Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Now’s the Time to Apply to Compete on Season Two of ‘LEGO Masters’
Fox Do you fancy yourself a master of all things LEGO? Have you always wanted to be on TV in order to showcase your wisdom? Did you watch the first season of LEGO Masters and wonder, “Why didn’t I get an invite to this show?” Well, now’s your chance, because guess what? Applications to appear on Season Two…
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Get Lost in the Best Digital Worlds in These Fantastic Exploration Games
Mobius Digital, thatgamecompany, Unknown Worlds Entertainment Exploring the real world can be expensive, time-consuming, and dangerous. Exploring the digital world is all of those things… but losing an hour of game time, a few gold pieces, and a “life” doesn’t really hurt that bad. If you want to poke around some of the most breathtaking…
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Are Smart Homes Worth the Investment?
Breadmaker/ShutterStock Converting to a smart home might seem expensive and complicated at first, but do the benefits outweigh the cost and hassle? Let’s check out why setting up a smart home is a good investment of your time and money. Convenience for (Nearly) Everyone Josh Hendrickson When you install smart lights, plugs, thermostats, and more,…
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3 Ways to Turn Off a PS4 (Controller, Button, and Auto)
It’s a good idea to turn off your PS4 whenever you’re done playing. Not only does this help to save power, but it’ll also help you preserve the life of your console. PlayStation has made it easy to turn off the PS4 in different ways The easiest way is to use your controller to go…
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Uber vs Lyft: Which Service to Use for Newbies
Uber and Lyft are the two most popular ride-sharing apps out there. If you’re like most people, you use them on a regular basis—but the two apps differ in a couple of big ways, price being the most obvious. If you’re new to ride-sharing, Uber is the go-to option for most people, but Lyft is…
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Top Ways to Boost WiFi Signals & Improve Performance
Equipped with a wireless router from your ISP, most WiFi networks are usually fairly efficient. For at-home setups, a quality router will usually be more than enough to run a decent network. After all, even your close neighbors can normally see your wireless network. Of course, there are some exceptions. If you live in a very…
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Why Did ’90s PCs Have Keyhole Locks, and What Did They Do?
Benj Edwards Back in the 1990s, many IBM PC-compatible machines included cylinder locks on their cases right next to the Turbo and Reset buttons. What did these locks do, and why were they there? Let’s find out! The Land Before Passwords In the early 1980s, IBM PC-compatible computers were largely single-task, single-user machines that ran MS-DOS,…
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7 Great Virtual Date Games For a Great Time Together
It can be hard to cope with self-isolation, especially when you’re not sharing a living space with your partner. Whether you happen to be in a long-distance relationship by choice or by chance, you’re craving for a way to keep things fresh. The good news is, there are many things you can do together on…
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5 Best Child Tracking Apps and Gadgets to Monitor Location
Allowing your children to go outside and play with friends makes you a great parent. If you have teens, you may even allow them to venture off miles away to hang out with their buddies. Now, what makes you a great parent is always knowing where they (really) are. You can’t just take their word…
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How to Decrypt Encrypted Windows Files
Are you trying to open some files on your computer that are encrypted? Windows will usually designate encrypted file or folder names with the color green instead of the normal black text. Note: If you are reading this post looking for information on decrypting files that were encrypted by CryptoLocker, this won’t help. You pretty…
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2 Discord Filter Bots to Block Bad Words
Owning a Discord server can be a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it’s a free text and VoIP service that you and a few friends can use to communicate with one another, be it in-game or otherwise. On the other hand, it could become a booming community filled with varying personalities, some…
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The SoundBeamer 1.0 Looks Like a Normal Speaker, but Only You Can Hear It
Noveto Systems Headphones make it easy to listen to music without disturbing your family or coworkers. But what if you could privately enjoy music without wearing uncomfortable cans or earbuds? A new “sound beaming” speaker from Noveto Systems, called the SoundBeamer 1.0, promises to give you that perfect private listening experience by shooting ultrasonic audio…
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L’Oreal’s Makeup Filters Give You a Digital Glow-Up for Your Online Meetings
