KWBaker

You've got your camping supplies and your truck — now here's the gear to keep from getting stranded.

Tags: Knife

537 points, 52 comments.

Almost everyone loves listening to podcasts. Nobody, however, loves picking out an app to be their podcast listening hub. Since we last got the lay of the podcast-app land in 2015, digital audio has become way more popular and, as a result, there are more podcast managers than ever out there. After testing just under…

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In the circa 160-year-old dogtrot house on the grounds of Pinewood Grove Farm hangs a hand-painted metal map of the Georgia property: Deer stands become apparent in the hardwood forest to the north; pasture and sunflower fields fill the south; and at the map’s center, a lodge, a shooting pavilion, a barn, a cottage, and a cabin border a blue fish pond. Dotting the scenery are magnets bearing the names of three generations of the Wood family of Atlanta, all of whom might be, at any given point, spread out across the map. And that’s exactly by design.

“We wanted to create an environment of independence,” says co-owner Kevin Wood, “where the kids can explore the woods, take a bow and arrow, go looking for frogs and lizards—and maybe do so without their parents looking over their shoulder.” That’s the type of childhood Kevin and his brother, Leonard Jr., enjoyed, and when both found themselves resettling in Atlanta after years away, with six children between them, they started to dream of finding a space where their families might bring that idea to life again.

In 2015 they discovered a farm an hour east of the city that seemed like it might work. At the time, though, the setting was “pretty rough,” says Brandon Ingram, the architect brought on to help. But with assistance from Mallory Mathison Glenn, an interior designer and Ingram’s frequent creative partner, plans began to develop. With their background in tradition-based projects—both historic renovations and new construction informed by time-honored tastes—the Atlanta duo agreed with the Woods to use the dogtrot house, which was already on the property, as a one-of-a-kind aesthetic starting point.

Most likely built in the 1850s, the structure had once stood on the grounds of Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta before being moved to Six Flags amusement park, where it was used as the “lost children’s cabin”—a space for parents to locate kids who had wandered off. Now restored, the house serves as the compound’s central hub, with room for an eat-in kitchen, a living and dining area, and a porch overlooking the pond.

“You just can’t re-create this,” says Ingram, gazing at the cabin’s huge pine logs and cedar shake roof. “We decided, let’s avoid faking it and do something of our own to complement it.” So he designed a long, light-filled lodge to house the brothers’ families, echoing the dogtrot house’s symmetry with two two-bedroom wings branching off from a central sitting area.

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BONUS PHOTOS: CLICK TO SEE MORE IMAGES FROM THIS STORY

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“The overall feel is one of simplicity,” says Mathison Glenn, who furnished the main seating space, which features a dry-stacked granite fireplace rising twenty feet to the ceiling. Primarily using hues of green and brown, Mathison Glenn drew inspiration from the farm’s name—Pinewood Grove, which incorporates the family surname—to evoke a rugged elegance. Pieces from the family’s antique majolica collection decorate the walls, along with paintings by the celebrated Georgia folk artist John “Cornbread” Anderson.

“The boys built the place to house their families,” says the family patriarch, Leonard Sr., who lives in Atlanta with his wife, Carla. “But what we found out is that it was more fun to be out there with everybody together.” The only problem: There wasn’t quite enough room for everyone to sleep when the grandparents visited. Ingram and Mathison Glenn designed an additional 800-square-foot cottage to house the couple, with a low profile and a simple roofline, tucked into plantings of viburnum, forsythia, Lenten rose, and camellia. Butted boards are used in place of drywall, and the double back doors open to a porch overlooking a bocce court hung with a string of bulbs.

As comfortable and appealing as the homes are, the land is the real attraction. In 420 acres, you can find excellent deer, turkey, dove, and duck hunting. The pond is stocked with bass and bream. A skeet pavilion includes a 200-yard shooting range. And for the little ones, there are horses to ride, three mini donkeys to coo over, and chickens, whose eggs get gathered at dawn.

“And if you want to go to another part of the farm and really be in the woods, where anything can happen,” Kevin says, “the farm has that too.”

Just don’t forget to move your magnet on the map. 

The post A Sporting Paradise in Georgia appeared first on Garden & Gun.

