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Showing posts from 2015

21 Essential MS Excel Hotkeys When Working With Lots of Data

When you're working on a large data set in Excel, it can get pretty time consuming to navigate the numerous rows and columns of data in order to identify what's important. That's why we've put together this list of 21 hotkeys you need to know when working with large data sets based on our experience over the years in Finance, consulting and IT. Guaranteed to make your life a lot easier!

26 Microsoft Word Hotkeys That Will Save You Lots Of Time

Whether you're a student or working in an office, it's hard to escape having to use Microsoft Word. Studying the typing habits of our friends and colleagues, we found that most people spent way too much time searching for simple formatting and functions. This time could be better spent crafting their message instead. So to help save your precious time, here are  26 MS Word Hotkeys  everyone should know.

5 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Star Wars

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is set to open on the 18th of December and like you, we can't wait for the latest installment in the series. 7 movies and 37 years since the first Star Wars movie was released in 1977, we bring to you some surprising facts about this galaxy, far, far away.

[Buyer's Guide] Top 5 Wireless Routers for 2016

So, why should you buy your own router? Well, if you want to take full advantage of your Internet plan and get the speeds you paid for, the you should probably ditch the modem and router you rent from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and buy your own. Not only will you be able to achieve faster Internet speeds , buying your own router will allow you to access features that are either not available or are locked down in ISP provided devices like Quality of Service (QoS) features and the ability to install custom router firmware .

Six of The Best Cases for the Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s

Dropping your smartphone can be a very painful experience as we can attest to. While the iPhone 6 and 6s' sleek aluminium body and glass screen are nice to look at and touch, they don't provide much grip. In fact, it's probably only a matter of time before your brand new phone slips out of your hand and you end up with a shattered glass screen. Don't let this happen to you - always use protection! To help you, here are six terrific iPhone 6 cases that will help you protect your brand new iPhone, without damaging your wallet.

50,000 Free E-Books And Counting: Project Gutenberg

Looking for a good book to read on your Kindle or tablet? Then we have just the site for you. Project Gutenberg has fifty thousand classics for you to download for free. You read that right, fifty thousand e-books for free, including literary classics such as  Pride and Prejudice, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Beowulf as well as non-fiction works such as Meditations by Marcus Aurelius and An Investigation of the Laws of Thought  by George Boole.

Amazon Sells a $20 Android Phone that has Better Specs Than the Original iPhone

"Today, today Apple is going to reinvent the phone, and here it is." And with those magic words, Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone to the world in 2007. At the time of it's release in June 2007, the iPhone was a revolutionary product, changing the mobile phone industry forever by introducing the world to touch screens (no more stylus and keyboards!) , apps, high-resolution screens, in a single device yet being oh-so thin . All this computing power came at a price though, with the 8GB model locking you with a 2 year contract with AT&T and costing a whopping $599!

Backdoor In A Backdoor Discovered By Brazilian Security Researcher in ARRIS Modems

Bernardo Rodrigues, a  Brazilian security researcher  preparing to give a talk at the  Nullbyte Security Conference  on cable modem security has discovered a previously undisclosed backdoor within a backdoor that is present on some ARRIS cable modems. The backdoor affects many models including the  TG862A ,  TG862G ,  DG860A . According to Bernardo, a search on Shodan , the world's first search-engine for interconnected devices (Internet of Things), reveals over 600,000 affected devices.

6 Reasons Every Driver Should Have A Dashboard Camera in 2016

Once solely reserved for law enforcement, the Dashboard Camera , or Dash Cam  has become increasingly popular with ordinary drivers over the last couple of years. As they become more affordable, with better picture and sound quality as well as additional features like GPS and recording even when the vehicle is turned off, we think every driver shouldn't be without a Dash Cam in their car. Here are 6 reasons why.

5 Features You Need To Consider When Buying Your Router in 2015 - 2016

It's hard to imagine but just 15 years ago, if we wanted an Internet connection, only wired connections were available. This meant we couldn't stray too far from the telephone socket or cable point, unless you had a really long wire of course! All this changed with the introduction of the router  allowing devices to use radio communication.

TrudeauMetre: Making Sure Politicians Keep To Their Promises

In the heat of an election campaign, candidates can be prone to making promises they have no way (or intention) of keeping. As the votes are cast and the winner declared, the people are hopeful of the positive impact that the candidate's promised policies and changes will have on their lives. However as the days turn into weeks and into months, who is keeping track of what has been achieved and what still needs to be done?

Microsoft Project Oxford: Machines That Recognize Human Emotion

One of the things that separate humans from machines is that we're able to recognize and distinguish between different emotions when we interact with others. With advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning and computing power in general, apps and programs are being created that are able to recognize speech, identify faces and now even distinguish between different emotions!

[Buyer's Guide] Top 5 Combination Cable Modems and Routers 2015 - 2016

The combo modem and router device, commonly known as a gateway , is popular for two main reasons. First, they reduce the amount of setup and configuration that needs to be done to get your home network going. Second, a modem plus router combo device is perceived to be cheaper than getting the two devices separately. A question we've been asked many times is "which is the best combo modem and router?" Here's a list of the best combination devices that are available in 2015 heading in to 2016.

