Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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What Does VHS Stand For?
Now that streaming services have become the standard route of entertainment consumption, long gone are the days of physical media. Shelves full of movies have all been replaced by shiny new streaming devices. This is not a new phenomena. Just as these devices have replaced DVDs and Blu-Rays, so too did DVDs replace the VHS…
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Zapier SMS: 5 Cool Things You Can Do
Zapier’s automations allow you to receive alerts when specific conditions are met. The potential for these tools is nearly limitless and are utilized by people ranging from individuals that want to streamline certain aspects of their life to business owners with dozens of Zaps that all but run their business. One of the most powerful…
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What Is a Vector Image & How To Make & View One
Ever zoomed in too far on a photo and seen it pixelate? Images created using a digital camera can only appear at certain resolutions. You can decrease their size, but scaling them up can be tricky—you lose quality in the process. These images (raster images) are perfect for selfies, but they need to be created…
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Coding For Kids: Best Sites For Kids To Learn Programming
Technology is everywhere. For children, learning to code can help them improve problem solving and computational thinking skills. It can also broaden their career opportunities in the future and give them an avenue to express their creativity and ideas in unique ways. Learning how to code is like learning to speak a foreign language. Younger…
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iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 12 Pro: Which Should You Buy?
Apple’s new iPhone 12 lineup represents a major leap for the world’s most popular smartphone. Not only is the new iPhone 5G-ready, but it features the new MagSafe technology, and a new razor-thin design. But while the iPhone 12 is visibly different from its predecessor, it’s hard to tell apart from the iPhone 12 Pro.…
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Why Threats from QR Codes are Flourishing
Shutterstock/shisu_ka QR codes make it easy to reach web-based resources without struggling with the tiny keyboard of your smartphone. But do you really know what you’re going to get when you scan one? The QR Code Quick response (QR) codes are suddenly everywhere again. Invented in 1994 by an award-winning team at Denso Wave, a subsidiary of Toyota,…
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How to Uninstall Windows 10’s October 2020 Update
As usual, Microsoft is slowly rolling out Windows 10’s October 2020 Update (20H2) to check for bugs. If your PC experiences a problem after installing the update, here’s how to roll back to your previous version of Windows 10. You Only Have 10 Days! Windows 10 only gives you ten days to uninstall big updates…
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What’s New in Ubuntu 20.10 ‘Groovy Gorilla,’ Available Today
Ubuntu 20.10 “Groovy Gorilla” is here! Released October 22, 2020, the Gorilla is all about minor tweaks, rather than groundbreaking new features. As an interim release, it also doesn’t have long-term support. So, is it worth the upgrade? Evolution, Not Revolution The Groovy Gorilla has hit the streets and, again, this is an interim build of…
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Three Photo Editing Apps You Need to Make Any Picture Instagram Worthy
We live in a visual world, and Instagram rules it. A 2018 study found Android users of the app average 53 minutes a day scrolling feeds and swiping stories. More people are spending more time analyzing others’ lives through images. Those who are hyper alert of this new reality understand it’s not enough to take…
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How to Speed Up Logging Into Windows
Even with fast hardware and the newest operating system, logging into Windows can become painfully slow if there are a lot of programs that startup when Windows starts up. Note that I am not talking about how long it takes to boot Windows because that is a completely different beast. I’ve already written previously on speeding…
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How to Send a Normal Retweet on Twitter (Not a Quote Tweet)
Twitter Twitter has temporarily changed its retweet system. When you try to retweet something, you’ll see the “quote tweet” dialog that asks you to share your own thoughts. Here’s how to send a normal retweet instead. What’s the Difference Between a Retweet and Quote Tweet? What’s the difference? Well, when you send a normal retweet,…
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[Update: Confirmed] Quibi Calls It Quits After Just Six Months of Operation
Quibi In a weird, but not unexpected turn of events, the mobile-first streaming service Quibi has come to an end. According to the Wall Street Journal, Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg called investors on Wednesday to let them know that the service is shutting down. For its part, Quibi hasn’t officially commented on an impending shutdown.…
