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• Happy Tau Day! (Or: How Some Mathematicians Think We Should Retire Pi) [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  When you were in school you learned all about Pi and its relationship to circles and turn-based geometry. Some mathematicians are rallying for a new lesson, on about Tau. Michael Hartl is a mathematician on a mission, a mission to get people away from using Pi and to start using Tau. His manifesto opens: Welcome to The Tau Manifesto. This manifesto is dedicated to one of the most important numbers in mathematics, perhaps the most important: the circle constant relating the circumference of a circle to its linear dimension. For millennia, the circle has been considered the most perfect of shapes, and the circle constant captures the geometry of the circle in a single number. Of course, the traditional choice of circle constant is p—but, as mathematician Bob Palais notes in his delightful article “p Is Wrong!”,1 p is wrong. It’s time to set things right. Why is Pi wrong? Among the arguments is that Tau is the ration of a circumference to the radius of a circle and defining circles by their radius is more natural and that Pi is a 2-factor number but with Tau everything is based of a single unit–three quarters of a turn around a Tau-defined circle is simply three quarters of a Tau radian. Watch the video above to see the Tau sequence (which begins 6.2831853071…) turned into a musical composition. For more information about Tau hit up the link below to read the manifesto. The Tau Manifesto [TauDay] HTG Explains: Photography with Film-Based CamerasHow to Clean Your Dirty Smartphone (Without Breaking Something)What is a Histogram, and How Can I Use it to Improve My Photos?

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• Unshorten.it! Unpacks Shortened URLs and Provides Safety Rating

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Shortened URLs sure are convenient and compact but they hide the destination URL. Unshorten.it! is a free Chrome/Firefox extension that not only shows you the full URL but will even give you a safety rating–no need to click blindly again. Install the extension for Chrome or Firefox and then, when you come across a shortened URL, simply right click on it and click “Unshorten this link” to see both the unpacked URL and a safety rating provided by Web of Trust and HPHosts. Unshorten.it! is a free extension, available for both Chrome and Firefox. Unshorten.it! [via Gizmo's Freeware] How To Delete, Move, or Rename Locked Files in Windows HTG Explains: Why Screen Savers Are No Longer Necessary 6 Ways Windows 8 Is More Secure Than Windows 7

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• Cleaning Up Online Games with Positive Enforcement

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Anyone who has played online multiplayer games, especially those focused on combat, can attest to how caustic other players can be. League of Legends creators are fighting that, rather successfully, with a positive-reinforcement honor system. The Mary Sue reports: Here’s the background: Six months ago, Riot established Team Player Behavior — affectionately called Team PB&J — a group of experts in psychology, neuroscience, and statistics (already, I am impressed). At the helm is Jeffrey Lin, better known as Dr. Lyte, Riot’s lead designer of social systems. As quoted in a recent article at Polygon: We want to show other companies and other games that it is possible to tackle player behavior, and with certain systems and game design tools, we can shape players to be more positive. Which brings us to the Honor system. Honor is a way for players to reward each other for good behavior. This is divvied up into four categories: Friendly, Helpful, Teamwork, and Honorable Opponent. At the end of a match, players can hand out points to those they deem worthy. These points are reflected on players’ profiles, but do not result in any in-game bonuses or rewards (though this may change in the future). All Honor does is show that you played nicely. 6 Ways Windows 8 Is More Secure Than Windows 7 HTG Explains: Why It’s Good That Your Computer’s RAM Is Full 10 Awesome Improvements For Desktop Users in Windows 8

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• AllSparkCube Packs 4,096 LEDs into a Giant Computer Controlled Display

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  LED matrix cubes are nothing new, but this 16x16x16 monster towers over the tiny 4x4x4 desktop variety. Check out the video to see it in action. Sound warning: the music starts off very loud and bass-filled; we’d recommend turning down the speakers if you’re watching from your cube. So what compels someone to build a giant LED cube driven by over a dozen Arduino shields? If you’re the employees at Adaptive Computing, you do it to dazzles crowds and show off your organizational skills: Every time I talk about the All Spark Cube people ask “so what does it do?” The features of the All Spark are the reason it was built and sponsored by Adaptive Computing. The Cube was built to catch peoples’ attention and to demonstrate how Adaptive can take a chaotic mess and inject order, structure and efficiency. We wrote several examples of how the All Spark Cube can demonstrate the effectiveness of a complex data center. If you’re interested in building a monster of your own, hit up the link below for more information, schematics, and videos. How Hackers Can Disguise Malicious Programs With Fake File Extensions Can Dust Actually Damage My Computer? What To Do If You Get a Virus on Your Computer

