The many benefits of using a VPN

benefits of a vpn

Using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a great way to bypass geo-blocking restrictions and to stay safe on public Wi-Fi when traveling. It can also help you stay anonymous on the Internet.

A VPN helps you stay anonymous on the internet

Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to stay anonymous on the internet is a great way to buy cheaper plane tickets. A VPN connects your computer to a remote server and provides you with an anonymous Internet connection. It can also be used to safely conduct online financial transactions.

A VPN can be used to secure your connection on a public Wi-Fi network. VPNs are also great for avoiding geo-restrictions and accessing content from anywhere in the world. They can also be used to access streaming entertainment options overseas.

There are several VPN services on the market, so it is difficult to choose one that best suits your needs. However, there are some that are better than others.

The best VPNs offer secure encryption protocols and a high level of privacy. They will also keep your personal information safe. Some VPNs are also legal to use in most countries.

Easily bypass geo-blocking

Using a VPN to bypass geo-blocking can make it easier to buy airline tickets from a different country. For example, if you’re traveling to the UK from the United States, you may have to buy your ticket from the local version of the site, which could be much cheaper.

You can also use a VPN to bypass geo-blocking to access content from a different country. For instance, if you’re trying to watch a show on Netflix in the United States, you might have to access the service in the UK instead.

Another way to bypass geo-blocking is by using Tor. Tor uses a network of nodes to route your internet traffic. The downside is that Tor’s network is slow, so you might have a hard time watching streaming videos. However, if you’re trying to watch online content from another country, using Tor is a great way to bypass geo-blocking.

Stay safe on public Wi-Fi while traveling

Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, using a virtual private network (VPN) can help protect you from the hazards of public Wi-Fi. Using a VPN allows you to choose where you connect to the internet, and it also routes your traffic through an intermediary server. This helps protect your privacy and prevents hackers from intercepting your data.

The best VPNs are easy to use and won’t bog down your internet connection. Using a VPN is particularly important when you’re doing data-heavy activities on public Wi-Fi.

The best VPNs also come with automation features. You can choose a server, toggle your connection, and download apps after you’ve signed up. It’s also important to keep your security software up-to-date. If you use your phone to connect to Wi-Fi, make sure you use a strong password.

Hide your real IP address

Using a VPN is one of the easiest ways to get cheap plane tickets from around the world. Not only can you use a VPN to search for the best deals, but you can also use it to secure your browsing activity.

A VPN can protect you from tracking by third parties and advertisers. You can use it to change your IP address to a country that has cheap plane tickets, such as Turkey or the United States.

Using a VPN is legal, as long as you connect to a server in your destination country. You may need to change servers if you are using a VPN to browse the web. But not using a VPN is a big mistake. If you are not using a VPN to find cheap plane tickets, you could be paying more for your flights than you should be.

High-speed connections and 24/7 live chat customer support

Using a VPN is an easy way to access cheap plane tickets. VPNs can mask your real location, allowing you to buy plane tickets in the country of your choice.

VPNs also protect your router traffic. Companies can profit from your browsing history, making it a good idea to use a VPN. You should always read the terms and conditions of any VPN provider before using it.

VPNs are legal in most countries. However, there are some countries that actively ban VPNs. Russia’s latest banned list includes VPN providers, including ExpressVPN.

To find a VPN, start by focusing on your primary needs. You should also check if the VPN can be installed on all your devices. You can also look at the company’s customer service.

You can download VPN clients or add extensions to your browsers. Most VPNs have a wide variety of servers, allowing you to choose which location you want to connect to. Choose a provider with high-speed connections.https://www.youtube.com/embed/Utsnt6GFrKo

FTX Exchange Drama Continues

FTX scam piece of shit SBF scum

FTX, a crypto exchange founded by 30-year-old Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), is in crisis. It has filed for bankruptcy, and investors are writing down their investments. Bankman-Fried has resigned from the company.

The situation has left many in the crypto community shaken. It also raised questions about the power of centralized platforms. It is unclear what will happen to FTX’s assets, and whether or not FTX will ever recover. This is a huge event for the entire crypto industry. It could prompt regulators to crack down on the industry.

The FTX exchange was one of the largest in the world.

It has been backed by high-profile investors, including Sequoia Capital, SoftBank Vision Fund, and Tiger Global. The exchange also had a celebrity brand ambassador, Larry David. The company was expected to become the dominant player in the crypto world. It had a huge amount of tokens in its portfolio, which included Solana, a competitor to the popular Ethereum token. The price of FTT dropped by over 90% from its 2021 high.

FTX filed for bankruptcy on Friday.

The news broke after CoinDesk published an article on the exchange’s relationship with Alameda Research, a crypto hedge fund founded by Bankman-Fried. According to the article, FTX was lending high amounts of its own token to Alameda Research. This was a major concern for the crypto community, as the company held a large amount of one asset.

FTX’s bankruptcy is being investigated by the United States Attorney’s Office in the Manhattan district of New York. According to Reuters, Bankman-Fried transferred customer funds to Alameda without telling anyone. This move was the precursor to FTX’s collapse. Alameda Research had a substantial amount of FTX Tokens, and it owed FTX about $8 billion.

