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Month: June 2018

  • Ways to Tech-ify Your Space: Our Favorite Home Technology

    Ways to Tech-ify Your Space: Our Favorite Home Technology

    Whether you’ve had your place for a while now or just got your first apartment, you’re definitely looking for cool tech. Everyone wants a high-tech, sci-fi setup, right? Well, not quite: everyone loves the convenience of having cool tech around the house. With that in mind, we’ve got a list of some of our favorite pieces of home technology for your pad! 

    Smart Air Conditioning 

    This one might sound weird but hear us out. The Frigidaire Smart Window Air Conditioner (boy that’s a mouthful) is a very handy device for any apartment. The Smart AC connects to Wi-Fi, so you can control it from an app, which is great. If you’re out of town and want to make sure the electric bill isn’t sky-high, you can adjust the temperature from far away. Additionally, it supports Alexa voice commands, which is even more handy.  

    Smart Lock 

    If you’re like me, you absolutely hate getting locked out. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just unlock your door from your phone? Well, good news: you can! Companies like August and ADT offer various smart locks, but August is a great choice for those who don’t want ADT service. August’s Smart Lock Pro + Connect is $279 and comes with Apple HomeKit functionality. If you have friends coming over but you’re not home yet, you can unlock the door remotely. If you’re lying in bed worried about whether you locked the door, you can double check. 

    Robot Vacuum 

    A robotic vacuum is a fantastic companion for any home owner. I personally can’t stand having to sweep and vacuum all the time, so having a robot to do it for me is a must. Roomba is the most well-known brand of robotic vacuum, but they’re not the only player in town! Brands like iLife and Ecovacs also offer a great selection at various price ranges. The iLife V8s is a great budget pick at $260. 

    Our Favorite Piece of Home Technology: Amazon Echo 

    This one had to top the list. It’s just so handy! Between reading you the news, making calls for you and helping you with recipes, Alexa is the ultimate assistant. You can even connect your Echo to other smart home devices, like the aforementioned Smart AC and Smart Lock, allowing you to control all the aspects of your house with your voice. You’ll be feeling like a sci-fi tech master in no time with all this home technology! 

  • Karim Baratov, Canadian Charged with Yahoo Hack, Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison

    Karim Baratov, Canadian Charged with Yahoo Hack, Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison

    Canadian Karim Baratov, the criminal hired by the Russian Federal Security Service, pled guilty to cyber-crime charges in 2017. He is sentenced to served 5 years in prison and must pay a $250,000 fine. However, according to Alex Tse, the acting US Attorney, the severity of Baratov’s sentence is meant to send a message. That message is that hacking is a serious offense, and hackers-for-hire will be punished accordingly. 

    The US Attorney’s Take 

    Tse made a statement regarding the sentence: “Hackers such as Baratov ply their trade without regard for the criminal objectives of the people who hire and pay them. These hackers are not minor players; they are a critical tool used by criminals to obtain and exploit personal information illegally. In sentencing Baratov to five years in prison, the Court sent a clear message to hackers that participating in cyber attacks sponsored by nation states will result in significant consequences.” 

    Russian hacking attempts like this are a sore subject for the US at the moment. The United States Senate and House of Representatives have drawn contradictory conclusions regarding Russian hacking influence in Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Where the House sees no involvement, a Senate committee found “irrevocable” evidence that Russian nationals were involved in the campaign in various capacities. 

    Baratov’s Yahoo Hack 

    Baratov, for his part, had a large impact with his hacking mission. Baratov, as well as three Russian nationals, illegally access Yahoo’s user database. According to the FBI, Baratov also accessed an online tool called the Account Management Tool. Between the user database and the aforementioned account tool, Baratov and his co-conspirators were able to “locate and target accounts of interest.” According to the FBI, this breach affected more than 500 million accounts.  

    This Yahoo hack follows a disturbing trend of recent data breaches and hacks. Between Target’s database leak, the PlayStation Network hack, and Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica scandal, internet privacy is under scrutiny now. In Europe, the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, is now in effect. The GDPR regulates what companies with EU customers can do with data. The United States will surely be implementing steps like this soon. 