Last week, we checked in on our Good Dog Photo Contest for an update on the pups raking in the most votes. One week later, several of them are still fetching top spots, but plenty of underdogs have since climbed the ranks, too. Below are ten of the dogs that have made the biggest leaps over the last week—a couple of whom have jumped from zero votes to the top 25. It’s a testament to how much this contest can change in just a few days. If you haven’t entered yet, click here to upload a photo of your dog, see all the entries, or vote for your favorite. For an updated list of the top ten Readers’ Choice photos, scroll to the bottom of this page.

We’re accepting entries until 5 p.m. Eastern on October 12, and votes until 5 p.m. Eastern on October 15. G&G editors will select one Grand Prize Winner to appear in the December/January issue of the magazine. In addition, the ten dogs with the most votes will be selected as Readers’ Choice Winners and will be featured on gardenandgun.com.

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This Week’s Biggest Comebacks

Name: Raven
Breed: Great Dane
Hometown: Murrells Inlet, South Carolina
Votes: 431 (Last Week:  36)

Click here to vote for Raven.

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Name: Northgate Bridget
Breed: Jack Russell Terrier
Hometown: Douglas, Wyoming 
Votes: 298  (Last Week:  79)

Click here to vote for Northgate Bridget.

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Name: Nixie
Breed: German Shepherd
Hometown: Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania
Votes: 261  (Last Week:  103)

Click here to vote for Nixie.

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Name: Grady
Breed: English Setter
Hometown: Marshville, North Carolina
Votes: 247 (Last Week:  89)

Click here to vote for Grady.

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Name: Fritz
Breed: Lab Mix
Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina
Votes: 253 (Last Week:  75)

Click here to vote for Fritz.

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Name: Atlas
Breed: Labrador/Mixed breed rescue
Hometown: Harkers Island, North Carolina
Votes: 251 (Last Week:  0)

Click here to vote for Atlas.

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Name: Champ
Breed: Akita
Hometown: Lake St. Louis, Missouri
Votes: 217 (Last Week:  68)

Click here to vote for Champ.

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Name: Jackson Huck
Breed: Golden Retriever 
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Votes: 217 (Last Week:  72)

Click here to vote for Jackson Huck.

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Name: Juel
Breed: Wirehaired Pointing Griffon
Hometown: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Votes: 218 (Last Week:  0)

Click here to vote for Juel.

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Name: Abigail
Breed: Lab/Bloodhound
Hometown: Boca Grande, Florida
Votes: 222 (Last Week:  13)

Click here to vote for Abigail.

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Top Ten Readers’ Choice Photos
(For Now)

1.  Bentley and Oliver Johnson—St. Simons Island, Georgia (1528 votes)

2. Teddy Waffles—Atlanta, Georgia (1198 votes)

3. Winston Blu—Newnan, Georgia (732 votes)

4. Jenna—Athens, Georgia (648 votes)

5. Jasper—Cocoa, Florida (473 votes)

6. Dandy—St.Matthews, South Carolina (461 votes)

7. Raven—Murrells Inlet, South Carolina (431 votes)

8. Murray—Atlanta, Georgia (340 votes)

9. Finley—Charlotte, North Carolina (339 votes)

10. Northgate Bridget—Douglas, Wyoming (298 votes)

The post Meet the Good Dogs: This Week’s Comebacks appeared first on Garden & Gun.

Oleo-saccharum sounds like an ancient nostrum to cure an obscure disease, but it’s actually a mixture of sugar and citrus that brightens a punch. Its use has been revived by historian David Wondrich, who discovered that early punch makers would rub whole citrus fruits on a stiff cone of sugar, infusing the sugar with some of the zesty tang of the oils in the peels. An easier, more convenient way to prepare an oleo-saccharum (oleo, for short) is to [1] peel the citrus, then [2] toss the peels with granulated sugar in a sealed container, such as a mason jar. Let it sit for twelve to twenty-four hours, shaking from time to time; the sugar will extract oils from the peels. [3] Pour the same amount of water as the original amount of sugar into  the jar, shake to dissolve, and strain. You’ll be left with a syrup that adds a welcome layer of citrusy goodness and an ineffable crispness to the punch. It’s a minor hassle with major returns.

