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Nostalgia and Innovation: A Look at Using the Samsung Note 8 in 2023

In the ever-evolving landscape of smartphones, it's fascinating to revisit older models and explore how they hold up in the present. One such device is the Samsung Note 8, a flagship phone from 2017. As we fast forward to 2023, let's delve into the experience of using the Note 8 in the present day, examining its design, performance, software, and overall user experience. Design and Display The Samsung Note 8 still boasts a stunning design that feels premium and elegant. Its glass front and back, combined with the metal frame, provide a sleek and comfortable feel in hand. While its 6.3-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED display remains visually impressive, it's worth noting that newer models now offer even slimmer bezels and higher refresh rates. Nonetheless, the Note 8's vibrant colors and sharp resolution still hold their own in 2023. Performance and Battery Life  While the Note 8 may not match the cutting-edge performance of the latest flagship devices, it's no slouch eit...

Can AI Bring Us More Happiness? Exploring the Possibilities

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing our world in a lot of ways, and one of the most interesting possibilities is that it could actually make us happier. In this article, I'm going to explore how AI could enhance our personal lives, improve our mental health, and foster creativity and innovation. I'll also talk about some of the challenges and ethical considerations that need to be addressed as we embrace AI. Enhancing Personalization: One of the most promising ways that AI can impact our happiness is by enhancing personalization. AI algorithms can collect and analyze vast amounts of data about us, which can be used to provide us with personalized recommendations, products, and services. This can help us to find things that we are truly interested in and that will make us happy. For example, AI-powered music streaming services can recommend songs that we are likely to enjoy, and AI-powered dating apps can match us with people who share our interests. Improving Mental Health...

Robot Cafe in Japan Employs Disabled People

     The robot cafe in Japan that employs disabled people is called Dawn Ver. Beta. It is located in Tokyo and was opened in 2021. The cafe uses robots called OriHime-D, which are controlled remotely by people with disabilities. The robots can move around the cafe, take orders from customers, and serve food and drinks. The cafe has been praised for its innovative approach to employment and for its potential to help people with disabilities live more independent lives. The cafe was founded by Kentaro Yoshifuji, who was inspired to create it after he himself became paralyzed from the neck down. Yoshifuji wanted to create a space where people with disabilities could work and socialize, and he believed that robots could provide a way for them to do that. The robots used at Dawn Ver. Beta are equipped with cameras and microphones, which allow the people controlling them to see and hear what is happening in the cafe. The robots can also be controlled using eye movements, which...

IPad or MacBook? Which one to travel with

I’ve been travelling with my 12.9” iPad Pro with a Magic Keyboard and a 2019 16” MacBook Pro, both offer different experiences and the use case depends on the situation.  Which is the best for travel? That depends.  Using the iPad My favourite time to use the iPad is when I’m in “student mode.” This means I’m using it to learn Thai by writing out the Thai alphabet with the Apple Pencil.  Also reading books on the iPad is extremely enjoyable, even with the 12.9” format. In fact, I enjoy the lager iPad size compared to my 11” iPad because it just feels nicer to read on something with more screen real estate.  I’ll have to admit, I don’t use my iPad as often as I do with my MacBook Pro.  Using the MacBook Pro Something about using a traditional laptop makes me feel more productive. It’s the all-a rounder that I can rely on using to get things done. Weather it’s learning how to code or using the Adobe Suite, it can handle anything I throw at it.  The physical s...

'Black Panther' star Chadwick Boseman has died

  Boseman died at his home in the Los Angeles area with wife and family by his side Actor Chadwick Boseman, who played Black icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown before finding fame as the regal Black Panther in the Marvel movies, has died of cancer. His representative says Boseman died Friday in Los Angeles after a four-year battle with colon cancer. He was 43. Boseman died at his home in the Los Angeles area with his wife and family by his side, his publicist Nicki Fioravante told The Associated Press. Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016, his family said in a statement.        

Top 5 Business Books of 2020 - Best Sellers

 1. The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company This book is about the relentless curiosity that has driven Iger for forty-five years, since the day he started as the lowliest studio grunt at ABC. It’s also about thoughtfulness and respect, and a decency-over-dollars approach that has become the bedrock of every project and partnership Iger pursues, from a deep friendship with Steve Jobs in his final years to an abiding love of the  Star Wars  mythology. Buy it on Amazon  2. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving - every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results. Buy it on Amazon   3. Shoe Dog: A Memoir ...