  • Amazon Dash Receives Interesting New Support: Smart Containers

    Amazon Dash Receives Interesting New Support: Smart Containers

    Smart Containers are coming. Target has a few entries in the burgeoning field: a paper towel dispenser and a soap dispenser, both of which reorder their respective dispensed item when they get low. GE has a dish washer that will reorder detergent from Amazon when it gets low. And now a Florida-based startup called WePlenish is entering the fray. 

    WePenish: Smart Containers for Coffee 

    The first device WePlenish is offering is the WePlenish Java. You can find it on Kickstarter now. This container houses your single-use coffee pods, like K-Cups, and keeps track of your inventory for you. When you get low, the device orders more coffee from Amazon. This is great for coffee addicts, as it ensures you never get low on your morning caffeine.  

    Don’t Forget the Snacks! 

    WePlenish is also offering smart containers for individually wrapped snacks. Things like gummies, cookies, peanuts and the like are available for reorder through the WePlenish containers. Both types of container work by connecting to your Wi-Fi, after which you assing them a snack to order when they detect low volume. They run on triple A batteries that promise to last for a year or so.  

    Increased Convenience 

    Amazon has already been pursuing similar functionality with their Amazon Dash Buttons. The Dash Buttons are similarly keyed to specific items, like garbage bags or air conditioning filters, that need to be reordered regularly. The Dash service is a natural companion to the new Amazon Key service, which allows Amazon deliveries to be delivered directly into your home. Amazon seems to be pushing to eliminate the need to even enter their app to grocery shop, let alone physically enter a grocery store. 

    Is This Weird? 

    Then again, how hard is it to order groceries? I mean, it’s not that hard, right? You just open your app and click on what you want. For that matter, how hard is it to go to the grocery store? It’s just down the street, right? Okay, maybe I’m the weird one. The convenience factor is certainly there: you can’t forget to stock up if your smart devices keep up for you!  

    But I still have some reservations. It seems like a lot of people are throwing themselves wholly into the smart device revolution without much thought for the consequences. What about the data Amazon is gathering on you? If you give them a direct eye into your pantry, they’re going to know what you eat and when. That just seems a little odd. Maybe I’m just being paranoid, though. If you’re the type of person who prefers to not worry about keeping up with logistics, smart containers are likely to be your best friend. 

  • Top Ten Xbox 360 Games with Backwards Compatibility you Have to Play Again

    Top Ten Xbox 360 Games with Backwards Compatibility you Have to Play Again

    When regarding your backlog of old games, you usually think: “man, I wish I didn’t have to dig out my old console to play that awesome old game.” Thankfully, Microsoft has been implementing backwards compatibility with select Xbox 360 games on the Xbox One. If you’re wondering which of your favorite 360 games are playable on your modern-day system, we’ve got you covered. Here’s our ten favorite 360 games with backwards compatibility! 

    10. Braid 

    Photo Credit: Top Best Alternatives 

    This trippy, time-bending puzzling platformer is a great adventure to relive. If you missed it the first time, its new lease on life on the Xbox One is a great chance to replay it. Braid features a crazy story told in reverse and quaint, charming graphics. If you always wanted a more mature, thought-provoking take on Mario, Braid is for you. 

    9. Mirror’s Edge 

    Photo Credit: Cro Hasit 

    Mirror’s Edge is a slick, polished action game with a sweet “fight-the-power” narrative. If you’ve ever been interested in parkour or free running, check this one out. Mirror’s Edge features a unique first-person perspective, making the action feel very immediate and pressing. What’s more, the game’s protagonist is an empowering and believable bad-ass lady! Those are in short supply in the gaming world, so it’s worth mentioning! 

    8. Gears of War 3 

    Photo Credit: Gamers Heroes 

    Where the first entry in the series defined action games for a few years, Gears of War 3 set a new benchmark for horde modes in action shooting games. The series’ signature chainsaw guns and muscular protagonists are here, front and center. While the series has stumbled in recent years, GoW 3 is a great reminder of just how awesome the series once was. The action is pulse-pounding and white-knuckle, rewarding smart use of cover and good aim. If you’re looking for a blast from the past of shooting games, Gears of War is for you.  

