New Technology : This Annoying Life: 8 Technologies Guaranteed to Frustrate

frustrated-geek

Technology is meant to improve our lives. To take the weight off our shoulders. To do the dirty work to enable us human beings to enjoy more leisure time while suffering from less stress. But that isn’t always the case. Why? Because certain technologies seem designed to have the opposite effect. To stress everybody out. To frustrate their users to the point at which they tear their hair out and launch said technology through the nearest window. Frustration, Guaranteed! These are the technologies guaranteed to contribute to your life being more annoying than enjoyable. And someone should really do something...


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New Technology : How to Recognize and Overcome Your Tech Addiction

tech-addiction-toilet

You check Facebook for your friends’ latest updates. You check Twitter for your favorite celebrity Tweets. You check email. You check your phone. When you’re done, you start the cycle all over again. If this sounds like you, it’s possible that you’ve developed an addiction to technology. As with most forms of addiction, half the battle is recognizing that you have a problem. The other half is beating it. Over the past decade, technology has entered our lives in many forms. Movies on demand, hundreds of social networks, and countless electronic devices demand our attention wherever you turn. The temptation...


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New Technology : Use Your Laptop Lying Down: Super Gorone Desk Review and Competition

super gonone desk - featured

Desks. We love them at MakeUseOf. Whether of the sitting or standing variety, you can guarantee that we each have pretty strong opinions on them. Which is why I was so excited to try the Super Gorone Desk. The Super Gorone Desk is an adjustable desk you can fold up. It has two legs that can be contorted and moved, allowing you to be productive even when in bed, or sat cross legged on the floor, and a flat surface that can hold even the biggest, heaviest laptops. At $120 from the Japan Trend Shop (or just under $200 when...


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New Technology : What Makes a Good Programming Tutorial?

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Programming is tough. Whether you’re trying to grasp a new programming language or delving into a new area of programming, you’re going to need some guidance. Unfortunately, not all tutorials are made equal. That’s why it’s so important that you’re able to discern between programming tutorials that will actually benefit you and those that will only waste your time. Walking through a proper tutorial can be the difference between stress-free programming or giving up in frustration. Don’t waste countless hours like I have. Here’s what to look for in a quality programming tutorial. Topical & Incremental Approach Nothing is more...


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New Technology : Avoid Getting Ripped Off When Exchanging Currencies or Sending Money Abroad

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You should be angry. No. You should be furious. Every time you’ve transferred money abroad, or exchanged currencies before a vacation, you’ve been ripped off. Horribly so, in fact. When you factor in unfair fees and wildly disparate exchange rates, the total loss to you can often exceed hundreds of dollars. That’s your money. The two biggest culprits are banks and currency exchanges, who rake in billions of dollars each year, largely at your expense. But they needn’t. Here’s how you can get your travel money and transfer money between international bank accounts without getting stung. Foreign Exchange Quite often...


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New Technology : Project Spartan: a Lean and Unfinished Browser for the Modern Web

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The original Greek Spartans were known for being disciplined, educated, and thoroughly trained for battle. Still today, spartanic stands for being frugal and brave. It’s those same ancient qualities that formed the ultimate warrior in the futuristic game Halo: Spartan Assault. Can Microsoft’s new browser Project Spartan live up to those ideals? Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 10049 offers a first look at the browser that is set to replace the tainted Internet Explorer. Let’s have a look at this early version of Spartan. The First Impression Spartan’s interface is that of a modern Windows app — square, flat, and...


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New Technology : What’s the Internet Explorer Gallery All About?

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If Internet Explorer is your primary browser, either by choice or because it is forced upon you in your place of work, at some point you’re going to need to come into contact with the Internet Explorer Gallery. Is the Gallery Here to Stay? In truth, the Internet Explorer Gallery has the feel of a project that is about to be abandoned. With Microsoft’s totally revamped Spartan browser expected to be released later this year, it is possible that its days of seeing active development in the Gallery are numbered. Nonetheless, IT departments can be very slow to update and...


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New Technology : Learn DIY by Watching Adam Savage Build Movie Props

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Adam Savage is one of my favourite people in the world. Even after the success of Mythbusters, he’s remained super down-to-earth. Don’t believe me? Check out his Reddit AMA; we think it’s one of the best ever. I would watch a video of him waiting for paint to dry — which is, ironically, something I’ve done on Tested, the great tech YouTube channel he produces. When Adam’s not busting myths, he likes to relax by recreating movie props. Tested has a great series of videos of Adam showing how he built loads of amazing movie props and costumes. While Adam...


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New Technology : A Brief History of Search and How Google Came Out on Top

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After trying to love Bing, flirting with the enhanced privacy of DuckDuckGo, and (shutter) even trying to see if Yahoo was any better than the last time I used it (circa 2004), I still can’t find a better option for online search than the reigning champ, Google. The gap is narrowing, but ultimately Google is still king due do the relevancy of the results, the speed at which sites are indexed and searches are executed, and their constant push to get even better. After a half dozen (or more) unsuccessful attempts over the years to find a better alternative, it...


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New Technology : Would You Pay for an Ad-Free YouTube? [MakeUseOf Poll]

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While it’s no real chore skipping past the ads that play before most YouTube videos, it hasn’t stopped users from moaning about them over the years. However, there may soon be another way of enjoying YouTube without screwing over content creators by installing an evil ad-blocker. Paid YouTube subscriptions are on the way, but will you pay? Selfish Selfie Stick SoBs To answer this week’s question please scroll down the page until you see the Poll staring back at you. But first, we need to look at the results from last week, when we asked, “What Should We Do About...


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