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News: Twitter Announces Polls & New Publishing Tools for Users
Twitter, the global social networking site, announced on October 21st that it would be launching a new feature that allows all users to create polls. The company stated that the goal is to allow people to "weigh in on all the topics they care about."
News: Ad-Free Videos, Offline Playback, & More: YouTube Red Goes Live on October 28th
YouTube, the popular video streaming website owned by Google, announced on October 21st that it will be launching a new subscription service titled "YouTube Red" for $9.99 a month. Under the membership, subscribers will be able to watch videos without ads. Yup, all videos—from music to trailers to gaming and everything in-between—completely ad-free. Additionally, individuals can save videos to watch offline on their mobile devices as well as play videos in the background.
How To: Adobe Flash Player Is Bad for Your Computer (Here's How You Uninstall It)
Roughly four years ago, Adobe decided to abandon development of the mobile version of their popular Flash Player browser plugin. Their excuse at the time was that this move would enable them to focus more on HTML5 development for mobile devices and allow them to put more effort into maintaining the fluidity and security of their desktop Flash plugin.
How To: Watch Free Movies on YouTube
If Netflix's $9.99/month has deterred you from signing up for its streaming service, you're probably looking for cheaper alternatives to stream movies and TV shows, like Crackle (free with ads) or Hulu ($7.99/month with some ads). And now there's a new option for you when it comes to movies—Paramount Vault.
How To: Turn Pandora Likes into a Spotify Playlist
Although I am a loyal premium Spotify subscriber, I still regularly use Pandora in hopes of stumbling across new artists and songs. If I'm fortunate enough to come across something I enjoy, it's easy to use the Like feature in Pandora to locate the song later.
How To: Chrome Extensions Every Twitter User Should Know
When it comes to news, updates, and arbitrary nonsense, it's hard to find a better source than Twitter. And for some of us, the best way to consume Twitter is through the web (versus a mobile app). But as much as I prefer the standard browser version, it's easy to make it better, faster, and more convenient using a few Chrome extensions—and here are my favorites.
How To: 12 Browser Add-Ons for Reddit Pros
Reddit, the self-proclaimed "front page of the internet," continues to take a big bite of my free time each and every day, as well as millions of its other users'. The clicking and scrolling through page after page never gets old, but you could speed things up with a few browser extensions and double your Reddit knowledge in half the time. Here are my favorite extensions you can try out for the Chrome, Firefox, and Safari web browsers.
Today Only: How to Get an Amazon Prime Membership for Only $67
Amazon Prime is a yearly subscription service that offers free two-day shipping as well as free streaming of Amazon Video's movie and TV show catalog, which includes their original award-winning series Transparent.
How To: Should You Use Twitch or YouTube Gaming for Live Streams?
Dropping upwards of $60 on a new game can really break the bank, and being a struggling college student leaves me having to decide whether to pick up the latest title or, you know, eat. But often my more primitive urges win out, meaning the only way to enjoy the latest and greatest games are vicariously, using increasingly-popular live streams.
How To: Disable Twitter's Annoying Autoplay Videos
It's bad enough that we have to deal with autoplaying video advertisements all over the Web, so why do we have to be subjected to autoplaying videos on Twitter, too? Autoplay video are muted by default, but that doesn't make them any less annoying, especially if you have a small data plan on your phone.
How To: Watch Netflix in Sync with Friends Remotely
If you want to watch a movie on Netflix with a friend, family member, or significant other, but can't meet up in the same living room, the next best thing is doing it remotely from the comfort of your own homes.
How To: Supercharge Google Drive with These 5 Chrome Extensions
Being an Google fanboy means that I pretty much use anything with the company puts out, so it's no surprise that out of all the cloud services out there, I stick with Google Drive. But, this is way more than just some blind allegiance.
How To: Use the Middle Finger Emoji on WhatsApp
Hidden deep in WhatsApp's emoji database is a middle finger emoji, and there's a really easy way to use it. Much like Spock's "live long and proper" Vulcan salute, this one can be used simply by copying and pasting the emoji from our tweet. Note that the emoji, for now, does not display properly on iOS devices, but it can still be sent. So if you're in a conversation with an Android or computer user, they'll see it just fine.