    7. Super Meat Boy 

    Photo Credit: Threadless Blog 

    Super Meat Boy defined the indie formula for blistering difficulty balanced with rewarding gameplay. Allowing the player to respawn instantly saves this game from being mind-numbingly frustrating. The influence of SMB can’t be overstated: indie platformers have been taking inspiration from this masterpiece for a little under a decade. Notably, 2018’s breakout hit Celeste follows in the footsteps of SMB’s balanced, thumb-breaking gameplay. If you want to relive the meat grinder, give this one another shot. You won’t regret it… but the Meat Boy will.  

    6. Deus Ex: Human Revolution 

    Photo Credit: Square Enix 

    The sleek, sexy and thought-provoking reboot of the legendary Deus Ex series is as fresh today as it was seven years ago. With a surprisingly deep story and rewarding, branching gameplay, Human Revolution never fails to engage the player in the action. If you’ve ever wanted to be a super-powered assassin with robot arms, this is your game.  After you’ve enjoyed Human Revolution’s backwards compatibility, check out the sequel, Mankind Divided, which released in 2016. 

    5. Fable II 

    Photo Credit: YouTube 

    Remember when Fable was awesome? Before some seriously awful spin-offs, the name Fable signaled excellence in western-style RPGs. If you want to experience the magic again, Fable II, arguably the best of the series, has backwards compatibility. Fable features a beautiful, storybook world made with loving attention to detail. The gameplay and combat are both tight and satisfying, and progression is always rewarding. It almost hurts to wonder what might have been in store for this series in they hadn’t made that awful Kinect spin off… 

    4. Portal: Still Alive 

    Photo Credit: Know Your Meme 

    What can I say about this seminal first-person puzzler that hasn’t been said? It’s amazing. The writing is consistently hilarious, the puzzles are mind-bending, and the portal gun is awesome. You play as a test subject being tormented by an all-powerful, rampant AI. Your captor forces your through a series of increasingly deadly puzzles, outfitting you only with a portal gun. The portal gun can open a two-way portal on certain surfaces, testing your spatial knowledge and challenging you to think outside the box. 

    3. Dark Souls 

    Photo Credit: Bandai-Namco 

    Haunting, oblique and unapproachable, Dark Souls is a game that refuses to be easily engaged with. You’ve doubtless heard all the talk about “hardest game ever,” but that’s only part of the story. Dark Souls is difficult in the way watching Begotten is difficult. It’s so grand, so epic, so utterly alien, that you have to change the way you approach it to appreciate it. The game is art in the true sense of the word: it makes you feel. Feel alone, outnumbered, isolated, up against positively absurd odds. 

    When you first cross swords with a screen-filling demon, your heart fills with dread. How could you possibly fell such an imposing monster, an engine of raw destruction? But you persevere, you learn, and dodge and you kill the beast. And then you face another monster, this one even tougher and meaner. Then you face a dragon. Then you face gods. It’s hard to really describe the feeling of growing power, the satisfaction of winning in a world so bleak. But do yourself a favor: play this ugly, mean, triumphant game. And prepare to die. 

    2. Red Dead Redemption 

    Photo Credit: The Verge 

    Red Dead Redemption tasks you with bringing in the members of your old gang to save your family from a corrupt FBI agent. In the Old West. Yeah, it’s as awesome as it sounds. Rockstar’s magnum opus, Red Dead Redemption climbs into your heart and lives there. The voice acting, and world building, are absolutely top-class, unmatched before or since, and give the game a sense of place unseen in the medium. If you missed this one the first time around, it sports backwards compatibility now, so you owe it to yourself to experience it again. If you missed it (shame on you) try it out now: it hasn’t aged a day since it was released. 

    The Best Xbox 360 Game with Backwards Compatibility: Halo Reach 

    Photo Credit: Halo Waypoint 

    Legendary developer Bungie’s swan song to their incredible Halo series, Reach is a triumpant achievement. While both Bungie and the Halo series would stumble along into the 2010’s with middling-to-awful entries, Reach stands head and shoulders above all first-person shooters that have come after. With the possible exception of Overwatch, no competitive first-person shooter has matched the raw fun and intensity of Reach.  

    Sporting a storyline that ties into the original and adds great depth to the universe, Reach delights on all fronts. It also features the return of the excellent Firefight mode from ODST. If you never caught this one and have always wondered what Bungie did before they made a disastrous deal with Activision, it’s available now with backwards compatibility. Go forth, and enjoy a reminder of how awesome the series once was.