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Four Classic Punch Recipes

From the 1600s: Classic West Indian Punch
From the 1700s: Quoit Club Punch
From the 1900s: Champagne Punch
From the 2000s: Satsuma Punch

The post How to Make an Oleo-Saccharum appeared first on Garden & Gun.

The editors of Cool Tools have curated a number of gift suggestions selected from the pages of Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities (which itself makes a great gift), and from the website. This week: Mark’s picks!

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“Chop2Pot ($10) is a cutting board that folds in thirds so once you’re done cutting the thing you fold up the wings and make a chute so the food slides into your bowl without falling off.”– David Pogue

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“I bought this crossbow pistol because my family’s favorite character on The Walking Dead, Daryl Dixon, uses a crossbow to take out zombies, and we thought it would be fun for target practice. It was only about $25, and I didn’t expect it to be very powerful, but I was wrong. A bolt shot from this thing could kill someone. It easily penetrates plywood. I’m not sure if a bolt could go through someone’s skull, but it would definitely lodge itself in a leg, arm, abdomen, or neck..” — Mark Frauenfelder

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“I have carried this tiny Spyderco Bug Knife ($12) for a few years, connected to a Photon Freedom micro light (another cool tool I heartily recommend over the oft recommended Microlight II) for the world’s smallest EDC (Every Day Carry) set. A knife and light combo will cover 95% of any odd daily task I encounter while working in an office and lab environment. This knife is the perfect size for professional office dress. It disappears in my pocket until I need it.” — Mark Nordhaus

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“I tear down a lot of e-waste for components to upcycle and recycle. I find that many times I am not in a place to recharge my tools easily. So for me, the solution was to get this electric screwdriver that takes AA batteries. ( I have rechargeable AAs) At less than $20 I could not go wrong. It has enough torque for most electronics, and is small enough to fit in my tool bag, or in a drawer of my tinkerer desk. Reversible direction triggers a turn to lock collar so it will not go off in your tool box. Takes standard 1/4 inch hex shank bits and comes with a few too.” — Kent Barnes

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The Victorinox Classic SD Pocket Knife ($15) is nicely designed and made; small and light enough to be unnoticeable in the pocket; useful enough to be almost indispensable, even given the size limitations; durable, especially in the Alox version; and cheap. Obviously, such a small knife cannot do 100% of the things people use knives for, and many people will want a larger knife for various purposes. I have another pocket knife myself, for camping. But there is no other knife that is available to me literally all the time. I use mine every day.” — Karl Chwe

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“I bought this cast iron pizza pan ($27) over two years ago. Since then my family has used it almost every day, and oddly enough, I don’t thing we’ve ever used it to make pizza. It lives on the stove top, where it is deployed constantly to heat, reheat and cook. It is perfect for heating tortillas, cooking quesadillas, burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches.” — Sessalee Hensley

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“I bought my bacon press ($17) as a college student over a decade ago, and since then I’ve given many as gifts and recommended them to so many people that Lodge should pay me to be a bacon press representative. I’ve gotten so used to the perfectly even crispness it provides that I am at a loss cooking bacon without it.” — Abbie Stillie

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“The OneBlade ($31) cuts close to the skin and doesn’t require shaving cream. I can shave with or against the grain. The shave is almost as close as a razor; you can’t see the difference and can only feel it by rubbing your face. It includes trimming combs that fit on the blade holding it away from your face to leave a short beard of fixed lengths; I don’t use them.” — Russel Brooks

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“The Paderno spiral vegetable slicer ($20) is made of plastic and it looks like it would snap into pieces as soon as the crank is turned, but don’t let its appearance fool you. This thing has a set of three sharp blade attachments that make short work of sweet potatoes.” — Mark Frauenfelder

Want more? Check out our 2017 Gift Guide picks, as well as our 2016 Gift Guide, 2015 Gift Guide, 2014 Gift Guide and our 2103 Gift Guide

Spyderco’s previously reviewed Sharpmaker is my edge maintenance tool of choice, but there’s no room for it in my grab-and-go bag. I searched around and found a number of pen-sized, high-quality knife sharpeners that wouldn’t take up much room, such as those by EZE-LAP. But I wanted something smaller and, well, cheaper, since it was more of an emergency tool than one meant for regular use.

