhan Mela in Delhi, Modi used a Google Pixel to showcase the app, demonstrating how easy it is to send money to anyone in just seconds with nothing more than a phone number or payment address.
Read MoreIndia launches BHIM app to replace cash with digital transactions was written by the awesome team at Android Police.
What are the best board games for Android?
Board games have been experiencing a renaissance in recent years, and it doesn't take a lot of digging in the Google Play Store to see it reflected on Android as well. If you're having trouble getting everybody together under one roof or just don't have any more shelf space for another box, pick up your Android phone or tablet to grab these fantastic board games.
We've put together the very best board games for Android for the consideration of long-time board game fans.It's worth noting in advance that a vast majority of the Android board games on our list employ in-app purchases for expansions, and thanks to their established physical counterparts, they tend to be well-balanced and lots of fun.
Carcassonne is a tile-based kingdom-building game in which players each take turns trying to complete roads, cities, and cloisters. Each turn, players also drop a limited number of their meeple onto those landmarks in an attempt to claim points once the feature has been completed. If you can't fully enclose a city or finish a road by the end of the game, you can still get a few points. A handful of expansions are also available via in-app purchases.
Carcassonne is a polished adaptation of a classic board game and has just recently been re-released in 3D and it looks and plays better than ever! If you haven't played it before now is the time to check it out!
Download Carcassonne ($1.99 w/ IAPs)
Cribbage is a mix between a card game and a board game, so it totally belongs here too. Cribbage with Grandpas is just a really charming indie game that's great for seasoned cribbage players along with people who are just learning the game. On top of just having a really clean and colorful design, Cribbage with Grandpas has gaming's first build-a-Grandpa feature where you can create the perfect opponents and tweak their personality and playing style.
Check out my full review and then fall in love with this great game.
Download: Cribbage with Grandpas ($2.99)
This mobile version of the popular strategic board game of the same name that provides a real challenge whether you're playing alone or with friends. Your goal: Try to cure four contagious diseases from spreading and taking over the world.
You select your characters at the start of the game, with each character performing specific roles to help eradicate the diseases. Which characters you pick will have a big effect on your team's ultimate success. This is a pass-and-play game to play with friends, and you'll all have to work together and use your teams strategically if you want to win. There's an in-app purchase available for expansions, which improves the replayability of this addictive and challenging game.
Download: Pandemic: The Board Game ($4.99)
Ticket to Ride gets players to build sprawling rail empires by gathering colored cars to connect cities. Every turn, a player gets to either pick two cars, claim a line by spending cars, or take on a new ticket, which challenges players to connect two cities before the first player runs out of cars. The farther these two cities are, the more victory points they're worth, plus the player with the longest line gets an additional victory point bonus.
On the whole, Ticket to Ride is a fine combination of competition and construction. The in-app purchase grants you access to a new bundle of maps and boards, all of which are totally worth the price.
Download Ticket to Ride ($6.99 w/ IAPs)
Splendor is a game that's fast and easy to learn, but hard to master. You play as rich merchants during the Renaissance with the goal of earning 15 prestige points before your opponents. The game requires you to collect gems which are in turn spent on cards as you build out your empire.
The mobile version is a faithful adaptation of the tabletop version and lets you play pass-and-play style with friends, solo against the AI, or play online multiplayer matches. The game is fairly quick to play and a great game to play with the whole family.
Download: Splendor ($6.99) {.cta .large
Catan is not just a classic board game; it is the classic board game. Players harvest resources and connect their villages by roads, accumulating victory points along the way. It doesn't sound like much, but between the inter-player trading (or scheming) and the cramped real estate, Catan can be a very tense game. Players also use their harvested resources to purchase cards which can provide them with useful resources. Pass-and-play multiplayer is available, as well as many of the original game's expansions.
For a tense game of wheeling and dealing, check out Catan.
Shelter Free combines deck-building card games and castle defence strategy. You wake up to find that the world is overrun with zombies and you have to continuously fight them off in order to make your way out of the danger zone. You move through hazards, seeking cards to build and strengthen your deck, and duelling with zombies who have equally powerful card decks.
