New Technology : Calm Down, Cord Cutters: Those Ads on Netflix Are Just Trailers

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Netflix has always been completely free of ads, and proudly so. In fact, during its China launch in April, CEO Reed Hastings said, “Our focus and our expertise is really in commercial free.” A month later, users in the United States started seeing ads before and after watching a video. Was Hastings lying? Is Netflix going to become just like any other TV network, where you have to sit through commercials while watching a television show or movie? Let’s sort the fact from fiction. What Actually Happened Over the past few days, some people have been reporting how Netflix has...

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New Technology : How to Install Skype on a Chromebook: The Ultimate Guide

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Thanks to multiple on-going disputes between Google and Microsoft, along with the former’s desire to push their own Hangouts app, there has never been a way to natively install Skype on a Chromebook. Previously, if you really wanted Skype on your machine, your only option was to install Linux as a second operating system on your machine, then use the Linux version of the software. The lack of Skype is regularly cited as one of Chromebook owners’ biggest gripes, and is also frequently mentioned by would-be buyers as a major factor in their decision not to make the purchase. All...

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New Technology : Can an Instagram Screenshot Be Art? [Internet Fight Club]

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instagram-art

Artist and photographer Richard Prince kicked off controversy with his New Portraits series. After news broke that Prince was seemingly printing off other people’s Instagram photos and selling them for $90,000, the Internet reacted in the only way it knows how: with emotion. While it at first appears to be a clear case of copyright infringement, the situation is a lot more complex. Prince’s argument is that his use of the images falls under fair use. It’s a difficult line to draw at the best of times, let alone in a case as controversial as this. Let’s take a look...

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New Technology : Don’t Panic! Everything You Need To Know About Kernel Panics

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lots of bsod

If you’ve used a computer for any length of time, you will have no doubt encountered the Blue Screen of Death, or a kernel panic, where the computer restarts without warning, costing you all your work. What causes this to happen, and is there anything you can do to prevent it in future? Let’s take a look. What Is a Kernel Panic and What Causes One? A kernel panic, or its equivalent in the Windows world of a stop error or the dreaded Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), happens as the result of an unspecified low level error that an...

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New Technology : This App Is Life Changing For North Korean Defectors, Here’s Why

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You escape the tyrannical dictatorship you were born and raised under. You make it to a safe, democratic country where you are free to speak your mind. You’ve made it. But then you realize that you can’t understand everyone, and they have trouble understanding you. At school, you don’t understand half of what is written in the textbooks. You fall behind, and you’re stuck in a cycle of poverty in your new country. That’s what’s happening to thousands of North Korean defectors living in South Korea right now. One organization, called Dream Touch For All, is looking to helps the...

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New Technology : Feel Good Every Day with These 9 Little Acts of Technology

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do some good

Helping others doesn’t just benefit them; it makes you feel better, too. Humans are social creatures and we feel good when we can be useful in the world. It’s a great way to alleviate feelings of sadness and isolation, or to just have fun and improve someone else’s life. With all the ways technology connects us, doing good in the world is now easier than ever before. These nine apps and websites will enable you to help out in many different ways, from charitable donations to community improvement and ethical shopping. Read on to find the perfect way for you...

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New Technology : Get to Know Our New Site Design and Features

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You may have noticed something different about MakeUseOf. After sticking with our former website design for just over two years, we’ve decided to roll out a new theme that’s hopefully more helpful and easier to navigate. We’ve also incorporated a couple of new features that’s accessible on both the desktop and mobile version. Here’s what’s new. Login Create your own MakeUseOf account by clicking on our new menu button and registering through social media authorization or your email address. With an account, it’ll be easier than ever to receive alerts whenever new articles are published, comment on our articles, keep...

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New Technology : YouTube Explains the Real History Behind Game of Thrones

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If you’re a hardcore fan of Game of Thrones, you might know that the series draws on many historical people and events for inspiration. But do you know which ones? And how they tie into the series? Binge-watching the show isn’t a great way to learn world history, but there are some really fascinating connections you might not be aware of. Here are five to get you started (and a bonus sixth about what GoT gets wrong about history). These videos contain details about what has happened on the show, so if you’re trying to avoid Game of Thrones spoilers, you may want to...

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New Technology : How to Switch from BlackBerry to Android

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Earlier this year, I lost my Blackberry in a taxi. Losing your phone is inevitably a traumatic experience. I’m not just talking about losing your photos, messages, and memories, although that definitely does suck. Rather, it’s what comes afterwards. The hours spent on hold with your network, waiting for them to block your IMEI number and send you a new SIM card. The Twitterless and Angry Birds-free commutes. And most of all, the annoyance of having to cough up for a new handset. Not too eager to fork out the £500 for a new Blackberry, I ended up getting a cheap...

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New Technology : Stop Siri & Notification Center Giving Away Your iPhone Secrets

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You leave your iPhone on the table while you go to the bar, but that’s okay — it’s locked, right? There’s no way your date, business associate or hashtag swag mates can access your information or post slanderous things about you on Facebook… right? Wrong. Siri and Notification Center are the two biggest threats to privacy on most iPhones, purely because they’re able to give away a surprising amount of personal information unless your default settings are changed. When Locked Doesn’t Mean Locked By default, iOS allows full access to Siri and Notification Center when your iPhone is locked. Many of Siri’s features are restricted,...

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