MacBook Pro 16" 2020 - REVIEW

  The Unboxing The experience of unboxing the new MacBook Pro is similar to any other MacBook unboxing experience. The familiar white hard cardboard box with every year a new design of the wallpaper on the front of the box, vacuum tight lid slowly releasing from the bottom when opening, plastic wrapped laptop sitting on top the charger and pamphlet with Apple logo stickers tucked inside. You know, the norm.  What's new with this year's MacBook Pro?   Screen Apple has made the screen larger while keeping the same size footprint. Stretching out the screen closer to the edges allowed this great change to happen. It's not exactly an "infinity" display, but it's really close. Immersive as ever and makes the MacOS experience very enjoyable.  I upgraded from my 2017 13" MacBook Pro base model and although this one is a lot more expensive, I see this as a machine I'll be using for many years to come. Keyboard OK. Listen up. If you've been waiting for the ...

Rocket Book - The next step up for note taking!

Rocket Book   Everything has gone digital and while that can be a good thing, it leaves those who enjoy the nostalgia of a good old fashioned pen and paper behind. Rocket Book looks to change that by allowing you to write on a paper like notebook with a pen and digitize it onto the cloud with ease! It's like magic! No more wasting paper - this environmentally-friendly 32 page dotted grid notebook can be used endlessly by wiping clean with a damp cloth Blast your handwritten notes to popular cloud services like Google drive, Dropbox, Evernote, box, OneNote, Slack, iCloud, email and more using the free Rocketbook application for iOS and Android. Easy sharing when working remotely from home, distance learning, home school and a home office Allow 15 seconds for ink from any Pilot Frixion pen, marker, or highlighter to dry in order for it to bond to our specialized pages Sophisticated AI technology allows you to use Rocketbook’s smart titles, smart search, and email transc...

Technology in 2020 predictions - What will have the most impact?

Welcome to 2020 where technology is only going to become more advanced. We're at the start of another era where the things we invent will change the way we interact with the world entirely. We have Tesla spearheading the elimination of internal combustion engines entirely from the world with their electric car designs that they have open sourced to their competitors to increase implementation. The natural reaction to that is more money is being put into developing battery technology that will ultimately benefit a lot of other industries and products that relies on a having short charge times and long lasting batteries. There are two areas in technology that we predict will have a large impact in 2020. Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning: AI and ML are two big issues that appears to be on both ends of a heated debate. On one end, the fear of AI replacing jobs or having the potential threat to humankind if they become too smart, while on the other the benefits prov...

Bank of Canada exploring digital currency that would replace cash, track how people spend money

The Bank of Canada is considering launching a digital currency that would help it combat the “direct threat” of cryptocurrencies and collect more information on how people spend their money, The Logic has learned. An internal Bank of Canada presentation, prepared for Governor Stephen Poloz and the bank’s board of directors, offers the most detailed public insight yet into the bank’s thinking on a proprietary digital coin. According to the presentation, the currency would be widely available. It would initially coexist with coins and paper money, eventually replacing them completely.

The 16 Best Business Books of 2019

It's September and 2019 is only about three-quarters over, but that doesn't mean it's too early for one of the biggest business books prizes to start grinding into gear. Each year, we sift through a year's worth of business titles and crown just one the most interesting and impactful of the bunch.  The contest has just released its long list of contenders and it's basically a rundown of must-read titles for business leaders this fall. From a couple of books about bias against women to a new account of the financial crisis to fresh takes on the likely impact of AI, these are going to be the most chattered about books in the coming months.

Is That Instagram Email a Phishing Attack? Now You Can Find Out.

Got an email from Instagram? Don't automatically assume it's legit. On Monday, Instagram launched a new feature designed to stop phishing attacks from hackers masquerading as the social media service. "Bad actors are getting better at imitating emails from Instagram, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for people to distinguish between a genuine email and a fake one," the Facebook-owned service said. At first glance, the emails from the hackers look legitimate since they use Instagram logos. They offer verified badges, claim your account has been hacked and needs to be secured, or accuse you of violating copyrights. But the scammers just want you to click a link and type your login information into a hacker-controlled webpage.

Comparison between iPhone 11 Pro with DSLR cameras

There's been a ton of talk about iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro and whether their cameras are the best in the business right now. That's something that can be debated, but what about DSLRs? One YouTuber compared iPhone 11 Pro with two cameras to see how things panned out. The video by PhotographyTalk actually also an iPhone X and that could be beneficial to anyone who skipped iPhone XS and is now due an upgrade. But the real interest is in the two DSLR cameras; a Nikon Z7 and a Sony a6400. You can check the video out for all of the example shots including both stills and video, but iPhone 11 Pro manages to more than hold its own against so-called real cameras. The shots of a beach and pier as the sun goes down look stunning even when taken on iPhone X, but there's a clear improvement when you swich to the new iPhone or DSLRs. This test was also carried out without the aid of Apple's Deep Fusion, a feature that takes multiple shots and combines them to improve f...