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• From the Tips Box: Life after Babel Fish, Hidden Features in iOS apps, and Finding Clean Beaches with a Smartphone

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Once a week we round up some of the great reader tips that come pouring in and share them with everyone. This week we’re looking at Bing’s absorbtion of Babelfish, hidden features in iOS apps, and how to find a clean beach with your smartphone. HTG Explains: What Is RSS and How Can I Benefit From Using It? HTG Explains: Why You Only Have to Wipe a Disk Once to Erase It HTG Explains: Learn How Websites Are Tracking You Online

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• Upgrade a Retro Corded Mouse with Wireless Bluetooth Connectivity

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  If there’s a beloved retro mouse gathering dust in your office closet for want of wireless connectivity, this detailed tutorial will guide you through upgrading the guts to turn your corded mouse into a Bluetooth model. If you’re handy with a soldering iron and not afraid to hack apart the guts of a modern but inexpensive Bluetooth mouse, you should have no trouble digging right into this project. The end result is a modern mouse packed inside the casing of your old mouse–same old look and feel, brand new engine inside. Hit up the link below to check out the full tutorial. Retro Wireless Apple Mouse [via Lifehacker] HTG Explains: Is ReadyBoost Worth Using? HTG Explains: What The Windows Event Viewer Is and How You Can Use It HTG Explains: How Windows Uses The Task Scheduler for System Tasks

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• Should I Adjust the Volume by Software or Hardware?

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  You can adjust the your speaker volume in-app, operating system-wide, or by the physical controls on your speaker setup. Which method is best for optimum sound? Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-drive grouping of Q&A web sites. Our Geek Trivia App for Windows 8 is Now Available Everywhere How To Boot Your Android Phone or Tablet Into Safe Mode HTG Explains: Does Your Android Phone Need an Antivirus?

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• How Security Products Are Made; An Interview with BitDefender

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Most of us use anti-virus and malware scanners, without giving the processes behind their construction and deployment much of a thought. Get an inside look at security product development with this BitDefender interview. Over at 7Tutorials they took a trip to the home offices of BitDefender for an interview with Catalin Co?oi–seen here–BitDefender’s Chief Security Researcher. While it’s notably BitDefender-centric, it’s also an interesting look at the methodology employed by a company specializing in virus/malware protection. Here’s an excerpt from the discussion about data gathering techniques: Honeypots are systems we distributed across our network, that act as victims. Their role is to look like vulnerable targets, which have valuable data on them. We monitor these honeypots continuously and collect all kinds of malware and information about black hat activities. Another thing we do, is broadcast fake e-mail addresses that are automatically collected by spammers from the Internet. Then, they use these addresses to distribute spam, malware or phishing e-mails. We collect all the messages we receive on these addresses, analyze them and extract the required data to update our products and keep our users secure and spam free. Hit up the link below for the full interview. How To Properly Scan a Photograph (And Get An Even Better Image) The HTG Guide to Hiding Your Data in a TrueCrypt Hidden Volume Make Your Own Windows 8 Start Button with Zero Memory Usage

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• From the Tips Box: iPhone Sleep Monitors, Testing IR Remotes with a Camera, and Glowing Easter Eggs Redux

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Once a week we round up some great reader tips and share them with everyone. This week we’re looking at using your iPhone as a sleep monitor that wakes you at an optimum time, how to test your remote with a digital camera, and a clever way to craft glowing Easter eggs. How to Own Your Own Website (Even If You Can’t Build One) Pt 3 How to Sync Your Media Across Your Entire House with XBMC How to Own Your Own Website (Even If You Can’t Build One) Pt 2

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• Ask HTG: Installing XBMC Add-Ons, Shrinking Videos for Mobile Playback, Automatically Changing the Default Printer

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  It’s that Ask HTG time of week again; this week we’re helping readers install XBMC add-ons, shrinking video for their mobile devices, and automatically changing default printers for their new location. How to Own Your Own Website (Even If You Can’t Build One) Pt 2 How to Own Your Own Website (Even If You Can’t Build One) Pt 1 What’s the Difference Between Sleep and Hibernate in Windows?