The news sent shockwaves around the world. It is estimated that there are more than 1 million creditors associated with FTX. The exchange’s assets can’t be moved without the approval of a provisional liquidator. Its legal team reportedly quit, and its website went down on Nov. 8. A class action lawsuit has been filed against FTX, alleging deception of consumers.

In the wake of the FTX meltdown, many investors are withdrawing their assets out of fear.

Some politicians have called for stricter oversight of the industry. Some big names in the industry are happy to have some scrutiny.

The FTX exchange has been the target of a class action lawsuit, and a provisional liquidator has been appointed by the Bahamian Supreme Court. The exchange is moving its digital assets to a new “cold wallet custodian,” a company that stores assets offline and without remote control. This move is expected to maximize recoveries.

The FTX crisis weakened trust in the industry. Many traders rushed to pull their funds from the FTX platform. The value of the crypto sector fell 12% in one day. The meltdown has left many in the industry worried about the future of crypto. The FTX bankruptcy will likely destroy billions of dollars of wealth, and it could encourage regulators to tighten their screws.

Intel launches a chip dedicated to blockchain

intel new blockchain chip

Energy-efficient, it should help speed up blockchain tasks like bitcoin mining or NFT typing.

Intel does not want to miss out on the potential computing revolution opened up by blockchain. The company unveiled a chip on February 11, described as a “blockchain gas pedal.” The first ones will be delivered during 2022.

The tantalizing energy performance of this new chip

Jack Dorsey’s company, which specializes in blockchain-related technologies, as its name suggests, Block, will be one of the first to get the new chip from Intel.

If the Twitter co-founder jumped at the chance it’s because the promise of this chip, “blockchain gas pedal” promises to remedy one of the most worrying issues of bitcoin mining: its environmental impact.

Raja Koduri, Intel’s senior vice president, expects “our chip innovations to deliver a blockchain gas pedal with more than 1,000 times the performance per watt of consumer GPUs for SHA-256-based mining.”

The SHA-256 hashing algorithm is the one used to generate bitcoin and a number of other cryptocurrencies. Intel’s promise is therefore tantalizing to industry professionals, who are facing the gradual introduction of regulations to oversee mining and the like.

The expected performance of Intel’s chip might be able to reassure lawmakers around the world. Since China banned cryptocurrency mining and trading, officially for environmental reasons, but not only, lawmakers in the United States and the European Union are also considering restrictions.

More information to come, Intel promises

Intel promises to give more information about its new chip at the International Solid State Circuits Conference. It will begin on February 20. The presentation of the American giant will probably be highly anticipated by the participants.

Through the voice of Raja Koduri, Intel demonstrates that it intends to sustainably strengthen its presence in the blockchain sector. The company announced the creation of a segment to support research in the field and others, named Custom Compute Group, within its business unit Accelerated Computing Systems and Graphics.

Disney appoints director to lead metaverse development

disney metaverse

Through the metaverse, Disney plans to connect the virtual and the real, to create a new space in which its users can engage in a different way.

On February 15, Disney CEO Bob Chapek appointed a new director to lead metaverse development at the company. Mike White becomes a senior VP at Disney and heads the department in charge of the metaverse.

Mike White takes over as head of metavers at Disney

Previously, Mike White was in charge of customer experience at Disney. Prior to joining the company in 2011, White worked at large technology companies, including Yahoo. Following in Meta’s footsteps, Disney intends to take the lead on the subject of metavers and influence the development of this new web standard. Bob Chapek did not provide many details on how Disney plans to make money with its metaverse, but said that White’s task will be to “bring the virtual and real worlds together”.

The Disney CEO points out that “for nearly 100 years, our company has defined and redefined entertainment by leveraging technology to bring stories to life in deeper and more impactful ways.” He says the metaverse is the next great frontier in storytelling and the perfect place for Disney to execute its strategy of excellence and innovation.

It’s not hard to imagine how Disney could explore the possibilities of the metaverse. For example, one can imagine a virtual Disneyland, much more advanced than the existing real-world versions, with advanced experiences in each of Disney’s universes.

15 years before seeing a final version of the metaverse?

In his statement, Chapek also clarified that “we have an opportunity today to connect these two worlds and create a completely new paradigm for our users to engage in a different way.” This prospect of a virtual world at Disney, however, seems remote.

Indeed, despite the investment and hype surrounding the metaverse, the technology is not ready. Meta’s leaders estimate that it will take fifteen years for their vision to become a reality.

That’s not stopping many companies from testing new experiments. Warner, for example, is going to create a music theme park in the Sandbox metaverse. The music label has associated a nice bunch of stars to its project.

Among others, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa and Green Day are expected to perform in Warner’s music theme park. Carrefour has also bought a virtual land in the Sandbox metaverse. There is talk of a possible opening of a virtual supermarket and the sale of certified virtual products in the form of NFT. In short, more and more projects related to the metaverse.

AMD doubles Intel for the first time in terms of capitalization

amd intel war

49 billion dollars. That’s the amount AMD invested last week in its acquisition of Xilinx, a California-based semiconductor giant that initially specialized in programmable SoCs, but is now very diversified. This acquisition allows AMD’s market capitalization to soar to $198 billion, surpassing that of its rival Intel ($193.70 billion as of February 17). A first in the history of both companies.