The graphic novel artwork style is enough to keep you coming back for more gameplay, but the storyline and intense card battles will keep you hooked for sure.
Download Shelter Free (Free w/ IAPs)
Don't let anyone sink your battleship! This reimagining of the classic game lets you play against an AI, a random online opponent, or the person sitting next to you. It goes beyond mere battleships to include planes, radar, mines, submarines, and all the while you're climbing the ranks from a lowly recruit to an admired admiral. Name your proud fleet, watch your scores on the global leaderboard, and use the in-app chat feature to discuss strategy.
The old-school graph paper design will take you right back to playing sneaky Battleship rounds during junior high study hall.
Download Sea Battle 2 (Free w/ IAPs)
The 20 boards of Mahjong: Beautiful Orient feature beautiful backgrounds and a lovely soundtrack to listen to while you master Mahjong. The premise of the game is simple enough: match two tiles to remove them from the board. The boards increase in complexity as you advance, and you need to attain a preset minimum score to move on (not so simple now). Speed, accuracy, and a sharp eye are your must-have Mahjong tools.
If you love board games but you'd just rather play solo, Mahjong: Beautiful Orient is the game for you.
Download Mahjong Beautiful Orient (Free w/ IAPs)
Those are our picks, but there's a lot of great games in the Google Play Store. Leave a comment with your favorite board game or board adaptations for Android!
Updated December 2017: There's a new Carcassonne game that looks GREAT. Also added Splendor and Cribbage with Grandpas to our list.
Every weekend we round up our best guides and posts on a specific subject, from working better to upgrading your computer. Here’s a look back at this year’s best. You could say they’re our top 10 top 10s of the year.
There’s no time like the present to grow or refine ourselves a little bit more, and few resources are as helpful as TED talks. In that vein, here are the top 10 TED talks we’ve featured on Lifehacker or that have been popular on TED.
We talk a lot about computer security and data security here at Lifehacker, but you can never have too many reminders of the basics. Here, in a nutshell, are the security tips and habits every computer user should know. Consider it a quick way to audit your own security or help others you care about get the essentials down.
It’s easy to find movies to download or stream, but if you’re flying straight and narrow or want to support and watch films that are free, public domain, or whose creators want them free and openly shared, here are some great sites to bookmark—and visit when you want something new to watch.
Microsoft Office is still the most popular office suite used by companies and individuals across the world. These Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote cheat sheets will help boost your productivity and save time when you’re working in these programs.
DIY isn’t always the easiest way to do something, but it’s usually the most informative and educational one. This week, let’s check out some great DIY tech projects that’ll teach you a ton about the tools you probably use every day—and protect your privacy and give you control over your own data in the process.
If you’ve been playing video games for any amount of time, odds are pretty high you have at least one console in your entertainment center doing nothing, and that sucks. Don’t let your old friend sit there and collect a gross film of dust and grime, give it a new life—or find someone who will. Here’s how.
Good posture isn’t just about looks. How we sit, stand, and walk affect both our health and our moods. So stop slouching and get centered with these top 10 posture tips.
Everyone has a Gmail account. We’re all used to archiving, labeling, and marking bad senders as spam, but you probably still spend a lot of time in your inbox, especially if your work uses Gmail. Here are ten tips that’ll save you time and make getting to Inbox Zero a little easier.
We’ve discussed kitchen tools everyone should have, and tools everyone on a budget should have, but if you’re willing to put a little money into your home cooking, here are some solid kitchen tools that may cost a little more than usual, but will pay you back in flavor, time saved, or just plain quality of life.
Whether you just don’t have air conditioning, don’t want to fire it up just yet, or want to save money on energy, there are lots of ways to keep cool as the mercury rises. Here are some good ones.
Thanks for a great 2016! If you had a favorite, feel free to tells us which one you like the most. Or check out the most popular top 10s from 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, and 2008.
Changes to the way storage works in phones which ship with Nougat, combined with larger app sizes and more common 64GB models, means you should think twice before buying a 32GB flagship.