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• Disc Drives: An Endangered Species

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  More and more computers are shipping sans-disc drive leading many industry watchers to proclaim the optical disc an endangered species on its way out. Do you still use your drive or are you letting the disc go? CNN Tech reports on the trend: Apple’s new iMac, its flagship desktop computer, was released Friday. For the first time, it has no disc drive. This marks a trend that has already begun on some laptops, like Apple’s MacBook Airs, and of course with mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. “Over time, an optical disc will be as much of an historical curiosity as a floppy disk,” said Michael Gartenberg, a tech-industry analyst with research firm Gartner Inc. According to Apple, where sleeker, thinner designs are always en vogue, dumping the disc drive was a no-brainer. How to Factory Reset Your Android Phone or Tablet When It Won’t Boot Our Geek Trivia App for Windows 8 is Now Available Everywhere How To Boot Your Android Phone or Tablet Into Safe Mode

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• From the Tips Box: Xbox Output on Two Screens, High Tech Halloween Props, and Old Flash Drives as Password Reset Disks

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Once a week we round up some great reader tips and share them with everyone, this week we’re looking at outputting your Xbox 360 to two screens, spooky high-tech Halloween props, and recycling old flash drives as password reset disks. HTG Explains: What is the Windows Page File and Should You Disable It? How To Get a Better Wireless Signal and Reduce Wireless Network Interference How To Troubleshoot Internet Connection Problems

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• Shooting Print Quality Pictures with a Camera Phone [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Camera phones get a lot of grief for being underpowered but in this video tutorial the crew at SLR Lounge shows how basic technique and a good eye overcome all. Last year over at the photo blog FStoppers they put together a video showing off how you could use the iPhone as a fashion camera–essentially arguing that the camera wasn’t as important as the photographer. A lot of people said “Well yeah, but you had professional models and thousands of dollars in lighting equipment!” in reaction to the video. In turn the crew at SLR Lounge decided to make their own video showing that using only an iPhone camera and two reflectors (as well as an attractive but informal model). It of course helps to have some side kicks to help hold up your reflectors but the point still stands about modern camera phones being perfectly capable of good photos. The SLR Lounge iPhone Photo Shoot – A Follow Up Tribute to The FStoppers [YouTube] What is a Histogram, and How Can I Use it to Improve My Photos?How To Easily Access Your Home Network From Anywhere With DDNSHow To Recover After Your Email Password Is Compromised

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• Hack an Old Hardcover Book into a Reading Light

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  If you’re looking for a clever way to conceal a reading lamp on your bedside table, this hardcover-to-book-light conversion is just the ticket. For this project you’ll be hollowing out a hardcover book and replacing the guts with a wooden frame and a strip of cool-running and efficient LED lights. You’ll need some very basic wood working and soldering skills and an afternoon or two (mostly consumed, as the author notes, by waiting for glue to dry). Check out the video below to see the full build: Hit up the link below for a full parts list and additional building tips. How To: Not Your Ordinary Book Light [Grathio via Neatorama] How To Recover After Your Email Password Is CompromisedHow to Clean Your Filthy Keyboard in the Dishwasher (Without Ruining it)Learn How to Make HDR Images in Photoshop or GIMP With a Simple Trick

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• HTG Explains: What Can You Find in an Email Header?