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Jabra’s ANC Update to the Elite 75t and Elite Active 75t is Available Now
Jabra Jabra mentioned back in September that an update to both the Elite 75t and Elite Active 75t would include support for Active Noise Cancelation (ANC). Today, the company is rolling out that firmware update to both sets of earbuds. This is a free update for new and existing owners of the Elite 75t and Elite…
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The Hulu-Led ‘Animaniacs’ Reboot is Premiering on November 20
Hulu/Amblin Entertainment/Warner Bros. Animation Zany to the max! Popular ’90s kids show Animaniacs has been rebooted, and new episodes will premiere November 20 on Hulu. The show is bringing back totally insane-y siblings Yakko, Wakko, and Dot and their hilarious shenanigans for nostalgic audiences and a new generation alike. Hulu, Amblin Television, and Warner Bros.…
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How To Stream On Twitch: A Guide For Newbies
At one point in history, gamers were seen as outcasts and shut-ins. The mention of gaming couldn’t be uttered outside of certain social circles without being ridiculed or laughed at. The thought of being able to one day stream your gaming sessions live wasn’t even a thought on most young gamers’ lives. Those were dire…
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How to Enable Halloween Sounds on Ring Video Doorbells
BrandonKleinVideo/Shutterstock Like Google’s Nest Doorbell, Ring has also brought some fun Halloween sounds to all of its video doorbells! The company has several more options compared to the Nest Hello, and they’re just as easy to enable—here’s how! Keep in mind this feature works best with Ring Chimes. If you don’t have one of those,…
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The $130,000 Hummer EV is All-Electric, All-Wheel Drive, and All Sold Out
GMC The Hummer is back—well, kind of, anyway. GMC took the wraps off its Hummer EV, an electric pickup that mostly resembles the gas-guzzling Hummer of old. The company plans to sell the $130,000 electric “supertruck” starting in 2021, but if you want one and didn’t reserve already, you’ll have to wait. When GMC said…
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How to Create Emoji Mash-Ups Using Gboard
Emoji convey emotions and reactions when words just can’t cut it. There are hundreds of emoji to choose from, but what if you could mash them together and create new ones? That’s exactly what Gboard can do. The Gboard feature is called “Emoji Kitchen” and, at this writing, it’s available only on Android. There’s a chance…
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Acer’s Snapdragon-Powered Chromebook Highlights 13 New Laptop Models
Acer Acer had one of its mega-events this morning, when it announced a year’s worth of computing products all at once. By my count there are thirteen new laptops, seven new monitors, plus a few desktops and a Google smart speaker. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights. Chromebook Spin 513 Acer has…
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Pre-Orders are Now Open for Abode’s Outdoor Smart Camera
Abode Abode, a home security company, announced it is opening up pre-orders for its versatile Outdoor Smart Camera, which it debuted months ago at CES. You can secure yours today on Abode’s website for $159, which is $70 off its normal price of $229. The camera will ship during the week of November 16. The…
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How to Volunteer for a Political Campaign Online
Thanks to the internet, everyone is political these days. You can hardly open any social media website without being bombarded with the political opinions of every person who has access to a smartphone. Which is a lot of people! The question is, how much real change does this bring? If you feel strongly about your…
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Understanding LAN Network Data Transfer Speeds
I recently bought a NAS (network attached storage) device from Synology, connected it up to my network and started transferring files. The first thing I noticed was how slow the network transfer speed was. I was copying over some large video files and it was taking forever! I decided to check the transfer speed between…
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Samsung Is Giving Away Cans of Paint to Promote Its Artsy-Fartsy TVs
Samsung Samsung wants to make its artsy Lifestyle TVs the center of your living room. And what better way to promote the Serif, the Frame, and the rotating Sero TV, than with… free cans of paint? Samsung’s LivingColour paint collection includes six hues that evoke positive emotions and complement the expensive Lifestyle TVs. Picking out…
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Google is Capping Purchased Videos at 480p When Viewing on YouTube
YouTube TV Google automatically syncs your Play Movies & TV content with your YouTube account. This enables you to watch all of your Play Movies & TV content on YouTube without having to repurchase your content. If you choose to watch said content on YouTube, however, you may be capped at 480p playback. You won’t…
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