How To: Google Stores Your Voice Search History—Here's How to Delete & Prevent It for Good
It's no secret that Google stores your search history in order to provide you with targeted ads when surfing the web. What's even more interesting (or freaky) is that your Google Now voice searches are also being stored, and you can actually listen to them right now.
How To: 10 Overlooked Extensions Every Chrome User Should Be Using
I've been a diehard Chrome user since its inception, and even more so since Android was released. The ability to sync bookmarks, passwords, and web history across all of my devices made the switch a no-brainer, but what really made me fall in love was the amount of extensions available for it.
How To: Create Your Own Free Personal Streaming Radio Service Online
The options for finding random or specific music to listen to are vast. Spotify is excellent for streaming popular music and new releases, while SoundCloud provides a healthy dose of user-generated remixes and originals. And then there's YouTube for everything else.
How To: The Easiest Way to Transfer Files to Others with Your Web Browser
These days, there is no shortage of ways to exchange files to and from friends and family: text messages, email, Bluetooth transfer, and cloud services are just a tiny sliver of what you can use to share music, photos, videos, and more.
Google Photos: How to Transfer Pictures from Facebook, Dropbox, Instagram, Flickr, & More
Google made a huge splash this year in their annual Google I/O with an awesome announcement regarding their Photos app. Although I was primarily interested in the details surrounding Android M, my ears instantly perked up when Google announced that their Photos app will now offer free, unlimited, high-quality storage.
How To: Upload Instagram Photos Straight from Your Computer
In an attempt to remain a mobile-exclusive app, Instagram doesn't let users upload photos or videos from their computer. On the Instagram web app, you can pretty much only like and comment on items in your feed, but what about all of those photos on your computer that scream #tbt?
Web Prank: Create Your Own Legit-Looking News Stories by Editing Current Ones Online
On the internet, everything is possible, even if it's not grounded in reality (check no further than anything The Onion publishes). Witty headlines combined with clever photo edits make even the most absurd topic seem like a serious news story. Some of these stories are so convincing that they even fool news organizations, such as the New York Times and even the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party. While some of us can tell when something sounds a bit off, others (like our paren...
News: Microsoft's HowOldRobot Analyzes Photos to Guess Your Age—Is It Accurate?
In a study attempting to observe virality in real time, two Microsoft engineers, Corom Thompson and Santosh Balasubramanian, used Microsoft's recently released Face detection API to create How-Old.net and track its usage in real time.
News: Use Google Search to Locate Your Android Phone or Tablet, Send Directions to It & More
A set of cool new Android-related Google Search functions made their debut this week, which will allow you to locate your phone, send directions to your mobile device, set alarms and reminders, and send notes from any web browser.
How To: Get Back the Old (& Better) Bookmarks Manager in Chrome
Chrome has been pushing out a lot of new changes lately, but not all of them are as good as they think they are. Earlier this year, there was an update that changed how user profiles worked, which made it harder to actually switch profiles. Luckily, there was a way to get back the old profile management interface, but now there's another "improvement" that you might want to change—Chrome's new Bookmarks Manager interface.
How To: Enable the New YouTube Player Interface with Transparent Video Controls
YouTube's main player interface got a pretty big makeover recently, but chances are, the new UI hasn't made it your way just yet. Google has a habit of slowly testing the waters as they roll out new features, so cool tweaks like this can take some time to reach all users.
How To: 30+ Keyboard Shortcuts You Should Be Using on YouTube
If you don't like watching YouTube videos on your computer with your hand glued to your mouse, the next best thing is using keyboard shortcuts. They may not seem any easier than clicking, but once you get them down it's a whole other story. Plus, there are some features you might not otherwise use (I'm looking at you, speed control) unless the shortcuts existed.
How To: Purge Your Inbox of Account Passwords with Dashlane's Email Security Scanner
With troves of sensitive information, like receipts and password reminders, hiding in your email, your inbox can become a sort of Holy Grail for hackers—or anyone with your password. Although my crazy ex-girlfriend had no hacking experience, using my email login, she was able to find a lot of account information with just a general search for "password" in my inbox.