  - by Jason Faulkner

  Whenever you receive an email, there is a lot more to it than meets the eye. While you typically only pay attention to the from address, subject line and body of the message, there is lots more information available “under the hood” of each email which can provide you a wealth of additional information. Reader Request: How To Repair Blurry Photos HTG Explains: What Can You Find in an Email Header? The How-To Geek Guide to Getting Started with TrueCrypt

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• DIY HDTV Antenna Sticks To Your Window without Blocking the View

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  This DIY fractal-based HDTV antenna is cheap, easy to craft, and can be stuck unobtrusively on your window for better signal gains. Courtesy of HTPC-DIY, this simple build uses aluminum foil, a printed fractal pattern, clear plastic, and some basic hardware to create a lightweight and transparent antenna you can affix to a window without significantly blocking light from entering the window. Hit up the link below for the full build details as well as designs for other DIY antennas. DIY Flexible Fractal Window HDTV Antenna [via Hack A Day] HTG Explains: What Is Windows RT and What Does It Mean To Me? HTG Explains: How Windows 8′s Secure Boot Feature Works & What It Means for Linux Hack Your Kindle for Easy Font Customization

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• What You Said: Your Favorite Remote Desktop Access Tools and Tips

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Earlier this week we asked you to share your favorite remote desktop access tools and tips; now we’re back to highlight your favorite tools and how you use them. The two prevailing themes among all the tools suggested were pricing and ease of deployment. On that front, LogMeIn had a strong following. Mtech writes: I use Logmein and am amazed the free version can be used even for business purposes. I also felt so bad and wanted to pay for the Pro version just out of gratitude but they called me personally from the USA and said why pay when the free version does all you need! What a company. HTG Explains: Why Do Hard Drives Show the Wrong Capacity in Windows? Java is Insecure and Awful, It’s Time to Disable It, and Here’s How What Are the Windows A: and B: Drives Used For?

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• Fold a Papercraft Monster to Decorate Your Desk for Halloween

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  If you’re looking for a last minute and subtle way to add a little dash of Halloween to your office, these papercraft monsters are perfect for perching on your monitor stand. Courtesy of the designers at AnimateMe, there are a total of seven different papercraft monsters of all shapes and colors. Each free template includes the monster itself, plus tiny little humans to run in terror from the monster. Hit up the link below to download the templates and folding instructions. Monster Papercraft [via Neatorama] What Is the Purpose of the “Do Not Cover This Hole” Hole on Hard Drives? How To Log Into The Desktop, Add a Start Menu, and Disable Hot Corners in Windows 8 HTG Explains: Why You Shouldn’t Use a Task Killer On Android

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• Unity Player Controls Streaming Music Services From Chrome Toolbar

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Chrome: If you’re a frequent Pandora, Grooveshark, or other popular streaming music station listener, Unity Player puts play control and song info on the Chrome Toolbar. Rather than sending you digging through your tabs to find the window with Pandora–or Google Music, Grooveshark, 8Tracks, Hypemachine, or any of the other dozen supported services–Unity Player pulls up a one-click control panel for easy pause/play, skip, and access to other service features like thumbs up/down flagging. Unity Player is free, works wherever Chrome does. Unity Player [via Addictive Tips] Make Your Own Windows 8 Start Button with Zero Memory Usage Reader Request: How To Repair Blurry Photos HTG Explains: What Can You Find in an Email Header?

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• Convert Your Workspace to Standing Height for $22

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  If you’d love to try out a standing workstation but you don’t want to shell out $$$ to buy or build one, this simple $22 project will raise up your workspace surface on the cheap. All you need is a LACK side table, some shelf brackets, a shelf, and some screws. The side table goes on your desk, the monitors go on the side table, and the keyboard and mouse go on the shelf (mounted to the brackets that have been positioned at the perfect height for your forearms). Hit up the link below for more pictures, tips, and a downloadable build guide. IKEA Standing Desk for $22 [via Unpluggd] How to Banish Duplicate Photos with VisiPic How to Make Your Laptop Choose a Wired Connection Instead of Wireless HTG Explains: What Is Two-Factor Authentication and Should I Be Using It?

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• What Happens When You Load a Web Page? [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  When you type in a URL and the web page loads, everything seems so simple. Peel back the layers, however, and you see a complex delivery system built around data packets. Watch this informative video to see how your web requests actually work. Courtesy of The World Science Festival, we find this well put together video demonstrating how a trans-Atlantic web page request works. [via Boing Boing] HTG Explains: What Is RSS and How Can I Benefit From Using It? HTG Explains: Why You Only Have to Wipe a Disk Once to Erase It HTG Explains: Learn How Websites Are Tracking You Online

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• 9 Gigapixel Photo Captures 84 Million Stars