This increase in AMD’s valuation is also the consequence of a number of shares that has greatly inflated following the purchase of Xilinx: 1,628 billion compared to approximately 1,200 billion previously.

AMD and Intel’s valuation is still far from approaching that of Nvidia

However, with this new valuation, investors’ expectations are also revised upwards towards Lisa Su’s company. As underlined by the specialized site Guru3D, the purchase of Xilinx gives hope for a greater potential of growth thanks to a more marked diversification.

It must be said that until now AMD was mainly specialized in the design of processors and graphics cards for laptops, desktops and servers. Remember that on the x86 CPU market (AMD’s core business) the firm only has about a third of the market share. The rest is controlled by Intel, says Guru3D.

For AMD, the whole issue of buying Xilinx is therefore to expand the field of possibilities … and to establish itself on other sectors. Getting its hands on Xilinx is therefore a smart move by AMD. It is indeed a manufacturer who touches everything.

The brand has been able to establish itself in the sectors of 5G equipment, the Internet of Things, but also in the field of technologies dedicated to autonomous vehicles. Xilinx also has a strong presence in the embedded chips and devices sector, as well as in the networking devices market. These are all areas in which AMD will now be present, at least indirectly.

Note that it is this drive towards diversification that has allowed Nvidia to reach its current market capitalization, estimated at 662 billion dollars. AMD and Intel are far from it. As a reminder, the GPU giant has invested in the field of AI and neural networks, two high-growth sectors.

There won’t be a Switch Pro by Nintendo, but a Switch 4K

While Nintendo took the floor again last month to reiterate that, no new console is planned besides its brand new Switch OLED, new first-hand information contradicts the video game and platforms manufacturer’s claims.

We’re getting used to this back-and-forth between official Nintendo statements and informants. But this new information from Nate The Hate supports the ones published during the year by Bloomberg about a 4K Switch.

A console doped with DLSS

Generally well-informed, this Nintendo insider has expanded on the company’s hardware future in his latest podcast. He talks about having interviewed several contacts and seeing a bit more clearly the vagueness that surrounds Nintendo’s plans.

“After the Bloomberg article was published (on the availability of devkits for a Switch 4K, editor’s note), I contacted several of my sources to try to get a better idea. And I will no longer call this console the “Switch Pro”. From the conversations I’ve had, it’s clear that this is new hardware for the Nintendo Switch, but I don’t yet know how it will be positioned.”

A revision of the current model? A Nintendo Switch 2?

Nate isn’t sure yet, but he will now rely on the “Switch 4K” designation due to the capabilities of said console. “[The console] can deliver 4K, and that will be possible with DLSS. These facts are tangible, there is clear evidence to support this information, and there is no reason to think this will change in the future.”

Is Nintendo about to segment the market?

So we’re back to where we were before the Switch OLED curtain call. How will Nintendo assume to segment a market as successful as the Switch, which is just over 4 years has sold over 89 million units?

Because offering 4K (sprinkled with DLSS, or another upscaling method) can only be done by opting for the last generation chip. A more powerful model then, which would logically push developers to prefer it to the original Switch and its aging hardware. In other words: if there is a Switch 4K, it will come with exclusive games, which will leave some 89 million faithful on the sidelines.

In addition, the change in graphics architecture would pose huge backwards compatibility concerns. This points to the hypothesis of a next-generation console rather than a “simple” revision that would complicate Nintendo’s lineup.

Continuing his presentation, Nate confirms that the development kits for this new console have been distributed to studios since the end of 2020. And according to his sources, Nintendo could make this console official between the last quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023. That is, for the sixth anniversary of the Nintendo Switch – which exceeds the usual life cycle of a home console of the company.

Change your IP address: 3 ways to surf anonymously on a Mac.

changing an ip address

How to change your IP address on PC, Mac, or smartphone? There are several ways to do this. The best known is the one that consists of going through a VPN. Depending on the needs, it is also possible to easily change your IP address when it is dynamic. Here are all the available options.

There are several reasons why you may want to change your IP address, and it is most often a matter of hiding your public IP address, which is the one with which the modem communicates with the Internet. Each modem has a unique IP address. Depending on the ISPs and the need requested by the customer, it can be static or dynamic. It is fixed in the first case or variable in the second.

Why change your IP address?

Regardless of the type of address (fixed or variable), the ISP always knows which subscriber an IP address belongs to. Changing your IP address is often necessary for anonymity purposes on the Internet, so that it goes completely unnoticed, even by the ISP. It also allows you to skip certain restrictions imposed geographically or on a particular user group.

Moreover, changing your IP address or, more generally, securing your web browsing is one of the first precautions that Warez regular users take.

How do I change my IP address?

In the case of a dynamic IP address, it automatically changes according to variable frequencies. It can be daily or after each restart of the modem/router. This type of address change can be useful in unlocking web services in case your IP address has been restricted. It also allows you to be a little more anonymous and less traceable by websites and hackers, but it is not the best way to protect your privacy on the Internet.