23 Inspiring Quotes To Be A Successful Entrepreneur

We know what we are, but know not what we may be - William Shakespeare  Wise words by William Shakespeare and we truly believe in the motto that the best is yet to be!  With that said, here are 23 inspiring quotes that will uplift you, serve as a reminder or even give you a new perspective on life. 2015 is almost ending but here's to closing it out on a high note and to an even better 2016.

Machines Replying To Your Email: Smart Reply in Inbox by Gmail

We get around 300 to 400 emails per day. While most of them are simple enough, requiring only a one or two line reply, the sheer volume makes it hard for us to reply to all of them especially when we're on the move. An email that takes a few seconds to craft on our laptop or desktop, takes at least a minute to type and send on our phones. Multiply that by three hundred or four hundred and you can easily see how tiring and time-consuming it can be. The new Smart Reply  feature in the Inbox by Gmail app that is set to be rolled out later this week is here to help. In a nutshell, its a deep neural network that will guess which of your emails require only a short response and then formulate up to three possible responses which you can edit before sending out.

Want To Make Better Decisions? HelpMyDecision.com Is Here To Help

"We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us" - Ken Levine. Whether it's moving to a new city, taking up a job offer or even quitting to start your own business, at some point in our lives we'll have to make difficult choices. How do we know which is the right choice for us - the one that will bring us happiness and success instead of doom and peril? Alright, we might have been a bit dramatic there. On a more serious note, according to bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell , truly successful decision-making relies on a balance between deliberate and instinctive thinking. Helpmydecision.com is a great, free online tool we discovered that will help you distill the considerations important to you, when making a tough decision.

The Best Internet Speed Tests 2015

The Internet is all about speed and while we've come a long way from the dark dial-up days of 33.6 kbps and 56 kbps, it could be even faster still. One of the most common complaints we hear is that the actual speed we get is much slower than what was subscribed for from the Internet Service Provider. Now, there could be a whole host of reasons for the slow speeds such as modem and router issues, problems with a specific website and throttling by your ISP. The first step to solving the problem is always to test your speed and find out where you stand.

Eye Test - Online Games To Check Your Color Vision

Color blindness  or Color Vision Deficiency, is a condition that affects many more men than women. An estimated 1 in 12 men (8%) and 1 in 200 women (0.5%) are color blind. Contrary to its name, 99% of all colorblind people are not really color blind but color deficient. It's a big misconception that color blind people see the world in black and white or greyscale. If you are affected by color blindness, you would see less colors than someone without the condition, but not none.

Urinalman.com - A Site To Rate Your Urinal Etiquette

It's a feeling that all guys are familiar with - the awkwardness at the urinal. You step into the toilet and quickly scan the scene, spotting 2 available urinals, but you're unsure which one to pick. Our usual advice would be to go for a toilet cubicle or turn around and leave but sometimes there are either no available cubicles and you can't hold it in any longer.

10 Not So Well Known Google Chrome Tips You Need To Know

With an estimated 1 billion users , Google's Chrome browser is the undisputed king of browsers at the moment, in 2015. That said, many users aren't familiar with some of the basic features and cool things that Chrome allows you to do. Here are ten not so well known Chrome tips that we feel every user should know. Now, you could keep them to yourself and feel smug every time a noob comes to you for help, but we hope you share them so that everyone can have a better surfing experience. With that said, here are ten tips we feel every Chrome user should know:     1. Convert units directly in the Omnibox So first things first. You must be wondering what is this " Omnibox "? Well the Omnibox is the fancy name for the Google Chrome's address bar. It is similar to a traditional browser address bar, but it also allows you to perform other functions such as " search ", calculations and conversions as well as we shall see. Let's say we want to fi

Top 10 Google Chrome Extensions

Google's Chrome Internet browser is terrific and it's no surprise that it's the number one browser in the United States. According to the government's Digital Analytics Program (DAP) , in the first quarter of 2015, around 34.7% of all visitors to government websites used Chrome . That said, if you're not using Chrome extensions, then you're not taking full advantage of the capabilities that Chrome has to offer. To help you narrow down your selection from the thousands (literally) of extensions out in the Google Webstore , here are our Top 10 Google Chrome Extensions that will completely change your browsing experience.

[Buyer's Guide] Top 5 Cable Modems For 2017

By now, we're sure you know that renting a modem from your ISP is a terrible idea and that buying your own modem makes a lot more sense. One question many readers had after reading our follow-up article on things to look out for when buying your own modem is which one would we recommend? While there are thousands of modems out there, we narrowed down our top 5 based on the following criteria:

Microsoft Home Use Program: Purchase MS Office for $10

Do you find the cost of buying Microsoft Office a little prohibitive for home use? We feel exactly the same way so we're excited to inform our readers on the terrific Microsoft Home Use Program (HUP) which we used recently to purchase a copy of Microsoft Office 2013 for US$10 instead of US$135. If your university or company has a contract with Microsoft, this will work for you!