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  The European Southern Observatory has released an absolutely enormous picture of the center of the Milky Way captured by their VISTA telescope–the image is 9 gigapixels and captures over 84 million stars. From the press release: The large mirror, wide field of view and very sensitive infrared detectors of ESO’s 4.1-metre Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) make it by far the best tool for this job. The team of astronomers is using data from the VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea programme (VVV), one of six public surveys carried out with VISTA. The data have been used to create a monumental 108 200 by 81 500 pixel colour image containing nearly nine billion pixels. This is one of the biggest astronomical images ever produced. The team has now used these data to compile the largest catalogue of the central concentration of stars in the Milky Way ever created. Want to check out all 9 billion glorious pixels in their uncompressed state? Be prepared to wait a bit, the uncompressed image is available for download but it weighs in at a massive 24.6GB. 84 Million Stars and Counting [via Wired] How Hackers Can Disguise Malicious Programs With Fake File Extensions Can Dust Actually Damage My Computer? What To Do If You Get a Virus on Your Computer

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• Can Dungeons & Dragons Make You More Successful? [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Dungeons & Dragons gets a bit of a bad rap in popular culture, but in this video treatise from Idea Channel, they propose that Dungeons & Dragons wires players for success. There are some deeply ingrained stereotypes about Dungeons & Dragons, and those stereotypes usually begin and end with people shouting “NERD!!!” But the reality of the D&D universe is a whole lot more complex. Rather than being an escape from reality, D&D is actually a way to enhance some important real life skillz! It’s a chance to learn problem solving, visualization, interaction, organization, people management… the list could go on and on. Plus, there are some very famous non-nerds who have declared an affinity for D&D, so best stop criticizing and join in if you want to be a successful at the game of life. While we’re trying not to let our love of all things gaming cloud our judgement, we’re finding it difficult to disagree with the premise that open-ended play fosters creative and adaptive thinking. Can Dungeons & Dragons Make You A Confident & Successful Person? [via Boing Boing] HTG Explains: What is the Windows Page File and Should You Disable It? How To Get a Better Wireless Signal and Reduce Wireless Network Interference How To Troubleshoot Internet Connection Problems

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• Raspberry Pi Now Shipping with 512MB RAM; Still Only $35

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Fans of the tiny Raspberry Pi will be pleased to hear the new version of their Model B board now ships with 512MB of RAM (up from the previous 256MB). The best part about the upgrade? The price point stays at $35 a board. From the official Raspberry Pi blog: One of the most common suggestions we’ve heard since launch is that we should produce a more expensive “Model C” version of Raspberry Pi with extra RAM. This would be useful for people who want to use the Pi as a general-purpose computer, with multiple large applications running concurrently, and would enable some interesting embedded use cases (particularly using Java) which are slightly too heavyweight to fit comfortably in 256MB. The downside of this suggestion for us is that we’re very attached to $35 as our highest price point. With this in mind, we’re pleased to announce that from today all Model B Raspberry Pis will ship with 512MB of RAM as standard. If you have an outstanding order with either distributor, you will receive the upgraded device in place of the 256MB version you ordered. Units should start arriving in customers’ hands today, and we will be making a firmware upgrade available in the next couple of days to enable access to the additional memory. We’re excited to get our hands on a new board and try out Raspbmc with that extra RAM. HTG Explains: What is the Windows Page File and Should You Disable It? How To Get a Better Wireless Signal and Reduce Wireless Network Interference How To Troubleshoot Internet Connection Problems

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• LEGO Ornaments Bring Geeky DIY Charm to Your Holiday Decorating

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Why settle for just a Death Star ornament when you can have a Death Star ornament you built yourself from LEGO? These DIY ornaments are a perfect geeky touch for your tree or gift for a LEGO loving friend. Courtesy of Chris McVeigh, we find nine DIY ornament guides that range from traditional (like teardrop ornaments and bulbs) to geeky (like Death Stars and Millennium Falcons). Hit up the link below to check out all the files and order the brick collections right through LEGO’s Pick a Brick service. LEGO Ornaments [via Geeks Are Sexy] HTG Explains: Why Screen Savers Are No Longer Necessary 6 Ways Windows 8 Is More Secure Than Windows 7 HTG Explains: Why It’s Good That Your Computer’s RAM Is Full

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