News: Play Pac-Man Around the World in Google Maps
It's that time of year again. Each spring, Google likes to have a bit of fun with April Fool's Day. Pranks have ranged from a fake email printing service called Gmail Paper to a search engine for smells. It's all fun and games, but this year, they've taken that mantra rather seriously with a Pac-Man game baked right into Google Maps.
How To: Play Super Mario 64 Directly in Your Web Browser
Yup, you read that right. As of now, you can actually play the first level of one of the most popular video games of all time—Super Mario 64—directly in your web browser.
Google Feud: Family Feud-Style Gameplay with Google Search Suggestions as Answers
Family Feud is one of the longest-running game shows in American TV history. Its viewer base spans generations, and this is mostly due to the fun nature of the show. Contestants have to guess the most popular answers to survey questions that were posed to 100 random strangers, and the responses often range from silly to downright funny.
How To: Stream Beats Music in Safari Using HTML5 Instead of Flash Player
Thanks to its longevity and familiarity among web designers, Flash is still alive and thriving, but HTML5 is catching up since it can render faster in web browsers, can be customized by developers on a per platform basis, doesn't need a plugin to run, and is less vulnerable than Adobe Flash Player to attacks (for the moment).
How To: Play Cards Against Humanity with Anyone on Any Computer, Phone, or Tablet
Cards Against Humanity is a popular party game with good old-fashioned raunchy adult themes that go quite well with a few alcoholic beverages. Up until now, though, you had to either print out a set of cards or order the official deck to play—unless, of course, all players happened to have devices that sported the same operating system.
How To: Get Instant Wikipedia Articles Without Leaving the Webpage You're Currently Viewing
For all of the flak that it catches, Wikipedia is still a great source of information. Contributors take their work very seriously, so the vast majority of information is cited, and the site serves very well as a starting point to learn about a new topic.
News: Can Google Flights Really Get You the Best Price Possible?
I hate flying for two reasons. Firstly, I'm afraid of heights and turbulence is absolutely hellish. Secondly, I hate overspending on airfare. Flying can be unnecessarily expensive, especially if you don't plan ahead or must deal with inclement weather. Nevertheless, the travel season is almost here and we're always looking for the cheapest, most convenient flight. But what service actually provides you with exactly that?
How To: Change Reddit's Interface in Chrome for a Better Browsing Experience
Reddit's overall design has stayed relatively unchanged for as long as I can remember. It's easy to use and is as popular as ever, so why mess with a good thing, right? Well, everyone's different, and if you're looking for ways to beef up your Reddit experience, try out the Chrome extension SHINE.
How To: Mute Individual Tabs in Chrome Without Leaving Your Current Tab
It's been over a year now since Google introduced a visual way to track down which tabs are playing audio in Chrome, something that was previously only available using third-party extensions. However, they still didn't give an easy option for shutting those tabs up without having to stop what you're doing.
Act Fast: Get 2 GB Google Drive Storage for Free (Limited Time Only)
Yes, "Safer Internet Day" is a real thing, and it's actually been around for 12 years. This year, Google again will be commemorating the event by giving away a 2-gigabyte storage bump for their Google Drive cloud service if you simply run through a security checkup.
How To: Facebook Better Using Google Chrome
With over a billion monthly active users, it seems that Facebook is nowhere close to being dethroned as the most popular social media service in the world (sorry, Ello). While their stats may be impressive, it doesn't mean that Facebook is as good as it can be.
How To: Product Chart Makes Finding Your Next Gadget Easy
You didn't have to attend this year's CES to have gadget envy. There are so many great smartphones, computers, laptops, and other gadgets available in the market that the real challenge becomes choosing the right one to fit your needs and your budget.
How To: Browse Reddit at School or Work Without Getting Caught
During class or while at work, it can take an immense amount of self-control to resist navigating over to Reddit. The link-aggregator and meme-warehouse makes it too easy to kill time... most of which you should be spending on various other tasks.
News: Google Earth's $399/Year Pro Features Now Free for Everyone
Google Earth has long served as a great tool to explore the furthest regions of our beautiful planet from the comfort of our own homes, but for those with more than just a recreational interest, a bundle of pro features had always cost $399... a year.