A new year brings with it the certainty of new high-end phones to get all hot and bothered about. And while we're still a couple of months out from the first round of Android flagship announcements, it's time to start the new year with an important resolution: In 2017, it's time to stop buying flagship phones with 32 gigabytes of storage.
We have more stuff than ever, and our stuff is getting bigger.
The most obvious reason to insist on 64GB or more is that the stuff on your phone is getting bigger, and not all of this can be offloaded to an SD card (if that option is even available). Including data, system-level apps like Google Play Services can hog 500MB or more just by themselves. For the Google app, you're looking at around 250MB. And staple third-party offerings like Snapchat and Facebook Messenger are storage hogs too, weighing in at between 100 and 200MB. Others, like WhatspApp, come with a massive archive of what could be years of your personal chat history, photos and video, which can't be offloaded to an SD card. App caches for the likes of Instagram, Twitter and Chrome can also number in the hundreds of megabytes, even on a phone that's only a few months old.
And that trend is only going to continue as apps become more complex, better cameras and 4K-capable handsets have us taking more photos and shooting gigabytes of ultra-high quality video. You're going to be using much more, not less storage in future, even with the ubiquity of cloud storage, and backup tools like Google Photos. What's more, if you're buying on a two-year contract, consider how much larger apps will be, and how much extra stuff you'll have by the start of 2019.
Phones with Nougat out of the box need more space for duplicate partitions.
Maybe you're getting by just fine on a 32GB phone that shipped with Marshmallow. That's all well and good, but devices shipping on Android Nougat (and eventually Android O and beyond) put more internal storage out of your reach, because of the way seamless updates work.
In order to be able to quickly upgrade to a new version, a phone with Nougat out of the box duplicates many of Android's OS partitions, like the system partition and the vendor partition. To put it in less nerdy terms, that means the space taken up by the OS on a Nougat-shipping phone could be double that of a comparable model on Marshmallow. It's important to note that this only applies to phones that ship with Android 7.0 and up — upgrading from Marshmallow to Nougat won't suddenly make you lose a bunch of extra space.
More: What are seamless updates and how do they work?
Bottom line: Consider that the firmware and related stuff takes up a little over 7GB on a Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. In the Nougat world that could double to around 14GB — almost half of the phone's marketed 32GB of storage. The 32GB Google Pixel is actually pretty reasonable in this respect, with all the OS partitions combined taking up just 5.4GB of space. But consider how much extra stuff other manufacturers add to Android, and how much space it takes up. It's easy to see how 2017's flagships could lose more than 10GB of space to the OS before you've loaded a single app. That's less space than ever for your own apps and media.
For this reason alone, we'd expect 64GB to become the standard for Android flagships in the new year. Phone makers know that selling a 32GB phone where half of that allowance is unavailable is a recipe for unhappy customers and bad press. Sony learned that lesson in 2015 when it tried to sell an 8GB phone which, after setup, actually left users with just 1.3GB.
Should we see any flagships, or even mid-to-high-end models with "32GB" of advertised space, you'll want to steer clear of them. Or at least dig into the settings before you buy and find out how much space you really get. But really, it's time to insist on 64GB if you're forking out a chunk of cash for a new phone with Nougat. You'll thank us when you don't run out of space.
(And in case you were wondering, definitely don't buy a 16GB phone either.)
After considerable thought, Jenny Nicholson weighs in on why the Dark Side doesn't make sense. In what would make an excellent PowerPoint presentation to the Sith, she lays out her five key objections: (more…)
Amazon hopped on the voice assistant train a few years ago with the Echo, and has since added its Alexa platform to a myriad of products. While Alexa is great at things like controlling smart home devices, its ability to answer multiple queries is not so great. It appears to be getting better, though. Amazon has added some limited contextual awareness to Alexa.
Based on what others are saying around the web and our own testing, you can now ask Alexa basic questions about something you've already established.
Read MoreAmazon adds limited context functionality to Alexa, but it's still no match for Google was written by the awesome team at Android Police.