I found this little (2 1/4 x 1 3/4 in.) Gerber sharpener ($5) that fits perfectly in my knife sheath’s sidecar pocket and cost me just a few bucks. It’s easy to use, with one side marked “coarse,” the other “fine,” and a little thumb-forefinger hold in between. It’s actually been effective sharpening the folding knife I keep by my desk, and its lightweight, small profile and low cost make it perfect for leaving in a bag, just in case.

[This is a Cool Tools Favorite from 2009]

Manufactured by Gerber

The X-59, a test aircraft made by NASA and Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, wants to eliminate the sonic boom and make supersonic travel over land legal.

Sponsored by Arts & Architecture magazine, the Case Study Houses provided post-WWII America a vision of modern living, as conceived by such luminaries as Charles and Ray Eames, Richard Neutra,...

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Whether you want a trial run at building an adult-size project or just want to make a shelter for your Lego minifigs, these Mini Materials let you create custom structures...

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If you were to try and pinpoint BMW's evolution into "the ultimate driving machine", the 3.0 CSL would be a good place to start. A lightweight, homologation version of the...

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Surrounded by nothing but the Caribbean Sea, the Gladden Private Island Resort is the most remote spot in Belize. The two-bedroom hotel is the only villa on the island and...

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Tom Selleck's Magnum P.I. was such an iconic character that one of his outfits sits in the Smithsonian. While you might not want to sport a barely buttoned Hawaiian shirt...

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Suzuki released the first all-new Jimny in over two decades earlier in 2018, picking up right where the previous version left off — as a serious body-on-frame 4x4. The new...

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65 years, five owners, and totally unrestored — while it wasn't found in a barn, this 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL meets every other criterion for a barn find. Gooding &...

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Selling a Ford GT is supposed to be against the contract you sign if you're lucky enough to get one, but several of them — most famously John Cena's —...

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No color screens, SD cards, or autofocus. Yet it's completely digital. The Pixii Digital Rangefinder Camera feels like a found artifact from an alternate timeline. It has a slim, traditional...

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In the 1950s, Brian Lister hit on a great idea — a lightweight tube-framed chassis with Jaguar's top-of-the-line straight-six motor. The 'Knobbly' would become one of the most successful race...

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Mercedes' G-Class has been one of the best 4x4s you can buy, whether you're an offroad enthusiast or NATO. This 1987 240 GD comes ready to drive, with a fresh...

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Sited on a triangular lot in Sydney, the Platform House mimics its geometric site with a dramatic angular design. The home, or platform for living as Studioplusthree likes to call...

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Many retirees fear mental decline in retirement. Here's what you may do to avoid it.

Intro

This week in Bizarro Devs:

Weeding the Wikipedia garden; helping computers read your mind; streamlining Twitter.

Enjoy!

Bizarro Devs

🕸️ The Cool Side of the Web

Meteor showers exposed! How they look; when they'll arrive; and what to expect. 🌌

A nice site that shows how all of the meteor showers travel and how they intersect with Earth's orbit.

meteorshowers.org

Re:Birth popped up in a few places this week.

It is a reimagination of modern apps and sites as vintage gadgets. I can also highly recommend the wine made by famous brands*.

Thankfully not real wine

tomlefrench.com

Notabilia is a visualization of deletion discussions on Wikipedia. 🙅🏼‍♂️

notabilia.net

Above the moment is a gallery of aerial photography.

stasbart.com

🤖 Robots et. al.

This Chinese news agency has AI news anchors.

youtube.com

The AlterEgo headset will help computers "read your mind". 🧠

Scroll down for the illustrations to see your next nightmare.

inc.com

⚒️ Tools and Code

Howler.js is an audio library that makes JavaScript audio a little bit easier. 🔈

howlerjs.com

How to download a YouTube channel's videos.

