Gift cards can be a nice, semi-generic gift if you want to let the recipient choose their own item. If you want to give something a bit more long-lasting, however, Stockpile lets you buy gift cards for shares of a company’s stock.
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14 Oct 12:54
Stockpile Lets You Give Gift Cards for Company Stock
by Eric Ravenscraft
James Cochran likes this
13 Oct 20:16
Facebook's On This Day tool is a nice feature when it recalls good times that may have slipped your mind. It has a tendency to bring up events and people that you might prefer to forget, though, and the social network added preferences to curtail t...
Facebook's 'On This Day' feature has controls to filter out sad times
by Billy Steele
Facebook's On This Day tool is a nice feature when it recalls good times that may have slipped your mind. It has a tendency to bring up events and people that you might prefer to forget, though, and the social network added preferences to curtail t...
13 Oct 14:44
There's an insane new Chrome extension called "Shove" that we're sure nobody's going to misuse. As spotted by Wired, it lets you drop a web page onto your friend's browser, and vice-versa. Unlike skeevier apps like Peeple, however, it's strictly op...
Ambush a friend's browser with this crazy Chrome extension
by Steve Dent
There's an insane new Chrome extension called "Shove" that we're sure nobody's going to misuse. As spotted by Wired, it lets you drop a web page onto your friend's browser, and vice-versa. Unlike skeevier apps like Peeple, however, it's strictly op...
Jacob Lucke, James Cochran likes this
08 Oct 20:26
Learn About Coding with These Ultra Nerdy Playing Cards
by Adam Clark Estes on Toyland, shared by Cheryl Eddy to Gizmodo
Everybody loves playing cards because they’re fun . But as the geeky designers behind code:deck prove, playing cards can be educational, too!
Jim.Pavlik, James Cochran likes this
08 Oct 20:18
I showed leaked NSA slides at Purdue, so feds demanded the video be destroyed
by Ars Staff
(credit: Purdue University)
Barton Gellman is a critically honored author, journalist, and blogger. In 2013, Gellman shot to prominence as one of three journalists worldwide to be entrusted with leaked documents by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. This article first appeared on The Century Foundation’s website.
On September 24, I gave a keynote presentation at Purdue University about the NSA, Edward Snowden, and national security journalism in the age of surveillance. It was part of the excellent Dawn or Doom colloquium, which I greatly enjoyed. The organizers live-streamed my talk and promised to provide me with a permalink to share.
After unexplained delays, I received a terse e-mail from the university last week. Upon advice of counsel, it said, Purdue “will not be able to publish your particular video” and will not be sending me a copy. The conference hosts, once warm and hospitable, stopped replying to my e-mails and telephone calls. I don’t hold it against them. Very likely they are under lockdown by spokesmen and lawyers.
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05 Oct 15:22
How the Five "Love Languages" Can Help You Win at Relationships
by Kristin Wong
Ever had an argument with your partner and wished they could just read your mind? If they only knew how you were feeling, they’d stop putting up a fight. That’s sort of the idea behind the concept of love languages: they let you in on what makes your partner tick. The idea is: we all express and feel love differently, and understanding those differences can seriously help your relationship. In fact, it’s one of the simplest ways to improve it.
01 Oct 17:20
Olympic-Level Troll Hijacks HLN Segment on Edward Snowden to Defend Edward Scissorhands
by Jia Tolentino on Jezebel, shared by Charlie Jane Anders to io9
Jim.Pavlik likes this
01 Oct 14:12
Learn to Make Windows 10 Apps With This Free Course From Microsoft
by Eric Ravenscraft
James CochranThe future of app development?
With Windows 10, Microsoft introduced Universal Apps, that you can write once and run on everything from laptops to a Raspberry Pi. Now, the company has a free course to learn how to write them.
30 Sep 19:53
Katy Perry Gets More Than She Bargained For With This Neck-Kissing Fan
Things got a bit crazy at Katy Perry's 'Rock in Rio' concert.