Since 2014, we've chronicled the reality-challenged internet proposals of the scandal-haunted EU Commissioner Günther Oettinger; now, on the eve of Oettinger's promotion to EU budget chief, MEP Julia Reda lists the 10 normal web activities that Oettinger has sought to ban, from sharing snippets of 20 year old news articles to quoting three-word newspaper headlines to creating and operating a search engine. (more…)
If you’re looking for a good book to curl up with this winter, you’re bound to find one on this list. These are the books found on “best of 2016" lists the most.
Why read through a bunch of book lists yourself when you can let someone comb through the data for you? Kira Bindrim at Quartz has done exactly that. After scouring almost 40 different “best books of 2016" lists from sources like The New York Times, NPR, The Telegraph, Publishers Weekly, and even a few celebrities, Quartz has crafted a definitive top 20 list. Here’s the 10 most popular picks:
The full list includes 13 fiction and seven nonfiction books, with themes ranging from race to Russia to music to murder. You can learn more about the sources used and see the full list at the link below.
The best books of 2016 list you get when you combine 36 “Best Books of 2016” lists | Quartz
Believe it or not, Florida is only the 14th worst state for accidents, according to The Daily Beast's breakdown of per-capita stats. But its unique combination of aggression, stupidity and good weather (worst-state North Dakota has a pretty good excuse) puts it in a league of its own.
With a little planning ahead, most things you want to buy don’t really need to be bought the day you get them. To block impulse shopping, reserve your spending for one designated weekday.
As personal finance site Mixed Up Money explains, the mere act of having structure can keep you from going on an Amazon-fueled shopping bender, or from eating out because you’re bored. An easy way to accomplish this is to only spend money on one out of the five weekdays. On Monday you go grocery shopping, so you don’t need to buy food (read: eat out) for the rest of the week. If you want to buy something, wait til Monday to give yourself time to decide if you really need it. Or you can pick the day that’s most convenient for you:
This might sound hard, but in reality, it’s extremely easy. I keep myself busy with activities and plans during the week that are cost-free or I have already paid for. I leave one weeknight open for gas, grocery, and dining out experiences. Before I had this rule I was always spending for such lacklustre reasons. I was bored, I was hungry (because I was bored), I didn’t want to make dinner tonight, and I needed to go see a new movie. Well that’s changed. Because I make my breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day, I am saving so much more than the average full-time employee.
This plan still leaves open the possibility of spending for fun on the weekend, so you don’t have to become a hermit who never goes out. However, it also helps curb unnecessary spending just because you’re bored on a Tuesday. It also forces you to plan ahead, which should hopefully help you make better financial decisions.
3 Tricks I Use to Spend Less | Mixed Up Money via Rockstar Finance
Photo by 401(k) Calculator.
How about a speaker that you wear around your neck?
LG is all set to unveil two interesting audio products at CES. The first is the LG Tone Studio, which is a neckband with built-in speakers that blasts music up at your ears. The Tone Studio has four speakers — two at the top and two vibrating speakers at the bottom — that provide a "personal surround sound experience when watching a movie, playing a video game or simply streaming music."
LG says that it collaborated with DTS to bring a "realistic theater-like sound for a cinematic experience wherever you may be." The idea is intriguing, but it's hard to imagine anyone putting up with a neckband solely for streaming audio particularly when there are so many decent portable Bluetooth speakers around.
Speaking of Bluetooth audio devices, LG is also set to introduce a floating Bluetooth speaker next week. It's called the Levitating Portable Speaker, and it hovers over a round base. The base contains the electromagnets required to levitate the speaker, which offers 360-degree sound and a 10-hour battery life.
As soon as the battery starts to run low, the speaker descends to the base station to charge wirelessly. The base also has a subwoofer for deep bass, and the speaker is certified IPX7 for water resistance.
LG will showcase the products — along with other additions in the Tone series — next week at CES, so stay tuned for more.
You’ve heard it a zillion times: “Remember, you’re interviewing them just as much as they’re interviewing you. Ask your own (good) questions to get a feel for if you truly want to work there.”
This post originally appeared on The Muse.
But are you digesting this—and doing it—every time you meet with a hiring manager? If you’re not, you’re missing out on an important opportunity to dig in and really get a feel for what’s going on at your potential next employer. You’re also squandering an opportunity to demonstrate fully your preparedness, confidence, and complete non-desperation (which is always an attractive trait to hiring managers).