Go through a VPN using a MAC VPN

It is the most popular method. VPNs are the best way to change your IP address, with the ability to choose from which country you want to connect. It has several advantages: escaping a geographical restriction, accessing a service exclusive to a country, or more extensive in the latter (such as unlocking the Netflix catalog with VPN), etc.

The other advantage of VPNs is that they allow connection encryption for greater security on PC, Mac, or smartphone.

Find tutorials here to install a VPN on a Macintosh https://iphoneaddict.fr/post/news-277476-astuce-comment-connecter-mac-vpn

The use of a proxy

Proxies are also an effective and widely used way to hide your IP address by substituting it with another one. A proxy works in much the same way as a VPN since it allows a device to pass through a remote server to exchange with the Internet. But several aspects distinguish them. To learn more, read our article on the differences between VPN and Proxy.

Navigating through the digital network.

The operation of the digital network is similar to that of proxies, with the difference that it does not rely on servers to hide the IP address, but on the connections of other users on the network, so that it becomes impossible to identify the exact origin of a request. Tor, which stands for

The Onion Routeur is a solution created and initially used by the US military. It was subsequently made public and free.

The network is accessed via the digital browser, which is relatively easy to install and available on Windows, Linux, and macOS. The Tor network is also available on iOS and Android via other browsers.

Huawei P30 Pro, the best camera on the market

Competing with the Galaxy S10+ and iPhone XS Max, Huawei’s new high-end smartphone is a complete success. The Chinese manufacturer has become the market reference for the quality of the photos of its cameras.

The P30 Pro was immediately placed at the top of the list of the best cameras right from the start. A very high-end model that can replace an authentic digital camera.

What does it replace?

The Huawei P30 Pro is the logical replacement for the P20 Pro. The difference in performance is not revolutionary, but the P30 Pro has many exciting improvements. At the screen level, we go from a 6.1-inch display to a curved 6.47-inch display. Also, the notch is reduced to a simple drop of water, and the screen directly incorporates fingerprint reader and speakerphone for calls. It now includes the 40-watt fast charge, compared to 22.5 watts for the P20 Pro, and even offers reverse charging so that you can charge your earphones or another smartphone.

It also gains in power, with a Kirin 980 and 8GB of RAM, compared to a Kirin 970 and 6GB. The camera is improved with, in particular, the presence of the ToF camera and the SuperSpectrum sensor, allowing it to obtain a score of 112 points in the DxOMark ranking, compared to 109 for the P20 Pro, which was, however, the first in the ranking at its release.

The Promise: Changing the Rules of Photography

With its slogan for its P30 range “Change the rules of photography,” Huawei is aiming for the top of the podium for smartphone cameras. According to the DxOMark site, which rates devices following extensive testing, the P30 Pro scores 112, making it the number one smartphone on the market. Huawei can also boast about the performance of his cameras in terms of photography since he occupies the top three places.

The camera also offers 5x optical zoom, 10x hybrid zoom, and 50x digital zoom. Huawei achieved this performance by using a periscopic telephoto lens: he increases the focal length by aiming the sensor at the side, and by using a mirror, to obtain a focal length equivalent to 125 mm.

The killer option: the ToF camera

The presence of the ToF camera, or time of flight, adds a new dimension to the picture, and this, in a rather literal way. It is a camera capable of measuring objects in 3D, sending a beam of light invisible to the human eye, and then measuring the time it takes to return to the sensor. It indicates the distance from the object.

Combined with the camera, it allows specific effects, including the portrait mode of the P30 Pro. By measuring the distance from the objects in the image, it can create a more realistic bokeh effect. In augmented reality use, it can measure objects on the screen, or place virtual objects so that they appear with the exact size and correctly positioned over the image of the real world.

Magic 2 presents new top-of-the-range smartphone

Magic 2 presents new top-of-the-range smartphone

Scheduled for October 31 in Beijing, the Honor Magic 2 should be the first high-end smartphone of the Chinese brand.

IFA Berlin news

Honor should also reveal a new connected watch that comes with its new flagship product.

To conclude its conference with an highlight at the IFA Berlin, Honor quickly showed his future Magic 2, a smartphone with a design inspired by the Oppo Find X. The device hides its front cameras in a sliding drawer, allowing it to be entirely from edge to edge and free of any notches.

A week before its official presentation in China, the leaks are multiplying on the Web. Technical specifications, photos, videos… Magic 2 is becoming less and less mysterious regarding their upcoming releases.

A sliding screen… but manual

Unlike the Oppo Find X, the Magic 2 drawer is not motorized. To make it appear, you have to slide the back of your smartphone yourself. An undoubtedly less expensive process, which should allow you to sell the smartphone at a more affordable price than the 999 euros of Find X. Xiaomi will also offer a “manual” drawer with its Mi Mix 3.

Otherwise, Magic 2 presents itself as a high-end smartphone with dreamlike features. 6.39″ OLED screen, 980 GB Kirin, 6 GB or 8 GB RAM… We should even find a 3D facial recognition system (hidden in the drawer) and a fingerprint sensor under the screen.

In other words, Honor Magic 2 has many of the same features as the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, but with a different design.