Username checks out.
David Walsh's dev blog is full of awesome tips and tricks but this is my favorite.

davidwalsh.name

No need to make stammering apologies any longer: Video Rotate will rotate those portrait videos in seconds. 🖼️

videorotate.com

Macaw is a streamliner for Twitter and iOS. 🐦

Your feed will be reduced to the most popular tweets from and by your network. Personally, I think it is a lifesaver.

macawfortwitter.com

🕷️ Design & Development Arena

FreePizza.io offers free pizza for usergroups, meetups, conferences, and other things of that nature.🍕

freepizza.io

Nightmare clients and how to beat them!

webdesignerdepot.com

How web developers can achieve a work-life balance without sacificing quality in either area.

codewithoutrules.com

🤔 Articles of interest

Scientists create ‘Bionic mushrooms’ that generate electricity. 🍄

I feel like this one started with a teenager trying to explain away the mushrooms hidden in their room...
And, well, hell. Things just got out of hand after that.

independent.co.uk

A long read that traces the history of the personality profile. 🔬

laphamsquarterly.org

🥇 World of WordPress

Web comics that make fun of our tech lifestyle are my achilles heel. 💭

Furthermore, any comic making fun of lightweight themes that require 30+ plugins will always win my heart.

codeinwp.com

What Is Gutenberg? Another intro to the new WordPress block editor. 🧔

I don't want to get too pushy with these Gutenberg articles, but WordPress 5.0 is just two weeks away.

themeisle.com

🔖 Nice work if you can get it

Simple graphs show how video games beat blockbuster movies out of the gate.

While the stats might be true, video games don't have Merlin the machine. Merlin is going to help 20th Century Fox get back on track by analyzing trailers to predict popular movies.
GAME ON!

statista.com

Outro

That's another week put to bed.

If you know anyone who likes things like Heinz merlot, or Adidas chardonnay, then forward them this email.

If this is our first meeting, then please feel free to join our crew here.

If we've meet before then it's always great to see you,

Chris

Bizarro Devs

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This RSS feed is published on http://bizzarodevs.com/. You can also subscribe via email.

If you think that big old houses have to be notorious money pits, you have not met Cliff DeVito and Chris Walker. At Forest Oaks, their magnificent brick manor house in Natural Bridge, Virginia, they not only love their home’s historic architecture, they make a living from it.

South Africa has become the destination of choice for safaris, but first-timers may find the planning process overwhelming. Here’s the perfect beginner’s itinerary for an unforgettable safari experience in South Africa that covers the big five and then some.

In YouTube’s short history, the service has grown past its simple video hosting roots. Now it’s full of YouTube personalities who have their own shows, merchandise, and dedicated fanbases.

The current state of YouTube may be making you yearn for a simpler time. So, in order to help you relive the old days, here are some classic YouTube videos worth watching one more time.

1. Me At the Zoo (April 2005)

When stepping back in time, what better place to start than the beginning? This video has the honor of being the first clip ever uploaded to YouTube. It’s not particularly interesting—just a guy (Jawed Karim, YouTube cofounder) describing the elephants at a zoo.

Since YouTubers love being first (see the lamest YouTube comments), this video has racked up over 56 million views at the time of writing. In spite of this popularity, Jawed has never uploaded another video. Still, he made millions of dollars when Google acquired YouTube, so he never needs to do anything again.

2. Numa Numa (December 2006)

Here’s an early example of the silly creativity that leads to viral videos. Gary Brolsma uploaded a video of himself lip-syncing and dancing along to the song “Dragostea Din Tei” by O-Zone. The result is a wildly popular meme that probably everyone who was online at the time watched at least once.

Though it was first posted to Newgrounds in 2004, the YouTube copy of this video has been viewed over 30 million times.

3. Chocolate Rain (April 2007)

Tay Zonday’s original song was another early viral hit on YouTube. A catchy piano loop, plus the humorous element in Zonday’s deep voice clashing with his slightly nerdy persona, lent a hand to its success. The “I move away from the mic to breathe in” message also made the video ripe for parody.

4. Leeroy Jenkins (Aug 2006)

An early example of popular gaming memes, this clip came from a group of World of Warcraft players planning a strategy for their next battle. One of their members, Leeroy, returns to his computer unaware of the plan and charges into the room, screaming “LEEROY JENKINS!” This spells doom for the team, as everyone gets wiped out.