So, what are some great questions you can ask in your next interview? Here are five brilliant ones that, truthfully, may not be fully answered but will still likely provide you with some solid, fruitful information about your potential next boss, team, and organization.
I worked with a client a few months ago who was a finalist for a VP of Sales & Marketing job at a profitable, admired company. He was, he believed, very close to having an offer in hand. And then he learned that, in the space of three years, this company had three other leaders in this same role. As in, they were looking to hire their fourth VP of Sales & Marketing since 2013.
This presented quite a conundrum for my client. He’d been so excited about the opportunity, and flattered to be this far along in the interview process. But discovering the revolving door of leadership going on stopped him in his tracks. And it should have. That kind of turnover is a sure sign that something’s up, probably starting at the top of the organization.
This client didn’t ask during the early interview stages why the position was open. But he should have. It’s a completely fair question and, even if it’s not answered in depth, you can almost always tell by the “squirm factor” of the interviewer if there’s more to the story or not.
He did get the offer, by the way. And ultimately declined. Today, he heads up sales for a smaller firm with amazing, supportive, and inclusive leaders. And the organization’s turnover? It’s almost non-existent.
Speaking of turnover. It’s fair for you to ask about this. If you ask it in a confident and non-accusatory manner, it’s also going to demonstrate that you are one who makes decisions strategically, and with care. And any good employer will respect that about you.
If, when you ask, you learn that turnover is uncomfortably or unusually high, you should then ask (again, in a way that doesn’t make the interviewer feel like you’re attacking), “To what do you attribute this number?” and “Does the organization have any plans or strategies in place to help alleviate this?”
High turnover, even in industries that commonly have a decent amount of churn, could point to issues with management, a super stressful work environment, a lack of employee recognition, crappy raises, or all of the above.
This isn’t a weird question, and you can ask it in a way that comes across as you trying to get a feel for how friendly and connected your team is (or isn’t), or how relaxed the environment is (or isn’t). But, assuming the interviewer is up front with his or her answer, here’s what else you’ll be able to ascertain: Are these people overworked to the point that they can’t keep up without working through lunch hours? (And, will your future manager expect you to follow suit?)
Teams whose members never take breaks are typically tired, unhappy teams. Sleuth this one out, especially if you’re not one who enjoys being chained to your desk for several hours straight every day.
Oh, if I had a dollar for every client I’ve worked with who lost his or her job abruptly (sometimes, very soon after accepting the offer) as a result of crumbling profits, loss of a big client or a sudden bankruptcy—that the new hire had no idea about before coming on board.
Guys, it’s absolutely okay (and important) to ask for a proverbial peek into the books as you progress through the interview process—even if the company is privately held (or a mom-and-pop shop). In fact, it’s especially important to ask if the company’s financial information isn’t readily available via a Google search.
The last thing you want is to unwittingly be the “Hail Mary hire,” whose presence is the make-it-or-break-it, last ditch effort to dig out of a perilous situation. Certainly, you may decide that it’s a challenge (and risk) worth taking on. But maybe not.
No matter what, getting a feel for the financial health of a company is so important to have, before you dive in.
This is such a scary question for most people, because they’re fearful that the answer might be yes. But it’s an important question to ask because, if there are any hesitations on the part of the interviewer, you pretty much have no better shot at clarifying or allaying their concerns than while you’re still sitting in the interview.
If you’re terrified about asking this question, consider this: If something about you is giving the interviewer pause, and you don’t ask about it, he or she is going to make hiring decisions with this or these concerns factored in. Given this, you almost always have much more to gain than lose by asking.
As you progress through a job search or career transition, you’ve got to continually remind yourself to steer. Steer the boat. Steer the direction. Steer the interview. No one cares more about your finding a great new job (or wonderful organization to represent) than you.
Curate your career. Ask the interview questions that need to be asked. Be your own best advocate. And then enjoy the spoils as you settle into that great new job.