On the back, the Magic 2 appears to be a carbon copy of the Huawei P20 Pro. The triple camera module is arranged identically and would include three 16, 24 and 16 Mpix sensors.

It is impossible to know if there will be an ultra-wide angle like in the Mate 20 or if Honor will be satisfied with a monochrome lens like in the P20 Pro.

A new honor clock?

On the Chinese social network Weibo, promotional images reveal the existence of a new “Honor Watch.” According to the photograph, the watch would base itself on the design of the Huawei Watch GT. Therefore, we can imagine that it will have the same characteristics.
It remains to be seen whether these new products will reach Europe and the US.

We should remember remembered that Honor first announces its products in China before holding a second international conference a few months later.

Holidays: 5 tips to disconnect from your smartphone

disconnect phone on holidays

You’re going on vacation in the next few days, and of course, you’ll take your trusted smartphone with you. Until then, no problem. Except you won’t get away with it because you’re so addicted to your phone! Discover our tips on how to intelligently disconnect from your little handheld computer!

Between Facebook, emails and SMS, you are spending a lot of time on your smartphone. In the morning you consult social networks, in the afternoon you discuss WhatsApp, and in the evening you do all kinds of addictive activities.

Smartphones are addictive. You use as a camera, a notebook, a walkman, a game console and much more. Except now you’re going on vacation, so it’s time to take a break from the screen. How are you going to avoid temptation?

  • Deactivate notifications on your smartphone

Just like looking at your friends’ holiday photos on social networks won’t do you any good because you’re on holiday yourself! So please disconnect from all this and enjoy your trip! The fewer notifications you see on the screen, the less likely you are to click on them.

  • Disconnect your company’s mailbox

To avoid being bothered by emails from your colleagues, bosses or clients, don’t hesitate to disconnect your inbox before leaving. This way, you won’t be tempted to check your latest emails regularly. More generally, you will no longer have any awareness of what is happening at work while you are away! And that’s the purpose of the holidays.

  • Dare to use the airplane mode

If you want to disconnect completely, there’s a much more radical solution. Not everyone will dare to do it, but it’s very efficient. And it will also increase the autonomy of your smartphone: put it in airplane mode, you still can take pictures and listen to music (even in Spotify if you have a paid subscription), on the other hand, you cut all your connections, and the battery stops running out for nothing.

  • Enable automatic replies for emails

It is so easy to avoid clients sending emails while making the recipient of the message want to call you. Activate an automated response. All email clients let you do this whether you’re using Gmail or Outlook. To do this, define your message and a start and end date.

  • Don’t take your smartphone with you everywhere

You’re on vacation, so there are many places where your smartphone won’t do you any good. You weren’t planning on swimming with him, were you? No matter how waterproof your smartphone is, vacations are sacred. And even if it’s waterproof, you could damage it on the beach because of the sand or even worse if it’s stolen.

Crypto Market Back To The Green?

bulls are back

Cryptocurrency prices were up Tuesday, with Bitcoin at $3,500, just one year after reaching nearly $20,000.

Bitcoin rose 3.5% to USD 3,539.60 on the Investing.com index at 9:07 am (ET) (2:07 pm GMT).

However, Bitcoin is down by nearly 75% from its highest level in history last year. Cryptocurrencies have dropped considerably in recent weeks, as traders worry about increased regulatory surveillance and volatility.

Cryptocurrencies were on the rise overall, with a total market capitalization of $112 billion at the time of writing, up from $108 billion on Monday. Seems that people are back on the market for bitcoin!

Ethereum, or Ether, increased by 5% to $94.66 and Litecoin is at $29.20, up 3.9%, while XRP jumped from 12% to $0.33607.

Despite the long-term decline in crypto prices, the blockchain seems to be thriving. Employment opportunities in the sector are booming, with 33% more jobs in 2018 than in the previous year, according to LinkedIn’s 2018 Emerging Jobs Report.

“It is not surprising that we are witnessing an explosion of auto-learning roles and a continuous growth of data science roles… It may not shock you that Blockchain Developer is at the top of the list after this year’s renewed interest in blockchain and crypto-currency,” the report says.

In other news, China is creating its own cryptocurrency. The People’s Bank of China has registered 78 crypto-currency patents since 2016, Bloomberg said. The central bank has also recruited developers and economists for its Cryptocurrency Institute, created to issue a blockchain-based coin.

The government also wants not only to track its citizens’ transactions, but also to require banks to share borrower data before authorizing any transaction, according to Bloomberg. The central bank could also prohibit any financial company from dealing with blacklisted companies, according to patents examined by Bloomberg.

What does your smartphone risk when exposed to the sun?

smartphone sun effects

Well, we have to admit that we like the sun. On the other hand, our smartphones don’t. Especially if you think you’re going to forget it in the sun. Who hasn’t ever left his phone lying on a terrace table in the sun?
Therefore, it’s better to be cautious and not leave your mobile companion lying around, as the consequences can lead you to repair it or to have to buy another smartphone. Here are two risks your phone incurs.

Battery failure

Batteries hate heat. And the risk is obviously to ruin it completely. Batteries can’t withstand extreme heat. Above 60 °C, the failure of the battery is for sure.