L’Oreal Most of us are working from home now thanks to the ongoing global pandemic. For many, that means no longer needing to dress up or throw on makeup for the office five days a week. That is, until you need to jump on a video call. To help with that, cosmetics brand L’Oreal is…
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The BBC Sounds App is Now Available Outside the UK for Global Listeners
Ascannio/Shutterstock.com Fans of the BBC’s terrific content can now enjoy curated audio programming—from music to podcasts—on the service’s new BBC Sounds app. Previously, users could only access audio content from the BBC’s iPlayer app, but it has now been separated and moved to BBC Sounds. The app is also available outside of the UK. The…
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Alexa Now Guesses What You Need Before You Ask for It
Amazon Talking to a smart assistant feels unnatural, especially when simple tasks require multiple commands. But a new Alexa update allows the smart assistant to “infer” what skills you need to use based on the context of your requests. Amazon says the new feature should make Alexa feel more conversational and reduce the time it…
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Behold: LEGO Unveils the 9,036 Piece Roman Colosseum, Its Biggest Brick Set Ever
LEGO Move over Millennium Falcon, there’s a new king of LEGO sets in town, and while it’s not from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, it does cover ancient history. LEGO just unveiled the Colosseum and will release the $549.99 set on November 27. At 9,036 pieces, it outstrips even the…
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How to Force “Dark Mode” in Any iPhone App with Smart Invert
If you love Dark Mode but your favorite iPhone or iPad app—or website—doesn’t support Dark Mode, you can force a simulated “Dark Mode” everywhere using Apple’s built-in Smart Invert accessibility feature. Here’s how to set it up. What Is Smart Invert? Smart Invert is an Apple accessibility feature that inverts the colors on your screen…
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Google’s Chromecast and Nest Audio Products May Soon Work with Home Theater
Google Chromecast and Nest gadgets are cheap and ubiquitous ways to expand your home network. But the positive reviews of the surprisingly hi-fi Nest Audio may have spurred Google to spy even more integration, this time as an ad-hoc home theater. According to The Wall Street Journal, a Google representative says that Nest Audio speakers…
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How to Set an Out of Office Message in Gmail
When you’re out of the office, your work emails should be left firmly behind. To give you a break, you can set up out of office messages in Gmail to let people know you’re away. Here’s how. Set an Out of Office Message in Gmail Online The easiest way to set an out of office…
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How to Access Accessibility Controls From the Menu Bar and Control Center on Mac
Khamosh Pathak Apple includes accessibility features in its devices that help users with vision, physical, and motor impairments. Some settings, like “Reduce Transparency,” can help everyone. Here’s how to quickly access accessibility features from the Menu Bar or Control Center on Mac. If you’re running macOS Big Sur and newer, you can access these features…
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Holiday 2020: 15 Eco-Friendly Gifts for Conscious Consumers
GBALLGIGGSPHOTO/Shutterstock It can be tricky shopping for an environmentally conscious friend, but don’t worry—we’re here to help! The gifts below all incorporate recycled materials and sustainable practices, and are sure to please. A Tote Bag Long before people were talking about steel straws or recycled flip-flops, environmentally conscious folks were using products made from unbleached…
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Holiday 2020: The Best Tech Gifts for Tweens and Teens
Cookie Studio/Shutterstock.com Shopping for teens and preteens can always be a challenge because mostly they’re just really freakin’ picky. A solid tech gift is a sure bet for today’s youth, but if you’re not sure where to start, there are some safe bets that any kid is sure to appreciate whether it’s for fun for function.…
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7 Zoom Tests to Perform Before Your Next Meeting
Meeting with your colleagues using an app like Zoom is the new normal, but most people are still only getting used to it. While group video chat has been around for some time, there’s a good chance that until now you’ve never really had a reason to use it. Which means learning a whole new…
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Best Free Clipboard Managers for Windows
Probably one of the most used features of Windows is the Windows clipboard: the feature that allows you to copy and paste text, images, and files between different programs and folders. However, with all the use it gets, the clipboard can only hold item at a time. Luckily, there are a lot of free clipboard…
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