5 Questions to Ask in an Interview That’ll Reveal a Lot About the Company | The Muse
Jenny Foss is a career strategist, recruiter, and the voice of the popular career blog JobJenny.com. Based in Portland, OR, Jenny is the author of the Ridiculously Awesome Resume Kit and the Ridiculously Awesome Career Pivot Kit. Also check out the recently-launched Weekend Resume Makeover Course, find Jenny on Twitter @JobJenny, and book one-on-one coaching sessions with her on The Muse’s Coach Connect.
Image by Breather via Unsplash.
Every year, we review amazing tech from companies striving to outdo one another, and 2016 was no exception. This was a year that saw Samsung reach new highs and desperate lows, Google truly become a hardware company and release one of the best updates to Android ever, and Motorola reinvent its smartphone platform.
Understated, powerful and reliable, the Pixel manages to be the best Android phone and one of the most fun to use.
— Daniel Bader
More: Google Pixel review
Runners Up: Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Huawei Mate 9
Unconventional, impossibly light, and a genuine pleasure to use, Lenovo's Yoga Book offers something truly unique to the tablet world.
— Russell Holly
More: Lenovo Yoga Book review
Runner up: Google Pixel C
The Galaxy S7 edge was this year's best-looking phone, with subtle curves, impeccable build quality and unparalleled features!
— Daniel Bader
More: Galaxy S7 edge review
Runner up: HTC 10
The OnePlus 3T offers EVERYTHING the spec nerds will salivate over, but is also one of the simplest and most powerful phones available for any level of user.
— Andrew Martonik
More: OnePlus 3T review
Runner Up: Moto Z Play
Google Assistant is still growing, but the way it ties its knowledge of your life and the world around you into a simple, unassuming gadget makes it a must-have device.
— Ara Wagoner
More: Google Home review
Runner Up: Echo Dot
The newest VR headset by far, Google's Daydream simplifies mobile VR in all of the best ways and already has plenty of great apps!
— Russell Holly
More: Daydream View review
Runner Up: Samsung Gear VR
No matter what phone, tablet or entertainment center setup you have, you can take advantage of the fantastic simplicity of the Chromecast Ultra!
— Andrew Martonik
More: Chromecast review
Runner Up: Spigen Style Ring
The Acer Chromebook R13 is beautiful, powerful and affordable. It's everything Chrome has to offer, plus Android apps in the perfect 13-inch package.
— Jerry Hildenbrand
More: Acer Chromebook R13 review
Runner Up: Dell Chromebook 13
The hottest story of 2017 was undoubtedly Samsung's exploding smartphone, with the flames being fanned by not one but two bungled recalls, and reports of some customers being injured in the process. It was a multi-billion dollar mistake, about which many essays and books will surely be written. RIP.
— Alex Dobie
Runner Up: Pokémon Go
Google Photos solves the problem of storing and keeping track of photos across all your devices, using Google's considerable cloud infrastructure and AI magic. Throw in delightful features like automatic animations, stylized pics and panoramas and you've got the best Android app of the year.
— Alex Dobie
Runner Up: Pocket Casts
Clash Royale was an early release for 2016, but proved to have real staying power thanks to consistent updates from Supercell and a great balance of action and strategy gameplay elements.
— Marc Lagace
Runner Up: Reigns
VR is for so much more than games! No experience demonstrated the incredible power of creating art in VR quite like Tilt Brush this year.
— Russell Holly
Runner Up: Gunjack 2: End of Shift
Love it or hate it, Pokémon Go was a cultural phenomenon in 2016. For many, it was the first glimpse at what smartphone augmented reality could do. It convinced millions of people to go play outside, and in turn became one of the highest-grossing games of the all time.
— Marc Lagace
Runner Up: Google Tango
Google got serious about notifications in Nougat, giving us bundled, expandable alerts that show a ton of information and also look fantastic. Building on what was already great about Android's notification system, Android 7.0's notifications are part of what makes Android great for power users.
— Alex Dobie
Runner Up: Night Mode
I have no friends on Allo. It's just me and my husband for now, but it's our preferred method of communication. I love the various sticker packs — we use them throughout the day to check in with one another — and the Google Assistant integrated into the chat. And I love the instant replies that are a big help when typing is too much of an endeavor. I hope 2017 is the year Allo finds some traction because it's got so much potential.