The star invited up to the stage a very excited woman named Rayane who proceeded to kiss Katy's neck, nuzzle her b00bs and slap her on the butt.
Rayane, or "Rairairairai" as Katy called her, did give some very valuable Portuguese lessons though.
Pizza is apparently the same in English as Portuguese. Pizza brings everyone together.
Submitted by: (via Deigismon)
Jim.Pavlik likes this
22 Sep 02:24
Voter Is Like a Dating App for Finding the Right Political Candidate
by Kristin Wong
iOS: With so many different candidates with years of political experience, navigating politics and researching politicians can be an overwhelming process. Voter simplifies it by treating it like dating.
21 Sep 22:14
Fake Account of the Day: Man Trolls Rainbow Doritos Haters in the Best Possible Way
James CochranHilarious, I especially enjoyed the one with the "engineer"
Most people welcomed Doritos decision to team up with the It Gets Better Project and make rainbow tortilla chips.
Some people didn't and voiced their disgust on the Doritos Facebook page.
That's where Mike Melgaard and his fake Doritos ForHelp account comes in.
Submitted by:
10 Sep 17:45
No, Your iPhone Was Never Only $200
by Eric Ravenscraft on Lifehacker, shared by Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan to Gizmodo
Yesterday, Apple announced a new iPhone, but if you’re looking to pre-order it this weekend, you may find that it costs $650—a far cry from the $200 it cost on a lot of older phone plans. I have some bad news for you: your phone never cost only $200.
10 Sep 17:04
Protect Your Garden Beds from Critters with Netting and Masonry Ladders
by Heather Yamada-Hosley
When you’ve worked hard to cultivate a thriving garden, the last thing you want is critters to invade and eat everything you planted. This simple netting and masonry ladders setup will deter birds, rabbits, and deer, and it’s easy to make.
29 Aug 01:56
Add AirPlay Mirroring to Any TV with a Raspberry Pi
by Thorin Klosowski
AirPlay Mirroring, the tech that allows you to display your iOS device’s screen on your Apple TV, it great, but you need an Apple TV to use it. Instructables user edyboy12 shows how to use a Raspberry Pi instead.
08 Aug 23:37
The Best Method for Making Any Kind of Stuffed Pancakes
by Patrick Allan
Pancakes are great, but stuffed pancakes can be even better. With a little prep work, you can throw together a batch of stuffed pancakes almost instantly.
James Cochran likes this
06 Aug 20:32
An Adorable Micro Pony Kicks the Hell out of a Little Girl on Live Television
James Cochran likes this
06 Aug 20:22
Who Should be Your Product Owner?
In agile, we separate the Product Owner function from functional (development) management. The reason is that we want the people who can understand and evaluate the business value to articulate the business value to tell the people who understand the work’s value when to implement what. The technical folks determine how to implement the what. ...
06 Aug 20:14
Hearing Chris Farley Voice Shrek Will Change How You See the Iconic Character
by Maggie-Pehanick
We all associate Mike Myers's voice with Shrek now, but once upon a time, the role belonged to the late, great Chris Farley. Myers's Saturday Night Live costar and friend was originally cast in the film, and according to Farley's brother Kevin, he had recorded nearly all the audio for the part before he died in 1997. Audio of Farley's recordings surfaced on Reddit this week, and it gives us a really good idea of what his Shrek would have been like. Note: no Scottish accent. Watch the video, paired with storyboarded images of the film, above.
06 Aug 12:48
One person's dream of becoming the next Snowden or Manning was ruined when nobody believed that the classified documents that they posted to the internet were genuine. Michael Scerba was a 21-year-old graduate at Australia's Department of Defense w...
Snowden wannabe leaked files to 4Chan, but no one believed him
by Daniel Cooper
James CochranLOLOLOL
One person's dream of becoming the next Snowden or Manning was ruined when nobody believed that the classified documents that they posted to the internet were genuine. Michael Scerba was a 21-year-old graduate at Australia's Department of Defense w...
