New Technology : Should YouTube Music Videos Have Age Ratings?

youtube-age-ratings

Rihanna, Robin Thicke, and Miley Cyrus… there’s little doubt that music videos have got more risqué in recent years, but is the British Government right to impose age ratings on music videos on YouTube and Vevo? From now on, music videos produced in the UK and distributed by major brands will be subject to classifications if they’re deemed unsuitable for children. Just like films, the ratings will be 12, 15, and 18. What’s the reasoning behind this move? Should this policy be rolled out internationally? And is it really worth instituting in the first place? Uhm… Why?! This program of...

Read the full article: Should YouTube Music Videos Have Age Ratings?



from MakeUseOf http://ift.tt/1NIYxbO

New Technology : 7 Security Behaviors You Should Be Using to Stay Safe

security-behaviors

Being aware of the importance of online security and privacy is a key aspect of using connected technology. Many people log on and browse; they read spam email, click links to dodgy websites, and shrug when their phone or laptop is stolen. No really, these people exist. You might know them. You might be them (although your presence here suggests otherwise). Awareness is half the battle. Using the right tools and behaviors is the other. We’ve collated the following to help you get to grips with how to keep your personal information out of the hands of hackers, scammers, and...

Read the full article: 7 Security Behaviors You Should Be Using to Stay Safe



from MakeUseOf http://ift.tt/1N4t9o1

New Technology : 7 Disastrous Mouse Click Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make

mouse-mistakes

Put into the wrong hands, the mouse could turn into one of the most dangerous things you can plug into your computer. The mouse has been a part of a basic computer system ever since Microsoft adopted a graphical interface. No longer did you have to type commands at a blanking command prompt. Instead, you could just move that little pointer over the icon of the software you wanted to launch, click, and you’re done. However, with the speed and convenience of the mouse also came certain behaviors you needed to learn in order to use it effectively. Clicking versus double-clicking. Dragging...

Read the full article: 7 Disastrous Mouse Click Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make



from MakeUseOf http://ift.tt/1NSghk6

New Technology : How Quitting Caffeine Made Me More Productive

quit-caffeine

Giving up coffee is something that, for a lot of people, is simply not done. Coffee isn’t just a drink. It’s a daily essential. A mandatory tool in the endless quest for mindless productivity. But it’s more than that though. Coffee is fundamentally ingrained in the geek identity. Don’t believe me? Just look at nerd emporium ThinkGeek.com, which sells 91 items tagged with “coffee”, compared to only 34 things for “code”, and 21 results for “Apple”. Fledgling tech startups in the digital meccas of Shoreditch and San Francisco proudly offer gourmet coffee as a perk of employment, and there are...

Read the full article: How Quitting Caffeine Made Me More Productive



from MakeUseOf http://ift.tt/1PGMPMd

New Technology : The 6 Most Dangerous Security Threats of 2015

2015-security-threats

Cyber-attacks continue to grow in 2015. According to anti-virus testing site AV-TEST, more than 390,000 new malicious programs are now registered every single day, and the total amount of malware attacks in circulation now stands around the 425,000,000 mark. On the positive side, the rate of growth of new malware doesn’t seem to have changed much since last year. By the end of the year it is expected that around 150,000,000 new strains will have been detected, up from 142,000,000 in 2014. To put that in context, between 2013 and 2014 the amount of new malware almost doubled from 81,000,000....

Read the full article: The 6 Most Dangerous Security Threats of 2015



from MakeUseOf http://ift.tt/1Une3ZO

New Technology : Chrome Blocks Flash Ads, Minecraft Makes You Sad… [Tech News Digest]

chrome-coffee-flash-foam

Chrome battles Flash, Notch hates being rich, Netflix becomes less Epix, T-Mobile limits your data, and Star Stuff explores the early life of Carl Sagan. Chrome Pauses Unimportant Flash Content Flash is boned. More or less. And that's because Google's Chrome web browser is about to start automatically pausing any Flash-based advert… — Dean Wentzel (@2_ones) August 31, 2015 The war on Flash is ramping up, with Google now making its Chrome browser pause unimportant Flash content by default. By unimportant, Google means anything that isn’t “central to the webpage”. This means the Flash video you actively want to watch...

Read the full article: Chrome Blocks Flash Ads, Minecraft Makes You Sad… [Tech News Digest]



from MakeUseOf http://ift.tt/1PGF8Wz

New Technology : Samsung’s Smart Fridge Just Got Pwned. How About The Rest Of Your Smart Home?

samsung-fridge-pwned

$3599 is a lot of money. It could get you a decent second-hand car, or a relatively tricked out iMac. You could buy 3599 McChicken burgers, or 2589 McDoubles. Or it could get you the Samsung RF28HMELBSR. This (snappily-named) fridge has everything. It’s got four doors, a colossal 28 cubic foot of space, and an integrated, 8” WiFi-enabled LCD touchscreen display that allows you to do anything from read the news, to remotely control your Android smartphone. If it sounds familiar, it’s because it was once featured on my list of the dumbest Smart Home products ever. And did I...

Read the full article: Samsung’s Smart Fridge Just Got Pwned. How About The Rest Of Your Smart Home?



from MakeUseOf http://ift.tt/1fPuKPV

New Technology : Where to Download the Best Linux Games Without Any Hassle

linux-games

Not even a decade ago, native gaming on Linux was barely a conceivable reality save for a few open source cross-platform games. Today, it’s clear that the “no games on Linux” myth is dead. Sure, hardcore gamers will probably still choose Windows over Linux, but there’s more than enough evidence that many high-quality games can be played on Linux, and the number of available games is just going to keep increasing. The hard part is knowing which games work on Linux and finding them for digital download. Fortunately, there are a few services you can use to make the whole...

Read the full article: Where to Download the Best Linux Games Without Any Hassle



from MakeUseOf http://ift.tt/1KvwPNK

New Technology : 5 Sites That Make Online Comments Awesome

cwa-awesome-comments

Comments get a bad rap, and sometimes that’s fair: they can be unrelentingly awful. But sometimes online comments can make the web better — like when they prompt great conversations, point out great tools, or make something hilarious even better. Today Cool Websites and Apps, a column that highlights software you’ve probably never heard of, explores five tools that make online comments better. Whether you want to find conversations related to any website or watch real-time Twitch comments for previous broadcasts, we’ve got you covered. Kiwi (Chrome and Firefox): See Conversations About the Site You’re Looking At You’re out there exploring random...

Read the full article: 5 Sites That Make Online Comments Awesome



from MakeUseOf http://ift.tt/1Ksg85G

New Technology : The Weakness of the Most Popular Superheroes and Villains

HeroVillWeakness

We all have weaknesses. For most people, a punch to the face will cause them to go down. Other people have more specific weaknesses. For example, I’m terrified of spiders, so if you start throwing spiders at me, I’ve been bested. For superheroes and villains, their weaknesses are a little bit different. They get punched in the face all the time and it doesn’t do anything to them. Remember who is weak to what is complicated, and can be difficult for even the most hardcore comic fans. But fear not, because the handy chart below from Morph Suits shows who’s weak to...

Read the full article: The Weakness of the Most Popular Superheroes and Villains



from MakeUseOf http://ift.tt/1PDZLm2