— Florence Ion
Runner Up: Duo
This year, Google Photos got a lot smarter, with more auto-generating videos, collages and other cool tricks. But it was for Pixel owners that Photos shined brightest, with unlimited full-res backups.
— Harish Jonnalagadda
Runner Up: Google Play Music
Griffin McElroy presents his favorite games of 2016. His first choice is a farming RPG called Stardew Valley, which looks like fun, in an Animal Crossing kind of way.
If you’re lucky, or in a good place career-wise, you don’t have a micromanaging boss. But if you do, or if you’ve ever had one, the reason they do it is actually simple: They feel helpless. And knowing that can help you push back and get a little breathing room from them.
The Science of Us explains that, like most people, when you feel powerless or helpless, your first instinct is to exert control over the things you do have some control over, and if you’re a boss or manager, that might mean your employees. While we know that most people work best when they’re given independence and autonomy, and when managers trust their teams to make the best calls when they need to, well, sometimes good old psychology just takes hold.
The researchers at the University of California, Riverside, who studied this and published their findings in a paper in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, note that in their tests, predictably, when people were subjected to an authoritarian power structure, they clung harder to the remaining autonomy and authority that they did have as a reaction. The experiments the researchers ran were small, to be sure (the first study had about 238 people, and the second was a follow up survey of 100 people) and the topic definitely needs to be studied more broadly and in more detail, but the core logic makes sense—as does the bottom line: if you’re more secure in your power and authority and feel supported by those around you, you don’t feel the need to strip other people of their own power and autonomy.
As for what you can do though, a lot of the same rules about managing bad bosses and working on their priorities so they don’t need to ask you anything apply here too. Learn to “manage up,” and they’ll stay off of your back.
Bosses Micromanage When They Feel Powerless | The Science of Us
Photo by Giulio_Fornasar (Shutterstock).
He also makes a lot of cool creations involving images of mice and ants.
• Peter Kogler site (via Colossal)
Two years ago, a friend gave me a copy of Marie Kondo’s best selling book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and after reading it over the weekend, I realized I’ve been doing it all wrong. So this holiday season instead of accumulating new things in my wardrobe, I decide to eliminate as much as I could. I was relatively clinical about it, but and the years of consumption had made the problem a bit difficult to handle. Every so often, I would eliminate a few things but it wasn’t a very efficient way to lighten up on the things I owned.
So instead of buying something new this Christmas — I decided to hire folks to help me eliminate so I could lighten the detritus of life from my tiny apartment. I hired Neat Method, a San Francisco-based company started by Ashley Murphy and Molly Graves. They are in the business of organizing your apartments/homes, but, I wanted something even more specific: I requested that everything I like and need should be available at eye-level. Anything that was hidden needed to be donated, sold or consigned.
After meeting one of their representatives, I signed the contract and originally thought it would take two days to make sense of my bedroom and closets. I was adamant on getting cleaned up, and didn’t much care if the hourly charges were a little steep. A week later, Kathrin and Haley, two ladies who were going to help me, showed up promptly at the appointed hour, and set to work. By end of day one, I realized that the problem was way more monumental and would take upwards of five, “six hour” days to tame my 600 square-foot apartment.
Kathrin and Haley simultaneously cleared my closets and piled clothes by garment type. While doing this they asked me three questions:
Just answering those three questions essentially eliminated my vast collection of bags, fountain pens, sweaters, shirts and jackets. Next came my accessories such as belts, handkerchiefs, hats and scarves. By end of day one, everything that was left in the closet (not organized) answered the three questions as a yes. Day 2: same ruthless logic was applied to my vast sneaker & shoe collection, followed by outerwear. Suddenly at the end of the day, the closets and the bedrooms were perfectly organized with bins labeled and items within my reach, depending on how often I needed to use them.