06 Aug 02:09
NOTE: These instructions require that you edit the Windows registry in Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, and that you have been offered (and have reserved) your free upgrade. You are completely responsible for your actions. Please also remember that these instructions do not guarantee a flawless upgrade to Windows 10, so make sure to backup ALL of your personal files and be ready to deal with a recovery operation if necessary. All you will learn to do here is force Windows to start the update for you, rather than waiting. We are not responsible for any mistake you make or problem you might encounter.
With that aside, there are several methods floating around that allow you to bypass the waiting period in Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, meaning you can begin the upgrade to Microsoft's shiny new consumer OS now. The method shown here only requires that you add or edit a registry value. It worked for us on multiple systems, but we can't guarantee it on every system.
In Windows 7, simply click Start (Orb) and type regedit into the search box. Open it when it appears in results. You may encounter User Account Control prompts.
In Windows 8 / 8.1, either right click or tap and hold the start button and then choose Run. Type and run regedit. You may encounter User Account Control prompts.
With the Registry Editor now opened, you need to navigate to the OSUpgrade key, which is located at:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / WindowsUpdate / OSUpgrade
NOTE: If the OSUpgrade Key is not present under WindowsUpdate, then right-click on WindowsUpdate and create a new Key called OSUpgrade, then click on it. It would be unusual if it doesn't exist. Please make sure that you have been offered and have reserved a free upgrade to Windows 10 on the machine you are using!
As shown in the image above, right click in the right-pane in Regedit (remember, you should have the OSUpgrade key opened as shown too). Under New, click DWORD (32-bit) Value.
A new DWORD value will now appear in the right-pane and you will be able to edit the Name. Type "AllowOSUpgrade" (without quotes) and press Enter.
Now simply double-click on AllowOSUpgrade and you will be able to edit its value. Make sure Base is set to Hexadecimal and under value data, type "1" (without quotes) and then click OK. Tap F5 to refresh the regedit window if needed.
If all went well you should be able to see AllowOSUpgrade in the right-pane with the OSUpgrade key open, and the value should be 0x00000001. If so, close Regedit.
In Windows 7, click Start (Orb) and type Control Panel. When it comes up, click it. Now click Windows Update (you may need to change "View By" to large or small icons to find Windows Update). You may already see the "Upgrade to Windows 10" option and be able to click the Get Started button. If not, click Check for Updates and wait a while.
In Windows 8.1, we are looking for the Destkop Control Panel and NOT PC Settings. Open Control Panel by swiping in from the right edge of the screen, tapping Search (or if you're using a mouse, pointing to the upper-right corner of the screen, moving the mouse pointer down, and then clicking Search), entering Control Panel in the search box, and then tapping or clicking Control Panel.
Now click Windows Update (you may need to change "View By" to large or small icons to find Windows Update). You may already see the "Upgrade to Windows 10" option and be able to click the Get Started button. If not, click Check for Updates and wait a while.
In the cases we have tried, this worked to get around the delay to start the upgrade to Windows 10, and we hope it works for you too. There are other manual methods too that we can link to if necessary (let us know in the comments). Additionally, we found these instructions floating around and don't know where / who the source was, so if it was you (or you know the source), let us know so we can credit you by name / twitter / blog / facebook etc.
How to force Windows 10 upgrade
by James Delahunty
NOTE: These instructions require that you edit the Windows registry in Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, and that you have been offered (and have reserved) your free upgrade. You are completely responsible for your actions. Please also remember that these instructions do not guarantee a flawless upgrade to Windows 10, so make sure to backup ALL of your personal files and be ready to deal with a recovery operation if necessary. All you will learn to do here is force Windows to start the update for you, rather than waiting. We are not responsible for any mistake you make or problem you might encounter.
With that aside, there are several methods floating around that allow you to bypass the waiting period in Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, meaning you can begin the upgrade to Microsoft's shiny new consumer OS now. The method shown here only requires that you add or edit a registry value. It worked for us on multiple systems, but we can't guarantee it on every system.
STEP 1 - Open RegEdit and Navigate to OSUpgrade Key
In Windows 7, simply click Start (Orb) and type regedit into the search box. Open it when it appears in results. You may encounter User Account Control prompts.