5 Things To Consider When Buying Your Modem

We previously wrote about why renting a modem from your Internet Service Provider is a bad idea both financially and performance wise. Delving deeper into the topic, here are 5 things you should look out for when shopping around for your modem.

Stop Being a Sucker - Why You Should Buy Your Modem Instead of Renting

Are you paying  your Internet Service Provider (ISP) a monthly modem rental fee? Most ISPs will charge you an $8 to $10 monthly fee for renting one of their modems although they provide you an option to opt out of having to pay these fees if you have your own modem. According to this article on Forbes, modem rentals is big business for ISPs . An estimated 90% of Comcast subscribers rent a modem and modem rentals generated more revenue for Comcast than the Sochi Olympics in 2014. In our opinion, unless you have a phobia of technology or are constantly moving house, you should buy a modem instead of renting.

6 Excel Print Formatting Techniques That You Need To Know

Like it or not, sometimes it's not the data or analysis you've done, but rather how you present it that sells. We've seen so much good work done not getting enough credit simply because poor formatting makes it look unprofessional when printed. Here are 6 MS Excel formatting techniques that you need to know when printing your spreadsheet.

5 Terrific Free Excel Add-Ins For Visualization and Presentations

According to research done by IDC, the total amount of data in the world will grow 300 times from the 133 billion gigabytes in the year 2005, to 40 trillion gigabytes in 2020. That's an estimated 5,200 gigabytes for every man, woman and child on earth! While we're not short of data, we need to visualize and present the data better so that they make more impact. Here are 5 add-ins you have to check out whether you're creating dashboards or want to make a presentation with impact.

10 Fun Google Hacks To Impress Your Friends

Since Google's search engine service was launched in September 1997, it has evolved from just bringing you the most relevant sites related to your search query, to providing the answers that you're looking for. Google Hacks are some built-in functions that not many know about - some are useful while some are just plain weird. Here are ten of our favorites, updated for 2015. Check them out!

10 Hidden WhatsApp Features That You Need To Know

Since it's debut in 2009, WhatsApp has grown to become one of the most popular apps with 800 million monthly active subscribers worldwide. A cross-platform instant messaging service that relies on the Internet to send messages, it has now made carrier-billed text messaging via SMS all but extinct, especially when it comes to international and group messaging.   The mobile messaging app handles  around 600 million photos and 64 billion messages - every single day.

6 Scientifically Proven Steps To Maximize Vacation Happiness

Summer is fast approaching and given that it's the busiest travel season of the year, you probably have your vacation booked or are planning to book one soon. That's great! Vacations allow you to relax, recharge and come back to your daily routine refreshed and ready to seize the day. Well, at least that's how it is supposed to be. Instead, we've heard many people complain that they're dreading the holiday season - the crowds, bratty kids, airport security and the list goes on. So we decided to look into the science of how you can enjoy and maximize your vacation happiness and we have some good news to report. When done right, vacations have some amazing benefits for your relationship and also for families as a whole.

Your Poop and Pee Reflects Your Health: What You Need to Look Out For

Have you heard of stories where where someone was struck with a serious illness out of the blue, with no warning at all? Maybe there were warnings, just that they didn't recognize the signs. The following infograph cleverly summarizes 18 signs you need to look out for, to avoid a nasty surprise. Colon cancer, diabetes, kidney stones, liver and pancreatic disorders can be identified your number 1 and number 2.

5 Scientifically Backed Methods to Optimize Your Workout Efficiency

While we love the endorphin rush of a good workout, sometimes after the end of a tough day at work, we just don't have the time or energy for a good 5 mile run. Wondering how to lose weight, then? This got us searching for how we could improve our workout efficiency, to do more with less . We present to you our top 5 tips and the scientific research behind them to lose that belly fat and keep those pounds off: 1. Drink Caffeine Before Working Out Image Credit: Shutterstock A study done on 9 competitive cyclists who exercised till exhaustion on a bicycle (what else?) and involved two trials:              (1) One trial was performed an hour after ingesting decaffeinated coffee              (2) a second trial (C) required that each subject consume coffee containing 330 mg of                                 caffeine 60 min before the exercise Consuming coffee allowed the subjects to continue exercising longer, last on average for 90.2 minutes, versus 75.5 minutes wit

9 Facts You Might Not Know About Happiness

Happiness - something so tangible yet elusive at the same time. We feel high on endorphins when we get a pay rise. However, in a few short weeks, this will normalize and become the new baseline. And very soon, we'll be looking for the next promotion. This isn't surprising but why is that so? With the help of scientific research which had been cleverly summarized into two great infographs from WebpageFx and Happify , we thought we might have found a fun, easy and sustainable recipe to achieve happiness. 1. Remember that our tough circumstances do not affect our happiness "Tough times do not last, but tough people do", a famous quote used to encourage anyone who is struggling in a difficult situation. According to scientists, this is not just management talk but supported by concrete findings. Only 10% of our happiness is determined by the circumstances we're in. In fact, we get used to our circumstances over time so they do not play as large of a r