I found so much stationary in the closet that even I was shocked. Yup, I got a problem when it comes to collecting notebooks and notepads. But I knew that I would never use them for the rest my life, so I decided to give them all away. One of the closet sergeants told me that many school teachers have to buy stuff for the school kids and they can barely afford to do so. This seemed like the perfect new home for them, and I hope kids find good use for these notebooks. I am down to a mere twenty, and they should be good for another year or so.
But the task wasn’t done just yet! It would take about three more days to organize and declutter my living room and the kitchen, plus get rid of everything from my storage area. The kitchen is all designed for easy access to everything. The living room too is based on that philosophy. One task that was left — I needed to organize my personal papers and donate the books to a local library. In the end I was left with a number of empty boxes for my cameras, lenses and computers. There were some suitcases/luggage bags which I use for travel, and also some seasonal stuff.
The ruthless cleanse wouldn’t have been possible had it not been for the tiger team from Neat Method. If you are looking for a good group to help manage your closet and personal space, I would highly recommend them. They are expensive but worth every penny!
Be reducing the clutter and giving away as much as I could, suddenly my life feels lighter, cleaner and simpler. What I need and what I love are now one – making it easy to get the most out of the stuff that’s left. In many ways, this Christmas instead of buying a gift for myself, I got rid of everything that was weighing down my personal space. It is a great way to start the upcoming year – fresh and airy.
December 26, 2016. San Francisco
Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications and live wallpapers that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.
Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.
Today's roundup is presented by DigiCal Calendar & Widgets from Digibites.
Read More13 new and notable Android apps and live wallpapers from the last 2 weeks (12/13/16 - 12/26/16) was written by the awesome team at Android Police.
Before you toss out that empty cardboard box, think about giving it to your feline friend. They’ll love it.
It’s no secret cats love boxes. We’ve mentioned about some of the reasons why they like them before: they take comfort in small spaces because it makes them feel secure, and small spaces help them retain body heat. But as Abigail Tucker, author of The Lion In the Living Room, explains in the Tech Insider video above, boxes also help them keep active. House cats are basically apex predators that have been confined to a small environment, and, well, they get bored. Boxes activate their basic ambush hunting instincts, so they pop in and out of them like they’re leaping from grass for the kill. So if you forgot to get your cat something, just hold on to one of those boxes so they can play.
Why cats love boxes so much | YouTube
Lights On! is a beautifully shot timelapse of cities as they transition from dusk to lighting up the night. Filmmaker Aaron Keigher includes Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, New York and all over California. (more…)
Star Wars star Carrie Fisher suffered a "massive heart attack" Friday while traveling from London to LAX as part of a book tour, reports TMZ. There's no news yet of her condition. Fisher lately reprised her most famous role, Princess Leia Organa, in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and in a striking cameo in Star Wars: Rogue One; her new book is The Princess Diarist. (Photo: Reuters)
Update: The L.A. Times reports that Fisher is in critical condition at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Just prior to arrival, a pilot told the control tower that passengers who were nurses were attending to another “unresponsive” passenger.”
“So they’re working on her right now,” the pilot said in a public recording of the conversation on liveatc.net.
According to the LAX Police Department, officers responded to Terminal 7 around 12:15 p.m., for a call of a female passenger in cardiac arrest. On arrival, they found paramedics performing CPR on the victim, according to Officer Alicia Hernandez.
Update 2: Fisher's brother tells the AP she in stable condition.
Todd Fisher, told The Associated Press that she was "out of emergency" and stabilized at a Los Angeles hospital Friday afternoon. He said he could not discuss any other details about what happened.
https://twitter.com/HamillHimself/status/812427952235286528
https://twitter.com/TheWookieeRoars/status/812414500431347713
Winter has been coming for a long time. Now, as of yesterday, it's finally here. For those of us who live in the northern portion of our planet, that means it's freakin' cold! Here in Seattle it's also super wet, dark, and generally just all around miserable (me and Seattle's weather have a love-hate relationship). In other words, perfect weather to stay in and watch a movie on the couch with a warm cup of cider.
[Deal Alert] Score a movie rental for $0.99 and take 50 percent off any single movie purchase at Google Play Movies (many new releases just $5 with promo) was written by the awesome team at Android Police.