In Windows 8 / 8.1, either right click or tap and hold the start button and then choose Run. Type and run regedit. You may encounter User Account Control prompts.
With the Registry Editor now opened, you need to navigate to the OSUpgrade key, which is located at:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / WindowsUpdate / OSUpgrade
NOTE: If the OSUpgrade Key is not present under WindowsUpdate, then right-click on WindowsUpdate and create a new Key called OSUpgrade, then click on it. It would be unusual if it doesn't exist. Please make sure that you have been offered and have reserved a free upgrade to Windows 10 on the machine you are using!
STEP 2 - Create new DWORD (32-bit) Value
As shown in the image above, right click in the right-pane in Regedit (remember, you should have the OSUpgrade key opened as shown too). Under New, click DWORD (32-bit) Value.
A new DWORD value will now appear in the right-pane and you will be able to edit the Name. Type "AllowOSUpgrade" (without quotes) and press Enter.
STEP 3 - Edit AllowOSUpgrade DWORD Value
Now simply double-click on AllowOSUpgrade and you will be able to edit its value. Make sure Base is set to Hexadecimal and under value data, type "1" (without quotes) and then click OK. Tap F5 to refresh the regedit window if needed.
If all went well you should be able to see AllowOSUpgrade in the right-pane with the OSUpgrade key open, and the value should be 0x00000001. If so, close Regedit.
STEP 4 - Open Windows Update in Control Panel
In Windows 7, click Start (Orb) and type Control Panel. When it comes up, click it. Now click Windows Update (you may need to change "View By" to large or small icons to find Windows Update). You may already see the "Upgrade to Windows 10" option and be able to click the Get Started button. If not, click Check for Updates and wait a while.
In Windows 8.1, we are looking for the Destkop Control Panel and NOT PC Settings. Open Control Panel by swiping in from the right edge of the screen, tapping Search (or if you're using a mouse, pointing to the upper-right corner of the screen, moving the mouse pointer down, and then clicking Search), entering Control Panel in the search box, and then tapping or clicking Control Panel.
Now click Windows Update (you may need to change "View By" to large or small icons to find Windows Update). You may already see the "Upgrade to Windows 10" option and be able to click the Get Started button. If not, click Check for Updates and wait a while.
Conclusion
In the cases we have tried, this worked to get around the delay to start the upgrade to Windows 10, and we hope it works for you too. There are other manual methods too that we can link to if necessary (let us know in the comments). Additionally, we found these instructions floating around and don't know where / who the source was, so if it was you (or you know the source), let us know so we can credit you by name / twitter / blog / facebook etc.
James Cochran likes this
07 Mar 17:43
WikiMapper Tracks Your Convoluted Trail Down the Wikipedia Rabbit Hole
by Eric Ravenscraft
Chrome: We've all been there. You're reading one Wikipedia article and all the blue links call out to you for your attention. You open a couple in new tabs, click a few articles here, and before you know it you've gone from the Economic Community of West African States to Jean-Claude Van Damme. WikiMapper helps you find your way back.
James Cochran likes this
15 Mar 20:42
Aurich Lawson / Jacqui Cheng
Ars Technicast, Episode 22—Tech horror stories
by Cesar Torres
Aurich Lawson / Jacqui Cheng
Most computer and gadget owners have lived through the nightmare of failed hard drives, fried circuits, cracked screens, and other horrors. Here at the Ars Technicast, we've had our share of tech mishaps. On this episode, Senior Apple Editor Jacqui Cheng, Ars Contributors Andrew Cunningham and Casey Johnston, and Social Editor Cesar Torres share their own tech nightmares and share some of the ways they solved the problems. You'll also want to watch this archived clip of the day Jacqui's phone shattered and everyone at the table laughed, since we mention the anecdote throughout the show.
What's your tech horror story? Leave us a message in the comments and tell us what you did to resolve it. If you have pro tips on how to dry out hardware or perform extensive backups, share those with us, too.
Listen
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