60 °C is fortunately unimaginable in most areas. That’s true, but we didn’t specify that you had to reach 60 °C for the battery to start suffering — the cells contained in the lithium-ion work better in a comfortable environment with temperatures between 20 and 25 °C maximum. Apple, for its part, makes sure that its iPhones are resistant to temperatures ranging from 0 to 35 °C.

Unstable screen

Generally, users (though not all) leave their smartphone somewhere with the screen facing up. Therefore, in case of intense heat, it is this component that will be affected in the first place. Even the best smartphone screens, whether AMOLED or LCD, cannot withstand a good heat wave without blinking.
Then you may see instabilities in the animations or even areas that would not have been able to withstand the high temperatures that would reveal small dots. And of course, the most visible will be an incorrect response to your actions on the touchscreen. It may seem obvious to everyone, but it’s not uncommon for us to put our smartphones in the heat: in the office by a window, in the car, on a table on the terrace, and so on.

Deterioration of the internal components

Again, this is quite logical, but the downside of overheating components is that the damage is not necessarily immediately visible.

If your display shows signs of weakness quickly enough in the event of overexposure to the sun, this may not necessarily be the case for the other components.
Whether it’s the processor, photocells, antenna, or any other internal component, overexposure can significantly weaken them. At extremely high temperatures, some parts of the printed circuit board may even melt (well, you still have to go very hard or live in the middle of the desert). Before you get there, you’ll also notice a general slowdown of your device.
However, micro-welding can suffer a blow and failures can occur several days or weeks later. You should be very careful and avoid wanting to tan smartphone.

Mascot, the little robot dropped 300 million km from Earth

The small Franco-German robot has just arrived on the asteroid Ryugu. Its lifetime, after a four-year journey, will be about fifteen hours.

In space, 325 million kilometers from Earth, no one heard the Mascot landing gear, dropped by the Japanese Hayabusa-2 probe, touch the surface of the asteroid Ryugu after a 51-meter freefall in the early hours of Wednesday, October 3.

Even if the small Franco-German machine – which has a mass of 10 kg and the dimensions of a large shoe box – has no system to stop its descent, even if Ryugu’s ground is only pebbles and roughness, everything went smoothly. The force of gravity exerted by this 900-meter diameter asteroid is so low that Mascot’s fall lasted several minutes. At the end of this step, what is a little difficult to name an impact occurred at about 0.5 km/h, just a little faster than the speed of a walking turtle.

“Mystery and danger.”

Then you have to imagine a scene that goes past the most sluggish of slow motion.
After its contact with the ground, Mascot, which lacked an anchoring system, went back upwards, starting a series of slow bounces. As explained, before landing, calculations predicted that the rebound phase could last a maximum of 105 minutes. According to the initial information provided by the DLR, the German space agency, this phase finally took only a few minutes.

At 7:36 am (Europe time), Mascot’s Twitter account sent this message: « And then I found myself in a place like no other on Earth, a region full of wonders, mystery, and danger! »
The end of the tumbles was not intended to mark the end of the landing itself. It was also necessary that the big dice that Mascot constituted placed itself on the right side, the one that allowed his instruments to work. The designers of the device, therefore, added a kind of arm with a weight to it to change faces.

Once correctly positioned, the lander, which has only about fifteen hours of autonomy, had to start harvesting scientific data using the four instruments that equip it, the main one being the French spectrometer.

The idea is to gather the maximum information about Ryugu, to get a relatively accurate picture of his soil, to prepare the sample collections that Hayabusa-2 will make; the first will take place at the end of October.

We should have to note that scientists designed Mascot as a scout, in the service of the Japanese probe. The principal objective of the mission is to bring back to Earth, at the end of 2020, a few tiny samples from the asteroid. Their analysis will help astronomers understand the composition of the Early Solar System, of which this type of body is a perfect representative.

Portable Cannabis Vaporizers: Trendy High Tech Products

vaporisateurs de cannabis portatifs

Sales of portable weed vaporizers are on the rise in the world in 2018. Made popular with those who want to use ganja in a healthier way. They remain illegal in most countries, but are seen as less harmful by renown addictologists.

“Every time I smoked a joint, I would go back to smoking cigarettes. During a trip to the United States last year, I found and purchased a dry herb vaporizer. It may sound strange, but it has allowed me to smoke healthily ever since.”

But what are these high tech products?

An alternative to the traditional joint you smoke. With these types of devices, no combustion or even smoke. Cannabis herb is heated to at least 375°F to help it releasing it’s agents through the creation of vapor.

Very fashionable in the United States

“Today, people want to inhale clean and eat healthy,” assures a coffee shop owner interviewed last week in Amsterdam Holland. Many want to adopt it and give up electronic cigarettes, which they find too toxic. On the Internet and in our shop, we sell up to 10 to 20 a day,” he adds.

How does a vaporizer work?

These devices, are very popular in the United States, are used in clinics in Germany, Israel, or Switzerland, and countries that have legalized the medicinal use of cannabis, in the form of CBD, a hemp molecule, to calm anxiety and pain.

What is a portable vaporizer?