While it’s a classic troll video, it turns out that the Leeroy Jenkins charge was staged. In late 2017, one of the players released a “first take” of the video. To WoW veterans, this was obvious as the plan they discuss had several major flaws based on the game’s mechanics at the time. But at least Leeroy has chicken.

5. Double Rainbow (January 2010)

We bet you’ve never been this excited about anything in your life. When Paul Vasquez spotted a double rainbow in his front yard, he totally lost his mind. Shouting, laughing, crying, and contemplating the deeper meaning of the rainbows are all included in this three-and-a-half minute clip.

It’s since become a legendary YouTube video. Notably, YouTube channel
schmoyoho released an autotuned version of the clip, which helped its popularity skyrocket.

6. Evolution of Dance (April 2006)

Another early viral hit, this video chronicles several decades of dance styles into six minutes. From Elvis Presley to Jay-Z, Judson Laipply seamlessly switches between music tracks and dance moves.

For some time, Evolution of Dance was one of the most-watched videos on YouTube. It no longer holds this honor, but racking up over 300 million views is still supremely impressive.

7. Fabulous Secret Powers (July 2007)

This mash-up of scenes from the cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and the song “What’s Up?” by Four Non Blondes became a smash hit.

However, the original video (with 1.77 million views) only enjoyed a fraction of the popularity compared to that of an edited version titled “HEYYEYAAEYAAAEYAEYAA” (144.47 million views). This version was taken from the original and cuts out the slower intro and outro.

The original creators were graceful and didn’t demand this more popular version be taken down, even though it didn’t give them credit. Either way, this is still an enjoyable song you’ll want to listen to on repeat.

8. How to Be Ninja (July 2007)

Ryan Higa created several “How to be” videos, including “How to be nerd” and “How to be emo”. They’re simple comedic home videos typical of YouTube at the time, and still enjoyable to this day.

Notably, the channel nigahiga was the most popular YouTube channel for 677 days from 2009 to 2011. This is second only to PewDiePie, who has been the most-subscribed channel for 1,779 days at the time of writing.

9. Star Wars Kid (January 2006)

This infamous video was never meant to become public. The kid in the video, Ghyslain Raza, was a high school student at the time, and taped this “performance” over a basketball game (which you can see for a moment at the end of the clip). In it, he swings a golf ball retriever around like Darth Maul from Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace.

However, someone else at the school found the tape and it ended up going viral online, even before YouTube was around. Unfortunately, Raza was heavily bullied when the clip went public. He’s since used his platform to speak out against bullying, so this video ultimately had a positive effect.

10. Charlie Bit My Finger (May 2007)

Harry learned the hard way that you shouldn’t stick your finger in someone’s mouth. This video came about simply because the dad of two boys wanted to capture a moment of them growing up.

He later found the video humorous, and put it on YouTube so he could easily share it with the boys’ grandfather. The rest is history; it exploded in popularity as everyone enjoyed seeing Charlie giggle at the pain his bite inflicts.

At one point, this was also the most-viewed YouTube video of all time. It’s not in any top charts now, but banking over 860 million views to date is still impressive.

Reliving YouTube Gold

The early days of YouTube were different from today’s clickbait, big-budget productions, and other nonsense. Thankfully, most of the classic YouTube videos are still available for us to enjoy.

However, if you want to see YouTube return to those glory days, check out our list of ways to save YouTube from itself.

Read the full article: 10 Classic YouTube Videos Worth Watching One More Time

Who blocked me on Facebook? It’s a question many of us will have asked since joining Facebook. Thankfully, there’s plenty you do if you suspect someone has blocked you on Facebook.

Perhaps a good friend has suddenly started ignoring you. Or perhaps you have stopped seeing their posts on your feed. Are they just busy? Or have you done something wrong and been blocked?

In this article, we’ll show you how to find out who, if anyone, has blocked you on Facebook…

How to Find Out Who Blocked You on Facebook

You can’t exactly see who blocked you on Facebook, but there are a few decent indicators to watch out for.

The next “friend” who tries to sell me some kind of pyramid scheme on facebook is getting blocked..

I said what I said. ?

