New Technology : The Martian, and the Rise of Serial Publishing

serial-publishing

Serial publishing is nothing new. To explain what it is, it’s when, over the course of months or years, an author publishes their work in several parts, one or two chapters at a time. Once a book has been published serially, it’s normally republished in a single collected volume. Many great authors of the 19th and early 20th century had their work published serially: Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, and James Joyce, to name just three. Over most of the 1900s, however, its popularity as a method of publishing waned. With the rise of the Internet, it’s never been easier...

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New Technology : What Is the Chromebit and Is It Better Than the Intel Compute Stick?

asus-chromebit-google

How many Chrome products do you use in a day? The Chrome browser? Chrome OS? A Chromebook or a Chromecast? Chrome is taking over the computing landscape, and with the release of the Chromebit, a new stick PC, they’re one step closer to domination. But what is the Chromebit? How does it work? And how does it stack up against the Intel Compute Stick? Let’s find out. The Chromebit: A Tiny, Tiny Computer… In short, the Asus Chromebit is a sub-$100 computer the size of a large USB stick. The dongle is a few inches long, brightly colored, and includes a...

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New Technology : Huawei P8 Review and Giveaway

huawei p8 featured

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei has been upping the stakes with improved hardware on a model-by-model basis over the past few years, resulting in the release of flagship-standard devices, such as this 64-bit variant of the Huawei P8, available unlocked for just under $600, that we’re looking at today. But why would you choose this over, say, a Samsung Galaxy S6? Read on to find out, and at the end of the review we’re giving our review unit away to one lucky reader. Striking, Memorable Packaging Hardware unboxing has kind of lost its sheen in recent years. Perhaps it’s the products; perhaps it’s...

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New Technology : Oyster’s Dead: What’s the New Netflix for eBooks?

oyster-dead

Oyster launched in the second half of 2013, and its was quickly hailed as the “Netflix for eBooks.” Thanks to a clean interface and pleasant reading experience, it served as a pleasant way to read through books as quickly as you could for roughly $10 a month. But now, only two years later, the service is already shutting down. So what is an avid reader to do? Closing the Book Osyter announced the news in a blog post on September 21st. It didn’t detail why things are coming to an end, only saying that existing users will get an email...

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New Technology : Become a Microsoft Office Master With These Huge Course Bundles

master-ms-office

Do you want to make the most of Microsoft Office, whether for your own personal needs or for a job? Well, you’re in luck, because we have three fantastic bundles that will teach you everything you need to know about Office. Whether you want to master Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or every single program available in Office, you’ll find options in the bundles featured below. And they’re all available at huge discounts! Buy: Pay What You Want: Microsoft Office Productivity Bundle (Beat average for all courses) Buy: Ultimate All-Level Excel Bootcamp ($35, 95% Off) Buy: Microsoft Office Career Advancement & Certification Bundle ($29, 98% Off) Pay...

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New Technology : The Media Lied to You: It’s Not a Facebook “Dislike” Button at All

facebook-dislike

The world of social media is on fire with rumors of Facebook recently announcing a “dislike button”. There has been a lot of chatter about what the button will feature, what it might look like, and what it might mean to casual users. But it won’t be a “dislike” button at all. It will be something much more than that.  And while no one is quite sure what it will be, one thing is certain: the new feature will change the way you use Facebook. Exactly What Zuckerberg Said After years of requests, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during a public Q&A at Facebook’s...

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New Technology : Google and Microsoft Call a Truce, Facebook Adds Video Profiles… [Tech News Digest]

patents-sign

Google and Microsoft end their patent wars, Facebook adds videos, Google Maps comes to Apple Watch, Netflix streams in the air, Back to the Future is on Amazon Prime, and Grand Theft Auto inspires crappy clones. Google and Microsoft Call a Truce So now you @google and you @Microsoft have called a truce on patent litigation. Can Google stop treating Windows Users like dirt pls — Martin Anderson (@mdtauk) September 30, 2015 Google and Microsoft have called a truce in the ongoing war on patents held by the two companies. A total of 18 lawsuits pertaining to patents have been...

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New Technology : The 9 Most Powerful Chromebook Shortcuts for You to Learn

chromebook-keyboard-shortcuts

For those of you who are just starting to love your Chromebook, it’s time to learn how to get super-productive with your Google OS device. Here’s a guide to the best keyboard shortcuts for your Chromebook, along with a few other powerful hints and tips. Why Use Shortcuts? We often use a mouse out of habit, not because it’s inherently easier or faster. Sure, it might be easier or faster right now because you’re so used to it, but if you can learn some keyboard shortcuts you’ll be more productive in no time. If you think how much widely-known shortcuts...

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New Technology : Make Ubuntu Look Like Mac With the Gela Theme

ubuntu-to-mac-gela-theme-intro

Up until Ubuntu went public with Unity, out-of-the-box Linux has always been rather ugly compared to both Windows and Mac. (And depending on who you ask, Ubuntu’s Unity was even a step in the wrong direction!) If you recently switched from Mac to Linux, or if you’re just a regular Linux user who happens to like the aesthetics of Mac, the good news is that you can do something about it — by using the Gela Theme. The Gela Theme is one artist’s response to the plethora of dark themes available to the Gnome desktop environment. This artist fought back...

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New Technology : Hate the Dock and Menubar in OS X? Here’s How to Get Rid of Them

el-capitan

For many of us, the dock has become an accessory that we no longer want to play with. What was once a cool toy has now become background noise and maybe even a minor inconvenience. OS X pro’s already know that “Alfred” and Apple’s own “Finder” are much better options. While completely removing the dock is possible, it removes some functionality from OS X as well. That’s bad. Instead, we’re going to hide it. How to Hide the Dock (In 2 Ways) The easiest way is to select System Preferences > Dock > Automatically hide and show the Dock. If hiding the dock until...

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