It is a device that heats enough vegetable matter to evaporate the active principle or essential oil to then be able to inhale it, but that will not heat it enough to trigger combustion (cellulose, the main component of vegetable matter burns at around 445°, but THC evaporates at + or – 320°). It is the combustion which releases a whole pile of toxic and carcinogenic substances by emitting a thick, irritating and malodorous smoke.

The vaporizer is a kind of mini furnace of precision which will allow you to extract essential oils, or active principles of a plant in the form of vapor and thus avoiding you to absorbing a great part of the toxic substances due to the combustion. The taste of the vaporized plant will be much better than when it is burned.

There are desktop vaporizers available such as the famous Volcano or portable vaporizers such as the DaVinci IQ, the Mighty, Crafty or Firefly 2. Visit this page to know more www.cannavapos.fr/vaporisateurs-portables/!

Some look like e-cigs, others fit in the palm of your hand. Prices vary from 50 to 500 $ and more for medical desktop models.

Vaporizing is less toxic than combustion

“When you smoke herbs mixed with tobacco, you swallow tar, heavy metals, carbon monoxide,” says a head representative of the Norml association, which campaigns for governments to easy on cannabis regulations in Europe. On their website, they advise the use of vaporizers rather than the use of regular joints harmful to your lungs.

The advantages of a dry herb vaporizer

  1. Cleanliness / hygiene: no combustion = no ashes or persistent odours on clothes or skin.
  2. Discretion: no combustion = a little discreet steam instead of a thick smoke = no smell or almost.
  3. Well-being / health: no burning, no irritating smoke, much less tar, and much less toxic gas = no bad taste in your mouth, more breathing and lung capacity, less chronic irritation and cough or other potential disease.
  4. Savings: no more leaves and cigarettes to buy, less material used for the same result.
  5. Taste: without combustion the taste of the plant is not altered and is much better.

One thing is certain, it is not by chance that all therapists advise the use of medical cannabis, either in the form of concentrated oil or dye to ingest, or in the form of steam to inhale, because these are the two safest methods according to them.

Here is an exemple of a vaporizer:

Apple Unveils New MacBook Pro 2018

New MacBook Pro 2018

On Saturday 21, Apple made a discreet introduction of its two new MacBook Pro. Both are equipped with the usual Touch Bar and offer better technical performance than their predecessors.

If the announcement was made without the show to which the brand has accustomed us, it is undoubtedly because the design does not present any real significant evolution. For this time, the apple company focused mainly on a definite improvement in performance.

MacBook Pro 13″

For the first model, whose size is 13 inches, it features an Intel Core i5 quad-core processor at 2.3 GHz, or i7 at 2.7 GHz, depending on the user’s choice. As a reminder, the previous chip provided in the other models offered only two cores. Therefore, no doubt the new MacBook Pro will be much more powerful and influential than the previous generation. As for the graphics chip, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is equipped with an Iris Plus Graphics 655 graphics chip.

This new range of MacBook Pro 2018 13″ is launched from 2000$.

MacBook Pro 15″

As for the 15-inch MacBook Pro, it also comes with an 8-core Core i7 clocked at 2.2 GHz and 2.6 GHz. A 2.9 GHz Core i9 is also available as an option. According to Apple, this would improve the power of the computer by 30 to 70%, depending on the activities of the user of the device. As for the graphics cards, they are Radeon Pro 555X or Radeon Pro 560X from AMD with 4GB of GDDR5 memory. For the autonomy, Apple made the choice of DDR4 strips, which offers 32 GB of RAM.

The new MacBook Pro 15″ 2018 is launched with a minimum price of 2800$.

Both computers have the innovative keyboard which uses the butterfly mechanism and is highlighted by Apple as quieter than before. It remains to be seen whether this new version will put an end to the problems of the past. The MacBook Pro also comes with a T2 chip for further Siri integration.

Available on both models, a True Tone screen will adapt the colorimetry to adjust to the ambient light.

Google Pay finally rolling out

Google Pay

Google officially deploys its new features and strengthens its Pay application. In this update, it will be possible to store concert tickets and boarding tickets; it will also be possible to make financial transactions between friends.

Sending money

No more Google Pay Send and Google Pay. From now on, just Google Pay. All Google Pay services are now available in a single application under a single name.

Google Pay then called “Pay With Google” was merely to facilitate online mobile payment using payment methods stored on its own Google accounts. At the same time, users could previously send and request money from their friends through the Google Pay Send application. From now on, this service will be directly available from Google Pay.

The update includes features that many people have been using for years through various services, including support for mobile ticketing and friend payments like Lydia or Apple Pay. Users can also share the addition of purchases and instantly ask their friends for money.

Access concert tickets, loyalty cards, gift cards and other airline tickets

In addition to transactions made possible by Google Pay, the service also provides access to concert tickets, loyalty cards, gift cards and other airline tickets if they have been saved on Ticketmaster or Southwest platforms. The number of “partner platforms” is expected to increase significantly over time and with the democratization (in other countries) of these functionalities.

In the field of ticketing and reservations stored on mobile phones, the Mountain View firm had fallen a long way behind. They are trying to catch up with their competitors, including Apple, which has been offering this service for several years already.