— Marguerite (@Fit_Marguerite) March 9, 2020

The first thing you should do is determine whether you’ve been blocked or unfriended (yes, we know that hurts too).

Can You Still Tag Someone Who Has Blocked You?

Let’s say you’ve found a meme you want to show a friend. Normally, you’d simply tag them by writing their name then clicking on the relevant link to their profile. They’d be notified of the tag and see it next time they log in.

But if you’ve been blocked by that person, you won’t be able to tag them in any posts—that includes memes, photos, and any posts you’re adding to your (or someone else’s) timeline. Whether you can tag someone who has unfriended you on Facebook depends on the other person’s privacy settings.

Use the Facebook Search Function to See If You’ve Been Blocked

Search for your friend on Facebook. Simply sign in and you’ll see the search box at the top of the page. Similarly, if you want to know who blocked you on the Facebook app, it’s at the top of your feed.

A list of profiles and pages will come up. Toggle the results by clicking on People. If you’ve been blocked, their profile won’t show up under this setting. However, if you’re searching All, there’s a chance you will see them, even in the event that they have blocked you.

If you see the display image of the person you’re looking for, click on it. You’ll be able to partially view the profile (depending on their privacy settings) if they’ve simply unfriended you. But if you’ve been blocked, you won’t be able to access anything.

Use a Mutual Friend’s Profile to Check Who Blocked You

You can then go looking for further signs. The easiest way is to head to the profile of someone you and the person who has potentially blocked you both know. You’ll be able to see a brief list of their friends; click on See All. It should tell you how many contacts you have in common.

You can scroll through their contacts or just type into the field which reads “Search Friends”.

If you can see their name and profile picture, you can let out a sigh of relief, as they haven’t blocked you.

If you can’t see them, there is another potential answer for their absence. They might have deactivated their whole account. We’ll come back to that later.

Can You Read Previous Facebook Messages After Being Blocked?

Here’s another trick, albeit one which relies on you having communicated with the person before. This can’t help when it comes to relative strangers. (This shouldn’t bother you too much. However, being blocked before properly acquainting yourself can be just as damaging.)

Try to remember anything this contact has written on your profile or—if you’ve stopped others from posting on your timeline—a mutual friend’s profile. This could be a birthday message, a festive greeting, or anything incidental.

These will still be visible regardless of your friendship status. However, if you have been blocked, the other person’s profile image won’t appear, or will be replaced by a question mark. Their name might also be covered by black boxes too.

Are Contacts Who Might Have Blocked You Still on Messenger?

If you’ve previously spoken to this person using Facebook Messenger, this is another indicator. But you must do this via the Facebook website because the app still sometimes shows blocked accounts.

Go to the Messenger section and click on See All in Messenger in the drop-down menu. Access the conversation you had with the contact. If you’ve been blocked, their profile image won’t load, replaced by a standard gray outline. You won’t be able to click on their name to look at their profile either.

You can try to send them a message too. If you have been blocked, your attempts will be unsuccessful. Facebook will tell you there’s been a temporary error.

How can you tell they haven’t just deactivated their Facebook account? In most cases, their name won’t appear at all if they have deleted their account, but deletion is different from deactivation. Deletion is a more permanent step, while deactivation merely means they’re staying off Facebook for a short time.

The platform might be a distraction at a busy time, so deactivating it is an attempt to give it up for a while. That could be why you’re not hearing from them—but at least they’ll probably be back soon.

Deletion means they don’t intend coming back. In this case, their Messenger thread will read “Facebook User”. Be aware that they could still be using Messenger without being on Facebook; nonetheless, if you can contact them here, at least you’re still friends.

Can You Invite Friends Who Blocked You to Events?

People create events on Facebook to coordinate meetups, including birthday parties, dinners, and Christmas celebrations. But if you’ve been blocked, you won’t be able to invite that individual.

Go to Events > Create Event > Create Private Event. After entering details, you’ll need to invite specific people by essentially tagging them. You can’t add anyone who has blocked your profile though.

Similarly, you can’t invite anyone who has blocked you to join or like pages.

Try to Block Someone Who May Have Blocked You

This isn’t a case of seeking revenge. By checking whether you can block someone, you’re also checking whether they’ve deactivated their Facebook. Think of this as like tagging—you can only tag people you’re not blocked from following. And so you can only block people who haven’t blocked you.