B.C. Granny slapped with distracted driving ticket for having cellphone in cup holder

A B.C. granny was slapped with a $368 ticket for distracted driving even though her cell phone was nowhere near her hands. According to reports out of the Vancouver area, Randi Kramer, a 70-something-year-old grandmother who had never received a ticket in her 50-plus years of driving, was hit with the fine on Monday after being approached by a cop on foot while stopped at a red light. Kramer was sitting with both hands on the steering wheel, with her phone sitting in her car’s cup holder, when she heard a tap on the window, her son Trevor  told the  Surrey Now-Leader  newspaper . She was startled to see it was a uniformed cop, not a panhandler, as expected. “He said that it was safe driving month and he was going to ticket her for having her cellphone charging and visible,” her son told the paper, adding that his mother “went out of her way to comply with the laws.” Randi Kramer told  Global News  she didn’t think she was breaking the law and was surpr...

Apple slapped with a 25% China parts tariff after failed exemptions request

Apple must pay tariffs on five Chinese-made parts for its new Mac Pro computer, the U.S. Trade Representative said Monday evening. The tech giant had hoped to receive exemptions from the 25 percent tariffs on parts including a power adapter and charging cable. The U.S. Trade Representative said Apple “failed to show that the imposition of additional duties on the particular product would cause severe economic harm to you or other U.S. interests.” Monday’s decision comes after Apple announced last week it would build its new Mac Pro in Austin, Texas. The U.S. Trade Representative three days earlier granted Apple tariff exemptions on 10 of the 15 requests it had made after the tech giant wrote a letter outlining its concerns. “Our concern with these tariffs is that the U.S. will be hardest hit, and that will result in lower U.S. growth and competitiveness and higher prices for U.S. consumers,” the letter said. President Trump has repeatedly told Apple to build its products ...

Samsung relaunches the Galaxy Fold after the initial screen failure that put all sales to a halt

The luxury device, priced at just under $2,000, opens like a book to give users a screen that is the size of a small tablet. 

Ipad OS 13.1.2 released and it packs a whole lot of new features - full list here

iPadOS, the powerful operating system with a new name to recognize the distinctive experience of iPad. iPadOS builds on the same foundation as iOS, adding powerful new capabilities and intuitive features specific to the large display and versatility of iPad. This update features new ways to work with multiple apps, presents more information at a glance on a redesigned Home screen, makes using Apple Pencil feel even more responsive along with a new way to instantly mark up anything, provides a dramatic new Dark Mode, allows a simple way to sign in to websites that protects your privacy, and gives new tools to edit and view your photos. iPadOS is faster and more responsive with optimizations across the system.

Forever 21 files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection

Low-price fashion chain Forever 21, a one-time hot destination for teen shoppers that fell victim to its own rapid expansion and changing consumer tastes, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The privately held company based in Los Angeles said Sunday it will close up to 178 stores in the U.S. As of the bankruptcy filing, the company operated about 800 stores globally, including more than 500 stores in the U.S. The company said it would focus on maximizing the value of its U.S. stores and shutter certain international locations. Forever 21 plans to close most of its locations in Asia and Europe but will continue operating in Mexico and Latin America. Their popularity grew during the Great Recession, when shoppers sought fashion bargains. But over the last year or so, fast fashion has fallen out of style. Young customers are losing interest in throw-away clothes and are more interested in buying eco-friendly products. They're also gravitating toward rental and...

Wisconsin fugitive lived in a homemade bunker for 3 years with TV and lights powered by a bicycle

After more than three years on the run, a wanted Wisconsin man is now behind bars. He avoided being captured by hiding out in a homemade bunker in Marathon County. Jeremiah Button faced numerous charges for sex crimes in Portage County and had been on the run after he didn’t show up at court in 2016. Investigators say Button went to a wooded area along the Ice Age Trail in Marathon County, where he set up a bunker. They say he made his own electricity using a bicycle as a generator, had a makeshift stove and went to the local landfill to get supplies. Last week, a hunter found the bunker and called police. Investigators say Button came out about 20 minutes after police arrived. They say he seemed to be relieved, because it was his first human contact in three years.

80-Year-Old Man Builds A ‘Dog Train’ To Take Rescued Homeless Dogs Out On Adventures

80-year-old Eugene Bostick lives on a 3-acre land in East Fort Worth, Texas, with his family. His home is located on a dead-end street with a horse barn and according to Bostick, ever since they lived there, people have dumped dogs in their land and have left strays there to starve or die. They took countless animals and several stray dogs under their care, and after his retirement, Bostick and his family spent their time looking after the animals in their land. Everyday, they feed the animals, take care of them and take them to vet trips. Bostick also built a dog train to bring his pet friends out on adventures, and if that’s not the best retirement job in the world, then I don’t what else is. Bostick is a lively and energetic man even in his 80s, but with so many dogs to take care of, he needed some sort of vehicle carry them on to go on trips. He came up with the idea of the train after seeing a guy driving a tractor with carts filled with rocks attached to the it. The ...