Please note that the update is only available in the United States. However, it is expected to be launched soon in the United Kingdom. No information was communicated concerning the other markets, so let us cross our fingers and hope that the deployment in France will be done quickly.

GDPR : How does it work ?

GDPR compliance

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which entered into force on 25 May 2018, strengthens the rights of EU citizens regarding their personal data. All companies and associations from the 28 Member States, as well as those from non-EU countries that collect and process data from European residents (e.g. Google, Facebook or Amazon), are subject to this data protection law.

The GDPR is based on three main principles.

Transparency

The site must clearly state why it collects your data, how it will be used, how long it will be kept and who will have access to it. All information should be written in an understandable format (concise, legible, written in simple vocabulary). Consent must be a positive act (not a default checkbox) that can be easily removed.

User Rights

Each user has a right of access to his data (form, email address, letter…). It is now possible, for example, to download from Apple’s website all the data that the company holds on you. You can exercise a right to forget (photo or embarrassing information, for example), a right to erase (when leaving an e-commerce site…) and request a search engine referencing. As with mobile telephony, there is a right to portability: once your data has been recovered, you can transmit it to another site.

Corporate Responsibility

Each company is responsible not only for the data it collects but also for data transmitted to subcontractors. It must prove that it has put in place all the appropriate means to protect your data and think upstream about what is relevant to collect or not. In the event of a data breach (hacking, leak, etc.), the company concerned must notify you and the competent authorities within 72 hours.

In the event of failure to comply with these obligations, citizens may turn to the referring authority. The penalties incurred are quite heavy since they can go up to 20 million euros or 4% of turnover.

More on GDPR in this video:

Find more here!

European search engine Qwant celebrates its 5th anniversary with a new design

qwant search engine

To celebrate its fifth anniversary, the French search engine Qwant is undergoing a makeover and intends to capture up to 10% of the market share of European Internet users.

After five years of activity, Qwant got itself a big relooking for its 4th version. The search engine made in France that we have been following since its inception, was far from being a model of ergonomics for its users. Very dense, with its three thematic columns – Web, news and social networks -, the interface still uses the same display for results as Google. On the left, a large section listing search results by keyword. On the right, when the search lends itself to it, a column displays the Answers Instant overviews and summaries of the theme sought, the latest trends in relation on social networks, or news.

On the far left, a thin column of icons filters the results according to the type of content sought (images, videos, social networks, shopping, news, Web). This larger display greatly improves the reading of search results.

Vertical thematic research services

In a round menu button at the top right of the page, Qwant offers “verticals”. These are thematic services, such as Qwant Sport, Qwant Music, Qwant Shopping. The search engine also lists Qwant Junior, for ages 6 to 12, with a filter designed to neutralize the display of offensive or inappropriate content.

Finally, the search engine, which is now known to respect the privacy of its users, is taking this opportunity to develop its visual identity with rounded search fields and a new logo in the spirit of flat design with modified colors. By 2020, Qwant expects to recover up to 10% of market share in Europe. It currently has 5% in France.

Which WordPress theme for your future website?

divi and other web builders and templates

You want to create a website, good idea; I’m here! However, you don’t know which theme to select?

Some ways to help you find a design theme without ruining yourself!

WordPress is a content management system that is easy to administer even for neophytes.

About 33% of websites in the world are created with WordPress.

Beforehand, define your needs to present your activity and think about the content available in the pages. Sometimes inspiration is also found after visualizing a series of themes.

First option: a free theme.

You can search for themes directly accessible through the WordPress back office (site administration).

Go to Appearance then themes. Click on the “add” button. A wide choice of free design and responsive themes is offered to you among those “put forward,” “popular” or “last put online.” Some premium themes are subject to a fee. You can preview the theme and get an idea of what your future website might look like.

My future customers will have access to these features from a showcase site and can choose a theme or view my selection before making a final choice.

Second option: Search for a theme on the internet.

The themes proposed by a multitude of sites are for the most part paying.
ThemeForest offers a wide variety of themes selected by category. A preview feature is available. The choice is so vast that you will be spoilt for choice. The average price of a theme is 50$.

Other sites: beauthemes.com, Woothemes, templatemonster.com or Studiopress.

The third solution: find a site you like and search for the name of the theme.

If you like the website you are visiting, it may or may not be a WordPress site.
If this is the case, you will know it with this tool “What WordPress Theme Is That “which will allow you to know the name of the theme used.

Of course, each theme is customizable, and by changing the graphic charter, logo, content, font…the result will be different. Only the structure of the site will be identical.

Today, however, the themes are similar and have similar characteristics. As with fashion clothing, there are fashions that web designers follow. There are many “one page” or “parallax” themes; the whole site takes place on the same page but on a different background and responsive themes that offer more or less the same presentation of your content. Here is an example of a parallax theme: Test Manufacture.

However, don’t forget the 3 pillars that contribute to the success of a website :

– Your site must be well structured so that search engines index it.

– Its content must be relevant and contain keywords.

– External links must point to your site to make it better known.

A website is not just about putting photos and text on pages. For a site to reach your target and be profitable, you need professional advice to help you follow these 3 pillars. Contact me and let’s talk about it together.