Sign in and click on the down arrow to the top-right of your feed. Go to Settings > Blocking and enter a name under Block users. After clicking enter or Block, a list of profiles will appear, giving you the option to block them. If that person isn’t listed, they’ve either deactivated/ deleted their account or have blocked you first.

Can I See Who Blocked Me on Facebook?

The only way you can be 100 percent certain whether you have been blocked is to ask the person directly. You probably won’t want to do that (and it’s cringeworthy too). It’s better to find sneaky alternatives and infer the truth.

If you follow them on other social media apps, visit their profiles there. If they’ve blocked you elsewhere, something’s wrong. Otherwise, there might be another reason you can’t find them on Facebook. In the case of the latter, you could contact the person via direct messages on Instagram or Twitter.

Don’t challenge them head-on: you could tell them you’re worried there’s an issue with their Facebook. Be caring, not confrontational.

You could also involve someone else, although you need to tread carefully here. A mutual friend can at least tell you whether your contact’s profile has been deactivated or deleted.

What to Do If You’ve Been Blocked on Facebook

If it turns out someone has blocked you on Facebook, you’ll feel frustrated and angry, especially if you feel you’ve done nothing wrong.

Nevertheless, in most cases, it’s simply not worth worrying about. It could be something small, like a simple misunderstanding. Or it could just be a clash of personalities. The point is, it’s largely out of your hands.

Ask yourself whether it’s worth losing sleep over. Spoiler alert: it isn’t. It’s only Facebook.

Yes, you could find the person in question and ask why they’ve blocked you. You could find another route to talk to them, and tell them how you feel. Or you could just let it go. After all, why cause further friction over something ultimately trivial?

Should You Be Worried About Being Blocked?

Social media is a wonderful thing, giving you access to people you’d otherwise drift away from. It keeps the world connected. However, it can also be a major cause for concern by feeding your worst fears.

That’s why it’s important you remember that everyone has something going on in their lives that they don’t want to share. Something that keeps them busy or distracted. It doesn’t always mean that they’ve forgotten about you or actively dislike you.

You might get to this stage too. If so, you’ll be pleased to hear you don’t have to entirely cut everyone out of your online life. Instead, try using Messenger without Facebook to keep in touch.

Read the full article: How Can I Find Out Who Blocked Me on Facebook?

Instagram’s new activity dashboard is now live. This is designed to help you track how much time you’re wasting on Instagram, and change your habits accordingly. That is if you feel that spending hours browsing Instagram is a problem in need of fixing.

In August, Facebook announced new tools to help you fight your social media addiction. These new tools are designed to help you manage the time you spend on Facebook and Instagram. Because we all know how easy it is to sucked in for hours at a time.

How to Use Instagram’s New Activity Dashboard

Instagram’s new activity dashboard can be found under “Your Activity”. Just click on the hamburger icon in the top right-hand corner of your profile, and then click “Your Activity”. Here, you’ll see a dashboard showing you how much time you spend using Instagram.

Thankfully, the tools aren’t just informative. You can set a daily reminder when you’ve been using the app for a period of time of your choosing. You can also change the types of notifications you get, and even mute notifications altogether for up to 8 hours.

Instagram rolls out an activity dashboard that shows how much time you spend on the platform.

Me: checks out my activity dashboard… pic.twitter.com/wHY69M0xY5

— Denise Chan (@denisechan26) November 15, 2018

Setting a time limit is designed to help those people who need reminding to take a break from their phone once in a while. And the option to mute notifications should prevent interruptions when you’re meant to be focusing on something more important.

Everything In Moderation, Including Social Media

In its original article announcing these new activity dashboards, Facebook said it has a “responsibility to talk openly about how time online impacts people—and we take that responsibility seriously. These new tools are an important first step”.

This is a good first step too, as there’s mounting evidence that social media is bad for you. As with most things, it’s all about moderation, and for people who are currently unaware they’re using Instagram to excess, these new tools could be a gamechanger.

Read the full article: Instagram Now Tracks How Much Time You’re Wasting on Instagram

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